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Chapter Text

John

“That’s all your fault!” said Donna, as she folded her arms and kept her eyes anywhere else but the prince.

“How was that my fault?” he asked, staring at the red-head, who was pouting and digging deeper and deeper on her chair. 

She didn’t turn at him, but she scoffed as an answer.

“Just five minutes more, Donna. That’s gonna be fun, Donna. You love ice skating, Donna. It’s a private jet, we will be there on time, Donna… Why do I still believe in you?” she finally turned at him, looking very angry.

“Well, how was I supposed to know there was a storm coming to Gallifrey?” asked John, facing her.

“Aren’t you the prince?” she asked.

“I am! That's my point! I’m only the prince, not the bloody weather guy!”

“Well, maybe I should’ve become the weather guy's secretary. HE would know about this,” she hissed, biting the tip of her tongue.

“Well, maybe you should!” he yelled back, and both crossed their arms, looking away from each other, angry and frustrated.

Luckily for them, there was no one else in the royal VIP room at that moment. That was a space exclusive for the king and the other members of Gallifrey royal family, including John. The place was nice, with living room, bathroom, and a few other luxuries that only a king would use on an airport. It was even a bit more festive with the view of the big Christmas three that was built in the middle of the airport, as part of the decoration for the holidays. But at that moment neither John, nor Donna were feeling festive. They had been arguing, for quite some time, about their plane trip.

“Your highness?” they heard a knock on the door, making Donna stand in and assume a professional posture. Working for a prince she had some protocols to follow, even though she could relax when there were only John and her, since they were best friends. Emphasis in the word WERE.

“Come in,” said John, avoiding looking at Donna, but also assuming a proper posture on his chair. 

That was the pilot, who was holding his hat with both hands, as he bowed to the prince, looking a bit apprehensive.

“Can we go now?” asked John, feeling a bit hopeful, as he noticed Donna also leaning closer to hear. He knew how important that trip was to her.

“Sorry, your highness, but I was informed no plane will be able to leave tonight. There is too much snow and that’s not safe. I’m afraid we're gonna have to wait until tomorrow morning.”

“Tomorrow morning? But…” started Donna, before realizing that wasn’t her place to say anything. She closed her mouth and waited for John to answer, feeling utterly frustrated.

“Is there no way to travel earlier? It could be on a regular plane, I wouldn’t mind,” said John, concerned about Donna.

“I’m afraid not, sir,” answered the pilot, being truly sorry about it all.

John looked at Donna, seeing her eyes so sad and disappointed, that he felt a lump on his throat. He truly wished he could control time and space, just to find a way to take her back to London in time.

“Can I ask you a favor, then? Can we stay here and wait until the weather gets better?”

“It could take us all night, and still…”

“Please! I promise to pay you for the wait. You could stay here with us. I'm sure we could order food too, if you want.”

“All right, your highness. But I’d rather stay in the crew dormitories. With all due respect, I wouldn’t feel comfortable.”

“Sure, of course… Well, but feel welcomed to stay if you change your mind.”

The pilot smiled.

“Well, I’ll come if I receive some good news. Excuse me,” he bowed again, and left the room. 

As soon as the door closed, Donna threw herself over the chair, sighing.

“I guess that’s it. We will miss the wedding.”

John got closer to her, placing a comforting hand over her shoulder. He knew how she was feeling, and he felt terrible about that.

“I’m sorry, Donna. I’m so, so sorry. If I knew we wouldn’t be able to take a flight tonight I would never suggest we stop the car earlier. And for something as silly as ice skating…”

“There was no way for you to know,” she turned to him, smiling sadly. “And I could also stop you, if I wanted. So I guess this is our fault, both of us.”

“On the bright side, we can still arrive for the ceremony,” he smiled, taking the invitation from his bag, and giving it to Donna.

She saw the blue envelope, with a glimpse of the white card inside. She knew what was written there, in golden letters. “You are cordially invited to the wedding of James Mott and Rose Tyler.”

“Do you really think so?” she asked, turning to him.

“Of course I do! When did I ever promise we would get somewhere and we didn’t?” he smiled cockily, a playful sparkle in his eyes.

“When you didn’t? Ha!” she asked, her eyebrows raised, but she wasn’t angry anymore. “Well, I guess this means goodbye hair salon.”

“You don’t need hair salon! You look lovely the way you are,” he said, making Donna smile in spite of herself.

“Flatterer!” Donna laughed, being a little less grumpy than she was before. There was no use to it anyway. Better wait and hope for the weather to get better. And maybe call James, just in case.

