The Fool on Mott Hill

Chapter 4

One year later, on the anniversary of Wilfred's death, Donna decided to finally clear out his hideaway cabin. Everyone offered to help, but it was something she needed to do alone. Her Granddad had a secret trunk and she'd just found the key hidden under his bed in an empty gun box. She was intrigued to know what he kept hidden from the rest of them.

As Donna struggled up the road with cardboard boxes she noticed a tall middle aged man standing by the foot of the hill. His curly silver hair licked the nape of his neck and seemed to glow under the moonlight. He stared up wistfully at the empty cabin and the large telescope alongside it.

Donna cocked her head and hesitated, giving him a full once over. He was dressed in an odd mix of modern and Victorian clothes – A black hoodie covered by a black frock coat with a red lining. He had on a black tee with holes, dark grey plaid pants, Dr. Marten boots – All something a young rocker might wear. She pictured him a wild 80's youth. A punk with a Mohawk causing anarchy all over Britain who later retired and became a magician. She decided he would've looked good as a Ginger too.

Her imagination ran away with her again, she always made up stories about people as soon as she met them. Donna also got the silly notion that he was the 21st Century version of Death himself. All he needed was a sickle. As if he read her thoughts, he swiftly turned and she gulped.

"Hello! Can I help you, Sir? Nice night for stargazin' I guess." Donna said politely. She inched forward. He looked perpetually cross. She carried mace if she needed it and owned a pair of lungs that would wake up all of Chiswick, but he stood very still, almost unsure of what to do.

His intense blue eyes were shrouded by fierce eyebrows the same color as his hair. But she caught a sudden friendly glint. As if he saw someone dear to him after a very long time. His features at once softened and his frown broke into a wide smile. Donna had the impression he wasn't much of a "smiler" so she felt honored that he did it for her. She admitted to herself that he was a handsome older bloke.

Donna came closer. "I know it looks out in the open, but this is private property, Sir. We call it Mott Hill, after my grandfather. He passed a year back."

"Yes...I know. Sorry, was thinkin'...My name's...Stewart. Stewart...Tyler." The man fumbled over his words with a throaty Scottish accent she found glorious.

The Doctor continued, trying to recall his rehearsed lines. Why did he feel the need for index cards? "I...I was an old friend of Wilfred, I knew him as a young man, he err...he was mates with my father in the war. Saved my Da's life durin' a skirmish. My Da' died years ago, but I read the notices about Wilfred's passing so I had ta come as soon as I was...free. I'm sorry for the delay."

He approached and held out his hand. Donna carefully shook it. He had slim fingers with an iron grip that she could swear she'd held before. But that couldn't be right. He kept on shaking and looked more nervous than she did.

"You must be the amazing Donna Noble. I mean, Temple. Shirley...no, uhh...Noble Temple! Donna Temple-Noble." He snapped his fingers. "Finally got it. Acch...shame on me. He never stopped talking about you. Good ol' Wilf."

Did he have dementia? It took a lot out of the man to speak so kindly and Donna was greatly impressed. He was no doubt a grumpy numpty, but she resolved to be at her cheeriest.

"Oh...so ya heard of me, then? Good things, I hope."

He nodded and shifted awkwardly like a child awaiting punishment.

"Well, that's very kind of ya to pay a visit, Mr. Tyler. Gramps never mentioned ya. But he kept a lot of secrets." She smiled appreciatively and could've sworn he held back tears. "Gramps knew a kabillion people, remembered every detail about 'em, but rarely spoke of 'em. So don't feel bad."

The Doctor fidgeted. "Oh yes, I'm kinda like that myself. I'm not offended." Without asking he took the bundle of flattened cardboard from her arms. "This looks mighty heavy. Ya must be goin' up there. I'll help ya out a bit." He noticed that she tensed. "But I won't stay. I know doing this must be a real personal...thing...to do...uhh... I highly respect that."

For some odd reason Donna didn't care if he joined her. She had put up a bold front with her family, but inside her stomach churned in knots and her head swam. She even felt dizzy walking this far. He must've saw her stumbling along the road. Being in the presence of this man somehow calmed her entire soul, as if they were right together. They climbed up silently and then he put the boxes down.

"Well then, Donna, I'll leave ya to it." He motioned to go but felt Donna's hand on his arm.

