A/N: Nope still don't own or make money from Doctor Who, mores the pity.

So the Doctor and Jack were caught in a rather compramising situation by...

Chapter 2

Jack's jaw dropped as he turned. "How….?"

"I have no idea. Through the rift I think." The girl grinned, her eyes shining.

Jack couldn't take it any more he ran picked her up and swung her round. "Boy is it good to see you Rose."

Faces full of laughter they turned to look at the Doctor. He was stood face drained of all colour slowly shaking his head.

"Doc? It's ok." Jack took hold of Rose's hand and they took a step towards him. The Doctor took a step back.

"No, no, no, no, no. I can't do this again." He turned and exited the control room leaving Rose and Jack stunned.

"I'll talk to him. He's probably just shocked." Jack squeezed her hand.

"Or maybe he just isn't pleased to see me?"

"Don't even think that. You know it's not true. Let me talk to him."

Rose nodded, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Go and calm down, your room is where you left it and from the looks of it the way you left it." He smiled at her warmly and left.

XxXxX

Jack found the Doctor sitting in an arm chair in his room, his head in his hands, index fingers rubbing circles on his temples.

"What are you doing? The girl you love has just walked back in through the doors and you can't even say 'hello'?"

The Doctor pushed his glasses up onto the top of his head and looked up at the Time agent. "She's not meant to be here Jack. Don't you get it? She came through the rift which means I have to send her back."

"Why? If she doesn't want to why can't she stay here?"

"She doesn't belong here. This isn't her home anymore!"

"You're wrong. It's here that she does belong. This is her world, this is where she belongs and if she wants to be with you why fight it?" He planted his hands on his hips and dared him to argue.

"Because if she stays that rift might never close properly."

"Doc, that rift is never going to close properly whether she's here or there. That's why Torchwood sits on top of it to keep an eye on it."

"And opens it. I can't increase the strain on it. I can't risk it ripping the universe apart."

Jack watched the Doctor's eyes mist over. Sighing he moved to sit on the arm of the Doctor's chair. "Do you know for certain that she has to go back?"

"Anything that passed through that rift has to return to where it started."

"But it's already taken everything else back, why would it leave Rose?"

The Doctor clicked his tongue and shook his head. "I don't know." He rubbed his hands over his face.

"At least go and talk to her. She's really upset. She's probably been dreaming about this moment as much as you have I'll bet and I think I'm right in saying this isn't how either of you wanted it to happen."

"I don't know if I can."

Jack put his arm round the Doctor's shoulders. "You know you're cute when you're upset."

The Doctor scoffed and shook his head.

"That's it, go on, smile. Look, be bold – start with 'hello' and see where it takes you."

"No. I need to find out why she's here."

Jack sighed as the Doctor ran out of the room. He followed after a beat and almost ran into Rose.

"What's going on?" Rose asked.

Jack looked at her; her make-up was slightly smudged where she'd rubbed away tears.

"He needs to know why you're here." Taking her hand he led her to the control room.

XxXxX

They found the Doctor furiously typing away on the keyboard, glasses firmly on his nose, shirt sleeves rolled up and tie hanging loosely.

"Doctor?" Rose's voice was so soft he barely heard it. "Doctor say something, please?" She grabbed his arms and turned him to face her.

"Rose I need to do this." He refused to meet her eyes.

"Why? I don't understand."

"Because you're not meant to be here and I don't know that I can send you back." He twisted out of her grip and turned back to the monitor.

"Then don't."

"Rose I might not have a choice. If you came through that rift, not sending you back could destroy everything."

"But you just said you don't know that you can send me back."

"That's not what I meant." He muttered quietly.

"Doctor if you don't want me here then just say it."

The Doctor's hands froze as his head whipped round to look at her for the first time since she'd entered the TARDIS. She looked as beautiful as ever and his breath caught.

"No, never think that."

"Then why are you so intent on getting rid of me so quickly?" Tears glazed over her eyes and the Doctor's hearts broke all over again.

"Because if I let myself …….and it turns out you have to go…. I don't know that I can cope with losing you again."

