The next day, the Doctor pretended to fiddle with the TARDIS while he did some thinking. Talking to Jack had put life in perspective. Jack had lived hundreds of years, would probably live thousands more, but he still lived in the here and now. He fell in love, had children, everything. He didn't put things off with the idea that he could always get around to them later.
The Doctor ran his fingers over the navigational controls, adjusting dials without really looking at what he was doing. He hadn't exactly been putting off completing his bond with Rose, but he'd had a nebulous idea of waiting for the perfect moment. Jack's example reminded him that the moment would always be perfect, because it was him and Rose. He loved her, and she loved him. What was the point of waiting?
The TARDIS chimed, and he looked down at the console. A smile spread across his face when he realised he'd set the coordinates for the perfect planet to go to to buy wedding bands.
Suddenly eager, he let the TARDIS in on the part of his plans that required her help. When the time rotor flashed in acknowledgment, he patted the console and went back to their room to talk to Rose.
The door to the en suite was open, and from the light splashes he heard, he guessed she was taking a bath. "You're thinking too loud," Rose called out. "Come tell me what's on your mind."
The Doctor hung his jacket on the back of the chair and took his shoes and socks off before stepping through the door. Rose was neck deep in bubbles, with her hair piled on top of her head. The hot water had turned her skin pink, and the entire room smelled of a tropical flower only found on Altus.
"Sit," she said, pointing to the wide ledge running around the tub.
He obeyed her, facing her with his back to the wall and his left leg stretched out on the ledge in front of him."You know, I didn't have a bathtub this nice until you moved into my room."
She patted the wall. "The TARDIS loves me."
"That she does."
The Doctor looked at Rose for a moment, trying to figure out how to ask if she was ready for the full marriage bond. "I was thinking we could go shopping today," he finally said.
She raised an eyebrow. "Okay… what for?"
He reached down and scooped up a handful of bubbles, then blew on them gently and watched them float around the room, afraid to see the look on Rose's face when he told her what he was thinking. "Well… wedding bands?"
Surprise coloured her emotions, and he chanced a look at her. Her mouth hung open, and she'd gone completely still.
"We don't have to," he said quickly. "I just thought… well, like you said when we bonded, we've already done the living together part. And we've promised each other forever and really, what more is marriage than a promise to stay together and share your lives forever? But if you want to wait a little longer we can."
By the end of his ramble, the Doctor was talking to the hands clasped tightly in his lap, and Rose knew she needed to stop him before he convinced himself she didn't actually want to be with him. She splashed a bit in the tub, considering how to voice her one concern.
"Before I say yes and ask you what I should wear," she said finally, loving the hope in his eyes when his head snapped up to look at her, "I need to ask you a question, and I need you to—" She cut herself off. The Doctor wouldn't lie to her.
He was looking at her expectantly, and she took a deep breath. "When you first explained the bond to me, you said losing a bond mate was painful. And I know what happened at Canary Wharf hurt. Would it… will it hurt more…" Rose couldn't finish the sentence. It wasn't the romantic pre-wedding conversation of her dreams, but it was important to her that they talked about this.
"What will it feel like when one of us finally dies for the last time?" he finished. She nodded, and the muscle in his jaw twitched. "I don't know the exact details. Bonds were a private matter, and outside of the etiquette surrounding them, they weren't discussed much."
Rose felt the Doctor's hesitancy to finish the thought, but after letting out a slow breath, he continued.
"But based on how I felt at Torchwood, I can guess it would be very painful. Remember, in a full marriage bond, there's a part of me living inside of you. When I die, that part will be… gone."
His Adam's apple bobbed, and Rose frowned when she felt him pull away from her. "What are you thinking right now?" she asked.
"Well… if you're not sure…" He met her gaze directly for the first time since he'd suggested they get married, and the vulnerability in his eyes surprised her. "I mean, I can understand that it's more intense than a human marriage."
Rose blinked up at him, then her brain caught up with what he was saying. "You think… Oh, you daft Time Lord." She scooted to the end of the tub and took his hand in her soapy one. "I was worried about you."
It took a moment for the words to sink in, but when they did, the Doctor rested his head against the wall. Of course she'd been thinking about him. Rose Tyler, always trying to protect him.
"Doctor?"
He squeezed her hand. "I think we need to get one misconception out of the way," he told her quietly. "You're used to thinking that I'll outlive you, but the truth is, Rose, that it's likely to be the other way around."
Rose shifted in the tub, and water sloshed over the edge, getting the Doctor wet. "What?"
