A/N: Hello all! Many thanks to my followers, to those who have favourited, and to those you have reviewed. You lot are the best! And now for Chapter Six...
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or anything related. That all goes to the BBC. *A couple of parts below are borrowed from the movie The Vow. Credit for those ideas go to the original writers and creators.*
"Oh, these are gorgeous," Rose moaned, popping another chip in her mouth. "Seriously. I needed these after the day I had."
The Doctor blushed, not used to Rose making such... alluring... noise outside the bedroom. He cleared his throat. "That bad?"
"It was just a long day. We have this new recruit, Ephraim. Really young, straight out of Uni. He's this like, tech wizard, yeah? Like a male Tosh, which is fitting since she's the one who discovered him."
"Did you lot need a new techie?"
"For the swing team, we do. Allison's pregnant and has to start desk duty so they need someone on the field."
He took a sip of his water. "So what's the problem?"
Rose sighed. "The Scotland branch was having some issues with their computer system and their tech support couldn't figure it out. So Tosh has spent the last two days trying to sort it all out for them."
"Which means you got to spend the day with the new kid, giving him the grand tour and showing him the ropes," the Doctor concluded.
"Exactly. And normally I wouldn't mind," she rushed to explain. "But poor Ephraim is so young. He passed out. Twice."
"What?!"
"Once when I showed him a weevil and the second when I toured him through the medical wing. Apparently he doesn't handle the sight of blood well."
The Doctor couldn't help but chuckle. "Poor lad. How did your dad ever approve him to be a field tech?"
Rose took a bite of another chip and shrugged. "He's a genius. Dad's going to have him go through some pretty intense training before he actually lets him out on the field. Thankfully, it's just the swing team that needs him. If, god forbid, we have to call them in, Alli will just have to try to direct the tech from the office. Wouldn't be the first time, though it's not ideal."
"Aren't you glad you have tomorrow off then?"
"Oh, god, yes."
The next day was the one year anniversary since they'd been dropped off at Bad Wolf Bay and both the Doctor and Rose had taken the day off work so they could spend it together. The Doctor couldn't help but think about how different their lives were now then how they were when they first met and started travelling together. Before, he scoffed at the thought of any sort of domestics. Mentions of having tea with Rose's mum would have him immediately hurtling the TARDIS towards the closest plasma storm. And while he most certainly flirted with Rose Tyler and had all sorts of sordid fantasies about her, he never would have physically acted on those feelings and fantasies. Because he was the last of the Time Lords and he had to live on. Alone.
But now the Doctor was human. He had one life that he was spending with Rose Tyler, because she wanted too. Not only would he have tea with Rose's mum, they had weekly meals with the Tyler family. He still flirted with Rose (constantly, in fact), but now he got to physically follow through (much to his surprise, Rose had several fantasies of her own). And the amazing thing was, he enjoyed it. He enjoyed the domestics. Did he miss his old life? Absolutely. So did Rose. The absence of the TARDIS was one he still felt heavily, and he knew he probably always would. But with Rose by his side, he knew he could tackle each day as a new adventure.
"Rose?"
She placed another chip in her mouth. "Hm?"
"Marry me?" he whispered.
She froze mid-chew. Forcing herself to swallow, she said, "What? Seriously?" He slid an open ring box across the table. Rose stared at the gorgeous oval morganite ring. The main stone was a pink diamond, with accent stones framing the precious stone. She could see that the ring itself was made from rose gold. It was utterly breathtaking and completely perfect. And that's when it hit her... What was happening and where they were. It was so very... them. She threw her head back and began laughing hysterically.
Hurt flashed across the Doctor's face. "Uh... Rose?"
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry!" she said between chuckles. "It's just... God, I love you so much. And here we are in a greasy London chippie at," she glanced at her mobile, "eight thirty-seven at night. And you're proposing and it's just so... Fantastic!"
He grinned at the term she'd chosen. "Yeah? I was worried it might not be romantic enough, but I thought about our first date and it just sort of fell into place."
"It's perfect, Doctor."
"You know, you still haven't answered my question."
"I thought the answer would be sort of obvious." She gave a tongue in teeth grin.
"Rose," he pleaded.
"Yes."
He quirked an eyebrow. "Yes, what?"
"Yes, I will marry you!"
