Still alive and writing, promise! These chapters just really don't want to get written - they're being very uncooperative.

"You're imagining things, you are," James said casually as he slurped the rice noodles, tugging them along somewhat awkwardly with his chopsticks.

"I am not," Rose replied indignantly. She opted to twirl the noodles from her own carton around her chopsticks, taking a rather large bite that took her far too long to chew and swallow before she spoke again. "That bloke could be your twin!"

He offered her a dopey smile. "You saying I'm fit enough to be a movie star, Rose Tyler?" He asked cheekily, ducking and laughing when she flicked a piece of tofu at him.

"Don't get too cocky, McCrimmon," she teased, a smile on her face as she shook her head.

"Aw, but you make it so easy," James quipped, leaning over to press a kiss to her nose.

She chuckled, liking the comfort and ease between them. "I'll just have to be more careful about that then," she winked at him, grinning when his smile widened.

Jack entered the room then, not bothering to close his bedroom door behind him. He'd changed his clothes, having spent the night and morning at Ianto's, and was grabbing a quick bite to eat before heading back over there, not bothering the fact that he was trying to give Rose and James some space.

"What are you two lovebirds up to this evening?" He asked as he headed into the kitchen, pouring himself a glass of water.

"No plans yet," Rose replied easily, smiling at him briefly before turning her attention back to a piece of chicken she was having trouble picking up with her chopsticks. James, ever the overgrown child, reached over and snatched the morsel, popping it into his mouth and ignoring Rose's affronted look.

"Hmm," Jack hums, a disbelieving tone in his voice that had Rose looking at him curiously, wondering what Jack, king of the land-with-no-boundaries, isn't saying. He winked salaciously at her, and Rose rolled her eyes.

"You going back to Ianto's?" She asked him casually.

Jack's face broke out into his trademark grin. "Cheeking to see if you've got the place to yourselves tonight, Rose?" He asked her cheekily, bobbing his eyebrows up and down at her.

"Just answer the question, you bleedin' lothario," Rose drawls, sounding so much like her mother that Jack choked on his sip of water, catching his breath before bursting out into laughter. After a few moments, Rose joined in as well.

James looked between the two of them and wondered if it would always be like this. Obviously, Rose and Jack were very friendly – they'd known each other years, seen each other almost every day, worked together. To him, their relationship seemed almost like that of family; like they had a deep bond connecting them and would do anything for each other, regardless of the cost.

And he didn't begrudge them that. Mostly, anyway. But he wondered if he would always be the one on the outside, looking in.

But then Rose shot him a glance, and her honey-golden eyes sparkled with something just for him, and his nervous thoughts ceased. His bond with Rose was strong – stronger than any relationship he'd ever been in before, and they'd known each other two weeks. He was hopeful that whatever they had would continue to grow over time, because whatever this was, with Rose, this was special.

And there was no way he was letting go.

In the end Jack did end up leaving – though it wasn't to go to Ianto's, it was to go to Torchwood. Something about not having been to work all day and wanting to check something. James didn't push for answers. He knew he wouldn't get them.

James wondered aloud if he'd been able to get into the building at all. It was somewhat late, after all. Only 8PM, but definitely later than your average work day.

Rose and Jack had exchanged a look before Jack casually told him that senior staff members had access to the building 24/7. Rose had laughed then, mumbling about saving the world instead of getting her beauty rest, and James had laughed with her, missing the nervous glint that passed by her expression.

Rose was unnerved.

Really, really unnerved.

This was why she didn't date.

The night had gone well.

Really well.

She and James had ordered take-away, they'd watched a film and cracked jokes with his flatmate. They'd cuddled and kissed and he'd continued to steal food from her carton, regardless of her exasperated expression.

Now James slept peacefully in his bed. He'd fallen asleep almost as soon as his head had touched the pillow, and Rose had waited a few moments before slipping out of the room. Even if she wasn't sleeping, she was comfortable and safe in his arms, with him pressed against her back.

But she was restless. It had been weeks since she'd taken a day off work, and to know that Jack was at Torchwood whilst she was here resting was…odd. She tried to push the discomfort aside, to relax, to enjoy her evening in James's company.

