"Alright, so how do I look?" Minerva stepped out of the TARDIS corridors, "Donna's a bit fumbled deciding her own, but nonetheless excited cause it's her first trip and a historical one!" she chuckled, waiting a minute for some type of answer from the Doctor but it never came, "...Doctor?"

The man had stopped listening the moment she had entered the console room, any other thoughts that didn't have to do with her appearance unable to enter his mind. Oh, but there was one word that had managed to slip through his lips, "...goddess..."

At that, Minerva immediately smiled, sauntering over to him, innocently playing with the sides of her dresses, "I take it I look okay?"

"Okay?" he scoffed and shook his head, "N-n-n-no, you look stunning. I tell you, the name 'Minerva' definitely fits you in the wisdom and beauty aspects."

She blushed, "Come now, Martian, let's not overreact. It's a simple dress."

Minerva was sporting an early 1900's Edwardian beaded net, lavender, tunic dress that went down to her ankles. It had a beaded design front and back with swagged fringe details. It had a slight sweetheart neckline with three-quarter trumpet sleeves. She had her silver necklace around her neck as usual with two twists of her hair connecting in the back.

"Gorgeous," the Doctor whispered, although neither knew if it had been meant just for him or he was still complementing her.

The world would never know.

"So you gonna tell me where we're going?" Minerva leaned against the console, practically buzzing with excitement.

As soon as the pair had awoken in Minerva's room and the Doctor declared he was going to take her to her surprise location for her graduation, she had started hammering him with questions and questions. The Doctor, for the first time ever as Minerva claimed, had kept his lips completely zipped. Not one word about the trip came out of his mouth. And Minerva had tried, oh she had tried...poor Doctor ended up quite hazed and dazed and confused and quite euphoric. But none of Minerva's charms got him to speak.

"Nope," the Doctor smiled to himself as he started setting up coordinations on the console.

"Oh, please? One itty bitty clue?" she held up her index finger and thumb, gesturing to the small clue that would suffice.

"You're quite cute," he pointed, keeping his gaze away from her because, really, she looked fabulous in that dress and if she started up her charms his mouth might get away from him and end up spilling, "But the answer is still no."

Minerva huffed and turned away from him, hoping her fake irritation and anger would be pronounced cute and get him to walk over where she could take care of the rest...

The Doctor looked up from the console, "Minerva?" she remained silent, "Minerva?" he tried again but she just moved to hide behind the rotor, "Oh c'mon, clever girl, are you really upset because I'm not saying?"

You might as well hear the crickets coming...

The Doctor sighed, cursing himself for being so paranoid of her anger. But he had to go and check if she was really angry with him, "Minerva, I'm really sorry, but I just want to keep this a complete surprise for you," he walked over to her, "Don't be angry with me...please?"

She had her arms still crossed, her look to the side, "Nope."

"Minerva."

"Martian."

"Don't do this," he shook his head, amused more than anything.

"I'm not doing anything," she shrugged.

"Yeah?"

"You want me to do something?" she leaned away from the console, ending right in front of him, nearly pressed chest to chest, "Because I will do something," she started to smirk.

The Doctor's amusement faded as he realized the clever girl had tricked him, "Oh you cheater..." was all he had to say as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down to her level and kissed him.

"You want to tell me where we're going?" she asked in between kisses.

"Mm...no...?"

He could feel her frown followed by the sudden intensification of their kiss...and he knew it was only a small amount of time till he cracked.

"How about now?" she asked again.

"M-maybe..."

Her hands moved up to his hair and tugged on certain parts, until...

"1900's," he breathed as he pulled back, "And that's all I'm saying."

"I'll take it," she said calmly, reaching up to fix his hair for him, "And may I say, you're getting a little better at resisting my kisses."

"You are a blatant cheater," he sighed.

"Oh please, you know damn well you've gotten many things like that out of me as well," she fixed his tie next, "So let's not pretend we're both innocent white doves here."

"Yes, I still have your lovely little mark..." he rubbed the side of his neck, making her blush deeply.

That was actually on accident. Minerva wanted to visit near Da Vinci's time, completely unaware of the coincidence, and the Doctor declared a big fat 'no' because the man could be around and he would not have his clever girl around a man who practically drooled over her. So...Minerva started with her kisses, somehow moving over to the Doctor's neck...where she bit him...

But in her defense, he could've stopped her...

...and he didn't.

"Would you like a kiss better?" she mocked-pouted.

"Yes," he tapped his lips, "You're paying for damages."

"Then I shall try and mend the damage," she chuckled as she got on her toes and kissed him again.

"Oh, PDA, guys," Donna walked in, putting a hand in front of her eyes, "I signed up for trips in the universe not to watch some human and alien snog."

"I can get you your own alien if you want, Donna," Minerva turned to her.

"Can it not be a streak of nothing?" she raised an eyebrow, both women trailing the Doctor up and down.

"Mm, done. I know this one guy, he's from Planet Sto, amazing body..." Minerva trailed off as she and Donna started to imagine the man.

"Wow..." they both whispered.

"Oi?" the Doctor frowned at Minerva, snapping her out of her thoughts, "What am I then?"

"A long streak of nothing," Minerva reminded absently, Donna snickering in the background.

"Funny cause that's not what my neck has to say," he smirked as Minerva blushed, Donna amusingly watching the girl turn into a red tomato.

"Shut up," Minerva elbowed him in the ribs.

"Well I can tell my life's gonna be more interesting," Donna smirked.

"Oh you shut up too," Minerva crossed her arms.

"Sorry dear, looks like I get to win sometimes too," the Doctor pressed a kiss to her cheek and took her hand, bringing her around the console he finished up his settings.

~0~

"Welcome to...the Orient Express," the Doctor lifted his hands from Minerva's eyes, allowing her to see an old, vintage train with dozens of other people inside.

"Oh...my...god," she breathed, Donna's eyes looking like they'd pop out at the sight.

"This is the Orient Express?" the ginger questioned, her eyes scanning one section to another.

"Well, not exactly the original. It's a recreation with a little twist to it," the Doctor shrugged, leading them over to a window where both looked out, "This is the Orient Express...over an alien planet. It's like a cruise ship, and no this one will not crash," he pointed a finger at Minerva who merely shook her head in amusement.

Donna moved up to a window and looked out to the millions of starts on the other side. She could see a great city below but her gaze was stuck more on space. She, Donna Noble, in space! Now that's what she was talking about! It was amazing, it was truly amazing to finally see the universe as she wanted over a year ago.

"This is a big twist," Minerva breathed as she took a look beside Donna, her eyes widening as well.

"I say, spaceman, this is amazing!" Donna beamed.

Minerva turned to the Doctor, smiling softly, "Truly amazing."

The Doctor took her hands into his, "Congratulations, dear," he pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.

"What exactly are we celebrating?" Donna asked, not even realizing she'd ruin their small moment as she was still gazing about at the window.

"My graduation," Minerva explained, "I finally graduated from high school."

Donna turned to them, glancing from one another, "How old are you?" she frowned, thinking Minerva had seemed a bit older for her graduation time.

"Eighteen," Minerva replied, smiling as she leaned back onto the Doctor's chest, the man winding his arms around her waist, "Why?"

"Wait, you're eighteen...and you're...?" Donna's eyes switched to the Doctor's, unintentionally making the pair shift with discomfort.

Their ages were not something they liked to discuss. Their ages usually led to the topic of aging and aging usually led to their uncertain future together.

"903," the Doctor mumbled.

"Wow," Donna was genuinely stunned at the age gap, "Quite the difference isn't it?"

"Yes, yes it is, anyways! How's about we take some lunch?" the Doctor quickly pulled Minerva away.

He didn't like to think of that topic because it reminded him that Minerva would one day age and...nope, moving on.

~ 0 ~

Donna took a seat at an empty table, the Doctor pulling out the chair across Donna for Minerva. Minerva graciously sat down and watched with a loving smile as he took a seat beside him. Donna decided to play a little game, a silent game with herself: how long would it take for those two to quit their staring competition with their lovey-dovey eyes?

Well, it had been fifteen minutes.

