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Title: Nightmares 8/8
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
katherine_b
Rating: PG
Characters: Donna and the Doctor (Ten)
Spoilers: All of Season 4 up to the end of Forest of the Dead
Summary: Donna has nightmares about the Doctor.
Part VIII
“Nice, then, is it?” Donna asks as he enters the co-ordinates and sets the TARDIS off on the journey. “This Cascade thing?”
“Gorgeous!” The Doctor beams at her. “You’ll love it, Donna. It’s one of my favourite places in the whole universe.”
“I think I’ve heard of it before.” Donna frowns. “Something about Medusa – ooh, I know! Evelina said it. Back at Pompeii. She said your name – you real name – burns in stars of the Cascade of Medusa.”
He suddenly wishes that she didn’t have quite such a good memory and he fixes his eyes on the monitor, refusing to meet his gaze. However the annoying part of doing that is that she’s going to realize something’s wrong, and he knows she has when she reaches out and takes his hand.
“What did she mean by that, Doctor?”
For a moment he stares down at their intertwined fingers before looking up at her, a sad smile on his face as bitter memories resurface. “It’s where I went first after I left Gallifrey. It’s the place where I began calling myself ‘the Doctor,’ to get away from everything I left behind. It’s – oh, it’s all my imagination, I know, but when I go there, it’s as if I’m somehow connecting with what I was before.”
“Before – when Gallifrey still existed,” she suggests, accurately, of course. She knows him so well that he can’t possibly hide things like that from her.
He nods and she rubs his arm comfortingly.
“I’d be honoured if you’d take me there,” she says quietly.
He smiles and gives her hand a final squeeze before letting go and turning back to the TARDIS controls. She moves around to the other side of the console and, when he nods at her, shifts one of the levers.
The Doctor’s grateful, and not for the first time, that he taught her what the majority of the controls do. Quite apart from the fact that, although he’s pretty much recovered, he’s still not up to bounding around like he normally does, he enjoys having someone else to share the delight of flying the TARDIS with.
There’s also the bonus that he’s got someone else to blame when something goes wrong.
And as the TARDIS judders to a sudden halt that almost sends Donna flying, and which the Doctor only avoids by hanging on to a convenient handle he’s certain wasn’t there a moment ago, he knows both that the TARDIS is feeling very guilty about what happened to him, and also that something is very wrong indeed.
“What did you do?” he demands of his companion.
“Nothing,” she protests at once. “I wasn’t even touching anything!”
He frowns and then peers at the information he’s being fed on the monitor, before his face suddenly clears as he realises what’s happened and he gives a slow nod.
“Ah.”
“Well, what’s wrong?” Donna demands. “Why have we stopped?”
“A temporal barrier,” the Doctor replies, checking the information on the screen before looking up at her. “Sort of like police tape around a crime scene. Still,” he leaves the console and moves towards the doors, “at least we can take a look while we’re here.”
She follows him as he opens the doors and takes a seat next to him on the threshold, their legs dangling out in space.
“So,” the Doctor prompts after a moment of silence, nudging her, “what do you think?”
“Wow!” is all Donna can manage, but he grins in a satisfied manner.
“Good, eh?”
“It’s like – a sunrise and a sunset all at the same moment. Only bigger and better than any I’ve ever seen on Earth.”
“Rather fond of this place,” he muses idly, taking her hand.
Before Donna can reply, there’s a mechanical blip and the Doctor looks over his shoulder to see the projected image of a woman standing between them and the console. He recognises her at once.
“Who’s that?” Donna demands.
“The Shadow Architect.” The Doctor scrambles to his feet. “Well, hologram of the Shadow Architect. Head of the Shadow Proclamation.”
“The what?”
“Outer space police.” He walks across and stops several feet away from the hologram. “Have you got a message for me?” he asks it.
“The Shadow Proclamation has control of the situation,” the woman’s voice says in calm tones. “Please do not try to interfere. Those responsible will be taken care of.”
“Responsible for what?” Donna demands, even as the hologram fades away.
“Clearly something big’s going on here,” is all he replies.
The Doctor turns to the console and fiddles a bit, while Donna remains seated in the doorway. They both let out a cry at the same moment.
“What on Earth…?”
“Where they did come from?”
