Fic: Tie The Knot
The sound of gears grinding against all that was natural and right with the world filled the tiny space beneath an old oak wood, and a blue box that was so very out of place whirled into existence against every probability. It sat there for a moment, unmoving and seemed ancient in all of its futuristic glory. That changed though, as a tall bean pole of a man stepped out, walking smack dab into the tree branch that hung just before the doors.
“Bollocks!” the man yelled, rubbing his arm where a particularly ornery patch of leaves and branches had torn through the cloth of a coat and suit jacket to reveal a slightly angry looking scratch.
“What happened?” asked another voice, this one younger sounding and bright in comparison to the now slightly whiny and angered voice from the man.
“The tree bit me!” he exclaimed and as a blonde girl stepped from the box he caught her at the waist, making sure that she wouldn’t be ‘bitten’ by the offending tree.
“What d’you mean ‘it bit you’?” she asked, taking the man’s arm and looking down into the ripped material, “oh, it’s just a scratch. You’ll be fine.”
The man’s cupid bow lips seemed to quiver in mock sadness, “but it hurt!” and proceeded to pout as they wound their way through the branches and onto a well trodden path.
The blonde smiled up at her companion, her eyes warm as she took hold of his arm and brought the ripped fabric up to her lips and kissed the scratch, “better?”
A wide, lopsided grin replaced the over dramatic pout and the man wrapped his hand around hers. She smiled again, looking up at him for a moment before they started to walk. He led, walking half a pace or two in front of her, fingers laced between hers with little more than a breath between the two of their bodies. The walked on, not really going anywhere, and looked through the trees and grass as they went.
“So where are we?” the girl asked.
“Um…here. We’re here. Right here. Where we are.”
“You don’t know do you?” her voice had an amused tinge to it.
“Oh I know! I always know! Well, except for that one time I didn’t, but there had been exceptional amounts of wine involved. I couldn’t be expected to know who I was let alone where I was.” He rambled on a bit, mouth going on as if his brain was hardly connected at all.
“Okay, so when are we then?”
“I…sixteenth century? Give or take?” again with the lopsided grin, this time teamed with unruly hair as a breeze picked up.
“You amaze me sometimes, Doctor.” The girl said, leaning in closer to him.
“Quite right too.” That earned him a slap on the shoulder, “Oi! Watch it! I’m injured here!”
++
The same well trodden path led up to a small village on the outskirts of a large forest. Buildings of moderate size were wrapped around in a circle with bits of housing extending a few blocks in any given direction. It was plain. It was old. It was very plain and very old.
“So what you think?” the girl asked, stopping as they came upon the place.
“Oh…Europe…late seventeenth century. I was off…by a bit.”
“A hundred years is a bit?”
“How long have you known me? It’s a bit, Rose Tyler, a bit…ish.”
As the pair wandered up toward what looked like the village center they caught sight of a whirlwind event. People were running around carrying flowers and fabric, carts were being wheeled around with food and other assorted items, and everyone seemed to be in the most incredible hurry. The Doctor looked to Rose who shrugged, and they turned back to the chaos stretched out in front of them.
“Oi! You lot! The two of you there!” called a very gruff, very English voice from the steps of a shop not too far from them.
“Hello!” called the Doctor, waving his hand that wasn’t entwined with Rose’s and proceeded to tug her along behind him as he went to meet their caller.
“How come you’re not helping? You new ‘round here?” the man asked, crossing his arms across a stained white shirt being held up with what looked like suspenders or something equally period.
“Yeah. I’m the Doctor and this is Rose. So what’s with all the hubbub?” the Doctor asked, looking around at the people milling about.
“Ceremony today. The entire village always lends a hand…lord knows the merry couple can’t, what with her being so…well, I won’t get into that. Anyway, if you plan to stay you need to earn your keep. Go talk to Edward, that’s him pulling down chairs from that cart over there, and ask what you need to do.”
The Doctor and Rose exchanged a look before starting to head off, following the direction their caller had pointed them in. All around them people pushed past, turning and looking occasionally at them with puzzled faces before going back to their work. Rose squeezed the Doctor’s hand, a luxury she had quickly learned to enjoy, and walked with him over to the strapping man that was hauling furniture from a cart.
“Hello! I’m the Doctor and this is Rose…we’re supposed to report to you to see if there’s anything we can do to help.” The Doctor grinned, extending the hand that wasn’t being held by Rose out.
The tall, wheat colored hair man turned, his grey eyes focusing on the pair that stood smiling before him. He looked to be in his late twenties and was a very large man. No, he wasn’t fat but he was burly personified. If ever there was anyone who looked like they had a chest literally made out of a barrel this man was it. He looked them over, taking in how awkward and out of place they looked.
“You’re not from ‘round here, eh?” he bristled, but smiled at Rose who was standing slightly behind the Doctor’s shoulder.
“No…we’re just…passing through. Saw all the bustlin’ and thought we’d take a look.” Rose offered and moved out from behind her alien friend and extended a hand, “Anything we can t’help?”
A look passed over his grey eyes, “I’m Edward…and yeah, there’s plenty to do. If I were you lot, though, I’d go find someone to lend me some clothes. People ‘round here tend not to like…change.”
“Okay, and where should we go for that?” the Doctor asked, suddenly slightly annoyed.
“There’s Marissa over at the Inn. They always have clothes to lend out for…travelers.” Edward pointed to a small dark building across the way.
“Thank you, my friend. We’ll do just that.” And with that the Doctor grabbed Rose’s hand and tugged her toward the building.
As they walked Rose looked up at her friend and chewed thoughtfully on the inside of her cheek, “D’you think something strange is going on?” she whispered as they brushed through the crowd.
“What makes you say that?”
“I dunno. All the people running about and saying there’s a ceremony going on? Do you think they’re gonna kill someone? I read a story about that once…some kind of lottery where if your family won someone was killed from it. Scared the hell out of me.”
“I think,” the Doctor turned and looked around a bit, his tongue pressed against the bottom of his two front teeth, “that you worry too much. Traveling with me has made you paranoid. Just a good old fashioned party. And I know for a fact, Rose Tyler, that you love to party.” He grinned and twirled her around once before pulling her close.
“That I do.” She smiled.
The inside of the Inn was small, dark and crowded. Well, it was crowded for a building with no one in it. Chairs and tables were arranged almost on top of each other, and the bar took up a good half of the room. It was completely empty and silent. Rose took a shaky breath, having learned that a completely empty room when in the Doctor’s presence was never a good sign, and bit down on her lip as she waited for the inevitable monster to rear it’s ugly head.
“Hello there. What can I get you?” A cheery female voice called out from behind the two.
Rose nearly fell from spinning around so fast, her blonde hair whipping around her face as a woman walked in. She seemed to be not much older than Rose; tall, thin, and dark haired with curls that reached her shoulders. Her dress though, did nothing for the shapely figure that probably resided underneath its heavy material. The Doctor grinned, you know, that same grin he always grinned when a pretty girl was around. The woman smiled back, her black eyes moving over the two of them.
“Well?”
“Oh, yeah. Hi. I’m the Doctor-“he started, but was cut off as Rose grabbed his hand and pointedly laced her fingers with his.
“I’m Rose. We’re looking for Marissa?”
“That’s me. What can I do for you two…just passing through I would assume?” her voice changed from friendly to wary upon noticing the pair’s awkward attire.
“Edward told us you could help with some more appropriate clothing?” the Doctor asked, absentmindedly pulling Rose closer to him.
“Did he now? Fancy that. Yeah, first room upstairs. There should be something to fit the pair of you, but mind I’ll be needin’ it back whenever you’re through. Those clothes are for the customers who need time to wash their own laundry.” Marissa was pointing to a staircase hidden behind the eastern wall, “I’ll watch your clothes while you’re out and about if you like.”
“That’d be lovely. Thank you.” The Doctor grinned again and the two made their way upstairs.
Rose pulled out a long, shapeless, grey wool dress from a wardrobe and held it up to herself. She made a face too as she ran her fingers over the rough cloth and sighed, knowing that her options weren’t going to get any better. At least that particular dress was closer to her size, “What’cha think?” she asked and turned to the Doctor who was pulling down some of the old fashioned suits.
“I think…it suits the time period.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
The tip of his tongue darted out to press against his top lip as he thought of a comeback that wouldn’t earn him a slap, “I mean…you’ll make it look lovely. You always do.”
“You’re just saying that.”
“Who? Me? Never!” he grinned and shrugged out of his long overcoat.
“Yeah right…” Rose smiled at him, turning her face down as she worked at undoing the buttons at the back of the dress.
The two, who after many long adventures involving close quarters and needed wardrobe changes, dressed in silence. The Doctor pulled off his tie, Rose slipped out of her trainers, the Doctor started unbuttoning his shirt, Rose snuck a look and turned to pull off her own; it was like clockwork. The Doctor looked up, not long after upon hearing a frustrated grunt to see Rose struggling to pull the dress over her head. It had gotten bunched up and stuck and clung to her shoulders, exposing her breasts clad in the lavender coloured bra and her lower body encased in matching lacy knickers to God, the world, and him.