"Wait, Mr. Tyler. Stay a bit. I don't mind. I think ya came a very, very long way for this and I refuse ta be rude and dishonor my gramp's memory. He loved bein' 'round his friends." She stood a crate up. "Here, take a seat. I may be loud and blunt...but I try not ta be rude. I'm a great conversationalist."

Donna peered into his eyes and he looked everywhere but at her. He wasn't ready for them to form a telepathic bond again. If they even could.

"Oi, stand still, Mister Sunshine. I won't bite. I just..." She scratched her head. "I'm trying ta place your face, because I'm sure I know it." She gasped and her grip tightened. The Doctor looked at her worried.

"Donna, are ya alright?"

"I went to Italy for my Honeymoon! Rome...no...Pompeii! Were you the tour guide? Maybe a tourist like me? Oh I know!" She laughed and slapped her knee. "You were one of them actors in costume! Re-enacting the eruption scene...tore my heart outta me to see it dramatized. Felt so real." She saw his confusion. "Oh, I guess not."

He gently took her hand off his arm. "Oh, naw, never been there." He lied. "But I'm told I have that kinda face. So, whaddya think?" He tilted his head side to side. "Not a bad profile, but it's a daft old face, isn't it?"

Donna snickered. "Old? Aren't we all aging, Mr. Tyler?" She shook out her flaming Ginger ponytail. "Every day I'm findin' white hairs. That's how my son gets his allowance. I give 'im the tweezers and he goes to town. I say your face is distinguished, but certainly not daft. You look like a wise one."

"Oh, I wish I were, Donna." He murmured.

Her tone lightened with the sensitive Donna lilt he loved. "I'm gonna be presumptuous and say that I think you're hurtin' right now. You look so sad, Mr. Tyler. How long has it been for ya?"

"How long for what? And please, ya can call me Stewart." The Doctor kicked at tufts of grass. Maybe it was a mistake to come here in reality, rather than telepathically. He couldn't meet her gaze again. Donna touched his shoulder and he fought the desire to kiss her hand.

Kissing like a cuddly grandfather was totally Eleven's thing.

"How long since you lost someone dear to ya heart? I can tell. You're tired of covering up the pain aren't ya? That's all you've ever done. Cover up. Hide. Run." Donna couldn't understand how she knew so much about this stranger, but from his subtle reactions all her guesses were right.

The Doctor groaned and sank onto the crate. He rubbed his face and finally stared up at her. She was wearing a purple sweater and lavender fashion scarf, her favorite color. Eleven had been right, Donna was subconsciously seared onto his hearts from Ten's regeneration. His obsession with Gingers, the bossy female companions, his purple ensemble, the hats! Always with the hats. And his strong desire for friendship and family rather than starry-eyed romances. They were highlights of Eleven's existence. At times he missed it very much.

Donna looked outstandingly beautiful and compassionate, just as she always did when they'd engaged in heart-to-hearts talks. He could tell she'd made peace with the universe and her demeanor was tranquil. He felt compelled to break his "no hugging" rule.

He held back. This regeneration always did.

"Donna, sometimes it feels like billions of years. Then again, I've lost everyone I've ever loved at some point in my life. Eventually I just stopped counting."

~~Oo~~

A year ago in his personal timeline, the twenty-four year night on Darillium ended and his wife River Song was commissioned to the Library. The night before she left, she found him meditating in his old comfy chair by the fireplace in the TARDIS library. She didn't have to wonder hard about his thoughts.

The Doctor looked up and held back from crying on the spot. She wore the white astronaut suit, her final outfit, and her luxurious blonde curls were banded back in a springy ponytail that took years off her beautiful face. She had a book in her hand, but it wasn't her diary.

"This is a fitting spot for our goodbyes, isn't it? I'm sorry to disturb you. I was just trying it on again before tomorrow."

"River, it's a space suit for an expedition, not a fashion show." The Doctor chided. His gaze hardened when he saw the green lights flash on her shoulder piece.

She rolled her eyes. "I know that, numpty. I had to adjust some settings on the neural relay and make sure there weren't tears in the fabric. I'm good to go." She hated to see that grief-stricken look on his face, especially knowing it was for her.

