"Coming! Gosh! It's already ten in the evening! Must be those bloody rascals the Johnson boys! Always trying to steal my banana bread!" Donna Noble exclaimed as she headed from her kitchen towards the loud knocking on the door. "I knew I shouldn't bake on Sundays! They can smell it!" she proclaimed for the benefit of Shawn Temple as he lay sprawled on the couch. "Oh Donna." Shawn mumbled in good humor as he watched the redhead angrily curse the Johnson boys under her breath. Donna reached her front coral-coloured door, a door which caused her to feel calm and at ease. She took a deep breath to brace herself for the constant chattering of the boys and opened the front door.
"Oh hello" she stammered to a stop as she took in the handsome man in front of her. He was tall and his long blue traveling coat cloaked a well-built figure. His clothes were professional but old-fashioned and included suspenders. The strangers pose held confidence and importance but without pretension which put her immediately as ease. Donna's eyes traveled upward to his face and was caught off guard by the warmth and comfort displayed on his stance and face: as if he felt at ease with their association. "This man seems like a charm" Donna thought as her eyes raked over the chiselled jawline and full flirtatious smile.
But what struck Donna most about the man was not his good looks or charm, but the friendliness and affection that shone in his eyes. His twinkling eyes held such warmth and happiness it caused her to feel self-conscious being the direct focus of it. Her shock of his appearance quickly faded away to warmth making Donna feel at ease with this stranger she met a mere second ago: a warmth one experiences when meeting an old friend after an absence. She felt her own cheeks start to rise to accommodate the smile growing on her lips.
The stranger gazed at her with a tender expression and she returned the gaze with curiosity. As she stared deeply into his eyes, she suddenly felt as if she was looking into an old soul with eyes that had seen and known so much. She felt sadness start to creep into the eyes of the stranger interfering with the feeling of warmth. Before she could question it, -
"My dear Donna Noble," the stranger stated in a clear voice which ringed with comfort. Donna started at the declaration of her name coming from the unknown man. She had no recollection of meeting this man, yet providing him her name, however, the movement of his mouth as he spoke her name felt familiar. He smiled wider at her. "You look as beautiful as ever, my dear." Donna titled her head in confusion of her lack of panic at the choice of the man's words.
Slowly, he spread his arms wide and exclaimed "Hug-go-gram!" His eyes shone with joy and his faced lit up chasing away the sadness that had started to settle in as he gazed upon her. "How could she wipe away the inviting and happy gaze of this stranger?" Donna thought to herself as she moved forward and snuck into the stranger's embrace. He wrapped his long arms around her and hugged her tightly. His embrace and smell appeared familiar and she felt safe like she was hugging a brother. They stayed there for half a minute before Donna shifted and the man released her. The man gave her a lightning voltage smile and his eyes searched her face before abruptly turning to leave. Mid-pivot, the man turned back to her "Remember to be brilliant and magnificent, Donna Noble". She smiled wide as his comment filled her with joy. The man turned again and before taking a step turned back to her once more. "Don't ever dye your hair. It's always gorgeous and always sought after." Giving her another smile, he finally turned and started walking down her pathway to the sidewalk.
"Wait! Who are you? Who send you?" The man stopped walking and turned back to her to meet her as she hurried towards him. He gazed at her with a fond expression and a mega-watt smile. "An old friend." He clasped her shoulders and finally turned on his heel. She watched the man move through the darkness along the sidewalk towards the end of the block as he whistled. Donna moved back to her house and shut the door slowly as the man was consumed by the darkness of the night.
As she watched the stranger walking away from her, she did not notice a skinny older man with a shorter trench coat watching her from afar.
When the man reached the street corner, another contented smile broke across his face as he noticed the other trench coated man. "Doctor, I knew you couldn't resist watching." The man slyly stated. "Never said I wouldn't, Jack." Captain Jack Harkness moved toward the Doctor as the Doctor turned towards the direction of his blue box. Captain Jack's hand lightly clapped the Doctor's back and traveled to the Doctor's shoulder. The two men- well one man and one timelord - moved quickly in companionship towards the Tardis. Just before the doors opened, Jack stopped and in turn stopped the Doctor. The Doctor shifted to give Jack a questioning glance.
"She looked good and felt good, Doctor." Jack murmured softly in comfort. "That's good" the Doctor replied numbly, looking at his feet. The Doctor took a deep breath pushed open the Tardis doors and walked in. Jack could hear the wails of the old Girl envelop the Doctor as he walked towards the console. The Tardis doors shut to protect her Doctor. Jack looked at the blue doors absentmindedly as he recalled the haunted, sad, and guilty want that shone through the Doctors eyes as Jack reached the street corner. The Doctor had buried his emotions over a thin layer of nonchalance as he noticed Jack looking. Jack sighed as he ran his hand over the Tardis doors, feeling her vibrating beneath his hand. He shut his eyes hoping he could rid the pain in his friend's eyes at the sight and thought of the great Donna Noble. Jack sighed once more and pushed open the Tardis's doors, disappearing inside.
