One Time the Doctor Made a Promise and Five Times He Kept It (2/2)
One Time the Doctor Made a Promise and Five Times He Kept It (2/2)
Tentoo/Rose, PG, Set a few months after Journey's End, 3,804 words in this part, 6,735 total
Note: Written in 4 days...my muse wants to kill me. Sorry it's a bit late...this is the most I've ever written in such a short space of time!
Part One
~*~
May 17th, 2010
Rose took a deep breath of fresh salty air and listened to the crashing of the waves below. She closed her eyes and felt the kiss of ocean breezes on her face. The wind fluttered her grey flowered dress against her legs and her hair tried to escape her tight braid.
Thoughts of the last couple of times she was on the beach tried to invade this bright, cheerful day. It was hard not to get flashbacks of that awful, despairing day when she thought she was separated from the Doctor forever. Heartbreak and beaches seemed to go hand in hand, but she struggled to put all of that out of her mind.
It was after all, why they were at the beach. To replace old, broken memories with new ones. At least, that was Rose’s intention. But the Doctor had wandered off, leaving her alone with the waves and her thoughts.
She struggled to focus simply on the sounds of the ocean and not the sight of the Doctor fading before her eyes. It was springtime after all, when old things become new again.
“Hello.” The Doctor’s quiet voice by her ear interrupted her thoughts.
Rose opened her eyes to see a wide grin and slightly mischievous eyes gleaming at her. “Where’ve you been hiding then?”
The Doctor rocked back and forth on his heels, hands behind his back, with his long brown coat flapping in the wind. It wasn’t exactly the same as his old one, but it was close enough. “Well, I was, you know, busy.”
She raised her eyebrows at him but said nothing.
He rubbed a hand through his hair, making it stand up in spikes. “Well all right, you might as well know,” he started with an embarrassed smile. “I was getting you these.” His hand popped out from behind his back and he gave her a small bouquet of yellow wildflowers.
Rose’s eyebrows shot upwards in surprise. “You picked me flowers?” she squeaked.
A slight shade of pink colored his cheeks and he shuffled his feet a bit. “Well yes, I suppose I did.”
She hugged him then, smashing the bouquet a little but she didn’t care. “Thank you, they’re beautiful.”
He held her a little longer than usual, rubbing her back. “You’re welcome,” he said, pleased. “What were you thinking about when I walked up?”
She closed her eyes and buried her face into the flowers. “Memories.”
“Ah,” he replied and pulled her a little closer.
A shiver ran through her and he looked down with concern. “Are you cold?”
“A little,” she replied.
Reluctantly the Doctor relinquished his grasp on her and shrugged off his long brown coat. Carefully he settled it on her shoulders and awkwardly rubbed her arms a little. “Better?”
She nodded and leaned her back against him, letting him enfold her in his arms. “You know, I can’t see the ocean without thinking about Bad Wolf Bay,” she told him quietly.
“I know,” he said softly. “I keep seeing the TARDIS disappear before my eyes.”
“Do…do you think we’ll ever stop missing the TARDIS? I hear the ship in my mind and when I dream. Even now, if I close my eyes I can almost hear her in the waves….”
The Doctor’s held her a little tighter, taking a moment to respond. “No, I don’t think I’ll ever stop missing the TARDIS. It was my home for such a long time…our home.” He paused before continuing. “But there’s something I haven’t told you. I’ve been waiting for the right time….”
She peered up at him. “What?”
Leaning forward slightly, the Doctor dug a hand into the pocket of his long coat. He gently placed a hard object into Rose’s free left hand.
She stared at it uncomprehendingly. It was small and yellow and almost looked like…. Rose gently stroked it with her thumb and nearly dropped it when it responded to her touch. “Is…is this coral from the TARDIS?” She barely managed to choke out the words as tears blurred her vision.
“Yes,” he replied simply, cradling her left hand with his own. The coral faintly glowed green with his touch.
“How?” Rose asked wonderingly.
The Doctor hesitated before answering. “After we put Earth to rights, I knew what was going to happen. What the other me had planned. But I didn’t do anything, Rose. I accepted the fact that I was giving up the TARDIS and that other life to be with you.” He ran his thumb over hers before continuing. “Right before we stepped out, the other me slipped this into my pocket. He didn’t say anything, he didn’t have to. I knew what he was thinking. He gave us a gift, Rose. A chance to go back home and be happy. Together.”
A lone tear streaked its way down her cheek. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because…because I didn’t know if it would work,” he answered honestly. “I didn’t want to bring your hopes up and then break them if the TARDIS died. But it’s alive and it’s growing-all it needs is time. Well that and…” he trailed off.
Rose looked up at him, noting the sadness in his eyes with just a hint of hope. “What else does it need, Doctor?” She watched as the spark of hope grew, just a little.
