It was her hen party. Just a handful of people-Ellie, a few of her former coworkers from Torchwood, and Jake, who had declined an invite to strike out with the men. Rose hadn't even really wanted to go out, being reluctant to leave baby John with her mother. Not because she didn't trust Jackie, but because she rarely left her infant son with anyone for more than two hours, and a hen party was surely going to last more than two hours. Although she would be leaving him behind for a whole week while her and Alec were honeymooning on a Caribbean cruise, so she might as well get used to it now. She had made Ellie promise they would have her home by midnight, because she would be getting up early tomorrow in preparation for the wedding, but it was already 11:15 and things showed no sign of slowing down. Directly in front of her, a young man dressed in a mock-up of a PC's uniform was dancing lasciviously, to the delight of the women and Jake, who crowded close to the stage. The irony of the dancer's chosen costume was not lost on Rose, but she still had trouble getting into it. She didn't have any desire to watch some other guy shake his manly bits-there was only one set of bits she was interested in these days, and the man attached to those bits was out for his stag party.
On the bright side, though, Rose figured she might be the only one of them who wouldn't have a raging hangover in the morning. She'd only had three drinks the entire night, begging off on any more because she was still occasionally breastfeeding, although she had already pumped over a week's worth of milk for while she was gone. Watching her friends, who seemed to be having a good time, she made a decision. She shouldered her purse, slipped off her chair, and crept away towards the exit. She breathed a sigh of relief when she stepped outside. It had been stuffy inside the club. Outside, the night air was pleasant. It was early spring, and the bitter chill of winter had gone, leaving only refreshing breezes behind. The smell of it was the smell she had come to associate with the London of Pete's World-fish and chips, tea, lager, exhaust fumes, and something else unnameable lingering underneath. It was no longer the smell she associated with home, though-that smell was Alec's lavender, vanilla, and cedarwood aftershave, the sweet powdery scent of baby John's head, nestled against her shoulder, the clean air smell of the worn white sheets on their bed, the salty tang of the ocean. She pulled out her mobile, and shot a text to Jake.
[Sorry, just had to get outta there. Heading home now. C U 2morrow]
Her fingers lingered on the edge of her mobile. She slid her pointer finger down and hit the green phone icon, bringing up the dialer. She punched in the number by heart, and waited as it rang, not really expecting it to be answered.
"Hello?" Alec shouted into his phone, struggling to hear his own voice over the din of the bar. "Hello, Rose?"
Her response was muffled. He couldn't hear what she was saying at all.
"Hold on!" he shouted. "Let me get somewhere I can hear you."
Alec struggled to make his way through the bar, which was packed tight to the gills. Finally, he managed to squeeze his way out the door, past the bouncer, and onto the pavement. "Sorry, I'm outside now. What's up?"
"Oh, nothing much. I'm just abandoning my own hen party. They took me to a strip club, and I'm so not into it. Everyone else seemed to be having fun, so I just let them be and slipped out. I was going to walk up the street and hail a taxi back to my parents, probably. Where are you?"
Alec looked over his shoulder at the neon mounted on the wall above the door of the bar. "Some hipster bar called the Sound and the Fury."
"Oh, that's like two blocks away from where I am right now. Hold on-I'll walk down there. I want to see you," Rose said.
"Isn't it supposed to be bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I don't believe in silly superstitions. Hold fast, I'll be there in literally a minute."
Dial tone in his ear, then the phone automatically disconnecting. He shoved the device back in his pocket and watched the street. He heard the itap tap/i of Rose's shoes against the pavement before he saw her emerge from an alley across the way. She smiled broadly at him and ran across the street to fling herself into his arms. He lifted her off the ground, twirled her around, and set her back on her feet before pressing his mouth against hers.
"This night just got infinitely better," he whispered against her lips.
"I couldn't agree more," she replied, throwing her arms around his shoulders. They embraced for a while before pulling back to look at each other.
"So, hen night not for you?" Alec asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Apparently not. I didn't realize it until I was confronted by a bunch of young guys gyrating onstage, but I don't really have any desire to look at other men like that anymore. You're more than enough for me," she said, her fingers just barely skimming the top of his trousers.
