CHAPTER 2
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters featured in this fan fiction nor do I own 'Doctor Who'. I am merely borrowing them for the purposes of this fan fiction.
The Doctor observed Jack and Rose from the safety of the TARDIS controls. He had in fact already managed to land the TARDIS safely but decided to allow Jack some time in order to compose himself before disturbing the peace. As it turned out Jack was not the best of patients and Rose had been on the receiving end of most of his frustrations, which had only been made worse by the obvious discomfort he was in, over the past half an hour. For now though everything had returned to normal, Rose had eventually managed to successfully treat Jack's hand as best she could and the two were now deep in quiet conversation… Well maybe not quite so quiet the Doctor thought as Jack let out a rather loud laugh but since when had Jack ever considered the concept of quiet? The Doctor smiled.
"Well shall we go then?" He asked clapping his hands together in the usual rather eccentric manner with which he conducted himself. His companions both looked up.
"Where?" Rose asked him.
"Anywhere." The Doctor replied, "But first we need to find Jack a doctor." He stated, his tone now serious.
"Hang on a minute" Jack protested "surely there's no need for any of that… honestly I'm fine."
"Typical" the Doctor smiled, "Always running away from your problems. Well I'm sorry Jack but I'm afraid this is something you're going to have to face for your own good. That hand needs professional attention!" Then turning to Rose he grinned "Come along then, we don't want to keep the world waiting do we?"
Jack didn't move.
"Come on." Rose encouraged "To look at you anyone would think you were actually afraid."
"I'm not afraid." Jack said despondently.
"Oh my God you are aren't you?" Rose grinned, "You're actually afraid."
"Ok so maybe I am!" Jack said, angry now, "but you don't know what it's like! I've had two years of my life taken away from me by people who claimed to be doctors working for time agents, people I would have trusted with my life! Two years of my memories erased forever at a click of a finger! I can never take back what they stole away from me, and now I have to live my life knowing there will always be this empty space inside of me that I can never fill. I don't even know who I am anymore! What sort of a person I really am… what I may be capable of!"
"I know Jack." Rose said, "But we trust you."
"The question is do you trust us?" The Doctor asked.
Rose outstretched her hand to Jack, he smiled as he took it and nodded.
Rose grinned in reply. Jack was now a long term companion of her and the Doctor and deep down she knew that he trusted them more than anyone he had ever trusted in his life before. But Jack had a painful past and Rose now realised that the Doctor of all people was the first to know how hard that was to forget.
"Right off we go then." The Doctor grinned. He led the way as the three of them left the safety of the TARDIS to brave the strange and foreign society that awaited them beyond it's doors.
"Wait a minute…" The Doctor exclaimed as all three of them met with sunlight on the other side. "…this isn't 1952!"
"Rose!" An exited, bordering on relieved voice cried.
As Rose spun round she saw the familiar figure of her mother running towards her "Mum!" she screamed.
The Doctor's face expressed a confused frown as mother and daughter embraced…