Disclaimer: Sorry, but I don't own Doctor Who. I know, it's hard to believe. :P

A/N: I hope all of you enjoy the story, and please be sure to review after reading! :D

Summary: After the events aboard the Crusader 50, Donna thinks the Doctor is fine. But a string of strange events, including the Doctor's near drowning and several episodes of memory loss, prove her wrong. What does the creature of Midnight want? DoctorWhump!

Timeline: Takes place after Midnight, but before Turn Left.

Chapter One

Donna was forced awake from a dreamless sleep by a strange sound that she couldn't quite place for several moments. Once she blinked the sleep from her eyes, she lay with her head on the soft pillow and listened to the heavy silence. Whatever she had heard before, it was certainly gone by now. The small set of rooms that she shared with the Doctor was eerily silent.

Maybe I was only imagining things, she thought disapprovingly, more than ready to go back to sleep. She had experienced a rough day, though not nearly as rough as the Doctor's had been. The poor bloke. She couldn't imagine what he must have gone through, helpless to do anything but repeat everything that the creature had said, unable to even protest when the humans onboard the shuttle were tossing him out. And even though he'd insisted that he had told her absolutely everything about his experience, she got the feeling that he'd left several things out.

With a shudder, she turned over onto her other side, burrowing her face deep into the pillow again. Her mum would have been jealous of these pillows. She had always insisted that no one could have better pillows than the Noble family, on account of the fact that they were handmade by some long-dead relative. And even though Sylvia would have a hard time admitting it, these pillows were much better, in Donna's opinion. She'd only had to travel a few hundred years into the future to find them. Maybe the Doctor would let her take a few home in the TARDIS.

Just as her eyes drifted shut again, Donna was jolted back to the land of the living once more. She sat straight up in bed, heart pounding. She had definitely heard something this time, though what exactly, she wasn't sure. It had sounded like a shout, coming from the direction of the tiny living area, which adjoined to the bedroom. But why on earth would she hear something like that, and in the middle of the night? The inner and outer walls of the rooms were all impossibly thick, to keep out any of the deadly x-tonic sunlight, or so the Doctor had said. So she doubted that any sound could manage to penetrate the room, if light couldn't even perform such a feat.

The noise came again, this time most certainly a muffled cry. It sounded like it was coming from the living room this time. Don't tell me that the Doctor has had a few alien 'mates' drop in for a visit, ones that are currently bashing his bleeding head in, she thought with a heavy sigh, quickly throwing back the covers and stepping down to the floor. Unfortunately, such a thing usually happened whenever they stayed somewhere beside the TARDIS at night. The Doctor, wonderful skinny alien that he was, had a lot of enemies. Grabbing her robe from where it had been hanging on the bedpost, she hurriedly tied it around herself.

Walking cautiously towards the door, Donna reached for the knob. It was cool to the touch as she slowly turned it and pulled the door towards her. Poking her head slowly around the doorframe, she surveyed the darkness before taking another step into the room. She wasn't keen on the idea of finding the Doctor in his knickers. Not that she had ever seen him wearing anything besides that suit of his. Did he ever take it off?

Once her eyes had adjusted to the blackness, Donna saw that nothing seemed amiss in the small room. And all she could see of the Doctor was a ruffled tuft of brown hair sticking out at one end of the couch, his sneaker-clad feet protruding off the other end. She suppressed a chuckle at his predicament; his legs were much too long to allow him comfortable sleep on the sofa, but he had insisted on letting her take the bed.

Pulling her robe tighter around herself to block out the chilly temperature of the suite, Donna turned to head back to her room. She had obviously been imagining things. The Doctor was not locked in some gruesome brawl as she had suspected, instead fast asleep.

But then it came again, a mumbled moan coming from directly behind her. Donna whirled around, eyes widening owlishly, then stared at the strange sight before her. The Doctor was thrashing about under his blankets, eyes still pressed closed. Even from where she stood across the room, she could see the ghostly paleness of his face; it glowed in the darkness like the lens cover of a torch. Though it was hard to imagine, the Doctor was having a nightmare. She had never imagined him to be the type to have nightmares, especially one as violent as this. He was still thrashing, groaning under his breath and muttering.

