I didn't expect to continue An Evening At the Circus. It was finished as far as I was concerned. Then the comments rolled in. Someone mentioned Bruce seeing Donna again. Which got me thinking...for nearly a decade. I'd pick and poke at the concept, trying to approach things from an interesting angle. I never felt like I was getting it right until now. I hope I have. My thanks to you all for commenting and sharing your ideas and thoughts with me. Please continue to do so.

Chapter Two: Circus Memories (or The Double Donna Dilemma)

It was impossible. Bruce gaped at the red headed woman from across the street.

Maybe that's her daughter?

Bruce Wayne was in the UK for the yearly inspections of Wayne Enterprises' London offices. Alfred had put aside a couple of days for sight-seeing. Normally Bruce wouldn't really have bothered. Time off isn't exactly something he cherished. This is what he gets for having Alfred set the itinerary.

Of course, had he not, Bruce likely would've missed seeing her.

Begrudgingly, the wealthy bachelor had supposed he could use the time to reinforce his public playboy persona. Which was why he spent the past three hours utilizing every ounce of his training and discipline to feign interest in what his buxom blonde companion was saying. With all due respect to the lady, she wasn't exactly thrilling company for someone with Bruce's particular skill sets and interests. He took her out because she was the first woman in the area with whom he was acquainted to pick up her phone.

Finally their lunch was over. The two were heading out of a posh restaurant recommended by the US Ambassador to the UK. It was then Bruce saw her.

Impossible, he thought again. She hadn't aged a day!

It was easy to ditch his date. A fake phone call and some cab fare left him free to follow the familiar woman.

He thought back to that night, like he so often had when the pain of his parents' death was too much, or too little, to bear. He remembered the lights, the music, the sounds, the...the happiness he felt being at Haley's Circus. It would be the last time Bruce would have fun with his parents before they were taken from him.

He'd gotten lost. Donna and her skinny doctor friend took the time to help him find mom and dad. Doctor...who? Did he ever get a name? She knew of them. That always struck him as odd. Even Gothamites didn't most of the time.

Bruce smiled faintly as he recalled elephants lifting the skinny doctor up. He never quite figured out how the guy was able to get the animals to cooperate with him.

"Oi! Who do you think you are, following me, buddy! Try and mess with me and you're gonna get a whole lotta mace in your face!"

Bruce nearly reacted in surprise. He been the implementing stealth techniques taught by the League of Shadows. It was highly improbable a random person, despite happening to look exactly like yet another random person from his childhood, would notice him.

The trembling can of pain inches from his eyes proved yet again how dangerous assumptions can be. She must have excellent survival instincts. After considering his situation for a moment, Bruce decided the best course of action would be a little bit of honesty alongside a generous dollop of charm. He gave her his most disarming grin and backed away with his hands up.

"Duly noted," Bruce began, inflecting his voice with a soothing and friendly tone. "Please forgive me, miss. You looked familiar. That's all, I promise. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Bruce Wayne. Are you Donna by any chance?"

While speaking, he noticed her eyes light up with recognition well before he got to his name. An expression of deep abiding horror then sort of just stayed on her features. She probably hadn't heard his question. So he repeated himself.

This seemed to shake the woman out of her stupor. "I can't believe I almost maced Bruce Wayne... Wait, you...you know me?" She asked breathlessly as her arm fell.

Despite himself, Bruce felt his pulse quicken. Her name IS Donna! No! Doesn't mean she's the same person. Press for more information. Keep it vague. Let her fill in the blanks.

"Yes, we met once a while back...?"

Donna's jaw dropped in shock before astonished delight warmed its way across her expression. "Bruce Wayne remembers me," she murmured.

Bruce flashed back to her kind smile as she held out those circus tickets. For once he didn't have to fake affection.

"You're kind of hard to forget."

Suddenly her body language stiffened. Donna's eyes narrowed with suspicion of all things. "Oh, hold on! I know what this is!" She began pacing like a caged predator. "Recognized me from that one office visit a couple of years ago did you? A likely story! More like you thought you'd come and hit on the office temp now that she's struck it rich! What's the matter, sonny-Jim? Gambled all your family's money away? Thought I'd jump on the chance to jump on your bones?" Donna held up her left hand. A modestly sized diamond engagement ring was adorned on it. Along with an equally modest wedding ring. "Well you're too late, playboy! I'm married!"