“It needs love, Rose,” he whispered. “She can sense it, you know.”
Rose bit her lip, looking down at the coral and curling her fingers a little tighter around it. Barely daring to breathe, she mustered up all her courage to ask a question. “Do you think she knows…knows how much I love you?”
She felt the Doctor stop breathing and she didn’t dare look up at him, afraid of what she might see. The moments of silence seemed to drag on like hours.
The Doctor let her go and knelt in front of her, cupping her cheek with his hand. “Yes,” he answered softly, covering the TARDIS coral with his free hand. “Just as she knows my love for you.”
Her gaze locked onto his and she saw a look of pure love she’d never quite seen before. It took her breath away.
The TARDIS coral hummed quietly between them, but they hardly registered it as they kissed, slowly and sweetly. It was the first time since the last time they were at the beach and time seemed to stop. They didn’t notice the sweet spring breeze or the few birds eyeing them with interest.
~*~
July 17th-25th, 2010
A few weeks ago, the Doctor had bounced into her room and flopped down on the bed. He looked at her expectantly until she set her book aside and gave him her full attention. “We’re going on holiday,” he had announced. “In America, is that all right?”
“O-kay,” she answered slowly, trying to catch up. “Why?”
“Because,” was his enigmatic reply.
So they went to America, bags packed for a summer holiday and Rose’s questions on where they were going left unanswered. Until they arrived in Los Angeles that is.
The Doctor took her hand and led her to shiny blue car waiting for them in the rental agency. “It’s a Ford Mustang,” he told her proudly, “made in 1965! And it’s TARDIS blue! Can you believe it, Rose?”
“It’s beautiful,” she breathed.
“And guess where we’re taking it? Can you guess? Well I’ll just tell you. We’re going on a road trip down Historic Route 66!”
Rose wrinkled her nose at him. “I’m not sure I know what that is, Doctor.”
“Really? Never heard of the Mother Road? It’s brilliant, Rose, really it is. They started building it back in 1926 as a highway to link Chicago to Los Angeles. Helped a lot of people escape the drought during the Dust Bowl in the thirties. It connected major cities to tiny communities and there are different mom and pop stores and hotels and sights to see-you’re gonna love it.”
“Well then,” Rose grinned at him, “let’s get started!”
“Not all of it is still intact though,” he warned, “so we’ll have to do some creative map figuring.”
She took his hand and rested her chin on his shoulder. “Sounds like it’s gonna be a grand adventure.”
Days filled with traveling passed by with odd attractions and historic stops. They stayed at old hotels with neon signs and ate in diners that had been around since the 1950s. In Albuquerque, New Mexico, they visited Old Town and walked through the Rattlesnake Museum. Rose cringed whenever the Doctor leaned too close to the glass to get a closer look. When he noticed she had a queasy look on her face, he put a protective arm around her shoulders and started listing all the amazing facts he knew about the rattlers. Afterwards they shared a bowl of ice cream and watched the traffic go by.
Once they walked through a shop completely dedicated to selling different hats. They went off in different directions and selected a hat for each other. They grinned at each other when they met up again, and laughed when they realized they had both picked out a cowboy hat.
They entered Arizona the next day and once they had passed through the town of Oatman, they wound their way into the Black Mountains. It was steep and full of hairpin turns that the Doctor attacked with delight. Rose gripped her door handle until her knuckles turned white. She was not comforted when the Doctor informed her that this particular section was nick-named “Bloody 66”. She kissed him once they were out of the Black Mountains and then whispered in his ear what she’d do to him if he ever put her through that again. Mildly chagrinned, he promised to be a bit more careful next time.
The mustang broke down about eight miles outside of Seligmann, Arizona. The Doctor pursed his lips as he peered under the bonnet to try to figure out the problem. “You would think fixing a car would be easy…” he muttered.
Rose stood beside him, fanning herself with her cowboy hat. “How far do you reckon we are from civilization?”
The Doctor closed the bonnet and leaned against the car, studying the barren terrain. “Well, it can’t be that far,” he commented. “What do you think Rose? Backwards or forwards?”
“Forwards,” she answered confidently.
Hand in hand, they walked down the road, looking for other cars or signs of life. Small bushes and bunches of grass dotted the side of the road and a few crows flew overhead, but no cars. After a time they came along an old concrete bridge, closed down from the main road.
Curiosity drove the Doctor off the road and he bounded up to the concrete structure. “I wonder…” he trailed off and then licked the nearest railing.
Rose stuck her tongue out at him. “I really wish you wouldn’t do that.”
The Doctor ignored her and flung himself to the railing, looking over it with a huge grin. “Aw, it’s going over a railroad! And it’s from the 1930s, if you were wondering.”