An amused look played across Alec's face. "Pete forbade us from going to any strip clubs tonight. So we haven't. We've just been bar hopping."
"How many have you had?" Rose asked.
"Enough," he replied, settling his hands on her waist. He spun her around, so that her back was pressed against the wall beside the bar door, trapping her between himself and the wall. He angled his head down, nuzzling at the soft spot between her neck and her shoulder before placing his lips against it and sucking gently.
Rose shuddered and sighed. "Don't you give me a hickey. It won't do for me to have a giant purple bruise on my neck tomorrow."
"Fine," he breathed, tugging her away from the wall and around the corner, into the alley that ran alongside the bar.. "I'll just have to kiss you somewhere no one will be able to see."
With her back pressed up against the wall, Rose looked at Alec with glassy eyes as he yanked down the top of her dress and the cup of her bra, exposing her naked breast, swollen with milk. He ran his tongue in a circle around her nipple before flicking it gently against the stiff peak. He licked away the few drops of fluid as they slipped from her nipple and down her breast. Fixing his lips to a smooth white expanse of skin, he began licking and nibbling gently. He grabbed hold of Rose's hip with one hand, while the other skimmed up her thigh and underneath the lacy fabric of her knickers. His fingers dipped between her folds and began stroking gently. After a few minutes of that, his hand began to cramp from straining against the fabric, so he yanked the scrap of lace over her hips and down her legs before resuming his task. The wetter she got, the harder he became, his erection straining painfully against his trousers. He stopped lavishing attention on her bare breasts and rose back up to his full height, his hand still working between her legs.
He groaned against her mouth. "God, I want you so bad right now."
Rose cupped him through his trousers, sending a bolt of electricity straight through his body, causing his cock to twitch underneath her hand. Her fingers skated across fabric, moving up to deftly slip the button of his fly from its loop. She pulled down his zipper and reached into his pants to set him free. She rucked her skirt up around her waist. "Go on, then," she whispered breathlessly.
He didn't wait for a second invitation. He braced one hand against the wall and used the other to guide himself to her entrance. The head of his cock slipped slickly along her folds before pushing up and inside of her. Both of them inhaled sharply. He dropped his hands to her waist, sliding them behind her to cup her bum. She braced herself on his shoulders before bringing her legs up and behind him to lock around his waist, forcing him deeper inside her. Once they had settled into a comfortable position, where most of Rose's weight was still supported by the wall, he began moving inside her, thrusting urgently as his breathing grew increasingly ragged. Rose moaned loudly and appreciatively, and he leaned forward to capture her lips, effectively silencing her. It would do no good if someone walking along discovered them-public sex was definitely illegal. That was half of what made it so thrilling, though. The other half of it was the incredibly sexy woman he was buried to the hilt in, who was flushed pink with arousal. He loved seeing her that way, loved knowing he was the cause of her breathy little sighs and pleading moans. Seeing how hot she got for him only further stoked the fires of his passion, and he increased his pace, thrusting with the vigor that only a less than sober man has. Rose pulsed slickly around him, and he finally emptied himself into her with a wordless cry. They stayed like that for a moment, foreheads pressed together, before Rose unwrapped her legs from around his waist and placed her feet back on the ground.
"I can't believe we just did it in an alley like a couple of horny teenagers," Rose laughed as Alec was tucking himself back inside his pants.
"Well, I wouldn't make a habit of doing it, but there was something rather exhilarating about it. Knowing we might get caught," he said, tangling his fingers through her own.
"The enforcer of laws breaking the laws himself?" Rose replied.
"Something like that, I suppose. Anyway, I should probably be getting back inside. They're going to wonder where I've went. But I want to wait with you til you get a taxi. I won't feel right unless I see you off safely," he said as they walked hand in hand back down the alley to the street. They walked past the bar and up to the corner, where Alec was easily able to hail Rose a cab.
"See you tomorrow, gorgeous," he said, pressing a lingering kiss to her lips before shutting the door of the car. He waved goodbye to her when they pulled away from the kerb before settling his hands in his pockets and walking back to the bar, a spring in his step.
"I am never drinking iagain/i," Ellie declared dramatically, popping two paracetamol into her mouth and taking a sip from her bottle of water.