With that Donna stormed off.

It took a second for Bruce's brain to catch up with her tirade. "Office temp? Gambling? ...my bones?"

Something didn't make sense here.

Bruce called after her. "Donna! Wait! I'm not hitting on you. I don't gamble. Not really. Why risk money when spending it is so much fun, right?"

She slowed but didn't stop. Bruce jogged up next to her and continued. "Honestly, I recognized you and wanted to say hello. That's all."

Donna whirled around and glared at him. Her gaze seemed to penetrate deep into his soul. Evidently whatever she found in there reassured her. She relaxed.

"Sorry. Some cheapskate gave us a lottery card as a wedding present. Joke's on him though! We won big! Ha!" She leaned in conspiratorially. Bruce mimicked her behavior. "Turns out I had a lot of distant relatives, if you know what I mean. Plus blokes who never paid me any mind before were suddenly coming out of the woodworks and trying to dazzle me! Me! A married woman!"

"Scandalous. How utterly boring of them," Bruce nodded. "You're right to be suspicious. Believe me, I know what people can be like. That said, I have a slight confession to make, Donna." He winced at her arched eyebrow and held up a placating hand. "The reason I remembered you was because of your resemblance to someone I'd met as a boy. She...you resemble her. In fact, her name was Donna as well. Were you named after your mother? Did she visit the US twenty years ago? She would have been with a doctor?"

Donna's expression softened. She looked so much like the Donna he remembered. When she spoke, it was with regret. "No, love. I'm sorry. Mum's name is Silvia, I don't think she ever went to the US, and dad wasn't a doctor."

Things weren't adding up for Bruce. He needed time to think and engaged automatic chit-chat mode to keep her here. They spoke of her recent wedding, how she and her husband met, the office manager at Wayne Enterprises' London branch (Donna just HATED her), her mum going Mom-zilla all the time, and her dear old grandpa.

All the while Bruce mulled over what he knew. Donna here has to be connected to the woman from his memory. The resemblance is uncanny. Were this not twenty years later, he'd have thought they were the same person! There was no way he'd forget Donna's face.

Or so he had thought. Bruce remembered all his official London visits. He recalled Donna herself in fact, now that she mentioned it. They definitely met during his last London inspection. He stared right at her and thought or felt nothing out of the ordinary.

Odd. Perhaps it had been jet lag. Maybe Alfred had been right and one couldn't work for 27 hours straight, then fly their secret super sonic jet to London, and expect to be at 100%. Deep down, Bruce knew fatigue couldn't be the reason. Not for misremembering someone from that night at the circus.

He just had no other logical conclusions. The two Donnas looked alike, spoke similarly, and were just as temperamental as each other. Anyone would believe they were the same person. Except for the twenty years between sightings.

Donna must be a time traveler, Bruce thought in an atypical bout of whimsy.

"Your still thinking about her, aren't you? The woman I look like? You've been nodding along in all the right places, but I've gotten better at noticing when someone's thinking instead of listening, and that's you." There was no malice in her voice. She was smiling that familiar kind smile.

Bruce surprised himself by smiling back. "Guilty as charged, Donna. So far the only conclusions I've reached was that you must be a time traveler."

She snorted in amusement. "Ha! If that's what they teach kids in fancy boy prep schools, why are they so expensive?"

"Well how else are they going to afford all the butlers?"

Bruce was rewarded for his joke by a roar of laughter from his new acquaintance. "Oh that's rich!" She bellowed between guffaws.

"Sort of the point, darling. How else will people know you're rich if you don't have a butler?"

Donna realized the accidental pun she made and had to lean on Bruce she was laughing so hard.

After a few minutes she managed to collect herself enough to stand on her own.

He grinned at her. "Feeling better?" She smiled back, amusement still dancing in her eyes. "If I'm not, I can always travel to the future and see a cat about a hospital bed."

"A cat?"

"Sure. Cats are hospital nurses in the future. Everyone knows that!"

Bruce smiled again. He hadn't sincerely smiled this much in a long, long time, he'd realized. "Of course. How ridiculous of me." His smile faded a bit as he accepted reality. "I suppose the idea of time travel in general is kind of ridiculous."

She nudged his arm with her elbow. "Good thing I'm all about the ridiculous, Brucie."

Her ebullience was infectious. Bruce could feel himself relaxing in her company. That should have been his first warning something was going to go wrong. Instead he made more jokes. "Unless the doctor was the time traveler?"

