Chapter 4 Going…going…gone!

With Nana nestled snugly in the entertainment room watching television, the Doctor is back to working on the TARDIS console while Rose is heading towards him with a lemonade. Then, just as the day had started, a knock at the door interrupts the Doctor's work and the newlyweds stare apprehensively at it before glancing miserably at each other.

"That must be Mum," states Rose in an anxious tone as she wipes the moisture on her hands from the glass onto her jeans in a nervous gesture.

The Doctor whacks the mallet against the console as he grouses to himself. Jackie Tyler or the Grim Reaper, either way I'll be satisfied as long as the old woman takes her leave. A shower of sparks from the TARDIS immediately admonishes the Doctor for his unkind thoughts towards Nana.

Upon opening the door and seeing her mother, Rose throws herself into Jackie's arms and in a heartfelt and tearful tone exclaims, "Mum!" Jackie tries to remain steady on her feet as Rose clutches her even tighter and whispers, "I love you, Mum, I love you so much."

Jackie pulls back and is shocked to see Rose crying. She wipes away a stray tear from her daughter's face and soothes, "Aw, I love you too, sweetheart. Now what's caused all of this fuss?" She shoots a glare over at the Doctor and growls, "What did you do?"

He rubs at his burnt fingers and returns her angry look with his own that's filled with remorse. "Apparently, far too much, I'm afraid."

Rose shakes her head in denial and sniffs, "The Doctor didn't do anything, Mum. We're fine." At Jackie's arched eyebrow of suspicion, Rose finally cracks a true smile and laughs, "Honestly, Mum, we are fine."

Jackie continues to cast a mistrustful eye towards the Doctor as he walks over to them. "Well, alright, love, if you say so. Where's Mum?"

"I'm right here, Jackie," announces Nana as she enters the room with Haven at her heels.

"Mum!" greets Jackie cheerily as she darts over to Nana and then whispers in her ear, "So, what are these two fighting about?"

Nana's face bears a mixed expression of innocence and confusion. "Have they been fighting, love? Well, I haven't noticed but then you know how I tend to mind my own business." She smiles at Jackie ever so sweetly before she gives the married couple a harsh and extremely pointed glare.

The Doctor clears his throat under Nana's scrutiny and while taking Rose's hand with a reassuring squeeze, he approaches the two women. "Jackie," he begins, "I want to apologize."

A bit of fire alights in Jackie's eyes as her gaze pins down the Doctor. "So, you did do something! Well, out with it then! What did you do?"

"Which time?" he asks ruefully.

Watching Jackie's countenance turn into one of befuddlement, the Doctor explains, "I want to apologize for taking Rose and staying away for so long and leaving you to wonder if she's alright."

Crossing her arms over her chest and releasing a small laugh, Jackie smirks, "Which time?"

Receiving mutual looks of despair from the couple at her gibe instead of the usual eye rolls of exasperation, Jackie takes pity on them and pats the Doctor's shoulder gently as she moves to pass by him. "Never mind, love, it's par for the course by now."

It doesn't take superior Gallifreyan hearing to note the trace of sadness in Jackie's tone. He grabs her arm to stop her from walking off and insists, "But it shouldn't be that way, Jackie, and it won't be again, not after today."

Jackie leans away to survey the Doctor's sad expression with concern. "What are you on about, Doctor?"

At first, he merely stares back at her in desolation while running a hand nervously through his hair. He never has been good with words when it came to domestics, even with this regeneration's gob. He can only hope that the gesture that he's about to make will cover anything that his words are unable to convey.

Another clearing of his throat and then he asserts, "I'm afraid that I've been very inconsiderate towards you when it comes to allowing you to see Rose on a regular basis. I'm sorry to say that I've looked upon her requests for visits home with a great sense of dread and even disdain." He straightens to his full height as he declares, "If the truth be known, I only put up with so many trips back to Earth for Rose's sake because you were her family but that's all changed now, because now you're my family too."

