The Dread of Tomorrow and Yesterday – Chapter 15
Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who, if I did, then I'd force the Ninth Doctor to take me out to dinner every night.
A/N: Well, here's The Runaway Bride. I'm actually glad I didn't start the story off with this episode like I had originally planned. I liked the idea of writing Donna into an episode where Rhea already knew her. And I didn't get as many reviews for the last chapter as I did for the one before that. Hopefully that's not a sign of my writing quality. AND I HIT 100,000 WORDS! ISN'T THAT AMAZING!
Notes on Reviews:
Grapejuice101: I am really glad you liked it! Well, here's the next episode she goes to.
Tooclosefortety: I'm from Australia, actually. I do have a plan for a story where a girl from our universe becomes the Doctor's companion instead of Rose, but it'll be a while before that story comes out, I have a few ideas before that. I'm so glad you like Rhea and her personality. All of those Doctor/OC ones you listed I love. The Ponds as a married couple will be awhile but we will be seeing Amy and Rory very soon (I mean in episode terms, not in chapter terms). I have done more episodes with the Tenth Doctor so far, I know, I will be getting back to the Eleventh and the Ninth as well, very soon. I haven't actually watched Peter Capaldi in anything yet, but I am keen to see how he is as the Doctor.
Mrs Smith: Yes, I have read those stories, but in mine, Rhea is not a Whovian, she's a woman from the Doctor Who universe who never meets him in order.
beulah2013: I'm glad you liked the interaction between the 9th Doctor and Rhea. I tried to make him just a bit affectionate with her. I thought he might cling onto her a bit, especially because he sees her as a constant and the war is just over for him.
Warnings: Language, sexual innuendos.
Italics – Rhea's thoughts/The Doctor's thoughts
The Runaway Bride: Woman in White
Rhea sat on the jump seat in the console room, laptop propped up on her knees, as she rested her feet just underneath the console. She had come out of the shower around half an hour ago, eager to remove the traces of sweat from her body and change out of the clothes that had survived a Sontaran invasion and the end of the Earth. She dressed herself in grey patterned strapless top and a green skirt that came up to the middle of her thighs. She stretched her head as far as it would go, trying to remove the ache in her neck. She typed in 'Platform One' as the first entry in her document, realising that this was the earliest adventure, so far at least, she had done with the Doctor. She typed in 'Sontaran Invasion (ATMOS)' after her 'Titanic' entry and gave the year after the one she had put down for that, guessing that those adventures were close together.
"What is she doing?" She heard Rose asking the Doctor, both watching her from the other end of the console.
"She's making a list of all the adventures she has with me, in chronological order, at least for me, so she knows what she's done and what she hasn't." The Doctor answered Rose.
Rhea looked up from her laptop. "You know I can here you. What year is it, Rose?" Rhea asked, turning to the blonde.
Rose looked at the Doctor for his assurance and at his nod, turned back to Rhea. "It's 2005 for me."
Rhea hummed and typed that in after 'Platform One', saved the document and closed the laptop, putting it aside. She turned to them, getting off the captain's chair and walking over to them, resting her waist against the console. "Where are we off to now, biker boy?"
And then she swore in pain, when a sharp pain assaulted her head, forcing her to sink down to the ground. Rose reached out for her, trying to help but the Doctor stopped her, kneeling in front of her, gripping her arms tightly. She gripped his larger, thicker ones back, forcing herself not to shut her eyes.
"I'll see you soon." She muttered to him, smiling slightly.
"Do you have to go?" He murmured, helplessly.
She lifted a hand and touched his cheek with her fingers, briefly. "Soon, well, hopefully, biker boy." And she shut her eyes.
When she opened them the next time, she was lying on the captain's chair, her head and arms hanging off. She sat up abruptly, ignoring the ache in her neck and shoulders, which led her to assume that she had been unconscious for awhile. She saw the Doctor, the tenth Doctor, with his amazing hair and now what looked like to be a pinstripe suit, instead of a blue one. She raised an eyebrow. She definitely liked it on him.
He looked up and saw her, coming over to her and helping her up onto her feet.
"Whoa, I feel drunk." Rhea said, wobbling on her feet. "I dig the suit, by the way."
"It's the after effect of the headache and the travelling." The Doctor told her, making sure she could stand on her own feet before letting go. "Where were you?"
"Platform One and Cassandra." Rhea said, rubbing her forehead, dark thoughts growing when she thought about the bitchy trampoline.
"With number nine. That was your first time meeting him. What did you think?" The Doctor asked, hesitating slightly. He knew that body had a bit of a temper and so did Rhea. Hopefully, they had gotten on better than oil and water.
