Our Story

Chapter 28: Reconnect

Notes: So, I know I've taken this ribbon around the wrist thing to a whole new level with the Gallifreyan wedding ceremony, but I was just so intrigued by why it was even a 'thing' to start with (in the one quick moment of a scene we get from Eleven and River, even though arguable that whole scene was a farce according to some) and I got to thinking about what it could represent. So, I created my own head canon for what a Gallifreyan wedding ceremony would include when it came to the mental, soul, and physical bonds that would be created between the couple.

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The couple were quiet on the taxi ride back to the street where the docked TARDISes was located—or more accurately, the street that the alley was located on where the TARDISes were parked. Donna glanced between the two of them. The Doctor tapped a beat on his knee with his free hand, the other hand firmly gripping the Archivist's. The woman whose hand he held, well, the knee his hand wasn't resting on was bobbing up and down as she bounced her leg, chewing at her lip as she stared out the window.

They both had enough nervous energy to power the TARDIS, Donna thought. She wondered, if she hadn't been in the taxi with them, would they already be all over each other by now? As it was, would they get the TARDIS back into the vortex before they ran off to their room? Perhaps Donna would have to rush everyone off to the kitchen or the library for a while, in case they couldn't make it past the control room. She then remembered that they could communicate telepathically. What conversation might they be having right this moment?

She didn't realize a giggle had escaped until both Time Lords turned to look at her. She cleared her throat and did her best to wipe the smirk off her face. "Um, sorry."

"What is it, Donna?" the Doctor asked, welcoming the distraction.

"Just—thinking."

"About?" the Archivist asked.

"Um..." She needed to think fast. "How long do you think it'll take to get us back home? Shaun and I have lots of wedding plans to work on, and I'd hate for all of us to be a bother to you two newlyweds."

"A bother? You're no bother, Donna!" the Doctor waved her off dramatically.

"No, no bother at all!" the Archivist added, equally over emphatic.

Right. Donna thought.

"But," the Doctor drawled out. "We'd hate to keep you two from planning your wedding." He looked at the Archivist, encouraging her to agree.

"Yes, we don't want to keep you two lovebirds from getting everything ready for a beautiful spring wedding!"

"And Jack, I'm sure he needs to get back to Torchwood business. With he and Mickey and Martha away, who knows what trouble is brewing in Cardiff," the Doctor said, now acting very concerned.

"Oh, yeah, he probably has all sorts of business to attend to," Donna said, trying her best to pay along and not break out in a fit of giggles again.

"Yes, I'd hate to know what's come through the rift with only Gwen and Ianto to hold down the fort," the Archivist said with a frown that closely matched the Doctor's.

"Yes, it's best we get you all back home as soon as possible."

"Yeah," Donna said, acting convinced. "You're probably right."

**—**—**

They had made their way quickly back to the TARDIS and the Doctor put in the coordinates for the first stop, the Roald Dahl Plass in Cardiff Bay. The Archivist never left his side, never releasing his hand. They remained quiet and tense. The rest of the group stood nearby at the jump seat, chatting about what they'd seen in 1929 New York City.

The Doctor looked over the controls, confident they were good to be left unattended for a few moments, then glanced up at the rest of the group, then to his bride. He tugged her across the room and drew her close.

Donna glanced up in time to watch them carefully undoing the ribbon from around the Doctor's wrist, releasing each knot and tangle as if it were a solemn occurrence. Once the two ribbons were free from each other, she saw their lips moving as they whispered to each other. She quickly hushed the others from talking and bobbed her head in the direction of the two Time Lords. This was a sacred moment and she felt it wasn't appropriate for them to be chattering on about fashion while it was taking place.

The Time Lords had begun rewrapping the ribbon around the wrists of the hands, quietly repeating the mantra they'd said during their vows. Those hands had scarcely left each other since the two had found each other again, save for the few minutes Donna herself had to escort the Archivist up to her room and back. She remembered the way the Doctor held his arm out, hand outstretched to his wife as she came down the stairs and back out the front door to him. She also saw the relief that washed over him, the way he visibly relaxed, when their hands were connected again, as if he wasn't whole till they were touching again. Almost as if he'd been in pain the entire time they'd been seperated. There was something about this new Gallifreyan marriage bond she found downright intriguing, quite vulnerable, and very romantic.

As they finished the intricate pattern of weaving one, then the other ribbon around their wrists, she could just make out them saying together, "We are one," as they pulled the ribbons tight, forming the final knot that kept them together till some point hopefully in the very very near future that they'd finally be left alone to complete the physical component of their bond. She blushed and realized just how special it was that the group she sat with had been invited to witness their wedding, and now their reconnecting themselves in preparation for the completion of their bond.She felt such overwhelming joy for her Spaceman, her best friend. She looked up at Shaun, smiling at him sweetly and taking his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. Yes, her best friend had found love—just like she had.