AN: This is the prequel to the Doomsday reunion story I'm doing this month. It follows Love on a Desert Island.

The Doctor was looking for Rose when he spotted it. They'd gotten separated at a thirty-first century flea market, and as he worked his way through the crowd, peering over the tops of stalls looking for his favourite pink and yellow human, a sparkle caught his eye. He drew to a sudden halt, ignoring the annoyed squawks of his fellow shoppers when he created a bottleneck in the foot traffic.

"May I see that?" he asked the vendor as he stepped over to the stall. The woman nodded, and he picked up the unusual ring that had been half-obscured by the miscellaneous junk littering the table.

Ten diamonds were set in a spiral on a deep blue band, like stars scattered across the night sky. "Zaphirium?" he asked, already knowing the answer. Despite the heat of the day, the ring was cool in his hand. That was one of the unique properties of the laurium alloy, and it was impossible to replicate in a cheap knock-off.

"Yes sir. And those are genuine diamonds as well." The woman handed him a jeweller's loupe, which he took even though the gesture of sincerity was enough to convince him.

The Doctor's hearts raced as he studied the gems. In the six months since their first kiss beneath the ciamanto ciel, Rose had reaffirmed her pledge to stay with him forever dozens of times. Every time, the word chipped away at his fear of losing her and replaced it with a need to be with her in every way possible.

And now, holding a ring that looked like stardust set in a TARDIS blue band, his time senses opened for a split second. Rose's smile when he gave her the ring and explained what a bond would be took his breath away, and the sensation of her love pouring into his mind as they bonded made his hearts ache with longing.

He handed the loupe and a credit stick to the vendor, and slipped the ring into his trouser pocket. "I'll take it."

"There you are!"

A familiar hand slid through the crook of his elbow, and the Doctor smiled down at Rose. Her sundress left her shoulders bare, and he could see the dusting of freckles that always appeared when she was out in the sun for long.

"Did you buy something?" she asked when the vendor handed him his credit stick.

"Yes, but it's a surprise," the Doctor told her. Rose scrunched her nose up, and the Doctor tapped it gently. "We have an anniversary coming up next week," he reminded her.

Her slight pout melted into a teasing smirk. "Oh, I know," she said as they walked away from the market stall. "I might've found something for you, too."

The Doctor leapt on that, eager for her to forget his mysterious gift. But even as he teased her for clues, in the back of his mind he was planning the perfect way to ask Rose to share a bond with him.