AN: I know I'm the worst but I was on finals at school and my piano exam was yesterday and I had been studying like crazy. I'm so sorry! But even if I take ages to update know that the story isn't finished until I write "THE END" at the bottom of a chapter and the story status is Complete. Much love if you're still around.

This chapter is set... say about a week after the events from last one.

Chapter 13: One date.

"Mummy wake up!" Erin said jumping on her mother's bed. "Mum! You must leave me at dad's place!"

"What?" Catherine asked, half-asleep. Her daughter never was this excited about going to her father's house, she usually wanted to stay longer with her.

"Mum! Up! Shower! Breakfast! We must leave!" the girl insisted.

"Why?" Catherine groaned.

"Because you have a date with David! Get up!" Erin nearly shouted, ripping the blankets from the bed.

Catherine shot her eyes open, took in a sharp deep breath and immediately rose from bed. Shit. She had a date with David and she had to drop off Erin at her ex's house.

"Only way to wake you up these days is to say the name David huh?" her daughter teased. God, she was so young but would act like a 16 year old.

"What time is it?" the woman asked.

"Half-past-nine" the girl answered.

"Shit"

"Mum! Language!" Erin complained.

"Are you dressed and showered?"

"Yes"

"Good, feed yourself with cereal and I'll be out in 10 minutes, okay?" Catherine quickly said as she shuffled through the room to get her clothes and then ran to the bathroom.

She showered quickly, put makeup and perfume and dressed in a beautiful white dress with black shoes. She took a short glance of herself at the mirror, smiled pleased by her reflection and headed back to her room where she filled her handbag with everything she would need for the day. She went out to the living room where her daughter was waiting with her things packed in the pink bag.

"Ready?" Catherine asked and the girl simply nodded.

Catherine didn't drive, she owned a car, a green car she was pretty proud of because she felt like a responsible citizen of Britain, but she didn't drive, she was driven. But with all honesty she hated that and liked much more traveling in the tube when she was in London and didn't have to go to any fancy place for a work thing. With her daughter's hand tightly inside her's she half-walked, half-ran to the nearest underground station, where she used her blue Oystercard twice and took the Picadilly line on the direction to Cockfosters, she got out on the nearest station to her ex's house and walked, hurrying her daughter. When they finally got to the man's front door she was completely out of breath but just in time, she let her daughter ring the bell and waited for the door to be opened.

The door opened and her oh so ugly ex's head popped out through it, then his whole body came out. "Hello Erin!" he said excited and smiling. "Morning, Catherine" he bowed his head at her.

"Morning Twig"

"Nice dress" he said in a sort of teasing tone.

"Thanks" she answered, faking a smile. "So, um, it's all set. I'll see you in a week and I'll call you later today, okay Erin?" she told her daughter.

"Sure, good luck mum" the girl answered hugging her.

"Have a good day Twig" she said.

"You too" he answered awkwardly.

She waved at her daughter and walked away from the foyer to start running back to the tube when the house's door was closed.

Catherine got to the restaurant she had been appointed to go at exactly 10:05, record time. She looked at herself on the restaurant's window to make sure everything was on place, she fixed her hair with her fingers and straightened her dress. She should have brought a coat, why hadn't she brought a coat? It was freezing cold, London in the winter. That was why Twig had made the comment about the dress and why people had looked at her so weird on the street. How hadn't she noticed?

She started shivering as soon as she thought that so she immediately got inside the restaurant and walk to the little table where the woman in charge of the reservations was standing.

"Good morning" the woman greeted her. "Do you have a reservation?"

"I believe someone may be already waiting for me" she answered, rubbing her arms trying to get them warm.

"Under what name is the table reserved?"

"Um... I think it may be Tennant" she said.

The woman shuffled through her notebooks pages but shook her head. "No Tennant"

"Oh well, Tate?"

The same action was repeated. "Sorry, no"

"God... try Ford or McDonald then" Catherine said. "I'm very sorry"

Again the poor woman went through the many pages of the black notebook. "No"

"I am truly sorry, could you please read me the names you have of tables for two?"

"No problem Miss. Let me see: There's Smith, Barringer, Crow, Noble, Green, and that's it"

Catherine shook her head. "No, I can't believe this. Maybe I got the place wrong. Wait..." her eyes opened widely. "Did you say Noble?"

"That's right Miss." the now impatient woman said.

