Chapter 11

Yaz managed to worm her way out of some of the events that were usually part of a Pakistani wedding and even whittled it down to a two-day event rather than a whole week, but she couldn't get out of everything. That was fine with the Doctor. She was overjoyed at the mere thought of spending more time with the Khans.

A few days before their wedding, however, Sonya wanted to take Yaz to get facials and to have their nails done, and she really wanted it to be just a sisters event. So the Doctor, feeling a little lost, landed on Graham and Ryan's doorstep, where they invited her in to play cards. She thought it would be fun, but they kept telling her she was "playing the game wrong" even when she used the rules Yaz always let her use, and when she played by the rules they insisted on, she lost every game. She always lost most of the games she played with Yaz too, but that was different. Most of the time she knew she could win, but when Yaz started to look disappointed that she was falling behind, the Doctor would cave and give a little ground, just enough for Yaz to feel like she'd won on her own. It always made her so happy, and then of course the Doctor felt like they had both won. Yaz was terrible at cards, but she was so cute when she was excited about winning something.

But the Doctor was also terrible at cards, it appeared. She just hadn't known it. She heaved a sigh after losing her fifth game in a row. "I'm rubbish at this," she said. "I guess I don't know any real card games."

"It's not just cards," Ryan reassured her. "I've never seen you play any game right."

"Well, you know what they say," Graham quipped, leaning back in his chair and stretching. "Lucky in cards, unlucky in love."

The Doctor scrunched up her face. "Do they say that?"

"Yes, Doc. And I'd say you're pretty lucky in love."

The Doctor looked down. Was she lucky? Having the love of someone like Yaz wasn't something she would ever take for granted, but loving someone like this and then losing them, and having it happen over and over again, was pure torture.

"Oh Doc, I know that look," said Graham. "Look, I know it's gotta be hard for you. You outlive everyone, don't you? And I know what it's like to lose the person you love the most."

She looked up at him with unspeakable pain, but nodded her understanding. He did know. But she couldn't find the words to acknowledge that right now, not around the lump that had risen in her throat.

"Three years with Grace wasn't enough," Graham said softly. "It'll never be enough, and I'll never be okay with that. But I still think I'm the luckiest man in the world for being the one she chose to spend those three years with."

The Doctor gave him a small smile. "You and Grace were lucky to have each other," she agreed.

"And I can tell you and Yaz love each other the same way."

"Yeah." The Doctor looked down. "I just want to give her everything I can possibly give her for as long as she's with me. I want to make all her dreams come true."

"Doctor," Ryan said with a wry smile, "I think you are her dream come true."

"And she can be yours too if you stay focused on the here and now and don't worry about losing her down the road," Graham added.

The Doctor nodded. "That's what I'm trying to do," she whispered. "It's easier when I'm with her. When we're apart, my mind wanders." And it often wandered to her hopes of making Yaz live longer, of finally having someone who would stay for good, but she didn't want to tell Graham and Ryan about that. That was between her and Yaz.

"Anyway, it's gotta feel good to be in love," Graham said, adopting a lighter tone. "Keeps you young."

"Yeah." She smiled. "It makes me feel different, like I can't be reckless because I'm too important now. What would Yaz do if something happened to me?"

"You're not just some alien with a box anymore," Ryan agreed. "You're Yaz's now. She needs you. Just like you need her."

An alarm sounded, and the Doctor sat up straight before realizing it was the doorbell. Good. The last thing she needed was an alien invasion right before her wedding. She had planned carefully, going to the future to find a date with perfect weather and no alien invasions, then going back to book the venue on the chosen date, but you couldn't always count on the future looking the way it had the last time you'd visited.

Ryan went to get the door, and the Doctor lit up when she heard Yaz's voice.

"I've come to pick up my fiancée!" she said brightly.

"She's in the dining room, but you can at least stay for a cup of tea," Ryan said.

"Sure, why not? It'll be good to catch up."

"Sounds like you have loads to tell us."

The Doctor was already on her feet and hurrying towards the door to see Yaz. Ryan had enfolded her in a hug, but as soon as he let go, the Doctor took her hands and kissed her cheek.

