CHAPTER 21

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FINALLY A PROPOSAL!

It seemed like sooner or later if we waited long enough that everyone left our little crew. Sometimes it was people that I didn't want to see leave like Ace and Polly. Other times it was people who I had hoped would leave a long, long time ago but who had way outstayed their welcome like Reinette.

This time when we had people leave it was a combination of both of these. You'll see what I mean soon.

Oh, and by the way, Mr. Time Lord Prime, I know all about Antoinette, the woman who just happens to look and sound exactly like Reinette, who's just popped up in Jenny's title. Keep her out of this title or I'll hunt you down. Then there will be much pain. That was a word to the wise.

Gulp!

This wasn't just a time for people leaving though. It was also a happy time. You know who finally popped the question. I wonder what finally brought him around. Maybe it was that last blow to the head that finally knocked something loose.

Without further ado, let's get started with the story.

We took the TARDIS (I love how I'm starting to think of her as my TARDIS too) to Brighton Pavilion so that Matt and Astrid could have their first date there by the seaside. Then with that done we quickly took off again in order to give them some alone time together.

That was when Joan came up to Donald and said, "Donald, I'd like to go somewhere too for a while. I need some time to think about what I want to do next."

"Are you leaving me then? You don't have to go just because of what happened with Matt. You can stay as long as you want. You're always welcome here," Donald said.

Joan smiled at him warmly as she said, "I know, Donald. Thank you for saying that though anyway. I just need some time alone to think. I'm not sure what I'm still doing here. I never was one for travel. The only reason that I was here at all if I'm being honest was to get the man that I fell in love with back. Now I've lost two chances to do that. I need to reevaluate some things and decide what I'm going to do with my life next. I want you to take me back home, Donald."

"For good?" Donald said in a hurt voice.

"No. At least not yet. Can you pick me back up in a few days? I just need a little time to myself," Joan said.

"I'm sorry," Donald said in a sad voice.

Joan smiled at him again and kissed him on the cheek as she said, "I'm not angry at you, Donald, and I'm not upset either. I'm okay. I just need to think things through. Alright?"

"Alright," Donald said.

He took her back to her home in the present day that she had been living in as Verity Newman. She promised him that she would come back at least a little while longer, and he agreed to return at the end of the week.

"I think that she's going to leave soon," I said to Donald.

"I know. I feel so guilty. Not about loving you. I'd never feel guilty about that. I just feel terrible that Joan had to wind up getting hurt by it. She's a good woman, Melody. She doesn't deserve that. Then Matt goes and hurts her too. I know that he didn't have feelings for her, but I still feel like killing him for that. It wasn't like I felt guilty enough," Donald said.

"You can't expect him to date her just to keep you from feeling bad though, can you?" I asked.

"Yeah, I know. Couldn't he have at least dated her once though? I mean Astrid didn't even know how he felt so it wouldn't have bothered her any. Selfish Big Chinned Giraffe!" Donald said with anger.

"You're so cute when you're all conflicted and brooding. Do you know that?" I said with a grin as I kissed him.

Unfortunately before I could proceed any further with that line of thought, we were interrupted by a transmission from Jenny. She asked us to meet her at UNIT HQ. I knew right then that something was up because Jenny never just dropped by for no reason.

I soon found out what it was when I saw who came out of her TARDIS with her. It was Andromeda, Eris/Charlotte's daughter.

"Where is my mum, Jen? I don't see her," Andromeda said with a confused look on her face.

Charlotte looked at Jenny hesitantly until Jenny nodded her head as her hands briefly glowed with power. This was Jenny's way of telling her that Discord couldn't see or hear this conversation because she was blocking her senses with her own power as the new Crystal Guardian.

"It's me, sweetheart. I'm human but it's still me," Charlotte said.

"Mum?" Andromeda said with a smile beginning to develop on her face.

Charlotte ran toward her and embraced her as the two of them were reunited at long last. Both of them started crying as they held each other.

It was sickening. All of it. Despite what you may hear, I was not all emotional during it either just because it was a mother and daughter being reunited after having been separated for so long. That had no effect on me whatsoever. Absolutely none.

I think that the lady protests too much.

Shut up, Prime! I'm still furious with you about this Antoinette business. I would tread lightly around me if I were you.

Where was I? Oh, yes. Andromeda and Charlotte were reunited at last, and Donald and I looked at each other in anticipation as we both knew what was coming next.

