Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone. The Doctor and Donna kindly allow me to borrow their likeness for a time.
A/N: I know this is taking a while to get to the point, but please bear with me. It does get better!
Chapter 2 – The Conference
The following day proceeded in much the same way as the day before, with Donna following the Doctor around the conference centre. She did her best to appear interested and enthusiastic, for his sake. But by the end of the afternoon, she was mentally exhausted. So, as they sat at an early dinner in the small cafe in the hotel, she came to a very difficult decision.
"So, tomorrow," the Doctor began, putting on his glasses and pulling out the next day's schedule of sessions, "I thought we'd start with the presentation on multi-phase plasmatic thermocoupler mechanics and interlocutionary by-products." He grinned up at her.
She took a bite of her crème brûlée (at least she thought it was crème brûlée - she wasn't exactly sure but really didn't think she wanted to know if it wasn't). "Right," she said. "About that. I was thinking of maybe having a spa day tomorrow."
He looked over at her, confused. "A spa day?"
"Yeah, you know. Mani-pedi. Facial. Maybe a massage." She took another spoonful of her dessert.
"But you'll miss the panel on dual-gravitational burnouts and environmental impact theory!" he exclaimed, brandishing a page from the schedule.
"I know, and I'll be devastated," she replied sarcastically, "but they have mineral mud baths!" She waved her own pamphlet in his direction. "Guaranteed to counter the effects of gravity on, er, um, muscle tissue."
The Doctor took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. Without raising his head, he said softly, "You'd rather get covered in mud than spend time with me."
Donna immediately reached over and took his hand. "Oh, Doctor! Of course not." She could tell he was genuinely hurt by her decision. "I've loved hanging about with you these past two days. I've gotten a better perspective on what you deal with and maybe even learned a thing or two that might be helpful sometime. But honestly. Don't you think you would enjoy it just a tiny bit better if you didn't have to spend so much of your time explaining things to me?"
He rubbed the back of her hand thoughtfully. "Maybe you're right. It might be a little easier to concentrate on the finer points." He stopped and looked up at her. "I will miss having you there, of course," he added quickly.
She smiled and squeezed his hand. "Of course. And I'll miss you too. But, you can take notes and teach me all about it later. You know how you love to do that." He smiled and nodded. "How about I meet you in the afternoon? We can walk through the vendor exhibit halls, and you can explain all the toys to me to your hearts' content!"
He grinned broadly at this idea. "Belissimo!"
The next day, as Donna was primped, pampered and perfumed, the Doctor flitted from lecture to lecture, jotting down copious notes and having the time of his life. He got into a serious discussion with a Mordaani scientist who was demonstrating a Klipplingshöner device. He was thankful Donna had talked him into leaving his sonic screwdriver in the cabin; he had been sorely tempted to 'fix' the calibration problem, rather than point out 'possible' design flaws and debate the merits of various solutions.
Later in the afternoon, Donna crossed the conference centre lobby, heading to where she had agreed to meet the Doctor. She felt relaxed and refreshed, the spa treatments having done more to raise her spirits than she had imagined. She was grateful for her alone time, but she realised she was looking forward to seeing him again, that she had actually missed listening to the little git prattle on about things.
At the same time, the Doctor waited patiently (well, as patiently as he ever did, that is) for his companion to meet him at the agreed upon time. He stood, shifting from one foot to the other, in front of the entrance to the main exhibit hall. He had so much he wanted to tell her. He truly had missed having her with him, missed sharing a laugh about the absurdity of this presenter's hypothesis or that lecturer's conclusions, or simply holding her hand.
The degree to which he required her presence caught him quite unawares. A personable companion had always made the travelling that much more exciting and enjoyable. But he was beginning to suspect it had gone beyond companionship. How far, he wasn't prepared, at this moment, to analyse further.
