Alba woke to the morning light streaming through the window. Her stomach flip flopped nervously. Today was the day. The wedding was finally here. She glanced over at the bed next to her and found it empty, save a note.

iGood morning gorgeous!

I can scarcely believe the day is finally upon us. I've gone ahead to make sure things are settled at the wedding venue. Jack will be by to pick you up around noon. Please be showered and ready to go for him.

-The Doctor/i

Like the Doctor himself, the note was brief and to the point. She was only mildly disappointed that he'd left before she'd woken up, knowing she would be seeing him soon enough. She glanced at the bedside clock, which read 8:36. So much time to kill. She had over three hours to become even more nervous than she was already. By the time Jack arrived, she'd likely be a basket case. Steeling herself, she sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Standing, she yawned and stretched, arching her back like a cat. She found the Doctor's house coat on the floor and slid it on. The garment dwarfed her, but she didn't care. It smelled comfortingly of him. She made her way out of the bedroom and down the hall to the kitchen.

The kettle was already out and full of water, sitting on the stove. The tea and sugar were out on the counter. She smiled. The Doctor had known she'd want a cup of tea when she woke up. She turned the stove on, and began heating the water. Lost in her thoughts, she drifted aimlessly around the kitchen, touching knobs and rearranging things to keep her hands busy. The kettle whistled shrilly, pulling her out of her reverie. She poured and fixed her tea before taking a seat at the dining room table. In front of her, on a well-worn sheet of paper, sat her vows. She picked them up with her free hand, smoothing the creases out against the top of the table. She read over them, sounding the words out in her head as the Doctor had taught her, and speaking them out loud for confirmation. Beneath the Gallifreyan text were the Doctor's neat, precise translations in English.

iThese are my solemn vows to you, my most cherished husband

To never stand behind or in front of you, but always beside you

To laugh with you in times of joy, and cry with you in times of pain

To be the suns of your days and the moon of your nights

To be your shelter from the storm and the chaos

To be your fire in the darkness of night

To be the one you confide your dreams and fears in

To be the one who props you up when you are weary and comforts you when you are sick

To walk with you forever as my life's companion and most trusted friend

Now what we have joined let no person tear asunder

For we shall live in love together for the rest of our days/i

He had figured that knowing what the vows meant would help her to memorize them. She didn't know if it had helped or not, but she still felt fairly confident in her ability to recite the right words when the time came. For weeks, she had been practicing them with the Doctor in preparation for the big day. Now that the time was here, though she was nervous, she actually felt ready. Luckily, the vows were relatively simple and easy to remember.

With a gulp, she finished the last of her tea. She pushed up her sleeves, rinsed her mug in the sink and set it to dry in the drainboard. She glanced at the oven clock-it was only 9:07. Hardly any time had passed at all. Sighing, she made her way to the bathroom to shower. Purple, blue, and green light from the stained glass window dappled the stone floor in intricate patterns. She flicked on the light and removed the Doctor's housecoat, leaving it to hang from a hook on the back of the door. In the mirror she watched herself, wondering when the girl she had only so recently been had turned into the young woman staring back at her with anxious eyes. She traced her hairline with a finger, making her way down to the curve of her jaw. Surely, the experience of the past however many weeks hadn't aged her that much?

She cranked the shower on, letting the hot water sluice over her body as she remained lost in her thoughts. She wondered what, if anything, would change between herself and the Doctor once they were married. It seemed she had managed to earn his trust in their brief time together, but she sensed that he still had secrets from her. Thinking of the darkness in his eyes, she could only imagine what those secrets might be. She squeezed shampoo into her hands, and began lathering her hair. The familiar action helped to soothe her jangling nerves. She lingered in the shower long after she had finished cleaning herself. By the time she finally turned the water off, the bathroom had filled with steam. She flipped her head over and roughly began toweling her hair dry, wishing that she had a blow dryer. That finished, she slipped the Doctor's housecoat back on and slid out of the steamy jungle of the bathroom.

In the bedroom, she idly flicked through the hangers in the closet, searching for something simple to wear. She finally settled on a black and white polka dot dress that cut off right above her knees. She didn't figure she'd be wearing it long anyway. After she had dressed, she made her way to the living room, where she spent some time browsing the myriad of books on the shelves. Nothing jumped out at her, and she folded herself onto the couch with a heavy sigh. The next thing she knew, Jack was gently shaking her awake.

"Oh, thank God you're here. I was starting to go mental all by my lonesome," she said, her voice tinged with relief.

"Plenty of time to get your nerves all riled up, huh?" he asked.

"Apparently," she said dryly.