"Donald, River, I just want to thank you for letting me travel with you especially after I wasn't completely honest with you. I think that you understand why though. I want to go with Andromeda and Jenny now. Jenny's offered to let both of us travel with her, and I'd like to take her up on that offer. She has this new mission as a Guardian to watch over the other universes, and she's going to need all of the help that she can get doing it. I have nothing to tie me here now that Matt's with Astrid so I thought that I'd go with her. Besides that, Andromeda doesn't even know the truth about herself yet. I need some time to tell her that," Charlotte said.

"It's okay, Eris. I understand. You take care of yourself, okay?" Donald said as he hugged her.

"I will. Will you do me a favor, Donald?" Charlotte asked.

"Anything. What is it?" Donald asked.

"Propose to her already, will you?" Charlotte said with a grin.

Donald looked at me with a suspicious glance as Charlotte laughed. I held up my hands in surrender as I said with a laugh, "I didn't put her up to that. Honest."

"Right," Donald said with a sigh.

Charlotte smiled at both of us and then left with Jenny and Andromeda as she waved at both of us. I couldn't get over how much she had changed since I first ran across her. Being human had seemed to do her a world of good.

"You know I think I'll actually miss her. She wasn't so bad once I found out that she wasn't out to kill us," I said with a grin.

"No, she wasn't. I'm so glad that she's finally happy at last. She deserves that," Donald said happily.

"You always blamed yourself for what happened to her, didn't you?" I asked.

"Yes. I should have done things differently. We didn't need to be enemies for so long," Donald said.

"She picked her own path and now she's picked it again. It had nothing to do with you. There's just something about you that inspires women to either want to kiss you or kill you. I don't know what it is. If we could bottle it though, we could sell it for a fortune," I said with an evil grin as I kissed him.

Christina came up to us with a grin on her face as she said, "Just in case you think that I'm abandoning ship like the other two women who were dumped by Matt, I just wanted to say don't worry. I'm not going anywhere. I didn't just come with you for a date. I'm not that hard up. I also came for the adventure. So far you haven't disappointed me either, Donnie boy. As long as you want me aboard, I'll stay."

"Good because I was so worried about it," I said sarcastically.

Donald glared at me as he said, "Of course you can stay. I'm glad that Chinny didn't chase everyone off. Believe me. He's not worth it."

"He was alright, but I've had better. I'll survive, Donald. Trust me. There's always another man waiting around the bend in my world," Christina said with a smug smile on her face.

"I'm glad. At least Matt hasn't hurt one of you," Donald said as a little bit of tension left his shoulders.

"Hey, don't worry about it, okay? They're going to be fine, and so am I. You carry the weight of the world on your shoulders way too much. I've noticed that about you. You need to learn to calm down and relax like me," Christina said with a warm smile as she gave him a kiss on the cheek and a short hug.

Amazingly, I wasn't jealous in the slightest. I knew that this time she was just trying to make him feel better. I could tell that she just thought of him as a good friend now. Which was good for her or I'd have burnt her hair off quicker than you can say 'Get your hands off of my man, witch!'

"Thanks, Christina. I guess I do worry just a little too much sometimes. Melody's always telling me that," Donald said.

"Well, for once she's actually right about something. You should listen to her," Christina said with a wicked grin on her face as she walked away from us with a wink at me.

"I don't know whether to thank her for what she just did or punch her in the stomach for that catty little remark. Maybe I should do both," I said with a chuckle.

"Leave her alone, Melody. She's just kidding around," Donald said.

"I know. So am I if you didn't notice. You really do need to relax some. Maybe we should go to Argolis and take a vacation," I suggested.

"No, I don't think so. The last time that I went there it was definitely no vacation. I wound up being aged into an old man and almost getting ripped apart limb from limb," Donald said.

"Isn't that a typical vacation for you though?" I asked with a grin.

"I do know something that would relax me. Something that will make both of us happy," Donald said.

He suddenly stopped the TARDIS and I said, "Where have you taken us?"

"We're at the Eye of Orion," Donald said.

"You're kidding me! This is where you went to relax? Every time someone comes here lately it always seems to end in disaster," I said in disbelief.

"Not always. Sometimes good things happen here too. Like now," Donald said as he slowly led me outside.

There in the pleasant peaceful field of the Eye of Orion, he got down on one knee in front of me as Lydia, Megan, and Christina stood in the doorway of the TARDIS smiling. He pulled out a huge box from one of his pockets that was bigger on the inside and opened it to reveal a huge diamond ring.

"I was just joking about getting a huge ring you know. That doesn't really matter to me as long as you're the one doing the proposing," I said.

"I wanted to get it. You're worth it, Melody Pond. I want to give you only the best. Always," Donald said.

