A/N: This is almost the very last one of these… altogether now: "Awww!"
part 15 [aka Part 5 - the Doctor's POV]
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Sylvia had given him permission to kiss Donna! She'd actually said the words he wanted to hear! So he had; repeatedly. Well, he had, until Sylvia had cried out in exasperation, "We get the picture! You can stop now!"
What? Stop now? Just when it was getting interesting? Bugger!
Wilf asking, "When's the baby due?" came from completely out of the blue. Especially as nothing had happened yet to create a baby; nothing beyond a knee tremble and the desire to. Oh hang on… there was all that business at Martha's wedding that was mentioned earlier. It just shows how easily you can forget when you're enjoying yourself. Oh heck! 'How do we explain this one?'
"There is no baby, Gramps. We…" Donna looked to the Doctor for guidance in how to handle their non-news, and he felt himself melting in response. 'Don't look at me like that 'cos all I want to do is kiss you again; got to think of something to say, fast! Anything beyond the baby-making process, unless I fancy regenerating at any moment.'
Wilf shook his hands in the air at him. "No, no need to explain. We all get false alarms like that." Ooh, a false alarm! That'd work as an excuse; pretty well in fact. It'd give him plenty of time to work on the actual…erm… act, as it were.
The next thing they knew Wilf and Sylvia had offered to fetch something bubbly to celebrate and had bustled off.
Donna leant in to quietly asked the Doctor, "What on earth are you playing at, you idiot? They still think we are married. Shouldn't we put them right?" But… but….Donna! Wifeypoohs! I like the thought of being married to you!
"Don't you see, they think it and they still like the idea! Who'd have guessed that? Your mum is actually acting as though she likes me. Can't we keep this up until we have our pretend divorce…? I mean, if she is going to go back to hating me, can't I have some time when she doesn't?" he pointed out in a whisper. Please? 'For me? I iso/i want this to be true… if only for a little while.'
"Okay, I'll keep to the story… for now; but don't expect me to extend it to having a house with a dog or anything. Just be aware how much hatred will be coming your way when we announce our 'divorce'," she warned him. Divorce? 'Surely you are joking? Why would you ever want to divorce me?'
"Depends what reason I divorce you, surely," he mused, hoping to nip that little idea in the bud.
She huffed angrily at him. "You what? If anyone is doing the divorcing it'll be me, Sunshine! I'll probably be able to cite you running after young women at the drop of a hat," she told him, waggling an index finger in his face. 'Technically you're a young woman too; an incredibly young woman compared to me…'
Yep, definitely bud-nipping time. He grabbed hold of the offending finger. "Yes, just think; the last woman I ran after had ginger hair and a curvaceous figure. I really ought to avoid them in future. Especially as she threw herself at me whilst wearing a wedding dress. Do you think she was giving me a subtle hint?" He added in an eyebrow waggle and placed a tender kiss on her wrist. He'd have worked his way onto other parts of her body, but they were in company! Company that he was suddenly keen to impress.
"You prawn!" she murmured, and leant forward to kiss his lips. Ooh, he could get used to this! And he wouldn't need a great deal of persuasion. Not if Donna was going to kiss him at every opportunity; and that thought gladdened his hearts.
Wilf brought them back into the room. "Aye, aye, they're at it again, Sylvia!" Wilf declared as he placed some fizz on the coffee table as Sylvia set down some glasses.
'Oh my goodness! This is really happening! They're actually pleased I've married Donna; even if it is in a totally non-wedding sort of way… I wonder if I can manage to arrange it for real. Just so that they won't be disappointed, obviously, and not for self-serving ways.' "To the happy couple!" Sylvia and Wilf toasted Donna and the Doctor, much to their deep embarrassment.
The Doctor thought that was going to be it in the embarrassing stakes, until Wilf asked, "Tell us about your wedding. How long ago did it happen?"
Donna was no help; not that he expected her to jump in and rescue him with the lie. In a panic he decided to go for a half truth. "We chose a gloriously sunny day," the Doctor began, and basically related the 'wedding' that had taken place on the rooftop overlooking St Paul's Cathedral. He desperately hoped it sounded romantic and completely impulsive. It was the wedding he would love to provide him and Donna after all.
Not that he would expect her to wear the same dress. Hopefully she'd choose one that was just as revealing... erm... lovely on her. All he had to do was coerce Donna into letting him make it come true for them.
~o~
His chance came much sooner than he would ever have thought possible! Perhaps the universe didn't have it completely in for him after all? And all thanks to the actions of one Donna Noble in rescuing a small boy called Matthew from a Graske in eighteenth century Canterbury. Because, let's face it, if you are going to rescue the relative of someone famous and influential there aren't many people it would be better to choose than the Archbishop of Canterbury when you want to get married in a hurry. Not that they had a pressing need to marry in a hurry, because of the whole best-mates thing they had going on, rather than bonking-mates that would have been nice if it had been offered… Must stop thinking about bonking now; quite soon would be nice…
Seeing his chance to make his dreams come true, the Doctor had ambled up to the Archbishop to ask, "How is your nephew Matthew now, your Grace?"
