Thank you all who read the last chapter! This chapter is something I've actually been struggling over, because no matter how much I write the Doctor into the scenes, he isn't quite how he should be.

Trigger warning for this story arc: Mentions and acts of Kidnapping/Slavery; tl;dr's will be available at the end of each chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any affiliated books

She wasn't sure why, but she was incredibly anxious the night before the ceremony took place.

"Not like it's real or anything," she told Marloon, who raised an eyebrow. "Ok, so maybe it is real, but it doesn't mean anything other than 'hey, don't die on my time'."

"Maybe, but there's something you should know that he's been hesitating to even begin to talk about." the cyan woman started. "The scanners, they use the same tech that the Doctor uses, I think. He's been trying to see if he can fake results in the eyes of the law but-"

"Don't," she whispered quietly, pinching her nose. "Don't say it."

"It has to be consummated and pass the scanner tests."

"You said it," she groaned. "Fucking hell, Marloon. No wonder he's been so weird around me. I know I'm pretty, but I'm not the Doctor's type."

"He has a type?" Chloe pulled a face at the woman's question but nodded.

"Blondes," she said. "He's very partial to blondes who're damsels in distress or badasses when they need to be." The woman let out a hum.

"Is that what you know, or what you think?"

Chloe went to open her mouth but closed it once she realized she couldn't argue. After all, Grace and Clara had been brunettes.

"This feels so weird,"

She stared at the reflection in the mirror, unsure if she should be relieved or not that the red robes looked absolutely horrid on her. At least this way, some of Gallifrey's (questionable) fashion would be in the proper hands. "Like, seriously? Who were these people that decided red and gold needed to be like this?" Marloon said from where she was heating a straightening iron, along with some special hair solution that would make her hair stop curling.

"Time Lords," she grumbled, moving over and sitting down in front of the alien.

She wasn't quite sure what happened between the time Marloon had to cut her hair and she changed into the gaudy robes, only that there were people in the room that shouldn't be there. Mainly, the ones who concerned her the most were Martha, Donna, Ian, Barbara, Sarah Jane, and River.

The blonde in question gave her a soft smile. "Hello sweetie," she said quietly.

"River," she greeted back, unsure of what to say. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to see a familiar face, but-"

"Why is everyone here?" she finished, making the redhead nod. "You told me to bring everyone here," she answered. "You need a substitute mother and father, and while you haven't properly met them yet, Mr. and Mrs. Chesterton have agreed."

"So I meet them?" she asked in a small, relieved tone that had the other woman grin.

"Meet them, and love them," she murmured. "You should know… we don't always agree with one another, despite how hard we try."

"But so long as we try," she interrupted. "I'm ok with trying to be your friend." The blonde just gave her a misty-eyed grin and stepped away as Ian and Barbara approached her. "Hello,"

"Oh, you look the same," Barbara noted. "Miss Song told us things might not be in order,"

"No, they're not, but it's fine! I'll meet you properly soon, I think." she agreed. "But still, it's always such a wonder to meet the Doctor's first companions. Basically a rite of passage."

"So shall we expect more weddings?" Ian asked, making her laugh nervously, but shake her head, keeping her tone low as she looked at the officers in the room.

"It's a fake wedding of sorts. We're only doing this so slave traders don't take me away in three days," she saw their shocked looks and nodded once. "We landed in the wrong century."

"That man never could drive," Barbara huffed. "We were told you needed someone to hand you away?"

"Well, the closest thing to surrogate parents I have in this world would be you two," she admitted sheepishly. "Maybe Sarah Jane, but I think she just got Luke, so an adult child would be too much for her."

"You always were trying to make a good impression," Ian noted. "Especially with helping us leave."

"And that's enough spoilers!" 11's voice cut in, and she jolted, turning to him with wide eyes. "You'd think I miss my own wedding?"

"I'm going to murder you," she told him, getting a grin in response. "How many others are coming?"