"If it will make you feel better..." River slowly stripped down and revealed a fitted pink Tee-shirt and black tight pants underneath. She folded it carefully on the opposite chair.

"Better, sweetie?"

"Much. Thanks."

She leaned over to kiss him and massaged his shoulder blades. "I knew it. You're very tense. Don't worry, I'll take care of that later." She tickled his ear.

He smiled and stroked her hand. "Ya know, ya never disturb me, River. It's smooth sailing with you."

Every second of the last twenty four years he'd spent with her were precious to him and his life had been relatively tame, boring even, while playing "house." He didn't know how humans could stand it.

"Liar." She teased. "Rule number one."

The Doctor put his head back to look up at her. "Acch, fine. Every time you were angry with me, you shot off with your vortex manipulator and created some chaos in the universe. Then I had to come blustering in to save you."

River laughed. "Okay, you got me there. But I love it when you do that. And I only did it when I saw you getting antsy, love. You know, to spice things up." She winked.

"I will always do whatever I can to save you, River. Always. Remember that." He glared up at her with such emotion that River had to turn away. She'd done all she could to keep him occupied since he lost his precious memories of Clara Oswald. He'd sometimes get sparks of recognition whenever he'd find a reminder.

She stared at the fire and her eyes watered. "You never fail me, Doctor. And I hope in all these years, I've never failed you."

"River...I...I want you to know how much I..."

She wiped her tears fast and twirled around with her hand on her hip. "Stop. Don't be a sentimental idiot. I have one more bit of chaos for you. When I leave you won't know what to do with yourself, so I'm giving you a puzzle to solve."

The Doctor shook his head amused. "You're the biggest puzzle in my life, Melody Pond. But whaddya got for me this time?"

She sat facing him and held his hands. "Doctor, promise that you'll remember Donna Noble. One of your greatest companions who suffered a fate worse than death."

"You're already sounding like a storybook, River. But we're all stories in the end." The Doctor murmured and looked away. The flames danced off his reddened eyes.

River gulped down her anxiety. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He cringed and gave her his full attention. "Ahh, nothing. You just have a way with words, and I'm feeling poetic today." He tried to put on his biggest Doctor Eleven smile and she shook her head.

"Stop it, love. Don't. Don't. Not with this face."

The Doctor scowled with an arched eyebrow and River blew him a kiss. "Now there's the man I spent my life with. The man with the bedroom eyes."

She moved onto his lap and he wrapped his arm around her and stroked her back. She rested her head on his neck and he inhaled her seductive scent, committing it to his limitless memory for the last time. The warmth of her hair against his face soothed his nerves.

"Doctor, Donna Noble forgot your existence in her life. I'm sure that terrified her in her final moments. You never talk about it and I know you've been working on a way back to her. I think she'll need you again very soon."

And, River hoped, that the Doctor could find a measure of comfort with Donna, since they now shared similar fates.

"It's been years since I tinkered with that notion. Why would she need me? What good have I ever done for her?" The Doctor groused. "I was at her wedding, she's happy. That's what matters."

"Oh she will need you. And you've done plenty. She's alive and well and so is her child." She reached for the other chair. "Look at this. I saved it just in time, the next night some little buggers robbed the cabin."

River handed him a drawing pad. He flicked through childish crayon drawings of the TARDIS, Daleks, The Ood, a Volcano, a giant wasp, and Racnoss - all stand-out adventures he'd had with Donna. There were other assorted aliens and planets. He seemed to freeze for a full minute, then tossed it aside.

"He's no DaVinci. But at this stage he's even better than Picasso. I think he has a future in art." The Doctor smirked.

River put it back in his hand. "Aren't you going to finish? There's two more you must see."

"No, River. You know I hate endings."

"Doctor, of course I'd know better than anyone. But I think you're scared. Please just look. This isn't an ending, it very well could be a beginning." She gave him her all-knowing smile.

The Doctor grunted at her and he flipped to the last pages. His features hardened and he sat up taller. River saw and felt the intrigue build up in his entire body. She slid off him before he could forget she was on his lap and knock her on the rug. It had happened before. Sure enough he stood up fast and paced.

"I see you're getting restless already. That's a good sign."

"River, who drew this?"

