A Place in Time (28/30)

[amberfocus]

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Chapter Twenty-eight:  Fun and Games

Jack walked into the kitchen to find Donna banging her head against the refrigerator door. “Um, Donna? You okay?”

“Why do I keep travelling with them? Why?” she asked opening the freezer and reaching in for a bag of peas. She sat down at the kitchen table and rested the cold package against her forehead.

“Because of the adventure?” Jack asked. Donna glared up at him. “Okay, what did they do now?”

“Strip Monopoly.”

“What?” Even Jack looked surprised at this turn of events.

“I walked in on them playing Strip Monopoly!”

“Well, you know what I told you about knocking…”

“In the console room! There’s no door to the console room to knock on Jack. And how does anyone turn Monopoly into that?” She shuddered.

“Well,” said the Doctor strolling into the kitchen, “I had Boardwalk and Park Place and all of the green ones and she had all the railroads and the utilities, plus the orange and yellow ones. And she ran out of money and still had to pay rent you see and then I landed on--.”

“I don’t bloody want to know, Doctor!” Donna roared at him. “It was bad enough when I found you playing Adam and Eve in the Garden of TARDIS! At least that room has doors on it. But the console room?”

“I had to keep an eye on the Vortex. You know using the gate from the parallel world can be dangerous if it’s not monitored the whole time.”

“Then who’s watching it now?” Donna asked.

“Rose. I’ve taught her how. Now calm down, Donna,” he said soothingly.

“I’m not the one who needs to calm down. You’re like a randy teenager Doctor. A whole year of travelling with you, you keeping a firm check on all of your emotions, and then boom, Rose is back and it’s hanky panky in the TARDIS at the drop of a hat. Any hat. I think the two of you need to go on a honeymoon. Alone!” Donna crossed her arms and glared him down.

“You want to leave?” the Doctor asked a tinge of sadness creeping into his voice.

Donna ran her fingers through her hair in an unconscious imitation she had picked up from the Doctor. “Not for good, no. I just think that you two need some more time alone. And when I come back, I think there need to be some ground rules. Like if there isn’t a door and it doesn’t lock, assume someone can wander in at any time.”

Donna sighed. “Just drop me off at Torchwood with Jack. And come back for me in a couple of weeks. My time. Better make it a couple of months your time.”

****************************************

“I’m sorry if we embarrassed you,” Rose said softly, standing in the doorway to Donna’s room as the woman packed. “You don’t have to go.”

“I think that I do. But just for a little while, just long enough for the two of you to settle into this marriage thing. Then I’ll be back.”

“We just got carried away. I promise we’ll be more careful in future. I just feel like I’m driving you away.” Rose looked down at her feet.

“Oh, no, no, no, Rose. This isn’t your fault. Okay, well it is, yours and his, but you do need some time together without me or Jack or anyone. It’s important.”

“I just don’t want you to resent me for turning the Doctor into someone else,” said Rose.

“Are you kidding me? Do you know how sad he was when he thought no one was looking? He cried on your grave, Rose. Well, not your grave, but hers, the other one…He’s happy now. All the time. How could I ever resent that?” Donna asked. She came over to Rose and hugged her. “I love you for that.”

“I’ll miss you,” Rose said. “You have to promise that you’ll come back.”

“You couldn’t keep me away,” laughed Donna, letting go of the younger woman and returning to her packing.

“Thank you,” Rose said. “For taking care of him while I was gone.”

“You’ve said that before.”

“I know. But I mean it. I don’t think he’d have made it so well if you hadn’t been there. And again when Martha up and left him. He doesn’t say it often enough, but he appreciates you Donna. And so do I.”

“You keep on with this I’m going to start crying,” said Donna. “I adore that man, okay? He’s like the brother I never got to have, albeit completely crazy. Although considering my family, he’d fit right in. He’s my best friend. I’ll stay on board until he throws me off. But don’t you tell him that. His ego is big enough as it is.”

Rose nodded. “I won’t.”

“Rose?” Rose glanced down the corridor.

“Be right there, Jack,” she called.

“Go on,” said Donna. “I’ll see you in the morning to say good-bye.”

“All right.” And Rose turned and headed in the direction of Jack’s voice.

*****************************************

“Hey, Rosie,” said Jack, when she stopped in the frame of his bedroom door.

“What’s up, Jack?”

“I wanted to ask you, when you come back to get Donna, do you think I could go travelling with you and the Doctor for awhile?” Jack looked like he was afraid she’d actually say no.

“It’s okay with me. You’d have to ask the husband.” Rose gave a secret little smile as she said the word husband. It still gave her a little thrill inside every time she said it.

“It’s okay with me, too,” said the Doctor coming up behind Rose and putting his arms around her waist. “But what about your team?”

“It’s a time machine, Doc. They won’t even notice I’m gone.” Then a wicked twinkle came into his eyes. “So tell me about this Strip Monopoly? Because I think that’s a game I might really enjoy playing with you two.”

“No, Jack,” said Rose firmly.

“It wouldn’t be the first time I played inventive games with a husband and wife. In fact--.”

“NO!” they both said emphatically. “You can always go and play with Donna,” Rose added.

“Are you kidding me? She shut me down the first day I met her! And I like fiery red-heads.”

“I thought you liked a challenge,” said Rose.

Jack looked thoughtful. “A challenge, yes. Not an impossibility.”

“Nothing’s impossible if you put your mind to it,” Rose said.

“So does that mean if I keep at it you and the Doctor will--?”

Rose shook her head. “Nice try, Jack, but its never going to happen.”

“Never say never ever,” said Jack.

“Oh, did you have to?” the Doctor asked. “That’s just asking for it, that is.”

Rose felt the Doctor’s arms tighten around her and she pushed closer to him herself. Never ever were not words she liked to hear.

Ch. 29:  http://amberfocus.livejournal.com/57915.html