This is what I brought you…
He watched her as she moved around the room, dancing with that pretty boy. He folded his arms across his chest and glowered. Rose smiled up at the scrawny man in a tux. He'd received an invitation on the psychic paper detailing when and where the wedding was to be held. He didn't attend. After a few minutes another message appeared, detailing the time and place of the reception. Despite really not wanting to go, morbid curiosity fueled his hands as he set the TARDIS in motion. Rose was visiting her mother and it's not like he'd be gone long anyway.
This you can keep…
He watched as her husband spun her around and his frown deepened. She didn't look that much older; the wedding was set for 2009. She'd be leaving him for this pretty boy soon. Rose looked over and saw his familiar scowl. She said something to her husband and practically skipped over to him. He was graced with a wide grin he couldn't help but return before she jumped into his arms, hugging him. He set her feet back on the floor and she pulled away slightly.
"I'm so glad you came; Jack owes me ten quid. How are you?" At least she sounded happy; it seemed he didn't ruin her life at least.
"I'm alright. Just stopped back for you to visit your mother and Jack went off somewhere for the day." She still hadn't let go of him.
This is what I brought…
"So the message came through on the psychic paper? Good. I was hoping you'd come today. I needed a familiar face in all this chaos."
He looked at her curiously. "What do you mean?"
She looked down and sighed. "A lot of the people here are here for him. Jack's sort of here for both of us." His confusion didn't leave.
"Jack knows him?" She nodded and smiled a bit. He looked past her out to the dance floor. Sure enough, Jack was happily chatting with the groom off to the side.
You may forget me…
"Who is he?"
Her smile widened. "I met him years back. He may be rude and not ginger but he's mine." He winced inwardly. "He's actually a lot like this old alien I know. He's stubborn, thinks he's so impressive, runs late occasionally, and his gob can go for hours. Sound familiar?" Her tongue peeked out from between her teeth. He'd never tire of her smile even if she was making fun of him.
"Are you happy, Rose?" Her hand moved to his cheek and she grinned. "I'm fantastic."
I promise to depart just promise one thing…
He laughed with her. The Doctor moved his hand to cover hers.
"Well if it isn't ole big ears." They both turned towards Jack's beaming face. Jack moved over to hug the him despite the the Doctor keeping a hold on Rose's hand. "Been a while since we've been graced with your presence." The Doctor watched as Rose glared at Jack.
"What?" Rose turned back towards him. "You regenerated." His eyes widened. They knew about that? "How bad was it?"
Jack laughed at his unease. "Don't worry, Doc. No matter what you look like, you still like it rough." Rose's mouth gaped open and the Doctor's ears turned pink.
Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep…
"I think that's enough of Jack Harkness for now. Come on, Doctor. You owe me a dance." With that, Rose tugged him out from behind the pillar and out onto the center of the dance floor. He looked around, alarmed.
"Rose, this is a bad idea." She merely smiled as "In The Mood" began. They grinned and began their dance.
This is what I brought you, this you can keep…
Jack watched the Doctor twirl Rose around the floor with a smile. He looked toward the groom and saw the man frown. Jack shook his head. Honestly, you'd think he'd be perfectly fine with this. He'd always said he wanted more time with her back then. The song came to an end and the Doctor dipped Rose. They were in their own world, big surprise. The groom got up and moved to the cake table. "I'd like to take this moment to thank everyone who decided to come today despite the very high risk of an alien invasion or other world catastrophe. If my gorgeous wife could join me, please."
This is what I brought, you may forget me…
Rose touched the Doctor's arm and moved toward her husband. Rose tucked her arm around his waist and he looked down at her with a wide grin. The Doctor stayed in his spot towards the middle of the dance floor so Jack walked over and joined him.
"Again, thank you all for coming to one of the most unconventional celebrations I've ever been to and that's saying something." Many smiled and laughed at Rose's understatement. "We didn't get to choose the cake, Jack did, so if it sucks, blame him."
"Hey!" Jack's indignant shout made the Doctor chuckle.
I promise you my heart just promise to sing…
"Well, this big box should go so we can have some sugar."
