A/N: a small swear word crept in. Sorry about that.

Chapter 4

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"Why did you do that?" John berated himself via the bathroom mirror, toothbrush in hand. "Stupid prick! You don't just go around trying to kiss a celebrity in your home, even if they are stood in little more than your pyjama top; and especially if they are about to sob in your arms."

"Dad? Are you alright in there?" came from outside.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just telling myself off for almost cutting myself shaving," he called back. "I'll be out in a minute."

"Okay then. Meet you downstairs." But Jenny wasn't convinced by his answer. She glanced towards his usual bedroom door and the made her way down to grab something for breakfast.

Several hours later, John stood buttering bread for sandwiches as Donna animatedly chatted with Jenny at the kitchen table half a metre away. It was taking all his effort to keep the sneer off his face, let alone hide the fact he'd been listening in to their conversation.

Going to visit the studio, were they? Bring your friends from school, can she?

All these offerings were being practically thrown at his daughter, and what did he get? Nothing. Just the task of preparing lunch for them all. Was this his punishment for trying to kiss Donna earlier? It had been a moment of madness, not some planned out seduction, so he didn't deserve to be overlooked like this.

After all, he'd spent the morning making sure she wasn't alone with him, keeping her safe from any unwanted attentions. Jenny had been a willing participant in his new plans, primarily because Donna had given her every opportunity to bond together. The pair were now practically inseparable. At first, he hadn't minded playing gooseberry but, truth be told, he was now rather fed up with being pushed aside in his eagerness to be a true gentleman. Instead, he wanted to get back some of the friendship that had blossomed the day before.

And then Donna had turned in his direction to give him a warm smile. He could instantly feel his heart melting. Okay, he'd been a little bit jealous of the growing relationship in front of him. He was grown up enough to admit that. But that smile Donna had offered him promised something special between them, for later. She hadn't forgotten him after all.

With a decisive grab for a clean tea towel, he wiped his hands and declared, "Lunch is ready."

All through lunch John felt Donna's keen gaze periodically land on him, as well as gain a few brief but secretive touches under the table. Nothing salacious, please note. Just accidental nudges with a knee, wrist, or thigh. But they were enough to brighten his day by being just for him. His favourites were the fleeting touches of bare skin against his own that caused a spark to zing up his body.

They had just finished eating when the phone rang.

"That'll be for me," Donna assumed.

"Nevertheless, I shall get it," John stated as he stood from his seat. "Just in case it isn't."

Jenny and Donna watched him walk away with interest, even if it was for totally different reasons.

After making sure he was gone, Jenny cleared her throat. Good, he wasn't around to disapprove. "Do you mind if I invite Amy over for the afternoon, to see you?" Jenny asked while she had the chance.

"Of course I don't mind," Donna assured her. Battling her continuing attraction for John might benefit from having reinforcements. "Amy will be welcome to see me. But I do have a question. How will she get passed that lot outside?"

"Ah," Jenny knowingly sighed. "It would be like facing a pack of wolves. Now let me see… There's the alley that runs along the back of the houses to the garages. She can get in here that way."

"As long as she doesn't tell anyone I'm here then by all means bring her in," Donna determined. After all, two chaperones were better than one. "And that's my cue," she added as John called out her name.

"It's a Patrice," he told her as he walked back into the kitchen and handed the telephone receiver over.

"Thanks." She then turned all her attention on to the call. "Hello. I was beginning to think you'd forgotten me." She listened carefully to the other end of the line. "Hang on, I'll ask. John, where exactly are we? I need to give her the address."

"Twenty-three Totters Lane," he obediently provided.

"Did you get that? Yes, it shouldn't take me long to get home to Richmond," Donna commented. "What are you planning on doing? I can't stay here forever. As it is, I've had to borrow a pair of clean knickers."

Okay, he could have done without that mental image, he thought as the memory of loading Jenny's underwear into the washing machine came to mind. Luckily, Donna soon ended her call and was talking to him again.

"That was Patrice. She's sending Gus and his mate to come and escort me out of here. They should arrive around dusk."

Jenny bit her lip. "Where will you go after that?"

"Not sure," Donna admitted. "Probably home if not to Patrice's place."

"Will you be safe?" John croaked.

"Perfectly fine. Gus is a pro at this sort of thing. And he's built like a brick wall."

"Then we'd better make the most of having you here." John then offered, "Anyone fancy a game of Cluedo?"

There was a couple of taps on the kitchen patio doors and Jenny raced to open them. Standing there on the paving stones, looking anxious, was her friend Amy. "What the hell is going on outside your house?" she began with. "There's vans, men with cameras, and everything. Good job you suggested coming in the back way because I'd have never got passed them."

Jenny sheepishly smiled as she quickly closed the door behind their visitor. "We have important company; a guest, you see, who-"

But she was interrupted by Amy squealing with delight. "Oh my God! That's Donna Noble. You've actually got Donna Noble standing in your kitchen. How did you manage that?"

"They won me in a raffle," Donna deadpanned and stepped forward to usher the girl further in, away from any windows. "Please don't make too much fuss."

"But you're Donna Noble," Amy stuttered. "You're on the telly."

"I know." Donna took hold of Amy's arm and escorted her into the lounge. "Come and join us. We'll explain it when you've calmed down a bit."

"Can I phone my mum?"

"Only when I've gone. Until then, I need to keep this between ourselves."

"Okay. Do I get a selfie with you?"

Donna chuckled at the girl's enthusiasm. "Why not. But no posting it until later."

"I promise," Amy vowed as her phone emerged from her pocket.

They all took turns to grin for the camera with Donna and each other. John made a mental note to ask for copies later, when he got the chance.

