A/N: many thanks to TinkStar87 for the encouragement.

Part 10

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Rightio, first part of the plan accomplished, Donna thought as she left the craft shop she had chosen as her destination, clutching her precious alibi… Oops! I mean win. It was a bag containing a present for her mother.

She was in the correct vicinity, excuse established, and now she had to find John. Turning her head, she muttered, "Where are you?"

Stepping onto the pavement, not 3 metres away, was her prey, the man himself.

"Donna!" he exclaimed in glee.

"John!" she squealed.

This was, in part, due to her surprise, that he raced to lift her up into his embrace. No bloke had ever bothered to do that to her before, so as she slid back down his body, she offered him a friendly peck on the lips. However, his hands stayed firmly on her backside as he swooped in to return her gesture with a full on, eager kiss.

For the briefest second, she might have kissed him back, but she'd fight you in court if you ever dared declared it.

"You kissed me," she accused, pushing him away.

"No, you kissed me," he countered.

"Mine was just a little 'hello' type of kiss. Yours was a snog."

"Oh well. Buy one get one free," he joked.

"You are bonkers," she laughed. "Anyone could have seen us."

He gave a fake gasp, clutched a hand over his heart, and then disarmingly grinned at her. "It's a good job I'm used to talking my clothes off in public otherwise I might have cared."

"If your latest crush had seen us, you would," she remarked. "And don't give me all that tosh about not having anyone in mind, again, because I won't believe you."

"Okay," he drawled, thinking as he gazed intently at her face. "What if I said the person was you?"

"Ha ha. Very funny," she snapped. "There's no need to take the piss out of me. I only had your best interests in mind."

"No chance of the offer of a shag then?" he risked teasing.

His answer was a thump on the arm. "No! Cheeky sod. This isn't that type of friendship."

Having not learned his lesson, he murmured, "Shame." And wasn't shocked when he gained another thump. "Careful! Bruises cost me money. Don't damage the goods."

"Yeah yeah," she dismissed his concerns. "Makeup will cover them, if need be. As if you need me to entertain you like that anyway when there are plenty of fawning groupies to willingly fall into your bed."

"What groupies?"

"Like that woman at the wedding thing," she impatiently reminded him. "She was practically drooling over you."

"I suppose so," he agreed with a nod of his head. "What can I get you while I look for a groupie like Linda?"

"I'll have a coffee please."

Sipping her Starbucks coffee, Donna mischievously asked him, "Has it made any difference, us being engaged?"

"I've had some weird looks from the other models," John admitted.

"How can you tell?"

He frowned prettily. "What do you mean?"

She waved a hand in front of her face. "With all the Botox."

"Oh. I see what you mean. Obviously, they can't do anything except the set jaw thing," he began, "but it's in their eyes. A question is hanging there."

"They can't believe you'd choose to marry someone?" she pondered.

"I'm sure Gabe is wondering how I could not want him instead," he laughed. "Not sure about Tim."

It gave her the chance to ask the question that had been present in her mind. "Have you ever fancied them?"

"No," he grunted into his coffee mug. "They wish, but they aren't my type."

"Which begs the question…"

"What's my type?" he asked for her. "Not them."

"Is anyone?"

"Don't mock," he chided. "I've had my fair share of fumbles, you now, during my teens, but no one has ever caught my attention enough."

"Wow. I'm sitting with a princess from a fairy story," she teased.

"It was the crown, wasn't it, that gave me away," he joked. "How come you're here, in this part of town?"

"I came to get this," she claimed, and used her preconceived alibi, holding up the bag from the craft shop she had visited. "It's for my mum."

"Oh. I was rather hoping you'd come to see me," he mused.

"Pft! As if I would," she denied. "Anyway, am I stopping you doing anything?"

Seducing you, he silently noted. "Not really. I was on my way to get something to eat for dinner tonight." He paused before offering, "How about you join me? What do you say?"

Yes, oh yes, her inner voice crowed. "Alright," she nonchalantly agreed. "Just let me warn Mum I won't be home to eat first, then I'm all yours. What were you thinking of getting?"

