Fic: The Pick Up (Donna Noble/Jack Harkness) PG-13
VOTE DONNA
Crap. She's not winning. Do you need fic to convince you?
Fine.
Have fic that's been sitting on my hard drive for far too long.
Title: The Pick Up
Rating: PG-13?
Ship: Donna Noble/Captain Jack Harkness. Yep. That's right.
Summary: Jack and Donna meet in a bar.
Notes:This was supposed to be a lot longer. There was even plot. Then Children of the Earth happened. Yeah.
Get out of town for awhile. Sure, why not? Donna had always wanted to travel. Somehow, though, Cardiff wasn’t what she had in mind.
Not only that, it wasn’t even a proper holiday. Some third cousin several times removed of Mum’s needed a temporary receptionist on account of the regular girl going on an early mat leave, and before Donna had a chance to protest but the agency pays double she’d be conscripted.
Personally, I think the poor woman just needed to get out of that office.
Day after day, it was all the same; paperwork, filing, and if she was lucky, an obscure phone call to direct to a name that had a button on her phone, but no face to go with it. The stagnancy of the place was enough to drive Donna to the nearest pub most days after work. Today, though, even that regular place felt too familiar. Not enough.
She needed more.
What exactly she expected to find in this pub, she had no idea. So she’d driven to the other side of Cardiff. The view out the window of the harbour was nice, but hardly anything to write home about.
Donna wasn’t sure when she’d stopped being content with alphabetical file folders and multi-line telephones. Maybe it was around the time she’d looked around and realized all her friends were married, knocked up, or both. Or maybe it was around the time she’d been stuck in bed with the flu for a week, and apparently missed the world almost ending.
All she knew was that she’d been having dreams. Decidedly odd dreams that, no matter how vivid, always remained just past the edge of her memory when she woke up in the morning. Except that sometimes, in stark contrast to insanity of the others, her dreams held the inexplicable presence of a tall man who didn't say much, but mostly because he didn't need to for Donna to know how much he loved her.
A man in a blue shirt with a loose collar and god, were those suspenders walked through the door. He smiled and nodded his head in greeting to the bartender, and Donna felt her face heat up. Maybe the view inside the pub was worth the drive.
Donna fluffed up her hair and pulled down her jumper - just a little, no need to be a tart about it. She tossed back what was left of her drink, hoping it would give her courage and stop the headache she felt coming on.
This was exactly the type of opportunity she’d been waiting for. If she made a fool of herself - which was a strong possibility - then there’d be no one around she knew to bear witness. On the off chance that she didn’t, though… This man looked like he might just be able to help her scratch the itch for adventure that she had been there for months, now.
Donna stood up, wiping her palms, which had somehow grown sweaty, down the side of her jeans. There was a voice whispering in her head that this wasn’t a good idea, and strangely enough, it seemed to be a different voice than the one telling her she’d probably have to go up a size, next pair of trousers that she bought. That gave her pause for a moment, as Donna was pretty sure that voice was the one usually trying to get her to do things like this, not stop.
She glanced back up at the bar. He was sitting there in a state of casual elegance, but Donna was almost certain those lips were used to saying - and doing, definitely doing - things that would make her mum blush. She watched him lean back in his chair, one hand tousling that gorgeous, thick brown hair of his, the other playing with his drink.
Donna closed her eyes, leaned back against a post, and imagined those hands playing with her.
Her fantasy was interrupted before it reached the truly naughty part when someone walked into her. Donna’s eyes flew open at the same time her purse - the double-oversized one she’d picked up only a few weeks back - fell to the floor, its contents scattering far and wide.
“Bollocks.”
Her make up bag and hair brush didn’t go far. The rest of her everyday essentials weren’t so lucky. She was pretty sure she spotted the container with her leftover-leftover stew from lunch (and dinner the night before) rolling behind the bar counter. Well, so much for today being her day to make a good first impression.
