This story refers to events from the Big Finish play "No Place"

Mr. and Mrs. Normal

"Well, that went well!"

Donna looked up as the Doctor entered the TARDIS…study? Living room? She didn't have a name for it other than her favorite because of the big sofa that one could melt into. It was after many an adventure she found herself practically absorbed into its soft cushions, a cup of tea in hand and the adrenalin sifting through her body.

Like she was at the moment. Except for this time, she couldn't quite shake her nerves.

The Doctor noticed it, as he always did. And just like he always did, he ignored it. Or at least bought himself some time to figure out how to approach her. He could read Donna Noble better than anyone he'd traveled with before, and he also knew that determining how to talk things that unsettled her was the trickiest bit.

She offered a full smile and nodded. "Yes, honeymoon's over!" she said and lifted her hand. "Do you want this back right away?"

The Doctor took a step closer to her and saw the ring placed on her finger. Part of their cover as husband and wife. He hadn't been sure how she'd feel about pretending to be married, and handing her the ring had been a particular source of anxiety for his two hearts. But she'd taken to the whole thing with her usual enthusiasm. It wasn't until he'd suggested that her mother and grandfather join them that she'd shown any reservation.

"Mum was in full force," Donna said, raising an eyebrow.

He grinned. "She played along well enough when she learned what we really wanted to do was help Justin."

Donna's nod was of slow agreement, but then she brightened. "But Gramps was brilliant!"

At that he grinned and plopped onto the sofa next to her, the cushions nearly swallowing him whole. "Good ole' Wilf!" He waved at her hand. "You're keeping the ring on?"

She held it up again and frowned. "My fingers are still sore after the piano slammed down on them," she said.

The Doctor's expression fell. "That's my fault," he muttered and gently took her hand in his. "We can go to the sick bay and-"
"Not yet," Donna protested, yet she kept her hand in his. She leaned back. "I just want to rest here." She inhaled and met his eyes. "That was…"

"What?"

"Nothing."

The Doctor studied her hair. "It got creepy a couple of times," he offered.

"Yeah, the television crew got spooked," she said. "And poor Justin."

"He'll be better now that everything's been sorted," he assured her. She nodded mutely.

A banging from a distant room jolted through the serenity settling over them, and Donna gasped, yanking her hand out of his. The Doctor turned, glaring at the TARDIS walls. She knew better. Turning back, he shrugged at his friend. "Vortex stabilizer's acting up again," he said.

Donna exhaled. "Yeah," she said.

Concerned that perhaps this mission was a bit much with the "ghosts" and her mother, the Doctor shifted. "Say, i think we're due for a shopping trip!"

At that, she grinned. "Trying to cheer me up, Spaceboy?"

She knew him just as well. "Is it working?"

"Let me buy myself something sparkling, and we'll see," she said and when she flopped her head against the cushion, it was with a revived sense of self.

The Doctor joined her, and they lay in silence for a peaceful moment. For the Doctor, time never seemed to matter, so he had no idea how long it was before he felt a pressure on his shoulder. He glanced down ever so slightly to see Donna's sunset hair falling over onto his suit jacket. In the stillness, he could hear her even breaths and a lovely sense of warmth settled over him.

In his nine hundred years, he'd seen and lost too much. He would think that he would have gotten used to it. But it made moments like this, with his best friend trusting him in her vulnerability to fall asleep next to him, on him, all the more precious.

He reached down and took her bruised hand in his. The ring sparkled in the dim lighting, and he smiled to himself. It had been fun, being Donna's "husband." Seeing the exasperated twinkle in her eye when he called her those ridiculous names nearly made him laugh and ruin their cover.

The Doctor hated that she got scared and worse, that she was hurt, even if she'd brushed it off. He felt the urge to press her fingers to his lips, because he wanted to give her some comfort, and he knew she'd never allow such a thing if she was awake. So, with the gentlest of grace, he placed her hand back down and took a soothingly deep breath.

He glanced upward, and the TARDIS complied by dimming the lights. He smiled and exhaled, happy at another successful mission, albeit one that went a bit haywire at the end. Then again, when was it any other way? All that mattered was that it got sorted, people were put at ease, and most important, Donna hadn't decided to leave. That was the only thing that scared the Doctor.

The engine's humming was hypnotizing, and the Doctor was happier than he'd been in a long time. He was content to sit there as long as she needed, as any good "husband" would do.