But something was wrong. And it was even more wrong that she not be in the middle of whatever was happening.

"That can't be right," Jack muttered as he looked at his computer, frowning at what he saw. Just as he was about to phone up Torchwood Three, his mobile rang. He quickly checked the caller ID before hitting the green button and grinning as though the person on the other end could see his flirtatious expression. "Gwen Cooper, always a pleasure," he purred.

"For God's sake, not now, Jack!" Gwen snapped, but he was unperturbed – he could hear the smile in her voice. "Are you at the tower?"

"Yeah," He muttered, looking at the screen again. "Gwen, what's going on with these readings? I've never seen the rift this erratic."

Gwen sighed. "I've no idea. I've got someone here 24/7 now, keeping an eye on it. More and more weevils are coming through, Jack. We're doing our best, but…"

"We should expect some our way," Jack finished grimly, shuddering slightly. "Understood. Keep an eye out and keep us in the loop. Rose isn't going to be happy when she hears about the excess weevil population."

Gwen snorted. "Maybe you've got to worry about Captain Tyler, but I've got the direction hounding me for information. You've got the better end of the deal, I think."

Jack scoffed. "Just goes show you've never worked extensively with Rose," he muttered. "She's the director squared. It's terrifying."

"Huh," He could practically see Gwen's shrug. "Good luck, then. We'll be in touch regularly."

Jack smiled, though it was much tenser than before. "Thanks, Gwen." He hung up and leaned back in his office chair, running his hands through his hair. Rose was not going to be happy. With a sigh, he opened his contacts and hovered over her name. His eyes flicked up to the clock – past midnight. He wavered. He was willing to bet that she was still at his flat, probably cuddled up with James, fast asleep. He shouldn't call. She'd see the results in the morning.

She'd hate him if he didn't call.

With a sigh, he pressed the button and brought the device to his ear. To his surprise, she answered immediately. Her voice, though hushed, carried no traces of fatigue. "Jack?"

"Rose. We've got some weird rift activity happening. I haven't seen it this bad since I started. It's completely erratic, and Gwen says we've got more and more weevils coming through. She said we should probably be expecting some in our area, because they're having trouble keeping everything under wraps over there." He explained swiftly, resisting to urge to tease his long-time friend.

"Shit," Rose breathed, and he could imagine how she looked, standing in his kitchen wearing James's clothes, her hand tangled in her bedhead and her eyes closed as she tried to think. "What if we send Mickey up there? Mickey and Tosh, or maybe Owen. They could probably use some back up."

Jack pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. "I don't know, Rose. If they've got increased transport through the rift, I'm not really sure sending members of our team headfirst into the unknown is the best way to go. Especially if we're going to be expecting the damn things on our turf." He told her honestly.

"You're right. Of course you're right." Rose sighed. "Shit, shit, shit." She hissed out, annoyed. "We were done with the high stress, Jack," he imagined her lower lip jutting out into an irritated yet completely adorable pout. "We were going to take it easy for a few days."

"When have you ever gotten a break, realistically?" Jack chuckled. She sighed loudly into the receiver, and Jack could sense her annoyance. "You're going to come in, aren't you?" He asked quietly, knowing he was probably ruining her evening but that Rose would always put work first.

She half-groaned, half-growled. "Of course I'm coming in," she finally muttered, and he could hear her shuffling around the flat. "At least I have my car here this time. I'll be there in twenty minutes."

Ringing roused him from the first good night of sleep he'd had in a while. "Hello?" he answered the mobile gruffly, squinting at the alarm clock on the bedside table.

12:17AM

"Torchwood ASAP." His commanding officer's voice sounded.

He groaned. "Are you bloody kidding, Rose?"

Her voice softened. "I know, I'm sorry. But there's some weird activity going on at Three and we've gotta go through some emergency prep. Rift activity is higher than we've ever seen it. I need you here, Micks."

He groaned again. "I'm coming," he told her grumpily, hanging up and shoving the blankets off, wincing at the loss of warmth.

Martha shifted beside him, her eyes slowly blinking open. "Where are you going?"

"Work," he grunted.

Worry clouded Martha's gaze. Being called into Torchwood in the middle of the night didn't bode well. "Stay safe," she said quietly.