He draws Rose closer to his side as he proclaims, "You see, Jackie, Rose is my wife now, we were recently married on Navtotiva."

"What?" gasps Jackie in a tone full of shock and hurt while Nana's eyes blaze with anger at the realization that yet another precious moment with Rose has been stolen from her child.

"Rose," grieves Jackie heartbrokenly, "how could you go and marry that alien nutter without telling me? I may have had some reservations about the two of you at times but I've always dreamed of watching my little girl get married! How could you not tell me about this?"

A quick glance at Nana's thinly pressed lips and livid glower aimed specifically in their direction practically screams, 'Fix this!' Rose tentatively reaches out to Jackie and gently grasps her arm while firmly stating, "Mum, of course I wanted you there!"

Her gaze beseeches Jackie to understand as she tells her, "It was one of the most important moments of my life, at times like that, I always want you by my side!" Her voice softens in memory as she explains, "But the wedding that we had, the vows that we spoke and made to each other, that moment was for us alone."

She moves her other hand down her mother's arm to encircle Jackie's hand and give it a loving squeeze. "When we came back home, you and Dad had announced your engagement and neither of us wanted to take away the limelight from the two of you. You both have went through so much to have your 'happily ever after' and we didn't want you to have anything less than that."

Rose's grip tightens considerably on her mother's hand as she emphasizes, "You deserve more than that and so much more than I've given you."

The Doctor steps up alongside Rose again and adds, "Rather what we've not give you, Jackie, however unintentionally, and that's time with Rose in deference to both her love for you and your rightful place in her life."

Smiling contritely, he confesses, "Incidentally, our wedding was a bit rushed at my behest. After all my squawking over domestics, Rose wasn't quite sure that I was sincere in my offer of commitment; she felt it was due more to a sense of obligation. There were several bouts of pleading and compromise," he tugs on his ear at this point, "mostly on my part, before Rose finally consented to be my wife. That's one of the main reasons that you weren't there, I was too afraid that Rose might change her mind if we took the time to come back here for the wedding."

His gaze is earnest and promising as he poses, "And that's how I'm hoping to make amends for such a grievous error in judgment." All three women stare at him in both bewilderment and interest. "Jackie, Rose and I have already had a Gallifreyan ceremony, but I would like to have one here as well, on the Powell Estates actually, if you would be so kind as to help us plan it."

Rose's eyes light up in gratitude just as Jackie's shine with excitement. "Really?" asks Jackie hurriedly. "Rose, is he serious?" Rose only nods her head, too delighted with the Doctor's plan to even speak.

It's Nana who interrupts the emotion packed moment when she casually inquires, "Where's Gallifrey?"

Eager to change the subject back to the wedding, Jackie tosses out, "It's somewhere in Ireland, Mum, same as the other place that he mentioned earlier." Clasping her hands together in exhilaration, Jackie gushes, "Oh, Rose, I'm so excited, love! There are so many things to plan, like the dress, the flowers and reception! Oh, and of course, you'll want Shireen as your maid of honor!'

"Actually, Mum," Rose suggests expectantly with a hint of tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth, "I was hoping that you would be my matron of honor."

"What? Me?" utters Jackie in complete surprise. "I always thought that you'd want your best mate standing up next to you. Why not Shireen?"

Rose smiles wide as she replies, her voice filled with loving warmth, "Yeah, I know that Shireen's always been my best mate and for a long time, I thought that she was showing me the type of woman that I wanted to be. I was wrong though, Mum. My absolute best mate is the woman who has stood beside me for every good or bad decision that I've ever made and supported me through all of them. That's you, Mum, because throughout everything we've been through, you've shown me the type of woman that I want to become."

Tears fill Jackie's eyes and she struggles to hold them back while she tugs Rose to her and sniffs, "Thank you, sweetheart. That's the sweetest thing that you've ever said to me."

Rose holds her mother to her in a fierce grip before letting go enough to pull back and assure, "It's true, Mum. I love you."