"Mm, I remember Trenchie being here, as well as Attack Eyebrows, still waiting on an explanation on how he exists," he replied. "Blondie showed up late, and I think the me with memory issues swings by to crash the afterparty too."

A doctor with memory issues? But that's- "You mean your eighth body comes here? To spoiler central?" she asked in disbelief. "For what?"

"Cake," he answered with a grin, and she was honestly considering punching him. "And to see why so many me's were in one place,"

"My goodness," Barbara murmured from behind the redhead. "It can't be-"

"Doctor?" Ian asked.

"Chatterton," 11 answered, and Chloe immediately huffed. "Ian," he corrected. "How's Jon? Majoring in Geology still?"

"He just started college," Barbara corrected. "As a math major."

"Ouch," she murmured. "I'm gonna go talk to Donna."

"Please don't," 11 begged, but she just rolled her eyes.

"Suffer," she told him before walking away.

"Why are my future regenerations here?" 9 asked once he found her hesitantly talking to Gabby, Cindy, and Alice, the latter traveling with 11, making her shrug.

"Apparently they remember being here," she answered. "One'll be late, and another'll crash in afterwards."

"My time sense mustn't be good in those bodies then," he murmured.

"I'd like to reference several other times to aide me when I say your time sense is never working," she joked dryly.

"We still have a few minutes left," he noted quietly, and she felt herself relax a little. "You can still try to slip away. I wouldn't blame you,"

"I was about to say the same," she admitted. "I don't like the idea of this, Doctor. Especially since they'll have us under a truth field afterwards."

"Afraid you'll spill your secrets?" he teased, and she let out a nervous laugh.

More than you realize, she thought.

"Grasp each others arms,"

Distantly, as she reached out, she was aware of how her hands shook as she did her best to wrap her grip around the Doctor's forearms, unable to tear her gaze away from the golden silk that was wrapped around their arms. You're fine, she tried to reason with herself, it's not like you're dying. Just marrying the Doctor.

"We gather here today for the union of the Time Lord known as the Doctor of house Lungbarrow, and the human known as Chloe Nightingale. In lieu of time constraints, both parties have agreed to the shorter, emergency version of the union." the being who was in charge of the ceremony intoned, and as they took a breath to continue, 13 tried to slip quietly through the door, but it ended up accidentally slamming, making everyone jump before Chloe laughed quietly. With a slightly pained look, 13 gave them a sheepish grin and moved to go sit beside Donna. "Who stands for the bride in loco parentis?"

"I stand as a father in loco parentis," Ian answered as he and Barbara stepped forward, and she vaguely saw the Doctor's blue eyes widen. "I consent and gladly give."

"I stand as a mother in loco parentis," Barbara continued. "I consent and gladly give."

For some reason, her mind didn't connect what was going to happen next as the Doctor leaned down and whispered in her ear. Jolting, her eyes went wide as she realized what he had just said. He could've gotten away with saying anything and she'd do her best to make it look like he had said his name, and hell, he probably did, but it was said in Gallifreyan, and surely he knew that was the one thing that was never decoded or heard on the show?

She also knew, logically, the kissing bit had only been added when River and the Doctor had gotten married because it needed more romantic feelings and a more human element, so she blinked when the alien spoke next. "If the two wish to exchange words?"

I'm too scared to say half of what I want to, and the other half is stuff he already knows, she reasoned, hesitantly shaking her head after the Doctor shook his.

Officials who were there to watch the ceremony stepped forward, and subconsciously, she shanked back towards the Doctor. "Come with us," the older one said. "We just have some final questions before you may rejoin your guests."

"Of course," the Doctor agreed, and she nodded. As they walked into a smaller, side room that had a desk, couple of chairs and a couch, she could feel the truth field settle around her, making her grimace. "What's this about then?"

"A few questions, mainly of sexuality and attraction," the younger officer answered. "We're all under the truth field here in this room. We'll be asking these questions separately. Which one of you would prefer to go first?"