Waggling his eyebrows, he playfully asked, "Am I allowed to surprise you?"

"No."

He laughed. "Then I'll let you choose."

"Are we eating normal people portions, or sharing a meal for one?" she wondered.

"Well," he drawled. "Alright, you got me. I usually have half one night and the rest another."

"Not with me you ain't," she determined, wrapping her hand around his forearm. "Just for tonight, you can live a little."

Yes please, was his instant thought.

"When you said you didn't live far and we could walk it, I didn't think you'd literally mean around the corner," she commented as they entered his luxurious home set in a recently built block of flats. "This place is amazing!"

"Thank you."

"No, I'm not just saying that to be polite," she insisted, casting her gaze around the modern studio apartment full of tasteful items and furnished with varying cream-coloured textures. "Bloody hell! This must have cost you a bob or two."

"It's an investment," he said to wave off the compliment. "Do you really like it?"

"'Like it' doesn't begin to describe how I feel," she gushed as she continued to reverently touch various surfaces. "If you ever want a lodger, let me know, and I'd be round with my things in the blink of an eye."

Interesting, he thought as he placed their bag of goodies on his kitchen worktop and began to extract items. "I'll remember that. Now, are you going to actually eat this stuff you talked me into buying, or are you going to continue adoring my home?"

"Can't I do both?"

"Not until you've washed your hands."

"Moan, moan," she teased. "Tell me where your bathroom is, and I'll go do that."

"Third door on the…," he started to inform her. But he knew the instant she found it because she squealed with delight again.

"Your bathroom is gorgeous! I definitely want to live in here," she exclaimed from afar.

"Might be able to arrange that," he said to himself. "I'd expect to at least share it half the time," he called out.

She reappeared in the doorway to remark, "A woman and her bathroom have a very special relationship."

"Nice to know," he huffed. "Come on, grab your plate and we can eat."

"Where are we eating?"

"I thought out here might be nice," he suggested, and pushed open a door that led to a large balcony.

"Oh wow!" she gasped, taking in the London scenery that had opened up before her. "This is brilliant! I bloody love you!"

His eyes went wide as he tried to gracefully lay his plate onto the patio table he kept on the balcony. "Pardon!"

"In a totally platonic, good friends sort of way," she quickly stressed.

"Obviously," he agreed. "Sit yourself down, and you can tell me all about how much you love me again."

Her good-natured laughter filled his heart with glee as they sat and took in the evening view before them.

She couldn't help stealing glances at him as they ate their meal and occasionally teased him whenever he took a bite of anything that wasn't salad. "I'm leading you astray again with all these calories," she remarked. "Nothing but a bad influence me, as usual."

"Then it is a good job I've been blessed with a fast metabolism," he countered. "Try all you want. I still won't put much weight on."

"If that's the case, why all the rabbit food?" she wondered. "Shouldn't you be tucking into whatever takes your fancy?"

His mouth opened as he fought the compulsion to bemoan the fact he couldn't have everything he wanted. "Habit," he settled on in the end. "You get used to the others eating this sort of thing, and you just join in."

The grin she shot him went straight to his heart. "In that case, the next time we eat together, I insist you order a large portion of pie and chips." She nodded in agreement with herself.

"Donna!" he gasped in horror. "I can't do that! Can I?"

"If you want to, you can. Especially if you retire from modelling," she confirmed. "And if you want to use me as your official bad influence and future ex-fiancée, by all means do. I won't be around to see your friends' disgust."

The thought of her not being around much longer was more horrific than a plateful of over-caloried food. It gave him the courage to say something meaningful. "About that… Now that I've got you here, there's something I want to ask you," he cautiously began his proposal.

"Oh?" She was intrigued to hear what he'd say.

"I think it's time to expand the detective agency to include someone else. I'd like it to be you," he rapidly stated, and turned to stare hopefully at her. "Will you investigate with me?"

"Partners in crime?" she joked. "Yes. I'd love to."