#hanluvr

“Let me finish up and then we can figure out what we’re doing for dinner,” the Doctor suggested.

“Did you actually go to the shops today?”

He rubbed at the back of his neck, grimacing a bit. “Ah. Knew I was forgetting something.”

Rose laughed. “We’ll go this weekend. Just start thinking about what takeout sounds good while I get out of these clothes.”

“Want any help?”

She rolled her eyes good naturedly. “Go finish up what you’re working on and I’ll think about letting you help later.”

“I’ll hold you to it,” he said, pulling her in for another quick kiss. Five years in this universe, and close to two since he’d promised her forever once again, this time in front of witnesses and in a ceremony that tied them together in the eyes of the law, and he still wanted her like his next breath.

It was hardly a surprise but he cherished the feeling all the same.

“Mhm,” Rose said, stepping back so she could head towards their bedroom. “Tell the TARDIS hi for me when you go back out.”

“You could tell her yourself,” he said, tapping his temple to indicate the fledgling bond they both had with their growing ship.

“She’s mostly shutting me out because you’re working on that secret project of yours and she’s worried about giving it away,” Rose explained. Her lips tightened at the corners and the Doctor could tell the blocked connection was bothering her more than she was going to admit.

"It'll be ready soon and then she'll be back where she belongs," he promised.

She nodded and turned down the hallway. The Doctor watched her go and then headed back out to his workshop. Guilt weighed heavy on him. He was the reason their baby TARDIS was blocking Rose out. If their connection was full strength, Rose would know what his surprise was but he hadn't realized it had been hurting her to be cut off. He hadn't even really realized that the ship had cut her off so completely.

He tapped the spanner against his open palm as he eyed the TARDIS. Luckily, he and the ship were on track to finish their project by Friday night, just in time for it to be an anniversary present for Rose. Two years ago Saturday, they had gotten married and he wanted to go all out for the occasion.

To that effect, he and the TARDIS had been quietly gearing up for her first trip. He'd told Rose weeks ago that the ship wouldn't be ready to travel until around Christmas, a few months away still but that had been a misdirection so he could surprise her with a trip for their anniversary.

He slipped inside the TARDIS, now shaped like a police public call box thanks to an image he'd fed her through their bond, and over to the console. Everything in the small console room was a mix of coral and white, a blend of the sterile default and what the console room had looked like when the piece of coral was harvested.

So far, the console room was the only room in the TARDIS but she was still growing and he knew that given a few more years, she'd be as limitless as her predecessor.

"Rose says hello," he told her as he crawled under the console. "She misses you since you've blocked her out."

The ship chimed at him. She apparently missed Rose a lot too.

"Just a couple more days," he soothed as he tightened some bolts. "Then you'll have the bond back better than ever. You'll be able to show off how much you've grown!"

The TARDIS preened. Rose hadn't seen her as a police box yet and the ship knew she would be almost as excited about that as she would be about travelling.

The Doctor finished up what he was doing and stood back up, surveying the room. "She's going to be so proud of you," he whispered, laying a hand on the console. The ship flashed her lights at him and he laughed. "We’ll do finishing touches and checks tomorrow and then it'll be show time!"

He grinned at the bright excitement exuding from the ship. He honestly couldn't tell if she was more excited for her first trip or to have Rose back. His girls were missing each other something fierce. All he could do was make sure his surprise was executed at the first possible opportunity.

Plans already spinning through his head, he set off towards the house to see if Rose had changed her mind yet about wanting his help with changing clothes, or if she'd like to help him shuck his grease-stained shirt and trousers.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Friday evening rolled around and the Doctor was anxiously waiting for Rose to get home from work. He had already finished his final checks on the TARDIS and deemed her ready for flight. Since then, he'd managed to shower and get dressed in the new pinstriped suit that Rose had given to him for his chosen birthday earlier that year. The blue silk tie he chose for the night was a favorite of both of theirs as well.

Figuring she'd caught a late assignment at Torchwood, the Doctor poured two glasses of wine and set them on the table to breathe, before getting started on dinner. He'd run to the shops today to get what he needed and hoped Rose would be sufficiently surprised.

He was taking the last element off the heat when he heard the key turn in the lock.

"Oh my god, that smells amazing," Rose said as she opened the door.

The Doctor beamed at her. "Let's hope it tastes amazing. I'm trying a new recipe."

"Can anything that smells this good taste bad?"

"Guess we'll find out." He leaned down to kiss her as she joined him in the kitchen.

Rose looked him up and down as she pulled back and then glanced over at the table where a candle was lit and wine was waiting.

"You know our anniversary is tomorrow, not today, right?"

"Yes."

"So, this is all for..."

"You, of course," he answered with a grin, flipping the spatula in his hand before starting to put food on plates.

Rose laughed. "Alright then. So, no occasion that I'm forgetting about?"

"Pre-anniversary dinner," the Doctor said cheerily. "If you give me five minutes I can probably come up with somewhere where it's traditional."

"No need," Rose said. "I believe you."

They sat down to eat, talking through the meal as they usually did, chatting about their days and plans for the weekend and easily bantering with each other like they had since they met.

"Are you going to tell me what you have planned for our anniversary now?" Rose asked as they brought the bottle of wine into the sitting room.

The Doctor started the movie he'd already queued up and flopped down on the couch. "Nope! It's still a surprise until tomorrow."

Rose set her glass down on the coffee table and cuddled into the Doctor. "I'm guessing it's not dinner since you've already done that."

"Could be dinner, you never know."

"Really never know when you're in charge of the plans," she teased.

The Doctor dragged his fingertips against the ticklish spot on her ribs in retaliation, making her squeal.

"I might not be planning to let you out of bed tomorrow," he said, pressing a kiss to the skin behind her ear.

