Part 13

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The noise as they entered the stadium seemed different somehow. Probably because this time John was entering as a member of the band, he decided, and allowed himself to feel the thrill of it all.

"Still ready to do this, Mr Bodyguard?" Donna had teased him as they reached her dressing room.

"I think so," he answered. "Are you ready to give me up for a couple of hours on stage?"

"Definitely," she replied, turning to grab her stage outfit to change into. "Although my distant pining for you won't push down on me like it usually does. Unless you being as far as two metres away is a terrible distance between us."

He playfully waggled his eyebrows. "I'll let you decide that one. If you need me to stand closer, just give me the nod."

"I'll give you something alright if you don't get your bum in gear and change into your trousers," she shot back, pointing at the new leather pair hanging from its hook on the wall.

"Erm..." He hesitated for a moment. "Got any talcum powder, just in case."

After huffing, she rifled through a large cosmetic bag and pulled out a dispenser of the stuff. "Here you go. One bottle of baby talc. But don't expect me to rub it in."

"Are you sure you don't want to?" he laughed, pleased to see the embarrassed flush upon her skin.

"You are pushing your luck," she slowly enunciated, pointing an irate digit at him. "Now do me up."

Dutifully, he pulled up the long zipper on the back of her dress whilst trying to avoid watching her adjust the position of her bust. If he wasn't careful, there'd be more than one reason why his leather trousers would be too tricky to get on. "There you go," he trilled. "No unwanted hidden attackers in there."

She smiled at him via their mirror reflection. "There's a couple of wanted hidden attackers in here, but we'll keep that between ourselves, eh?"

The memory of how hidden they had been the night before in bed, suddenly struck him with an unhealthy slap. "Donna, can we talk about something else, please?" he begged.

"Why? Oh," she gasped as he stood up straighter. "I see. Didn't know I could have that effect. What shall we discuss instead?"

Don't bring up that evening's sleeping arrangements, he ordered himself. Don't bring it up! "Wh-wh-whatever you like," he stammered.

"Oh really?" She quirked an inquisitive eyebrow at him. "In that case, I'll save our much-needed little discussion about last night until later. Why don't you go and get us a nice cold drink?"

Keen to get away and regroup his thoughts, as well as his libido, he readily agreed to find something.

As John's stage persona appeared in the mirror before them, Donna could feel her interest rising. It was the guyliner and manscara look, she reasoned, along with the leather. The tight-fitting leather. It fair made her mouth drool.

He finished the last touches to his makeup and then pushed the cosmetic bag back towards her. "Thanks. What do you think?"

'Hot man in the room!' her senses screamed.

"Very nice," she cautiously answered, needing to fan herself. Fiddling with rearranging the makeup in the bag gave her reason to look away for a moment. "It's a bit weird sharing a mirror like this, after this time being on my own. To think we used to have the whole band in the same dressing room at one time, sharing a bathroom with all the other acts on the bill. Things have certainly changed."

"They have," he agreed, thinking of those distant days, all mucking in together. He was brought out of his thoughts by her leaning forward to compassionately touch his arm.

"It's good to be back though, isn't it?" she wondered.

"Definitely," he said brightly. Even if it was only good because he was sharing it all with her. It made it special. "Might be only a short time. Who knows?"

"Nerys should get in contact soon, you'll see. At least we've got until the end of the tour next week," she comforted him. "Enough time to have some fun."

Giving her hand a squeeze, he replied, "Plenty of time." And he intended to gain the fun element too.

It was just before song number three that John was introduced onto the stage and Donna was halted from making the most of his saunter across in front of her to take up his position next to Mickey. Yet that leather-clad backside was still a treat to behold, she noted as she concentrated on the new dance moves.

Dance moves that coincidentally, or not, drove Rose to remain near to him after every twist and turn. At one point it looked as though she would drape herself all over him in adulation, and Donna inwardly seethed. Was this a put-up job? Did Rose really want him that much? Hadn't first dibs been called on him already?

And then the absurdity of her thoughts struck Donna. For a start, nobody had actually called dibs on him, and it was rather sexist to do so. Second, him spending most of the night before kissing her was probably some drunken thing instead of a sign of long-held attraction. Third, everyone into women fancied Rose. It was almost the law. Hadn't he mentioned his previous crush within moments of meeting on this job? It all made perfect sense that he'd revel in the attention.

Lastly four, Rose always went for the best blokes. Always had. She didn't put up with just anybody. And there was no finer bloke than John. He was kind, sweet, intelligent, handsome, and sexy. The whole package. Any person would be lucky to have him. And if that lucky person wasn't Donna Noble well, life would go on for everybody else. She would just have to get over this silly fancy.

I mean, who at her age lusted after some unattainable bloke? Sad, lonely people, that's who. Yes, she could acknowledge that was the case for her, but she now had the promise of a relationship with her son, so there'd be something to fill the empty days when the tour was over and John was no longer needed to be her bodyguard.

Funnily enough, as her inner thoughts began to spiral down, he turned and smiled at her. That heart-melting smile he often had on his face; and she was gone.

Bugger! This was no longer some idle fancy. This was turning into love. Probably already was, if she was honest with herself. A love that could take forever to get over if Rose sought him out as her partner.