End Of Days with Rose
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OMG, OMG, OMG, OH MY GOSH!!! -starts sobbing- I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!!! THE TARDIS, MAN!! -coughs and wipes eyes- sorry – I just read the Transcript for End Of Days for the first time, and having never seen the episode either… you can imagine my face at the moment. So I can't help it – I'm doing this episode RIGHT NOW!! MAJOR spoilers for Utopia, obviously. And End Of Days too, now that I think about it.
Thanks to Indemaat who was fantastic and was my BETA. All praise to thee.
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Jack wasn't moving. Why wasn't Jack moving?? Could he be…? Rose refused to think about it. He can't be – she said so herself – she had made it impossible for him to die! So why wasn't he getting up??
Rose ran and fell at his still body, tears streaking her face. NO! she screamed inwardly. Not another person she loved! "Jack, don't you dare leave me!!!" She wrapped her arms around his still body and held him, crying.
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Toshiko, Ianto, Owen and Rose gathered around Jack's lifeless body on the morgue table in a white body bag. They stood in silence for a long time.
"Are you certain?" choked Rose, to no one in particular. She was refusing to believe Jack was dead.
"He's ice cold," Owen told her quietly, sympathetically. "No vital signs."
"He survived when you… shot him," said Rose, disbelief that he had shot Jack still in her voice. "I…" She didn't know if she should say it. She didn't know if they could handle it. "He told me he couldn't die," she whispered brokenly.
"He was wrong," replied Owen harshly, perhaps more harshly then he meant to.
"No, I know… I did it –" Rose stopped, choking on her tears. Toshiko came up to her and gently wrapped her arms around the girl, holding her tightly. Finally, after a moment, Rose spoke again, voice cool and calm. "I want to sit with him."
"Rose…" began Owen, but he got no further.
"I want to sit with him." The decision made, Rose gently and carefully brushed Jack's cold cheek.
With a resigned sigh, Owen nodded and left, followed by Tosh and Ianto.
Rose remained, watching Jack like a hawk, a never-ending silent prayer never leaving her lips.
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A few days passed, and no change occurred. Rose stayed day and night, unwilling to go to her bed in the Torchwood Base for even twenty minutes. She once again stroked the cold cheek, brushing his hair around his forehead lightly. "Wake up," she whispered once, leaning forward. "Oh Jack," she whispered sadly. "Please wake up for us. For me."
A few more days passed. Rose had not budged. Owen, Tosh and Ianto watched her on the monitors in the main room from time to time, and Tosh even came down a few times to be with the both of them – she tried to talk some sense into her friend as she brought her food. "Rose, it's been days," protested Tosh. When Rose didn't respond, Tosh continued. "We have to face up to it. He's not coming back."
This time Rose did respond. "I believe in him," she said firmly.
"Let him go, Rose," said Tosh in one final desperate attempt. She left the room without waiting for an answer.
Rose walked over to Jack, a new light shining in her eyes. She reached over, took hold of his cold hand, and pressed it against her cheek, closing her eyes. "Oh, Jack…" she said one last time. "I know you can hear me," she whispered, close to his face. "Do it for me. Do it for him." Then she slowly knelt down and kissed him slowly and gently. Then, bleary eyed, tired and desperate, Rose turned back to her perch beside the bed. She would not give up.
"Thank you."
Rose gasped when she heard his voice and swung around, beaming. She ran to Jack and threw her arms around him, grinning. Jack laughed softly and wrapped his arms around her too, holding her close. He grinned when they separated.
"Jack…" She was grinning like an idiot, unable to stop, but she didn't care at all.
"Where are the others, Rose?"
For a moment Rose was confused. "Oh." Jack laughed again. "Cleaning the Hub."
"Let's go." He grabbed hold of her hand and gave it a squeeze. Rose looked down on their joined hands and sighed. His hands were comfortable, but they didn't fit like the Doctor's. She shook the feeling as they walked through the door.
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Toshiko and Ianto were cleaning. Sure, it was dirty work, but someone had to do it. Or, in their case, someones. They both looked up as Jack and Rose entered the room, holding hands, grinning, and very much alive. Toshiko's eyes widened as she ran to Jack, and Rose stepped aside as the two friends hugged each other. Ianto also stood up and headed over to Jack, and upon reaching him, held out his hand awkwardly for a handshake. Jack smiled and grabbed him for a hug and a snog without discretion.
Suddenly Owen entered the room. He saw Jack and Ianto and dropped the kit he was carrying with a 'thud'. He stood rock still. Jack walked over to him instead.
"I…" Owen couldn't speak past the lump in his throat.
"I forgive you," said Jack simply. Owen nodded. Jack grabbed him for a hug and held him close as Owen cried.
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Rose was perched on Jack's desk watching as Jack rifled through files, her expression thoughtful. "They all saw people they loved, Jack. What did you see?"
Jack's head shot up sharply as he examined her with a guarded expression. "Who did you see?" he asked softly, already wagering a guess.
Rose gave him a thin, painful smile. "Guess."
"Two words," murmured Jack.
Rose nodded and bit her lip. "Who'd you see?" Her voice was almost controlled now.
"I didn't," he said simply.
Rose shot him a look. "Coz you're dead?"
Jack shrugged. "Maybe."
"What would have tempted you? What would have made you want to open the rift?"
Jack paused, then told her truthfully, "Same person that you saw – or you – but you know, I probably would have been able to resist – and I know how you did – coz he's the right kind of Doctor."
He came up to Rose and enveloped her a firm hug.
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Rose and Jack wandered into the Hub wondering about the rest of the team. "Where are they with those coffees?" she mused.
A machine beeped suddenly. Rose nudged Jack to look where she was looking. "Um, Jack…?"
"Yeah?"
"The hand…" Her voice faded, hope shining in her face.
Jack smiled. "Wait," he told her. They waited.
Then…
They heard the TARDIS engines – the most beautiful and glorious sound in the universe to both of them. An unnatural wind blew into the Hub as Rose and Jack broke out into grins. They each glanced around the base for the last time till who knew when.
They glanced around the Hub for the last time. They wouldn't miss it much. After all, they didn't belong there. Jack grabbed Rose's hand and they smiled at each other.
They were going home.
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Now, I understand that was more than one scene – but who cares??