Rhea smiled softly. "I like him. He's all intense. He's interesting." Rhea's smile became wider. "But that doesn't mean I like you too." She leaned up and tapped him on the cheeks with her hands, stroking his cheekbones with her thumbs, briefly. "I'm gonna need nicknames for each of you, otherwise I'll get confused. I've got one for your future self and I called you 'biker boy' back then, and they've got to be specific, 'cause I'll just keep calling you 'alien boy' or something generic no matter what face you've got on…" She eyed, head to toe. "I can only call you 'blue boy' if you've got the blue suit on."
The Doctor looked confused. "I wear a blue suit?"
Rhea nodded, emphatically. "Yes, you do, and make sure you do wear it. It looks very, very good on you."
The Doctor looked smug and Rhea rolled her eyes.
"I'm tossing up between 'pretty boy' and 'matchstick man'. I don't know which way to go." Rhea said, frowning as she tried to make her decision.
"Pretty boy?" The Doctor asked, offended.
"Well, you are very pretty." Rhea said, grinning. "But in a good way. A very good way." She purred, at this point, definitely checking him out.
"What about 'matchstick man'?" The Doctor asked, scrunching his face up when he said the nickname.
"You are very skinny." Rhea commented. "Like really skinny."
Suddenly, gold dust flew straight from the walls of the TARDIS and came together in front of them, reassembling itself in the form of a redheaded woman in a wedding dress in the console room. Rhea stood up sharply, one of her hands going to the gun she had slipped into the holster that was strapped to her thigh. But as the gold dust started to disappear, the form of the woman became clearer and Rhea recognised the woman. She turned to the Doctor and saw him staring at the woman with alarm, realising that this might be the first time that the Doctor met Donna. She resolved not to say anything that may give the impression that she knew Donna already.
"What?" The Doctor managed to say, aghast. Rhea was quickly reminded of when the TARDIS had crashed into the Titanic.
Donna spun around to face them with a soft cry.
"Who are you?" Donna demanded, her eyes narrowing.
"But-" The Doctor began, looking around, dumbfounded.
"Where am I?" Donna exclaimed.
"What?" The Doctor repeated the question he was, apparently, so fond of.
"What the hell is this place?" Donna asked, her voice rising in pitch.
"What?" The Doctor looked around for some explanation, utterly bewildered.
"You can't do that, I wasn't... we're in flight!" The Doctor spluttered. "That is-that is physically impossible! How did-"
"Tell me where I am. I demand you tell me right now, where am I?" Donna asked, commandingly. To be honest, Rhea couldn't blame her. She looked like she was just about to get married. This situation would be a downer for anyone.
Rhea suppressed a smirk at the redhead's agitation. Same old Donna.
The Doctor just stared at her. Rhea rolled her eyes. "Inside the TARDIS." Rhea answered.
"The what?" Donna asked.
"The TARDIS." Rhea repeated.
"The what?"
"The TARDIS!" Rhea shouted.
The Doctor turned back to the console.
"The what?" Donna repeated for the third time.
"It's called the TARDIS." The Doctor said.
"That's not even a proper word." Donna argued, angrily. "You're just saying things."
"How did you get in here?" Rhea asked Donna, frowning.
Donna was rigid with rage. "Well, obviously, when you kidnapped me. Who was it? Who's paying you? Is it Nerys? Oh, my God, she's finally got me back. This has got Nerys written all over it." Donna ranted, not even pausing for breath.
The Doctor and Rhea watched her rant, not saying a word, the Doctor's face a picture of confusion which forced Rhea to stop herself from laughing out loud.
"Who the hell is Nerys?" The Doctor asked.
"Your best friend." Donna replied, snarkily. Rhea pursed her lips in a smile and moved over so that she was standing next to the Doctor.
"Hold on, wait a minute, what're you dressed like that for?" The Doctor asked Donna. Rhea groaned, resisting the urge to smack her forehead. This man is totally oblivious.
"Oh, I'm going ten-pin bowling." Donna said, sweetly and sarcastically. "What do you think, dumbo?" Rhea laughed softly. "I was halfway up the aisle!" Donna yelled at the Doctor.
The Doctor began to fiddle with the controls whilst Donna walked around, rambling.
"I've been waiting all my life for this. I was just seconds away! And then you two, I dunno, you drugged me or something!" Donna accused.
Rhea's eyes widened. "Hang on a minute, we haven't done anything!" She said, shaking her head.
Donna glared at her. "We're having the police on you! Me and my husband - as soon as he is my husband - we're gonna sue the living backside off ya!" She threatened.
