The bride refused to wear white. The groom was fascinated by fluorescent neckties. There was a maid of honor that seemed remarkably confused at the situation, and a best man who was less so, but still apprehensive. The mother of the bride took all of it in stride happily. Her little girl was getting married, and in a few short months she'd be having a baby. Jackie had to admit that with Rose's genetics and the Doctor's good looks, any child(ren) they would have would be absolutely adorable. Likely be little hellions, too, but that was good. Didn't want things getting too boring.

Inside the bride's dressing room, Rose sat still while her mate Shareen worked on her hair, toying with the shoulder-length strands and making them into a semblance of careless beauty. Rose grinned at her friend in the mirror.

'Always said you were good with hair,' she quipped, receiving a long-suffering glare as Shareen stuck her tongue out at her.

'So NOW will you tell me what on earth is going on? All your mum and Mickey have said for years is that you've been traveling the world with a Doctor. Now you show up on my doorstep, tell me you're getting married in two weeks, want me to be your maid of honor – when we haven't spoken since you disappeared – oh my god! He got you pregnant, didn't he?' she gasped, and Rose started laughing.

'Well, technically, WE got me pregnant –' she began, only to have Shareen spin her chair around to face her.

'Oh my god! You're serious? Rose, what on earth were you thinking? This is too much! Have you even thought –' Rose interrupted her friend by gently placing one hand on the other girl's shoulder.

'Shareen, calm down. You're absolutely right, this is a lot to take in. And it definitely isn't how I'd planned my life. But let me tell you something: there is NOTHING, in this world or any others, that could come close to making me as happy as I am right now. I have a wonderful, exasperating, simply complex and loving man who adores me, and I adore him. I'd never thought to have kids so soon, but it's happening and I couldn't be happier. I've got a wonderful life, exploring and seeing new places, learning – oh, Shareen, learning so much! The world is so much bigger than we could have ever guessed! It's all so amazing. I don't know what I ever did to deserve to be so happy, but I am, and it's more than I could have ever dreamed of. I know there's a lot that I can't explain or tell you, but never doubt that this – that he, that us – this is exactly what I want. Where I want to be.'

Shareen looked at her friend. Really looked, for the first time in ages. And what she saw surprised her to no end. Rose, the girl she'd known all her life, was a fun-loving hellion, a devil-may-care with an adorable smile and the ability to find the good in anything. Responsible when she needed to be, and carefree when she didn't. The woman before her now – for what Shareen realized was that Rose was no longer a girl, but a woman – the woman had sadness in her eyes, and triumph, a sense of calm and conviction that would have been completely alien to the flighty girl she had once been. Rose had grown up, and left the child behind. What Shareen now saw was a beautifully strong woman and though she might inwardly mourn for the loss of growing together, she had to admit that this was exactly who Rose needed to be. She smiled, acceptance and love glowing as she gave her closest friend a hug.

'You're gonna be a great mum,' she whispered, and then both girls were giggling and crying and the world was right where it belonged.

In another room, Mickey was having a similarly bizarre conversation, only his involved a myriad reasons as to why exactly neon green with orange stripes was not a good color choice to go with a chocolate brown suit.

'Really, mate, just go with the gray one. Rose'll thank you when she looks back at these pictures.'

'But it's so colorful! I'm sure it'll be fine.' The Doctor could be remarkably stubborn, but then, so could Mickey. With a quick grab, he snatched the offensive polyester blend god-awful looking strip of material from the other man's hands and draped the dark grey silk one around his neck.

'Shut it. Rose'll like this one. And you do want to make her happy, right?' The question was less curious and more threatening, but he needn't have worried. At the slightest mention of Rose, the Doctor's eyes went soft, and Mickey knew he'd won the tie fight. He sighed with envy, watching the alien as he whipped one end of the tie around and over and under into a perfect Windsor knot. He'd still never gotten the hang of that, really. And here he was, standing in a side room in a small church watching – helping – a 900-year-old Time Lord prepare to be married to the woman Mickey had loved his whole life. Somehow he felt a bit cheated. But he knew that Rose would be happier with the Doctor, gallivanting around the whole of space and time, enjoying a life she could never have had here with him. And for Rose's sake, today of all days, he would set aside his jealousy and give her the future she deserved.

