#noble4ever

Donna watched with cold interest as Rose stood between the Doctor and his duplicate at the console. Ugh, it irritated her to pieces! It was as if the girl was treating them as a tag team. If she simpered any more than she currently was at the little love triangle Donna’d be in serious danger of doing herself an injury; or Rose Tyler. Given the choice, she’d rather Rose got booted out of the scene.

  “Are you okay, Donna?” Martha suddenly asked her; bringing her out of her musings.

  Doing her best to smile brightly, Donna answered, “I’m fine. Just thinking.”

  “Anything to do with a certain blonde over there hanging all over the Doctor when she can?” Martha wondered knowingly.

  “No,” Donna hastily denied. “But I can understand what your problem with her was quite clearly now.”

  “I thought you would,” Martha confessed. They both tried not to watch the girl in question stand dreamily looking up at the Doctor. “I had a lot to compete with.”

  Donna nodded her acknowledgement of this. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone act so much like a limpet before. She would crawl inside his socks if she could.”

  Martha immediately burst out laughing, drawing many eyes briefly towards them. “You are far too funny,” she remarked. “Correct, but cruel.”

  “Yeah, either you’ve got it or you ain’t,” Donna crowed in triumph; glad that she had made her friend laugh. It was more than she was internally doing in that moment. “Do you think...? No, of course he wouldn’t.”

  “Wouldn’t what?” Martha wondered. “Tell me what you were going to ask.”

  With a pathetic little shrug, Donna answered, “Do you think he will dump me now that she’s back?”

  “Oh,” Martha groaned out in understanding. She then glanced towards where Rose was currently enjoying the joint nearness of both Doctors. “She sort of gives you the impression she wouldn’t let anyone else near him. I don’t think I’ve seen her talk to anyone else yet beyond her mum.”

  “Not since we all got back in the TARDIS,” Donna agreed. “I’m doomed, ain’t I?”

  “No! He wouldn’t just leave you,” Martha tried to disagree, but her tone was nowhere near to being convincing. “Okay, he might, without meaning to.”

  A deep sigh escaped Donna’s lips. “That’s what I thought. I mean, look at her. Just because she’s all bottle blonde hair, insanely young, and giving him all the cutie cute, that doesn’t make her better than me.”

  “He is enjoying it all though,” Martha pointed out. “If he didn’t, he’d have pushed her away by now.”

  “Yes.” Donna really shouldn’t have sounded so wistful as she said that. Aiming to sound jokier, she asked, “I wonder if there’s any rat poison in the TARDIS kitchen?”

  “Donna!” Martha shrieked in merriment, clasping her hand over her mouth in shock. 

  It was the Duplicate Doctor who sauntered over to join them and find out what the joke was. “Hello, ladies. What’s going on that I’m missing out on?”

  “Oh, nothing much. We were just saying we ought to go and make some tea. It’s time for your snack, Fido,” Donna fondly told him.

  “Fido?” he questioned with a grin. He leaned to whisper naughtily, “Now that you’ve seen me naked, shouldn’t you be calling me King Dick?”

  With a slap to his shoulder, she retorted, “You saucy sod! I’m almost your mother.”

  “If giving up your DNA like that makes you my mother then Rose is the mother of a Dalek,” he countered.

  The image was too much for both Martha and Donna. Their joint peals of laughter rang out; especially when Donna added, “And to think I thought your birth was painful. Imagine getting that eye stalk out.”

  It became too much for Martha. “I can’t cope with this,” she commented, wiping the tears of laughter away from her eyes. “I’m going to go and put the kettle on.”

  “Okay. We’ll be with you in a moment,” the Duplicate Doctor assured her as she walked away.

  Having watched her go, Donna quietly turned to him and asked, “Okay.... Dick. What did you want to talk to me about, because you obviously have something on your mind?”

  “It’s about Rose,” he hesitantly began.

  “Oh gawd! Here it comes; the big brush off,” she huffed out.

  Inevitably he glared at her. “Listen, Mum,” he snarled back, emphasising the second word just to irk her. “I am not dismissing you. I’ve come over here to get some sympathy.”