Rose decided not to rub it in-as she suspected, she was the only one who had gone out last night without a hangover. As it was, she was currently enjoying the foot massage the little Asian woman was giving her. Herself, Ellie, and her mother were out getting their nails done. It was nine in the morning, which made Rose doubly glad she had decided not to drink in excess the night previous. Both Alec and Jake had sent her frowny face text messages that morning, indicating that they too were hungover. The actual ceremony wasn't until 5pm that night though, so hopefully by then her groom and her officiant would be feeling better.
Jake had gone online and become ordained through the Universal Life Church so that he could perform Rose and Alec's wedding ceremony. Tony was going to be the ring bearer. Ellie was Matron of Honor, and Alec's sister, Erin, was the Best Woman. Both Jackie and Alec's mother, Eileen, would be giving readings during the ceremony. Pete would be walking Rose down the aisle. They had tried to involve as many friends and family as they could, and they were happy with the way it had turned out. The rehearsal had gone smoothly, which bode well for the actual ceremony, which was being held at the Tyler mansion in the back garden, along with the reception. It was a small wedding-only about thirty people had been invited, between both Rose and Alec's friends and family. Alec's side had been significantly smaller, which allowed Rose to invite more former team members and coworkers from Torchwood.
Her pedicurist tapped her on the leg to get her attention, then guided her feet into a pair of disposable flip flops and began painting her toes a sparkling navy blue.
"Only surefire cure for a hangover is sleeping it off. Paracetamol and sports drinks help too, though," Jackie said.
"How late were you all out, anyway?" Rose asked.
Ellie groaned. "I think I got back to the house at half past three. Woke up at eight. So four hours of sleep. I used to be able to do that no problem in my twenties. I feel like I'm dying now. What a drag it is getting old, as they say."
"There will be time for you to take a kip when we get back from having our nails done. I'm not going to start doing hair and makeup probably until two, and I don't think we'll need to get dressed until close to four," Jackie said. "Pete's going to handle any deliveries, the caterer, the photographers, all that mess. Alec and his sister should be getting to the house around four, but we'll make sure you two don't see each other til the ceremony. The tent is set up for the reception, the tables and chairs are all set up. The chairs for the ceremony are all ready. The flowers were delivered this morning. So far, so good."
"Yeah," Rose said with a nervous sigh. She almost expected something to go wrong, was waiting for the moment it would. But as her mother had said, so far, so good. She could hold out hope that it would keep up that way.
"Have you finished writing your vows?" Ellie asked. They had moved from the massage chairs to the manicure tables, and the air was thick with the chemical smell of nail polish.
"Just about," Rose lied. As of yet, she hadn't quite been able to put her feelings for Alec into words. She was planning to buckle down and do it when they got back from getting their nails done. She was hoping she would have magic wedding day inspiration, and the right words would come to her easily. She tuned out the chatter of Ellie and her mother, trying to will her muse into existence. She was still lost in her thoughts on the car ride back to the Tyler mansion, though if Ellie or Jackie noticed her silence, neither one of them commented on it.
When they finally got back to a bustling Tyler mansion, Ellie retreated to her room, and Jackie went to check with Pete to make sure everything was in place that needed to be. Rose went to her own bedroom, checked on a sleeping John, and parked herself at the desk. She stared at the blank sheet of paper in front of her, feeling rather overwhelmed. It wasn't like there was a formula to follow. She'd only ever been to a handful of weddings, and all of them had been typical Church of England weddings, with the same vows that had been in use for ages. She took a few deep breaths to steady herself, and without thinking about it, finally put pen to paper.
"Oh Rose," Ellie said, from behind her clasped hands. "You look beautiful."