“N-need a hand?” he stammered, desperately trying not to look at the sight of her curves thrashing about under the attack of the wool.
“Yeah, that’d be helpful. Thanks.” Rose seemed to be completely unaware that she was giving her (not so) poor companion a show.
The Doctor moved in and grabbed the hem of the offending dress and pulled a little, moving it down just enough to let her get her head through. Blonde hair and hazel eyes popped through the wool and she smiled at him. He smiled back, helping pull down the rest of the fabric and trying to resist the urge to brush his fingers across her smooth skin. It was a true trial of his willpower.
As the two finally managed to wrangle the Dress of Doom Rose had taken to try and button up the back by herself with little to no luck. The Doctor had gone back to pulling on the crisp, white shirt, grey pants and wrestled with the little laces of the boots he was supposed to wear; his chucks never seemed to give him this much hell. He looked up and smiled, happiness and warmth bubbling up from within his hearts as he watched Rose struggle with trying to keep the back of the dress together with no avail.
“Doctor?” Rose asked quietly.
“Yes?” he answered, probably a little too quickly.
Rose paused for a moment and caught his eyes, sensing the laughter in them she stuck out her tongue, “Um...little help here, please?”
The Doctor nodded and stood up. He took a moment, breathing in an out for just short of the time it would have taken her to notice him doing so, and walked over with his usual stride. Rose turned and held up her hair, her gaze on the ground as he pulled the edges of the back together and proceeded to button her in from the bottom up. He moved slowly. Well, he moved slower than he had to and took every opportunity to indulge himself by letting his fingers brush over her spine as he moved from button to button. She pursed her lips in attempt to not shiver from those feather light touches and he let the tip of his tongue slide out from between his lips as he fought to concentrate on the task at hand. He paused just before the button at the back of her neck, letting his fingers linger a little longer than before. Rose inhaled sharply as he brushed at the baby strands of her hair at the base of her head and even more so as she felt him shift to move closer to her.
“Doctor?” her voice shook a little.
“Yes?” his came out in a whisper.
“You could leave the last one undone. I don’t think I’ll be able to breathe it with it buttoned.”
The Doctor licked his lips, “okay.” And he moved away.
The pair came down not much longer after that, both blushing and more than a little hypersensitive to the other. Marissa smiled upon seeing them in more acceptable clothing and went around the bar to take a closer look, “you clean up nice!”
“Thanks.” Rose replied and nervously started playing with her hair that she’d pulled up into a top knot.
“Well then…why don’t you two go on ahead and find Edward. Now that you blend in a bit better he may actually have some work for you to do.” Marissa smiled and turned back to the bar.
“Will do. Shall we, Rose?” the Doctor asked and laced his fingers ever so gently into hers.
“Right.”
Rose had been set to sitting along a long line with a group of women braiding the stems of fresh flowers into long chains. It was a tedious, boring, and repetitive task, but it gave her time to take in her surroundings without the Doctor blabbering on in her ear about one thing or another. It was almost calming, really, to just sit back and watch the town of people hauling wheelbarrows of stuff around and just the relaxing clamor of the folks as they hurried to get the square ready.
“So what’s going on, then?” Rose asked the woman next to her.
The lady turned, her face warm and friendly as she expertly plaited a few daisies into a rose, “A wedding, m’dear.”
“And the whole town helps out?”
“Of course. Poor Lilly can’t plan all this on her own. She’s got far too much to worry about as it is and she’s not supposed to be over extending herself.”
“I see. So, does the town help out for every wedding?”
“Heavens no, child! This is a favor to her and her family. Plus...our spring festival is at the same time so it works out for everyone.”
“Spring festival? Like a carnival?”
The woman cocked her head to the side, “where you young ones come up with such things is beyond me,” and shook her head before going back to her work.
The Doctor, like Rose, had been set to the menial task of arranging tables and chairs in rows. It was easy work, but the day was warm and he was in period clothing that didn’t exactly have a “season”; wool tends not to lend itself very well in spring temperatures. He stopped, letting one of the table drop at his feet as he mopped his brow with the back of his hand. It was so bright, in this place, and so very alive.
“So what’s all this? The ceremony, I mean.” The Doctor asked one of the men that worked beside him.
“Paul and Lilly Evaens’ wedding.” The older man answered as he hefted a table and set it into place.
“A wedding! Fantastic!”
The man chuckled, “yeah for all of us that have to help out since she’s about to pop…you’d think they get it taken care of sooner. The actual marriage I mean…not them having children so quickly.”
The Doctor stopped, “ah…so that’s what this is all about. Unwed soon-to-be mother…”
“Shameful.”
“Oh I dunno….”
“You must be new…it’s been the gossip all over since everyone found out. Then again, I think Lilly wanted everyone to find out….she likes to be talked about, y’see.”
The Doctor didn’t answer him. His eyes were trained across the expanse of tables, chairs, and people to the women sitting in a group plaiting flowers together. He saw Rose, her eyes down on the task before her, with a small smile across her lips. A funny feeling weaseled its way through his stomach as he watched her. It worried him a bit. Too many funny feelings about Rose had been coming up lately, not that he really minded, but certainly he had to ignore them. It just wasn’t right…for her or for him. It wasn’t fair.
Soon after the flowers had been taken care of Rose wandered around, not really wanting to search out their man in charge and get another task. It was so warm that afternoon and the wool dress she was wearing hardly lent itself to breathe. It made her tired and just slightly irritable. Not that she minded the being out and about as opposed to running for her life every second, but there as something a bit boring about their lull into this time period that she couldn’t quite shake.
“Excuse me, miss, do you think you could possibly help me up?” asked a very small voice from somewhere below Rose’s line of vision.
The blonde looked down to see a short, very pregnant girl sitting in a chair. She smiled and offered an arm out to her, helping her to her feet. The girl smiled and smoothed her dress; one very much akin to the one Rose was wearing at the time, and turned around to pick up a bouquet of flowers wrapped in ribbon.
“Thank you….I don’t think I caught your name?” the girl asked.
“Rose.”
“Rose? Heh, we must be flower sisters…” the girl smiled and let her fingers wander a little along the petal of a rose in her bouquet.
“Excuse me?”
“I’m Lilly. Lilly Evaens.”
“Oh. Lilly. How funny.” Rose smiled.
The girl’s eyes wandered to the scene before them as the bustle slowed and people left to go to the small houses and building that extended around the town center, “they must be finishing up. It’ll start soon.” She didn’t look too happy about it.
“Yeah about that…wait a mo’…Lilly? Is this your wedding they’re planning?”
The girl blushed, “it is. I told them that we’d take care of it after the baby was born, but everyone insisted that we had to do it before then. See, no one around here thinks we should have them before we’re married…it’s bad enough that we’re with child before marriage as it is.”
“It’s not so bad…at least not where I’m from, anyway.”
”It must be nice for you. Paul and I hadn’t even thought about getting married once we found out…the most important thing is was the baby…but people started to talk and the people around here have no qualms about imposing their advice into where they think it should be. We thought about maybe not getting married at all…it was an accident after all. We didn’t plan for it to happen.” Lilly’s eyes held no happiness in them at all, “I mean…I love Paul. I really do. I’ve known him since we were little, but I’m not ready for such a step.”
Rose cocked her head to the side, “how old are you?” she asked in a small voice.
“Seventeen. I know, I’m practically an old maid. Most of my friends were married off last year, but…I just can’t imagine being with one man for the rest of my life. Why? How old are you?”
Rose paused, taking in the gravity that was how young women were when things like this happened in this time period. She thought about all the things they would miss out on as the stay and keep a house from their teen years until they were too old to do much else, “Twenty.”
“And not married? Such a life! I should be very jealous of you, Miss Rose. And traveling and passing through places all the time. How wonderful.” Lilly looked genuinely impressed and picked up Rose’s arm and linked it with her own, “what’s it like? Have you a man? Tell me everything.”
“There is a man. The Doctor…I sort of…travel with him.” Rose smiled, thinking back to their first encounter as he grabbed her hand and told her to run. They hadn’t stopped running since then.
“A doctor? How fortunate…in all those travels if something were to happen you’d be assured that you’d be taken care of.”
“Taken care of…yeah…he does that. But he’s not a medical doctor. He’s more of a doctor of…everything.”
“How very strange.”
“He’s that too.” And they both giggled.
The two girls made their way back toward the town center. There two men stood talking…one was the Doctor and the other was someone Rose hadn’t seen before. Lilly brightened though, as they approached and the other man extended his arm to her, “my lovely lady-wife.”
“Paul, I’m assumin’?” Rose asked.
Lilly nodded, “this is Rose. I just met her today.”
