A/N: have I finally finished? Have I? Nope. One more part... I think.

Warning: this contains a couple of swear words said in anger.

Part 10

.

They had started up against the wall, but they gradually made their way across to a more comfortable surface; until eventually they lay almost panting with the exertion of their actions and high on the adrenaline rush it had caused.

"There's something I have to tell you, Donna Noble, something that is hard for me to say; partly because I know you won't believe any compliment I say without proof," he told her. He brought his hands up to the contact points of her head. "Can I show you? That way I shall save myself hours of arguing with you."

"I thought you liked arguing," she countered; letting him rest his fingers on her face.

"Well… it depends who I'm arguing with and what it's about. Although I discovered I like some of the after effects with you," he confessed; and got swatted on the arm again. "Are you ready for this?"

"Get on with it, Spaceman," she instantly replied.

He smirked. "Just imagine a door…"

"Too bloody late for all that secrecy stuff between us," she interrupted him. "Just do it!"

"You say the sexiest things," he saucily remarked.

The next thing Donna knew they were falling into each other's minds, in a way that was both very familiar and equally weird. They shared all her experiences fighting for Tim to have a near normal life as so many people tried to reject him; the utter joy he had brought into her life; the arguments she had continued to have with her mother; her fears she had kept hidden away from everyone; and finally her shining love for Tim, for being who he was and for being her connection to the Doctor.

She never had the chance to feel any embarrassment about that because he quickly showed her how often he had thought about her; how much he had denied his attraction for her; his fear of frightening her away; his distress when she had walked away from him that fateful day, thinking she had and would never care for him in that way; his delight, anguish and then guilt when he found her again; his deep love for Tim as his son, as their son; and his relinquish of guilt towards Rose when he realised that he wanted Donna to complete their forged bond. He hadn't regretted the bond for one second, and had in fact been secretly delighted.

She gasped and drew back from their contact. "You love me! You genuinely love!" she said in shock. "And all this time."

"Now do you believe me?" he wondered, not expecting a negative answer.

"Yes," she said hoarsely. "I love you too, Spaceman."

"Mum! Mum! Guess what!" Tim cried out as he swooped into the bedroom, having thrown open the door without care or thought. "Jack said I can…" He then stood stock still, stunned at the sight before him of his parents entwined upon the bed, who were staring back at him with equally horrified expressions. "Oh!" he merely commented after some moments when an appropriate action came to mind. "Sorry!" And then he hastily left the room.

Donna dragged herself away from the Doctor to call out, "Tim! Come back!"

"Let him go," the Doctor mumbled, returning to his mission of kissing her to within an inch of her life.

"I can't, she apologised. "I have to go after him and explain. You don't understand how upset he will be."

"He didn't look all that upset to me," the Doctor argued whilst trying to persuade her to continue their session. "I've seen him when he was definitely upset, remember."

She manoeuvred herself off the bed nevertheless and made sure she was decently covered up before opening the bedroom door. "Tim? Where are you?" she cried out as she stepped into the corridor.

"Here, Mum!" she eventually heard him reply clearly.

It was with relief that she found him sitting in the library. "Found you," she tried to teased, fully aware of how anxious she felt. She waved vaguely towards her bedroom. "About your dad and me… I don't want you to get too upset about what you saw..," she stammered, trying not to blush and failing miserably.

Tim shrugged dismissively. "I've seen that sort of thing on the telly when I sit with Gramps on a Friday night and you go out with your friends. Not that Gramps is normally awake when that sort of thing comes on… People do pull funny faces as they do that. Does it hurt? It looks as though it hurts."

"No, it doesn't hurt, sweetheart; but I'm worried about you, Tim," she admitted as she edged nearer to him, and began to pet his hair.

Tim happily nuzzled into her tender touch; like a happy puppy. "I'm fine about you kissing Dad now, Mum."

"Why's that? You didn't like it when he kissed me earlier," she said. She did not want to accidentally upset him but she was curious to know why he had changed his tune so drastically.