“Fancy a little railroad walking, Doctor?”
“Rose Tyler, I thought you’d never ask.”
They walked along the tracks for an hour, just enjoying each other’s company and talking about places they wanted to visit. He held her hand as she walked on top of the rail and caught her when she slipped and fell.
“Ash Fork,” the Doctor said suddenly.
“What?”
“The next town,” he replied, “Ash Fork. If I remember correctly, it was a railroad town and since this is the Santa Fe railroad track, we should reach it. Eventually.”
“Oh.” Rose stepped from wooden plank to wooden plank, pondering her next question. “Doctor, why did you choose to come here?”
“Oh, well, you know. Some place different, something new.” He stopped walking and ruffled his hair a bit. “And I suppose, I did have a specific reason.”
“Like what?”
“I…had a question to ask you, but I’ve been waiting for the right time.”
“Well, I promise not to bite your head off if that helps.”
He got an odd look on his face and shook his head. “No, I don’t imagine you would.” The Doctor drew in a deep breath and plunged his hands into his pockets. “You know my feelings about…domestic things.”
Rose nodded.
“And you know they weren’t important to me, but…I’ve come to realize that some domestic things are important. In fact, one thing in particular I decided will help me say what I’ve wanted to say for weeks now.”
Completely still, Rose studied his face, trying to work out what he was talking about. Finally, after moments of silence, she gave him a small encouraging smile. “Tell me.”
He hesitated, then took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. “You’re my best friend,” he stated simply. “And in all my lives, I’ve never met someone like you. You’re precious to me, Rose.” The Doctor paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. “Remember on the beach when I told you I only had one life and I could spend it with you?”
“Yeah,” she said softly, never taking her eyes off him.
The Doctor pulled his hand out of his pocket and pressed a small object into her free hand and closed her fingers around it. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Rose Tyler. I don’t mind how it happens, or when, but…” he knelt in front of her, “…marry me?”
She stared at him numbly for a moment before her brain caught up. “Blimey,” she exclaimed, “I never thought you would ask me that!”
He grinned up at her. “I must be getting sentimental in my old age. But you haven’t answered my question.” He slowly uncurled her fingers so she could see the ring lying in the palm of her hand.
“Oh…” she trailed off, examining the ring with interest. It was silver with a heart in the middle wearing a crown surrounded by two hands. “It’s beautiful,” she breathed.
“It’s a claddagh ring, have you seen one before? The heart symbolizes love, the crown loyalty, and the hands friendship. In Ireland it’s worn in different ways to signal your marital status. Pete gave it to me when I asked…well, you know.”
“You asked my dad?”
“I wanted to do it properly. Somewhat. It’s a family heirloom, apparently.”
Rose carefully handed him the ring and held out her hand. “You’ve been my best friend for years and I’ve loved you for so long. I never thought I’d be standing here with you, let alone having you ask-“ she choked up and took a moment to compose herself before continuing. “You once asked how long I was going to stay with you. ‘Forever’ remember? So…my answer is yes.”
His eyes lit up with joy and he gently slid the ring onto her middle finger, with the point of the heart facing her fingertips. Moments later, she was wrapped in his arms in a hug. “Thank you,” he whispered before capturing her lips in a kiss.
The rest of the afternoon was gaily spent, skipping down the railroad. Talking of old times and plans for the future and occasionally singing “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” when the mood struck. They didn’t make it to Ash Fork until well after dark, but they hardly noticed.
~*~
August 1st, 2010
They entered the Petrified Forest State Park outside of Holbrook, Arizona earlier that afternoon. The sun was warm overhead and the weather was perfect for the leisurely drive down the park’s main road. Stopping at various viewpoints, they marveled at the varying shades of reds below them in the Painted Desert. Below them lay hills and valleys of gorgeous hues and stripes that seemed to stretch on forever.
They stopped at the Painted Desert Inn, a stopover for the travelers of Route 66 before the area was turned into a State Park. They were about to go inside the adobe colored building when Rose stopped dead in her tracks.
“Rose?”
She gave him a cheeky smile, grabbed his hand, and led him to a nearby sign talking about a self-guided hike. He barely had time to glance at it before she was pulling him down a trail, into the badlands of the Painted Desert.
“Where are we going?” he asked, curious.
“You’ll see,” was all she’d say.
After a half hour of winding their way downwards and going between the red and pink hills, they were well out of sight of the other tourists at the inn. The cliffs they had climbed down were obscured from view by mounds of red. They were completely alone and the world around them was silent. Not even the hard baked clay crunched beneath their feet as they walked along. They admired the texture of the hills around them. Dry and cracked it looked like the skin of an old elephant.
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Rose avoided his question, spinning around in a circle to take in the view.