So then Donna cleared her throat and grabbed a waiter walking past their table, "Hi, hello, um, can we get lunch?" she didn't know exactly how to ask properly but she felt like if she didn't ask she'd starve.

"Right away, ma'am," the waiter nodded and continued on his way.

She returned her gaze to the pair that were still staring at each other, "Oi, you two gonna stop anytime soon?"

"Huh?" Minerva glanced at Donna, the Doctor slowly doing the same, "Oh, sorry Donna. Please don't get angry," Minerva was determined to keep her streak of not ignoring companions despite her relationship with the Doctor to the fullest.

But Donna scoffed and waved them off, "Why would I be mad? It's actually funny seeing you two like that, sure shows the gigantic change from the last time I saw you..." she smiled softly, "...say, what did happen between my wedding day and now? What made it change?"

"Well, Donna, if you must know, I stopped being an idiot," the Doctor took Minerva's hand, lifting it to his lips for a gentle kiss, "Minerva forgave me, and, well...here we are today."

"I had nothing to forgive," Minerva whispered, very sincere. Despite everything, her pain, she understood the Doctor didn't purposely hurt her.

"Very descriptive guys," Donna called again, seeing them being pulled into another moment.

"It's a long story, Donna," Minerva turned to her, her hand still in the Doctor's, both resting on the table, "We wouldn't want to bore you."

"Let's see," the ginger propped her elbows on the table, looking to the side as she pretended to think about it, "A human girl and an alien a gazillion years older than her somehow went from hating each other to snogging each other in a year? Hm, no I don't think it's that boring."

"I am not a gazillion years older than her," the Doctor pointed, nearly poking Donna's eye out.

"No, only 885 years older," Donna waved him off, not even concerned for the man's irritation growing because of her.

Minerva chuckled, loving Donna's attitude. At a first glance, she and Martha were very different. This ginger had attitude...and a lot. Already she was making herself quite at home while Martha had been full of questions from the moment she stepped inside the TARDIS and was unable to feel like she was actually a passenger until a few trips later.

"Tell me what you did after you left me on my wedding day,," Donna said, really interested in what the two had done all that year that she had promised herself to find them...

"Well, we started traveling with each other for a couple of months," Minerva began, "Then we met my best friend, Martha Jones. She is brilliant!"

"She helped us," the Doctor smiled, eternally thankful to Martha for pushing them together until they snapped and confessed their feelings for each other.

"Martha is a medical student, she's training to be a doctor," Minerva said, feeling the Doctor gripping her hand and making her look over, "And boy did she help us."

"So where is this Martha?" Donna asked, suddenly wincing as she remembered Rose and the fact that she had been lost. Had they lost Martha too?

"She's currently on Earth, perfectly safe and finishing up her studies," the Doctor said, seeing Donna's wince, "We didn't lose her like Rose."

"We still talk and all, though we haven't had the opportunity to visit her," Minerva nodded, "Last time I heard, she'd gotten a call from UNIT," she glanced at the Doctor, "I forgot to tell you that. Don't you still have a job there?"

"Yes..."

"The spaceman with an actual job?" Donna gaped, laughing to herself a mere second afterwards.

"It's possible," Minerva nodded, "He's not just good at snogging."

"Minerva," the Doctor mumbled, looking away as he blushed.

"It's true," she reached for his head and turned him to her again, "You're brilliant," she whispered and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

"As are you," he tapped her nose afterwards.

"So...Martha's safe, she's on earth, you two are together," Donna recounted, finding it a tad...normal, even for time travelers.

"What about you Donna?" Minerva asked her, actually surprising the ginger by her interest and what she did the past year.

She was just human, nothing exciting happened to her.

"Well...I traveled to Egypt for about a week," Donna sighed, "But then reality snapped back and I remembered I'm just human and boring."

"Oi, don't diss our species, Donna," Minerva wagged a playful finger at her, "We're awesome and very cool."

"Well, yeah, you. You're young, you're a time traveler, you've helped save the world-"

"And all can be done by you too, Donna. I agree, not all humans can handle the travels or can remain good after so much knowledge and power. But you, Donna Noble, you are most certainly a good and non-vengeful human. I think you're amazing."

Donna blinked, glancing at the Doctor for any sort of comment from him...but the man was busy smiling and staring at Minerva. Right, he'd be out for another fifteen minutes.

"Doctor, don't you agree?" Minerva asked, in the blue about his gaze stuck on hers.

Crickets.

"Doctor?" she finally turned her head, "Do you agree?"

He smiled, no idea what she was talking about but nodded nonetheless, "Yes, dear."

"See," Minerva shrugged at Donna.

Donna rolled her eyes, for a clever girl she was kind of oblivious at times, "He's been staring at you for the last five minutes. He'll agree to anything you say."

"Really?" she frowned and looked at the Doctor again.

"Try it," Donna gestured.

Minerva thought of something he couldn't and most definitely wouldn't agree with, "Doctor, can we go visit Leonardo da Vinci?"

"Yes, dear," the alien nodded, his smile growing.

"Wow," Minerva blinked, now knowing to the fullest extent how far she could distract the man.

"Doctor, can we visit Da Vinci?" Donna tried, misunderstanding the reason why Minerva had asked that specific question.

"What!? No!" the Doctor shook his head fast, Donna frowned at the answer, "Over my dead body! And I've got more bodies so..."

"What? But you just said yes to her," Donna pointed to Minerva, the Doctor immediately snapping his head to the brunette as well.

"When!?"

"Right now!"

"No I didn't!"

"Yes you did," Minerva nodded, taking his hand, "I asked if we could visit Da Vinci again and you said yes."

"You know very well we can't go there. He hates me."

"He doesn't hate me, he loves me," she reminded.

"Leonardo da Vinci loves you?" Donna gaped, Minerva chuckling as she recalled Martha's reaction the very time she told her of Da Vinci.

"He loves my girlfriend and so I will not take her there," the Doctor frowned, gripping Minerva's hand as if she would run back to the TARDIS and straight for Da Vinci.

"Right, cause you love her," Donna shrugged, almost missing the blushes on the pair's face. But she understood what that meant immediately, "Oh, you haven't told each other yet."

"We've talked about it," Minerva said quietly, playing with the Doctor's fingers, "But we agreed it was too early for notions like that. We wanted to take it slow, so we are."

"No hurries, no pressure, just as long as we're together and happy, we're good," the Doctor watched Minerva with a small, a fond smile.

"Oh, I get it, you're in like with each other," Donna smirked, accepting her drink the waiter had brought.

"We're what?" Minerva asked, curious as she accepted her own drink.

"In like," the ginger shrugged, "Not yet in love but getting there...and quite fast," she mumbled that last part.

The pair glanced at each other, Donna rolling her eyes at how quick the stares and smiles reappeared on their faces.

"I like that," the Doctor said, taking Minerva's hand and lifting it to his lips, "I'm in like with you."

"I'm in like with you too," Minerva whispered, blushing as he neared her for a kiss.

Donna sipped her drink and gestured for the waiters to start setting their tables, ignoring the kissing pair in front of her.

She could see this as a regular thing happening...

~ 0 ~

"You met Cleopatra?" Donna gaped, her eyes wise as she chewed absently on some grapes.

"She's wonderful!" Minerva laughed at the ginger's reaction to their story, "First queen, or pharaoh, not to try and flirt with my boyfriend. Well, that and Queen Elizabeth," she cast a smirk to the Doctor.

"Don't give me that look, I don't even know what I did to her to make her hate me," the alien frowned.

"Queen Elizabeth doesn't like you?" Donna picked up another grape, popping it into her mouth.

"Neither of us actually," Minerva sighed, "Still a mystery to us and the world."

She and the Doctor had gone back to an earlier time for Queen Elizabeth, hoping to figure out exactly the reason of her hatred towards the Doctor. But unfortunately, they'd been greeted with spears and weapons to their faces, this time even Minerva being threatened for an execution. The Doctor, not about to let her die once more on his account, stepped in and practically took down a whole crowd of guards. He didn't like violence, he didn't condone it, but if someone threatened his girlfriend, his clever girl, there would be hell to pay. He lost her once and that was once too many. So naturally, queen Elizabeth took am extra hatred for the alien, which would explain her immediate order to kill him later on in Shakespeare's time. But the mystery remained, why did Queen Elizabeth hate them both so much?

