Chapter Ten: Belle of the Ball
Donna laughed and held onto the TARDIS console as they flew through time and space. "Do you even have your license to fly this thing?" she asked the Doctor.
Rose stretched across two panels and nudged a control, and their flight smoothed out considerably. "Would you believe he failed the driving test?"
"No!"
The Doctor stuck his tongue out at her sarcasm.
"Oh, very mature, Spaceman," Donna gibed. "How old are you, twelve?"
"Add two zeroes on the end, and you'll come close," he retorted.
Donna's eyes widened, but she didn't know why that should be a surprise. He was an alien, after all—who knew how his species aged? She looked speculatively at Rose, wondering if her "not exactly" human status meant she would live as long as the Doctor did.
They reached their destination before she could really follow that line of thought, and Donna straightened her sleeveless top and slung her bag over her shoulder.
"One more thing before we go out there," Rose said.
Donna stopped with one foot on the ramp and turned around. "What's that?"
"Do you have your mobile on you?"
Donna frowned in confusion, but dug in her bag and placed it in Rose's outstretched hand. "I just thought I'd take a few pictures."
"Hmmm… We can do better than your mobile for that," Rose muttered absently as she pointed her sonic screwdriver at the phone. "Doctor?"
"Ah, yes."
Donna looked back and forth at her friends, one of them messing with her phone, the other rummaging in a drawer. "What are the two of you up to?" she asked finally.
Rose smiled brightly as she slid her sonic screwdriver back into her bag. "It was time we gave you an upgrade," she explained. "Universal roaming—gives you a signal from almost anywhere. And!" She flipped the phone open and tapped at it for a few moments, then handed it back to Donna. "I just added my number to your contacts."
"You have a mobile." Donna didn't know why she was surprised, but somehow, she was.
Rose reached into her bag again and pulled out a sleek phone with a glass face. "Yep! A few years ahead of yours, but I wanted one with a good camera. Speaking of, Doctor?"
The Doctor grinned and handed Donna a small digital camera. "This will take much better pictures than your phone," he explained. "And now, if we're ready…"
Donna shook her head and dropped the camera and her phone into her bag. Of course they had better technology than she was used to—they probably had all sorts of futuristic gizmos. She wasn't going to let her confusion get in the way of her shopping day.
"Oh, I am definitely ready for this," she exclaimed as she jogged down the ramp and pulled open the TARDIS doors. Warm sunlight hit her face, and she sighed in delight.
"Welcome to Anguin," the Doctor said after locking the TARDIS tight. "It's just what you asked for last night—someplace warm, with lots of shopping."
Donna grinned at the Doctor and Rose. After they'd taken a wander down memory lane, showing her their photo albums, they'd asked where she'd wanted to go next. With the cold of the Ood Sphere still settled in her bones, "someplace warm" had slipped from her lips before she even thought about it.
Donna reached into her bag and pulled out the oversized pair of sunglasses she'd tucked away that morning. "Right, you two. What do I need to know about intergalactic shopping?" She looked around at the alien city, with the business signs all translated into English.
"Well, you'll need money for one thing," the Doctor said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver stick about four inches long. "Credit stick, with 10,000 galactic standard credits."
To the Doctor's surprise, instead of taking the money right away, Donna crossed her arms and pursed her lips. "Donna?" he said uncertainly. "You want to go shopping, don't you?"
"I haven't had a job in weeks."
The Doctor blinked at the seeming non-sequitur, but Rose plucked the credit stick from his fingers and pressed it into Donna's hand. "Yes, you have," she said firmly. "You save the universe with us. We don't have a benefits package and sometimes, the hours are lousy. But we do try to offer some compensation, outside of the exotic travel destinations."
Donna bit the side of her cheek and tapped the credit stick against her palm, then suddenly she smiled at Rose. "All right then." She dropped it into her bag, then pushed her sunglasses back up on her nose. "Come on then, don't just stand there! The shops are waiting!"