James

James opened the door and found Jack Harkness leaning over the door frame, smiling smugly. 

"So, are you ready, sir?" asked Jack, making his friend smile back.

"I was born ready!" He winked, turning back inside to address his family. "Jack is here, I'm going already!"

"Don't come back too late, and don’t drink too much! You still have a wedding tomorrow!" said Sylvia, only her head appearing on the kitchen door. 

"Don't worry, Ms. Noble. I’ll take good care of our groom boy here," said Jack, hugging James' neck.

"Oh, I know the kind of care you take," said the woman, sarcastically.

"Good night, boys! Don't forget to have some fun!" said Will, doing a little cute dance.

"Those are some moves, dad! Are you sure you don’t wanna come?" asked James, now also hugging Jack.

"Oh, I'm too old for that. But you go, go have your fun! And come back to tell me," winked Will, making the guys laugh.

"You can count on us, sir!" Jack saluted the man, being saluted back, as James dragged him away. “Wait, wait! Where are John and Donna?” 

“They are late. The jet couldn’t take flight because of the snow,” he shrugged. It was quite clear that James was concerned, and even a bit frustrated, because the two couldn’t come to his bachelor party. 

Jack knew that. He's seen in the man’s eyes, even though James tried to hide his disappointment with a half-smile. Jack had to admit he wasn’t happy either, but the night was young and the show must go on.

“Well… Their loss! Let’s get the party started!” said Jack, opening his arms to the double-decker bus with dark windows, parked across the street.

“Oh, no!” said James, getting excited.

“Yes!” laughed Jack, as James gave his friend a huge hug, running like an idiot to the bus. 

That was everything James ever wanted, a party bus. As he climbed up the stairs, he could hear the muffled noises of electronic music, and although everything was dark inside he could see some colorful lights moving and changing from pink, to blue and green, just like a Christmas decoration. The driver, a middle aged man with a round face and kind eyes, grabbed the tip of his hat, a sort of bonnet, and greeted James, who was getting more and more into that little adventure. 

Jack helped him open the door, and as James stepped in colorful paper, glitter and some sort of string of slime fell over him, like unicorn rain. James laughed of joy and surprise, meeting all of his friends. There were the boys of the band, some other band members they were friends with, a songwriter, two friends from James’ time working as a waiter and a few relatives and neighbors. Jack, the bastard! He hadn’t forgotten to invite a single soul.

“What do you think, wedding boy?” asked Jack, his arm weighing across James’ shoulders. 

“That's brilliant!”

Chapter Text

John

“Let’s play truth or dare!” said Donna, grabbing all the small bottles of liquor she had bought at the duty free.

A pajama party! That’s what she proclaimed they would do. That was only fair since she was missing her own uncle’s bachelor party that night. Oh, she waited for so long to bid James farewell, only to miss the big event. Bummer!

That was why she was already wearing her cozy winter pajamas, under a white towel robe, while jumping over the bed as a kid. John, on the other hand, was still wearing his suit. Donna even tried to convince him to put on his pajamas too, and don’t let her feel silly alone, but all the prince did was take off his ties and shoes. 

“Donna, I don’t know…” said John, a bit uncomfortable.

“Come on, I promise I won’t ask any dare that will tint your reputation,” she said, crossing her legs to sit on the floor.

“That’s not what I’m worried about…”

“Then what? Is that the truth?” she asked. “I already know everything about you, from your shoe size, to your favorite food. I’m your secretary, what else is there to know about you?”

“There are a lot of things you don’t know about me,” he said feeling a bit offended.

“Really?”  Donna came closer, more interested in playing than ever. The minute he saw her mischievous grin he knew he should’ve stayed quiet on that matter.

“What about you? I’m sure you have a lot to hide…” he said, trying to change the focus of the conversation.

“I guess… But you can ask anything. I’m an open book.”

“Really?” now it was his time to be interested. “Then I can start then.” He clicked his tongue on the top of his mouth, and watched Donna with a defying look. She didn’t back down, she was ready.

“Go on.”

“Al-right! Donna Noble, how do you…”

“Oy! That’s not like that! First you should ask truth or dare.”

“Fine! Truth or dare?”

“Dare!” she smiled, a winning smirk that annoyed him a lot.

“T-...Tha-… That’s not fair, Donna!” he complained.

“That’s the game, Spaceman! Play it!”

“Is that so? Fine! So I dare you to… say Raxacoricofallapatorius really fast, three times a roll,” he said, smugly.

“Raxofa-what?” she asked.

“Raxacoricofallapatorius, that’s a species of spider. Now say it. That’s the game, Earth Girl… Now say it!”