"You remember, 10 pounds, 7 ounces. Ginger hair? John Caecilius Temple-Noble. He was five years old at the time he started those drawings."

"Impossible. Donna would've burned up if she'd told him. She would've burned him too if he were nearby. I didn't start work on the Telepathy Shields then. Sylvia must've said something or Wilfred probably let the cat out of the bag."

"No, love. Wilfred Mott was your most loyal friend. That man knew how to keep a secret. He was so cute with his little red hat."

The Doctor looked stern at her. "River. Don't tell me." He flashed back on Wilf's last conversation, he'd used the word, spoilers.

River crossed her legs and examined her nails. "Of course I had to meet him, my love. He's a big part of your legacy. Before he died he hid these drawings. In the cabin there's a trunk. He never let Donna see it. Once he trusted me he gave me this. He knew it was important."

"Then why didn't he give it to me when I sat on his deathbed? He never mentioned a thing."

"You'll see when you look at the last pictures. It wasn't time then and he knew it. By the way, he congratulated us on our wedding, he's sorry he couldn't be there and annoyed you didn't tell him before he died."

The Doctor remembered Wilfred's dying words imploring him to take care of Little John in the future.

"How could I talk about weddings when the man was dyin' before my eyes? Oh Wilf, always making me promise ya things." The Doctor muttered. "If only I'd known."

The Doctor was now a stubborn coot and didn't hop, skip, and jump like Eleven when he coddled every child with a few tears and bad dreams. The Doctor held his ground.

"The boy could've seen all this on the internet or Television. The invasions were real. Humans would rather take selfies than try and figure out what's going on and save themselves. There's tons of footage."

River was exasperated. "You're missing the big picture again, sweetie. Sure he could've, but at that young age? Tell me, is Davros an actor on the BBC? Has he ever been on the news? And how on earth would Little John know about the secret Torchwood facility under the Thames? That's what he drew with the Racnoss."

River flipped to the picture. "Look, there's your Tenth self with fire and water. He even wrote "Time Lord Victorious."

The Doctor's body slumped and he ran his fingers through his hair. He wagged the book away. He knew the moment he turned the final page he'd have to steer the TARDIS to Chiswick. But he just wasn't ready. It was time for River's departure. The Doctor already sensed that his life was going to tailspin. The Doctor didn't want another companion for a long, long time. And he certainly didn't want to revisit old "ghosts" again to add to his guilt.

He promised River that he'd look into it and escorted her to the wardrobe room. They had one more dinner by the Singing Towers before spending their last night wrapped in each other's arms. He wouldn't let himself be bothered by scribbles, even though his conscience tore him up.

He left the open book on his chair. Little John had drawn Donna and Doctor Ten smiling and holding hands. Then a picture of her on the hill with stars and a daffy-faced man in a bowtie. In final picture Donna stood beside a grumpy-faced man in black and plaid with silver hair. Scrawled beneath the portraits were the words,

"THE DOCTORDONNA FOREVER"

~~Oo~~

The Doctor focused on the present when Donna knelt beside him in the grass. She put her hand over his. "I'm so sorry for your losses, Stewart. I lost my dad and grandad. It hurts like fire but we soldier on, don't we? We keep the good times close to our hearts."

"I certainly try." The Doctor heaved a loud sigh. "Donna, I know I lost someone. She's like a story, but I cannae seem to get it straight in my head. I remember our time together, but not her. I must sound like a dafty, right?" A tear escaped his eye and Donna put her arm over him.

"Ya poor man. It's like a huge piece of your life's been torn away from ya. You know it, but ya can't prove it. Wanderin' around like a lost soul, always searchin' but never finding. Believe me, I know the feelin' all too well."

"Yes, I think you rightly do." He mumbled. "And for that, I'm so sorry."

Donna stared at him in awe. "You don't have to apologize." She hunched her shoulders and the Doctor cocked his brow. He knew what was coming next. Donna's self-loathing. She put on a smile that did little to hide the pain in her eyes.

"It was probably my fault anyways. I'm not clever or very bright about things. I mean, blimey, if I'm gonna forget someone like that, maybe I really didn't deserve to know 'em in the first place."

"I imagine I was exactly what my friend deserved. As for you Donna, whoever he is, I'm sure it was his greatest triumph and blessing to have ya in his life. Ya hafta believe it."