Jackie flashes her own trademark grin and the Doctor decides to choose that moment to pop his head up between them and ask, "So, you'll help us then, Jackie? Pretty, pretty please, with edible ball bearings on top?"

Both women roll their eyes at his antics before Jackie laughs, "Of course I will, love. I'm always here for the both of you, you know that."

Rose leans her head against the Doctor's as she remarks, "Yeah, Mum, we know."

Jackie spins around and addresses her own mother. "Well, this is exciting, isn't it, Mum? Our little girl is finally getting married! Oh, we'll have to start shopping for a dress…we'll check out that new boutique that Cousin Mo works at…and I'll do your hair, I wouldn't dare trust anyone else to touch it on your special day…and of course, there's flowers and invitations and just so much to do! You'll help too, won't you, Mum?"

Nana Prentice beams at the happiness that's radiating off her little girl in waves. "Absolutely, Jackie, you can count on me!" She exhibits a soft smile towards the Doctor and Rose and comments, "It sounds like a lovely start to fixing things up."

Jackie unexpectedly drags the couple into a bone crushing hug while exclaiming, "Oh, I simply can't wait to get started on the planning!" She draws back with a knowing look as she advises, "You know, you two are going to have to hang around here a bit more often if you want to have any say in this wedding."

"That won't be any problem, Jackie," assures the Doctor. "We have every intention of staying longer on the estate from now on and increasing our visits in-between our travels."

Jackie virtually glows in anticipation and relief at this news. She glances at the Doctor with a trace of worry. "Now, about your friends' invitations…?"

The Doctor waves a hand dismissively through the air as he reassures, "No worries there, Jackie, I'll take care of them personally."

"Good," she breathes in relief, "you see that you do." Jackie's stance emits pure determination as she proclaims, "This is going to be the finest wedding that the Powell Estates has ever seen!" She tosses a wink to the couple as she adds, "And now that Pete's rich again, we won't have to count every quid!"

Nana startles a bit at this declaration and demands, "Pete's rich? How rich?"

Jackie shakes her head in amused exasperation and chastises, "Never mind about that, Mum, that's not important." When she's turned away from the Doctor and Rose, she whispers confidentially, "He's loaded!"

In her normal tone, Jackie announces their departure. "Well, let's go home, Mum. We'll leave these two to work out their fight."

"Mum," sighs Rose in annoyance, "I've already told you, we're not fighting."

Jackie nods her head politely, accompanied by a knowing smirk, and replies, "Of course not, love. I'm sure everything's just fine between the two of you."

Nana walks over to the anxious pair and without any hesitation, stretches her arm out to embrace Rose and give her a kiss on the cheek. As she pulls away, she whispers, "That's my girl." She darts an appraising look at the Doctor before she releases a slightly accepting smile and then places her hat atop her head and angles it to cover her eye patch. With a nod of acknowledgment, she murmurs, "Poof," and then heads over to Jackie.

"Come on, Jackie, let's leave Rose to her man so that we can get back to yours." Nana flashes her own patented Prentice grin when she intones, "I can't wait to tell Pete that I'm staying overnight."

Jackie links her arm through her mum's as she reaches down for her bags and they stroll out the door with Haven following behind. "Good night, kids!" calls Jackie over her shoulder as the TARDIS door shuts behind them with a soft click. As if on cue, the Doctor and Rose turn as one and trudge over to the console dropping over onto the jumpseat with exhausted sighs.

Rose leans her head against her husband's shoulder and softly asks, "Doctor?"

"Yes, love?" he inquires lightly before pressing a gentle kiss against her temple.

"Do you really believe that we can fix this?" she questions quietly.

He pulls her tighter against him as he stares up at the ceiling. "Yes, yes, I do. As Nana said, it's a lovely start but it is still just a start." He lifts his feet up onto the edge of the console and leans back, one arm behind his neck propping up his head and the other around Rose. "I'm going to do the one thing that I never thought that I'd do, I'm going to stop running away. We are going to make ourselves much more available to your Mum so that you can both see each other as much as you would like."

