The last time she was conscious, Rose was about to die alone. Jack and the Doctor were still in the village, trying to solve the mystery of the week, while she'd set out on her own. Shimmering like a portal in the distance, the end of the trail kept unfurling ahead of her, leading her further and further into the planet's rocky terrain. She tried to keep her eyes on the end that kept skirting her reach. She felt a warmth licking her back; she whipped her head around and realized that the trail was curling from both ends, with the end behind her dissolving into flames. Forcing her to run faster, to keep herself from the fire. Now that she'd started following the path, she had no choice but to keep going.
Rose had guessed by this point that this trail, so like an obstacle course but made of fire, was a trap. She had not yet heard of the Master, and she had not anticipated his power. But the Master hadn't counted one Rose Tyler either.
Rose was tough. The trail of flame was meant to be a death-trap, but Rose had lived through worse. She was doing well, all things considered. She had crossed a volcano on the planet Sarn, swinging onto a rickety rope-bridge, sprinting to safety mere moments before the cliff she'd leapt from collapsed. Realizing that she couldn't go back to the village, at least not the way she came, she thought hard. And ran hard. But her back was still roasting; she was a few meters from incineration. She panted valiantly, but humans grow weary in a way that fire does not. It was gaining on her.
Her pulse quickened; her mind spun out of control. Frenzied, she thought that perhaps she could make the path fold back on itself, turn it into a barrier between herself and whatever was fanning the flames. She looked over her shoulder again, trying to fathom whether that was even possible. But she was careless. Her left foot slipped on a piece of black rock and tumbled her down into a deep rockslide. It seemed like a massive earthen pit in here, and the smoke began to infiltrate her limited air supply. Rose Tyler was trapped.
She knew she didn't have telepathic powers, but even so, she tried to contact the Doctor. Help me, over and over. She clung to those two words to keep her alive. As the smoke and heat permeated her head, she registered a twisting in her back and tried to stand. Pain. She wobbled, and fell. She felt herself clouding over, tried to cry but nothing came out. Help me.
The TARDIS always comes to its caller. As she slipped, the last strand of her consciousness thought it felt the familiar pulsing vibrations of the TARDIS materializing.
When she awoke, it was on the uneven metallic floor of the control room. Her head was in Jack's lap; the Doctor was steering, but his eyes never left Rose's face.
"My head-"
The Doctor shushed her. "You'll feel better in a few minutes. Jack's been treating you - following my instructions, I might add. After all, I'm the Doctor around here." An awfully cheeky comment, Rose smirked, for her to process in her first thirty seconds of consciousness. He was cute when he was jealous.
Smirking hurt, though. She rearranged her face into a neutral expression, using her arms to communicate instead. She pushed her fingers into Jacks' perfect hair and drew him close. He, of course, was more than willing, and he leaned in toward her eagerly. She brushed his lips against hers, feeling him smile into her face. She fought to keep herself from giggling.
The Doctor was not amused. The TARDIS lurched quietly; he mentally chastised himself, looking away and quickly getting back to work. Of course he was jealous of Jack. He wanted nothing more than to be the one cradling Rose in his arms, reassuring her and himself - but he wasn't about to entrust his ship to Jack, even if Jack was a captain. He might never see it again. And that's coming from someone already on board!
Of course he wanted Rose. But a small part of him admitted that there was more. He wasn't just jealous of Jack. He'd caught himself wondering, occasionally, what it would be like to kiss Jack - until today, that is. Now he was just confused. Watching the two of them kiss was wildly distracting and sent his thoughts reeling. And he had an important job to do. So he did his job and let that infuriating, smug, all-too-attractive boy have this moment that should have been his moment, with the girl who should have been his girl.
Damn you, Jack Harkness.