Doctor Who and all associated characters are the property of the BBC and do not belong to me.
Come on, Doctor. It's not that hard.
Yes it is.
Scared?
Apparently enough to have an argument with myself inside my head, yes.
The Doctor lifts his head and looks at himself in the mirror, his hands gripping either side of the porcelain sink in the bathroom at Rose's favorite restaurant. His hair sticks up wildly. He'd attempted to comb it down for the evening, but it never cooperated.
"Doctor, are you in here?" a voice asks as the bathroom door opens.
"Yeah. Hello Pete."
"Rose was looking lonely out there," Pete says. "You alright?"
"Sort of. Nervous, actually."
"I'd be surprised if you weren't. But you don't really have reason to be, you know."
The Doctor looks at Pete in the mirror. "How d'you mean?"
"What makes you think she'll say no?"
He opens his mouth to reply, but nothing comes out.
"That's what I thought," Pete says and moves to stand beside the Doctor. "Now, I haven't known you very long, but I've known you long enough that Rose loves you. She's not going to say no.
Truth was, he was worried that she wouldn't accept that he was the Doctor she had travelled with. Yes, he knew he was the Doctor and everyone else knew… But… Blimey, this wasn't helping.
"Come on, she's going to start wondering where you've gone off to."
The Doctor shuts his eyes and places a hand over his single heart, feeling it beat. One-two. One-two. A single, human, heartbeat. A human heart beat. Just like Rose. Opening his eyes, he stands up straight, and rolls his head to crack his neck. A deep breath.
"Allons-y."
"There you are!" Rose says as she spots the Doctor walking back towards their table. "Food just got here."
The Doctor takes his seat across from Rose in the middle of the posh restaurant. He smiles at her, radiant in her peach floor-length dress, her blonde hair swept up into a bun. Pink and yellow. Glancing just off to his right, he spots Jackie, Rose's mum, sitting at her own table as Pete rejoins her. She stares him down in a 'you-mess-this-up-I'll-make-your-head-spin' fashion.
Rose follows his gaze and groans. "Blimey, they couldn't give us one night? Oh, well. That's my mum for you," she laughs, picking up her fork to eat.
The Doctor fingers the small, velvety box in his pocket. All it took was a few words. But he had to time it right. And soon. Before he balked…again.
"You alright, Doctor?" Rose asks, noticing a faraway look in his eyes and the fact that he hasn't touched his food.
"Hm?" His attention snaps back to their table. "Yeah, I'm- I'm fine. Fantastic. Molto bene," he says quickly.
Rose arches an eyebrow at him. "You sure?"
"Mm-hm," he nods quickly. "No, actually. Sorry. I-I don't know. Erm…"
"Did Mum's cooking get to you again?" Rose teases him, smiling her brilliant white smile.
"No, that's not it," he says, standing suddenly.
"Doctor?" Rose asks, wiping a bit of sauce off her cheek with one of the restaurant's cloth napkins.
The Doctor closes his eyes for a moment once more, taking a deep breath and reaching into his pocket. He bends down to one knee, as he draws the box out.
"Rose Tyler," the Doctor begins and then pauses. He laughs shakily. "You know I had it all figured out what I wanted to say and now it's just gone! Rose, you made me so much better. You were there for me, even when we were literally separated by a universe. You came back. I want to say this for the rest of my life. Rose Tyler- I love you. Would you- Would you do me the great honor of being…my wife?"
She simply sits, stunned into silence for a moment. But only for a moment.
"Yes!" she squeals, jumping at the Doctor to hug him.
"Blimey!" he laughs as she knocks him over onto the red carpet of the restaurant. They share a kiss and another hug, grinning at each other as he slips the engagement ring onto her finger.
The people in the restaurant applaud, some shouting their congratulations. The Doctor stands, and goes to help Rose to her feet, but instead picks her up into a feet-off-the-floor hug, still grinning and laughing.
"Took you long enough, you big idiot," Rose whispers in his ear before they kiss once more, riding high on their pure love and joy.
A/N: I've been wanting to write some TenTwo/Rose fluff for a looooooooong time. This story is going to follow the format of my other Five-Part Fluffs: The Engagement, The Planning of the Wedding, The Wedding, The Reception, and The Parents.
Reviews are always more than welcome!