“Raxico…Racaxico.. Roxi… Fine, I give up!” she said, raising her hands up. “Do your truth!”

John smiled, finally having a chance to ask what he wanted to know.

“How are you feeling about another Christmas wedding?” asked John, surprising her. 

Donna had told him that a Christmas before they met she was about to marry someone on Christmas morning, but things didn’t work out well for her. She talked about it only once, back on a time when she thought she would never see the prince again. She would never guess he still remembered that. 

“Well, I can’t say it doesn’t make me remember the past, but in truth I don’t feel bad about it. It’s been so long since Lance, and so many things happened, that it’s almost like that woman who was about to marry two years ago wasn’t even me. Does it feel weird?” she asked.

“Not at all,” smiled John. “Do you think I helped? I mean… the job offer and all…” asked John. 

“Well… That’s another question! Wait for your next time!” she giggled, her hair falling from her loose hairdo, cascading beautifully, as she tilted her head. “Truth or dare?” she asked.

“Dare,” he said, confidently. It was all part of his strategy. 

“Not truth? Alright… I dare you to try my party dress.” 

“Donna!”

“What? No one else will see! Besides, I’m sure it will fit, you are too skinny not to.”

He cast upon her a murderous glance, the same expression as all the other times when she called him a “long streak of nothing”, or “skinny as a rat”. That was her favorite way to annoy the guy, and also the most guaranteed.

“Pass.”

“Fine, truth! Do you regret not marrying Rose when you could?” asked Donna. 

“Nah… I don’t do marriage… Or domestically. Or kids…” he said, and she nodded. That wasn’t her first time hearing that. “Do you regret accepting my offer last Christmas?”

“Of course not! Traveling with you makes me feel important. Back at home I was just a temp, but now I’m a prince’s secretary. I travel around the world, I see things, I know people… That’s a life I’ve never dreamed of living before I met you, but now I can’t imagine myself doing anything else,” she smiled. “Why don't you wanna do marriage? The real reason.”

“Because this life can be a curse. Don’t get me wrong, I like being a prince, but that’s not always easy. Is like being a celebrity, but I didn’t choose it myself. Do you understand?” she nodded. “I couldn’t drag a wife and kids with me into this madness.”

“Not even if you find the one?”

“Nah… I’m good,” he smiled, looking right at her. “There is no one out there who I would want to marry.”

“You say that because you never found the one,” she said. “When you find her your heart will beat fast near her, you will want to spend every moment of your day with her, and even when you are apart your mind won’t let her go.”

“Yeah…” he blushed. He already had someone who fitted all the requirements just fine. Lucky him she was closer than anyone else. If only she knew he truly meant it when he said there wasn’t anyone out there for him… “Have you ever found someone like that, Donna?” he asked, feeling bold.

“Once or twice, when I was younger. But it’s all in the past now. Now the only man I need in my life is you, and that’s enough. You are a lot already,” she said, laughing.

John didn’t laugh. He watched her, feeling a bit sad. She said he was the only man in her life she needed, but he didn’t like the way she made it sound. He was her boss, her friend, her confidant… But was that enough? One day she would find someone… Where would he fit then?

James

Jack was having a blast. He had just kissed James' bandmate and the booze was starting to kick in, so the phase where he felt like stepping over clouds had just begun. But a quick glance to the bar, as he decided to have just one more drink, made him notice a very depressed James with a bottle of Jack Daniels at hand.

Part of him didn’t want to meddle on the guy’s business. He was having so much fun, after all! But there was the owner of the party, drunk and depressed, looking lonely and miserable at the night before his own wedding. Jack couldn’t just watch that quietly.

“If you need company, you got yourself the wrong Jack, you know?” asked the man, winking at his drunk friend.

“JAAACK! I’m so glad you are here!” said James, throwing himself over his friend. 

“Slow there! Let me sit down first,” said the best man, sitting James down, before landing by his side. “What is all this brooding about?”

“Rose… Do you think I should really marry her?” 

“James, you are kidding me, right? How can you have second thoughts about Rose, after everything we went through?”

“She is too good for me,” he pointed the bottle to himself, almost hitting Jack in the process. “I don’t deserve her! I’m just a very unsuccessful singer, a loser! And she is a princess!”

“Actually, she is a duchess…” smiled Jack, trying to light James up a little.

“Well, she definitely is a La-i-dy… A LADY! And I am… a tramP… Lady and the tramp, like that movie with dogs… Wait! Am I a dog?” he asked, looking at Jack, making that absurd sound like a legitimate question.

