Storm: Time Jump

Partners in Crime 2

Teresa was still lost in thought as the Doctor worked on the machine. Donna was looking at them curiously, and she commented slowly, looking at the Doctor: "You look older..."

He snorted as he said sarcastically: "Thanks." "But you look younger." Donna nodded at Teresa, who frowned.

"Um... thanks?" She said uncertainly while the Doctor glanced over. He quickly reminded them: "Donna, this is younger Terry. She hasn't met you yet, so you can't tell her about what you've seen so far. That's in her future."

Donna nodded slowly, staring at the pair, intrigued. Teresa shifted uncomfortably, while Donna checked: "Okay, so no mention of Terry?" "Not until I've explained it to you properly. I don't think Terry even knows quite all of it yet." The Doctor muttered and Terry sighed, but nodded grudgingly.

He was probably right- she'd figured out the major parts but still had no idea why or how she was here, and exactly how she was going to navigate being here and with him when she already knew most of the outcomes to his life.

Donna glanced at them, looking a little confused, before she asked instead: "Er, so, you two still on your own? Well, will be on your own? God, I can see why this gets confusing." Teresa smiled a little while the Doctor replied lightly: "Yup."

Teresa gave him a look, and he sighed as he worked on the cables. "Well, no." He admitted. "We had this friend. Martha she was called. Martha Jones. She was brilliant. And I destroyed half her life... and some." He muttered, and Donna stared while Teresa patted the Doctor's arm.

"It wasn't your fault." She told him sternly, but the look he gave her made her pause in confusion. It wasn't just sadness- it was heartbreak. He'd been broken by what had happened with Martha and the Master, but Teresa wasn't sure why. She knew he'd been hurt, but the show had never shown him to be... so torn up about it. He looked almost worse than when he'd lost Rose.

He quickly turned back to the wires as he muttered: "But she's fine, she's good." He seemed to lighten up a little as he said with a small sigh: "She's gone, too." Teresa frowned, but Donna asked quietly: "What about Rose?"

Teresa waited, knowing how this one had really broken the Doctor. She was surprised when he looked at Teresa uneasily before he told Donna: "Still lost." His eyes flickered to Teresa, as though indicating to Donna to let the subject go in front of the blonde girl.

Teresa frowned, confused, while the Doctor asked, changing the subject: "I thought you were going to travel the world?" Donna snorted as she replied: "Easier said then done. It's like I had that one day with you two, and I was going to change. I was going to do so much."

Teresa smiled a little, knowing Donna would do so much- the woman just didn't know it yet. Her smile fell as she remembered the terrible end that Donna met, and sighed internally. But that thought brought her back to her earlier confusion, and she wondered why the Doctor looked so... protective of her when they spoke of Rose.

Surely he knew she knew what had happened to their blonde companion- it was clearly no secret that she knew most of his life, at least until a long way into this Doctor's future. Why would he feel like he needed to steer the conversation away from Rose in front of her?

She was brought out of her thoughts as Donna said wistfully: "I must have been mad turning down that offer." "What offer?" The Doctor asked, and Donna whispered: "To come with you two." The Doctor glanced at her and he asked, puzzled: "Come with us?"

Teresa winced, knowing the misunderstanding that would occur, and as she expected, Donna glowed as she replied eagerly: "Oh yes, please." The Doctor seemed to realize his mistake as he said in a strained voice: "Right."