Because You're Special - Five
Because You're Special
Just the Chauffeur
"Nice of you to walk me home, James." She giggled, unsteadily climbing the stairs to her flat and leaning heavily on her door. "I had a good time."
"You make it sound like a typical date." He said in a tone of disgust. But then he smiled at her. "You did good tonight, Donna. I knew you would."
"Yeah." She tottered, searching in her pocket for her keys. Blimey, she couldn't remember where she put them. Donna was regretting the numerous drinks and wondering why her friend wasn't passed out. Usually she could drink everyone under the table.
"I was going to ask you…" He paused, scanning her, and shaking his head slightly. "It can wait until morning. When you can give me a proper answer."
"Won't be here in the morning." She finally found her keys, and began flipping through to find the right one. It wasn't easy when they wouldn't stay still. Floating and dancing away, the lot of them. "I've got a Doctor's appointment."
"Funny thing that…" He stopped, "You mean a real doctor's appointment?"
"No, you dunce. A fake Doctor's appointment!" She moved to punch him in the arm and missed, almost falling down the flight of stairs. He caught her and she righted herself, staring up into his eyes. He didn't look drunk. How had he managed that? Or was she so drunk that the less-drunk looked sober to her?
"Check-up?" He prompted.
"Nah." She waved her hands wildly, trying to dismiss the idea like so many flies. "Dad's gotta go for a test. They think the cancer might be back."
He swore.
"Exactly." She agreed, smiling dazedly. "But everything will be fine… I'll be so miserable with a hangover tomorrow, it can't possibly get any worse. Right now, though," and she picked some invisible lint off his jacket, "everything's just peachy."
The man pulled the keys from her hands, unlocked her door and gentle shoved her in. "You go on. Be there for your dad."
"You wanna meet for lunch?" She said with a yawn.
"Nah. You got a busy life ahead of you. A family that needs you. And as for me, Rose is waiting."
"Another time." Donna muttered agreeably.
"Yeah. If I'm lucky." He smiled, looking mysterious. What was it with this bloke? He pressed a kiss to her forehead.
He was half-way to the stairs when she realized he was leaving.
"Oi!"
He waved, a waggle of long fingers in a clownish movement. "Goodnight, Donna."
"What are you doing for next Christmas?"
"I don't know. Probably something daft… maybe I'll go scuba-diving in Spain. See ya." And he was gone.
The Doctor slipped into the Tardis, careful not to let the door creak too loudly. If they were still hanging out in the control room-though why they'd chosen the room where he should have been able to tinker in peace, instead of a living room somewhere-socializing and flirting like they were in highschool, he didn't want them to see him. He could skirt around the edge…
No need. The control room was empty, the purring and whirring of the Tardis echoing in the dim light.
"Just my ship." He muttered, "Not like I'm important or anything. Just the chauffeur."
Really, he couldn't help sulking a bit as he headed for his room, couldn't Rose have stayed up to see that he made it home safely? Didn't she know he always got into trouble on his own? Well, typically, he always got into trouble, period. He pushed back the door to his room, pulling off his jacket.
"Doctor?" Rose's voice was loud, cheery. She stood in the doorway to one of the lounges where he could hear pop-music playing. Tattered jeans, tee-shirt slipping off one-shoulder, perioxide hair tied into little pigtails, and she was still beautiful.
"Oh hello." He grinned broadly, waving, "Have a good night?"
"Yeah. You?" Rose's smile was goofy and radiant.
"Fantastic. I…" He was about to regale her with the night's events when he heard the voice of him in the other room. He was calling out to Rose about if the Doctor was back.
"I was just heading for bed." The Doctor shouted as an answer to the impertinent twit. "Sweet dreams, Rose."
"Wait." She stepped close, grabbing his arm, tugging slightly, "Come and join us. He's been telling the most incredible, amazing stories."
Like anything he could come up with was better than the Doctor's stories. He really shouldn't feel jealous of a human-boy. But he was. He almost wish he'd asked Donna to come travel with him. That he had someone to throw in Rose's face like she was doing with her boyfriend… but that wouldn't have been right.
"Hate to tell you this Rose. But I'm a little drunk, so I need to go sleep it off. But you go have fun. See you in the morning!" He stepped into his room and shut the door, but it sounded more like a slam. Flopping his scrawny body on the bed, he kicked off his boots and sprawled out until he was comfortable.
Still, he didn't sleep immediately. He kept wondering at the strange new friend he'd met at the bar and how he could like and dislike someone all at the same time. Proud, pragmatic, gullible and wise all at the same time. He'd have to look Donna up again. One didn't run into too many humans that were companion material and if Rose took off…
He buried his face in a pillow. Perhaps one could lose Rose Tyler… He just hoped it wasn't to the idiot in the other room.
Next Chapter: {The Daft Inconsiderate Circus-freak}