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The Doctor and Rose had taken two zeppelins, a train, and a truck (driven by an old farmer who was every bit the image of a proper country gentleman) to get to the mountainside cabin tucked into a peaceful corner of the Appalachian Mountains. It had been the most inefficient means of transport the Doctor had ever endured. His suit was sweaty and dusty from the truck ride, and he felt every single bump in the rural road radiating up his spine.
I’ll need the holiday to recover from the back injury..
. He longed for the day when their tiny TARDIS would be grown and they could go anywhere, and anywhen they chose, in the blink of an eye. He tried to match Rose’s enthusiasm for the little rustic cabin, but it was a challenge. He managed a grin as she jogged to the edge a field leading to a sparkling lake, hurrying to catch up with her.
Rose turned to him, a rainbow of wildflowers behind her, and gave him
that
smile. Her beauty outshined all the nebulas and alien planets he’d ever seen. In that instant, his melancholy mood disappeared.
He bent down to pluck a flower. The blossom was yellow, tipped with pink, and even if it wasn’t a rose, it suited his favorite human perfectly. Grinning, he tucked the flower behind Rose’s ear.
“Was wonderin’ if you liked it here,” she murmured. “You were lookin’ a bit sad.”
“Not anymore,” he assured her. “I was missin’ our TARDIS. I suppose I’m a bit worn out after our long journey to get here. But you know what?”
“What?”
“I realized, just now, when you smiled at me, all wide-eyed and excited about bein’ here… I have missed seeing the wonders of the universe through your eyes. And it doesn’t matter where we are, as long as I can experience it with you.” He leaned in for a gentle kiss.
As they broke apart, Rose murmured, “You know what else?”
He grinned. “What?”
“It’s been
such
a long time since I’ve felt all wide-eyed an' excited. An’ that’s ‘cos I get to experience it with you. Better with two, yeah?”
“Quite right,” he said as he stole another kiss..
They’d travel the universe, eventually. But right now, all he’d ever dreamed of was right there in front of him, right here on Earth. And they’d have a fantastic time.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Green rain poured from an orange sky as the Doctor and Rose ran for cover. They ducked under an overhang, which provided a makeshift roof. The Doctor got a proper look at Rose, who looked miserable in her soaked clothes and muddy, ruined trainers.
“Ugh. Wouldn’t happen to have a pair of galoshes in those pockets, wouldja?” Rose asked with a smirk.
“Erm...let me see…” The Doctor trailed off, touching his tongue to his teeth, in deep concentration. Rose’s eyebrows raised as he plunged his arm into his trouser pocket. He pulled out a bag of jelly babies, a yo-yo, and a clockwork mouse. He dropped them into Rose’s hands.
“Why do you have that mouse?” Rose asked, shivering.
“Excellent distraction,” he told her as he dove back into his pocket. Out came a pair of tortoiseshell sunglasses, which he perched on Rose’s face.
“Shame there’s no sunshine,” she commented, removing the glasses while balancing the other items in her arms.
“Where’d I get those glasses? Oh, yeah. Audrey Hepburn or Pythagoras…” He let that revelation drop as he pulled out an enamel cat pin and a recorder. He looked up at Rose, whose eyes were wide as she stared at the eclectic collection of random items in her hands. “Hold on, I think there’s…”
Rose shook her head. “It’s okay. These trainers are destined for the bin, so I might as well just wear ‘em ‘til we get back to the TARDIS.” She shivered again.
“No,” the Doctor stated flatly, “I got you into this mess. It’s the least I can do. The very least, unfortunately.” He sighed heavily and resumed his search.
Rose could see the disappointment and concern in his eyes. “Doctor, really, it’s okay.”
“No, it isn’t. Thought this would be a fun little holiday and of course I end up bringing you here at the beginning of monsoon season. Just like I thought I was taking you to an Elvis concert and you ended up…” He broke off, frustrated. “Warm, dry shoes are the least I can do.”
“I didn’t exactly try to get you to go back to the TARDIS when the rain began, did I? And as far as what happened at the coronation…”
“I constantly get you into these messes, Rose,” he mumbled. He withdrew a sword from his pocket, earning a baffled look from his companion. He handed the sword off to her.
“I knew you’d rescue me, Doctor.”
“You shouldn’t have that much faith in me,” he sighed, finally making eye contact with her.
“Well, I do,” she told him. “And I hope you’d have the same faith in me.”