"Don't be nervous, girl. You've got this. I have faith in you," Jack said earnestly.

"Well I appreciate that, but I'm still going to be nervous. It's my wedding day, even if it is nothing like I ever imagined," she said.

"Well, it's about time we were heading out. Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be," she admitted, following him out of the living room. They wound their way down the hallway, into the kitchen, and through the pantry to the long passage that lead into the garage. The gleaming black hover car sat, waiting. Jack opened the door for Alba and helped her climb into the car before making his way around to the driver's side and climbing in. He pressed a button and the ceiling above them parted, revealing the burnt orange sky. With a roar of the engine, they took off.

"So where are we going, anyway? The Doctor has told me next to nothing about the particulars of the wedding," Alba commented, toying with the ends of her hair.

"To New London. There's a very posh hotel there. The ceremony will be in the gardens, and the reception will be in one of the ballrooms," Jack said.

"Wait, there's a New London on Gallifrey?" Alba asked, confused.

"Well, sure. Some of the first settlers on Gallifrey were from England. There are a lot of places on Gallifrey named for places on New Earth," he stated.

Alba mulled this over briefly before asking her next question. "How come I know next to nothing about the wedding but you know all the particulars?"

Jack laughed. "Comes with being the Doctor's right-hand man, doll. I made many of the wedding arrangements myself, on behalf of the Doctor. That's why I know so much. I've been eating, breathing, and sleeping this wedding for a while now. So if you have any questions, feel free to fire away."

"Will there be flowers?" Alba asked.

"Oh, yeah. The centerpieces for the reception are all flowers. Delphinium, blue hydrangea, bluestar, blue asters, and of course, orange blossoms. You'll be carrying a bouquet of blue roses, though," Jack said.

"So I guess the wedding color is blue then," Alba stated dryly.

"It's the Doc's favorite color," Jack explained matter of factually.

"Are his parents going to be there?" she queried

"No. His mother is dead and his father is senile," he said, regret tinging his voice.

"Will anyone from his family be there?" she asked curiously.

"Well, Harry and Rani will be there, although I don't know that the Doctor quite considers them family. And I believe some of his cousins will be in attendance as well," he said.

She was disappointed, but not surprised to hear that Harry and Rani would be there. Together as a couple they gave her the heebie jeebies and that was saying something, since working in the shops she had encountered all manner of eccentric people with aplomb. It took a lot to rattle her, but being in the company of the Doctor's half-brother and his wife had set her on edge. The thought of essentially having to perform in front of them had her stomach back in knots.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked, casting a concerned glance back at her.

"I'm just nervous, Jack. I'm not an actress, and I have to put on the performance of a lifetime. I have to convince everyone that I'm Rose Tyler from Gallifrey, not Alba Prentice of New Earth. Everything is on my shoulders. I just don't want to mess up and give anyone a reason to doubt the Doctor," she confessed.

"I wish I knew what to say to make you feel better. If it helps, I have faith in you, and so does the Doctor," he said earnestly.

"Thanks. I suppose it does help, at least a little bit," she replied.

The rest of the ride passed by in relative silence as sloping mountains and silver-leafed trees gave way to soaring skyscrapers and sprawling cityscape. Jack hummed softly along with the radio as he drove. About fifteen minutes after they'd flown into the city, Jack landed the hover car in the hotel's underground car park. They got out and took the elevator up to the hotel lobby, where they were greeted by a lithe woman with brown hair and dark eyes.

"You must be Rose. I'm Leela, the event coordinator. We're running right on schedule, so let me get you down to the dressing room to get your hair and makeup done," the woman said as they walked. Alba looked back helplessly at Jack as the woman guided her by the elbow down a long hallway.

Jack waved goodbye. "I'll see you in a few hours, doll."

They arrived at the dressing room, where two women sat waiting on a loveseat. They both stood when Alba and Leela entered the room.

"Tegan, Sarah Jane, this is our blushing bride, Rose," Leela said.

"Pleased to meet you," they replied in unison. Alba shook each of their hands in turn.

"We'll do your hair first," one of the women said, patting a chair. Alba took a seat. "What were you thinking you wanted to do for your hair?"

"Well, I don't properly know. I hadn't given it any thought. What do you think?" Alba asked, hands folded in her lap.

"I think it'd look lovely in a side braid. We can try that, and if you don't like it I can take it down and start over," the woman said primly.

"Okay. Whatever you think is best," Alba replied, relaxing in the chair as the woman began to gather up her hair. On the loveseat across from them, the makeup artist managed to intently file her nails and look bored at the same time. Alba felt her hair being pulled, twisted, and pinned into submission. This went on for nearly half an hour.