"Just what we need: you on sugar." The groom merely grinned and moved to lift the box. The Doctor's mouth dropped open when he saw the tall, blue cake. Rose's eyes lit up and she laughed. "You know, I'm just glad it wasn't phallic." "It's BANANA!" Rose glared at her husband and he moved to wipe off his finger. The TARDIS cake now had a finger mark at the bottom.
Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep…
"Right, sorry. Care to join me?" He wiggled his eyebrows and held out the carving knife. She took it from him and moved to stand in front. He put his arms around her and rested his right hand on her left, positioning them at the bottom of the cake. She turned and smiled up at him as he pushed their hands down.
The Doctor tensed as he watched them. The pretty boy looked besotted with her and he felt a surge of possessiveness claim him. He turned toward Jack and the Captain gave him a knowing look. They looked back at the couple and saw they each had a piece of cake in hand.
Rose was the picture of innocence; the opposite was true of her groom. The man had a devious glint in his eye. They brought the pieces of cake to each others mouth and Rose, in a show of skill, managed to avoid getting cake in her eye while pushing the yellow cake all over his face.
This is what I thought…
Cheers sounded throughout the hall accompanied by camera flashes. The groom pulled her closer and kissed her thoroughly. The Doctor looked away. When he turned back, he noticed a line of skin on her face that was now devoid of frosting. He could hear her mumble of 'oral fixation.' The groom was grinning like a madman.
She took two pieces of cake and walked out towards him and Jack. Rose still had loads of frosting and cake on her but he thought her as beautiful as ever. She handed him the plate and fork before giving him a kiss on the cheek. He realized too late that she had rubbed her face on his, effectively covering half his face in the dessert as well. She gave him a wide smile, her tongue poking out again, and he grinned back.
I thought you need me…
She then turned to Jack and he held his hand out for the plate. She turned, winked at the Doctor, and shoved his piece all over his face. Jack sputtered and moved back, trying to get away from his attacker. The Doctor laughed, feeling lighter. "You know, Rosie, if you wanted me covered in frosting, you only had to ask." Before the Doctor could comment, or do much more than glare at him, the groom spoke up. "Jack, stop it." The Doctor looked at the groom and saw the familiar possessive look in his eyes. He smiled a bit. Rose backed away from Jack and moved to hand out more pieces to their guests.
This is what I though…
The party went on for another hour and the Doctor was feeling more and more out of place. He wanted to be here for her, spend as much time with her as he could before she left. She made sure to dance with him, Jack kept him company, even Sarah-Jane came over to say hello. He'd been feeling on edge, keeping an eye out for reapers, or Raxacoricofallapatorians, hoping nothing ruined today for her. He sat back in his chair, nestled next to Rose's. Her groom moved up to the table and sat down.
"She's brilliant, you know." The Doctor looked toward the pretty boy. "Yes, she is. Bit jeopardy-friendly though." The groom found this funny.
"That's an understatement. She managed to get kidnapped last week. Some bloke from Aulturian 8 wanted a pure-blood human wife and she was a prime candidate. Granted, he let her go when she ripped into him. She told him that if he didn't bring her back then she'd be sure to make their married life hell. She wasn't about to miss the wedding she waited years for."
So think me naive…
The Doctor looked at him. He was looking out at the dance floor, out at Rose as she danced in line with Jack, Sarah-Jane, and a bunch of other people he didn't know. This man who would steal her away looked at her like she was everything. The Doctor saw a man who would take care of her, make her happy, and give her the life he couldn't. The groom looked back at him.
"She misses you, you know. She doesn't talk about you much because she doesn't want to hurt my feelings but I can see it. You took her away and showed her the stars. She's meant for much more than a nine to five job with a house."
"Rose Tyler is fantastic. She's much more than a stupid ape. She'll stand up for what she believes, never mind the consequences."
"She's also more stubborn than her mother." They both laughed at this.
"I take it you're not too fond of Jackie?" The groom shuddered.
"She slapped me once; it still hurts. She kissed me too, full on the lips." Now the Doctor shuddered.
I promise you a heart you promise to keep…
Rose bounded back up to them, reaching for her drink.
"How are my two favorite men doing?"
"Hey!"
"Jack, you're third." The Doctor and her groom rolled their eyes.
"I'm brilliant." She kissed her groom's cheek and looked toward the Doctor, eyebrow raised.
