This is the first Doctor Who fic I've ever written, and it's only being posted because my co-author wanted me to do so. It takes place sometime after Journey's End, and probably before Waters of Mars. Just a snapshot in the intertwined lives of the Doctor and Donna.

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Donna Noble was nothing special, until she was whisked away by The Doctor. She saw countless worlds, met many strange and wonderful beings...she saved the world as we know it...until...one day...she was again, nobody...simply "the-girl-who-missed-everything" once more. Some part of her felt that this was wrong, that there was something she had once been but was no longer...that she had been special.

At times she would catch her mother looking at her strangely, or a sympathetic glance from her gramps, as if they didn't quite know what to make of her. But...that was absurd...wasn't it? She was Donna...just...Donna. She wasn't special or brilliant...or...anything. She hoped that one day this would all make sense. And then...it did.

She had just been walking through Trafalgar Square, minding her own business when she had bumped into someone... a man. She glanced up to apologise and froze. He looked so familiar and yet at the same time, she had never seen him before in her life. And the expression on his face... It made her want to cry. But that was stupid...wasn't it?

The Doctor had parked the TARDIS securely, hiding her out of sight with a flick of his sonic screwdriver and heading down the Heart of London. Maybe, if he was lucky, he would be able to find solace, comeuppance for what had been done. For leaving Rose, for Donna...for all those he would never see again. Because of a cruel twist of fate. Three years ago, he had regenerated. Three years ago, he'd felt a part of something, that Christmas. That bloody Christmas Day, when everything changed. He still couldn't bring himself to the Powell Estate, not even to walk by it...only to know that the Tylers were gone from this world.

He sighed, and felt the cool London breeze blow through his hair. He gave a reluctant smile - he'd suffered too much, lost too much...he had to try to cheer up, didn't he? But...as soon as the smile had been plastered onto his thin face, it slipped away at the head of orange hair naught but two feet in front of him. His face was a mixture of emotions - relief that she was safe, sadness that she didn't know - could never know - who he was, and fear, that if she saw him, she would recognise him, and therefore she would die. But even so...he couldn't resist...

"Donna?" he breathed out, grimacing at himself, wishing almost immediately that he hadn't spoken.

"Yes?" Her tone was brusque. "That's my name. Do I know you?" She covered her confusion with attitude, as she had been doing all her life. And she was...this man, this stranger was so familiar to her...his name was on the tip of her tongue... No...not a name...a title. She stared at him and the world spun and suddenly... Everything started to fall into place.

His brown eyes didn't falter from hers, and in her irises he saw the comprehension dawn. "No!" he forced out, "No, Donna!" It killed him that she could never know...but it would kill her if she did, kill her quickly, painfully...and he couldn't have another death on his hands. He couldn't be responsible for losing someone else. Not after the massacre. Not after the genocide, not after everything that had happened...maybe she wouldn't remember, but she would be alive. Not ever fully whole, but alive...that was the most he could do, he owed Wilf for everything. And he owed Donna, for giving him the best friend he'd ever had - herself.

To prevent her from collapsing, The Doctor grasped her shoulder. "I'm Doctor John Smith, Donna," he lied through his teeth. "That's all I am, I'm a friend, of your grandfather's."

Doctor...yes...that was right... "Doctor?" Her voice was hoarse and a frown marred her brow. "Smith?" Smith...Smith...Oh! Of course... That was why he looked familiar. "Yes... Yes I do know you... You were talking to Mum that day..." Her head stopped whirling finally and she straightened, embarrassed at her momentary weakness. "Thank you, Doctor. I...I don't know what came over me."

He released his hold on her shoulder and smiled, that sad smile he saved for his companions. Even if they didn't remember how close of friends they had been, how much they had been through together. The Doctor knew he shouldn't continue, he should move on, probably get back to the TARDIS...leave Earth...hmm, Adipose 3 was nice this time of year, oh, New Earth was always brilliant...even Barcelona, Diadem...beautiful, gorgeous places...

But of course the Doctor didn't listen to his mind. He'd let it rule too many things, too many choices. Maybe...having his heart in control for once wasn't such a bad thing. "I...well...I...yeah." He scratched the back of his neck, looking back at her. "Yeah, I was." He cleared his throat. He had to get out of there. "Take care, Donna."

"And you," she responded automatically. As the man disappeared into the crowd, Donna couldn't shake the feeling that she had somehow lost the most important thing in her life. She tried to shake the feeling off, but as she started walking again, she could not help casting glances back over her shoulder, hoping to catch a glimpse of the man who had seemed so very sad for no reason that she could fathom. She resolved to ask her mother about "Doctor John Smith" the next time she went over for tea. But, almost as soon as the thought was made, it slipped from her mind and she was left staring off into space.

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Well, let me know what you think, if it was any good or whatnot. I'm rather new to the fandom as a whole, but the friendship between the Doctor and Donna has been one of my favourite aspects of the show. Please review!

Cheers,

Teddy