"Did you enjoy your spa day with Sonya?" she asked. "Your face is really soft. You're glowing!"

Yaz grinned. "It's freshly moisturized! I also had my nails painted to match my dress, so I have to be careful not to chip the polish before the wedding." She held her hands up to show her nails covered in bright red polish with gold sparkles. The Doctor took her fingers in her own and kissed them.

"You look beautiful," she said. "Well, as usual."

"Thank you, Doctor." She smiled so sweetly, for a moment the Doctor wished Graham and Ryan weren't there so she could just cover Yaz in kisses…but that would have to wait. They hadn't seen their friends in ages, and who knew when they would see them again after the wedding?

"Is that our other bride-to-be?" said Graham, coming to pull Yaz into a hug. "It's good to see you again, Yaz."

"You too, Graham. So what have you guys been doing?" Yaz looked around the front room and into the dining room, where there were still cards strewn about the table. "Playing cards?"

"Trying," said Ryan. "The Doctor doesn't play anything right."

"She doesn't?" Yaz frowned. "She's the one who taught me how to play."

"She taught you wrong, Yaz," Graham told her.

"But I've been winning!"

Ryan laughed, shaking his head. "I'll go make tea."

"I'll help," said Yaz, following him into the kitchen.

"You certainly are smitten," Graham said to the Doctor, picking up the cards. "She's a lucky young woman."

"When she fell, on that mountain, and I saw her lying unconscious, I thought she was dead," the Doctor said softly. "In that moment I knew exactly how you felt when Grace…"

He nodded grimly, looking down. "I'm glad Yaz survived, and I'm glad she's better. No one deserves to go through that."

"Yeah. I'll see if they need any help in the kitchen."

But she paused outside the kitchen door. "Isn't it weird, marrying an alien who's thousands of years old?" she could hear Ryan saying.

"A little," Yaz replied. "But I don't expect to be her equal. I just know we're happy together, and we work well together. And I know she loves me as much as I love her."

"Well as long as you're happy, that's all that matters, innit?"

The Doctor stayed rooted to the spot. Yaz didn't expect to be her equal? Had she always thought this? But then Yaz came out of the kitchen with a pot of tea, Ryan following with four mugs, and the Doctor pushed the thought aside from now, enjoying the opportunity to have a cup of tea with the Fam like old times.

The night before their wedding, the Doctor found herself kneeling on the floor in Yaz's living room, her hand resting on Umbreen's lap as the old woman painted intricate designs on her wrist, palm, and fingers with henna. Yaz was sitting on the sofa, eating snacks while Sonya, kneeling on the floor, painted designs on her feet. Umbreen had already done her hands, and she looked resplendent with her own designs of flowers and leaves on her fingers and hands, winding up her wrists. She wore a beautiful long, yellow silk dress embroidered with floral vines, a pair of matching trousers underneath. Her hair hung loose in shining waves, held back by a gold headband, gold earrings dangling from her ears. She looked comfortable and happy, and the Doctor couldn't stop her eyes from straying to her in spite of her fascination with her own growing designs.

"She looks beautiful, doesn't she?" Umbreen observed, noting the Doctor's gaze.

"Always," the Doctor murmured. She herself was more simply dressed, wearing a rich blue tunic and trousers Yaz had picked out for her. "She really is…everything."

"I have never seen Yasmin light up the way she does around you. You're good for her."

"I hope so." The Doctor still wondered if she was really doing the right thing, taking Yaz out of her life like this. She used to expect that Yaz would decide one day she'd had enough and walk off the TARDIS the way Ryan and Graham had done, ready to go back to her life and use all she had learned. Instead she was committing herself to the Doctor, for life. Was it really the best thing for her?

Well. Yaz was old enough and smart enough to make that decision for herself, and she had already made it. And the Doctor had to admit, she was positively radiant with happiness.

"I think it's an honour to be with her at all," the Doctor said softly.

Umbreen looked around. Najia had gone to the kitchen to fuss over the snacks. Yaz and Sonya were chatting and laughing.

"Have you really taken Yasmin into space?" Umbreen asked in a low voice.

"Yes. She's seen the stars, been on other planets. And she's been remarkable everywhere she's gone. She's saved lives. Together, we've saved worlds."