Rose stood in front of the mirror, while her mother fussed with her birdcage veil. Her hair was pulled back into a simple French braid, and Jackie was struggling to find a good spot to affix the blue feather and crystal fascinator that the veil was anchored to. Finally and with the aid of several bobby pins, she stepped back, satisfied with her work. The veil was angled so that it just covered her eyes and the tops of her cheeks. Her mother had done her makeup like a 50s pin up-dark, smokey eyes and deep red lips with a hint of rogue on the apples of her cheeks. It perfectly complimented the look of her vintage ivory tea length lace and organza dress, which she was wearing over top of a navy blue petticoat, the bottom of which just barely peeked out from beneath the dress . The top of the bodice and the sleeves of the dress were intricately patterned lace, beaded with tiny crystals. The back of the dress was open, leaving her shoulders and a tantalizing triangle of her back bare. On her feet she was wearing open toed navy blue satin pumps, and she had to say, they made her gams look great.
It was nothing at all like the poofy, princessy wedding ensembles she had imagined for herself as a child, but she thought it suited her perfectly. It was still strange to see herself all dolled up like this-her first years in this universe had been spent in a uniform of trousers, simple shirts, and her leather bomber jacket, which she had since retired. Of course, she had worn evening wear for Vitex functions, but she had never felt entirely comfortable in it. She had grown up on the estate wearing secondhand clothes and though she had gone to cocktail parties before with the Doctor, formal dress was something she had never really gotten used to. She loved her wedding dress, though. It was a shame she thought that she'd only get to wear it for one night.
"How are you feeling?" Jackie asked from behind her.
"I don't know. Anxious, I suppose," Rose said, fiddling with the hem of her dress.
A knock came at the door. "Sweetheart, it's just about time," Pete said from the other side.
"Alright, I'd better get down there," Jackie said, taking a last look in the mirror to adjust her own dress. She picked up John, who was sleeping soundly in his car seat, and slipped out the door.
"Are you ready?" Ellie asked.
"As ready as I'm going to be," Rose replied nervously. "You have the sheet of paper with my vows on it, right?"
Ellie held up the folded bit of paper, and tucked it into the top of her dress. "Safe and sound. I'll guard it with my life. Well, with my boobs, but close enough."
"You know, it's funny," Rose remarked off handedly. "There was a while there, I thought I'd never get married. John and I were just friends who travelled together. I cared more for him, but he never seemed interested, until one day he was. When he died, I thought my chances of ever getting married, of having a family, went with him. I never imagined I'd fall in love again. I never imagined things would end up this way."
"But you're happy, yeah? I mean, you and Alec sort of seemed an unlikely match at first, but now I'd have to say you're perfect for each other," Ellie commented in reply.
"I suppose we are, aren't we?" Rose said with a faint smile.
Pete cleared his throat from outside the door. "Ellie, it's about time for you to go down."
"Well soon to be Mrs. Hardy, I'll see you down there. Break a leg," Ellie said with a grin, slipping out into the hallway as Pete strolled into the room, hands in his pockets.
"You look absolutely lovely, Rose. I reckon that Alec Hardy is luckier than he knows," Pete offered sincerely.
"Thanks, dad," she said, smiling in spite of the butterflies in her stomach. From outside, she could hear the opening strains of the Section Quartet's instrumental cover of 'Such Great Heights'.
"I believe that's our cue," Pete said, offering Rose his arm. They linked elbows and walked together to the patio door. Through the glass, Rose had a perfect view of the stone staircase that led down to the garden, where a couple dozen people were seated and waiting. Underneath the trellis, Jake, Alec, Erin, and Ellie were already gathered. Pete pushed the patio door open and they stepped out onto the stone.
"Here's lookin' at you kid," he said as they stood at the top of the stairs. They exchanged an emotion filled glance, and carefully began making their way down the steps to the garden. They walked along the petal strewn aisle in between the chairs and up to the trellis. Pete lifted Rose's veil, and pressed a brief kiss to her forehead before taking his seat in the front row with Jackie. Rose stepped up to the trellis and stood directly opposite of Alec, with Jake in between them and Ellie and Erin on either side. She looked down at her hands, because she was afraid if she looked Alec in the face, the tears of joy would overflow and ruin her makeup.
As the music faded out, Jake cleared his throat and addressed the guests via microphone. "I'd like to start by welcoming you all here tonight, friends and family of Rose and Alec. They are so happy that you are here to bless and bear witness to the beginning of the greatest journey of their lives, on this, their wedding day. I invite you all to not only rejoice with and honor them today, but to always be a sustaining force in their lives together. Now we are gathered to hear them pledge their commitment to each other, and to speak their vows as husband and wife. But to begin, Rose's mother Jackie, and Alec's mother Eileen, will each do a reading."