The Doctor joins Donna at the door and they gaze at the sixteen planets that have just popped into existence around them.
“I… take it these aren’t usually here,” Donna ventures.
“Not like this,” he agrees. “And definitely not these! They don’t even belong in this galactic vector. That’s one of the Adipose breeding planets,” he says, pointing at the closest one. “Adipose 3 probably. Isn’t that the one Matron Cofelia said was missing?”
“So we’ll probably find Pyrovillia here,” Donna suggests.
“Wouldn’t surprise me. Ooh, and that’s the Lost Moon of Poosh,” the Doctor says excitedly, pointing at another one. “Well, Found Moon of Poosh now, I suppose. And that’s Clom! I love Clom. Got to take you there one day. Oh, and Woman Wept.”
“What kind of a daft name is that for a planet?”
He grins at her. “Well, when you think about it, ‘Earth’ isn’t exactly that creative either.”
There’s a long moment of silence as they stare at the planets.
“So what are we going to do?” Donna asks in the end.
“Nothing.” The Doctor shoves his hands deep into his pockets. “We can’t, even if we wanted to. The Shadow Proclamation seems to have everything in hand, and until they lift the temporal barrier, we can’t get any closer.”
“So we stand around and wait?”
“Guess so. Or – no, I’ve got a better idea!” He dashes back to the console. “I’ll bring you back here another time, but for now – Donna, close those doors and come over here!”
She grins and does as she’s told. “You going to run to the Shadow mob and offer your services?”
“Of course not!” he retorts, as if that’s the most ridiculous suggestion he’s ever heard, even as he types in a new set of co-ordinates. “The Medusa Cascade can wait for another day when we can visit it properly. Oh!” He turns so that his back blocks the monitor and she can’t see their destination. “Go and get ready. Walking shoes. A warm coat.”
“We’re not going back to the Oodsphere, are we?”
“Nope!” He chuckles and waves her away. “Off you trot like a good girl.”
“Oi!” She whacks his arm, although he notices she’s careful to aim for his right side. “What do you mean by that?”
“You’ll see!” His eyes twinkle at her. “I’ll call you when we’re there, okay?”
Donna casts a suspicious glance at him, but finally turns away from the console and heads down the ramp. He barely waits until she’s out of sight before snatching up Martha’s phone and making a quick call, gleefully arranging things, delighted when they turn out even better than he could have imagined.
He’s bouncing on the balls of his feet with excitement by the time he fetches Donna back to the console room. Taking her hand, he covers her eyes and then leads her over to the doors, throwing them wide open.
“Are you going to tell me where we are yet?” Donna demands.
The Doctor chuckles and moves his hand away. “Go on then,” he says. “Take a look.”
Donna blinks several times to clear her vision and then gazes around at the world outside the TARDIS in evident amazement. They’re in the middle of a park, but high-rise buildings stand out clearly beyond the trees.
“Central Park, New York, New York,” the Doctor announces proudly. “Best shopping anywhere. And,” he plucks a plastic card out of his sleeve with the air of a magician, “unlimited credit.”
“Okay, that definitely makes up for everything,” Donna declares as she takes the card from his hand, her face wearing a grin.
“Oh, and one more thing,” the Doctor adds, guiding her onto the grass and closing the TARDIS doors behind them.
“Wouldn’t want you to be on your own for a world-record spending spree,” a familiar voice remarks, and Donna turns sharply before throwing her arms around Martha, who is standing next to the TARDIS.
“Shopping’s no fun on your own,” the Doctor says, adding hurriedly, as Donna shoots him a suspicious glance, “Or so I’ve heard.”
“Definitely not,” says an aggravatingly familiar American accent, and the Doctor’s satisfied smile disappears like magic.
“Captain,” he says stiffly, his manners forcing him to acknowledge the Time Agent.
“At your service, Doctor,” that man says with a chuckle, before turning to Donna. “And most particularly at yours, Miss Noble.”
He lifts her hand to his lips, and the Doctor fumes at the blush on Donna’s cheeks.
“Captain Jack Harkness,” that man tells Donna, slipping his arm around her shoulders.
“Don’t,” the Doctor tells him, even as Martha takes his arm and they begin walking through the park. “Just don’t.”
