Hello everyone! For those of you who are joining me right now and have not read "Unexpected Reunion", this is a segment from the story. Basic gist is that Rose is meeting the Doctors all out of order as she searches for the one that coincides with her timeline. :) She's met the 8th. This is her memory that she is showing the 11th Doctor (whom she is reunited with). "Unexpected Reunion" is the story of Rose Tyler as she makes her way to the 11th. It is not necessary to read that story. I tried my best to write this in a way where it can stand on its own. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!
Please review!:)
Rose sighed as she stepped into the waiting gate. Sure, she could have easily traveled through the more conventional method and just zap into being but Jack made her realize she needed a break. A simple chance at doing something normal. She looked down at her flight ticket and slightly grinned. Traveling first-class on a 10 hour flight… Of course Jack would do that for her. Although it had been ages since she had last seen him, they spoke often. Well, through a linear point of view, she had seen him the week before last but with all the 'roaming' she had been doing, it felt like years.
She hadn't seen River since their last meeting, prior to running into the 8th regeneration of the Doctor. She looked out of the window as she sipped her tea in the lounge. All the adventures they had shared. Rose felt like she had gotten to know him on a more emotional level, not to mention falling in love with him all over again. There was something about that daft old alien that kept her coming back.
Rose was brought back from the memories due to the voice that filled the lounge through the intercom: Flight 2293 to London Heathrow will begin boarding in 30 minutes. First-class passengers please report to the gate door in 5 minutes for priority boarding. Thank you.
'Maybe I'll be able to sleep this time…', Rose thought as she took a seat in one of the armchairs. As she looked through her 'bigger-on-the-inside' bag, a young man took a seat next to her.
"Excuse me miss", the young man said to her in a distinct accent. Rose looked up and saw a friendly looking face.
"Hello. You alright?", she said to him.
"Hello. Are you Miss Rose Tyler?", he asked her as he sat down next to her.
"Sorry mate, but why do you want to know?", she said tensing up slightly.
At that moment her phone rang. She glanced down at it and saw that the caller ID said: Jack Harkness.
"Give me a moment please", she said to the young man as she answered.
"Hi Jack. I'm getting ready to board the plane soon. Everything alright?"
"Rosie. If everything went according to plan, there is a handsome man next to you. Is this correct?", Jack said to her.
"Yeah! Wait. Is he one of yours?", she asked him.
"Give him a chance to introduce himself. I'll see you soon Rose. River and I will be at the airport. Wow. Never thought I'd say something like that. I'm so used to just zapping in and out of places. Have a safe trip.", Jack said to her as he hung up.
She put her phone in her pocket and looked at the young man next to her, "Are you one of Jack's friends?"
He grinned at her and extended his hand. "Ianto Jones, at your service. We haven't had the chance to properly meet yet but Jack speaks very highly of you."
Ianto paused for a moment before laughing, "He also said that you were jeopardy friendly. Of course, being friends with Jack does tend to do that."
She grinned back, "He wasn't wrong about that. Pleasure to meet you Mr. Jones."
"Please, call me Ianto.", he replied.
"Are you on this flight?", Rose asked.
"Yes. There's too many people that don't want you around Miss Tyler. Since you aren't using a conventional method of travel that you and Jack tend to use, we took precautionary steps to ensure you have a relaxing and safe flight."
She was about to say something regarding not needing protection when she remembered what River had said to her the last time they had spoken, We all need protection sometimes.
"Thank you Ianto, and please, call me Rose."
Ianto smiled widely and motioned that they should get up and go to the boarding door. Once the stewardess had checked their tickets, they took a seat in the spacious first class section of the airplane. Ironically enough, the seats were a TARDIS blue.
Rose and Ianto spoke for about four hours during the flight, after which Ianto convinced Rose she should extend her seat and make it into a bed so she could sleep.
"You have to sleep Rose. Otherwise Jack will kill me!", Ianto said to her after he noticed Rose wasn't sleeping.
She turned on her elbow to face him, "I'm trying. Honestly. I just can't stop thinking about him."
Ianto didn't need any hints as to who "him" was referring to, "Jack actually wanted to talk to you about that. He reckons he's found him. He isn't sure though if it's at the right point. There are a few things the Doctor has to live through, like the 27 planets ordeal, otherwise it'll change your future as well. Sleep. Please. I'll let you know when we're in London okay?"