"There's a limit on regenerations. Twelve, and I've already used nine. We don't know for sure that you can regenerate, but assuming you can, and that you've got the same regeneration cycle as a Gallifreyan Time Lord, you will live a lot longer than me."
He hadn't talked about this before because honestly, the idea hurt just as much as the thought of outliving her. He felt a wave of sadness from her before she pushed it away.
"I don't believe that," she said stubbornly. "My longer lifespan might be a natural side effect of my encounter with the Vortex, but it happened when I was Bad Wolf. I could do anything, and I would've made sure, somehow, that our lifespans matched."
That was a possibility he hadn't considered, and he had to admit she was right. "Then neither one of us need to worry about leaving the other one behind, and this is a moot point," he answered reasonably.
A smile crept over Rose's face. "And if it's a moot point, and it was my only concern…"
It took the Doctor a moment to trace the conversation back to the beginning. "You mean…?" he squeaked, eyes wide.
"Let's get married, Doctor."
oOoOoOoOo
After they both put dry clothes on, the Doctor took them to the best jewellery market in three galaxies. "I meant it when I said I wanted wedding bands," he told her as they stepped outside, hand in hand.
They were parked in a grassy field beside a well-used path, and as they walked into town, Rose asked the Doctor a few questions she'd wondered about. "What happens during the bonding? Is there a ceremony involved?"
The Doctor didn't answer immediately, and when he did, he spoke slowly. "There is, but…" He shot her a sidelong glance. "Remember your comments about my people sucking the fun out of things?"
Rose laughed.
"I think we can skip most of it. There's a lot of pontificating on how this match will be beneficial to the future of Gallifrey and what it will mean for our respective Chapters and Houses. Not only is that boring, it simply doesn't apply to us."
A few houses appeared along the path, and then they entered a busy town, right on the high street. "But there are parts you'd like to keep?" Rose asked, noticing he'd said "most of it."
The Doctor nodded. "The vows pertaining to the actual bonding." He tilted his head. "And maybe we could each add our own bit to it, if we want?"
Rose bit her lip. The Doctor was the one with the silver tongue, not her. The thought of writing vows that would equal whatever he came up with was a little… daunting.
On the other hand, this was her wedding to the Doctor, her best chance to tell him how much he meant to her. And that was a topic on which she felt she could be reasonably eloquent.
"Yeah. I'd like that."
The Doctor smiled at Rose, but her attention had been diverted to the shop windows. They were in the heart of the jewellery district now, and the displays were truly dazzling. When she stopped and stared at a pair of earrings, the Doctor made a note to himself to come back and buy them later when she wasn't looking.
The shop they needed was just around the corner. "Here we are," he said, holding the door open. "Juvelo and Juvelo. The things they can do with metal won't be matched for over a thousand years."
The shop was airy and well-lit, and a woman stood at the counter, a jeweller's loupe in hand. She set the tool and down and smiled at them. "My name is Xira; how can I help you today?"
"We need to buy a pair of wedding bands," the Doctor said. "Rose's will need to match her engagement ring, and we'll want them both engraved."
"Well, first let me see this ring."
Rose pulled it off and handed it to her, and she hummed thoughtfully. "This will be difficult to work with," she said.
The Doctor cajoled her with a smile. "That's why we came here. Like I said, best metal workers in the galaxy."
The jeweller preened a little before her serious expression returned. "Might I ask—if you already have a ring as fine as this one, what is the need for an additional band? The very best job I could do would not enhance its appearance."
"She's got a point, Doctor," Rose said before the Doctor could protest. "Couldn't we just engrave this band and call it my wedding ring?"
He tried to think of a reason, outside of the simple desire to give her a ring during their ceremony, but nothing came to mind.
Rose rested her hand on his arm. I love this ring, just as it is. It's absolutely perfect. We can still get it engraved, and you can put it on me again during our wedding.
A new idea came to the Doctor. He nodded at Rose, then turned to Xira. "You'd be willing to do the engraving, even though we're not buying a wedding band?"
"I assume you'll still be purchasing a band for yourself?" Xira asked. The Doctor nodded. "Given that, I can do the engraving on your fiancée's ring for a minimal charge." The metallurgist turned to Rose. "What kind of ring would you like to give him?"
Rose looked up at her bond mate, then back at Xira. "Would you give us a moment?" she asked.
The woman moved away, and the Doctor raised his eyebrow at her. "What is it, Rose?"
"I was thinking about the engraving… could we have it done in Gallifreyan?"
