The Doctor comforts Donna after she is upset by her mother on Christmas. Yet another pre-established relationship fic!

The Doctor sipped his tea, enjoying the warmth from the fire the TARDIS had prepared for them in the fireplace. They'd just got back from Donna's family's house for Christmas, and he was ready to relax for a while. He looked down at his arm, inspecting the new wristwatch that Wilf had given him. He smiled at the blue police box that was painted in the middle of the face. It was a bit useless for a Time Lord, really, but he appreciated it all the same, and Wilf had been thrilled to give it to him. It'd make a nice accessory anyway, just like his glasses.

He was still studying the watch when Donna joined him in the library. He greeted her with a smile and patted the seat beside him, but instead of joining him on the sofa, she sat down on the loveseat across from him. She dropped her own still-wrapped gift on the floor by her feet and crossed her arms. It only took him a moment to realize that her shoulders were shaking with silent tears. His stomach dropped as he stood and crossed the room to sit beside her. "Donna, what's wrong?"

She looked down, refusing to meet his eyes. "Nothing."

"But you're crying." He cupped her chin, gently lifting it so that he could see her face. Her skin was blotchy and soaked. He ran his thumb over her cheek, wiping away some of her tears. "What is it?"

"I'm fine."

"Come here." He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her to him. She rested her head on his chest, folding herself into his embrace. "There we go," he said, softly, as she wrapped an arm around his waist. He kissed the top of her head, taking a moment to breathe in her scent. "Do you miss your family already?"

"No."

"No?" He began to stroke her hair, his fingers gently working out the tangled curls. She relaxed slightly as he worked, but he could still feel the tension in her shoulders. "Then what is it?"

She sighed and tearfully said, "Do I really look like I've put on weight?"

And there it was. Sylvia had busted out with that particular comment after Donna had gone for a second slice of cake. The Doctor's eyes drifted towards Donna's body on their own accord, examining her shape through her clothes. He should have known this was coming. It wasn't that he minded telling her how beautiful she was - it was that she never believed him. Sometimes all it seemed to take was one nasty comment to undo everything nice he'd ever said about her.

"I thought you weren't going to let her bother you this time," he reminded her. She had been talking about it for ages before they went, saying that she'd just pretend she didn't hear anything mean her mum said.

"I know, but she's just so…" She huffed out a breath. "Frustrating."

"She really is," the Doctor echoed. Sylvia had Donna's best interests at heart, but sometimes it seemed like she had a gift for saying just the wrong thing at exactly the wrong time.

"But really, do I look bigger?" she persisted. "Oh, it was probably that futuristic crisp factory you took me to last month. Remember that one? All the flavors that will ever exist? I still have some of the sample bags in my cabinet. Been eating them like crazy."

"I remember." They'd had such a good time there! Donna had been all smiles and happy kisses. He'd planned to take her back after they ticked Hawaii off their list, but now it looked like he might have to change his plans.

"We shouldn't have gone," she said, softly.

"Oh, don't say that. It was good fun."

"Yeah, but I completely pigged out," she said, with a heavy sigh. "You should have stopped me. Now I need to go to Planet of the Personal Trainers."

He frowned. "There is no such planet, sorry."

"Why are you avoiding the question?" she asked, suddenly.

"What?"

"Just answer."

"Donna."

"Go on then. Tell me straight." She looked up and met his eyes, hers still teary and dull as she awaited his answer.

He looked at her for a long moment, studying her freckled skin and her curvy body as he continued to run his fingers through her hair. How could anyone look at her and not think she was gorgeous? "You are the most beautiful woman in the universe," he said, softly, when he had gathered his thoughts. "I love everything about you, from your brilliant mind to the freckles on your toes."

She rolled her eyes and lightly smacked his arm. "Oh, stop with the rubbish and just answer the question."

He hesitated for a moment, knowing that she was already starting to shut his words out, throwing them away even as she held her mum's words close to her heart. He wanted to tell her something he'd never properly said before, but what if she didn't let herself hear him? He took a deep breath, curling his fingers into her hair. "I mean it, Donna. When I think of the perfect body, I think of yours," he began, slowly.

"That's-"

"And I'm not just saying that out of some sense of duty because you're my wife," he interrupted. He knew how easily she could write his words off, and so he wanted to cover all of his bases. "Honestly, truthfully, I think your body is perfect. You're so nice to hug and kiss and cuddle, and you're all soft and warm and ginger. You think those are bad things, I know, but I think they're brilliant. And beautiful. And you, Donna. Oh, Donna, you're gorgeous."

He clamped his lips shut to stop himself from babbling, but it was tempting to keep going with as many different words to describe her beauty as he knew. He opened his mouth again only long enough to say the words "beautiful beloved" in Gallifreyan, and then he went quiet and waited for her to say something, anything to set his nerves at ease.

She was quiet, too, for a long moment, but then she nodded. "So I have gained weight? But it's okay?" There was a strange gleam in her eye, and he wasn't sure if she was upset or not.

"You don't look like you've gained any weight to me, but I don't go around weighing you in my head," he tried to explain. "Honestly, I don't. My people just aren't wired that way. I've told you about regeneration, right?" he prompted, knowing good and well that he had.

"Yeah."

"So what do you think happens when the introverted, thin woman you're married to suddenly turns into a chubby bearded man with a tendency towards extroversion?"

"Divorce?" Donna offered, weakly.

He shook his head. "Not very often. For the most part, nothing happens. We go on loving and cherishing. Sure, we may find one body more aesthetically pleasing than the next, and regeneration always takes time to get used to, but we're genetically hardwired to love the person more than the appearance - the inner, deep person, that is, not the silly other bits that are always in flux." He paused and met Donna's eyes. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"I don't know. Sort of." She sniffled. "So it really doesn't matter to you at all? Y-you didn't mean all of that other stuff, then? About my body being…"

The Doctor's shoulders slumped at the hurt in her voice. Either this was harder to explain that he'd thought, or else Donna was absolutely determined not to believe him. "I did mean it when I said you have the perfect body," he insisted after a moment. "Look, all I can tell you is what I know, and I know that I could stare at your body forever and never get tired of looking. I honestly don't care if you've gained weight or lost weight, you're beautiful."

"Really?" she asked, softly.

"Really."

She closed her eyes, her breath catching her in throat. Her lips moved for a moment, forming silent words, before she managed to push out a few audible ones. "Thank you."

He smiled in relief and bent to kiss her forehead gently, before moving to press a quick kiss to her lips. "There's nothing about you that I would change."

"You too, you know," she said, her voice low. Her skin was tinged with pink, making her many freckles stand out. "I feel like I'm always saying you're too skinny or too whatever, but you've never said anything mean about my body. And you're not too skinny, you know. You're absolutely gorgeous, and you need to hear it from me more often. I'm sorry."

"You're forgiven, always." He kissed her again, longer this time, savoring the feel of her warm lips against his. "And thank you."

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, too."

She sighed and rested her head on his chest. "I just wish Christmas wasn't over yet."

"Why's that?"

She shrugged. "I guess I spent most of our time at home thinking about what my mum said, and she kind of ruined it for me."

"I'm sorry," he said, softly.

"I just wish she would let me be, you know?"

"Me too." He sighed. "Well, I have an idea if you don't want Christmas to end," he said.

"Yeah? What is it?"

"We would go get changed into our pyjamas, make some popcorn, and watch Christmas movies together. You can even have first pick. How does that sound?" He smiled at her.

Donna hugged him tight as love for him filled her. "It sounds wonderful. Thank you for everything."