Rose sighed and sipped some of the tea that the cabin crew had brought her, "I suppose you're right. I'm no good to anyone if I'm half-asleep."
~*~*~Back in Torchwood*~*~*~
"She's on her way now", Jack said to the curly-haired woman in front of him.
River smiled at Jack, "Is it strange for you, having just seen Rose with the Doctor and now seeing her before she has the Doctor? She had told me about you being there at one point while she was searching but you didn't know at the time until I realized it's because I sent you. As the Doctor says 'wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey'. Take Rose to him. I trust you to come up with a plan to ensure they're alone and speak about everything that has happened. Rose needs this. She still has a long way to go."
Jack looked at the clock, 8:30AM. "We should get going. Rose doesn't have any luggage thanks to the bag you gave her. She won't take long. Ianto is with her just to make sure everything goes smoothly. I don't fancy getting chucked into a supernova by your parent's best friend."
With those words, they linked hands and walked off before zapping out of Torchwood and into a special location set up at the London Heathrow Airport. It came in handy having agents at different points in the country.
*~*~On the plane*~*~
Rose awoke slowly as Ianto's voice drew clearer, "We're landing in about half an hour Rose.."
She opened her eyes and saw Ianto grinning at her. He was drinking some coffee and he beckoned her to the coffee that had been left for her.
"Mmkay. Thanks.", she said groggily. It had been ages since she had slept longer than 2 hours. Well, except with the Eighth Doctor, but that was different. Being on the TARDIS always enabled her to sleep comfortably.
After she drank the coffee, she noticed the small toothbrush and toothpaste that had been left by the airline and decided to wash up before they landed. About 20 minutes later, they landed in London safely much to their relief.
They walked out of the plane, stretching as they went. Once they had passed the 'arrivals' gate, they looked around for the familiar faces that were expecting them. Rose smiled when she saw Jack intensely focused on whatever River was saying.
"Should we try to surprise them?", Ianto said to her as he watched Jack and River. If any two people were perfect for each other; aside from the Doctor and Rose, it was these two. Half the time it seemed like they were in a contest to see who could be more flirtatious.
Rose nodded and they began walking within the crowd and started approaching the couple from behind.
"Ianto… on second thought. Maybe we shouldn't. River wouldn't hesitate to shoot if she thought Jack was in danger; granted he can't really die, but still. I don't think Jack would think twice either if it means keeping her safe.", Rose said as they walked.
Ianto stopped for a moment and grinned, "You're right! I think Jack would murder us. Let's just say a good old fashioned 'hello'."
As they approached Jack and River, they bumped into someone who was dressed quite peculiarly.
"So sorry", apologized the strange man as he walked off in a hurry while a young woman followed him. All they heard was something along the lines of "finding Bessie".
The pair of them looked at each other and burst out laughing, "Doesn't get much stranger than that! Did you catch a glimpse at the cape he was wearing?"
However, any thought of theater-esque capes was soon pushed out of their minds as Jack and River saw them. Jack went over and hugged Ianto tightly as River hugged Rose. Once they had all exchanged hugs and hellos, they walked off towards the teleportation area that had been set up for them by the undercover Torchwood agent at the airport.
Once they arrived in Torchwood, Ianto went off to make his famous coffee, leaving River and Jack to catch Rose up on what they had discovered.
"So Rosie, down to business. I think I found him. I managed to track down the TARDIS's signal but I'm not sure where he is in his timeline. We can go and find him. If it is after your second separation, then I can drop you off there. If not, we can stay for about twenty-four hours after which he will have to lock away the memories. Normally I'd say we stay longer considering it's a time machine but it's too close to our timelines. It might cause unwanted problems.", Jack said to her.
Rose looked at River questioningly, "Should we go and find him? I don't know if I can deal with leaving him again."
River smiled sadly at her as she glanced at Jack, "I know. How do you think I feel with Jack? The Jack you see here is actually from your future. The Jack that is along your timeline is away at the moment. I have to check continuously where I am with people, especially with you and Jack so I don't say too many spoilers. Just trust him. He knows what he's doing."
Jack placed his hand over River's hand and gave her a short but sweet kiss, "I'll be in touch River."