"That sounds like my Yasmin. Someday, the two of you must come visit an old woman and tell her your stories."

"I could tell you more stories than you can imagine," the Doctor said with a smile. "And we will, I promise. But none of them will be better than this story." She looked at Yaz again, and this time Yaz met her eyes and smiled brilliantly.

Yaz's family insisted she had to stay with them the night before her wedding, to spend one last night under her family's roof, in her childhood bed. The Doctor, they said, had to stay somewhere else; it was bad luck otherwise. Yaz reluctantly walked the Doctor to the door, hugging her goodnight.

"Maybe I can text you when everyone's asleep," she whispered in the Doctor's ear. "Just in case you want to sneak in for one last kiss. Otherwise I really won't get to see you until we're ready to say our vows."

"I'll keep my eye on the phone," the Doctor promised.

And she did exactly that, pacing restlessly around the TARDIS control room until her phone finally buzzed with a message informing her Yaz was the only person left awake in the Khan household. The Doctor excitedly hurried through the dark and up the stairs to the Khans' flat, easily sonicking the lock and creeping quietly over the threshold. Slipping her boots off, she tiptoed up the stairs and paused before the two empty doors at the top. One belonged to her bride-to-be, the other to her new sister-in-law. Down the hall were her new mother- and father-in-law. They weren't quite Amy and Rory, but she was grateful for them, all the same.

She slowly turned the doorknob and entered Yaz's room, closing the door behind her. In the dim lighting from the car park outside she could just make out Yaz's form on the bed.

"Hey," she whispered, slipping under the covers beside Yaz.

"Hey." Yaz shifted around so she could kiss the Doctor. "What took you so long?"

"Couldn't land the TARDIS in here. Would have woken the whole family up." She brushed a lock of hair from Yaz's face. "Are you ready to become a married woman tomorrow?"

"Considering I thought I already was one for a while there, yeah, I'm ready to make it official. What about you?"

The Doctor thought for a moment. "I'm terrified."

"Of getting married?"

"Of letting you down."

"Well, you never have before." Yaz smiled sweetly, and the Doctor couldn't help smiling back.

"Actually, I can't wait for you to really be my wife," the Doctor said. "But there's something I need you to know before we do this." She took Yaz's hand in hers.

Yaz's eyebrows knitted in concern. "What?"

"I heard what you said to Ryan the other day, about not expecting to be my equal, and I just want you to know, you're wrong." The Doctor lifted Yaz's fingers to her lips, kissed them, and then took in a deep breath. "I know it must be a bit daunting to marry an alien who's thousands of years old and has lived countless lives, but I really believe you're a better person than I am. I'm in awe of you. All this time you've been trying to be more like me, I've been striving to be more like you. You must never think you can't be my equal. We're not the same – I have abilities and experiences you don't have – but you can never think you are less than me. You are every bit as clever, every bit as brave, and you're twice as kind. You never flinch, you never fear what you don't understand, you never back down, and you never give up. Sometimes I feel like giving up, but I look at you and I know you won't, so I don't either. And you might not have lived for millennia, but you have an entire universe inside you, Yaz, just waiting to be explored. That's why I want to marry you. I want to explore it. I could spend forever exploring the depths of your soul, Yaz. My universe."

She saw a tear rolling down Yaz's cheek, and she tenderly wiped it away.

"That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me," Yaz whispered.

"I mean every word. Never think this is anything other than a relationship between two equals, because that's how I see it."

Yaz swallowed. "Maybe if we keep seeing the best in each other, we'll keep bringing out the best in each other, and we'll both become better people."

"Always. I am so much more with you than I could ever have been without you. I was a mess before I met you, Yaz. You should have seen me! But you're my rock. You expect me to be good like you, so I have to be, because I never want to let you down."

"You're never going to let me down," Yaz promised. "The one time I thought you had, I was wrong, and I'm never going to make that mistake again."

"Well I'll keep doing my best, because you are everything to me. Just like I told the Sisters." She gave Yaz one last kiss. "I just needed to make sure you knew where we stood going into the wedding. I plan to stand before you as your equal; no more, no less."