“No, you are not a dog… Although I’ve met street dogs smelling better than you!” 

“Sorry… I can’t help it,” he hiccupped, chuckling right after, looking really silly.

“Listen,” said Jack, holding James’ face with both hands, and making him stand still. “You are a damn good man! You are caring, and loving, and smart, and you love Rose.”

“I do!” he answered.

“Then say it!” commanded Jack, looking right at his brown eyes.

“I’m a damn good man! And I love Rose!” he yelled, receiving cheers from all his friends.

“See? You will be fine! She will be fine!”

James smiled, sitting back again. He looked at his friend, spirits renewed. Jack smiled back, feeling glad he could help. What Jack didn’t expect, though, was James taking his face on his cheeks, mimicking Jack’s position just a few seconds before, and gave him a quick peck, laughing right away with Jack’s confused look.

“I wouldn’t know what I would do without you, old man,” said John, tilting his hand to face the ceiling of the bus.

“Me neither…” was the whispered answer James received, before falling asleep, Jack Daniels still in hand, no whiskey inside.

Chapter Text

John

John was reading a book while Donna was having a nap beside him. He couldn’t sleep after what they talked about, so he tried his best to concentrate on anything else. All those feelings and thoughts that he would never admit to anyone easily came out of his mouth to answer Donna’s questions. She was the only person who had that effect on him, from the moment they met.

Suddenly he felt her leaning over him, her head falling on his shoulder, as Donna moved a bit to make herself more comfortable. Any chance he had of distraction was thrown away. John was too tempted to not sneak a peek over Donna sleeping so close to him. 

She looked lovely! With her bangs falling over her soft skin, and her long lashes, just like an angel. She was so warm and soft! He felt the uncontrollable urge to hug her, just to know if she would fit in his arms. Something inside him was pretty sure of it. But he couldn’t move, he was too afraid to wake her up. 

She seemed so peaceful there, quiet and well-behaved, nothing like his usually fierce Donna. Resting like that, she barely resembled the hurricane of a woman she was daily, scheduling hotels and planes and dinners, calling embassies all over the world, making connections, screaming to some people, comforting others, and always being absolutely brilliant. 

Since the day she became his secretary, he never complained of being a prince again. Traveling with Donna was like having a trip to the park, every day a new adventure. She had become his best friend, his confidant, his counselor, his accomplice, his partner in crime. She was the reason he woke in the morning feeling grateful to do his job.

No matter how many hands he would have to shake, dinners he would attend, speeches he would have to give, Donna was always daring to exchange some witty remarks, judge someone’s hat, or even keep his ego in check when needed. And he needed it. He needed her. More than anything.

His thoughts were interrupted by a low snore coming from her. Tilting his head, he could see that Donna had her lips slightly parted. So cute! But in noticing her lips his mind started to wonder again. How would that be? To feel her lips. To taste them? Oh, no! No, no, no... He wouldn’t go there. That was Donna! The “you’re not mating with me, sunshine” Donna. She would never, ever, let him even get close to her that way. No! She was his secretary and friend! He should never think about her that way! Because that was wrong, and Donna would probably kill him if she knew. 

And still, when a strand of her red hair fell over her face, he couldn’t resist and bring it to the back of her ear. He convinced himself that was a very non-romantic way to take care of his friend and that Donna could never complain about it if she was awake. Of course all that speech he was telling himself on his thoughts were thrown away when he heard a knock on the door, and startled, let Donna’s head fall, waking the red-head up.

“What’s going on?” she asked, half-complaining, as she sat up, still not completely awaking. 

“A knocking!" he said, startled, suspiciously sounding like someone who had just been caught stealing.”Wait a minute, it must be the pilot!”

John rose up, and walked a bit too excited (at least in Donna’s opinion) to the door. 

“Wait!” asked Donna, running to hide in the bathroom. She was still wearing her pajamas, after all.

As soon as he found it safe, John opened the door, just to find the man he was waiting for on the other side. The pilot looked shy, a bit embarrassed, but also quite proud about himself. John could feel the man was bringing good news. Otherwise, why else would he be there before the sun rose?

“I’m sorry to bother you, your highness, but I was just informed the storm is over and the highway is clear. We can take flight any time you want.”

John smiled, holding the man’s arms with both hands. He couldn’t keep his enthusiastic grin to himself.

“Thank you! I knew you were the right guy! Oh, that’s brilliant! So brilliant!” he said, being completely oblivious to the man’s surprise and embarrassment. “Donna, have you heard that? We can go to London!”

