Ok, so I am trying to update more, and I'll try to update every two to three weeks, life permitting. I hope you all enjoy this, I know it may seem to skip important parts of the story, but everything that is relevant is there, and I don't think I could do Jack's birthday antics justice, and rather leave it to your imagination than destroy the thought. Please review.

Guest: Thanks! I am so glad that you are enjoying this story, I am really trying to incorporate these different characters in and my biggest fear is making them too OOC but I am glad that the last chapter worked for you.

Bad Wolf Jen: I am sorry that I have been slack with this story, I love the idea of it and I want to make it good for myself and my viewers. Thank you so much for the review, I'll try to update more in the future.

Mystic Lover of the fairytale: Thanks for the review and the check-ups to see how far away the updates where. I'm sorry it took a little longer than expected but I'll try to improve for the future.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

"Some Things are Worth Getting Your Heart Broken For"

Jack's Birthday

Chapter Ten

"Who's this friend of yours?" Gwen asked Jack as the team found themselves sitting on stools in the corner of a quiet bar in Cardiff for Jack's birthday, or the date that had been assigned to celebrate Jack for being…Jack. He had given them all the night off; of course Tosh and Ianto were carrying Torchwood equipment that was currently monitoring the Rift and would notify them if the readings spiked enough to cause reason of concern and immediate return to the Hub. Jack had told them that they were waiting for another guest before they were moving onto more adventurous venues that were typically Jack.

"Rose, I travelled with her before I was recruited by Torchwood. I first set eyes on Rose Tyler as she hung from a barrage balloon in the middle of the London Blitz." The team looked confused as Jack revealed a little unknown fact about himself. They knew little of Jack and his life outside Torchwood, from what they had been able to salvage from Torchwood files, they knew that he had already lived longer than humanly possible with an extended employment with their secret organisation.

"Was that after we met Captain Jack Harkness in 1941? That would mean that there would have been two versions of yourself in 1941." Tosh decided, reviving the memories of her previous solo adventure with her boss, where they were transported back to 1941 and met the man who Jack took his name from.

"Try three." Jack commented, wildly confusing his team, knowing that they weren't going to get many answers straight up; Owen was the first to recover.

"It's going to be a wild night with an octogenarian." Owen said sarcastically into his drink, easily loud enough for everyone to hear. Jack let out a laugh, eyes directed behind Owen and to the entrance of the establishment. They all watched curiously, as Jack stood up to greet his last guest, and spotted a young adult, possibly still a teenager chastely kissing their boss. They saw the pair pull away, enough for Jack to still have his arms around the girl's waist and appreciate how she was dressed, laughing in response. Ianto felt jealously bubble underneath the surface of his skin as Jack kept his arm around the stranger and started to bring her to their table. The girl or a woman, one would assume, had come out in a sequined Union Jack dress, and stood out like a sore thumb from the rest of the patrons in the bar.

"Is she even allowed to be in here?" Gwen asked, noting that the girl looked more like an eighteen year old instead of an eighty something year old. "Maybe she's like Jack; she doesn't appear to age and can't die?" Gwen suggested, just before the two were in earshot.

"Rose, this is my team, Gwen, Tosh, Ianto and Owen; team this is Rose Tyler, the woman who changed me for the better." He honoured, pulling her in by the waist into a tighter embrace.

"You're the woman from Canary Wharf!" Ianto revealed, as he got a good look at Rose, and suddenly his jealously disappeared as he remembered the devastating scene captured on CCTV footage of this extraordinary woman being separated from the man, she so clearly loved. "You were there, at the Battle with the Daleks and Cybermen with the Doctor."

"I was." The table fell into an awkward silence, amidst with confusion and ignorance.

"So, what's on the agenda tonight?" Tosh intervened, restarting the night off, which all members present had various degrees of memory loss when they recovered in the days to come.

~ DOCTOR WHO ~

Trust him. I know that the wait is agonising, and that while you keep reassuring yourself that Rose is not your daughter, you can't help but act like a distressed mother. Jack loves Rose and would not let any harm come to her. She will, without doubt be gone much longer than you would like but she will always come back to you.

