"They've officially gone mental. Full on nutters, both of 'em," Rose said exasperatedly as she flopped down on the sofa next to John.

He barely registered her presence, as he was currently engaged in some sort of PS4 competition with Mickey. Jack had long since been defeated, and instead of pouting, was now content to sit there and critique and criticize the other two's techniques.

"You do realize the point is to not get blown up, right?" he chided Mickey.

Mickey snorted. "And which of us got knocked out in the second round?" he said, never breaking his eyes from the telly.

"Hello?" Rose addressed John again, waving her hand to get his attention.

"I wouldn't get too cocky if I were you, Mister Mickey. Considering I'm close to wiping the floor with you," John piped up, still oblivious to Rose.

"Lulling ya into a false sense of security, mate. All part of the plan."

Rose grumbled and picked up the magazine she'd been reading earlier before lifting her legs up and putting them across John's lap, with him never once blinking.

"Pears," Rose said, not looking up from her magazine. No response. "Bananas… Bowties… Screwdrivers…"

Mickey and John were still obtuse to Rose, but Jack looked over at her with a confused expression, trying to make sense of her odd behavior.

After several more random words, Rose looked up from her magazine and tried one more time, "…knickers."

"What?!" John asked, dropping the controller and staring at her wide eyed, his jaw practically hitting the floor.

Jack burst out laughing at John's reaction as a loud explosion sounded from the telly, and Mickey jumped up in triumph, doing a ridiculous victory dance. "Ha! And that's how it's done. Fifty quid. Pay up, pretty boy."

John tore his eyes away from Rose's smug face, albeit reluctantly, and frowned at Mickey. "Doesn't count. She cheated."

"She wasn't playin'. Now hand it over," Mickey grinned, holding out his hand for his payment.

John muttered undiscernibly as he pulled out his wallet and slapped down a couple of notes into Mickey's hand. Mickey held them up to the light, as if inspecting their genuineness.

"Oh knock it off," John said, rolling his eyes. He turned to Rose. "You don't fight fair."

Rose waggled her eyebrows. "You weren't payin' attention. I took it as a personal challenge to change that."

John leaned over and kissed her. "You always have my attention."

"I think the fifty quid says otherwise," she replied, grinning brightly.

"Cheeky," he said, poking her in the side and eliciting a squeal. Giving her another quick kiss, he returned to his previous position and asked, "So what's the problem, oh love of my life?"

"Flattery will get you nowhere," Rose said with a roll of her eyes, but grinned nonetheless. "Anyway, the problem is that your wives," she pointed at Jack and Mickey, "are certifiable. I thought I was s'posed to go all psycho with this wedding stuff, but they've taken that job. I don't know what Donna was like, but Martha was never this… I don't even know what to call it."

"To be fair, Rose, y'know me and Martha didn't really have a wedding. Was just you and Pete and Jackie."

Rose's eyes saddened slightly at the mention of Pete and Jackie. The absence of her parents for this important event weighed on her, but she'd done her ultimate best to not let that consume her.

"What about you and Donna?" Rose asked Jack.

"Oh, we had the whole shebang, but that was more Harriet and Wilf's doing. I would've liked something smaller, but it made Donna happy; and in the end, that's all that mattered to me."

"Aww…You're such a sap," Mickey ribbed, causing Jack to give him a mock glare.

Rose and John both chuckled at the interchange before Rose spoke up again. "I just want-"

"All right, here's the situation," Donna said authoritatively, swooping into the living room. Martha was right behind her, little Ben resting on her shoulder. "We have to be at the gardens no later than eleven. The chairs are being delivered and set up early tomorrow. Calleigh and Gwen will be there to supervise and decorate. Jack, you…are you paying attention?" she snapped.

Jack looked up from the telly and at her. "What? Oh, yeah, of course."

"Focus," she said as she glared at him. "You're in charge of picking up the tuxes from the tailor's. Mickey, you're in charge of the kids. And John…"

He groaned and dramatically threw his head back. "Whaaaat?"

"Your job is to keep out of trouble. Just show up and get married. That's it. No grand swooping gestures. Simply show up and say, 'I do.' Got it?"

"What makes you think I'd cause trouble?" he asked, offended by her implications.