The Doctor didn't replay, engrossed in operating the controls, and Rhea just stayed quiet, not exactly sure what to do in this situation. Donna noticed the doors and rushed over to them, hoping to be as inconspicuous as possible, but ultimately failing due to the sheer size of wedding dress. The Doctor and Rhea looked up in alarm, hurrying after her.
"No, wait a minute! Wait a minute! Don't-" The Doctor warned, urgently.
But his warning came too late, Donna had already thrown open the doors and was looking at a supernova with shock and awe. Her mouth fell open slightly and the Doctor and Rhea moved so that they were standing next to her.
"You're in space." The Doctor started, but Rhea cut him off.
"Really, no way, never would have guessed that. I mean, it's not like she's looking at a supernova or anything." Rhea said, sarcastically.
The Doctor glared at her and continued. "Outer Space. This is…my...space-ship. It's called the 'TARDIS'." His voice was much gentler than before.
"How am I breathing?" Donna asked, her voice just above a murmur, which Rhea guessed was a huge change for her.
"The TARDIS is protecting us." The Doctor told her.
"Who are you two?" Donna asked them.
"I'm the Doctor and this is Rhea. You?"
"Donna." She answered.
The Doctor looked the redhead up and down. "Human?"
"Yeah. Is that optional?"
"Well, it is for…me." The Doctor said, hesitating at the end.
Donna recoiled slightly. "You're an alien." She said, calmly.
"Yeah."
There was a pause. "It's freezing with these doors open." Donna said, after a moment.
The Doctor reached out and slammed the doors shut and darted back to the console, Rhea running up after him.
"But I don't understand it and I understand everything! This-this can't happen! There is no way a human being can lock itself onto the TARDIS and transport itself inside. It must be..."
It was like the Doctor was on a sugar high, all energy. He grabbed an ophthalmoscope and used it to peer into Donna's eyes, trying to find something that would explain why she had suddenly appeared into the TARDIS.
"Impossible. Some sort of subatomic connection? Something in the temporal field? Maybe something pulling you into alignment with the Chronon shell. Maybe something macro mining your DNA within the interior matrix. Maybe a genetic—" The Doctor rambled.
Donna reached out and slapped him across the face, cutting him short.
Rhea barked out a laugh, involuntarily. She covered her mouth with her hand to stop the snickers from escaping.
"What was that for?" The Doctor asked, indignantly, his face screwing up into a very adorable expression. Rhea smiled wide and resisted the urge to kiss him hard, then screwed up her own face as she realised what she had just thought.
"Get me to the church!" Donna yelled.
The Doctor dropped his instruments and went back over to the controls. "Right! Fine! I don't want you here anyway! Where is this wedding?"
"Saint Mary's, Hayden Road, Chiswick, London, England, Earth, the Solar System."
Donna suddenly spotted a purple blouse that was slung over one of the railings around the console. She snatched it up and stormed back over to where the Doctor was navigating the TARDIS.
"I knew it." She said, accusingly. Rhea frowned at the purple piece of cloth she was holding. "Acting all innocent." She showed him the blouse.
"I'm not the first, am I? How many other women have you abducted?" Donna asked, angrily.
The Doctor looked up from the controls and his eyes fell on the blouse in Donna's hand. His face fell and his eyes darkened.
"That's our friend's." The Doctor said, quietly.
Rhea tensed, understanding that the blouse belonged to Rose.
"Where is she, then? Popped out for a spacewalk?" Donna said, sarcastically.
"She's gone." The Doctor said in the same tone.
"Gone where?"
The Doctor paused. "We lost her."
Rhea's eyes widened. What happened to Rose? Her head fell so that she wasn't looking at Donna and the Doctor's interaction anymore, her eyes firmly on the controls of the TARDIS.
"Well, hurry up so that you can lose me." Donna said, furiously. Then she paused, realising that this must be a sensitive topic for them and her voice lowered in pitch. "How do you mean, 'lost'?"
Rhea looked up to see the Doctor glare at Donna, darkly, and advance. She took a step forward to stop the Doctor and saw Donna's fearful gaze as he only snatched Rose's blouse away from her, making his way towards the doors.
"Right! Chiswick."
Donna, Rhea and the Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS, but didn't recognise where they had landed.
"I said 'Saint Mary's'. What sort of Martian are you? Where's this?" Donna asked.
The Doctor stroked the TARDIS with concern and Rhea looked at him, worried.
"Something's wrong with her…" The Doctor murmured.
Donna rolled her eyes, ignoring him.
