The TARDIS rocked and lurched roughly, throwing its occupants about like rag dolls, since the Doctor had ignored the Artist's advice and not used the stabilisers. Finally, the rough ride stopped as the box settled into land. "Set the controls to random." the Doctor said, picking himself up and helping his fiancé up too, "Mystery tour. Outside that door could be any planet, anywhere, any when, in the whole wide..."
"You okay, Donna?" the Artist asked, noticing that the human looked rather shaky.
"Terrified." Donna replied, "I mean, history's one thing, but an alien planet!"
"We could always take ya home." the Doctor joked.
"Yeah, don't laugh at me." Donna snorted.
"I know what it's like." the Doctor said more sympathetically, grabbing his coat off a Y-beam, "Everything you're feeling right now. The fear, the wonder, the joy, we get that!"
"Seriously?" Donna questioned, "After all this time?"
"Oh, yeah. That's why we keep going." the Artist replied, moving to the monitor to do an environment check. After Pompeii, she decided to get back in the habit of checking where they were before leaving the TARDIS.
"Oh, alright then" Donna said, "This is barmy! I was born in Chiswick. I've only ever done package holidays. And now I'm here. This is so... I mean it's... I dunno, it's all sorta, I dunno what the word is." She opened the door and stepped out to find that they'd landed on a snowy planet, reminiscent of Hoth from Star Wars. "I've got the word, freezing!"
The Doctor stepped out too. "Snow!" he grinned, "Real snow. Proper snow at last!"
"Bit cold." Donna shivered, regretting wearing a thin blouse today.
"Look at that view." the Doctor said, looking out at a glacier beyond the ridge they'd landed on.
"Yep, beautiful. Cold view." Donna retorted.
"Millions of planet, millions of galaxies and we're on this one, molto bene!" the Doctor began to ramble, "Bellissimo says Donna. Born in Chiswick. All you've got is a life of work and sleep, and telly and rent, tax and takeaway dinners, all..birthdays and Christmases and two weeks holiday a year, and then you end up here! Donna Noble, citizen of the Earth, standing on a different planet. How 'bout that Donna?" He turned round to see that Donna had disappeared and the Artist was nowhere to be seen either. "Artist? Donna?" he called out.
The TARDIS door opened and both women stepped out. Donna was now wearing a think fur-lined coat with the hood up, while the Artist was wearing her regular green jacket, but had swapped her black biker boots for brown snow boots. "Sorry, you were saying?" Donna asked the Doctor, having not heard much of his ramble.
"Better?" the Doctor huffed.
"Much better, thanks." Donna waved him off.
"Environment checks, they work wonders." the Artist said simply, "Here you go." She handed the Doctor a black beanie which he put on.
"As I was saying" he resumed, "Citizen of the Earth.." He was cut off by a large red rocket flying overhead.
"A rocket!" Donna said in awe, "A real, proper rocket! Now that's what I call a spaceship. You've got a box, they've got a Ferrari! C'mon, let's go see where it's going." She dashed off eagerly while the Doctor looked at the TARDIS, offended at the slight against his home.
"If that's a Ferrari, then the TARDIS is a Rolls Royce." the Artist patted his shoulder soothingly.
"Yeah, she is, isn't she?" the Doctor replied, feeling better, and hand-in-hand, they went off after Donna.
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Halfway Out Of The Dark || The Doctor
FanfictionFollow the adventures of The Last Time Lady, The Artist, saved by the eccentric time-traveler known as The Doctor at the end of the time war, which sees their home plant of Gallifrey lost, as they travel through all of time and space in his unique c...