Paul nodded, “this is the Doctor. Apparently he’s just passing through…”
Lilly smiled, “so this is your man then, Rose? He’s handsome!”
“Your man?” the Doctor asked and Rose grinned, “Hardly. If anything you’re my woman.”
“Gettin’ possessive, eh?” Rose asked and playfully nudged his shoulder.
“Maybe.”
Paul took Lilly’s hand and they smiled up at one another, love glowing out from the two of them like it was light and air. Rose averted her eyes, looking down at her shoes, and tried not to seem just a bit jealous. Sure she and the Doctor shared moments like that…but those two were getting married. Her heart hurt a bit as the soon-to-be husband and wife slowly made their way away after saying they needed to prepare for the ceremony and that both the Doctor and rose were more than welcome to join in.
The Doctor noticed Rose’s change of mood as they too moved to find a place to sit as things were readied for the evening. She was quiet, lost in her own mind, and hardly spoke as the took a seat on a bench outside of the Inn they had changed clothes in. He wanted to say something, anything really, to get that smile he adored back on her face but was too afraid he’d just make her more upset.
“You okay?” he asked.
Rose lifted her head and smiled, but the smile didn’t quite make it up to her eyes, “yeah. Why?”
“You seem upset.”
“Oh no…just, you know, thinking.”
“What about?” the Doctor leaned in and wrapped his hand around hers.
“Being domestic.” He knew she chose that word deliberately…he knew she knew that he hated it.
“What about it?”
“That maybe one day I’d like to have that.”
“Maybe one day you will.”
She shook her head, “I won’t.”
The Doctor cocked his eyebrow, “why not?”
She didn’t answer. How could she answer? How could she tell him that the man she wanted to be domestic with had no interest in it at all? How could she tell him that all she wanted was for him to love her like she loved him? How could she?
“Kind of hard to be domestic when you’re traveling like we do. Don’t think whoever wanted to marry me would appreciate it too much.” He voice wavered a bit.
“Oh I dunno…it might be a bit of a plus if it’s the right guy.”
“Oh yeah like you’d let some guy and a kid travel with you an’ me. Mickey didn’t even last three months…and he wasn’t even my…” her voice trailed off.
The Doctor’s tongue darted out to moisten his lips, a sign that he was nervous, “your what?”
“Boyfriend. And don’t even pretend you liked him…how would you act with a husband around?” Rose’s voice got a little defensive then.
This time it was the Doctor’s turn not to answer. Ever since he’d first seen her in that shop basement his stomach had been doing nothing but flips. She was what he needed…what he wanted after so many years of only having the barest of bare essentials. Not that he didn’t love all of his past companions...that was obvious. But her…Rose…she was different. She made something in him do things it hadn’t done in centuries. But he couldn’t tell her that…it was wrong. It wasn’t fair. She couldn’t give him the forever that both of them wanted…it just wasn’t possible. Well…it wasn’t possible for her to do it in her current human state, but to take that away would rob her of everything else she had. Besides…Jackie would probably kill him if he said anything along the lines of “domestic” to Rose.
“I wouldn’t. Because there wouldn’t be anyone but you an’ me.”
Rose got quiet, “what?”
The Doctor brightened and grabbed her hand as the people started to fill the seats. The town center was beautiful, though…may poles were in lines on the far side, the space for Lilly and Paul’s wedding was decorated with the plaited flowers Rose and the other women had been making earlier, and people seemed to come out in their best for the festival. It warmed his heart to see something good after so much bad.
“Come on...let’s get a seat!” the Doctor offered, pulling Rose to her feet.
She shook her head, “if you don’t mind…I’d kind of like to not be in the middle of things this time around. Think we could just sit back here and watch?”
It took a moment for that to register and the Doctor sat back down, Rose taking her place beside him. They watched in silence as the seats filled, people talked and laughed, and the warm noonday sun ebbed into the cooler late afternoon. Rose shivered a bit, as Paul took to the front of the grassy area. He looked nervous.
Lilly took her place soon after, a white dress hugging the roundness of her belly as they stood opposite one another and smiled. It was a pity, Rose mused, that even though they loved each other that they’d be locked into an eternity that neither of them wanted. How the two of them wanted freedom to do as they pleased…even if it meant later on tying the knot and making things official.
“They don’t want to get married…” Rose’s voice was quiet.
“No they don’t. That’s the times though.”
“I don’t think I could stand it…being stuck with someone forever that I didn’t want to be with no matter how much I loved him.”
The Doctor swallowed hard, “what if you did?”
“Did what?”
“Want to be stuck with him?”
“Then it wouldn’t matter. I’d be happy.”
“That’s what matters then.”
The ceremony was short, probably due to the fact that the rest of the people wanted to get on with their festival. It was simple, yet beautiful though. A man, probably some kind of preacher or something that Rose didn’t recognize spoke for a while and talked about how the two were becoming one person. That they were tying their souls together.
“What are they doing?”
“It’s called a handfasting. There’s no preacher here so they do this as what some people call a “trial marriage.” But since there’s no church in this town it’s law-binding. Really a beautiful concept…simple.” The Doctor answered, moving in close and slid his arm around Rose’s waist.
The man that had been talking looped a ribbon around Paul and Lilly’s clasped hands. The couple stared into each other’s eyes, tears gathering in Lilly’s as they exchanged words in quiet voices. It really was beautiful…so symbolic of everything. It didn’t take long for Rose too to have tears gathering in her eyes.
“It’s lovely…” she whispered, resting her head on the Doctor’s shoulder.
“It really is…so different from what they had on my planet. There a wedding was an affair that lasted almost a week. So much ceremony and long speeches and it was awful…” his voice trailed off as a memory played in his mind.
“What was the ceremony like on your planet?” Rose asked him, turning so her words were aimed at his throat.
“Oh it was…large…completely overdone. There was singing…chanting…praying…the families would each speak to the couple…really once you took away the length it was rather beautiful. But not like this…” there was a catch in his voice that he’d hoped to mask.
“Did you ever have one? A wedding, I mean…I know you sad before that…you were a dad...” this time she let her voice wander off, not really wanting to tack on the questions that had been going through her mind since he’d told her that.
The Doctor chewed on his lip for a moment, letting an arm wrap around her, “I did.” and floundered on what to say next. Did he tell her about his family in his first incarnation? Did he tell her about Susan and how she traveled with him?
“I see…”
“Oh it was…a long time ago. So very long ago. Heh, hard to think back that far now…”
“How old were you?” Rose asked gently, her voice low as if she really didn’t want to hear the answer.
“I’m over nine hundred years old, Rose…that was the first body I ever had. I was still in double digits when I married…” he fumbled, realizing that the name wouldn’t translate correctly, “my wife.”
“Did you…love her?” this time there was a hitch in her voice.
He licked his lips and pressed his cheek against the top of her head, watching as Paul and Lilly strode down the aisle with their hands wrapped together in ribbon, “At the time I loved her. I was young…so very young. Things have changed since then...”
“Have they?”
“They have,” he smiled down at her. It wasn’t the manic grin he wore most of the time though; this time is was something small that he saved just for her.
“I think we should join the party now…” Rose smiled as the festivities seemed to be heating up now that the ceremony was over.
“I agree.”
People danced jovially around the center of the town in circles with their hands clasped. They sang, they drank, they talked, they laughed, and they enjoyed themselves. It truly was a festival. Children danced around the May poles and Rose couldn’t help but giggle when the Doctor told her what they ribbon wrapped poles actually meant in some cultures. It was a nice afternoon that turned lazily into evening.
Rose spent most of the party at Lilly’s side when the congratulations on her marriage had worn off. The two ate and talked, Lilly rubbing her stomach every so often as they watched everyone indulging in the fun.
“Are you happy, Lilly?” Rose asked, taking a sip of wine from the mug on the table.
“I am. Paul is a good man. I’ve known him for a long while and he would never do wrong by me. Though truth be told I think he’s more excited about being a father than he is about a husband…not that I blame him. I’m more excited about being a mother than a wife.” Lilly mused, leaning back in the chair.
“You’ll find a way to cope. I know you will.” Rose smiled, putting a hand over her friend’s and squeezing it a bit.
Lilly looked out at the people dancing and smiled as the Doctor and Paul swept by, all smiles and laughter as the circle of people dancing carried them, “what about you and your Doctor, Miss Rose? Ever going to settle down with him?”
“He’s been there before…I don’t think he wants to go down that road again.”
“Obviously you’re blind then.”
“What?” Rose looked up.
“I saw you too…during the ceremony. All cuddled up and whispering to one another…you can’t deny that.”
“That’s just how he is.” Rose suddenly felt defensive, but wasn’t sure why. Wasn’t that exactly what she had been hoping to hear not hours before?
“I don’t believe that. He looks at you the way I wish someone would look at me. The way I wish Paul will look at me someday…that’s how he looks at you.”
