Journey's Beginning

"But where are we going?" Rose begged impatiently.

"If I told you, it wouldn't be much of a surprise, now would it?" he winked, ever so charming.
"You may not know this yet, but humans can only process so many surprises in twenty-four hours. The last three days have been nothing but one surprise after another."

Before she could take a single step onto the streets of London, she was blindfolded.

"Oh, come on! I don't have to be blinded to be surprised, honest! I will be just as excited without the---"

"It's for effect," he grinned, finding her rare vulnerable dismay entirely adorable.

After mimicking his reply, she fell silent and full of suspense. They were quiet for a while and he took her hand in his, bringing a smile from under the purple scarf he had used to cover her eyes. There was no point in trying to guess where he was taking her. Being a Time Lord, he probably knew some placed in London she had never even seen or heard of. Somehow, the cabby had taken as many back roads and turns as possible to get her lost. Rose found it a waste of a few extra pounds but for The Doctor, it was worth every pence.

"We're out of the city," she suddenly stated, a hint of uncertainty in her voice. The cabby confirmed her suspicions by impressed laughter. "I'm right aren't I? We're not in the city anymore."

"Keep driving," The Doctor playfully demanded to the cabby, who had seen this all too many times before.

The Doctor took her hand and hailed a taxi. She made some sharply toned comment about knowing the city like the back of her hand. The cabby could only smile, having seen this many times on many special occasions like engagements, anniversaries, and the like. To him, they were just another couple in London. Little did he know how wrong he was.

"Thanks, mate," said the light silky voice before handing over the fair. "Give me your hand," he gently whispered in Rose's ear.

She obeyed but couldn’t ever remember being so nervous. Even in the face of every enemy, even death, she never had this sort of anticipation and odd excitement. Having him with her, in her world in her mundane life, was nothing short of odd. Things had been so different when it had been just the two of them traveling time and space in his blue box that was bigger on the inside than on the outside- not better but different. Different was a good word.

"Now be careful," he cautioned as they started walking up some type of hill.

They walked until both were out of breath. Rose noticed their walking pace slow a bit and knew that they were close to wherever they were going. The Doctor slightly tugged on her arm and told her to stand where she was. He let go of her and she slightly panicked- standing on a steep hill blindfolded somewhere outside of the city.

She could hear him moving stuff around but he hadn't brought anything with him. When they had left the house, neither of them had anything in their hand. Rose couldn't see a thing but couldn't simply stand there. Curiosity was getting the best of her. A single step was taken in the direction of the mysterious clattering noise, then a slow second and third.

The quiet noises continued as she took step after unsteady step, walking blindly on a hill. Uncut grass was under her feet as a gentle wind blew through her hair. She couldn't help but smile, now feeling like a child in some sort of game. With arms stretched in front of her, she continued even after the soft noises ceased.

He looked up at her with a heart full of love. He should have know, Rose Tyler doesn't usually take simple direction if not necessary. Her combination of beautiful curiosity, bravery, and free spiritedness made her different from any other girl, human or otherwise, he had ever known in his hundreds of years of life. Here she came, slightly stumbling with every step. She was only a few steps away from finding him.

"Doctor?" she lightly called.

Instead of answering, he could only grin. A clever thing she was.

Four. Three. Two.

He pulled her into his chest and kissed her, making her blush and giggle. That wide beautiful smile of hers was unleashed and The Doctor couldn't help wanting to see all of the expression he had fallen in love with so long ago. The blindfold was taken off and her brown eyes sparkled in the sunlight. She didn't look around to see where they were or what the soft noise had been; Rose Tyler was lost in the gaze of her handsome human boyfriend.

"Rose Tyler," he began, nearly breathless with wanting.

"I love you too, Doctor," she smiled, saving him a few seconds.

She looked around for the first time and was left speechless. They were on a green grassy hill overlooking the city of London. A checkered blanket was at their feet set up for a proper picnic. A large empty wicker basket was nearby, its cargo spread across the blanket. A single candle was lit, the scent of Rose's favorite sandwiches and fresh chips filled the air, cloth napkins and silverware sat beside fancy decorated plates, a bowl of custard was beside the filled plates, and a small plate of Jackie's famous biscuits were set as a center piece. Cars drove across the large bridge a ways off as city noises could be heard from miles away.

"Remind you of anywhere?" he asked with a sentimental expression and calm excitement.
"Of course," she gasped. "It's just like our first date after you regenerated. We sat on that hill overlooking New New York in New Earth. You said it was the fifteenth New York in history."

"That's right!" he laughed, amazed at how much she remembered from those few minutes so long ago. "We were just really starting." The Doctor paused with a she slight blush. "That was the day you kissed me in this form for the first time."

"Oi! That wasn't me! Cassandra had taken over my body that day, if you recall," she argued, giving The Doctor a slight pinch.

"It was still partly you."

"I would have done our first kiss much different. In fact, I did because that was us. It was you and her using my body."

"Either way, that was a good day."

"Agreed," she sighed, finding it easier to believe that this replica was really the doctor in another body. Her thoughts returned to the present and picnic at hand. Staring down at the fantastic lunch he had prepared, she giddily asked, "So what do we start off with? You even brought us chips!"

"Of course I brought chips! One can't have a meal with Rose Tyler not including chips. They're your favorite." He kissed her on the forehead before they sat down.

"Oh, Doctor," the girl sighed nearly crying from joy, "it's perfect. You thought of everything."
"Well, your mum did help a bit. But the planning was entirely yours truly."