Donna opened the bathroom's door, and just let her head show. She was already dressed, at least from her shoulders up, and had taken the opportunity of hiding in the bathroom to brush her teeth. It didn’t stop Donna to show her thumbs up as an answer to John, showing him she was just as excited.

“Ha, ha! Go prepare yourself, sir! In five minutes…”

"Fifteen!" shouted Donna from the bathroom.

“Fifteen,” confirmed John, rolling his eyes. “Well, in fifteen minutes we are going to the skies! Looks like you will also spend Christmas with your family, huh?”

“With time to spare! I can go and come back in just one day. Without storms I can even get back in time for supper!” the pilot smiled brightly.

“Then let’s get ready! Allons-y!”

James

James tripped over the doormat, almost falling at the door. With some difficulty, he tried to find the keyhole, missing it completely quite a few times before finally succeeding. As the door opened, he entered the house. Everything was dark and he could barely see, his only source of light coming from the street. 

He closed the door, and locked it, with as much hardship as it took him to open it. Finally he was back at home sweet home! If only he could see anything… His hand reached desperately for the switch, and when he finally found it, the bright yellow light took over the living room, blinding him for a moment.

Fortunately that moment made him remember his dad and Sylvia were probably sleeping at the time, and he should not disturb them. He switched off the lights again, stumbling over the couch and making a fuzz. Ops! Looking around, James shushed the couch, lecturing him about being more silent. As one should hope, the couch didn’t answer back. But James took that positively, and moved on to his next goal, which was…

He had no idea. No, he had no idea of what he was supposed to do. Looking around he tried to remember, but his mind didn’t seem to be willing to help. Everything was quite a blur. Of, right! Sleep! He should sleep! How could he forget that?

James dragged himself to the staircase, and looked at the second floor, all the way down. Big ops! He was doomed! That thing was way higher than he remembered! Step by step, he escalated the stairs, tripping only once or twice before getting to the top. Not without some bruises, of course, but he hoped they wouldn’t leave apparent marks at the wedding.

Oh, the wedding! He was about to marry Rose, his Rose! In one day he would be Mr. Rose Tyler! He couldn’t believe how lucky he was! She was the most wonderful woman he had ever met. He still wondered how she could love him, a silly man, with no skills, no future and no perspective. He wasn’t even a duque, or a baron, or whatever posh boys she was used to dating. Why did she choose him?

Maybe he shouldn’t marry. She was clearly making a big mistake. Oh, but he loved her so much, it hurt. He didn’t deserve her, but he didn’t want her to leave him. Not his Rose! James started crying, his sadness taking over him. Not only sadness, regret, and self loath and need. Need to see Rose, and hug her, and ask her to stay with him even if he didn’t deserve her. As he arrived at his room and closed the door, James was already calling Rose.

“Hello?” that was her voice, sleepy but sweet.

“Roseee!” he called, making the “e” drags, turning his voice into a lament.

“James? Is that you?” she asked, startled. “Are you okay?”

She could sense the pain in his voice, and she fully woke up, her head thinking and considering all the possible ways James could have gotten into, mostly very gruesome ideas. It made Rose have goosebumps, as she tried to keep her mind in the present, ready to take action for whatever he needed.

“Why are you marrying me?” he asked.

She stopped, confused. What was he talking about? But from his speech, she sensed something wasn’t right, and that probably had something to do with booze. Rose chucked.

“Because I love you.”

"Are you sure?” he smiled, coyly. James was really feeling proud of himself.

“Of course I am! I wouldn’t be marrying you if so,” she said, and his mind agreed with her. That seemed like pretty solid logic.

“But how can I know you won’t leave me?” he asked, still feeling insecure.

“I heard divorces cost too much,” she said, muffling her laugh. She could see his disappointed face, the cute puppy! “

“Really?”

“Of course not, silly! It’s because I like you! And I mean it! Because I can’t think about anyone else I would rather spend the rest of my life with.”

“Even if I’m a complete loser?”

“Even so. And do you know why?” she asked.

“No…”

“Because you are MY loser! And I’m willing to stick by your side for better or for worse,” she said, smiling. “Is that enough?”

“I think so…” he smiled, just like a little boy would. He was glad to have Rose. 

“Good, because you really need to go to sleep! Don’t oversleep and forget our appointment!”

“What appointment?” he asked, confused.

“Our wedding! Go to sleep, James!” she laughed. “I see you tomorrow.”

James smiled fondly, biting his lip. He could imagine Rose doing just the same on the other side. She called off, and he stood there, looking at the ceiling for a minute, thinking about her. He’d better go to sleep if he wanted to wake up in time later that morning. That would be the wedding, and he couldn’t miss it. He was the groom and Rose was the bride. His bride! James still couldn’t believe that in less than one day he would be marrying Rose Tyler.