“I don’t think so…”
“You may not think so, but you want it to be so, eh?” Lilly waggled her eyebrows in a very Doctor-ish way.
“Completely not the point.”
“Thought so.”
The party and festivities had gone on late into the night. Paul and Lilly had retired back to their house after Lilly complained of stomach pain. Apparently the standing on her feat and being so active had done a number on her and the baby was starting to kick. Rose hugged her good bye and Paul shook the Doctor’s hand before taking his new wife’s arm and leading her home.
“They’ll be all right, eh?” Rose asked, turning to look up at the Doctor.
“Oh I think so…”
“Are we gonna leave tonight or tomorrow morning?” Rose asked, stretching a bit. It was late.
“Let’s get some sleep and we’ll head out early.”
“Yeah sleep…by that you mean watch me sleep while you pace the room.”
“It’s not my fault I have superior biology that allows me to only need minutes of sleep as opposed to you poor human who require hours upon hours. No let’s get you all tucked in.” he grinned and Rose slapped him on the shoulder, “Oi! Still injured!”
They had just gotten settled in, Rose was wrapped up in a long dressing gown and pulling her hair loose from its top knot while the Doctor was shrugging out of his jacket, when the sound of hurried footsteps came clamoring up the Inn staircase toward their room. Rose looked up in alarm, her mind whirling with something like I knew we’d bloody well get attacked. And it’s always right before we get to sleep too. Paul burst through the door, mumbling apologies and begging the two of them to come quickly.
“Please…she’s gone into labor, but something isn’t right. She’s bleeding more than she should be…and Doctor Brown says he can’t do everything on his own. You’ll come won’t you, Doctor? Please? I don’t want to lose my child…” Paul asked and the Doctor nodded.
“Of course. Rose, you’ll be coming too I assume?” he asked and she nodded.
“Hell yeah.”
The walk from the Inn to Paul and Lilly’s took mere minutes but seemed like hours. Each passing second both the Doctor and Rose knew Lilly was in more and more danger. Sadly, in these times, childbirth was still a very dangerous thing. Soon enough, though, they found their way through the maze of alleys and houses and into the warm living area. Cries were coming from upstairs along with another voice trying to soothe them.
“Paul, I need you to stay down here. Rose…I…” his voice softened and he shook his head, “Lilly may need you.”
Rose nodded, “let’s get going then.”
The bedroom was a complete mess. Lilly rested on the bed, blood soaked sheets beneath her as an older man sat in a chair at the edge of the mattress. He looked up to see Rose and the Doctor gawping at Lilly who was crying loudly.
“Lilly!” Rose whispered and went to her side, taking her hand.
“Miss Rose! Doctor! Why- why are you here? You shouldn’t be here!” her voice was wavering and weak from the screaming she’d done earlier.
“Paul told us to come. He thought we could help.” The Doctor answered and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt.
“Try not to talk Mrs. Eveans…you’ll wear yourself out.” The older man ordered gruffly and he stared into the problems at hand that were going on.
Rose grabbed a cloth and dipped it in the water from a wash basin on the bedside table. Lilly looked thankful as she mopped her brow and whispered soothing things into her ear as both Doctors discussed quietly what was going on. Neither of them looked very optimistic.
“It’s twins…we didn’t expect this. One’s got the cord around his neck…and the other is pushing too hard. It’s still too early…they’re not ready…and something’s ruptured.” The older man said.
“Will she live?” the Doctor asked, crouching down.
“I don’t know.”
The night was long for everyone. The babies had pushed and pushed against her until Lilly was screaming that she would burst from the all the pain. Rose silently and tearfully mopped her brow and held her hand as both Doctors worked, trying to help the babies out without hurting the mother. It was a delicate process for everyone and no one more than Paul, who had been exiled down stairs on more than one occasion after he’d come up to see what was going on, wanted for things to quiet down and go as it should be.
In the end, though, the babies were delivered and all was fine for them. One was slightly bigger and stronger than the other, but that was to be expected. Lilly cried once they announced them to both be girls, sobbing to be able to hold one. The Doctor, who was elbow deep in things Rose didn’t even want to imagine washed up and helped clean the baby off and moved her to see her mother. Lilly was crying, but crying in the happiest way ever. She had her children…and that was the important thing. But Rose saw something different at that moment.
She attributed it to her selfishness, but when she saw the Doctor coming over holding the tiny baby in his arms she didn’t see it as him showing Lilly her child for the first time. No, she saw the Doctor looking at the child and remembering things from lifetimes ago that he hadn’t thought about in years. His face was solemn yet cheerful, if there was such a thing, as he placed the little girl into Lilly’s arms and watched as the new mother cooed to her daughter.
“Thank you…thank you both…” but her voice screeched as she convulsed in pain and the other doctor gasped in alarm.
Rose took the baby from Lilly’s arms and held it as the Doctor took hold of the other one. His face was surprised and full of fear as the other man grabbed at things on a table beside him, tools, cloths, water for his hands, and watched as he mouthed obscenities up and down at what was going on. Lilly cried out, screaming for them to tell her what was wrong and why she couldn’t hold her children. Paul came up, pounding on the now locked door angrily calling out for him to see what was happening.
Later that night Rose sat with the two newborns, singing softly to them. The Doctor was downstairs with Paul telling him the situation and she knew from the sound of his shout and the demands for the Doctor to stop lying that he knew. Lilly was dead.
“I’ll never see my babies grow up will I, Rose?” she asked, trying not to sob as both doctors tried to do something that would stop the bleeding.
“I…I dunno. Don’t think like that. You’ve waited so long to see them and they’re gonna love you. Hang in there.” Rose was trying to sound upbeat, but was failing as Lilly paled to almost the color of the pillow her head rest on.
Lilly lifted a hand and offered it to Rose, the ribbon for the ceremony earlier tied around her wrist. Rose smiled, but Lilly shook her arm in attempt to get Rose to notice it, “untie it.” She ordered softly.
Rose swiftly undid the simple tie and held the ribbon in her hands. It was blue and soft and slightly damp from Lilly sweating so much in the last few hours, “take it.” She said.
“What?”
“Take it. Keep it for when you and your Doctor finally get things together.”
“I’m not taking this from you-“
“Take it.” Lilly interrupted and Rose nodded, not wanting to rouse her any more.
The next morning was somber as both Rose and the Doctor changed into their normal clothes. They’d go see Paul soon before they left and give their regards, but knew it wouldn’t do much. He’d thanked them over and over again for their help through tearful eyes and sobs that nearly matching the cries of his new born daughters. Even after they had gone back to their room as dawn broke neither one could talk or sleep. Rose held the ribbon Lilly had given her in one had as she stared down at the wood floor and wondered if ever there was going to be an adventure that didn’t end in sadness for someone.
“Ready?” the Doctor asked?
She nodded and they made their way downstairs, hands entwined as usual though the Doctor seemed to grip hers just a little tighter than normal. As the said their good byes and thanks to Marissa for letting them stay Rose caught sight of a few roses in a vase on the bar. She asked if she could have one and Marissa nodded, waving as the two swept out of the Inn in almost the same manner they had arrived.
Paul didn’t talk much as they went to see him. People from all over the town were there, offering condolences and cooing over the girls. He sat, his face locked in a frown as silent tears rolled down his face, watching everyone mill about. He was numb.
The Doctor and Rose slid in as quickly as they could. Rose moved swiftly over to the crude bassinette where both of the babies were and kissed each on top of the head. It earned her stares from the surrounding people, but she didn’t care. Tears filled her eyes as she placed the red rose on the white material just out of their tiny grasp and whispered to the two of them, “your mum loved you. Don’t forget that.” And wound her way back through the people to the Doctor.
They each hugged Paul and he told them he was happy they had come when they had otherwise his children along with his wife would probably be dead. The Doctor put a hand on his shoulder for a long moment and turned, linking his arm with Rose and led her out of the house. His face was stoic and hard as they walked across the empty town center, rose struggling to keep up with him.
“Stop.” She said, pulling on his arm.
“Why?” he asked, turning to face her.
“What’s the matter?”
“Why should something be the matter?”
“You seem upset…”
“Of course I’m upset! A woman died because I couldn’t help her…I should have said I was no good with medicine...”
“But Paul was right...without you those kids might have died…”
“I doubt that...”
They locked eyes for a long time; his filled with anger and hurt at himself for not being able to save the poor woman. After a while Rose reached in her pocket and pulled out the ribbon Lilly had given her the night before, letting it open to blow in the soft breeze of the morning.
The Doctor eyes her, his eyebrow cocking a bit as she took his hand and laced her fingers with his. She smiled at him in attempt to ease away inevitable pain he was feeling…and how she knew how to melt that pain away. He smiled back.
“I think you know what happens next…” Rose smiled and waved the ribbon around.
The each took and end and wrapped it around their wrists, tying each other together. They knotted it simply and let their hands fall, joined and clasped by their sides. He smiled at her and leaned down to brush a kiss over her forehead and pulled her into a hug that seemed to melt away everything but each other.
