He had told her it wasn't necessary, it really wasn't. They were just going to spend a day in the early 80's to see one or two concerts. It was no big deal, well that's a lie, he thought everything with Rose Tyler was a big deal. But despite his assurance Rose still wanted to dress up and if he was being honest he really didn't mind that she had recruited him to help her find an outfit.
She had already modeled some very wonderful ensembles, all of which the Doctor gaped at before saying they didn't work, but of course they did he just didn't want any one else looking at his Rose Tyler. The floor of the Wardrobe was strewn with neon colors and leather that the two time travelers waded through to get to more clothes and to one another.
The vast Wardrobe was filled with many outfits from every planet and every time but it seemed that even with the vast expense of cloths at her disposal Rose could not find an outfit which both she liked and the Doctor deemed fit. Rose watched the Doctor turn his back to her to look through another rack of 80's themed cloths. Deciding that the Doctor could handle finding an outfit better then she could she wondered off to another part of the amazing Wardrobe.
She walked along the aisle created by the racks of clothes, running her hand over them mindlessly, and not really paying attention. Her thoughts were on the Doctor, he had been acting strangely ever since there adventure at the 2012 Olympics and it was really starting to worry her. He had said that the beast lied but still the words echoed in her head, "The Valiant Child who will die in battle all too soon," she shivered from the memory. The Doctor also had said a storm was coming and Rose couldn't help but feel that the two ominous statements had to do with each other.
As Roses thoughts had wondered so had her body, she pulled herself out of her disturbing mind set to find herself in a part of the Wardrobe she had never seen before. There were nine racks of cloths, all similar clothes on different racks with accessories and shoes nicely placed beside each. On one there were tan jackets with what seemed to be celery pinned to the lapels and things for a game of cricket below. One rack hung the jumpers and leather jacket of her first Doctor with his boots siting off to the side. Another had an almost quilt like jacket and another, the longest scarf she had ever seen. But what pulled her in was the third rack and the bow ties there.
The Doctor was worried, well not really worried, ok yes he was worried. He knew the TARDIS was the safest place in the whole universe but it had been a whole half hour and he still couldn't fine Rose. He would have seen if she had left the Wardrobe, he was facing the door the whole time, and he had searched practically everywhere in the Wardrobe, the only place he hadn't checked was the floor with his past regenerations things. Making a beeline for that floor he ran up the stairs to fine a sight he had not been expecting. Rose Tyler was sitting on the floor going through every last bow tie his past regenerations had ever worn.
He watched Rose for a moment wondering what on Gallifrey she could be doing but coming up with no guesses he decided to ask, "What are you doing Rose Tyler?" he said with a small smirk.
Roses head snapped up from the bow tie she had been looking at, surprised she hadn't heard him as he came up the stairs. She smiled up at him and he couldn't help the grin that spread across his own face, "Are these all yours?" she asked holding up one of the bow ties, a blue one with swirls, not unlike his favorite tie.
He chuckled and walked over to sit next to her and picked up one bow tie for himself, "Well of course there mine, there in my TARDIS aren't they?" he said wrapping the silk around Roses neck before he gently started to tie it.
She laughed and lifted her head up so it would be easier to tie, "You know what I mean. You wore these in one of you regenerations didn't you?"
Finishing with the bow tie he leaned back and appraised his work, "Yep, a long time ago. These are all from my third regeneration, I have more but I was really in to the theatrics back then, I wore an Opera cape and everything," he said with a grimace.
"Yeah I know," She said pointing behind her to the rack. He grimaced again when he actually saw the dramatic cape and Rose giggled.
"Don't laugh and my horrid past out fits Rose Tyler, however I do wonder how I pulled off that cape…" he said trailing off lost in thought.
"Probably the same way you pull of pin stripe suits and convers now," she said with a tongue touched grin, poking him in the chest.
"Yes well I will say nothing could be worse then the cape, accept of course for the bow ties you seem so interested in," he said looking at the tossed about bow ties then her with a questioning look.
"You don't like bow ties?" she said sounding astounded and offended at the same time. He shook his head violently, "That's ridiculous bow ties are sophisticated and sexy and cute and come in beautiful designs. When I help out with costumes for the school play one year I stole the lead roles bow tie afterward because I thought it was to awesome to leave in a box gathering dust! Come on Doctor you have to admit, bow ties are cool!" she finished this rant wile fixing the one she had around her neck in an almost habit like motion.
