Thanks for the reviews, dreamcatcher386 and DonnaLuvr!!!!!
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Chapter 14: The Day Before
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"Can't we help?" Luke asked.
"No," said the Doctor. "Maybe some other time, but not now."
"So run along; I'll come get you when it's time for dinner," said Sarah Jane.
"Ok, see you later," said Luke. He waved good-bye to the Doctor and Donna, then could be heard running upstairs to the attic, Clyde and Rani close behind him.
Once they were gone and Donna, the Doctor, and Sarah Jane were alone, there was silence for a moment in the kitchen, during which each sipped their tea. Then, discussion of what to do now about the disappearance, of what kind of action should be taken, resumed.
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"Couldn't you make a robot somehow that looks human, then send that up?" Donna asked. Even as she said it, she knew what the answer would be; it was confirmed when the Doctor spoke.
"No," he replied. "As clever as I am, I don't know how to make a robot that looks human; I know of a planet or two where we could have one made, but that would take more time than we can afford. Besides, whoever is operating that ship, even if it's Davis himself, would know right away that it was a robot. Since they've taken nobody but humans, that must mean they want exclusively people for whatever it is they've been kidnapping for."
The sounds of Luke and Clyde messing around upstairs could be heard. Rani's voice could be heard as well; even though it was unintelligible, it was clear she was telling the other two to stop and behave themselves.
"Sounds like they're wrestling," said Donna, looking up at the ceiling.
The Doctor nodded in agreement. "Yeah."
Sarah Jane got up from her chair. "I should tell them to keep it down," she said. She began heading for the stairs, but the Doctor stopped her.
"No, you don't have to," he said. "I don't mind them."
"But what if they hurt each other?" Sarah Jane asked.
"Kids will be kids," the Doctor replied. "And if they do hurt each other, they can deal with whatever consequences come their way." Sarah Jane looked unconvinced. "Look, it's fine," the Doctor continued. "If they get anymore noisy, I can deal with them."
Right then, a loud thud was heard from overhead. Sarah Jane looked the Doctor in the eye and raised an eyebrow.
"You were saying?"
Sighing, the Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at the ceiling. He clicked it on; suddenly the noises from Luke and Clyde messing around ceased. There was silence, then the sounds of two boys swearing. The Doctor grinned to himself and placed the screwdriver back into his pocket.
"Doctor, what did you do?" Donna asked, as Sarah Jane sat back down.
"I broke up the wrestling match," he replied simply.
"But how?"
"With my sonic screwdriver," the Doctor replied obviously.
"Yeah, don't get smart alecky with me, space man," said Donna.
"Sorry," said the Doctor. He straightened up in his chair and adjusted his glasses before saying, "Every person in the universe has a natural magnetic field. If you get a magnification strong enough, humans themselves will be literally pulled toward the source whether they want to be or not. So, I multiplied the magnification of the metal in the computer, Mr. Smith, to such a high degree as to make that happen. Only, I isolated the magnetic fields in Luke and Clyde so that only they would be pulled toward the source and Rani would remain safe and sound where she was."
"So where are Luke and Clyde?" asked Sarah Jane.
"Currently being held by a high magnetic power to Mr. Smith," the Doctor replied. He saw the look on Sarah Jane's face and added, "Oh, don't worry; it's not permanent. The magnetic field should be weakened in fifteen minutes, enough, at least, to allow Luke and Clyde to break free."
"Bit harsh?" said Donna questioningly.
"Eh…" the Doctor tilted his head. "Maybe."
There was a pause, during which Donna, the Doctor, and Sarah Jane listened to what was going on in the attic. Luke's and Clyde's voices could be heard; it seemed as though they were asking Rani for some kind of help, but apparently she was as lost as they were.
"Anyway," said Donna after a moment, "shall we get a move on?"
"Move on?" The Doctor looked confused. "Move on to where?" Donna tilted her head and gave him a look. "Ah," said the Doctor.
