By: Lilac Summers
Rating: G
Characters: Donna/10/10.5, Rose

Price to Pay - Prologue: Destroyer of Worlds

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Rose stands in a corner, watching her life unravel. Thread by thread, moment by moment; it's just like watching the stars go out, except this time she has no idea how to make it stop.

Because this time, it's not a Dalek, not a Cyberman, not any sort of enemy she can fight with a cannon and a quip. Instead, it's a shy smile, a flip of ginger hair, a tangling of fingers, that are going to bring her world crashing down around her.

For Rose, Donna Noble is her destroyer of worlds.

Rose is exhausted. She has been searching for months, trying to save a universe (all universes really) and she's worn down to the bone. Yet for all this, over endless days of cannoning herself through time, through dimensions - after countless sleepless nights running to and running from - she told herself it would all be worth it. Everything. Every battle, every night spent huddled by a fire in an unknown world, every frustrated tear spent after another jump to a wrong planet...all worth it because in the end she would be with the Doctor again. Finally, whether it ended in fire or in ice, in fury or in silence, in tears or in laughter, she'd be at the Doctor's side.

But she's not. She's standing in the shadows of one of the TARDIS' pillars and it's Donna Noble standing by the Doctor. Both Doctors, actually.

Rose can't tear her eyes away. The human Doctor hasn't let go of Donna's hand since the battle ended, as if she's his lifeline, as if she can help him make sense of everything. This she can understand: he's new and, from what she's heard, somehow "part" Donna.

But she can't understand why the other Doctor, her Doctor, the REAL Doctor is also standing by Donna. And smiling. Smiling so wide it hurts Rose's own cheeks to see it. He's gesticulating and pulling on his hair, talking animatedly, and every now and then he moves so close to Donna they all but share the same breath. And there Donna is, laughing along indulgently, swinging the human Doctor's hand on one side, reaching up to fondly tug on the other Doctor's (mine, Rose want's to scream, My Doctor) tie with the other. The Doctor traps her fiddling hand with his, almost brings it to his lips but doesn't quite. Their fingers tangle and then it's Donna flanked by the two Doctors, and they form such a perfect triumvirate it'd be lovely if it weren't so horrible. Three Gods now, no longer lonely.

It's okay, Rose tells herself around the ball of foreboding forming in the pit of her stomach. Of course they'll all be excited. New Time Lord Metacrisis thingy, after all! That's exciting stuff, ain't it? Doctor's bound to be over the moon for having another Time Lord (Lady? Madam?) on board. But...she's here too, now, Rose. Here after being separated for so long. Any second now he'll turn around, and remember Rose, and come sweep her off her feet and swing her around the way it was supposed to happen when they were running towards each other.

Any second now.

But when she feels an arm slide around her, it's not the Doctor's. It's flirty Jack, giving her that sly look that means everything and nothing.

"Hey there beautiful!. God, I can't believe it, you're even more gorgeous than I remember. Saving the world suits you."

"Oh Jack. You don't change." She grins, glad for the distraction, wrapping her own arm around his waist.

"Nah. Why change perfection?"

She rolls her eyes so hard she almost gives herself a headache and Jack laughs at her, giving her a squeeze. "I missed you."

I'm glad someone did, she wants to say, but refuses to let the words out.

Almost reading her mind, Jack nods his head towards the threesome. "Never figured on that, huh?" Jack asks. "Meta-crises, what'll they come up with next."

"Yeah. A ginger Time Lord after all. It's a wonder you aren't all over that, Jack."

Jack's smile is wolfish. "Oh, I would! I was just warned away."

"Reeeeaaally," there's a forced giggle at the end of that word. "And since when has that stopped you?"

It's a testament to how distracted Jack is that he forgets completely whom he's talking to, and, lacking all tact, says, "Oh, since he actually meant it."

The words hit Rose like a slap; one she'd been bracing for if she were honest. That fist of foreboding that's been growing in her belly finally solidifies, rises up to choke her. It's not foreboding anymore, it's certainty.

Rose isn't stupid or naive. She's not a romantic teenager anymore. She's a woman now, who's known hope and loss in equal measures. She's smart, so much smarter than she gave herself credit for, before. She's seen wonderful and dreadful things. She's done wonderful and dreadful things. She's changed and black and white is now awash in gray; it's what happens, it's what people do - they grow up.

People change...and so do Time Lords. He's not the same man she left. He's different, calmer. Better. With Donna. Without Rose.

The Doctor, her Doctor, finally looks up, catches Rose's eye. Includes her in his smile, wide as ever, and she can see the true delight on his face to see her. But he does not leave Donna's side.

And Rose does not go to him, although she could. She could walk up to him now and dredge up the embers of their past. Try to rebuild on a foundation that may be there still, if only in fond memory. But she doesn't, because for the first time his eyes do not reflect the fires of Gallifrey. It was not Rose that put those fires out, for all her efforts and all her love - she never did know how to stop him.

It was Donna.

Rose should hate Donna Noble for destroying her world. But Donna saved the whole of creation and how can she hate the woman who saved the Doctor's universe, as well? Perhaps Rose's dreams are an acceptable price.

to be continued...

Next chapter: "He stands on a beach in a parallel Norway, staring at where the TARDIS stood."