AN- Here's the final chapter (sad, I know, but it's my favorite chapter.) I am so excited to have finished my first fanfiction, and this has been a fun experience, short as it was. Thank you to all of you who have reviewed, I think you will be quite pleased by this chapter *wink.* This just sort of happened, the Doctor and Rose took my pencil and keyboard and danced off with them and then here's a chapter. Read, Enjoy, and Review.
Disclaimer: Still do not own Doctor Who. And I also no longer own a pomegranate. It's very sad.
Ch 3: Pomegranate Party
Rose stepped up to the mirror-like surface of the pool, running a hand down the garment she'd been gifted by Nakima. After her nap, she and the Doctor had finished their de-seeding of the pomegranates, and had been invited to the festival- although Nakima had warned them it was going to be smaller and more subdued this year. Rose had brought her own gift from the TARDIS, the little bowl of seeds she'd taken from her own Earth pomegranate. Nakima's eyes flooded with purple tears at the "sacred gift" and promised Rose a very special ceremony tonight despite the blonde's attempts to wave off the gratitude. And now, she was clothed in a beautiful slip of a dress, woven from what appeared to be flower petals and leaves from hundreds of different plants in an aromatic, beautiful blend of soft and earthy colors.
With one last look in the mirror-pool Rose stepped out of the hollow tree dwelling only to find, to her surprise, the Doctor standing sheepishly with a crown of flowers and leaves adorning his head. Rose giggled, but stopped abruptly when she noticed he was just standing there, mouth agape. He was too far away fro her to see the expression in his dark eyes, but he was unusually still and that worried her.
"Doctor, what's wrong?" she asked nervously, suddenly feeling self-conscious as she glanced down at her appearance. She caught sight of her bare feet and noticed with some half-hearted amusement that the Doctor's feet were bare too, though he still wore his pinstriped suit and trousers. "Is it the dress? I knew it would look kind of strange but…"
"It's beautiful; you're beautiful," he said quietly. Rose's face split into a wide grin, her special tongue-in-teeth, just for you grin and they both broke into a run to close the distance between them. He scooped her into a swirling hug, and Rose closed her eyes, losing herself in the dizzying spin and wishing it would never end. She was still giddy and disoriented when he set her down, and it was all she could do to hold tightly to one of his hands for balance while the other slipped into her hair, just above her ear.
"What are you doing," she asked breathlessly, her eyes locked on his as she reached tentatively to where his hand still rested just below her temple. Her fingers brushed his, electrifyingly sensitive where they met, and then she felt the flower he'd placed there. The Doctor dropped his had from her hair and turned abruptly, practically dragging her towards the pool again.
"Just look." Rose gasped as she saw, the beautiful violet and white rose shining with silver droplets on its petals. Tears threatened to flood her eyes, so she turned around to bury her face in the Doctor's chest instead, wrapping him in a hug until his arms came around her.
"Thank you Doctor, it's beautiful. I love it," she then leaned back, just a bit, to look up at his widely grinning face with an impish smile of her own. "I also love the flowery tiara." Then, laughing and ignoring his affronted retort that it was a very dignified tradition on Tefari-12, Rose skipped over to where Nakima was motioning for them to join the gathering of the Wasaki people in the Pom-Pom orchard. The Doctor watched her go, his nostrils still full of the overpowering, intoxicating scent that drew him to her like a magnet before following with his own bounding steps, eager to get this party started.
"Our gifting goddess Rose Tyler, she named for a flower with all the tenderness and love to care for one. With the Doctor, ancient and all knowing, her mate and companion, we begin the festival!" Nakima said, the scales on her blue tail sparkling in the light of thousands of fireflies (well, large glowing moths that Rose compared to fireflies anyway.) The Clanmaster, seated on a low tree branch with his own tail coiled protectively around the tree's trunk, gave a nod and music rang out through the grove. Rose and the Doctor both blushed at Nakima's wording and their designation as 'mates,' they both knew it wasn't the Earth-slang use of the word after all, but there was hardly time to think as all of the Wasaki people began to sing and dance and they were hurled into a whirlwind of sound, laughter, and the tantalizing aroma of flowers.
As the music slowed, and they sipped their fourth cups of pomegranate wine- quite potent too if you asked the Doctor, usually quite immune. Rose leaned against him and he soaked in every detail of her face, her smell, and her body against his. If they were dancing so closely together that they were nearly one, it was just because they need to hold one another to keep their balance and keep hold of one another in the crowd. That was it.
"You know… you were my companion tonight, not the other way around," Rose said, eyes sparkling, lips parted tantalizingly, and the Doctor felt all rational thought, doubt and fear go out the window. Spinning her around so they both stumbled and had to lean against a tree for balance, he locked his hands on her waist- thought whether to hold her or keep himself upright he wasn't sure.