She shrugged and couldn't meet his softened glare. "Sometimes I do. It might take a long while, but it's true what they say 'bout time healing all wounds. I don't mean to sound trite."

"If there's one thing I know, Donna. It's time. I believe it too."

"Then maybe your time for healin' already started just by coming here." Donna said gently.

~~Oo~~

The Doctor stole a withering gaze at the TARDIS parked on the next hill. Her top light blinked at him as if to say, "I told you so."

"Sexy" knew he'd stalled coming after losing his wife and she decided he'd moped around long enough. It wasn't all about him. Visiting Donna Noble was one of River's last wishes. Her beloved thief was wasting away, and letting her get run-down in the process. She hadn't looked this worn out since the Time War. In fact, neither had he. The TARDIS' made her concern known. Her thief just stared at the fireplace for hours, or rifled through memorabilia leftover by companions he'd lost. His mind was a slew of bitter memories, replaying like a broken record all the moments he'd thought he failed them.

This was all wrong. He was a Doctor born of hope. She'd even given him a shiny new Sonic Screwdriver. But now he was back to his unruly hair and whiskers, mismatched, depressing clothes (Still better than his glaring 6th regeneration) and strumming melancholic tunes that he wrote for his companions on his guitar. One time he dragged out all their beautiful oil portraits for an audience. He rebuilt his Sonic sunglasses to hide his magnificent eyes, because they were constantly swollen and brimming with tears.

The TARDIS nearly crash landed after tearing out of one of his brooding junkets through deep space. She put a lock-down on the control panel and a shield around the console. He reverted back to Ten's behavior, pulling out her wires, banging her buttons with his hammer, kicking, yanking, tugging. Oh, this Doctor had a mouth on him when he called her a slew of Scottish curses. The TARDIS didn't care, and she flipped and tossed him to and fro until they hurtled to Chiswick, 2016.

She'd made him keep his promise from Donna's dreamscape, and remembered her pleas. The TARDIS took the liberty of playing it for the Doctor as she raced to reunite them.

"Even if I don't see you for a thousand years, I will never forget any of this. Not one moment. You never knew it, but you're permanently seared on my hearts, Mrs. Donna Temple-Noble."

"Come back to me, Doctor! Please come back to me!...A thousand years! I give you a thousand years!"

So here he was a little over a thousand years later in Donna's presence, and he already felt revived.

~~Oo~~

After the lull between them, Donna carefully let go of his hand. Silence wasn't her forte. "Stewart, I saw ya lookin' at Grandad's telescope. He's had it forever Refused to let me buy 'im a new one."

"Oh. Yeah, it's a good quality. Was he an astronomer?"

"Hardly. More like an enthusiast. Loved the thought of aliens out there in the galaxy. He was convinced that space travel would become a reality. I guess we all saw it with our own eyes. But whaddya think?"

"From my experience I'd say he was absolutely right. We're never alone."

"Gramps was on the hill every night. I think he was lookin' out for somethin' specific. But he always denied it. I really can't even be bothered with all this alien and space business. It's hard enough just findin' a full time job to make ends meet here on earth."

"Yes, times are tough. Always are. History tends to repeat and repeat. Like a hamster wheel."

"I can't complain too much. Won the lottery years back, we spent it, invested, but that don't make us millionaires. It sure helped though. I put most of it away for my son."

Donna sighed and looked through the telescope. "Still a blur. I need to get this fixed. My son really wants it. He loves the stars and planets. I only thought there were nine, I mean that's what they taught us in school, right?"

The Doctor shook his head glum. Human beings kept themselves in a loop, a never-ending vicious circle of ignorance, passed down through every generation. It was as bad as a Confession Dial. He refrained from saying it.

"Oh, Donna, I'm so old they only taught us about seven!" The Doctor exclaimed. He'd really learned about seven hundred by the time he was Little John's age.

Donna laughed. "And 'ere my boy is, just six years old, spoutin' off twenty-five names already! I mean, what child would make up a name like Raxa, raxa...ramalama..."

"Raxacoricofallapatorius." The Doctor finished for her. "It's a ...it's a place. When did he tell you that?"

"Oh...just yesterday. I was feelin' a little sick, and he wanted me to feel better by tellin' stories. And he has tons. Bless 'im."

