CHAPTER NINE

The Doctor kept an eye on the control screen but nothing had changed. The TARDIS was still telling him that there was another Time Lord. Moving to the intergalactic radar, he searched the space that was surrounding them. There was a small abnormality out there but what was it?

Turning the dials, he tried to pinpoint what was there. He was concentrating so hard on this one spot in space that he almost missed the other blip that was coming directly toward him. It was only at the last minute that he saw it. It had stopped less than 50 meters from him. This time, the radar did tell him what it was. It was another ship and a fairly advanced one according to the reading he was getting. All of a sudden a voice was projected into the TARDIS.

"Doctor, is that you?"

No, it couldn't be. He shouldn't be here. He was supposed to be elsewhere. More importantly, how had he found him?

"Doctor, Rose, are you there?"

Oh boy, he didn't know. Of course he didn't. How could he? Pushing a button The Doctor responded.

"Yes Jack, it's me. How did you find me?"

"We've been monitoring this section of space ever since the gap closed. We wanted to make sure that no-one tried to open it again. Permission to come aboard?"

"Sure, but I have to warn……"

Before he could finish the sentence Jack appeared before him.

"Hello, Jack Harkness and who are you?" Jack asked with a sexy smile, "And where is The Doctor?"

"It's me Jack. I'm The Doctor. I had to regenerate."

"Wow, I'd heard that you guys could do it but I never truly believed it. Interesting, you certainly look different. Hmm, well you're in the TARDIS and you seem to be controlling it so that must mean you're telling the truth. So, where's Rose? I'd heard that you two hooked up again. What did you do, go get her after you left me on Satellite 5?"

"No Jack, she cam and got me. She saved us all actually."

At Jack's look of confusion, The Doctor explained how he had sent Rose away in the TARDIS and how in her quest to return and help them she looked into the Time Vortex and returned in time to destroy the Emperor and his Dalek army. The Doctor also told him that it was Rose who had revived him. Jack smiled at this and then listened as The Doctor described how he had removed the vortex from Rose and returned it to the TARDIS. This effort had caused the regeneration to begin. He then sat and stared silently into space, lost in his own memories. He's actually forgotten that Jack was there. It wasn't until Jack spoke again that The Doctor remembered him.

"So, where is she? In her room?" Turning around, he started shouting out to Rose, "Rose, it's me Jack. Come and give me a kiss gorgeous."

"Jack, she's not here, she's gone."

"What do you mean, she's gone?"

"She was almost sucked into the void back on Earth but Pete Tyler, from another dimension, was able to save her when I couldn't. He got her out safely. She's in his world now."

"Ah, so it was you at Torchwood. You destroyed the bridge. The file doesn't actually name you but I did wonder. It has your name written all over it, if not literally. It must have been hard for you to lose her. I know how much you cared about her."

"I love her Jack and it's tearing me apart but I know she's safe and that's the most important thing."

Wiping the tears from his eyes, he turned away from Jack.

"So, what's so important about the gap closure anyway? I was here when it sealed. It's a secure section now."

"Not quite, it's not fully sealed. True, it would take immense force but it could be re-opened and we're here to make sure that that doesn't happen."

The Doctor was shocked by this news. Maybe he could still get Rose back. He'd only need a small window. He yearned to see her again.

"So Doctor, why are you here? What brought you to this section of space again?"

"I used this gap to say good-bye to Rose one last time just before it closed. The TARDIS sent me back here with this message."

Standing aside, he pointed to the screen and allowed Jack to read it. He watched Jack and saw his eyebrows rise.

"I thought you said that you were the only survivor of the Time War."

"Up until the moment I read that message that is what I believed as well."

"But what does it mean?"

"I don't know. The TARDIS just brought me here."

"You don't think……?"

"What? I don't think what?"

"Could it have something to do with Rose? You did say that this was the last place you spoke to her."

"Jack, I think you may be on to something. This was the last place I spoke to her but what could it be. How could Rose have any connection to Gallifrey except through me?"

"There must be something, anything. Think Doctor, did anything happen since the last time I saw the two of you?"

The Doctor thought for a while before replying.

"Well we fought some bad guys, faced the Devil, escaped a black hole, and went to the Olympics. We….." Stopping mid sentence, he thought back on the Olympics, "Oh no, she couldn't be."

He knew why the TARDIS had brought him here. Rose was pregnant. That night, that wonderful night and Rose had fallen pregnant. Damn it, she'd mentioned a baby when they had last spoken but she told him that it was Jackie and not her that was pregnant. Why had she lied? Of course he knew why. Once she realized that they were to be separated forever, she didn't want to cause him any more pain. He didn't know what was worse, her feeling that she had to lie to protect him or that he had to live with the knowledge that she was pregnant and couldn't get to her.

"Doctor, what is it? What have you remembered?"

"Rose is pregnant. She's going to have my baby. That's what the TARDIS is feeling. Her baby, our baby is half Time Lord. Because of the different dimensions it must have taken a while for the TARDIS to work out what was happening."

"Doctor, you sly old dog you. You finally gave in. I didn't think you ever would. Congratulations."

"But what good is having the knowledge if I can't get to her. Or maybe I can."

"Doctor, you can't! You risk destroying two worlds."

"Jack, it's Rose. Rose and our baby! If you're not going to help then leave."

"Wait; think about this for a moment. You can't do anything while Torchwood is out there watching you. Let me help you but you need to give me some time."

"Ok Jack but I'm not going to wait forever. That rift will seal permanently soon and then I'll have lost whatever opportunity I had left."