He pulled out the conference schedule and donned his glasses, perusing his choices for the next day's sessions. He became quickly bored and shoved both back into his pocket, and began scanning the lobby again. He finally caught sight of Donna as she made her way toward him. She was wearing a simple below-the-knee sundress in shades of purple and blue, and sandals, which showed off her lavender-painted toes. He found the sight of them strangely appealing. 'Rassilon, but she's lovely,' he thought. He waited for her, striking a casual stance but grinning widely as she approached.
Looking around, Donna spied the Doctor leaning against the wall of the exhibit hall, and walked over to him. Noticing his silly expression, she said as she approached him, "Oi! Spaceman!"
"Oi! Earthgirl!" he responded, and drew her into a tight hug.
Pulling away slightly, she asked, "What was that for?"
"Just pleased to see you, is all," he replied. "I missed you. Got loads to tell you." He patted his coat pocket. "I took lots of notes!" he said proudly. Putting out his arm, he continued, "Shall we go see what treasures can be found, m'lady?"
Donna snickered and said, "You silly prawn. I missed you too." She took his arm. "Allons-y!" she cried, before he had the chance.
The Doctor laughed, and they walked, arm in arm, into the exhibit hall. As they entered, he said, almost offhandedly, "You look beautiful, by the way." Without giving her a chance to react, he dragged her over to a booth with a variety of mechanical devices. "Oh!" he exclaimed. "Tectonic plate regulators! I haven't seen these in years!" And with that, they were off.
The Doctor led Donna on a merry chase through the vendor stalls and booths, stopping here and there to exclaim, argue, laugh at and haggle for the various items on display and for sale, picking up a few bits of machinery and electronic components. She scoffed at a particularly random devise. "Oh, please! When exactly do you anticipate needing a 'variable speed microfilament displacement regulator'?"
"I'll have you know, those are extremely rare in this part of the galaxy. We're lucky to find one!"
"Yeah," she retorted. "That's why he's got seven more on the shelf behind him."
The Doctor looked at the vendor, who just shrugged, and he wisely dropped this topic of conversation (and the device).
They continued on their way and spent another hour wandering around, just talking and laughing. He did manage to finally convince her to let him buy an intricately woven silver bracelet studded with depleted dilithium crystals that had been polished until they glowed like rare opals. She protested that it was too much, but he just told her to hush, paid the vendor with actual currency (not psychic paper), and affixed it to her wrist. He tried to purchase the matching pendant, but she smacked him in the arm, and he relented.
That night, they returned to their cabin after dinner, and the Doctor spread his purchases out over the dining table, examining each one closely. Donna was curled up in an armchair with a book. As he muttered softly, she watched him for a while, smiling to herself. He was such a child. She wondered, in the lifespan of the Time Lords, where exactly he fell. Nine hundred years seemed like an awfully long time, but for all she knew, he could be, relatively speaking, a teenager! That would explain a lot.
He looked up at that precise moment and caught her smiling. He raised one eyebrow and she blushed slightly in return. They both laughed and went back to what they were doing, at ease in the companionable silence. Finally, Donna closed her book and stood up.
"Well, Time Boy. I'm off to bed," she declared. "I know you probably won't sleep, but please. Put all that stuff away before morning, will ya? I plan on eating breakfast at that table."
He got up and walked over to her. Placing his hand over his hearts, he stated solemnly, "I promise. Say. What do you want to do tomorrow?"
Donna looked at him, a little wary. She put her hand on his arm and began, slowly, "Doctor, …"
He took her hand in his and smiled. "Donna," he said, sweetly. "It's okay if you don't want to tag around with me again. Honest." However, he was secretly hoping she would.
"Really?" she asked. "You really wouldn't mind?" She reached back and picked up her book, extracting a piece of paper. "I picked this up at the exhibits. There's a street festival not too far from the hotel tomorrow. You know, arts and crafts, music, like that. I thought I'd walk down and check it out."
The Doctor saw the twinkle in her eyes and heard the excitement in her voice, and he realized he couldn't refuse her. "Of course, I don't mind. It's just a lot of boring lectures. Have fun. You deserve it." He kissed her hand and said, "I'll see you before you leave. Sweet dreams, Donna."