"But you're fine now?"

"Yeah. Just a fever. I got a lotta those in the last year. But my Doctor said I'm otherwise the picture of health."

The Doctor sat back and looked at the sky relieved. Yesterday in earth time he'd re-started the Telepathic process of shielding her brain. Of course he could've used the new handy-dandy neural block he got from Gallifrey, but this was Donna, he was taking it old school. He couldn't risk any malfunctions. With telepathy he felt more fully in control and it kept things personal. The Doctor wanted the shield to kick in at least 24 hours before he appeared.

Donna picked up some old cans and bottles and put them in a trash bag. "I feel so dumb next to my child. The school's thinkin' of skippin' him to grade 2! I'm not so sure about that. He might be smart or gifted or whatever, but my Little John's innocent and sensitive, and kids these days are wild. Ya know, I think you and him would get on just fine."

"I don't know how good I am with children these days."

"Stop it, I bet you'd be great."

"Children do seem drawn to me, even with this face."

"The way you go on...like ya gotta new face put in. Did ya get some plastic surgery or somethin'?"

The Doctor cleared his throat and shrugged. "Umm, no, really Donna... I'm just vain."

Donna snickered and tapped the telescope. "Well ya have reason ta be. So, I guess all this thing needs is a little jiggery pokery and a new lens." Donna felt around it.

"Jiggery Pokery, nice word. Haven't used that one in a while. Donna, I'm a...science...technician. I actually specialize in all sorts of...spacey...wacey...stuff. I'll give it a look some time soon."

Donna was thrilled. "Thanks a ton! It's become a precious family heirloom."

The Doctor noticed she fanned her neck. He discretely put on his Sonic Shades. Pulling out the screwdriver would've caused too much delirium.

He waggled his brows and smirked. "Tell me, are ya feeling hot, Donna?"

Donna laughed. "I'm always hot these days, Stewart. And are you actually wearin' sunglasses at night?"

"Why not? The eighties were my glory days." He pretended to riff on air guitar and made her laugh. It was almost starting to feel like old times.

His scan completed and he pulled them off. Donna's core body temperature had risen to 98.9 degrees over a year, so she became accustomed to the heat with only slight discomfort. But it couldn't go on like that. Donna was in danger of slowly burning to death over the course of a few years.

"Ehh, Sometimes I wear 'em at night, because the moon...hurts my eyes. Tha' thing needs a dimmer." He gestured wildly to it. "It's just sitting there, glowing like a giant...egg."

Donna grew fonder of this kook by the minute. "An egg? Ya mean it's not made of cheese?"

"That would be ridiculous."

"If you say so. If we get snow blindness, why not Moon blindness? Honestly, it's only April, but my body seems to be runnin' two months ahead of schedule."

Donna picked up the cardboard. "You know what, just give me a mo' to put these in the cabin, we've been getting tresspassers lately and I wanna hide them."

The Doctor held her arm. "Wait, ya said ya haven't been in there for a while, are ya sure you can do it alone?"

Donna gulped, but she stood tall and nodded. His concern was touching and familiar. "Yes. It's not that I haven't been, I just haven't touched anything. I'll be fine."

"Okay, take your time."

~~Oo~~

The Doctor sat back and closed his eyes, going through a mental checklist of everything about the situation up until this point.

"Time for an info-dump. Sorry." He muttered to no one in particular.

His major research into Donna's Time Lord consciousness started while he was still in his eleventh incarnation. Forever tinkering beneath the console, Eleven found scattered post-its about the immense power of Gallifreyan psychic shields written by Ten.

Ten's deductions were brilliant as usual but they'd gotten lost after the Space Titanic crashed through his TARDIS and she had to rebuild her entire console room.

This was why Twelve now used a blackboard.

Between the tragic events on Mars and the hell he'd experienced with the Master Saxon, Ten couldn't take the chance of meeting Donna again to test his theories. He'd already figured something when he wiped Donna's memories the first time. The security measure he added saved her life the day she was surrounded by a bunch of Saxon clones.

Twelve deduced that Little John inherited Time Lord DNA thanks to Donna's Meta-crisis with Handy, Tentoo, or whatever other quirky name he gave it. Like Mr. Lucky or Rose's Rebound.