"Can I meet a queen?" Donna asked, the spark of her eyes making the pair smile at her, "Like Marie Antoinette? Or maybe Queen Mary?"

"I think that sounds great," Minerva said, glancing at the Doctor for confirmation, "But we gotta go to the graduation party of James and Adela, they invited me."

"Minerva, I like you, a lot, but let me tell you something," the Doctor scooted his chair closer to hers, "James Mulvoy..."

"Mhm?"

"...might as well be Leonardo da Vinci."

Minerva groaned, "You jealous Martian! We're just friends. He likes Adela! He told me himself!"

"I find that hard to believe," the Doctor scoffed.

"Doctor, he gives Adela the same look you give me when we're together. I know he likes Adela. That kind of look doesn't just happen with anyone."

"It's true, I know the look," Donna nodded, "My friend Veena has a new boyfriend and that look is all she can do."

"I really wanna go," Minerva insisted.

"You didn't have one?" Donna asked.

"Nah, I didn't even walk the stage," she waved the ginger off, her gaze returning to the Doctor, "I much rather spend a nice trip to the Orient Express with my Martian."

"Hey, you call him Martian," Donna had just realized that and started laughing.

"Thanks to you," the Doctor pointed at her, "Look what you did!"

"I have no regrets!" Donna continued laughing.

"Now, now, everyone's got nicknames," Minerva said, "And plus, you like it when I call you Martian, don't you? You said so yourself," she reminded him.

He sighed, "I do, but...it's a step down from a Time Lord."

She smiled and shook her head, "Not for me. Now, if you want to be even better than a Martian and a Time Lord, you should take me to the graduation party."

He shook his head, "Nope."

"Minerva, aren't your parents going to be a bit disappointed to know you didn't walk the stage?" Donna asked.

"...um," Minerva shifted on her seat, "...they, uh, they don't exactly care. They don't actually care about me at all," she played with her fork, her gaze now locked on the soup before her as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.

The Doctor watched her get sad and quiet real fast, his own sorrow forming fairly fast, that and a bit of anger with her parents for making her suffer like this.

Donna also noticed the fast change and regretted bringing the topic up, "Minerva, I'm sorry. I don't mean to-"

As if snapping out of her thoughts, Minerva let the spoon fall and make a clanking sound when it fell on the bowl, her head lifting up, "Um, it's okay. But I think I need a little moment."

"Minerva, I'm sorry," Donna watched the girl stand to her feet, her guilt increasing by the second.

"N-n-n-no, don't worry, it's a me problem," Minerva assured, taking off in a rush.

Donna turned to the Doctor, terrified she might have just ruined her chances of traveling, and much worse, hurt a nice woman like Minerva, "I didn't mean to make her-"

But the Doctor just smiled, "It's okay Donna. Minerva doesn't have the best relationship with her parents and she's a bit more sensitive about it now cause of trouble with a cousin. I'm gonna go talk to her," he stood up, "And don't worry, everything is fine," he gave one last smile and followed for his clever girl.

~ 0 ~

Minerva hadn't ran off to anywhere far. She stood in the next room of the train, a sitting area with windows for a panoramic view. She had her arms crossed and stood in front of a great window, staring out.

The Doctor walked up to her, wrapping his arms around her waist, "I'm sorry, dear," he whispered to her, pressing a kiss to her neck.

"Marisol called," Minerva whispered, making him stiffen, "She took Martha's cellphone number from my mom's."

"When did this happen?" he frowned.

After last night when she called Sophia, he hadn't separated from her until she...

"I was getting dressed," she sighed, "And you know what her purpose was?"

"What?" he sighed, already feeling her shaking by her tears.

"Just to brag. To brag and to add guilt," Minerva bit her lip, "She says it's my fault my parents don't love me. That it's my fault my mom doesn't care about me and it's my fault my father is having heart problems."

"Minerva, you're so smart, why do you listen to her? You know it's not true?"

"Doctor, my dad has heart problems and it could be my fault. Can you imagine if anything happened to him because of me?"

"You don't control illnesses, clever girl. What Marisol tried to do is get you upset and she succeeded."

Minerva sighed, "It's easy to let insults pass from strangers, but when it's your family doing it...it's harder. Like it or not, Marisol is my cousin, Sophia is my mom, they're supposed to love me. I love them. Is it really that hard to love me? At least a little bit?"

"Hey, you have many people that care about you. And not all your family is bad, what about Isadora? Even your uncle Aaron, just as soon as we find him," he chuckled. For a human, Aaron Lozano was quite the challenge to find.

"Marisol got under my skin..." Minerva admitted, the tiniest of anger slipping through her lips, "...she's heard about you, you know," she glanced over her shoulder, her anger exchanging for concern, a genuine concern, "Says she likes you, and that if I gave her five minutes with you, you'd choose her over me in a heartbeat."

But the Doctor just scoffed, and a loud one at that, even making Minerva flinch at the loudness, "Now that was funny," he shook his head, it really wasn't. How could he ever trade in Minerva for a rude, conniving, human?

"Martian, she's very beautiful. I'll be the first to admit it. She's a bit older, way more experienced in relationships, and she's nearly done with her college education."

"But she's not you," he turned her around, his arms remaining at her waist, his eyes looking straight into hers, "I've made the horrible mistake of having to choose between you and another. I'm not gonna do that again. I know what I want, and her name is Minerva. She's over anyone in the world, no one compares to her."

She smiled softly, watching him lean down and kissed her, "You're my Martian?" she whispered as they pulled apart.

"I'm your Martian," he nodded, an amusing smile on his face, "No one else's. So you can tell Marisol she can keep looking."

She beamed, absolutely happy, and hugged him, "You always manage to make me feel better. You always get a smile from me."

"It's my job, your eyes aren't meant for sadness. I'm here to make sure they don't have any."

"Thank you," she pulled away, glancing around for Donna, "What about Donna? Oh, I hope she doesn't feel bad, it really wasn't her fault."

"I didn't tell her anything deep, just the basic: you and your family don't have a good relationship," the Doctor replied, "You don't have to tell her anything you don't want to."

"I still want to talk to her, though. Perhaps after lunch I can."

"Sounds good, I'll even give you some alone time with her if you'd like. I've gotta go check on our rooms."

"You mean show them the psychic paper?"

"Oh yes!"

She laughed, "It's a plan, then!"

~ 0 ~

Minerva and Donna Noble walked through the train's compartments, their lunch having gone lovely as it should be. The Doctor, as he said earlier, had gone about to see their rooms for later. They knew they could just take the TARDIS and skip to the next day, but where would be the fun in that? The whole point of the Orient Express gift was to actually be in the Orient Express. So, the box was tucked away in a nice storage room where no harm would come to it.

"Minerva, I really want to say I'm sorry for earlier," Donna sighed, really hoping Minerva wasn't secretly mad at her. She and the Doctor had returned to the table and continued lunch like nothing had happened, but Donna was secretly afraid Minerva was still upset with her, "I have a big mouth and-"

"It's alright, Donna, it's not your fault. Who could guess someone has family issues?"

"I should, considering I have some as well," she mumbled. She hadn't meant it as as way of telling her own life story, she had just meant to say considering she had family issues she should've known straight away Minerva had had some as well.

"You do?" Minerva looked at the ginger with surprise.

"Mum thinks I'm useless, dad died last year, no job anymore, no husband nor boyfriend," Donna shook her head, her life really was terrible back at home, "It's just my granddad, mum, and me now."

"Donna I'm so sorry," Minerva rested a hand on the ginger's shoulder, "Losing a family member is never easy."

"You lost someone too?"

"My grandfather, on my mother's side. My father's parents were already dead when I was born."

"Yeah, it was unexpected..." Donna's gaze fell to the floor as she thought of her father, it had been a disastrous time truly.

"But why do you say your mother thinks your useless?"

"Everyone's got a life but me. She compares to my cousins, all happily married, all with children, and blah. I'm the disappointment."

And at that moment, Minerva saw something she'd never seen in a companion, the ones she's seen anyways...