Rose laughed and linked her arm with Donna's, and the Doctor shoved his hands in his pockets and walked a few steps behind them. Thank you, for understanding Donna's worry and reassuring her, he told Rose. I'm rubbish at that.
Rose looked at him over her shoulder and winked. Yeah, but you have other talents to make up for it.
As they made their way from the outskirts of town into the main shopping district, he realised the city was quite a bit busier than usual. He had to speed up to not lose sight of Donna and Rose on the crowded walkway. Then Rose slowed down and beckoned for him to join them, so he jogged forward and took her hand.
"Is it just me, or does Anguin look a bit more festive than it did the last time we were here?" She pointed to the garlands of apples and dried wheat stalks adorning the lampposts and brick buildings.
The Doctor frowned and turned in a slow circle, tuning into his time senses as he did. When he pinpointed the date, he grinned and bounced lightly on his toes. "Oh, it's Lammas!" he chirped, happy with the serendipitous landing.
"Lammas?" Donna said. "Like the old holiday in August?"
He nodded. "You'll find echoes of Earth holidays throughout the galaxy," he explained. "Either things colonists brought with them, or things expatriates brought home with them after a stint of life on Earth."
Donna arched an eyebrow, but didn't argue. "All right then, what's this Lammas like?" she asked.
The Doctor started walking again, following the crowds of people walking through the streets towards the palace at the heart of the city. "It's a festival. Food and games on the palace lawn all afternoon, then a ball inside the palace in the evening that's open to every citizen of the province."
"A ball?" Donna's eyes sparkled with excitement. "An alien ball in a royal palace?"
"I think that's what I said, yeah," the Doctor teased. "That all right with you, Donna Noble?"
Donna raised an eyebrow. "You won't be laughing when you realise what that means. I've got a credit stick in my pocket and a party tonight. We're going dress shopping."
oOoOoOoOo
"You didn't buy a dress this afternoon," the Doctor commented to Rose as he pulled on his crisp, white tuxedo shirt. "Are you going to browse the wardrobe room instead?"
Rose cracked open the door to the ensuite and peeked out at him, one loose curl brushing against the curve of her cheek. "Nope!" she said cheerfully. "I have a dress that I've been saving for the right occasion."
The Doctor craned his neck, trying to see into the other room for a glimpse of this dress, but Rose laughed and closed the door firmly between them. He sighed and ignored the anticipation coiling in his stomach, focusing on getting himself ready to go instead.
He was leaning down, peering in Rose's vanity mirror and getting his hair to stand up just right when the ensuite door opened again. Before he could turn around, Rose issued a silent request for him to stay where he was. He could hear the whisper of silk as she walked across the room, and he tapped his fingers against her vanity while he waited for her to be reflected in the mirror.
A moment later, she appeared behind him, a vision in shimmering silk. The Doctor sucked in a breath and spun around, his mouth gaping open.
"Do you like it?" Rose ran her hand down the front of her dress, drawing his attention to the way the colour shifted through shades of blue from deep cobalt to pale sky blue before fading into a pearlescent white skirt. She took a step towards him, and the soft skirt swished around her calves as she walked.
"You're gorgeous, love." When he held his hand out for her, Rose took it and twirled slowly under his arm before sliding into his embrace. He caught some of the dress between his thumb and forefinger, enjoying the cool, slippery texture. "Ekbrilon silk?" he asked, noticing how the light caught and reflected off the fabric.
Rose nodded, and the curls piled loosely on top of her head shifted with the movement. "Like I said, I've been saving it for the right occasion."
The Doctor ran his fingertips along the line of her right shoulder, left bare by the strapless dress. Then he traced a line over her clavicle to rest over her breastbone, smiling when the touch pulled a shiver from Rose.
He reached back to the vanity and picked up the new necklace the TARDIS had left out. "Well, now I know why she suggested you wear this today," he said, holding up the string of blue topaz, sapphires, and diamonds. Rose reached out and touched the delicate necklace, then turned around so he could put it on for her.
When she turned back around, he held up his arms, demonstrating his still undone cuffs. "Help me out now?"
