Eight months. That was how long it's been since that day Rose took the initiative to kiss him, amongst other things, and kick-start this relationship. James entered his office, looked at the calendar, and repeated to himself, "eight months." Technically, eight months, one week, five days and, he glanced at his watch, two hours. Give or take, but who's counting?

He sat at his desk, turned on his computer, and opened the search engine. His fingers rested on the keys, ready to type a slew of questions he had been asking himself, and after a few keystrokes he found himself staring at an array of diamond jewelry.

His current thoughts of, "is this too soon," and, "maybe I'm reading too far into this," were now replaced with several more, complicated questions. Shapes, cuts, colors, settings, more choices than he was expecting to encounter. He clicked around the site, hoping for some clarity when a knock at his door pulled him from his daze.

He glanced up from the screen and felt his eyes grow three times larger as he saw Rose staring back at him. "Rose," he sputtered in surprise, frantically clicking to close the current page on his computer and leaping to his feet, "what are you doing here?"

"Hi to you too," Rose said suspiciously, wondering what startled him.

"Sorry," he stepped around his desk and pressed a kiss to her lips, "hello."

"Is this a bad time, you seemed," she glanced at his desk, "busy."

"Nah, just patient files. Confidential patient files, you know patient privacy and all," he smiled and suddenly felt guilty for lying, although he shouldn't.

"Yeah," Rose nodded, then shook her current thoughts away, "I was just wondering if you wanted to eat out tonight?"

"Sure," he responded cheerfully, "just give me ten minutes." He grabbed a file from his desk, placed a kiss to her forehead, and dashed out the door.

Rose let out a steady breath and gazed around his empty office before taking a seat. Still wondering what made him act so unusual and telling herself not to worry about it.

"Eight months, two weeks, and four days," James muttered to himself as he paced up and down the street, eyeing the jewelry store as if he were waiting for an invitation to come inside. He considered calling someone, but who? Amy couldn't keep a secret from Rose and Rory couldn't keep a secret from Amy. Jack was an option, but he had a habit of making situations like these far too uncomfortable and James was already stepping far out of his comfort zone.

No, he told himself, this was between him and Rose and he needed to do this alone. He looked around at the people passing by, hoping nobody he knew saw him, then he dashed across the street and ran inside the shop before he second guessed himself.

He caught the woman behind the counter by surprise with his sudden entrance, then she stared at him in amusement as he froze at the center of the room, wide eyed and obviously terrified. She gave him a moment to settle down and watched him pace slowly over to a glass display. He stared at the jewelry as if it were all foreign to him. He rubbed his hand across the top of his head while blowing out a breath.

Finally, she took pity on him and approached him, "hello." She smiled up at him gently and when she finally caught his eye, "is there anything in particular I can help you with today?"

James shook his head and took a step back, crossed his arms, then dropped them again. He read her name tag, Sarah Jane and looked into her kind eyes, feeling a bit more comfortable, "actually, I'm just looking for a ring."

"Ok, what type of ring you are looking for?"

James felt his cheeks flaming, then stepped closer to the counter and told himself to stop being an idiot. He stared down at the numerous choices, "an engagement ring, maybe…" his eyes lifted to meet hers again, looking vulnerable, "is eight months too soon?"

Sarah Jane clasped her hands and rested then on the counter then leaned toward him, looking him directly in the eye, and repeated his question, "do you think eight months is too soon?"

James looked confused then shook his head, "no, it isn't. It could be eight months, or eight years, it's not the time that matters, it's the person."

Sarah Jane smiled proudly, "and her name?"

"Rose," James replied, unable to keep himself from smiling.

"Alright," Sarah Jane turned her attention back to the glass display, "we have several rings to choose from or you can design something custom. Do you have any style in mind for Rose?"

James swallowed and shook his head, "no, I thought they were all basically the same."

"Ok, how about the band," Sarah Jane asked, hoping to get a little more insight as to what he wanted, "did you want white gold, yellow gold, rose gold, platinum..." as she named them off she saw James' eyes become even more vacant.