Chapter Text

John 

Sylvia was having a hard time with her hair dryer as she tried her best to imitate the hairdo she saw in a magazine. That wasn’t an easy task, and as she tried to spin the hairbrush, she started to question if it wouldn’t be way better if she just went to a hairdresser instead of going through that ordeal.

If that wasn’t enough, the doorbell rang. She cursed her luck for the very bad timing. She only hoped someone would be thoughtful enough to open the door for her. Instead, the doorbell kept ringing, that awful sound becoming more and more irritating by the time.

Giving up on her family and her hair altogether, Sylvia turned off the dryer and marched to the front door, her feet stomping on the floor. Before opening it, she took a deep breath, preparing herself to look proper and kind to whichever neighbor had decided to disturb other people’s peace at such an awful time. She put up a fake smile on her face that soon disappeared when she discovered who was waiting on the other side of her door.

“Hello, mum!” said the redhead.

“You are late, Donna! You were supposed to arrive here before seven! It’s already seven and a half!” replied the blonde, turning away.

Sylvia left the door opened, so Donna could enter. All courtesy was forgotten since Donna was already well-known in that house, and had been expected for quite a while then. The blonde didn’t make much effort to hide her discontentment with her daughter’s delay.

“Home sweet home,” Donna murmured, getting in. “It’s nice to see I’ve been missed here!” 

“Oh, please, don’t start! Of course I’m happy that you are back. Since you started working with that prince, you never came back! How is he, anyways?”

“Well, that’s what I wanted to tell you. We have a guest,” she said, making room for the tall man, with brown messy hair and blue suit. 

He was smiling like a child as he entered the house. He looked the same as he did a year before, and he opened his arms to greet the woman. Sylvia wasn’t moved. She kept her arms folded close to her body, and John understood she wasn’t in the mood for any demonstration of affection from him, or anyone else, really. 

“Oh, no! She brought you,” lamented the woman. 

“Oh, I missed this! You didn’t change a thing, Sylvia!” said John, making Donna chuckle and Sylvia roll her eyes. The older woman walked away, clearly annoyed, as John and Donna brought their suitcases with them.

“Merry Christmas, Donna!” they heard a very distinct and joyful voice coming from the living room, as Wilf appeared, a reindeer tiara on his head, hugging the two. John hugged him back, and so did Donna. “And you brought the prince! How are you boy?”

“Wonderful now that I’m here!” John smiled. “Merry Christmas, Wilf!”

“Dad, it’s almost time to the wedding, you shouldn’t be wearing those things!”

“Why not? It’s a Christmas wedding! One more reason to be festive,” he chuckled.

“Not today,” said Sylvia, taking the antlers out of Wilf’s head and killing his joy. 

“So, how are the aliens Wilf?” asked John, an arm around Wilf’s shoulder.

“Still hiding from me. But one day they will have to appear! Listen to my words,” laughed Wilf, helping them with the suits. “What brings you here, boy? Weren’t you supposed to be at Buckingham Palace or at least a nice hotel?”

“Nah! Donna insisted on bringing me here,” he said, his hands in his pockets.

“Of course she insisted!'' said Sylvia, disdainfully. “I should know you would suggest something like this, Donna! You had to bring a guest right before the wedding, when there is no time for all of us to get ready.”

“I did not! I even took him to the hotel, but at the last minute he made me bring him here.”

“You were planning to come here!” he argued.

“Because that’s my house!”

They faced each other, both with a defying twinkle in their eyes that made Wilf laugh heartily. He patted both on their backs, having the time of his life with those two.

“Stop discussing now. There is enough time and space for you two, and WE are happy to have you here. BOTH of you!” said the old man, looking to his daughter to make it clear that it was also her role, as a hostess, to be gentle with Donna and John.

“Sure, why not? We already have three other people to share this house. Two more won’t make much difference!” said Sylvia, ironically. The others ignored her. 

“There you are! I thought you wouldn’t come on time!” said James, running down the staircase to hug his niece.

“And miss your big day? Never! I had to make sure you would finally become someone else’s problem for good,” smiled Donna, who had missed her uncle more than anything. 

“What have you done with your face?” asked John, noticing James had grown a beard, and also added a very shameful earring to his style.

“Did you like it?” asked James, proudly sporting his beard. “I thought it would make me look edgier and lit. It goes with the band’s new style.” 

“That’s ridiculous!” said John, repulsed. “People might mistake you for me and think I went bonkers!”

