Okay so I've decided that I'm going to be putting this story on the front burner in terms of updates. Time Jumps will still be worked on and updated, but majority of concentration will be on this story, because it needs to be done. If you want full details, then please head over to the post on my tumblr titled 'so I made a decision.'

"I cocked it up again, Jake." The Doctor flopped into his desk chair. His head dropped to the surface with a soft thud as Jake wheeled around to face him.

"Again?" Jake laughed.

The Doctor raised his head with a groan while rubbing his eyes exhaustively. "I told her about the meeting next month, and apparently I wasn't the only one with news last night. Apparently she's on OP support for the Ambassador's security detail. You know, the one that's keeping Pete from going to Scotland."

"Okay...?" Jake prompted him.

"I may have reacted harshly, because it turned into a fight. Then I went into the spare room to tinker out my frustrations, and when I calmed down enough to realize that I was being a monumental arse, she wouldn't talk to me."

"That's it?" Jake didn't believe him. "What else did you do? Because I know you two, and she has never given you the cold shoulder after an argument."

The Doctor winced. "No, there was that one time last year, and I think Rose would agree that I really fucked up that time. But back to the point. I sort of made it all about me last night, and it just went all pear-shaped from there. Then when I was getting the cold shoulder in bed, I said I was going to sleep on the sofa because it was too frigid in the bedroom."

Jake rolled his eyes. Sorina was right. For being a genius, their friend was a grade-A idiot sometimes. "Yeah... I'd say you did big time. What's gotten into you? Because of all the stories Rose ever told me about you, I've never heard of you being this big of a git."

"Oi!"

"Don't you 'oi' me. Answer the question."

The Doctor sighed as he slunk down in the chair. He swiveled from side to side while staring at the ceiling. "I still don't know why, but that stupid argument was the tipping point I guess," he finally admitted after a moment. "I've been feeling antsy from the same routine day in and day out. Like a line just waiting to snap. Then the TARDIS's growth has become all wonky. Accelerating then slowing... I'm just worried that one little problem will kill the growth, and we'll be stuck on this rock for the rest of our long, tedious lives."

"I'm going to choose not to take offense to that."

"And the funny thing is..." the Doctor continued over Jake. "When I was carrying my pillow and one of the spare blankets towards the sofa, I could hear Donna in the back of my mind. She was telling me to 'stop right there, spaceman,' and turn my skinny arse around to make up with Rose."

"Sounds like a smart woman." Jake laughed before going somber. "She was the one that touched the jar, yeah?"

The Doctor wiped the corner of his eye as he remembered the way Donna would glare at him while telling him off. He cleared his throat and sat up. "Yeah. She was the first person I met after telling Rose goodbye, and she ended up being one of my best mates in the Universe. Never afraid to tell me what she thought, or when I was going too far."

"Well, I suggest that you should do as she says and make up with Rose. Because I really don't want to choke on the tension when you both are staring each other down."

"Yeah," the Doctor sighed while reaching for his mobile. Just as he was about to call her and offer to meet up for lunch, it rang as Rose's face popped up on the caller id. His finger was about to tap the green answer button when Pete called from his open door. "Doctor, can I see you in here please?"

The Doctor muttered something in a language that he picked up once on the other side, assuming that he was about to be sent out onto some mundane ride along. As he got up and came around his desk, Jake could be heard joking, "Dead man walking..."

"Really?!" the Doctor protested while turning on his heel to face his friend. "What was that for?"

"Pete does not sound happy. I can't wait to hear what you did this time."

"Have a little faith. For the record I haven't done anything to warrant being told off." The Doctor shrugged. "Well, not that I can think of..."

"Doctor..." came Pete's voice. Jake was right, Pete did not sound pleased about something. But why was he being called into the office?

"I asked only one thing of you, Doctor," Pete began without preamble as the Doctor shut the door behind him.

"What?" the Doctor shoved his hands in his pockets as he tried to figure out what Pete was talking about. He felt his phone buzz again, and he regretfully tapped the red button on the screen. He desperately wanted to talk to Rose, but the sooner he found out what Pete was so uppity about, the sooner he could get himself out of trouble and concentrate on more important things. After shoving the phone back into his pocket, he asked again, "What have I supposedly done this time?"

"You know full well what you did." Pete was leaning against the desk with his arms folded. He was still miffed after communicating with Gina not even twenty minutes ago. "So I'm giving you a chance to explain why you went and put Rose into the very dilemma that I wanted to avoid."