Recalling a Rose radiant with the power of the time vortex, reducing Daleks to dust, he shuddered. “I do.”
When Rose spoke again, it was a near-whisper, almost inaudible over the sound of the rain. “And… I hope you know why I have so much faith in you.” She looked up at him, as though she was half-afraid of his answer. The love in her eyes shook him to the core.
The Doctor had a choice. He could plunge his hand back into his pocket, distract her with yet some other mad object, pretend he hadn’t heard what she said, or see what was plainly written on her face.
Or, he could let her know the truth of how he felt. Those three little words stuck in his throat, though. She averted her eyes and he knew that he’d paused just a little too long. He finally spoke. “I do know,” he murmured. She looked back him, her eyes wary. “I hope you know why I have so much faith in you.” It didn’t escape him that it had taken several more words to express those three little words, but he could tell from the joyful expression on her face, she understood exactly what he was trying to say.
“I know,” she beamed, nodding her head. There was a sudden thud as Rose dropped the objects. She clutched at his coat lapels and he found himself leaning down to meet her halfway. Then he wasn’t thinking about anything else except how brilliant it was for his lips to finally be in contact with hers. As they kissed, he became aware that he no longer felt the cold, only a sensation of warmth, as if fireworks were fizzling in his stomach. They snogged until she pulled back to breathe.
Rose lifted her hand to caress his sideburn. He couldn’t resist nuzzling into her touch, and he felt fairly certain that his smile was identical to hers. Thunder rumbled loudly and they burst out laughing.
“Erm… would you care to… continue discussing what we
know
in the warmth of the TARDIS? By the fireplace in the library, perhaps?” he suggested. “M’thinking you’re still a bit cold… Your lips were, at any rate. Not that it’s a bad thing, because mine can be a bit… chilly...as well...”
Rose interrupted his ramble with a quick stolen kiss. “I would love to,” she affirmed.
“Oh, wait! Was lookin’ for…” His hand descended into the depths of his pocket. With a triumphant cry he pulled out a pair of dark blue galoshes, printed with little yellow baby ducks. Rose burst out laughing. “Just your size, Rose Tyler!”
“Brilliant!” She held onto his arm as she struggled out of her trainers and into the boots, giggling with glee the whole time. He hastily pocketed his collection when she finished. “Don’t you have a pair? Your trainers must be ruined.”
“My socks are waterproof,” the Doctor answered, his mind already planning the evening’s activities by the fire.
That revelation sent Rose into a renewed fit of laughter. She rolled her eyes. “Of course they are. You might’ve mentioned those were a thing, y’know!”
He shrugged, grinning. “Race ya to the TARDIS. Sooner we get back, the sooner we can…Oi!” He trailed off as she winked at him and took off running. He followed and they splashed their way through the puddles to their time ship.
They spent the rest of the evening by the fire, talking and snogging. By the time they both dozed off, warm and dry under a fuzzy blanket, they had no doubts about their feelings for each other. They just knew.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Rose wakes up alone on the sofa, squinting at the clock. The Doctor is nowhere to be seen, but she’s not surprised. He has been working nonstop to get their new TARDIS ready for her maiden voyage. She rubs her eyes and stretches. As she slides her feet into her trainers, the back door opens and he enters, beaming. “Rose Tyler, close your eyes and hold out your hand.” Rose arches her eyebrow, questioning, but she complies. Her confusion turns to delight when she feels the cold metal of a key placed in her hand. “Next stop, anywhere,” he announces.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Don’t cry, Rose, please… we can always get married at the courthouse. We could hop in the TARDIS, and travel to Vegas… the planet, not the city… You’re not crying.”
Rose was not crying. Her hand covered her mouth, tears flowed freely, but her body was quaking with silent laughter.
Because of course, it was their wedding day. And of course, during the vows, an alien ship had crash-landed in the wedding venue’s parking lot, making the whole building shake.
Her laughter was contagious. They embraced, guffawing. “It’s so completely us. By the way, I like the plaster dust in your hair. It looks good on you,” Rose chuckled.
The Doctor gazed at Rose, taking in the torn veil, the mascara trails and dust on her face, and beamed. “Did I tell you I think you look beautiful?” They leaned in at the same time, lips meeting in a tender kiss.
The moment was broken by her frantic mother bellowing orders and Torchwood agents converging on the chapel. “We can always elope later on tonight,” Rose smiled.