Jackie got up from her seat and accepted the microphone from Jake. In a strong, clear voice, she read from the piece of paper in her other hand. "So blessed be you all who have come here in dedication, to all that is loving, good, and sacred. May the universal source and spirit sustain you all the days of your lives. May all that is noble and true in the universe inspire your lives together and bring peace to all of us. We gather to witness and bless this couple as they commit to make their relationship a great and spirited adventure. May their marriage be a sacred space and their home be a sacred place where their souls rejoice and play and love and rest. We ask that they be guided with light, love, wisdom, and grace, that they grow both individually and together, that their bond be a healing channel for all around them. May this marriage now receive our blessings, and we give great thanks for the gift of their precious love."
Eileen accepted the microphone from Jackie, and began to read in her mellifluous voice. "Nothing is easier than saying words, and nothing harder than living them day by day. What you promise today must be renewed and redecided tomorrow. At the end of this ceremony, you will be husband and wife, but you still must decide each day that stretches out before you that you want to be married. Real love is something beyond the warmth and glow, the excitement and romance of being deeply in love. It's about caring as much for the welfare and happiness of your marriage partner as about your own. But real love is not total absorption in each other, it is looking outward in the same direction together. Love makes burdens lighter, because you divide them. It makes joys more intense, because you share them. Love makes you stronger, so you can reach out and become involved with life in ways you'd dare not risk alone. Your love is as the sea, constant and ever changing. Your love is as the wind, rapturous and all encompassing. Your love is as the earth, solid and firm. And your love is as a flame, illuminating your lives and warming your hearts. Yet your love extends beyond the sea, the wind of the plain. It is greater than who you are and meaningless without you. It is more powerful than your past, yet the foundation for your future. It has brought you here today to become one in the eyes of your family and friends for all the days to come. Your love is the essence of your lives."
"Thank you ladies," Jake said, taking back the microphone. "Now, here comes the part where the rest of you get to participate, the affirmation of support for Rose and Alec. I'll ask a question, and you will answer that you do.
Do you, family and friends of Rose and Alec, give your blessings to them and promise to do everything in your power to uphold them in their marriage?"
"We do," the guests answered in unison.
"Will all of you here who are family and friends affirm, promise, and pledge your continuing support and love of them in their marriage? Jake continued.
"We do."
"And will you offer them your wisdom and encouragement, in times of suffering or sadness, and share and celebrate with them in times of peace and joy?"
"We do."
"Thank you. Now I'll invite Rose and Alec to read the vows they have written for each other. Who's first?" Jake asked.
"Ladies first," Alec said with a smile.
Rose's tongue poked its way between her teeth. "Too nervous to go first yourself, you mean? Alright then, I suppose it's on to me," she said, accepting the sheet of paper with her vows from Ellie.
"Alec, I spent uncountable hours trying to find the right words to express everything you mean to me. I'm not convinced such words exist. I owe it to you though to try anyway and put into words the way I feel about you. You have become my family, the father to my son, the love and light of my life, as essential to my being as the air I breathe. The way you smile at me still makes me go weak in the knees, and I hope it always does. We have the rest of our lives ahead of us, and nothing makes me happier than knowing you will be the one by my side. I have finally found the place where I am home, and that is wherever you are, my love. I promise not to walk ahead of or behind you, but always beside you on whatever path life takes us, and I don't believe there is a better person out there to accompany me on this journey. You are the one who knows and understands me, who takes me at face value and still loves me in spite of all of my flaws. You are the one who makes me laugh, and sometimes...makes me cry," Rose said, her voice breaking. She took a deep breath and composed herself before continuing.
"You are the reason I look forward to waking up each and every day, and the person who lets me rest easy at night. I can't promise to obey you, but I can promise to love and honor you with all of my heart," Rose said, to scattered laughter. "I promise to treat each day with you like a gift, to both speak and listen and to sit with you in quiet contemplation. I promise to never go to bed angry, but to always stay up and fight!"
"That's the Scottish way!" someone in the audience exclaimed, to more scattered laughter.