Rose shivered. "That's fine by me. Perfect way to spend our anniversary, really." She twisted to grin up at him. "Everyone's always complaining that we act like we're still on our honeymoon all the time anyways, might as well live up to our reputation."

He chuckled. "Obviously we have been if that's what people are saying."

Rose hummed in agreement, settling back in against his chest to focus on the film. She was asleep in twenty minutes. The Doctor smiled down at the top of his wife's head. She was snoring softly and just absolutely sacked out.

Gods but he loved this woman. He held her a bit tighter and settled into the sofa, waiting for the clock to tick its way over into Saturday so he could give Rose her surprise.

At ten after midnight, the movie credits rolled to a stop and the Doctor gently shook Rose awake.

"Mmm, what's going on?" she mumbled, trying to bury her face back into his chest.

"Fell asleep during the movie, love," he said. "It's over now."

"Time s'it?"

"Ten past midnight."

She grinned sleepily up at him. "Happy Anniversary Doctor."

"Happy Anniversary Rose." He leaned down and kissed her, taking his time as she gradually woke up further.

"Mmm, good as a cuppa," she said when he pulled away.

"Only as good as?" he protested.

"For now." She winked at him.

He considered leaving the surprise until morning and just carrying her off to bed right then but the TARDIS was vibrating with excitement in his head, insisting that he come out immediately. She knew that the time had come and she was impatient.

"Do you want your anniversary surprise, now?" he asked.

"Is that a line to get me into bed or an actual offer?" she asked.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Do I need a line to get you into bed?"

"Nope! Just sounded like one so I thought I'd check."

"Got a dirty mind, Rose Tyler."

"And don't you love it."

"Oh, I do," he promised. "But I have an actual, non-bedroom related surprise for you."

"Is it whatever you've been working on out in the shed?" she asked, eyes lighting up.

"Yep!"

"Then lead on! I've been dying to know what you're working on," she said, climbing to her feet.

"You just miss the TARDIS," he teased.

"Yeah, I do," Rose agreed. "But I'm also massively curious about what you've been doing out there."

"You're going to want shoes," he said, nodding towards their trainers sitting by the back door.

Rose gave him an odd look but put on her trainers while he pulled his on.

"Ready?" he asked, twining their fingers together.

"Ready."

He grinned wildly down at her. "Allons-y!"

The Doctor pulled her out the back door and they raced across the garden at a run, both laughing madly.

"Oh, I love you, you nutter," Rose said when they pulled to a stop outside the shed door. She pushed up on her toes to lay a kiss on him.

"Now, show me what you've got," she said when she pulled away, breathless.

The Doctor followed her to press one more soft kiss to her lips before putting his hand on the doorknob. Mentally telling the TARDIS to open her bond with Rose, he pushed the door open and gestured for her to go inside.

Rose took one step inside and froze. "She's... she's gorgeous," she breathed. She covered the distance between her and the TARDIS and pressed up against the blue paneling. "You look perfect," she crooned at the ship.

The Doctor grinned as he felt the TARDIS light up with the praise, basking in having Rose's full presence back.

Rose turned back to the Doctor, still leaning against the ship. "Is this your surprise? That she looks like this now?"

He tugged on an earlobe. "Well, it's part of my surprise. Do you like it?"

"I love it. She didn't mind becoming a police box?"

"Not at all. She sorta remembers it from being a part of the other TARDIS and she'd seen it in both of our minds whenever we thought about her."

Rose patted the paneling and he felt her reach out to mentally stroke the TARDIS as well. "You can be whatever you want to be, you wonderful girl. So, if you ever get tired of looking like a police box, just let us know what you want to look like and we'll help. We'll love you no matter what."

The Doctor beamed at her. He'd heard her tell Tony similar things on occasion when he was worried that because other kids thought his interests were "uncool", his sister might too. Having her unconditional love directed at their ship as well made his single heart feel overfull.

The ship chimed at them, impatient for the Doctor to reveal the rest of the surprise.

"So, part of the surprise?" Rose asked. "Don't know if you can top this, Doctor."

"You should know by now that I like to do the impossible," he said. "Go ahead and step inside."

Rose grinned and pushed open the doors, stepping into the console room. "Oh, you've grown so much," she said, running fingers over the wall before walking over to trail them along the edge of the console. "You look gorgeous in here, too."

The Doctor closed the doors behind him and followed Rose to the console. "She's ready to travel, Rose," he said quietly. "How do you feel about an inaugural anniversary trip?"

Rose stared at him and then socked him in the shoulder. "You wanker! You told me she wouldn't be ready until Christmas, at least!"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, that might have been a teensy little lie."

"She's really ready?"

The TARDIS flashed her lights and hummed at them happily.

"Anywhere and anywhen. We have a whole new universe to explore, Rose. Things neither of us have ever seen," he told her, leaning close.

"She's ready for time and space, both?" Rose clarified, eyes sparkling with excitement.

"She is."

"Okay, you outdid yourself, Doctor. You're never going to be able to top this as an anniversary gift. Or any gift, really."

"Oh, come on, I've given you time and space before. This is old hat!"

She shook her head. "No, it's brilliant." Rose leaned up and kissed him quickly. "Thank you, Doctor."

"You are very welcome." He squeezed her hand and then started pressing buttons on the console.

"Now, all of time and space at your fingertips," he said. "Where and when do you want to go for our first trip?"

Rose beamed at him, bright and wild and gorgeous. "Let the TARDIS decide," she said. "It's her first trip too."

"Your wish is my command," he said, quickly activating the randomizer with a flip of a lever.

He gestured to a familiar handled lever. "Would you like to do the honors, my love?"

She shook her head. "Together?"

"Brilliant."

They both put their hands on the lever and pulled it down as they grinned at each other.