Act 3, Scene 5 – "How you may be converted I know not, but methinks you look with your eyes as other women do."
"I've heard that it's very good!" Donna enthused, smiling broadly at the elderly lady who had been questioning her very closely about the current musical that was being performed in the Millennium Centre. From the way the old woman was firing questions at her, it seemed as though she was under the misguided impression that Donna had written, choreographed, composed and starred in the show single-handed. In reality, the red-head was simply reading information off the leaflet concealed beneath the desk.
When she was finally satisfied with the answers Donna had given her, the old lady smiled, put a two pound coin on the desk and wandered out, clutching a handful of leaflets. Holding up the money Donna rolled her eyes and smirked at River, before slipping the coin into her pocket. Then she leant back so that her head was resting against the wall and only two legs of her stool on the floor. She rocked the stool slightly, deep in thought.
"So… what's new?" River asked, arching an eyebrow at her friend.
Donna shrugged, keeping her face expressionless. "Nothing… just got a bit of a headache, that's all."
The archaeologist's eyes glinted with amusement, remembering that Jack had used that same excuse for being so quiet only a matter of an hour or two earlier. It seemed that not only were the pair perfect for each other, they were also much more alike than they'd previously been given credit for. River began searching in the drawers of the desk, much to Donna's confusion, eventually pulling out a packet of Nurofen and offering them to the red-head.
"Thanks…" Donna muttered quietly, accepting the pills and taking a couple quickly.
"Right, now you have no excuse for not being yourself." River told her with a smirk. "So, come on, what's really going on? You can't hide anything from me, Donna Noble. I know you too well."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Her friend laughed and shook her head. "Of course you do."
"I really don't." Donna snapped, folding her arms defensively across her chest and glaring at her. "If you can't talk about something sensible… shut up."
River didn't even bother to conceal her grin as she looked Donna up and down in amusement. The red-head was trying desperately to avoid her gaze, not wanting to look at River because she got the strange feeling that the archaeologist could see into her mind. It was unnerving.
"I've always wanted to see this…" Donna muttered after a couple of minutes of silence, opening one of the leaflets laid out on the surface in front of her. "My friend Veena went about three years ago when it was in the West End. She said it was amazing… I wonder if we've got time to go and see it before we leave…"
"Maybe Jack could take you?" River suggested with a sly grin.
"What?" Donna snapped, glaring at her. "Why would I agree to go anywhere with that… person?"
"I don't know… I just assumed your view of him had changed recently. I mean, you haven't been arguing as much over the last day or so…"
Mentally Donna made a note to deliberately pick a fight with Jack, just to get the others off her back. Then she sniffed and shrugged. "He's been staying out of my way, I guess."
"Yeah, alright…"
"What?"
"Nothing."
Narrowing her eyes, Donna made a disgruntled sound in her throat and stood up, moving to tidy up the already spotless Tourist Office. She briefly wondered why it was ever busy in there; it was so out of the way, hidden away in the bay, and yet people still seemed to find it. It was almost as though they came in just to ask stupid questions and annoy her.
"Hey, River… haven't you got a date with the Doctor or something?" Martha asked, appearing through the door from the Hub and smirking at her. Donna muttered cynically under her breath. "Where is he, anyway?"
"Probably on the TARDIS."
"You wanna watch out, River." Donna warned with a smirk. "You'll have to fight with his beloved police box to be the most important woman in the Doctor's life."
"You're the lucky one, then." She countered, glancing at Martha and arching an eyebrow.
"How d'you work that one out?"
"Jack doesn't have a TARDIS…"
Turning quickly and managing to knock over a stand of leaflets as she did so, Donna rounded on the two women angrily. "I don't know where you've got this stupid idea that there's something going on between me and Jack. If he was the last man in the Universe – including all species that aren't even compatible with humans – I wouldn't look twice at him. He's just so… so…"
"Good-looking?" Martha supplied, unable to supress her grin.
"Charming?"
"Interesting?"
"Intriguing?"
"Annoying." Donna cut in, stopping the two women from thinking up any more compliments for Jack. "Infuriating, irritating, frustrating… basically a downright pain in the arse."
"But you love him anyway."
"I do NOT love him!" Donna exploded, her eyes flashing dangerously. "I have no idea where you're getting your information from, but you need a new informant 'cos yours has clearly lost the plot."
"If you insist."
"I do bloody insist."
"I'm telling you now, I don't know why, but you've definitely changed your opinion about Jack." Donna was so incensed by River's words that she couldn't manage more than a furious squeak. "You've finally realised that he's not as bad as he seems. In fact, I'd go as far as to say–"
"Alright, alright!" Martha said with a grin, holding up her hands as Donna looked as though she was about to combust. River smirked triumphantly and winked at Martha. The younger woman headed towards the door out of the Tourist Centre. "Listen, I'm going for pizza. Donna, why don't you come with me… get some air?"
"I don't need–" The red-head started. Then she noticed the twinkle in River's eye and realised that her friend clearly wasn't finished with her. Donna also realised that she would probably end up punching the woman if she heard any more from her. She nodded and followed Martha into the fresh, early evening air. "OK."