Part 7
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Going away for the weekend should be a welcome break, Donna decided as they both gazed out the train window at the scenery rushing by. It still amazed her that they'd got up, showered, eaten, packed a case, avoided her mother foisting several bags of food onto them, got out the house with Gramps in tow and to Paddington Station by ten o'clock; but they'd done it.
Sitting back in her seat with a sigh, a thought struck Donna. "You still haven't said where exactly your friend lives."
"That's because I don't know," John reluctantly admitted from beside her. "But I do know exactly where he works."
"On a Saturday? Is it a shop of some sort?" Donna quizzed him. For all she knew this could turn out to be a wild goose chase.
"Yes, it's the Tourist Information Centre," he supplied. "Apparently it is down by the bay and near the Millennium Centre."
"Oh, that'd be open on a Saturday," she agreed. "What do we do if he isn't there? We could have still phoned ahead to find out. It would have been easy to find the number on the Internet."
"I know." Even he noted the whine in his voice. "But I thought it'd be a nice weekend away for us whatever happens."
"Anyone would think you're trying to whisk me away on a romantic weekend for two, to hear you talk," she scoffed.
"Perhaps I am," he replied, and loved seeing the shocked expression on her face.
Right up to the point when she whacked him on the arm.
"What are you playing at? If you think…"
Feeling several heads turned in their direction within the carriage, John had to beat off any further embarrassment. He managed to halt her tirade by gently taking her hands in his.
"Donna, my intentions are honourable," he softly began. "I've been meaning to tell you that I would like us to go out together, to perhaps become romantically involved, but if that's not what you want, I won't do anything to harm our friendship. If, however, you like the idea of considering me as your boyfriend or whatever title you want to give me, we will go at your pace."
She bit her lip as she contemplated this news. "And what if that's as fast as a snail on a go slow?"
To her relief, he smiled. "Then that would be okay. You're worth waiting for."
The gooey expression on his face almost turned her insides to jelly. Could she believe him? Suddenly she wanted to test his resolve. "Got any of those cuddles of yours going spare?"
"For you, always," he crooned, lifting up an arm in invitation.
She happily snuggled into him for the rest of the journey and even fell asleep on his shoulder for a short while, having requested that he wake her up in time to see them going over the Severn Bridge. He was merely happy that she was accepting him a bit more, and soaked up the experience. Next thing to achieve was holding her hand as they walked along, and her letting him.
~O~O~
"Oh no, sir. We don't have twin rooms, as such," the hotel receptionist explained about their booking when they got to Cardiff. "You've got a family room which means that there's a double bed and we've made up the settee into a single bed. Most people have their child sleep in the single."
A bit pre-something or other; she'd only just decided to go out with John, let alone told him, for goodness sake! "We'll get by," Donna confidently assured the woman.
When the receptionist cast a confused look at John as he accepted the room key, he quipped, "I'm a bit of a wriggler in bed so we need the extra space. My wife didn't explain that bit."
For a minute or two he thought he'd got away with it, but once the lift doors closed behind them as they headed up to their room, Donna burst out with, "'My wife'? 'My wife'?!"
A deep blush spread all over his face, to the tips of his ears. "It seemed easier to say that, otherwise it looks as though we're having an affair and we've come away for a dirty weekend."
"I bet a dirty weekend was partially on your schedule, Sunshine," she huffed.
Well, he had to admit it was on his wish list, but that's as far as it went. Instead, he gave her a wan smile. "Knowing my luck you'll take one look at my friend Jack and start planning running off with him." He then deliberately avoided looking at her as he opened the door to the room. "This doesn't look too bad," he announced once they stepped in.
"Quite nice really," she approved as she placed herself on the end of the bed. But she easily noticed his disquiet. "This Jack friend of yours, does he normally run off with women?"
He answered with a despondent shrug and lifted her small suitcase onto the bed. "The women I've been friends with, yes. They fall for his charms all the time."
Several emotions hit her at once. "And what makes you think that'll apply to me?"
