I know I promised to some of my readers that I would post the new chapter last Tuesday, but I was(am) having some problems writing it.
But since I didn't want to make you wait, I decided to write this.
This is an in-between chapter and it's going to focus on what happened to Donna and John's parents and as a bonus, it will feature our favourite bowtie addict.
Hope you enjoy :)
Chapter 3-The man who runs and the man who returns
Donna Noble, quite honestly, loved her little brother more than anything else in this world.
Not that she would ever admit it out loud, obviously.
Spaceman already had an ego bigger than Matt Smith's chin, and the last thing she wanted was him to shout from the rooftops that behind that mask of bossy and sometimes rude sister, Donna cared about him.
But really, what kind of sister would she be if she didn't love him? Especially after everything they had faced together in the past?
Donna shuddered involuntarily at the memories. Even after all this years, she could remember vividly all the details, almost as if the scenes were burnt in her brain.
Although, there was one, or rather two, that hurt her more than the others, two that haunt her most of her lonely nights.
It was a normal summer day, the sky of a beautiful blue shade with the occasional deep white clouds strolling down the London skies at a slow pace. The sunlight reached the young woman's skin, warming her sleeveless arms but doing little to warm her cold and empty soul.
She wore a black pleat dress that reached her knees, her high heels of the same colour and the ginger locks of her hair tied up in a long plait. Her right hand grabbed a hairy and strong one, as her left intertwined with a small and soft hand.
John and Matthew, the two men of her life, were all she had now. The three of them against the world.
But haven't it been like that their entire lives?
Since they were mere kids, they knew they weren't as the rest of the Noble family. Wealth and aristocracy meant nothing to them compared to a good shot of adventure and some bruises.
So, instead of the fancy balls where they had to dress-up and pretend to be invisible as their parents talked with half of the high society, Donna and the boys sneaked through the household servants and ran to the gardens of the manor, playing hide-and-seek until the adults found out they were missing.
There were also days where the three of them would take their bikes to the hill near the mansion, and then, they'd spend the afternoon racing against each other.
Needless to say, both actions weren't praised by Geoff and Sylvia Noble.
According to them, Donna, John and little Matt were supposed to spend their days locked up in the mansion, the boys studying to become geniuses like their father, and Donna practising to become a proper 'lady'.
The three snorted at their parents' ideas and, being the rebellious trio they were, kept on going on adventures, ignoring their family.
Because, and as Donna would realize later, they were different.
Instead of the cold, emotionless heart the Noble family owned for generations, Donna and her younger siblings possessed a warm and fierce one that longed for adventures and love.
And as the three would later understand, they didn't only love each other, they needed to be together. It was their survival mechanism.
So, for the rest of their childhood and teens, they did just that, running from home every day, returning at night to be greeted by their father's yells.
But, even with this, it was perfect.
Or at least, it was until the day everything fell apart.
Donna was only twenty at the time and, when confronted with the thought of her parents dying, she thought the world would stop moving that day. The streets would be deserted and murky, dark clouds covering the sky and pouring rain, as if crying for the death of Donna's loved ones.
How wrong she was.
She woke up in her bed, the sunbeams peeking from behind the beige curtains kissing her skin good morning, causing her to squint her eyes at the sudden light.
With a loud yawn, she stretched her arms in the air, expelling the last remains of sleepiness off her body before getting up, shuddering when her bare feet made contact with the cold marble floor.
After popping in the en suite, she made her way through the colossal wardrobe– a large corridor with white carpeted floor and literally hundreds of garments hanging in both sides – deciding for a simple pair of trousers, a white shirt with red stripes and a pair of ballerinas, instead of the fancy dresses and high heels in which she could barely walk.
Then, she proceeded on sitting in front of her vanity, combing her long locks of hair into a ponytail that left her neck and the gold necklace hanging around it at sight.
So, maybe Donna didn't like very much the way her parents tried to raise her and her brothers, but that didn't mean that sometimes -or most of the time- she didn't enjoy some of the privileges their money could buy.
Not that this means that she was a self-seeker; she simply liked to feel like a princess sometimes, but if she were to have to choose between her freedom and her daddy's money, she sure would prefer to abandon her bedroom worthy of the Royal family and make a life from her own job.
Smiling proudly at her own reflection for the way she thought about things, she finished applying the red lipstick she knew drove Lance, her boyfriend, insane, before turning around to grab her purse and the unbelievable amount of thick books she had to carry around campus.
Could be worse, though, she reckoned. At least, she didn't have to share an apartment with other students, considering the Noble manor was just in the outskirts of Edinburgh.
Donna turned around, jumping what she thought were ten feet when, instead of the pile of books, she found John and Matthew near her secretary in the other end of the room.
Raising a hand to her chest in an attempt to slow down the erratic beating, she took a deep breath, gritting her teeth in order to not shout at them.
One day, she'd end up killing one of them by accident, thinking they were a thief or something like that, with all that sneaking around.
