Summary: Set just after JE. John isn't coping very well with life in Pete's World; but he might have found a way to.

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who; I am merely a faithful viewer.

A/N: Sorry any TenII/Rose shippers, but I can't write that relationship; I just cannot go there.

A/N2: This dedicated to and inspired by louiecat68 and canterlevi

A/N3: The next chapter includes the Time Family...

Chapter 3 - And Then There Was One

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He'd noticed the red-head as soon as he stepped out of the lift. It was her warmth that drew his attention to her, well that and the fact she was gorgeous, tall, leggy, and had a rack to die for. Not that he wanted a killer rack anymore. As she laughed with Rose at her desk, he realised that something Down South told him he did want that rack; he wanted it very much. Oh! That was new, and he tried to analyze it but everytime she laughed different thoughts kept flashing across his mind. It was wonderful!

"Ah, John!" Rose exclaimed as she caught sight of him, "come and meet our new PA." He did his best to seductively walk over to them; well he had to give them a show, didn't he? Rose did the introductions when he got there, "Roberta Donna Smythe, I'd like you to meet John Marvin Noble." His jaw dropped slightly at her name, and she visibly started at the mention of his middle name. Yes, he could enforce the plan.

"You're wondering about the 'Marvin' bit, aren't you?" he questioned as he looked into her blue eyes and shook her hand. "My sister named me that. I've never forgiven her! Her name's Donna too." As one eyebrow shot up on her pretty face, just as he'd expected, in disbelief, he quickly added, "No, honestly, that isn't some cheesy pick up line. She really is called Donna. I have a photo somewhere…" Yes, this really was going to plan. Not that he was consciously aware of the plan, but still, it was a plan. He pulled out his wallet and extracted a smaller version of his treasured family picture. "That's her," he said, gesturing to the woman in the photo, "and that's my brother," as he pointed to the man in the brown suit.

"Blimey! He looks the spitting image of you!" she exclaimed. He loved this plan.

"Yeah! He's older, of course, but people always thought we were twins." He could not keep the smug look off his face.

"I'll leave you two to it," Rose softly said as she patted his arm and walked away towards the coffee machine. Good old Rose, he could count on her.

"So… your sister… you don't look alike at all," Roberta said. He smiled his cheekiest grin.

"You don't think so? Because some people think we do! That mainly happened in Italy though."

"Ooh! You've been to Italy! I'd love to go there," she squealed. 'Ah yes' he thought, 'this plan was working very well!' He'd be all right as long as she didn't ask to see the photos. He could say to her that there'd been a fire when they were there and everything got burnt. It wouldn't be lying to her.

~o~

"You know, there's something slightly different about you," she said as they sat in the kitchen of her small flat later that evening. The restaurant meal hadn't been too bad, about the standard of a Harvester. The service was a bit better than back home; he really must stop thinking like that! This is home now.

"Different? I should have that engraved on my tombstone!" he joked.

"No, I mean, you don't seem like other blokes," she tried to explain. 'I should hope bloody well not!' he thought. "You seem… you're going to think I'm stupid for saying this… you seem almost brand new," she tried again.

To say her thinking shocked him would be an understatement. How the heck could she know that? "I'm right though, aren't I? Have you just decided to come out then?" she fixed him with a questioning look.

"I've been out all evening, it wasn't exactly a new decision for me." 'What a weird thing to say!' he thought.

She laughed a little heartfelt laugh, he was beginning to love that laugh. Down South liked it too, he could tell.

"No, you prawn!" she laughed. 'Say it again' he thought, 'please say it again!' "I meant about admitting you're gay."

Several emotions rushed through him all at once, most of them not at all pleasant. Uppermost was disappointment, because if she thought he was gay then she'd agreed to come out with him because she thought he was safe rather than fanciable. He gulped. "I'm not gay," he said softly. Well, it wasn't the sort of thing you shouted to the world.

"You're not?" she truly didn't look as if she believed him.

"No, I assure you I'm not," he quietly replied.

"Oh! Oh, I'm so sorry… I don't know what I was thinking. You must think I'm…" she stammered.

"I don't think anything bad about you. Don't worry. It was a genuine mistake," he reassured her. "But why?"

"Why? Well, you live with Rose and you're not lovers and there is a slight feminine vibe about you."

"I'm used to living with Rose. We've been flatmates for years. She told you we're not lovers? Why did she do that?... Anyway, the feminine vibe thing… I suppose you could blame my sister for that." He looked at her beseechingly. He didn't want to explain more than that, not to a complete stranger, not on a first date. Did she even realise it was a first date?

"I'm sorry." She considered him. He looked so miserable suddenly that she reached out and placed a hand on his. "I heard that you recently lost her. It must be horrible."

He felt tears spring to his eyes. Damn these human emotions! He only just managed to answer, "Yeah," without breaking down.

"Why don't we go back into the lounge, eh? We'll have a sit down and a nice cosy chat. Maybe watch a DVD?" she offered. 'It was beginning to look like this wasn't such a bad date after all' he thought.

~o~

They hadn't made it to the bedroom last night. He wasn't complaining, though the Donna side of him snorted. Roberta had been very gentle with him. His own lack of personal experience had obviously shone through, because she'd mentioned it.

"You haven't done this sort of thing very often, have you?" she queried.

He blushed. "No. Not like this," he admitted.

"Where have you been? In a monastery or something?" she teased.

"Yeah! Somewhere like that," he vaguely answered.

He had to be careful here. He didn't want to become known as the office bike. Jack back in the old Torchwood, the 'real' Torchwood, might have liked that idea but here in Pete's World things were often very different.

He had lain back on the sofa and let her take the lead. She had seemed grateful for that. Doing that had made her feel safer in his company and it meant that he learnt what a woman expected from a man. Maybe he'd try this again? His Donna side approved of this.

He had been shocked when Roberta had started to undress him, his first thought being 'I wonder what she wants my clothes for?' but he had quickly realised what her true intentions were. 'But why naked?' he wondered. Humans were such animals at times. Still, Down South had been extremely happy with the situation, and would've given a round of applause if it was possible. It had felt like a round of applause plus an encore.

Roberta had laughed at him. "Anybody would think it was your first time!" she teased. When he replied with a sheepish look she couldn't help asking, "Was it your first time?"

He had blushed to the tips of his ears. That was his Doctor side coming out. "Yes," he said quietly, since he had got the impression that it was a bad thing to admit.

"Oh John! Oh no wonder!" she giggled.

He couldn't see what was funny about it, and his Donna side wasn't letting on. He'd have words with himself later.

Roberta had let him sleep with her in her bed for the night; why had she done that? There was logic in there somewhere. It had been nice though. As they sat eating breakfast together, it felt so good to be here with someone he could love, who reminded him of home.

It might not be so bad here in Pete's World after all.

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