"Finally came to you, eh, space man?"
"Yep," the Doctor replied. He clapped his hands together and leaned forward, placing both elbows on the table. He linked his fingers together so that they provided a resting place for his chin. "So," he said. "What to do…"
"Well," said Donna.
"Yes?" said the Doctor, gazing at her.
"I know this might sound completely mad, but…" Donna paused.
"But what?" said the Doctor.
"Well, I mean, there's probably no other way we're going to find out what's really going on unless we sort of… do it undercover."
The Doctor lifted his head slightly and looked at Donna with dawning comprehension. "Are you suggesting…?"
"That we put ourselves in the position to be taken, yeah," said Donna. "I figured it might be easy enough, I suppose, since that shadow space-ship thing tried to take me, but couldn't because of the perception filter. So if I put myself out there again, maybe even at that same spot-"
"-But without the perception filter, you'd be easier to find," finished the Doctor.
"Yeah," said Donna. "And you could be there with me, too."
"And be taken, right along with you," said the Doctor.
"Right," Donna replied, nodding.
The Doctor stared at her a moment more, then a broad grin began creeping its way onto his face. "Donna Noble, you're brilliant!!" And he hopped up from his chair, went over to Donna, and swept her up in a big hug. After giving her a quick kiss, he set her back down.
"Oi, I'm not some pet cat that neede to be set back down after being patted!"
"Sorry," said the Doctor immediately. "But Donna, you are absolutely brilliant! I can't believe I didn't think of that, and I'm very clever, so that's saying something!"
Donna smiled, then pointed at herself and said, "Donna Noble, supertemp."
"Indeed," said the Doctor appreciatively.
"But how are you two going to do this?" Sarah Jane said. "You'll have to figure out where, when, all that."
"You're right," said the Doctor, sitting back down. "Well, Donna, you already said the where."
"I did?"
"Yeah, you said maybe if you put yourself and myself out there, at the same spot."
"Oh, yeah," said Donna. "So we go back to Oxford at night and place ourselves behind the trash bin by the dormitory. But when?"
"If I might suggest…" Sarah Jane began.
The Doctor nodded at her. "Yes, go on."
"Since this is all extremely important, I think you should do it as soon as possible," said Sarah Jane.
"As in tomorrow?" the Doctor replied. Sarah Jane nodded, and the Doctor looked at Donna. "What do you think?"
Donna hesitated slightly, then said, "I think we should. We should do it around the same time I was almost taken, too, so as to have a better chance."
"Excellent!" the Doctor replied. "Great thinking, Donna."
Donna grinned. "Is there anything else we should think up?"
The Doctor pondered this for a moment. "No," he said at last. "We've pretty much settled it. All we have to do is wait til tomorrow. Or…"
"What, Doctor?" said Sarah Jane.
"Donna and I could just use the TARDIS and go forward in time to tomorrow."
"No way am I doing that," said Donna immediately. "I want some time to rest and relax before we go on any kind of mission, or whatever."
"Well, that settles it," said the Doctor. "Rest and relaxation it is. But what shall we do in the meantime, eh?"
"Do I really have to answer that?" said Donna. "I thought the point was to rest and relax?"
"That's true," said the Doctor. "But first, we have to define the manner of our resting and relaxing. Then we can move on to the actual rest and relaxation itself, whatever it turns out to be. And then-"
"Oh, I know," said Donna, in a somewhat sarcastic manner. "And then we can actually rest and relax. Am I right?"
"Exactly," said the Doctor with a nod of the head. He paused. "Wait a minute… were you mocking me?"
"Why ever would I do something like that?" Donna said unconvincingly.
"You were mocking me."
"No I wasn't."
"Yes you weeeeere."
"No, I waaaaasn't."
The Doctor grinned. "Liar."
"Oh, fine, have it your way, space man," said Donna, flipping some hair over her shoulder.
