Moving On (John / Donna)
Plane Sexy AU
Sometimes running into someone from your past can actually do you some good.
I was (still am) a little insecure when it comes to my writing even if I've been doing it for years but Georgie has been so sweet and helpful. Thank you so much, dearie.
“Oh, it’s you.”
“Nice to see you too, Sunshine.”
“You know I don’t mean it like that. I thought it was Peter,” John replies with a wide grin but it falters quickly upon seeing his friend’s distress. “Is something wrong?”
“Peter’s on top of Nellie.” Donna collapses into Peter’s seat and sighs deeply. “I’m hiding.”
“From what?”
“Lance…ex-fiancé,” she explains. “He’s sitting in my station. Why is the universe doing this to me?” she groans. Her big blue eyes that always twinkle like stars in the night seem to have lost their sparkle. He wants to do something - anything - to make the sadness in her eyes go away.
“You still love him, huh?”
“What?” She looks at him with wide eyes, as if he had grown a second head or something insane like that. “God no.”
He doesn’t understand the disappointment that washed over him when he thought she still had feelings for him, and he definitely doesn’t understand the relief that is coursing through his veins now when she looks disgusted that he thought she was still pining for Lance.
“It’s…things didn’t end so well between us.” He nods slowly, waiting for her to tell her story. “He was my first serious relationship and I naively thought that he loved me. We weren’t together for very long before I suggested marriage because I thought he was going to be my forever. Turns out, he was just using me.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Me too,” she sighs again. “Two months into the wedding planning, I found him in my house - in my bed - with another woman. And guess what? It’s not some drunken chick he picked up from a bar or something, he’s been seeing this woman for as long as we were together. He’s been two-timing me and I was completely oblivious!”
“It’s not your fault, Donna.”
“Of course I know that. I’m better off without him,” she says with all the conviction in the world that makes him smile. “I…it’s just that when I look at him, I see how stupid I was. It’s not a pleasant feeling.”
“Well, for what’s worth, it’s his loss. Not yours. You’re amazing, Donna.”
“You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”
“No, you’re brilliant.”
Donna blushes at his earnest compliment and smiles for the first time since she ran into Lance that day. “Thanks, you’re not too bad yourself.”
“Oh, I know,” he winks and she laughs heartily. Yep, he’s very confused now. Why does it matter so much to him that she’s happy? He’s pretty sure if one of his friends were upset, he wouldn’t try this hard to make them laugh.
Before he can question himself any further, the door swings open and in comes Peter. “You know asshole Lance is here, Donna?”
“Why do you think I’m in here, Peter?”
“I assumed that you came in just to talk to John.”
Her blush comes back in full force and she glares at the captain. If he weren’t her best friend’s boyfriend and if he didn’t make Nellie so happy, she’d have throttled him already. “As much as I’d like to continue hiding in here, I can’t,” she declares quickly, “thanks John.”
“Any time.”
As she rushes out of the cockpit, she feels a strange but not unpleasant warmth spreading from her belly to the very tips of her toes. Not even during her happiest moment with Lance did she ever feel this way. Choosing to ignore this strangeness, she pushes it to the back to her mind and reluctantly makes her way back to her station where Lance is sitting.
Oh god, she can’t wait for this flight to be over.
* * *
“It’s him.”
John looks in the direction that Donna was facing just a second ago and spots a man in what seems to be an expensive suit walking towards them. “Lance?”
“No, Santa Clause,” she replies sarcastically. “Let’s just go, please? I really don’t want to talk to him.”
“Donna!”
“For god’s sake,” she groans. “It’s a crowded airport! How does he see me?!”
“Do you want me to leave?”
She latches onto his arm and shoots him her death glare. “Don’t you dare leave me alone with him.”
Despite the strange situation, John can’t help but smile when Donna doesn’t let go of his arm but instead, loops her arm through his. Maybe she’s just preventing him from walking away but whatever it is, he really likes their closeness.
“Donna!” Lance runs up to them with what John believes is a fake grin. There’s something about this man that doesn’t quite sit well with him.
“Lance,” she says with a cordial smile. “What are you still doing in the airport? The plane landed more than an hour ago.” She knows it’s been more than hour because that’s how long she waited in the cabin after all the passengers left to avoid running into him again.
“I was waiting for you, silly.” John makes a face at that artificial sweetness, oozing out of Lance’s every pore. He definitely does not like this man. “Didn’t think I had to wait two hours. I was wondering if you’d like to have dinner together,” he continues. “I’d have called but you changed your number.”
She remembers that feeling. He’s always trying to blame her for something. That’s one of the reasons she’s so much happier without him. She doesn’t have to spend every waking moment wondering if she’d been a lousy girlfriend when she had been trying her hardest to accommodate him.
“Yes, I have,” she replies evenly. “But I can’t have dinner with you, Lance.”
“Why not? You’re not flying off again tomorrow.”
“I have plans.”
“You have plans?” Lance asks incredulously as if the idea of Donna having plans and moving on with her life without him is the most insane thing he has ever heard.
John having had enough of Lance decides to end this thing. Obviously Donna doesn’t want to spend a second longer with Lance so he’s pretty sure he’s not going to get yelled at for this. “Yes, we have plans to have dinner together,” John says with an easy smile. “I’m John, by the way. Nice to meet you.” Not really, he thinks but he’s too polite to say that.
“With you?”
“Yes, me. Isn’t that right, beautiful?”
Donna nods eagerly, “that’s right. Sorry Lance,” she shrugs unapologetically at her ex. “Already made plans with skinny boy over here.”
As soon as the situation permits, Donna drags John away from Lance with a huge smile. “If I never see him again, it’d be too soon.”
He says nothing but looks at her with his trademark grin. Maybe she forgot to remove her arm or maybe she just doesn’t want to, either way her arm is still looped around his and he likes it very much.
“Did you see his face when you said we already made plans?” she laughs excitedly, “Oh my god, I wish I had a picture of it. You’re good. I could kiss you for doing that.”
“Well,” he begins cheekily, “you could.” She slaps his arm but her smile never falters. “Or you buy me dinner tonight so I don’t look like a liar. I don’t have any plans,” he says, looking at her with an over animated pout. “I was just going to order room service and watch re-runs until I fall asleep.”
“Loser.”
“That was mean. I just saved you from that bad man over there, waited more than an hour with you in the cabin so you could avoid said bad man and this is how you repay me? I’m very disappointed in you, Donna Noble.” John sighs dramatically, shaking his head at her disapprovingly like a principal dealing with a wayward teen.
“Oh, get off.”
“I’m just kidding though.” John looks at her seriously after a moment. “I’d do it again if I had to.”
“I know, skinny. I know.”