FOURTH IN THE 'FOLLOWING ROSE' SERIES!
this one is the longest yet! everychapter is an episode of DW s3 with Rose, starting with Gridlock
Losing Control - Gridlock
She looked down at her hand. At her engagement ring, it was so beautiful, and so old. She could get 5 million credits for it if she wanted. But she doesn't. It's so special; he gave it to her late one night. He put it in her hand as they lay in bed, he whispered in her ear,
"Marry me."
She said yes before she looked at the ring, she never took it off unless it could get stolen or dirty. So many times she woke up to having someone try to take it off. But they knew better now. They knew that she wasn't dead, that she couldn't be dead. They knew Rose Harkness was never going to die. Because she couldn't. They didn't know why, they just knew her and her husband were immortal, and there was no changing that. Jack and Rose had to go through a lot. They lost everyone they cared for, even there own children. They've had hundreds of children through out their life, all off them lived a millennium but none of them survived through the rest of time.
Legends followed Jack, and Rose Harkness. They said they were older then time itself; they watched the universe grow old. And they did. Rose Harkness may look 25 but in reality she's 4,999,998,056 years old, and Jack's 5,000,000,080 but some thing happened to him. In the year 4,999,999,834, Jack was hit with the weakest of Delta Waves. It didn't kill him, but he aged. He hadn't aged since 2008, after he left the Doctor and Martha. But now Jack Harkness was a giant, wrinkly, wise, old, face. In a tank.
They went back in time, (though Rose had a sonic screwdriver and had successfully fixed Jack's Vortex Manipulator they only travel in time to avoid them selves or in this case make a story of 'The Face of Boe'). Rose got everyone to call him The Face of Boe, and no one ever knew he wasn't the last of 'Boekind' as they said, but human. His personality changed, Rose joked it was because of his lack of testosterone. He was wiser, politer, and he didn't want to die. He didn't like knowing he'd one day leave Rose to live through time by herself.
* * *
Today was the day. He could feel it. Today was the day he'd leave Rose forever. God he hated himself for it.
"I'm dying, Novice Hame."
"You can't." She said, begging him to stop telling her he would soon die.
"Today's the day. Novice Hame, today the Doctor will return. You must find him, in the motorway. Follow him. Bring him here. He has arrived."
"What should I do?"
"Find him, before it's too late." Novice Hame looked at Jack and stood picking up her defence- a gun.
"Jack?" Called Rose, as she walked in, "Jack, I saw, I saw the Tardis, near an entrance to the motor way. Is it today? Are you going to die today?" Tears were swelling in her eyes
"How do you know that?"
"I remember Jack. It may have been billions of years ago but I remember my first trip to New Earth. I heard you talking to the Doctor. And he told me what you said."
"It is true. I am dying."
"No. No Jack please, hold on for me. I love you."
"I love you Rose, but you know –as does the Doctor– everything has it's time."
"But not us! Jack! Please, we've survived so much."
"And survive you will. I fight for those lives in the underworld, I fight for your life, and I fight for Novice Hame's life. Rose you are worth fighting for." Rose smiled in spite of herself. Rose bent down and kissed the glass.
"I love you."
"I love you."
"When will he come?"
"Soon, Novice Hame has gone to get him. But Rose, take my key, he can't see you yet, and please keep it, to remind you of me."
"I will always remember you." Said Rose and she took the key and placed the string around her neck.
"Er, rough teleport." Said a voice; the Doctor's voice. Rose squeaked slightly at the sound, "Ow. You're going straight back down and teleporting people out, starting with Martha!" said the Doctor,
"I only had the power for one trip." Said Novice Hame
"Then get some more, where are we?"
"High above; in the over city."
"Good." Said the Doctor, "Because you can tell the senate of New New York, I'd like a word; they've got thousands of people trapped on the motorway, millions!"
"But you're inside the senate. Right now. May the Goddess Santori bless us. They died Doctor, the city died."
"How long has it been like this?"
"Twenty-four years."
"Wha- What? Everyone? What happened?"