Five hours later, after many laughs playing snakes and ladders, ludo, Jengo, and a rather vicious game of snap, their time was up. Gus and his mate Steve knocked on the door to collect Donna.

They refused to go any further than the entrance hallway, and waited patiently for Donna to collect any personal belongings she might have left upstairs.

On the one hand, she was going home to lick her wounds in private. On the other hand, she was leaving John and Jenny, her new friends.

"Rightio. This is it then. Time for me to go," Donna hesitantly announced as she stepped off the bottom step of the staircase and placed a large Sainsbury's long-life carrier bag down by her feet. Inside it, neatly rolled up, were her wedding dress and veil.

Her wedding shoes didn't exactly go with the grey jogging bottoms she still wore, but needs must and all that. Hopefully, no one would notice as she made her way to the waiting car outside. She moved reluctantly towards her hosts; passed where Gus and Steve stood quietly but menacingly in John's hallway, barring the exit until she was ready. This was just another day dealing with celebrities, as far as they were concerned.

Yet for Donna this was a much harder task. These kind people had brought her home, rescued her from public shame, and offered a great deal of comfort. Plus the delicious eye candy, her brain voiced as her eyes skimmed over John. His glum expression made her look immediately away. How could she leave him like this?

Okay, she could do this, she told herself as she approached Amy first to hug her goodbye. "It was lovely to meet you, Amy."

"Bye."

Then it was Jenny's turn to be hugged. "Oh Jenny. Thank you so much for making me feel welcome. I'll be in touch later, and you have my email address?"

"I do," Jenny confirmed, wiping away a tear as she stepped back. "I won't let you forget me."

"As if I would. And John…" Donna took in a deep breath. Why was this so hard? "I can't thank you enough for all your kindness. You made coping with this so much easier. Come here, handsome." She threw her arms around his shoulders and pressed what was supposed to be a brief kiss to his lips.

His arms immediately encircled her in an embrace and returned the kiss. There was a brief break before another kiss was placed, followed closely by another, shared with equal passion. Jenny didn't know whether to be highly embarrassed by this display or pleased as punch.

The kiss eventually ended when John reminded himself that he an audience of impressionable teens and his libido had nowhere to go once Donna left. "You're welcome," he hoarsely muttered.

"Time to go," Gus ordered, both bouncers took a protective hold of her arms and Steve opened the front door.

Several questions were thrown at her as they managed to walk down the short garden path almost in single file.

She heard, "Donna! Why were you hiding in there?!"

"I wasn't hiding. Why would I need to keep away from you lot?"

Stepping between the parked cars to reach their destination, a microphone was pushed under her nose. "There are rumours you ran off with a new man. Can you comment?"

She frowned at the reporter. "Ran off with a new man to marry him. Is that what you're all thinking? Yeah, let's go with that," she snarked. "I upgraded."

"Who's the lucky man?"

But she didn't get the chance to answer because Gus was shoving her into the backseat of a Jaguar, and the door firmly closed. So she smirked at the assembled reporters from behind the tinted windows, and enjoyed speeding away from them seconds later.

Inside the house, John had stood frozen in time for a few seconds, staring at the closed door, then tentatively brushed his lips with his fingertips, before rushing up the stairs to peek out of his bedroom window at the scene below.

Had she realised he was behind the curtains? Had she thought to look up? It was hard to tell through the tinted glass surrounding her but, deep in his heart, he really wished she had.

Out on the upstairs landing, Amy gave her friend Jenny a nudge. "Look at your dad," she whispered, lest they be heard. "Is it me, or has he got it bad?"

"I know," Jenny quietly sympathised. "I've never seen him like this."

"Do you reckon we'll be on the news later?"

"I hope not." Jenny gave her dad one last, cautious glance before ushering Amy into her bedroom. "Let's go check online."

It wasn't that he was pining or anything, John told himself. He just didn't know what to do with himself. The latest crime bestseller didn't interest him half as much as he'd hoped, so he'd flung the book down and tried to resist turning the television on. At least there would be no early evening news to avoid.

Hang on. Why was he avoiding it? They might feature a snippet about Donna. Didn't he want to know what they were saying? Or was he vain enough to worry if he were included or not? No, he told himself. He didn't need to know how the media was representing her. Everything he could ever need to know was already in his head. Except, he actually knew very little about her life outside his front door. Should he look?

In the end, he managed to hold out until the ten o'clock news came on. To reward himself for his patience, he'd allowed himself a glass of Scotland's finest i.e., a decent whisky. Taking an empowering sip of the amber nectar, he turned the local news on.

Third item in the show's run was Donna. John sat forward as her name was mentioned by Sir Trevor McDonald. "Channel Twix TV presenter Donna Noble has been found alive and well, after staying with a friend in west London." A short film of her leaving his house was shown, making the reporters laugh at the garden gate. "She fled yesterday afternoon after her fiancé jilted her at the altar."

Lance's face suddenly appeared onscreen, with a microphone shoved in his smug face. "Who knows where Donna might have gone. She's always been unpredictable like that. Just running off whenever she pleases. I heard she might have someone else." He shook his head. "I can't say I care anymore."

John had to take a hasty gulp of his drink to clear the taste of bile in his mouth. If he ever met that piece of shit, he'd punch his lights out! How dare he?!

Fortunately, the calming figure of Sir Trevor reappeared to say, "A statement hasn't been issued about her disappearance yet, or whether she will return to her afternoon programme. In sport today, Tottenham-."

It was at that point John zoned out and returned to his thoughts. Would she phone him? She had Jenny's email address. Surely they should hear from her soon. Shouldn't they? He didn't want to seem desperate, but she'd been home several hours now, and he wondered if she had got there safely.

All he could do was sigh, and gently mock himself for caring.