The Doctor stilled. How did Pete know about the argument? If anything, he would have expected Jackie to be in his ear. "How did you know about that? Yes, I ballsed it up, but I was intending to work it out with her after we got home."

Pete rifled through the stack of papers to his left and plucked up a single sheet of paper. He wordlessly held it out to the Doctor, biting his tongue as the man tugged the paper from his fingers with more force that he believed necessary.

"Respectfully asked to be excused from…" the Doctor quietly read Rose's original email to Gina dated early this morning. Probably after he left for Torchwood after a tense breakfast consisting of few words – mainly requests for one to pass the other something. His heart fell as he read between the lines of the carefully written request. He knew Rose had been excited at the opportunity, and instead of being excited for her, he bemoaned how the opportunity went against what he wanted. He finally raised his head with remorse in his eyes and handed the paper back to Pete. "I'll fix this, Pete. Rose should be on this detail, because she was completely correct last night: This is an honor for her, because only the best of the best are chosen for things like this."

Pete cleared his throat as he put the paper back onto the desk. "I already took care of it," he answered roughly. "Rose is staying on the detail, despite Gina being ready to excuse her."

The Doctor stood tall. "Let me be the one to tell her. Before you called me in here, I was going to invite her out and make it right with her. Not only this issue, but I've decided to…" He motioned towards the paper, but whatever he was going to say next was interrupted by the office door flying open followed by the one voice that the Doctor really didn't want to hear right now.

"You… You…" Jackie growled as she tried to find the right words to call him. Oh she had a million ones at the ready, but sadly none of them were appropriate for Tony. Who, the Doctor noticed, was being firmly gripped by the hand that was not pointed into his face. "Git!" she finally spat as the Doctor habitually stepped back in case she was gearing up to smack him one.

"What was going through that brain of yours last night?" Jackie fumed after letting go of Tony's hand. She had softened for a brief second after catching the look on the Doctor's face at her accusation. But her resolve for answers toughened after she recalled the lost look in her daughter's expression when she and Tony met up with Rose for an early lunch not too long ago. The look she had seen in Rose's eyes each and every time she was at a point where she couldn't decide which path to take. And it took her a bit, but halfway through their meal, she finally got the entire story. "At what point did you even begin to think that what you said was remotely okay?!" Jackie scoffed before mocking him with, "I'm just not happy at the predicament that I'm now in."

The Doctor flinched as the hateful reminder of the words he spat in anger caused him to recall Rose's look of shock. Yeah, Rose has seen him be completely and utterly selfish more than once. But this was something different, and it was this very sentence that caused the rest of the evening's events. Including his arse of a comment about the bedroom being so frigid that he thought the sofa was more inviting.

"Mummy, don't kill the Doctor!" Tony exclaimed as he stood in front of the Doctor and crossed his arms.

"I would never!"

Tony narrowed his eyes. "I heard Daddy say you might end up killing him one day! And I won't let that happen. He's my bestest big brother in law."

"He's your only big brother in law," Jackie replied while casting a glance at her husband, "besides, you should know that what your father said was just a figure of speech. I would never hurt the Doctor."

"My cheek would say otherwise," the Doctor muttered under his breath while Jackie sent Tony off to sit with Jake. When the boy shut the door behind him, Jackie's eyes once again narrowed.

"Go on," she challenged, "tell me what excuse you've come up with this time."

The Doctor's nostrils flared at the insinuation that whatever he was going to say was an "excuse." Okay, maybe a tiny excuse, but leaning more on the side of a reasoning. "I don't know! One moment we're talking about her coming with me, then when she mentioned the Thrace assignment, I panicked as it meant that I would have to go alone." His hands were shoved deep down in his pockets again while pacing. "Everything spiraled out of control, and then I had to muck it up more with what I said, before sleeping on the sofa because your daughter wouldn't speak to me; even after I apologized!"

"Serves you right," Jackie snorted. The Doctor glared at her when she started lecturing about feelings and how everything doesn't revolve around him, and his tendency to pick and choose what sort of domestics he'll tolerate. While most of it... Okay 98% of it was true, he didn't need it shoved in his face when he was already feeling bad about the whole thing.

"Right, that's enough!" the Doctor finally growled when Jackie started questioning what he was going to do for their first anniversary. He tolerated this conversation right up to the edge of his comfort zone. He never understood the need for domestic things like anniversaries or birthdays, and while he could respect the tradition surrounding said dates, he personally wanted no part.

