Our Dancing Queen

{This is just an antidote to the (slightly) depressing turn Donna and Sam's relationship took in the sequel, so I'm writing to cheer myself up more than anything and to get back into it after writing my first fic for this pairing about ten years ago! I stole the title from the second film because I'm hoping to write quite a bit from Sam's PoV and I just LOVED that line so much, it sums Donna up perfectly. I'm hoping to turn this into a multichapter but I'll wait and see if there are any reviews/requests of things that anyone would like to read! Please let me know if so, reviews mean a lot!}

1.

'I love being on my own.' That's what she had told him less than twelve hours ago.

However, more had changed in that short space of time than in the last decade for either of them. Since Sam had arrived back on the island yesterday morning, Donna had done everything she could to avoid him in the hope that he would leave. After what could only be described as a whirlwind few hours, she gripped onto his hand as though her life depended on it in case for some reason he decided to do just that.

Sam knew it would all take a little getting used to, him relocating his entire life to Kalokairi and her no longer having to deal with her 'own disasters' entirely on her own. One thing that had been made abundantly clear in Sam's mind as soon as he and Donna clapped eyes on each other for the first time in over twenty years was the difference between them. He had changed, aesthetically at least, from long brown hair and a matching moustache to a slick hairstyle and clean shaven face; from complete uncertainty in life to a secure and thriving business in the centre of Manhattan. Donna, on the other hand, hadn't changed a bit. Perhaps if she had, he wouldn't have been so quick to suggest getting married but the sight of her wavy blonde hair, dusty overalls and more earrings than he could count just as she was all those years ago made him feel as though the years between their last encounter ceased to exist altogether.

As they walked along the beach, Sam noticed just how reluctant Donna was to let go of his hand, even for a few seconds as he rolled up the sleeve of his shirt.

'Are you okay?' he muttered whilst pressing a kiss into her hair, tucking a strand of it behind her ear while he awaited a response. Compared to how frantic she was the morning before when she had discovered him staying in her hotel, Donna was now remarkably calmer, to the point of almost being silent.

'Mmm, I'm fine. Just - my whole life's changed today, y'know. I don't really feel sure of anything now I guess.' Her grip on his hand tightened even further with this quiet admission, not that Sam minded. He would never mind, he swore to himself.

'Well…' he responded slowly, coming to a stop in the middle of the beach and turning to face Donna, 'you can be sure that I'm not going anywhere, can't you? And that...we're going to spend the rest of our lives together, right?'

'Yeah. I erm - I'm really sorry for what I said to you earlier today, Sam. Yesterday too, I was just awful. I didn't mean it I was just so sho-'

'Don't worry about it.' he laughed, moving his head to look into her eyes in order to reassure her.

'It must have been a shock, huh?' he continued, looking down to where her hand grasped hers and smiling as she slowly let go and nodded in response.

'Uh huh. I know I'm a lot to deal with and I can be stubborn and I - I've just been alone for so long and that's fine but I mean I -' Donna sighed, frustrated that she couldn't find the words to explain her fear that the only man she had ever loved could maybe one day leave her again. She'd been trying to tell him since they walked back from the chapel together, half an hour after everyone else made their way back to the hotel. Not one to shy away from telling people how she felt, Donna suddenly found herself speechless; this time, however, it was due to her being overwhelmingly happy, something she had not experienced for what felt like a lifetime.

'Hey, come here.' Sam said, instantly pulling her into his arms and leaning down to whisper into her ear. 'It's not like last time. You're my wife now, right? I'm not leaving, ever. I promise.' Donna's shoulders tensed immediately upon hearing Sam say the word 'wife', something which had led to her heart being broken for the first time all those years ago. He was right, though. It wasn't like last time. She was his wife now, and Sam was her husband. With this thought now rooted firmly in her head, Donna started to relax and looked up at Sam with a huge grin as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

A few more hours had passed, as Donna lay in bed, curled up in front of her new husband and slowly started to drift off to sleep. Sam's words throughout the day had convinced her that he was here to stay and a fresh start awaited them in the morning, yet Donna was unwilling to let go of him completely, intertwining his fingers with hers across her stomach as they got comfortable. It almost made her feel bad, the fact that she didn't feel upset about her baby girl leaving her for the first time ever to travel the world with her fiance. Sam had made her feel far too happy to dwell on that; they were both spending much needed time with men who adored them and that was good enough to stop Donna worrying for the time being.

She'd told her friends that she didn't miss 'that part' of her life whatsoever and at the time she'd meant it. Donna giggled quietly to herself, peering over her shoulder to look at Sam, her Sam after all the lonely years that had passed in between them meeting and finally becoming husband and wife. What she'd told Sam in the courtyard before the wedding was true, she did love being on her own. Donna had always been proud of the fact that she was an independent - albeit struggling - business owner and before that, she had travelled across Europe on her own. This was an aspect of her personality she was not willing to give up entirely, but the last nine hours of her life had put everything into perspective, making her the calmest and happiest she'd been in many years. Donna loved her independence but, she thought to herself as she closed her eyes, not as much as she loved him.

Donna gave Sam's hand one last squeeze before falling asleep, fully secure in the knowledge that, during the night and for the rest of their lives together, he wouldn't let go.