Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC. No infrigement is intended

A/N: This is an AU for Donna Noble and Lee McAvoy. There's no Doctor (at least not yet), and it takes plaec in 21st century Earth. It's just a series of vignettes showing their life together. I'll try to arrange in order, but I write them as they come to me, so they might be a little all over the place sequentially.

Clumsily Swooping In

"If you're so unhappy, then let's just go."

Lance exhaled in disgust and looked around. When his eyes settled on Donna again, he shook his head. "What? After all the fuss you made about us being late?"

Donna rounded her shoulders. "We wouldn't have been late if you hadn't been such an ass about not wanting to go," she insisted. "I told Nerys we'd be coming."

He glared at her before turning away.

Pressing her lips together, Donna folder her arms in front of her and took an instinctive step away from him. She, too, scanned the crowd for a familiar face.

Sensing her frustration, Lance sighed and turned toward her. His expression was softer. "Sorry," he said. "Let's just forget it and act like we're having a good time."

"We could actually have a good time if you would just relax," she said, still angry.

His eyes widened. "Donna, I'm trying," he said with deliberate patience.

The music changed to a slower tempo. Donna brightened. "I'll forgive you if you ask me to dance."

Lance's mouth opened as he struggled to find an excuse. "Donna, I don't – "

"Oh, come on," she insisted, pulling on his arm. "You owe me."

While it felt like pulling a dead weight, Donna managed to drag her boyfriend to the space designated for dancing. She wanted to be front and center, but he guided her to the far side of the room. "If you're going to make me dance, at least do it where no one can see us," he said.

Taking whatever victory she could, Donna wrapped her arms around him. His smile was a little crooked as he put his hands on her waist and slowly swayed to the music.

Donna put her head on his shoulder. "See? This isn't so bad," she said hopefully. Her hands drifted down his back, eager to go lower.

Lance stiffened and shot backward. He looked affronted. Donna blinked in hurt surprise. What was with him? "Lance?"

He looked behind him. "I just saw someone from work I want to say hi to," he said.

"But we were…" He spun quickly and had vanished before she could even register what had happened.

Donna stood there, mortified. She wasn't close enough from the wall to at least fake looking like she was just walking around. No, Lance had left her alone in the middle of the dance floor. Others turned to regard her. A couple of girls shot petty smirks at her. One girl, someone Donna thought she recognized from the coffee shop down the street, gave her a sympathetic smile.

Donna didn't know which was worse: the pity or the sneers. The romantic music mocked her as it suddenly felt one hundred times louder in her head. She looked around for a quick and hopefully invisible exit. Keeping her head cast down, she didn't see the massive man standing in her way.

Arms caught her as she stumbled backward. She looked up and did a double take. A tall, (gorgeous!) man stood above her, his eyes kind and concerned.

He said something, but Donna couldn't quite make it out. "What?"

He gestured to her. "-kay?"

"Oh, yeah," Donna lied, waving her arm in the air dismissively. "I'm all right."

She made to move to the side, and glanced back up impatiently when he didn't budge. All she wanted to do was get out of there and go home.

He smiled and held out a hand. His mouth opened as if he wanted to say something, and Donna thought she heard his voice, but she wasn't too sure. "What, mate?"

"-ance?"

Anger flushed her cheeks. "Lance is an ass," she said, embarrassed tears stinging her eyes.

He shook his head. "No. D-d-d-dance!" he managed and held his hand out again.

She stared at him, dumbfounded. "You want to dance with me?"

He nodded a little too eagerly.

"Go for it, sweetie," Donna thought she heard a voice behind her say encouragingly.

Biting her lip for a brief moment, Donna didn't think it was the best idea to move on from one loser to someone who could possibly be a complete psycho. But this new guy seemed genuine and nice, with his silly smile and slightly awkward manner.

Giving a light laugh, Donna nodded and stepped a little closer to him. Unlike her previous partner, this man's touch was soft and inviting. Donna felt herself instantly relax, despite the butterflies that immediately started fluttering in her stomach. She inhaled, closing her eyes at the comforting scent of his light cologne.

When the music stopped, the man stepped away a fraction and grinned at her again. "I'm L-l-l-Lee."

Blinking at the way he said his name (was that a stutter?), Donna could only smile in gratitude at his kindness. "I'm Donna."

He nodded as if he already knew that. He offered his arm, and she smirked at the old-fashioned gesture. But she accepted it, and together, they walked away.