This is just a quick little one-shot that I threw together, but it's also a bit of a companion piece to a fic that I haven't finished yet. No worries, though, there's nothing that won't be easy to understand, so it can definitely be read as a total stand-alone.
We Cordially invite you to attend the wedding of Rose Marion Tyler to Doctor John David Noble...
The Wedding of Dr. John Noble
Amy Pond found herself alone again as the Doctor claimed search for "parts" for the TARDIS. What he was really looking for was something else to fiddle with, and Amy knew it. What she didn't know, however, was that he knew where her meandering would land her- he could feel it. Their presence was calling to him, but he wished to avoid the scene until he was ready. He didn't think he could handle seeing them again, not yet anyway. He'd just slip off and come find Amy later on. Besides, he was sure she'd enjoy what she was about to see. It was the type of thing she liked, deep down.
So there she was. Amy Pond, wandering around a small town south of London all alone as the Doctor searched for "parts." Coming across a public park, though, she stopped- stumbling upon a cute little wedding. Assuming it was open to spectators, she took a seat in the back row and watched as the couple at the alter stared lovingly into eachother's eyes.
Their expressions matched the looks at her own wedding to Rory. When she looked at the groom, however, something stirred in the back of her mind. Where have I seen him before? She tried her hardest to remember where it was that she had seen this man, and scrutinized his every mannerism that she could see. It wasn't until she ceased her staring to look at the bride that she remembered.
It had been a month since she and Rory had been married, and she was alone in the TARDIS. That was a rare occurrence in itself, as the Doctor and Rory had gone out to find a decent chip shop in Surrey. She had seen this as an opportune moment to wander the various corridors on the ship in search of the bedroom that the Doctor had claimed not to have. She was certain he slept at least once every month. It had only taken her twenty minutes to stumble across a door she'd never seen before. Grinning maliciously in her victory, she turned the knob and waltzed in.
Her surroundings were definitely not what she had expected. Not unless the Doctor was hiding a side of himself that adored the color pink. And adored plushies. And was really messy. And wore women's clothing. Simple deductive reasoning reassured her that this was not the Doctor's room. Nonetheless, her curiosity was piqued and decided that further investigation was required.
She ventured farther in stepping over all of the women's clothes that were strewn about the floor. There was a magazine dated June 2006, signaling to Amy that it hadn't been too long since the room was occupied. The bed was unmade, pillows were thrown amok all over it, and there was a severely unorganized bedside table next to it with hundreds of different nail polishes. The table held up two picture frames behind a hairbrush which had blond hair. The first picture was of three very different looking people. It had a middle aged man with big ears, smiling while a pretty blond girl of about eighteen or nineteen made bunny ears behind his head. The third person, however, although he was beautiful and handsome and had the bluest of eyes, looked at them wistfully but smiled nonetheless.
The second frame held an image of the same girl only about a year or so older, holding onto the hand of another gorgeous man, and hugging his arm. The man was tall and skinny, he had a mess of brown hair on his head, and wore glasses that completed the look he seemed to want by wearing a brown pin-striped suit. The two of them were looking at each other, both smiling broadly. Amy guessed they were probably in love.
This room had probably belonged to that girl, then, but she had still to find her name. The Doctor never spoke much of his old companions, but she figured it was because he tried to forget them in order to move on. It was horrible, but sometimes the Doctor just couldn't deal with pain the same way humans did. The TARDIS grumbled at her for thinking this, so she quietly moved on to search through the table drawers.
In the top drawer, Amy found a myriad of pictures all containing the blond and some containing the tall man with the brown suit. Some of them had other people, but all of them had either her or him, but mostly they had the both of them. Rifling through all of them, it became clear to Amy that the two were, in fact, in love. Very much in love and undeniably so.
Then she stumbled onto a photo of the leather clad big eared man from the very first photo. She turned it around to find a nicely written caption.