SJS

~ DOCTOR WHO ~

"What time do you call this?" Rose cringed as she turned and found Sarah Jane pulling into her driveway, the woman speaking through the open window of her car. Rose was so focused on regaining her memory from Jack's birthday, noting the absence of Sarah Jane's car and relaxed knowing she wasn't home, obviously thinking herself safe.

"It's only 9am." She answered, knowing that she couldn't hide the length of time she had been away.

"It's not 9am Saturday morning." She said pointedly, getting out of her car and gesturing Rose into the house before following her.

"No, it's not," She admitted, knowing where this conversation was going to end up, somewhat like their previous conversation after Rose had returned from Cardiff at three in the morning on her first day at school.

"You left school at lunch on Friday, and made your way to Cardiff. It is now 9am, Wednesday morning." Rose chuckled slightly. "From what you said about Jack, I expected you to be away for the whole weekend, but a birthday party that lasts five whole days, is bordering on ridiculous."

"I'm sure if we had access to intergalactic travel, it would have gone much longer." Rose flopped down onto the couch, Sarah Jane remaining at the threshold to the living room. "Jack has four great members in his team at Torchwood, who were present Friday night." She breathed out loudly as she spread out on the couch, clearly exhausted from Jack's birthday. Sarah Jane doubted that she had much sleep over the last five days. "I met Jack and the team in Cardiff, where I got to know the team over a few drinks, Tosh then returned to the Hub and we went to London and hit a view clubs, using Torchwood authorisation. Owen decided to leave after London and somehow, I can't exactly remember how, we made our way to France, I have a feeling we kayaked…well…we were drunk enough too." Rose brought her arm and placed it over her eyes to cut out the daylight, resting her tired eyes as she laid back, quite comfortable with her position. "We…um…watched the sunrise from the top of the Eiffel Tower." She yawned. "Then, we lost Gwen at some point, when umm…" The talking ceased and it was clear to Sarah Jane that Rose had given in to sleep.

She smiled at the younger woman, shaking her head at the antics that Rose had gotten into with the 51st century former Time Agent/con man. She walked over to the couch and gently placed the throw over the sleeper, accidently knocking her purse onto the floor. She bent down to retrieve the displaced item, which had popped open, her passport and mobile escaped its confines. As she picked up the items, she flicked through the travel document, noting that for a new passport, one that Rose had acquired upon arriving back in her home universe and this being her first chance to leave the UK, that many immigrations stamps had become new additions: France, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, Spain, France (return), UK. Shaking her head, Sarah Jane could only imagine what Captain Jack Harkness would do if he had access to the TARDIS to celebrate his birthday without the Doctor to regulate his actions. She shuddered as she remembered that he was once a Time Agent, able to travel throughout time and came from a time period, where by the description that was relayed through Rose, Jack doesn't sound that out of character but widely so when you place him in the 21st century.

She left the room, and walked into the main foyer, when someone on the other side of the closed front door knocked. Rubbing her head, the insistent ache that throbbed from within her skull, made the decision for her that she wasn't going to entertain the visitor. At this time of day, it wouldn't be anyone she would know, as she had already dropped off Luke at school with Clyde and Maria, and she wasn't expecting any guests. The windows surrounding the front door were patterned glass, meaning she could ignore the person and they would soon come to the conclusion that no one was home and leave. She looked back to Rose on the couch, who was still fast asleep, undisturbed. After periodic knocks and a minute of waiting, the person crouched down and slipped a pamphlet under the door before moving onto the next house. Sarah Jane picked up the pamphlet to discover that it was for the upcoming election for Prime Minister, promoting Harold Saxon as their celebrated leader. Rolling her eyes, she scrunched up the piece of paper, too tired and pained to care about politicians and decided to sleep away the time until her medication kicked in, before she was due to chase up on a mysterious reading given off by the new local bakery.