I forgot to post this with an author's note! I remembered in the shower so here it is:
Much thanks to SquintSquad183 for wanting more :) This is going to be sort of an epilogue transition story between two other stories I'll be working on. Hope you like it!
Also, I changed the lyrics a bit on this one. I also changed the name of the story to accommodate more than one song.
When I look into your eyes…
He twirled Rose around the dance floor. It had taken so long to get here. They'd danced around each other for years, got lost, then found, and then the universe got in the way. Somebody always needed saving. His meta-crisis self, being the self-sacrificing git Rose loved, had made a few adjustments to Torchwood's dimension cannon and sent her back to him. Granted, the other universe was being ripped apart, metal balls flying around and time fracturing every where and when, and the landing had been a bit dodgy, but she'd made it back to him. She was safe.
It's like watching the night sky…
She brought him back with that infectious smile; he couldn't help but grin back. He had Rose Tyler, finally. He saw movement out of the corner of his eye and smirked. His previous self was hiding behind a pillar, out of the way, and he was scowling at him. He wouldn't recognize himself, no. The TARDIS made sure to create a sort of Time Lord filter. The Huitions were already looking for him; no need to ruin today with reapers. It's not like this was their third attempt at a wedding. At least this one was successful.
Or a beautiful sunrise…
"I'm gonna go see 'im. I'll be back in a bit, yeah?"
He smiled down at his wife and kissed her forehead; he nodded and moved over to the bar.
"One banana daiquiri please," he asked before turning and watching as Rose practically jumped the leather-clad Time Lord. He smiled, just now remembering what it was like, seeing Rose in a wedding dress come towards him for a hug. He looked over towards Jack and found him watching the interaction with amusement.
"You alright, Doc?"
"Don't call me that."
Jack raised his hands in surrender.
"Those two are just too cute."
The Doctor scowled at him. It wasn't that he didn't like her spending time with his previous self; in fact, he clung to these memories as he was regenerating. He carried on because he promised her and she kept him fighting.
"Truth be told, I missed that you too." The Doctor shot him an annoyed glance, his eyes returning to Rose almost imediately. "It's true, Doc. I adore this version of you, don't get me wrong, but you never forget your first. That you was the one that showed me I could be more."
"Rose did that."
They shared a chuckle. "Yeah, she did, but you make people better, Doctor. You show them the stars and teach them how to be the best they can be. I never regret my time with you, not even the year that never was, because it was worth it."
Jack clapped him on the shoulder and turned to leave.
"Think I could get old leather and big ears into bed this time?"
Well there's so much they hold…
Sarah-Jane came over to him. "Congratulations. I hear there's talk of you going domestic." He cringed and she laughed.
"This is probably the most domestic I'll get. This whole thing is for show anyway. Rose and I have been bonded for weeks. She wanted to include everybody, though. Since her mom was still in Pete's World when it collapsed, she needed something to confirm the fact that she does have family here. It's been a bit rough on her."
Sarah-Jane looked toward Rose and nodded. "She lost everything she'd had all over again. How did she deal with being sent away again? She and I talked about it once before but not since she's been back."
And just like them old stars…
He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "Bad things happen when Rose Tyler is sent away from those she cares about. She needs to have a choice and both the meta-crisis and I have a habit of taking it away from her. She ended up slapping me the first time I saw her again. She was at Torchwood with Jack, actually. She managed to come through the rift and he found her. I didn't get called until a week later and there have been quite a few rows about that. She's still struggling but she's Rose; she'll put the universe before her own problems." He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Martha found her crying in the shower last night. She won't tell me what was said but I can tell it was about him, meta-crisis me. She feels a bit like she's betraying him. I tried to explain it like regeneration, he was me and I was him, but she pointed out that the past me and this me are also different. It's bit complicated but the one thing she was sure of, above all else, was that she still loves me."
I see that you've come so far…
Sarah-Jane patted his arm. "That's the important thing. The rest will work out eventually. Have you figured out where you're taking her, yet?" The Doctor grinned.
"I was thinking of letting the TARDIS decide. It'd be her wedding present to us." He saw Jack move towards Rose and the old him. Sarah-Jane followed his gaze.
"She's happy, Doctor. It may not be the most conventional life, but she'd live it a thousand times over for you."
With that, she left him to his thoughts and banana daiquiri. The Doctor smiled and looked around the room. He could see Mickey with a very pregnant Martha; Sarah-Jane was now talking to her son and K-9; Rose was leading the old him to the dance floor; Wilf was talking to the wedding planner; everyone was smiling.