"It's like she's…recalibrating!" The Doctor shouted, rushing back inside the TARDIS and over to the console, Rhea right behind him.
"She's digesting." The Doctor told Rhea.
Donna stood outside with her mouth open, finally noticing that she had stepped out of a police box that's interior was much larger than it's exterior.
"What have you eaten? What's wrong?" The Doctor asked the TARDIS, one hand on the rotor. "Donna? You've really gotta think. Is there anything that might've caused this?" He called out.
Donna wasn't listening. She paced around the outside of the TARDIS, feeling the walls in utter bewilderment.
"Anything you might've done? Any sort of alien contacts? I can't let you go wandering off in case you're dangerous. I mean, have you... have you seen lights in the sky? Or... did you touch something? Something-something different? Something strange? Something made out of a sort of metal or... who're you getting married to?" The Doctor rambled on and on until he came to the last question, ignorant of the fact that Donna wasn't listening.
All the while, Donna had completed her circuit of the TARDIS and had popped her head back inside, as if to check that she wasn't just imagining how big it was. Having confirmed this, she stumbled backwards, hands covering her mouth in shock and terror.
"Are you sure he's human? He's not a bit overweight with a zip around his forehead, is he?" The Doctor asked, looking back outside the TARDIS.
"Do I even want to know?" Rhea asked.
The peculiarity of the TARDIS was too much for Donna to handle, she ran for it. The Doctor and Rhea ran after her.
"Donna!" They both shouted after her and managed to catch up to her.
"Donna." The Doctor began, calmer.
"Leave me alone. I just want to get married." Donna said, quietly, keeping her eyes firmly straight ahead.
"Come back to the TARDIS." The Doctor said, soothingly, his hands shoved in his pockets.
"No way." Donna shook her head, holding her wedding dress above her ankles so it wouldn't get dirty. "That box is too... weird."
"It's... bigger on the inside, that's all." Rhea encouraged.
"Oh! That's all?" Donna said, sarcastically. She sighed in fear and checked her watch. "Ten past three. I'm gonna miss it." Donna whispered, sounding as if she were suppressing tears.
"You can phone them. Tell them where you are." The Doctor offered.
"How do I do that?" Donna asked.
"Haven't you got a mobile?"
Both Rhea and Donna stopped and turned to look at him. Rhea just shook her head in disbelief, closing her eyes. I can't believe he just said that.
"I'm in my wedding dress. It doesn't have pockets. Who has pockets? Have you ever seen a bride with pockets? When I went to my fitting at Chez Alison, the one thing I forgot to say is give me pockets!" Donna shouted as the Doctor scratched the back of his neck.
The Doctor paused. "…This man you're marrying, what's his name?" The Doctor asked.
"Lance." Donna said, sweetly, a smile forming on her face. Rhea had to grin at the loved-up look on her face.
"Good luck Lance." The Doctor said.
Rhea smacked him on the arm, smiling when she heard him wince.
Donna reared up in anger, changing her manner with terrifying abruptness. "Oi! No stupid Martian is gonna stop me from getting married. To hell with you!" She shouted before running off.
"I'm-I'm not…I'm not… I'm not from Mars." The Doctor said, feebly, before both of them ran after Donna.
"Seriously, that's all you can say?" Rhea asked.
Donna ran down the street, a sight in her wedding dress.
"Taxi!" Donna shouted.
The Doctor and Rhea joined her and watched as the taxi ignored Donna completely.
"Why's his light on?" Donna asked.
"There's another one!" The Doctor said, pointing.
He ran and tried to catch it, but missed it by a millisecond.
"Taxi!" Donna shouted again.
The three of them stumbled into the road in their effort to catch the driver's attention, but again, it just drove straight past.
"Oi!" Donna screamed.
"There's another one!" Rhea shouted, running and waving for attention. And again, it ignored them.
"Do you have this effect on everyone? Why aren't they stopping?" The Doctor asked Donna.
Rhea reached behind her and smacked him yet again. "Stop being rude." She ordered.
"They think I'm in fancy dress." Donna explained.
Another taxi drove past, the driver blowing his horn. "Stay off the scotch darlin'!"
"They think I'm drunk." Donna said, throwing her hands up in the air.
Two guys in their car yelled out of the window as they drove past. "You're fooling no-one, mate!" They shouted.
"They think I'm in drag!" Donna growled and the Doctor looked Donna up and down, appraisingly.
Rhea rolled her eyes at the both of them. "Hold on, hold on."
She held her thumb and index finger to her lips and whistled loud and piercing, causing Donna and the Doctor to wince and cover their ears. However, it did what it was supposed to do and attracted the attention of a taxi, which grinded to a halt before them. The Doctor, Rhea and Donna clambered into the back seat.
