Hey!

So, I assume from the OVERWHELMING amount of delightful reviews I received last night, you all are quite enjoying this? :D THANK YOU to EVERYONE who reviewed chapter 1!

In this chapter, a bit more light is shed on what is happening.

Reviews welcome!

Donna once would have rebelled; Seeing no victory in that, however, she obeyed Madam Kovarian, rising onto her shaky legs. Standing in the doorway, however, she managed to form words.

"I want food," she said lowly. She wasn't sure if that sounded quite right—she had only spoken to her fantasies for ages. She didn't care, though; her message was clear enough.

"Well, you're certainly sentient enough." The woman analyzed her like a scientist analyzing a specimen—and there was precious little disparity between the two ideas. "I'm taking you to a room with food and drink. Follow me."

Donna did as she was told; as she stepped into the hallway, however, she came to a halt, clamping her eyes shut in the bright light. With strong determination she forced herself to squint, and as she followed the strange woman down the hallway, her vision gradually improved.

"My name is Madam Kovarian. I have been looking after you—" At this, Donna couldn't suppress a snort of derision, "—for the past eleven months."

"Why do you have me, kept here?"

At this, the woman's expression lit up, and she turned her gaze to meet Donna's. "You are the key," she said, her eyes afire. "One of two very important keys."

"How am I a key, exactly?" Donna felt a flame rise within her, a flame which she had not felt within her heart for so long. On this, however, Madam Kovarian was decidedly silent as she turned into a doorway along the hall. Donna followed her.

The room was a dull gray, though any color was welcome from darkness. In the center, there was a gray table with three places set; one was already occupied by a young girl of about ten. She looked up in interest as she saw Donna.

"Melody. Eyes on your plate."

As Madam Kovarian's sharp tone, the girl obediently turned her gaze down to her plate.

"Her name is Melody Pond," Kovarian said. "She is…precocious. But we require her, just the same as we require you."

Donna took a place at the table, where before her was a plate full of real food: mashed potatoes and gravy, beef, and candied carrots. Without further thought, she snatched up a piece of the beef in her fingers and dabbed it into the potatoes for the gravy before pushing it into her mouth, chewing a few times, and swallowing. Madam Kovarian looked down on her imperially as she ate, and before she had finished her carrots Donna knew something was amiss. Still, for the first time in ages, she had a full stomach. From the corner of her eye, she saw Melody push her own food about with her fork, until finally she looked up at Donna.

"I'm not terribly hungry," she said, her voice small. "Do you want it?"

For a moment Donna considered saying yes—there was something about the child, however, that made sympathy rise within her.

"You eat, darling," she said gently. "If you're not hungry now, you'll be eventually—just save it."

Melody's eyes widened and Donna had the sudden thought that she had never been spoken to in kindness before.

Slowly, she returned her gaze to Madam Kovarian.

"Why am I alive?"

This question brought a haughty pride into the woman's eyes.

"You are a masterpiece," she said. "My finest work so far, I daresay indeed. I simply removed that which was poisonous to you, and augmented that which was needed through delicate genetic manipulation—it took two months alone to create a strand of DNA which your body wouldn't immediately reject."

"You removed…that which was poisonous…" Donna furrowed her brow as she took it in. "You removed the Doctor's memories."

At the name of the Doctor, Donna saw Melody's head jerk up—a sharp look from Kovarian kept the girl silent.

"We were fortunate enough to discover you, indeed," the woman said. "The removal of the memories was simple enough, but we were forced to supplement our synthesized tissue repeatedly to force your body to accept its state—there was, in fact, a flicker of time energy within your genetic tissue, but not enough to accept the mental stress of losing hundreds of years' memory. The memories alone weren't deadly—it was the weakness of your body that made you so…mortal. We fixed you."

"I don't understand."

"We have created within you, as Melody was by nature, the perfect creature. You are more powerful than any human, and with a simpler mental capacity in comparison to Time Lords—we wouldn't want you too intelligent, would we?" At this she laughed.

Donna swallowed any fear she may have felt. "Who are you?"

"I am brilliant—the most intelligent individual ever to have lived. That is all for now, Donna Noble. Tomorrow the work begins."

With that, she turned, stepping from the room and closing the door behind her. The moment the door was shut, Donna and Melody turned to one another.

"You know the Doctor." It was a statement, not a question, which they spoke in unison.

"I know of him," Melody said softly. "He's sort of like a dream—I can remember him speaking to me, but it must've been an eternity ago—and even then, it feels like a dream."

"I knew him, and he is very real," Donna said excitedly. "He looks like a man, and he walks through time like a legend, but he's more than both."

"He's a Time Lord, isn't he?" Melody's voice was earnest. "Madam Kovarian always says, she's doing what she is for the good of the Time Lords. But it's not good, is it? The Doctor, he's good, isn't he?"

"He's very good," Donna assured her. "The Doctor is the best. He taught me everything about life, I suppose, everything that matters. He's just…incredible."

"Flattery will get you everywhere."

Donna stiffened at the voice, while Melody turned about, eyes shining with amazement.

"Doctor—you're real!"

ENTER DOCTOR.

Reviews are adored!

XOXO,
Bella