"The boy is fine thanks to the actions of your wife, Doctor," his Grace had answered pleasantly.
"Ah! About that, your Grace. Donna isn't my wife," the Doctor readily admitted. He scratched nervously at the back of his neck. "The thing is… I wish she was my wife, but our circumstances have made it a bit awkward."
"Awkward?" the Archbishop echoed in interest. "Why are your circumstances awkward? Things did not look awkward between you when you slayed the demons."
He decided to ignore the demons bit for now. "Well, you see, we're both widowed, so it isn't as though there is a proper physical reason why we aren't a couple. Most people assume we are married, but…" He blushed as he tried to think of the right words. "I know she loves me in her way, and I certainly love her in mine. How can I explain this properly? She erm… she won't marry me."
"Would you like me to speak with her?" the Archbishop kindly offered.
"Oh no! No, no, no! She'd kill me if she found out I was talking about her… I mean… about us. If I could arrange things so that all she had to do was turn up I feel sure she'd marry me but she always worries about other people," he tried to explain.
"Come with me into my study," the Archbishop suggested. "I can think of no finer reward for saving Matthew from a demon that to bring about your nuptials."
The Doctor smiled with delight! "If it's no trouble, your Grace," he said as modestly as he could.
The Archbishop scoffed at him. "No trouble at all, my son. It would be my pleasure! We will arrange things for a wedding on the morrow. I cannot have anything standing in the path of true love; especially for one such as you!"
~o~
"I now pronounce you man and wife," the Archbishop declared to the congregation of Canterbury Cathedral.
The Doctor felt himself glow with happiness. Finally, finally, she was his! "Hello wife," he uttered, and tilted Donna's face up to kiss her lips.
From the back of the congregation somewhere came a distressed cry. "Doctor!"
No! Surely not! It couldn't be, could it? There, behind several pews, stood a decidedly miffed Rose. What? Now? Of all the misguided, stupid, inconsiderate times she could have shown up…
He heard Donna moan, "Oh great! I'm back on the substitute bench." She tried to release herself from his hands; but he wasn't prepared to let go of her so easily. 'Oh no you don't, Donna Noble! You don't get away from me now!'
Time to face the music; so he began to ask, "Rose! How did you...?" But Rose fluttered out of existence before their eyes. 'No, it can't be true! I refuse to believe it's true!' Was it a demon in disguise?
"An angel has appeared before us, and spoke your name, Doctor. Your union is truly blessed," the Archbishop stammered out. Blessed, cursed, it all boiled down to the same thing at times; especially where Rose Tyler was involved. 'Why now, Rose? Why choose now?' He wanted to pull his hair out in frustration. He was so close to what he wanted; so bloody close! And it might have just been all ruined.
Donna tried to pull away from him again. "That's not the word I'd use. It's alright, Doctor, you don't have to tell me. I can make my own way back home," she told him in a resigned voice, and his hearts bled for her. Why did the universe keep doing this to her?
He was determined to hold on tightly to her. How else could he make her understand? She was the one he wanted; she had been for longer than he cared to admit. "I don't think you do understand, Donna. You are my wife now, it's official! And that…," he pointed to where Rose had stood, "was a passing fancy." 'Please believe me, Donna! Please! I need you!'
She exclaimed in retaliation, "And you are such a liar! If she can do that once she can do it again; and then I'll be officially out on my ear; so don't pretend with me. At least I got as far as saying the words this time before I lost my husband to another woman." She sounded so bitter to his ears.
He'd have said anything at that moment to stop her leaving him; done anything, absolutely anything in the universe to keep her by his side where she belonged. "Donna! I've waited centuries to do this," he told her, crushing her body onto his. It didn't matter that he was exaggerating slightly, and normally she would have questioned him about it. Thank goodness she didn't pick up on the time scale.
"Waited for what?" she had asked instead.
He answered by pressing his lips onto her's passionately. "Waited to make you mine," he whispered.
It was only later that he found out from the Archbishop that Rose reappeared seconds later with the help of the Graske. She was angry beyond words and had disappeared, unseen by them, with a face like thunder.
His only concern had been Donna. He hadn't been completely convinced by the image of Rose and had guessed the involvement of the Graske in this prank. But on one level he was glad it had happened; because he now knew that Donna meant more to him than anyone had for a very long time. He loved her with all his hearts, and aimed to love her in the near future with his body.
Bring on the wedding night!
~o0o~
To be concluded