"Saint Mary's in Chiswick, just off Hayden Road. It's an emergency, I'm getting married! Just... hurry up!" Donna ordered the driver.
"You know it'll cost you, sweetheart? Double rates today." The taxi driver told them.
"Oh, my God!" Donna said to the Doctor and Rhea. "Have you got any money?"
"Um…no. And you?" The Doctor asked, awkwardly.
Rhea rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers in front of the Doctor's face, while Donna gestured to her dress, violently. "Pockets!" Both women shouted.
The taxi screeched to a halt and the three got out, with the Doctor slamming the door behind them.
"And that goes double for your mother!" Donna yelled at the driver as the taxi drove off.
"I'll have him. I've got his number. I'll have him. Talk about the Christmas Spirit." Donna muttered.
"Is it Christmas?" The Doctor and Rhea asked, looking around, vaguely surprised, Rhea moreso than the Doctor. The last time it had been Christmas for her, she had been on a spaceship named after the most infamous ship in Earth's history. She was reminded of how the Doctor said all of his Christmases were like that. She wondered if this was an example and a part of her didn't want to find out.
"Well, duh. Maybe not on Mars, but here it's Christmas Eve." Donna hit him, having spot something in the distance. "Phone box!"
They rushed towards it.
"We can reverse the charges!" Donna said.
"Why are you getting married on Christmas Eve?" Rhea asked her.
"Can't bear it. I hate Christmas. Honeymoon in Morocco. Sunshine - lovely." Donna answered.
They reached the phone box and the Doctor held the door open for Donna.
"What's the operator? I've not done this in years. What do you dial? 100?" Donna asked them both.
Rhea shrugged, but the Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and flicked it at the payphone. "Just-just call the direct." The Doctor told her.
The dial tone buzzed on the end of the receiver.
"What did you do?" Donna demanded.
"Something…Martian." The Doctor said, vaguely, distracted and looking around. "Now, phone. We'll get money!" Rhea and the Doctor sprinted to the nearest cash machine. The man in front of them was currently using the machine at an aggravatingly slow pace, while the Doctor hopped from foot to foot in his impatience.
"Stop that!" Rhea hissed. "You look like you're going to have an accident." And the Doctor's movements calmed down a bit.
After a few minutes, the couple were still waiting to use the cash machine, and Rhea could feel herself growing more agitated by the second. Finally, the man in front of them left. The Doctor darted forwards, and Rhea cast a furtive look around, making sure no one was looking at them, and gave the Doctor the 'go-ahead' signal. The Doctor used the sonic screwdriver to extract cash from the machine and he took the money. He looked around and his eye caught a row of masked Santas playing trumpets a short distance away. He watched them, remembering his last encounter with similar Santas, his suspicions provoked.
"Taxi!" They heard Donna's voice shout out.
They turned around and saw a taxi pull up beside her and watched her converse with the driver for a few seconds before shouting back to the Doctor and Rhea. "Thanks for nothing, spaceman, spacegirl! I'll see you two in court." She climbed into the taxi and it drove away. Only then was it revealed that the driver of the taxi was a masked Santa.
"Donna!" The Doctor and Rhea shouted after them.
The Doctor looked back at the masked Santas. One of them lowered its trumpet, ominously. Now all three of the trumpets were held like weapons, pointing towards the two. The Doctor pointed his sonic screwdriver at the ATM, causing notes to fly everywhere. There was a mad scramble and confusion as people ran around the square, trying to catch the money and stuff it into their pockets. The Doctor and Rhea turned around and ran back in the direction of the TARDIS.
"So, what's with the Santas?" Rhea asked the Doctor as they reached the TARDIS doors at a sprint.
"They're like pilot fish. They're scavengers who take anything on a planet that's of value before the big threat arrives." The Doctor explained as they ran up the ramp of the TARDIS and up to the console. "And one of them is Donna's driver."
Rhea hung her head as she pulled down one of the levers and slammed her palm down on one of the buttons. Oh, that's wonderful.
Donna and the masked Santa drove along the road in the taxi.
"I promise you, mate, I'll give you the rest when we get there." Donna told the driver and then looked down at herself. "Oh, I look a mess."
She took her veil off, trying to catch her breath. "Hurry up!" She shouted at the driver.
Donna looked outside the window. "Hold on a minute, I said 'Chiswick'. You've missed the turning." She said, panicking slightly, but there was no response from the driver. "'Scuse me? We should've turned off back there. We're going the wrong way!"
