What Did You See?
Summary: What if Jack had misleading visions as well? What shape would the rift choose to persuade Jack? Sort of a TW/ DW crossover… a bit.
A/N This is a "what if" fic so it's sort of random, but I was watching bits of 'End of Days' and for some reason I thought of this. Ignores the fact that Jack's mind isn't affected by these things, oh and also ignores that Jack doesn't know what happened on the GameStation. This isn't my best Torchwood fic...it's only the second I've ever written for TW so... keep that in mind.
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"Jack?"
He spun, startled. Only a second ago he had walked into his office, the Hub empty except for himself and the Weevils downstairs. The voice was close, just behind him, over his shoulder, in his ear, and he knew that voice. Even though it had been over a hundred years since he had heard that voice, there was nothing in the universe that could make him forget it.
He turned, and his breath caught in his throat.
No, it couldn't be. It couldn't possibly be –
"Rose?" Jack whispered, while her voice had been right beside him, the figure of his friend from long ago lingered beyond the doorway of his office and he couldn't help thinking she looked so out of place in the middle of the Hub.
"Jack?" She asked again, her voice soft and weak, her eyes lost, flitting about trying to find purchase somewhere. It was as if she was looking into complete darkness.
Jack shook his head as tears welled in his eyes.
"No!" He breathed disbelievingly, sternly. "You're not here, you can't be. Oh, Rose – you're dead." The last part came out as a choked sob.
"Jack?" Her voice was pleading as she asked for him a third time. Finally it seemed the darkness lifted as her eyes focused, she could see. Staring straight at Jack her voice continued, still sounding closer than her body.
"I'm not, Jack. Oh please, help me. I'm not, I'm stuck." Rose's voice washed over him, sad and helpless, yet with a steely determination that didn't seem to fit her.
"Where? Where are you? Where's the Doctor – is he with you?" Jack gabbled, knowing that it was entirely pointless speaking to this apparition, because that's all she was, it was the rift playing with his mind as it had with everyone else. Yet, for some reason, somehow he couldn't seem to stop the words and emotions that were spilling forth. Over a century he hadn't seen the Doctor or Rose; had barely even spoken about them because it just hurt too much to remember. And now here in front of him stood half of the equation, a girl that he had known for such a short amount of time yet still carried her memory in his heart, and always would.
"I'm lost, I don't know where. I can't find him, I can't find the Doctor. Jack" her voice became desperate as she began to plead with him, "you have to open to rift. We closed it, but we were wrong. Jack, you have to open it. Help me!" Even though she stood motionless save for the movement of her lips, the utter desperation in her voice brought him to tears. It wasn't her, and it never would be. Rose was gone. His friend, his Rose, their Rose, she was dead. Consumed by the Battle of Canary Wharf like so many others.
"I can't." Jack told her, breaking his own heart. She had saved them; saved them all from the Daleks, but neither of them had been able to save her in the end, not even the Doctor.
"But you have to!" Rose cried.
"No." Jack replied flatly, defiantly. "I'm sorry Rose, but I'll keep fighting – for you and the Doctor."
And with that Jack turned around and walked back into his office, back behind his desk, blocking out the ear-splitting, gut wrenching scream from the rift's ghost Rose as he went.
*****
As he sat in that place behind his desk much later, Gwen asked him what he had seen, what vision had appeared to try to persuade him to open the rift.
He thought about it for a moment, it hadn't been anything, it was merely a wraith created from his usually well hidden memories of the past. That thing hadn't been his friend, hadn't been anything. Regardless of that, he had to make the right impression, he created the standard to work to and he had to stand strong, even if it was just an act sometimes.
"Nothing. I saw nothing."
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A/N If you know the episode then you'll know the next line, which is still valid here, but just not really necessary in the end. I didn't really have space to explain in the story but I really think that the rift wouldn't be able to project the Doctor, I don't know why but I just like to think that, so that's why he didn't make an appearance. Also, I'm not ruling out the idea that Jack could have had more visions.Also, just to clear this up if you're a bit confused – this takes place during the last episode of Torchwood series one and Jack still thinks Rose died at Canary Wharf since he hasn't seen the Doctor yet. I'm sure you probably figured that out already though, 'cause you're smart cookies.