All I have to say about this chapter is FINALLY! For those who might not care to read detailed love scenes, I've edited this down so as not to be explicit.
This chapter might seem to bring the story to its natural conclusion, but I'm not quite done yet. There is still one more twist yet to come! ;)
Upon reaching his room, the Doctor opted for a traditional shower this time rather than just using the sonic, feeling the need to physically wash away all traces of blood and death and put it completely behind them.
As he washed, his mind continued to stray to the thought of wishing he and Rose were sharing the shower together. He had come so close to losing Rose. He did lose her. Their separation may have been brief, but he felt as if he grieved for an eternity. Now that she had returned to him, he didn't want to let her out of his sight.
But the Doctor was feeling more than just the need to keep her near him simply to assure himself she was alive and okay. It went beyond that. His desire for Rose had never been stronger. She was now his wife. He had bonded himself to her — although their bond was not fully complete. That would require total intimacy between them. And try as he might to rein in his thoughts and gain some control, he was finding it difficult to think of anything else. The Doctor's now intense human hormones, coupled with his strong Time Lord instincts to complete their bond were driving him towards the need to make her fully his, and finally show Rose how much he loved her — no holding back.
Yet he wasn't sure if Rose was ready for that — at least right now after all that had just happened. But still, his pulse quickened when he thought of the look in her eyes when she had told him she would see him soon, and he knew exactly what he hoped that meant. But he wasn't going to push her for it. To say Rose had been through a lot today was an understatement. He had already waited this long; and if she wasn't yet ready for this tonight, he would continue to give her as much time as she needed — even if waiting meant driving him to the brink of insanity. He was going to let Rose take the lead with this. And if she took it in the direction he was so desperately hoping for, well, he would willingly follow.
-:-:-:-
Rose left her room and made her way down the corridor, her heart beginning to quicken with each step as she neared the Doctor's room — the room that would now become theirs. It struck her that in their time and travels together in the past, she had never once been in the Doctor's bedroom. They had spent plenty of relaxed time together in the library, and the Doctor had even joined Rose in her room on several occasions where they would sometimes talk late into the night. But just as friends — only as friends. Although they both knew even then that they were so much more. But the Doctor's bedroom was like an unspoken boundary. For some reason that was yet another one of those invisible lines they never crossed in their past relationship. It would have been treading into dangerous territory for a man who thought he could never have what he so desperately wanted, so he kept that bit of safe distance.
All this had obviously changed since being together again and finally declaring their love for each other. And Rose had no doubt the Doctor would have been more than willing to take her to his room and give her a 'personal' tour. But since having the TARDIS back, almost all of their time had been spent in the console room making repairs. Rose was very close to having him take her back to his room that night after their romantic date on the Moon, but that time it was the Doctor who held back, and he was right. They were waiting for the perfect moment. And that moment was now.
Rose came to a stop as she reached his door, which now stood open in unspoken invitation. No holding back. As her eyes scanned the room, she was half expecting to see it decorated in shades of brown and blue. A pinstriped duvet wouldn't have surprised her in the least. Yet that wasn't what she saw as she gazed about. In some ways, the room reminded her of the TARDIS' library, with its deep, rich wood resembling mahogany, and shelves of books that filled one wall. A large, overstuffed chair sat angled to the side, and Rose could picture the Doctor sitting there late into the night reading an ancient text. The room had an ambiance of antiquity about it, and the bed was draped in tones of deep red accented with gold. Recognition suddenly flashed in her mind. Rose had images of things she had seen when the Doctor opened his mind and soul to her when he initiated the bond between them. These were the colors of Gallifrey.
Despite its rather stately appearance, there was no question who the occupant of this room was, and a closer inspection revealed things scattered here and there that made this room feel undeniably like him. There was the pair of brainy specs resting on the book at the bedside table, a swirly-patterned tie draped casually across the back of the chair, and a pair of Converse trainers sitting on the floor at the foot of the bed.
Rose took this all in within a matter of seconds, but what captured her attention was not the room, but the man within the room.
The Doctor was just finishing getting dressed when she had come to the door. He was turned to the side and hadn't yet seen her. He stood barefoot as he buttoned up his shirt, still untucked from his brown pinstriped trousers, his hair gloriously mussed. Rose's breath hitched at the sight of him and her heart began beating that little bit faster. The words, gorgeous and mine flashed in her mind. Rose would not ordinarily use the word 'beautiful' when describing a man, but the Doctor was just that — yet in a very masculine way. And never had he been more so than now. There was something about him that was so open, so unguarded in this moment. Rose was not seeing him as Fire and Ice and Rage or the Oncoming Storm or the man with the weight of the universe on his shoulders. In this moment she simply saw him as the man she loved. The man she was now bonded with — though not completely. Not yet...