"What do you think?" the hair stylist finally asked, holding up a mirror so Alba could look.

"Yeah, it looks nice. I like it. Thank you…" Alba said, floundering for the woman's name.

"Sarah Jane," the hair stylist supplied.

"Thank you, Sarah Jane. It's lovely," Alba said sincerely.

"Alright Tegan, she's all ready for you," Sarah Jane said, flitting away.

Tegan heaved a silver case with her over to the chair. She set it on the end table next to them, and popped it open, revealing the tools of her trade. "I was thinking a dark, smoky eye and a dramatic red lip, a hint of rouge on the cheeks. What do you think?"

"Sounds good, yeah," Alba nodded agreeably.

"I think you're one of the easiest clients I've ever had," Tegan remarked as she smoothed foundation over Alba's face with her fingertips.

"Oh. Well thank you, I guess," Alba replied offhandedly. The makeup artist worked in silence, alternating between using her fingers and her brushes for application. She had a light hand, and Alba barely felt her working.

"Finished. Take a look," Tegan said, handing Alba the mirror.

Alba sucked in a breath, startled at her own transformation. The makeup was flawless, and made her look very much the proper adult. She scarcely recognized the face peering back at her. "It's positively glamorous, Tegan. Thank you."

Tegan beamed at her. "It was a pleasure. You have such lovely, porcelain skin. You'll make a beautiful bride."

Just then, a knock came on the door. "It's Jessuro," called the voice on the other side of the door.

"Come in," Alba called back. The door opened, and Jessuro bustled in, several garment bags thrown over her arms.

"Oh girl, you look like a starlet. But the classy kind, not the trampy kind," Jessuro said with a smile.

Alba laughed, disarmed. "Well that's an odd compliment, but I'll take it."

"We're going to head out. Good luck today, darling," Sarah Jane said. Tegan blew her a kiss and ducked out the door.

"Well the ladies certainly outdid themselves. You look smashing," Jessuro reiterated, unpacking the clothes from their bags. "Are you nervous?"

"I've never been more nervous in my life," Alba said with a chuckle.

"Well you wouldn't know by looking at you. Let's get you dressed. The ceremony will be starting soon," Jessuro said.

Alba quickly divested herself of her clothing, letting it fall to the floor. With quick and clever hands, Jessuro helped her into her bridal undergarments before having her step into the gown. Carefully, Jessuro laced and tightened the bodice and then busied herself fluffing the skirt. Only the veil and shoes remained. Jessuro had Alba sit so she could help her into the shoes and carefully pin the veil to the back of her head. Standing back, she admired her work.

"So what say you girl. You ready to get married?" she asked, hands on her hips.

"I'm ready now. Thank you, Jessuro," Alba said earnestly, getting back to her feet.

"Wait here. I'll let them know you're ready," Jessuro said, slipping out the door. Alba stood and paced around the room, unsure of what to do with herself. Several minutes later, Jessuro returned to the room with Jack by her side.

"You look amazing, kiddo. The Doctor is a lucky man," Jack said with a wide grin. He handed her a bouquet of blue roses and offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

"I suppose so," Alba said, taking his arm. He lead her back down the hallway to a set of French doors. Through the glass, she could see an unnerving number of people sitting in white chairs, waiting. Further up, she saw the Doctor, dressed in a tuxedo and standing with his hands behind his back. She swallowed, hard. Seeing him standing there waiting made it all suddenly feel very real. Heart pounding, she took several deep breaths in an effort to calm her breathing.

"Alright. Let's do this," Jack said, opening the door. Music, whatever passed for a Gallifreyan wedding march, tinkled softly in the background as Jack and Alba made their way down the aisle. Alba kept her vision trained firmly ahead of her, to avoid looking directly at the crowd. At the corners of her eyes, she saw the tell tale flash of a camera. When they reached the Doctor, Jack let go of her arm and and went to stand by him. Shakily, she turned her gaze to the Doctor, who offered her a small smile in return. She hardly heard the officiant do the greeting and opening blessing, though both of these were in English.

"Now James and Rose, together you will light this candle, as a symbol of your unity," the officiant said, handing each of them a lit candle. Together they moved forward, holding their flames to the unlit candle in unison before setting them down on the table. They resumed their original positions on either side of the officiant.

The officiant first lead the Doctor through the recitation of his vows before turning to Alba. "Now Rose, please repeat after me."

Alba swallowed nervously, but found that the words came to her easily. She recited her vows in a clear and strong cadence, her voice never faltering, her gaze never leaving the Doctor. When she finished, she let go an imperceptible sigh of relief.

