A Life Restored Part 1

A/N: Okay, I really hated what happened to Donna at the end of the series because I think she and Rose were the best companions the Doctor ever had and it wasn’t fair for her to have her memories stolen and go back to being the self-absorbed hag she was before she met the Doctor. I have a feeling though that both her and Billie will be back, otherwise why not kill off their characters and be done with them? Just like the hand, I’m sure there’s an ultimate purpose for keeping Donna alive, just as there’s a purpose for Rose ending up with this new Doctor. So, here’s my take on how Donna might get her memories back and find the Doctor again.

Chapter One

There it was again.

That odd blue police box that was always in front of her. So strange, yet strangely familiar at the same time. It was there right by her car, like it was meant to be there, like it was…destiny. The wooden box was resting in an alleyway, but somehow it didn’t seem out of place there. Donna approached it slowly, wondering why she was drawn to it. She had never seen it before in her life and yet…somehow, she felt like she had, but for the life of her, she couldn’t think where that might have been.

As she neared the wooden doors, they suddenly flew open and a warm light flooded onto the concrete, momentarily blinding her. Her eyes adjusted and there he was.

The man.

The odd, skinny man who was leaning against a weird object that was standing in the middle of the room. He was smiling warmly at her, inviting her inside the massive room that somehow managed to fit itself into the little blue box.

“Donna,” he said, holding his hand out to her. “Ready to go?”

Donna hesitated. She didn’t know who this man was, but something inside her was compelling her to come forward into the box as if she belonged there with him. The man kept his hand extended, his smile wide and his eyes twinkling. As she walked forward, she suddenly heard a word escape her lips.

“Doctor!”

Doctor? Was that his name? She wasn’t sure, but somehow it felt right saying that. She said it again and watched his smile grow wider.

“Come, Donna,” he said. “I have such wonders to show you. You can’t leave me yet, not when there is all of time and space to see.”

Donna nodded, her heart feeling light at the thought of traveling with this strange, yet wonderful man. She held out her hand while she walked willingly towards the room.

She was just about to step inside when suddenly the doors slammed shut. Panic gripped her heart as she ran forward and pounded on the door, screaming at the man to let her inside, begging him not to leave her.

Then, she heard a strange wheezing sound and watched with horror as the box slowly faded from view.

“No! You can’t leave me, Doctor!” she screamed as the wheezing sound faded away. “Please come back! Please! Doctor! Doctoooooooooooor!”

Donna gasped as her eyes snapped open. Breathing heavily, she looked around for a moment in confusion before she realized that she was still in her bedroom. Frowning, she stared up at the ceiling, trying to remember what she had just been dreaming about. But, she had no clue. Sighing, she glanced at the alarm clock, saw it was half past eight in the morning and with a sigh, got up.

“Mornin’ sweetheart,” Wilf said as she walked into the kitchen. “How are you this mornin’”

“Fine, I’m fine,” she muttered as she walked to the fridge.

Wilf stared at her while she brought out some milk and eggs and set them on the counter.

“You sure? You look pale,” he said, concerned.

“I just…had a bad dream last night.”

“Really? What happened?”

Donna shook her head.

“I can’t remember. It’s not important anyway. Just a silly dream. Got more important things on my mind like finding a bleedin’ job.”

She slammed the door and started fixing the eggs. Wilf stared at her quietly, aching inside and wanting nothing more than to tell her about the Doctor. He hated that she had gone back to the way she had been before she met him. He loved her with all his heart no matter how she acted, but the Doctor had done wonders with her personality. He had brought out a side of Donna Wilf had never seen before and he sorely missed it.

Oh, my little girl, he thought. All those incredible things you did with him and now you’re not even allowed to remember it. If only there was some way of reversing everything without killing you in the process.

He watched her silently while she flipped her eggs over in the skillet. He looked over when Sylvia walked in the room.

“Good morning, dear,” he said to her.

“Mornin’ dad.”

She looked at Donna.

“Do you need me to drive you around today?”

“No, Neris is taking me.”

“Well, I just hope you find a job and finally settle down. Bad enough you went gallivanting off with him…”

“Sylvia!” Wilf snarled.

Donna stared at the two of them. She noticed Wilf giving Sylvia a look of warning.

“Sorry, slipped out,” Sylvia said, sheepishly.

“What slipped out?” Donna said. “Who’d ya think I went gallivanting off with?”

“No one, I was thinking of someone else,” Sylvia said, quickly.

“Well, good, because I haven’t been gallivanting off with anyone. Not too many people wanna date a temp, ya know,” Donna replied. “I’m not exactly bursting at the seams with money.”

Sylva held up her hand.

“Yes, fine, just…go and find a job, alright?”

“Oh, trust me, I don’t wanna stay one second longer in this house than I have to,” Donna replied, putting the eggs on a plate.

She turned off the burner, grabbed the plate and glass of milk and slumped down in a chair at the kitchen table. She munched on her eggs and stared out the window while Wilf stared at her in silent anguish.

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“You are completely potty, Neris, you know that?” Donna said as she sat in the passenger seat of Neris’s car. “I can’t believe you are still trying to convince me someone moved the bleedin’ Earth.”

“And I can’t believe how thick you are, Donna,” Neris replied. “It happened!”

“Yeah, right, pull the other one.”

“Everyone on Earth saw it except you. What, you had another hangover and missed it all?”

“No, unlike everyone else, I wasn’t suffering from temporary insanity.”