He sat a moment taking in the whole rant before deciding on what to say, he really didn't like bow ties this go around and he didn't want to sit here and talk about them so he decided to change the subject, "Does this mean you like those old bow ties more than my even cooler tie from the 45th century?" he asked, trying to sound offended.
She laughed lightly before placing her had on his tie over his right heart, "No I love the tie," she said looking up at him through her eye lashes. The world seemed to stop all at once and the Doctor lost his breath. He didn't notice he was leaning toward her, their lips getter closer with each heartbeat.
What am I doing! The Doctor thought wildly before pulling back and standing up as fast as he could, "Well I think maybe we should pay a visit to your Mum, shell be missing you. I'll put all this stuff away; you just go get your clothes that need to be washed and we'll head over,"
Rose slowly stood watching the Doctor carefully but split into a grin as soon as he directed a smile towards her, "Alright Doctor and I can give her that thing we got from the market on that planet, what was it called again?" she asked as she pulled off the bow tie and it slowly and almost ominously fell to the Wardrobe floor.
"Bazooleium," he answered with a smile.
The Doctor with four of five ties over his shoulders walked out on to the roof to speak to the Atraxi. The suspenders and tweed jacket fit the regeneration to a T he thought, however he couldn't help but feel like something was missing. He compared ties and held them to his chest as he lectured the Atraxi, speaking without really hearing himself talk as he thought of what was missing from his new outfit. He didn't like any of the ties and Rory didn't have anything else in his arm full of clothes that he liked so he put his focus back on the Atraxi.
"Okay just one more, just one. Is this world protected?" images of Cybermen, Daleks, the Racnoss and others flashed in the hologram.
"Cause you're not the first lot to have come here. Oh, there have been so many. And what you've got to ask is… What happened to them?" The Doctor stepped back over to Rory to continue to look for a tie his past regenerations faces flashing in the background. He glanced over to Amy to see her watching the hologram, lowering his eyes he noticed something in her hand. Reaching over he took it from her and smiled.
The hologram showed the last of his faces, his tenth, full of grim reality, hopelessness and weighed down by loss. He stepped through the hologram tweaking his new bow tie, "Hello, Im the Doctor. Basically. Run." The Atraxi did the wise thing and did as they were told.
Two years later Amy Pond woke up to the groaning, wheezing sound she had been dreaming of since the Doctor had run off those two years ago. Putting on her slippers she ran outside to the garden to see the magical blue box of her dreams sitting there. The door opened to reveal the Doctor still in tweed jacket and suspenders and giving her a wide smile.
"Sorry about running off earlier. Brand new TARDIS, bit exiting! Just had a quick hop to the Moon and back to run her in. She's ready for the big stuff now," he said with a wide smile and a pat to the TARDIS. Amy had walked closer over the course of his speech and was watching him closely.
"It's you. You came back," she said in almost an amazed voice.
"Course I came back. I always come back. Something wrong with that?" he said confused.
"And you kept the clothes," she said moving right next to him still looking surprised.
"Well I just saved the world. The whole planet, for about the millionth time, no charge, yeah. Shoot me. I kept the clothes" he was very confused and really didn't like it. He thought she would be happy to see him.
"Including the bow tie," still with the amazed voice, what is up with her, the Doctor thought but then registered what she had said.
The bow tie… he had grabbed it on impulse, he hadn't even really thought about it but now the memories were running rapid through his head. Her smile, her eyes, her slim neck as he had tied her bow tie for her and her voice when she explained her love for bow ties. He gave a small sad smile as he used her explanation as his own, "Yeah. It's cool. Bow ties are cool,"
After explaining his alieness and apologizing for hopping two years he offered her a trip, all of time and space at her beck and call, but to his surprise she said no, "You wanted to come fourteen years ago," he said trying to convince her.
"I grew up," the way she said it, the way she held her head high, she reminded him of her of Rose so stubborn and sure of herself, it just made him double his efforts.
"Don't worry. I'll soon fix that," he said, than with a click of his fingers the TARDIS door opened. Glancing over to Amy, seeing the look on her face, he knew he had her. A little more banter, a bit of back and forth and Amy had agreed to come along.
The Doctor tweaked his bow tie and set the coordinates on the counsel, ready to take Amelia Pond, The Girl Who Waited, on her first of many trips to the stars. He was determined that this time he would not lose another companion that had the potential to tear his hearts apart.