He'd lost the ring.

Well, more like misplaced the ring. It'd turn up sooner or later. He hoped.

Of course, in the grand scheme of things, losing the ring didn't matter much. Not if he couldn't coax Donna from her lair long enough to have dinner with him.

He drew in a long breath and rapped his knuckles against the door again. Knock. Knock Persistence. It'd earn him a slap or dinner, but either way, she'd have to acknowledge him.

"Donna. We're going to be late."

"Time machine," she called out. "Space dumbo. I already told you I'm not leaving until-" a pause "-how long did you say until it wore off?"

"A couple days,' he said, shifting his weight back onto his heels. "At most. Probably. You can't stay in your room that long. You humans need food. Sunlight. Me. You'll miss me, Donna."

"Try me, Martian."

He sighed, tapped his fingers against the door frame slowly.

"I'm in the same shape you are," he said, after a moment. "We're doing this together. You like it when we do things together."

"This is not what I had in mind, Doctor."

Donna moved on her side, the lock clicked, and the door opened to reveal her stained skin and semipermanent glare.

Her head dropped against the door frame.

"I look awful," she said. "I look like- I don't even know."

"Poison Ivy."

"What?"

"You look like-doesn't matter," he said, clearing his throat. "You look beautiful. Like always."

"Charm will get you nowhere."

Liar, he thought.

It might not get him anywhere fast, but they'd get there. He'd talked his way into her heart after all.

"I hate you."

"No, you don't. You love me. You said so."

"That was before three hours in that rain," Donna said, the door inching closer to closing on him again. "Oh, the TARDIS will have soap for us, Donna. You said that, remember?"

"Well, she did have-"

"It didn't work!"

"Please, Donna," he said, reaching out, hand hovering between the door and her. "Dinner. It'll be okay."

"We're green, Doctor."

"Noticed."

"How are we supposed to go to dinner green? What will mum think?"

"Well-" he said, stretching out the word, tugging on his ear. "About that. I sort of thought, since we were green and all, that we could meet her next week. Just you and me tonight."

"You did this on purpose."

"What?"

"You stained us to avoid my mum."

He blinked at her.

"Did not."

It would have been a brilliant idea, had he thought of it, though.

The door closed.

"Dinner," he said, tapping at the door. "Halloween planet, Donna. We'll fit right in, I promise."

"That doesn't exist."

"Of course it does," he said, grinning and shoving his green hands into his pockets. "Meet me in the console room, wear your best costume."

He searched his room again. Dug through drawers, and his closet, and shook out every shoe. Nothing. No ring to be found.

With a resigned sigh, he pressed two plastic, flexible antennae onto his head, and shuffled back into the console room cursing himself. Donna appeared a moment later, her green skin complementing her chosen costume. Her hair stood out bright beneath the dark and pointy hat, and the long gown seemed to both cling and flow in a perfect unison.

The Doctor let out a breath. The ring didn't seem to matter so much anymore. He still had her, standing in his console room, alive and well. Nothing else seemed to matter so much anymore.

Reaching up, he flicked at an antenna.

"I'm an alien."

She rolled her eyes, but he didn't miss the faintest smile. The Doctor rounded the console, dared to brush a kiss against her cheek, and landed them. Rushing for the door, he pulled it open, the sounds of life slowly filling up the console room.

"Go on," he said when Donna remained stationary.

Donna slowly approached, gown gliding over the grating. She leaned against his chest, peeked out and blinked into the sun. People passed by, unaware of them. They were all shapes and sizes, from all over the galaxy. Painted and adorned, shiny and dull, and in a million costumes Donna couldn't recognize. She slowly pulled her head back in and looked up at him.

"Well?" he asked.

"A Halloween planet?"

"Technically it's just-"

"A Halloween planet," she repeated.

He nodded once, held out his arm and she slipped her hand into the crook.

"Shall we?" he asked.

He hadn't proposed at dinner, of course. The ring hadn't turned up when he'd disappeared to search his pockets once more before ordering dessert. But that didn't matter much anymore. He had her clinging to his arm, laughing his favorite laugh, while the warmth of the wine still filled his veins. The rest could wait.

"Tea," he said, glancing at her as they shuffled down the hall. "We need tea."

She nodded, as he led her into the kitchen. After a moment, her fingers released his arm, and she trailed her hand across the counter until she got to the kettle. She glanced over at the stove, then over at him.

"Did you bake a cake?"

"Maybe," he agreed, stepping closer, looking down into the pan. "Probably. Hard to remember. Want some?"

"We just had dessert, Doctor."

"Not cake," he insisted, pulling down plates. His head buzzed with the wine, and nothing sounded better than cake to him.

"Oh, go on,' she said, looking at him. "Give me some."

He grinned, cut off two big slices and slid them onto the plates. They sat down at the table, the Doctor cut into his. Donna took a bite, chewed. He grinned, swallowed, shoved another one in.

"You should really chew, or you'll-"

He choked. The Doctor coughed, hand rising up to grab at his throat as his eyes went wide. Donna shot up, rushing around the table.

"Doctor?"

He coughed again. Donna slapped his back. Hard. And then again. Something flew from his mouth, and he wheezed in a breath and rubbed at his throat. When he glanced up, he found Donna staring at her shoes.

"Donna?"

"Are you okay?"

"Fine," he said, nodding but her focus stayed on her shoes.

He looked down.

There, on her shoe, sat the ring. Oh. Right. Bits of cake dotted the area around it, but the diamond still peeked out from the partially chewed cake glob.

"What's that?"

"A ring."

"I can see it's a ring."

"Well, you asked."

"Why are you hacking up a ring, Doctor?"

"It's for you. "

"It's covered in your spit."

"Right," he said, scooping it up. He wiped at her shoe, smearing cake over the toe before giving up and giving her a sheepish smile.

Hurrying to the sink, he washed the ring and inspected it. Better. He'd have it properly cleaned while she slept. He turned, held it back out to her.

"Marry me?"

She stared at him, while water dripped loudly onto the kitchen floor. He'd had a speech of course, back before he'd forgotten the ring in the cake. The Doctor swallowed, tried desperately to remember any of the words that might clue her in on just how much he loved her...how long he'd wanted to do this very thing. Only better. Of course, he had wanted to do it better.

"Please," he added.

Surely something close to yes ought to be coming out of her mouth anytime now...

"Donna?"

"You baked a ring into a cake."

"Yup."

"And forgot."

"I uh...well, yes."

"And choked on it."

"I did."

She blinked at him.

"You're a great big dumbo."

"I am."

"I love you."

He grinned.

"So, yes?"

"Yes."

He held out the ring, feeling far more proud than he probably should, considering. But she pressed a kiss to his lips and plucked the dripping ring from his fingers and he couldn't stop smiling.

She slipped it onto her finger, looked up at him.

"We're still having dinner with mum when this wears off. She'll be pleased."

He doubted that.

If she asked if any potential grandchildren would have antennae again, he might actually cry.

Still, he had a couple days worth of green skin to spare him that conversation. It could wait. He had plans.