An Officer and the Noble Woman, Part 18.1 (18.1 of 35)
Title: An Officer and the Noble Woman, Part 18.1
Author: dtstrainers
Paring: Donna Noble/Peter Carlisle
Co-Captain of this Ship: WhosInTheAttic- As always, eternal thanks.
Rating: PG- lots of plottiness here with just a hint of PDA
Word Count: 6,686
Summary: Double-date with Nerys at the George. Peter can't say he wasn't warned as Nerys is in fine form tonight... This is one of my favorite chapters and the one that started it all, oh, so very long ago. And LiveJournal is insisting this is too large, never mind that I've posted bigger before...Disclaimer: Donna and Peter- oh, fudge- just about EVERYONE in this novelisation of my OTP belong to others, except in my own twisted version of what should be. I'm just writing it down to get it out of my system. Honest.
Part 1 | Part 5 | Part 10 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18.1 | Part 18.2 | Part 19 | Part 20.1 | Part 20.2
Friday, 1 June 2012 6:10 PM
Donna stood before her closet door, weighing her options. She had accepted Peter’s suggestion of a double date with Nerys and her flavor-of-the-month as a way to get to know her friends and she’d even been enthusiastic about it at first, so there was no backing out now. She sighed heavily as she changed clothes for the third time before finally settling on a dark green linen blouse that complemented both her skin tone and hair color nicely. It was cut just a bit lower than she usually wore, but it was a warm evening and she knew it was flattering. She pulled on her favorite pair of jeans and a pair of ballet flats and after taking a last appraising glance in the mirror, picked up one of the new books she’d bought on her shopping trip with Nerys to read while she waited for Peter. Two pages in, she heard him as he climbed the stairs and she hurriedly hid her book behind the couch cushions before getting up to greet him. Donna smiled as she saw Peter’s profile in the frosted glass panels that ran the length of her door and opened it just before he rang the bell.
“Hello, Policeman,” Donna purred as she stood in the doorway, “you’re early.” She stepped aside to let him enter and giggled as he leaned in to kiss her.
Peter grinned at Donna as he broke the kiss, and giving her a faintly naughty wink, replied, “Ms. Noble, beautiful as always.”
Donna scoffed and punched him lightly on the shoulder. “Right...,” she muttered, rolling her eyes. “We’ve got about an hour to kill before we’re to meet Nerys at the George. Want to go ahead and walk over or kill a bit of time here?” she asked.
“Up to you, love, but my vote is for stayin’ here,” he replied, moving to embrace her lightly.
Donna bit her lip and wondered if she dare try to change his mind again. “You know, I could always call Nerys and make an excuse...” She looked up at Peter hopefully, adding, ”We could go to the cinema, grab a bite or just stay here tonight? Anything you want.” When Peter leaned back and cocked his head, the better to see her, she finished weakly, “I mean, we’ve been to the George twice this week and I don’t want you gettin’ bored with it already.“
“No,” Peter said firmly. “I want this. I want to meet this Nerys I’ve heard so much about. She’s yer friend, so I should make friends with her.” He tipped her chin up gently and smiled at her encouragingly. “She’ll be a part of my life now as well.” He was a bit disappointed when Donna pointedly looked away and shrugged out of his embrace.
Donna saw the flicker of confusion and disappointment in Peter’s eyes and she quickly tried to cover her faux pas. “Does it look like rain out? Should I fetch an umbrella before we go?” she asked, smiling gently as she reached up to pull his coat from his shoulders.
He paused a moment, puzzling out her reaction before relenting and shrugging out of his coat. “No, no, it’s not necessary,” he replied, handing it to her. “I wore it tonight more out of habit than need. Besides,” he added, reaching out to run a finger gently along the back of her neckline as she hung the garment in the closet. “It would be a crime to cover ye up, lookin‘ as lovely as ye do in this.”
She turned and smiled, closing the closet door with one hand while batting at his shoulder gently with the other. “Oh, cut it out, you prawn. You just like the color, is all,” she said, before looking away sheepishly.
He shook his head and rolled his eyes, sighing as he scratched the back of his neck. “Donna, it’s been quite a while since I’ve been in a serious relationship, but I do know that one of the first dating skills one should master is the ability to accept an honest complement and respond appropriately. May I demonstrate?” Peter asked with a faintly challenging tilt to his head.
“Of course,” she stated bluntly with a confidence she didn’t feel. He took a step closer, reaching out and placing one hand at her waist while gently brushing her hair back from her shoulder with the other.
“When someone says ‘Donna, ye look lovely’,” he began in a playfully pedantic tone, slowly leaning in towards her, “the correct response, especially in the context of a dating-type situation is to reply, ‘Why, thank ye’ before rewarding the other party - depending on the context and the seriousness of the relationship - either with one of yer spectacular smiles or, in the case of a particularly fortunate admirer, a kiss.”
Donna looked down at her feet and laughed, thinking he was laying it on a bit thick, especially for someone like her. “Peter Carlisle,” she challenged, tossing her hair back with a grin, “you do love to say in 50 words somethin’ other people would say in 5, don’t you?”
“No, missy, no changin’ the subject,” Peter stated flatly. “I can tell we still need to work on your responses to complements. It’s going to be a vitally important skill for ye to master in the course of our relationship, as I intend to bestow them upon ye as often as ye deserve, which is at a nearly constant rate...’ his voice trailed off as he leaned in for a proper kiss and Donna was suddenly glad they were still in the privacy of her own flat.