Donna rushed over to the side of the couch, reaching down to grab his shoulder. She shook it as hard as she could, her body tense as she watched him finally still. "Doctor? Doctor, are you all right?"

"No, don't do thi–" The Doctor unexpectedly jolted away from her touch, pulling his body towards the other end of the sofa. His dark eyes flew open, wild and darting. "Donna? What…?" He took a deep breath, obviously trying to get a grip on himself again.

"Doctor? What the blazes were you doing? You almost looked like you were having a seizure," Donna stated breathlessly, trying to hide her immense relief at seeing him awake and well.

Instead of answering her question, the Doctor shuddered and closed his eyes for a few seconds. When he opened them again, he looked a bit calmer. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" He trailed off, running one hand through his hair. It then stuck up even more than normal, giving him the look of a man who was quite mad.

Donna softened, seeing the vulnerability in his eyes. She'd never seen him look like this, so open. He usually hid his emotions behind a grinning mask. Sinking down beside him on the sofa, she drew both legs up underneath herself. "What's wrong, Spaceman?"

The Doctor gave a startled chuckle, looking over at her. "Nothing. I think the gravity-free restaurant gave me nightmares. Those bibs weren't much help, actually. Ruined my favorite suit. I'm considering calling in the Shadow Proclamation."

His current companion arched a brow. "Don't give me that, mister. What's wrong?" Her eyes widened half a second later, when something suddenly struck her. "Were you dreaming about…what happened on the shuttle?"

"Donna Noble. Did I ever tell you that you're brilliant?" the Doctor asked weakly.

"Oh, Doctor. Those daft excuses for human beings aren't going to ever do anything to you again, not if I have anything to say about it," she announced loudly, giving him a small pat on the shoulder.

"I…I wasn't really dreaming about them." He turned his almost hypnotic gaze on her, eyebrows rising almost to his hairline. "Much. I was dreaming about the creature that inhabited Sky. It's impossible…but I dreamt that it was waiting for me."

Donna gaped at him. "Waiting for you? Why the hell would it wait for you?"

"Yes, that's right." He cleared his throat, his anguished expression abruptly fading. "Anyway, on to tomorrow's activities. We should make the most of this, because we'll only be here a couple more days. Blimey, there's so much to do. So, Donna Noble. Shall we go swimming with the slyvivin fish or skydiving on the diamond and emerald rock cliff in the east wing of the resort? True, the slyvivin fish may sound dangerous, but they actually aren't. There haven't been any causalities with them around. Welllll, not many. Welllll, not a lot. Welllll, not very many. Any road, what's ever completely safe?" The Doctor chuckled nervously, then turned back round to face her. "Well? What do you think, Donna?"

Donna, who had been very silent through all of this, growing increasingly more impatient, cleared her throat. "Doctor. We are not going to just ignore this, sweep it all under the rug like usual. You said that you think a previously unknown parasite creature that's been living under a poisonous sun was calling you in a dream. That's more than just a normal day, dontcha think?"

The Doctor blinked once, seemingly gobsmacked. Finally, he spoke again, in a low voice. "Like I said, it was just a dream, Donna. That's all," he said firmly.

"But, Doctor. You can't just– " she began.

"Be sure to get a good night's rest, Donna. Tomorrow, I think we should visit the slyvivin fish in Peak's Lagoon. Definitely. I've completely made up my mind. Be sure to wear something waterproof. Not that it'll matter, of course. You'll have to take it off and hang it on the rack in the changing rooms and put on the proper suit. I do love a good suit, you know. So it should be a busy day. And we won't be trying that gravity-free restaurant again, believe me. I doubt they want the Shadow Proclamation showing up on their doorstep."

The Doctor promptly broke off, turning over onto his right side to face the back of the couch. To Donna's utter disbelief, he closed his eyes and became absolutely still. It was more than obvious that the conversation was over. He seemed to plan to fall asleep right then and there, and once again brush off any concern that she felt for him.