9th Regeneration Sept. 2005
And in even smaller letters,
I love you, Doctor. With all of my heart. Love, Rose Tyler xoxo
So the girl's name was Rose Tyler. She found another picture, this time of the attractive man in the suit. He wasn't wearing the suit or his glasses, though. She noticed his hair was shaggier and unkempt, and he was wearing the same leather outfit as 'Big Ears," as Amy called him. She flipped the picture over in search of Rose's handwriting, and once again found it.
My Doctor after 10th Regeneration. New new Doctor, but I still love you. -Rose xoxo
Amy gasped. Rose Tyler had been in love with the Doctor. But had he known? Was that the reason she no longer traveled with him? Did he not feel the same way? Did he kick her out when he found out? But of course he had felt the same way. The pictures she had seen proved that fact. He had certainly been in love with her. She didn't know what had happened to Rose, but she felt as though she'd intruded on the lovely girl's privacy for long enough now and stood to leave. However, right as she got up off of the bed, she found a not wedged in between the folds of the duvet. She couldn't stop herself, though, so when she picked it up, she began to read it.
'Oh Rose. Rassilon, I miss you. Today I saved Donna Noble and the Earth from the Racknoss. She had to stop me. I was losing it in there Rose. I almost forgot to leave as the flames came closer and climbed higher. I almost died, and I wouldn't have wanted to regenerate. I never would have done anything that stupid if you were still here.
I love you. I love you and I never got the chance to tell you that. Rose Tyler, I love you. I love you so much. I love you, and I'll keep saying it because I want you back and I'm angry. I love you and you love me. I know you do, you said it. We should have had our chance- The Bad Wolf and the Oncoming Storm- The Stuff of Legend. I love you, but you wee torn from me and I'll never forgive Torchwood. I'll never forgive myself.
I love you.
After reading the note, Amy found herself crying. Her heart was calling out to the Doctor, the Doctor that wrote this, the Doctor that was in love with Rose Tyler.
Wiping her tears away, she sett the letter on top of Rose's pillow and closed the door on her way out, figuring she'd done enough meddling for one day. Outside of the room, she stood standing for a couple of minutes, composing her face and her emotions. Checking her pocket mirror, she made sure all traces of tears had been wiped away, and checked to see that all of the unsightly redness in her cheeks had left. Deciding she was fit enough for eyes, she took off to see if Rory and the Doctor had returned from their hunt for chips.
"I've always liked chips," The Doctor was telling Rory, who sat along the railing by the entrance Amy took. "Well, no. I haven't always liked chips," he amended. Rory only nodded, rolling his eyes and taking a bite of his own chips. "I had a companion, once. She liked chips. She absolutely adored chips. Got me hooked to them, she did," he was saying. Amy took a seat next to her husband and listened to the Doctor's rambling and actually listening for the first time. "It's a wonder they don't make you fat, Rose, I told her," Amy's ears perked up again and hushed Rory as he was about to ask her a question. "But she just ate them like she had no tomorrow. So where to now, my pretty friends?"
Amy was put out. She had wanted him to continue talking about Rose. Had he spoken of her before, only she had tuned him out like she always did? Was this the first time he'd mentioned her at all?
"I say we go somewhere with giant cockroaches," Rory said seriously. Both the Doctor and Amy stopped short, staring at him with wide eyes. "Well," he said, "the Doctor never parks right, so if I don't want to see any cockroaches, he should try to get us somewhere with exaggerated cockroaches," he explained. The Doctor looked put out, and Amy just giggled.
"Personally, I don't care where we go this time," she said, getting up and hugging the Doctor. He smiled, surprised by the gesture, but returned it anyway. "As long as you do one thing for me."
"And what would that be, orange girl?" She glared at him playfully, but then sobered.
"Tell us about your other companions. You've been around for nine hundred years! I very much doubt Rory and I are the only strays you've picked up." To say the Doctor was surprised by the request would have been an understatement. He did, however, have the grace to look at both of them sheepishly and tell them to hang on tight as he told them everything.
