| We all thought it, people. Don't deny it. ;) Okay, second installment. Enjoy! And reviews are luff! I'm not really exactly following JE's plot concerning the reality bomb business, but whatever. It was either that or eliminate all the rose/ten and jack/donna, which would've just killed the story…so yeah. |

"Nice to meet you, Donna," the Captain grinned, dusting off his jacket before looking back up toward them. "And, Rose, do us a favor?" She stared at him. "…yeah?"

"Drop the stupid gun and kiss him already, please," he said, his tone exasperated and playful. And although she couldn't seem to register what had been said, the Doctor leaned forward and kissed her gently, gun and all.

The kiss barely lasted a moment, the briefest of contact, which he ended almost immediately. "Happy?" he practically growled, and then yelped and stumbled back, holding his now stinging left cheek. Rose looked at once appalled and satisfied, arms crossed, and Jack just laughed. "Frankly, Doctor, no. That was quite disappointing." Donna stifled her own laughter, and Rose finally caught up, adding her own opinion: "And rude." The Doctor felt as if the table had been very unfairly turned.

"…couldn't expect you to know, thought…It's a man's business," the Captain was saying.

"What is?"

"Kissing," Jack replied with a devilish grin. "Watch the master." And before anyone could react, he'd grabbed Donna possessively around the waist with one arm, his opposite hand cupping her cheek, and smashed his lips unceremoniously against hers in a heated kiss. He let her go after a few prolonged moments of one-way passion, and when he did, Donna stumbled away from him, looking surprised and mildly pleased- not to mention a bit disgusted. "Blimey," she breathed, shaking her auburn hair out.

"That was more along the lines of what I…" the end of the other man's sentence was cut off as Donna's palm connected with his cheek, and the Doctor, even given the trouble he felt he was in, couldn't help but grin. Good old Donna. Jack's needed that slap for too long. He opened his mouth to say a well deserved I-told-you-so, but Rose's voice beside him made him freeze.

"In case you've all forgotten, she reminded them with a new sternness to her voice, "We've kinda got a problem here."

The TARDIS gave a happy hum when the Doctor stepped inside, Rose not far behind him as she explained all she knew.

"Something out there's got to buildin' somethin' big. A device supposed to destroy everythin' in existence." He nodded, trying his best to ignore Donna and Jack as they argued in the corner ( "it was a demonstration!" "…I don't care, it was rude, you arrogant …" "Now that's just uncalled for…") as he flipped a switch and gazed at the screen of Gallifreyan symbols before him. "A reality bomb," he inferred flatly. "Yeah," she agreed. "Now, us at Torchwood 'ave been watching this universe's timeline, so we saw something coming. It looks like… it looks like this universe just sort of stops existing at a certain point. As in a few hours from now. But the reality bomb doesn't end up working, because something bigger happens…" he interrupted, now barely paying attention to the screen but staring fixedly at it despite that, "Bigger than a reality bomb?"

"Initially it seemed like a fluke," she agreed, "but it's real, as real as you an' me, and someone had to warn you…" he felt his stomach drop in disappointment. Idiot. You thought she'd come back for you. Although, in his defense, the last words he'd ever heard her say to him were a pretty blatant, straightforward proclomation of love. Now is not the time. Even she can see that, this isn't about you and her, it's about saving reality…and you were the one that messed the whole thing up to begin with. Stalling like an idiot. Regretting it at the last moment. He pulled a lever down too quickly, and the entire machine shuddered around them and lurched beneath their feet. Rose grabbed a support beam to steady herself, and he righted himself and reached for a dial.

"Where are we going?" Donna asked, suddenly beside him. He glanced at her and felt relief flood him for a brief moment. Donna was simple and to-the-point. He knew where she stood, even as the rest of the world seemed to be indescisive. He pointed at a location on the screen. "See that? That's what's giving off the most energy right now. Enormous amounts of energy, which is probably being used," he gazed pointedly over his shoulder at Rose, "to create a reality bomb. Kind of like a huge, inter-dimensional black hole." Donna shook her head. Jack leaned against another support beam, seemingly unbothered. "Who would want to do somethin' like that? And why?" He shrugged. "I don't know. But we're going to find out."