"Fine then, Spaceman. See if I care if you get traumatized from bottling everything up inside, and…and…explode!" Donna hissed childishly, leaping to her feet. She stomped towards the bedroom and thunderously slammed the door behind her. Unfortunately, her dramatic exit was ruined when her robe was caught on the door, and she was forced to pause and free it. Then she quickly finished closing the door and dropped down onto her bed.

"I almost shouldn't have woken you up. I liked it better when you weren't constantly babbling on about nothing in particular," Donna said darkly, though she was in actuality trying to convince herself. Because her ears were still filled with the heart-wrenching cries that had been coming from the Doctor's lips. And she could still hear his short sentence about the creature calling to him. But she had no idea whether it was really serious or not, the Doctor being himself. He always downplayed everything, even the most serious of incidents.

Surely not even the Doctor would hide something like this from me, Donna muttered mentally. He'll tell me if something really happens. She hesitated, brow furrowing. …Won't he?

When Donna awoke the next morning, the thickly tinted window of her room was gleaming with fluorescent lightning. As the Doctor has told her on the first day that they'd arrived, the staff apparently switched on the bulbs that were imbedded in the thick glass every morning, to create the illusion of sunlight.

Stretching, she sat up in bed and stretched both arms out before her. Her brow furrowed when she remembered the events of the night before, and the Doctor's nightmare. Even if he hadn't directly told her about the dream, it had been obvious that it was about what had happened aboard the Crusader 50. She wondered briefly if he would be a quivering puddle on the couch by now. It wouldn't surprise her, as she had seen stranger things than the mad Doctor going truly insane.

Heaving a deep sigh, Donna climbed from bed and walked over to the wardrobe, where a worker drone had previously hung up all her clothes from the TARDIS. She selected a shirt and nondescript slacks, dressing in them as quickly as possible. Then, running a hand through her hair, she opened her door and emerged into the small living room.

The Doctor, who had been sitting motionlessly on the couch, sprang to his feet as she approached him. "Donna! You've never gotten up so early in all the time that I've known you! You're usually in bed till midmorning or until we're attacked by aliens, whichever happens to come first." He grinned cheekily at her.

"Oi! Watch it, Spaceman." As she spoke, Donna studied the Time Lord before her. As usual, he was dressed in that same suit that he always wore, and was grinning widely at her. The only thing that she noticed as wrong with him was the unusual paleness of his face, and the dark circles under both madly wide eyes. Anyone who wasn't close friends with the Doctor wouldn't notice a thing, but Donna noticed it right off.

"So, Donna. Are you ready to visit the slyvivin fish today, in the diamond and crystal pond?" He beamed eagerly at her, but his eyes weren't really sparkling like they usually did.

"Oh no you don't. We're sitting down to some proper breakfast before we go mucking about all over creation, mister. Especially you. You're as thin as a rake, with all that running that you do. And if you don't eat enough each day, you'll be withered into nothing by the next morning!" Donna declared, planting both hands on her hips.

The Doctor's eyebrows were almost merged with his hairline, they were raised so high. He cleared his throat when he saw Donna's unwavering gaze boring right into his own eyes. "Right, then. As I was saying, we will be heading directly to the pavilion beside the third pool for a quick bite. It'll only take a tick, I'm sure."

"Good." Donna smiled superiorly at him, then marched to the door and out into the elegant corridor. The Doctor followed her, latching the door behind them. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, the Time Lord began wandering down the hallway in the direction that Donna assumed was the right one. She closely followed him, discreetly studying his back through narrowed eyes. He seemed back to normal (for him, anyway), but something was kind of…off about him.

The Doctor led them through a complicated maze of gleaming hallways. They hardly passed anyone, but Donna assumed that it was because the whole lot was off participating in some of the activities that the Doctor seemed to want to do so badly. His long legs carried him along so fast that she was forced to practically jog to keep up.

"Right through here, Donna Noble!" the Doctor exclaimed cheerfully, pausing in a doorway and sweeping his arm in the room's general direction. "They've got the best marmalade ever invented in this section of the spa. Well, I say the best. Almost the best. Er...pretty good. Well, I hear it's decent." He shrugged carelessly, not seeming bothered by the murderous look Donna was currently giving him.