“Not that I’m not enjoying the view from this perspective,” a baritone voice with an American accent made Donna freeze in the awkward position of reaching forwards while on her hands and knees. “But if I help you out, will you let me buy you a drink for my trouble?”
Donna turned her head slowly, the rest of her body still frozen, to find the man from the bar looking down at her. Looking up into his eyes, she was certain she saw them widen before he gulped. Go on now, look at that… He’s shy!
Leaning up towards him, Donna was fully aware she’d just given him a great view of her cleavage.
It was, after all, one of her few great assets.
***
Oh well that was just perfect. Of all the people in the universe, he had to run into her. What was Donna Noble, former Companion to the Doctor, first Half-Human, Half-Time Lord doing in a pub in Cardiff?
Besides begging for a shag, from the looks of things.
Jack bit his lip, and grabbed a deck of cards that had bounced a few feet away - at least there was a rubber band around them - and tried to take those few precious seconds to decide what to do next.
Besides the obvious.
Really, he didn’t think he could. For once in his life, there was the chance he was dealing with something just a little too big for him to risk screwing up.
Jack grinned, in spite of himself, as he turned back to face Donna.
“You seem like a good person to be around during an emergency.” Oops. Where had that come from?
Donna frowned. “What? Not really. I tend to panic. Although I did manage to scream loud enough for the cops to show up when someone broke into Jenny’s flat. You see - ”
“I just meant you have enough in here to be prepared for anything,” Jack cut her off, before she could launch into the rest of her story. Handing her a notepad, an open tube of lipstick, and a compact he was pretty sure held birth control pills, Jack stood up. He smiled as a blush stained her freckled cheeks, confirming that hypothesis. When she was still sitting on her knees on the floor a second later, he held out his hand to her.
“My lady,” he said formally, and sure enough, there was that blush again.
“Seriously, now, what about that drink?”
“What?” Jack felt like he’d missed something with this sudden change of topic.
“A drink,” Donna drawled. “You promised me one earlier, don’t think I’m letting you back out now.”
“So I did!” Jack hoped the brightness in his voice didn’t sound as forced as it felt. He pulled out a stool at the bar for her, and she hopped up quickly, securing that travel-size bag of hers around the back of the chair, seemingly unaware of the way it blocked half of the aisle.
“My name’s Donna, how about you, handsome?”
Jack tried not to cringe. “Captain Jack Harkness, at your service, ma’am.”
“Well, Captain, I’m still waiting for that drink.”
***
Her friends were not going to believe this! She - Donna Noble - was chatting up the best-looking man in the bar - seriously, one of the best looking men she’d ever met. He was nice, friendly, and not nearly as shy as she’d first imagined. At least, any time he seemed to hesitate (and Donna thought his nerves were adorable) she was able to prod him into continuing.
They were on their third drink when Jack’s mobile started ringing.
“Oh, of all the timing…” he muttered while looking at the caller id.
Donna looked at him, her drink paused halfway to her mouth. This was it. The classic move to get out of an awkward situation. And here I actually thought things were going well.
“It’s work.”
Donna raised an eyebrow.
“I’m afraid I’m going to have to duck out early.” The look in his eye made it clear to Donna he was hiding something.
“You never even answered it.” Donna put down her drink, and crossed her arms across her chest.
“Excuse me?” Jack’s smile was charming, but Donna wasn’t about to be fooled.
“Your mobile. You never answered it.”
“Look, its hard to explain, but its definitely a work thing, and I definitely have to go. I’m sorry.”
“Hmph.”
“Really, Donna, I’d much rather stay here with you.”
“It’s because my thighs are too big, isn’t it?”
“What? No!”
“What’s the problem… I’m good enough for a few laughs over drinks, but not more?”
“Look, let me prove how interested I am.”
Before Donna realized what was happening, her personal space had been invaded by the man she still found unbearably attractive, and she found herself too frozen to move. My god he smells good. His mouth brushed her earlobe, and Donna bit her lip.
