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Donna Noble stood in front of the inside doors of a futuristic building. She was waiting for her Doctor. The Doctor? No. Her Doctor. He had decided to go on a trip, something about a sapphire waterfall? They had started rambling excitedly the second she had woken up and she had tuned him out. Now, Donna wishes she hadn’t. He had sent a message and he sounded shaken and unlike themselves. She had told the Doctor she would rather stay behind and relax using the spa and sunbathing than embark on a 16-hour trip. The Time Lord had given her a warning about sunbathing too long under the X-tonic atmosphere even though she was practically protected by the 15-foot-thick glass ceilings. The Doctor had boarded the bus and had said those damned words.
"Taking a bus full of strangers across a diamond planet called 'Midnight', what could possibly go wrong?”
Apparently a lot. Shortly after the first message they had sent another. The tone of this message didn’t read ‘I just saved a bunch of people and now they adore me, Donna.’ No, this message read, “I just saved a few people, lost a few more, these people hate me, Donna. That message had Donna up and out of her chair and waiting for the rescue bus towing the Midnight bus. Realistically, she was aware she would be waiting a few hours, but anything for her Doctor. She had even stopped by the Tardis to grab a beaded bracelet with star and telescope charms. A bracelet she had made for the Doctor. They had only taken it off not wanting it to get ruined on their trip. Now, Donna had a feeling they would need the comfort. The doors opened from where the busses had docked. She watched as a few passengers walked off and toward their families. Where was the Doctor? There. Oh. The poor thing looked miserable. In a way that one could only tell after traveling the timeline and worlds with the Doctor.
Donna stood up. (She had sat down after an hour of standing.) She walked up to her Doctor, ignoring everyone else, ignoring everyone’s tears. The Doctor walked up to Donna and lowered his lengthy body so that he could rest their chin in between her shoulder and neck. For a moment, he stayed like that as she wrapped her arms around his back. Tightly. He loved the pressure. The Doctor finally wrapped his arms around her back, tightening the hug and trying to seek out the comfort he so desperately needed. Donna kissed the top of their head and raised one hand to smooth back his unruly sweat-damp hair. The Time Lord leaned into the touch with a low whimper in the back of his throat. Donna shushed him with another soft kiss and a whispered question.
“I just want to go home, Donna.” Was the whispered response.