"I promise to love you for as long as we both shall live, for you are my lover, my husband, my closest companion, and dearest friend," Rose finished, biting back a sob. The guests 'awww'ed in response. Alec reached out, caught her hand, and squeezed it briefly before accepting the microphone.
"Well, I don't think I can hope to top that, so I'll just shoot for honesty instead," Alec said earnestly. "Rose, you were the puzzle piece that was missing from my life, and now that I've found you I finally feel complete. We have laughed, cried, and grown together over the past year and a half, and you have shown me a side of myself that I didn't even know existed. You have given me all the things I never thought I would ever have again, and that is a best friend, unconditional love, and a family. More than anything, you and John make me want to be a better man, and I promise I will always do right by the two of you. Because of you, I actually look forward to the future, and I can't wait to see where the journey of life ends up taking us. I know the universe has great things in store for us, and I look forward to experiencing those things with you by my side. You have shown me that against all odds, there is somebody for me. Somebody who loves me. Somebody who understands me. Somebody who cares. Somebody who is there. Somebody who is content to just sit in bed and read with me. Somebody who wants to share their life with me. Somebody who keeps me in line. Somebody who makes me smile. Somebody who embraces me for me without trying to change me. Somebody who I trust completely, and somebody who completes me. Most importantly, you make me feel like a somebody. I love you so much, and each day with you only gets better. Life is an adventure, and I wouldn't want anyone else riding shotgun with me."
Alec wiped furiously at his eyes. "This is why men don't wear mascara."
"Take that all in there for a few moments. Not the mascara part, but you know...the rest of it. Beautiful, just beautiful," Jake said reverently. "The rings?"
Jackie urged Tony out of his seat and up to the trellis, where he presented Jake with a small wooden box. Jake opened the box, and gestured for Ellie and Erin to come forward to take a ring each before turning his attention back to Rose and Alec.
"Now, please take each other's hands," Jake instructed. "Rose and Alec, as you join hands, look at those hands. See the gift that they are to you, the hands of your companion, strong and warm and full of love for you. These are the hands that today will wear the rings symbolizing your promise to love each other on this day and all days. These hands will passionately love you and cherish you through the years. With the slightest touch, they will comfort you like no other. These are the hands that will work alongside yours together as you build your future. These are the hands that will hold yours and all the joyful adventures you create. Even when wrinkled and aged, these hands will reach out for yours, to give and receive the same unspoken tenderness you share in this moment. These rings indicate that something within yourselves yet infinitely greater than yourselves has joined you together. These rings bind you together-your hearts, your minds, your bodies, and your souls. As you hold the hands of your beloved, listen to these words with your hearts, as well as your minds. Above you are the stars, below you is the Earth. As time does pass, remember, like the Earth should your love be firm and grounded in your humanity. Like a star, should your love be constant and imbued with light. Let the powers of the mind and the intellect guide you in your marriage. Let the strength of your wills bind you together. Let the power of love and desire make you happy, and the strength of your dedication make you inseparable. Now please place the ring on your beloved's finger."
Nervously, Alec accepted Rose's ring from his sister. With shaking hands, he slid the ring onto her finger and offered her a smile. Accepting Alec's ring from Ellie, Rose smiled back at him and gently slid his ring onto his finger. They stood together, clasping hands and staring adoringly at each other, and in that moment it was like no one else existed.
Jake cleared his throat and began to speak again. "And now, for the closing blessing. May the most you wish for be the least you get. For each petal on the shamrock this brings a wish your way, good health, good luck and happiness, for today and every day. May your troubles be less and your blessings be more, and nothing but happiness come through your door. May your right hand always be stretched out in friendship and never in want. May the roof above you never fall in, and the friends gathered under it never fall out. May you have food and rainment, and a soft pillow for your head. May you be forty years in heaven before the devil knows you're dead.
So now, Rose and Alec, here in the presence of your family and friends, I pronounce you what your hearts have long recognized you to be, husband and wife. You may kiss your spouse."
Oblivious to the cheers and applause, Rose and Alec gravitated towards each other, lips pressing softly together as their arms wound around each other.