“You’re stuck with me…” she smiled and he winked at her.
“Better with two.”
“Bollocks!” the man yelled, rubbing his arm where a particularly ornery patch of leaves and branches had torn through the cloth of a coat and suit jacket to reveal a slightly angry looking scratch.
“What happened?” asked another voice, this one younger sounding and bright in comparison to the now slightly whiny and angered voice from the man.
“The tree bit me!” he exclaimed and as a blonde girl stepped from the box he caught her at the waist, making sure that she wouldn’t be ‘bitten’ by the offending tree.
“What d’you mean ‘it bit you’?” she asked, taking the man’s arm and looking down into the ripped material, “oh, it’s just a scratch. You’ll be fine.”
The man’s cupid bow lips seemed to quiver in mock sadness, “but it hurt!” and proceeded to pout as they wound their way through the branches and onto a well trodden path.
The blonde smiled up at her companion, her eyes warm as she took hold of his arm and brought the ripped fabric up to her lips and kissed the scratch, “better?”
A wide, lopsided grin replaced the over dramatic pout and the man wrapped his hand around hers. She smiled again, looking up at him for a moment before they started to walk. He led, walking half a pace or two in front of her, fingers laced between hers with little more than a breath between the two of their bodies. The walked on, not really going anywhere, and looked through the trees and grass as they went.
“So where are we?” the girl asked.
“Um…here. We’re here. Right here. Where we are.”
“You don’t know do you?” her voice had an amused tinge to it.
“Oh I know! I always know! Well, except for that one time I didn’t, but there had been exceptional amounts of wine involved. I couldn’t be expected to know who I was let alone where I was.” He rambled on a bit, mouth going on as if his brain was hardly connected at all.
“Okay, so when are we then?”
“I…sixteenth century? Give or take?” again with the lopsided grin, this time teamed with unruly hair as a breeze picked up.
“You amaze me sometimes, Doctor.” The girl said, leaning in closer to him.
“Quite right too.” That earned him a slap on the shoulder, “Oi! Watch it! I’m injured here!”
++
The same well trodden path led up to a small village on the outskirts of a large forest. Buildings of moderate size were wrapped around in a circle with bits of housing extending a few blocks in any given direction. It was plain. It was old. It was very plain and very old.
“So what you think?” the girl asked, stopping as they came upon the place.
“Oh…Europe…late seventeenth century. I was off…by a bit.”
“A hundred years is a bit?”
“How long have you known me? It’s a bit, Rose Tyler, a bit…ish.”
As the pair wandered up toward what looked like the village center they caught sight of a whirlwind event. People were running around carrying flowers and fabric, carts were being wheeled around with food and other assorted items, and everyone seemed to be in the most incredible hurry. The Doctor looked to Rose who shrugged, and they turned back to the chaos stretched out in front of them.
“Oi! You lot! The two of you there!” called a very gruff, very English voice from the steps of a shop not too far from them.
“Hello!” called the Doctor, waving his hand that wasn’t entwined with Rose’s and proceeded to tug her along behind him as he went to meet their caller.
“How come you’re not helping? You new ‘round here?” the man asked, crossing his arms across a stained white shirt being held up with what looked like suspenders or something equally period.
“Yeah. I’m the Doctor and this is Rose. So what’s with all the hubbub?” the Doctor asked, looking around at the people milling about.
“Ceremony today. The entire village always lends a hand…lord knows the merry couple can’t, what with her being so…well, I won’t get into that. Anyway, if you plan to stay you need to earn your keep. Go talk to Edward, that’s him pulling down chairs from that cart over there, and ask what you need to do.”
The Doctor and Rose exchanged a look before starting to head off, following the direction their caller had pointed them in. All around them people pushed past, turning and looking occasionally at them with puzzled faces before going back to their work. Rose squeezed the Doctor’s hand, a luxury she had quickly learned to enjoy, and walked with him over to the strapping man that was hauling furniture from a cart.
“Hello! I’m the Doctor and this is Rose…we’re supposed to report to you to see if there’s anything we can do to help.” The Doctor grinned, extending the hand that wasn’t being held by Rose out.
The tall, wheat colored hair man turned, his grey eyes focusing on the pair that stood smiling before him. He looked to be in his late twenties and was a very large man. No, he wasn’t fat but he was burly personified. If ever there was anyone who looked like they had a chest literally made out of a barrel this man was it. He looked them over, taking in how awkward and out of place they looked.
“You’re not from ‘round here, eh?” he bristled, but smiled at Rose who was standing slightly behind the Doctor’s shoulder.
“No…we’re just…passing through. Saw all the bustlin’ and thought we’d take a look.” Rose offered and moved out from behind her alien friend and extended a hand, “Anything we can t’help?”
A look passed over his grey eyes, “I’m Edward…and yeah, there’s plenty to do. If I were you lot, though, I’d go find someone to lend me some clothes. People ‘round here tend not to like…change.”
“Okay, and where should we go for that?” the Doctor asked, suddenly slightly annoyed.
“There’s Marissa over at the Inn. They always have clothes to lend out for…travelers.” Edward pointed to a small dark building across the way.
“Thank you, my friend. We’ll do just that.” And with that the Doctor grabbed Rose’s hand and tugged her toward the building.
As they walked Rose looked up at her friend and chewed thoughtfully on the inside of her cheek, “D’you think something strange is going on?” she whispered as they brushed through the crowd.
“What makes you say that?”
“I dunno. All the people running about and saying there’s a ceremony going on? Do you think they’re gonna kill someone? I read a story about that once…some kind of lottery where if your family won someone was killed from it. Scared the hell out of me.”
“I think,” the Doctor turned and looked around a bit, his tongue pressed against the bottom of his two front teeth, “that you worry too much. Traveling with me has made you paranoid. Just a good old fashioned party. And I know for a fact, Rose Tyler, that you love to party.” He grinned and twirled her around once before pulling her close.
“That I do.” She smiled.
The inside of the Inn was small, dark and crowded. Well, it was crowded for a building with no one in it. Chairs and tables were arranged almost on top of each other, and the bar took up a good half of the room. It was completely empty and silent. Rose took a shaky breath, having learned that a completely empty room when in the Doctor’s presence was never a good sign, and bit down on her lip as she waited for the inevitable monster to rear it’s ugly head.
“Hello there. What can I get you?” A cheery female voice called out from behind the two.
Rose nearly fell from spinning around so fast, her blonde hair whipping around her face as a woman walked in. She seemed to be not much older than Rose; tall, thin, and dark haired with curls that reached her shoulders. Her dress though, did nothing for the shapely figure that probably resided underneath its heavy material. The Doctor grinned, you know, that same grin he always grinned when a pretty girl was around. The woman smiled back, her black eyes moving over the two of them.
“Well?”
“Oh, yeah. Hi. I’m the Doctor-“he started, but was cut off as Rose grabbed his hand and pointedly laced her fingers with his.
“I’m Rose. We’re looking for Marissa?”
“That’s me. What can I do for you two…just passing through I would assume?” her voice changed from friendly to wary upon noticing the pair’s awkward attire.
“Edward told us you could help with some more appropriate clothing?” the Doctor asked, absentmindedly pulling Rose closer to him.
“Did he now? Fancy that. Yeah, first room upstairs. There should be something to fit the pair of you, but mind I’ll be needin’ it back whenever you’re through. Those clothes are for the customers who need time to wash their own laundry.” Marissa was pointing to a staircase hidden behind the eastern wall, “I’ll watch your clothes while you’re out and about if you like.”
“That’d be lovely. Thank you.” The Doctor grinned again and the two made their way upstairs.
Rose pulled out a long, shapeless, grey wool dress from a wardrobe and held it up to herself. She made a face too as she ran her fingers over the rough cloth and sighed, knowing that her options weren’t going to get any better. At least that particular dress was closer to her size, “What’cha think?” she asked and turned to the Doctor who was pulling down some of the old fashioned suits.
“I think…it suits the time period.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
The tip of his tongue darted out to press against his top lip as he thought of a comeback that wouldn’t earn him a slap, “I mean…you’ll make it look lovely. You always do.”
“You’re just saying that.”
“Who? Me? Never!” he grinned and shrugged out of his long overcoat.
“Yeah right…” Rose smiled at him, turning her face down as she worked at undoing the buttons at the back of the dress.
The two, who after many long adventures involving close quarters and needed wardrobe changes, dressed in silence. The Doctor pulled off his tie, Rose slipped out of her trainers, the Doctor started unbuttoning his shirt, Rose snuck a look and turned to pull off her own; it was like clockwork. The Doctor looked up, not long after upon hearing a frustrated grunt to see Rose struggling to pull the dress over her head. It had gotten bunched up and stuck and clung to her shoulders, exposing her breasts clad in the lavender coloured bra and her lower body encased in matching lacy knickers to God, the world, and him.