“Oi! This, your highness, is the way we found to differentiate me from your posh professor persona. Do you have any idea how hard it is to be an edgy rock musician when you look like a royal prince?” asked James, making John a bit too self-conscious.

“Posh professor? Posh professor!” asked John, his voice getting more and more high pitched.

“Oh, come on ladies, you two look pretty. Can we move on?” asked Donna, getting between the two. “You! You are getting married in about three hours and I need to get changed, and so do you! Seriously, James… it’s not because you are edgier now that you need to look like a hobo.”

“Oi! I’m not looking like a hobo, I…” James looked at himself in the mirror and saw the pitiful disaster that resulted from the previous night. Yep, he looked and smelled terrible! “Yeah… I think I’m gonna take a shower…”

“Yeah…” agreed Donna, frowning, but smiling right after, as a very clumsy James climbed up the stairs.

“You two should get ready too, you don’t look any better than him. Donna, go to my bathroom, at least we can save some time,” said Sylvia. “You could also make yourself useful and help me with my hair.”

“Sure, mum…” Donna rolled her eyes. 

She didn’t like the part of looking terrible, but to be fair she didn’t have the chance to sleep properly at the jet. It was better just to do as Sylvia wanted, and don’t make much fuzz. 

“Gramps, can you take care of John while I’m getting ready?”

Wilf exchanged glances with John, who smiled at him. They were thinking the same, the new Nebula 2000 the prince sent to Wilf at his birthday. That was just the best telescope in the market, a new technology that had just started being commercialized. John knew Wilf would like it the moment he heard about the idea when talking with a German ambassador.

“I think I can handle it,” Wilf winked to John, and both disappeared to see their favourite toy.

“Now, come on, Donna! We don’t have time to lose!” 

“Right, mum…”

James

James was having a hard time with his tie. He wasn’t used to wearing them and it didn’t help that Rose gave him the option to choose between a bow tie and a regular one. He would rather prefer no tie, but he was pretty sure the bride wouldn’t be very happy with it. He looked at the first, then at the second, incapable to decide. In the end, he thought a regular tie, with a regular knot would be easier, and also a safer way to NOT make a mistake.

But what was he supposed to do? He had learned some time ago how to tie and wear those things, but he couldn’t remember. It was up… down… around, and… No, it didn’t seem right. Then right, up and… bloody hell! That thing was impossible! How could he fail in something so trivial like that? Maybe that was a sigh of how stupid he was to marry a woman like Rose. He sighed, giving up on the tie completely, and throwing it to the wall.

“Having trouble with your clothing?” asked Wilf, who had just showed up at the door.

“Yep, this thing is a nightmare,” complained James, smiling at his dad.

“Come here, I’ll help you.”

The good old man got the tie from the ground and brought it to James, who stood a bit closer to his dad to help him with that dreadful task. Wilf smiled, passing it around the boy’s neck.

“You just remind me of this little boy who used to steal my clothes to play dress up with Donna.”

“Yeah, we used to pretend I was a doctor, and we travelled through time and space together. I used to say she was my assistant, and she always strangled me until I ended up taking it back… Good times! Nothing made sense, but we still had some fun,” James smiled fondly, his mind going back to the time Wilf adopted him.

“Who would think that boy would grow so much!” said Wilf, finishing the knot. He stepped back, giving James space to look at himself in the mirror, but the groom didn’t seem truly happy.

“I don’t know, Dad… Look at me, I can’t even tie a knot! How can I take care of Rose?” he sighed.

"You don’t need to tie a knot to be a good husband, boy. You just need to love and support her, for better and worse,” smiled Wilf. “And I think you can do that quite well.”

James smiled, hugging his dad, who hugged him back.

“Look at you! You look so handsome!” smiled Wilf, his eyes full of tears. He could see a wonderful man right in front of his eyes. James was a good son, smart, kind and caring. At that moment, as James was dressed like a proper groom, Wilf couldn’t help but acknowledge that his boy had grown into an adult, even though it brought him mixed feelings.

“Well, I got that from you!” he said, making Wilf laugh. Even though they didn’t share the same blood, James was glad Wilf chose to become his father. He could never ask for a better dad.

“Stop it!” blushed Wilf. “Come on, boy! Let's go! You can’t get late for your own wedding.”

Chapter Text

John

“Donnah!” called John, knocking on Donna’s door. She was locked inside her room, getting ready for the wedding, but it was already time to go if they didn’t want to get late.

“Hold on a minute!” she yelled from inside.