“You and I have unfinished business, Donna Noble.”
Then he was leaning back, and Donna was left panting, trying to catch her breath. Jack had her mobile in his hands.
“Oi!” she protested.
Captain Jack Harkness raised an eyebrow, and Donna began to seriously reevaluate her definition of shy.
“There, my number is now programmed into your mobile. There’s no way I could run away from you, even if I wanted.”
He looked earnest enough, but Donna still had her doubts. “How do I know that’s actually your number.”
Jack shrugged, and handed her back the mobile. “Call it.”
Donna did just that, feeling a little silly, but needing to know. Sure enough, his mobile started ringing, its vibrations causing it to move across the countertop.
Jack made a show of picking it up and answering it. “Hello?”
“Hello.” Donna still felt silly, but there was a warmth growing deep inside of her.
“I’d love to chat right now, but I’ve already had to tell this gorgeous woman I just met that I can’t walk her to her door tonight, and I don’t want her to shout at me for being rude, talking on my mobile in front of her.”
“I’ll let you go, then.” Donna smiled. “Just make sure you call back!”
“Absolutely!”
They both hung up then, their eyes meeting even as Jack began putting his coat back on. Donna licked her lips, and rubbed her palms down the side of her jeans once more. Jack leaned forward, Donna held her breath, but then he paused. Hesitantly, he took her hand, and brought it up to his lips.
“Until we meet again, my lady.”
Donna had just about made up her mind to grab him and haul him in for a real kiss, when he stepped back, and almost ran out the door.
Donna smiled.
Yep. Shy.
***
Jack tried to shake his feelings out as soon as he left the bar. He couldn’t let her get to him. Sighing, he pulled out his mobile once more.
“Gwen? I’ve just placed a bug on a mobile. I need you to start a full trace - GPS, call monitoring, everything. Its not an immediate concern, just something I want monitored. Oh, and tell Ianto I should be able to handle the weevil - I’m only a block or so away - but he should get a cell ready. I’ll call back again if I need back up.”
Crap. She's not winning. Do you need fic to convince you?
Fine.
Have fic that's been sitting on my hard drive for far too long.
Title: The Pick Up
Rating: PG-13?
Ship: Donna Noble/Captain Jack Harkness. Yep. That's right.
Summary: Jack and Donna meet in a bar.
Notes:This was supposed to be a lot longer. There was even plot. Then Children of the Earth happened. Yeah.
Get out of town for awhile. Sure, why not? Donna had always wanted to travel. Somehow, though, Cardiff wasn’t what she had in mind.
Not only that, it wasn’t even a proper holiday. Some third cousin several times removed of Mum’s needed a temporary receptionist on account of the regular girl going on an early mat leave, and before Donna had a chance to protest but the agency pays double she’d be conscripted.
Personally, I think the poor woman just needed to get out of that office.
Day after day, it was all the same; paperwork, filing, and if she was lucky, an obscure phone call to direct to a name that had a button on her phone, but no face to go with it. The stagnancy of the place was enough to drive Donna to the nearest pub most days after work. Today, though, even that regular place felt too familiar. Not enough.
She needed more.
What exactly she expected to find in this pub, she had no idea. So she’d driven to the other side of Cardiff. The view out the window of the harbour was nice, but hardly anything to write home about.
Donna wasn’t sure when she’d stopped being content with alphabetical file folders and multi-line telephones. Maybe it was around the time she’d looked around and realized all her friends were married, knocked up, or both. Or maybe it was around the time she’d been stuck in bed with the flu for a week, and apparently missed the world almost ending.
All she knew was that she’d been having dreams. Decidedly odd dreams that, no matter how vivid, always remained just past the edge of her memory when she woke up in the morning. Except that sometimes, in stark contrast to insanity of the others, her dreams held the inexplicable presence of a tall man who didn't say much, but mostly because he didn't need to for Donna to know how much he loved her.
