7Wilf was confused, obviously, and with slight reluctance, pushed through to the living room, aiming to act up to this 'John Smith' thing. He would do whatever The Doctor wanted him to. He looked up to that man with the upmost of dignity. He understood how much he had influenced Donna's life whilst she was travelling with him and he appreciated that. "We've got a new neighbour Donna, isn't that great! Oh, a new friend…" Wilf sounded so enthusiastic, being his usual cheery and wonderful self. His actions caused The Doctor to smile so gratefully, his expression however, kept to himself. "And it's lovely to meet you too… Mr…" "Mott." Wilf responded. "Wilfred Mott, sir."
Donna watched them, smiling to herself at the introduction of both her new neighbour, John Smith and her beloved grandfather. "Nurse John Smith." The redhead beamed, smirking lightly as she did which caused The Doctor to chuckle slightly. Oh, he'd definitely missed that cheeky side that came with Donna Noble. She was a tease and he had always loved that. He admired that in her more than anything and the ability she seemed to possess of turning a completely dull situation into one that had him laughing. She was talented and so, so special and she didn't even see that.
"Nurse?" Wilf replied, smiling widely. "We could do with a nurse. Take a tumble, all we have to do is call next door. That's fantastic!" For anyone that didn't know the circumstances would fall for this. Donna was falling for this. The way her mother, grandfather and neighbour were acting seemed nothing out of the ordinary. Everything seemed normal. Well, as normal as it could get.
"Anyway, I best get off." The Doctor soon stated, rubbing his hands together before making his way towards the living room door. Before opening it however, glanced over his shoulder. "Oh, Donna…" He started, flashing her a charming and charismatic smile "Let me take you for dinner tonight? I'll… pick you up at 7?" He waited on her reply, grinning as she accepted with "Yes, I'd love that… thank you!" before leaving, making his own way out of the house.
XXXXXXX
Since John had asked her, Donna couldn't help but become excited by the simple thought of going out to dinner with one of the most handsome men she had ever met. Of course, she did have a few concerns, mostly being those that surrounded the fact that it was too soon and they had only just met. But then again, she didn't want to care about that. He was so warm and welcoming that she attempted to keep all worries to a minimum.
She'd already picked herself out an outfit and although oblivious as to the type of place he would be taking her, settled on knee-length emerald coloured dress, knowing that the shade would contrast with her red hair. By 6pm, she was ready, the dress hugging her figure, curves in all of the right places and her hair clipped up into an elegant looking bun, two tendrils framing he pretty face. For once, she felt beautiful. Never before had she had the chance to dress up like she had done now, and although knowing she was possibly a little too overdressed, knew that John would appreciate it. She hoped to god he'd appreciate it.
The Doctor wanted to scrub up well. After all, he wanted to be the best he could towards Donna and because he knew of the past she couldn't remember, he wanted to make up for it. He owed that to her at least. He'd changed into a pair of trousers and having only recently bought them especially for this dinner date, they looked fresh and smart. He was wearing a white shirt, a bow-tie accompanying it and although also believing he was a little over dressed, knew it would be needed. He was aware of the type of place he was taking his old friend.
At 6:55, he made his way next door, realising he was five minutes early but he was eager. He placed a firm knock on the door and when seeing it was Donna who had answered, eyed her up and down in a form of affection and grinned. "You look lovely! Absolutely beautiful!" This only caused Donna to grin. "And you scrub up well, John. Look at you. Whe-Where are we going?" Her brow raised in curiosity and she pursed her lips.
"Oh, I was thinking… I don't know… perhaps that café you and I had that delightful cup of coffee in earlier. Or, my other choice which may be appealing to you… Mcdonalds?" The Doctor held a convincing tone for a moment before interrupting all seriousness with a chuckle, causing Donna to nudge him. "Seriously, where are we going?"
"I reserved a table in a nice restaurant in the city. Great place! Lovely chandelier hanging from the ceiling and all. Flashy place, extremely flashy OH, and I've heard it's a celebrity hotspot." He was rambling, acting as his usual Doctor self but now, he wasn't The Doctor. He didn't want to spoil anything with his superior intelligence. He knew he was a very clever man but his knowledge was greater than any human being and he didn't want to jeopardize anything by showing that side.
At the mention of celebrities, Donna's eyes widened. "You mean… we could be sitting there and some famous person could walk past us? Whist we're eating… that is FANTASTIC! You- you're not wasting money on me are you?" The Doctor shook his head. "Of course not."
A cab soon pulled up, Donna stepping out of her house and she linked arms with The Doctor once closing the door. She was feeling optimistic about the whole evening now more than ever. Especially now she'd formed an image of the type of place John was taking her to.
The car journey lasted around forty five minutes, a lengthy journey indeed for something so simple as a dinner date, but never the less, the traffic to get into the city wasn't too swell. Pulling up outside a swanky looking restaurant, Donna peered out of the window, her lips parting and a small "bloody hell" escaping them. The Doctor laughed gently, opening the cab door to get out and once stood on the curb, held the door for Donna, responding with a smile as she gave him one. "Why thank you very much, kind sir." She spoke, a mock accent lingering within her tone and she gave such a cheeky smirk. Once again, as the cab drove away, she linked her arm within his, allowing him to lead the way.
Entering and once having a proper gaze around, Donna gasped. "Oh god John, this is lovely!" By the expression placed across her face, it was obvious she was in awe. "Why did you pick this place? I mean, for me… it's so posh and I-I'm not posh and it must cost a bomb. Wh-" The Doctor hushed her, laughing a little although uncertainty shun through his tone. "I hope you don't think I'm coming on too strong, Donna." His words were soft and he stopped in his tracks for a moment, mostly to wait to be taken to their table but never the less, he looked at Donna. "I wanted to make an impression and you deserve nothing more than the best. Every woman deserves special treatment and well, I knew you'd like this place. I certainly do."
The way he spoke touched Donna, the kind heart John seemed to have made her feel so warm and almost… gooey. Although of course, she would never admit to that. She didn't say anything, instead, followed the waiter once he'd finally decided to show them to their table, a lovely lit candle placed in the middle. It looked so romantic and Donna appreciated that. It was exactly what she wanted.
Sitting down, The Doctor picked up a menu, looking over to Donna briefly before down to the words printed across the rather posh looking booklet. "Hm…" he mused unintentionally, raising a brow as he scanned the different meals briefly. "Spaghetti sounds nice. Hm, Spaghetti Cabonara? What is that… cheesy pasta? I like cheese and pasta… although, it's cream cheese isn't it?"
He glanced up to Donna who seemed to be laughing at his ramblings. "Yes, John. It's like…a creamy cheese sauce and it's delicious." She smiled with her teeth, such warmth in her expression which caused The Doctor to smile. "Then, I shall have that. What are you having?"
Donna hadn't even looked at her menu, deciding immediately what she wanted. "Actually, I'll have the same. Or… maybe we could share?"
TBC.
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