Rose turned around to give them a moment of privacy.
After a moment, River tapped her on the shoulder, "Best of luck Rose. I'll see you soon sweetie."
Ianto returned at that moment and set a cup of coffee down in front of River as he sat down as well.
Jack gave them both a mock salute and took Rose's hand as he set their coordinates on his vortex manipulator. A second later, they zapped out of Torchwood and zapped into a garden.
*~*~*England, 1926*~*~*
"Jack! Look! There's the TARDIS!", Rose exclaimed.
She pulled out the key that was safely secured on her neck and ran to the TARDIS. Jack ran after her as she unlocked the door. They stepped inside and looked around only to find the TARDIS completely empty.
"Just enjoy your time with him okay Rosie? You'll find him, don't worry.", he said to her as they called out to the Doctor.
After a while, they ran into each other slightly panting from running around the TARDIS.
"Any luck?", Rose asked as she ran into Jack.
He shook his head, "Our best bet is to just wait for him to return from whatever they're doing. Let's go to the library and see what we can find!"
Sexy, how is he…?, Rose called out to the TARDIS.
I'm so glad you returned my little wolf. He is better than when you left him thanks to Donna. She didn't attempt to take your place in his heart and instead became his best friend, as you already know. Go read and relax in the room upstairs, the TARDIS replied to Rose.
"Jack, I'm going to go upstairs okay?", Rose said to him.
Jack's mind had already begun to devise a plan, "Rosie, how about we surprise the Doctor? Yea, go upstairs and don't come down yet. I'll come and get you."
She nodded at him, walked upstairs and took a seat on the long couch that had appeared. She looked at the book on the table in front of her and saw one of her favorite books there, Pride and Prejudice. About half an hour later, the TARDIS began to shake as she took off. Rose's book slipped off her face and fell to the floor with a light -thud- as she continued sleeping soundly. Unknowingly, the TARDIS had made the room soundproof... Downstairs Jack had made himself quite comfortable and eventually fell asleep.
*~*~*Some time later~*~*~*
"DOCTOR!", yelled a loud voice. Jack jumped up, and grabbed his guns instinctively and pointed them at the voice.
"Oi! Don't you point those guns at me! DOCTOR! DOCTOR! HURRY YOUR SKINNY SELF IN HERE!", Donna yelled.
The Doctor came running into the library with such force that he skied across the floor before hitting a couch the TARDIS placed to break his run. He fell with a slight grunt as he tried to regain his balance. The Doctor looked at what Donna was pointing at and felt his jaw hit the floor.
"Hey Doc. It's been a while." Jack said to him putting his guns away, slightly red, as the Doctor stared at him in sheer shock.
"Jack!" the Doctor said, "How?"
"Long story Doc. I er- was in the neighborhood and saw the TARDIS. I asked her nicely to let me in and she did! I don't know how long I've been in here. I was reading and fell asleep."
"Let me go and steady the TARDIS so we can talk. Just keep Donna company and please behave!", the Doctor said as he walked off into the console room.
Jack waited until the Doctor was out of sight and started explaining to Donna that it wasn't just him on the TARDIS.
"You mean to say Rose Tyler is here too?! Why didn't you tell the Doctor?", Donna asked Jack quietly as they headed towards the kitchen.
"I want to surprise him but I need your help with this… Donna, has the Doctor been sad at times?", Jack asked her as he sat down in a chair.
Donna nodded and replied, "Yea, I don't know what to do at times. I asked the TARDIS for help but I didn't receive a response. I've walked past her room a few times and I've seen him go into it… We need to do something. What about Rose?"
Jack grimaced, "The thing is that Rose & I are from the future… There are certain things he can't know yet. You understand the thing with time right? How certain events have to happen while others can be changed? Right now is a moment that can be changed, for now. He won't have any recollection of having seen us until Rose finds the right version of the Doctor that coincides with her timeline and tells him about this. There is one thing we can do though…"
Donna nodded and grinned, "You mean a way we can get them together even if its just for today?"
He smiled at her, "I like the way you think Donna Noble!"
With that, they began planning out the perfect way they could get the Doctor and Rose to be alone and actually talk about their feelings; something neither had been able to do up until now.
~*~*An hour later*~*~
"Doctor?", Donna called out as they walked to the console room.