As an experienced jeweler, Sarah Jane decided to take a different approach. She stepped out from behind the counter and led James away from all the glittering diamonds and sat him at a small table near the register. She instructed him to sit and sat down across from him, "how about we start with you telling me a little bit about Rose?"

When James walked out of the shop, his head was still spinning and he still didn't have a ring in hand. Sarah Jane had walked him through their various choices and in the end, James decided he wanted something unique. Once she helped him figure that out, she told him it would take at least a week to arrive. By that point, he had not choice but to agree to wait, it was only a week he told himself.

After the longest week he had ever lived, James finally got the call he had been waiting for and when his lunch break came around, he dashed to the jewelry store.

Sarah Jane greeted him like an old friend when he walked in, then she brought out the ring he had chosen especially for Rose.

She placed it in his palm and he stared down at it in amazement. Such a small piece of jewelry suddenly felt so heavy in his hand as if he were holding his entire future, which technically he was. He stared at it from every angle, watching it sparkle under the lights above him, imagining it sitting on her finger.

It wasn't extravagant, he knew Rose wouldn't want something flashy, but he wanted it to be noticeable. He may have been a bit generous when choosing the diamond, but as he stared at it, sitting on the platinum band, accented with blue sapphires down the side, it all fit together perfectly.

Sarah Jane could tell he was pleased, judging by the expression on his face and set him off on his way, asking him to return with Rose when it was time to buy their wedding bands.

With plenty of time left on his lunch, James arrived back to his office, carrying a sandwich he picked up along the way, the ring secure in his jacket pocket, and a grin he couldn't wipe off his face even if he tried. He sat down at his desk and pulled out the small box from his pocket to be sure the ring was still there.

"Knock, knock," he heard Jack's voice ring out from the doorway and James tossed the box in his desk drawer slamming it shut. Jack grinned as he stepped inside, took a seat, and kicked his legs up on his desk as if he owned the place, "what was all that about?"

"What," James' brow furrowed as he unwrapped his sandwich, "you just caught me by surprise, I wasn't expecting any company. Besides, you never visit me at work."

Jack shrugged, "can't a man stop by and visit his friend to say hi?"

"Most men, yes," James studied him, "you seem to have some ulterior motive."

Jack pouted, "I'm hurt, James. To think after all we've been through," he stopped when he realized James' fuse was running short. He sighed, "fine, Rosie called."

James sat up, "Rose? Why?"

"Because of all this," Jack pointed toward his desk area, making a circular motion with his finger. "She said you've been a bit jumpy and distant, she's worried something's wrong and you don't want to tell her."

"Nothing's wrong," James said defensively, "everything's been good, perfect, fantastic."

"Then why did you jump when I popped in," Jack asked.

James stared hard at Jack, but Jack didn't back down.

"Come on, James," Jack whined, "I've seen you at your worst so whatever you're hiding cannot be that bad."

"I'm not hiding anything," James argued, "well, not like you think." Grumbling to himself, he pulled the drawer open, removed the small velvet box and placed it on the desk in front of Jack.

Jack looked at the box, then to James, then back to the box. Sitting upright, Jack picked up the box and carefully opened it, staring at the ring inside, "James…wow!"

"I know," James uttered nervously.

"I mean," Jack continued, "I'm flattered and all, but I thought we agreed to just stay friends and…"

"Not you, you idiot," James yelled over him, snatching the ring out of Jack's hands.

Jack laughed, "I'm just pulling your chain." He pointed at the ring box, "so, that's what you've been so secretive about lately?"

"Yeah," James placed it back inside his jacket where he felt it would be safest, "I was debating it for a while, wondering if it was too soon, but…"

"Nah, it's not too soon, not for you two," Jack answered. "When were you planning to ask her?"

James stared at Jack as he thought about it, "I don't know, soon?"

Jack chuckled, "ok, well, how were you planning on asking her?"

"How," James repeated, then spun his chair around, staring out the window.

Jack stood up and came to his side, "well, you can't just walk in the door one night, toss her the box and say, hey, why don't we get married. This only happens once, you gotta make it special. Women love that sort of thing."

James rubbed his temples, "I hadn't thought that far ahead yet."

"Well," Jack said, "who else knows?"