A heavy silence descended on the TARDIS as Jack watched the pair stare at each other.

"Oh." Rose said finally and gave a small nod, taking a step back from him.

"This is going to take a while. There's a lot of energy to sift through. Why don't you find something to do?" He smiled at them tightly and left the control room.

Rose looked over at Jack, pain plain to see on her face.

"Rose, I don't know what happened between you two before Torchwood and I know I'm not him but I give great hugs." A sad smile touched his lips as he held his arms out and Rose folded herself into his embrace. "How long has it been since you last spoke?"

"Six months, give or take." She shrugged. "And the last thing he said was 'quite right too.'" Rose let out a little laugh.

"Oh? Funny last words."

"He didn't get to finish what he was going to say."

"What was he going to say?"

"No idea." Rose forced a smile as she pulled away. "So where have you been?"

"Here. Well underground but here. I work for Torchwood in a manner of speaking. What about you?"

"The same actually. Pete, my dad, runs Torchwood in London in the other world. I was in Cardiff checking out some weird readings from the rift when I ended up here."

"That's my girl. Getting stuck in! Can I ask you something? Promise you won't get mad?"

"You can ask." Rose began to circle the consol, running her hand over the metal as she went.

"What if you don't have to go back? What if you can't?"

"I made my choice.."

"A long time ago?" Jack finished for her "and let me guess, you're not leaving him." She looked at him questioningly. "The TARDIS has been filling me in." He nodded at the monitor. "Much to the Doctor's annoyance. Me and this ship are kindred spirits." He chuckled.

"How? How did she?"

"She showed me. I asked and she showed me." His voice trailed as he saw the look on her face. "Rose I really wouldn't. He didn't like it."

"I have to know. I have to know what he was going to say."

"Rose. Listen to me. You can't do this. I did and I shouldn't. They're his memories."

"Jack he tried to tell me something and I have to know what it is."

"Then ask him! If he still wants you to know he'll tell you."

But it was too late the TARDIS was already playing back the moments after the void closed. The Doctor pressed against the wall then slowly walking through the TARDIS doors. Jack had already seen it he didn't need to see the Doctor crumble again. "Stop it!" He commanded and the screen went blank.

Rose snapped her head round to look at him.

"What is it you really want to know?" Jack asked her softly.

"I…." Her voice failed her.

"Rose, it's plain as day you love him and you'd have to be a fool if you thought he felt anything other than the same. Go find him, make him talk to you."

"Why should I run after him?"

"Because you're not as stubborn as him. He's trying to protect himself and it's not hard to see why." His gazed flickered to the monitor. "Looks like the TARDIS agrees."

Looking round Rose saw the Doctor pacing in his room, raking his fingers through his hair. She flinched when he picked something up from his desk and launched it across his room; he then sat heavily on the steps at the foot of his bed and pulled the throw over his head. "Go to him." Jack whispered in her ear.

XxXxX

Rose stood at The Doctor's door. She'd never been in his room before; he rarely seemed to use it when she was around. Taking a deep breath she stepped inside and held back a cry as she saw the crumpled throw hiding every inch of the Doctor. She quietly walked over to him and sat on the step next to the bundle.

"Doctor? If I have to leave I don't want it to be this way. And I can't talk to you when you're hiding under a blanket." Tentatively she reached up and began to pull it away. "Hey this is mine." She pointed out finally revealing his face. His eyes were red, dark shadows marred their usual brightness and when she took his hands she was shocked to find they were cold as ice. "Come on; let's get off this cold floor." Pulling him to his feet she encouraged him to sit on the end of his bed.

"I don't know what to say." He said finally, his voice shaking.

"How 'bout 'hello'?"

He looked up at her and his face tightened, muscles twitching finding it hard to contain his emotion. "Hello." He almost laughed when he was rewarded with one of her smiles.

They sat and gazed at each other for a while, still not quite believing either of them was really there.

"I've missed you." He croaked.

"Quite right too." She smiled again and went to place her hand on his cheek but he stopped her.

"How's your mother?"

"She's fine." She laughed "and Mickey and Pete and the baby. They're all fine, keeping the airspace safe."

