A/N: sorry for the update delays but my psoriatic arthritis has decided to attack my fingers lately.

A/N2: I've added in a special bit just for TinkStar87.

Part 9

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Seeing how nervous the other potential students were, Jenny took the bull by the horns and plonked herself down onto the seat opposite John at the almost empty refectory table. "Hello Dr Smith," she cheerily greeted him.

"Hello Jenny. Fancy meeting you again," John playfully replied. "This won't win you any Brownie points with the other students."

"Won't it?" She glanced towards them cowering on another table. "Their loss. I'm keeping an eye on you for Donna."

John immediately almost spluttered his mouthful of food all over her. "Donna," he echoed. "She… she erm… she asked you to…"

"Nah," Jenny interrupted. "She wouldn't do that, but I know how much care she takes with things. Plus," she added, leaning forward to whisper, "some of the newbies over there think you're available and interested in them so I have to nip that in the bud, don't I."

He was instantly intrigued. "And how do you intend to do that, may I ask?"

"Simple," Jenny boasted. "I just have to let slip that you live with Donna, and I'm staying with you both."

"A slight exaggeration," John acknowledged, "but I think I can let the implied lie slide, in the circumstances, as long as none of the other Doctors hear about it."

"Are you really that scared of them?" Jenny wondered. "I'm helping Ace out later, and Dr McGann said I can join his English literature class, if you want me to put in a good word for you."

Trying not to bristle, John questioned, "Why would you need to do that?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Jenny countered. "I may be just a girl in your eyes, but I can help. Dr Davison wants me to try out his geography class and Dr Eccleston suggested I do some of his mechanical engineering one, so I might be able to repay some of your kindness by nudging them in the right direction."

Halfway between being appalled and impressed by her self-confidence, John merely gawped at her. "And you think Donna will approve?"

Jenny shrugged and bit into her sandwich. "She needn't know. Although she'd go ballistic if she found out."

"I can understand why." He quickly chewed the last few bites of his meal as he considered her. Perhaps he should seek out Donna and ask her opinion on this new development as soon as possible. "I have to collect some notes, so I'll see you after lunch in Room P12."

"Rightio." Jenny grinned cheekily before saying, "Give Donna my love while you're there."

Not trusting himself to say anything that wouldn't harm future student relations, he merely glared at her and then hurried away to his office.

-0-

Donna looked up from reading her magazine and was shocked to see John walking into the office. "Something wrong? I wasn't expecting you back so soon."

"Ah, yes. I'm avoiding your sister," he confessed, and nonchalantly threw himself down onto the nearest chair.

With a resigned sigh, she asked, "What's she done now?"

He dragged his chair over next to hers. "It's more a case of what she's planning to do, on my behalf."

"Oh?"

"Apparently, my honour has to be defended from the attention of certain students."

"You've got a stalker?!" Her nostrils flared as she demanded, "Show me who they are, and I'll sort them out for you."

"No," he drawled to calm her. "Apparently I have some admirers, which reminds me," he began, moving his chair much closer to her, until it was millimetres away. "I need to properly apologise for last night."

She frowned. "What do you need to apologise for?"

"The erm..." He suddenly blushed. "The near kiss," he whispered.

"I thought we dealt with that at the time. And why are we whispering?" she wondered. "Are you that ashamed of it?"

"Only if you dislike the thought." Fighting the need to grin, he cooed, "Oh Donna. What would I do without you?"

"Buy a dog," she suggested.

In one slow, continuous movement he stopped rubbing his palm across the top of his thigh and moved his hand to trail his fingertips down her wrist, until he could entwine his fingers with hers. "Donna Noble, nothing could replace you," he softly insisted when her eyes met his intense gaze.

Lost in his dark seductive expression, she feebly murmured, "Nothing?" 'Here it comes again. What do I do this time?' she frantically wondered.

Easing his upper torso closer, he absently muttered, "Absolutely," and then waited.