"Donna, I know exactly what that feels like," Minerva whispered, Donna's eyes immediately snapping to her, "Your mom thinks you should be more important, you should work harder, be successful because she thinks you're not. And let's not forget your mom thinks you're no good, you're not the person she intended you to become. She yells, she nags, she lectures etc. Ultimately, you should just be...less of a disappointment."

"How..how do you know all that?" Donna was surprised by the brunette's words, how could she possibly know all that?

"You know my family issues? That's it, that's like 90% of my problems."

"R-Really?"

"Yes, the other ten percent is because of something that happened when I was younger. Something that I'm currently learning it wasn't my fault," Minerva sighed.

Minerva was actually trying, really trying to believe her sister's death was not her fault. She was tired of being blamed, being put down constantly by her mother and even herself. Back when she traveled with Martha and the Doctor, as just friends, she was trying to heal but she had one blow after another, plus her own affection for the Doctor getting in the way...she just couldn't really focus on that matte. But now her life was finally turning around. She had her grandmother back in her life, the way it should've stayed and would stay from now on. She finally graduated and would no longer be held back by petty school assignments. And best of all, she had the Doctor with her. Things were finally setting down. Now, she really wanted to feel better, be better. She wanted to convince herself she wasn't to blame. It would be a long process, but she was sure she could do it.

"So you see Donna, seems like we both share troubles. Our moms are bit difficult," Minerva swung her arms around Donna's shoulders.

Donna scoffed, nearly laughing, "A bit? My mom's been on my case all my life!"

"Donna, I emancipated myself because of my problems with my parents."

Donna's eyes widened, Minerva also falling silent at her slip. Had she really just told Donna something that took her a full year to tell the Doctor? Donna had only been ob-board the TARDIS for one night and she had already told her about her emancipation?

"Sorry Donna," Minerva chuckled to herself, embarrassed, "Didn't mean to dump that on you."

"You emancipated yourself?" Donna asked, not sure what to say nor react to that.

Minerva, still highly embarrassed, bit on her thumb's nail, "Yeeeeah..."

"Okay you win," Donna raised her hands in surrender. No matter how bad things were with her mother, she could never imagine actually emancipating herself.

Minerva stared at the ginger for a minute before bursting into laughter, "Oh, Donna Noble, I really like you!"

~ 0 ~

Minerva and Donna were currently trying to play a game of golf...well...Minerva was attempting to play. Donna had gotten frustrated that the ball would go past or around the hole and never in the actual hole. In the end, the ginger had given up and moved over to the doorway of the room and only watched the brunette play.

"Alright, that doesn't look so hard..." Minerva eyed the little golf hole ahead of her with narrow eyes.

The overseer of the game, a man named Chris, had walked over to Donna, holding a golf club for her, "Miss Noble would you like to reenter the game?"

Donna politely smiled and shook her head, "No thanks. I think I may use that to make a hole in the wall cause of all the shots I missed."

Chris chuckled, "I can teach you if you'd like. It is my job after all."

"C'mon Donna, I need competition!" Minerva exclaimed as she tried to hit the ball, "Dammit!" she frowned as the ball stopped mere inches before the hole.

Donna laughed, "No thank you. You're the competitor type and I don't want to mess with that."

"Donna, as clearly seen, I'm not that...dammit!" Minerva watched as the next ball went past the hole by only a few inches.

"Watch your language," Donna called.

"Dammit!"

"Or not..."

A very peeved Minerva set her hands on her hips with a scowl as she watched the three balls miss the hole, "Chris, I'm gonna need your help again."

"Good luck," Donna patted the poor man's shoulder.

"Miss Souza, it's all about the position," Chris walked over and gestured to Minerva the proper position. He hit the ball and it smoothly went into the hole.

"Okay, you're a warlock or something because I've tried this several times and got nothing," Minerva frowned. She tried the position Chris showed her but the ball didn't even make it halfway towards the hole.

"Before you make a hole in the wall, here," Chris tried not to laugh at the woman's frustration. He moved behind her and put her hands on the golf club, slowly showing her how she needed to move it, "Focus and then hit," he hit the ball and it went into the hole.

"I'm getting very frustrated here," she mumbled as she tried on her own, "Dammit!"

Donna shook her head and stepped out of the room when she saw the Doctor making his way towards them, "Your girlfriend has some awful vocabulary," she informed him.

"Is she frustrated? She has a lot of colorful words when she's frustrated," he smiled and shook his head.

"Dammit!" they heard the brunette's shout from inside.

"She may be just a bit frustrated," Donna sarcastically showed the amount with two fingers.

"Just a bit," the Doctor nodded and moved inside the room with the ginger. He frowned upon seeing his clever girl with a man practically over her as she tried playing golf, "Uh, no..." he declared and moved for them.

"Stop right there!" Donna yanked him back.

The Doctor motioned for the pair ahead, "But he's-"

"Only showing her to properly play golf," Donna informed.

"Yeah but his arms are all over-"

"They're over her arms to show her to play golf."

"But-"

"He's showing her how to play golf!"

"B-"

"Doctor shut up," Donna snapped and sighed, letting go of the man, "Dear lord, it's just a game. She's trying to learn correctly, that's it."

The Doctor frowned as he stared at his clever girl with that man...

Minerva was giggling when she happened to look up and saw the pair at the doorway, "Martian, come here! I think I got it!" she exclaimed motioned for him to hurry up.

The Doctor beamed and dashed for her, leaving an amused Donna at the doorway. He could not help the small glare he gave Chris as the man backed away.

"Look, I think I got it. Want me to show you?" the brunette looked up with a smirk.

"I'd be very honored if you did," he nodded.

She motioned for him to put his arms around hers and over her hands on the golf club, "Okay, so you go like this..."

"Aha," he rested his chin on her shoulder.

"And then you hit," she hit the ball...and it made a stop right in front of the hole. She sighed in irritation, "Okay but you get the point right? It's supposed to go inside the hole."

He blinked, feeling a bit odd for some reason...


"What's this game called?" Kaeya asked as she watched the Doctor try and carve a small hole on the iced lake they stood in.

"Golf," he answered as he struggled with the carving.

"And the humans play this all the time?"

"Mostly adults, the kids find it very boring."

"And why exactly does it require a hole?" she tilted her head, biting on her lip to keep her laughter from escaping. She'd yet to mention the fact that the iced lake could not be broken by any means unless a Moontsay used their powers on it. She just thought he looked adorable trying to break it.

"The ball is supposed to go inside," the Doctor replied, "Ah! Okay, maybe we should try another place."

"Oh come here," she moved up and took his hand to make him stand then stepped back with him, "And let me try and help," she held her hand in front of her, slowly twisting it as a circle was carved onto the ice. The ice fell down to create the necessary hole, "Is that good?" she looked over to the Doctor.

"Yes, perfect," he grinned. He quickly ran to an edge of the lake where he'd laid the golf clubs and picked one up.

"Is it hard?" she asked as he moved behind her.

"A bit," he casually answered as he put his arms around her with her hands under his on the golf club.

"So how does it go?" she mumbled, her heart beating faster at their closeness.

"You go like this..." he slowly moved the golf club along with her arms.

"Aha..." she watched with a small smile.

"And then you hit!" he hit the ball and made it perfectly go into the hole.

Kaeya gasped and laughed, "Oh that's fantastic!"


"Martian?" Minerva smiled as she awaited for the Doctor to make a response.

Quickly, he shook his head and looked at Minerva, "Um...yeah, yeah, I got it."

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, uh, why don't we play something else, yeah? Give Donna a little entertainment too."

"Okay," she nodded and pecked his lips, "Anything in mind?"

"I'll think of something," he assured and let her go.

She watched her go up to Donna and explain the change of plans. He rubbed the side of his head, what was wrong with him? Had he just...remembered a moment between him and Kaeya? Why? Why now? The moment, it was so...similar, if not entirely the same, between him and Minerva. Why was his mind playing tricks on him now? He hadn't thought of Kaeya like that in such a long time. He can't be thinking of her, no...he wanted Minerva. Yes he did. He knew he did. He did.

