Day 21 of the New Year's Project. 10 more days to go!

Big thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter. Makes me happy, that do. :)

Shaun is startled the first time. They've been watching the news after dinner, and she's fallen asleep with her head on his shoulder. He's just considering whether he can shift the position of her head without waking her when she speaks.

"Doctor? Can you hear me?"

He's confused; the soft limpness of Donna's body under his arm says that she's still asleep, and, anyway, why would she call him "Doctor"?

"You really were a bit daft when you thought that this was a good idea. Ooh, let's take away everything Donna was and shove her back into an ordinary, boring life. We had so much, Dumbo!"

It's a peculiar speech. Shaun's brother was a sleeptalker, used to have entire conversations without waking, but those were never like this. Donna's voice is confident, clear, lucid, and that makes it more perplexing that he has no idea what she's on about. What exactly does "we had so much" mean?

"Ordinary job, ordinary Earth, ordinary people. So much dull. I'll say this for you, Doctor: you were never dull, even when you were thick. I'd swap you for the lot of 'em, m'lad."

His heart sinks in his chest. He knew she was out of his league, but he'd hoped that she didn't. And who is she talking to? Her voice has a casual, matter-of-fact intimacy that tells him that this bloke is special, whoever he is. She doesn't even talk to him like that (yet, he adds hopefully).

"Although…there is Shaun."

He holds his breath to listen.

"She's starting to love him, Doctor, a bit more every day. Really…I think she's right to. He sees things most people don't, and he makes her see things, too. He could help this Donna like you did me, if she'd shut up and let him."

That definitely sounds positive, but he's at sea again. If Donna is "she," then who's talking? He would just shrug it off as sleep-talk, but the voice is so confident and so clear that that's hard to believe.

"Besides, he's quite a looker, which you were never more than middling good at."

He whoops in triumph, forgetting his situation, and Donna awakes, demanding to know where the fire is. Later, drifting off to sleep, he wonders what she would've said if he'd let her keep talking.

See you again in two days for chapter three. If you're going to fave, it would make me terribly happy if you'd drop me a quick review as well. :D