Just a short ficlet I thought up at two in the morning and wrote out of boredom. Love it, hate it, not sure about it? Yeah, me either. Anyways review if you'd like, I'd love to hear opinions considering this is my first stab at a DW story. Thanks guys.

Sadly, I do not own Doctor Who (boo).

Practicality

"What about this one then, Donna?"

She looks up at the dress in her mother's hands (the twelfth one so far, and that's just today) and wrinkles her nose.

"Mum are you blind? It's hideous, look at all the lace!" she pushes it away and runs a hand through her hair, feeling the oncoming headache brewing between her eyes.

She's been surrounded by white and lace and tulle for the majority of the day along with her mother (a deadly combination really) and all she wants is to sit on the couch with Gramps and moaning about the crap telly he'd been watching lately or have Shaun take her somewhere that didn't involve dresses, flowers or cake.

The honest truth is that she doesn't mind not being married, she could spend the rest of her life with Shaun and the thought of a ring and a certificate she would ultimately forget about as it grew old and dusted would never cross her mind. It's her mother she is pleasing with all the talk of weddings and happily ever after's that Donna Noble knows only exist in children's books; but her mum has put up with more than anyone should have to in a lifetime and Gramps has wanted nothing more than to walk her down the aisle ("If you don't mind taking a while," he says).

After her first wedding turned out to be sham (don't ask her how it ended, she won't be able to tell you), she had given up on finding Mr. Right. It was no secret that she wasn't getting any younger and it while it was true that as a little girl she had imagined the fairy tale wedding with all the works, she had given it up ever since Lance had left her with a ruined dress and a broken heart. That was until she had woken up one day from an unexpected nap (did she even take naps anymore?) and her view on the world had been different.

"Life is short," she told her mother when she first showed her the engagement ring. "Might as well make the best of it while I can."

Donna shakes her head and admires her ring in the bright light of the shop, twisting it around her finger like she does when she's nervous. Shaun was a blessing that had strolled straight into her life, nothing but caring and sweet and the fact that her mum found it difficult to complain about him was just icing on the cake for her. Unlike the other men that had come and gone he had somehow managed to capture her attention with more than just good looks and chocolate brown eyes ("He's a looker isn't he?" she still brags) and when he had gotten down on one knee in the middle of the kitchen with no one to hear her if she were to say no, all she could do was nod and wipe away tears she didn't know she was crying.

Life is short and love is powerful.

She's ready to throw in the towel for the day, collapse into bed and stay there forever when she sees the dress out of the corner of her eye. It's plain, thin strapped and absolutely gorgeous as it hangs from the rack, separate from the others as if it's meant for her eyes only. Donna reaches out and skims the material, soft beneath her fingers. Pulling it from the hanger she disappears into the dressing room just as her mum comes over with her hands raised in defeat. She's waiting outside when Donna pulls the curtain back, eyebrows arching in slight disbelief.

"Really Donna? It looks almost exactly like your last one…and what are those?" she points the two folds sitting on both hips and Donna rolls her eyes.

"They're pockets, Mum." She shoves her hands inside to prove it, lips curling into the first real smile either of them had seen all day.

She smoothes the skirt down and stands in front of the mirror while her mother folds her arms across her chest and sighs.

"Why would someone put pockets on a wedding dress?"

Donna shrugs as her head cocks to the side in admiration. "Beats me, but who knows? They may come in handy."