The road less travelled...

Title: If You Knew Your Future… Chapter 7/12
Author: katherine_b
Characters/Pairing: The Doctor (Ten) and Donna
Rating: G
Spoilers: All of series four of NuWho and The Next Doctor
Summary: Donna wakes up to find herself in a world that is much too familiar.

Chapter VII – The Other Doctor

“Right, so, parallel worlds,” Donna begins, looking up from the kitchen sink where she’s washing the dinner dishes while the Doctor dries, “they’re sealed off, yeah?”

“Unless Torchwood in that universe creates a dimension cannon, yes.” He sighs. “When Gallifrey still existed, people could travel between them freely, but that’s over now.”

She nods. “And you know if people have been to parallel worlds,” she says.

He gives her an astonished look. “How did you know that?”

“You told me. Oh, wait,” she adds quickly, “not you. The other Doctor. Sorry, it’s hard to remember which of you said what. But he said he could always tell if people had been in parallel worlds. True?”

The Doctor nods. “True. And you have, before you ask.”

“I know, the world in the Library and the one where you died. But other than that?”

He leans against the cupboard and looks her up and down, although she has the feeling that he’s looking through her as well. “I would say – no.”

She nods. “That’s what I thought, too.”

“Then what happened to you?”

“I have an outlandish theory.”

He quirks an eyebrow. “Let’s hear it.”

“Rightio then.” She finishes the last plate and pulls out the plug. “You know how you come to crossroads in life and you can choose to go one way or other. Turn right or left. Accept an invitation or refuse it. That sort of thing.”

He picks up a cup to dry it and nods.

“My idea is – what happens to the version of you that would have existed if you’d done the other thing? Do they simply cease to exist, or is it possible that they go on to live that alternate version of your life?”

“You think that’s who this other Doctor is – a version of me that exits because of something I did differently at some point in my timeline? Probably something to do with you?”

“Well, it’s possible, isn’t it? I mean, you’ve denied that I was in a parallel world, and I’ve been a victim of the Trickster once and being with this Doctor didn’t feel like that. So if we eliminate both of those possibilities, what’s left?”

“Not a lot,” the Doctor admits. “Although – if there are other versions of me all over the Universe, with all the travelling I do, wouldn’t I be likely to bump into myself in the end? And I – well, I was about to say I hadn’t, but there was one time...”

And he describes the meeting with his fifth incarnation.

“You know,” he concludes, “you might be onto something.”

“So maybe something like that happened to me,” she says as she begins to put away the plates. “I met this other Doctor. Clearly I shouldn’t have. But I did. So perhaps, if I met him once…”

“You want to find him again,” he finishes for her. “But why, Donna?”

She heaves a shaky sigh at the memory of that other Doctor’s distress in their last moments together. However “I have to make sure he’s all right,” is all she offers in answer to his question.

* * *

“Snow!” Donna announces in delight as they leave the TARDIS in Victorian London. “Real snow!”

“Donna, you hate snow,” the Doctor reminds her as he follows her outside.

“Yeah, but this is – ooh, it’s like being in a chocolate box or something. Quality Street, I’m thinking.”

“Well,” he suggests as he takes her hand, “I wouldn’t go saying that to this lot. If the TARDIS has sent us to the right place, they’ve only just recovered from a visit by the Cybermen.”

“Doctor?”

They turn to find a man in a fawn coat covering a brightly coloured vest coming across the square to them, his hands outstretched in greeting.

“Doctor, it is you! I’m delighted to see you again!”

“Jackson!”

The Doctor shakes the other man’s hand as Donna waits to be introduced, but she’s in for a surprise as the newcomer crosses to her and greets her as if he’s known her for years.

“And this, unless I’m very much mistaken, which I’m not, is one of those companions of yours, Doctor. Miss Noble, my name is Jackson Lake, very much at your service.”

As he kisses the back of her hand, Donna’s jaw drops and she looks at the Doctor, who grins in obvious delight at her discomfort.

“Well, Jackson,” he asks, “anything exciting happened since I left?”

“Thankfully, all has been very peaceful,” comes the ready reply. “I have to admit that I didn’t expect to see you again, Doctor.”

“Actually, Donna and I are looking for someone,” the Doctor tells him. “But I think you’ve already answered the question for me. Still, might as well make sure: you haven’t seen me, or someone who looks like me, since the destruction of the CyberKing, I take it?”

“Definitely not.” There is no room for doubt in Jackson’s voice, or the in definitive way he shakes his head. “It would have to be an extraordinary circumstance, I think, if another version of yourself were to visit this same place.”

The Doctor claps him on the shoulder. “It would indeed, Jackson, but as you no doubt recall, when Donna’s about, the extraordinary becomes commonplace with almost unnerving ease.”

“Oi!”

Donna’s indignant exclamation makes both men laugh. Then the Doctor turns to Jackson again.

“I admit it’s pretty unlikely that you’ll see him. But if you do, can you pass on a message for us?”

“Of course!”

“Good, thanks. Just tell him that Donna’s safe.” He suddenly turns to her. “Should I mention anything about us? Well, me.”

“No.” She shakes her head. “Don’t confuse things.”

“Fine.” He turns back to Jackson. “Just that she’s safe then.”

“And looking for him,” Donna adds.

“That won’t be confusing?” the Doctor demands.

“Would you be confused?”

He has to think about this for a moment. “No-o,” he says slowly. “Probably not.”

“There you go then.”

“Right.” He sighs a bit and then looks at Jackson. “Safe and looking for him.”

“With you?”

“Mmm, no. Just safe and looking for him.”

“Right.” Jackson nods. “Of course I will.” Then he looks curious. “Do you think he’s really likely to come here? Why?”

“Because I did,” the Doctor tells him. “Completely random, but it’s possible he might be doing the same things I did.”

“I see.” Jackson looks at the two of them and then glances in the direction of the TARDIS. “So that’s it then? You’re just going to leave again?”

Donna picks up on the slightly plaintive tone in the man’s voice and wonders at it, even as she smiles.

“Oh, I don’t think so,” she says, speaking over the Doctor’s agreement with Jackson’s statement. She squeezes the Doctor’s hand and grins at him. “We can’t leave yet! I’ve never been to Victorian England before.”

“Donna,” the Doctor’s voice is full of exaggerated patience, “when I was here before, with Rose, we got into a bit of trouble with Queen Victoria. You’ll forgive me if I’m a little anxious about tempting fate yet again.”

“Well, if you and Rose hadn’t been so ridiculously soppy, she probably wouldn’t have lost patience with you so quickly, ‘Sir Doctor of Tardis’. Oh, I know about the way the two of you carried on. ‘We are not amused’ and all that rubbish. Serves you right, really. No sympathy from this quarter, chum.”

“But… I… well – oh, that’s not fair!”

Jackson chuckles. “Seems as if you’ve met your match, Doctor. I seem to recall, from what I saw of your life, that Donna was always good at that.”

“Some things never change,” the Doctor mutters, and then, glaring at Donna out of the corner of his eye, “Oh, all right then! We’ll stay. For a while.”

The other man laughs out loud at this. “And you told me that it was rare for anyone to be able to change your mind! I’m impressed, Miss Noble.” He offers her his arm with what she sees as old-fashioned grace. “Shall we?”

Donna lets go of the Doctor’s hand and gladly takes Jackson’s arm. She glances over her shoulder at the Doctor, who is looking less than pleased, and winks at him. He manages a grudging smile and follows them through the crowded marketplace.

Next Part

Links to previous parts: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 (the sad one) Part 4 (the really sad one) Part 5 Part 6