Hadn't the great Will Smith in 'Hitch' said that you have to let your potential girlfriend meet you halfway in a kiss? In that moment he was willing to risk it in order to prove to himself she genuinely wanted him.

But she didn't move to close the distance between them. Her mind was racing to find a solution for him.

Modestly averting her gaze, her eyes noticed the time according to the office clock on the wall. Somewhat reluctantly, she pointed out, "Shouldn't you be heading towards your afternoon lecture?"

"I should be there right now," he agreed but didn't pull away.

"Go on," she encouraged. "Go do your job and I'll let you have the rest of the month off after this week."

Since his annual leave began the next week, he joked, "You are too kind. Will you be available to meet me later? I have something personal I want to discuss with you. We could have a walk somewhere like the lake."

"That would be lovely. See you later, Doctor," she purred.

"Call me 'John'," he begged, "and we've got a date."

"Bye John," she managed to say just as he lifted her hand to gently kiss her fingertips. Only gentlemen in Jane Austen novels did that sort of thing, didn't they? She watched the action in quiet fascination. "Do you do that to everyone?"

"No, you…" And then he realised she was teasing him again, sidestepping the compliment he was about to pay. "Beautiful women always bring that out in me. And I'm talking about you specifically, before you suggest otherwise."

She was completely stunned. "You think I'm beautiful?"

"Breathtakingly so."

Snorting her scorn, she remarked, "You've got a clear case of the delusionals, mate."

"Long may that be so," he replied, as he released her hand and then with one last cheeky grin, he was gone, off to his lecture.

"Idiot," she fondly chided, and turned to put her magazine away so that she could return to her work.

With a sudden squeal, she jigged across the carpet to celebrate feeling happy whilst she could.

-0-

Later in the day, Donna was about to finish her day in the faculty office, sorting out the last of the general paperwork to do while John entertained their campus visitors elsewhere with another taster day activity. It had amused her to see them following him like little ducks towards the main lecture hall.

Thoughts of a refreshing cup of tea had not long entered her head when there was a sudden noise outside the office door, in the corridor outside. A pale teenage boy with a stylish mop of brown hair peered through the windowpane at her and then cautiously opened the door.

There was something vaguely familiar about his lanky form.

"Yes, can I help you?" Donna immediately asked him.

"Hello. Yes, you might be able to. Sorry, I was looking for my brother," he explained in a cultured tone of voice that practically screamed 'private education'.

"There are lots of boys around here," she answered. "You'll have to be more specific than that. What's his name? I might know him or can at least point you towards someone who does."

The lad scowled before answering, "He is called John, but you probably know him as Dr Smith."

"John? You're his brother?!" she exclaimed in shock, unable to stay in her seat.

No. It couldn't be, she reasoned. This was merely a slip of a lad. Why on earth would Rose run off with him? That would be cradle snatching of the severe kind; and probably highly illegal.

"I'm Drew; short for Andrew. Drew Smith. Didn't he mention me?" the boy wondered in disgust. "How wizard! It's as if I don't exist for him most of the time."

"Things can seem that way, sorry," she sympathised. "Although he probably hasn't mentioned me to you either, so we can both be miffed together. I'm his PA; Donna Noble."

He stepped closer to say, "If you're really Donna then yes, he's spoken about you. Said that your sister is really pretty and that she will be staying with you for the next month or so."

That was her defining feature with John when he spoke about her, eh? Her sister. History almost repeats itself yet again. "Did that have anything to do with you turning up here?" she wondered, ready to tease him.

To her delight, he flushed a lovely shade of crimson. "No," he hotly denied. "It has nothing to do with me being here. John said I could come up and spend the summer hols with him if I wanted to."

"I hope he's forewarned Idris of your arrival, otherwise you might have to sleep with him or on the floor tonight."

"Oh! I hadn't thought of that," he admitted. "I'd better go and see her straight away. She might have expected me."