Donna critically raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe because at my wedding, the sparklers you decided to 'surprise' us with," she emphasized with air quotes, "nearly set the tent in flames. We don't need you causing some sort of ecological disaster at the public gardens."

John sighed irritably. "Remind me again, why are we getting married?" he asked, looking over at Rose.

"I don't know. Something about love and wanting to spend our lives together. At least, that's what they tell me," Rose responded, never looking up from her magazine, but grinning as she answered him. "Personally, I'm in it for the gifts," she said as she looked up and poked her tongue between her teeth, simply so she could receive her usual reward.

"Oi!" he protested in mock offense before lunging over and soundly kissing her, his sudden action causing Rose to squeal in surprise and her magazine to drop to the floor.

"Ugh," Donna groaned, rolling her eyes. "All right, all right. You're mad for each other, we get it. Now stop snogging on the sofa. We have important things to do."

"I was in the middle of doing somethin' important, 'til you interrupted," John grumbled, giving Rose one more kiss before sitting back up.

"Yeah, I was quite enjoyin' myself before ya ruined all my hard work," Rose agreed, wiping her mouth with her thumb.

"I think you'll live," Martha piped up. "'Sides, we need to move it or we'll be late. Mrs. Dawson wants to check your dress one more time."

Rose groaned. Martha rolled her eyes before swatting at Rose with her free hand. "Oh stop it! You've been whining more than Ben lately. So suck it up and let's go!" she said with finality as she put Ben in his carrier.

Frowning, Rose obeyed and reluctantly drug her legs off of John's lap, standing and grabbing her purse and jacket. She walked back over to John and placed a quick kiss to his lips.

"See ya later," she said softly, and turned to walk away.

John grabbed her hand before she got out of reach and pulled her back to him, kissing her one more time for good measure. "Not if I see you first."

Rose smiled brilliantly at him before finally joining the impatiently waiting Donna and Martha. As the three women left John's flat, he noticed that Mickey and Jack were smirking at him.

"What?" John asked, furrowing his brow.

The two men looked at each other before looking back at John and whipping their arms in the air and sounding, "Whapiiiish!"

"Oh shut up!"


"'Kay, sweetie, here it be," Alice Dawson said cheerily, handing Rose the white gown. "G'on and try it."

Rose entered the dressing room and closed the door. Sliding out of her jeans and pulling off her jumper, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and stopped. The scar at the base of her ribs had caught her attention. She gingerly ran her hand over it, her fingertips barely touching the surface of her skin. Instead of remembering the fear and pain that had long been associated with that scar, Rose felt strength surge through her. It was a mark of survival. In that moment, she no longer thought of Jimmy and his repeated abuses. No, she could only see John, could feel his love cascade over her, filling her soul to satisfaction. Thoughts of him enveloping her, Rose focused on why she was there and pulled on her dress. After briefly taking in her appearance, she stepped out into the main room for inspection.

The three woman remained silent as they looked at Rose. Both Donna and Martha had tears in their eyes, though the later was unable to keep them contained for long.

"Oh, Ro…You look stunning, just….perfect," Martha said softly, hurriedly embracing her.

"There's no words to do ya justice, Rose," Donna said in earnest.

"'Ow's it fit?" Alice asked. "Is it all right?"

Rose ran her hands along the sweetheart bodice, trailing down to the soft tulle. She swished back and forth slightly, her entire face lighting up as she met the woman's waiting gaze.

"It's brilliant."


They exited Alice's shop and Martha began situating Ben into the car as Donna slid into the driver's side. Rose made no move to get in. Having finished securing the baby, Martha closed the door and looked curiously at Rose.

"What's wrong?"

Rose smiled softly. "Nothin'. I'm gonna hang back for a bit. You an' Donna go on without me. I'll meet up with you for the rehearsal dinner."

Martha cocked her head to the side. "What's goin' on?" she asked, her tone becoming worried.

Shaking her head, Rose broadened her smile, attempting to put Martha at ease. "There's just somethin' I need to do. Nothin's wrong, Mar. Promise. Trust me, yeah?"

"Always." Martha hugged her tightly, sensing that she need added love and reassurance. "Ring me if ya need anythin'."

Rose nodded in agreement and watched as they drove away. Taking a deep breath, Rose began walking towards her destination. After seven years, it was finally time.