Any timey wimey issues with Donna always went back to that moment. River Song received Time Lord DNA through mere conception. Her parents were completely human and never had a Time Lord consciousness implanted in their brains.

Donna, on the other hand, was saturated with Huon particles. Though he told her they were gone, Ten knew he couldn't disperse them all. See Rule number 1.

"Weeeellll, at least I made them dormant." Twelve thought with an Estuary accent.

The Huons had permanently melded with Donna's DNA. The first time Donna had been a bubbling mass of chemicals and excited hormones due to her impending nuptials with spider-lover Lance. She was the perfect host.

Twelve realized that the left-over Huons reactivated when Donna discovered she was pregnant. It also coincided with Ten's regeneration to Eleven, which oddly made Donna re-enact the food melt-down Eleven had with little Amy Pond. Proving that she was truly the Doctor-Donna.

Donna had been living on an emotional roller-coaster for years now, thanks to the love of her family, added stresses, and the death of Wilfred. Donna wouldn't have survived all these meetings with the Doctors and their sneaky mind melds if the activated Huons didn't amalgamate with Ten's original neural shield.

The Doctor stewed over Little John's connection. The boy was most likely a high level telepath and he just happened to love picking his mother's brain. But that didn't explain how he saw a year in advance that the Twelfth Doctor would be on the hill. Was he a psychic telepath? Or was this boy a Time Lord in the making?

Only time and the Doctor's meddling would tell.

The Doctor peeked at the cabin and saw little movement. Donna's outline was sitting on the cot, her shoulders rose up and down. He listened carefully and heard her whimpering. He curled his hands and twisted his feet into the dirt. His leg shook. It was so hard for him to initiate comfort. He kept where he was, but his hearts went out to her.

Donna hadn't called him dumbo or spaceman yet. He weirdly missed her verbal abuse. His latest face commanded respect. He finally had a face someone listened to. His tenth she sassed and slapped. Her brief time with his eleventh she'd scorned and mocked. Now here she was offering solace and tossing flirty compliments.

If the Universe were doling out judgement on him, The Doctor's own profound memory loss of Clara Oswald was surely his punishment for the pain he inflicted on Donna Noble – The most important woman in all of creation. He didn't deserve to be in her presence.

~~Oo~~

A rabid urge engulfed him. To run, be clever, and remember. He stood abruptly when she came out. "It was my pleasure to meet ya, Donna, but I'd better be goin.'"

Donna still had tears shining in her eyes, but she put on a smile. She linked her arm through his to remind him that he came for a reason. He wasn't allowed to escape until she said so.

"Tell ya what, Stewart, Granddad's stuff can wait. He never turned away a lost soul. My mother says I'm just like 'im in that way. No more runnin' clever boy, and let's go out for some tea and nibbles. We can talk more comfortably."

The Doctor gaped at her. It was as if she read his mind. She forged ahead, dragging him along.

"I'd love to hear all about Scotland and the kilts...err, bagpipes! Yeah...The castles, Loch Ness...Whaddya say?"

The Doctor chuckled. Donna never changed. His expression brightened. "Sure! We can discuss Outlanders, Highlanders...Sean Connery, Ewan McGregor... Lead the way, boss."

Donna gave him a light punch. "Now you're talkin'! I know a place that's open 'till midnight. Gramps always met his chums there. I'll take' ya on his behalf."

Donna stopped in her tracks and looked up at him. "Ya know what I think, Stewart? I think we're gonna be good mates."

"Perhaps the best." He smirked.

"The universe is finally smiling on me again. I feel it."

"Donna, you have no idea. It never stopped."

"That'll be wizard for sure!" She raised her brow. "But I'll be the judge of our friendship. I get a strange feelin' ya might just out sass me and I'm very competitive."

"I complain and argue like the best of the Scots. But never in all my born days would I attempt to do that, Donna. I'm sure I can't win."

The Doctor remembered his trip 5 billion years in the future. The end of the earth raged outside and he was having a row with a piece of skin.

"What are ya gonna do? Moisturize me?"

His ninth regeneration could've come very close to beating Donna's sass. The universe knew what it was doing by not pairing those two up. Still could've been major fun.