"And then again, she might not have," Donna added, and then laughed at his horrified expression. "I'm sure she won't mind too much, particularly if you help out a bit."

His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "In what way 'help out'?" he warily asked.

"Scrub the kitchen floor, iron the bedding, bathe the dog, cook a five-course banquet for everyone, that sort of thing," she joked. "I'm kidding," she then stressed when he gawped back at her in shock, "although the odd bit of washing up, carrying stuff, or keeping the bathroom clean wouldn't go amiss."

"Normal school dorm things then," he commented with a confident nod of his head. "I can do that."

"Good," she declared decisively. "In that case, you can help me carry these papers back to the House, and then you can make us a lovely cup of tea. I'm gasping."

"Me too." He eagerly took half her pile of papers and followed her out into the early evening air.

"So… no girlfriend with you?" she tried to casually ask as they walked.

Startled, he stopped mid-step and stared at her. "Girlfriend? What girlfriend? I haven't got a girlfriend."

"You haven't? But there was a mention of Rose going out with John's brother," Donna persisted.

Realisation lit up his face. "Oh! No. That isn't me. No, definitely not. No no no. I'm far too young for her tastes. Not that I'm saying I'd pass her up or anything if she was interested, but she likes the older man. She's Matt's girlfriend. Have you seen Matt yet?"

"No," she answered weakly, feeling rather confused by it all. "What's he like?"

"Looks nothing like John and me. Nothing at all. Everyone asks if he's the milkman's child," he joked. "He's a good chap though. You'd like him. John has been trying to wangle him a placement here, since Dr Davison retires soon. I start here in September so you never know, you might end up with all three of us here at the same time."

Adjusting her hold on the pile of papers, Donna commented, "I certainly will have everyone to deal with if my sister comes here too, as that's what she wants to do."

That piece of information obviously interested him a lot. As they carried on walking, he tried to nonchalantly seek more information. "Your sister… John said she's about the same age as me."

"Depends how old you are," Donna replied, having assumed the same thing. "If you're thirty-five, married with seven kids then no, she's a lot younger."

"I am not thirty-five!" he protested. "I'm eighteen; almost nineteen."

"And also a little bit gullible," she took quiet pride in saying. "You're okay. She's just turned eighteen."

He smiled in relief.

-0-

John froze in the doorway of the House of Gallifrey common room and viewed his brother with delight. "Drew! I wasn't expecting you until next week. How are you?" he greeted him, adding in a heartfelt hug to their reunion. "Why didn't you say? Have you met everyone yet?"

"Sorry, it was a sudden decision when Simm's offer to join them in Greece fell through. Hope you don't mind," Drew explained. "I met Donna in your office, and she brought me back. Even had me making tea for everyone."

"Good. Good." John nodded in encouragement. "What did Idris say about you being early?"

"She was alright with it."

"No complaining?" John queried. "Doesn't sound like her."

"No, Donna told her I was here, and she didn't say anything. Nothing at all. Although she laughed at my efforts to make tea in her large teapot." He grinned at Donna. "I think I might have finally won the old girl over."

"Oi! Who do you think you're talking about?" Donna immediately griped. "Cheek!"

As Drew giggled, John supplied, "That's what he calls Idris. He wasn't referring to you."

"Better not be," Donna huffed. "Or you and me'll have words," she threatened Drew.

"Seeing as you've already offered, and need the practice, how about some more tea?" John asked his brother. "I'm sure the others could do with another cup."

"I did warn you," Donna cheerily muttered to Drew. "And I'm sure Jenny could do with a helping hand with her creation."

His face lit up at the mention of the young woman he'd met too. "Coming right up," he proclaimed, and practically skipped out to the kitchen.

"What have you done to him?" John gasped to Donna. "He's never made me tea before."

"Ah, see, that's where you've been going wrong in the past," she boasted. "Provide a pretty girl to impress, and you'll be amazed how much a bloke will fall over themselves."

"Obviously," he mumbled in agreement.

-0-