A/N: sorry for the delay in updating.

Part 7

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It felt like John was never coming home. Rose certainly had a lot to say to him. Or do to him, an evil inner voice suggested. He hadn't even turned up for his evening meal and lord knew that man enjoyed his food, despite his slimness suggesting otherwise.

The hallway was completely empty when Donna started to ascend the stairs for the night. Everyone else had gone up to bed but she'd only just given up waiting for him to appear. Then someone threw the front door open and stumbled in. She immediately gasped when she recognised it as being John.

Trying not to rush him, she queried, "Where have you been? We were worried sick when you didn't come home for dinner or answered your phone."

He simply answered, "I went for a walk."

"A walk! For all this time?" she protested.

"Sorry." He hung his head and clasped his hands around his arms in self-comfort. "I lost track of time, and just walked and walked. Been thinking. You know."

His teeth were chattering, and he looked cold and so broken that she ran to throw her arms around his shoulders. "You're wet," she noted.

His arms had instantly encircled her to crush her close. "It started raining for a bit, so I came home."

What on earth had gone wrong? She had expected to see him spring through the front door in happiness. "I take it that things didn't go as well as you expected with your Rose reunion. What happened?" she quietly asked.

"She said…," he tried to answer.

"What did she say? Did you get a chance to tell her?"

"No." He shook his head in defeat. "She did most of the talking; said that it was only fair that she came and told me herself in person rather than on the phone." Taking a deep breath, he revealed, "She has moved on to someone else, with a new man, and she no longer sees me in the same way. I am ashamed to say she has gone off with my brother," he choked out.

"Your brother? Oh John," Donna sympathised and hugged him as tightly as he held her. "I'm so sorry. What do you want me to do?"

"Just hold me," he begged. "I can't…"

"Shhhh shhh shh, you don't have to do anything" she soothed him. "We can get through this."

"In that case," he began to suggest, pulling from the embrace, "would you be willing to join me in a mug of chocolate? I don't think I'll be able to sleep yet."

How could she resist such a sheepish request? "Of course. You go on up. Get yourself comfy in something dry, and I'll bring us some as soon as poss. Have you eaten?"

"No, I wasn't hungry."

A new plan formed in her head. "Then I'll bring you something to eat too."

"Thanks Donna."

"Save your thanks until after you've eaten because you might be jumping the gun in that respect," she joked, and gained the hint of a smile she'd hoped for. "My cooking talents aren't worth the paper they're written on. See you in a mo."

-0-

Jenny heard an unusual tap at the bedroom door, so she rushed to open it, and was surprised to see Donna standing there holding a tray laden with mugs and a plate of hot food. "What's all this for?"

"It's hot chocolate. Take a mug and keep your voice down," Donna hissed. "We don't want Dogberry finding me out of my room."

Jenny's mouth was a perfect O as her brow furrowed. "Who?"

With a dramatic sigh, Donna remarked, "You must have done 'Much Ado About Nothing' at school, at some point. I wish you would read some Shakespeare as well as your astronomy or astrophysics books."

"Who'd want to read boring Shakespeare?" Jenny complained. "Anyone that does is a bit poncy."

"Thanks for the heads up," Donna snarkily retorted. "If you're going to mix with university types, you'll have to learn to shut your mouth or gain some tolerance, because he's idolised by this lot. Now enough about him, I need you to cover for me while I take John his meal in."

"He's back?" Jenny exclaimed with relief.

"Yes," Donna confided, "and looking a bit worse for wear after a long mope about."

"Okay, Supertemp. Go do your stuff," Jenny encouraged, gesturing with a shooing motion for Donna to get a move on.

Donna smiled at the old nickname. She had invented it when Jenny was small to explain why she had to go away to work rather than stay and play. "It's what I was made for."

"And give him a kiss from me," Jenny cheekily tacked on as she went to open John's door for her.

Unable to answer without recriminating herself, Donna treated Jenny to a glare of death instead as she entered John's room. Sisters, huh. Who needed them? Her spirits, however, soon lifted when she saw John smile broadly at her in gratitude.

-0-

The bedroom had a small table lamp on but no fire lit. "It looks nice but it's too hot tonight for a proper fire," he explained as he tucked into the warmed meal that had been kept for him in the kitchen.

Not wanting to sound as though she was accusing him of anything, she commented, "You never mentioned you had a brother."

"Didn't I?" he feigned. "No, I don't tend to talk about my family. I left them behind long ago when I came here and never went back unless I had to."

Victim of abuse, she instantly suspected, and reached out a hand to place on his shoulder, giving the fabric a tender rub of consolation whilst being ready to whip her hand away if he flinched. Fortunately, he didn't but seemed to relax more under her touch. "That must have been hard for you."

He merely nodded and gulped down the last few bites of his meal then set the plate back on the tray she'd brought. "Thanks. I needed that. I hadn't realised how hungry I was."

As he glanced at her fond smile, he had to admit to himself that he was taking advantage of this situation, of her need to look after him. I mean, who could resist doing so? In any other instance she would have complained about him being dressed in only a t-shirt and pyjama bottoms, yet that wasn't the only thing he was getting away with as they sat snuggled together.