“N-need a hand?” he stammered, desperately trying not to look at the sight of her curves thrashing about under the attack of the wool.
“Yeah, that’d be helpful. Thanks.” Rose seemed to be completely unaware that she was giving her (not so) poor companion a show.
The Doctor moved in and grabbed the hem of the offending dress and pulled a little, moving it down just enough to let her get her head through. Blonde hair and hazel eyes popped through the wool and she smiled at him. He smiled back, helping pull down the rest of the fabric and trying to resist the urge to brush his fingers across her smooth skin. It was a true trial of his willpower.
As the two finally managed to wrangle the Dress of Doom Rose had taken to try and button up the back by herself with little to no luck. The Doctor had gone back to pulling on the crisp, white shirt, grey pants and wrestled with the little laces of the boots he was supposed to wear; his chucks never seemed to give him this much hell. He looked up and smiled, happiness and warmth bubbling up from within his hearts as he watched Rose struggle with trying to keep the back of the dress together with no avail.
“Doctor?” Rose asked quietly.
“Yes?” he answered, probably a little too quickly.
Rose paused for a moment and caught his eyes, sensing the laughter in them she stuck out her tongue, “Um...little help here, please?”
The Doctor nodded and stood up. He took a moment, breathing in an out for just short of the time it would have taken her to notice him doing so, and walked over with his usual stride. Rose turned and held up her hair, her gaze on the ground as he pulled the edges of the back together and proceeded to button her in from the bottom up. He moved slowly. Well, he moved slower than he had to and took every opportunity to indulge himself by letting his fingers brush over her spine as he moved from button to button. She pursed her lips in attempt to not shiver from those feather light touches and he let the tip of his tongue slide out from between his lips as he fought to concentrate on the task at hand. He paused just before the button at the back of her neck, letting his fingers linger a little longer than before. Rose inhaled sharply as he brushed at the baby strands of her hair at the base of her head and even more so as she felt him shift to move closer to her.
“Doctor?” her voice shook a little.
“Yes?” his came out in a whisper.
“You could leave the last one undone. I don’t think I’ll be able to breathe it with it buttoned.”
The Doctor licked his lips, “okay.” And he moved away.
The pair came down not much longer after that, both blushing and more than a little hypersensitive to the other. Marissa smiled upon seeing them in more acceptable clothing and went around the bar to take a closer look, “you clean up nice!”
“Thanks.” Rose replied and nervously started playing with her hair that she’d pulled up into a top knot.
“Well then…why don’t you two go on ahead and find Edward. Now that you blend in a bit better he may actually have some work for you to do.” Marissa smiled and turned back to the bar.
“Will do. Shall we, Rose?” the Doctor asked and laced his fingers ever so gently into hers.
“Right.”
Rose had been set to sitting along a long line with a group of women braiding the stems of fresh flowers into long chains. It was a tedious, boring, and repetitive task, but it gave her time to take in her surroundings without the Doctor blabbering on in her ear about one thing or another. It was almost calming, really, to just sit back and watch the town of people hauling wheelbarrows of stuff around and just the relaxing clamor of the folks as they hurried to get the square ready.
“So what’s going on, then?” Rose asked the woman next to her.
The lady turned, her face warm and friendly as she expertly plaited a few daisies into a rose, “A wedding, m’dear.”
“And the whole town helps out?”
“Of course. Poor Lilly can’t plan all this on her own. She’s got far too much to worry about as it is and she’s not supposed to be over extending herself.”
“I see. So, does the town help out for every wedding?”
“Heavens no, child! This is a favor to her and her family. Plus...our spring festival is at the same time so it works out for everyone.”
“Spring festival? Like a carnival?”
The woman cocked her head to the side, “where you young ones come up with such things is beyond me,” and shook her head before going back to her work.
The Doctor, like Rose, had been set to the menial task of arranging tables and chairs in rows. It was easy work, but the day was warm and he was in period clothing that didn’t exactly have a “season”; wool tends not to lend itself very well in spring temperatures. He stopped, letting one of the table drop at his feet as he mopped his brow with the back of his hand. It was so bright, in this place, and so very alive.
“So what’s all this? The ceremony, I mean.” The Doctor asked one of the men that worked beside him.
“Paul and Lilly Evaens’ wedding.” The older man answered as he hefted a table and set it into place.
“A wedding! Fantastic!”
The man chuckled, “yeah for all of us that have to help out since she’s about to pop…you’d think they get it taken care of sooner. The actual marriage I mean…not them having children so quickly.”
The Doctor stopped, “ah…so that’s what this is all about. Unwed soon-to-be mother…”
“Shameful.”
“Oh I dunno….”
“You must be new…it’s been the gossip all over since everyone found out. Then again, I think Lilly wanted everyone to find out….she likes to be talked about, y’see.”
The Doctor didn’t answer him. His eyes were trained across the expanse of tables, chairs, and people to the women sitting in a group plaiting flowers together. He saw Rose, her eyes down on the task before her, with a small smile across her lips. A funny feeling weaseled its way through his stomach as he watched her. It worried him a bit. Too many funny feelings about Rose had been coming up lately, not that he really minded, but certainly he had to ignore them. It just wasn’t right…for her or for him. It wasn’t fair.
Soon after the flowers had been taken care of Rose wandered around, not really wanting to search out their man in charge and get another task. It was so warm that afternoon and the wool dress she was wearing hardly lent itself to breathe. It made her tired and just slightly irritable. Not that she minded the being out and about as opposed to running for her life every second, but there as something a bit boring about their lull into this time period that she couldn’t quite shake.
“Excuse me, miss, do you think you could possibly help me up?” asked a very small voice from somewhere below Rose’s line of vision.
The blonde looked down to see a short, very pregnant girl sitting in a chair. She smiled and offered an arm out to her, helping her to her feet. The girl smiled and smoothed her dress; one very much akin to the one Rose was wearing at the time, and turned around to pick up a bouquet of flowers wrapped in ribbon.
“Thank you….I don’t think I caught your name?” the girl asked.
“Rose.”
“Rose? Heh, we must be flower sisters…” the girl smiled and let her fingers wander a little along the petal of a rose in her bouquet.
“Excuse me?”
“I’m Lilly. Lilly Evaens.”
“Oh. Lilly. How funny.” Rose smiled.
The girl’s eyes wandered to the scene before them as the bustle slowed and people left to go to the small houses and building that extended around the town center, “they must be finishing up. It’ll start soon.” She didn’t look too happy about it.
“Yeah about that…wait a mo’…Lilly? Is this your wedding they’re planning?”
The girl blushed, “it is. I told them that we’d take care of it after the baby was born, but everyone insisted that we had to do it before then. See, no one around here thinks we should have them before we’re married…it’s bad enough that we’re with child before marriage as it is.”
“It’s not so bad…at least not where I’m from, anyway.”
”It must be nice for you. Paul and I hadn’t even thought about getting married once we found out…the most important thing is was the baby…but people started to talk and the people around here have no qualms about imposing their advice into where they think it should be. We thought about maybe not getting married at all…it was an accident after all. We didn’t plan for it to happen.” Lilly’s eyes held no happiness in them at all, “I mean…I love Paul. I really do. I’ve known him since we were little, but I’m not ready for such a step.”
Rose cocked her head to the side, “how old are you?” she asked in a small voice.
“Seventeen. I know, I’m practically an old maid. Most of my friends were married off last year, but…I just can’t imagine being with one man for the rest of my life. Why? How old are you?”
Rose paused, taking in the gravity that was how young women were when things like this happened in this time period. She thought about all the things they would miss out on as the stay and keep a house from their teen years until they were too old to do much else, “Twenty.”
“And not married? Such a life! I should be very jealous of you, Miss Rose. And traveling and passing through places all the time. How wonderful.” Lilly looked genuinely impressed and picked up Rose’s arm and linked it with her own, “what’s it like? Have you a man? Tell me everything.”
“There is a man. The Doctor…I sort of…travel with him.” Rose smiled, thinking back to their first encounter as he grabbed her hand and told her to run. They hadn’t stopped running since then.
“A doctor? How fortunate…in all those travels if something were to happen you’d be assured that you’d be taken care of.”
“Taken care of…yeah…he does that. But he’s not a medical doctor. He’s more of a doctor of…everything.”
“How very strange.”
“He’s that too.” And they both giggled.
The two girls made their way back toward the town center. There two men stood talking…one was the Doctor and the other was someone Rose hadn’t seen before. Lilly brightened though, as they approached and the other man extended his arm to her, “my lovely lady-wife.”
“Paul, I’m assumin’?” Rose asked.
Lilly nodded, “this is Rose. I just met her today.”
Paul nodded, “this is the Doctor. Apparently he’s just passing through…”
Lilly smiled, “so this is your man then, Rose? He’s handsome!”