Rose tilted her head and frowned slightly at the Doctor. He was more than capable of putting on his own cufflinks, so why… "Oh!"
He nodded and handed her the box containing his anniversary gift. "I haven't had a chance to wear them yet. That might be part of the reason we're going to a ball tonight, actually."
Warmth spread through Rose as she took the first cufflink and fastened it on his left wrist. "I'd never designed jewellery before," she said as she snapped it into place, then moved onto his right wrist. The white point star at the centre of the rose was dazzling.
"I love them," the Doctor told her. He twisted his left arm so he could see the cufflink and ran his finger over the Gallifreyan characters engraved around the base of the piece.
Rose sighed when he reached for her, cupping her face in his hands. His thumbs stroked her cheekbones, and she shifted closer to him, resting her hands over his hearts. "You are my forever, Rose," he whispered, then he lowered his lips to meet hers.
The kiss was soft and tender, inviting Rose to melt into his embrace. But when she slid her hand up over his chest and didn't find the lapel of his jacket to grab onto, she remembered he still wasn't ready to go. Reluctantly, she stepped back, putting her fingers over his lips when he tried to kiss her again.
"Let's get your bowtie done and your jacket on, and then I bet Donna is already waiting for us in the console room."
oOoOoOoOo
The royal ballroom was everything Donna had dreamed of. A gleaming wood floor for dancing, sparkling chandeliers hanging from above, floor to ceiling windows with the curtains currently pulled back to let in the remaining daylight… She craned her neck and spotted groups of tables off to the side of the room, where tired dancers could sit and enjoy punch or refreshments.
"Oh, it's brilliant!" she breathed.
The Doctor chuckled. "Anguin is definitely a beautiful planet," he agreed.
Donna watched the couples dancing and ran her hand over her blue and green dress. She'd purchased it with the thought that its swishy skirt would be perfect for dancing, but going to a formal ball with her married and very much in love friends, she expected to be the third wheel.
The Doctor looked from her to the dance floor to Rose, and Donna sighed. However, just as she opened her mouth to tell them they should go dance and not worry about her, a tall, handsome man with dark curls approached them.
He bowed, just slightly, then smiled at Donna. "I hope you forgive my boldness, but when I saw you enter, I knew I needed to introduce myself. I am Regan."
"Donna. Donna Noble."
His smile revealed white, perfectly straight teeth. "Donna Noble, would you honour me with a dance?"
"I'd love to!" she answered, taking Regan's hand and letting him lead her onto the floor. Once they were in position, she glanced around and spotted Rose and the Doctor just a few yards away. Then the music started, and she focused her attention on her partner.
The steps were new to her, but Regan deftly led her through the moves, and after one turn around the dance floor, Donna was keeping up with most of the other couples.
"You have learned very quickly, Donna," Regan praised. "Most off-worlders take more time to grasp the basic footwork of this dance."
Donna cocked her head and looked at him. "Hang on. How did you know I'm an off-worlder?"
Regan chuckled and gestured to Donna's hair. "You and the friend you came with both have pale hair. Every native Anguinne has dark hair."
Donna glanced around the ballroom. There were a few people with blonde or red hair, but most of them were shades of brown. "Well, that explains why the dress shops were so excited when I was looking for a dress this afternoon," she muttered, more to herself than anything.
Rose caught her eye and winked as they passed each other on the dance floor, and Donna laughed merrily. When the dance was done, another man took Regan's place, and she finally accepted that her prediction for the evening had apparently been completely wrong.
The second dance ended, and to her surprise, Rose walked over to her and held her hand out. "Would you like to dance?"
Donna had noticed that the locals didn't seem to care about the sex of their dance partners. Still, she hesitated. "Where's the Doctor?" she asked, not wanting to get in the way of their evening. "I've got plenty of people to dance with."
Rose waved in the direction of the refreshments table. "He's in line getting something for all three of us to drink after we're done dancing." She raised an eyebrow. "Assuming you want to dance, that is."