"Bloody morons! Do you want me to have a heart-attack?" She was about to adopt her pose of don't-screw-with-me-if-you-don't-want-a-slap, which consisted of her glaring at them with her hands resting on top of her hips, when she noticed the boys' eyes.
Maybe it was just her imagination, or maybe it was just the sunlight playing tricks, but both Matt and John's eyes were glazed, and she noticed how they were constantly bobbing their Adam's apple.
And now that she thought about it, they had been quiet. Really quiet.
Sure, both boys sneaked daily into her bedroom, personal space be dammed, but usually, they'd start rambling like there was no tomorrow, but that day…
Donna felt her heart being squeezed, her chest rising and falling as she fought for air.
She knew something was wrong. She could sense it.
"John, Matt… What's going on?"
John, being elder than Matthew, took a step towards Donna, combing his hair with a shaky hand. "Dad and Mum… They…" He made a pause, his chin trembling slightly as a tear ran down his cheek.
Donna looked to the little boy behind him, hoping she was wrong and that Matthew would be smiling at her as he usually did every morning.
But he wasn't.
Instead, he was cleaning his face with the back of his hand furiously, not daring to look at the ginger girl in the eye.
"No, no, no. You're kidding, aren't you?" Donna crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at both young men. "This is a cruel joke, isn't it? Well, guess what, you lot try this with me again and I swear I'll slap you both to Mars, understood?"
She walked with long strides past John, shaking her head in disbelief.
They were kidding, that's it. Geoff and Sylvia Noble were downstairs, eating breakfast and chatting about how Mrs. Jameson's choice of dress last night had been horrible, or about dad's plans to spend the weekend in Spain, and Donna would join them.
"It's on the news."
She turned her head to look at Matthew, her eyes cold as ice.
He was sitting on top of her secretary, his shoulders sunk and his legs swung in the air, intertwining his hands as his eyes found an interest in his feet.
Donna closed her eyes, raising a hand to touch the golden doorknob.
Her mum and dad weren't in the dining room. Her dad had gone on a business trip to New York, and her mum decided to go with him so she could pay a visit to the 5th avenue and renew her wardrobe. They had made their goodbyes the day prior and, when the Bentley had crossed the gate of the property in the airport's direction, Donna, John and Matt had shared looks, grinning madly when they acknowledged they had the whole house for them, if they didn't count with the staff.
Wait. The airplane…
She turned on her heels, searching the bedroom with her eyes for the remote control. She found it above the flowered quilt and quickly grabbed it, turning to face the telly standing on top of a sideboard on the opposite wall.
She glanced at Matt and then at John, and when both didn't even blink, their eyes dark and sombre, she felt the urge to run away.
She looked down at the thing in her trembling hands.
This was it. If she turned on the telly, there would be no turning back. She couldn't simply ignore it all and live in a fantasy world, eluding herself with the belief that her parents were alive and well.
And oh boy, how she wished she could do so.
But… she needed to know.
Taking a deep breath, Donna pointed the remote control to the telly and pressed the 'on' button, feeling rather sick at the feeling of her belly contorted in a knot.
Almost immediately, the face of some young female journalist dressed in a red suit appeared on the screen and just a little below her knee, Donna could read 'Breaking news: Airplane crash kills billionaire couple'.
"I'm sorry, Donna. I'm so sorry."
She tried to look at John, but saw herself unable to when images of what once had been an airplane flashed in the telly, pieces covered in flames scattered around a green field.
John, taking hold of the situation, took the remote from Donna's hands in a nasty movement, shoving it to the ground without caring the slightest.
"Look at me, Donna." When she didn't, John grabbed her by the shoulders, not quite knowing if he was doing it to shove her from the shock or if he was trying to get support. Probably both. "I know how you're feeling, but you can't be like that. Me and Matt… We need you, Donna. Please."
"They're dead. Mum and dad are dead."
John cringed at how her voice sounded. Hollow and cold.
"Yes, but you still have us, remember? Me and Matthew, we're here with you." He said, squeezing her shoulders a bit as if to prove his point.
Donna stayed silent for some moments, tears streaming down her face.
When she finally spoke, she raised her head to look at her brother. "I-I… I never got to tell them. I never t-told them that I… I love them."
Donna watched as John gulped, a turmoil of emotions flashing through his dark eyes so quick she couldn't really know what he was feeling.
"Me neither, Donna." He pulled her to his arms, resting his chin on top of her head. "Me neither."
She felt warm drops of water landing in her head and, knowing that those weren't her tears, held John tighter, clinging to him as if he was a life-saver in the middle of a storm in the sea, soothing him with sweet words in his ear.
Some minutes later –or seconds, Donna didn't really know-, she heard footsteps coming in her direction and after a bit of hesitation from him, she felt Matt's arms surrounding her, his head resting on her shoulder.
And, just for that moment, she let herself cry, not caring that she was supposed to be the strong one.
"There's no one but us." Donna remarked, her mind back to the cemetery.
And she was right. Besides her and the boys, no one else came.