Next Part (Coda)
Author:
katherine_b Rating: PG
Characters: Donna and the Doctor (Ten)
Spoilers: All of Season 4 up to the end of Forest of the Dead
Summary: Donna has nightmares about the Doctor.
Part VIII
“Nice, then, is it?” Donna asks as he enters the co-ordinates and sets the TARDIS off on the journey. “This Cascade thing?”
“Gorgeous!” The Doctor beams at her. “You’ll love it, Donna. It’s one of my favourite places in the whole universe.”
“I think I’ve heard of it before.” Donna frowns. “Something about Medusa – ooh, I know! Evelina said it. Back at Pompeii. She said your name – you real name – burns in stars of the Cascade of Medusa.”
He suddenly wishes that she didn’t have quite such a good memory and he fixes his eyes on the monitor, refusing to meet his gaze. However the annoying part of doing that is that she’s going to realize something’s wrong, and he knows she has when she reaches out and takes his hand.
“What did she mean by that, Doctor?”
For a moment he stares down at their intertwined fingers before looking up at her, a sad smile on his face as bitter memories resurface. “It’s where I went first after I left Gallifrey. It’s the place where I began calling myself ‘the Doctor,’ to get away from everything I left behind. It’s – oh, it’s all my imagination, I know, but when I go there, it’s as if I’m somehow connecting with what I was before.”
“Before – when Gallifrey still existed,” she suggests, accurately, of course. She knows him so well that he can’t possibly hide things like that from her.
He nods and she rubs his arm comfortingly.
“I’d be honoured if you’d take me there,” she says quietly.
He smiles and gives her hand a final squeeze before letting go and turning back to the TARDIS controls. She moves around to the other side of the console and, when he nods at her, shifts one of the levers.
The Doctor’s grateful, and not for the first time, that he taught her what the majority of the controls do. Quite apart from the fact that, although he’s pretty much recovered, he’s still not up to bounding around like he normally does, he enjoys having someone else to share the delight of flying the TARDIS with.
There’s also the bonus that he’s got someone else to blame when something goes wrong.
And as the TARDIS judders to a sudden halt that almost sends Donna flying, and which the Doctor only avoids by hanging on to a convenient handle he’s certain wasn’t there a moment ago, he knows both that the TARDIS is feeling very guilty about what happened to him, and also that something is very wrong indeed.
“What did you do?” he demands of his companion.
“Nothing,” she protests at once. “I wasn’t even touching anything!”
He frowns and then peers at the information he’s being fed on the monitor, before his face suddenly clears as he realises what’s happened and he gives a slow nod.
“Ah.”
“Well, what’s wrong?” Donna demands. “Why have we stopped?”
“A temporal barrier,” the Doctor replies, checking the information on the screen before looking up at her. “Sort of like police tape around a crime scene. Still,” he leaves the console and moves towards the doors, “at least we can take a look while we’re here.”
She follows him as he opens the doors and takes a seat next to him on the threshold, their legs dangling out in space.
“So,” the Doctor prompts after a moment of silence, nudging her, “what do you think?”
“Wow!” is all Donna can manage, but he grins in a satisfied manner.
“Good, eh?”
“It’s like – a sunrise and a sunset all at the same moment. Only bigger and better than any I’ve ever seen on Earth.”
“Rather fond of this place,” he muses idly, taking her hand.
Before Donna can reply, there’s a mechanical blip and the Doctor looks over his shoulder to see the projected image of a woman standing between them and the console. He recognises her at once.
“Who’s that?” Donna demands.
“The Shadow Architect.” The Doctor scrambles to his feet. “Well, hologram of the Shadow Architect. Head of the Shadow Proclamation.”
“The what?”
“Outer space police.” He walks across and stops several feet away from the hologram. “Have you got a message for me?” he asks it.
“The Shadow Proclamation has control of the situation,” the woman’s voice says in calm tones. “Please do not try to interfere. Those responsible will be taken care of.”
“Responsible for what?” Donna demands, even as the hologram fades away.
“Clearly something big’s going on here,” is all he replies.
The Doctor turns to the console and fiddles a bit, while Donna remains seated in the doorway. They both let out a cry at the same moment.
“What on Earth…?”
“Where they did come from?”