Donna leaned back so she could peer around the crowd and spotted the Doctor at the end of a long line. "Absolutely," she told Rose, a wide smile crossing her face.
They took to the dance floor together and watched the other couples for a moment before copying the steps. This dance was different from the others, more like country dancing. Once they'd joined in, they both laughed. Donna spun around Rose, copying half the dancers, then Rose took her hand again and they twirled around the floor.
It was Rose's turn to spin while Donna stood in place, and she stared, mesmerised by the unique fabric. "That dress is gorgeous," she told Rose once they were hand-in-hand again. "I love the way it shimmers, like it's been sprinkled with glitter."
Rose held her skirt out with her free hand. "There's this planet called Ekbrilon," she explained, "and there's… something in the soil, something luminescent that makes the cotton and the silk sparkle." She dropped the skirt, then nodded at Donna's dress. "You look lovely, too, Donna. I didn't say earlier."
"Why, thank you," Donna said, spinning so her skirt would billow out around her, then adding a curtsey to her dance steps.
They talked and laughed for a few more turns around the floor, then Rose's expression sobered. "And how are you liking life on the TARDIS so far?"
Donna titled her head and pretended to consider, then shook her head when a frown creased Rose's forehead. "Are you kidding?" she asked. "Hot water that never runs out, the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in, and a media room that has every single episode of AbFab—including the ones that haven't been filmed yet back home. What's not to love about this life?"
Rose raised an eyebrow. "Getting kidnapped by priestesses and tied to an altar for sacrifice? Handcuffed to a pipe and nearly electrocuted by the power of an alien mind and his translator ball? I don't know… things like that, maybe."
Donna rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but we talked about that. You have to take the bad with the good, right?" She gestured around the ballroom. "And believe me, from where I'm standing right now, the good definitely outweighs the bad."
"Excellent!" A relieved smile crossed Rose's face, but a moment later, it faded when she caught sight of something over Donna's shoulder. "Of course, that could all change in an instant," she muttered. "The Doctor is over there, talking to the crown princess. This is the part where he'll either impress her with his knowledge and she'll invite him to become her chief advisor or something, or he'll unwittingly stumble into some kind of social faux pas and insult her." She smiled wryly at Donna. "What I'm saying is, be ready to run."
oOoOoOoOo
The Doctor sighed impatiently when the person in front of him at the refreshments table ordered so many drinks they had to give her a tray. But finally, it was his turn, and he got three glasses of the sparkling punch Rose had requested.
Holding them carefully, he walked along the edge of the ballroom to the small alcove where tables were set up. He found three empty chairs and set the glasses down before taking a seat.
From where he sat, he could watch Rose and Donna as they swished together around the ballroom. A ginger and a blonde dancing together were easily the most striking pair on the dance floor. Judging by the looks they garnered from the Anguinne as they moved together, he wasn't the only one who thought so.
"Is this seat taken?" a stranger asked, pulling him away from his pleasant observations.
The Doctor blinked and looked at the young woman. His eyes widened when he recognised the tiara that declared her status as the crown princess. "No, Your Highness. I'm saving these two," he added, gesturing to the chairs on either side of him, "but that one is free."
She nodded, then pulled the chair out and sat down across from him. "You are not from our world," she observed. The Doctor frowned, and she pointed to the floor. "I saw you arrive with the other off-worlders."
"Ah. No, we're travellers." The Doctor waved at Rose as she and Donna swept past them. "Rose and I wanted to take Donna to a real alien ball in a royal palace, so… here we are."
The princess watched the women for a moment, then sighed wistfully. "Your wives are… very beautiful."
"Oh, I'm only married to the blonde," the Doctor corrected automatically. "Donna is our friend."
The princess blushed. "I apologise for my mistake."
The Doctor shook his head and nodded at Rose and Donna. "I suppose, with them both wearing blue they look like a couple who'd planned complementary outfits."
"And they are obviously at ease with each other." The princess looked at the women, then at the Doctor. "And… Does Donna have someone at home waiting for her?"
