The Gift of Day
Author's Notes: This hit me in the middle of a good friend of mine's wedding. She wanted a Dr. Who themed wedding but her family flat refused to let her have ANY Dr. items in her wedding. (She did manage to get a mini Tardis onto her garter, but that was it.) This is a little gift for her.
Technically this is set in my "Going Forward" Universe but I would call it just a but of fluffy timey wimie wishing that doesn't fit possible, but makes for a nice read.
"For the last time, if you do no hang up and go to sleep young lady I'm coming in there and taking away your phone! And for good measure I'll have your dad hit you with a one of those space age tranquilizer dart things!." Jackie Tyler shouted through Rose's door.
"I think she means it this time." Rose giggled into her cell phone.
"I hate to say it, but you might be right." The Doctor pinched the bridge of his nose. After dinner Jackie had nearly dragged him by the ear to a guest room on the other side of the manor, while Rose was in her old room. When he had tried to tell Jackie it was just superstition about the groom seeing the bride , it took Pete stepping between them to prevent Jackie from nesrly strageling the Doctor. With alittle convinceing from Pete Jackie had finally relented and let the Doctor at least talk to her over the phone, but was 1:42 AM now and she had had enough!
Rose looked at the clock, "Think about it this way, in 12 hour roughly it will be over and we can be back to normal."
"What ever 'normal' is for us." He smiled a bit.
Rose sighed, "Just doesn't seem real, as if it is happening to someone else."
"Jackie has made her feeling completely known. I am not to cause any alien 'weirdness' tomorrow or, to be honest I'm not sure if that is anatomically possible for human physiology, but I do know of a race in the Begoium System that can …"
"Doctor!" Rose giggled, then yawned, "I think that is my cue to hang up. We can talk .. well I would say tomorrow but considering it is nealy 2 AM, I will say now, Good night Doctor."
Reluctance creeping into his voice the Doctor said good night, and hung up. He touched the phone to his lips in thought. He had changed into his striped Jim Jams, and dressing gown when he first came to his room. When Pete asked him why he chose the stripe ones, normally the Doctor avoided striped ones like the plague, the Doctor said it felt 'right' for some reason. Now that the room was silent, they gave a little comfort. They were a scrap of a memory from long ago, something tangible to hang onto in all the chaos around them.
The chaos was centered around Jackie. This was her only child's wedding and she was going to make it 'nice'. Well 'nice' for Jaquiline Tyler was a bit more than that what the average person would call overwhelming. She and Rose had a blow up a few weeks before over the size of the wedding Jackie was trying to plan for them. She had cut back considerably, but it was a razor's edge that she walked when it came to going overboard.
Rose's rant over the piles of chiffon, sequins and tulle that Jackie expected her to wear had made his ears ring for an hour, but they had finally agreed on a dress, much to The Doctor and Pete's relief. The cake had been a battle as well, they had met in the middle, but neither had been completely happy. To be honest, it wasn't 'completely' the wedding Rose and he had wanted, but they kept the most important thing in mind. They were going to married to each other in less than 12 hours. All the trappings didn't matter, being able to actually bonded to each other, yet things continued to nag at him.
He and Rose had once laughed at the thought of what their wedding should have been. Donna should be there acting at her normal bossy self, and sister to the groom. Jack should be there for a bachelor party that would make even a Time Lord blush. Mickey should be there, as should Martha, and Sarah Jane. The people who mattered to them SHOULD be there, but they can't. As the Doctor rolled over to go sleep, a thought entered his mind. The person who really should be here is the one person who would avoid it at all costs. The real Doctor…
"… I know you sleep deep but good grief!" A voice said to the Doctor's right side as he started to wake up.
"One way to fix this," a familiar voice said, just as the Doctor felt a lurch as the mattress was lifted and he was unceremoniously dumped onto the floor in a tangle of sheets.
" Of all the…" The Doctor let loose a flurry of unflattering descriptive adgitives in an alien language as he made his way to feet.
"I'll have you know that never once have I done that with stripped goat," laughed Jack Harkness as he put the bed back down.
The Doctor spun to face Jack, who was laughing at him. "What?"
"Told you it would work," Laughed Mickey as he slapped Jack's arm.
"Only because I did it to you Mickey when you wouldn't wake up when we went to Alpha 274." The Doctor said quicky before his sleep fogged brain caught up with him. "Wait What? What?"
It was then that there was knock at the door, and some one entered quickly, "Oh good you are awake. Nice pajamas by the way."
The Doctor could only stand there speechless as his, or was it the Doctor's ninth version stood before him. "What? What?"
