Shades of Blue

A Doctor Who Fic

By Tenshi-Chan

Part 1

It had been the happiest day of Donna Noble's life. One that she had dreamed and planned of since she was old enough to wear a pillowcase on her head and stand with a feather duster in her hand while her teddy bear presided over the ceremony between herself and her pet cat.

The wedding march started and she smiled at her husband to be while her ailing father walked her down the aisle. She'd barely started that fateful walk when she'd had a feeling of being ripped apart and a strange glow surrounded her. It didn't hurt, but the sensation frightened her enough to pull a scream out of her. Once the glow faded, she found herself in a strange room.

A man behind her said something in shock and she spun around. Behind her were two people. A man dressed very well in a brown suit and some blonde girl who looked like a Chav. "Oh!"

The pair was obviously as confused as she felt. The girl was silent aside from addressing the man, but the man spoke again. "What?"

Though still confused, Donna was starting to get angry. "Who are you two?"

The man looked around as if trying to find the answers. "But..."

Confusion was dying down and anger was swiftly becoming the dominating emotion. "Where am I?"

The girl remained silent, but the man shook his head. "What?" Was that was all he could say?

The shock had worn off and her anger gave way into fury. "What the HELL is this place?"

"WHAT?"

The girl touched his arm. "Doctor, is that possible?" So the man was a doctor?

Doctor what's-his-name shook his head. "No! You can't do that, I wasn't ... we're in flight! That is ... that is physically impossible! How did ...?"

Donna took a deep breath. "Tell me where I am! I demand you tell me right now ... where am I?"

The man was distracted as he answered. "Inside the TARDIS."

What had he said? "The what?"

This time the girl answered. "The TARDIS."

Donna turned to her, getting annoyed. "The WHAT?"

The pair of them answered together. "The TARDIS!"

Donna growled. The word made no sense. Why should she care if something was tardy? "The what?"

The man, Doctor Whatever, seemed to be getting annoyed himself. "It's called the TARDIS!"

"That's not even a proper word! You two are just saying things!"

The girl tilted her head. "How did you get in here? If he says it isn't possible, then it shouldn't be possible."

Donna rolled her eyes. "Well, obviously, when you two kidnapped me. Who was it? Who's paying you? Was it Nerys? Oh, my God, she's finally got me back! This has got Nerys written all over it!"

The girl cleared her throat. "Excuse me, but who is Nerys?"

Donna gave her a look. "Your best friend. You seem to have the same taste as she does."

The man was puzzled. "Hold on, wait a minute. What are you dressed like that for?"

He could not be serious. "I'm going ten pin bowling."

The girl was shaking her head in disbelief. "Honestly, Doctor?"

"I was halfway up the aisle!" She started pacing the large room. I've been waiting all my life for this. I was just seconds away! And then you ... I don't know, you drugged me or something!" Donna growled and walked over.

The man shook his head. "I haven't done anything!"

"We're having the police on you! Me and my husband ... as soon as he is my husband ... we're gonna sue the living backside off ya!" When she didn't get an answer, she looked around and saw a pair of doors. She decided that those doors must be an exit and ran for them.

"Doctor!" The girl sounded alarmed.

"No! Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Don't!"

There was the sound of footsteps behind her, but she was so close. She threw the doors open and froze when she found herself staring out into the eternal blackness of space. All anger and fear fled in the face of such an awe-inspiring view. She barely noticed when the pair flanked her.

The man spoke quietly. "You're in space. Outer space. This is my ... space-ship. It's called the 'TARDIS'."

Donna swallowed. "How am I breathing?"

The blonde girl smiled at her. "The TARDIS is protecting us."

Donna looked at them. "Who are you two?"

The man spoke first. "I'm the Doctor."

The girl spoke next. "And I'm Rose Tyler. And what's you're name?"

"Donna." She couldn't give any more information. She was having a hard enough time coming to grips with what she was seeing.

The Doctor made a little humming sound. "Human?"

Donna turned to him. "Yeah. Is that optional?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Well, it is for me."

He stood there, looking nonchalant in his suit and red trainers. Perfectly normal, but if this ship was his, that could only mean one thing. "You're an alien?"

The Doctor let out a breath as he answered. "Yeah."

Donna nodded and turned to the girl. "You, too?"

The girl made a face and shook her head. "Nah! I lived in the Cornwall Estate until recently."

Donna took in the scenery for a moment before she found her voice again. "It's freezing with these doors open."

The Doctor closed the door and spun towards the central structure of the room. "But I don't understand it and I understand everything! This ... this can't happen! There is no way a Human Being can lock itself onto the TARDIS and transport itself inside. It must be... "

Donna looked at the girl, Rose, as the Doctor started babbling and scanning her with something. Her response to her silent inquiry was Rose rolling her eyes as if to say that Donna should get used to what the Doctor was doing.

He continued babbling. "Impossible. Some sort of subatomic connection? Something in the temporal field? Maybe something pulling you into alignment with the Chronon shell. Maybe something macro mining your DNA within the interior matrix. Maybe a genetic ..."

Donna had had enough. She gave into her first impulse and slapped him. She heard Rose snicker even and the Doctor gave her an indignant look.

"What was that for?"

Donna narrowed her eyes. "Get me to the church!"

The Doctor glared at her a moment before growling. "Right! Fine! I don't want you here anyway! Where is this wedding?"

Donna was furious. Here she was, on her wedding day, and this man was acting as if it was HER fault she was inside his ship. One does not plan for such an event. "Saint Mary's, Hayden Road, Chiswick, London, England, Earth, the Solar System." She turned to Rose. "Did he abduct you, too?"

Rose shook her head. "Nope! He blew up my job and then offered me a chance to travel with him."