"Okay." In the dim light, she could just make out Yaz's shining eyes and her brilliant smile. "Stay with me until I fall asleep?"

"Of course."

Yaz turned over on her other side and the Doctor put her arm around her middle, spooning her. She inhaled the scent of Yaz's hair. "I love you," she whispered.

"Love you too. Can't wait to make you really, officially mine."

The Doctor held Yaz close until she heard her breathing even out and was certain she was asleep. Then she extricated herself very carefully, tucked the blankets snugly around Yaz, left a kiss on her forehead and departed as quietly as she came in.

Back on the TARDIS, she found the silence almost unbearable, but she pressed on, making her last-minute preparations. She got out her tuxedo, pressed it, hung it up, and went over it to make sure there was not a speck of lint on it. Then she shined her black boots until they looked brand new. After that she hit the shower. She found some bodywash of Yaz's that smelled like mangos, and the smell instantly brought up delightful memories of travelling Yaz's skin with her lips. Well, it made Yaz's skin nice and soft, so perhaps it would do the same for the Doctor. She needed her skin to feel pleasant on their wedding night, of course. She needed everything perfect for Yaz.

Speaking of the wedding night, she decided to make a quick stop to the florist. She had a surprise in mind. She came back loaded with flowers of all kinds and hung strings of them from the bedroom ceiling and over the sides of the bed to make a canopy. She put bright bouquets along the headboard and sprinkled rose petals all over the bedspread, turning the bedroom into a fragrant floral paradise, suitable for a queen.

With everything set, there was nothing left to do but jump ahead to the morning of her wedding, landing the TARDIS in Graham's front room.

"Do I look all right?" the Doctor asked, straightening the garland of orange roses and white chrysanthemums that hung around her neck and smoothing her tux jacket.

"Doctor, for the hundredth time, you look great," Ryan assured her, looking pretty sharp himself in his black suit. "Here, you just need this." He tucked a chrysanthemum behind her ear, and she grinned.

"Have you got the rings?" she asked.

"Right here in me pocket." He pulled them out and showed them to her, then moved to put them back away. "Oh, oops. Think I dropped one."

"Ryan!"

"I'm kidding! They're both right here!" He showed her the rings on the palm of his hand, then fumbled while putting them back in his pocket and almost did drop one.

"Ryan, you knucklehead, stop playing around," Graham scolded. "We'd better get out there, Doc. Guests are arriving."

The Doctor nodded, forcing a smile. "What if Yaz changes her mind?" she said suddenly. "What if she doesn't want to marry some old alien who can't even remember her past?"

Ryan clapped his hand on her shoulder. "I promise you, she does. She'll be there, and we'll be with you. Now let's do this." Graham picked up his notes, and the three of them walked out the front doors of the old Victorian glass house to stand under the flower arch they'd had erected, just like the one in their wedding portrait. A few chairs had been set up in front, with some people Yaz and her family had invited seating themselves. The Doctor drew in her breath when she saw Martha approaching.

"You made it!" she cried, rushing forward to hug her old friend.

"Doctor, I wouldn't miss this for the world," Martha said, grinning. "And I brought someone I think you'll want to see."

She stepped aside to reveal the impossible: Bill, with Heather.

"Is that really you?" Bill asked, with that big smile the Doctor missed so much. "Did you really turn into a woman? A young, pretty woman?"

"I did," the Doctor admitted. "But Bill, how are you here? You died! And Heather…"

"I saved her," Heather said simply.

"She made me human again," said Bill. "Well, first she made me like her, but then she made me human. We travelled for a bit, but we're living in London now. Just normal, wonderful, everyday life. We even have cats!"

"So you were able to keep your mind after all," the Doctor said in a hushed voice, looking at Heather.

"I'm me, just with a lot of abilities I didn't have before," Heather said.

"Okay Doctor, if that's really you, I'm coming in for a hug." And Bill did exactly that, much to the Doctor's delight. She closed her eyes and gave her friend a squeeze, then opened her eyes again and looked at Martha.

"How did you find Bill?" she asked.

"I try to keep tabs on your old friends, when I can."

Bill pulled back. "If you had regenerated like this while I was still there, I would really have thought you were flirting with me," she said.