The Doctor nodded and clicked his tongue trying to get it to work.

"I've missed you too. Doctor I don't want to go back."

"Rose…"

"Nothing's changed. I still would give up everything to stay with you and I know it's not your decision whether I get to stay in this universe or not but if I do have to go I wanted you to know that."

He sighed and suddenly gathered her into his arms. Rose gripped him as tightly as she could and choked back a cry, causing her whole body to shake.

"Don't cry, please don't. You'll set me off." He kissed the top of her head.

"I'm sorry." She sniffed pulling back. "I just never thought I'd see you again and then suddenly you're …"

"I know."

"…and I'm…"

"I know."

Rose looked up at him. He looked older than he had when she last saw him. Reaching up she traced her thumb over the crinkles round his eyes and he fingers played with the hair behind his ear. "How long has it been since the beach?"

He cleared his throat. "About two years. You?"

"A year. And I've hated every second." She watched his eyes brim with tears that matched her own and she couldn't hold back anymore. The tears fell and a sob escaped her lips.

The Doctor pulled her tight against him and rocked her. Feeling her tremble he grabbed the throw he'd been hiding under and draped it round them all the while trying to calm her, whispering in her ear.

Pretty soon her sobs subsided as she began to fall asleep on his shoulder. He twisted himself slightly and lay back on the bed, taking Rose with him.

XxXxX

Jack peered round the door of the Doctor's bedroom and found the pair fast asleep. He smiled as he crept towards the giant four-poster bed. The Doctor's brow was furrowed even in sleep, his arms wrapped tightly round Rose who was almost lying on top of him. One of her hands was lying on his chest, the tips of her fingers disappearing into the gap between the buttons of his shirt, her face buried in the crook of his neck, legs entangled with his.

Jack hated the idea of waking either of them but the TARDIS was beeping for attention. He knelt down at the end of the bed and leant towards the Doctor whispering his name.

The Doctor's eyes snapped open.

"Sorry, Doc but the TARDIS wants attention."

The Doctor raised his finger to his lips and nodded. "Don't suppose you could lend me a hand?" He whispered, trying to extract himself from Rose's grasp.

"Sure thing."

XxXxX

"How longs she been beeping?"

"About ten minutes. I would've left you longer but I can't understand what's on the screen."

The Doctor rubbed the sleep from his eyes and pulled his glasses out of his trouser pocket. "You won't, it's Gallifreyan."

"I still can't believe those shapes actually make sense to you."

"No different to reading Arabic or Greek."

"Well it's definitely Greek to me."

"So what does she say?" Rose's voice came from behind them.

"Don't know haven't got to that screen yet." The Doctor offered her a small smile.

"Anybody would think you were just stalling for time." Rose told him cheekily, hoping to make the Doctor's smile bigger. It didn't work.

The monitor flickered slightly and the screen scrolled. The Doctor smacked the side of it. "Behave."

"Does that normally work?" Jack asked unable to keep the amusement from his voice.

"Sometimes. Mallet works better." He responded. "Rose. Before….. There's something I need to tell you…"

"That's my cue." Jack said heading out of the control room.

The Doctor felt a slight sense of relief as the Time Agent disappeared from view. "I tried to tell you a long time ago, in fact I started to tell you…." A spark from the control panel made them both jump. "Now what in the world was that for? We're not even moving."

"Doctor?" Rose prompted him to continue.

He glanced back at the control panel with a frown then looked at Rose.

"Sorry." He leant heavily against the machine and suddenly went stiff. The lights in the TARDIS dipped and smoke began to appear behind the Doctor. Then without warning he let out an agonising scream.

"Doctor?!" Rose shouted. "Jack? Jack help!"

He was there an instant. "Rose, get back." Pushing her away from the panel he jumped into the pit and pointed the sonic screwdriver. There was another big spark and the Doctor stumbled forward, gasping for air. He collapsed hitting his head hard against a pillar.

XxXxX

A/N: It was pretty obvious who it was really. So there you have it folks, it's another 'Return of Rose' fic. But the drama isn't over yet!!!

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"Catch ya on the flip flop!"