The Doctor looked up as he saw Jack and Donna approaching him, and Donna asked him "Doctor, can we go somewhere warm please? Like a beach? A proper beach."
He looked at Jack and then at Donna, "Why not? Any ideas Jack?"
Jack looked at him, "Lets go to an island! I want to swim with dolphins."
Donna grinned and motioned him to go.
"Right then, allons-y!", he said delightfully.
"Doctor let's rent out a motor boat. Just put a cloaking device on the TARDIS and relax properly. It's been ages since I've been in boat. Well the space ones don't really count…", Jack said as he began to trail off.
The Doctor set coordinates for an island matching Jack's description/requests and after a few shudders and shakes, landed the TARDIS.
"Let's have some fun! Oh for goodness sake, take that coat off!", Donna exclaimed as she saw the Doctor starting to walk out in his usual attire.
The Doctor glanced at Donna and grudgingly walked back into the TARDIS to switch up his clothing for something more appropriate. When he walked back out, they noticed he had traded in his usual suit for a simple white shirt with khaki trousers and sandals.
"Go ahead Doctor, I'll catch up with you and Donna. Just go to the resort I showed Donna on the map where you can swim with the dolphins. I have to change and make sure I let Torchwood know I'll be a while.", Jack said to the Doctor as he glanced quickly at Donna.
Donna and the Doctor began to walk through the island and came across the resort Jack had told her about.
"Doctor, have you ever gone swimming with dolphins but blindfolded? You know, letting the dolphin guide you?", Donna asked him as they approached the ticket office.
*~*~*Back on the TARDIS~*~*~*
Jack stepped into the hidden TARDIS after making sure he wasn't followed and walked to the library.
"Rose!", he called out to her as he walked towards the room he had left her in.
"Jack! Sorry, fell asleep. Did the Doctor come back?", Rose asked him.
He avoided her question and instead asked her another question, "Do you trust me?"
She looked at him curiously and nodded, "Yea, of course I do!".
"Okay. Good. Then go and get into a bathing suit of your choice. The TARDIS will give you choices. Put something over it, a hat wouldn't be a bad idea. Meet me back in the console room when you're done. No questions!", Jack said to her grinning.
About fifteen minutes later, Rose stepped out in a light blue and red vintage bikini she found in the wardrobe with a white beach dress and a red hat rimmed with white.
Jack extended his hand to her, "Is it alright if I blind-fold you? I want to show you something but it's a surprise! Don't worry, it's something good."
"If it were anyone else, I would not agree to this but I'm trusting you", she replied as Jack placed a blindfold over her eyes.
"Just listen to my voice. I'll be guiding you to our final location.", Jack told her as he held her hand.
About twenty minutes later, Rose felt herself being guided into something that felt like a pool and came across something wet and breathing. As she ran her hands across the creature, she recognized it as a dolphin.
She felt Jack next to her and heard him whisper, "Just relax and let the dolphin guide you."
*~*~*On the other side of the pool*~*~*
"Donna, what are we doing?", the Doctor asked.
He heard Donna sigh as he looked around in the darkness.
She said, "Just trust me alien boy. Don't move the blindfold and just enjoy yourself. I'll be on a dolphin as well!"
He sighed and grabbed onto the dolphin as he forced himself to relax. Donna's dolphin went over towards Jack's dolphin.
"Now we wait…", Donna said to Jack in a quiet voice.
They let their dolphins swim around as they laughed with the races their dolphins raced each other.
Rose felt herself gliding through the water slightly brushing up against someone. After a few more bumps she called out, "Jack? Is that you?"
She felt her dolphin swim away just as the Doctor felt around him, "Who is that? Donna, that's not you is it?
Unknowingly to the Doctor and Rose, the dolphins they were on had been trained to swim in an '8' shape, briefly touching. After the fourth time they made contact, the Doctor removed his blindfold and wiped the water from his face. At that same moment, the dolphin that kept brushing up next to him brought its passenger who also removed her blindfold. They stopped in shock and released their dolphins as they grinned in sheer delight. They spun in the water and saw that the dolphins that had brought them had risen up from the water and were clapping along with their trainers, Donna and Jack.
"Doctor?!", Rose exclaimed just as the Doctor said, "Rose?!"
Coming Soon: Part 2!