"I will," she said, sitting down in a chair, allowing the Doctor to back out of the room.

The older officer nodded, moving down to type on a data pad. "Very well. You are human, correct?"

She opened her mouth and immediately cringed. "No, well, yes, but no. My emotions, mental state and morals are human, but everything else is a thing created from Time Lord technology. The Doctor didn't know I existed until after the war ended."

"So you were taken illegally anyways," the younger man murmured. "I'm sorry."

"Your laws are barbaric and need to end," she told him seriously. "But I doubt just my word will make that happen."

"Back on topic," the older officer said. "How old are you?"

"Thirty-one," she answered.

"Orientation?"

"Pan-demisexual," she could see the alien officer pause before glancing up.

"Define 'demisexual',"

"I don't feel sexual attraction unless I have formed an emotional connection with the person in question."

"And do you?"

"Do I what?"

"Do you have an emotional connection with your husband?"

Oh you motherfucker, she mentally snarled, instead raising an eyebrow. "Will you be asking the Doctor these questions?"

The man, he had the audacity to glance over at his fellow alien before looking back at her and smirking. "It matters not if the husband is attracted or not."

"You are a sexist pig," she told him.

"Answer the question," he snapped at her, and she scowled.

"I'm unsure at this time. I trust and know the Doctor enough to feel comfortable in marrying him, but getting to know him well enough to…" she trailed off, and felt herself going red. "It'll take a bit more time."

"Do you know when?"

"You're disgusting. How the hell am I supposed to know what I'll be comfortable-" she cut herself off. "Look, I don't know, ok? A month, maybe two? The issue isn't if I have the connection. It's if he feels the same. The Doctor is complex. Now, if we're done here, I'd like to go talk to my friends."

As she stood up, the younger alien scurried over to the door, opening it up. "Sorry for the inconvenience, ma'am," he said.

"Everything ok?" The Doctor asked, and she scowled a bit, feeling her cheeks heat up.

"The older one is a disgusting, sexist pig," she answered. "I'll be talking to the others when you're done."

She stopped to change into a more comfortable shirt and jeans, folding the robe up as carefully as possible. In the reception area, she met a lot of people she hadn't been expecting. At least, not for another year or 10. Jo Jones, Sarah Jane, Tegan, Ace, even Jenny! Perhaps, the most surprising one though?

"You're… not surprised," Chloe noted hesitantly from where she was sitting beside the young girl.

"No, when we kept meeting, I made sure to remember your interactions," she agreed. "You were always hesitant around Grandfather, but as time went and your visits became more frequent, I began to realize why."

"If I've met him before…" she trailed off, glancing at her tablemate before glancing away. "Why doesn't he remember me?"

"The last time you visited, you made him lock his memories," Susan answered. "Said it was frequent around you."

"Well, I am from the Alpha verse, so just being here should automatically be a giant lock," she shrugged, catching sight of a familiar leather jacket and stiffening. "Ah, he probably-"

"Shouldn't see me?" she finished glumly, making Chloe nod. "I suppose I should return to my time before Grandfather realizes I'm not in the TARDIS."

"It was nice talking to you," Chloe told her with a slight grin. "I can't wait to get to know you properly."

"And neither can I…" Susan trailed off, her hand hesitating over the borrowed vortex manipulator. "Grandmother." And like that, she was gone in a flash, leaving her dumbstruck as the Doctor reached her.

"Whoever that was, they were in a hurry," he noted, making her shrug.

"She had to return to her timeline. A companion of yours who I meet up with occasionally." she offered.

"Everything seems quiet," he noted.

"Too quiet with you around," she half-joked, going to stand.

Instead, a shockwave knocked her off of her feet.

TL;DR - Chloe and the Doctor are married now! She's yet to meet 8, and Marloon is nowhere to be seen... and what was that explosion about then?

If you see something wrong, have a question, or just want to let me know what you think, please, leave a comment!