With a surge of boldness and single-minded determination for only one thing — him, she entered the room. His fingers paused at the first button of his cuffs as his eyes lifted and his gaze fell upon Rose. She was, quite literally, breathtaking — standing luminous in the silken gown she wore, with thin, delicate straps, plunging neckline, and a fit that hugged her curves as it flowed down her length.
The Doctor swallowed heavily. "Hello," he said, his voice soft and low as his breathing began to quicken.
"Hello," she echoed, feeling equally exhilarated.
Rose moved to close the distance between them and he met her halfway as she went into his waiting arms, both reveling in the feel of being in each other's embrace. This was where they belonged.
Rose pressed her face in the side of his neck, breathing in his scent and letting his entire being envelop her. She raised her head and gazed deeply into his eyes. "Do you know what tonight is?" she asked softly as she slipped her hands from his shoulders down to rest on his chest. She then leaned closer to his ear and whispered, "Our wedding night."
Exhilaration, desire, and anticipation — all coiled into one surged through him at her words. The Doctor cupped her face with his hands, tracing her cheekbones with his thumbs as he leaned forward and gave her a long, slow, breathtaking kiss, then pulled back a fraction to rest his forehead against hers. "Are you sure you're ready, Rose?" he whispered, his voice soft and gentle and full of love. "This day has already been…eventful, and there's no hurry. And once we do this, our bond will be complete. It will be permanent. Are you sure you're ready for that?"
Rose locked eyes with his. "I've never been more sure of anything in all my life. And I don't want to wait another second. I feel like we've been waiting for this for years."
That was all the confirmation he needed as his lips descended upon hers. He swept his tongue along the seal of her lips, and she opened for him, drawing him inside. She sank against his chest with a sigh of pleasure as his strong arms encircled her. Rose had long since known the Doctor was talented in a great many things, and never was that more true than when it came to the way he took her in his arms and kissed her — like she was his entire universe; and she lost herself in him every time. He had a way of driving her right over the edge while making her body hum with pleasure. Their tongues slid and thrust and swirled in perfect, blissful rhythm until they were both dizzy and had to come up for oxygen.
Both now breathing heavily, Rose held his gaze and he took a shuddering breath as her hands splayed flat across his chest, then lightly dragged her nails down across his firm torso. When she brought her lips to his skin and began trailing kisses across his chest, and then dipped her head lower to continue her decent down his stomach, he let out a low, deep growl and moved his hands to tangle in her hair.
"Rose," he rasped, his voice gravelly and low, "I think it's my turn." He was already wound so tight at this moment that he felt like he might explode.
Rose looked up into his eyes and saw such hunger, such raw passion that if it had been anyone else it would have frightened her. Yet at the same time, he remained unmoving, waiting silently for her final consent. She could see it was taking all of his restraint to remain still, his body pulsing with such energy that it was slightly shaking.
Rose took both of his hands in hers and lifted them to her lips, turned them to kiss each palm, and placed them on her shoulders. With her almost imperceptible nod, he hooked his fingers in the straps of her gown and slowly slid one from her shoulder. He brought his mouth forward and kissed the soft exposed skin, then repeated the same motion with the next. With his hands still on the silken straps, he slowly inched them further down until the figure-hugging gown slid off her arms and gathered at her waist.
The Doctor released a deep breath, overwhelming desire coursing through him as his eyes roved over her. He swept his hands back up her arms, across her shoulders, then lower as he mapped areas never before explored by his touch. Rose released a soft gasp as shockwaves of pleasure rippled through her beneath his passionate caress. As he moved his head forward with agonizing slowness and followed the same path with his lips and tongue — teeth gently grazing her over-sensitized flesh, she thought she might erupt into flames. Burning, liquid desire pooled in her abdomen, and Rose tried to remember how to breathe.
His hands travelled down to the fabric of her gown gathered at her waist, then he gently slipped his long fingers beneath the silk and slowly began sliding it down her hips. Suddenly, Rose wished she had slipped something else on underneath, her heart now thudding rapidly in her chest and wanting to prolong this just a moment more. But she didn't have long to consider that thought as the gown cascaded down and pooled at her feet in a gentle rustle.
With his hands still resting on her hips, the Doctor took a step back as his eyes locked with hers, then slowly swept his gaze down her body.
"Oh, Rose," he breathed, his voice filled with adoration, "you are so beautiful."
Rose blushed furiously under his heated gaze to the point where she had to glance away from the intensity. It was as if he could see right through to her soul. She had never felt so exposed, yet at the same time so shielded and protected here in his presence. She was his and he was hers.
