Jack Harkness studied their new surroundings on the monitor once the TARDIS had dematerialized. It was a dingy place, marked with graffiti that never managed to be cleaned up or painted over. Jack smiled wistfully as he realized how special Rose truly was. "No wonder she wanted to leave this depressing place," he thought. "No wonder The Doctor wanted to take her away from it."

Jack started to head for the galley to grab some cereal but was hit with déjà vu as he heard an insistent knock on the door of the TARDIS. "Mickey," he thought. Shaking his head, he opened the door and said, "What the hell do you want?"

"What the hell do you think I want, Captain Libido," yelled Mickey. "Her mum and I sent her off 200,000 years into the future so she could try and save The Doctor, even though he sent her home because she wasn't safe. I want to know how she's doing."

"She's asleep, Mickey."

"Well, where's The Doctor? He can tell me if she's alright."

A wicked grin spread out over Jack's face. "He's asleep."

Anger flashed in Mickey's eyes. "That's low, even for a pervert Yank like yourself."

"Yank? I'm not even from Earth."

Mickey shoved Jack aside, barreling into the TARDIS. "Doesn't matter. You sound like a bloody American. Now you're trying to tell me that Rose is shagging The Doctor."

Jack broke out into uproarious laughter. "I thought I was the pervert here, Mickey Mouse. I never said they were shagging. I only said they were asleep."

"I know what you meant. I'm not an idiot, regardless of what The Doctor thinks."

"I get that, Mickey. But you have just acted like a jealous boyfriend, and according to Rose, you're not even that anymore."

Mickey shook his head. "Of course I'm jealous! He stole my girl from me! Whisked her off in his magic box and didn't bring her home for a year. How do you think I felt when she told me that me and her Mum didn't matter anymore, that there was nothing left here for her without him?"

Jack sighed and sat on the jump seat. "Mickey, you need to let this go. I'm going to do you a favor and give you a piece of advice. Don't even try to come between them. You can't. I don't have the history of knowing Rose as well as you do, so I'm giving you my first impression of them as a stranger. You'll never convince Rose to come home, Mickey."

Mickey fumed once again. It had been a bitter pill for him to swallow, the things Rose had said to him before she left. "And you know this because you're such an expert on what makes true love, Jack?"

"I just know they're inevitable, Mickey. Don't you know that?"

Mickey's eyes flashed for a moment and then he smirked. "If that's the case, why did she agree to go to a hotel with me in Cardiff?"

Jack chuckled, shaking his head. He really didn't have anything against Mickey, but this guy was like a dog with a bone. "Do you think he didn't know about that? I think he would have come after her, Mickey. I hadn't been on this ship five minutes before I was basically told 'Welcome to the TARDIS, don't even think about it.'"

"I still don't like it."

"No one said you have to like it. But you might as well accept it. He loves her, and he proved it without a doubt when he sent her home."

"Yeah, and I guess she proved how she felt about him when she came back and didn't rest until she found a way back to him."

"I don't know exactly what happened. Rose was unconscious for two days before she woke up last night. The Doctor hasn't left her side since Gamestation."

"Two days," thundered Mickey. "She needs to go to a hospital and that alien of hers keeps her here?" He started to head off towards a corridor, but Jack held him off.

"Do you think that there's anything that a 21st century hospital can do for her that The Doctor can't?"

"Hell if I know, Jack. I don't know what he knows about humans."

"Likely a lot more than you do, Mickey. He would never allow anything to happen to Rose. You didn't see the look on his face when he found out about Rose being kidnapped by a fleet of Daleks. I've seen a lot of things, but he was the scariest thing I've ever seen in my life. You don't want to be on the receiving end of it, believe me."

Mickey sighed in resignation. "Look, mate, I just want to see her. Her mum was scared to death, but she helped her go back anyway. Besides, if she's alright, I can prepare her mum when she comes home from wherever she's gone off to. She's not here and didn't hear the TARDIS. Rose and I have known each other since we were kids."

"She told me that in Cardiff, you know. Don't think this has been easy for her. She felt terrible about your row in Cardiff. I'll see if The Doctor's awake. He sleeps a lot less than either of us do, not being Human and all." Jack headed out of the console room towards Rose's bedroom.