TWO SILENT VOICES

Chapter Two

Donna sipped her margarita while she continued her exploration. While she roamed the leisure palace she wondered where the anti-gravity restaurant was at. She wasn't that keen to go eat in it especially since the Doctor mentioned bibs. The last thing she wanted was a bowl of food floating into her face.

She decided to find someone and ask where it was but there was no one in sight. She walked down a corridor and stopped at one of the monitors, waiting for a promo for the restaurant to come up. They advertised the swimming pool, pub, cinema, saunas, tennis court and then finally the restaurant. But they didn't say where it was located. She did notice that the dinners seemed to be sitting in orbs that were flat on the bottom for the table and chairs. The orbs bounced up and down around the room but the promo mentioned that all the orbs had stabilizers so the tables or food wouldn't spill. She watched the orbs bounce around under the glass ceiling and thought it didn't look so bad. Perhaps when the Doctor returned, they would go to it.

She sighed wishing the Doctor hadn't gone on the trip. True, she'd only been traveling with him for a few months but in that time, she had been on so many adventures and had gotten close to him and it felt odd not having him beside her nattering away about Midnight and x-tonic sunlight and diamonds and anything else that popped into his manic little mind. She actually missed his constant chatter. She wondered briefly if he missed her. She knew he'd traveled with so many people over his lifetimes and he probably cared about them all, especially Rose, but she sometimes wondered if perhaps she made a mistake coming with him. She didn't feel like she was anything special, certainly not the type to go zooming through time and space with a half mad alien. Maybe that was why she didn't go with him to see the waterfall. She preferred to relax in the safety of the leisure palace rather than go and see a sapphire waterfall.

She paused by a window and stared out at the starlit sky. God, she wished her grandfather could be here to see this. If anyone deserved to be the Doctor's companion, it would be him. He was the one busy looking through his telescope while she was off finding sales at Herrods and Marks and Spencers. Sometimes she felt like she was way above her head but she couldn't leave him alone. Not when she saw him drown the Racnoss and her babies while he stood there not caring what happened to them. She told him before he needed someone and she stuck by that statement. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he needed her as much as she needed him.

"Oh, this is boring now," Donna muttered. "I need Space Boy back here so we can leave this place. It's no fun being cooped up in one building and I'm sure he feels the same way about that vehicle."

She decided to just go back to the pool, relax and wait for him to return. She turned around and made her way back, thankful that she didn't run into her drunk stalker or endure any personalized ads on the way there. She found her deck chair in the same condition she left it and settled down to try sunbathing again.

She drifted off to sleep, basking in the sun's rays. She was dreaming of being at home with her grandfather when suddenly someone roused her. She jerked herself awake and looked up at the staff member who had given her the phone earlier.

"Miss, someone wants to speak with you," he said.

"Okay, let me have the phone then," Donna said.

"No, you need to come with me. A Doctor wants to speak with you."

"Is something wrong?" Donna said, automatically fearing the worst.

"There's been an accident, Miss, and one of our hostesses was killed along with one of the passengers. The Crusader 50 broke down before they got to the Winter Witch Canyon and everyone was transferred to a rescue vehicle. Your friend got permission to speak with you and he's waiting while someone went to find you."

"Take me to where I can speak with him," Donna said, hopping up.

"Follow me, Miss."

Donna fought to remain calm while she followed the staff member out of the room.

Two people got killed, Oh God, I knew it was gonna be trouble going on that thing, Donna thought as she followed the staff member. Can't go on a simple tour without something happening. Bad luck follows that man wherever he goes.

She felt like screaming at the man to hurry up as they went down the corridor. She ignored everything around her, her mind focusing only on the Doctor and what might have happened. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the staff member led her to the surveillance room where several men and woman were watching the footage from the CCTV cameras. One young man stood up and led her over to the right side of the room where a petite blonde woman was sitting in front of a blank screen.

"This is Miss Noble," the man said to her. "Get in touch with the rescue vehicle so she can talk to her friend."

The woman nodded and spoke to someone with a desk sized microphone. She got up and offered Donna her seat. Donna sat down, took the microphone and thirty seconds later, the blank screen flickered and she saw her friend sitting in the navigator's seat on the rescue vehicle. She could tell from his face that he was shaken up from what happened. But the moment he saw her, he smiled warmly at her.

"Hey, how're things?" the Doctor said.

"Well, I was having a kip when they woke me up. What's wrong, they said that two people were killed. Are you alright?"

For a few seconds, she saw a haunted look in the Doctor's eyes before he smiled at her again.

"Yes, I'm fine. But the hostess, she was killed when she flew out the airlock with this woman named Sky. The woman…was possessed by something and…it also possessed me."

Donna felt her heart stop.

"But it's gone, this thing that possessed you?" she said.

"Yeah, it was inside Sky and she was sucked out the airlock with the hostess. Nothing can survive on the planet's surface, at least nothing human. Look, I'm sorry, I didn't want to worry you but I had to speak with you. I'm sorry I ruined your nap."

"Oh, shut up, you're more important to me than sleep," Donna said.

Her heart warmed when she saw him smile at that.

"Thanks," he said.

"How long will it be until you're here?" she asked.

She watched while the Doctor asked someone off-screen about that and she heard a male voice tell him it would be about a half hour. Donna groaned inwardly. She knew he was holding back most of the details until they were face to face and she wanted to know what really went on in the vehicle. The Doctor repeated what the driver said. She heard the driver tell him his time was up and she felt like she wanted to scream at the git to let them talk. But she held her tongue while she listened to her best friend apologize for having to go.

"S'alright," Donna said when it felt like anything but alright, "just come back to me safe and sound, yeah? We still have to go to that anti-gravity restaurant, you know."

"Yeah," the Doctor said in a halfhearted voice that told her he wasn't eager for food right now. "I'll see you back at the leisure palace, Donna."

"I'll be waiting."

The Doctor nodded and Donna could see a grateful look on his face which tore at her heart. She knew it took a lot to shake the Doctor up and she was fearful of hearing what really happened. She smiled at her friend and then the screen went blank. She thanked everyone for letting her talk with him before she followed the staff member out of the room.

For the next half hour, Donna felt like she was going crazy with worry. Her friend had just been a traumatizing event and she was stuck near a swimming pool, wanting to go to him and hug him and reassure him that everything would be alright. She knew the Doctor was putting up a brave front but she could see it in his face. Whatever happened terrified him. So she was grateful when the staff member came to tell her that the Doctor had returned. She hurried with him and when she saw the Doctor, she rushed past him and embraced him. The Doctor had a shell shocked look on his face and she held him tightly, wishing she'd been with him to help him deal with whatever possessed him.

"Thank you," the Doctor murmured to her.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there," Donna murmured back.

"No, I'm glad you weren't there. It was insane in there," the Doctor said.

Donna let go and saw that same haunted look on his face that she'd seen on monitor.

"Tell me what happened," she said to him.

The Doctor nodded and Donna led him back to the swimming pool so they could speak in private.

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