~ 0 ~

"Alright then, Minerva, you and Donna are in that room over there," the Doctor was leading the women down a hallway, stopping in front of his bedroom door and pointing to the door across, a little to their right, "It's very comfortable, two beds, one bath, large closet filled with clothes cause I know someone loves to play dress up..."

Minerva raised an eyebrow, "You know you love it too," she looked at Donna, "Cause sometimes, when we happen to go to historical times, the dresses are quite revealing in certain areas..."

"Minerva," the Doctor scolded, clearing his throat with discomfort at his secrets being brought out to another woman.

Donna smirked, watching him get redder as the seconds ticked by.

"You know, he's been hassling to get us to the 20's," Minerva continued, loving how the Martian was reacting, "And lord knows why, I mean-"

"Okay!" the Doctor clapped a hand over Minerva's mouth, the woman glaring up at him to which he ignored, "So, this is my room," he nodded to the door behind them, "Anything you need just give a knock or find an employee."

"Thank you, spaceman," Donna nodded, noticing how he was still silencing Minerva with his hand, "I'll just, uh, get a head start," she shrugged and walked to their room, knowing exactly how those two would end up in a mere second.

And she was not wrong.

The Doctor took his hand of Minerva's mouth, the clever girl huffing, "Martian, that was not ok-" she was pushed against his bedroom door, his lips on her in a snap. By the time the Doctor had pulled away, poor Minerva was breathing heavily, her eyes wide as they looked around in confusion, "What...what happened?"

"That was for telling Donna of my secret," the Doctor pointed at her.

"Wait, this was a punishment?" Minerva was still trying to regain her breath.

The Doctor nodded.

"Oh...um, I feel very punished," she nodded, grabbing his lapels and pulling him to her, "You should punish me more often."

"You knew my secret," he pouted.

In all honesty, he was so sure Minerva didn't know the reason why he loved when she played dress up in the wardrobe of the TARDIS. She just looked so lovely and had a glow of beauty that only a goddess could own and he just couldn't help it. He loved it.

"I'm clever, Martian," Minerva chuckled, resting a hand on his cheek, "Plus, it wasn't rocket science."

"Well there goes my secret," he huffed, making her laugh again.

"Here's the secret, sneaky Martian," she pulled him down, simultaneously leaning up on her toes, staying just above his lips towards where she spoke she could brush over them, "I like your reactions too," she gave him a gentle kiss, more like a teasing kiss if the Doctor had to put it in words, "Goodnight," she winked and hurried off to her room.

The Doctor remained outside his room for a few more minutes, pondering on his sneaky, outrageously beautiful and teasing girlfriend. She was sure one of a kind, no one could compare to her.

~ 0 ~

"And you did what?" Minerva was to the brink of laughter on her bed, her hands around her stomach as she struggled really hard not to laugh.

Donna, who sat on a chair across the room in front of a vanity desk, was also struggling not to laugh, "I ran away!"

"Because your mom said there was no Christmas that year?" Minerva raised an eyebrow and Donna nodded, "Oh my god, Donna!"

"What? I eventually came back..."

"Yeah, after they found you!"

"But I came back, and that's the point."

"Those are some adventures, Donna," Minerva rested against her bed's headboard with a long sigh, "Being an only child didn't make your life boring, huh?"

"Not really. What about you? Were you an only child?"

"Um...no, I had an older sister..."

Donna picked up on the 'had', past tense and felt like she had probably upset Minerva again, "I'm sorry..." she leaned forwards on her seat, "Minerva, I'm really-"

"No, it's okay. It's really not a secret anymore," Minerva fiddled with her fingers, "I used to keep it a secret until I met Rose's family."

"Why...um, why'd you keep it a secret?" Donna cautiously asked. If Minerva was deciding to speak then she should be respectful and listen.

"My sister died in a car accident and for years I've kept thinking it was my fault. I still kinda do. On the day she died we'd literally had an argument that made her drive away from me."

"That doesn't sound like it was your fault," Donna said.

"That's what the Doctor and Martha used to tell me. That's what the Doctor tells me to this day," Minerva sighed, "And I'm trying, I'm really trying to believe it now. The Doctor's helped me so much that I'm actually starting to..."

"That's good, then," Donna nodded, "Very good. So what was she like, then?"

"Hm? Who?" Minerva looked at the ginger, slightly confused.

"Your sister, who else?"

"You want to know what she was like?"

Donna nodded, "Why wouldn't I? Or...do you not like to talk about her?"

"No, it's not that..." Minerva took a small pause, "...I don't usually talk about her because no one really asks. I guess the Doctor just thinks it'll make me feel worse by talking about her so he only focuses on making me believe her death wasn't my fault."

"But your grandmother? You said you had a grandmother, what about her?"

"We already know all the stories. There's no point in talking about someone who's never going to be with us again...someone who just left a big hole in our lives. When I talk about my grandfather I always get to tears and I don't like crying over him because it takes me so long to stop.

Donna smiled sadly, "There's always a point in talking about the dead. In the case of your sister, I bet you always think of the bad stuff, right? Well, talking about your memories adds light into that. It reminds you that while she's not here anymore, for a moment she was in your life and you were happy...cause, you were happy, right?"

"Times," Minerva nodded, "Our relationship wasn't as close as it should've been."

"But it can't have always been bad, right?"

"No, not always. There were times where..." but Minerva stopped talking and faintly smiled, "...there were times where we'd build this massive fort with our pillows and blankets and she'd read me stories, or we'd play princesses..."

"See, I bet you don't think like that when it comes to her," Donna leaned back on her chair, proud she'd managed to make Minerva realize something even the Doctor hadn't seen.

"Not really," Minerva agreed, "When I think of Olivia I always think of the blame my family puts on me for her death and the bad moments we had between us."

"Olivia? That's a pretty name," Donna complemented.

"Fit for the pretty woman she was," Minerva smiled, "I used to tell her I wanted to look like her. She had this perfect gold hair with these amazing eyes...and she was tall. That's what I envied the most, her height."

Donna chuckled, "You're not that short!"

"Have you seen the Martian?" she mimicked the Doctor's height with a raised hand.

"He doesn't count, he's alien."

"Who looks like a human thank you very much. Anyone who sees us always has to point that out," Minerva shook her head, "Yes, I know I'm short. No, I don't need a reminder. Olivia always used to tell me I'd grow up and be tall like our parents. Somehow that didn't happen."

"You're fine, Minerva. Let it go."

"Funny, that's what she used to tell me as kids," Minerva crossed her arms, "She was always like an adult. When she wasn't running from me, she could be very fun."

"Running from you? Why do you say that?" Donna raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know," Minerva shrugged, "I always felt like Olivia was afraid of me sometimes. The way she would look at me..." her gaze slowly fell, "...it was the same look my mom used to give me. It was as if I would kill them or something."

"What? Why would they do that? What about your dad?"

"Dad was always distant. He wasn't as bad as mom. Sometimes, rare times, he'd actually spend some time with me and just when I would think he'd finally be a real dad...something would always happen that'd make him leave me. To this day, I still don't understand their behavior with me. Mom's all haywire trying to track me down and force me to come back while my dad's just shut down."

"Quite the family," Donna mumbled.

"Not like yours, though," Minerva quickly said, "I know you think you've got problems with your mom but I really think it's just miscommunication. You both need to sit down and talk. You need to let her know that you are most certainly not useless and do not need a marriage to be happy. You can be just fine on your own, you are."

Donna softly smiled, "You think so? I spent a whole year searching for you guys..."

"You set up a goal and you did it. Look at yourself, Donna. Look where you are?" Minerva gestured to their room, "You're on an intergalactic version of the Orient Express. That does not sound like a useless person to me! No! You're fantastic!"

"Ever so kind you are," Donna sheepishly looked down.

"I mean it. Just like the Doctor's helped me I'll help you."

"Help me with what?"

"Your self-confidence! I can't have you running about with no confidence in yourself. I can tell Donna that you don't think so good of yourself and I won't have that."

"Minerva, you don't have to do any-"

"Shush!" Minerva got out of her bed and closed her robe, "I'm helping you and that's that."

Donna raised her hands in surrender and just chuckled, "Okay then."

Minerva laughed and walked over to the ginger's chair where she hugged her, "It's really nice having you with us, Donna. I mean it."

