Alright, here's the next installment. No canon here, all fluff and original stuff. The Doctor and Rose will explore their imprint a bit more and learn more about each other. This chapter's pretty short.

***DISCLAIMER: I do not own Doctor Who or Significance or anything related. All rights go to the BBC and Shelly Crane.

After dancing back and forth with Jack and the Doctor for hours on end, Rose needed to sleep. She said goodnight to Jack and headed back to her room. Well, now her and the Doctor's room. That would take some getting used to. While the Doctor showed Jack to a room in which he could sleep. Rose sat on their bed and pondered her new life. Before their latest crazy adventure, she had been about to give herself completely to the Doctor. It wasn't that she wasn't sure she loved him because she definitely did. And she was definitely ready, especially now that they had ascended. But she didn't know anything about how Time Lords did marriage. Would it be a big ordeal? Would it take a long time to plan? Did ascension equate to marriage, and in that case were they already technically married? She honestly didn't think she could wait any longer. Her attraction was so intense and every time she delved into his mind and saw just how deeply he cared for her, it was all she could do to keep from jumping on him wherever they were, regardless of who was watching. That scared her a bit, that lack of control. Rose had always considered herself a very level-headed girl, but when it came to this strange, wonderful man, her inhibitions went out the door. She didn't necessarily see this as a bad thing, just a weird thing.

Rose heard the door open quietly, and she looked up with a smile on her face to see the Doctor enter. She scooted over a little bit on the bed so that he could sit down next to her. He did, and he put his arm around her, pulling her close.

"That was a wild one today, huh?"

She only sighed in response, too tired to rehash the dramatic events of the day just yet. Shifting slightly, Rose moved to look the Doctor in the eye, wanting to address her questions of marriage. She was a little anxious, and he could feel it, which made him nervous too.

"You don't need to worry like that, I promise these questions are out of curiosity, not fear," Rose assured quickly.

"I was just wanting to know about what marriage looks like, or what your people do after imprints. Does the imprint itself count as the marriage? Does the ascension? Is there a ceremony? Do we have to invite our families? Because I really don't know if mum will be okay with any of this, but if that's tradition, then I guess . . . " Rose rambled.

With a calming touch to her cheek, the Doctor interrupted Rose and started to explain.

"We do typically have ceremonies with both parties' families present, but it is not absolutely necessary if we don't want that. And obviously I can't have my family attend," pain flashed across the Doctor's face briefly at that last bit. "They are brief and include vows and my telling you my real name. That is what truly seals the deal on our bond, the name bit. We can have ours as soon as you like with whomever you like."

Excitement was etched into Rose's face as she realized that she could be married in an hour if she really wanted to be. And after that she could, well . . . A blush crept up her cheeks when she thought about what would come after the wedding.

"Oh, um, speaking, well, thinking, of that bit," the Doctor began awkwardly, "there's one more thing I should tell you about. You know how I told you about how being mutually present in each other's minds was a bit like sex? Well, that act is called mutualization, and that is the point in our relationship at which we receive our abilities. It is typically done hand-in-hand with the, er, consummation of the marriage, but if you wanted wait a bit on the wedding, but not on the mutualization part, just know that that is an option. No pressure though!" he added in embarrassment.

Rose blushed once again, realizing that he was leaving the choice entirely up to her, which was both exhilarating and frightening. She wanted to get as close to him as possible, as soon as possible, but she also thought that it would be more special and exciting if they waited for their wedding night. The best option in her mind was just to get married as soon as possible. Maybe Jack could officiate. Do Time Lord weddings have officiants? She asked.

"Not usually, but we could make an exception, if you like."

She gave him her signature tongue-in-teeth grin and replied, "Sounds perfect. Let's plan it tomorrow. Right now I am about to fall asleep, and I don't think I can hash out any details."

The Doctor sighed happily and affirmed, "Right, you need some sleep, I will not hold you back. But I will hold you, if that's alright. I mean to say, I can stay in here with you until you fall asleep, if you want."

Utilizing their bond, Rose replied affirmatively, assuring him that she would absolutely love to fall asleep in his strong, warm arms.

At that, the Doctor shrugged off his leather jacket and kicked off his shoes, and Rose quickly went into the bathroom to change into her pajamas. Together, the pair got under the covers and pulled each other close. The Doctor snapped his fingers, and the lights were off. Before she knew it Rose was asleep, and the Doctor was watching her dream happily.

As he watched her beautiful, innocent face, the Doctor wondered over how lucky he was. Him, a war-torn, 900 year-old, daft old Time Lord, ended up with the most dazzling, pink and yellow human upon whom he had ever laid eyes. She was far more than he deserved, yet here she was, in his arms, smiling contentedly in her slumber. He didn't think he would ever stop thanking whatever almighty being controlled his fate.

He listened to her single heart beat steadily, and he realized that he had neglected to tell her one important detail: after the mutualized, she would not only gain a new ability, but she would also gain another heart and a bigger, more capable brain, among other things. 'All in good time, I suppose,' he thought to himself. After all, they did have plenty of time to discuss things. Centuries worth of time.