"A new chemical; a new mood. They called it 'Bliss', everyone tried it. They couldn't stop. A virus mutated inside the compound and became airborne, everything perished, even the virus in the end. It killed the world in seven minutes flat. Just enough time to close down walk ways, and flyovers; sealing off the under city. Those people on the motorway weren't lost Doctor, they were saved."
"So the whole thing down there's running on automatic."
"There wasn't enough power to get them out. We did all we could to stop the system from choking."
"Who's 'we' how did you survive?"
"He protected me, and he has waited for you these long years."
"Doctor." Said Jack, the Doctor ran around the corner followed by Novice Hame, Rose had to stop herself running to him. She knew she shouldn't yet. Jack needed to talk to the Doctor; they needed to save the undercity.
"The Face of Boe!"
"I knew you would come."
"Back in the old days, I was made his nurse, as penance for my sin." Said Novice Hame,
"Old friend, what happened to you?"
"I am failing."
"He protected me from the virus by shrouding me in his smoke. With no one to maintain it the city's power died, the under city would've fallen into the sea."
"So he saved them." Said the Doctor under his breath, only feet from the perception filtered Rose,
"The Face of Boe wired himself into the mainframe. He gave his life force just to keep things running."
"But there are planets out there; you could've called for help."
"The last act of the senate was to declare New Earth unsafe. The automatic quarantine lasts for one hundred years."
"So the two of you stayed here on your own for all these years?"
"We had no choice."
"Yes you did."
"Save them Doctor, save them." The Doctor got straight to work, first checking to see if Martha was safe. She was. He was ordering Novice Hame around while saving New Earth. But something went wrong while the Doctor was using his sonic screwdriver on the computer circuits.
"Doctor." Said Jack slowly, and shakily, "I give you my last-" He gave a breath and the systems started to work.
"Hame, look after him! Don't you go dying on me you big old face!" Yelled the Doctor as he ran to a lever, "You gotta see this. The open road! Ha!"
The Doctor sent an order to the motor way and Novice Hame cared for Jack with help from Rose. The Doctor walked over to the window.
"..And car 465 diamond 6, I've sent you a flight path, come to the senate."
"On my way." Said a female voice,
"Quite a while since I've seen you Martha Jones."
Rose briefly wondered if it was the same Martha Jones she knew all those years ago, but then Jack's tank started to crack, tears were in Rose's eyes, and she barely heard Novice Hame calling to the Doctor.
Minutes passed and the three sat around Jack, the tank shattered completely.
"Doctor?" Said a female voice full of worry,
"Over here." Said the Doctor,
"Doctor, what happened out there?!" She ran over and saw the Doctor and Novice Hame next to The Face of Boe; she didn't notice Rose at all, "What's that?"
"The Face of Boe, it's alright, come say hello. And this is Hame, she's a cat, don't worry. He's the one that saved you, not me."
"My lord gave his life, to save the city. And now he's dying." Said Novice Hame as Martha went and sat next to her.
"No don't say that, keep hope; he's got plenty of life left."
"It's good to breathe the air once more." Said Jack and Rose knew he'd be giving a sad smile if he could,
"Who is he?" Asked Martha
"I don't even know, the legend says The Face of Boe has lived for billions of years; isn't that right. You're not about to give up now."
"Everything has its time; you know that old friend, better then most."
"Legend says more." Said Hame,
"Don't, there's no need for that."
"It says that the Face of Boe will speak his final secret to a traveller."
"Yeah, but not yet. Who needs secrets aye?"
"I have seen so much, perhaps to much. I am the last of my kind, as you are the last of yours Doctor." Said Jack
"That's why we have to survive. Both of us. Don't go."
"I must. But know this, Timelord. You are not alone." And then he died, Rose cried into her hands and Hame felt tears in her eyes and she sobbed. Martha stood up; as did the Doctor then he did something that almost made Rose lose control. He put his arm around Martha and she hugged him. Then they left, leaving Novice Hame, and Rose, and her dead husband. She stroked the side of his face lovingly, and then she lent forward and placed a kiss on his lips.