"I'm not intruding on your little relationship moments?" Donna looked up as Minerva pulled away.

"Nah, as you can tell we don't really care who's around," Minerva shrugged.

"Oh, I've noticed," Donna mumbled and looked to the side.

"The Doctor and I have been on our own for several months and as nice as it is being just us two...we really do miss having someone else to talk to. Martha always kept us on check and she was just such a good friend, well, best friend to me anyways. I think it's about time the Doctor took in a best friend."

"You think I could be his best friend?" Donna raised an eyebrow, "Minerva I'm going to tell you right now I have no patience for his little gimmicks."

"But they're adorable!"

"For you, the rest of us just want to strangle him."

"Well, be the best friend that'll make him less annoying," Minerva crossed her arms.

"Mm, I'll think about it. Now go on," she shooed the brunette away.

"Go on where?" Minerva frowned.

"Oh don't play dumb with me," Donna wagged a finger, "You've been avoiding sleep because this room's short one long streak of nothing."

"What?" Minerva struggled not to laugh.

"I don't mind, really," Donna shrugged and stood up, actually pushing her towards the door, "I know it's probably hard sleeping away from your precious box and farther from your Martian. Years sleeping in that thing, of course you'll have trouble!"

"Well, at least let me change!"

"Oh no, I want to see the reaction the spaceman will have when he sees you," Donna smirked and opened the door.

"I won't be long, though," Minerva warned, tugging closer her robe. She really did not care for the little nightgowns set up in this train, "I'll be right back!"

"I'll get a head start sleeping. I want to be wide awake for my first trip tomorrow," Donna beamed at the thought of actually stepping on historical ground.

Minerva chuckled as she closed the door after her. That Donna sure was something. Once she got over her chuckle, she walked quietly and rather slowly she admitted, to the Doctor's door. She was a bit nervous for some reason...

She knocked on the door twice, her heart skipping a beat or two when she heard the Doctor's voice call from the inside, "Who?"

"Minerva!" her voice shook very clearly, embarrassing herself.

"And you dare knock? Come in clever girl!"

She smiled to herself, actually feeling less bad after that. Her Martian was very good at that, always. She took a deep breath and turned the knob of the door, slowly opening the door and peeking inside. The Doctor was currently in front of a mirror, removing his tie.

He glanced back, smiling at her, "Nice of you to visit."

"Well I've got a problem," she closed the door and took several steps further, putting her hands behind her back, "I can't sleep."

"Really?" he turned to her completely, a bit glad she had that problem if he had to admit. Because if she had that problem, then he could help, and to help that would require them to share a room again...

"Donna says it's because I'm too accustomed to sleeping in the TARDIS. Where's you're much closer to me..." she explained nervously, "But I mean, that's a bit irrelevant since we don't actually sleep together in the same room and we're probably only a few feet away..." she was rambling now, oh no, "But if you ask me, it's more because of what this train has for sleep wear," she gestured to her closed robe, "Seriously, how do women sleep with these things."

"Dear, it's just a robe, you can take it off and go to sleep," the Doctor said casually.

Minerva simply shook her head in amusement, he really is oblivious. But she supposed it also meant he wasn't always thinking of what was underneath her robes.

"What?" the Doctor frowned when he noticed her smiling and shaking her head. Had he said something funny?

"I was talking about the nightgown," she patted his cheek and undid her robe, just allowing the front of it to show, though that was enough...

Minerva wore a white, silk nightgown that went above her knees, much shorter than usual. It was in a v-neckline with laced thin straps and of thin fabric.

The Doctor gaped, his mouth falling at the sight of her. She was...exquisite, to put it in delicate terms, if that was even delicate. He had never seen such a sight of her legs. Even when she'd worn dresses they were never that short. And as his eyes roamed up, he found himself having thoughts he really shouldn't have. But his hearts raced, he could actually feel his breath continuously hitching with no control...and for a split second he wondered what it might be to...

"A bit ridiculous isn't it?" Minerva snapped him out of his thoughts, unable to notice the blush that was creeping on his neck, "I for one think it should stretch a little," she closed her robe, the Doctor unable to see her smirk as she saw his blush on his face. She now knew her body attracted him. And that made her tingle inside...

"R-right, ridiculous," the Doctor stuttered as he struggled to push away those thoughts of his.

"So, um, do you think you could help me?" Minerva asked, once again reminding him she was still there, "I don't know why I can't sleep. Yesterday night I slept like a baby."

"And not crazy by the way," he walked around her, needing to look at something else in order to return his hearts to normal.

"Hm, that's a first," Minerva followed, "I always sleep crazy. My grandparents used to make fun of me for that all the time. I slept with two blankets and in the morning they were on the floor with my pillow half dangling from the bed."

"Well I wasn't thrown on the floor," the Doctor turned around, finding her right in front of him.

But he smiled because she didn't even realize all the effects she'd given him in less than two seconds. She was so innocent like that, and that's what he liked. She had so much power over people due to her sweet little smiles and looks and never took advantage of it. Sure, she'd use them at times to help them get out of sticky situations but only for that and only when it was truly necessary.

"Well that's cause you're good at cuddling," Minerva rested her hand on his cheek, smiling fondly at him, "I wouldn't throw you anywhere. I want you right with me, all the time."

"As do I," he passed a hand down her hair, "I never want to leave your side."

"Does that mean I can stay?"

"Stay where?"

"Here, in your room."

"You want to stay here? With me?"

"Unless you don't want me to, because it's really okay," Minerva quickly retracted from her request, "I did tell Donna I'd be back..."

Had she been too direct by asking to stay with him again? She just couldn't help from asking. Last night had been such a peaceful night despite her mother's words. She felt so warm, so protected, so..cared for. She didn't think of a better place to sleep in than her Martian's arms.

"I'd love for you to stay with me," the Doctor said, easing her nerves. He placed a kiss on her lips, accidentally pulling on her long hair when he pulled away, "Sorry, sorry," he stroked her as she winced from the pain.

"It's okay, it's just so long I usually braid it before sleeping," Minerva explained shyly, "I know I should cut it but I don't want to..." she said like a child, "...it's who I am, I just can't."

"Hey, I wouldn't want you to anyways," the Doctor said to her, seeing her concern for what he thought about her hair.

"You wouldn't?"

"No, I think your hair is lovely, beautiful, soft, and precious like you," he pressed his forehead on hers, "It's who you are," they both smiled, "It would be like asking me to get rid of my suits..."

"No!" Minerva almost shouted, making him flinch, "No," she said much quieter, resting her hands on his chest, gazing him up and down, "I like your suits and ties...very much," she blushed.

He smiled warmly, relieved to hear she liked him and all his oddities, "I like you and your hair, very much as well," he kissed her cheek and pushed a strand of her hair over her shoulder back, and kissed her jawline.

His gaze lingered a bit below, falling into temptation fairly quick and pressing a second kiss. Minerva stiffened at the action, surprised by the sudden contact. However, the Doctor pushed back the last of her hair and kissed down her neck. She closed her eyes, that tingle starting up inside her again. Her hands moved to the Doctor's arms, he backing her up towards the bed as his lips returned to hers. Neither of them knew what was happening, they just knew they were kissing and they liked it.

Minerva's hand went to finish undoing the Doctor's tie, just as they laid on the bed. Their kisses intensified, turning more passionate with each second. She felt her heart beating to the point where she feared it would burst. The same could be said for the Doctor's hearts, only double. His hands went around her back, one of them reaching for her robe's ribbons, Minerva's hands going for his jacket's buttons...

...but she felt wrong. It started registering in her mind what was happening, and she just couldn't.

"Mm, wait," she managed to push the Doctor up with her hand, "I-I can't, I'm sorry."

The Doctor blinked, his mind finally catching up with the rest of him...and he realized what he was about to do. Minerva's fear practically poured out of her eyes and he softened, feeling like he had do everything in his power to erase that fear, to make up for what he'd nearly done.

"I'm sorry, Doctor, really," Minerva whispered, still breathing heavily from their moment.

"N-n-n-no, forgive me," he moved to her side, closing her robe for her and passing a hand through her hair, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have."

