Asking Permission

The rest of the week went smoothly. They dismantled the dimension cannon. After that was complete, Pete sent Joshua to start training for a team. The work was exhausting, he found, but the team worked well. Rose wasn't a part of it, but then, she had her own job. Joshua did as well, technically, but he became one of the few assigned to R&D who were trained in some sort of combat. He still shied away from any weapons, but Jake still insisted he prove that he could shoot one. He then stopped complaining when Joshua proved he was a much better shot than anyone in the company.

"Just because I don't like weapons doesn't mean I can't use them."

Friday night saw him completely exhausted. He fell onto their couch almost immediately and opted not to move. Rose took pity on him and ordered pizza. He'd cooked every night since they'd been home, so she figured he could use a break.

He let his mind drift while sitting down. He was nervous and anxious about this weekend. He hadn't told Rose, but he planned on asking Pete's permission to marry Rose in a formal Earth ceremony. It didn't need to be posh, but he owed it to her to give her something normal in their not so normal lives. Oh, he knew Rose knew he was planning on getting a ring, but he'd kept the other carefully hidden from her wandering mind.

~DW~~DW~~DW~

Joshua and Rose arrived at the mansion at noon on Saturday. He had butterflies in his stomach. His intention today was to talk to Jackie and Pete and ask for Rose's hand in marriage. A very old fashioned thing to do on Earth, but it was typical on Gallifrey. Well, at least for those marriages that weren't political. Joshua also wanted Pete's help on picking out a ring.

Jackie led them out back to the patio where she had a small lunch prepared. Tony was running around the yard.

"Look at you two! You're practically glowing!" Joshua's ears tinged pink but Rose had a full blush.

"Shut up."

"Oh, you finally did it, didn't ya!" She squealed at her daughter.

"Jackie." Pete looked at her with a mock glare. "No need to pry into the kids' personal lives."

Jackie rolled her eyes at Pete.

"Actually, Pete, I need to talk to you." Joshua gestured back towards the house. Pete raised his eyebrow but followed Joshua into the house. Jackie looked at Rose, trying for an explanation.

"You know what that's about, then?"

"Yup! He's asking Pete for advice on a jeweler." Jackie gasped.

"He gonna ask?"

"I think it's more a formality at this point."

"Wacha mean?"

"We kinda already bonded."

Jackie looked at Rose confused.

"That some sort of alien marriage?"

"Pretty much. But we both want an actual ceremony. Nothing big. A hand-fasting. Just a few guests, Mum, not the entire world."

"But you're the Vitex heir. It's expected to be big!"

"I don't care. This is what we want. Now, if you want, we can just go and elope." Rose looked at her mother, trying to make her understand. Jackie heaved a large sigh.

"Fine. Something small. Give me the list of people you want invited. And the date and I'll put the rest of it together for ya." Rose beamed at her mother and hugged her.

"Thank you." She whispered. Jackie hugged her tighter.

~DW~~DW~~DW~

In the house, Joshua was nervous. He'd never really courted anyone before. On Gallifrey, marriages had been arranged. Well, his had been. He'd loved his wife, but she was lost to him now. He knew in theory what to do, but standing here with Pete made it seem that much, well, more.

"Doctor, stop pacing."

Joshua stopped and grinned widely at Pete.

"Glad to see that you still think so."

"So, what did you call me in here for."

"Umm, well…canIhaveyourdaughter'shandinmarriage?" He rushed.

"Doctor….I would be honored." Joshua smiled, full of relief.

"Can I…get your help with a ring?" Pete grinned at him. The courageous man he knew was nervous about getting married. It was amazingly human of him and made Pete think more of the man, if that were possible.

"Don't worry about the ring. I'll take care of that. Now, is Rose talking to Jackie about planning the wedding?"

"Yeah. We don't want anything big, Pete. Just a hand-fasting with a few friends."

"Gonna be a tough sell to Jackie. This is her only daughter."

"True, but this is also about damage control. You know how Jeopardy-friendly Rose is, not to mention me. The less people, the less we have to rescue."

Pete barked out a laugh and Joshua joined in. Neither could deny the truth of those words.

"So, since I know Jackie will be harping on Rose for a bit, why don't you and I sneak out to the jewelry store. We might get lucky and find something you like."

"That….that sounds brilliant, Pete."

~DW~~DW~~DW~

"So, what ya lookin' for sweetie?" River Song, or as she was known here, Melody Pond, asked Joshua for the third time.

"I…um…I'm looking for something with a darkish blue stone."

"What, no diamonds? Diamonds are a girl's best friend, you know." She told him, winking. That seemingly made him even more bothered which delighted her.

"No, not this girl. She has her heart set on blue."

"Hmm….let me see. Do you want custom made or something we already have?"

"Let's try with what you have and if I don't find it, then we'll look at custom." He'd apparently gotten over his shock because he was no longer stuttering.

Melody took them over to a case that had rings of varying shades of blue. Some light. Some dark. He spent ten minutes looking them over, taking them out and eyeing them, before he finally found the one he was looking for.

The band was white gold. Set in the middle was a beautiful 2 carat sapphire flanked on each side by a 1 carat diamond. The price was hefty, but Pete assured Joshua he would be more than happy to pay for it.

"Joshua, you've given this family more than I can ever repay you for. Let me do this." Joshua finally relented. Now all he needed to do was find the perfect time to propose.

~DW~~DW~~DW~

On the way back, they talked about the recent invasion attempt. Gloa had been docile since his capture. Apparently, it was dishonorable to be captured and he had tried everything to get the guards to kill him. But the skies had been clear of anyone seeking revenge. The Nazurians hadn't entered into any negotiations and were pointedly ignoring Pete and Rose's attempts at communication.

"I just really don't know what to do with him. He's too dangerous to let loose in society, but I feel really bad about keeping him locked up."

"Well, he is a criminal, Pete. Let's just give it some time. Maybe he'll come around. If not, by that point we should have figured out what to do with him."

~DW~~DW~~DW~

Jackie and Rose had spent the afternoon gossiping. It had taken them about twenty minutes to realize the men had left. Jackie went about trying to embarrass her daughter even though Tony was the only one who could hear. Rose still blushed which delighted Jackie.

It wasn't long after 2:00pm when they heard Pete's car coming up the drive. By that time, Rose and Jackie had compiled the guest list. It had close to fifty people on it, but Rose figured she could deal with that. This week had been exhausting for them all but Rose and Joshua had agreed to watch Tony tonight so Pete and Jackie could go out. They weren't planning on much, but it would give them some time alone which they hadn't really had since they'd gotten back from the jump.

~DW~~DW~~DW~

The night went fairly well. Joshua and Rose let Tony pick their movies for the night. Joshua was surprised to find they still had Disney here. Tony picked several movies. They made a pallet on the floor and the three of them lay there all evening, watching films. They ordered pizza for the second night in a row. Not a single one complained. Eventually, they all drifted to sleep.

Jackie and Pete walked quietly into the house. There in the floor in their living room were their three children. Tony was tucked in between Rose and Joshua. They looked so peaceful and content that Jackie couldn't resist taking a picture. It woke Joshua, of course, but he only lifted his head. He smiled blearily at them, before plopping his head back down and falling asleep.