Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or BBC or something related.
Author's Note: This is my first fanfiction so please don't be mad if I've done anything wrong :D English is also not my first language so I probably made some mistakes although I really tried to avoid it...I'm sorry :D
Before you read this you should probably know that Jack travels still with the Doctor and Rose (so he didn't get abandon at the end of season 1 and he also has met Jackie Tyler already, so when they meet in this fanfiction it's not their first meeting). The story takes place after "the age of steel" which means Micky's already gone. I really hope you enjoy it even if my English isn't that great (again, I'm sorry).
Jack noticed something was wrong with the Doctor. Whenever he touched Rose, coincidence or not, the Doctor would stiffen and grind his teeth. It wasn't like he hadn't done this before, but while Mickey was still with them he had obviously tried to surpress it. Now, with Mickey in the parallel world, the Doctor had become really protective about Rose.
When Rose finally said Good Night this day and went for her bedroom, Jack asked:
"So, what's the matter, Doc?" The Doctor pressed some random buttons on the TARDIS console and responded:
"What do you mean?"
"Come on, Doc, just tell me that you don't want me to flirt with your precious Rose."
"I don't care who you flirt with, Jack. It's none of my business. Anyway, you should probably go and get some sleep; we have a lot to do tomorrow. Maybe you even want to go to Roses room and sleep there? That's fine, do what you want. Really, you two would be a perfect couple, brilliant, allons-y!" The Timelord wouldn't meet Jacks suspicious gaze.
"Wait a minute...you really are jealous, right? The famous Timelord is jealous!" The brown eyes of the Doctor gleamed dangerously in the dim of the TARDIS control room.
"I'm not jealous. Why should I?" Because you love her. I see it in your eyes every day the captain thought. But he couldn't say that. So he just grinned, trying to bring the Doctor to admit it.
"Very well, then I will just go to sleep...remember your statement ten seconds ago? If it's still intact I guess you wouldn't mind if I go sleeping at Roses room...if we find the time to get some sleep, of course." The jaw of the Doctor tightened. "I mean, we could use the night to do many other things..." Jack added. "I didn't dare to do more than flirting until now, but you gave us the permission, didn't you? So I am finally able to treat her as the woman she is. And-" He couldn't continue since the Doctor had pinned him against the wall.
"Don't you dare" he growled. "You won't lay your hands ever on Rose! Is that understood?" The captain wasn't able to suppress another grin.
"I knew it. You do love her." The Doctor flinched. He let Jack go and looked suddenly vulnerable, haunted, lonely and so young. "You should tell her."
"No. "
"Why not?"
"Because...oh, Jack. You should know me by now. I am a Timelord." His voice sounded strange when he spelled the word. "Rose is human. Two races...one of it is so beautiful while the other is just...tainted. How can something that beautiful fit with something that tainted?" He wanted to continue but interrupted himself when he heard a sob. Both the captain and the Doctor looked around, and they both saw a string of blond hair heading towards the sleeping rooms.
"I'm going to look after her" Jack said. If Rose had heard those last words of the Doctor...well, it was not stupid to say that she would probably leave by dawn. The Doctor just stood there, not stopping him, with an emotionless face.
"Rose? Hey, Rosie, may I come in?" Jack asked softly.
"Go away" was the rough answer. At least she didn't committed suicide by now. Although Rose wasn't that kind of a person. He should probably be thankful that she didn't murder anyone.
Jack opened the door and found Rose lying on the bed, crying. He felt sorry for her. He had been wrong.
"He is just a stupid alien" he told her. "A completely racist alien, by the way." The sobs changed into laughing. That was better.
"Hey, you're alien too, Jack" she said, still chuckling.
"I'm not! Why would you think that?"
"Uhm...well...because of...you know...the Shoot-Me-I-Cannot-Die-Thing? And you once said you're from Bo."
"First of all, don't forget it was you who made me to my awesome self I am today. Secondly, Bo is not a planet. It's an island! I am as human as you are!"
"Oh. Sorry" Rose muttered. "You know, Jack...I had hope. I really did. Sometimes he looked at me with this special gaze, and...I hoped I'd have a chance. I hoped that maybe he would like me. But even if he doesn't want me...I would have never imagined he could say things that mean!"
"He didn't mean it" Jack assured although he didn't believe that. After another half an hour watching Rose crying he made a decision.
"Alright, Doc. You will go to Rose right now and tell her you didn't mean it!" The Doctor faced Jack.
"But I meant every word."
"Come on, that's not the Doctor I know. You love humans! They are your favourite race, you said so yourself." Now the Doctor looked truly surprised.
"They are! And I do! I don't see your point, Jack."
"Uhm...not long ago you told me you don't want to love a human because you're part of such an awesome race...remember?" This draw all colour out of the Doctors face.
"Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no. Rose, does she think the same? I mean...does she believe what you just said?"
"Yeah, 'cause you did say it, didn't you?"
"Well...I guess I'm in deep, deep trouble now?"
"Deeper than you could imagine, Doc. Would you now explain to me what you really meant, 'cause it's obviously not what Rose and I think?" The pale Timelord sighed.
"Two races...one of it is so beautiful while the other is just...tainted. How can something that beautiful fit with something that tainted? I didn't mean the Timelords are beautiful. The whole race is tainted, just as I said. And so am I."
"You are even in deeper trouble than I thought" Jack muttered.
"Rose...she doesn't deserve someone like me. She deserves someone way better. I know that. But still...I hate her being with another man. You cannot imagine how glad I was when Mickey the idiot finally left. I hoped maybe now, without a boyfriend, she could look at me and see me as...well, as a man. Not just some alien she travels with, but as someone who truly l- has feelings for her and would do everything for her."
"Except telling her those feelings" Jack interrupted.
"Because she would reject me! And then she would leave me...and I couldn't bear that. After all, I'm selfish."
"Doctor, you should really tell her. Please, do it for me."
"Doctor?" said a small voice. The Doctor and Jack turned around. Rose stood there, her eyes red from crying. She had a bag. How much did she hear? And what did the Doctor think how much she had heard?
"Rose" the Doctor said, putting in this word so many emotions it almost broke Jacks heart.
"I want to go home. Please, take me back."