He rested his lips against her forehead, glad he had cleared everything in his mind. Yes, he had been hurt by the day's events, but it was more pride and surprise than loss. His grief at losing Rose had been fading away for quite a while now, leaving him mourning a relationship that had outlived its necessity.

Since Donna had appeared in his life his heart had not only been allowed to heal, it had moved on and someone else to love. It felt better this time around, more grown up, and he hadn't been emotionally forced into behaving any differently towards her. Well, apart from the disapproval of the House of Gallifrey concerning anyone from the outside. And that would always be a huge stumbling block, no matter who he met.

All that time sitting thinking in the gardens had been spent by him considering his options if he left the House, the university, his friends and all that he was familiar with. From what Donna had said, he would easily find employment; in a school, if need be. Most education authorities were crying out for science and maths teachers. The question was whether he wanted to make that step, take whatever was offered. Over the last few hours he had come to the conclusion that, if Donna was prepared to go with him, he did want to take that step. Very much.

Breathing in her scent, he knew that his mind was set now. All he had to do was find out how she felt about him personally. "Donna?" he murmured.

"Hmm?" she sleepily queried, and slowly lifted her face to gaze into his eyes. "What is it?"

"About that kiss earlier…," he started to say; but she interrupted him.

"Before you say anything, that was really stupid of me. I'm sorry I forced myself onto you. It was unforgivable of me. Thoughtless really. And you didn't even get to use it to reveal your feelings, so it was a complete waste of time," she quickly spouted.

Oh. "Is that how you feel about it?" he wondered.

"It doesn't matter. I'm here to give you a cuddle," she insisted, and gave his torso a squeeze, "in my official capacity as best friend, co-worker and human teddy bear."

"It was a nice kiss," he noted. "Do you think it was nice?"

"Yeah, I suppose it was," she allowed, trying not to sound too eager. "Not that I go around kissing blokes and rating them."

"But if you did, how do you think it would rate?"

"Look John, I know you're after an ego boost right now, and I can't say I blame you in light of what happened, but you are pushing this a bit too far," she grumbled. "These things aren't usually objective, since it depends on who you are kissing and how you feel about them at the time."

This could be his way in. "Are you saying," he considered, lifting her chin up with one finger in order to see her eyes, "if I were to kiss you right now, you'd be able to assess its value?"

She slightly frowned. What was he playing at? "Like one of your experiments, you mean? In theory, it's possible."

"Theory relies upon practice."

"Not necessarily," she countered.

Oh God, he's going to actually try to kiss me, she suddenly realised, as his expression grew more tender. It would end up as a mistaken one-night stand if she wasn't careful. There's doing all you can to cheer a friend up, and then there's metaphorically throwing yourself under a bus. This could not end well for her, especially if she allowed the kiss to happen.

But she wanted him to kiss her, with every fibre of her being.

Did she also want to be his scapegoat when this inevitably went tits up? The other Doctors would never agree to them being an item. It would ruin everything before she'd even got the chance to talk them round. Knowing her luck, someone would break through the door at any second, see them snogging, and immediately throw her out on her earhole. She knew she could cope with not having a job, but she had Jenny to think about too. Jenny had set her heart on attending this university.

Would she be able to look at herself in the mirror if Jenny's future was crushed as well as her own hopes? No, she couldn't. And that didn't take into account John's feelings in all this. In time, he might want more than a quick jolly. He wasn't the sort of bloke who usually sought a quick bunk up behind the bike sheds, so he'd be heartbroken if he found out he was lowering himself to that level.

No, one thing was very clear in her mind. Well, that and how soft his lips were, according to memory. But she had to stop him when he moved to the last remaining shred of distance between them. And it had to be done in such a way he could preserve his dignity.

"This cuddle is really nice, but I don't think this is wise, do you?" she wondered, pulling slightly away so he was forced to release his hold. "Jenny is right next door and Dr Davison might be on the prowl again. I'd better go back to my room seeing as I've got an early start in the morning, so if I want to this job, I'd better get some shut eye. If you knew my boss, you'd know he can be a bit of a stickler for doing things right."

"Is he?" he faintly murmured whilst his mind screamed that he'd made an awful faux pas. "Perhaps I ought to have words with him on your behalf."

Amused, she cheekily asked, "Do you think you could?"

"Definitely," he agreed, attempting a smile as she stood up. "I will explain to myself that you were here cheering me up. All of this is my fault."

"That's not true," she consoled him, wanting to do a heck of a lot more but he looked as contrite as she felt. "I'll give him what for tomorrow if he takes it out on you. Good night, Doctor. See you in the morning."

"Good night, Donna," he replied, holding back his devastation that she was retreating from him.

Just what had he expected to happen, he chastised himself. She was far from being ready to move on yet, if she ever would be, where he was concerned. You just can't assume these things. And she'd done the right thing by spurning his advances in the circumstances. It must have looked as though he was trying to swap one love interest for another or take advantage of her own vulnerable condition. He needed to give her time and space to heal her own heart.

"Stupid man!" he scolded himself out loud.

-0-