"Having fun, Doctor?"
"Still as cheeky as ever, I see." She grinned at him.
"Should see me on a bad day." Her husband snorted behind her. He pulled her into his lap despite her glare. The Doctor's hearts clenched and he looked away.
"So what's with the TARDIS cake?" Rose turned back to him and smiled softly.
"I've been complaining to Jack that I missed seeing the TARDIS recently. I think that's how it popped up. The banana frosting was all for him." She jerked her thumb toward her groom. "He's got an unhealthy obsession with bananas. I thought you were bad but he's just ridiculous."
"Oi! I don't appreciate that."
Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep…
The Doctor watched as the couple prepared to leave, hand in hand. She whispered something in his ear and he nodded. He kissed her forehead and sent her in his direction.
"You'll have to bury these memories."
He nodded. "Are you sure you're happy, Rose? If you're not-" She placed a finger on his lips.
"I'm absolutely fantastic, Doctor. He's brilliant. I'm sure you just think he's another pretty boy." He smiled at her.
"You always did have a thing for pretty boys."
"Stupid ape genes. We're programmed to want pretty; you remember what happened back with the neanderthals." He rolled his eyes, remembering her pretty boy groom back then. "He's brilliant too though, Doctor. You're a lot alike, especially when it comes to bananas." Her eyes teared up. "You'll be refueling in Cardiff soon, then?" He nodded again, a frown taking place on his lips.
"What's wrong, Rose?" She leaped into his arms and buried her face in his neck.
Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep…
"I'm gonna miss you." He held her tightly as she sniffled. She'd be leaving soon then.
"I could always just kidnap you now." She gave a watery laugh.
"Don't tempt me, Doctor." She pulled away from him a bit and placed her hands on his cheeks. "Could you promise me something?"
"Anything." She smiled at him.
"I need you safe, my Doctor. Promise you'll keep going, no matter what." She put a finger on his lips as he moved to speak. "You're Time's champion. You told me once that there's nobody else. You need to keep going, keep saving people, no matter what." She looked into his eyes and she looked so much older than the 19 year old he dropped off that morning.
"I promise."
She hugged him again, resting her head on his shoulder this time. She rubbed her cheek on his jacket and he smiled. "I miss this jacket. Did you know the TARDIS would swipe it from your room and put it on my bed when I had a bad dream? I think that was when you were sleeping or tinkering or somethin'."
"That wasn't the TARDIS, Rose." She looked up at him and a tear ran down her cheek. He wiped it away.
"I know. Jus' wanted to see if you'd own up to it." They smiled again.
"I should get going. I still have to pick you up and possibly bail Jack out of jail before refueling."
She seemed to be debating something. He saw it in her eyes, the moment she decided. She put her hand on the back of his neck and kissed him. He was startled for a moment before he responded. His hands tightened on her and her tongue ran over his bottom lip. A minute later she pulled away, a bit shy.
"Sorry, just always wanted to do that. See you later, Doctor."
"Rose!" She looked back at him.
"Yes, Doctor?" He smiled.
"Have a fantastic life."
Her eyes turned glassy and she nodded. She turned away from him and he stood there, willing his hearts to slow down. Her groom help out his right hand and she took it. They ran down the aisle made by the crowd and out the door. The Doctor waited a moment before going over and looking at the window. He saw them running, both clad in trainers, toward the TARDIS. His eyebrows raised and he let out a disbelieving chuckle. He watched the man snap and the doors opened. Moments later he heard it dematerialize.
"They just got it back the other day. The Master managed to turn it into a paradox machine for a year." The Doctor's head whipped around to stare at Jack.
"What?"
"The Master's still alive. He took the Doctor and me as prisoners. That year never happened now. Time was rewritten. Rose teamed up with your previous companions and they went around the world, spreading the word about a man called the Doctor. Anyway, bet you need to get back, huh?" He just stared at Jack.
"What happened to you, Captain?"
"Sorry, Doc, I can't tell you. It'll be soon though. Keep her safe."
Jack walked away from him. The Doctor sighed and began to walk to the TARDIS. He set the coordinates and began to lock the memories away. He paused when he came to the kiss. Jack need not worry, he'd give up everything to keep her safe.
Kiss my eyes and lay me to sleep.