"I wasn't!" the Doctor promised. "But I think you did have a powerful effect on me."

Bill grinned. "I must have! Now you're a lesbian too! I can't wait to meet Yaz."

"You're all going to love her," the Doctor promised as they went to their seats.

Then Sonya appeared wearing the deep blue bridesmaid dress she'd picked out, with its matching dupatta. She was pushing Umbreen in her wheelchair and parked her up front where she'd get the best view of anyone.

"Are you ready for your bride?" she asked the Doctor.

Hearts pounding in her throat, the Doctor nodded.

"All right, she'll be out in a minute." Sonya caught Ryan's eye and smiled before turning and heading back up the path.

Ryan cleared his throat, straightening his tie. "She looks good in blue," he muttered.

"This is not the time for flirting," the Doctor hissed. "We need to take our places!"

"We are in our places," Graham pointed out. "Just stay calm, Doc. She's coming."

The Doctor looked up the path, which was beautifully lined with flowers and trees, and suddenly her hearts stopped. Everything stopped. Yaz was walking up the path, her sister behind her and her parents on either side, holding her hands. She wore a red silk dress with long sleeves and a skirt that fell to her feet, embroidered all over with intricate glittering gold floral designs, embellished with gold beads. She also wore a red tulle dupatta, trimmed in gold, pinned to her hair and falling down her back to the ground. On her forehead rested a maang tikka made of gold with a ruby in the centre. She had on three elegant gold necklaces of different lengths, all in intricate designs, and a floral garland identical to the Doctor's. Her hair was swept back to reveal the two dangly gold earrings with rubies and the chrysanthemum that was tucked behind her left ear. She did not look around to see how many guests were assembled or what anyone else looked like. She simply fixed her eyes on the Doctor and kept them there, smiling lovingly with her dimples popping.

The Khans, the Doctor thought, had done an outstanding job bringing up this remarkable woman, but now, incredibly, they were releasing her from their care and protection and entrusting her to the Doctor for the rest of her life. The Doctor, of course, had been under only her own care and protection for practically as long as she could remember, but now as she watched Yaz approaching, she dared to hope that all those years of solitude were really coming to an end, that she and Yaz could truly look out for each other from now on. Maybe, just maybe, this marriage would mean forever for both of them.

And then the whole beautiful vision blurred, and the Doctor began to sniffle. She took a deep breath, trying to compose herself, but was choked by a small sob.

"Doctor, are you crying?" Ryan muttered. "You can't cry! As your best man, it's my job to make sure you don't cry!"

"But she's so perfect, and she's here for me," the Doctor whispered. "I don't deserve her."

"You do! Of course you deserve her! Doctor, get it together, she's almost here! You don't want her to think you're sad to be marrying her!"

"I'm not sad, I'm overwhelmed. Look at her!"

"Here, Doc." Graham quickly pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to the Doctor, who hurriedly dabbed at her face and then gave Yaz the smile she deserved as she stopped in front of her.

You okay? Yaz mouthed.

I will be, the Doctor mouthed back, smiling more broadly.

Graham cleared his throat. "Najia Khan," he said seriously. "Can you repeat after me? 'I consent and gladly give.'"

Najia looked at the Doctor, and then at Yaz. "I consent and gladly give," she said.

"And you, Hakim Khan?" Graham asked.

"Er, yes." Hakim stood up a little straighter. "I consent and gladly give."

"Since the Doctor's parents are deceased, she can only give herself away, but if she was my daughter, I could think of no one better to give her to than the loyal and capable Yasmin Khan," Graham said. "Mr and Mrs Khan, please be seated."

The Doctor couldn't help chuckling a little at the thought of Graham, who was thousands of years younger than her, being her father, but she teared up again as Najia and Hakim both kissed their daughter's cheeks before taking the open seats by Umbreen. Yaz stepped forward to take the Doctor's hands, Sonya taking her place behind her.

"You look sexy," Yaz said under her breath.

"You look absolutely breathtakingly gorgeous," the Doctor breathed, blinking back the tears that wouldn't stop and clinging to Yaz's hands for dear life. "My sweet Yaz. Is this really real?"

Yaz nodded, grinning. "I promise it's real."