"I love you Jack. I'll never forget you." She kissed him again and turned to Hame, "I won't forget you either Hame. Thank you so much for looking after him." She gave her a hug then got up found her only belongings; her old mobile, her sonic screwdriver, physic paper, her Tardis key, a memory chip storing photos, and a physic credit card. Walking in the direction the Doctor and Martha went she followed them until they led her to the under city, she saw the Tardis but they didn't go inside. They chatted about nothing when;
"But what did he mean?" Asked Martha, "The Face of Boe, 'you are not alone'."
"Dunno."
"You got me. Was that what he meant?"
"I don't think so. Sorry."
"Then what?"
"Doesn't matter. Back to the Tardis, off we go." But Martha grabbed a chair and sat down. "Oh right, are you staying?"
"Until you talk to me properly then yes. 'The last of your kind' what's that mean?"
"It really doesn't matter."
"You don't talk, you never say, why not?" Said a very annoyed Martha, but before he could answer they heard singing, "It's the city, they're singing."
"I lied to you." Said the Doctor his voice cracking slightly, "'Cause I liked it. I could pretend, just for a little bit I could imagine they were still alive. Beneath the burnt orange sky. I'm not just a Timelord; I'm the last of the Timelords. The Face of Boe was wrong, there's no one else."
"What happened?" Asked Martha, the Doctor grabbed another chair and sat in front of Martha.
"There was a war. A time war, the last great time war. My people fought a race called the Daleks, for the sake of all creation, and they lost. They lost, everyone lost, they're all gone now, my family, my friends, even that sky. Oh you should've seen it that old planet. The second sun would rise in the south and the mountains would shine!" He said in happy memory, "The leaves on the trees were silver, and they caught the light every morning, like a forest on fire." Rose took off Jack's Tardis key and put it in her pocket with hers.
"It was so beautiful; the red grass had perfect contrast with the snow, and leaves, the twin suns burning orange. It was the most beautiful place in the entire universe. It's like fire and ice, so terrible but so great, ancient and forever, and the beauty is so wondrous, so ecstatic it's like looking into time itself." The Doctor stared at her dumb struck, "Hello Doctor, long time, no see." She smiled. She knew he wouldn't recognise her, she had long since changed. Her hair was now dark chocolate brown, rather like a mop. It was chin length and rather bouncy, her side fringe hiding one tearstained eye.
"Rose?"
"It's me, Doctor, I have waited so long for you to return, and I never lost hope."
"Rassilon, Rose." He got up and ran to her they hugged tightly,
"I've missed you so much, Doctor."
"But how? You were trapped on Pete's World! There's no way you could come back! And what are you doing in the year five billion and fifty-three?"
"Oh I had a little help from Gallifrey."
"Gallifrey? Rose how did you get help from Gallifrey?"
"On the other universe, I met you. And since you killed all the Daleks in a past self Gallifrey was still there. He took me to Gallifrey and he got the boards permission to take me home. I've no idea how he managed to see the board without me knowing though… Probably while I was in hospital."
"You went to a Gallifreyan hospital? Why? What happened?"
"Oh we were running through the mountains and I tripped and landed on some rocks."
"That doesn't sound too bad."
"I was six months pregnant."
"Oh- WHAT!?! You were PREGNANT?"
"Yes."
"Who? Mickey?"
"No!"
"Not- no he didn't get you pregnant, did he?"
"No, the parallel you did not get me pregnant."
"Then who?"
"You." Whispered Rose,
"Me?"
"Yes."
"Why didn't you tell me? Bad Wolf Bay, why didn't you say?"
"I was so scared; I thought you'd tear apart the universe to get to me. I thought you'd brake knowing you couldn't be there with me. The other Doctor told me it was a girl. I had a name picked before she died."
"What was it?"
"Sarah-Jane Tyler-Smith" The Doctor smiled,
"Sarah-Jane? Oh that's my Rose Tyler!"
"Harkness."
"What?"
"Rose Harkness."
