Chapter Text
When Donna Noble woke up this morning, she did not expect to be spending her weekend rummaging through rooms in the TARDIS. But here she is, sitting with her brother-slash-best-friend-who-lives-in-my-house figure in her old room because of course he kept everything and of course he decided that the week she took off work they needed to go through it.
Sure, it was her things from way-back-when, and the sentiment is lovely, but she can already tell her knees are going to be killing her later. Great big outer space dunce couldn’t have thought to bring a couple of boxes inside. Slight agitation about how her joints are doing aside, it’s been lovely. So many little things that she had forgotten even with her memories back. A diamond from the little shop on Midnight, a bottle of wine from Pompeii, even the dumb Polaroids she and the Doctor had taken on various planets.
Rose had joined them after lunch, going through the things her mother had thrown aside (mostly old clothes that she’d never gotten back, her daughter was loving to poke fun at her old style). As much as Donna was against her daughter taking trips in the TARDIS behind her back, the Doctor had promised absolutely no trips today, simply some “spring cleaning” in the middle of the winter. Rose had already started making her own pile of knick-knacks, mostly random clutter the Doctor had sitting around that he thought she could use for her crafts or stories he wanted to share with his niece. Donna wasn’t quite sure how she felt about her daughter having a piece of an old, broken Cyberman head, but he swore it was safe (“Not ‘it,’ Donna! Handles was a good mate of mine! Only proper my favourite niece gets to meet him! Well, maybe not ‘meet’.”) Donna tossed over another bag, one she was fairly certain was just old clothes and jewelry. Rose pulled something out of one of the pockets.
“Oh, mum, you missed something. What’s this one from?” her daughter asked, holding up what appeared to be a golden watch on a golden chain. On its front were intricate, radial patterns. Donna recognized it as the writing displayed on the TARDIS’s monitors.
She reached out to take the fob watch, where it sat snugly in her palm. “Hmm, can’t say I remember this one. Might not even be mine” She sat up taller, relieving the weight on her hands. “Oi! Spaceman!” He made a noise of acknowledgement. “D’you remember what this one’s from?”
“Probably. What is it?” the Doctor called, trying to free himself from the maze of his own knickknacks he was sorting. He even had a couple of leaves (seriously?) stuck to his jumper (it had taken weeks, but Donna had finally convinced him to wear more comfortable, casual clothes. He still stuck to that godawful blue-and-brown tartan pattern for his pants, though).
She fiddled with it, watching how the light reflected off its closed, inscribed surface. “Pocket watch. Did you give it to me? Someone else’s and it got thrown with my stuff? It’s got that same writing as—“
Before she could finish speaking, and as her finger hovered over the latch, the Doctor had managed to sprint the length of the room and snatched the watch from her hand. “Well, sure, just grab it! No need to ask nicely or anything!”
Her snarky reply was immediately followed by Rose lightly hitting her shoulder. When she looked at her, she subtly gestured to her uncle, who was resolutely studying the watch with that distant look on his face.
“Spaceman, you alright?”
Just as quickly as the look on his face appeared, it was replaced with one of his fake smiles that didn’t quite reach his eyes. He tore his eyes away from the watch in his hands, forcing himself to look at Donna while simultaneously shoving the watch as deep into his pocket as it would go. “Sorry, Donna, don’t know how that got mixed in with your things. Not yours, don’t need to worry about it.”
Donna is absolutely going to worry about it.
—
It wasn’t until that evening that the watch was brought up again, by Rose when the Doctor had gone back out to the TARDIS, insisting he had some repairs he needed to do. (She was fairly certain there weren’t any “repairs” being done, and this was his way of either giving himself space or pushing people away when he was struggling. She was leaning towards the latter.)
Donna was sitting in the living room, nursing an evening cuppa and absently thinking if she could call Kate or ask at the next Companion Support Group to get some insight on why that watch was so important (she knew she shouldn’t. As much as she wanted to, it was the Doctor’s story to tell, not theirs. But his stubborn skinny arse made it very difficult to help him.) when her daughter walked in.
“I think I remember something about the watch.”
As time had gone on since releasing the Metacrisis, Donna had forgotten most of her Spaceman’s memories. Rose, her brilliant, spectacular Rose, remembered much more.
Donna sighed, setting her cup down and making room for her daughter next to her on the couch.