"Oh, wait. Can't forget the ribbon." The Doctor pulled a rainbow ribbon out of her pocket and looked to Sonya. "Could you tie our hands together?"

"Sure, but isn't that a Hindu thing?" asked Sonya.

"It's also a Celtic thing," the Doctor pointed out. She left Sonya to assume that the Doctor must have Celtic heritage of her own, but she wasn't going to say it. She would tell no lies, not to anyone, during her wedding ceremony.

Sonya dutifully tied the ribbon around their henna-covered wrists until they were physically bound together, as they were about to be symbolically. As Sonya returned to her spot, Graham spoke again.

"As a wise friend of mine once said, love is a form of hope that abides in the face of everything. And see, even though the two of you have been through a lot together, you've always fought to stay together. You've absolutely refused to give up on each other. So I know that means that the love you have found in each other is something that can't be extinguished, and it's only right that you're committing to that, and to each other, here today. Whatever the future brings – and I'm sure it'll bring plenty of surprises – I know that you two will be able to face it together, because the bond you have, the love and trust you have in each other, is unbreakable. And because of that, I think we can all have absolute faith in the strength of this union."

Yaz smiled at this, still gazing into the Doctor's eyes, although the Doctor noticed her eyes were getting extra shiny too.

"Yasmin Khan, Doctor, do you both willingly accept this marriage and all agreed upon terms?"

"I do," said Yaz softly.

"I do too," the Doctor agreed. An errant tear slipped out, and Yaz reached reflexively to wipe it away, although their hands being tied together meant the Doctor's hands came too. They both laughed about that, which helped put a stop to the crying for the time being.

As Yaz had requested, Graham asked them both two more times, and each time, they both agreed. Then they said their own brief vows, which Yaz had derived from traditional Muslim vows but had taken all religious references out of.

"I, Yasmin Khan, offer myself to you in marriage and pledge in honesty and sincerity to be for you a faithful wife." She said the words with a broad smile, and the Doctor gripped her hands even tighter.

"I, the Doctor, offer myself to you in marriage, and pledge in honesty and sincerity to be for you a faithful wife. But first, I must give you something that only I can give, and you must promise not to give it to anyone else, no matter what."

"I promise," Yaz said eagerly, knowing what was coming.

So the Doctor leaned forward and whispered her name in Yaz's ear. When she stepped back it was like she could feel a shift, the strengthening of a bond no one else would ever fully understand. Yaz held something now that very few ever had, and there was no question, from the look of amazement on her face, that she understood the gravity of it.

"Now," said Graham, "Sonya, if you could just untie these two, they can exchange rings."

Sonya obligingly removed the rainbow ribbon, and Ryan got the rings out of his pocket, safely handing them over to the two women. The Doctor took the one she had made for Yaz and looked into Yaz's trusting eyes, remembering the old vows Graham had told her about.

"With this ring I thee wed," she said softly. "With my body I thee worship, and with all my material goods I thee endow. My universe." She slipped the ring onto Yaz's finger, and Yaz was officially hers.

"My turn!" Yaz said sweetly. "With this ring I thee wed, with my body I thee worship, and with all my Earthly goods I thee endow. The best person I've ever met." She put the ring on the Doctor's finger, and the Doctor looked down at it in wonder. She was not some lone being wandering the universe anymore. She was Yaz's now, as Ryan had said.

"Well, there's only one thing left to do," said Graham. "As your friend and as someone who understands how precious marriage is, I give you my every wish for your union to be blessed in every way possible. This is only the beginning of the adventure. You may kiss the bride!"

And so they kissed, and everyone cheered, and then the Doctor walked up the garden path with Yaz while their guests threw rose petals at them. Once they'd been duly photographed in front of a variety of flowers and underneath numerous trees, they made their way to the tent Yaz's parents had rented on the lawn, where they all had a big dinner with cake and music and dancing. The food was a mixture of Pakistani and British fare, all of it delicious (not that the Doctor was a picky eater). Ryan and Graham shared DJ duty with the rented sound system, though they made an earnest attempt to pick songs Yaz would like (so Stormzy was out).

At one point, Bill asked the Doctor for a dance, and the Doctor happily obliged. She was so thrilled to see her friend alive and healthy, though she wished she had known sooner.