She stepped through the doorway, and was confronted by a sparkling blue pool. Several tables were set up strategically around the poolside, far enough back so that any swimmers wouldn't splash those having tea. Only two of the other tables were occupied, and Donna selected another table far away from them. She was going to get the Doctor to talk about what had happened to him two days ago if it was the last she did. He was being so daft about the whole thing. Talking about bad stuff usually helped you get over them, or so her granddad always said.

As soon as the Doctor and Donna had seated themselves, an alien woman with skin that had a slight purple tint to it rushed up to the side of their table. She was dressed completely in white, and her blue hair was slung up in a spiky style at the crown of her head. She held a small metallic device in one hand, which Donna assumed was the future equivalent of a waitressing notepad, to write the orders on. Apparently this lot was too good to use a pen anymore. Everything was so electronic.

"What can I get you today?" the waitress questioned coyly, winking at the Doctor with a silver-pupiled eye. "The…special?"

Donna made a face of disgust, looking away. Why were all the fit birds always flirting with the Doctor, no matter what planet they went to? She was so far the only one who hadn't fallen in love with the walking rake. What did all the women see in a tall, skinny alien wearing a ragged suit and trainers?

The Doctor was, of course, oblivious as he flipped open his menu and studied it. "How about toast with marmalade, bacon, fried tomatoes, hash browns, and poached eggs. Oh, and we'll need a couple cuppas," he rattled off suddenly, "for both of us. We'll need some strength for those slyvivin fish we're going swimming with. Oh, and how is your marmalade? Is it like I've heard? Because Gandarthi has pretty good marmalade there–"

"Oi!" Donna cut in impatiently, seeing the waitress's flustered expression when she was greeted with his random babbling. She could also tell that the conversation had the potential to continue on for a countless amount of time. "Who told you that I wanted all that?"

"Oh." The Doctor appeared suitably sheepish, running one hand through his ruffled hair. "Sorry. I just thought that you would, you know, want plenty of food. The water in the slyvivin enclosure tends to be quite draining, sometimes causing you to lose a pound or two, in order to keep the fish from getting too strong and biting their way out of the enclosure–"

"Right," Donna interrupted him again. "Fine, whatever you say, Spaceman. Sounds wonderful."

"Right, then." The Doctor looked pleased, then turned back to the alien waitress. "So, the marmalade. Does it compare to the Gandarthian marmalade or not? Have you had any complaints on yours?" His dark eyes went owlishly round as a sudden thought struck him. "And do you offer anything with banana flavoring?"

"Of course," the waitress purred. "Would you like several selections?" Smirking, she touched several buttons of the screen of her device.

"Fantastic!" The Doctor sat his menu down, grinning gratefully up at the waitress.

The waitress reached into her pocket and held out a scrap of paper. "Here."

The Doctor took it, brow wrinkling adorably. Donna smirked. He looked so cute when he was confused, like a golden retriever who couldn't remember what it had done with its ball. "What's this?"

"My communicator digits. Be sure to dial them sometime soon." The waitress pranced away, hips swaying dramatically. Donna scowled, rolling her eyes heavenward.

The Doctor stared at the paper like he'd never seen one before in his life. Making a puzzled face, he stuffed the paper carelessly into a pocket. "I'm afraid that the marmalade might not be as good as I had thought, Donna. I hope you won't be disappointed. The way that that waitress kept avoiding the question made me think that she knew that their marmalade wasn't up to snuff, as they say. We could always travel to Gandarthi to eat our breakfast then come back, but I don't think that–"

"Doctor!" Donna, fed-up with his babbling around marmalade of all things, finally shouted at the top of her lungs. The few other people who were eating in various places around the pool curiously glanced over. "Will you stop talking about the bloody marmalade?"

The Doctor coughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. "Oh. Sorry." He stared down at the menu resting before him, unblinking.

Donna leaned forward across the table, trying to force him to actually look him in the eye. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yup." His lips popped on the 'p'. "Fine. Never better. Molto bene."

"Then why am I not exactly convinced?"

"Maybe you didn't get enough sleep last night." The Doctor shrugged his shoulders, finally looking up towards her. "It happens."

"Yeah. To you," Donna stated flatly.

"What? To me?" The Doctor looked offended that she would ever think such a thing. "I'm a Time Lord. I hardly need any sleep at all."

