Title: One Moment In Time
Author: EbonyBeach
Rating: You can't spell smut without M
Summary: The Doctor and Rose have managed to ignore the sexual tension between them for months, but a trip to Las Vegas is about to change their relationship forever. Includes a wedding, and a consummation. 9Rose. Fluff& smutwarning.
Beta: FireOpal
Disclaimer: Not mine
Feedback: Yes please
Notes: Based on a Time & Chips challenge by lovepollution.
"So, where are we?"
The Doctor locked the TARDIS door behind him and took Rose's hand. "Earth, Las Vegas, 1992."
"And... why?"
He shrugged. "Dunno really. Just fancied a night off." He grinned and squeezed her hand, and she found herself smiling too. She loved him like this. Well, she loved him all the time, and probably much more than was strictly necessary between Companions. But on nights like this one, when he was completely relaxed, carefree and hers, she couldn't imagine ever being without him.
The Doctor watched her as they walked through the streets of the city, noting her wide, excited eyes and the faint blush in her cheeks from the warm summer air. This was what he really lived for. He had the universe at his fingertips, but what use was that if there was no one to share it with? And he had Rose. Beautiful and curious, he not only showed her the stars but taught her things about herself, brought out the best in her, just like she did for him.
Every new sight - from purple skies to blue-skinned aliens - she drank in, always understanding, always wanting to hear and see and feel more and more of this strange life of his. Except now it was her life too, because wherever he went she followed, and if he couldn't lead she'd do it for him, as effortlessly as if she'd been born into the role.
He'd met and known a lot of humans in his long years, and although they were a diverse species, he had never come across anyone quite like Rose Tyler. Locked in her human existence, her council flat was a prison, a safe house when all she really wanted was to be free. Her life was a routine, and for a spirit like hers it became chains, tying her down to her job, her mum, Mickey the Idiot.
But inside she burned with wonder and curiosity, wishing for the day when she could escape and see what was really out there, beyond the propaganda of the media and the realms of human imagination. She wanted to explore life and find herself, the real Rose Tyler, not the one who got up at seven thirty and worked in a department store. Surely existence had more purpose than that?
Now her existence wasn't measured by time or location - what really mattered was how she felt, and who she could help. It was one of the first things the Doctor had explained to her almost a year ago when they first met, and gradually she came to believe it, to learn what life was, and why the fire burned so brightly in his eyes.
"Not a bad life?" He had once asked her.
"Better with two," she had replied.
Neither of them recognised the significance of her words on that day in 2005; they could never have imagined they'd end up here, now, together, bonded in so many ways they sometimes forgot exactly who they were.
Intimacy was something she used to believe only occurred between lovers, a special emotion borne of tender nights between the sheets. But she had never felt anything like that with Mickey, and now, in comparison to her relationship with the Doctor, she knew she could never be more intimate with anyone if she wanted to: which she didn't.
They had never slept together - although they had both dreamed of it often enough - but Rose felt like she knew him inside out already, and the same was true of him. Everytime she looked into his eyes she was naked, bared to her soul, and it warmed and excited her. They had always managed to ignore the sexual tension which sparked so often between them - well, if not ignored, at least withheld from any momentary urges until they were both safely in their own rooms on the TARDIS, alone but frustrated together, annoyed at themselves for not being brave enough to make the first move. They were always aware of physical proximities, comfortable in hugs and the occasional kiss, quite happy to curl up around each other for a night in front of the TV, but everytime it got too much they would make their excuses and depart for bed, another perfect oppurtunity wasted yet again.
Every morning as she woke, Rose wondered if today would be the day when they finally stopped pretending and made mad, passionate love in the control room: bloody hell, she'd been waiting long enough. Every day she told herself to act on the moment, and every night she went to bed alone, hating herself for being such a coward. She knew without a doubt that the Doctor loved her, but was he in love with her? There was a line there, and she was worried that if she crossed it she would ruin everything.
One moment would be all it took, one tiny speck in their timelines, to complete or break her entirely. But despite the possibilities, she longed for that moment all the same, thrived on the fear and danger it stirred within her, ached for him in ways she never imagined. He had given her so much, helped her discover who she really was, shown her the universe; but there was one more thing she wanted, and that was him. She wanted him to kiss her without restraint, to lose himself in a way she suspected he never had before as he slid inside her, to look into his lust-darkened eyes as they came together and see only his complete and utter love for her, unmarred by what was right or proper or acceptable.
A strong believer in fate, Rose knew things would work out, that their moment would come and the would seize it with both hands and never let go. Until then she had her dreams; she lived in hope and she enjoyed life, always eager to learn and experience and share everything with the one person in the whole universe she felt completely safe with. Yesterday it was a moon on the other side of the galaxy, tomorrow he'd promised a meteor shower on the other side of the universe: today it was Las Vegas, 1992, and they didn't know it, but their moment was just around the corner.