He always believed that Rose knew how he felt about her. Surely she wouldn't expect him to go all out for one day! Why focus on one day, when he made a point daily to show just how thankful he was to have this life.

You've guys been together for a year in..." Jackie's hands fumbled between them. "In... Hell, whatever it is that you two called it…"

"A bond," the Doctor answered immediately while standing straighter. "A bond. A marriage. A proper relationship. Whatever other descriptive word in the English language that you want to use. And I don't see why humans engage in things like that anyways. Marking a date year by year? I thought you lot got that out of your systems with birthdays, and the plenitude of other holidays celebrated on this planet!"

"It's a milestone!" Jackie shouted as her hands flew into the air. "And do you know why this one would be extremely special? Because it's the first since you two found each other again. Because it's been a year since you finally grew a pair and admitted what everyone else knew from day one!"

"Jackie!" the Doctor growled.

"Okay, that's enough from you both." Pete decided to end this conversation before it got out of hand. Both the Doctor and Jackie had valid points in the argument. However, he would have hoped that by now, Jackie would have accepted that the Doctor was not an average bloke.

And it was something that made life with the Doctor both unique and tiresome at times. The man had his own way of doing things, born from what had been explained as centuries of life experience. And while he had adapted his ways and thinking on some aspects, there were things that were going to stay just where they were.

However, as long as Rose was happy with who the Doctor was, then Pete was content.

But back to the matter at hand. Pete opened his mouth to speak but a flustered Doctor turned to him and asked, "Is there any way that this meeting could be changed? Pushed back a week?"

Pete shook his head. "The date is now solidified after our proposal was accepted. Their ambassadors are being prepared to attend as we speak."

The Doctor groaned as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. His hastily created plan was not working. After he had enough of Jackie's harping, he figured that if he could get the meeting bumped back, he'd be here in London and everyone would be happy. Perhaps he could… "What about rescheduling the Thrace visit? Maybe get her to come a week earlier."

"I know what you're doing, Doctor…"

"And just what is it that I'm supposedly doing, Pete?"

"You're trying to get out of going to the Hactanx meeting." Pete watched the Doctor carefully. "I know the look that you give when you're thinking of a way to get out of something."

"Really?" The Doctor was offended while continuing his pace. "I know there is no way in hell that you're going to let me out of it. I'm just trying to think of a way to have Rose leave for Scotland with me. I can take her out for a nice dinner or something and maybe get this one…" He motioned towards Jackie with a mischievous waggle of his brow. "Off my back for once."

Jackie gaped as her hand twitched at her side. "Oh, you're lining yourself up for a smack upside that head of yours!"

"When aren't I 'lining myself up' as you'd call it, hmm?" The Doctor dared to goad her and Pete spoke over them, "The Thrace visit has been set up for a long while. So I'm sorry, Doctor. You and Rose are going to have to work something out."

The Doctor sighed and flopped into one of the chairs. He rubbed at his eyes as his brain tried to come up with another solution. One idea. One simple idea that worked in his favor was all he needed. But his brain was doing anything but simple. It was pulling in twenty different directions, and it didn't help that as each idea surfaced, his Time Lord consciousness showed him nothing clear, but only if the effect was positive or negative.

There was silence for a few moments before it all came together and his eyes lit up. "Oh! Oh, I'm so thick!" he exclaimed while throwing his head back with a laugh. Delight filled him as this newest idea proved to be the best option, as their shared time line positively glowed the more he considered it. Rose was sure to like what he was rapidly planning, and in his excitement, he missed the small little tendril offshoot from said time line. Like when you make a new branch on a family tree.

"You two are gonna love this," the Doctor declared as he bounced out of the chair and rested an arm on Jackie's shoulder. His demeanor completely opposite what Pete and Jackie observed moments ago as he began to fill them in on what he called "one of his best plans ever."

Five minutes later, Pete was looking completely smug as Jackie shouted, "Have you lost your bloody mind?!"

"Please let me be not far behind her," Rose muttered as she skirted the various people in the lobby. Her finger jabbed at the lift button as if it would magically make the doors open quicker. When she opened up to her mum about the argument, she had only been looking to vent her frustrations. Her mum had been married to her dad for years (in one way or another), so wouldn't it be normal to seek her advice?