He suddenly swivels his head towards her and stares at her intently. "I meant what I said earlier, Rose. I consider your family as my own now, probably even before our bonding if I'm being honest, and I will do absolutely anything to protect my family." He rubs his hands over his eyes as he sighs, "Even if it's from me."

Rose firmly tugs his hands away from his face and soothes, "It wasn't just you, Doctor." She gazes down at the floor in shame as she admits, "Nana was spot on about everything. No matter what I felt for you when we first met, what we had was a blink of an eye compared to the lifetime that I had spent with my mum."

She stares up at him solemnly and amends, "Not to lessen what we have together in any way, Doctor, because we had something in our first few moments together that most people can't find in a lifetime." Her face contorts in a grimace when she thinks of Jackie's pain. "I still should've put Mum first when I came back after that missing year." She shakes her head regretfully as she recalls, "I was just so terrified that you would leave without me and that I'd never see you again."

The Doctor watches the various emotions that cross Rose's face as she becomes lost in her memories and he interjects, "I know that I came across rather harshly with the standard 'my TARDIS, my rules' when I gave you that ultimatum but I never would have went through with it." At her expression of shock and slight disbelief, he hastily adds, "I would have waited for you. Regardless of what I said, I would have come up with some excuse to stay on the estate until you were ready to leave with me."

"Really?" she whispers in genuine awe. Her nose crinkles up in that adorable way that he adores as she inquires, "How long would you have waited for me?"

His vow to her now is the same as it was the night before their bonding and even before then. "Forever." Her answering smile is all of the reply that he needs.

She attempts to imitate his eyebrow waggle as she purrs seductively, "Remind me to talk to you later about riding a certain Storm."

He chuckles filthily and shoots back, "Why wait? We're in a time machine after all." His eyebrow waggle is much more successful in the suggestive department than Rose's which causes her to laugh in response.

"That would be lovely except we have a wedding that we have to plan." She glances down at the Doctor's beloved coat on the floor and muses, "I guess there really is no safe Haven for us." The Doctor groans at her poor attempt at a joke before he mock glares at her and she questions, "Will you be able to save it?"

The Doctor stares down at his overcoat as if in mourning and woefully bleats, "Yeah, with a bit of sonic cleaning and a really big minty air freshener."

He's still staring morosely at his coat when Rose interlaces her fingers through his own and praises, "That was a brilliant idea that you had about the wedding. I know that it's a lot more domestic than you're used to dealing with and I can't even begin to tell you how much that I appreciate the sacrifice that you're making just to make Mum so happy."

He lifts their linked hands to brush a kiss across her knuckles and vows, "The only way that it would be a sacrifice is if I was giving you up and I have absolutely no intention of ever doing that." Their kiss is swift, sweet and passionate but no less loving or intense for its brevity. The seriousness of the mood is broken however when the Doctor teases, "Although, it's not so much a sacrifice as it is a Herculean trial or a chore. I mean, we are talking about planning a wedding with both your mother and Nana Prentice!"

Rose playfully bumps his shoulder in admonishment and retorts, "You have only yourself to blame."

The Doctor chuckles softly. "Yes, I know, but it won't be so bad, not really. It will be a chance to see old friends again, a bit of food and a bit of drink. We'll have a right proper knees up that will be remembered for years to come!"

Rose gazes lovingly at him as she remembers their first wedding and envisions their upcoming one all at once. "Yeah, it will be." No words are needed as their eyes lock and they instantaneously decide to initiate their link to bask in the privacy of the moment and the bright hope for their future soon followed by a tender kiss.

The Doctor reluctantly tugs Rose to a standing position and prods, "Well, come on Rose Tyler, time to start making out the guest list." They glance at each other with a grimace as a strong unpleasant odor pierces the air around them. "Right after we sonic that coat."

THE END