The Doctor opened his mouth to say no, but just in time he caught the speculative gleam in the princess' eyes and remembered one small bit of Anguinne culture he'd almost forgotten.
He nodded fervently. "Excellent bloke named Lee," he rambled, grabbing the first name that popped into his head. "Absolutely head over heels for her. He's planning to ask her to marry him the next time we're home—can't get him to talk about anything else."
Meet me at the door, he told Rose.
With one last smile for the princess, the Doctor stood up. "If you'll excuse me, Your Highness, I forgot that Rose asked for something to eat along with her drink."
The princess blinked and opened her mouth, presumably to protest his hasty departure, but the Doctor didn't stay to hear what she had to say. He skirted around the edge of the dance floor before she could realise he wasn't going to the refreshments table after all, and was relieved to find Donna and Rose at the door, like he'd requested.
"Come on," he said in a low voice, taking Rose's hand in his right and Donna's in his left. "Back to the TARDIS."
They nodded at the guards as they passed through the outer gate, and he breathed a little easier once they were in the street. Still, he kept them going at a fast pace through the empty streets, not wanting to be detained.
"Oi! Slow down!" Donna protested, pulling her hand from his. "Some of us are wearing heels, you know."
The Doctor shook his head impatiently and looked back up the street. "I'm sorry, Donna, but you really want to get to the TARDIS."
"And why's that?" she challenged, her hands on her hips. "Rose said you might accidentally insult the princess. What did you say to ruin our evening?"
The Doctor scowled at her. "If it's anyone's fault, it's yours," he snapped. "There's a tradition on Anguin that the crown princess can marry any unattached person she chooses, and she took a fancy to you."
"How'd she know I'm unattached?" Donna threw her hands up in the air. "How do all the aliens always know I'm single? Is there some kind of invisible sign that reads, "Human female, single?"
"Well actually if you must know, she assumed the three of us were married," the Doctor retorted, exasperated by her questioning. "I forgot about that tradition, or I wouldn't have corrected her."
Rose laughed, while Donna gaped at him. The Doctor rolled his eyes and raked his hands through his hair. "I doubt she'll go to the effort of sending guards after us, given that she hadn't even been introduced to you yet. But I'd really rather not be proven wrong. So, could we maybe pick up the pace and get back to the TARDIS, before Rose and I are left to execute a rescue operation?"
The sarcastic tone of his voice pulled Donna out of her daze. "Yeah. Yeah, of course."
"Good!"
The TARDIS was only another five minutes away, and Donna tapped her toes anxiously while he unlocked the doors. As soon as the door was open, she pushed past the Doctor into the TARDIS. He looked at Rose and rolled his eyes as they followed after her.
"Eager enough to be back now, are we?"
Donna rested her hands on the console and leaned forward. "Well, I'm flattered by all the interest, but I'm not keen on staying on an alien planet the rest of my life. So if you could maybe get us out of here?"
The Doctor snapped a mocking salute, then he spun around the console and put the TARDIS in the Vortex. He watched Rose as he moved, feeling her amusement close to bubbling over and wondering what she was thinking.
She didn't make him wonder long. As soon as they stopped, she leaned back on the console and grinned at Donna. "So. First time being propositioned by a member of an alien species. How do you feel about that milestone, Donna?"
Donna had been brushing invisible bits of lint off her chiffon skirt, but at that question, her hands stilled. She looked at Rose through narrowed eyes. "You mean things like this happen… a lot?"
Rose shrugged. "I wouldn't say a lot, but yeah. We've all been chatted up now and then."
Donna snorted and shook her head. "Well I didn't travel with you as some kind of… alternative dating site." She tipped her head and tapped her finger on her chin. "Although… my mum would go mad if I married some bloke from outer space."
"Welllll…" the Doctor drawled. "If it helps, I told the princess you were almost engaged to someone named Lee. Something to keep your eye out for, maybe?"
Rose chuckled, then spun around and sashayed towards the corridor leading to their bedroom. "I'm gonna change into something comfy, then maybe we can meet in the media room for another first, Donna—your first glimpse of intergalactic cable."