The Doctor pummelled the TARDIS into action by using his usual instruments, namely, his fists and his mallet, and the rotor started to rise and fall. Rhea smacked his hands away, pressing a button down and shoving a lever up. "Stop hitting her! It'll only make us slower!"
The taxi joined the motorway and cut across the lanes, causing the other drivers on the road to beep their horns, angrily.
"What the hell are you doing? I'm late for the wedding. My own wedding. Do you get that?" Donna shouted at the driver.
The Doctor and Rhea traced the taxi's progress on the TARDIS scanner.
"Turn around! Turn this cab around right now! Are you deaf or what?" Donna yelled.
She lunged forward, pulling the Santa hood off the driver and his mask fell off, revealing a robot underneath. Donna recoiled back into her seat, shocked.
"Oh, my god." She murmured.
She started pushing the door and window, desperately looking for a way out, trying to attract the attention of the other drivers, hoping that someone would see her and try to help her.
"Help me! Help me! Help me!" Donna shouted, frantically, pummelling the glass. "Help me! Help me!"
A driver in a red van noticed her, looking concerned, but was powerless to help seeing as they were on a motorway.
"Help me! Help me! Get me out! Help me! Help me! I'm being driven by a robot!"
Sparks erupted from the TARDIS console while she tilted dangerously.
"Behave!" The Doctor shouted, hitting her with a hammer.
"Stop hitting her!" Rhea shrieked, as she gripped onto the console with both hands, as they were flung in all directions.
The TARDIS fell out of the sky just beside Donna's taxi, spinning in the air.
"…You are kidding me." Donna murmured after a moment, staring at the blue box with shock.
"Can you get this?" The Doctor said to Rhea.
"Yeah, I've got it." Rhea said, moving over to where the Doctor was standing and pulled down a lever, sharply.
The Doctor stumbled over to the doors, amidst the turbulence, and threw them open. The TARDIS was parallel to the taxi, zooming along beside it on the motorway. Donna stared at him, hands pressed against the window.
"Open the door!" The Doctor shouted at her.
"Do you what?"
"Open the door!" The Doctor repeated.
"I can't, it's locked!"
The Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver, one hand holding onto the doorframe, and pointed it at the car door, unlocking it and enabling Donna to push the window down.
"Santa's a robot." Donna told the Doctor as if he didn't know.
"Donna, open the door." The Doctor ordered.
"What for?" Donna asked.
"You've got to jump!" Rhea shouted from her place at the console, while she hit buttons and pumped a lever.
The robot driver turned its head slightly when it heard this.
"I'm not bleedin' flip jumping, I'm supposed to be getting married!" Donna shouted, shrilly.
The robot put its foot down on the accelerator and the taxi overtook the TARDIS. Rhea cursed and yanked a lever down and twisted a knob and shrieked, cursing loudly in three different languages and shrinking back when random explosions and sparks burst out of the console. The Doctor looked back at Rhea, worriedly, and she waved him off, silently telling him to concentrate on Donna. The TARDIS banged the roof of the car of a distressed man before pulling herself back in line with the taxi. The Doctor struggled to maintain his balance and then disabled the robot with his sonic screwdriver.
"I know, I know, I know, I'm sorry!" Rhea shouted at the TARDIS, when she heard the angry vibration from all around her, as she ran around the console a thousand times, pulling a couple of levers down. "It's not my fault! Blame him! I'm trying my best over here! But hey, if you ever get a physical form, you can punch me in the face, I won't even punch back, and coming from me, that's a huge thing!"
"Listen to me, you've got to jump!" The Doctor shouted at Donna, knowing that both he and Rhea couldn't keep this up for much longer.
"I'm not jumping on a motorway." Donna said, stubbornly.
"Whatever that thing is, it needs you. And whatever it needs you for, it's not good. Now, come on!" The Doctor shouted, exasperated.
"I'm in my wedding dress!" Donna screamed at him.
"Yes, you look beautiful, but that dress is going to pretty useless at your fucking funeral, now, Donna, get your ass in the TARDIS right now!" Rhea shouted at Donna, barely able to see her past the Doctor, only seeing a flash of white.
Breathing heavily with fear, Donna opened the door and positioned herself ready to jump. The Doctor held out his arms, ready to catch her.
"I can't do it." Donna said, fearfully.
"Trust me." The Doctor said, calmly.
"Is that what you said to her? Your friend? The one you lost? Did she trust you?" Donna asked him, staring into his eyes. Donna looked past him over to Rhea, who was still struggling to keep the TARDIS airborne and stay on her feet. "Does she trust you?"