“Now, let us attempt this once again, shall we?” Peter said sternly, before relaxing back into a sincere smile. “Donna, ye look lovely.”
She couldn’t help herself and she broke out into a bashful grin and blushed slightly as she replied, “Thank you,” before leaning in to kiss him.
When they parted, she looked up into his eyes and a wicked thought crossed her mind. She tugged his hand and led him into the living room. “Come on and sit down with me. We’ll talk a bit before we leave for the George.”
Forty-five minutes later, Peter reluctantly started to disengage himself from Donna’s warm embrace. They had curled up together on her couch and swapped stories of the day between kisses and cuddles. “Donna, we need to leave. We’re gonna be late,” he said, his voice trailing off, torn between the obligation to go and the desire to stay.
Donna stretched luxuriously, treating him to a show of pale skin and cleavage and countered his suggestion with a smile. “That’s OK,” she smiled. “I’m enjoying this a lot more than a night at the George. Let’s just stay in. I’ll make you some dinner here, or I could call for takeaway?” she suggested, leaning in to brush his ear with a kiss. “And I’ve got another bottle or two put back. We could make a proper evening of it, just the two of us." Her warm breath danced against his neck and he shifted his hips involuntarily in response. She was testing his resolve: if they didn’t leave, and soon, he’d still be here on the couch with her in the morning.
Peter struggled to keep a tremor from his voice and looked at her earnestly. “Dinner here with ye sounds lovely, but another time, eh? We really need to get goin’...” His voice trailed off as she sucked on his earlobe, her hand tangling in his hair to pull him closer. He reached for her again, licking his lips in anticipation. Her kisses were sweet and his determination was beginning to fade, but he made one last-ditch attempt.
“If I didn’t know better, Ms. Noble, I would suspect that ye’re attemptin’ to use yer considerably formidable womanly wiles to prevent our departure this evenin’,” he breathed and he knew he'd hit the mark when he felt her stiffen slightly in his arms.
“Would that be a such bad thing?” she asked indignantly. She was trying to work herself up into a tizzy, but Peter could sense that the underlying guilt was putting a damper on her temper. He waited patiently for her mood to pass and she seemed to deflate before his eyes.
“Under normal circumstances, no, I would agree wholeheartedly,” he said simply. “But we have a social engagement to attend to.”
Donna sighed and looked away, avoiding his frank gaze. “It’s really not necessary, you know. Nerys probably isn’t even there. It’s Friday, and she always has problems getting a sitter on Fridays,” she said in a rush. “I’ll just text her and make our excuses, shall I?” She reached for her phone even as Peter reached for her hand.
He shifted his position and sat up, turning to her fully, his face solemn. “What is it? Donna, what’s goin' on? Why don’t ye want to go?” When she didn’t answer, he pressed further. “Is there somethin' ye need to tell me? Did ye and Nerys have a fallin' out?”
Donna wriggled in her seat, uneasy and unwilling to talk. “No, no, Peter, no. Nothin' like that,” she finally admitted.
“What is it then?” he persisted. A dismal thought occurred to him and he quietly asked, “Are ye ashamed? Embarrassed?”
Donna reluctantly answered in a small voice, quiet and defeated. “Yeah, a bit,” she admitted and looked up at him through her lashes. She saw hurt and confusion in his eyes and she hastened to clarify, reaching out and cupping his cheek gently. “No! No, not about you, Peter. It’s her. It’s Nerys I’m embarrassed about.” She sighed and flopped back onto the couch. “She’s not exactly... I just don’t want you to... I mean, yes, we’re friends, but sometimes, ..... Oh, you don’t know what I mean.” She slumped forward and put her head in her hands, hiding her face from him. “I just don’t want you to think worse of me on her account.”
Peter listened to the desperate, frustrated stream of words tumbling from her and felt the hitch in his chest lessen. She was worried about what he would think of Nerys, not Nerys’ opinion of him: he was more important to her than someone she’d known for years. With his place in her world somewhat more secure, Peter took her hands in his and looked deeply in her eyes before he spoke.
“Donna, ye’ve nothing to worry about. I’m with you, not her.” At her sustained look of despair, he continued. “Donna, love, the quicker we go, the quicker we can come back, if that’s what ye want. But ye’re worryin’ about things that may not even happen. Besides, she must have some redeemin' qualities or ye wouldn’t have made friends with her in the first place, eh?“
Donna sighed, defeated, and pushed herself up off the couch. “I’ll get your coat, then.”
Peter stood and took her hand in his. “No, love, leave it. I’ll pick it up after,” he offered.
She perked up at that, her eyes dancing and she raised her chin in mock defiance. “So you just naturally assume you’re comin’ back here, then,” she teased, trying for a hint of indigence. “You’re a bit cheeky and presumptuous...” she quirked a smile at him then, totally spoiling the effect. “You’re just lucky I like cheeky and presumptuous- on you, at least.”
“Presumptuous, eh?” he retorted, raising an eyebrow. He brushed a finger gently down her cheek before taking her hand and tugging her towards the door. “I'm not expectin' anythin' more than a lovely evenin' in yer company, Donna. Besides, I wouldn’t dream of having you walk home alone. Once we’re back here, we’ll see what, if anythin', we want to do... for afters?” he said, smiling.
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Part 1 | Part 5 | Part 10 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18.1 | Part 18.2 | Part 19 | Part 20.1 | Part 20.2