They passed casino after casino, enormous buildings illuminated by thousands upon thousands of sparkling lights. Rich business men and culture-seeking tourists lined the night streets, entering and leaving casinos having just won or lost a fortune. One elegantly dressed man was dodging cars as he ran across the busy main road, laughing as he threw handfuls of dollars at every passer-by.
"Looks like someone won bigtime," Rose commented, watching in amusement as the man kissed several people waiting at a bus stop.
The Doctor grinned despite himself. He hated money and the way it corrupted the biggest of hearts, but seeing someone so happy in a city buzzing with life and electricity couldn't fail to bring a smile to his lips.
They walked a bit further along until they came to an enormous fountain, lit up with multicoloured beams of light which shone through the streams of flowing water and scattered through the dark sky, creating whirlpools and rainbows against the rippling surface of the pool around which they sat down.
"It's beautiful here," Rose said, skimming her hand through the cool water. "Especially 'cause it's dark."
The Doctor suddenly became very interested in the sleeve of his jacket, desperately trying to drag his gaze from the sight before him and the subsequent images it conjured in his mind. The warm lights were shining off her smooth skin, making her glow ethereally. Her low-cut white top and long, floaty, white linen skirt only added to this angelic picture, and her soft blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders, slightly waved as it framed her beautiful face. He imagined stripping her of her clothes, destroying the innocence of white and uncovering the darker, insatiable Rose beneath. He wondered what if would feel like to run his fingers through her hair as he kissed her throat, to have her small hands slide up under his jumper and then down, undoing his belt and-
Stop.
This wasn't doing him any good whatsoever. He decided to change the subject completely, find neutral ground that would enable him to look at her without feeling shivers of desire coarse down his spine. "Do you want to get something to eat? I know a few nice restaurants around here."
She watched him intently for a moment, and then smiled and flicked him with water. He wrinkled his nose as the droplets landed on his face, and she giggled as she stood up. "Come on then, dinner it is." She held her hand out to him. "As long as you're paying..."
She chose a quiet Italian restaurant and they ordered their food and drinks, relaxing in the comfortable atmosphere of the room. It was quite small, tables crammed together under the low ceiling, and the dark red walls and candlelight made it very romantic. Hardly what they needed when the Doctor's imagination was misbehaving, but he could handle it. Just."I came here once with Bill Clinton - he's a great guy."
Rose almost choked on her wine. "The ex-President?"
"The very same." He grinned at her, loving the incredulous look that appeared everytime he surprised her. "He told me a fantastic joke about an Englishman, and American and a Mexican..."
Rose had come to the conclusion it was one of the best nights of her life. She had listened to his joke - which was, surprisingly knowing his sense of humour, actually funny and had her giggling into her spaghetti - and many more, told him a few of her own and brought tears to both their eyes, and generally soaked up the incredible city and its contagious eccentricity.
If she thought that had been good, she could never imagine what was to happen next, nor how it would change her forever.
They'd paid the bill and left an outrageous tip ("The waiter had big ears and I know how that feels," the Doctor had said. "I'm just helping him on his way to plastic surgery and a better life."), and had just stepped out of the door into the street when a young man approached.
"Hi," he said, reaching out to shake the bemused Doctor's hand. He sounded nervous and he was shaking. "I'm Scott. Sorry about this."
Rose didn't yet know what he had to be sorry about, so she just smiled and said, "I'm Rose and this is the Doctor. How can we help you?"
"Hi Rose." He shook her hand as well, then turned and called over his shoulder, "Jamie!" A short, dark haired woman approached and linked her arm through Scott's. They smiled at each other, before he looked at Rose and the Doctor again. "We're getting married and we need a couple of witnesses - would you guys mind? We'd be so grateful, and the chapel's just round the corner..."
As they sat in one of the famous twenty-four-hour Las Vegas chapels, watching the simple ceremony, Rose found herself brought to tears by the romanticism of it all. Scott and Jamie had been together only three months, but they were so convinced it was love that they couldn't wait any longer to tie the knot. As they were pronounced husband and wife, she let out a small sob and buried her face in the Doctor's jacket, and he stroked her hair as he comforted her.
She was beautiful when she cried. The warm weight of her body was more than comfortable against him; her breasts pressed into his chest through his thin jumper as her fingers twined with his, and she overwhelmed him.
Was it wrong that he was turned on at a stranger's wedding? He averted his eyes as they kissed, partly out of respect and partly because he thought it might just be the small stone that started the avalanche. Except his avalanche had started some time ago, and it was from his own stupidity and cowardice that he'd held it back for so long. He could have sworn the room was getting hotter, melting his ice berg along with his doubts. This was it, he could feel it. This was the moment their lives changed forever.
