Because You're Special - Chapter Fifteen
Because You're Special
Beanpole of a Prince Charming
"…did I hear the cloister bell?"
Donna raced to her Doctor and slapped him soundly. Twice. "Did you hear the bell? Did you hear the bell!" She screamed, suddenly feeling better with a less frightening target for her rage. "It started going off hours ago? What? Can't hear with those big ears, dumbo?"
"Human women…" He frowned, adding flatly, "stop overreacting." He reached for her shoulders as if to steady her or calm her.
"Overreacting? I was half-way blown to smithereens! And a Belgium-sized chunk of Spain was almost…" Donna anger began fading and tears started pressing at the back of her eyelids. She grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket and buried her face in his chest. It had been a rough night. Donna needed a hug, right now, from her Doctor.
"Right then," The Doctor said quietly, hesitantly putting an arm around her. "I assume the danger to the universe is past?"
"At least that danger…" Donna shoved him back, trying not to look like she'd been crying. Of course, the truth was stained on his jacket. "That little Scottish man-what did Ace call him?-the Professor, he sorted it."
The Doctor sighed, pulling a plaid handkerchief from a hidden jacket pocket and handing it to her. Instead of feeling gentlemanly, there was awkwardness to the gesture. Donna was reminded yet again that this Doctor was somewhat lacking in social skills.
She took the handkerchief, blew her nose into it loudly, handed it back and looked at him. "James…"
"Yeah…?" He stared at the wet handkerchief and then looked into her face. His eyes were blue, wise and sad, but Donna could see that darkness, the Creepy Doctor's darkness, behind them. It frightened her. It also made her terribly sad. He hadn't asked for that side of himself. The Professor had been ashamed of it, and Donna bet that James was too.
Donna felt a sudden surge of sympathy for the Doctor. It was the sort of feeling one got when someone you loved was in trouble and you'd give anything to make it better but you didn't know how. It reminded her of the heart-breaking sensation Donna felt every time she sat in the hospital with her Mum and waited to see how the Dad's surgery or chemo went.
A good assistant, the Professor had said, might let the Doctor redeem himself. It was clear that someone needed to save the Doctor-from his darker nature-or at least hold his hand to keep him from falling over the edge. But how could Donna make any difference? She was nothing. And certainly not strong enough to hold a powerful alien to a moral and sane life. Must be that was Rose's job…after all, the Doctor loved her. He wouldn't do anything to endanger Rose's affection. Rose would keep him sane.
Donna cleared away all the chaos in her head and gripped her Doctor by the arms. "I don't know how to tell you this…"
"I'm not the Father!" James announced, his eyes wide.
"What?" Donna froze, struggling to follow his train of thought. "What in, time and space, are you babbling about?"
"You were just going to…" And he froze as well. As if he wasn't sure exactly why he'd automatically gone to whatever awkward conclusion he'd reached. Donna had never actually seen a grown man blush but she thought she saw some redness about his cheeks and ears. But why?
She laughed, almost hysterically when she finally realized. After the night from hell, this was too much. "You think I'm pregnant? I don't even have a boyfriend…Don't be daft."
"Fine then," The Doctor said irritatedly. His manner at that moment would have been called pouting if he wasn't a heroic-alien thing. "Glad we have that established."
"And why would you think, that I think, that you're the father? We're not…" Donna paused, flustered even as she giggled to herself, "we're not a couple."
"Never." The Doctor added immediately.
That stung a little. Donna squared her jaw. Of course, she didn't want to be romanced by an alien that was pretty much stalking her-and he was a beanpole of a Prince Charming to begin with-but it always hurt when someone reminded Donna that she was only average looking. Mum did it all the time, Nerys, random men she tried to take out on dates…so really, she should be used to it. Besides, it wasn't like she wanted to win beauty pageants. "Never ever. 'Cause you're just an alien and I'm not into aliens."
"Good."
"Fine." Donna replied snappily, "But need I remind you, oh savior of the universe, that I wasn't the one who brought up the topic."
He blushed slightly, but only spoke with a flat tone and aggressive body-language, "You were really drunk last time… by the way, I don't run about with pregnant women. Its domestic and I don't do domestic."
Donna feeling snappy, retorted, "Why? Cramp your style?"
"Yes, actually." There was something guarded about his expression.
"No. I think we can safely rule out pregnancy as the big secret discovery I've made tonight." Donna brushed some hair out of her face. "I think-maybe-I don't know really…but, I think I'm a Time Lord."