“It’s amazing,” he agreed, grinning up at the cloudless sky.
“I think it’s perfect.”
“What for?”
She took both his hands and smiled up at him, eyes sparkling. “I’ve been thinking. I don’t need a white dress or friends and family. All I need is you. Let’s get married. Here. Right now.”
“Here? Now?” he echoed, looking around. Expectant brown eyes met his gaze and he realized he couldn’t possibly say no. Her excitement was infectious and his heart leapt at the thought of what they were about to do. “It’s fantastic! I know I said I didn’t mind where or when and I really don’t, but I wasn’t looking forward to your mum being there.”
Rose gave him a look.
“Not that I don’t love your mum,” he backtracked quickly. “She’s quite lovely and wonderful in her own way. I just…like this better. You and me, on our own. No staring eyes or long drawn out conversations with people you barely know. You’re all I need.”
“She’s been quite supportive of you lately, you know?”
“I know…sorry.”
“It’s s’okay. She’ll be miffed either way because she doesn’t know I’m engaged! But I don’t think she’ll be surprised.”
“Your dad probably said something by now.”
Rose sighed, “Most likely they’ll think we got married in Los Vegas or something. But this is much better, yeah?” She laughed nervously. “I don’t know how to start. What should we do?”
“Well,” he dropped one of her hands and began loosening his tie, “we’ll start by winding my tie around both our hands.”
“What, like a binding ceremony?”
“Yep, or a handfasting if you like. But it’s purely symbolic.” He turned serious. “I’ve been bound to you for a long time, Rose Tyler. You have worked your way into my soul.”
She bit her lip shyly and looked down at her toes, wind ruffling her hair falling loosely from her bun. The Doctor handed her an end of his tie and slowly they both wound the cloth around their hands until only a short piece was left in the middle.
“Now we give each other our vows…or promises if you like. My people…” he trailed off, lost in thought. “My people used to have a written form that you had to say, rigid and unyielding. You weren’t allowed to improvise.”
“Good thing they’re not here, cuz all I’m gonna do is improvise,” Rose quipped. She looked around at the scenery, before setting her gaze on him. “So…with all of nature around us as our witnesses….”
“Well, and the TARDIS. She’s in my pocket after all.” The Doctor gave her hand a gentle squeeze and pulled the tie taut.
“I’m glad,” Rose smiled at him. “Who should go first?”
“I will,” the Doctor replied. Taking a deep breath, he locked his eyes on hers and couldn’t keep the grin off his face. “Rose Tyler, I promise to love you and stay with you for the rest of our lives. Going on adventures or just sitting at home with a cup of tea, I’m yours. From now until the end of time.”
Blinking furiously to hold back her tears, Rose sniffed loudly. “Perfect,” she managed, trying to regain her composure. “Okay, here it goes. Doctor, from this day forward you have my love and my devotion. Wherever I end up in the future, I know I’ll be fine as long as I have you.” She took a deep breath and laughed a little. “And I promise not to make you get a mortgage unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
The Doctor chuckled at that.
“I love you, from now until the end of time.”
“Quite right, too,” he responded before kissing her solidly. Their hands came undone as she threw her arms around his neck, returning the kiss with passion. The tie fluttered to the ground, forgotten.
Moments later a loud boom sounded above their heads, abruptly ending the kiss and startling them in the process.
“Is that thunder?” Rose exclaimed.
The Doctor shaded his eyes and peered up at the gathering storm clouds. “Is it? It is! I think this is a monsoon! Oh, that’s just brilliant, isn’t it? Isn’t nature amazing?”
At that moment the rain began to fall in sheets. Rose laughed as she took the Doctor’s hand. “I think we’d better make a run for it.”
Laughing and slipping, they made their way back up the trail and eventually had to stop for cover under a craggy old tree.
Brushing her dripping hair out of her eyes, Rose beamed up at him. “I must look a sight if you’re anything to go by!”
“Hey! I’ll have you know that scraggly wet scarecrows are in this season,” he replied, shaking the water out of his hair like a dog. “But you…wife,” he said tenderly, drawing her close, “you are absolutely breathtaking.”
Pure joy radiated from her smile as she leaned in close. “I can’t wait until we get back to the car to do some serious snogging.”
“Why wait for the car?” he asked, mischief gleaming in his eyes. He cupped her wet head with his hand and pulled her near, stopping when their lips were a fraction of an inch apart. “Best year yet?” he murmured.
His breath tickled her lips and she felt a blush creeping up her cheeks. She wrinkled her nose at him. “Yeah. You, husband, keep your promises. Best year yet.”
Their lips crashed together then and wind, rain, and the thunderstorm completely disappeared. It was just the Doctor and Rose, celebrating their first day as husband and wife, knowing their best adventure was just beginning.
