A/N: Much longer chapter this one - I hope you enjoy it!
I don't own Doctor Who.
Here's the Bride, the Bridesmaids and the Doctor
Chapter Four
It was more like three quarters of an hour later when the group of women finally came down the stairs, and the Doctor had been counting. As soon as Ella walked into the kitchen he opened his mouth to complain but she walked right up to him, anticipating his statement and simply said,
"I know. Sorry."
And that was that. Martha and Donna had spent hours trying to stop the Doctor when he got into one of his impossibly long rants but Ella was the one who had discovered the secret of actually preventing them. The key was to anticipate what he was going to say and interrupt him before he started, 99 of the time it worked. That 1 was when he really really needed to do it and not a hoard of Judoon would stop him.
Martha had gone to greet Tom and was explaining that they'd all decided to go out for dinner, even Clive and Francine, who had formed some sort of long standing truce that they had yet to explain to their children, agreeing to be part of the group. Accordingly all eight of them piled into two cars, the Doctor being pushed into the back seat and sandwiched in by Ella and Donna before he even had the chance to protest to this further evidence of domesticity.
They soon arrived at a restaurant where the Jones family were clearly regulars as they were all greeted by name by the staff and when Martha revealed the occasion they were ushered to the best table and presented with a bottle of champagne. It was turning into one of those days when champagne was the only drink to have and Ella was quite happy to welcome another glass filled with golden bubbles.
For eight diverse adults to decide what they were going to eat from an extensive menu took time and much discussion, but eventually everyone had ordered starters and main courses to their satisfaction, putting off the trial of choosing between the many tempting offers of dessert until later on in the evening.
When their waiter had walked off and Tom refilled everyone's glasses, talk naturally turned to the wedding. Clive asked the general question as to how it was all going, clearly hoping for a succinct, possibly one word, answer and then on with other chat. Unfortunately, for a bride, this is far too much to ask.
"Well, all the fittings have been done, so that's good. And I think we've sorted out the hair now," There was a slight question in Martha's tone and she looked towards her mother, who nodded slightly. They'd obviously eventually managed to agree on something.
Ella turned excitedly to the Doctor who was sitting next to her and grabbed his arm to gain his attention.
"Doctor, I forgot to tell you! I'm going to have a fascinator!" this was clearly exciting for her as her eyes were shining in anticipation. The Doctor merely looked confused.
"Why?"
Ella dimpled at him slightly.
"To be fascinating of course!"
"Hmm." He frowned, he didn't think there was really any need for that. And Martha had told him that Jack was coming. Right, Captain Harkness was definately going to receive a talking too. He'd resisted last time the issue had arisen, but he had to look after his companions, and if they were going to walk around looking fascinating in Jack's presence there should probably be some ground rules. This decided, the Doctor relaxed into the evening, enjoying the feeling of having friends around him in a non-life-threatening situation. He couldn't stay like this for long but at the moment it was quite pleasant.
Tom and Martha had been discussing something in fierce undertones and eventually Tom gave her a look that brooked no arguments and turned to the Doctor.
"Er, Doctor, there's something I wanted to tell you."
"Anything you like." The Doctor generously offered. "Just - not details. I don't want any icky details."
"Doctor!" Martha exclaimed, looking mortified. Tom hurried into speech, creating a satisfactory diversion.
"Well, I wanted you to be one of my groomsman. Thought that you were important in Martha's life, and therefore mine, so you should have a part in the wedding. Martha, however," He directed a pointed look at the woman in question, who was peering round him so she could be part of the conversation. "She said that you couldn't be part of the wedding because you would probably ruin it."
There was an apology in his voice but the Doctor was looking towards the ceiling, thinking and with a reminiscent smile on his face.
"Yeah, she's probably right. I'm rubbish at weddings. I love them, but I just can't do them. Really bad, especially at my own." He leaned back so he was looking past Tom. "I'll just wear my tux if you don't mind Martha."
"Isn't it bad luck?" she asked slightly apprehensively.
"D'you know it's been much better recently?" he said conversationally.
"Yeah, we lasted three hours before we were arrested the other night." Ella chimed in. Clive, Francine and Tish exchanged looks.