The Doctor smiled, remembering exactly what had happened after she agreed. After they had made it back to their flat, he proceeded to show her just how happy he was with their new arrangement. Three times. It was a little after that, when they lay sweaty and tangled in their sheets, that Rose informed him that she didn't want to wait. She wanted to get married exactly one week from that day. "Why wait?" she asked him. "I don't want or need some traditional big to do. I just want to marry you. Our way." That particular declaration had led to a fourth time.
The Doctor stretched his long limbs, trying to find a comfortable position in an uncomfortable chair in the hospital waiting area. He made a mental note to talk to the staff at Hope Hospital about investing in some better seating. It had been two weeks since that first time he and Rose properly spoke and while he didn't spend every possible hour roaming the hospital, he did still spend quite a bit of time there. He wasn't really sure what he would do otherwise. Although he didn't see her everyday, they had spoken several times. Rose, on her part, was incredibly focused on her physical recovery. She was growing rather bored with not only her room, but the entire hospital itself. The Doctor couldn't agree more. He was ready for Rose to come home. Which led to an entirely different problem.
It had taken Rose three days after seeing the Doctor before she would agree to see her parents. Jackie did her very best to try to not overwhelm her daughter, but she couldn't help but sob when she finally got to hug her little girl. Rose, bless her, did her best to soothe the older woman, but was clearly uncomfortable. It didn't escape anyone's notice that she had avoided referring to her parents as Mum and Dad. After that meeting was over, Rose agreed to see her little brother.
Everyone was a bit nervous about how young Tony would react. He had been sat down by his dad, mum, and brother-in-law as they explained to him exactly what had happened to his sister and what they would need to do to help her.
"You want me to lie?" he asked in complete shock. "I can't lie to Rose! I never lie to her."
Jackie crossed her arms and glared at her son. "Does that mean you lie to other people."
His eyes widened. "No! Lying is bad. I know that. So why do I hafta lie?"
His dad stepped in and explained in, what he hoped, was a simple way, "Tony, your sister's brain is still hurt and if we tell her about aliens and other universes, it might hurt her brain more."
"Why?"
"Because not everyone knows or believes in aliens," the Doctor said gently. "It's not hard for you to understand because you've grown up knowing all about them, but other people aren't as lucky as you. It's like how you can't tell your friends at school about what Torchwood really does. It would scare and confuse them. We don't want to do that to Rose."
Tony huffed and pouted his lips. "I guess that makes sense. But I don't like it."
"Neither do we, son," Pete agreed.
There was no need for worry though. Rose was instantly taken with the boy. Maybe it was because Tony was so at ease. As soon as he walked into her room, he crawled up next to her on her bed, introduced himself and then flew into a story about what had happened to him that day at school. Anytime he reached a point that might confuse her, such as who his teachers and best mates were, he would stop and patiently explain. The Doctor thought that perhaps they could all take a page out of Tony's book when speaking with Rose.
The problem was where Rose was going to go after she was released from the hospital. The Doctor thought that obviously she should return home with him, to their flat. While Jackie insisted she would be more comfortable at the mansion. "That's not where she lives though!" the Doctor argued with his mother-in-law.
"She has a room there. You both do. And there will be people there who can take care of her," Jackie reasoned.
"She doesn't need to be waited on hand and foot, and I can take care of anything she might need."
That's when Pete calmly intervened. "Perhaps we should ask Rose where she might be more comfortable."
And so they did. And Rose responded by immediately asking them to leave so she could think about it in private.
Now he sat in the waiting area, hoping Rose might want to see him at some point. Jackie and Pete and left a little earlier to get something to eat from the little Italian place he and Martha had visited two weeks prior. Three minutes and forty-two seconds after he leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes, he felt a tap on his shoulder.
It had been a long and grueling two weeks for Rose. Between physical therapy and meeting with her family she was completely exhausted both mentally and physically. Oh, her mum and dad were nice enough, if not a bit emotional. At least, her mum was. Her dad seemed rather quiet and content with sticking to the basics in their conversations. She appreciated that. Her little brother was gem. He was, by far, her favourite person, and didn't that just make her feel a bit guilty when she thought about the fact that she had a husband as well. It wasn't that she didn't like John. He was kind and good looking and had fantastic hair, but her emotions were all over the place. She wasn't in love with him. He was her husband and she couldn't remember him. In turn, that led to some very confusing feelings.
