I still own no copyrighted material.

Reminder, this is unbeta'd so any spelling/grammar mistakes are my own.

A/N I know this is short. I just found my notebook.

2nd note: I have begun posting my original story, Resonance, on deviant art and fictionpress where I can be found uner the same pen name

"Petal and Pond," the Doctor lets out a quiet chuckle as he waits for his bondmate to choose a book, "Where did she get Petal from? That is, if I'm allowed in on the secret."

"Rose petal," she responds without preamble then draws a book from the shelf and pads over to the sofa where he is waiting, "Honestly, I'm surprised you hadn't given me a nickname before this."

He takes the book and patiently waits, smiling, as she snuggles into his side before draping a blanket over her slim frame, "You've never needed a nickname. Your given name is fantastic all on its own. Rose Tyler. Yep, sounds perfect to me."

"Are you tellin' me you didn't find it at least a little bit funny, hearin' all of Churchill's staff referrin' to us as Agents Petal and Pond?" she prodes while he searches for the page they had left off with.

"Maybe a little," he confesses with a tiny smile, then makes a show of clearing his throat, "Dumbledore's abrupt departure took Harry completely by..."

Rose closes her eyes and allows his voice to wash over her. He might sound different now, reading to her in his sharper voice, but all of the emotions the act invoked in her have been present since the time he wore leather and talked like he was from the North.

Lulled by his measured tone and double patter of his heartsbeats, she is sound asleep before he finishes the chapter. He hastily memorizes the page number, then picks his own book off of the end table and resumes reading silently while his beloved dances with Morpheus.

It is some time later when he hears the door open with a soft click and Amy tiptoes in. They exchange smiles as the ginger girl moves to scan the shelves of human fiction, but both remain silent.

"I think that is the first time I have ever seen her sleep," the girl gently comments after she finds a satisfactory book and curls into a saucer shaped chair dangling from the ceiling, "I thought she was more like you, because she said you hardly slept when you traveled together."

"She hates sleeping, moreso when she is alone, so she usually curls up in a chair close to whereever I'm working at the time and dozes off until I need her help," he rumbles, mindful not to disturb his drowsing wife as he brushes a lock of hair from her cheek, "I don't like that she does it, but I have long since learned my lesson about trying to make her do anything she doesn't want to."

"Care to share? I could use something like that," she grins an opens her book.

"Yes. Leave them behind in a parallel universe for over a hundred years with a pseudo clone of yourself that dies within a measely twenty four hours after arriving, then have them magically reappear in your life only after you have become absolutely certain you would never, ever see them again. Now have them tell you that they love you and forgive you for being the biggest idiot in two universes. You would be heading in the right direction at that point Pond," he turns his head to look at the young woman, his pale cheek coming to rest against his bondmate's mane of dark hair, "Of course by that time you also might realize you are the worlds, universes, what have yous, luckiest damn person in all of time and space and therefore you make one single thing your new purpose in life...to see them smile again."

"You really do love her." It is not a question any longer.

"Forever," he says simply, as if the lone word explained everything. For him, it did.

Amy doesn't asky any more questions and returns to reading her book about demi gods roaming around her present day Earth, but her thumb absently strokes her empty left ring finger.