“You didn’t look up at the sky at any point?”

“I guess not. Why? What’s so important about the sky?”

“It was filled with planets! All these different planets! They were up there in the sky.”

“Okay, so where are they now?” Donna said, leaning forward. “Gee, I don’t see anything up there except the sun and some clouds. Where are all these planets?”

“I don’t know. There was this…earthquake and then suddenly, there was daylight and the Earth was back the way it was.”

“Mmmm, isn’t that convenient then?”

Neris sighed.

“Whatever. I know what I saw and I’m not gonna waste my time trying to convince your alcohol-addled brain it was real.”

“Thank you, because the sooner you stop talking about the imaginary kidnapping of the Earth, the happier I’ll be.”

Neris rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath as she turned left. Donna settled back in her seat and turned the radio on. But while she listened to the music, she couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that Neris was telling the truth.

But, how could she be telling the truth, she thought. The Earth didn’t move out of orbit. It couldn’t do that or we’d all be dead. It’s just a load of bullshit...isn’t it?

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Donna sighed as she walked into the front door and shut it behind her. It had been a long, tiring day and she was ready to get a shower, eat and crawl into bed.

“Hello, love,” Wilf said as she passed by the sofa. “Find a job today?”

“No,” Donna muttered.

She stared to walk past and then stopped.

“Grandad,” she said, turning to him.

“Yes?”

“This is gonna sound daft, but….did someone move the Earth?”

Wilf felt a stab at his heart.

“Why, no, sweetheart, “he said, trying to sound convincing. “Why do you ask?”

“It’s just that…Neris keeps insisting that the Earth was moved and there were all these planets in the sky and I keep telling her it’s a load of rubbish, but when we went out to eat today, all these people in the restaurant were saying it too. Everyone is talking about the Earth being moved out of orbit, so if it happened, why can’t I remember it?”

Wilf sighed.

“Because it didn’t move, Donna. There’s this new…joke that’s going around. You know, one of those email things that people pass around and have a laugh about. That’s all it is.”

“Oh…well, that figures. I’m always the last to know about those things. Anyway, I’m sorry I asked such a stupid question. I mean, there’s no way the Earth could move out of orbit, right?”

“Right,” Wilf choked out.

She leaned over and gave him a kiss.

“I’m gonna go have a shower.”

Wilf smiled and kissed her.

“Your mother has some roast and potatoes in the oven when you get ready to eat.”

“Good, because I’m so tired the last thing I wanna do is cook something. I’ll talk to you later, Grandad.”

“Have fun showering,” Wilf said as cheerfully as he could.

Donna nodded and walked off towards the bathroom while Wilf slumped down in the sofa and sighed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

There it was again.

The blue box.

Just like before, Donna found herself in the alley staring at the strange box, waiting for it to open and reveal the man who called himself the Doctor. She waited and waited, but nothing happened.

“Doctor?” she called. “Doctor, are you there? It’s me, Donna. Open up, please!”

As she stared at the box, the windows on the doors began to glow brightly. Then, suddenly, the door flung open and Donna put her hand over his eyes to shield herself form the blinding radiance. She raised her hand a little and noticed someone was walking towards her, the glow radiating from the body. Then, it dimmed and faded and Donna lowered her hand. She saw a beautiful blonde woman standing before her. She was wearing a white gown and her eyes burned with the golden light.

“I am the Bad Wolf,” she said in an otherworldly voice.

Donna frowned. Why did that name sound so familiar to her? She started to back away when the blonde drew near.

“No, do not be afraid. I mean you no harm, Donna Noble. I am here to help you.”

“Help me? How?”

“I am here to give you back what the Doctor took from you. To restore you to your true self. I am here to break the curse of everlasting death because the universe needs you and so does the Doctor.”

“Who are you?”

“I am one of the guardians of the universe. I have been charged with keeping watch over those who would defend all realities. You, Donna Noble, are one such defender. The Doctor took away your memories in order to save your life and you have reverted back to the person you were before you met him, but you are still needed for a far greater purpose. You must assist the Doctor and to do that, your mind and memories must be restored.”

“How?”

The Bad Wolf smiled.

“Close your eyes, Donna and let me in to your mind. Let me heal the damage that was caused when you became the DoctorDonna.”

Donna hesitated a moment and then shut her eyes. The Bad Wolf walked up and put her hands on the sides of her head. Donna felt warmth flowing through her head and suddenly, images appeared in her mind. Images of her and the Doctor and all that they had done. Tears flowed down her cheeks when she realized the truth of what the Doctor had done to save her. At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to find him and be by his side.

The Bad Wolf took her hands away and Donna felt the warmth fading from her mind. She opened her eyes and saw the blonde staring at her. She frowned.

“Rose?” she said. “Is that you?”

“No, not really. I became manifest in Rose a year before the Doctor met you and I dwell within her now, protecting her and those she loves. I have no corporeal body, so I take her form whenever I need to interact with someone.”

“Oh, makes sense…I guess.”

“And now, Donna Noble, it is time for you to awaken and find the Doctor.”

“Um…okay, wanna kinda clue me in to where he is and how I can reach him?”

The Bad Wolf smiled.

“You can reach him by--“

Just then, her alarm clock went off and Donna’s eyes snapped open.

“DAMN IT!” she screamed.

There was a moment’s silence and then Wilf flung open her bedroom door.

“Donna? What’s wrong?”

Donna sat up, looked him in the eye and said…

“Where the hell’s the Doctor?”