"No, it's okay, as you can clearly see this wasn't a one-way response," she bit her lip and turned to him, "It's just, I don't...I can't. I don't feel right just yet," she whispered, embarrassed, "It's not that I don't want to, I'm just not ready..."

"Shh," he placed a finger over her lips, "It's alright my clever girl, everything is fine," he cautiously brought her closer to him, wanting her as comfortable as ever, "Remember? No hurries, no pressure, just as long as we're together and happy, we're good..."

"We're good," she repeated in a whisper, so relieved to hear him speaking like this.

Her Martian was just so wonderful. No man would ever compare to him, not a human, not an alien, nothing. And she was lucky enough to have him at her side.

"We're okay," the Doctor assured. He pulled her up to his pillows and reached inside his pockets, taking out a scrunchie, "I believe this will help?"

She beamed, sitting up against the headboard, beginning to braid her hair, "You're too wonderful."

"Because you're even more wonderful," he watched her do her hair with fondness.

"You're right, I am wonderful. Better than some silly Martian," she playfully rolled her eyes, knowing how he'd react to a comment like that.

"I'm no silly Martian," he frowned, "I'm a Time Lord."

"No, you're the king of Gaddabee like Astrid said," she chuckled, finishing up fairly fast with her hair, a perfect long braid going over her shoulder.

"I'm a Time Lord, I'm the Oncoming Storm," his frowned deepened.

"Nuh-uh, I told you, you lost that name the day you came up with timey wimey," she wagged a finger, "Honestly, what Oncoming Storm says that? He has to be an idiot!"

The Doctor raised an eyebrow, "Oh really?" she had a cheeky smile for him, "Well, this Oncoming Storm must be a pretty clever guy to have such a beautiful woman at his side," Minerva squealed as she was yanked down to his side.

"Ah! Let me go Martian!" she batted him as he pepper-kissed her face repeatedly.

"Never!" he laughed, grabbing both her hands, ending her laughter and his pepper-kisses with one long, passionate kiss.

Minerva was severely dazed after he pulled away, "...I'm in like with you," she whispered, her chest very noticeably heaving up and down with her loss of breath.

The Doctor smiled, letting go of her hands and leaning closer to her face, enough to where he could feel her actively breathing, "I'm in like with you too."

"You win, you're the Oncoming Storm again," she declared.

"Really!?"

"Yes, really," she bit her lip, "It's very hot, you know. My boyfriend's the Oncoming Storm, better watch out."

And now he smiled very smugly, "Well..." he swayed his head.

"Don't get cocky, Martian," she warned, her blush lowering her authority tone, "I just like it, okay?"

He rested his head on his pillow, bringing Minerva to his chest, "I like it too, I like all of this," he sighed in content.

"Let's talk," she suggested, cuddling closer to him.

"Talk? I thought you came here to rid yourself of your sleep problem."

"Yeah, but, you're not sleeping tonight so I won't sleep either."

"Minerva, go to sleep."

"Martian, let's talk," she mimicked his tone, her fingers playing with his jacket.

He quite liked feeling her soft fingers on him, even if they were just playing with his clothes. He sighed, he just couldn't deny the clever girl anything, "Oh alright, but then you sleep, okay?" she nodded silently. He could tell she was already becoming loopy with the beginning of her sleepiness, "What do you want to talk about?"

"Donna," she said immediately.

"What about her?" he stiffened, had the ginger been rude to her? He would not stand for a companion who was rude to Minerva. Rose wasn't mean, neither Martha, not even Astrid, Donna would not be an exception.

"She offers me something no one has been able to do," Minerva explained.

"Like?"

She lifted her head up, a faint smile on her lips, "Understanding."

That actually left the Doctor slightly confused, "How do you mean?"

Minerva shifted so she was just a bit away from him, letting her face him completely, "Her mom is like my mom, they don't understand us. They nag us, they think we're not important. They think we're disappointments..."

"But you're not," he frowned, absently stroking his finger on her cheek.

"Thank you," she smiled, enjoying his touch, "But you don't understand that, no offense. You can advice me, you can comfort me, but your family was nice, apart from your arranged marriage and whatnot, but they loved you and cared for you. You can't understand what it's like having a mother like mine. Donna does. She's lived it, she lives it. Martha was amazing, she was like my journal only she talked back. But she could never understand what it's like to know you're a big disappointment for your parents. Francine and Clive love her and support her. My mom would never do that, she's disappointed because I don't want to be a lawyer and don't want to come home. Donna's mom wants Donna to get a job, be married and whatnot. We get each other, we understand each other."

The Doctor nodded, sincerely grateful Donna had already helped Minerva in some way. She would definitely stick around if she provided Minerva with the help she needed.

"I think Donna is going to be really important to us," Minerva continued, looking to the side as he thought of the ginger, "I can feel it in here," she put her hand over heart, "We're going to be like family."

"That's very good, dear," the Doctor leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss.

Minerva smiled and scooted back to him, his arms wrapping around her as she laid her head on his chest, contently listening to his dual heartbeats, "I can just feel it," she whispered.

~0~

Donna had already gone to check on Minerva and the Doctor one, only hearing their voices from the door. It seemed like they were having a conversation, and a good one because she just kept hearing Minerva's laughter, the Doctor's seconds after. So, Donna had returned to her room, thinking Minerva would be back eventually. But as it got later and later, no brunette returned. So she returned to check on them again. However, when she pressed her ear to the door, all she heard was silence.

So she knocked...

"Who?" she heard the Doctor call, somewhat quiet.

"Donna," she responded, equally quiet. It was rather late and she didn't want to wake the other passengers.

"Come in."

Donna turned the knob of the door and stepped inside, "I just wanted to check on Minerva..." but she stopped when she turned to face the pair.

The Doctor had one finger over his lips, gesturing to the sleeping brunette beside him, his other arm around her, "She is a handful to put to sleep, you know."

Donna shook her head, very amused, "What a torture it must be to let her sleep next to you."

He turned his head to Minerva, able to feel her gentle breathing on his neck, "What a privilege."

Donna smiled softly, fairly easy she could tell how the spaceman felt for her new friend. It was something he had been missing at her wedding, that gleam and spark of happiness. Minerva was able to return that to him and it was easy to see that he had also given her something in return as well, her own happiness.

"She's going to stay with me, tonight," the Doctor informed very quietly. He really didn't want to wake Minerva up, "Alright?"

Donna had heard alright, but she didn't say anything in relation to that, "You must really like her, huh?'

"Very much," he kept his gaze locked on Minerva, he really couldn't get enough of her, even asleep.

"The thing is, Doctor, not to intrude or anything, but...from what I gather, you don't age..." Donna said, the Doctor's gaze simply saddening up at the reminder, "...how...um, how is that exactly going to work?" Donna felt like she was just jabbing at their happiness, but it was a question that needed to be thought of. And she didn't know why but she felt compelled to ask, for Minerva's sake.

"Because one day I'll just have to let her go..." the Doctor replied, barely a whisper that Donna really had a struggle to catch his words.

He shifted Minerva so he could move up, the brunette simply breathing in slightly like she'd wake up. He waited for her to do something, he'd have a heck of a struggle to force her to sleep again. But, her head simply rested back on his chest, her breathing returning to normal as she continued sleeping. Even through his smile, he had to sigh.

Donna had reminded him of their future.

He wasn't mad at her, why should be? She had only spoken the truth. He stared at Minerva, the perfect, youthful angel, in his arms. What he would give to be able to make her aging freeze or slow down at the least. He knew what he wanted was nearly impossible but it didn't stop him from thinking of ways to make it happen. He didn't want to let her go, even if it did mean he was being selfish. He didn't want her to leave and make her own life, away from him, with someone else.

"And you think Minerva's going to let go of you?" Donna quietly asked, still managing to bring him out of his thoughts.

"She's going to have to, because...I won't be able to do it," he shrugged with a small sigh, resigned.

Despite his promise to keep Minerva happy, he wasn't thinking of her happiness in the future. He forced himself to think of the present, almost forcing to forget the inevitable pain they'd both suffer at the end. He couldn't let go but perhaps Minerva could. Maybe she could end things and walk away from him much easier. If it happened like that, then maybe he could continue alone. In the end, he just wanted her to be happy, no matter who she ended up with. But if she didn't let go...neither would he.

