Wanderer of Time: Silence Begins (doctor who)

Chapter 50: Goodbye, Doctor-Donna

Once inside the TARDIS, Donna bounced over to the console and set them off. Chatting away happily about all the adventures they were going to have. What a thrilling life now that she had the mind of the Doctor. All his knowledge, insight to the universe, streaming throughout her head. It made her so happy to be the Doctor-Donna. The Doctor and Wanda both stared at the woman, slowly nodding as she rambling on in delight. Each Time Lords' eyes swimming in misery of what was to come. Wanda breathed in a shaky breath, her hands beginning to shake. The Doctor looked to her, gently taking her hand in his. He nodded slowly, telling he was just as woeful, too. Letting go of her hand, the Doctor stuffed both of his into his pockets, walking towards Donna.

"And how does that feel?" the Doctor asked Donna as she commented on his mind now being her own mind.

"Brilliant, fantastic. Molto bene!" exclaimed Donna as she flipped the TARDIS controls around cheerfully. "Great big universe packed into my brain." She turned to the Doctor. "You know, you can fix that chameleon circuit if you just try and hotbind in the fragment links and superseding the binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary, binary—" Donna gasped abruptly, shaking greatly. She slapped on a wavering smile. "I'm fine!"

She turned around from them, the shaking throughout her body continued. Wanda knew that the woman had known this was to come. The moment Donna had become the Doctor-Donna, she had already known of her death, but had been fighting it all this time, working against her failing mind. How brave the woman was in knowing her death had been coming, but yet still fought to keep everyone else safe first, to save the Doctor and Wanda. Truly, she was the most faithful companion.

"Nah, never mind Felspoon," Donna rambled on hurriedly, trying to ignore what had happened and keep pretending everything was fine. That she would still live. "You know who I'd like to meet? Charlie Chaplin. I bet he's great. Charlie Chaplin. Shall we do that? Shall we go and see Charlie Chaplin? Shall we? Charlie Chaplin? Charlie Chester, Charlie Brown. No, he's fiction, friction, fiction, fixing, mixing, Rickston, Brixton."

Donna gasped in pain this time as agonizing headache went through her head, falling against the console. It almost felt as if her brain had a spasm of sorts. Wanda hurriedly went over to her, holding the companion up so she would not fall to the floor. Donna held onto her tightly, shaking. She started to cry on Wanda's shoulder.

"You never said who it was you couldn't save," she whispered to Wanda. "All you said was 'she.'"

"I know," Wanda spoke brokenly, rubbing the woman's back in soothing circles for comfort.

"It's me . . . I'm the one you couldn't save," Donna cried, tears falling down her face, watching Wanda's own tears.

"I'm so sorry," Wanda wept, holding the woman even closer as Donna gripped onto her for dear life. The Doctor walked up to them, staring at Doctor-Donna in remorse.

"Do you know what's happening?" he asked her quietly. Donna nodded on Wanda's shoulder, gripping onto the Time Lady even more, refusing to ever let go. The Doctor's eyes began to waver. "There's never been a human/Time Lord metacrisis before now. And you know why."

"Because there can't be," Donna answered, sniffling loudly. She moved away from Wanda, going around to the other side of the console. "I want to stay." The Doctor walked over to her, gripping her hand.

"Look at me," he instructed her. Donna kept her head down, refusing to meet his eye. The Doctor felt his hearts twisting in remorse, knowing what torment this was going to be for them all, especially the companion. "Donna, look at me." She slowly turned to him, shaking and crying even more as she stared at both Time Lords.