Rhea watched as the Doctor flinched slightly and then straightened. "Yes, she did. And she is not dead. She is so alive. And Rhea would trust me with everything she has and everything she is, I know that. Now, jump!"
Donna, with a scream, jumped and landed on top of the Doctor in a heap on the ramp. Rhea pressed a button to slam the doors shut and the TARDIS zoomed back into the sky.
Rhea sank to the ground in front of the console, hugging her legs underneath her knees. The Doctor ran to her and kneeled in front of her.
"I hate you. I really, really hate you. I'm never speaking to you again." Rhea muttered, her head falling onto his shoulder. His hand reached up and stroked her hair, kissing the strands as he did so, as she calmed down, but still breathing heavily.
Donna looked at her watch, just past half past three. The Doctor had landed the TARDIS on the roof of some high rise building and the couple were now coughing and spluttering as the Doctor tried to extinguish the smoke billowing from the TARDIS doors.
"This is all your fault." Rhea grumbled at the Doctor as she leaned against the doors.
"The funny thing is, for a spaceship, she doesn't really do that much flying. We'd better give her a couple of hours." The Doctor said, ignoring Rhea, and the two of them walked over to Donna. "You all right?"
Donna shrugged, preventing her emotions from rising to the surface. "Doesn't matter."
"Did we miss it?" Rhea asked, gently.
"Yeah."
"Well, you can book another date…" The Doctor trailed off.
"Course we can." Donna agreed, nodding, but as though she didn't want to believe it.
"Still got the honeymoon…" Rhea murmured.
Donna shrugged. "It's just a holiday now."
"Yeah…yeah…sorry." The Doctor said.
"It's not your fault." Donna told him, shaking her head.
"Oh!" The Doctor smiled. "That's a change."
Donna gave a wry chuckle. "Wish we had a time machine. Then we could go back and get it right."
The Doctor looked guilty for a second. "... Yeah, yeah. But... even if we did, we couldn't go back on someone's personal timeline. Apparently." He finished off to act as if he didn't know anything about time travel.
Donna gave the Doctor a suspicious glace and walked over and sat on the edge of the roof. Rhea nudged the Doctor and gestured for him to take off his suit jacket and give it to Donna. The Doctor and Rhea walked over and the Doctor sat beside her, Rhea on his other side, the Doctor draping his jacket over Donna's shoulders.
"God, you're skinny. This wouldn't fit a rat." Donna said and Rhea grinned, holding back a laugh.
"Oh, and you'd better put this on." The Doctor said, pulling out what looked like a wedding ring from his pocket.
"Oh, do you have to rub it in?" Donna complained, holding out her hand anyway.
"Those creatures can trace you. This is a bio-damper. Should keep you hidden." He slipped it onto her finger. "With this ring, I thee bio-damp." He said, popping the 'p' at the end.
"For better or for worse." Donna mused, playing along, causing the Doctor to smile at her.
"So, come on then. Robot Santas, what are they for?" Donna asked them.
"Ah, your basic robo-scavenger. The Father Christmas stuff is just a disguise. They're trying to blend in. We met them last Christmas." The Doctor said and then, his face fell. Rhea stared at him in worry, sliding her hand between their bodies and gripping his hand tightly.
"Why, what happened then?" Donna asked, frowning.
The Doctor paused, looking at her, steadily. "…Great big spaceship? Hovering over London? You didn't notice?"
Rhea raised an eyebrow and the Doctor turned to her, hastily. She opened her mouth to ask and he quickly covered it with his hand. "Spoilers." He warned.
"You know, one of these days I'm going to be able to use that word on you, and I don't think you'll like it." Rhea grumbled.
"I had a bit of a hangover." Donna said, dismissively, staring out across the buildings.
Rhea smirked and the Doctor decided not to pursue this. He scanned the area around them with the sonic screwdriver.
"We spent Christmas Day just over there, the Powell Estate." He said, nodding over to his right. "With this... family. Our friend, she had this family. Well, they were..." He paused for a moment, lost in thought. Rhea rested her head on his shoulder, nuzzling herself into his neck, and he rested his head on hers. Rhea knew he was talking about Rose and her eyes closed, wondering what had happened to that naïve, curious blonde girl she had met the last time she had jumped. The way the Doctor talked about it, the way he had looked when Donna had shown him the shirt, something bad had happened. Was Rose dead?
"Still…gone now." He finished, his form tensing.
"Your friend…who was she?" Donna asked them.
The Doctor ignored her last question and turned to look at her intensely. "Question is, what do camouflaged robot mercenaries want with you? And how did you get inside the TARDIS? I don't know..." He made a face, contemplating her. "What's your job?" The Doctor asked, suddenly, pulling his sonic screwdriver out of the jacket that Donna had on.