She shuddered at the thought, her heart aching for her parents. After all the balls and parties and whatnot, all the posh people they had met, only the three 'children' they ignored most of their time came to say a last goodbye.
"Guess that's what happens when you act the way they did." Matt said, a bittersweet tone making itself heard.
Donna squeezed his hand a bit, trying to fight back tears.
Honestly, after everything that had happened, she didn't really know why she still cared. Her parents never were the kind of parents that Donna wished she could have, but still, even after the way they acted towards her, she found herself in deep pain.
"Wilf wanted to come." John remarked under his breath, trying to avoid the two gravestones with his gaze. "But there were some problems back in London and he'll just be here tomorrow."
Both Donna and Matt nodded curtly.
Wilfred was an old family friend, and quite possibly, the only person connected with her dad's business that didn't ignore Donna and the boys. In fact, sometimes, when the three were younger, Wilf would play with them or tell them stories beside the fireplace.
Basically, he was the granddad the Noble children never had.
And, as Donna already suspected, he would soon be their guardian.
"I think I'm going to be away for a while."
Donna's head snapped to her left in Matt's direction, eyes widened at what he had just said. "What? Why?"
He shifted uncomfortably in his place, his eyes glued to the grass beneath his black shoes. "I… This is too much for me. I need to take a break from this," Matt lifted his head for the first time since they arrived, looking to a spot behind Donna's shoulder, "And I think I'm not the only one."
Slowly, the ginger girl turned around, only to face a rather crestfallen John.
Oh, she knew that look. The one with the puppy eyes and his Adam's apple bobbing. It was the one he usually used to apologise or to try to not make someone mad.
"I'm sorry, Donna."
Of course. The two bloody gits spent their lives running; why would they stop now, especially after everything shattered and there was no way to return back to normal?
She turned once more to look at Matt. "B-but you're barely sixteen years old. Where are you going to? And what will you do? You're just a little boy!"
Matt shrugged, an apologetic and almost imperceptible smile twitching the corners of his mouth. "Travel around the world. I heard Los Angeles is lovely this time of the year."
Donna nodded, not trusting her voice to speak.
"And I'll do the same."
The young woman turned her head once again to look at John, surprised to see that he had moved and was now in front of her and Matt, the trio forming a circle.
Donna, gathering all the strength she had, took a deep breath before asking, "Are you at least going to travel together?"
The two shared an amused look for some moments, before turning their attentions to Donna.
"Nope." John stated, bouncing a bit on his feet. "I think we'd kill ourselves in the first hours."
"You're the one that puts us in the line and without you… I think we wouldn't last a day together, with no one else around." Added Matt, smiling genuinely for the first time since that entire mess started.
Donna nodded again, inwardly asking if that was the only thing she could do in a situation like the one that was happening in front of her.
Matthew and John, the only people she had left, were both leaving her behind.
And why? Because, during the years they had lived in the Noble manor, Donna had taught them how to run away from everything and everyone. How to run away from their problems.
It was now that she asked herself if it had been a mistake; if the fact that they were about to run from her was her own fault.
"So… This is…" She made a small pause to clear her throat, trying not to give away how their words had broken her more than her parents' dead, "This… You're telling me goodbye."
John tugged at his ear. "Weell… I'll stay for a day or two so I can see Wilf, but then…"
He let the words unspoken, but Donna could see what he meant only by looking into his eyes.
She didn't even ask Matt what his plan was. She knew he was counting on leaving her as soon as Wilf gave him his share of the money their parents left them, just like John.
And, knowing the two of them as Donna did, she doubted they would say goodbye to her. She'd probably wake up one morning to find they were gone and she would be left alone, the house feeling a lot bigger and emptier than it felt some time ago, when they were still a family.
And, two days later, she found out she was right.
Yes, Donna Noble loved her brother. After all, besides that bloody git called Matthew (that still hadn't returned) he was the only person she had left.
Wilf had stayed with her during some years but even he couldn't fight against age and, seven years later, she found herself once again in that blasted cemetery, John grabbing her hand.
Only this time, Matt wasn't there.
They still talked from time to time and, in what could only be described as a miracle, he had showed up at her doorstep two years ago on Christmas Eve, the lines of his face rougher, claiming him to be now a man, but deep inside, he still had the spirit of a little boy.
Obviously, he had left a couple of days later at dawn, yet again without saying goodbye.
But at least he had showed up, so that counted for something. And since John had returned for good five years prior, she didn't feel so alone anymore.
So, yes, she loved him. However, that didn't mean that sometimes, she didn't want to slap him so hard that he'd land that skinny arse of his on the moon.
And today was one of those days.
Good? Bad? Meh? Why don't you tell me with a review?
P.S.: Think that Donna deserves someone. Poor woman seems pretty depressed… Is anybody here against me pairing her with Jack?
Also, I think I'll change the name of this fic. ('Time will tell' is the name of the episode of 'Castle' I was watching when I decided to write this story. Not very creative, huh?)