Title: It's a Ginger Thing…
Author: Idiotgirle
Characters: Donna Noble, Tenth Doctor
Rating: PG for very mild language and general Donna-ness
Summary: Post world-saving alcohol and arguments… Things happen!
Disclaimer: I have red hair, but I'm no Donna Noble. The Beeb and RTD pwn all. I do not!
Author's notes: Set during The Poison Sky before Martha returns on board.
It's a Ginger Thing…
A Bedroom. Somewhere in Time and Space...
The couple lay on the large bed spooned into each other. Their bodies a connected mess of limbs, hair and bed linen. The intimacy of their embrace was not matched by the couples expressions. As they were both facing the same direction, neither could see the other's face…
She was slightly non-plussed as to how she'd ended up there, but content to curl into her erstwhile lover's embrace.
He was a mix of terrified and bewildered. How the bloody hell had he, the Doctor, ended up in bed with Donna Noble… and how on Earth would he get out of the situation without being killed where he lay?
The previous evening…
"I hope you don't mind me staying on. I'm way too wound up to go visit the family just yet." Donna was in the kitchen, calling out to the Doctor who strolled in from the main console room. He entered to find her standing at the kitchen table with a liquidiser, a mountain of fruit and several bottles of alcohol.
"It's fine." He stood with his hands in his pockets. "Martha's debriefing UNIT and helping with the casualties… Besides, she has to bring back my coat, so we've loads of time before we head off anywhere."
"So, what's your poison?" Donna asked.
"Aspirin, mainly." He replied casting a curious glance over the table. "Could kill me in an instant!"
"I wasn't speaking literally, Doctor." Donna smiled. "I'm about to make adult smoothies… Aspirin? Really?"
"Yup!" The Doctor popped the "P" as if to emphasise the point.
"Wow. I better remember that the next time you have an 'edache. Don't want to go bumping you off… Yet!" She started slicing some of the larger pieces of fruit with an ominous looking carving knife. "Seriously, there's very little I know about you. You're an alien with a time machine and you're the last of your people. Gallifrey, you said it was called Gallifrey." Donna decided it was important that she remembered the name of the Doctor's home planet. It showed a bit of respect. If people could remember Pompeii 2000 years later, then she could remember Gallifrey for him. "So what do you say we share a pitcher of smoothies and learn a bit more about each other?
"Oh, I'm not big with questions." The Doctor scrunched his face.
Donna poured copious amounts of Bacardi and Tia Maria on top of strawberries, grapes, apple, banana, several different colour berries and a few bits the Doctor couldn't quite make out. Ignoring his protests, she switched on the liquidiser to create her smoothie, with a wide grin he was more than happy to reciprocate..
Minutes later, they were in the main console room, sitting side by side, leaning against the crash barriers. The Doctor took a long slug, through a straw, from his drink. "Good grief, woman! What the hell is in this?"
"I know. It's good, isn't it." Donna grinned. "The trick is to throw some spice into the mix. Gives it a bit of a kick."
"A bit?" he raised an eyebrow. "And somehow, I think the litre of alcohol you threw in is contributing slightly more to the kick than a pinch of mixed spices!"
"I never said how beautiful it is in here." Donna sighed, biting into a luscious strawberry. "Not that the floor couldn't use a rug, or something." She shifted into a more comfortable position beside the Doctor. "But it just feels… I dunno… safe in here. I felt it even when I was on that Sontaran spaceship."
"That's the TARDIS." The Doctor smiled, raising his glass in a toast. "She'll look out for you."
"You'll have to give me more driving lessons. Teach me to fly her back to you if we ever get separated like that again." The Doctor made some sort of non committal noise. Donna refilled his glass. "I'll ask you again when you're locked… Or do you not get drunk?"
"Yes, I get drunk."
"What about the hangover?"
"Not so much!"
Donna tutted loudly. "Figures! You get all the fun without any of the consequences next day." She looked at him. "I mean, you don't look like an alien. The Ood and the Sontarans, they looked like aliens. But you? You may act like you come from another planet, but you look like a member of Duran Duran."
"Duran Duran?" he spluttered. "Now I am offended!"
"What? The big hair, the coat billowing behind you, the cheekbones… " Donna prodded him in the arm. "Pouting around the place like you're in your own personal music video?"