A man in a blue shirt with a loose collar and god, were those suspenders walked through the door. He smiled and nodded his head in greeting to the bartender, and Donna felt her face heat up. Maybe the view inside the pub was worth the drive.
Donna fluffed up her hair and pulled down her jumper - just a little, no need to be a tart about it. She tossed back what was left of her drink, hoping it would give her courage and stop the headache she felt coming on.
This was exactly the type of opportunity she’d been waiting for. If she made a fool of herself - which was a strong possibility - then there’d be no one around she knew to bear witness. On the off chance that she didn’t, though… This man looked like he might just be able to help her scratch the itch for adventure that she had been there for months, now.
Donna stood up, wiping her palms, which had somehow grown sweaty, down the side of her jeans. There was a voice whispering in her head that this wasn’t a good idea, and strangely enough, it seemed to be a different voice than the one telling her she’d probably have to go up a size, next pair of trousers that she bought. That gave her pause for a moment, as Donna was pretty sure that voice was the one usually trying to get her to do things like this, not stop.
She glanced back up at the bar. He was sitting there in a state of casual elegance, but Donna was almost certain those lips were used to saying - and doing, definitely doing - things that would make her mum blush. She watched him lean back in his chair, one hand tousling that gorgeous, thick brown hair of his, the other playing with his drink.
Donna closed her eyes, leaned back against a post, and imagined those hands playing with her.
Her fantasy was interrupted before it reached the truly naughty part when someone walked into her. Donna’s eyes flew open at the same time her purse - the double-oversized one she’d picked up only a few weeks back - fell to the floor, its contents scattering far and wide.
“Bollocks.”
Her make up bag and hair brush didn’t go far. The rest of her everyday essentials weren’t so lucky. She was pretty sure she spotted the container with her leftover-leftover stew from lunch (and dinner the night before) rolling behind the bar counter. Well, so much for today being her day to make a good first impression.
“Not that I’m not enjoying the view from this perspective,” a baritone voice with an American accent made Donna freeze in the awkward position of reaching forwards while on her hands and knees. “But if I help you out, will you let me buy you a drink for my trouble?”
Donna turned her head slowly, the rest of her body still frozen, to find the man from the bar looking down at her. Looking up into his eyes, she was certain she saw them widen before he gulped. Go on now, look at that… He’s shy!
Leaning up towards him, Donna was fully aware she’d just given him a great view of her cleavage.
It was, after all, one of her few great assets.
***
Oh well that was just perfect. Of all the people in the universe, he had to run into her. What was Donna Noble, former Companion to the Doctor, first Half-Human, Half-Time Lord doing in a pub in Cardiff?
Besides begging for a shag, from the looks of things.
Jack bit his lip, and grabbed a deck of cards that had bounced a few feet away - at least there was a rubber band around them - and tried to take those few precious seconds to decide what to do next.
Besides the obvious.
Really, he didn’t think he could. For once in his life, there was the chance he was dealing with something just a little too big for him to risk screwing up.
Jack grinned, in spite of himself, as he turned back to face Donna.
“You seem like a good person to be around during an emergency.” Oops. Where had that come from?
Donna frowned. “What? Not really. I tend to panic. Although I did manage to scream loud enough for the cops to show up when someone broke into Jenny’s flat. You see - ”
“I just meant you have enough in here to be prepared for anything,” Jack cut her off, before she could launch into the rest of her story. Handing her a notepad, an open tube of lipstick, and a compact he was pretty sure held birth control pills, Jack stood up. He smiled as a blush stained her freckled cheeks, confirming that hypothesis. When she was still sitting on her knees on the floor a second later, he held out his hand to her.
“My lady,” he said formally, and sure enough, there was that blush again.
“Seriously, now, what about that drink?”
“What?” Jack felt like he’d missed something with this sudden change of topic.
“A drink,” Donna drawled. “You promised me one earlier, don’t think I’m letting you back out now.”