They ate the grub laughing and reminiscing. The two lovebirds remembered almost every detail of every adventure they had taken together. Once they ran out of adventures to recall, it was hard to believe all the things they had done, all the sights they had seen, the places they had been, the people they had met, and how through it all they had ended up together. And the amazing part of it all was that they were starting a new sort of adventure. They had seen the universes, planets, and stars, now it was time to experience the mystery called life as two humans in love.

Just like that time so long ago, the two were stretched out side by side propping themselves up with their elbows. It was so similar to that day so long and many thousands of miles away. But it was the most wonderful recreation she could ask for.

"Do you miss it yet?" Rose asked when the food was gone and the conversation had died down.
"If by 'it' you mean being a Time Lord, not so much- I'll have to be a bit more careful in not letting anything happen to the one body I get. If you mean the time traveling, I've seen almost everything there is to see and for the rest there is always Torchwood's limited databases. If you mean saving those in danger, the other me is out there somewhere doing just fine I'm sure."

His lighthearted reply became serious as he fixed his eyes on her. Blond strands of hair blew in and around her smiling face, making the past memory come to life even more so than he could ever hope for. Back then, they were just starting their second year together and next round of adventure is his new form. She had been so brave in trusting him after his regeneration, she was always brave. His brave Rose noticed his sudden change in mood.

"Even before yesterday when the chance became available, this extra body, I wanted to trade all of it- the adventures, being Time Lord, and the like- and just be with you. None of it compares to how much I missed you, Rose Tyler. Every mission, every enemy, every long dreadful night I had to see your face in my dreams wishing you were in the next room, you were always there in my thoughts. There wasn't a single moment since that brief goodbye that you weren't missed. Several new friends asked if I traveled alone and I couldn’t hardly even bring myself to say the words out loud."

"And what did you tell them?"

"As little as possible, for my own sake. But every one of them knew who Rose Tyler was. That day killed me every bit as much as it did you. You have to believe me. I went on but I was never the same, not until I saw you standing there under those street lights."

She smiled, knowing every word was true. His eyes were sincere and voice a bit melancholy as he remembered their dark days apart.

"At least your new friends believed you. I couldn't tell anyone what I had been up to the last several months. All they knew was that I was traveling abroad." Gazing adoringly at her doctor, she chuckled, "Who would believe an alien traveling in a police box time machine saving multiple universes day to day?"

After a brief pause and romantic stare, The Doctor stood to his feet and announced, "There's much more to do today and unfortunately, I can no longer rearrange time. We have precisely eleven hours of your birthday remaining."

"Only eleven? Is that right?" Rose teased.

They shared a simple sweet kiss, packed everything back into the blanket, and caught another cab.

"Where to next Doctor?"

They went to museums where he quietly told her the detailed and often humorous history of each piece, many surprising her. She took him to a few of her favorite places in London and even ran into a few of her new friends from Torchwood. They walked through the city holding hands and laughing as if they were out-of-towners on holiday. Many miles and nine hours later, they arrived back to the Tyler mansion.

"And where have you two been all day?" Jackie grinned, not even able to act mad while seeing Rose so happy.

"Everywhere, mum! Everywhere and everything!" Rose excitedly danced across the front room, dramatically spinning in blissful circles.

"Not everything," he father laughed, hinting at suggestive activities he hoped didn't happen in the course of their long day together.

"Oh, dad, you worry too much. The Doctor is a gentleman," she whined, giving her father a loving hug around the neck. "And thanks, mum, for the lunch. It was fantastic."

Then the baby came crawling down the hall.

"Goodness me! Is this the little fella?" The Doctor grinned, beaming with joy.

Rose picked up her baby brother and announced, "This little handsome man is my baby brother, Tony."

"Hello, Tony. I heard of you when you were just a bun in the oven. You are quite the looker, aren't you?" he sang more than spoke, making the baby squeal with delight. "And where was he lastnight?"

"Mum's friend watches him sometimes. I think he likes you."

"Well why shouldn't he?" the man asked with a put off expression and playfully cross eyebrows. "I'm The Doctor! Everyone loves The Doctor- well that is questionable. I mean, power hungry aliens and monsters who don't know their place aren't so fond of me but… "

"Come on, sweet baby," Jackie laughed. "Time for bed!"

"Aw, not yet," The Doctor whined as if she was talking to him.

"Not you, cheeky man," she said with a roll of her eyes as she took the baby. "Happy Birthday, love. We'll celebrate more tomorrow. Just wanted you to have the day alone with your… whatever the two of you have decided. Remember, your own room tonight," Jackie reminded The Doctor.

Mother and daughter hugged with little Tony between them. As the night before, good nights were said, hugs and kisses exchanged, and The Doctor was even included. The adults and baby went up to their rooms giving the kids a bit more alone time.

"So what do humans do at the end of a mundane Thursday night?"

After a thoughtful look and soft chuckle, finding it ridiculous that her doctor was trying to be a normal human, Rose replied, "Evening telly, I guess. There's the news, late night talk shows, and celebrity gossip."

"Ooo," he grinned with mischevious delight. "Let's watch the news. I'm sure nothing is being reported correctly. There's probably thousands of other life forms walking your streets and causing trouble in your world that get mistaken for the common criminal."

"Let's have a look then, yeah?" she smiled, taking his hand.

It couldn't have been a better day if she had planned it all. The surprise hillside luncheon, the museums, and walking around out in the open with The Doctor would all later be summarized as her favorite birthday.