"Well, congratulations to the new Doctor Khan," Bill told her, with her usual big grin. "I assume you're taking her name since you don't have one."

"Actually, I do, I just don't normally tell people. Which of course does mean she can't take it."

Bill gasped. "Is that what you whispered in her ear during the ceremony?"

The Doctor nodded. "She's my wife now, so she gets to know my name. No one else. I can only tell the person I trust most in the universe, someone I trust enough to marry."

"Lucky her. I can see why you wanted to marry her though. She seems like such a lovely person, inside and out."

"And you've only seen the tip of the iceberg."

Bill smiled again. "She seems like exactly what you need. I'm so happy you found her, Doctor. I am. You shouldn't be alone."

"You're right," the Doctor said softly. "She is exactly what I need."

"Come and visit us sometime, in London."

"We will, I promise! After our honeymoon." She looked over Bill's shoulder. "But right now, I think Yaz is looking for me."

"Go to your woman, then."

The Doctor hurried to Yaz's side, and the radiant bride lit up when she saw her coming.

"I was just chatting with Bill," the Doctor said. "You must have made a good impression. She says she thinks you're exactly what I need, and she's right."

Yaz grinned. "I like Bill. We should actually go and visit your friends sometimes, you know. I bet they could tell me stories."

"Ugh, I don't want you to listen to Martha's stories. I was an idiot back then." She smiled at Yaz. "I think I'm just a hair smarter now."

Yaz frowned into the distance. "Look at Sonya and Ryan."

The Doctor looked. The two were talking and laughing, and they both had their phones out.

"They're exchanging numbers, aren't they?" Yaz sighed.

The Doctor wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, looks like it." She put her arm around Yaz's waist. "You can't stop the inevitable, you know. We tried to and now look at us. We're married."

Yaz couldn't help grinning. "Does that mean Sonya and Ryan are going to get married?"

"Not necessarily, but so what if they do? Ryan will be your brother-in-law, and I suppose mine too. That's how it works, isn't it? And Graham with be our granddad-in-law. I always did call you lot my Fam."

"I guess we really could be family," Yaz said reluctantly, then looked fondly at the Doctor. "Dance with me again?"

"Always."

When the reception was over, Graham pulled his hired Rolls Royce up to the curb (he had volunteered to chauffer them, saying it only made sense with him being a retired bus driver and all, but he had to get them a posh ride) and the Doctor and Yaz walked hand in hand to the car, Hakim following the whole way and holding a Quran over Yaz's head, which the Doctor found touching. This might not be the marriage he had envisioned for his daughter, but he still wanted their union – and Yaz's future – to be blessed.

Yaz hugged each of her family members goodbye, and then she got into the back of the car with the Doctor, wiping a tear away.

"Are you going to miss them?" the Doctor asked, squeezing her wife's hand.

"I think I am." Yaz rested her head on the Doctor's shoulder. "I feel like I just let them see the real me, and now I'm running off."

"We'll visit loads." The Doctor kissed Yaz's temple. "Besides, you'll love the beach cabin I reserved for our honeymoon. It's totally private. No giant birds or other dangerous wildlife."

"It sounds lovely."

Graham took them to his house, where the TARDIS was still in the front room. They went inside and the Doctor took off, though she wasn't heading to the beach just yet. Their wedding night would be spent here, in their home.

"Now, my wife," said the Doctor, turning to Yaz. "Shall we retire to our bedroom?"

"I think I would like that." Yaz took the Doctor's hand and smiled seductively.

The Doctor led her up the stairs and to their bedroom. Yaz drew in her breath when she saw all the flowers.

"Doctor, did you do this? It's beautiful!"

"Yeah, I did it last night. I wanted it to be romantic, because it is our first time as a married couple, and…" She turned to look at Yaz. "You're my wife now. For real." She blinked, tears filling her eyes again.

"Oh no, Doctor. Don't cry again, or you'll make me cry." Yaz kissed the Doctor soundly. "Instead of crying, maybe we can express our emotions in…other ways." She nodded towards the bed.

"Yeah." The Doctor smiled again. "First night of forever?"

"First night of forever."