End
Picture Prompts for Part 2:
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Tentoo/Rose, PG, Set a few months after Journey's End, 3,804 words in this part, 6,735 total
Note: Written in 4 days...my muse wants to kill me. Sorry it's a bit late...this is the most I've ever written in such a short space of time!
Part One
~*~
May 17th, 2010
Rose took a deep breath of fresh salty air and listened to the crashing of the waves below. She closed her eyes and felt the kiss of ocean breezes on her face. The wind fluttered her grey flowered dress against her legs and her hair tried to escape her tight braid.
Thoughts of the last couple of times she was on the beach tried to invade this bright, cheerful day. It was hard not to get flashbacks of that awful, despairing day when she thought she was separated from the Doctor forever. Heartbreak and beaches seemed to go hand in hand, but she struggled to put all of that out of her mind.
It was after all, why they were at the beach. To replace old, broken memories with new ones. At least, that was Rose’s intention. But the Doctor had wandered off, leaving her alone with the waves and her thoughts.
She struggled to focus simply on the sounds of the ocean and not the sight of the Doctor fading before her eyes. It was springtime after all, when old things become new again.
“Hello.” The Doctor’s quiet voice by her ear interrupted her thoughts.
Rose opened her eyes to see a wide grin and slightly mischievous eyes gleaming at her. “Where’ve you been hiding then?”
The Doctor rocked back and forth on his heels, hands behind his back, with his long brown coat flapping in the wind. It wasn’t exactly the same as his old one, but it was close enough. “Well, I was, you know, busy.”
She raised her eyebrows at him but said nothing.
He rubbed a hand through his hair, making it stand up in spikes. “Well all right, you might as well know,” he started with an embarrassed smile. “I was getting you these.” His hand popped out from behind his back and he gave her a small bouquet of yellow wildflowers.
Rose’s eyebrows shot upwards in surprise. “You picked me flowers?” she squeaked.
A slight shade of pink colored his cheeks and he shuffled his feet a bit. “Well yes, I suppose I did.”
She hugged him then, smashing the bouquet a little but she didn’t care. “Thank you, they’re beautiful.”
He held her a little longer than usual, rubbing her back. “You’re welcome,” he said, pleased. “What were you thinking about when I walked up?”
She closed her eyes and buried her face into the flowers. “Memories.”
“Ah,” he replied and pulled her a little closer.
A shiver ran through her and he looked down with concern. “Are you cold?”
“A little,” she replied.
Reluctantly the Doctor relinquished his grasp on her and shrugged off his long brown coat. Carefully he settled it on her shoulders and awkwardly rubbed her arms a little. “Better?”
She nodded and leaned her back against him, letting him enfold her in his arms. “You know, I can’t see the ocean without thinking about Bad Wolf Bay,” she told him quietly.
“I know,” he said softly. “I keep seeing the TARDIS disappear before my eyes.”
“Do…do you think we’ll ever stop missing the TARDIS? I hear the ship in my mind and when I dream. Even now, if I close my eyes I can almost hear her in the waves….”
The Doctor’s held her a little tighter, taking a moment to respond. “No, I don’t think I’ll ever stop missing the TARDIS. It was my home for such a long time…our home.” He paused before continuing. “But there’s something I haven’t told you. I’ve been waiting for the right time….”
She peered up at him. “What?”
Leaning forward slightly, the Doctor dug a hand into the pocket of his long coat. He gently placed a hard object into Rose’s free left hand.
She stared at it uncomprehendingly. It was small and yellow and almost looked like…. Rose gently stroked it with her thumb and nearly dropped it when it responded to her touch. “Is…is this coral from the TARDIS?” She barely managed to choke out the words as tears blurred her vision.
“Yes,” he replied simply, cradling her left hand with his own. The coral faintly glowed green with his touch.
“How?” Rose asked wonderingly.
The Doctor hesitated before answering. “After we put Earth to rights, I knew what was going to happen. What the other me had planned. But I didn’t do anything, Rose. I accepted the fact that I was giving up the TARDIS and that other life to be with you.” He ran his thumb over hers before continuing. “Right before we stepped out, the other me slipped this into my pocket. He didn’t say anything, he didn’t have to. I knew what he was thinking. He gave us a gift, Rose. A chance to go back home and be happy. Together.”
A lone tear streaked its way down her cheek. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because…because I didn’t know if it would work,” he answered honestly. “I didn’t want to bring your hopes up and then break them if the TARDIS died. But it’s alive and it’s growing-all it needs is time. Well that and…” he trailed off.
Rose looked up at him, noting the sadness in his eyes with just a hint of hope. “What else does it need, Doctor?” She watched as the spark of hope grew, just a little.