He launched into a tale of adventure with the sweet and kind tempered Sarah Jane Smith and the cocky omnisexual Captain Jack Harkness. He told them about the intelligent Martha Jones who saved the world in the Year that Never Was. The fabulous Donna Noble, with the heart of a lion and the most important woman in all of the galaxies. Both Amy and Rory were awed by the superhero descriptions of each companion. But then he stopped.
"Doctor," Amy asked impatiently. "Earlier you mentioned that Rose liked chips. What about her?" The Doctor looked pained, but quickly flashed her a bittersweet smile that turned into an outright joyous grin that vaguely reminded her of the man in Rose's pictures.
"Rose Tyler was magnificent," he said. "She was the most fantastic of them all." Amy smiled, genuinely pleased with the Doctor's description of her. Somehow, although she hardly knew a thing about the girl, the two words seemed to suit her perfectly. Rory, on the other hand was completely perplexed.
"How was she so fantastic, though," he asked. Amy frowned and elbowed him hard in the ribs. "Ow!" he exclaimed. The Doctor simply smiled, his eyes brilliantly twinkling with memories and mischief, and even a copious amount of pride. Rory continued, "How was she more fantastic than Martha or Donna? Did she walk for a whole year? Did she split herself with a Time Lord to defeat the Daleks?"
"She saw all of time and space by consuming the Vortex. She was Time," the Doctor said so quietly that Rory did not hear him, but Amy did.
"Do you want to know how Rose Tyler saved the world?" the Doctor asked. "It was simple and she risked everything. But Rose Tyler saved the entire universe time and time again. And she keeps doing it, every second of every day. And you want to know how," he said, not asking. He said it as though he knew they were thirsting for his words, to have the knowledge of Rose Tyler that he was dangling before them, just out of their reach. They both nodded. "Because she saved me," he grinned. "In more ways than you could ever know."
Amy was elated and could not contain the grin that pasted itself to her face. Now she knew the he still loved her. Of course, he must have found some closure in the years that they'd been separated, and that was good enough for her. She just hoped that Rose had found her closure as well, somehow.
And so there she sat, in the back row of a beautiful park wedding, looking into the faces of two of the most wonderful people she'd ever heard of. She didnt' know how, but she knew that was the Doctor- that was the same man that she met as a child. The man the entire wold was unknowingly indebted to. That was his previous face. She didn't care how, though, as the ceremony started to come to a close.
"And do you, Rose Marion Tyler, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? To love and to hold from this day forward until death do you part?" The entire audience chuckled slightly as she smiled and said her promising words.
"I do."
"And do you, Doctor John David Noble-" Amy smiled to herself at the name the Doctor had chosen for himself. It was a true and deserving homage to the Great Donna Noble. The couple ended the service with their kiss as everyone applauded and some whistled, throwing rice into the air around the newlyweds. Amy was happy that she had the opportunity to look into t heir overjoyed faces in real life, and not just through pictures. She couldn't remember having ever seen the Doctor look so complete, so utterly happy with life, just holding a beautiful Rose in his arms. And she was; she was so beautiful and so in love.
She remembered the note in Rose's room. The memory mixed itself with the reality that she was witnessing and brought tears to her eyes. This was an ending that they both deserved, although it wasn't really an ending at all.
She joined the procession that made its way to congratulate the newly wedded couple. It felt like the right thing to do, and she had to tell them how pleased she was for them, even though they hadn't a clue who she was. When she reached the Doctor, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him painfully tight, whispering into his ear, "Never let her go, Doctor. Hold her hand and hold on tight. Don't lose her again." She let go of him and he looked at her with amusement in his eyes.
"I promise," he replied softly. She turned to Rose, and hugged her just as tightly as well without a second thought.
She pulled back and looked into the bride's eyes and whispered, "Thank you. We all owe you, Rose." Then she swiftly walked away.