She liked him, so far, and she wanted to love him, she really did. But one thing she did know ,was that she couldn't force it. She was just going to have to wait to see where time would take them and their feelings towards one another. Maybe one day she could fall in love with him. She'd apparently done it before.
Oh, but then he had to come in with her parents and ask where she wanted to go after she was released from the hospital. She knew it could be any day now. The doctor's had given her nothing but positive reports. The only thing that hadn't changed was her memory loss, though Rose hoped that leaving the hospital and getting back in the real world would help with that. She asked her family to leave so she could think. Though she knew she had hurt their feelings, she needed to be alone. This wasn't exactly an easy decision to make. On one hand, John was her husband and she lived with him before her accident. That's what where she would really go if she had her memories. But did she really want to live alone with a man who, though they were married, was basically a stranger? Her parents seemed nice and she had no doubt that she would be well looked after if she went to stay with them. But Rose wanted her independence. She may not have her memories, but she was a capable adult and wanted to be treated like one. She ran the risk of being a bit smothered if she went to stay with them. Tony was there, however, and his presence was a most welcome one.
Her stomach growled. She had only picked at the lunch that had been delivered to her room (she discovered that she was not a fan of salmon) and was now feeling the affects. She swung her legs over the bed, made sure she looked decent in the mirror on the opposite wall, and made her way towards the door. Just a few days before, Martha and Owen given her clearance to walk about as she pleased so long as she didn't go too far and let one of the nurses know where she was heading. Hopefully the canteen wouldn't be a hard place to find.
Once in the hall, she was met with the sight of John slumped rather awkwardly in the waiting area. At first glance, he appeared to be asleep, though Rose suspected that he might have just been resting his eyes. She considered walking past, he probably wouldn't notice her absence, but something stopped her. Maybe now would be a good opportunity to speak with him a bit. She tapped him on the shoulder.
His eyes immediately opened and a grin blossomed on his face. "Rose!"
"Hi," she said shyly. "I was a bit hungry and I thought maybe... well..."
He jumped to his feet and nodded towards the lift. "Let's get some food then, yeah?"
"Okay."
The Doctor could tell Rose was regretting her decision just a bit when she got to the canteen and saw all her options. She looked to him apprehensively. "What," she cleared her throat, "What would I get if I had my memories?"
He flashed her a brilliantly smile and nodded to the far right corner of the menu board. "Chips. They are your absolute favourite."
"Really?"
"Mmhm. Now, the ones here aren't the best, but they are definitely not the worst either."
She bit her lip. "Okay. Chips it is then."
"Why don't you go get us a table and I'll grab the food," he suggested.
"Oh!" she exclaimed and then looked rather embarrassed. "I don't have any money..."
"My treat. You paid for the chips on our very first date, ya know."
"You made me pay on our first date?"
He began tugging at his ear. "I, uh, sort of forgot my wallet. And you offered!"
She granted him a small giggle. "Right then. Guess it's about time you paid me back."
"Quite right."
A few minutes later he sat down a large basket of steamy chips on the small table she had chose, and her mouth watered at the sight. She looked at him curiously when he sat a bottle of vinegar down next to the chips. "Sometimes you like them with and sometimes without," he explained. "I wasn't sure what you wanted now."
"I don't know either. Maybe I should try it both ways." She took a bite of a salty chips, sans the vinegar. "Not bad." She then tried one lightly drizzled with the tangy liquid. "Oh," she groaned when it hit her tongue. "That is brilliant." Decision made, the two went about filling their stomachs as they ate in companionable silence. "Can I ask you something," she said when there were only a few chips left.
"Of course you can," he replied.
"Am I a good wife?"
"The best. Why do you ask?"
She rolled her eyes. "Because I want to know. So I cook and clean and do all that sort of business."
The Doctor gave her a cheeky grin. "Well, you're not the best cook in the universe, but that's okay, I didn't marry you for your skills in the kitchen. As for cleaning, you're not a big fan, but you do it anyway just in case your mum pops in for an unexpected visit. You make me clean quite a bit too."
She though about his answer for a moment. "You said you didn't marry me for my kitchen skills. So why did you marry me?"
"Because I love you and you're the best thing that ever happened to me," he told her honestly.
Rose felt a blush rise up her cheeks and looked down at her hands twisting in her lap. "No pressure there then."