“It needs love, Rose,” he whispered. “She can sense it, you know.”
Rose bit her lip, looking down at the coral and curling her fingers a little tighter around it. Barely daring to breathe, she mustered up all her courage to ask a question. “Do you think she knows…knows how much I love you?”
She felt the Doctor stop breathing and she didn’t dare look up at him, afraid of what she might see. The moments of silence seemed to drag on like hours.
The Doctor let her go and knelt in front of her, cupping her cheek with his hand. “Yes,” he answered softly, covering the TARDIS coral with his free hand. “Just as she knows my love for you.”
Her gaze locked onto his and she saw a look of pure love she’d never quite seen before. It took her breath away.
The TARDIS coral hummed quietly between them, but they hardly registered it as they kissed, slowly and sweetly. It was the first time since the last time they were at the beach and time seemed to stop. They didn’t notice the sweet spring breeze or the few birds eyeing them with interest.
~*~
July 17th-25th, 2010
A few weeks ago, the Doctor had bounced into her room and flopped down on the bed. He looked at her expectantly until she set her book aside and gave him her full attention. “We’re going on holiday,” he had announced. “In America, is that all right?”
“O-kay,” she answered slowly, trying to catch up. “Why?”
“Because,” was his enigmatic reply.
So they went to America, bags packed for a summer holiday and Rose’s questions on where they were going left unanswered. Until they arrived in Los Angeles that is.
The Doctor took her hand and led her to shiny blue car waiting for them in the rental agency. “It’s a Ford Mustang,” he told her proudly, “made in 1965! And it’s TARDIS blue! Can you believe it, Rose?”
“It’s beautiful,” she breathed.
“And guess where we’re taking it? Can you guess? Well I’ll just tell you. We’re going on a road trip down Historic Route 66!”
Rose wrinkled her nose at him. “I’m not sure I know what that is, Doctor.”
“Really? Never heard of the Mother Road? It’s brilliant, Rose, really it is. They started building it back in 1926 as a highway to link Chicago to Los Angeles. Helped a lot of people escape the drought during the Dust Bowl in the thirties. It connected major cities to tiny communities and there are different mom and pop stores and hotels and sights to see-you’re gonna love it.”
“Well then,” Rose grinned at him, “let’s get started!”
“Not all of it is still intact though,” he warned, “so we’ll have to do some creative map figuring.”
She took his hand and rested her chin on his shoulder. “Sounds like it’s gonna be a grand adventure.”
Days filled with traveling passed by with odd attractions and historic stops. They stayed at old hotels with neon signs and ate in diners that had been around since the 1950s. In Albuquerque, New Mexico, they visited Old Town and walked through the Rattlesnake Museum. Rose cringed whenever the Doctor leaned too close to the glass to get a closer look. When he noticed she had a queasy look on her face, he put a protective arm around her shoulders and started listing all the amazing facts he knew about the rattlers. Afterwards they shared a bowl of ice cream and watched the traffic go by.
Once they walked through a shop completely dedicated to selling different hats. They went off in different directions and selected a hat for each other. They grinned at each other when they met up again, and laughed when they realized they had both picked out a cowboy hat.
They entered Arizona the next day and once they had passed through the town of Oatman, they wound their way into the Black Mountains. It was steep and full of hairpin turns that the Doctor attacked with delight. Rose gripped her door handle until her knuckles turned white. She was not comforted when the Doctor informed her that this particular section was nick-named “Bloody 66”. She kissed him once they were out of the Black Mountains and then whispered in his ear what she’d do to him if he ever put her through that again. Mildly chagrinned, he promised to be a bit more careful next time.
The mustang broke down about eight miles outside of Seligmann, Arizona. The Doctor pursed his lips as he peered under the bonnet to try to figure out the problem. “You would think fixing a car would be easy…” he muttered.
Rose stood beside him, fanning herself with her cowboy hat. “How far do you reckon we are from civilization?”
The Doctor closed the bonnet and leaned against the car, studying the barren terrain. “Well, it can’t be that far,” he commented. “What do you think Rose? Backwards or forwards?”
“Forwards,” she answered confidently.
Hand in hand, they walked down the road, looking for other cars or signs of life. Small bushes and bunches of grass dotted the side of the road and a few crows flew overhead, but no cars. After a time they came along an old concrete bridge, closed down from the main road.
Curiosity drove the Doctor off the road and he bounded up to the concrete structure. “I wonder…” he trailed off and then licked the nearest railing.
Rose stuck her tongue out at him. “I really wish you wouldn’t do that.”
The Doctor ignored her and flung himself to the railing, looking over it with a huge grin. “Aw, it’s going over a railroad! And it’s from the 1930s, if you were wondering.”
“Fancy a little railroad walking, Doctor?”