The reception had a small gathering, she could tell. Only family and close friends, that Amy could tell. Well, Rose's family anyway. A blond woman with a high pitched voice holding the hand of a ginger haired man who looked so serenely pleased, and a little boy no older than six walked toward her and introduced themselves as the bride's family.
"I'm Jackie Tyler, this is my husband Pete, and our little one, Tony," she grinned.
"I'm Amy Pond," she replied. "I'm a friend of the groom's." Jackie nodded in understanding.
"Both of you, then? The Doctor help you out, too?" Jackie asked. Amy was confused until she heard the voice of her Doctor reply from right beside her.
"Oh yes, Jackie. And so has your daughter." He slipped his hand into Amy's and she could tell that it wasn't out of her need for comfort, but his. She squeezed it reassuringly.
"Have we met before," Jackie asked, scrutinizing his face. He smiled at her and winked.
"Oh I don't know. I hear John Smith is a common name." Jackie visibly brightened, pulling him into a tight hug and kissed him on his new big forehead.
"Oh Doctor, what have you done," she whispered, "getting into so much trouble that you have to go and change your face again," she chastised him, her tone so motherly. He and Amy both chuckled.
"Keep this quiet, Jax. I don't want to detract from the bride and groom," he said a bit sadly. Jackie took his other hand and squeezed it.
"I won't say a word. Especially not to Jack." He smiled thankfully. "But just so you know, Doctor, this is your wedding to. So enjoy yourself," she said before hugging him again and walking off to speak with a dark skinned couple.
"So how is this possible," Amy asked, watching the reception from their little secluded corner by a tree. "How is it that you're still him and marrying her? Is this the past? Did you marry her? ARE YOU MARRIED and you NEVER TOLD ME?" She asked, in a forceful whisper. The Doctor laughed at her.
"No, Miss Pond." he told her, "I'm not married. Well, that me is," he said gesturing toward the man called Dr. John Noble. "But I'm not."
"How, then," Amy asked.
"What do you know about parallel universes," he asked her.
She thought about briefly before answering, "Well, when I was a kid I'd dream of parallel worlds. Where everything turned out the way I wanted it to. The way I figured it was supposed to, I guess."
The Doctor nodded, smiling almost sadly. "Well, lets just say that this is how it was supposed to end for them."
"Oh," Amy gasped. "Are we in a parallel world?"
"No," he laughed. "No, they found their way back from one. This is their way of making everything right in the world. And a good job of it," he smiled.
There were so many people that she recognized from the pictures, but there was one in particular that she couldn't miss as he walked by. The man from the first picture with the blue eyes and sad, dazzling smile. Only he wasn't sad this time, but he was still handsome.
"Who-" she was about to ask, but she could practically hear the Doctor roll his eyes as he kindly told her to end that sentence right there.
"That's Jack," he said. And she smiled. He told her about the captain from the 51st century, that would flirt with a toaster if he saw his reflection in it smile back at him. But Jack was walking toward a young blond girl in a fluffy purple sundress. The girl was stunning, and Amy immediately assumed that she was a cousin or something of Rose's.
"Do you know who that girl is, then?"
He looked over and saw the girl that Jack was making his way over to. "Oh, no, Jack, don't..." he started. But then laughed to himself as he saw the girl stand and whisper something to the Captain that made him blush and leave. "That," he said to Amy who was staring at him like he'd finally gone mad, "That is Jenny. She's my daughter," he said smiling proudly.
Amy was stumped, yet again. How much about the Doctor did she not know? He had kids? How twisted... how Wrong was that? "How," she began to ask, but then realized that the girl had spotted them and was making her way over to them.
"Hello," she said brightly. Amy assessed her age to be around nineteen or twenty. "Welcome!"
"Thank you," the Doctor said. "If you don't mind me asking, Jenny, how are you here?"