To be right where you are…
His family: as big as can be; at least until Martha gives birth, then it'll be bigger. They survived. Humans are indomitable. He chuckled and walked over to his chair. He'd let his previous self have this dance; it'd always been a favorite memory of his, dancing with Rose. He watched her laugh and smile. Her dance partner couldn't keep the grin off his face. This was how it should be: her smiling, tongue between her teeth, at him, any him. He frowned when he thought of how little time his previous self would have with her. Satellite 5 was sure to happen soon and with it, his regeneration. He saw the man's hand dip a little lower than he'd like and his frown deepened.
How old is your soul…
It doesn't matter. Let him have this. He glanced down at his right hand. This hand wasn't the one that grabbed hers in that basement. This hand was the one she took after his regeneration and subsequent swordfight. She'd promised her forever to him. She promised to be the one to hold his hand. She'd given up everything for him and he still couldn't understand it. He felt a wave of delight from Rose. He looked up to see the old him pull her up out of the dip.
I won't give up on us…
He stood and walked over to the cake table. A large box covered the cake, courtesy of Captain Jack Harkness. "I'd like to take this moment to thank everyone who decided to come today despite the very high risk of an alien invasion or other world catastrophe. If my gorgeous wife could join me, please." He smiled as she moved towards him and placed her arm around his waist.
"Again, thank you all for coming to one of the most unconventional celebrations I've ever been to and that's saying something. We didn't get to choose the cake; Jack did, so if it sucks, blame him."
"Hey!"
The Doctor laughed.
Even if the skies get rough…
"Well, this big box should go so we can have some sugar." His wife gave him an incredulous look.
"Just what we need: you on sugar."
The Doctor only grinned, knowing she was right. He lifted the box and watched Rose's eyes light up. She turned towards their audience.
"You know, I'm just glad it wasn't phallic."
He decided that nobody would miss a little frosting at the bottom. He slid his finger along the edge and popped it in his mouth.
"It's BANANA!"
Rose glared at him and he moved to wipe off his finger, looking a bit sheepish.
I'm giving you all my love…
"Right, sorry. Care to join me?"
He wiggled his eyebrows and held out the carving knife. She took it from him and moved to stand in front. He put his arms around her and rested his right hand on her left, positioning them at the bottom of the cake. She turned and smiled up at him as he pushed their hands down, still gazing at her brown eyes; his beautiful, stubborn, amazing, short-tempered wife. She'd crossed universes, looked into the time vortex, and defied the laws of the universe, all for him. Smiling, they took their respective pieces of cake. Rose was the picture of innocence; she seemed to look at him like he was her everything. She looked far too innocent, actually. The Doctor, however, had a devious glint in his eye. They brought the pieces of cake to each other's mouths. He figured he would smush it from her chin, up her cheek, and everywhere else he could get it before she slapped him. Rose, in a show of skill he'd be proud of at a later point, managed to avoid getting the cake in her eye while pushing the yellow cake all over his face and in his hair.
I'm still looking up…
She was covered in blue and yellow and to him, she was positively gorgeous. He smiled at his wife and licked the frosting from her chin to just under her eye. He'd get payback for the frosting in his hair later. For now, though, he grabbed her and snogged her quite thoroughly.
He leaned in to whisper in her ear.
"Just wait 'till I get you alone later, Rose."
His voice was deep and had a slight Northern lilt. He watched her shudder before muttering something about his oral fixation, and grabbed cake for the younger him and Jack. He decided to dutifully make his rounds while she was busy and moved to thank the wedding planner. He looked back at her to see her rubbing her frosting-clad face all over his other self and he couldn't help but laugh. A yell from Jack distracted him and he saw the immortal covered in blue and yellow. He knew this might spark another food feud and made his way over to dispel those notions. He didn't need another ruined suit, thanks so much.
"You know, Rosie, if you wanted me covered in frosting, you only had to ask."
"Jack, stop it."
The Doctor felt a familiar possessive look in his eyes. He saw his past self give him an appraising stare. He smiled and nodded to himself, glared at Jack, then left to go thank his guests, again.
'Cause even the stars, they burn…
The Doctor was getting a bit sick of shaking hands, saying 'thanks for coming,' and, believe it or not, smiling. Never in his 923 years did he think he'd be sick of smiling. After the past hour of being, dare he say, polite, he was ready to whisk Rose away for their vacation. His Rose had danced with everyone, including Wilf, and he danced with just about every female here. Jack attempted to steal him for a dance, much to Rose's amusement. After dancing with Jack to "My Heart Will Go On," he twirled Donna Noble, their wedding planner, around to "Twist and Shout." He moved to sit next to his old self and decided to strike up a conversation.
