The Doctor, followed closely behind by Amy, Rory, and River. They were walking around a large hill. No point in walking up it, it was quite a steep climb and there was a perfectly good road leading around it. Perfectly good roads usually led to some kind of town too, so there they were, walking on the perfectly good road while the Doctor spouted random facts about Amy's favorite subject, the Roman empire, with Rory piping in every now and again with his own information that he remembered when he had been a plastic Roman.
The Doctor did not want to admit about the feeling he was getting about this little planet, he always had feelings about places and it usually meant there was some fact or another he was forgetting about. Big head like his, bursting with information, it's no wonder that some of the information took a bit longer to process than others. It wasn't a bad feeling, just one where he'd been here before but he couldn't recall anything about it which was an oddity. Yes, sure, sometimes it took a bit of time for him to recall something but he never, ever just simply forgot something.
The planet they were on was called Encyclo, in the Ramshall Galaxy. The people of this planet were peaceful and about three feet tall. They had only one moon, but despite the small size of the planet it had gathered a ring of asteroids around it. The only way to tell the tiny moon from the other pieces of space rock was that it was slightly bigger, and a reddish-orange color. Also, when all the flowers were in full bloom on Encyclo, they glowed.
"Doctor, where are we going?" Amy interrupted him, all in good nature. She sounded amused, rather than her usual annoyed which was a good thing in the Doctors book.
"Should be right around here," The Doctor wanted to show them a field of glowing flowers. They had had a rough trip, actually a rough couple trips. They needed some relaxation, no running for their lives this time.
They came around the hill, all of them stopping short as the Doctor beamed proudly at the large field of softly glowing flowers that came up to about knee height.
The Doctor was just about to explain how the flowers glowed but was interrupted by a figure, sitting alone on the side of the road. The Doctor was stopped short as he stared at the figure, who was clearly a petite woman. Not three foot petite like what was usually found on Encyclo, but a regular woman from Earth, which should be impossible since humans wouldn't stumble across this little planet for thousands of years.
"Oh," The Doctor let out a small breath as the woman stood. She was barefoot, wearing jeans and a light pink sweater. Braided throughout her hair was smaller versions of the glowing flowers in the field, and in her hands was a mostly formed crown made of glowing flowers.
"Welllll," Rose Tyler drawled out, doing a very fine impression of his past regeneration, before breaking into a fit of giggles. "Sorry, sorry. The Doctor said I'm actin' a bit silly 'cause of the fruit, bit like alcohol. He won't admit that he's a bit silly too, of course." Rose took a step forward, giving him a grin. "Or should I say you wouldn't admit?" The fruit that grew on the tree in the middle of the village was a bit like alcohol, it did get rid of some inhibitions but it also gave people a sudden clarity.
"Rose Tyler," The Doctor couldn't help but whisper her name as he took a step towards her without thinking about it. "Where are your shoes?" Rose laughed again, a full belly laugh that made the Doctor's heart twist.
"Took 'em off to dance with you," Rose grinned, tongue peeking out between her teeth and the Doctor took another step towards her. He never thought he'd see her with these eyes. Never thought he'd see her again actually. "Got married, us." The memories suddenly came back, a bit foggy and clogged by all the fruit he had eaten but there all the same.
"Yes we did, didn't we?" The Doctor asked, a bit proudly, making Rose laugh again as he stood up straight and pulled on his suspenders. "What do you think?" Rose studied him for a long moment, giving him her full concentration and then she got that look. The look the Doctor didn't even realize he had missed, because it was a look that came right before she was throwing her arms around him and he was hugging her with everything he had.
"Doctor?" It was River who stopped that look dead in its tracks. Rose tilted her head to the side, leaning around the Doctor to look behind him at his three companions. The Doctor should have been dreading this moment but frankly, he had forgotten. Now that dread was hitting him full force. Rose would see the new companions and she wouldn't be grinning at him anymore.
"You're married? To her?" Amy interjected, her words more shocked and not meant to insult. "Who's she anyways?"
"Probably not married anymore, yeah?" Rose asked, sounding more thoughtful than anything else. "Probably got it annulled or- how exactly do you undo a dance? 'm Rose Tyler, by the way, nice to meet ya." She gave a little finger wave.
