Married life with Rose and Alec

Chapter 3

Rose had taken up her position behind the palm tree having at the last second seen it as she came out of the lift and made a run for it. It had been too much on the way down with Ellie in the lift. Sheer panic had rushed over her all of a sudden and she couldn't control it. Rose Tyler had been scared of nothing since she defeated the Daleks and now she was scared of getting married. "Get over it" her inner self was telling her but her inner self was in battle with her mind that was telling her "It's too much too soon, you should have waited" and she didn't know which part of her was actually winning.

She had seen the three of them looking around for her, seen Alec talking to Ellie and Jake frantically looking around for her. She was just out of their sight but she could see them clearly as they came out of the bar area. She had seen a man in a black suit come out of a room with a crowd of people and had seen Alec put up his hand and had seen the horror on his face as he realised he couldn't find her. She knew there must have been less than ten minutes left before she was supposed to go in and marry Alec, the love of her life, the man who had made her happy again when she had thought she never could be and didn't deserve to be. The man who had made her forget her past life and wanted to start a new life with her.

Rose knew he would immediately go back to their room to look for her and find out what had happened. Did he think she had gone back upstairs to pack and leave him without saying a word? Would he go back up to try to talk her into going through with it? It would be too late by the time he got up there anyway. Either way, he would cross over to the lift and see her behind the plant. So, at the last second her inner self won over her mind and she stepped forward from behind the palm tree.

Ellie had spotted her and shouted "Rose," as both Alec and Jake saw her.

Alec rushed past Ellie and immediately put his arms around her, holding her close as Rose held out her bouquet in one hand so it wouldn't be crushed. Ellie took it from her as Rose threw her arms around him.

Seven minute to the wedding. The Officiator was looking at his watch and tapped Alec on the shoulder. "Mr Hardy, if you are ready, you have just over five minutes," as he had clearly seen what had happened and the bride to be had been having second thoughts, something he saw all the time which usually had a happy ending and he usually allowed a grace period, hence the ten minutes.

She had clearly been crying and Alec got out his silk hankie and handed it to her. Rose wiped her tears, Alec still with one arm around her, the other holding her left arm then sliding his fingers into hers, led her across to the door for the ceremony. Ellie, still holding Rose's bouquet and Jake followed. They went inside, Rose and Alec sat at the front, still hand in hand, Ellie and Jake sat a few rows back with Ellie handing the bouquet to Rose as they sat down. Alec took the silk hankie from Rose and turned to face her, wiping away any remaining tears as he did then put it back in his top pocket. Rose squeezed his hand and smiled at him, forgetting everything that had transpired in the last twenty minutes or so, all fears now gone now she was holding Alec's hand.

The Officiator had gone to do his preparations and came back a few minutes later. It was now exactly three o'clock as Alec took out his pocket watch and opened it to check the time. The Officiator called Rose and Alec forward to stand in front of the Podium and began the wedding ceremony.

Finally, he got to the part where they exchanged rings. Jake came forward and handed Alec Rose's ring, a beautiful intricate design gold band that he'd chosen for her and placed it on her finger, taking her engagement ring off and replacing it back above the wedding ring, then took hold of her hand and kissed it as he said the words.

Rose indicated to Ellie to bring the ring she had chosen for Alec, a Celtic design indicating his Scottish heritage and placed it on his finger and said the words, reaching up to kiss his cheek as she did.