"I love you," Alec whispered, just loud enough for her to hear.
"I love you, too," she whispered back, her bottom lip trembling slightly.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Jake announced. "I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Alec and Rose Hardy!"
They turned to face their friends and family, and raised their clasped hands into the air, over their heads. At the back of the garden, a woman with a flute began to play 'All You Need Is Love', though it was barely audible over the cheering of the guests. Together, they took their first steps as a married couple, grinning broadly at each other with happy anticipation. There was so much yet to come.
But first, a proper Tyler party, complete with copious amounts of champagne, indulgent food, and of course, dancing.
Ellie tapped her spoon against the side of her champagne flute and cleared her throat loudly, drawing the attention of the other guests. "So, as Matron of Honor, and as a friend of both Alec and Rose, I've prepared a little speech. Now, I'm not the most eloquent of people. Words have never been my strong suit, but I am honest, sometimes to a fault, so know that what comes next is the truth. I had known Alec for a while when I first met Rose, and I had the pleasure of seeing how her friendship changed him for the better, how they changed each other. I had the pleasure of seeing them fall in love, and what had once seemed like an unlikely match now makes as much sense as peanut butter and jelly, or peas and carrots. I got to watch them each become the person the other needed them to be, while still remaining true to themselves. They truly are an extraordinary couple, one that gives hope to those who believe that true love still exists. Alec and Rose, you know I love you both dearly, and I wish you all the happiness in the world. It is a great privilege to be your friend."
"Hear, hear, Miler," Alec said with a smile. He had smiled more today than in the entire time between finding out Tess was cheating on him and meeting Rose. The last time he had been this happy was the day Rose had accepted his marriage proposal, just over ten months ago, five weeks before John had been born. He had smiled often between now and then, but no day could eclipse this one for him.
There were several more rousing speeches from Erin, Pete, and Jake. After that came dinner, filet medallions with shortbread crusted lobster tail and mushroom risotto. A glass of champagne that seemed to refill itself, as he somehow was always looking the opposite direction when one of the wait staff came by. Rose's warm hand, gripping his thigh underneath the table, and the heady scent of her jasmine and honeysuckle perfume tickling his nose. An endless soundtrack of carefully chosen love songs. He would remember the way those things had looked, tasted, smelled, sounded and felt forever. Everything was more vivid, more sharp and bright.
The party went on for hours, well past midnight and into the early hours of the morning. Around 3am, he and Rose boarded a private zeppelin destined to San Juan, Puerto Rico, where their cruise was departing from. Though there was a private suite with a bed, they were too tired to do much more than strip out of their fancy dress and crawl under the covers. They awoke several hours later when there was a knock at the door, as the steward informed them they had landed in San Juan. It was only 7am though, and their ship wasn't due to depart until 9pm that night. They had time to kill.
After dressing in loose and comfortable clothing suitable for the subtropical climate, they struck out of the zeppelin and onto the streets of Old San Juan. They ate banana and rum pancakes and drank ridiculously sweet and strong coffee at a place called Caficultura, overlooking the Plaza Colón. They wandered up and down the streets and in and out of shops full of local foods and music and art. Late in the afternoon, they took a ferry to the other side of the island and toured the Bacardi factory, which concluded with free drinks at the factory's outside bar. They had just enough time to enjoy a late dinner in the city before catching a cab down to the pier where the boat was docked. They were some of the last people to board, so the check in process was mercifully short. When they retired to their cabin, their luggage was already waiting for them. They decided to forego the onboard departure party in favor of laying on their bed in a post food coma haze, where they eventually fell asleep on top of the covers, the telly playing quietly in the background.
Rose awoke early in the morning, sweating in spite of the air conditioning, and nauseous to boot. She only knew it was morning from the light filtering through the blinds covering their balcony door. She got out of bed and stumbled her way to the tiny postage stamp sized bathroom, crashing to her knees in front of the loo just in time. She was heaving into the toilet when she felt cool, dry hands lift her hair away from her face. When she was sure that she was finished being sick, she leaned back against Alec, who was standing on the bathroom threshold.
"Seasick?" he asked as she finally got to her feet and began rinsing her mouth out at the sink.