"Give me a break," Donna grumbled under her breath. "Why won't you just tell me what's wrong? You always insist on keeping up the daft façade that you're invincible."

"Maybe I am." The Doctor wiggled both eyebrows suggestively.

Donna's eyes narrowed into thin slits. "So. This creature." She ignored the unreadable expression that crossed his otherwise serene face when she spoke the three words. "You really don't know anything about it? Except for the fact that it possesses people, causes others to repeat while draining them, and can exist under poisonous sunlight without burning up?" Donna ticked each of these off on her fingers. "Is there any possibility that it could…call to its previous victims?" She held her breath, trying to look as innocent as she could. Maybe the Doctor wouldn't notice that she was bringing up what he had told her last night, and let something vital about the nightmare slip…

The Doctor mumbled something in a rough voice, scowling as he once again stared at the tabletop. Whatever it was that he said, it didn't sound very pleasant.

"What was that?" she prodded him.

"I said, I never should have told you about that last night," he repeated in a hard voice.

Oh. So he did remember telling her about that. Quite a shame, really. Now she was going to have to force the truth out of him. "Doctor, I want you to tell me right n–"

"Here is your order, sir and madam." A different waitress approached, this one perfectly human, holding two steaming trays made of polished glass and silver. Donna assumed that the change was because the other woman's boss had seen her flirting with the Doctor and had reported it. This waitress placed a tray before each of them, murmured that her name was Nicala (just in case they happened to need anything), then hurried away.

Donna stared silently down at her plate, then picked up the fork. Cutting into the hash browns, she raised the food to her lips and took a small bite. Across the table from her, the Doctor was cautiously investigating his toast. It was obvious that he wasn't going to breathe a word about anything she asked him now. The moment (not that it had actually been much of one) had passed, and he was closed tightly up like a shell now, displaying nothing of what he truly felt on the inside.

She secretly wondered if this was why all the other companions before her had gone away. Because despite the fact that he was always talking, he never actually said anything.

"Oh yes!" the Doctor suddenly shouted, causing Donna to jump in her seat, startled. "This marmalade is as brilliant as I had heard!"

The two women at the table next to theirs, one of which looked only half human, tittered and shot the Doctor admiring looks.

Donna only shook her head, hoping that her already strained patience could last through the entirety of this so-called 'vacation'.

After breakfast, the Doctor ushered them off to changing rooms across the spa from their previous location, sending her to the female side while he strolled into the one designated for males. Donna rushed to grab one of the waterproof clothing bags and hurried into a stall, wanting to finish up as quickly as possible. She was looking forward to seeing the human-looking alien dressed in something besides that suit of his. She couldn't even imagine it, and wouldn't have been surprised if he had gone swimming in his usual clothes.

She hung her clothes on a rack just inside the spacious changing stall, next slipping into the skintight black rubber, which was surprisingly soft on the inside but tough on the outside. She even had to pull on gloves and long stockings that were sort of like shoes yet not quite. A small silver electric blaster was to be strapped at her waist. According to the instructions, it was for an occasion that the slyvivin fish might get 'too frisky in the event of an emergency'.

Once dressed, she hurried back out of the changing area, finding the Doctor already leaning against the wall beside the door. Unexpectedly, she saw that he was dressed in the same way that she was, and looking strangely…good. She found her traitorous eyes roaming up and down his body before she realized what she was doing and quickly jerked them away, outraged at her own behavior.

The Doctor grinned cheekily at her, obviously having seen the direction of her gaze. "You look brilliant, Donna Noble."

"I don't know. These things are kind of…revealing, in an odd way. It's like they're a second skin," Donna said embarrassedly.

The Doctor shrugged. "We'll call the Shadow Proclamation down on whoever invented them. After we're down swimming for a few ticks. Allons-y!" The Doctor gestured gallantly towards the pool area, eyes bright. Almost bright enough to hide the dark circles that still plagued the skin beneath them.