"Could you have namedropped someone a little less… uncool?" The Doctor had a look on his face like he'd walked in something foul.
"Hey, what's wrong with them?" Donna protested.
"Oh my god. Oh. My. God! You're a duranie!" he laughed loudly.
"Hello! 80's teenager, of course I was."
"And you're not the least bit ashamed to admit it." He popped a grape in his mouth. "Very brave of you."
"Oh shut up!" Laughing, Donna shouldered him. "So what kind of embarrassing music did you listen to as a teenager?"
The Doctor's smile faded a little. "It was different where I grew up. A bit more staid and dull which is why I left." His tone implied he wasn't gong to discuss it further so Donna wisely changed the subject.
"Elvis. Presley, or Costello?" She asked, refilling both their glasses, emptying the pitcher.
"There is only one Elvis, and he is the King." The Doctor raised his glass again. "Ah, huh, huh, huh, thangyewvurrymush!"
Donna rolled her eyes at his awful impression. "Did you meet him? Is he really dead, or did you do something to make him disappear?
"I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you."
"Knew it!" Donna grinned. "Any other conspiracies you want to own up to?"
"I had nothing to do with Shergar, Lord Lucan, or the rise of the Spice Girls. I may have had some fun drawing crop circles a few years back, but nothing that will ever stand up in court!"
"That must have been the one time you were just gadding around the place and not trying to stop the end of the world!" Donna's playful tone had an underlying seriousness. "The few trips you've taken me… I thought it would be more of a laugh and less of the running for our lives."
He smiled at her. "Are you saying I'm jeopardy friendly, Donna Noble?" But his attempt to lighten the conversation failed.
"Joke all you like, but it's true. We were supposed to go to Rome, we ended up erupting a volcano. Even today…" She turned to look at him as if to impress upon him how serious she was. "You were completely resigned to killing yourself by blowing up the Sontaran ship. You throw yourself, unnecessarily, into these life or death situations without any regard for people who may actually care about you."
"But I didn't die. I'm still here." He said softly, taking her hand.
"Through no fault of your own, Doctor. Boy genius hotwired the teleport and sent you back and you're acting like it was nothing."
"And you thought you'd get me drunk by way of a therapy session?" He had a hard tone to his voice.
"It's better than ignoring it."
"Look Donna, I've been doing this kind of thing for a long, long time." The Doctor wanted to explain how wonderful his life was. "Zipping back and forth through time and space. I've seen and done so much. Yes, occasionally, there are close calls… but I'd rather roam the galaxy, living my life, than stay still to avoid getting hurt. Isn't that why you wanted to come with me? To live, to experience the adventure?" She couldn't help but notice how his eyes lit up when he spoke of celebrating his wanderlust. His passion was infectious.
"It's been incredible, you know that." She shook her head. "But, I think it's the danger you like to experience too."
"I'd never consciously seek to put you or Martha in danger." He explained. "I've had others on board with me, you know that. Even before Martha and Rose. Travelling with companions, with my granddaughter…"
"Now you're just taking the piss!" Donna snapped. She grabbed the empty pitcher and stormed out of the console room, with the Doctor in hot pursuit. "You know what, this was a mistake! I shouldn't have bothered!"
Donna Noble, in the kitchen, with a blender…
"Don't be like that, Donna." He pleaded in her wake.
"What? You're telling me you have a granddaughter! You're what 34? 35? What age did you get "granny" knocked up at? 16?" Her anger was palpable, convinced that he was making a fool out of her.
"Donna, look at me. I am not human." He marked off each difference on his fingers as if to emphasise his point. "I am a time travelling alien. I have 2 hearts and while you may think I look like a member of Duran Duran, I guarantee you I am not. I am 903 years old and haven't always looked like this." Had he been sober, the explanation might have been a bit more succinct!
His explanation hadn't placated her. "903? You're standing there telling me that you are nine hundred and three years old?" She looked him up and down. "903?"
He growled. "Alright! I'm not 903. I lied." His arms flailed in desperation. "It's ridiculous! I can't bloody lie to you!"
"Thank you!" She sighed, throwing more fruit into the blender.
"I'm actually 987." The Doctor grumbled. Donna threw a plum, hitting him on the forehead . "Ow! I'm telling you the truth. I'm not ready to face the prospect of the big four figures, so I knocked a few decades off my age. What's the big deal? Are you going to tell me you've never lied about your age?"