"I will, thank you," the Doctor replied. He checked the clock hanging above the sink. "Well, if you can get yourself ready in about an hour, I know of a posh restaurant in London I'd like to take you to."
"That would be lovely," said Donna. "Should I dress up fancy?"
"Being that it's a posh restaurant, I would say yes," replied the Doctor. He glanced at Sarah Jane and added, "You can come too, if you want."
"I'd love to Doctor, but I've got Luke and his friends to look after," Sarah Jane said. "Thank you for asking, though."
"No problem," said the Doctor. "Well, Donna, shall we go get ready?"
"Of course," Donna replied, getting up. The Doctor got up as well; together, the two of them exited the kitchen and headed to the attic, leaving Sarah Jane to her thoughts.
"Will Luke and Clyde be free when we get up there?" Donna asked as the two went up the stairs.
The Doctor thought for a moment. "Nearly," he replied. "They've got about five minutes to go."
"They're probably not going to be too happy when they see you."
"Probably not," the Doctor said. "But if they try to get at me or you, I'll just increase the magneticity so they'll have to wait fifteen more minutes."
Donna shook her head at this and said nothing. She and the Doctor reached the attic to find Rani trying, apparently, to pry Luke and Clyde loose.
"Won't work, Rani," said the Doctor, holding up his sonic screwdriver.
Rani looked round and took note of him and Donna. "Did you do this?"
The Doctor nodded.
"I knew it was him! I kept telling you!"
"I know, Luke," said Clyde. "Don't rub it in."
"Sorry," said Luke.
"That's right," said the Doctor. "It was me. Now, you two have about five minutes before you'll be able to break free; but I'm warning you, any mischief, and I'll have you magnetized to the wall for another fifteen minutes."
"Yeah, yeah," mumbled Clyde.
Luke said nothing for a moment or two, then asked, "Will we be able to bargain with Mr. Smith to let us free?"
"No." This time, it was Donna who spoke. "Mr. Smith knows an authority when he sees one, and the Doctor is it. Sorry, you two."
Luke and Clyde groaned. Rani laughed at them.
"Why are you laughing, Rani? Are you in league with them?"
Rani shook her head. "No, Luke, I'm not." She turned to Donna and the Doctor. "Are you two leaving in the TARDIS?"
"Not yet," said the Doctor. "I figured Donna and I needed a little rest and relaxation before embarking on the next part of this mission…quest…journey…whatever you want to call it."
"He and I are going to a posh restaurant in London," said Donna.
"In your TARDIS?" said Luke.
Donna shook her head. "No."
"Then how will you get there?"
"I have a car," said the Doctor.
"Doctor, that thing is seventy years old, at least. And how will you get it out of the TARDIS and out of the house?" Donna asked.
The Doctor, on the verge of replying, paused for a moment before saying, "Ah. Fair point, Donna. Well, in that case, I guess we can always call a taxi…or borrow Sarah Jane's car." He went to the attic's entrance and called down the stairs, asking Sarah Jane if he and Donna could borrow the car. Sarah Jane said that they could.
"Well, that's good then, isn't it?" said Donna as the Doctor came back over to her.
"It is," he replied. "Shall we get ready?"
"Yes, let's," said Donna. She and the Doctor waved a momentary good-bye to Rani, Luke, and Clyde, and stepped into the TARDIS.
Dona walked to her room and entered the closet. She was surprised to find that it lead to the room with all the women's clothes she had been in not long before, right after she had been turned into a Time Lady.
"Where are the dresses?" she muttered to herself. Almost right after she said it, Donna found herself in front of a rack of all kind of different, and beautiful, dresses. She looked up at the ceiling. This ship really is alive, then, isn't it? She felt a confirmation, which more than likely came from the TARDIS itself.