But Rose had forgotten that Jackie was and would always be protective of her, and it was only after she started talking that it became clear that perhaps mum wasn't the best parent to speak with. When Jackie promised to "sort him out" while standing to grab her things; Rose then desperately tried to get a hold of the Doctor to warn him while trying to flag down their waiter for the bill after Jackie left enough notes to cover lunch, but didn't wait to actually pay. But every time she called, it went to his answer phone after a few rings.

After she rode the lift up, she hurried past the various workstations after spotting Tony sitting on Jake's desk. "How long has she been in there?" Rose asked hoping to intervene in time and stop the inevitable argument.

"Long enough," Jake replied while picking up one of the dinosaurs that dropped to the ground when Tony shifted to greet his sister.

Rose sighed and stomped up to the door after giving Tony a kiss on the top of his head. She knocked once and entered with a tirade of her own just ready to spill out.

"Mum, I told you that we'd…" Rose began as she entered. But whatever she was going to say next fell to the wayside once she got inside. She was relieved that the Doctor seemed to still be standing, and there were no red welts on his cheek. But her relief turned to confusion as it appeared that there was some sort of intense conversation occurring just before she opened the door.

A conversation that suspiciously came to a screeching halt once she was in earshot.

"Rose!" The Doctor bounded over to her and grabbed her into a hug.

"Hi," Rose chuckled and pecked him on the cheek. "Everything alright?" her question was directed more towards the Doctor than her parents.

"Brilliant!" the Doctor assured her while stepping back. Everything was absolutely positively brilliant!

Rose seemed more warmer towards him. Pete and Jackie approved of his plan. Well… Pete immediately thought it was great. Jackie had required some convincing that it would work out just fine. Why was it always the mothers that were skeptical of things?

Not that he cared mind you… Just as long as Rose never did anything like that when the time came for children. Nah… The Doctor considered. He and Rose were so much alike, so she'd always be right there with him!

"You think I was going to stay quiet after the way he talked to you?!" Jackie's voice broke the Doctor from his thoughts. Apparently Rose had started in on Jackie. He didn't know what was said, but he'd bet that Rose was accusing Jackie of something.

"I recall asking you to let me handle this!" Rose shot back. "We both said things that we didn't mean, and I was planning on— Doctor, what are you doing?"

The Doctor had enough of the arguing and decided right then and there to end it. However, he knew from experience that once Jackie and Rose got into any sort of argument or debate, no one else would be able to get a word in. So he grabbed her hand and pulled her from Pete's office.

He could hear Pete telling Jackie to stay back as he led Rose to a quiet corner of the room. What he had to say was for Rose only.

"Just us," he insisted as Rose looked to him questioningly.

"Okay," Rose replied as their fingers interlaced. "I'm sorry," she then began before the Doctor could say anything. Her eyes kept to his as she continued, "Mum wheedled it out of me and then left the cafe before I could stop her. I tried to beat her here, but the waiter took forever with the—"

The Doctor placed a finger against her lips. "I don't care because she was right. I was out of line last night, and I'm the one who needs to apologize."

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do."

"Shut up," Rose said with a smile. "I pushed you too far and…" She paused and looked to their hands. "I sometimes forget that even though you have a human body with some human emotions thrown into the mix, there are some things that you just don't do. So, I won't be trying to make you do stuff like anniversaries or whatever unless you want to. I love you just as you are, and I'm happy with what we have."

The Doctor was stilled by her words. "Rose you…"

"And we'll figure out Scotland, yeah? Gina called me on my way over and told me that Dad overrode her on letting me off the security detail. But maybe she'll let me—"

"I wouldn't have let you give that up," the Doctor finally interrupted her. He saw what she was doing, and he wasn't going to let her change her way of things for him. He made that mistake once before when she decided to come along with him after they first met. "Besides, I've already figured something out. But first, I need to say something about last night, love. So please just let me talk."

Rose nodded and took a deep breath. The Doctor squeezed her hands as he picked up on her feeling of fear of being told off. "Everything you said last night was the truth. But of course, I didn't want to listen to it. So I fought back in some stupid attempt to save face. I'm selfish at times. I sometimes forget that you grew up in a society that was completely opposite of my own."

The Doctor nervously rocked on his feet as he got closer and closer to what he wanted to ask Rose. It was an unnecessary question of course. But if he was going to do this properly, then it was going to be the entire package. He could see Rose staring at him, probably wondering if he's gone nutter or something. "I told Pete that I'm going to go to Scotland without argument or question," he began with a small smile. "Then once you finish with this Thrace business, there will be a ticket waiting for you at the airport so you can join me the moment you're dismissed. We'll do something nice to celebrate a year together without calling it an anniversary."