He swallowed hard. "Circular Gallifreyan would be a bit difficult for most engravers to manage, but Juvelo and Juvelo can do it. Are you sure?"
"Yeah." Rose took a scrap of paper out of her pocket. "I asked the TARDIS to translate your inscription for me."
When they turned back around, the jeweller had pulled out trays of thicker laurium wedding bands, suitable for people with larger hands. Most of them had channel cut stones or engraved patterns decorating them, but Rose drew the Doctor over to the tray of plain bands.
"Which one do you like best, Doctor?"
The Doctor looked them over and tried a handful on. Finally he settled on a band with bevelled edges and a brushed metal finish. Xira sized him, and then opened her order book to write down all the information.
On the order form, the Doctor carefully wrote out the inscription he wanted in Rose's ring in circular Gallifreyan. She refused to show him what she'd selected, and he wondered what she and the TARDIS were up to.
After they paid, Rose turned to the Doctor. "Can you give us a minute?" she asked. "I've got one more instruction I want to give, and I want it to be a surprise."
The Doctor agreed more readily than she'd expected, promising to meet her back at the TARDIS in half an hour. Rose gratefully accepted his unusual lack of curiosity, and after he left, she quickly told the jeweller what she wanted.
Xira raised her eyebrows. "That's rather unorthodox."
"But it's possible?" Rose pressed.
"Oh, absolutely. And he chose a good ring for it."
Rose sighed in relief. "Then here's what I want the engraving to say," she said, handing her the folded up piece of paper.
Xira examined it carefully and nodded. "Your rings will be ready in three days," she told Rose.
"I'll let the Doctor know," Rose promised. "Thank you, Xira."
She still had ten minutes left to wander before she needed to make her way back to the TARDIS, so Rose took her time strolling through town, mentally writing her vows as she went.
The Doctor was leaning against the doors when she returned home. "Xira says the rings will be ready in three days," she told him.
He nodded and unlocked the door. "I believe this is one of my favourite uses for a time machine," he told her as he carefully set the coordinates. For once, the TARDIS landed gently, and the Doctor bounced on his toes and jogged toward the door.
"Who'd've thought the 1200 year old Time Lord would be so impatient?" Rose teased.
"Not impatient," he countered. "Ready."
Rose started to ask, "Ready for what?" as she followed him out of the TARDIS and along the same path they'd walked just half an hour ago. Then she recognised the anticipation coming off him in waves, and she realised what he meant. Ready to be married. Ready for the full marriage bond.
That's right, he whispered in her mind, and Rose shivered at the idea of a bond more intimate than the one they already shared.
The bell on the door jingled when they entered the shop and a dapperly dressed man looked up from the case where he was inspecting an amethyst necklace. "Hello, I'm Zeyyn. How can my sister and I be of service today?"
"Hello, Zeyyn!" the Doctor said. "I'm the Doctor and this is Rose Tyler. We're here to pick up our wedding rings."
"Ah! I've been waiting for you," he told them. "My sister showed me the fascinating inscriptions you asked for—we've never seen a language like this before."
"There aren't many people who have," the Doctor said, and Rose felt a pang at the sadness in his voice.
"Well, it certainly produced a beautiful inscription," Zeyyn said. "I have your order ready right here."
When the Doctor started to take both boxes, Zeyyn held one back and handed it to Rose instead. "I believe your bride would like your ring to be a surprise," he said, winking at Rose.
"Thank you, Zeyyn," Rose said, tucking the box safely away in her jacket pocket.
oOoOoOoOo
"So, where are we going for our wedding?" Rose asked once they were back in the TARDIS.
"That's my surprise," the Doctor said, laughing when Rose stuck her tongue out at him. "The TARDIS and I have a room prepared; she'll help you find it when you're dressed."
Rose's heart stuttered when she realised they were doing this now—not later that evening, or the following day, but now.
The Doctor took a half step back from her. "Is that okay?" He rubbed at the back of his neck. "I suppose it's fast, but…"
"It's fine, Doctor. My little human brain is just trying to keep up with all the changes, that's all. I mean, up until six hours ago, we'd never even discussed our wedding, and now we're doing it this afternoon."
His eyes searched hers. "Are you sure? We could… wait a few days, maybe invite some people…"
"I don't want anyone there but us." She smiled at him, hoping to change the subject. "So, you never answered my question from before. What should I wear?"
His smile returned to full force. "Whatever you like," he answered, his eyes gleaming. "You're always gorgeous, no matter what you're wearing."