Donna snickered. "Right sure. Some skinny doctor in a pinstripe suit with spiky hair is a time traveler!"

Bruce was about to comment about that not being what Doc Brown looked like when when he realized she'd describe the doctor he remembered perfectly. Before he could say anything Donna swayed suddenly. He reached out to steady her.

She smiled at him and said it was nothing. Just something about her head probably hurting due to the meta-crisis memory blocks weakening. Bruce had no idea what to say in response. She didn't even sound like herself. Then her eyes glowed and some kind of energy exploded from her head, knocking Bruce off of his feet and out of consciousness.

-

"I'm Donna, and this is my friend, the Doctor. If you'll let us, we'd like to help you find your Mum and Dad?"

FLASH

"That still doesn't mean you let a little boy wander around on his own!" Donna said angrily. "Anything could've happened to him!"

FLASH

"Oi! Watch the language, sonny-Jim!"

FLASH

"I've seen things, traveling with the Doctor. Marvelous and amazing things that I could only dream about. It's a wonderful, fantastic universe out there, and I'm going to see it all!"

FLASH

"Bruce didn't understand. "This place isn't amazing. It's just… Gotham. There's nothing special here."

"There's you." Bruce raised a dubious eyebrow. "Think about it! A little boy, all on his own, in a crowded mob, and he's a brave as anything?" Donna smiled, clearly impressed. "If that's not amazing, then I don't know what is."

FLASH

"Please keep an eye out for Sasha and Bruno, a lovely pair of VERY HELPFUL elephants," this last part was said with a glare to the small crowd of circus people that had gathered around, trying to regain some semblance of control, "who are assisting me in getting this message to you."

Sasha and Bruno's handlers were attempting to reign in their charges, but were slapped silly by said charges' tails and couldn't get close.

"How is he doing that?" Bruce asked, awed.

"I have no idea," Donna admitted.

They looked at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter.

FLASH

"Go on then! Take them! I've seen enough circuses to last me a lifetime. I couldn't forgive myself if I let a kid go without. Not if I have any say in it! Take the tickets!"

"I'd listen to her if I were you," the Doctor advised. "She's a beast if she doesn't get her way. BLIMEY! That hurt!" The Doctor was rubbing his shin.

"You'll live."

FLASH

Donna crouched down next to the boy. "Have fun, okay? I mean it." For some reason her eyes were wet with unshed tears. Bruce had paid them no mind. He was already focused on the spectacle to come.

-

Bruce woke up slowly. He took stock of his physical condition. Nothing broken. No unexpected pains. He ached though. All over. No identifiable source. Slowly he flexed some muscles. Movement shouldn't be hindered.

He's somewhere indoors. The surface he was laying on is soft. Some kind of leather? Texture is unfamiliar. Surrounding temperature is warm.

What's that thrumming sound? It feels nice. Bruce mentally dismissed that as insignificant and moved on to a most important question.

What happened?

He remembered Donna's eyes glowing? That couldn't have been real.

"Are you really going to keep lying down there?" A chill shivered down Bruce's spine. He recognized that voice. "I mean it's impressive don't get me wrong. Even I couldn't lie there for minutes on end just pretending to be asleep. Mind you I don't think I could sleep in that seat if my life depended on it. Good thing you only have the one heart, else your spine would be a misery right now."

Bruce sat up and took stock of his surroundings. He was in a room like nothing he's seen before. Odd coral patterns on the wall. They look almost organic. He saw two exits. One to the left of him. The doors appeared to be simple wood. Unlikely. Those seemed like windows on doors. Maybe they led outside? Exit 2 was across the room, and seemingly lead further into the building.

The thrumming he'd noticed earlier emanated from a ludicrously complicated center console. It looked like it was built around a clear pillar containing blue crystals, which pulsate as they're driven up and down by some unseen mechanism. It was then he heard it. A faint sound along with the thrumming. He'd thought it merely vibrations. The noise was almost familiar, like something from a half remembered dream...

The doctor from his memories stood next to the console. He too appeared unchanged by time.

"Hello, Bruce. It's nice to see you again." That hair, the clothing style, his accent...it was all the same. Like Donna.

"You're that doctor," Bruce said, warily.

"...who was with Donna at Haley's Circus, yes. That's me. Hello." He waved and smiled. Then he frowned. "Well, I'm not just "that doctor" so much as I am the Doctor."