“Come on, Donna! We don’t have much time!” he yelled back. “And your mom is already complaining!” he noted, speaking lower.

“What do you think?” she asked, opening the door.

John froze for a moment. She looked gorgeous, absolutely stunning. Donna’s hair was up, in some elaborate hairdo that still left some strands of her  beautiful red hair to fall over her shoulders. She wasn’t wearing much makeup, but she didn’t need it. Her blue eyes, as deep and mysterious as the ocean, were more than enough. And her dress, that beautiful dress, that fell over her curves just right. Donna never ceased to enchant him.

“That bad, huh?” she asked.

“You look lovely,” he smiled, looking at her with so much love that Donna could only smile back at him, locking her arm on his.

“Donna, come on!” called James, a bit too impatient.

“We are ready,” announced Donna, coming down the stairs with John. No one said a word, but all were thinking the same: how those two looked surprisingly good together. Even Sylvia thought so, although she could never picture Donna marrying a prince, even if the prince was just John.

“Well, aren’t we late?” asked Donna, puzzled with their unusual reaction.

“Finally! Now we can go!” Sylvia was the first to do something.

“Wait!” said James, startling the others.

“Did you forget something?” asked Wilf.

“Nah! Actually, I just noticed John and Donna are right under a mistletoe…” said the groom, coyly. 

The two looked up to see a branch of the tree dangling from the ceiling. John and Donna exchanged nervous glances, and their cheeks became flustered. 

“It… It’s no time for that, James!” said Donna, trying to look anywhere but at John.

“Come on, it’s tradition! I’m not moving until you kiss. It can bring luck to my wedding!”

“How can our kiss bring luck to your wedding?” asked John, more confused than irritated.

“We never know. But if something goes wrong today, I could blame it all on you!”

“Stop being childish, James! Let’s go!” said Sylvia.

“It’s not childish, it’s tradition, right Dad?”

“I think so…” agreed Wilf, who was also smiling.

Donna’s throat was dry, as she looked back at John. He was nervous too. A kiss, right? How difficult could it be? John kissed lots of times before, and lots of women too… Why with Donna he was feeling like his heart could jump off the body any time? 

“I’m waiting…” said James.

“Oh, for God’s sake!” she said, taking John by the lapels on his tuxedo, and bringing him to a kiss. And that was A kiss, taking quite some time, and even leaving them a bit short of air. Being both surprised by themselves, and very embarrassed, John and Donna broke apart.

“I- I think we can go now,” said John, gulping and getting out first, being followed by a surprised Sylvia and a very pleased Wilf.

“WOW!” smiled James, whispering to Donna.

“What? YOU told me to kiss him!”

“You know you could only kiss his cheek, right?” he asked, following the others.

“Shut up!”

James

James was standing at the altar, watching the guests talk and interact while they were waiting for Rose to arrive. His mind went through several different questions, from “I wonder how beautiful Rose will look, to “is she really coming?” Nothing could distract him long enough from his thoughts: not the red roses adorning the benches, not the red carpet to the altar, not even Aunt Felicia’s dreadful hat. 

“Do you wanna go to the loo?” he heard Donna whisper.

“What?” James looked back and saw her laughing at him.

“You can’t stand still! Chill, you don’t wanna be sweating when Rose arrives.”

“Why is she taking so long?”

"It's not! It’s been only five minutes since we arrived. She still has ten minutes to come.”

 “It looks like an eternity!”

“Stop it! She is coming. Don’t you wanna Rose to look pretty?”

“Yeah, but…”

“Then wait!” Donna scorned him, giving James a gentle slap on the shoulder, before joining their family at the front roll.

Good. Now he was alone and still nervous. Thank you Donna Noble! But all his doubt and anguish disappeared when the wedding march started to play. He put himself together quickly as he watched the church doors open and saw Rose for the first time. She was gorgeous! Her hair was partially up, with a white veil falling on her shoulders. Her dress was pretty too, all white, like a princess. She smiled at him, and the church lit up. She was like an angel to him, and James couldn’t help but smile at her too. She walked step by step, attracting the eyes and smiles from all their guests, but James couldn't care less about the others, that moment was theirs, and theirs only. Like they were the only two people in the world and time stopped around them. Nothing could be more magical than that.

“You look beautiful,” he whispered.

"So do you,” she smiled. “I thought you would give up last night.”

“Me? Oh, never! I’m yours, Rose Tyler. Where else could I go?”

As they joined hands, ready to commit to each other for eternity, there was no doubt left. They loved each other, and there was no other place they’d rather be than together. That was their fate, from the moment James first saw Rose at that Christmas party.