The girl, Jenny, laughed and said, "I guess it hasn't happened to you yet." The Doctor was speechless and confused. "Don't worry, Dad," she whispered, "We'll meet again and I'll explain everything then. Yes, I'm alive. And yes, we're going to need your help. And no. Rose doesn't know who you are. She never will see your face, so don't worry." He looked pained, relieved, overjoyed, and confused at the same time.
"Brilliant," he replied, taking it all in stride.
Jenny then turned to Amy. "Amy, hi! You'll know me later, which actually makes more sense to me now. But I have to be the formal greeter, before my Gran kills me. I'm Jenny Noble, and welcome to the Tyler-Noble wedding."
Amy smiled, "Congratulations to your father, then," she said politely. "He's a lucky man to have her."
Jenny laughed and nodded. "My parents are very lucky to have each other again." She was looking straight at the Doctor who understood what she had said, but looked surprised, awed, and unbelieving.
"You mean," he asked. Jenny smiled and nodded.
"I just thought you should know," she told him. "You deserve to know."
"Thank you."
Amy stood confused. But since that was something that happened quite often, she didn't question it and decided that he would tell her later and explain everything in full detail. They spent the rest of the evening dodging the sight of the newlyweds while the Doctor pointed everyone he knew out to her.
"That there is Martha Jones. Well, Smith now, I think. Ironic. She was in love with me at some point. Now she's married to Mickey," he said pointing to another man, "Mickey Smith. I first met him when I met Rose. They were dating at the time." Amy giggled.
"Ah, and Sarah Jane Smith. She's here too." Amy looked over quickly, eager to see the woman that had spent her entire life waiting for the Doctor. That was one thing Amy thought she had in common with her. Always waiting. "Over there is Wilfred Mott, Donna Noble's grandfather. I'm guessing they invited him in her absence. She couldn't come. I wouldn't let her." Amy nodded solemnly, knowing what would happen if Donna ever remembered anything about the Doctor. "But Wilf was a grand mate," he said. "I saved him, I did. That's the reason I had to regenerate." He flashed her a grin, "Hello forehead!"
They stood in their corner by the tree, though, when Rose looked over and saw them. She smiled and tugged on John's hand and he hastily turned to look at her. He was so in tune with her every need. She whispered something in his ear and he looked up to see Amy and the Doctor. His face became somber. He didn't frown or scowl, he just looked at them. The Doctor went rigid, looking into the face of his biological metacrisis and the bride he had to let go of. They were together now, bonded in marriage, and it had been his final wish for them. He stared into the eyes of Rose Tyler-Noble once more and poured all the love he could muster into that one glance. She nodded in understanding, blinking back tears and smiling at him, reciprocating the love. John's lips twitched up at the Doctor in a million silent 'Thank you's' and the Doctor nodded.
Amy observed the silent interaction with a small sad smile. This was the final piece of closure for them, and she knew she couldn't interfere. John held tightly to Rose's hand and brought it up to his lips, showing the Doctor that he was taking care of her, and giving her all of the love he possessed. Rose did the same, afterward. She kissed the back of his hand, her eyes never leaving the Doctor until the last second when she turned to smile at John.
The Doctor took Amy's hand and they silently left the wedding and walked back to the TARDIS.
"That was the one adventure I could never have," he told Amy as they stepped into the console room. "I never even thought I wanted it until I met her."
"Don't worry, Doctor," she said. "They're making the best of it for you. I saw it in their eyes. They're living it for you." He smiled at her.
"I know, Amy Pond. I know. And you know what?"
"What," she asked.
"They'll do it bloody brilliantly! I couldn't have asked for more."
And that was the day Amy Pond met Rose Tyler-Noble. It was the day the Doctor let go and moved on. The day she could tell he'd finally made peace with himself on the matter. He set the coordinates as Rory came out, having just waken up from a nap.
The Doctor looked up and smiled at the two of them. "Geronimo!"
Kay, this is my first Who fic, so tell me how I did! I promise the other fic will be better written, but tell me what you think!
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(See what I did there?)
