A/N Thank you SO much to everyone who has read and reviewed! This story has been an absolute pleasure to share. Stay tuned for a few glimpses from the Doctor's perspective soon to follow in Mr. & Mrs. Smith: The Flip Side. See you then!

Epilogue

Despite being a Lord of Time, it seemed Rose had delightfully muddled the Doctor's ability to mark its passing with his typical precision. After returning to the TARDIS and spending an indeterminate amount of time "exploring" their new relationship, Rose asked him one day whilst lying together in a blissful tangle how long they had been aimlessly drifting in the Vortex. He answered half-wittedly, "Not long enough," and then proceeded to convince her likewise.

In all fairness, he wasn't the only one who had lost all track of time. They had been gobsmacked and equally delighted to find that the TARDIS had taken it upon herself to convert the Doctor's previously sparse and lonesome bedroom into nothing short of a love nest. The two had then commenced making excellent use of the space, days and nights blending into one unending, euphoric span. All Rose knew was that neither of them had ventured much farther than the bedroom nor been clothed in what felt like an age. She had no complaints about either.

She did realize, however, that they still owed her mum a proper visit. The last thing Jackie had been told was that the two of them were headed up to the Lake District for a couple days of R&R. A few unforeseen things had happened since then…to say the least And more than a few days had passed. It wasn't that Rose was putting the return visit off, per se. It was just that she and the Doctor had been…busy. Very busy. And truth be told, Rose wasn't entirely eager to tell her mum the specifics of just how busy they'd been.

Jackie Tyler now had an alien for a son-in-law. That wasn't the sort of news one casually dropped on one's mother while popping in for a spot of tea. Adding to the sense of apprehension was Rose's recollection of her last conversation with her mum:

"Lord knows an alien isn't my first choice for my daughter. I mean…the man's an alien, Rose!"

Yeah, her mum was going to have to be…eased into this. They would get around to it in the course of the visit, but only when the time was right. In the meantime, Rose had at least crossed one hurdle by finally talking the Doctor into putting his in-depth exploration of human/Time Lord mating practices on temporary hold, with the promise of thoroughly rewarding him after.

And so it was, after an untimely absence, the TARDIS finally materialized in the middle of Jackie Tyler's flat. The Doctor and Rose strolled out hand-in-hand, dopey grins illuminating both their faces. Rose's beaming smile slipped only briefly when she realized that their wedding rings, now ever-present, might demand a prompt explanation if spotted. She would just have to keep her hands firmly entwined with the Doctor's for the time being. Not a problem these days. Not that it ever had been.

"About bloody time!" Jackie squawked by way of greeting. Rose felt the Doctor flinch and could sense his itching instinct to retreat. Some aspects of domestic were never going to come easily for him. "A few days, you said! I promised Bev you'd be 'round, like you promised, then had to keep makin' up excuses for the pair of ya. It's been almost two weeks!" She crossed her arms and gave them both a calculating look through narrowed, heavily mascara'd eyes. "Up to all kinds of trouble, I'll bet. I heard reports tellin' about alien activity up in the Lake District, and I just know the two of you were all tangled up in it."

The Doctor tugged at his ear with his free hand. "Well, actually...Rose and I have been rather tangled up as of late. Though I must say, it's not been entirely unpleasant."

His tone dropped to that low, smooth bedroom voice that made Rose quiver, and she feared his ability to behave himself while here. He'd been drunk on unleashed passion, and she suspected he wasn't quite sober. Truth be told, neither was she. But unlike her new bedfellow, she'd always had a firmer grip on the finer points of discretion.

Rose shot him what she hoped was a silencing glance. "Sorry, Mum. We just sort of…lost track of time. And there was a lot of…umm…stuff happening."

"Stuff," Jackie huffed. "I can just imagine."

"I sincerely hope not," the Doctor muttered, eyes glazing as his thoughts took an altogether different path.

Jackie shook her head. "And what sort of excuse is that? 'Losin' track of time.' I thought this one here was s'posed to be the Lord of it. A five-year-old with a cuckoo clock could do better. Right useless, he is."

The Doctor scowled. "Actually, I think you'll find your daughter to be in disagreement with your assessment of useless. Why just this morning she was practically singing my praises from the rafters after–"

Rose cleared her throat loudly. "We're sorry, Mum. But we're here now. Proper visit an' all! We'll even make the rounds with you to Bev's, and whatnot. Whatever you want."

"We will?" the Doctor's worried voice cut in.

Rose continued over him. "But for now I'll go make us some tea. How's that sound? The Doctor can help!"

Jackie sighed, slightly mollified. "Oh, alright."

Hands still entangled, Rose practically dragged the Doctor from the parlor.

She turned to her ill-mannered but oh-so-worth-it Time Lord once in the kitchen, voice hushed. "Be good," she both scolded and implored.

He smirked, a wicked little quirk of his lips that hit her internal thermostat with precision aim. "Oh, I think we both know that I can be very, very good."

Rose flushed hotly. "Stoppit. You know what I mean. Just…just apologize to my mum, yeah? And stop bein' so deliberately…naughty."

Dark brown eyes glinted as he opened his mouth to have a suggestive field day.

"Shut up," Rose interjected, grinning and a touch breathless despite her best efforts to rein it in under her mum's roof.

The Doctor prowled closer, not stopping until she was fairly trapped between him and the counter at her back. It seemed once that switch was finally flipped in him, there was no taming it. Rose was finding it exceedingly difficult to mind, or even remember why she should.

"How does this sound, hmm?" he husked in her ear, low and breath-stealingly sexy. "'So sorry for arriving late, but I've been rather preoccupied with shagging your daughter utterly and completely senseless, finding Every. Single. Way. to make her scream my name and beg for mercy...'"

Like a bolt of lightning, Jackie's horrified gasp from the doorway jolted them apart.

"Oh my Lord, I knew it!" she screeched. "And you can't even be decent about it, you…you pervy alien! Makin' my daughter scream and beg while stealin' her senses!"

Rose didn't have a chance to be mortified by her mum's assessment of her and the Doctor's sex life. Before Rose could blink, the Doctor darted to self-protectively position himself behind his mate, reached for her left hand and hoisted it up to display the new addition to her ring finger.

"If it helps," he defensively rushed to explain, "I did marry her first!"

To her credit, Jackie Tyler did not advance, raise a hand to slap him or even raise her voice. At least not until after she regained consciousness.

End