"Please tell me that you can say something other than 'What', otherwise I would need to question Rose's choice." The nineth version stood there in his arms crossed, leather jacket, big ear glory.
Shaking himself slightly, "You are NOT suppose to be here." The Doctor glared at all the men who had invaded him room.
"Technically, NONE of us, including yourself should be here," the eleventh incarnation of the Doctor can sashing inform the toilet, "but timey wimey paradoxical stuff, whatever. Hello by the way." He offered his hand to the Doctor.
The Doctor took it raising an eyebrow at the man's antics, "And you are?"
"Sorry, I'm the regeneration after you, well the regeration that meta crisised you. Trust me you are much happier that he was. Anyway I'm here." He twirled on his heel.
"And I thought the two of you were bad," Jack snickered from where he sat on the dresser.
"Shut up Jack!" All three said in unison. That only made Jack and Mickey laugh more.
"Listen..." Nine started to address him but wasn't sure how to. "What do they call you here anyway?"
"John Smith seemed simpler that way." The Doctor shrugged. "Rose and her family still call me the Doctor, but I had to have a name."
"Yes well, after that whole debacle with the Family it doesn't surprise me you chose that name. It is what I would have called myself," Eleven straighten his tie.
"As I was saying," Nine said with an edge to his voice, "John, we are here because today you are getting married. We could not let our brother get married with out his family being here."
"You think I'm going to miss out on seeing you finally marry Rose, you have another thing coming Doctor." Jack laughed. "Besides I owe you a bachelor party." He gave the Doctor one of his classic grins.
"No, just… No Jack." The Doctor grabbed his dressing gown and went to his closet, to pull out his suit for the day. Eveyone laughed at that.
The Doctor was half way to the toilet before there was another knock at the door, "Who is it now? My bedroom is not Grand Central station." He opened the door quickly to find a nervous looking man standing there he didn't know. "What is it?"
"Well I…" started as he looked past the Doctor into the room.
"Sorry, he's mine, well technically he belongs to Amy but he is one of my companions. This is Rory."
" As long as you claim him. I'll be right back." He stopped in the toilet's doorway, and looked back at Jack, "Behave yourself.."
Eleven stepped up to allow Rory to enter. "What is it? I thought I left you with the rest of them?"
"Rest of them? " The Doctor came back into the room retrieve his trainers from where he left them.
Eleven waved the Doctor off and made Rory concentrate on him. "Was there something you needed?"
"Sort of, I was told to tell you that the girls are leaving for the salon, so we are free to roam about. Frankly I'm just glad to get out of the line of fire"
"I'm surprised Jackie is letting me out of room." The Doctor slipped his trainers on. "And I thought she was bad when Rose and I met." He smirked at Nine, who just shook his head.
"After Donna got and Jackie got into it I felt it was safer to retreat over here. When Amy offered me as messenger I took her up on it." Rory sat down at the foot of the bed.
"Donna is here?" He looked to Eleven, "I would have thought you would have…" He left the thought hanging.
Eleven spoke up, clearing his throat as he did so, "Yes I did, trust me, her appearance here surprises me as well. Regardless, Donna has taken over command from Mrs. Tyler, which I feel will make things work a little bit smoother. In the mean time, I suggest we find a better place to be."
"There is an old pub down the road a bit." Mickey piped up, "Rose and I use to sneak down there for pint when things would get bad."
"Then to the pub we shall go." Jack hopped up, and grabbed Rory's arm; "Might even find you a girl Rory."
Rory shrugged off Jack's arm, "I'm happily married thank you." Rory grumpily walked out the door.
"Pity," Jack cocked his head to the side and watched him go.
"Come on Captain Cheese cake ." Mickey nudged him in the back to get moving.
"That's beef cake!" Jack followed the both of them at a jog.
That left the 3 'Doctor's' alone together.
"Is this real? I mean we have run into our previous incarnations before and that usually means trouble." The Doctor looked to each of them.
"Honest, no trouble, just here to make sure you get the wedding you and Rose deserve." Nine assured him as he followed the other's out the door.
"Calm down old boy, between Donna running things, and River acting as muscle, you have nothing to worry about." Eleven clapped the Doctor on the shoulder as he followed the others out the door.
The Doctor stood still for a moment trying to process what just happened. Then Eleven's last statement clicked in his head, "Hey wait a minute! Why is Dr. River Song doing here? You have some explain to do before we go anywhere!" He ran out of the room after them.
Author's Note: Next portion will be from the girl's perspective. Hope you like this.
.