We both stood there in silence for a moment while we smiled at each other and just enjoyed the moment. Then he finally gathered his courage together and said, "Melody, will you marry me?"

I grinned as I said, "Well, I'd better hadn't I? Who knows how long it would take you to ask me again? It only took you forever to ask me this time."

"I'll ask you a million times if I have to," Donald said meaning it.

"That won't be necessary. Unlike some people, I don't like to keep people waiting at least not too long anyway. Yes, Donald. Yes, I will marry you!" I said as I kissed him passionately.

The girls back in the TARDIS all cheered and congratulated us, and I put my new humongous diamond on my finger with a huge grin on my face. I had to admit that he did well this time. I would have to remember not to knock him out for a while in appreciation of it.

"I already have a place and time picked out for the wedding. I've got it all planned out," Donald said proudly.

"Really? I guess there's no need to consult me then, huh?" I said in an annoyed voice.

"All of my plans are pending upon your approval of course. You have the final say in everything. Always," Donald said as he looked at me with a nervous smile.

"I'm sure everything will be fine. Don't be so tense all of the time," I said as I smiled at him.

"I don't know why I'd be tense for," Donald said with nervous laughter this time.

"It could be because you don't want to get another sock in the jaw," Megan said with a grin.

We both turned to see the others watching us with huge smiles on their faces as I said, "I don't know what you're talking about. I would never touch a perfect hair on Donald's head at least not today anyway. I make no promises about the future."

"Same old River. We can always count on you to keep Donald in his place, can't we?" Megan said as we embraced in joy.

Then Lydia and even Christina joined in for a group hug as they all congratulated me at once. Donald started to feel left out it seems as he said in a pathetic and clingy voice, "What about me? Don't I get a hug?"

They all looked at me for approval, and I nodded so they all went to hug him next. I could see the smile on his face from a mile away. He was so needy sometimes.

I took Megan aside after this was all through with as I said, "I've been thinking about it, and I would love to have you as my Maid of Honor."

She smiled at me happily as she said, "Thank you so much. That's going to be wonderful. I haven't been at a wedding since I became an android."

I looked at her in surprise as I saw a hint of incredible loneliness in her eyes for just a moment. Apparently until she had found Donald she hadn't had much involvement with other people. I wondered if that applied to boyfriends as well.

I would have to do something about that.

"What about the Best Man? Have you picked one yet, Donald?" Lydia asked in curiosity.

"Yeah, I have," Donald said proudly.

"Please don't say the Doctor," I said with my fingers crossed as I recalled that disastrous speech at Jack's wedding with a shiver.

"I would never ask myself to be my own Best Man. That would just be tacky. It would also make me look kind of pathetic like I can't get a Best Man. No, I'm asking a good friend of mine. Captain Jack Harkness," Donald said a grin.

"Good choice. The two of us have a long history together," I said with a mischievous grin on my face.

"Really? What kind of a history and how far back?" Donald asked in jealousy.

"It doesn't matter, Donnie. What matters is that you have me now," I said as I started to laugh at the extremely jealous look that was rapidly spreading all over his face.

"No, really. What kind of history?" Donald insisted.

"Don't worry about it," I said with a warm smile as I decided to let him off the hook.

"So where is the wedding going to be? I'm sure I could arrange to book a great place for it if I need to. My family has a lot of connections," Christina offered as I smiled at her appreciatively.

"I already have a place in mind. Here," Donald said as he spread his arms apart and looked around him with a wild grin on his face.

"Here? The Eye of Orion?" I asked in surprise.

"Yes. Why not? I know it's gotten some kind of superstition started about it lately that it's bad luck to come here, but I used to come here all of the time in the old days with no trouble at all. Well, there was that time that I was almost wiped out of time by Borusa, but that had nothing to do with this place. I've spent a lot of happy times here, and I thought that it would be the perfect place for a wedding. What do you say?" Donald asked.

"Well, nothing but good things have happened here today so I agree. I say that this would be a perfect place for it. Of course if anything does go wrong . . . ," I said with an ominous tone in my voice.

"Don't worry about it, Melody. Everything will be perfect," Donald said confidently.

"Good. I would really hate to have to both marry and kill you in the same day. I already did that once, and I really hate to have to repeat myself," I said with a grin.

Next: Even as River and Donald discuss a time for the wedding together and a list of guests, they get yanked into a new and dangerous adventure with Matt and Astrid after they go to pick them up at Brighton. You know that a first date with any Doctor could never be trouble free after all. Megan may have something special happen for her at Brighton as well. Also Joan comes to a decision about her future. What will she decide to do?