"I guess that makes us companions for each other," he whispered huskily, Rose's giggling like the chime of bells to his fuzzy ears and mind. As he breathed in her scent, eyes drawn to her shining face and red lips, she closed the space between them and met his lips with hers. Neither of them had ever felt such passion, proverbial fireworks going off as the world around them, music and motion faded to a distant hum. Rose was only aware of the heat spreading from her mouth throughout her body and the feel of the Doctor and her as one. They finally broke apart, laughing but still entwined, and rejoined the dancing once more despite their near inability to stand up straight. Rose couldn't tell if it was the pomegranate wine or the Doctor's skin on hers or her hand in his hair, but she couldn't have told you the difference between up and down as they spun off together into the night.
Rose woke up in her room in the TARDIS, head pounding and the night before fuzzy. All she knew was that there had been a festival, and dancing, and she had been so incredibly happy. Groaning, she stumbled into the console room and slumped across the jumpseat, closing her eyes and fighting down the dizziness and sickness.
"Here, drink this," she heard a moment later, the words like an anvil to her brain. Cracking one eye open against the lights the TARDIS must have just dimmed for her- she sent a silent thank you to the ship- Rose eyed the mug suspiciously, nausea threatening to overwhelm her even just looking at the liquid inside. "It'll help Rose, I promise," the Doctor said, lifting her hand and wrapping her fingers around the mug. She gave a weak smile at his sweet gesture, however domestic it might be, and let him lift the mug to her lips. She sipped slowly, praying she didn't throw up on the TARDIS' console, 'cause the Doctor would never forgive her if she did that. As soon as the liquid burned its way down her throat however, the nausea vanished, her headache faded, and Rose sighed in relief.
"Thanks. What happened last night?" she asked, leaning back in the chair and sipping the mug a little more enthusiastically now that she knew it contained magic Time-Lord hangover tea. She'd really need to get that recipe from the Doctor. She missed seeing the smile fall from the Doctor's face and the disappointment that flickered across his expression for a moment.
"Oh just a Wasaki Clan party, per usual. Their celebrations go on for days and their tolerance is a little higher than, er, non-Tefarian species. I forgot how inebriating their pomegranates can be when they ferment them. It's a very special process too; produces the finest wines. They have to store it for an extra cycle, and open it just before it freezes. Then BAM! It's at the perfect point just in time for the festival-"
"Doctor, stop. Still got a headache here," Rose said, wincing and rubbing her temples. He sighed and stood nervously beside her.
"So… you don't remember anything from last night? He asked hesitantly, his hand working nervously through his hair. Rose didn't seem to notice his unease.
"Nope, well, maybe just some dancing and general partying. Must've been some party, huh?" she said happily, wrapping her hands more firmly around her mug and smiling up at him. He gave her a sad smile in return, thinking that maybe it was better that she didn't remember.
"Yeah, some party." He jumped up and darted around the console room, jpicking up something and whirling back over to hand it to Rose. She looked at the tiny, potted seedling with interest. "Here, a present from Nakima, for their, ahem, golden harvest goddess."
"Me? A harvest goddess? They've got to be joking!" Rose sputtered, choking on a mouthful of hot tea and laughing hysterically despite the fresh round of headaches that brought on. The Doctor joined her in laughter, before adding with a sly smile.
"Well, you did look rather like a goddess in that dress." Rose's eyes grew huge, and he winced internally at the look of surprise and longing on her face. He couldn't believe he'd just said that, oh this gob was going to get him into huge trouble one day. "Anyway, this is a Tchaikovlio Tree, grown first on the planet of Halliovous, later cultivated on Tefari-12 when Halliovous entered their ice age and it became apparent that their horticultural days were over. Here, take it," the Doctor said, practically shoving the plant at her, anything to take her focus off of him. He should know it was impossible. She glared at him, a promise to talk later, and reached out a delicate, pink nail polished hand to stroke the tree's tiny golden leaves and jumped back like she'd been shocked.
"It's telepathic!" she said, feeling the hum, simple and strangely childlike beneath her fingers as she cautiously reached to it once more. "What does its name mean?" she asked the Doctor, getting a strange feeling from the plant that it had a meaning, an important one. He shifted in place, as though he couldn't decide if he wanted to bounce around the TARDIS or stand right next to her. He picked the bouncing first, making a full circuit around the console looking as if he was trying to solve an incredibly complex maths problem. Then when he came back around to her, he stopped, ramrod straight, apparently deciding to give her an answer. Rose just rolled her eyes, hadn't she known the moment she first stepped onto the TARDIS that she'd been traveling with a madman? And his blue box, she reminded herself as she felt the TARDIS' fond hum.
"Weeeellll, you see… it sort of means bond or union. It's typically given as a wedding gift." The Doctor shoved his hands in his pockets and tried to keep his expression neutral, even as Rose gave him a half-amused look. "You see, they seemed to think we were, well…" he paused, trying to word this without sounding incredibly awkward. "At the ceremony they said um…."