'Mickey,' said the Doctor, and the fact that he'd gotten his name right told the young man how serious this was. 'I just want to thank you. For being there for Rose, today and always. I know this is not how you expected things to turn out, but I promise you, I will spend the rest of her life making sure she gets everything she wants and needs. I'll take care of her.' Mickey looked up to meet the other man's gaze, refusing to let the tears in his eyes show.

'I know you will, mate. Because you're not scared of anything. But even I can see that you're scared to death of losing her. And because I know how easy it is to want to give her the world.' He chuckled, a bit self-deprecating. 'Difference between us is, you can actually do it.' He paused, wanting to ask a question but not sure exactly how to phrase it so it wouldn't come out as an accusation. The Doctor seemed to see his struggle with words, and places his hands on the younger man's shoulders.

'Just ask, Mickey.'

'Why now? What is so pressing that it had to be now?'

'Well, you see…' It was the slow reply, the slight hesitance that did it. Mickey's eyes grew wide, and with a rage he didn't know he possessed he lashed out, catching the Doctor with the full force of his punch. The Time Lord went sprawling on the ground a few feet away, eyes shocked but yet not surprised.

'You BASTARD!' Mickey shouted. 'You bloody wanker! What the hell? So you knock her up and then have to go through with a wedding? I bet you never had any plans to keep her until this happened! You ba-' He stopped short at the sight of the other man's eyes growing cold, hard, as he picked himself up off the ground. For the first time since meeting the strange alien, Mickey began to feel a bit scared of him.

'Listen to me carefully, Mickey. I have lived over nine Earth centuries. I have seen things your kind could only dream about. And I can tell you with flawless honesty that there is NOTHING that has ever been more important to me than Rose. If I had to choose between saving my people from the Time War or saving Rose from a broken leg, I would gladly push the button on my way to take Rose to the medical bay of the TARDIS. Do you understand me?' To Mickey's shock, he did. And hearing such unabashed explanations from the Doctor…well, he began to wonder if it wasn't all going to be alright anyway. Smiling the first genuine smile he'd had in what seemed like forever, he extended his hand towards the Doctor.

'Well, now that that's settled, time to get you out to meet your blushing bride. Eh, Daddy?'

The expression of delight and shock on the other man's face was worth every minute of self-pity Mickey had felt since it became clear that the Doctor was Rose's choice.

Jackie stood off to the side, watching as her soon-to-be-son-in-law (alien-in-law?) stepped into the chapel with Mickey at his side. She was very thankful the younger man had been able to talk the groom out of those awful ties he wanted. Walking quickly, she joined up with the two.

'Since this is a small wedding, we're not going to do any formal seating,' she said, reaching out absently to straighten Mickey's tie. Truth be told, she was a bit disappointed – her only daughter was getting married, and there wasn't even going to be a reception! But still, it's what Rose wanted…small, simple. Like she had said, 'Honestly, Mum, why would I want a big wedding? No one but you and Mickey have ever met him, and I think it might be easier that way, y'know?' Still, it wasn't as if there were no guests. She'd even managed, in the past two weeks, to get a few people on the guest list that not even Rose knew about. Keeping her instructions quick and simple – stand here, say this, don't fuck up my baby girl's big day or I'll punch you into your next regeneration – she soon herded the groom and the best man to their respective spots. And not a moment too soon, as the pianist and officiator both entered the room, walking to their places. Jackie took that as her cue to go take her seat and make sure her tissues were within easy reach.

After a moment of tense waiting on her part, she heard the opening strains of the quiet piano intro that Rose wanted instead of the traditional wedding march. Like everyone else, she turned around to the doors at the rear of the chapel, smiling at Shareen as the girl – young woman, she amended – began her careful walk up the aisle. The brunette looked great in her dress – a very simple princess-style dress in a chocolate brown two shades darker than the Doctor's suit, matching Mikey's cummerbund exactly. Jackie couldn't help remembering the years that had gone past…Shareen and Rose playing outside in the dirt, bringing home flowers and shiny rocks and whatever else they found that piqued their interest. School dances with the two of them and their dates, the sleepovers…she found herself reaching for her tissues before her 'other' daughter had even reached the front of the room. And then the doors opened again and she turned around with everyone else and found herself so shocked that she forgot to cry.