"May the most you wish for be the least you get. May your troubles be less and your blessings be more, and nothing but happiness come through your door. May your right hand always be stretched out in friendship and never in want. May the roof over your head never fall in, and the friends gathered below it never fall out. Now, in the presence of your family and friends, I pronounce you what your hearts have known you to be, husband and wife. James, you may kiss your bride," the officiant said.

The Doctor leaned forward and cupped Alba's chin in his hand, drawing her in for a soft and tender kiss. The crowd broke out in applause and cheers, and his hands drifted to rest on her waist. Behind them, the camera flashed endlessly.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Mr. and Mrs. James McCrimmon!" the officiant cried enthusiastically when they broke their kiss.

Together, they turned to face the crowd, smiling. Alba looked out on the sea of unfamiliar faces and clutched the Doctor's hand tightly. Whoever these people were, they seemed genuinely happy. She wasn't surprised to notice that the only two people in the audience who didn't seem to be enjoying themselves were Harry and Rani. Pushing them to the back of her mind, she let the Doctor lead her back down the aisle and through the French doors.

"Oh Rose, you've never looked lovelier," the Doctor said, beaming.

"You're looking devastatingly handsome yourself, husband," she said, poking her tongue through her teeth at him.

"Well the easy part is over. The hard part will be dealing with all the well wishers," he sighed.

"Well, I'll let you do most of the talking. Hopefully, no one will be in too nosey a mood. If anything, they'll probably be asking when we plan on having children," she said.

"Well at least we can answer that one honestly," he said, his lips quirking up in a smile.

"Yeah," she said, grinning back at him.

"We've got a few minutes before they'll expect us in the ballroom. Let's disappear," he suggested.

"Okay," she said, letting him pull her down the hallway and into the dressing room. Together, they collapsed onto the loveseat, laughing.

The Doctor smiled at her. "I just wanted a moment alone with you before we venture out into the fray. I'll have to share you with the rest of them then...and I don't want to," he confessed.

"I don't want to share you, either. But we'll be alone again in a few hours," she said.

"Not soon enough," he said plaintively.

"So...Jamie," she said, drawing his name out. "Where are you taking me on our honeymoon?"

"God, I love it when you say my name. Do it again," he said.

"Jamie," she said, letting it roll off her tongue. "Where are you taking me on our honeymoon, Jamie?"

"So... all of time and space, everything that ever happened or ever will - where do you want to start?" he asked, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"Anywhere?" she questioned.

"Anywhere," he affirmed.

"Can we go to New Earth? To see my mother?" she asked.

The Doctor pulled a face. "That doesn't sound particularly romantic."

"You said anywhere," she reminded him.

"Yes...I did," he acquiesced. "I will take you to see your mother. But first, I want to take you somewhere fantastic. So Rose...where do you want to go?"

She pondered this thoughtfully. "All of time and space, eh? I wouldn't even know where to begin, the past or the future. But you, you've travelled before. Surely you can think of somewhere fantastic to take me?"

"Oh, I'm sure I could come up with something. Let me think about it and get back to you later," he said.

"We should probably be getting back," she said regretfully.

"Yeah, you're probably right," he agreed, taking her hand and pulling her up from the loveseat. "Let's go face the music, shall we, wife?"

"We shall, husband," she said, linking her arm with his. Together, they made their way back down the hallway to the ballroom. They paused outside the doors.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Ready," she replied, nodding.

The Doctor pushed the door open and they were met with more applause and cheers when they entered the room. The Doctor steered Alba across the floor to their table, where he pulled out her chair. Standing, he addressed the crowd.

"Rose and I would like to thank you all for being here today. It means so much to us that you can join in our celebration. So please eat, drink, and be merry," he said, taking his seat. Some people took this invitation to visit the sumptuous buffet laid out on tables against the walls. Others visited the bar in the farthest corner of the room. Still, even more people filtered over to the table to congratulate them. After a while, the faces started blurring together. Alba kept up a cheerful but demure smile, and let the Doctor do the talking. Eventually, Harry and Rani approached the table.

"Congratulations on carrying off the charade," Harry said frostily.

"I'm quite certain I don't know what you're talking about," the Doctor replied evenly.

Rani sneered at them. "We know where your wife is really from. As if her mediocre Gallifreyan didn't give it away."

"Well growing up in an orphanage, she didn't have access to the best education. You can't hold that against her," the Doctor said, his voice like steel.

"An orphanage. Right. Sure," Harry said sarcastically.

"If you have something to say, Harry, I suggest you say it," the Doctor said threateningly.

Harry considered this. "Congratulations," he said finally.

