Perfect Weather

The Doctor threw open the TARDIS doors, all excited for another brilliant adventure.

And stopped short.

"Oh," he muttered, more confused than anything else. Inwardly, he re-ran the sequence he'd punched into the console, swearing he'd specifically asked for perfect weather.

But instead of sunshine, it was raining. Not just raining, but a deluge that made you feel wet just looking at it.

The sound of movement brought his attention back inside, and he frowned. It took a lot to make a Time Lord nervous, but there was one guaranteed thing that was enough for the Doctor's hearts to beat just a bit faster.

"Are we there yet!?" Donna Noble called, bouncing through the corridors. Dressed in a light sleeveless blouse, and about to put on sunglasses, Donna was ready for some alien brightness.

"Oh, er…" The Doctor stammered and was about to slam the doors before she saw the downpour.

Too late.

"What!? Rain!?" Donna cried, stopping short herself and practically glaring at each and every droplet.

The Doctor stepped back to lean against the TARDIS door. He ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah, well, I guess I picked the wrong day to come."

Donna glanced upward. "More like the wrong century. I don't think this planet has a sun," she mused and looked across the stoked landscape. "Are there people here, or are they all shut in for eternity?" She shrugged. "Good time to have a pint."

The Doctor grinned. "Yeah, it would be," he said and risked sticking his head out to peer around the TARDIS. "I think there's a pub not too far that way." He smiled. "Wanna run for it?"

Donna blinked and then glanced down at her useless sunglasses. She stuck her hand out. "Oi! It's warm!" she exclaimed.

The Doctor followed. "So it is!"

Tossing the sunglasses back inside, Donna stepped out, getting fully drenched. "I won't catch cold, so let's do it!"

Beaming, the Doctor closed the TARDIS doors and extended his hand. Together, they ran through the warm rain to a large building the Doctor hoped was a pub or some sort. At least the TARDIS could give them that.

Their feet sloshed in the puddles, making Donna screech with what the Doctor thought was amusement. He found it all invigorating, and he saw an especially large puddle to jump in with both feet, the water soaking his trousers and coat.

"Nine-hundred-year-old-kid is what you are!" he heard Donna call out, and his smile grew.

They reached the doors and simultaneously threw them open. Warm, cozy air and a faint smell of nutmeg and cinnamon greeted them, as their eyes became adjusted to a dimly lit and very cozy atmosphere.

"Here we are!" he exclaimed.

"Whooh! It's like we need an ark to come over here!" Donna declared, shaking her soaked hair about.

Only two human-enough beings sat at the far end of the room. They watched the newcomers with bemusement. The Doctor smiled apologetically at them, about to comment on the marvel that was the weather, but Donna tugged on his arm. "There's a fire place with two empty chairs," she said and walked over.

"Er, maybe we should dry off first? the Doctor suggested.

Donna spun and then frowned. "Well…"

"It's a perfectly good floor," the Doctor commented and before Donna could comment, he flopped to the ground, warning his hands in front of the fire.

A new figure entered. "See you braved the weather," a bartender asked.

"How long has it been raining like this?" Donna asked.

The people at the far end snorted and the bartender blinked, genuinely surprised by the question. "It'll be raining like this for the next three months."

"What?" both guests asked at the same time.

"It's the rainy season!"

Donna looked at the Doctor. "How did you mess up the coordinates that much?"

The Doctor's mouth dropped but no sound came out. Donna just rolled her eyes. "Whatever. It's cozy," she said and looked at the bartender. "Anything to warm us up? Not him, though." She cocked her head at her companion. "Light weight."

"Hey!" the Doctor protested, although she was right and he knew it.

The bartender grinned. "Got just the thing. And there's a blanket on that chair for the two of you."

Donna and the Doctor both turned. There was a blanket. Just one. Donna's head whipped back to face the bartender, who was now gone. "But we're not…" She sighed. "Whatever," she huffed and sat down.

The Doctor scooted over to give her more room. Twisting, he reached for the soft blanket and held it out to her. "Take it?" he asked.

Donna looked at the gentle green wool and back to him. "You sure?"

He nodded. "Absolutely! I promised you perfect weather and we got this mess and it's the least I can do."

Donna smirked and took the blanket. It was bigger than she thought. "Here," she said and draped a corner over her friend. "It works."

The Doctor grinned. "This is nice."

"Yeah. Cozy. Makes me want to sleep."

"Nah! Book reading weather!"

"You read. I'll sleep."

The bartender returned with two steaming cups of something that smelled like chocolate. Donna sighed as she inhaled the steam. "This is perfect," she mused.

That made the Doctor feel warmer than the fire and blanket combined. The fire was drying Donna's soaked hair, the ginger sparking back to life. She turned and smiled at him. "I think the TARDIS knew what she was doing," she whispered.

The Doctor smiled. "She always does…"