James woke up slowly, his eyes adjusting to the dim room, and turned in his bed to find himself alone. He frowned and sat up. Rose's mobile, which he was fairly certain she'd left on the bedside table, was gone. He threw off the blankets and exited his room to find himself in an empty flat. Confused he peeked in Jack's room to see if his flatmate was around.

No sign of him.

He went to the kitchen and lightly touched the kettle with the tips of his fingers. The metal was cold – not even a little warm. Rose, ever the night owl, would have made tea before leaving. If she'd gone to work, it would still be warm – it was only just past 8AM. He ran his hand through his hair and turned to spot a piece of paper on the table. He quickly snatched it up.

James

Had to step out. Work emergency.

Sorry

Rose xxx

He tucked the note into his pocket, confused, and went back into his bedroom to grab his mobile. He picked it up, scrolled through his contacts, and quickly pressed the call button.

"Hello?"

"Rose, where are you?" He tried not to sound too hurt that she'd swanned off.

There was a beat of silence on the other end before she answered. "You didn't see my note?"

"No, I did." He said quickly. "But I thought you had the day off."

"James, I'm so sorry. I did have the day, but there was an emergency."

He pressed his lips together, trying to contain his irritation. It wasn't her fault, of course. She couldn't help it if there were problems at work. He frowned as he noticed a familiar background humming. "Are you in a car?"

"Yeah."

"Where are you going?" He hadn't been aware that her job sometimes required her to leave her Torchwood office.

There was another pause on the other end, and he thought he heard her shift. He wondered if his simple question made her uncomfortable. "Cardiff. There are some issues going on at the Torchwood base over there and they've asked for some…reinforcements."

He sighed, feeling like an idiot. "Oh. Are you going to be back tonight?"

"I'm not sure. The information they've sent us looks bad. We might be up here a few days."

He sighed again. She'd just finished her extended stay at work – surely this wasn't a regular occurrence? "Are you sure you're up to that?" He asked her.

There was a pause on the other end, and James wondered if he'd insulted her by insinuating that she might be tired. "It's my job, James." She said simply, her voice hardening. "Sorry, James. We're just pulling up to the lot – "

"We?" James interrupted, confused.

"My team and me," she answered, sounding somewhat amused, "you didn't think I'd count as reinforcements if it was just me, did you?"

Through the phone, he heard Jack's boisterous laughter. "You probably would be enough to take down the city, boss."

"Shut up, Jack," Rose said, laughing. "Anyway, James, we're at work now, so I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Okay," James replied, feeling like a petulant child. He hung up the phone and looked around the flat, pursing his lips. Should he try to go back to sleep? He didn't have to be at work for another few hours…no, he was feeling completely awake at this point. Sleep would not come. With a heavy sigh, he moved around his kitchen, grabbing bread and sticking two slices in his (slightly modified) toaster before filling the kettle to make himself a cuppa.

The day had dragged on. Martha had been irritable, though James wasn't sure why, the shop had been slow, with heavy rain driving away even the regulars. He had lost count of the amount of take-away paper bags he'd stuffed with napkins, how many times he'd cleaned on the already-clean tables. He was just about ready to pull his hair out by the end of the day, and only didn't because he was rather fond of his hair.

And he was pretty sure Rose was as well.

Now he was sitting in his flat, the news playing on the telly in the background. The newscaster droned wearily on about the happenings of the day. He fixed himself a cuppa, needing the warmth of the comforting drink against his cold hands. The rain continued to pound heavily down, forcing him to turn the volume up louder than he usual would.

"And now we go to Tricia Walker in Cardiff. Tricia?"

James's ears perked up at the mention of Cardiff.

"Thanks, Patty. We're here in Cardiff, where earlier this morning, witnesses say around 9:30AM, a gunfight broke out. It's still unclear which parties were involved, but witnesses confirm seeing an unmarked black SUV parked in an alley off Bay Avenue, where later a body was found. Police have yet to release pictures of the body, but witnesses say it was beyond recognition. Apart from the victim found in the alley, no other casualties have been brought to our attention. "

James watched with rapt attention, his heart pounding heavily in his chest as his fingers unconsciously reached for his cellphone, worry for Rose at the forefront of his mind. Quickly he punched in his code and immediately scrolled through his contacts to find Rose. He pressed the call button and brought the device to his ear, pacing around the small flat. "Pick up, pick up, pick up," he muttered.