After picking out a dress she liked, Donna put it on and looked at herself in the full-length mirror in her room. She was wearing a dark blue dress with only one shoulder strap; the dress rippled softly around her as she walked, and elegantly accentuated her figure. At the moment, Donna had her hair in a pony-tail, but she took that out and let her ginger hair cascade down to her shoulders. She turn to the side to get a different view of herself and found that, when the light hit it just right, the dress seemed to shimmer. She then put on some gold bracelets she had found on an earlier foray in the TARDIS, along with some gold and pearl earrings.
Oh yeah, definitely like this, Donna thought to herself.
She gazed at her reflection a moment longer, then exited the room. She walked down the hallway and into the console room where the Doctor was to be found, sitting in the seat by the console and reading a book. When he saw her, the Doctor closed the book and placed it beside him; he stood up and stared at her.
"Donna, you look…"
"I look what?"
"You look…good," said the Doctor. "I mean, if you were human, I'd say you look good for a human."
"What's that supposed to mean then?" Donna asked, sounding none too pleased.
"No no no! I didn't mean it like that!" said the Doctor hurriedly. "I meant that, even for a Gallifreyen, you look good; and that's saying something."
"Really?" Donna smiled. "Don't you mean good looking for an Earth/honorary Gallifreyan hybrid girl?"
"Well," the Doctor said, tilting his head somewhat, "I guess-"
"Oh, let's get a move-on then, space man," said Donna.
"You're wish is my command."
"So many ways to interpret that."
"Oi!"
"I was kidding, Doctor," said Donna. "Sheesh. Now, are we going to link arms and get out of here, or are we going to stay here all night?" As the Doctor opened his mouth, she added. "And don't say 'You're wish is my command,' all right, space man?" The Doctor shut his mouth. "Anyway, I though you were going to get changed?" For the Doctor had remained in his usual brown pin-striped suit and brown trench coat.
"I didn't think I needed to," said the Doctor. "Why, is there something wrong with it?"
Donna shook her head. "Nope."
"Right then," said the Doctor. He grinned.
Without saying another word, the two linked arms and exited the TARDIS. The very first thing to greet them was an 'awww' from Rani. By now, Luke and Clyde had been released from the magnetized wall; when they began something akin to wolf-whistling, the Doctor, without even turning to them, took out his sonic screwdriver and held it up. Luke and Clyde shut up immediately, and a smirking Doctor stowed the screwdriver back inside his trench coat.
"You sure are good with kids, I'll give you that," Donna remarked as the two came downstairs.
"You're sure good with the sarcasm, I'll give you that," the Doctor retorted.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever."
The Doctor chuckled.
Donna and the Doctor reached the ground floor and went into the kitchen, where they were greeted by Sarah Jane.
"You two heading off?" she asked, holding out her car keys.
"Just for the evening," said the Doctor. He took the keys, "Ah, thank you," and stowed them in the pocket of his trousers.
"Have fun, Doctor, Donna," said Sarah Jane, as the two departed.
"Oh, we will," said the Doctor cheerfully.
"Although with his track record, we'll probably end the evening fending off some hostile alien," Donna said, causing Sarah Jane to laugh.
"HAHAHA, very funny, Noble," the Doctor replied.
"Well, it's true," Donna said, shrugging.
"He does run into his fair share of aliens," said Sarah Jane. "But apart from that; I hope you two have a great time!"
"Yeah, thanks," said the Doctor. He waved good-bye, and Sarah Jane shut the door behind him and Donna. Donna and the Doctor climbed into the car, and the Doctor inserted the keys into the ignition.
"How often do you drive?" Donna asked.
"Not too often," the Doctor replied. He started the car and back out of the driveway. "I usually have my TARDIS to ferry me around. Last time I drove was when we met Agatha Christie. Why?"
"Just curious."
Donna and the Doctor chatted about various topics throughout the drive to London. Once they reached the restaurant, the Doctor parked the car and he and Donna got out and went into the restaurant itself. The Doctor gave his name as John Smith when they entered, and it was not long before they were seated at a table.
"Can I get you any drinks to start the evening off, Mr. and Mrs. Smith?"