The Doctor paused. "Oi! I couldn't help it if the Nestene decided to infest the building with living plastic!" He grumbled softly as he fiddled with the controls.

Rose placed a hand on Donna's shoulder. "Don't mind him. He's brilliant, but tends to be on the rude side."

The Doctor glared at them. "Right! Chiswick!"

Rose grabbed Donna as the Doctor flicked a switch and the two of them found something to steady themselves as the room lurched violently.

Donna wasn't sure how long they rocked, but she was sorely disappointed when they arrived and she left the vehicle. She didn't know where they were, but it was definitely not Saint Mary's. "I said 'Saint Mary's'. What sort of Martian are you? Where's this?"

The Doctor spoke softly. "Something's wrong with her... It's like she's... recalibrating!"

Donna turned and froze in shock when she saw the Doctor join Rose inside ... an old style Police Box.

She barely registered it as he spoke to her. "Donna? You've really gotta think. Is there anything that might've caused this?"

Donna didn't listen as she paced around the outside of the TARDIS, She touched the front in utter bewilderment. It was impossible! She covered her mouth to keep from screaming.

The Doctor kept talking. "Anything you might've done? Any sort of alien contacts? I can't let you go wandering off in case you're dangerous. I mean, have you... have you seen lights in the sky? Or ... did you touch something? Something ... something different? Something strange? Something made out of a sort of metal or... who're you getting married to? Are you sure he's human? He's not a bit overweight with a zip around his forehead, is he?"

She was just starting to run when she heard Rose admonish him with a slight chuckle in her voice.

"Donna!" She didn't look at him as he fell into step beside her. "Donna."

Donna shook her head. Enough was enough. "Leave me alone. I just want to get married."

Rose fell into step on her other side. "Come back to the TARDIS."

"No way. That box is too... weird." She just couldn't wrap her head around it.

"It's... bigger on the inside, that's all." From the way he said it, it sounded perfectly reasonable that a huge room could be inside an old police box.

"Oh! That's all?" She glanced at her watch and felt a wave of sorrow when she saw the time. "Ten past three. I'm gonna miss it."

The Doctor seemed confused. "You can phone them. Tell them where you are."

Donna was spared from responding when Rose spoke up. "How is she supposed to do that?"

The Doctor's confusion didn't seem to ease at all. "Haven't you got a mobile?"

Donna stopped and stared at him. "I'm in my wedding dress. It doesn't have pockets. Who has pockets? Have you ever seen a bride with pockets? When I went to my fitting at Chez Allison, one thing I forgot to say is 'give me pockets'?!"

Rose rolled her eyes. "Mental note. If I ever get married, make sure my wedding dress has pockets. Oh!" She pulled out a mobile and then frowned. "I knew I should have charged it! Sorry. Mine is dead."

Donna smiled a little, in spite of herself.

The Doctor pursed his lips a little. "... This man you're marrying ... what's his name?"

Donna's small smile boomed as she felt a wave of love fill her. "Lance."

Rose smiled. "Nice name."

The Doctor made a sound. "Good luck Lance." It sounded like he was putting Lance down.

That was it! No one insulted her Lance. "Oi! No stupid Martian is gonna stop me from getting married. To hell with you!" She ran to a busy street and ran for a cab. "Taxi!" The taxi drove off as the pair from the strange box joined her. "Why's his light on?"

Rose pointed. "Oh! There's another one!"

They ran for it with Donna calling for it only to watch as it drove away. "Oi!"

They encountered the same problem with a third taxi. "Do you have this effect on everyone? Why aren't they stopping?" The Doctor actually sounded puzzled.

Rose looked at Donna. "Maybe they think you're in fancy dress."

A taxi passed them and honked. "Stay off the scotch darlin'!"

Donna sighed. "No ... they think I'm drunk."

Two guys in a car leaned out and called to her, cheerfully. "You're fooling no-one, mate!"

That irritated Donna. "They think I'm in drag!" Sure she was no great beauty, but she doubted that she looked like a man in a dress.

The Doctor shook his head. "Hold on, hold on." He put his fingers between his lips and whistled, long and piercing, causing Donna and Rose to wince and cover their ears. However, it attracted the attention of a taxi, which ground to a halt before them. The Doctor and Donna clambered in the back seat as Rose got in the front.

The wave of relief Donna felt came through as she spoke to the driver. "Saint Mary's in Chiswick, just off Hayden Road. It's an emergency, I'm getting married! Just... hurry up!"

The driver glanced at her. "You know it'll cost you, sweetheart? Double rates today."

The relief left her and was replaced by a sickening dread. "Oh, my God!" She turned to the Doctor. "Have you got any money?"

The Doctor shook his head. "Um... no."

She looked at Rose in the front hopefully. Those hopes were dashed when Rose pulled out a few notes that would be no where near enough for the cab.

The blonde gave her a sad look. "Sorry. Wallet's in my jacket."

Donna sighed. She remembered seeing said jacket in the ship.

The Doctor regarded her. "And you?"

Donna gestured to her dress. "Pockets!"

To Be Continued...

AUTHOR'S NOTE: As always, many thanks to my best friend and fellow writer Keara. A lot of the time, nothing would get written if she wasn't poking me with the proverbial cattle prod. *ZAP* OW!

The depiction of first Donna episode has to be VERY close (in my opinion) because she is too fun for words and that initial meeting was classic. Some things HAD to be changed because, you all know, Rose is there. The Doctor isn't all 'Angst angst angst! Lost the woman I love and never even told her!'

After this part, there WILL be more changes. Got the transcript from "who-transcripts,atspace,com" (replace commas with periods). I got really lucky. Only the links to the transcripts for "Rose" and "The Runaway Bride" seem to work.