He was just falling in too deep.

"I'm really sorry for doing this, but...there's something wrong here," Donna slowly moved to sit on the foot of the bed, looking straight at the Doctor, "There's something with Minerva and you haven't told her," she could see how he stiffened at her words, only making her sigh, "I suppose if you haven't said anything it's for a good reason...so tell me. I want to help."

"Donna, there's really nothing you can-"

"Don't even start with that. I'm human, yes, but I can still do something. Even if it's bringing cups of tea or blankets, I don't care. But I want to know what it is. Plus, I'm sure it's been driving you crazy harboring that secret."

On that, he nodded in agreement, "It's...it's bad."

"What is it?"

He took a deep breath, "Before meeting Minerva, or any of my recent companions, I had a friend. Her name is Kaeya and she's a princess from her home planet, the Silver Monsoon. She had this crystal that her family protected with everything they had. I thought that crystal had ceased to exist after a war was finished, but it wasn't. You remember Lazarus?"

"The crazy professor who said he'd change humans or something?" she asked, vaguely remembering the catastrophic events that news reporters covered.

"That one. He had that same crystal in his possession for the night...and Minerva touched it. It was a trap that one of my greatest enemies used against her. He could rewrite her entire genetic code, and for a whole year he experimented on her," the Doctor swallowed hard, trying to push away those awful moments where his clever girl suffered because of him, "For an entire year she endured the torture of that crystal, a link eve originating from the crystal between her and Kaeya, and even recreating a new necklace from bits of the crystal. I thought it was all over when Kaeya, inside Minerva's body, smashed the crystal into pieces...but it's not. It's far from being over."

"What's wrong?" Donna looked at Minerva, soundly asleep.

"Last Christmas, she nearly died and there was this light that saved her from a ship's engines. She was teleported away or something like that, she really can't remember. I practiced some tests on Minerva, just to make sure everything was alright...but I found something, something that should not be inside her."

"And that's...?"

"There's a piece of the destroyed crystal lodged on her heart."

Donna gasped and covered her mouth, looking at Minerva again, "Is that...is that lethal?"

"It's responsible for her cold flashes, her radical mood swings, and who knows what else it might do. The effects are infinite, at least of the little knowledge I have."

"Well how do we get it out!?"

"I don't know," the Doctor shrugged, shuddering a breath, "I honestly don't know. I'm waiting for Kaeya, the owner, to return. She became closer to Minerva and I really hope she can help her. Because...I can't."

He had run endless tests on his clever girl to see what exactly he could do to remove that stupid piece from her. But every time he got a result, it always said the same thing: too dangerous. If he tried anything, remotely anything, he could possibly kill her. He had even returned to his studies on her unknown blood but nothing came up. It simply was not human and now with the crystal on her heart it started registering as Moontsay. That couldn't be right. But he had no knowledge of the Moontsays and pretty much the only man who could help, Mayar, currently despised him and wanted nothing to do with him. His only hope was Kaeya. Kaeya had shown a different side the last time they met and he severely hoped that she would show him that kindness upon telling her of Minerva's condition.

"Well, what's going to happen in the meantime that woman shows up?" Donna bit her nail, actually feeling nervous the more she thought of the issue.

"Humans need a certain temperature to survive and that crystal is far too cold. What do you think?" he mumbled, shaking his head.

"We can't...she can't just die!" Donna nearly shouted then quickly covered her mouth as Minerva fussed a little.

Once the woman stopped and slept quietly again, the Doctor continued to speak, "The effects are small right now but with time they are going to get bigger and more noticeable. Right now, I'm trying to search for the owner, the princess. If I find her fast then she can help me."

"Well, in the meantime, you need anything from me, I'll be here," Donna assured sincerely, "This isn't your secret anymore, you're not on your own."

He faintly smiled, 'Thank you Donna."

"We'll figure this crazy mess out, you'll see. A story like this does not end with a death," she stood up.

"A story? A story like what?"

"You know? Um," she thought for a minute, "Oh! A star-crossed fantasy, story, yeah," she nodded with a smile, "That's what it is. A human," she gestured to the sleeping woman beside the Doctor, "And then an alien," she gestured to him, "With so many differences and yet none of it matters."

The Doctor nodded, smiling brightly as he looked down at Minerva, "Best fantasy I've ever lived."

"Mm, I bet it is. Well, goodnight spaceman," she walked for the door.

"Donna?" he called quietly, making the ginger look back, "Thank you."

She smiled and gave a slight nod, "You're welcome," and she walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

He took a deep breath and sighed as he shifted once more, resting the side of his face over Minerva's head. As he thought of the crystal inside her, he clutched her tighter and shut his eyes, completely terrified of what could happen to her. That's why he tried keeping her calm the best he could, gave her adventures that wouldn't tire her out and always tried making them warm for her. He wanted to give no additional help to the crystal and keep Minerva from discovering the truth. He didn't like lying to her but he knew that if he did tell her she would be terrified and for what purpose would that be? She wouldn't be able to change a thing and she'd live every second in fear of what could happen. Apart from that, she had enough problems with her family that an alien crystal lodged on her heart was the last thing she needed to truly crack.

No, she would not know. Once Kaeya returned then he would tell Minerva everything, but only when they had devised a perfect, safe solution.

In the meantime, he wanted her to be happy as much as she could be.


Author's Note:

Ello! Hope everyone had a nice week :)

So now we know what's going on with poor Minerva. But shhh! It's a secret, remember? And uh-oh, was that a Kaeya memory?

Oh! Forgot to mention, if there's any new readers around, I picture Kaeya to look like the actress Michelle Trachtenberg :)

In honesty, this chapter was more of a fluff-secret revealing-relationship beginning-chapter. I sort of wanted to give like an image of where the Doctor & Minerva's relationship currently is (since it's technically been months since Christmas & whatnot). Plus, I really didn't feel like dumping a big problem for the story in one of the episode-chapters because they're already filled in with the show's problems and I felt like it would be piling on. And lastly, I wanted to introduce the relationships Donna will have with the couple and then build from there.

So...was it okay? .-.

I chose the Orient Express from the last season that aired because I freaking adored that episode for some reason and I figured if I do go into 12's era I could reference these moments in it :)

That's great to hear there's interest for 11/Minerva! I shall start with that tomorrow because I'm tired of editing . This might sound crazy but I actually have an idea I've been toying around with for Clara's arc...way far out, right? .-. still, it's been written down... :)

I'll go onto 11, don't worry, and thank you for your offer! I have a couple ideas for the 11's first season and I hope more will come as the time goes on. Well I can promise there'll be some very interesting stuff for the next chapters lol, hope they'll be to your liking!

Go Donna! Woo hoo! Hey, hey, the Doctor can learn to be...less of a klutz, right? He's starting small lol. Thank you! I'm sure Minerva would say she loves you back! ^.^

Continuation shall happen :)

Thank you, hope you liked this chapter!

Thank you, glad to hear my story is good ^.^

Yeah, I don't know why but I'm kinda curious myself to see how 11 & Minerva would work with each other. Is that normal? I don't know but at a first glance I can just kinda see Minerva being more frustrated (though a loving frustration of course) with him because of his bigger childish manners. Oh I can see Minerva & Amy getting together to keep 11 in check, maybe even poor Rory lol. Oh, River? Definitely would (and technically is already from this story) be involved Mother problems will probably be for a while, but Kaeya problems will be solved (ish) for this season...(you'll see why the 'ish' was put in during the specials). Hmm...why can't Donna find much on Minerva...that's a very good question...I'm gonna pull a River and say: Spoilers ;). As for Kaeya issues I won't say a word *zips lips*.

Actually, I do have one question pertaining to River/Alex Kingston. So for some reason I always thought she had blue eyes until I came to a certain fanfic that described her with green eyes & now I'm confused even looking at pictures for myself. Can anyone please be a dear and just clarify that for me? Blue or green eyes?

Believe that was it for comments and whatnot. I probably will go into the one-shot idea but I don't know when it'd start. Oh well I'll work on that ^.^

As always, thank you very much for your reads & comments. Until next time! :)