"Hey," he said softly to get her attention. "I know this is a unique situation we're in, but no matter what has happened or will happen, I still love you. No, let me finish," he requested when she opened her mouth to speak. "I know you can't really say those words back to me. I understand, really I do. Just know that you are still the best thing to ever happen to me."
"I wish I could say those words back to you," she admitted after several minutes of silence. "It's all so confusing. I know in my head that you're my husband and that my parents are my parents, but it doesn't feel that way in my heart. You all want to know where I want to go after I'm released and my answer is, truthfully, I don't know. I don't know if I'll be comfortable in either place to be completely honest. I know my life is with you, but that scares me a bit. I wish... I wish I could talk to myself before the accident and have the old me tell me what to do."
The Doctor closed his eyes. Where was his TARDIS when he needed it, hm? Then an idea came to him. Back in November, Rose had gone on a trip Torchwood Three in Cardiff to evaluate their field team for a week. Unfortunately, the Doctor's classes were in the middle of finals and he couldn't get away to join her. Rose had taken to calling him during his "work" hours to leave him messages for him to listen to between classes. He pulled out his mobile and dialed his voicemail. "I can't make it so you can talk to a past version of yourself, but I can let you hear this. You were on a business trip in Cardiff and were apparently really bored," he explained.
Rose's gasped when he placed the mobile on speaker and she heard her voice come out.
"Hi. It's me... again. God, I'm bored. Nothing was happening in the Hub so I went ahead and came back to the hotel for a bit. I was going to see if Jake wanted to watch a movie or something, but he went to the pub with Gareth. Can you believe that! Do you remember him? He transferred to Cardiff last month when they lost their tech guy. Jake's always had a thing for him, never mind the fact that Jake's dating someone and I'm almost positive Gareth is straight. After all, I did catch him and Arianna snogging in the archives back when I first started... I miss that. Snogging, I mean. Not caching other people snogging. Though, that can be amusing at times. And I miss you. Have I mentioned that in any of my previous messages? Because I do. I miss you so much. And I miss our flat. And the sofa. And our bed. I might actually miss the bed almost as much as I miss you. The bed here is horrible. It's all lumpy and... Ugh. I'm rambling. I'm rambling and I'm probably going to be cut off any second. I swear that gob of yours is contagious. I suppose I should say goodbye. I'll see you in two days! I love you! Bye!"
Rose stared at the mobile. She had no recollection of leaving that message, but that was clearly her voice. That was her voice, telling this man in front of her that she loved him and missed him.
The Doctor took a deep breath and put the phone back in his pocket. "I didn't play that so you would feel any sort of pressure to go back to our flat. If you want to go to your parents' place, then that's perfectly fine by me. If you'd rather we got a whole new place, I'm all for it. I'll be with you all the way no matter what, if that's alright by you." When she stayed silent, he asked, "Do you want to go back to your room now?"
She nodded. "Yes, please."
There were very few words between them as they journeyed out of the canteen and back to her hospital room. The Doctor could tell by her furrowed brow and the way she was biting her bottom lip that she was contemplating something and would probably prefer quiet so she could think. When they got to her door, he decided to take a bit of a risk and leaned to down to place a chaste kiss on her cheek. Rose blinked in surprise as he granted her a small smile and began to walk away.
"John!" she called out.
He turned around despite not being used to hearing her call him that. "Yes?"
"I... I think I know where I want to go."
Four days later, Rose was given the all clear and was finally released from Hope Hospital. The Doctor helped her pack up the belongings she had accumulated during her stay, as she said her goodbyes to the wonderful staff that had cared for her. When the room was emptied of all her personal belongs, and the final goodbyes were given, the pair made their way out of the hospital.
Stepping out the front doors, the Doctor turned and said, "Allons-y, Rose!" She stared at him in confusion. "It's French... It means 'let's go,'" he explained.
She frowned. "Are you French?"
"Uh, no, no I'm not. It's just an expression I use from time to time."
"Oh. Okay. Well then... Aro... Am... Allo... Right. Whatever you said," Rose replied with a timid smile.
The Doctor shifted the box containing her belongings, so he could hold it in one arm, and held his free hand out to her. It was a risky. There was a very good chance she wouldn't want or be comfortable with the gesture. But he had to try.
With a look of determination, Rose placed her hand in his.
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