The Doctor and Donna take a romantic carriage ride.
The Doctor was all smiles as he held out his hand to help Donna into the old fashioned wooden carriage. She smiled back at him and kept hold of his hand as they maneuvered their way onto the padded bench seat together. Warm blankets were provided, and they wasted no time in covering themselves up. The air was cool, and yet the Doctor felt warm with Donna pressed against his side.
The driver passed them their complimentary hot coffees before he hopped up into his own seat and snapped the reigns. They were off with a lurch, the big brown horse clip-clopping his way down the old cobblestone street.
"Whoa," Donna whispered, and leaned heavily against him. "It's bumpier than I expected."
The Doctor wrapped his arm around her waist. "Don't worry, I've got you."
"Thanks," she whispered.
They rode in near silence, taking in the views as they went along. In the city of Noel, on the planet Earth-M, Christmas was a very big deal indeed. Nearly all of the houses in the whole town were covered in lights and decorations, and residents and visitors alike toured the city in horse-drawn carriages.
"Is that Santa a hologram?" Donna asked, pointing to the display in front of little brick house on the right. A blue see-through Santa Claus walked back and forth across the yard, waving to each carriage as they passed.
"Yup," he replied, cheerfully popping the p.
"Oh, that's so cool!" She dug out her mobile and began taking photos. "Gramps will get a big kick out of this!"
"Just wait until we get to the wealthy part of town. You'll see things you could never imagine," he said, and was rewarded with a look of sheer delight on her face.
He had been to Noel plenty of times before, and so the fun for him was mostly in savoring the chance to hold Donna close without protest, and watching as she reacted to the extravagant homes and decorations around them. Her face was so expressive that he could tell which decorations were her favorites just by watching her. He loved being able to look at her uninterrupted like this, without her noticing and telling him off. She was lovely, with her ginger hair in its natural curls and her cheeks and nose tinged pink from the cold. She wore a white fluffy jumper that suited her perfectly. Warm affection for her filled his hearts, and he was unable to resist hugging her as they rode along.
She leaned further into his one-armed embrace, glancing over at him. "This is wonderful. Thank you for suggesting it, Spaceman."
"Of course." He sipped on his coffee as he settled back into watching her. Donna Noble was very special indeed, and she deserved all of the good things and happiness in the universe and more. He only wished… Well, he couldn't quite let himself think it. He was already far too attached to her, and the last thing they needed were his feelings coming between their just mates agreement. He didn't think he would survive if he told her and she didn't feel the same way. And it was pretty obvious that she didn't. She would leave him for sure, and he would be lost without her. But that didn't mean that he didn't feel it, and as he sat holding her close in the back of the carriage, he felt it even more strongly.
When the ride was over, they joined everyone in the town square for music and dancing. He was quick to ask Donna to dance with him, not wanting anyone else to ask her first. He'd seen the way some of the other men were looking at her, and he wasn't going to have that. He didn't dance as a rule, but Donna was worth breaking all of the rules for.
He held her close, his hands low on her hips as they rocked side to side in time with the music. Their bodies were pressed together in an intimate way that belied their relationship, and her cheek nearly rested against his. He could feel her warm breath on his ear. "Donna," he said softly, "are you having fun?"
"I am," she replied. "This is like something out of a fairy-tale."
He smiled and looked down into her eyes. "I'm glad. I want you to enjoy your time with me. It's not all bad things, right? We do have fun sometimes."
She looked up at him, concerned. "Of course we have fun. I always enjoy my time with you, Doctor, even when things go wrong. You know that, don't you?"
He shook his head shyly. "Do you really mean that? You wouldn't rather be somewhere else, or...with someone else?"
"Doctor." She tightened her arms around his shoulders. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else but by your side. I told you that I'm staying with you forever, remember? You've got no reason to worry about me leaving. What's brought this on?"
"Nothing. You just… You make my life...better. More worth it." He swallowed thickly. "I just want to make sure that I'm doing the same for you, and that you're happy with me."
"I am. Of course I am. Do you want to know how happy I am with you?" She stopped swaying and pulled him into a proper hug, cradling him against her. "I'm happier with you than I've ever been in my life. You've shown me that there's so much more out there. And I know that I matter to you, in a way that I didn't...before."
The Doctor didn't reply as he held her close, nearly overwhelmed by his emotions.
"Are you okay?" she asked, after he had been silent for several seconds.
The Doctor snapped out of his thoughts at the concern in her voice. "Yeah, fine. I don't know what came over me just then. I'm sorry." He shook his head and blinked. "Um… Do you want to go get some nibbles or would you rather keep dancing?"
"Nibbles sound good, but first I want to do this." Donna leaned up on her toes and framed his face with her hands. She kissed him gently, and her lips were so, so warm against his despite the chilly weather. Her blessed human warmth. It only took him a second to respond, and then her lips seemed to match and counter his perfectly. He was nearly unable to think with his love for her flooding his systems, but then she pulled away and smiled at him. "I know a lovesick man when I see one," she teased, and winked dramatically.
"W-w- Wha-" he stammered, but she grabbed his hand before he could get anything coherent out, and pulled him along after her towards the buffet table. All he could do was grin as he forced his legs to move. His appetite was gone, but he was suddenly past ready to finish up their current adventure and start a new one as soon as they went back to the TARDIS.