Rose smiled at what could be considered a fair compromise, especially on the anniversary thing (because something nice and simple was all she wanted in the first place). She knew that it was hard for him to be away from her, especially when it came time to sleep, and she still couldn't believe that he decided to stay up all night that time he was in Morocco. However there was no way that she'd be allowed the time off. "That would be great, Doctor. But we both know that I'd be expected here the next day," she said sadly. "But maybe we'll just have to arrange a proper trip once I can secure a holiday."

"Already handled that," the Doctor sounded smug as he swung her hands between them. "Pete promised to speak with Gina to get you a few days off."

"Doctor!" Rose laughed lightly. "You can't just take advantage of Pete's position to get what you want. It's not fair to the others."

"Oh yes I can!" There was a sort of delight in his expression. "People do it all the time around here. Besides, it's not like I abuse it or anything."

Rose raised an eyebrow in a way that told him that she had trouble believing that. The Doctor only waggled his eyebrows in response. "He told me to consider it approved. So we're going to make a proper trip out of it."

The tip of Rose's tongue peeked from the corner of her mouth. She let go of his hands, and slid her arms around his neck as he pulled her close. "Hmmm," she murmured against his lips. "I think you should tell me what you had in mind later tonight over dinner."

"Could do," the Doctor replied after stealing another kiss.

"Good," Rose agreed before pulling back. "So I should let you get back to work then."

"Wait," the Doctor suddenly said nervously, "were you really wanting a wedding? I know the certificate Pete had registered took care of the legalities, but we never had ceremony in your way of doing things. Even after I promised you such in Ireland."

Rose blinked after turning back around. She looked down to where his hand clasped hers. She shook her head while responding softly, "It really doesn't matter, Doctor. It'd be nice, but I meant what I said earlier. I'm not going to make you do stuff like that if it isn't your thing."

He shook his head and put both her hands to his heart. "That isn't what I asked you. What if I said that I'd do it if you really wanted it?"

"What are you getting at? Doctor, did my mum say something in there? I know you promised her—"

"Marry me."

"What?"

"I'm serious, Rose."

"We're already married," Rose chuckled. "Mum will drop the whole wedding thing if we both tell her that we don't need it. Like I said, I'm happy with what we have."

"You always put me first," the Doctor insisted. "You didn't ask for a ceremony in your traditions when you bonded yourself to me last year. In fact, you've always put your feelings aside in favor of what I've wanted. And don't think you can get one over on me, Rose. I've seen you look at those bridal magazines while checking out at the grocers."

"I was curious about the dresses," Rose lied. She didn't understand where this was coming from, and it was becoming harder and harder to maintain the facade of not caring about having a wedding. Though the Doctor was right in that if she could, she'd jump at the chance to have a small wedding ceremony. But she also knew when the Doctor was trying to do something that went against an ingrained belief or habit to make someone else happy, and she believed this was one of those moments.

"I want to marry you in your traditions," his voice was sincere. "So what do you say? You up for it?"

"Oh my god, he's serious," Rose considered as a smirk was on her lips. She watched him fidget for a second before reaching out and pulling him close by the lapels of his suit jacket. She knew what her answer would always be: If he was in, then so was she. She snogged him hard until the whistles and hoots drifted their way.

Should have known they would attract an audience…

The Doctor stood there with undoubtedly the most dazed look on his face. Wait… Why was she walking away now? Was this her way of saying "thanks but no thanks" to his idea? She didn't look like she was against it a moment ago. Especially with the way she grabbed him and pulled him in like that. God he loved when she did that.

His confusion must have been somewhere on his face, because Rose smirked after turning around. "That was a yes. Just in case that big brain of yours couldn't figure it out."

The Doctor only grinned and hurried behind her, taking her by the waist and being the one to pull her in for a snog this time around. And even though the whistles were closer this time, they didn't stop until Pete asked them to break it up.

"Ewwww… So much kissing," Tony cringed from his place on Jake's desk.

"Are you sure about this?" Rose nuzzled his nose after everyone had dispersed back to their respective tasks. "Be honest with me now."

"I am completely sure about it," the Doctor assured her with a caress of his thumb on her cheek. "No matter how domestic it can be. I recall promising you most of all that we'd do this if you want."

"Yeah but…"

"Rose…"

"Yeah?"

"Trust me."