"No, I never get seasick. Must be something else. Maybe something I ate," she said, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand. "Anyway, I'm fine now. Really."
Alec looked dubious. "You and I both ate the same things yesterday. If it was something you'd eaten, I should be sick, too."
"I don't know, maybe I just had too much to drink. I've drank more in the past 48 hours than I have since before I got pregnant with John. My tolerance isn't what it used to be," she said, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Well, I hope that's all it is. I'd hate for you to be ill on our honeymoon," he said, rubbing her back soothingly.
"I'm fine. I feel much better now," Rose said.
But she wasn't fine. They spent the day on St. Thomas, and though she drank nothing besides water and tea and ate mostly bland food, she was still sick again later that evening. Alec had insisted on hauling her down to the ship's infirmary to be checked out, and it hadn't taken them long to figure out what was wrong. One of the first things they had done was make Rose pee in a cup. Both of them had a feeling they knew what was coming before the nurse even said a word, but the news still rocked them.
"You're pregnant," the nurse confirmed, holding up the positive test stick.
"But how? I thought you couldn't get pregnant while breastfeeding," Alec asked in disbelief.
"That only works if you're exclusively breastfeeding. John's been eating baby food too for a couple months now. I thought you knew…" Rose said, her voice trailing off.
"Perhaps I'll give you two a moment alone then," the nurse said, getting up from his stool.
"Blimey," Alec finally said a few minutes later.
"I know, I'm sorry. We should've talked about birth control. I just assumed, since you had a kid, you knew that breastfeeding is only effective birth control for the first six months or so. Once you start feeding them food and you're breastfeeding less often, it stops being effective. When you didn't bring it up, I just assumed you were okay with it. Stupid of me, I know. I'm sorry," she said, worrying her thumbnail.
Alec pulled her hands away from her face and placed his own hands there, cupping her cheeks with his palms. "Stop apologizing. There is nothing to be sorry for. You're having a baby. Our baby...it's just brilliant."
"You're not upset then?" she asked, peering up at him shyly.
"Upset? How could I be upset? This is fantastic news!" he exclaimed, wrapping his arms around her.
She sagged against him. "Christ, John isn't even a year old. We must be mad."
He pulled back to look at her. "You don't want this?"
"Yes! I mean no! I mean...oh, shit. I mean, of course I want this. Of course I want to have a baby with you. I just didn't imagine we'd be doing it so soon, that's all," she confessed.
"Me either. Still, I don't regret it. Not for a moment," he said, brushing his lips against hers.
The first thing Rose had done upon returning to Broadchurch was schedule an appointment with Dr. Morris. Evidently, it was a busy month, because the soonest they were able to fit her in was two weeks later. Alec had requested off from work so he could accompany her to the doctor's. It was a good thing, too, because she didn't know that she could've handled receiving the news on her own.
Everything was fine, baby looked healthy, pregnancy was progressing normally. No, the thing that had completely thrown Rose off was when Dr. Morris told her her due date.
"November 23rd?" she echoed in disbelief. The significance of the date was not lost on Alec, who squeezed her hand sympathetically.
Dr. Morris looked puzzled. "Sorry, is something the matter?"
"No," Rose exhaled. "It's just...John's father's birthday was November 23rd. He died though, before I even knew I was pregnant. This is some kind of coincidence."
And that was what she kept telling herself on the way home. It was just coincidence.
Alec cleared his throat. "Maybe...maybe this is a sign. From John. That he wants you to be happy."
The dismissal died on her tongue. "Maybe," she said noncommittally. She thought of Queen Victoria, saying that it was the creator's greatest mystery that they weren't allowed the consolation of a message from a loved one who had passed.
The Doctor had burnt up a sun once to send a goodbye message to her. Was it completely inconceivable that John, wherever his consciousness was, might try to send a message of his own? Put like that, she supposed not. If anything, her time with the Doctor had taught her that anything was possible.
Alec was staring hard at her from the driver's seat. "What?" she asked, fidgeting nervously under his gaze.
"Nothing," he said, his gaze sweeping back to the road. "Just that I think it's going to be a girl. And she's going to be as beautiful as her mother."
Rose's hands drifted down to cradle her abdomen. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see."