"I swear I will kill that man" Catherine said. "That's the table, one person already arrived, right?"

"Yes Miss. will you please follow me?"

Catherine followed the woman through the restaurant to a cornered table where no one other than David Tennant was sitting, dressed with a white button up shirt and blue jeans, playing with a teaspoon. His eyes shined and his lips drew a wide smile when he saw the ginger standing in front of him. He stood up and the woman who had led Catherine left.

"Milady" he said, kissing Catherine's hand and then hugging her tightly and placing a kiss on her cheek. "You look lovely"

"You look quite handsome yourself" she complimented back and sat on her chair.

"I thought you had got lost" he said in a very strong scottish accent.

"I didn't, I was a bit late and then had to guess between thousands of names that certain childish man decided to get a reservation under the name Noble" she complained.

"Oh it was fun, at least you're here. I'm hungry, are you hungry?" he asked.

"Very"

They took their time to read the menu and finally deliberate what their breakfast would be. Catherine went for full english, because why not? And David went for pancakes because he was a child.

"How has life been?" she asked him after they ordered the waitress their breakfast choices.

"Hectic, yours?"

"What can I say? I'm an actress, amazingly busy. I premiered Nativity 3, you heard?"

"I watched it" he answered. "Even better than my Nativity"

She laughed lightly. "I've been giving classes regularly to teenagers at LAMDA"

"Wow, how has that been?" he asked smiling.

"Horrible and terrifying. Can Erin stay a child forever? Teenagers are hell" she said.

"We went through there too!"

"Yes, but at least I wasn't an unbearable hormone-filled explosion of energy. I was a shy, quiet, studious girl with curly red hair and horrible glasses"

He laughed.

They ate and talked, and looked into each other's eyes, and laughed, and teased each other. It was a beautiful morning.

When the bill came Catherine insisted on paying, saying that she had just received the first pay for Nativity and she would love to give him a little gift. But he didn't let her and promised she could pay the next time. She knew he was lying.

When they stood up and thanked the waitress David grabbed his coat and put it on, Catherine shifted awkwardly when he did.

"Did you leave your coat at the entrance?" he asked.

"I..." she said. "I didn't bring a coat"

"What!?" he exclaimed. "Are you crazy? You know it's freezing cold outside!"

"I know. I just forgot it when I got out of my house, I was in a hurry"

He took his own coat of and covered her with it so quickly she couldn't even complain.

"There" he said. "I'm not having my girlfriend die of hypothermia because of me"

God he loved calling her his girlfriend and she loved hearing it.

"But David, you will get hypothermia now" she said.

"Shut up and walk to the door, at least my shirt is long sleeved. I'd rather have hypothermia than have you with hypothermia"

He pushed her and she obeyed. They got out of the restaurant and the temperature had lowered significantly outside, David shuddered.

"Not so bad" he said hugging himself. "How did you arrive? Will a driver pick you up?"

She shook her head. "No, I came on the tube. How did you arrive?"

"Car, it's right there" he pointed at a black car on the opposite side of the street. "Do you want a ride home?"

"I'd love a ride home"

They crossed the street and got in the car, David turned the heat on. He played soft music on the radio and as the London traffic was very fluent they got soon to Catherine's home.

"You could come in" she said.

"I would but I have an audition soon" he answered.

"Oh" the smile that had been on her lips all morning faded away. "It's all right"

"But Christmas is soon, we could maybe spend the night together with the kid and Jo and Matt and Alex" he told her, smiling reassuringly.

"Okay, I'll think about it" she smiled back. "Call me when you're home, will you? I had a lovely morning"

"I will, I had a lovely morning too" he leaned forward and pressed a tender kiss to her lips.

"Goodbye" she said and opened the door. "Oh! Your coat" she slid off the coat and got one leg out of the car.

"Hey, Catherine?" he said.

"Yes?" she turned around.

"I love you"

She went back inside the car, wrapped him in a warm hug and kissed him, holding his face between her hands. "I love you too" she went out of the car. "Call me"

AN: Christmas is coming! And well all I can say is: get excited for Christmas day.

Please review/like/subscribe because all of those things make my days!

Hope you enjoyed!

Love always,

-Lily Rickman

Ps. In case you were wondering I got 9.5/10 on my piano exam which is HELL OF A GOOD MARK! My teacher congratulated me and said she's proud of me so... that's great.

Bye!