"I never needed to." Donna sniffed, proudly. "At 16, I had no trouble getting into over 21 discos and once I hit 25, nobody, bar my GP and optician would have the nerve to ask anyway!" She stopped attending to the smoothies and looked at him. "Sometimes I think I have you all figured out… and then I realise I don't have a clue. I have to stop looking at you like you're a normal guy… Cos you're not, are you? And I don't mean that in a bad way."
"I know." He smiled. "I may look like I can pass for 29…"
"34!" Donna interrupted with a laugh. "Don't push it!"
"Fine, 34!" His expression changed and Donna swore for a moment she could see all 987 years reflected in his large brown eyes. "I've lead a long, varied life and it hasn't always been happy. I had a family who I loved dearly… I had a home and now it's gone. They're gone… and I can't tell you everything… I just…" She could see he was struggling. Alien or not, he was still just a bloke! And blokes were rubbish when it came to expressing emotion that wasn't sport related! She did the one thing she knew he wouldn't have a problem with and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her held on tight. After a brief silence, he whispered in her ear. "Can we just get back to consuming dangerous amounts of alcohol?"
"Sounds like a plan." Donna sighed quietly and returned to her creation. Once again, she poured alcohol through the stacks of fruit and then she topped it off with a spoonful of spice.
"Is that ginger?" The Doctor asked.
"Yes. That's what gives it the kick, otherwise it's too sweet."
"Ginger!" He exclaimed, much to Donna's amusement. He paced the kitchen, running fingers through his hair and pointing accusingly at the blender. "I should have known!"
"Oh god, you're not allergic to ginger are you?" She gasped. "I can take it out…"
"Naah. Too late now." He grumbled. "And it's not an allergy as such… It just does weird things to me."
"Something else I'll have to remember in future!" Donna giggled as her finger hovered over the button to liquidise the concoction.
"Eh, you might want to remember the lid." The Doctor pointed to the open topped blender. "Wouldn't do to have a smoothie explosion in here."
Donna sheepishly placed the lid on the blender and hit the button. Once she was happy with the mix, she disconnected the pitcher and they returned to the console room to continue their conversation which tended to the lighter side of life, the universe and everything.
"…No, I am a terrible dancer." The Doctor confessed. "This body completely lacks any semblance of rhythm. I can't even waltz. The last one… I could dance up a storm, this one… two left feet!" He waggled his red trainered feet from side to side.
Donna looked at him. "I don't get half the things you say! I'm sure they make perfect sense in that mad head of yours, but to the rest of the universe, you're a nutter."
"Lulls them into a false sense of security." He grinned. "Anyway, what about you? Ballet lessons when you were 5?"
"Do I look like I've ever had ballet lessons?" Donna laughed. "Did a salsa class last year for fun and before that, my Dad taught me to waltz for what was going to be the first dance at my wedding…" Her expression changed. "I miss my dad. I wish he was still here."
"I'm sorry, Donna." The Doctor leant his head in, so it was resting on top of hers.
"Thanks." Her head nestled comfortably on the Doctor's shoulder. "That was why I kind of rushed into the wedding. I wanted him to walk me down the aisle whilst he was still able to. I know I'm not exactly top of anyone's list, but after a few months with Lance , I thought this was my chance." Donna said quietly. "He was nice, his family was lovely to me and I honestly thought that we had a future together, with a nice house somewhere and kids… I'm an only child. My mum's an only child. I think she despaired of me ever carrying on the family line." She stared at her glass like it was the most interesting thing in the world… Anywhere than rather look at the Doctor. "And it's not like I'm a shrivelled old prune, but by the time I meet someone, get to know them, and get to that point in the relationship where we want to get married and have kids, I'm just a little bit afraid that I'll have left it too late."
"This is going to sound like a strange question, but do you miss him?" The Doctor asked.
"Lance? Sometimes." Donna conceded. "And then I remember that he tried to murder me on our wedding day and quickly get over it… I'll tell you what I do miss, though. The Sex."
"Donna!" The Doctor was scandalised.
"Oh don't be such a prude!" She laughed loudly at his shocked expression. "Nine hundred and something years old and you're telling me you've never had sex for the sake of it?"
"Well… I…"
"You've had a string of pretty ladies - myself included - traipsing in and out of here for centuries and you're telling me you remained celibate?"