The Doctor joins Donna at the door and they gaze at the sixteen planets that have just popped into existence around them.
“I… take it these aren’t usually here,” Donna ventures.
“Not like this,” he agrees. “And definitely not these! They don’t even belong in this galactic vector. That’s one of the Adipose breeding planets,” he says, pointing at the closest one. “Adipose 3 probably. Isn’t that the one Matron Cofelia said was missing?”
“So we’ll probably find Pyrovillia here,” Donna suggests.
“Wouldn’t surprise me. Ooh, and that’s the Lost Moon of Poosh,” the Doctor says excitedly, pointing at another one. “Well, Found Moon of Poosh now, I suppose. And that’s Clom! I love Clom. Got to take you there one day. Oh, and Woman Wept.”
“What kind of a daft name is that for a planet?”
He grins at her. “Well, when you think about it, ‘Earth’ isn’t exactly that creative either.”
There’s a long moment of silence as they stare at the planets.
“So what are we going to do?” Donna asks in the end.
“Nothing.” The Doctor shoves his hands deep into his pockets. “We can’t, even if we wanted to. The Shadow Proclamation seems to have everything in hand, and until they lift the temporal barrier, we can’t get any closer.”
“So we stand around and wait?”
“Guess so. Or – no, I’ve got a better idea!” He dashes back to the console. “I’ll bring you back here another time, but for now – Donna, close those doors and come over here!”
She grins and does as she’s told. “You going to run to the Shadow mob and offer your services?”
“Of course not!” he retorts, as if that’s the most ridiculous suggestion he’s ever heard, even as he types in a new set of co-ordinates. “The Medusa Cascade can wait for another day when we can visit it properly. Oh!” He turns so that his back blocks the monitor and she can’t see their destination. “Go and get ready. Walking shoes. A warm coat.”
“We’re not going back to the Oodsphere, are we?”
“Nope!” He chuckles and waves her away. “Off you trot like a good girl.”
“Oi!” She whacks his arm, although he notices she’s careful to aim for his right side. “What do you mean by that?”
“You’ll see!” His eyes twinkle at her. “I’ll call you when we’re there, okay?”
Donna casts a suspicious glance at him, but finally turns away from the console and heads down the ramp. He barely waits until she’s out of sight before snatching up Martha’s phone and making a quick call, gleefully arranging things, delighted when they turn out even better than he could have imagined.
He’s bouncing on the balls of his feet with excitement by the time he fetches Donna back to the console room. Taking her hand, he covers her eyes and then leads her over to the doors, throwing them wide open.
“Are you going to tell me where we are yet?” Donna demands.
The Doctor chuckles and moves his hand away. “Go on then,” he says. “Take a look.”
Donna blinks several times to clear her vision and then gazes around at the world outside the TARDIS in evident amazement. They’re in the middle of a park, but high-rise buildings stand out clearly beyond the trees.
“Central Park, New York, New York,” the Doctor announces proudly. “Best shopping anywhere. And,” he plucks a plastic card out of his sleeve with the air of a magician, “unlimited credit.”
“Okay, that definitely makes up for everything,” Donna declares as she takes the card from his hand, her face wearing a grin.
“Oh, and one more thing,” the Doctor adds, guiding her onto the grass and closing the TARDIS doors behind them.
“Wouldn’t want you to be on your own for a world-record spending spree,” a familiar voice remarks, and Donna turns sharply before throwing her arms around Martha, who is standing next to the TARDIS.
“Shopping’s no fun on your own,” the Doctor says, adding hurriedly, as Donna shoots him a suspicious glance, “Or so I’ve heard.”
“Definitely not,” says an aggravatingly familiar American accent, and the Doctor’s satisfied smile disappears like magic.
“Captain,” he says stiffly, his manners forcing him to acknowledge the Time Agent.
“At your service, Doctor,” that man says with a chuckle, before turning to Donna. “And most particularly at yours, Miss Noble.”
He lifts her hand to his lips, and the Doctor fumes at the blush on Donna’s cheeks.
“Captain Jack Harkness,” that man tells Donna, slipping his arm around her shoulders.
“Don’t,” the Doctor tells him, even as Martha takes his arm and they begin walking through the park. “Just don’t.”
Next Part (Coda)
enthralled
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