"We were 'mates' I remember that part," she grinned, and he could feel some of the tension dissipate as he slowly smiled back. Well, he reflected, she didn't remember all of it, and suddenly, looking at her brilliant smile, couldn't hold back this one piece of information from a magnificent night she'd never remember.
"Yeah, that's not all. They sort of… performed a marriage ceremony after that. At some point. I think it was after they'd found us over by the trees, er talking and before they had us climbing up to something that suspiciously resembled Pride Rock and toasting the suns." Silence followed his words, Rose with tea dribbling down her shirt, though she didn't seem to care, and the Doctor fingering his sonic screwdriver in his pocket and wondering if he could use it to erase their memories.
"So. Does that mean we're married now?" She asked, one eyebrow raised, an expression the Doctor didn't want to try to read on her face. He looked away, guilt at having pulled her into such a situation that she couldn't even remember welling up.
"Oh, not by any standards that matter. The Wasaki ceremonies are more, suggestions, than actual vows and such. Not really binding. And definitely not human or Time Lord ceremonies. Now, if we were Tefarian, we'd be married, but since neither of us has a tail or scales, I'd say that's rather irrelevant," the Doctor babbled away, taking a deep breath and missing the way Rose's face fell as he talked. She ducked her head slightly, letting her hair ghost over her face. Of course he wouldn't want to be married. Too domestic. And she would wither and die. There was always that. "Rose? Are you okay, is your headache back? The tea is working right? I followed the Plutonian recipe to the letter- well, they write with triangle shapes so it wasn't really the letter, it was to the triangle, but you are okay, right?" he asked worriedly? Rose lifted her head, giving him a wide, partially fake grin. His concern really was adorable.
"Pluto eh? I was wondering. Anyway, now that we're married can I call you muffin cakes now?" Rose said playfully, still stroking her golden plant. The warm little hum in her mind really was quite comforting. Maybe the Doctor's TARDIS stroking wasn't as strange as she'd thought. She just grinned as the Doctor looked on in stunned horror at her comment.
"No. Not now, not ever. I do not care if you're my wife, you will not call me something as undignified as 'muffin cakes,'" he scoffed. Rose's eyes lit up, and she decided to simply enjoy this moment as best she could.
"Oh so it does count! Where or when are we going for the honeymoon? New New Earth?" the Doctor threw his hands up in the air in exasperation, though his eyes were cheerful, and lighter than she'd seen in a while.
"We're not- I mean we're not married. Not that I wouldn't mind but we just aren't." he sputtered, but Rose pretended to be oblivious. She could be allowed to babble sometimes, she supposed.
"Oh, but we'll have to go tell mum. She's probably going to slap you for eloping with me, probably make us do an Earth ceremony too. Mmmm you might actually get a second slap for doing it on an alien planet too. She'll warm up to you eventually. Oi, what's my name now, Rose Doctor? Rose Lord? Rose Smith?" she said, her words hollowing as she went, the sinking realization that this was all a jest, however much she wished it was true. She'd never be anything but Rose Tyler. This was all just pretend.
"I don't want to go anywhere near Jackie Tyler. I value my face thank you very much," the Doctor grumbled. He was silent for a moment, as pensive as Rose. He tried to give her a silly grin, but his hearts panged throughout her entire conversation, the impossibility of it and how much he wanted it to be real. "I like Rose Lord," he added quietly after a moment. Rose looked over at him, and she somehow just knew he wasn't fighting this whole charade as much as she'd suspected. She supposed she could settle for being the Doctor's unacknowledged wife. By way of Tefarian tradition. She slipped her hand in his, and they fit perfectly as they always had and always would.
"Come on then, let's pick a planet for the honeymoon," Rose said, flashing the Doctor a huge grin, hoping to fight away both of their dark thoughts, though it slipped when she thought about how that's all this would ever be was a fantasy. If only… and then the Doctor leapt over to the console, pulling her by the hand, her mug abandoned on the floor and her telepathic tree- unconsciously named Hope- clutched in her other hand. They ran around the TARDIS, flipping switches and spouting of the names of a dozen planets they could visit. As the Doctor described them to her, she just sighed, remembering her dream about their lips, locked together as they danced, as impossible as the future she'd imagined but still so sweet. As the TARDIS was swept into the vortex, she met his eyes and thought that if this was all she would ever have, she'd be content with this. Forever.
AN- So this turned out to be an incredibly long, bittersweet chapter. I loved writing this, and to be honest, with all the crazy escapades they went through, I find it hard to imagine that the Doctor and Rose didn't accidentally get hitched at some point. And I really want to see Jackie's face when they tell her that. Hmmm, idea for a sequel perhaps? I'm curious how many of you would be interested in a sequel of Jackie's reaction. I feel really bad for leaving Rose hanging at the end of the story. Well, that's the end of my first-ever fanfiction, and I am so incredibly excited to have completed it. Hope that you all enjoyed this crazy ride, check out my other story(ies) and leave a review if you please telling me how this all turned out.