A memory flashed unbidden of dad talking with the Doctor.

"Thank you for helping us, Doctor…?"

"I'm just the Doctor, that's all. But enough about me! Tell me, Dr. Wayne, how did you come up with the leukocytic stimulation theory?" the Time Lord asked, changing the subject with great ease."

This doctor doesn't like giving out his name. Not good. Most people who don't are up to something. Regardless, Bruce was uncertain of the situation. All he knew was he had a terrible disadvantage. He needed information.

Then he remembered his most important question.

"What happened?"

A horrible thing occurred next. The Doctor told him the truth.

The contents of the room alone didn't convince Bruce. It wasn't until the doubtful detective went outside that he accepted a new understanding of reality.

"It...it's bigger on the inside," Bruce exclaimed weakly, staggering back through the entrance to the blue box. It was a momentary lapse in control, but he didn't mind. If it took something along the lines of a magical police box to shake him, he was doing okay.

Once the basics had been established, the Doctor told Bruce the rueful fate of their friend.

"She can never remember what she's done. Not ever."

Bruce nodded. "The meta-crisis memory blocks were weakening..." The Doctor's expression was one of almost comical surprise. "She said that right before your protections went off."

The Doctor smiled sadly. "Donna's too clever for her own good."

"Can I see her?"

All Bruce got for an answer was a nod towards the doors, which conveniently flung open. Trembling for the first time since he was a boy, he walked outside.

They were in a completely different place than before! A sidewalk in front of some upscale apartment building. It was night. The Doctor joined him outside the...time machine. The other man was wearing an astoundingly brown coat. He snapped his fingers smugly and the TARDIS's doors closed behind them.

Wordlessly the duo walked up to the front doors. Bruce began eyeing up the apartment names on the buzzer when the Doctor pulled something out and held it up to the front door's window.

It was the paper! The paper he showed the circus staff member to make the poor kid think he was a cop!

"What is that?" Bruce more or less demanded.

"Psychic paper."

"...sounds great."

Before the Doctor could say another word, the doorman let them inside.

"I'm sorry, sir. I had no idea building inspectors made visits this late!"

"Aw, you're just doing your due diligence. Good man! Can't be too careful these days. Never know who's going to try and fake their way into the building."

The Doctor winked at Bruce as they were led to an elevator before slipping his psychic paper away.

The Temple-Nobles lived on the top floor. While they were riding up, Bruce asked. "I don't suppose you'll tell me where you got your psychic paper?"

"I don't see why not," the Doctor mused. "I picked it up on Corranantuminimim IV, six hundred years from now. It was their harvest festival."

"That's...nice." He'll just have keep doing things the old fashioned way.

They finished the elevator ride and walk up to Donna's front door in silence

"This is where we part ways," the Doctor said softly.

"You're not going in?"

He shook his head. "My friend's mums never really like me. Well, Jackie didn't. Well, she thought I was alright in the end." His eyes grew sad and somber. "And I can't see Donna."

"I thought you said she wouldn't recognize you?"

The Doctor's eyes grew sadder still. "She won't. That's why I can't see her. Remember, Wilfred and Silvia know about her. You can share anything you'd like with them. They're good people." With that said, he turned and walked back through the elevator alone. Bruce realized then if there was anyone who could understand the scope of his sense of pain and loss, it was the Doctor.

Bruce turned back to the door. When Donna's security protections went off, it alerted the TARDIS. The Doctor called her family and brought her home. She was sleeping off the effects of her episode, and the resetting of her memory blocks, inside.

He could hear Donna's family moving about through the walls. A muffled woman's voice was scolding someone about helping her get tea ready because Donna would be famished when she woke up.

The answering male voice was softer and he couldn't make out the response. From the tone he'd wager it went along the lines of, "stop shouting at me or you'll wake her!"

He stood out there for a long moment. Unusual anxiety flooded his thoughts. Would they be mad at him for triggering Donna? Was the Doctor right in saying it was safe to visit?

Discipline took over and Bruce attacked his anxieties, stomping the negative thoughts out of existence. Since Bruce couldn't thank Donna for helping him personally, he was damned sure going to thank her family.

Bruce Wayne took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

END

Doctor Who and all affiliated characters are the property of the BBC. Bruce Wayne and all affiliated characters are the property of DC Comics. I own Corranantuminimim IV.