Chapter One.
Of all the strange and unusual things that had taken place during her travels with a certain Lord of Time, this, Rose thinks has to be one of the strangest and he still hadn't mentioned why he was doing what he was. The alien in question was dangled precariously into one of the deeper chasms under the console room floor, suspended from the grating and one of the TARDIS coral struts.
"You alright Doctor?" she asked looking over into the hole from her position on the jump seat as another stream of incomprehensible alien expletives resounded through the console room muffled by the sonic screwdriver which she knew would be clenched between his teeth. She got up; marking the page she'd been reading with a tattered old piece of leather and rummaged through the toolbox next to the console. Finding what she was after she moved to the hole just as the Doctor poked his head up out of the floor.
"Rose can you pass me..." She handed him the item she'd retrieved from the toolbox and he stared blankly as she sat back down and continued reading her book with great interest.
"How'd you know I needed the laser spanner?" he questioned raising an eyebrow in suspicion. She giggled at him as Jack came parading back into the console room.
"Doctor there are only ever three tools you use in that entire toolbox, and we've been with you long enough to know that when you start swearing it means the sonic screwdriver isn't doing what you think it should be." Jack laughed as Rose lifted her legs unconsciously to accommodate him sitting down on the jump seat next to her.
"Which means since you're not actually flying, the mallet is out; therefore logically the spanner is the only other option right Jack?" Jack grinned and Rose continued reading as the Doctor rolled his eyes and disappeared back into the depths of the ship.
"Oh you think you're both so impressive." The Doctor yelled sarcastically from under the floor.
"We are." Jack and Rose stated in unison before erupting in a fit of giggles.
"Oh very funny, let's all have a laugh at my expense hmmmmm?" The Doctor groaned as he pulled himself out the floor and began disconnecting his harness while Jack jumped up to replace the grating.
"Sorry Doctor but sometimes you just leave yourself wide open." Rose laughed shoving her book into the back of the seat. "What were you doing down there anyways?"
"Weeelll, the old girl isn't as young as she used to be so I thought maybe she'd behave a little less erratic if I removed some of the residue from the lower levels of the rotor mechanisms. Plus she's been begging me for the last few years to do something about some of her, ah...more personal ...maintenance, ahem...issues ." The Doctor turned away from Rose and began to flick switches on the console attempting to hide the faint blush that crept up his neck to taint the tips of his ears.
"Doctor?" Jack queried raising a questioning eyebrow, "You don't mea..."
"She has needs too you know." The Doctor snapped waving his hand in a general gesture to the whole console which Rose though was just the slightest tinge of pink. "Doctor...is she...is the TARDIS...blushing?"
"Well do you blame her? She is alive Rose and I just blabbed out about..." The Doctor was getting agitated and both Rose and Jack new he wished he had said nothing about the needs of his ship, especially considering the smirk Jack had plastered all over his face.
"So Doctor, you and the..." Jack began, "Oh shut up Jack." The
Doctor paced around the console flipping more switches and pulling levers until the ship groaned a little as he set her to rest in the vortex.
Rose ran her fingers lightly across the organic components on the console silently conveying her understanding to the ship that was her friend and once again her home. She smiled as the lights dimmed a little near where she was touching the ship.
"Rose that's not helping." The Doctor whispered in her ear as he spun past her so close she felt goose bumps raise on the back of neck. "Sorry." She muttered while sending a silent apology to the TARDIS.
"So the TARDIS needs some 'maintenance' anything I can help with?" Jack smirked again not able to help himself sending a quite implicit image of polishing her struts which bounced straight to the TARDIS and through her link with the Doctor.
"Oi." The Doctor looked up at Jack. "Stop corrupting my ship Harkness. Besides you're not her type." Jack laughed and raised his eyes to the ceiling. "Not quite big enough on the inside for ya am I girl?" Rose and the Doctor looked at each other as they rolled their eyes at him and couldn't quite help the giggle that emerged from the opposite side of the console.
"Poor Jack, never know when to quit do you?"
"Ah she loves it." Jack smiled and the console room lights dimmed slightly causing him to laugh again and the Doctor to roll his eyes indulgently. Rose moved towards the interior corridor, "Well I'm beat, gonna go grab a shower and see what the old girl has for us to eat. Meet you both in the kitchen later yea?"
"Sure you don't need any help Rosie?" Jack winked as the Doctor glared at him through the time rotor. "You're relentless you know." Rose yelled from the corridor not turning to look but waving as she disappeared. "Later."
The Doctor sighed and shook his head as Jack turned to look at his friend, their eyes met and they both broke into uncontrollable laughter as the Doctor pulled on the hand brake and the two made their way up the gangway, "You never know one day it might work." Jack put his arm round his friend good naturedly as both men continued down the corridor to the kitchen. "Not a chance Jack, not a chance." Jacks bark of laughter echoed through the ship.