Rose kissed him on the cheek and started to leave, but he snagged her arm. "What is it, Doctor?" she asked.
He pulled a jewellery box out of his jacket pocket. "Since you didn't let me get you a wedding ring…"
Rose had a feeling she knew what he'd gotten her, and when she opened the box, she wasn't surprised to see the simple sapphire earrings she'd admired earlier. "Thank you," she told him, hugging him tight for a moment, before spinning around to run to the wardrobe room.
She was as excited today as she had been the first time she'd visited it, looking for a dress to wear in Naples. Stepping inside the massive room, she looked at the three levels and seemingly endless aisles of clothing and knew she would never find what she wanted on her own.
Help me find the perfect dress? she asked the ship as she set the earrings down on the vanity just inside the door. You know what he has planned. The TARDIS chimed, and Rose smiled. She didn't even know what she wanted. Something somewhat Earth-traditional? Something more like a formal dress? She'd take every bit of help the sentient ship could offer.
The TARDIS led her deep into the wardrobe room to a small alcove filled with white dresses. Looking at the racks, Rose nodded in agreement. She'd not been sure before, but seeing the wedding gowns, she knew she wanted at least one thing about her wedding to be what she'd imagined it would be like as a girl.
Well, not quite like she'd imagined as a girl, because thankfully her tastes had changed since she was ten years old and dreaming of billowing satin skirts and lace flounces. Rose flipped through the racks of simple chiffon dresses, occasionally pulling one out and holding it in front of her as she looked in the mirror, then putting it back on the rack.
Looking for her wedding dress without her mother or any of her friends felt strange, and melancholy slipped into her thoughts, despite her best efforts. "It's not like planning a wedding with Mum would've been that much fun," she reminded herself. Imagining the inevitable rows over almost every aspect of the day made it a little easier to deal with her mother's absence.
Rose took a deep breath and pushed both the thoughts and the gowns out of the way. Now at the very back wall of the room, she spotted a dress hanging slightly skewed on the rack and pulled it out.
Though it was obviously a modern dress, the high waist and wide straps and the way the skirt draped reminded her of the outfit she'd worn in ancient Rome. A silver cord wrapped around the waist beneath the pleated bodice four times before it knotted, letting the ends dangle down to the knee. She was sure the Doctor would tell her the dress was more Grecian than Roman, or that the straps were completely wrong, but she was also sure he would know immediately why she'd chosen the dress.
Holding the dress up so she wouldn't step on the short train, she carried it to the front of the wardrobe room, snagging a pair of gladiator sandals from the shoe closet on her way by. Inside the bureau, she found a white strapless bra and matching knickers, and she quickly changed out of her every day clothes and into the outfit she would be married in.
Her hair clip from Telera was on the vanity, and after spending a few minutes at the vanity curling her hair, she pulled her hair onto the top of her head in a mass of ringlets. The only thing left to complete the outfit were the earrings the Doctor had given her. She quickly put them on, admiring the simplicity of the figure eight setting.
Taking a step back, she looked at herself in the mirror. This was it. No flowers, no veil—just a beautiful dress and a single piece of jewellery.
Jewellery. Rose bent over and picked her jacket up, rummaging around in the pocket until she laid hands on the ring box. She flipped it open and smiled when she saw Xira had done exactly as she asked.
Without anyone to hold the ring for her, she started to slide it onto her thumb. Then she caught sight of the cord around her waist; a minute later, the ring hung beside her hip.
Take me to him, Dear, Rose told the TARDIS as she stepped out into the corridor. The lights on her right flashed, and she followed the ship's directions until she stopped in front of a door she'd never seen before.
The butterflies in her stomach fluttered wildly, and she pushed the door open. Warm sunlight streamed out into the hallway, and Rose blinked as she stepped into the meadow of red grass.
The Doctor was waiting under a silver tree, wearing his usual brown suit. Rose picked up her skirt and walked toward him, enjoying the surprisingly cushy feeling of the ground beneath her feet and the way the cool grass brushed against her toes and ankles. He held his hand out silently and she took it, looking around at the room he and the TARDIS had created for their wedding.
When she saw the twin suns in the burnt orange sky, she knew what this room was a representation of. "This is what it looked like?" she whispered, afraid to break the solemn atmosphere with a normal speaking voice.
"This is how I choose to remember it. During the war…" His voice trailed off, and Rose understood.
"It's beautiful."
"Yes, it was."