“So I did!” Jack hoped the brightness in his voice didn’t sound as forced as it felt. He pulled out a stool at the bar for her, and she hopped up quickly, securing that travel-size bag of hers around the back of the chair, seemingly unaware of the way it blocked half of the aisle.
“My name’s Donna, how about you, handsome?”
Jack tried not to cringe. “Captain Jack Harkness, at your service, ma’am.”
“Well, Captain, I’m still waiting for that drink.”
***
Her friends were not going to believe this! She - Donna Noble - was chatting up the best-looking man in the bar - seriously, one of the best looking men she’d ever met. He was nice, friendly, and not nearly as shy as she’d first imagined. At least, any time he seemed to hesitate (and Donna thought his nerves were adorable) she was able to prod him into continuing.
They were on their third drink when Jack’s mobile started ringing.
“Oh, of all the timing…” he muttered while looking at the caller id.
Donna looked at him, her drink paused halfway to her mouth. This was it. The classic move to get out of an awkward situation. And here I actually thought things were going well.
“It’s work.”
Donna raised an eyebrow.
“I’m afraid I’m going to have to duck out early.” The look in his eye made it clear to Donna he was hiding something.
“You never even answered it.” Donna put down her drink, and crossed her arms across her chest.
“Excuse me?” Jack’s smile was charming, but Donna wasn’t about to be fooled.
“Your mobile. You never answered it.”
“Look, its hard to explain, but its definitely a work thing, and I definitely have to go. I’m sorry.”
“Hmph.”
“Really, Donna, I’d much rather stay here with you.”
“It’s because my thighs are too big, isn’t it?”
“What? No!”
“What’s the problem… I’m good enough for a few laughs over drinks, but not more?”
“Look, let me prove how interested I am.”
Before Donna realized what was happening, her personal space had been invaded by the man she still found unbearably attractive, and she found herself too frozen to move. My god he smells good. His mouth brushed her earlobe, and Donna bit her lip.
“You and I have unfinished business, Donna Noble.”
Then he was leaning back, and Donna was left panting, trying to catch her breath. Jack had her mobile in his hands.
“Oi!” she protested.
Captain Jack Harkness raised an eyebrow, and Donna began to seriously reevaluate her definition of shy.
“There, my number is now programmed into your mobile. There’s no way I could run away from you, even if I wanted.”
He looked earnest enough, but Donna still had her doubts. “How do I know that’s actually your number.”
Jack shrugged, and handed her back the mobile. “Call it.”
Donna did just that, feeling a little silly, but needing to know. Sure enough, his mobile started ringing, its vibrations causing it to move across the countertop.
Jack made a show of picking it up and answering it. “Hello?”
“Hello.” Donna still felt silly, but there was a warmth growing deep inside of her.
“I’d love to chat right now, but I’ve already had to tell this gorgeous woman I just met that I can’t walk her to her door tonight, and I don’t want her to shout at me for being rude, talking on my mobile in front of her.”
“I’ll let you go, then.” Donna smiled. “Just make sure you call back!”
“Absolutely!”
They both hung up then, their eyes meeting even as Jack began putting his coat back on. Donna licked her lips, and rubbed her palms down the side of her jeans once more. Jack leaned forward, Donna held her breath, but then he paused. Hesitantly, he took her hand, and brought it up to his lips.
“Until we meet again, my lady.”
Donna had just about made up her mind to grab him and haul him in for a real kiss, when he stepped back, and almost ran out the door.
Donna smiled.
Yep. Shy.
***
Jack tried to shake his feelings out as soon as he left the bar. He couldn’t let her get to him. Sighing, he pulled out his mobile once more.
“Gwen? I’ve just placed a bug on a mobile. I need you to start a full trace - GPS, call monitoring, everything. Its not an immediate concern, just something I want monitored. Oh, and tell Ianto I should be able to handle the weevil - I’m only a block or so away - but he should get a cell ready. I’ll call back again if I need back up.”