"Hello?"

"Rose! Thank God you're okay." James sighed heavily, his heart finally calming as he sat on the couch, rubbing his temple with his fingertips.

"James? Is something wrong?"

How could she ask him that? "There was a shooting. In Cardiff." He explained tensely.

"Was there?" Her voice was too calm. "We haven't been watching the news. We've been working pretty much since we got here."

"Rose, I –"

"I'm sorry, James, I really am, but I don't have time to talk," Rose told him, her voice forcibly calm once again.

"You'll call me if you have a free minute?" James asked, and he hated that he felt like a child begging.

There was a pause on the other end, and when Rose spoke again, her voice was genuinely warm and apologetic. "I promise, James."

"We're in a helicopter above Cardiff, where the army has issued an evacuation of the city. No word yet on how far spread the issue has spread, but we've been assured that the appropriate military team has been put on the case…stay turned for traffic details…"

James resisted the urge to throw his mobile against the wall. This was the fourth time he'd tried to call Rose in the last hour, and he had yet to hear back. He had no idea if she'd safely made it out of Cardiff.

To: Rose Tyler

From: James McCrimmon

Rose pls call or text to let me know ur ok

To: Rose Tyler

From: James McCrimmon

R U ok?

To: Rose Tyler

From: James McCrimmon

Rose, im worried, pls call to let me know ur ok!

To: Rose Tyler

From: James McCrimmon

Rose! I need to know ur ok!

To: Jack Harkness

From: James McCrimmon

Jack, do U know where Rose is?

To: Jack Harkness

From: James McCrimmon

Have u heard from Rose? RU with her?

To: Jack Harkness

From: James McCrimmon

R U and Rose safe?

"Shit, boss," Jack breathed as they came around the corner, spotting the large gathering of Weevils.

"I know," Rose replied, her voice hard. They'd never seen this many weevils on the loose before.

"Rift activity is calming down. We might be near the end." Tosh's voice sounded through her Bluetooth.

Rose swallowed heavily. "Finally," she muttered. It would be a hell of a whole lot easier to contain the weevils that were rampaging through Cardiff when there weren't more coming through the rift by the hour. As it was, they still had to deal with the approximate hundreds of weevils that were on the loose. Thank god the city had been evacuated. "Let's get ready to move." Rose ordered her team and the rest of the Torchwood agents that had met up in Cardiff to deal with the situation. "Guns at the ready. Remember, as much as I hate this, weevils don't operate as a team. There's no way of dealing with this diplomatically, and we sure as hell don't have enough cells for all of them." She pressed her lips together uncomfortably before speaking again, her tone regretful and quiet. "Shoot to kill. Let's move."

Still nothing from Rose.

"Three days after the evacuation, Cardiff has officially been declared safe again, and the roads are full of people heading back home. While the military have informed us that there will be extra personnel in the area until further notice, they've assured us that the situation has been dealt with. A memorial for the casualties will be held…"

James turned off his telly with more force necessary, running his hand through his messy hair and tugging on it painfully. Days. He hadn't heard from Rose or Jack in days. He had no idea if they were safe or if he'd be at that memorial because he'd lost his girlfriend and his best friend to some kind of genetic experiment.

He made his way to work, irritated and dejected, his hands tucked in the pocket of his long coat as he walked. He was surprised to see Martha locking the door, her expression unreadable.

"Martha?" He asked as he made his way over to her. "What's going on?"

She didn't answer his question. "Come with me," She ordered, leaving now room to argue. He followed her to her small car, taking a seat in the passenger's side.

"Where are we going?" James asked, confused.

Martha was quiet for several moments before she finally answered. "Cardiff." She said quietly.

James felt an unfamiliar tightness in his chest. His heart began to pound heavily. Cardiff. Where for days, hundreds of some sort of violent genetic experiment had been on the loose. Where Rose, who hadn't answered her phone in four days, had been going. He felt his hands ball into tight fists.

Neither he nor Martha spoke for the two-and-a-half-hour drive.

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