"It's not like that, Donna."
She was on a roll. "Can you do it like we do it? Are you equipped to do it? Or do you do it entirely different to how we do it?" The Doctor had no opportunity to explain, due to Donna's rapid fire questioning. "Can you get pregnant? Is that it? You won't do it in case you get pregnant?"
He rolled his eyes. "I can't get pregnant."
"Could you get me pregnant?"
"Are you looking to get pregnant?" He was more than a little afraid of the answer she was going to give him.
"No!" Donna exclaimed. "Well, maybe not right at this moment… But in the not so far off future… maybe. Certainly not with you, thanks all the same!"
"I wasn't offering." He turned to face her.
"I wasn't asking!" She replied, practically nose to nose.
"Good."
"Good!"
It was difficult to say who made the first move, but all of a sudden there were hands and lips in places where both had sworn to themselves there would never be hands and lips…
Meanwhile, back in the bedroom…
Donna made the first move and wriggled her way out of the Doctor's arms. She made no attempt to hide her modesty on the short walk across the room to the connecting bathroom. If she turned around to look, the Doctor didn't know, as he had pretended to be sound asleep. He debated whether to leave the room before she finished her shower, but they were in the TARDIS, it's not like there was anywhere to really disappear to… Actually, there were infinite places to hide, but he doubted the TARDIS would let him! Minutes later, Donna emerged, swathed in a large towelling bathrobe, her towel-dried hair hanging, unbrushed around her shoulders and silently left the room.
By the time the Doctor had summoned up the nerve to face her, Donna was in the kitchen, leaning against a counter with a large mug of coffee in her hand. She gave him a slight smile, which he returned. "Coffee's fresh. I don't think I'm fit for anything else. Unlike you, I do get hangovers!"
It looked like he'd be the one to have to broach the subject. "Don… Donna… um about what happened… I…"
"If you're about to tell me that by the laws of your people we're now married or joined, or connected, I swear, Alien Boy…"
"No!" The Doctor interrupted. "No no. Nothing like that! We just…"
"We just had a fun night." Donna shrugged. "If you're expecting more, I don't think I'm the person who can give it to you. I'm sorry, but that's just how I feel." The Doctor was rendered speechless, which Donna took as shock and disappointment. "Not that last night wasn't great, It was!… It was really, really good, to be perfectly honest! And keeping with honesty, I think, deep down, we both know that it would never work out… So let's just chalk it up to alcohol! Cos, let's face it, if we were stone cold sober, that never would have happened."
"Yeah… I…"
She wasn't going to give him a chance to regret it. "And it's not that it shouldn't have happened. It did. And I wouldn't take back a moment of it... Especially not the second time, cos that was just… Wow!" The Doctor could tell from her smile that she was genuine. "But it wasn't love. It wasn't even lust. It was need… and that's no basis for a relationship." She gave him a gentle, affectionate hug. "Okay?"
"Okay." He was still completely thrown by her reaction… and she quickly picked up on it.
"You were about to say exactly the same thing, weren't you."
He stepped back from her and folded his arms. "Um… Yes. Yes I was."
"You thought I was going to be all moony and 'Oooh, I love you, Doctah. Let's have babies and live happily ever after', didn't you."
There was no point in lying to her, given that she'd been entirely honest with him… and she'd have seen through him in a second anyway! "A bit. Yes."
"See, that's the difference between having a woman on board, as opposed to some impressionable young one, dazzled by the smile and the hair." Donna stood there, shaking her head, hands on hips… Classic Donna Noble pose, the Doctor thought… but the smile was still there. "You know what you are?"
"Yup!" He mimicked her body language and the way she'd berated him the day before. "I'm a Great big, outer space, dunce!" He was close enough to plant an entirely platonic kiss on her forehead. "Don't ever change, Donna Noble."
"I'm going to get changed and go home and visit Mum and Gramps… and if you think that's your cue to disappear again?"
"I wouldn't dream of it, Donna." He laughed. "Besides, I still have your hats here and absolutely none of them suit me! You take all the time you want. I'll be waiting."
She handed him a mug on the way out of the room. "DoctorDonna friends?"
"DoctorDonna friends." He repeated as she disappeared around the corner, leaving him to wonder how many more ways she'd surprise him in the future.
Fin
Reviews welcome...