Somehow Donna Noble would've fit just right with any past regeneration. She'd stomp a square peg in a round hole and call it a day no matter what. It was part of her charm.

Donna waved her hand across his eyes. "Earth to Stewart! Come on, Geronimo! Allons-y!" She hurried ahead of him.

His presence was already affecting her mind as drips and drabs of his consciousness seeped into hers. At least the catch phrases.

Donna spun around and walked backwards while facing him. "I'm a wife and mother now, and can't be dilly dallying with attractive men all night. And yes I said attractive. So don't get any ideas, spaceman."

The Doctor laughed. "Now I'm a spaceman? Where'd ya get that?"

"It just feels right callin' ya that. You bein' a technician for spacey wacey products, thinkin' the moon's an egg...there's a lot more to ya than meets the eye, I just know it."

The Doctor linked her arm again. "Don't worry, I'm a gentlemen. And I guess you can say... a recent Widower."

Donna's face paled and she halted. "Wot? No...I'm such a blitherin' idiot! I didn't even think..."

The Doctor lowered his arm and clutched her hand tight. "Don't you dare put yourself down again. I warned...I mean, I'm warning ya now. Ya had no idea."

"But of all the stupid things ta say! My mouth always gets ahead of my brain. I'm really sorry, Stewart."

The Doctor circled her, nearly shouting. "Donna, we're not here for that. This isn't about me! I'm okay. And after meeting ya for just fifteen minutes I realized that I'm goin' to be more than okay from now on. Now tell me something amazing about Wilf!"

Donna flushed and kept her head down, still ashamed to speak. She whispered a "Thank you." They walked and enjoyed the breezy night air and the scent of freshly cut grass and flowers until she became chatty again.

"Ok! I got one. I'll start with Gramps' favorite life story. He was thirteen during the London Blitz and he hid in a Cathedral with a boy named Lazarus because of the bombing. They found a group of orphans and took charge of them for a couple of days. The kids were petrified of a little ghost boy wandering around in a gas mask crying for his mummy. Grandad never saw the boy though. He was disappointed. That story used ta scare me ta bits when I was little!"

The Doctor swallowed hard. The universe had again connected him to Wilfred Mott and Donna. He did a quick mental scan of his appointments. He was due to visit Wilfred in 2012 soon. They were going to attend the Olympics. They just had to make sure not to bump into Ten and Rose.

"I like where this is goin', Donna."

"It's only the abridged version. So Gramps' mum was sickly and nearly died at the hospital. But when the Blitz ended that night she came home completely cured with a black gas mask jus' sittin' on her head! She lived to a ripe old age after that. She remembered a cocky man in leather from the North, and some strange glowin' lights healin' the patients. The man was desperate for everybody to live. And ya know what?"

"The suspense is killing me!"

"Everybody lived!" Donna stopped for breath. "It was a miracle! She fainted after that, so we never got the whole story. But rumors swirled about a space ship!"

The Doctor's hearts soared. "It's always the best when everybody lives. Ya know, Mrs. Temple-Noble, tea and nibbles are fine, but let's make it coffee...I like coffee now. Coffee and bananas! Bananas are good. Lots of potassium."

"Ehh, why so healthy? you're already a skinny streak of..."

The Doctor stared at her with adoration. "Skinny streak of what?"

Donna blushed. "Nope. I'm not gonna say it, that'd be rude of me."

"Oh Donna, I know your type. Can't hold back for long. It'll come in time." He joked.

"Just have your coffee and bananas, spaceman. I'm suddenly in the mood for Jammie Dodgers!"

The Doctor laughed. "Oh my giddy aunt! That would be fantastic!"

The End.

A/N: What was meant to be a simple one chapter/one-shot took on a life of its own with twists and turns for Donna and the Doctors. I loved writing Eleven & Donna and then really enjoyed writing for Twelve. I wish she'd return to the series. They need to meet. I kept things simple by setting it after series 9 and the special with River Song on Darillium. So the Doctor's board is cleared of mind boggling companions. Now I opened a can of Huons by giving Twelve a timey wimey little mystery to solve with Donna's son. I answered a lot of it in this story.

If I can't get around to writing a sequel, we know Donna's in good hands with the Doctor back in her life. I'll see how my RL progresses because this was so fun and I'd like to explore it more.

Thanks for reading!