He looked up at her with his deep soulful eyes. "Dad and me had a nice talk together while you were sleeping. He said 'sorry' and everything about leaving us behind. And if Dad kisses you that means he won't marry Rose instead."

Donna carried on stroking his hair. Knowing she had better get this out into the open, she took a deep breath and softly said, "He hasn't lost his chance to marry her yet. You do know that, right? I won't be here forever."

"Then I'll come and live with Jack," he said adamantly. "Jack likes me and said I could stay with him any time I want to."

Donna risked asking, "What's wrong with Rose?"

"She might forget I'm not Dad again and try to kiss me," he answered honestly. "She scared me."

"She did what?" Donna near shrieked. "When did she try that one on you?"

Tim slightly cowered. "This morning when you were in the meadow," he mumbled fearfully. "I went to the bedroom to tell you afterwards but I couldn't find you. I looked and looked for you and then the TARDIS told me where you were."

She forced herself to calm down as she put a finger under his chin and gently lifted his face so that he could see her expression. "Now I understand why you were so upset. I'm sorry, darling, for not being with you," she told him and gave his forehead a tender kiss. "I'm not annoyed with you; not in the slightest. In fact I am very proud of you."

"You are?" he asked. Relief shined on his face.

"Always," she confirmed. "Now go and make me a cup of tea and I'll definitely love you!"

Tim giggled at her silliness. "Okay, Mum," he agreed. "I'll have it ready for you in ten minutes."

Watching him skip off, Donna's thoughts instantly turned darker, and she headed for where she had a feeling a certain someone was.

Rose was idly standing in front of her bedroom mirror, hoping she didn't look tearful anymore as she inspected her face and applied fresh mascara, when an angry ginger blur suddenly entered her room.

"Oi you! Rose Tyler!" Donna yelled out, and stomped angrily up to her. The next thing Rose knew was stars before her eyes as Donna landed an enormous slap across her face. "Don't you ever… EVER… touch my son again! Do you hear me?"

Rose stood sulkily indignant as she cradled her offended cheek and insisted, "I didn't do anything to your precious son!"

"Oh yeah? Tell it to someone who'll believe you." Donna punctuated each statement with a jab of her finger. "What you did is classed as sexual harassment, if not abuse, and I shall drag your scrawny arse through the courts after I've knocked you into next week if I have to. I don't care who you are or what you have done for the Doctor in the past. You could be the Queen of bloody Sheba for all I care!" Donna fumed at her. "Lay one finger on Tim and I shall make you regret it for the rest of your life! Oh, and a word to the wise: stay out of my sight or I'll land another one on you. Got it?"

Rose meekly nodded, frightened of risking saying anything else.

"Good! I'm glad that we've got that sorted out." Donna huffed at her and then stormed out again, leaving Rose wondering what had hit her; in more ways than one.

"Are you still in here?" Donna exclaimed when she returned to her room and found the Doctor lying on her bed reading a book.

"I must admit that I thought you would have come back a bit quicker than this. Where have you been?" he asked, as though he spent every single day in there.

She climbed back onto the bed beside him. "I don't know how to tell you this but you might have permanently lost your girlfriend," she remarked.

He put his book down and reached out to her. "And I keep telling you that she was never my girlfriend in the first place. What have you done?"

She let him draw her closer, into his arms. "I reminded her that no one touches Tim unless he wants them to."

"How did you do that?" he asked as he fought his need for a passionate embrace.

"I used my hand and her cheek," she admitted, and laughed when he looked impressed despite himself.

"I meant to have told you about her shenanigans earlier but something distracted me. Something ginger and beautiful," he crooned to her. He placed his lips by her ear. "Someone who could spend forever with me if she'd let me try out an idea."

Donna shook her head. "We've already been through this. It's a nice idea though… forever with you."

"Then let me save you. Please let me try," the Doctor begged.

As thankful tears welled up in her eyes, she told him, "Okay. I'll give it a go."

He gratefully crushed his mouth down upon hers; a plan already formed in his mind.