Chapter Text
***
The dust was still thick in the air—both literal and heavy with the residue of exhaustion—as it drifted sluggishly through the shattered corridors of UNIT HQ. The Bone Creatures' attack had carved a jagged wound through the building: glass littered the floor, monitors lay buried under chaotic piles of debris. The acrid scent of scorched metal and ozone lingered, a stubborn reminder of the chaos that had unfolded just hours prior.
Omega and the Rani were gone, back into dimensions even their ambition couldn’t survive. Yet above the Thames, the sky shimmered faintly where the fabric of reality had torn open before being stitched back together. But all that heroic bustle had quieted now. Silence settled like a weight over the battered team—a silence born not of peace, but of survival. The adrenaline had faded, leaving behind raw nerves and the dull ache of close calls.
The Doctor leaned against the cracked central desk in the operations room, the heart of the damaged HQ. His blue-striped outfit was covered in streaks of soot and smudges where dust had clung. His fingers idly traced the surface of his sonic. His smile was faint and weary—a fragile curve of contentment mixed with curiosity and unspoken exhaustion.
Around him, the flickering lights of damaged monitors cast uncertain shadows. The hum of emergency power thrummed low beneath the stillness. Outside the window, the city was beginning to stir, unaware how close it had come to unravelling.
The team was battered but intact. They had faced the unimaginable—and survived. Now, amid the ruins, they gathered what strength remained, knowing this brief respite was only a calm before the next storm.
Kate Lethbridge-Stewart stood, her arms crossed, murmuring into a comm unit, while Colonel Christofer Ibrahim moved nearby, calmly coordinating recovery teams.
The Doctor’s gaze wandered the room, finally resting on Kate. She shifted, smoothing her jacket, and a slender silver chain slipped free from beneath her jumper. From it hung a simple gold band, gleaming softly as it swung—a whispered promise caught in the light, fragile and true.
The Doctor blinked, his gaze drifting to Christofer just as he bent low to secure a medkit. From beneath the worn fatigues, a silver chain slipped free, cradling a gold ring—twin flames of quiet devotion, identical in their unspoken promise.
It was the barest second, but that was all the Doctor needed.
“Oh…” he said aloud, with the sly tone of someone recognising a plot twist mid-play. “Ohhh, my stars. No. Really?”
Mel glanced over. “What is it?”
He turned, grinning like he’d just decoded a Time Lord crossword. “You lot ever notice how our dear Kate and Colonel Ibrahim always debrief each other first? Even when one of them’s bleeding?”
Ruby blinked. “They’re command. Isn’t that normal?”
The Doctor tilted his head, walking slowly toward the pair. “Not when they’re wearing matching wedding rings. On chains. Hidden. Like secrets in plain sight.”
Kate straightened. She looked directly at the Doctor. Not a flinch. But her lips tightened into a line of dry amusement.
“Trust you to notice that,” she said.
“I notice everything, eventually. Unless I’ve suddenly missed four decades of established Earth custom, that’s a wedding ring,” he said aloud, inspecting the ring with a grin. “You didn’t?”
“We did,” Kate admitted, eyes flicking to Christofer.
“Four months ago,” he added. “After we stopped Conrad Clark.”
The Doctor’s smile crumpled in silent agony. “Four months.”
Ruby, sipping lukewarm tea nearby, choked.
Mel gasped with delight. “You what?”
Shirley blinked. “That explains the matching lunch orders.”
Kate tried to look authoritative. “It was a personal decision. A quiet ceremony. No fuss. Just… us.”
“No wedding?” the Doctor said, sounding personally offended. “No vows? No overlong speeches? No ‘if anyone here objects’ moment so I can dramatically object and then say ‘Just kidding’?”
“We didn’t want attention,” Christofer offered.
“You’re married!” the Doctor yelped. “You’re allowed one day of attention!”
Kate smiled dryly. “You’re taking it well.”
“I’m not taking it anything,” the Doctor huffed. “I’m correcting it.”
Before they could argue, the Doctor’s grin returned, wild and wonderful. “You’re getting married again. Properly. On a beach. Under the stars. I’ve already picked the planet. Think of it as a wedding present.”
“There’s still so much that needs done… We can’t just leave,” Kate replied, looking at the chaos surrounding them.
“A few hours, Kate. I’ll have you all back here in a few hours,” he promised with a charming smile. “A trip in the TARDIS—what do you say?”
Ruby cut in: “You kind of have to say yes now.”
Mel was already clapping. “I’ll help with the dress!”
Shirley raised an eyebrow. “You know, I’ve always wanted to see the TARDIS wardrobe in action…”
Christofer, ever the calm eye of the storm, simply glanced at Kate. “Well, what do you think, Mrs. Ibrahim?”
Kate sighed, smiling despite herself.
“Fine, let’s go get married again.”