"Just you," James answered, "and Sarah Jane, she's the one who sold me the ring."

"Once again, I'm one of the first to know," Jack beamed, "what about her mother?"

James looked up at him, "Jackie? What about her?"

"Aren't you going to ask permission to marry her daughter?"

"I don't need her permission," James scoffed, "besides, she still isn't all that happy about our relationship."

"That's kind of the point," Jack replied truthfully, "given your rocky past and keeping things secret, you owe her that much. Plus, it would earn you a lot more respect, not just from Jackie but from Rose as well."

James leaned forward in his chair and buried his face in his hands.

Jack drummed his hands on the desk and stared around James' office, then he smiled when he stared at the calendar, "you know James, Valentine's day is just around the corner…"

James lifted his head and looked at Jack, "isn't that a little cliché? Besides, I want to surprise her. I don't want her to know what is happening before I ask her."

"Right," Jack nodded, "but what if you find a way to catch her off guard? Instead of dinner by candlelight or sitting under the stars, find something less traditional."

James considered this, they were not a traditional couple so why should this moment be traditional?

"Dr. Noble," Lynda called to James, breaking him from his current thoughts.

Jack looked back at Lynda, hopped to his feet, and gave her his most dashing smile. He approached the young nurse, taking her hand gently between his own, "Jack Harkness, and who are you?"

"Lynda," her cheeks reddened instantly, "I'm Dr. Noble's nurse."

"Hello, Lynda," Jack purred, and lifted her hand, placing a kiss to the back of it.

"Would you mind flirting someplace else," James roared from behind him, making Jack leap back a pace.

"I wasn't…" Jack sighed and released Lynda's hand.

Lynda smiled at James, "I really don't mind."

James shook his head at Lynda, "if you knew any better, you would." He turned to Jack, "we're done here? You're not going to tell anyone about this, right?

Jack stood tall and saluted, "no sir, your secret is safe with me," and winked at Lynda before walking away.

Lynda watched Jack until he was gone, then turned back to James, still blushing.

James knew that look and warned her, "don't."

"I'm not," Lynda replied, "besides, I thought he was your friend."

"He is," James agreed, "my best friend who I know all too well, which is why I'm telling you, don't." He reached out and plucked the folder from Lynda's hand, she obviously forgot why she was at his office. Jack had that effect of people.

"Give me ten minutes and I'll be ready," he said and shooed her away, going back to his desk to quickly eat his lunch. Jack was right, he admitted to himself as he took a large bite, he hated when he was right. If he asked Rose to marry him now without talking with Jackie first, it would just create more tension between him and his future…mother-in-law. He shuddered at the idea.

Rose had just walked in the door when her phone began to ring. She dug for it inside her purse and glanced at the screen before answering it, "hey Jack."

"Hey Rosie, are you busy?"

Rose took a breath and sat down, expecting bad news, "no, just got home."

"Oh," Jack said, "are you alone?"

Rose looked at the time, "yeah, James won't be home for a couple of hours."

"Really," Jack's voice dropped an octave, "what are you wearing?"

"Jack," Rose groaned.

"You're no fun," Jack whined teasingly, "Anyway, I went to visit James today, caught him by surprise too."

Rose let out a shaky breath, "oh, yeah…"

"Yeah," Jack repeated, "honestly Rose, I don't know what you're getting yourself worked up over. I mean, yeah he's a little off his game, but he loves you, you know that."

"Yeah, I know," Rose said, "I'm just worried I'm pressuring him into something, with me moving in and all."

"Never," Jack said, "Rose, he's never been happier, believe me. I think you are worrying yourself over nothing."

"I suppose," Rose sighed, "thank you Jack."

"No problem," Jack replied happily before his tone changed again, "so, what are you wearing?"

"Goodbye Jack," Rose laughed and hung up before he could complain.

James nearly backed out of this plan to talk to Jackie several times before he reached the estate. Mainly because he worried that she wouldn't approve, leaving him with the complicated decision to either ask Rose against her mother's wishes, or wait until a later time and try again.

In the beginning it seemed as if Jackie was accepting of the two of them together, but as the months went on she became agitated, even more so when Rose moved in. Apparently, she wasn't expecting this to last.