"See?" the Doctor stated, as if this proved that his tux was now beyond reproach.
"Ok, just don't show anyone your copy of the Declaration of Independence alright? I don't want to have to explain that."
"It's not a copy! It's the original!" he sounded indignant but conversation moved on swiftly after he solemnly promised that he would not do a show and tell with any of the various bits of history he personally owned.
"Are you writing your own vows?" Ella asked. "'Cause I was thinking - " she paused dramatically, or maybe to remember what she'd been thinking.
" - Dr Tom should put in that bit about anyone in Martha's life being important in his."
"We're doing traditional vows." Martha replied and Ella looked a little cast down that her ingenious idea would not be able to be put into action. Tom looked at her kindly, in the way he'd probably look at an overexcited, tumbling puppy, and said,
"Perhaps I'll save that bit for the speeches."
"Oh yeah, that'd be great!" Ella enthused and turned to the Doctor slightly and asked "Where were we when they did that really good speech? Had everyone laughing?"
"Safronick." he replied immediately. "But the room was filled with laughing gas so it had more to do with that than the actual speech. Maybe you could organise that at your wedding?"
Martha frowned heavily at him and he returned an innocent look which soon dissolved into a wicked grin.
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that." Ella was still remembering past events. "You might not want to do that, Dr Tom. Not many people now that the prominent after effect of laughing gas is excessive grumpiness."
"Yes - grumpiness that has nothing to do with the fact that someone ruined their dress in a freak accident that had nothing to do with anyone who happened to be with them at said time." The Doctor nodded firmly and turned away from the conversation, hoping to preserve his dignity and person from attack. Donna leaned across the table towards Ella.
"I didn't know he ruined your dress then. He has done mine - loads of times. Got absolutely no clue about women does he? Doesn't get that just because he wanders around in the same suit the whole time doesn't mean that no one else wants to wear clean clothes."
The Doctor affected deafness, concentrating all his attention on his recently delivered starter.
"Yeah, I know. He's got a particularly bad history with wedding dresses though." Martha looked a bit worried at that and did a mental check of where she'd left her dress (safe with the dressmaker). "I mean there was yours, that time on Safronick and then - Castra 6 and there was - oh the one with the banana trees - um - "
The Doctor was unable to resist, though the food still held his gaze.
"Villenguard."
"Yeah, that's it - that was a weird one. Had to have a yellow dress - "
By this time nearly all the other conversations round the table had quietened if not ceased altogether. Ella's artless conversation seemed to indicate some stories in her past that would definitely be interesting if nothing else. Before anyone could even begin asking for enlightenment however she interrupted herself.
"Oh look! Food!" and a charming waiter placed a plate in front of her. She thanked him with a smile and turned her full attention onto what she had ordered (crab ravioli in a light tomato sauce).
The moment passed and a question from Donna about the arrangements for the honeymoon caused a drastic enough diversion for it not to be alluded to for the rest of the meal. Indeed the evening passed off without a hitch, well, to a great extent anyway. Tish and Martha managed a hushed argument about Jack, Tish apparently having taken a shine to him and Martha being less than impressed, Ella and Donna indulged a little too freely in the champagne and the Doctor got rather overexcited about the fact the restaurant had banana splits on their menu.
It was gone 11 0'clock when they eventually finished and spilled en masse out into the street. Tom, Clive, Francine and the Doctor were probably the only ones resembling anything like sober and they took upon themselves the task of getting everyone into the cars, Francine frowning upon her two daughters and the Doctor taking the opportunity to stick the umbrellas from his banana split in Ella's hair, he licked them clean, of course.
They arrived back at Martha's without further mishap and Tom, Martha, the Doctor and Ella waved the others off and said goodbyes between themselves. As the Doctor and Ella walked away, Martha called after them.
"Remember! I need you on the 30th!"
"We'll be here!" Ella yelled back and then one of Martha's neighbours shouted back at her to shut up and it seemed they would have settled quite happily into a yelling match but the Doctor took abortive action and pushed Ella gently through the TARDIS' doors and left with all due haste.
A/N: Please review to let me know what you think, ta x.