"You got married?" The Doctor's words were barely a whisper,
"Yes. I did as you told me to, I had a fantastic life, day after day."
"Who did you marry?"
"Jack."
"You married Jack!"
"Yes."
"When did this happen?"
"A year after I got home. We always had a thing Doctor. Even before you and me. I thought he died after the Game station. I was so confused for a while, we left him there, then you regenerated, then you were so sick, then I had a miscarriage, then the invasion. I was scared to death."
"Miscarriage?"
"Yeah, Jack's." she said with a sad smile
"You've lost two babies?"
"I've lost everyone. Thousands of my descendants- my family, have died."
"Thousands?"
"Yeah. How old do you think I am Doctor?"
"22, maybe 27 tops."
"I'm not the 19 year old girl you met in a shop basement Doctor. I'm much older then 27. Doctor I am over four billion years old."
"But that's impossible."
"Is it Doctor? Look deep, you will find I'm just as weird, just as scary, and just wrong as Jack. Deep down you are repulsed by me, and you can't help it. I'm wrong and there is nothing to change that."
"No. Stop it."
"I'm cursed Doctor, a fixed point in time. I watched everyone die. I saw my home planet destroyed, as you saw yours. I am the last pure human left. And so much better then Cassandra. I have watched the universe grow old. Everything dies Doctor, everything but ME! Even Jack died! Everything will die! I have seen so much Doctor nothing will surprise me." Rose was in hysterics.
"Jack can't have died. He's wrong. He is impossible, he's immortal."
"He died." Rose sobbed, "Right in front of me! Today! You saw it happen!"
"The Face of Boe?" Asked Martha nervously
"His name is Captain Jack Harkness! He's only 'The Face of Boe' to those too IGNORANT to realise he ISN'T an ALIEN FACE! He's a human being! And I LOVED him! I ALWAYS WILL love him! We had a great connection! He's my husband! So don't you DARE say he is alive Doctor! He died, leaving me to live for the rest OF TIME by myself until EVERYTHING is dead! I will be the only one left in the vacuum of space no planets or resources or anything but ME! You've said it yourself Doctor. I don't age. Humans decay. They wither and they die. Imagine watching that happen to someone you love, everyone you love, everything you love, and all you love." Then she collapsed to the ground sobbing hopelessly. "I am so old. Older then old."
"How old?" Said Martha who had sat next to Rose and was patting her comfortingly
"I am four billion, nine hundred and ninety-nine million, nine hundred and ninety-eight thousand, and fifty-six."
"Whoa."
"My youngest Grandchildren loved reminding me. They almost burnt down my house one year lighting candles." Rose said reminiscing with a faint smile
"Loved?"
"The Bliss virus killed them all. I am probably the only person alive who understands what you've gone through Doctor."
"Oh Rose."
"At least I have the memories. But I know how hard it is for you kn- Wait a minute. Are you Martha Jones?"
"Yes."
"As in Dr. Martha Jones, one married brother named Leo, one sister named Letitia or Tish for short, and two parents Francine and Clive, and one sadly parted cousin Adeola Oshodi?"
"How did you know that?"
"God it's been so long since I've seen you or Tom! Oh how Tosh adored you and your family! Loved it, Clive and Francine always spoiled her rotten!"
"What are you on about?"
"My daughter! My first daughter Toshiko Jones! Marries your future nephew, cute little thing he was. Reminds me of the Mickey I met when I went back to the day my Dad died…"
"Rose, careful now. Timelines remember." Warned the Doctor quietly,
"Oh right whoops." She sighed, "Doctor can I- do you want- can I go back to living on the Tardis?"
"What? Of course you can Rose!"
"Oh thank God." And she ran into the Tardis and swept around the consol until she turned to face the Doctor and Martha beaming away. "I've missed you. Both of you. And the Tardis."
"I've missed you too." Said the Doctor and he walked quickly to her and went to kiss her but Rose turned her head slightly and pecked the Doctor on the cheek before retreating to her room leaving the Doctor feeling slightly rejected.
i know, i know, weirdest mood swings ever