“It’s a date,” the Doctor confirmed.
Then they clasped hands and ran out to the parking lot to meet their unexpected wedding guests.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
They weren’t
officially
married yet, due to the alien ship crashing in the chapel’s car park, but there was a ton of good food and a very large cake at the Tyler Mansion, so they decided to go ahead and have the reception.
To soothe Jackie’s nerves, they promised to show up the next morning at nine on the dot, to head to the clerk's office for a quick civil ceremony that would make them husband and wife. The Doctor had stopped arguing that since they were telepathically bonded, Rose was already his wife. It would only make Jackie cry again, weeping over the “magic alien wedding” she didn’t get to attend.
The almost-newlyweds took time to retire to their new TARDIS, where Rose changed out of her soiled and torn wedding gown. She was delighted to find an ivory version of the 50’s era dress she’d worn when she didn’t meet Elvis. The Doctor gladly shucked his dusty tux (it was cursed anyway), happy to put on his blue pinstripes. Both wore matching Chucks.
After cutting into the highly anticipated top layer of their cake (banana cream), Jake, who had taken over as DJ, announced, “I’d like to call our nearly-weds out to the dance floor!”
The Doctor groaned. “As groom, I should be the only one allowed to make wedding puns.”
Laughing, Rose pulled him out to the middle of the dance floor. “Kinda clever, actually,” she chuckled. She was the one groaning, however, when the first notes of a sappy Cliff Richard love ballad began to blare from the speakers. Her mother clapped excitedly.
“How is his music even in this universe? Your mother’s fault, no doubt.” Rose burst out laughing, resting her head on his shoulder. “Nope, not havin’ that. We’re the nearly-weds, we get to choose,” the Doctor grumbled, pulling out the sonic and aiming it at the speakers. The music abruptly changed to
Moonlight Serenade.
“Ah, much better. Rose Tyler, you will find your feet at the end of your legs, if you care to move them.”
Rose beamed. “Do you remember everything I ever said to you?” she murmured as he held her close and they swayed to the music, the soundtrack of a memory held dear by both of them.
The Doctor grinned. “Oh, yes, I do. You’re on my mind and in my heart. Well, hearts, back then. Even after all this time… it’s always you.”
She slid her hand into his hair, prompting him to lean down. The Doctor’s eyes fell shut as their lips met. They’d deepened the kiss most satisfactorily when they became aware of whistles and catcalls, but they ignored them until Jackie’s voice rang out, “More dancin’ and less shaggin’ in front of the company!”
They broke apart, laughing. “You know, we have a time machine. We could still elope to Planet Vegas…” the Doctor suggested.
“You know she’ll really be howlin’ if we don’t show up at nine on the dot tomorrow mornin’.”
The Doctor arched his eyebrow. “I do recall uttering the phrase time machine. I’ll bet we could get married at least five times and still be on time for a mum-approved Earth wedding. Do we have a wager?”
“What do I win if we don’t make it back on time?”
“You’ll be very
satisfied
no matter how the wager turns out.”
She smirked. “Sounds like less of a wager and more of a challenge.”
“Are you up for it?”
Rose arched her eyebrow in imitation of her husband, and proclaimed, “Oh, yes.” She glanced across the dance floor. “I have a dance scheduled with my dad, and then…”
“We run?”
Rose agreed with him, wordlessly this time, pulling him into another kiss that caused Jackie to bellow.
***
(They were, in fact, thirty minutes late for their civil ceremony. By the time they arrived, still in their outfits from the reception, they’d been married six times, on four separate planets and one asteroid bazaar. Their excuse for their tardiness had less to do with the Doctor’s piloting, and more to do with escaping from the sentient, carnivorous wedding bouquet Rose had accidentally chosen for the asteroid bazaar ceremony. At any rate, they considered it a challenge well met.)