"You can't undo this marriage, even if you could I wouldn't, thought never even crossed my mind." The Doctor said simply, feeling a bit childish because he wanted her attention on him. He didn't have much time, soon Rose's Doctor would get his foot stuck and he'd be calling out for her. "Time Lords take marriage quite serious."
"But cheating is alright?" River asked, her voice taking on a hard edge. Rose tilted her head more, to get a good clear view or River.
"Over 900 years old and you reckon he doesn't have a past?" Rose asked in another eerily good tone of his previous regeneration.
"Oi! Stop that!" The Doctor said without venom, though interjecting more to stop a fight than anything else. He really didn't need River thinking Rose was her enemy. River had just stopped trying to kill him after all, she was quite young right now and she hasn't really developed morals as of yet.
"'m quite good, yeah?" Rose asked with a grin, all cheek and sass. The look came across her face again and she was suddenly in his arms, though that was more to the fact she tripped over her own feet and literally fell into him. The Doctor held her up, holding her to him tightly. And oh, she smelled of star dust and sunshine, the old TARDIS that was held together by tape and glue, and just simply Rose. She was oh-so-tiny in his arms, but radiated a certain strength that always impressed him. "You alright?" She whispered in his ear, and his hearts expanded, opening up in a way he hadn't felt in a long time. She was a bit loopy from the fruit, she had no shoes, and his previous self had left her on the side of a road on an alien planet and yet she was worried about him.
"Oh Rose Tyler, I am fantastic." The Doctor answered, barely able to contain his laughter as he placed her back lightly on her feet. "I've got the Ponds to look after me, Amy, Rory and River." The Doctor said, nodding to his companions.
"Rose!" A loud yell rang out from the forest. Rose turned her head, looking confused as she looked back up at the Doctor. "Rose, I seem to be- wellll, a bit stuck actually! I don't want to lose my trainers, I love these trainers!" Rose laughed before grinning up at the Doctor. She stood up on her toes to kiss his nose and the Doctor bent down at the same time. Her lips brushed from his nose up to his forehead, causing them both to laugh.
"Bit uncoordinated, us." Rose said through laughter before tilting her head, giving him a contemplating look before grabbing hold of his lapels and bringing him down to kiss him. It was just a small kiss. Sweet, chaste, and so very simple but it spoke volumes to the Doctor. It ended as quickly as it started and Rose was backing up, grinning cheekily at him. "I like the bowtie." She adjusted said bowtie, her fingers grazing his jaw before she was placing the crown of flowers on his head and then she took a step backwards. "With these flowers, I do wed."
"Rose?! I think my foot is falling asleep, which is quite ridiculous, I am a Time Lord Rose! Our feet do not fall asleep- are you coming? Are you even there Rose?" The Doctor's voice rang out, a bit worriedly from the forest.
"Comin' Doctor!" Rose spared one last grin for the Doctor standing on the road before turning and disappearing into the forest. "I just met your next regeneration!"
"Yeah?" There was a small silence. "Good looking, was he?"
"Very, smashin' kisser too." They both laughed, the sound echoing pleasantly.
"Doctor…" Amy tugged on his sleeve, looking up at him with concern. "That was- you're really married then?" The Doctor lightly touched the crown on his head as he stared at the spot where Rose disappeared for a moment before turning his attention to Amy.
"Oh yes, for several years now. A couple decades at least." The Doctor answered back, going to hug Amy but stopped short and looked at Rory. "Permission to hug?"
"Granted." Rory said, mocking exasperation but he was smiling a bit. The Doctor pulled Amy into a hug and she hugged him tightly back.
"But I thought we…" River trailed off.
"Ah no, I mean, well it's not- let me tell you about Rose Tyler, and none of you will doubt why I simply had no choice but to marry her." The Doctor put his arms around Rory and Amy's shoulders, letting River follow behind them and giving her some space to think things through. "I met her in a shop basement, she was about to be mauled by plastic store dummies, bit jeopardy friendly that one though you all are, have to keep my eye on the human race constantly-"
"Doctor." Amy interjected, half annoyed and half amused.
"Right! Well couldn't leave her like that, I was about to blow up her job, least I could do was help her out of a bit of trouble. Took her hand and told her to run, don't believe we ever really stopped running." The Doctor continued with a smile.