He pulled Rose to her feet and gave her a tissue, and they followed Scott and Jamie back into the reception hall to sign the marriage certificate. "Congratulations," he said sincerely as he wrote Doctor John Smith and offered the pen to Rose.
"Thanks. And thanks for helping us," Scott replied, unable to tear his eyes away from his new wife.
The Doctor watched them closely, before he came to himself and shook his head slightly. "Good luck."
"Yeah, all the best," Rose reiterated, standing beside him. She sniffed quietly as Scott and Jamie walked hand-in-hand through the door and out into their lives together. She watched their silhouettes disappearing against the night sky, smiling and feeling warm inside, the feeling she got every time they helped someone. When she eventually turned back to the Doctor, the heat immediately shot straight to her core.
He was looking at her so intently she felt herself blush as her legs went weak beneath her.
"D-Doctor?" She stuttered as he moved towards her, taking both her hands in his.
"Rose Tyler." It was more of a statement than a question, but she felt somehow compelled to answer.
"Yes?"
He smiled and tilted his head, eyes burning into hers. "You know how I'm always telling you to seize the moment?"
Her heart leapt to her throat. Oh God, this was it: their moment had arrived. "Yes..."
"We've avoided this for far too long. I don't know how we managed to, to be honest." He offered a grin but she noticed his hands were shaking. And then he did something which she had always wished for and yet never actually believed would ever happen - he got down on one knee. "Rose Marion Tyler," - How did he know her middle name, she thought distractedly - "Will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?" He squeezed her hand as a tear slipped down her cheek. "Will you marry me?"
She was vaguely aware of someone cheering - she'd been so lost in him that she hadn't realised there were two receptionists and a registrar watching - but everything else disappeared as she pulled him up and into her arms, holding onto him as though she was frightened he would disappear if she let go.
"Yes," she whispered as he leant his forehead against hers. "Yes." And then the real impact of his words hit her, and she laughed through her tears and hugged him tighter. "Yes!"
"Fantastic," he said softly, and Rose could have sworn she saw a single tear fall from his shining blue eyes before he turned to the registrar.
"You got time for a quick ceremony?"
The elderly man smiled. "Of course."
Because the two receptionists were so taken by the spontinaeity of the proposal, and because of the amount of love they could literally feel surrounding the couple, (and because they didn't have anything else to do), they agreed to be witnesses, and the ceremony began immediately.
"I can't believe it," Rose kept whispering as they waited for their cue to walk down the short aisle, her hand shaking in his. "It's so surreal! It doesn't feel like a wedding - well, I mean, it does, but it's just-" She caught his look and smiled. "Ok, sorry, I'm rambling."
"Yes you are," he said, but he was grinning all the same. How could he not when he was just about to marry the woman he loved? "You're wearing white, that's a start."
She laughed just as the registrar said, "Can the bride and groom please proceed to the front of the chapel..."
The ceremony was over quickly, but the details would always remain in their memories. They said their own vows, short but meaningful. The Doctor promised to look after her forever, and Rose thanked him for showing her how to live and told him she would always love him for that. They didn't have rings but that didn't matter, and when the registrar said, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride," Rose knew this was their moment.
All the months of waiting and wishing, all the lost chances and lonely nights; they were all forgotten. All that mattered was here and now. Together they had crossed the line and together they would make it work, because now everything made sense, and Rose knew that meeting him that night in Henrick's had not been a coincidence. This was fate, destiny: this was who she was and what she lived for. They had the universe, but that wasn't important: the Doctor - her Doctor - was in love with her, and that was all she would ever need.
His hand traced its way up her side, touching lightly along her neck, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. Every tiny movement sparked fire inside her, and she shivered as he drew nearer, his eyes never leaving hers until the very last moment before their lips met. As his mouth closed over hers, the world dissolved and all she knew was his kiss, the feel of his cool breath and soft lips, his strong arms pulling her body gently into his.
He didn't let go of her hand until they got back to the TARDIS, where he picked her up and carried her over the threshold. She screamed in surprise but never wanted him to let her go. When he set her on her feet again she held him tightly and he pressed a kiss into her hair.
"We did it," she murmured, feeling tears threatening again. "We actually got married. I can't believe it!"
He lifted her chin so she was looking straight at him. "You'd better believe it, Rose Tyler," he told her quietly, amazed at how right this felt and how long it had taken them to do something about it. He kissed her softly, learning and loving the taste of her lips. "I love you. And I'm sorry it took us so long. I should have-"
She silenced him with a kiss. She had intended just to stop his words - words that didn't need to be said - but then some long-subdued monster inside of her finally broke free and, as he pushed her back against the console, she pulled him closer, parting his lips with her tongue and hearing him groan low in his throat.
