The little boy burst through the cloud of smoke, running as fast as he could in the direction of where the Doctor was standing. He sighed in relief as he saw the child brush past him and into his parents' arms, but then he realized that the boy had escaped alone. Just as he took a step toward the building part of it collapsed, sending bits of ash and debris flying into the air.

“Donna!”

He took one look back at the little boy and his family, and once he was sure they were all right he started for the wreckage the child had just run out of. Twisted chunks of metal were hanging loosely from their original position, intertwined with bits of burning wood and pieces of a material he couldn't identify because it had been blackened and shrivelled beyond recognition. The entrance closest to him had been completely destroyed, and he cast a glance into what was left of a window as he ran for the door the little boy had come from.

It had been some sort of a palace or temple, though he and Donna hadn't gotten much chance to explore it; they had been too busy trying to sort out the plans of a local businessman whose products were far too technologically advanced to be human, or even safe. They had thwarted his plans but on the way back to the TARDIS Donna had seen smoke a few blocks away and convinced him to investigate. They had instantly agreed to help once they realized what was going on and the Doctor had been checking the crowd to make sure no one was injured when he realized Donna was gone. Apparently a little boy had gotten separated from his mum and she had gone to find him, but hadn't returned.

“Donna! Can you hear me?”

The Doctor coughed as ash began to fill his throat, glad as usual for his respiratory bypass, but it occurred to him that Donna was human, with simple lungs that wouldn't be able to handle the air around her. He covered his mouth with the sleeve of his coat and walked faster.

Normally if he'd lost his companion he would scan the crowd for her red hair but now he was surrounded by red and orange flames and even if he had been able to tell her color apart from the fire's it was too cloudy inside the now ruined building to see very well, even for him. He was heading toward the door again, looking for another path she may have taken, when he caught a glimpse of bright green under a pile of boards and bits of twisted wire.

“Donna?”

He rushed to where he'd seen the flash of color and tried to remember if Donna had been wearing anything green that day. The answer became obvious as he saw a hand sticking out of the rubble and noticed the ring Donna had bought on Midnight.

“Donna!”

There was an explosion from somewhere behind them and he looked back to see another part of the building collapse. Glass shattered and flew in all directions, a small piece somehow managing to land on Donna's exposed hand. The Doctor brushed it off and began to clear the bits of wood away, still calling her name as he uncovered her body. It looked like one of the boards had struck her just as she reached the exit; the little boy must not have noticed her fall, or else Donna had been trapped and told him to keep running anyway.

“Donna? Donna, wake up. We've got to get out of here.”

Another loud crash emanated from down the hall and he instinctively covered Donna's lifeless body with his own, the shower of glass fragments falling silently onto his coat and sliding onto the floor. He looked down and tried to feel for her pulse, but was distracted as yet another explosion sounded, even closer to them than before. There obviously wasn't much time until the structure gave out completely, and the fire was spreading so quickly that it would likely reach them in minutes. He hated the idea of moving her, knowing that she was probably injured and his attempts to help could hurt her further, but he had no choice.

“Hold on, Donna, I've got you.”

As he tried to pick her up the wires beside them sparked and before he could react Donna's sleeve had caught on fire, the flames making quick work of the fabric of her shirt. He batted at her arm, ignoring the pain as the fire burned his hand, and fortunately managed to put it out before it spread to the rest of her body. Donna hadn't so much as moved the entire time.

He slid one hand under her knees and the other around her back, shifting her as carefully as possible. His fingers couldn't grip the rather slippery fabric of her blouse and he tore a bit of the shirt away, grabbing her bare shoulder instead and slowly lifting her.

“Sorry, Donna, no time for pleasantries. I'd appreciate it if you didn't smack me for this.”

His companion's head fell limply to the side as he steadied her in his arms and he rushed out of the doorway just as the floor where Donna had been laying burst into flames. Once he was far enough away from the building he sank to his knees and laid Donna on the ground, gently settling her head in the grass.

“Mister?”

The Doctor didn't register the voice at first, too busy feeling Donna's body, checking for broken bones or any injuries she may have gotten when she was buried under the falling debris.

“Hey, Mister.”

He felt a hand on his arm and looked up. The little boy was staring at him with huge green eyes, dirt smudged on his face and a small cut on his cheek. He frowned and looked down at Donna, who was covered in ash, part of her shirt burned and ripped away.

“Mister, is your wife okay?”

The Doctor cracked a small smile at the boy's question and returned his attention to Donna, but the little boy wouldn't leave them alone. Instead he sat down on the grass beside Donna and grabbed her hand, tugging on it gently.

“Lady? Hey, lady, wake up. Are you okay?”

He pulled on Donna's arm again and a soft pop sounded from her shoulder.

“Oi, don't touch her!”

The child instantly released Donna's hand and slid back, looking a bit frightened of the Doctor.

“Mister, what's wrong with her? Is she okay?”

The Doctor shook his head in response and as he felt again for Donna's pulse the little boy sniffled. When he looked up he could see that the child was crying.

“I'm sorry, Mister. I didn't mean to hurt the nice lady. She was just trying to help me.”

The Doctor smiled sadly and motioned for the boy to return, gingerly lifting Donna's limp hand and placing it in his. The boy grinned back, wiping his face with his dusty sleeve, and squeezed Donna's hand as the Doctor attempted to revive his companion.

“You have to wake up, lady. Mister misses you, and so do I. Wake up, lady, please."