“Your man?” the Doctor asked and Rose grinned, “Hardly. If anything you’re my woman.”
“Gettin’ possessive, eh?” Rose asked and playfully nudged his shoulder.
“Maybe.”
Paul took Lilly’s hand and they smiled up at one another, love glowing out from the two of them like it was light and air. Rose averted her eyes, looking down at her shoes, and tried not to seem just a bit jealous. Sure she and the Doctor shared moments like that…but those two were getting married. Her heart hurt a bit as the soon-to-be husband and wife slowly made their way away after saying they needed to prepare for the ceremony and that both the Doctor and rose were more than welcome to join in.
The Doctor noticed Rose’s change of mood as they too moved to find a place to sit as things were readied for the evening. She was quiet, lost in her own mind, and hardly spoke as the took a seat on a bench outside of the Inn they had changed clothes in. He wanted to say something, anything really, to get that smile he adored back on her face but was too afraid he’d just make her more upset.
“You okay?” he asked.
Rose lifted her head and smiled, but the smile didn’t quite make it up to her eyes, “yeah. Why?”
“You seem upset.”
“Oh no…just, you know, thinking.”
“What about?” the Doctor leaned in and wrapped his hand around hers.
“Being domestic.” He knew she chose that word deliberately…he knew she knew that he hated it.
“What about it?”
“That maybe one day I’d like to have that.”
“Maybe one day you will.”
She shook her head, “I won’t.”
The Doctor cocked his eyebrow, “why not?”
She didn’t answer. How could she answer? How could she tell him that the man she wanted to be domestic with had no interest in it at all? How could she tell him that all she wanted was for him to love her like she loved him? How could she?
“Kind of hard to be domestic when you’re traveling like we do. Don’t think whoever wanted to marry me would appreciate it too much.” He voice wavered a bit.
“Oh I dunno…it might be a bit of a plus if it’s the right guy.”
“Oh yeah like you’d let some guy and a kid travel with you an’ me. Mickey didn’t even last three months…and he wasn’t even my…” her voice trailed off.
The Doctor’s tongue darted out to moisten his lips, a sign that he was nervous, “your what?”
“Boyfriend. And don’t even pretend you liked him…how would you act with a husband around?” Rose’s voice got a little defensive then.
This time it was the Doctor’s turn not to answer. Ever since he’d first seen her in that shop basement his stomach had been doing nothing but flips. She was what he needed…what he wanted after so many years of only having the barest of bare essentials. Not that he didn’t love all of his past companions...that was obvious. But her…Rose…she was different. She made something in him do things it hadn’t done in centuries. But he couldn’t tell her that…it was wrong. It wasn’t fair. She couldn’t give him the forever that both of them wanted…it just wasn’t possible. Well…it wasn’t possible for her to do it in her current human state, but to take that away would rob her of everything else she had. Besides…Jackie would probably kill him if he said anything along the lines of “domestic” to Rose.
“I wouldn’t. Because there wouldn’t be anyone but you an’ me.”
Rose got quiet, “what?”
The Doctor brightened and grabbed her hand as the people started to fill the seats. The town center was beautiful, though…may poles were in lines on the far side, the space for Lilly and Paul’s wedding was decorated with the plaited flowers Rose and the other women had been making earlier, and people seemed to come out in their best for the festival. It warmed his heart to see something good after so much bad.
“Come on...let’s get a seat!” the Doctor offered, pulling Rose to her feet.
She shook her head, “if you don’t mind…I’d kind of like to not be in the middle of things this time around. Think we could just sit back here and watch?”
It took a moment for that to register and the Doctor sat back down, Rose taking her place beside him. They watched in silence as the seats filled, people talked and laughed, and the warm noonday sun ebbed into the cooler late afternoon. Rose shivered a bit, as Paul took to the front of the grassy area. He looked nervous.
Lilly took her place soon after, a white dress hugging the roundness of her belly as they stood opposite one another and smiled. It was a pity, Rose mused, that even though they loved each other that they’d be locked into an eternity that neither of them wanted. How the two of them wanted freedom to do as they pleased…even if it meant later on tying the knot and making things official.
“They don’t want to get married…” Rose’s voice was quiet.
“No they don’t. That’s the times though.”
“I don’t think I could stand it…being stuck with someone forever that I didn’t want to be with no matter how much I loved him.”
The Doctor swallowed hard, “what if you did?”
“Did what?”
“Want to be stuck with him?”
“Then it wouldn’t matter. I’d be happy.”
“That’s what matters then.”
The ceremony was short, probably due to the fact that the rest of the people wanted to get on with their festival. It was simple, yet beautiful though. A man, probably some kind of preacher or something that Rose didn’t recognize spoke for a while and talked about how the two were becoming one person. That they were tying their souls together.
“What are they doing?”
“It’s called a handfasting. There’s no preacher here so they do this as what some people call a “trial marriage.” But since there’s no church in this town it’s law-binding. Really a beautiful concept…simple.” The Doctor answered, moving in close and slid his arm around Rose’s waist.
The man that had been talking looped a ribbon around Paul and Lilly’s clasped hands. The couple stared into each other’s eyes, tears gathering in Lilly’s as they exchanged words in quiet voices. It really was beautiful…so symbolic of everything. It didn’t take long for Rose too to have tears gathering in her eyes.
“It’s lovely…” she whispered, resting her head on the Doctor’s shoulder.
“It really is…so different from what they had on my planet. There a wedding was an affair that lasted almost a week. So much ceremony and long speeches and it was awful…” his voice trailed off as a memory played in his mind.
“What was the ceremony like on your planet?” Rose asked him, turning so her words were aimed at his throat.
“Oh it was…large…completely overdone. There was singing…chanting…praying…the families would each speak to the couple…really once you took away the length it was rather beautiful. But not like this…” there was a catch in his voice that he’d hoped to mask.
“Did you ever have one? A wedding, I mean…I know you sad before that…you were a dad...” this time she let her voice wander off, not really wanting to tack on the questions that had been going through her mind since he’d told her that.
The Doctor chewed on his lip for a moment, letting an arm wrap around her, “I did.” and floundered on what to say next. Did he tell her about his family in his first incarnation? Did he tell her about Susan and how she traveled with him?
“I see…”
“Oh it was…a long time ago. So very long ago. Heh, hard to think back that far now…”
“How old were you?” Rose asked gently, her voice low as if she really didn’t want to hear the answer.
“I’m over nine hundred years old, Rose…that was the first body I ever had. I was still in double digits when I married…” he fumbled, realizing that the name wouldn’t translate correctly, “my wife.”
“Did you…love her?” this time there was a hitch in her voice.
He licked his lips and pressed his cheek against the top of her head, watching as Paul and Lilly strode down the aisle with their hands wrapped together in ribbon, “At the time I loved her. I was young…so very young. Things have changed since then...”
“Have they?”
“They have,” he smiled down at her. It wasn’t the manic grin he wore most of the time though; this time is was something small that he saved just for her.
“I think we should join the party now…” Rose smiled as the festivities seemed to be heating up now that the ceremony was over.
“I agree.”
People danced jovially around the center of the town in circles with their hands clasped. They sang, they drank, they talked, they laughed, and they enjoyed themselves. It truly was a festival. Children danced around the May poles and Rose couldn’t help but giggle when the Doctor told her what they ribbon wrapped poles actually meant in some cultures. It was a nice afternoon that turned lazily into evening.
Rose spent most of the party at Lilly’s side when the congratulations on her marriage had worn off. The two ate and talked, Lilly rubbing her stomach every so often as they watched everyone indulging in the fun.
“Are you happy, Lilly?” Rose asked, taking a sip of wine from the mug on the table.
“I am. Paul is a good man. I’ve known him for a long while and he would never do wrong by me. Though truth be told I think he’s more excited about being a father than he is about a husband…not that I blame him. I’m more excited about being a mother than a wife.” Lilly mused, leaning back in the chair.
“You’ll find a way to cope. I know you will.” Rose smiled, putting a hand over her friend’s and squeezing it a bit.
Lilly looked out at the people dancing and smiled as the Doctor and Paul swept by, all smiles and laughter as the circle of people dancing carried them, “what about you and your Doctor, Miss Rose? Ever going to settle down with him?”
“He’s been there before…I don’t think he wants to go down that road again.”
“Obviously you’re blind then.”
“What?” Rose looked up.
“I saw you too…during the ceremony. All cuddled up and whispering to one another…you can’t deny that.”
“That’s just how he is.” Rose suddenly felt defensive, but wasn’t sure why. Wasn’t that exactly what she had been hoping to hear not hours before?
“I don’t believe that. He looks at you the way I wish someone would look at me. The way I wish Paul will look at me someday…that’s how he looks at you.”
“I don’t think so…”
“You may not think so, but you want it to be so, eh?” Lilly waggled her eyebrows in a very Doctor-ish way.
“Completely not the point.”
“Thought so.”