A gust of wind swept up the hill, rustling the grass and drawing a chiming sound from the leaves. The sound pulled the Doctor out of the daze he'd been in since he'd entered the room thirty minutes earlier.
He looked at Rose, and his hand tightened around hers when he took in her gown. "You are… breathtaking," he told her, brushing a curl out of her face. "My Fortuna."
Her face lit up, and he knew he'd said the right thing. "You remember, then."
"I can't imagine I'll ever forget anything I've shared with you, but that trip to Rome stands out. It was the first time we kissed when we were both aware and in control of our actions."
He tightened his fingers around hers, then showed her the strip of gold cloth in his other hand. "Traditionally, the officiant would bind our hands," he told her. "Since we're alone, we'll have to work together, each using our free hand."
Rose smiled at him. "Better with two," she said softly.
The Doctor swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat. His left hand let go of Rose's right hand to take it in his own right, and then he started winding the ribbon around their clasped wrists, letting Rose take it from him to pass it over the top.
"The ribbon represents Time," he told her as they continued. "To a Time Lord, there is no higher power. Even though we gained some mastery over it, Time is ultimately uncontrollable." An image of Rose, haloed by the golden light of the Vortex, came to the front of his mind, and he grinned at his bond mate. "For most of us at least," he added, and she laughed.
Unable to knot the ribbon, they let the ends drape loosely over the top of their joined hands. "Ready?" the Doctor asked. Rose nodded, and he took a deep breath.
"Every individual has their own timeline—their own path they will follow through life," he said. "By coming today to fulfil our bond, we are agreeing to bind our timelines together, to share a future even though our pasts have been walked alone. Rose, do you consent?"
Her gaze burned into his, brown eyes flecked with gold. "I do."
The Doctor's hearts sped up, but the ceremony wasn't over yet. He squeezed her hand and gave her a quick telepathic prompt, and she nodded.
"Doctor, do you consent to bind your timeline to mine and share a future with me?"
"I do."
Rose blinked rapidly, and the Doctor used his free hand to wipe away the tear that managed to escape. "Ready?" he whispered, and she nodded.
"Rose, when I met you, I was broken and alone. From the moment I took your hand in that basement—oh, such a long time ago—you helped fill up the loneliness and teach me how to live again.
"Falling in love with you was as inevitable as it was unexpected. I was…" His voice faltered, and he cleared his throat before continuing. "I was terrified by how much I needed you in my life. One fragile human, holding the hearts of the last Time Lord. What would happen when I lost you?
"I tried to run, and I tried to send you away. Today, I promise I won't do either ever again. As our hands are now bound together by cloth, so also will our lives by joined by Time. Your future is my future, from now until forever."
Rose blinked back a few more tears, then swallowed and smiled up at him. Until she'd listened to him, she'd still been unsure of what to say, but now the words came easily.
"Doctor, when I met you, I was lost. My life was nothing more than work, chips, and evenings at the pub. I knew I wanted more, but everyone around me said it was impossible. Then you took my hand and pulled me into your mad life, and I've never looked back—not even when you tried to send me away."
She raised an eyebrow, and the Doctor smiled sheepishly.
"From our very first date, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life travelling with you. Then I fell in love with you, and I wanted to spend forever with you… travelling was an added bonus.
"I promised you forever before we knew how close to the truth that was." She paused for a moment, then said, "Doctor, I'm never gonna willingly leave you—you're stuck with me."
"Stuck with you, Rose Tyler?" the Doctor said, his voice rough. "That's not so bad." He squeezed her hand, then said, "Now, let's undo this and give each other our rings."
Together, they quickly unbound their wrists. Then the Doctor pulled Rose's ring out of his pocket and took her left hand. "We've promised to stay together and love each other forever, and this ring is a symbol of those vows." He pushed the ring back onto the finger where it had belonged since he'd given it to her four months ago.
Rose pulled her hand from his, and the Doctor watched in bemusement as she lifted the end of the cord wrapped around her waist. He chuckled when he realised what she'd done—always so clever, his Rose.
When she got the ring free of the cord, Rose took his left hand and slid the ring halfway on. "When you gave me my ring, you said you wanted wedding bands because they're an outward sign that we belong together. Well, this is it, Doctor." Rose pushed the ring the rest of the way onto his finger. "The Doctor and Rose Tyler… forever."
The Doctor stared down at the Gallifreyan engraved on the outside of his wedding band. "D'you like it?" Rose asked. "I thought, since no one else will be able to read it and it looks so pretty…"
He put a finger over her lips. "I love it." He twisted the band around his finger, reading the entire inscription. "'Forever my Doctor.' The TARDIS translated this for you?"