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Another thing about Howard…” Rose was tuning her mother out, and Jackie noticed. “Rose, you’re not listenin’.” “I was,” Rose argued. “Howard… something.” Jackie rolled her eyes. “Was just talkin’ about bein’ happy with a fella for the first time in a long time, that’s all.” Rose sighed. “M’sorry, Mum. It’s good that you're happy. What is it about Howard that you like so much? I’m listenin’.” Jackie shot her a dubious look but went on. “Well, he just notices the little things. Like what kinda biscuits I like… and that I mentioned I needed a black clutch to match my heels when we go to the New Year’s Eve Party…” Rose sincerely doubted Howard noticed without Mum dropping multiple hints throughout the Christmas shopping season, but she kept that to herself. “That’s lovely, Mum.” “And my tea. He knows I like a bag of Earl Gray and a bag of English Breakfast in my mug, with four splashes of milk and no sugar cubes. I never told him, he just noticed. That’s love. It’s in the little things, Rose.” Rose nodded, thinking her mother was probably one of the most high-maintenance tea drinkers she knew. Her mind wandered looking forward to traveling, cataloguing the things she wanted to pack in her rucksack. That patchy lavender blouse would be nice… Her thoughts then turned to the Doctor, just recently blue-eyed and leather jacketed, now brown-eyed and brown suited. They hadn’t had a lot of time to talk, what with the belated Christmas celebrations going on, and the cleanup from the invasion taking up time. She had hesitantly asked what he remembered from before and he’d given her a grin, those new teeth (so weird) on display. “Oh, everything, Rose Tyler,” he’d assured her. She still loved the way the Doctor said her name. But things had gotten busy and he was doing TARDIS repairs, and they hadn’t discussed it further. Rose remembered all the things he’d liked, his favorite biscuits and the way he took his tea (too much sugar!), but she wondered if he’d remember anything about the little things he used to do for her. The little things that could make her imagine that maybe, there could be something more, that she was special. Her first Doctor had grumbled about domestics and how he didn’t do them. However, it wasn’t long after she began traveling when she discovered him in the galley. He’d wordlessly set her mug, steaming with English Breakfast, (already fixed with one sugar cube and a very small splash of milk) in front of her on the table. Just the way she liked it. And not long after that, she’d found a soft pink blanket hanging over her favorite armchair in the library. As the Doctor had settled in with a copy of Philosopher’s Stone, ready to read aloud, he’d mumbled about “you’re always goin’ on about bein’ cold in here.” Thinking of how he’d smirked, even though he was pretending to ignore her reaction to the blanket, made her eyes sting. These little gestures had meant so much to her. “Oh, blimey, Rose, you’re not even listenin’. Least you could do is have a conversation with me before you go swannin’ off with himself again.” Jolted back to reality, Rose swallowed around the lump in her throat. “Sorry. You were sayin’?” *** Ugh. As it turned out, some of the side effects of an illegal psychograft included exhaustion and a splitting headache. The paracetamol wasn’t cutting it. Rose definitely needed tea. The caffeine would help the pain, she supposed. Tea was a miracle cure, according to the Doctor. He was still crediting it for bringing him out of his regeneration coma. Rose shuffled to the galley, having already decided to crawl back into bed for another couple of hours after a light breakfast. It was there she encountered the Doctor, smiling widely in greeting. “Good morning, Rose Tyler. Although there’s no morning or night on the TARDIS, I suppose it’s like morning for you. Late morning, at that. Very nearly noonish.” He ran his hand through his hair, making it even messier. Artfully messy, though. It was some really great hair. Rose could appreciate that, despite the headache. “You’re awfully… cheery. No Cassandra side effects for you, yeah?” She slumped into a chair. “Well…” he said, drawing the word out. “My brain absorbed much of the effects, I suppose.” Rose was about to grumble about her non-absorbent brain needing tea, but before she could, the Doctor placed her pink rose patterned mug in front of her. It was steaming invitingly. “English Breakfast, small splash, one cube,” he announced, smiling. He looked positively chuffed. Despite her headache, Rose beamed back at him. “You remembered. I didn’t know if you would, now that you’re…” “I’m still me. New, new Doctor. But I still remember.” Their eyes locked, and blimey, if he wasn’t gazing… “Don’t think I’ll ever forget a single detail about you, Rose Tyler. Don’t you ever worry about that.” He raised his own mug in a toast. Rose raised hers as well. “Duly noted, Doctor.” He took a sip, breaking eye contact. But even with the moment ending, Rose felt a warmth inside that had absolutely nothing to do with the tea. “Now, drink up. Tea’s the best… tannins and free-radicals, you know. I happen to be an expert in the healing power of tea…” She knew she would get used to his Tigger-like bouncing and his nonstop gob in time. But it was nice to realize that even though he’d changed, his memories… and maybe his feelings for her … had stayed the same. Rose was hopeful, because, as her mum had reminded her, it was all about the little things.