The Doctor hooked his finger under her chin and turned her head back towards him, her eyes meeting his and seeing nothing but overwhelming love. He leaned forward until his face was within millimeters of her own. "I love you," he spoke across her lips as his hot breath sent another jolt of pleasure straight through her.
Rose pulled back slightly as his parted lips followed after hers, drawn to her like the pull of the Moon against the ocean's tide; but she brought her fingers up over his mouth to still him. "Patience," she whispered. Rose moved her hands to rest on his chest and could feel his heart thumping wildly beneath her palm. He drew in a deep breath, and shuddered as her fingers grazed his stomach while they slowly traveled downward. The Doctor had to fight to hold on to his sanity. All the blood seemed to have left his head and rushed to other parts of his anatomy.
Having finally reached her destination, Rose paused briefly, divided between wanting to revel in this moment and take it exquisitely slow, yet feeling a growing sense of urgency to move this towards the completion they were both yearning for. One look into the Doctor's eyes said he was feeling the same growing desperation, and without prolonging it further, she deftly removed the last barrier between them. Apparently she wasn't the only one who didn't take time to put on anything else underneath. The words gorgeous and mine once again swept through her thoughts as her eyes drank in every glorious inch of the man before her. The man she could now call her husband.
The Doctor swiftly drew Rose against him as he claimed her mouth in a fiery kiss. They both moaned at the first contact of skin on skin as their bodies pressed firmly together. He skimmed one hand down to the small of her back to anchor her to him while the other went to tangle in her hair, marveling at the way she fit in his arms with nothing between them — like two pieces of a puzzle. Rose wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him more tightly against her, both their hearts continuing to pound rapidly in their chests, yet somehow in perfect sync with each other.
They had been building towards this moment for so very long. This was the culmination of years of repressed desires, and the ache of longing, along with a celebration of life.
The Doctor bent slightly and reached down to sweep Rose up in his arms, then took a few steps forward and placed her reverently down on the bed. He knelt beside her as she gazed up at him, passion flickering in each other's eyes like a smoldering flame.
The slowness of his movement was rapturous torture as the Doctor began an agonizingly languorous journey. He ran his hand across the top of her foot, up her leg, across the curve of her thigh, ghosting across her hip then with just the tips of his fingers, causing her to gasp at the exquisite sensations he was creating within her. Rose shivered and burned simultaneously as his touch left a trail of flames in its wake. The Doctor marveled at the feel of her skin, like silk beneath his fingers. He continued higher, spreading his hand wide as he swept up her abdomen, pausing to linger as he reached her chest and she arched into his palm, a soft moan escaping her slightly parted lips. He continued the sweeping motion up her neck and came to rest at the side of her face as he cradled her jaw. He lifted his other hand to brush a wisp of hair from her face as he paused to just gaze at her for a moment, all movement stilled. No words needed to be spoken as the depth of love and passion in their eyes conveyed without question what each was feeling in this moment.
His eyes fell to her mouth as he traced his thumb along her bottom lip. Rose parted her lips and drew his finger into her mouth, tongue swirling and teeth grazing lightly, eliciting a low groan from deep within his chest. The passion between them erupted in the intensity yet sacredness of this moment. The Doctor leaned forward slowly, inch-by-inch, as he brought his face to hers, lips just a whisper away from touching. "My Rose," he murmured, yet not with spoken words, but through their nearly-completed bond as his lips then melded into hers. Rose clasped his upper arms and pulled him fully towards her as he lowered himself to cover her body with his own — their synchronized moans of pleasure echoing through the TARDIS.
As they reached the moment when the two became one and their love and bond was consummated, the song that began being composed the day they first met — not by chance but by destiny — was finally complete, and they danced to the symphony of the universe.
-:-:-:-
Hours later, they lay entwined in each other's arms, both feeling utterly spent and utterly complete. Rose turned over and rested her chin on her husband's chest as he slowly trailed his fingers up and down her back in a swirling pattern.
"Why did we wait so long for this?" he said with a sigh of gratification.
Rose placed a kiss on his chest, then looked back into his eyes. "Because in all that time we spent traveling together before, you kept claiming you had the 'moves', but wouldn't follow through with a demonstration," she replied, her eyes twinkling.
The Doctor waggled his eyebrows at her. "And what do you think of my 'moves' now?" he husked.
Rose tilted her head to the side and appeared to consider his question thoughtfully for a moment. "I dunno," she replied casually. "I think I might need another demonstration."
She looked back up at him with a mischievous smirk, and was met by his eyes that had gone almost black with desire. "That, Rose Tyler, can most definitely be arranged."
Rose gasped as she found herself beneath him before she had a chance to even blink, then sighed in pleasure as he proceeded to wipe that previous smirk right off her face.