Rose was wearing a silver-blue sheath dress with an off-the-shoulder neckline and a silver chain belt draped loosely around her waist, the hemline slightly higher in the front to showcase her silver strapped heels and her silver-painted toenails. There was no veil – instead, nestled in Rose's artistically messy updo were small silver chains and random beads in a similar color to her dress. Around her neck she wore a delicate strand of woven metal that Jackie had a feeling wasn't anything from THIS planet, the matching dangly earrings highlighting her daughter's slender neck. She felt her heart would burst with pride in the woman her Rose had become. Walking down the aisle, not a glance to either side, Rose's entire being was focused on one thing – the man waiting at the other end of her walk. When Jackie looked up to see what his reaction was, she could have giggled. The awestruck eyes, the mouth slightly open…he looked thoroughly besotted. Any doubt she had as the mother of the bride was swept away by the force of the devotion shining in the depths of his eyes, a reverence she'd never seen on anyone else's face. It was obvious that, for the two of them, everything else had disappeared. As Rose mounted the few stairs to the small pulpit, distractedly handing her bouquet off to her maid of honor before reaching out to take the Doctor's hands, Jackie felt…peaceful. Everything would be fine. It wouldn't always be safe – their life was anything but, she thought – but she knew that her daughter was in the care of someone who would literally burn the sun to keep her secure. And if she'd ever doubted his feelings for her little girl, that was in the past. There was nothing for either of them in this moment but each other, and Jackie didn't even remember to wipe her tears as the ceremony began.

In later years, she would never be able to remember the exact details of the ceremony, the vows, or anything else. All that would linger in her memory was the absolute love between the two as they said their 'I do's. But that memory would blaze brightly for the rest of her life.

The wedding was simple, the party afterwards quiet by most standards, but it was what Rose wanted. She stood in the TARDIS, one hand resting gently on the console, and took a moment to think about how her life was so far from where she'd expected it to be. And yet, she wouldn't want it to be anywhere else, any way else. Or with anyone else. She'd asked her husband – HUSBAND! The girl inside her squealed – to give her a minute alone, and he was content to agree. 'Anything, love,' he'd murmured before walking down the hallway, and she heard him mumbling happily over a tie he'd bought back with him…an atrocious monstrosity in green and orange that made her head hurt, but he liked it. Sighing with joy, her free hand came to rest lightly on her stomach.

'Who'd have thought I'd be here?' she mused quietly, speaking aloud to no one in particular. 'Or that I'd be so happy?' She walked slowly around the console, trailing her fingers over the buttons and levers in a caress. 'Don't think I don't know that you're listening,' she whispered wryly to the ship. 'Or that you had a bit of a hand in this,' she gestured to her tummy. Turning, she placed both hands firmly on the console, feeling a gentle hum begin and knowing the TARDIS was just as happy as she was. 'Thank you, girl,' Rose whispered. 'Thank you for everything. For keeping him safe, for helping him…and for letting me be a part of his life as well.' The console lights flickered briefly in understanding. Rose smiled. 'Thank you.'

Standing upright, she gave the console one last fond pat and wandered down the hallway. She should find her husband. It was, after all, their honeymoon.

Author's note: Well, it's taken longer than I thought, but we've reached the end (beginning?) of their journey. For anyone who wonders, I had no intentions of writing this sequel, and once I decided to do so, I realized I wasn't going to write about their married life or their children. For me, this - both this story and The Woman You Love - were more about a sort of introspective journey, a showcase, if you will, of how much the two of them have grown and how much they have meshed together. In my mind, their marriage is happy, if hectic, and their children are easily the most adorably spoiled little rugrats in all of space-time, but that's just me. That line of thought...well, that's another story entirely. :)

I do apologize that it took me so very long to finish this. I've had my own introspective journey to go on, and though I'm not sure I'm done with it quite yet, I've finally begun putting myself back together and fixing things I didn't even know were broken. I wholeheartedly thank everyone who has stuck through this writing drought with me, all those who have sent me messages to ensure I hadn't fallen off the face of the planet. I might not be completely back yet, but I'm damn near there. And when I am...look out, world!

Enjoy, and keep reading!

-Corianin, 3/27/12