One of his hands moved up and down her back, whilst the other clutched at the back of her neck, drawing her further and further against him. She moaned as his tongue brushed hers, and shivered when she realised what it meant: he was hers, kissing her without restraint, and in accordance with her fantasy, she knew what was going to happen next...
"Doctor..." She breathed, but he kissed her again and further speech was prevented. He was rapidly losing control, in a way he had never done so before, but this time it wasn't anger, guilt or grief which drove him to the edge; this time it was pure, animal lust. This time it was Rose. She was in his head, beating like blood through his hearts; he could smell her, taste her, hear, touch and feel her. But it was not enough, never enough. He needed more, but he had to know she was willing to give it to him.
Dragging his mind back, he pulled away, his breathing hard and ragged. "Rose, are you- ?" In response she captured his lips again, but in her brief gaze she had assured him she was more than ready for this. They'd been waiting for months, and now, as husband and wife, they could finally take their pleasure and bind themselves closer than ever.
Rose had been in the Doctor's bedroom before - to talk or sleep if she was upset - but never like this. She had always admired the room as she sat on his huge four poster bed; the dark walls and large fireplace, thick velvet curtains around a window simulation. Now she had no time to notice her surroundings as she found herself pressed against the back of the door, lips and tongue and teeth devouring her neck and shoulders.
She tipped her head back to grant him easier access, and he rewarded her with a long, hard suck at the base of her throat. "You taste... so good..." He murmured as he slipped his jacket off, his jumper riding up in the process and giving Rose a glimpse of his stomach before it fell back down. Before he could wrap his arms around her again she pulled it up and off over his head, another burning flicker of need pooling between her thighs as she took in his pale golden skin, sprinkling of dark hair and delicious nipples. This was too much - she had to have him naked now or she would die.
The trouble was, the Doctor seemed to have exactly the same idea about getting her clothes off, and as he was stronger than she, he was currently winning the battle. His hands slid under her white top, discovering her curves with cool, curious fingers. When he flicked his thumbs simultaneously over her nipples she arched her hips into his, letting out a long, breathy moan at the friction she encountered.
Before she knew it, her top and skirt had both found the floor, and then followed his trousers and their underwear. Finding their way over to the bed between hard, passionate kisses, the lay down together, both completely unashamed of thier nakedness. Rose guessed it was one of the benefits of intimacy, that they trusted each other so completely - but there was one part of their relationship they had yet to explore, and she was about to learn what intimacy really was.
"Are you ready for this?" He asked as he positioned himself above her, unable to wait any longer. His eyes were so dark they were almost black, but instead of being afraid of their intensity, Rose felt only love, need and desire.
"Take me," she breathed, her whole body shuddering with want of him. "I want this. I love you. I need you."
They both cried out as he entered her, and again when he began to move within her. White hot light seared through her, a taster of the ecstasy which would follow, and still his eyes never left hers. It could have been ten seconds or ten hours, but in that time Rose knew everything she had believed was true. This was fate: this was her Doctor, losing himself as he never had before, loving her with every fibre of his being and then some more.
When they felt the edge nearing and he started to thrust harder, she began to let go. First her mind relaxed, releasing all coherent thought and just letting sensation take over; she didn't know why or how it was happening, but she couldn't stop it and didn't want to. And then, for a split second, the pressure in her chest and the tension in her muscles just disappeared, and she was floating, suspended in time and space, with nothing to stop her falling forever... Except him.
And as she looked into his eyes, she found the real Rose Tyler, the missing part of her soul. Then the most powerful and blinding orgasm overwhelmed her, and she thought no more.
As a Time Lord, the Doctor was aware of time in a different way to everyone else. He felt it constantly changing and evolving, moving on, creating, preserving, destroying: and every so often, he felt it stop.
In that moment, anything was possible. The universe became insignificant, and all that mattered was simply being. And he was, for the first time ever, complete. Totally and utterly fulfilled, past the point of wanting or needing anything ever again.
And it was all because of Rose Tyler: his friend, his companion, his lover. The one person who he could ever love like he did.
"My wife," he murmured into her hair, wrapping his arms around her, feeling every possible inch of her sweat-licked skin pressed against his and realising he was already used to it.
"My husband," she replied dreamily, still reeling from the events of the past few minutes. He sat up slightly and looked at her, and she stroked his cheek fondly. "Not a bad life?"
He grinned as he leaned down to kiss her. "Better with two."
Rose smiled inside as she moved underneath him. They may have had their moment, but there were still plenty more to come.
The End.
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