The party and festivities had gone on late into the night. Paul and Lilly had retired back to their house after Lilly complained of stomach pain. Apparently the standing on her feat and being so active had done a number on her and the baby was starting to kick. Rose hugged her good bye and Paul shook the Doctor’s hand before taking his new wife’s arm and leading her home.
“They’ll be all right, eh?” Rose asked, turning to look up at the Doctor.
“Oh I think so…”
“Are we gonna leave tonight or tomorrow morning?” Rose asked, stretching a bit. It was late.
“Let’s get some sleep and we’ll head out early.”
“Yeah sleep…by that you mean watch me sleep while you pace the room.”
“It’s not my fault I have superior biology that allows me to only need minutes of sleep as opposed to you poor human who require hours upon hours. No let’s get you all tucked in.” he grinned and Rose slapped him on the shoulder, “Oi! Still injured!”
They had just gotten settled in, Rose was wrapped up in a long dressing gown and pulling her hair loose from its top knot while the Doctor was shrugging out of his jacket, when the sound of hurried footsteps came clamoring up the Inn staircase toward their room. Rose looked up in alarm, her mind whirling with something like I knew we’d bloody well get attacked. And it’s always right before we get to sleep too. Paul burst through the door, mumbling apologies and begging the two of them to come quickly.
“Please…she’s gone into labor, but something isn’t right. She’s bleeding more than she should be…and Doctor Brown says he can’t do everything on his own. You’ll come won’t you, Doctor? Please? I don’t want to lose my child…” Paul asked and the Doctor nodded.
“Of course. Rose, you’ll be coming too I assume?” he asked and she nodded.
“Hell yeah.”
The walk from the Inn to Paul and Lilly’s took mere minutes but seemed like hours. Each passing second both the Doctor and Rose knew Lilly was in more and more danger. Sadly, in these times, childbirth was still a very dangerous thing. Soon enough, though, they found their way through the maze of alleys and houses and into the warm living area. Cries were coming from upstairs along with another voice trying to soothe them.
“Paul, I need you to stay down here. Rose…I…” his voice softened and he shook his head, “Lilly may need you.”
Rose nodded, “let’s get going then.”
The bedroom was a complete mess. Lilly rested on the bed, blood soaked sheets beneath her as an older man sat in a chair at the edge of the mattress. He looked up to see Rose and the Doctor gawping at Lilly who was crying loudly.
“Lilly!” Rose whispered and went to her side, taking her hand.
“Miss Rose! Doctor! Why- why are you here? You shouldn’t be here!” her voice was wavering and weak from the screaming she’d done earlier.
“Paul told us to come. He thought we could help.” The Doctor answered and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt.
“Try not to talk Mrs. Eveans…you’ll wear yourself out.” The older man ordered gruffly and he stared into the problems at hand that were going on.
Rose grabbed a cloth and dipped it in the water from a wash basin on the bedside table. Lilly looked thankful as she mopped her brow and whispered soothing things into her ear as both Doctors discussed quietly what was going on. Neither of them looked very optimistic.
“It’s twins…we didn’t expect this. One’s got the cord around his neck…and the other is pushing too hard. It’s still too early…they’re not ready…and something’s ruptured.” The older man said.
“Will she live?” the Doctor asked, crouching down.
“I don’t know.”
The night was long for everyone. The babies had pushed and pushed against her until Lilly was screaming that she would burst from the all the pain. Rose silently and tearfully mopped her brow and held her hand as both Doctors worked, trying to help the babies out without hurting the mother. It was a delicate process for everyone and no one more than Paul, who had been exiled down stairs on more than one occasion after he’d come up to see what was going on, wanted for things to quiet down and go as it should be.
In the end, though, the babies were delivered and all was fine for them. One was slightly bigger and stronger than the other, but that was to be expected. Lilly cried once they announced them to both be girls, sobbing to be able to hold one. The Doctor, who was elbow deep in things Rose didn’t even want to imagine washed up and helped clean the baby off and moved her to see her mother. Lilly was crying, but crying in the happiest way ever. She had her children…and that was the important thing. But Rose saw something different at that moment.
She attributed it to her selfishness, but when she saw the Doctor coming over holding the tiny baby in his arms she didn’t see it as him showing Lilly her child for the first time. No, she saw the Doctor looking at the child and remembering things from lifetimes ago that he hadn’t thought about in years. His face was solemn yet cheerful, if there was such a thing, as he placed the little girl into Lilly’s arms and watched as the new mother cooed to her daughter.
“Thank you…thank you both…” but her voice screeched as she convulsed in pain and the other doctor gasped in alarm.
Rose took the baby from Lilly’s arms and held it as the Doctor took hold of the other one. His face was surprised and full of fear as the other man grabbed at things on a table beside him, tools, cloths, water for his hands, and watched as he mouthed obscenities up and down at what was going on. Lilly cried out, screaming for them to tell her what was wrong and why she couldn’t hold her children. Paul came up, pounding on the now locked door angrily calling out for him to see what was happening.
Later that night Rose sat with the two newborns, singing softly to them. The Doctor was downstairs with Paul telling him the situation and she knew from the sound of his shout and the demands for the Doctor to stop lying that he knew. Lilly was dead.
“I’ll never see my babies grow up will I, Rose?” she asked, trying not to sob as both doctors tried to do something that would stop the bleeding.
“I…I dunno. Don’t think like that. You’ve waited so long to see them and they’re gonna love you. Hang in there.” Rose was trying to sound upbeat, but was failing as Lilly paled to almost the color of the pillow her head rest on.
Lilly lifted a hand and offered it to Rose, the ribbon for the ceremony earlier tied around her wrist. Rose smiled, but Lilly shook her arm in attempt to get Rose to notice it, “untie it.” She ordered softly.
Rose swiftly undid the simple tie and held the ribbon in her hands. It was blue and soft and slightly damp from Lilly sweating so much in the last few hours, “take it.” She said.
“What?”
“Take it. Keep it for when you and your Doctor finally get things together.”
“I’m not taking this from you-“
“Take it.” Lilly interrupted and Rose nodded, not wanting to rouse her any more.
The next morning was somber as both Rose and the Doctor changed into their normal clothes. They’d go see Paul soon before they left and give their regards, but knew it wouldn’t do much. He’d thanked them over and over again for their help through tearful eyes and sobs that nearly matching the cries of his new born daughters. Even after they had gone back to their room as dawn broke neither one could talk or sleep. Rose held the ribbon Lilly had given her in one had as she stared down at the wood floor and wondered if ever there was going to be an adventure that didn’t end in sadness for someone.
“Ready?” the Doctor asked?
She nodded and they made their way downstairs, hands entwined as usual though the Doctor seemed to grip hers just a little tighter than normal. As the said their good byes and thanks to Marissa for letting them stay Rose caught sight of a few roses in a vase on the bar. She asked if she could have one and Marissa nodded, waving as the two swept out of the Inn in almost the same manner they had arrived.
Paul didn’t talk much as they went to see him. People from all over the town were there, offering condolences and cooing over the girls. He sat, his face locked in a frown as silent tears rolled down his face, watching everyone mill about. He was numb.
The Doctor and Rose slid in as quickly as they could. Rose moved swiftly over to the crude bassinette where both of the babies were and kissed each on top of the head. It earned her stares from the surrounding people, but she didn’t care. Tears filled her eyes as she placed the red rose on the white material just out of their tiny grasp and whispered to the two of them, “your mum loved you. Don’t forget that.” And wound her way back through the people to the Doctor.
They each hugged Paul and he told them he was happy they had come when they had otherwise his children along with his wife would probably be dead. The Doctor put a hand on his shoulder for a long moment and turned, linking his arm with Rose and led her out of the house. His face was stoic and hard as they walked across the empty town center, rose struggling to keep up with him.
“Stop.” She said, pulling on his arm.
“Why?” he asked, turning to face her.
“What’s the matter?”
“Why should something be the matter?”
“You seem upset…”
“Of course I’m upset! A woman died because I couldn’t help her…I should have said I was no good with medicine...”
“But Paul was right...without you those kids might have died…”
“I doubt that...”
They locked eyes for a long time; his filled with anger and hurt at himself for not being able to save the poor woman. After a while Rose reached in her pocket and pulled out the ribbon Lilly had given her the night before, letting it open to blow in the soft breeze of the morning.
The Doctor eyes her, his eyebrow cocking a bit as she took his hand and laced her fingers with his. She smiled at him in attempt to ease away inevitable pain he was feeling…and how she knew how to melt that pain away. He smiled back.
“I think you know what happens next…” Rose smiled and waved the ribbon around.
The each took and end and wrapped it around their wrists, tying each other together. They knotted it simply and let their hands fall, joined and clasped by their sides. He smiled at her and leaned down to brush a kiss over her forehead and pulled her into a hug that seemed to melt away everything but each other.
“You’re stuck with me…” she smiled and he winked at her.
“Better with two.”