Donna stepped out onto the white tiled floor and felt her jaw drop. All around her stretched a large room that much resembled the rest of the luxurious spa. But to her left stretched a pool that more appeared to be a sparkling lake of perfectly clear water. It was two or three football fields long, and from what she could see, just as deep. Near the bottom, jagged rocks made of glittering diamonds jutted sharply upwards, looking like stalagmites inside an underwater cave. And if this wasn't enough, beautiful fish that looked surprisingly like dolphins with golden and green scales floated leisurely near the surface.

"I…you…it's…" Donna couldn't really think of anything to say. Of all the places that they had been together, and all the things that she had seen, this was by far the most beautiful.

"Gorgeous, isn't it?" the Doctor asked rhetorically, grinning widely at the awed expression on his current companion's face.

"No. Way. It's…well, it's enormous."

"Quite so. I thought that you might like it. I haven't been here in at least a hundred years, so they've expanded it quite a lot since then, obviously." He appeared like he wanted to stuff his hands into his pockets out of habit, and looked a little lost when he realized that there weren't any in the suit he was currently wearing. He ended up letting them dangle loosely at his sides.

"But those…things at the bottom, those spikes. Aren't they dangerous?"

"Oh yes."

"Then why do people swim in there?" she demanded.

"The more dangerous, the more people love it," was all that he said by way of explanation.

Donna snorted. "Are any of them related to you, by any chance?"

The Doctor turned somber. "I only wish they were."

Donna grimaced, realizing her extreme faux pas. "Doctor, I'm–"

He waved his hand impatiently, feigning indifference. "That's all right; it's all in the past now. Quite a ways in the past, if you want to know the truth." His gaze wandered off in a seemingly random direction, then he suddenly stiffened. His eyes seemed even wider than normal.

Donna glanced in the direction that he was looking, and saw that the subject of his attention was a dark-skinned girl with her hair in pigtails and a pair of slim glasses planted firmly on the bridge of her nose. The girl was actually quite pretty, though Donna couldn't understand why she had caught the Doctor's attention so rapidly. She was standing by the side of the lake-like pond, staring with wonder at the creatures swimming through the water while taking notes on a pad of paper. Apparently, she wasn't one of those who always used electronic devices, like the waitress who had taken their breakfast order. Donna immediately felt that she was a kindred spirit to the temp inside herself. She appreciated anyone who didn't skimp on their duties.

As she glanced questioningly back at that Doctor, he hurriedly looked the other way. "Oh, look. They've got a little shop. Brilliant." He tugged her behind a selection of potted trees, towards a small booth selling sunglasses, cameras, and other small souvenirs. He moved his body directly behind the thickest part of the small cluster, peering through the pointed leaves. He didn't seem to notice the appraising look that the woman behind the counter of the booth was giving him.

"Why don't you want that girl to see us?" Donna demanded, planting both hands on her hips.

The Doctor responded a little too quickly. "Why would you think that? What girl? I just saw this little shop, and wanted to come look at…" He looked quickly at the selection on the counter. "…this jewelry, salvaged from the nearby planet Arachnia. And that's no small feat, believe me." He held up a piece of jewelry at random, which happened to be a single gold earring that was studded with various precious stones.

"Why? You don't even have pierced ears…or are there any other areas that you have pierced?"

"No! Of course not," the Doctor scoffed, tossing the elegant earring back in place. "What I meant to say was–"

Donna's eyes widened in sudden understanding, and her mouth dropped open. "Oh. My. God! She's one of the passengers from the Crusader 50, isn't she?"

The Doctor abruptly went even paler than his usual shade of color. "No, Donna. It's…that's completely illogical…" he stuttered uncharacteristically.

"That's what I thought," Donna growled, clenching both hands into fists. So this was one of the human monsters who had tried to murder the Doctor, tried to leave her stranded in the wrong time and the wrong galaxy.

She wasn't about to let this opportunity get past her.

The Doctor seemed to realize what she was about to do a mere second after she did. "Donna, don't–"

But it was too late. Donna marched resolutely towards the unsuspecting girl, who was still carefully scribbling notes in her book. All feelings of kindredness had vanished, and Donna was more than ready for revenge. The Doctor would never dream of standing up for himself, so she was going to just have to do it herself.

"Oi!" Donna shouted, coming to a stop beside the girl. She could hear the Doctor hissing her name from somewhere behind her, but he didn't seem to be close enough yet to stop her from what she planned to do any second now.