  “Have you? Oh, I’m sorry, love,” she calmed to say sincerely. “What’s the problem?”

  “That,” he stated, briefly pointing to where Rose was goofily smiling at the Doctor again at the console. “I don’t think she likes me. All she’s done is gawp at him.”

  “Give over!” Donna scoffed. “I’ve been standing here watching her, and she’s been just as eager towards you, if you’d just take the time to look. It must feel like all her Christmases have come true for her, wedged as she has been between the two of you. If she got any nearer, she’d have been licking your face.”

  A slow, sly grin spread across his face. “You’re jealous,” he quietly accused her.

  “Don’t talk wet! Of course I’m not,” she instantly countered. Far too quickly. “Why would I be jealous of her?”

  He adjusted his jacket sleeve. “Just look at me. You’d be jealous of anyone who managed to get this close.”

  Inevitably she swatted his arm. “Get over yourself, and go make us that cup of tea. People are gasping here. Any moment now I’ll be spitting feathers.”

  “Do feathers get involved in cat fights? I thought it’d be fur,” he cheekily wondered, and then held up his hands in surrender when she went to swat him again. “I’m going. There’s no need to get violent. There’s plenty of me to go around.”

  “Yeah, keep telling yourself that, mate!” she muttered as she followed him out of the console room and towards the kitchen. “That’s if anyone else is allowed a look in,” she added much more quietly. 

  The Doctor instantly looked up, ignoring whatever it was that Rose was currently saying to him. “Excuse me for one moment,” he apologised as he started to walk away.

  “Where are you going?” she wanted to know, as he had expected her to.

  A vague response was given. “I need to sort something important out immediately.”

  Unwilling to have him leave her side, she offered, “I’ll come too.”

  “There’s no need,” he pleasantly countered. “Unless you want to take over the tea making duties with Martha?”

  “No, I’ll just stay here and talk to Mum,” Rose declined. 

  Nodding his agreement, he strode away to the kitchen without looking back, despite her giving him a little wave of encouragement. His mind was on other things.

  Donna had just picked up a knife and was about to cut into a cake when the Doctor popped his head around the edge of the doorway and asked, “Donna, can I have a quick word?”

  Absolute dread filled her heart, but she forced herself to cheerily reply, “Of course.”

  The Duplicate Doctor gave her shoulder a consoling pat as she walked by him, and she smiled in resignation back at him. This was it; it was the end of yet another temp position and she was about to get her marching orders.

  Outside in the corridor, the Doctor beckoned her to follow him. “Let’s go in the library. It’ll be quieter in there.”

  ‘Not if I start crying all over you,’ she couldn’t help thinking. “Where do you want to sit? At the reading table,” she queried.

  He cast his gaze about the room. “No, I think the sofa will be better for our purposes.”

  Oh dear! He wasn’t going to be formal about it, but would rather use the caring friend approach. This was definitely going to break her heart, and she hoped he had a clean hankie in his pocket because she might be needing it any moment now. 

  They sat down at opposite ends of one of the more comfortable sofas that graced the TARDIS library. “You’re being unusually quiet,” she decided to bravely open the conversation with. “That bad, eh? When you propose to Rose you’ll have to be more talkative than this.”

  He sucked in a breath. “About Rose, Donna....”

  Unknowingly, she immediately screwed up her face as she waited for the mental blow.

  “You don’t like her, do you?” he stated more than questioned.

  “It’s not as if I’ve had the chance to get to know her beyond all the Secret Squirrel stuff she pulled on me in that alternate universe. She’s hardly said a word in my direction since, and has glued herself to your arm,” Donna defended herself. 

  He slid along the leather of the sofa. “Are you jealous?” he mischievously asked.

  “Geroff! What is it with you two? Your duplicate said exactly the same thing. I know you’ve never been short of a bit of ego, but you’ve suddenly gained loads of it. Is this the effect Rose has on you? No wonder you pissed off Queen Victoria.” Donna stopped talking as she realised that he wasn’t arguing his case. “Ah. Well I guess I just accidentally offered my resignation. No doubt it will be a ‘don’t let the door hit you in the bum’ as I walk out of here. There’ll be no need to call security; I know the drill for this sort of thing. We can’t have Dame Rose Tyler of TARDIS being dissed, can we, and survive to tell the tale.” Then to his surprise, she stuck out her hand for him to shake. “It’s been nice knowing you, but don’t invite me to the christening.”