'Because you have made a beeline for Jack before,' he silently answered as he grabbed up his overnight bag to empty. That moment in the TARDIS continued to haunt him. What if she still preferred Jack? And how would he ever cope if she left him?
When he finally stopped bustling about with his bag contents and looked at her, Donna continued, "You'll probably think this is weird but I always manage to see you flanked by young, pretty women who fall over your every word. Not in real life, obviously; just whenever I think about you."
He gasped in surprise and leaned on the dressing table top. She was evidently remembering more, but the details about him were blocked. "Why ever would that happen?"
"Because you have this geeky charm," she confessed; more to support her mental image rather than compliment him. "I'm sure you could get any woman you like."
"Does that include you?" he cheekily wondered.
"Geroff!" she laughed. "Be careful or your head will swell so much you'll have trouble getting out the door."
"Good job I've got you with me to keep me in check," he teased back, "since I intend to do some impressing this weekend. That's you I shall be trying to impress, by the way, in case you weren't sure."
"We shall see," she answered. But there was a glimmer in her eyes that suggested he might succeed.
"On that note, I'd better make us some tea," he offered, and went to fill the electric kettle the hotel had supplied.
~O~O~
It hadn't taken them too long to walk the distance from the hotel down to the bay. Every step closer caused John to feel agitated. This encounter could go wrong in so many ways.
So when he took hold of Donna's hand, she didn't fight him, but gave the comfort he so obviously craved. She even added in a faint back rub when they stood on the Plass contemplating taking the final steps that would take them inside the Tourist Information Centre.
"Ready?" she asked him.
He took in a deep breath and nodded that he was. This was it; the moment of truth, he geed himself up by thinking. Tightening his grip on her hand, he reached out to push open the door.
The interior was darker than he anticipated, but John easily recognised Ianto Jones standing behind the shop counter. Did the man recognise him in return? There was only one way to find out.
"Hello," John exchanged greetings with the Welshman. "We were wondering if Jack is about."
Ianto took in the appearance of the man and woman in front of him. They looked similar to the last time he had seen them on the subwave network, but there were marked differences. In particular, the unshaven Doctor wore jeans and a light grey sweatshirt instead of his usual suit, and Donna was hanging onto his hand as though she feared he would try to escape. "Let me see if he is available. Excuse me for a moment." He dipped through a doorway and less than a minute later Jack followed him out.
"Why, hello," Jack practically purred at them. "To what do we owe the pleasure?" He then realised that he wasn't getting back much feedback or recognition. "So,... Have we met yet?" Jack cautiously asked. He was ready for this to be a meeting earlier in the Doctor's time line than being on the Crucible.
If Donna hadn't been so taken aback by the appearance of the handsome American she'd have been more aware of the stilted conversation going on. But as it was, she felt her hackles rise. There was just something plain wrong about the man; it made her eyes hurt.
"We have," John replied. "We met at university. Hopefully you still remember me. And this is Donna."
"You'll have to excuse my husband but he's really nervous about us meeting you," she stated and then winced against the effect of looking at Jack directly.
Husband?! What the hell was going on here? Jack forced himself to beam a wide smile. "I didn't know you got married. This needs celebrating."
"Is there somewhere we can go to talk in private? A tearoom or something close by," John queried. "I have some explaining to do."
"Of course," Jack allowed and nodded to Ianto to get to a computer surveillance terminal. "Follow me." He strode off at a quick pace.
"Husband?" John murmured to Donna in an aside as they walked.
"Well, you did it earlier so I thought I'd get you back," she whispered. "It seemed to make sense. And he makes me feel really weird. Like it's painful to look at him."
That meant the Time Lord aspect of her biology was emerging a bit more, and it both worried and excited John. Any moment now she could remember everything and reach her full potential. The downside was that he might not be enough for her anymore and she'd seek out the Doctor.
He quickly decided he would stop fretting and cross that bridge when they came to it. For now, his main worry was gaining access to some money to support their future lifestyle.
~O~O~