"I'm a secretary." Donna replied.
"It's weird, I mean, you're not special, you're not powerful, you're not connected, you're not clever, you're not important..." The Doctor rambled, scanning her, and not understanding that he was being particularly insulting.
Rhea growled. "Don't listen to him Donna." She said, glaring at the Doctor.
Donna looked over at Rhea. "Tell me something, do you ever get the urge to punch him in the face?" She shoved the screwdriver away from her. "Stop bleeping me!"
The Doctor and Donna looked away from each other, each having a glare on their face. Rhea pursed her lips and fought a smile. "Oh, honey, all the time." The Doctor looked at Rhea with a wounded look. She reached out and tugged the back of his hair with her fingers, lightly and affectionately, wanting to see how it would feel in her hands. She imagined repeating the motion somewhere else and under different circumstances with a little bit more strength and shook her head, violently. Time and place, Rhea.
"What kind of secretary?" The Doctor asked Donna, turning to her.
"I'm at HC Clements. It's where I met Lance. I was temping." Donna said, a smile forming on her face. "I mean, it was all a bit posh really. I'd spent the last two years at a double glazing firm. Well, I thought, I'm never gonna fit in here." Rhea could hear the same lack of self worth she had heard in Donna's voice during the Sontaran affair and frowned, knowing that she had to do something about that. Low self-esteem could lead to very bad decisions. She knew that better than anyone. "And then he made me a coffee. I mean, that just doesn't happen. Nobody gets the secretaries a coffee." Rhea tensed. "And Lance, he's the head of HR! He don't need to bother with me! But he was nice, he was funny." The way Donna smiled, it was easy to tell how in love she was, it was incredibly endearing. "And it turns out he thought everyone else was really snotty too. So that's how it started, me and him, one cup of coffee. That was it."
"When was this?" The Doctor asked.
"Six months ago." Donna answered.
Rhea frowned. "A bit quick, to get married…"
"Well…" She drawled. "He insisted. And he nagged... and he nagged me... And he just wore me down and then finally, I just gave in." Rhea smirked, she got the idea that it was the other way around. Donna didn't seem to be the type of girl to respond to nagging.
"What does HC Clements do?" The Doctor asked Donna, distracting her from her thoughts about her soon-to-be husband.
"Oh, security systems, you know... entry codes, ID cards, that sort of thing." Donna said. "If you ask me, it's a posh name for 'locksmiths'."
"Keys…" The Doctor mused.
"Maybe someone's looking for something." Rhea muttered to the Doctor.
"Anyway, enough of my CV. Come on, it's time to face the consequences. Oh, this is gonna be so shaming. You can do the explaining, Martian-boy, Martian-girl."
Rhea screwed her face up. "I'm not even an alien!" Rhea complained.
"Yeah. And I'm not from Mars." The Doctor told Donna.
Donna nodded and the Doctor stood up, lending a hand to both Rhea and Donna to help them up.
"Oh, I had this great big reception all planned. Everyone's gonna be heartbroken." Donna said.
However, it looked as though everyone had decided to go on with the reception without Donna. 'Merry Christmas Everybody' blared out at full volume, everyone was dancing, drinking, eating and laughing. The Doctor, Rhea and Donna walked in. Donna looked around at the merriment, thunderstruck. She folded her arms, angry. Rhea just looked around the room, shaking her head in disbelief. Who has the reception without the bride? Poor Donna. Sylvia spotted Donna first and froze, the rest of the room soon following suit until all was silent and all eyes were on Donna, the Doctor and Rhea.
"You had the reception without me?" Donna asked, slowly.
A/N: And, there was the first chapter of The Runaway Bride! I was a little bit hesitant when writing this chapter, because I wanted to do justice to the Doctor's grief about Rose without giving too much away to Rhea. I know this chapter was a bit Rhea-lite, but there will be more in the next chapters, with how she reacts to Lance's betrayal and how she comforts Donna. You'll get an insight into the few comments that Rhea makes about herself and her life. I hope you liked the few sweet moments between the Doctor and Rhea in this chapter. And Rhea does care about Rose, I know she didn't mention Rose a lot in this chapter, but a part of her doesn't want to bring it up because she think it will upset the Doctor and the other part doesn't want to think about it because she's worried about what happened to Rose. Please don't think she's unsympathetic, she's just really good at avoidance. And there was the bit in the end about Rhea "imagining" the Doctor somewhere else. Can you tell me where that somewhere else might be?
Anyway, Read and Review!