Rose nodded. "She did do it right, didn't she? I don't think she would have played a prank on me with something like this."
The Doctor smiled. "She did it exactly right." He pointed at the second string of symbols. "Did she tell you what this says?"
"Um… no… And I don't know Gallifreyan grammar, but it's the last word, so I assume it says Doctor."
"Not quite. That's my given name, with the ending that indicates possession. I can't remember the last time I used it, and I don't plan to now, but it was a part of my past I hadn't shared with you. Now you know—or at least you know what it looks like."
"What does mine say?" Rose started to pull her ring off so she could look at the inscription, but the Doctor stayed her hand.
"We still have some unfinished business, Rose Tyler," he said, his voice deep and full of meaning.
Rose shivered. "How do we do this?" she asked.
"I'll teach you," he promised. "And when we're connected, I can show you what I had engraved in your ring—kill two birds with one stone."
"That's such a romantic metaphor," Rose drawled, laughing when he flushed and tugged at his ear.
"Yes, well…" He placed his hands on her temples, and Rose mirrored him. This is the last time we'll need to be touching to go into each other's minds, he told her. Last chance to change your mind—there's no going back after this.
Don't want to go back. I just want to go forward, with you, forever.
The Doctor's hands trembled on her temples. I love you, he told her fervently, then took a deep breath to get control over his emotions. Completing a marriage bond requires a third telepathic presence. Normally this would be the officiant, but the TARDIS will facilitate for us.
The presence of the TARDIS strengthened until Rose felt like the time ship was holding both her mind and the Doctor's safely in her hands.
That's it exactly, Rose.
Rose felt the Doctor weaving his mind around hers, and she followed his example, as best as she could. He and the TARDIS helped when she wasn't sure what to do, guiding her until she knew, intuitively, that there was only one step remaining.
The Doctor hovered over the telepathic centre of her mind, and with the TARDIS' help, Rose found the matching place in his. She looked to him, waiting for a cue as to what to do next, and to her surprise, a third set of vows followed.
I take you as my bond mate, sharing my life, my mind, and all I am with you. I promise never to lie to you, and to be true to our bond through regeneration after regeneration, until we are finally parted by death.
The words came easily to Rose. I take you as my bond mate, sharing my life, my mind, and all I am with you. I promise never to lie to you, and to be true to our bond through regeneration after regeneration, until we are finally parted by death.
She could feel his deep joy and a pleasure that went far beyond happiness, and then he said, Now, Rose.
With the TARDIS' help, she pressed into the telepathic centre of his mind, feeling him do the same thing in hers. The awareness of him that their bond had given her flared and deepened. She knew more than how he was feeling or what he was thinking; she knew him.
Yes. Oh, Rose. You are my forever.
The words were familiar—he'd whispered them in her mind only two days ago as they'd made love in front of the Christmas tree. But this time, a series of circular characters spun through Rose's mind when he said them, and she knew without being told that this was the inscription in her ring.
Inside her mind, Rose felt things continue to shift. The natural walls and barriers that had existed before between her mind and the Doctor's disappeared. They were still two individuals, but now they occupied one space.
Rose watched as her own barriers expanded to include the Doctor, while his did the same for her. When the process was complete, she looked around the new mental landscape. It's like a double layer of protection, she realised. Anyone attacking us would have to get through both of our barriers to get to either of us.
Exactly. What hurts one, hurts both, so what protects one, protects both.
The Doctor's hand moved to cup her jaw, and Rose met his lips with hers in a tender kiss. The cascade of emotions flowing over the bond was overwhelming, and she couldn't tell if the tears she tasted were hers, or his.
Far too soon for Rose's taste, the Doctor eased out of the kiss. She tried to convey her disapproval with his actions, but instead of kissing her again, he chuckled and shook his head.
"You've given me the chance to experience so many of my culture's traditions regarding our engagement and wedding," he told her. "I think it's only fair that I give you at least one of your traditions."
Before Rose could ask what he meant, the Doctor swung her up into his arms and carried her to the door. "Where are you taking me?" Rose asked him as he stepped out into the corridor.
"There are some human traditions I like," he said. "Carrying the bride over the threshold, and the wedding night, for example."
AN: I've been dying to post this chapter for months. This sets up one of the most fundamental differences between this story and most series 3 with Rose stories, and I can't wait to start letting you in on some of the changes.