“I was thinking about it all day, and I’m pretty sure I had some nightmares about it,” she began, pulling part of Donna’s blanket over her legs. “It was like… like it felt like if I opened it the world would end, or something. Kind of like that sinking feeling you get but worse. I don’t know how to really describe it.”
Donna hummed, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Rose continued, “I guess I’m just kind of worried now? ‘Cause, like, if that’s how I felt with just a memory, I’m just thinking how he must feel and what the watch is.”
“Well, first off, don’t worry yourself about it, love. This is for the adults to handle.”
“You mean you and great grandad?” She said, attempting to lighten the mood a bit. Donna couldn’t help but smile a little bit.
“Yes, me and great grandad. God knows your gran and your dad have no clue how to deal with any of this Martian stuff. Also, your weird space uncle is here to get better. We’re all helping him feel better about these things. Even you, and your ‘sneaky trips’,” she said with air quotes “…are helping him. He may feel bad now, but we’re going to work through that.
“Now, off to bed with you, it’s 11:00 on a school night. We can talk more tomorrow, when we’re more rested and maybe your weird space uncle will feel like saying something.”
Rose groaned in protest. “Can I stay up just a liiittle longer?”
“No. Bed. Now. And don’t be staying up on your phone, your dad is leaving early and I’m not driving you if you miss the bus.”
A sigh. “Fine.”
—
Donna woke up to the sound of the back door closing. Apparently, she had fallen asleep on the couch. Sneaking back inside in the dark of night was the Doctor, clearly trying to be quiet and using his sonic screwdriver as a flashlight. In the low light, Donna could still pick out the bags under his eyes.
Upon noticing Donna, the Doctor startled briefly. “ Shit! Sorry, didn’t mean to wake you. I didn’t think you’d be out here.” He fidgeted with the hem of his jumper.
Donna shrugged. “Accidentally fell asleep out here. No harm done, should be getting to bed anyway.” Sluggishly, she pushed herself off the couch and began folding the blanket she had been using.
The Doctor watched her from his place where the kitchen met the living room, warring expressions on his face.
“I’m really sorry,” he blurted out. “About earlier. I- uh, Rose seemed worried. I just… wasn’t expecting to find that.”
“The watch?” He nodded. “D’you mind me asking why? Is it important?”
The Doctor tore his eyes off Donna’s. “I don’t know.”
She dropped the blanket onto the couch, making her way over to her Spaceman. Gently, she grabbed his hand and led him to the kitchen table where she sat him down before quickly throwing together some hot chocolate. With two warm cups, one with peppermint, she sat next to him.
When you’ve shared someone’s mind, however briefly, it becomes quite a bit easier to read them. When you’re Donna Noble, and the man sitting to your right is your best friend, a Time Lord who you travelled across the stars with, it becomes second nature. And, right now, she can see clear as day he needs a hand to hold.
She slid the peppermint cup across the table. “Hot chocolate for your thoughts?”
He hums a thanks, blowing on the hot drink before taking a sip. He sighed. “Not really much to share.”
“Well, something is clearly bothering you, so what is it?” She took a sip of her own drink. When the Doctor remained silent, she said, “I’m not going to force you to talk, but I think you really feel like you should.”
“‘M not lying. Really isn’t much to say. And I do want to talk to you, but…” Another pause. “I don’t know.” His eyes stuck firmly ahead, staring at the wall while he brought up a hand to his ear. “I don’t know how to say it.”
“Let’s simplify it down, yeah? What are you feeling?”
He scoffed, a small smile breaking through his stupor. “You sound like your my mother.”
Donna pulled her hair around her shoulder. “Well, fifteen years of raising Rose teaches you a bit on how to talk to children.”
“Oi! I am older than your entire civilization, I am not a child!” he whispered incredulously.
“Prove it. Use that great big adult outer space brain and tell me what you’re feeling.”
He dropped his face into his hands, sighing quite pathetically. To his credit, he responded, “Bit complicated. Sad, maybe? Angry. Definitely angry. ‘M not sure. I don’t really have the full picture.”
“And this is about the watch?” Evidently, this question wasn’t the right one, as the Doctor breaks his gaze away from her, something stirring in those too-old eyes. “Sorry, shouldn’t have asked that, should I’ve?”
His gaze settled onto his drink, eyes a little distant. “No, no, it’s just- I’m not- not tonight. Could you just… sit with me?”
Donna looked at him, eyes soft. “Whatever you need, Spaceman.”