Author's Note: This is the second story in the Phoenix Universe. A little short story between She Burns and the next big story arc that I have planned for this universe. All you need to know so far is that the Doctor managed to save Donna from burning as a result of the metacrisis, Donna now has telepathy and the ability to see disturbances in time much like a Time Lord. Oh, and the Doctor and Donna have been married since the Metacrisis due to the bond that was formed between the two of them in that instant. Oh yeah, and she can hear the Tardis now as well. I think I've about summed it up in a nutshell.

This story was inspired by the song the Sound of Silence and the Star trek the Next generation episode "Timescape" as well as the Doctor Who Episode "Journey to the Centre of the Tardis" I know quite a mash up there, but it all seemed to fit together in my head into this story. Welcome back and I hope you enjoy the ride!

"Hello Darkness, my old friend…."

It was supposed to have been a quick stop to pick up new space suits in preparation for a little trip with Donna's grandfather, Wilf. Since the Doctor's only suit had been ruined with the destruction of Bowie Base one, a trip to the future had become a necessity.

The Doctor had been adamant that it would be just a quick trip off the Tardis and then they would be on their way once more. Donna should have known better than to believe that anything could ever be simple where the Doctor was concerned.

"Donna, look out!"

The Doctor's shout caused Donna to instinctively throw herself to the side, narrowly avoiding the blaster bolt that had been aimed at her retreating figure. She ducked behind a pitted wall, her breath exploding through parted lips as the Doctor pounded past her.

He held a large bag that was filled with helmets and various other items while she clutched four orange spacesuits to her chest. It was the forty-fourth century and the Tardis had landed on the third moon of Kalifa where an earth mining colony had been set up several centuries before.

The Doctor had expounded on how the colony had been a shining example of humanity's ability to adapt to new environments and set aside deep seated racial prejudices to build a better, more integrated society. Instead of finding a futuristic utopia, they had stepped out of the Tardis into a war zone.

"I don't know why I'm still surprised when everything goes wrong, Doctor. I swear the Tardis seems to enjoy not going where you want her to."

The Doctor was pressed against the wall beside Donna, his wild eyed gaze looking down the alley that they crouched within before he replied, "She's just being nice to you, Donna. Trust me, she'll get around to not listening to you eventually too." The Doctor sounded decidedly put out that his ship was on her best behavior whenever Donna tried her hand at piloting. Yet when it was his hand on the controls, she sent them into war zones or famines or any other number of disasters.

Donna was having far too much fun teasing him about his piloting and he knew that the Tardis was doing it on purpose. Maybe he was a magnet for trouble, but the law of averages should mean that he landed on that beach that he was always aiming for at least once in awhile. It wasn't fair that Donna always managed to nail her landings.

There was a series of angry shouts not far behind them, followed by the sound of pounding feet as the soldiers continued their search of the city. The Doctor had been unable to stand by when he saw what the government had devolved into and the ethnic cleansings that were being carried out against aliens of any kind had been enough to fire his rage to new and dizzying heights.

So what had started out as a supplies run, had turned into a teensy bit of rebellion and the Doctor and Donna had lit the fire for the local population to throw off their shackles of fear and rise up against a corrupt government. It seemed that that government wasn't too happy with their involvement in inciting said rebellion.

There was a faint whisper of thought in the Doctor's mind, a gentle brush that had both Donna and the Doctor looking up as the Tardis let her presence be known.

The Doctor grabbed Donna's hand and whispered, "This way, Donna! Quickly before they block us off from the Tardis."

Donna looked up at him with a fiery smile, her eyes shining as together they tiptoed down the length of the alley before ducking around another derelict building and out into a small square. She gasped in relief as she saw the Tardis tucked against the side of a building on the other side of the square, her doors already opening in welcome as the two of them sprinted into the open.

"There they are! Halt! Halt in the name of the Grand Regent!"

The Doctor looked over his shoulder, his eyes widening when he saw the crush of soldiers boiling out of two other alleys. Their blasters were leveled at the two of them and he knew without a doubt that they were almost out of time.

He reached out and with an inhuman show of strength shoved Donna the last few steps towards the open doors of the Tardis right as the soldiers opened fire. He spun around, ignoring Donna's indignant shout of protest, his hands clutching the bag of helmets to his chest in a poor attempt to shield himself from the blasts that he knew were coming.

There was a gentle brush against the back of his neck followed by a heave as Donna's hand reached back into his collar and yanked him bodily through the doors of the Tardis. He landed inelegantly on his backside just as the weapons fire exploded harmlessly against the side of the ship.

His last view of the moon of Kalifa was that of the angry soldiers running flat out towards the Tardis, Donna's fingers flew over the controls with guidance from the ship in order to send her to safety. She now stood leaning against the console, her arms crossed over her chest and her blue eyes flashing sparks at the Doctor as he sprawled on the floor by the double doors.

Donna had rushed to the console as soon as she had pulled the Doctor into the safety of the Tardis, right before the doors slammed closed and Donna sent the ship into the vortex.

"Would it kill you just once to take a look at the scanner before stepping foot outside those doors? Just once, you could look and we would know what we were getting into before we step knee deep in muck?"

The Doctor grinned in spite of himself, his hand rising to run distractedly through his hair as he let his gaze roam over Donna in obvious delight. His wife was definitely in a mood and he found himself looking forward to making it up to her in so many delicious ways.

"Where would the fun in that be, Donna? I've been traveling this way for nearly a millennium and have never regretted one day of the adventure! Besides, the Tardis doesn't always tell me everything I need to know when we land on a planet. She likes to let me muddle along on my own, probably because I think better on my feet, when you think about it?"

Donna snorted in response to his comment, her toe tapping when she felt the distracted turn his thoughts had taken. It had been a very long week that they had spent on that moon where they had been embroiled with the rebels as they had plotted to overthrow the government. The Doctor had tried for a bloodless revolution and for the most part, they had been successful in keeping the casualties to an absolute minimum.

Neither of them had had much privacy during that week and even though they had stated that they were married, accommodations were such that they were sleeping three and four to a bed. She knew that she was angry mostly because of the stress of the last few days and that it was nothing that a long soak in their bathtub wouldn't cure.

Donna watched as the Doctor got up to his feet, his eyes locked with hers even as his thoughts were already sliding deliciously into her mind. She couldn't deny that it felt wonderful to have his mind fully enmeshed in hers once more. While they had been on the planet he had been so focused on working with the rebels and she had been so focused on helping the people try to bring some sense of normalcy into their shattered lives that their minds had only touched briefly on occasion.

I always take you where you need to go, Doctor, and I always will.

The Doctor looked up at the time rotor with a grin, his eyes shining momentarily when he felt the warmth in the ship's thought. She had taken care of him for centuries, just as he had tried to always take care of her. "That you have, old girl, that you have. Now let's go get Wilf!"

The Doctor began to program the coordinates for their return trip to earth, his fingers flying over the controls before he reached up to throw the final lever into position.

Donna felt the scream of panic from the Tardis a split second before the control room exploded into chaos. She reached up to grab the Doctor's hand but it was already too late and the damage had been done.

The Doctor looked at Donna with terror in his eyes, his mouth opening around a soundless scream as the Tardis let out one final wail before she vanished completely from both of their minds.

Donna tried to hold on to the Doctor as the control console blew apart beside them, the last thing she remembered were the tears that had suddenly sprung to the Doctor's eyes before her head slammed against a coral strut and the world went blessedly dark.