“Rose Tyler, I thought you’d never ask.”
They walked along the tracks for an hour, just enjoying each other’s company and talking about places they wanted to visit. He held her hand as she walked on top of the rail and caught her when she slipped and fell.
“Ash Fork,” the Doctor said suddenly.
“What?”
“The next town,” he replied, “Ash Fork. If I remember correctly, it was a railroad town and since this is the Santa Fe railroad track, we should reach it. Eventually.”
“Oh.” Rose stepped from wooden plank to wooden plank, pondering her next question. “Doctor, why did you choose to come here?”
“Oh, well, you know. Some place different, something new.” He stopped walking and ruffled his hair a bit. “And I suppose, I did have a specific reason.”
“Like what?”
“I…had a question to ask you, but I’ve been waiting for the right time.”
“Well, I promise not to bite your head off if that helps.”
He got an odd look on his face and shook his head. “No, I don’t imagine you would.” The Doctor drew in a deep breath and plunged his hands into his pockets. “You know my feelings about…domestic things.”
Rose nodded.
“And you know they weren’t important to me, but…I’ve come to realize that some domestic things are important. In fact, one thing in particular I decided will help me say what I’ve wanted to say for weeks now.”
Completely still, Rose studied his face, trying to work out what he was talking about. Finally, after moments of silence, she gave him a small encouraging smile. “Tell me.”
He hesitated, then took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. “You’re my best friend,” he stated simply. “And in all my lives, I’ve never met someone like you. You’re precious to me, Rose.” The Doctor paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. “Remember on the beach when I told you I only had one life and I could spend it with you?”
“Yeah,” she said softly, never taking her eyes off him.
The Doctor pulled his hand out of his pocket and pressed a small object into her free hand and closed her fingers around it. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Rose Tyler. I don’t mind how it happens, or when, but…” he knelt in front of her, “…marry me?”
She stared at him numbly for a moment before her brain caught up. “Blimey,” she exclaimed, “I never thought you would ask me that!”
He grinned up at her. “I must be getting sentimental in my old age. But you haven’t answered my question.” He slowly uncurled her fingers so she could see the ring lying in the palm of her hand.
“Oh…” she trailed off, examining the ring with interest. It was silver with a heart in the middle wearing a crown surrounded by two hands. “It’s beautiful,” she breathed.
“It’s a claddagh ring, have you seen one before? The heart symbolizes love, the crown loyalty, and the hands friendship. In Ireland it’s worn in different ways to signal your marital status. Pete gave it to me when I asked…well, you know.”
“You asked my dad?”
“I wanted to do it properly. Somewhat. It’s a family heirloom, apparently.”
Rose carefully handed him the ring and held out her hand. “You’ve been my best friend for years and I’ve loved you for so long. I never thought I’d be standing here with you, let alone having you ask-“ she choked up and took a moment to compose herself before continuing. “You once asked how long I was going to stay with you. ‘Forever’ remember? So…my answer is yes.”
His eyes lit up with joy and he gently slid the ring onto her middle finger, with the point of the heart facing her fingertips. Moments later, she was wrapped in his arms in a hug. “Thank you,” he whispered before capturing her lips in a kiss.
The rest of the afternoon was gaily spent, skipping down the railroad. Talking of old times and plans for the future and occasionally singing “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” when the mood struck. They didn’t make it to Ash Fork until well after dark, but they hardly noticed.
~*~
August 1st, 2010
They entered the Petrified Forest State Park outside of Holbrook, Arizona earlier that afternoon. The sun was warm overhead and the weather was perfect for the leisurely drive down the park’s main road. Stopping at various viewpoints, they marveled at the varying shades of reds below them in the Painted Desert. Below them lay hills and valleys of gorgeous hues and stripes that seemed to stretch on forever.
They stopped at the Painted Desert Inn, a stopover for the travelers of Route 66 before the area was turned into a State Park. They were about to go inside the adobe colored building when Rose stopped dead in her tracks.
“Rose?”
She gave him a cheeky smile, grabbed his hand, and led him to a nearby sign talking about a self-guided hike. He barely had time to glance at it before she was pulling him down a trail, into the badlands of the Painted Desert.
“Where are we going?” he asked, curious.
“You’ll see,” was all she’d say.
After a half hour of winding their way downwards and going between the red and pink hills, they were well out of sight of the other tourists at the inn. The cliffs they had climbed down were obscured from view by mounds of red. They were completely alone and the world around them was silent. Not even the hard baked clay crunched beneath their feet as they walked along. They admired the texture of the hills around them. Dry and cracked it looked like the skin of an old elephant.
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Rose avoided his question, spinning around in a circle to take in the view.
“It’s amazing,” he agreed, grinning up at the cloudless sky.