Donna and the Doctor glanced at the waiter, who was a rather tall man with a goatee and handlebar mustache.
"Oh, we're not married," said the Doctor.
"Of course, sir," said the waiter unbelievingly. "What would you like to drink?"
"Just a water, thanks," said the Doctor.
"Excellent choice, sir," said the waiter, marking it down on a pad of paper he was holding. "And your wife?"
"Didn't you hear him? We're not married!" said Donna. "And I'll take a glass of water as well."
"Excellent choice, Mrs. Smith," said the waiter.
Donna was about to respond, a rather indignant look on her face, but the Doctor lightly kicked her shins under the table. Donna glared at him, longing to have a go at the waiter as he wrote down Donna's request on the paper. When he walked away, Donna reached down and rubbed her shins.
"What was that for?" Donna asked.
"I know you were about to cause a scene, Donna," said the Doctor. "But now isn't exactly the time, eh?"
Donna sighed. "Yeah, I know. Sorry."
The Doctor grinned. "No worries, Donna."
Donna and the Doctor made small talk until the waiter returned with the glasses of water, which he set down gently in front of each of the two. The waiter then asked them if they were ready to order; he had his pad of paper out, and looked at Donna and the Doctor expectantly.
"Um, yes, we're ready," said Donna. She glanced at her menu. "I'd like the onion soup, please."
"Yes, the onion soup is delicious," said the waiter. "I rather favor it myself. And for your husband?"
Donna looked exasperatedly at him, but caught a warning glance from the Doctor out of the corner of her eye, and so remained silent, except to say, "He's not my husband."
"I'd like the onion soup as well," said the Doctor cheerfully.
"Very good, sir," said the waiter. He walked away from the table.
"See, it wasn't that hard to not shout," said the Doctor.
"Well, he's getting on my nerves," said Donna. "I mean, if we were married, that would be one thing, but we're not."
"I know," said the Doctor consolingly.
The time until their soup arrived passed by rather quickly. While they were eating, the waiter came back yet again. This time, he was holding a bottle of champaign.
"We didn't order champaign," said the Doctor.
"I know you didn't," said the waiter. "But it is tradition of this humble restaurant to give a free bottle of champaign, on their first visit, to happily wedded couples."
The Doctor sighed. "Listen, I'm sure you're a lovely person, but we," he pointed at himself and Donna, "are not married. I appreciate the gesture, I really do. I think it's great you do this for married couples. But since we're not married, it wouldn't be fair to every other couple in here who isn't married, now, would it?"
The waiter nodded quietly, and turned away. While he was retreating, Donna and the Doctor heard him utter something quite rude under his breath.
"Blimey!" The Doctor ran his fingers through his hair. "I ought to have a word with the manager about him."
"Doctor, he was the manager," said Donna. "Said so on his name tag."
"Blimey," said the Doctor yet again. "I knew this place would be posh, but I didn't think it would have a pestering waiter. I'm almost sorry I took you here."
"Don't apologize," said Donna. "Apart from him, I've had a lovely time here."
The Doctor grinned upon hearing that. The rest of the evening was rather nice; the only time Donna and the Doctor were once more approached by the waiter was when the Doctor had requested a check. Once they had paid for their food, Donna and the Doctor hurried out of the restaurant, not wanting to run into their waiter again. They did not, luckily, and got to the car without incident.
When they arrived back at Sarah Jane's house, all was dark. So, the Doctor quietly opened the door and let himself and Donna in, then closed and locked the door behind him. They tiptoed quietly up the stairs and once they had entered the attic, stopped speaking in whispers and used normal tones.
"Well, that was a fun evening," said Donna.
"We should go there again sometime."
"Haha," said Donna. "Don't think so."
The Doctor entered the TARDIS, with Donna following. Once the Doctor had closed the doors behind them, he and Donna headed past the console and down the hallway. They said good night to each other and went to their rooms, to get rest for the day ahead of them, when their plan would be put into action.