  The offered hand was taken, but he didn’t shake it. Instead, he kept a possessive hold of it. “Is that really what you thought I brought you in here for?” he wondered incredulously. “I have no intention of keeping Rose here or making you leave.”

  “Could have fooled me,” she almost bit back. “Rose is back in the TARDIS, just where she wants to be, and nothing ain’t stopping her.”

  “You are jealous,” he happily wheezed. “Donna Noble, I never thought I’d see this day.”

  “Make the most of it, because you won’t see it again,” she huffed in embarrassment. “And give me back my hand!”

  “No,” he stated firmly. 

  “What do you mean, ‘no’?!” she complained. 

  “I mean ‘no’, as in, ‘no’,” he restated. “No, you haven’t given in your resignation. No, I am not going to ask you to leave the TARDIS. No, Rose will not be staying here. No, there will not be a wedding, let alone a christening, between me and Rose Tyler. And no, you cannot have your hand back. Well, not until you answer my question.”

  “What question?” she asked as he slid slightly nearer.

  Can you hear me, his voice asked in her head. If you can, can you feel this? 

  A strong calming wave of emotion rode over her, and she blinked in confusion. Was that you?

  Yes! He slid closer still, happiness shining in his eyes. I’ve been dreaming of this happening at least since we connected on the Oodsphere; but especially since we met Agatha Christie and you kissed me. Oh that kiss! Good grief, woman. You have a powerful weapon amongst your wiles.

  But... But... You didn’t like my womanly wiles, she pushed at him in desperation. You said I had to save them.

  I did, he admitted. I wasn’t going to have some random yob benefitting from them before I even got the chance to. You have no idea how often I have fought off other men’s interest in you along the way. But now I finally have the chance to comply with known laws and tell you how I feel.

  Laws? she repeated, thinking about the words she had flippantly said to Jenny.

  Time Lord laws, he stated, pulling her gently towards him. Now that you are part Time Lord, this is allowed. You have taken in my name; we are fully bonded.

  Fully? she saucily queried, raising an eyebrow. Am I missing something important here?

  In response, he playfully waggled his eyebrows. Oh I’m sure we could find a way to bond a bit more fully in ways you’d like.

  There goes that ego again, she remarked as his lips eased forward and met hers, in a glorious searing kiss.

  A kiss that quickly extended into mouthing, groaning, and declarations of love as they moved on each other.

  “Where is he?!”

  “No don’t go in there, Rose,” the Duplicate Doctor could easily be heard to say just as two people crashed into the library.

  There was a horrified shriek. “Doctor!”

  “I told you not to,” the Duplicate Doctor stated in exasperation.

  Another person bowled in behind him. “Oh, they’re finally together,” Martha remarked behind him, on seeing the kissing Time couple on the sofa. “About time too. Come on, Rose. Leave them alone.”

  “I was here first!” Rose practically screamed. “And get your hands off me!”

  “Not likely,” the Duplicate Doctor retorted. “Donna would never forgive me if you stopped them now.”

  “Why?! What’s so special about not stopping her getting her claws off him?” Rose petulantly queried.

  He rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Because they just got properly married. D’uh! Don’t you know anything about Gallifreyans?”

  He shot a look towards Martha, and she smirked back. 

  She may not have captured the Doctor’s interest but at least she could enjoy Rose failing to do so too. “I fancy some wedding cake. What do you say?”

  A brief glance towards the happy couple confirmed that they wouldn’t be up for air for a good while yet. “I could definitely go a slice of wedding cake. What about you Rose?”

  “I want to go home,” she flatly stated.

  “Then let’s organise that first,” he happily proposed, dragging her form out of the library. “And then we can get on with the celebrations.”

  Still feigning being oblivious, the happy couple continued to snog the living daylights out of each other.

  The children are playing up again, Donna casually remarked.

Junior can cope with everything for now. I’ll deal with them later, the Doctor idly promised.