“I think it’s perfect.”
“What for?”
She took both his hands and smiled up at him, eyes sparkling. “I’ve been thinking. I don’t need a white dress or friends and family. All I need is you. Let’s get married. Here. Right now.”
“Here? Now?” he echoed, looking around. Expectant brown eyes met his gaze and he realized he couldn’t possibly say no. Her excitement was infectious and his heart leapt at the thought of what they were about to do. “It’s fantastic! I know I said I didn’t mind where or when and I really don’t, but I wasn’t looking forward to your mum being there.”
Rose gave him a look.
“Not that I don’t love your mum,” he backtracked quickly. “She’s quite lovely and wonderful in her own way. I just…like this better. You and me, on our own. No staring eyes or long drawn out conversations with people you barely know. You’re all I need.”
“She’s been quite supportive of you lately, you know?”
“I know…sorry.”
“It’s s’okay. She’ll be miffed either way because she doesn’t know I’m engaged! But I don’t think she’ll be surprised.”
“Your dad probably said something by now.”
Rose sighed, “Most likely they’ll think we got married in Los Vegas or something. But this is much better, yeah?” She laughed nervously. “I don’t know how to start. What should we do?”
“Well,” he dropped one of her hands and began loosening his tie, “we’ll start by winding my tie around both our hands.”
“What, like a binding ceremony?”
“Yep, or a handfasting if you like. But it’s purely symbolic.” He turned serious. “I’ve been bound to you for a long time, Rose Tyler. You have worked your way into my soul.”
She bit her lip shyly and looked down at her toes, wind ruffling her hair falling loosely from her bun. The Doctor handed her an end of his tie and slowly they both wound the cloth around their hands until only a short piece was left in the middle.
“Now we give each other our vows…or promises if you like. My people…” he trailed off, lost in thought. “My people used to have a written form that you had to say, rigid and unyielding. You weren’t allowed to improvise.”
“Good thing they’re not here, cuz all I’m gonna do is improvise,” Rose quipped. She looked around at the scenery, before setting her gaze on him. “So…with all of nature around us as our witnesses….”
“Well, and the TARDIS. She’s in my pocket after all.” The Doctor gave her hand a gentle squeeze and pulled the tie taut.
“I’m glad,” Rose smiled at him. “Who should go first?”
“I will,” the Doctor replied. Taking a deep breath, he locked his eyes on hers and couldn’t keep the grin off his face. “Rose Tyler, I promise to love you and stay with you for the rest of our lives. Going on adventures or just sitting at home with a cup of tea, I’m yours. From now until the end of time.”
Blinking furiously to hold back her tears, Rose sniffed loudly. “Perfect,” she managed, trying to regain her composure. “Okay, here it goes. Doctor, from this day forward you have my love and my devotion. Wherever I end up in the future, I know I’ll be fine as long as I have you.” She took a deep breath and laughed a little. “And I promise not to make you get a mortgage unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
The Doctor chuckled at that.
“I love you, from now until the end of time.”
“Quite right, too,” he responded before kissing her solidly. Their hands came undone as she threw her arms around his neck, returning the kiss with passion. The tie fluttered to the ground, forgotten.
Moments later a loud boom sounded above their heads, abruptly ending the kiss and startling them in the process.
“Is that thunder?” Rose exclaimed.
The Doctor shaded his eyes and peered up at the gathering storm clouds. “Is it? It is! I think this is a monsoon! Oh, that’s just brilliant, isn’t it? Isn’t nature amazing?”
At that moment the rain began to fall in sheets. Rose laughed as she took the Doctor’s hand. “I think we’d better make a run for it.”
Laughing and slipping, they made their way back up the trail and eventually had to stop for cover under a craggy old tree.
Brushing her dripping hair out of her eyes, Rose beamed up at him. “I must look a sight if you’re anything to go by!”
“Hey! I’ll have you know that scraggly wet scarecrows are in this season,” he replied, shaking the water out of his hair like a dog. “But you…wife,” he said tenderly, drawing her close, “you are absolutely breathtaking.”
Pure joy radiated from her smile as she leaned in close. “I can’t wait until we get back to the car to do some serious snogging.”
“Why wait for the car?” he asked, mischief gleaming in his eyes. He cupped her wet head with his hand and pulled her near, stopping when their lips were a fraction of an inch apart. “Best year yet?” he murmured.
His breath tickled her lips and she felt a blush creeping up her cheeks. She wrinkled her nose at him. “Yeah. You, husband, keep your promises. Best year yet.”
Their lips crashed together then and wind, rain, and the thunderstorm completely disappeared. It was just the Doctor and Rose, celebrating their first day as husband and wife, knowing their best adventure was just beginning.
End
Picture Prompts for Part 2:
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