"What?" the Doctor asked in disbelief.

"You heard me, you knob. Congratulations. And goodbye," he said, disappearing with Rani at his side.

"Well that was weird," Alba commented.

"I don't like it," the Doctor said darkly. "He's got something up his sleeve, guaranteed. I'm pretty sure he stole the vortex manipulator from my lab."

"What?" Alba asked, shock written across her face. "When did that happen?"

"I don't know when it went missing. The sign-out log was empty, and so was the box for the vortex manipulator. I know it was Harry, I just can't prove it," he said with a frown.

"Well, we've got to do something," Alba said.

"I know. But I'll be damned if I know what that something is, exactly," he said.

"Is there anyway you could like..I don't know, trace a signal or something to figure out where it went?" she asked hopefully.

"I could use the sonic to tune into the same frequency as the vortex manipulator, trace it that way. But all that would do is give us the last coordinates it travelled to, which doesn't necessarily help prove who took it," he said glumly.

"Yeah, but it's better than nothing. When can you do it?" she asked urgently.

"I could do it right now and no one would be the wiser," he said conspiratorially.

"Well go on then. What are you waiting for?" she said.

The Doctor took the sonic screwdriver out of his breast pocket and fiddled with the settings. Holding it up to his ear, he listened. After a moment, he slid the screwdriver back in his pocket with a look of consternation on his face.

"What? What is it? Where did it go?" she asked, dread in her voice.

"New Earth," he said faintly. "So that confirms it. That's how Harry knew where you came from. He must have stolen the vortex manipulator and somehow followed me to New Earth. But if he did that...that must mean he's figured out how to track the signal of my vortex manipulator."

"Well, shit," Alba said, at loss for anything else to say.

"Yeah, many things about this are not good," the Doctor said worriedly.

"Doctor...Jamie. The first time I met Harry, I thought he looked familiar. But I couldn't place him. Do you think maybe he could've had something to do with me ending up in the slave exchange?" she asked anxiously.

"I honestly don't know, Rose, but it turns my guts cold just thinking about it. What motivation could he possibly have to do that? Unless...unless he always meant for us to meet. But why? Oh my God...because he knew how much you looked like my wife. It had to be intentional," the Doctor said.

Alba swallowed. "Do you really think Harry could've been the one who kidnapped me?"

"Well, it makes sense. Sort of. But I honestly don't know. And it's not like he'll admit to having anything to do with the disappearance of the vortex manipulator," the Doctored stated matter of factually.

"There's got to be something we can do. You're a chemist, isn't there some kind of truth serum?" she questioned.

"Oh, I'm so thick! Purple truth sage, of course!" the Doctor said, pounding his fist against the table. "Rose, you're brilliant."

"Purple truth sage? What's that even mean?" Alba asked, confused.

"It means," the Doctor said, eyes twinkling, "That it's about time we had Harry and Rani over for dinner again."

"So is purple truth sage like a truth serum then?" she asked.

"Oh, yes. And if we time it right, have a late dinner, I can dose him that night and confront him the next morning at work. He won't be able to help it, he'll have to tell the truth then. And if I get him to confess where he hid the vortex manipulator, even better," the Doctor said, sounding immensely more cheerful.

"And now, it's time for the happy couple's first dance!" the DJ announced.

Alba cast a sidelong glance at the Doctor, thinking the timing couldn't be any worse. Still, she let him lead her to the dance floor as the first strains of Etta James' "At Last" played over the speakers.

"Just follow my lead," he whispered smoothly in her ear, placing his arm around her waist. Easily, they glided across the dance floor together, falling into a perfect rhythm. Alba rested her head on the Doctor's shoulder, and he planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

i"My heart was wrapped up in clover, the night I looked at you,"/i Alba sang softly. The Doctor tilted her head up and brought his lips to her own, kissing her hungrily.

"Cheeky, cheeky," she breathed into his mouth. "What will your great aunt Amelia think?"

"Fuck great aunt Amelia," he growled under his breath, bringing her in for another kiss.

After the last guest had filtered out of the ballroom, the Doctor and Alba retired to their room for the night. The benefit of hosting the wedding at a posh hotel was getting to stay in the honeymoon suite afterwards. The Doctor peeled himself out of his tuxedo before unlacing Alba's bodice, freeing her from the stiff prison of the dress. She shimmied out of her complicated undergarments, and dove naked onto the gigantic bed.

"Care to join me?" she said, patting the bed next to her.

The Doctor grinned, and took his pants off before diving onto the bed next to her. "So what do you say? You want to consummate this marriage?"

"Yes, please," she said, nodding vigorously.

So they did. Several times.