"She's brilliant, you know."
"Yes, she is. Bit jeopardy-friendly though."
He chuckled at that. His previous self would find out just how deep that ran soon enough.
"That's an understatement. She managed to get kidnapped last week. Some bloke from Aulturian 8 wanted a pure-blood human wife and she was a prime candidate. Granted, he let her go when she ripped into him. She told him that if he didn't bring her back then she'd be sure to make their married life hell. She wasn't about to miss the wedding she waited years for."
He looked out towards Rose, who was dancing to "Cotton-Eye Joe" with Jack, Sarah-Jane, Mickey, and just about everyone else. He still felt like he was living in a dream. He didn't believe it when Jack had called him.
"Hey, Doc. I know you're busy saving the space-time continuum or something but I need you to stop by when you get a spare moment."
He'd made it there a month later for him but five minutes for Jack. It was one of his better landings really. He stopped to tie his trainer and the door opened. He had expected Jack but was graced with wide, brown eyes and long, blonde hair. His hearts had stopped and he was thankful he had a respiratory bypass. He had her back.
Some even fall to the Earth…
He turned to look at the old him.
"She misses you, you know. She doesn't talk about you much because she doesn't want to hurt my feelings but I can see it. You took her away and showed her the stars. She's meant for much more than a nine to five job with a house."
His old self smiled knowingly. He remembered her face when he first showed her an alien planet. He could hear her gasp when he brought her out of her time. He could even remember her determined face when she saved him from the Autons.
"Rose Tyler is fantastic. She's much more than a stupid ape. She'll stand up for what she believes, never mind the consequences."
Understatement of the century.
"She's also more stubborn than her mother." They both laughed at this.
"I take it you're not too fond of Jackie?" He shuddered and his old self chuckled.
"She slapped me once; it still hurts. She kissed me too, full on the lips." His old self shuddered this time.
We've got a lot to learn…
Rose bounded back up to them, reaching for her drink. "How are my two favorite men doing?"
"Hey!"
"Jack, you're third."
The Doctors rolled their eyes.
"I'm brilliant." She kissed his cheek and looked toward the old Doctor, eyebrow raised.
"Having fun, Doctor?"
"Still as cheeky as ever, I see." She grinned at him. "Should see me on a bad day."
The Doctor snorted behind her. After deciding he had had enough of the lack of physical contact, he pulled her into his lap, despite her glare. He might have reminded himself that seeing Rose happy with a scrawny bean pole wasn't his favorite thing in the universe at that point in his past. His old self had glanced away with a pained look in his eyes.
"So what's with the TARDIS cake?"
Rose turned back to the old him and smiled softly.
"I've been complaining to Jack that I missed seeing the TARDIS recently. I think that's how it all popped up. The banana frosting was all for him." She jerked her thumb toward him. "He's got an unhealthy obsession with bananas. I thought you were bad but he's just ridiculous."
"Oi! I don't appreciate that."
I know we're worth it…
Later on, the Doctor held Rose's left hand in his right. They looked around at everyone lining up, ready to toss something at them. Rose turned and whispered in his ear.
"There's something I've wanted to do for a while. Is it alright?"
He nodded, kissed her forehead, and sent her along towards his younger self. He watched as she tugged him into the shadows a bit. He might've frowned when his younger self cupped her cheek. Her arms flung around that version of him and he smiled at the memory. He could practically feel her body heat against rough leather. He looked away from the private moment. He saw smiling faces and understanding glances. Jack gave him a wink before pointing to himself, Rose, and both Doctors. He couldn't help the eye roll and shake of his head. Some things won't change, thank Rassilon.
"Rose!"
The Doctor looked over at his Rose.
"Yes, Doctor?"
He smiled. So many times, she'd said those words to him. The most important time still hadn't happened for the old him.
"Have a fantastic life."
Both Doctors said the words but one was whispered. The Doctor tugged his suit jacket before reaching out his hand for Rose. His fingers and eyebrows waggled and she laughed. He took her hand and they ran, dodging shiny, plastic keys being tossed around their heads. They ran to a blue box and ducked inside, giggling.
No, I won't give up…
"Not a bad life."
She grinned at him, tongue caught between her teeth.
"Better with two."
His eyes softened and he closed the space between them, pressing her into the doors of their TARDIS.
"How long are you going to stay with me?"
She whispered her response in his ear.
"Forever."