"What's the plan, Doc?"

"Jack, you know I don't plan. I just do. We're going up there, we're going to ask whoever's in charge what they're doing and why they're doing it… and then we're going to stop them."

Jack let out a short laugh. "Man of action, that's you." The Doctor grunted in response. "There are time and gravity shields all around it, though, so it'll be a few minutes until we're in the clear and able to travel at our normal speed."

Rose stayed silent.

"I'm gonna go make some tea, then," Donna announced. Jack followed her out of the console room, sauntering around as if he owned the ground he walked on. "I'd love a cuppa tea." Over his shoulder he called out, "Guess there's no talking you out of this, huh? Resistance is futile!"

"Bit more dramatic if you say it that way, but yeah."

He was alone in the console room, and a mess. He was angry at nothing in particular, frustrated with the impossible situation he was faced with, and hating himself for not being able to get it together and do the right thing. Actually, figuring out the right thing to do would have to come first. He rubbed his eyes wearily.

And then he remembered that Rose was standing a few feet away, still leaning passively against a support beam, watching him with those milky brown eyes and making everything that much more complicated. He was sure that everyone in the TARDIS, probably including the TARDIS, knew he loved Rose Tyler. But none of them seemed to understand that it was too complicated. He couldn't say it. He couldn't admit it. He couldn't act on it. He couldn't let anyone else act on it. It was too dangerous a feeling, love, to aknowledge if you were constantly facing death and worse.

And of course Donna with her tea, and Jack following her around like a puppy… all that left him alone in that console room, frustrated, and trying to understand this new, suddenly wilted Rose.

For a few minutes that felt like forever, neither of them spoke, him leaning over the console, eyes squeezed shut, and her standing against the beam, arms crossed, watching him inertly. Her voice startled him when she broke the silence that cloaked the room.

"Can I ask you something?" He smiled but didn't open his eyes. It was a joyless smile. He felt dead inside. "You just did." She didn't reply. He opened his eyes and turned his head to her, seeing a look of cold indifference in her eyes that he'd never seen before, not on anybody.

"Were you ever actually gonna say it?" The sadness in her voice was hoarse, like it'd been buried deep for too long. For two years. It gave him a sharp pang to see her so different, so unlike the Rose he remembered. "Rose," he started to say, but she waved him away. "Or was that just a joke? Were we just a joke?" He had the feeling she wasn't done yet, so he just waited, feeling like the most pitiful excuse for a time lord in existence. "A time lord and a human, ha-ha. But you'd never actually… it was never even…" she looked away, blinking hard, and he stared at her. "…Rose," he said, but this time it wasn't really even the beginning of a sentence. He didn't know what to do, or what to say, or how to fix the mess he'd made. All he knew was that Rose had gotten caught up in it and he was to blame.

"Look, jus' say it. Just say it was all a game. So I can fix this mess, go home. Move on." But I don't want you to move on, he wanted to say. I'm selfish and I need you. He looked down at his feet and rocked back on his heels, shoving his hands in his pocket, feeling like a little boy who'd gotten caught playing ball in the house. "Wasn't a game, " he murmured. "Or a joke. We can't… it wouldn't…"

She shrugged, but still couldn't look at him. "Forget it."

It's not that easy, Rose. I know better than anyone that you can't just erase someone out of your life. And I can't forget it. Can't forget you.

He moved close to her and watched as she tried in vain not to let the tears escape, then reached out and brushed them away with the tips of his fingers. He had done this. He had made her cry.

She sank into his arms as he held her, feeling her head settle easily against his chest, and her shoulders tremble with barely controlled tears. It felt right and yet so wrong to be holding her then, knowing she probably only wanted to be far, far away from him, knowing that she was most likely wishing she'd never met him, that she'd died in the explosion all those years ago. Knowing that he couldn't help at all. "I'm sorry," he said into her hair, "Honest. I am."

And a beep signified that they were full speed once again, hurtling towards certain death.