As he dragged his feet to her door he could already hear her voice carrying through the walls and he assumed she was on the phone as always. Whoever she was talking to could wait, he thought to himself and knocked, it didn't sound like an urgent call.

Jackie opened the door and her face instantly changed to a frown when she saw James. She poked her head out slightly, looking for Rose, then looked back at James, "what do you want?"

"Oh nice," James said sarcastically.

"Whatever, hello," Jackie grumbled, "now, what is it?"

James rubbed the back of his neck, feeling awkward, "I was hoping to talk to you."

"Blimey, what have you done," Jackie asked accusingly.

James dropped his hand, "nothing, I just need to talk to you."

Jackie sighed loudly to show her irritation, then invited him in.

James walked inside and once he reached the living room his eyes widened, and he took a step back as if he was about to run. Jackie wasn't on the phone with anyone, apparently she was having Mickey and Martha over for dinner and they were all having a nice chat before he showed up."

"Is this a bad time," James asked Jackie, hoping she would say it was and he could leave.

"No, this is a great time to talk about whatever you did to Rose," Jackie said accusingly.

"What happened to Rose," Mickey perked up.

James turned to him, "nothing," then looked back at Jackie, "everything is fine with me and Rose, fantastic even."

"If it's so fantastic, then why are you here," Jackie asked.

The room went silent as they all stared at him. He cleared his throat, took a deep breath, and decided to just blurt it out, "I'm gonna ask Rose to marry me." It sounded more like a declaration than a request.

Martha was the only one who seemed excited, Jackie and Mickey's mouths just hung open in shock.

"If that's all right," he added, "my friend Jack said something about talking to you about it first."

"Marry," Jackie responded, "you two have only been together for six months."

"Eight months actually," James pointed out, "you keep forgetting the other two months before you found out."

"You've only been together for eight months," Jackie corrected herself, "before that, she couldn't stand to even look at you."

"We've gotten past that," James grumbled.

"Maybe it is a little soon," Mickey chimed in and Martha slapped his leg, shushing him.

"Honestly," Jackie continued, "you two are already living together, I don't know why you are so quick to…" she gasped, "you got her pregnant, didn't you?"

James tried telling Jackie no, but she was already wailing loudly, "I asked her if she was being careful and I warned her this would happen if she wasn't. Now she's being forced into marriage to avoid being an unwed mother…"

"Will you stop," James shouted, silencing Jackie. He bent down so he was eye level with her and spoke firmly, "no, she's not pregnant, no she's not being forced into marriage or anything else. I just came here to ask for your blessing because my idiot friend told me it was the proper thing to do."

"What if I say no," Jackie spat and stepped toward James, causing him to take a step back, "what if you don't have my blessing and I say you can't marry my daughter? What will you do then?"

Mickey and Martha could only watch, both James and Jackie were forces to be reckoned with and now it was the showdown of the century and they had front row seats.

James glared at Jackie and she was staring back at him just as fiercely, he was beginning to regret coming.

His face finally relaxed, and he sighed, "I don't know. I could wait and ask you again tomorrow, and again after that. I'll ask you every day if I have to. Telling me no today isn't going to change my mind."

"Are you being serious," Jackie asked, "or is this some crazy idea you had while watching tele last night?"

"No," James answered, "I mean, yes I'm serious, but no this isn't something sporadic," he dug into his pocket and pulled out the ring box, opened it, and held it out for Jackie to see, "I've been thinking about it for a long time."

Jackie's face was unreadable as she reached out and removed the ring from its resting place, giving it a closer inspection.

"Careful," Mickey teased as he came to Jackie's side for a closer look, "you may not get it back."

Jackie did hold the ring longer than James was comfortable with, but he made no move to snatch it back. He watched her examine it from all angles, either admiring it or looking for a flaw, he couldn't tell.

"When were you planning to ask her," Martha asked, coming forward.

"Soon," James replied, "I haven't decided when exactly."

"Well, whenever it is, you better have something special in mind," Jackie announced as she handed him the ring, "she's my daughter and she deserves the best."

James grinned, that was confirmation enough for him, "I'll make it something she'll never forget."