Glimpses of Time
Chapter Twenty-Two: Old Memory
By Lumendea
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any spinoff material, and I gain no income from this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.
AN: I spent way too long debating with myself if this was a Bit or a Glimpse. Settled on Glimpse as it is down Rose's timeline from where we are in the story even if we've seen part of this event. Sometimes this series gets weird. Figured with the current Holiday Special The Christmas Reunion bringing up questions about the Doctor's memory, this was a good time to finish this chapter up.
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The Doctor didn't bother to remove his coat as he rushed into the TARDIS. His lips were still warm and tingling from one last kiss from Rose Tyler when he said goodbye after taking her home from Mistletoe. Well, temporary last kiss, but far from their last kiss. The Doctor's hands flew over the controls. Beneath them, the TARDIS hummed, echoing his happiness back at him. Reaching up, the Doctor ran a hand through his brown hair and glanced down at his suit. Should he change? Should he rest to make sure that he was ready for whatever might happen?
No, he dismissed that idea immediately, just as Astra knew he would. The Doctor exhaled and looked up at the TARDIS column as she took them into the Time Vortex. It was already taking all of his willpower to go and fetch Donna first, as Astra had told him. Delaying would be impossible. He was finally going to see Rose again. His Rose, his proper Rose, who had shared all those adventures in the TARDIS with him. His Rose was, mostly, synched up with him in the timelines. While he always loved her, he missed their private jokes and wanted the Rose that matched his memories and timeline back. Though, the Doctor accepted that it was partially his fault that the timelines were such a mess. But even that brought unexpected gifts.
"I'm going to have a daughter with Rose," the Doctor said, awe filling his voice. "She's beautiful. So beautiful. And clever and brave. Just like her mother."
He pulled out the Christmas present from Astra from his coat. A simple piece of paper with time-space coordinates on it. Thus far, one of the best Christmas gifts he'd ever received. It was up there with Rose's unfilled journal that she'd given him years ago as a promise that she wanted their future together, even though he'd tried to scare her off of it.
"I told her my name," the Doctor confessed to the TARDIS. "Asked her to marry me. I've been engaged to her the whole time…."
An old memory, one that he'd poked at before, suddenly unlocked. Slumping in shock, the Doctor barely caught himself on the TARDIS console. His eyes widened, and he opened his mouth, but no words came out. The Doctor was left speechless. It was lucky that it was just him and the TARDIS, and there were no witnesses to it.
Rose had told him his name in his Seventh body. For years, for two lives, he'd been wondering what had happened between Rose and his Seventh self. He'd assumed that he'd learned they were in a relationship or maybe that she was the (then potential) Gold Guardian. Rose had told him that she'd suspected that. But the memory had never unlocked. He'd never been able to remember what happened.
Now he did. He could remember now because now he'd told Rose his name, the name that she in a short time to her younger self would reveal to his younger self that she knew. Wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey. A laugh escaped the Doctor, and he closed his eyes, sinking into the memory and both enjoying it and cringing.
The Silver Lord had been after Rose and Earth by proxy. Not surprising now that he understood she was the future Gold Guardian and would restore the power of the Guardians. No wonder it was dangerous for Rose to stay on Earth back then. He remembered his shock at hearing a young woman claim to know his name. Her words about being older were so true. He'd lived a long life, but Rose had lived many. Everything about the young blonde human that had once confused him now made sense.
And the Doctor loved it.
He remembered his confusion and initial distrust and shock. Rose had been a puzzle to him. Human, but bathed in Time and glowing to his Time Lord senses. He'd wondered why the Black Guardian didn't try anything, but he'd already been under Rose's protection by that point. They'd worked so well together, fitting together despite him having no knowledge of her and Rose working with an unknown body. Yet, they'd been a brilliant team.
"Doctor, I love you." The words echoed through the Doctor from the memory. But not just that memory. He'd heard those words from her many times.
He'd wondered what his future would bring that he'd be willing to tie himself to Rose Tyler. Now the Doctor knew. Grinning, he moved around the TARDIS and gently opened a small hatch. The TARDIS hummed and brightened her lights as the Doctor pulled the small box he'd hidden away. It was something that he'd bought years ago, almost on a whim before thinking it through properly and hiding it away from Rose and himself. Opening the box, the Doctor smiled softly at the sight of the ring. Golden coloured metal, though stronger than gold, and a white point star. Elegant and beautiful and brilliant.
How such a ring existed, the Doctor didn't know. He'd found it early in this body in a market and bought it while Rose was at another shop. At first, he'd planned on giving it to her before the implications and fear had set in. Always running. Still so afraid that sooner or later, his precious girl would decide that he wasn't worth it and leave him. That the Black Guardian was right and staying with him was a mistake.
Not now, he decided. He'd already done the hard part in proposing and telling Rose his name. Giving her a ring should be easy. She might have shown his seventh self the ring that he would give her further down his timeline, but that wouldn't do. He was going to give her a proper ring and be the incarnation that married Rose Tyler. Besides, the ring would satisfy Jackie Tyler and keep her off the warpath. The Doctor didn't fancy hearing what Jackie would think of the ring Rose had been given as a teenager being her engagement ring. No, far better this way. It was a good plan.
A brilliant grin took over his face. Grab Donna, deal with whatever crisis was sure to be on Rose's heels, get married, and a little down the road have their beautiful child. It was a solid plan. The Doctor liked it. Closing the box with a snap, the Doctor slipped it into his pocket and adjusted the TARDIS controls with a flourish and a manic grin.