"Um…can I help you?" the girl inquired softly, in a shy voice.

"Oh yes," Donna ground out, borrowing a phrase from the Doctor. "What's your name?"

"Dee-Dee. Dee-Dee Blasco," she answered with wide eyes. "Why do you want to know?"

"Did you ride on the Crusader 50 two days ago?" Donna went on like she hadn't even heard the question.

"Um…yes." Dee-Dee seemed almost frightened now, something that looked remarkably like guilt blossoming in her expressively dark eyes.

"Fantastic." That was all that she needed to know. Pulling her arm back, Donna aimed it right for Dee-Dee's face. The poor girl apparently saw it coming, because she turned her head away and grabbed frantically at thin air, happening to grab hold of Donna's other arm.

As the aforementioned fist brutally grazed the side of Dee-Dee's face, three things happened simultaneously. First, a series of gasps rang out across the room. Second, the strength and momentum of Donna's punch forced Dee-Dee to topple back-first towards the slyvivin enclosure, taking both her and Donna into the icy water. And third, the Doctor skidded to a stop at the edge of the pool, eyes wide with horror.

Donna found herself suddenly emerged in cold water and choked as her lungs filled with liquid instead of the coveted air. Choking and gagging, she kicked at Dee-Dee until the girl let go of her, then kicked her way to the surface. As her head broke free and she gasped for oxygen, the Doctor leapt feet-first into the drink, landing smoothly beside her. Dee-Dee burst to the surface as well, kicking wildly with her legs to keep her head above water.

"Donna! What are you doing?" the Doctor hissed angrily, looking completely indignant at her shocking actions. For some reason, he didn't seem at all grateful that Donna had taken revenge for him.

"What the hell is your problem?" Dee-Dee shouted, not seeming at all shy and innocent, now that she had been punched in the face and unwillingly shoved into freezing water with a bunch of large and glittery fish. There was no blood, but the punch was definitely going to leave some sort of bruise. This gave Donna a sort of grim satisfaction.

"I could ask you the very same question," Donna pronounced slowly and menacingly, moving her legs slowly back and forth as she treaded water. She ignored the Doctor, staring directly into Dee-Dee's eyes. The girl had lost her glasses in the plunge, and looked strangely vulnerable without them.

"What are you, mad?" Dee-Dee very angrily wanted to know.

"Yes, but as in very angry," she replied meaningfully. "This," she went on, gesturing sharply behind her towards the Doctor, "happens to be a friend of mine. And I hear that you either helped try to kill him or at least didn't try to stop the others from doing it. And in my book, that's the exact same thing."

Dee-Dee's eyes went wide with sudden horror as she stared over Donna's shoulder at the Doctor. "Doctor! Oh my God! I'm…I'm so sorry about what happened–"

"'Sorry' just doesn't cut it, sister!" Donna exclaimed.

"I didn't do a thing to him!" Dee-Dee cried desperately, tearing her gaze from the Time Lord and focusing them back on her feisty aggressor. She rather had the look of a deer caught in the headlights. "The others were the ones who tried to throw him out of the shuttle!"

"And yet you didn't help him. Like I said, you're as guilty as the rest of 'em, as far as I'm concerned," Donna snapped, eyes flashing with unsuppressed rage. "And I am going to have to make you see the error of your…ways…" Donna's voice trailed off as she wondered why exactly the Doctor hadn't stopped her by now. He should have already grabbed her and hustled her away to keep her from killing Dee-Dee in cold blood...

Donna slowly turned, and was shocked when she didn't see him anywhere in sight. That coward. He'd gone and run off! Of all the bleeding daft things to do!

That's when she caught a glimpse of motion before her, and glanced down, worried that one of the so-called 'peaceful' fish was preparing to attack. Nothing could have surprised her more than the sight of the Doctor sinking swiftly downwards, eyes wide and staring directly at her. His body was completely stiff, and his face was a mask of pure terror as he slowly but surely drowned. And he wasn't doing a thing about it. It was almost like he was…paralyzed.

Please review if you want to see what happens next. And you know you want to! :D