Story (DW) Old Friends, 11, Donna Noble. Posted on 11/30/2010

This is a gift for my friend DarthIshtar for her birthday. Happy birthday, Ish.

Here we go!

*****
It was a rather calm day in Russell Square. The sun was shining, birds were singing and other such cliched claptrap. Donna Temple-Noble sat along the outer edge of the Square on a park bench, a baby carriage right next to her. She leaned over and looked into the basket, assessing the condition of the dozing occupant within. She nodded and leaned back, but a bit of movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention...

It was a young man, acting positively ancient. He walked about, clad in a tweed jacket, blue trousers, a dress shirt and bow tie-yes, a bow tie. His brown hair looked as if he was standing in the most blustery of windstorms rather than the calm day it was. He clutched a bag of popcorn in one hand and scattered it about with the other for the various pigeons. An odd smile crossed his face as he moved about, seeming to keep a set distance from Donna.

She finally blew a strand of red hair from her forehead and looked to him. ?Oi, spaceman!? she shouted, waving at him. ?What are you doin', wandering around like that??

The man's head jerked up and he blinked. ?The birds need feeding. Isn't that right?? He knelt down, dropping more popcorn. ?Birds need a bit of feeding. Everyone's gotta eat. Isn't that right??

Donna rolled her eyes and patted an empty spot on the bench. ?Well, you're 'overing around like here, so you might as well sit and be comfortable while feeding the birds.? She shook her head and leaned forward once again, looking into the carriage. ?Isn't that right, Will??

The man finally walked over and sat down. He leaned to his left and looked at the infant in the carriage. ?Nice strapping lad!? he proclaimed. ?Takes after his mother in that regard, I assume??

Donna's eyes became the approximate size of saucers as she batted at his arm. ?What the damned hell is the matter with you, you blinkin' twit?? she snarled. She leaned in close to him. ?Do I look 'strapping' to you, mate??

The man just grinned even as he deflected every one of her blows. ?'Mate'? I'm your mate? That's wonderful! I'm so glad to hear that. And stop trying to hit me. You're scaring the birds away and upsetting Will.? He waved at the carriage. ?See??

Donna abruptly broke off her attack and leaned over the carriage. She reached in and pulled out a squalling infant. ?Oh, I'm sorry, Will!? she said, face falling. She cradled him and rocked him back and forth, checking him over. ?Hmm, he's dry. I just fed him, too.? She cradled her son and leaned back, making sure to support his head. ?Sh, sh. I'm sorry, Will.?

The man grinned. ?Will? Named after anyone? Maybe a grandfather or so??

Donna eyed him. ?Well, I wanted to name him after Wilfed, my grandfather. But Shaun wanted Ian. So we compromised a bit.? She sighed and reached out her hand. ?And my name's Donna Temple-Noble, by the way.? She looked to the man. ?A good name??

The man's jaw worked a bit while shaking her hand. ?Well, Wilfred's a great name. Then again, so is Ian.? He leaned back, spreading out popcorn for pigeons. ?I knew an Ian, once. Good man. Barbara...? He suddenly trailed off and shivered. ?Yeah, she was a feisty one. Kind of like you. Just like at Oodsphere and-?

?Just like what?? Donna interrupted, placing young Will back in the carriage. She blinked rapidly and rubbed her forehead. ?What's an-?

?Oh, never mind that!? the man exclaimed. ?So, Will. Any big plans for him? Schools or the like??

Donna's eyes narrowed. ?Luv, he's a year old next week. It might be a good idea to wait at least until he's out of diapers before giving a thought to Cambridge or Harvard or Yale.? She suddenly paused and her mouth turned down. ?Hopefully he takes after his father in the brains department.? She smiled shakily. ?Before winning the winning the triple-rollover prize in the lottery and marrying Shaun, I was a simple temp.?

The man rolled his eyes. ?Oh, even temps can save the galaxy when in the right place!?

The redhead shrugged. ?Gett

Well, except for disagreeing on how readily Donna would have started whacking a complete stranger, this was very excellent. I laughed more than I should have. And your Eleven was surprisingly spot-on. Not surprised that you got him right, just that I could read this slightly off-kilter scenario and see him doing it, bowtie and all. Especially the ginger bit.

DarthIshtar-I... believe she hit Ten during her first appearance, but admittedly that was a bit of an odd meeting. Thanks. I don't want to brag, but for me, Eleven is just kinda... easy to sync into, you know? I'm glad you liked and thanks.

mira_jade-Aww, sorry. I plan on an Eleven Doctors fic where Ten... 'gets his', so to speak for what he did. Okay, someone breaks his jaw. Glad you liked my Eleven and Donna. I love those two.

Very nice, Jon. I love the idea of 11 checking up on Donna. Despite the humour and 11's obvious excitement and amiable personality, the tinge of sadness and bittersweetness is still there.

Donna's reaction to him is priceless - and classic Donna.