"SEE YOU IN HELL"

Chapter 10: Searching

A/N - Holy crap, it's been so long! A million apologies! The next chapter is written, just needs a few tweaks, and the beginning of the chapter after that is started so hopefully I can be a better author and update in less than 6 months this time. I'm hanging my head in shame!

DISCLAIMER: O...K... Mine? Nope.


"It's not like that, Rose."

She turned to see the anxious look in his eyes, numbness sweeping over her. So much had changed, why shouldn't the Doctor? It shouldn't surprise her that he was just like Jack – changing so easily into someone new.

Rose had known, somewhere in the back of her mind, hidden away after meeting Sarah Jane Smith, that it could happen. But she'd always thought it would never be her heart the Doctor would break.

Even when they'd been separated, she'd held on to the notion that he wouldn't replace her, he'd be too busy trying to break down the barrier between the worlds, trying to get her back.

Maybe he wasn't her Doctor anymore.

She watched him watch her. A slight frown between his eyebrows crumpled deeper the longer she stared.

Jack faded into nothing as the world narrowed to the two of them. Rose knew the Doctor was waiting for her. To say something? Do something?

A shuddering breath pulled it's way out of her and she finally broke the silence,

"It's been two years and we were in separate universes," she gave a half-hearted shrug, "couldn't expect you to just travel alone."

The Doctor almost seemed at a loss for words and Jack wisely kept his mouth shut, watching the exchange with a sad interest.

Her regretful smile was small, "you needed someone to hold your hand."

"You're right. It has been two years. And there's been a few passengers in this ship since we got separated. But there was never another companion. Not really. You weren't replaced."

Even after all this time, he somehow seemed to know exactly what was troubling her. Staring into his solemn eyes, Rose debated with herself, but it was short lived.

In all the time she'd known the man, he'd never lied to her. Oh he'd been secretive and mysterious and cryptic as hell, but not once had the Time Lord not been honest.

She nodded, knowing that he would understand the gesture, without the need for words.

When the grin split his features, she felt her own smile stretch.

"Thank God for that," Rose had almost forgotten about Jack, "now that you two have kissed and made up, can we get on with the job?"

"Don't remember you being so 'all about business' Jack," the Doctor bounded towards the controls of the Tardis, pulling on levers, hammering on buttons, the way it was supposed to be, Rose couldn't help musing.

"A lot's changed, Doctor. In the words of Rose, 'don't make me say it all again'."

"Oh, fair enough. Who's up for a trip to the centre of Cardiff?" After a few seconds of contemplation, that smile was back on his face. That one that said he knew he was in the middle of something potentially life threatening, earth destroying, and incredibly fun.


The Doctor's reaction to the hub of Torchwood was pretty much the same as Rose's.

"Don't you ever clean?"

"I wasn't really expecting company!" Jack defended himself weakly as they stepped out of the Tardis, Rose grinning now that they were back in the place she was rapidly considering home.

Wandering slowly around the large room, followed by Jack and Rose, the Doctor quietly took in everything, stopping every now and then, much as Jack had when leading Rose around it for the first time. Except the Doctor wouldn't stop to tap keyboards, he was – seemingly randomly – pointing his sonic screwdriver at computer monitors and various other items of equipment.

"Some of this stuff isn't from Earth, Jack." He muttered after a while.

"I know." Strangely, he seemed alright with letting the Doctor take the lead, seeming to Rose that he may have missed being able to just be a follower in some things.

"And don't think I've missed the fact that this is Torchwood." Eventually he turned to face them, his features unreadable.

"It's not the same as London was, Doctor. This is Torchwood 3 and I'm in charge." Drawing himself up to his full height, Jack placed his hands in his pockets and looked at the Doctor with the same authority Rose had seen in him when giving orders to his employees.

"We're not gathering weapons, we're not imprisoning alien lifeforms unless they actively pose a threat and we're not attempting to change the course of human history or technological advances in any way. My team is handpicked by me and nothing leaves this base."

"Well Well, look at you Captain. Alright then," he grinned that manic grin again, "let's find out what's going on, shall we?"


Three hours later, Rose was sitting on the sofa beneath the Torchwood sign, sipping a steaming cup of tea and watching her two men rushing this way and that, using all manner of tools to hook the Tardis up to the computers and rift monitors.

"Ha! Told you I could do it!" The Doctor looked up from the wires he'd just finished attaching with his sonic screwdriver.

"Never doubted you for a second," Jack gave him a friendly push as he wandered past and dropped onto the sofa beside Rose.

"So, you've boosted the power, right?" Rose batted Jacks searching hands away from her cup of tea and addressed the Doctor who now stood in front of them.

"Oh, not just that. I connected the Tardis to the machinery in here. It just needs a few minutes to adapt and then the power will be boosted, the geographical field it can reach will be extended and it'll be more sensitive. Even the tiniest bit of rift activity or alien tech within 500 mile will be detected. Whatever we're looking for is very good at concealing its tracks."

"Very…Spock." Rose laughed up at him handing her mug to Jack who just smiled happily – funny, she'd seen him smile more in the last few hours than in the last few days – and stood.

Slipping past the smiling Doctor with a light hand trailing across his arm, touching him just because she could, she moved over to the main monitor and took a look at some of the readings, not that she could make much sense of it.

She was still standing there a few seconds later when an ear splitting alarm sounded and red lights started flashing from overhead.

"Jack? What's that alarm for?" Rose backed away from the monitor in a slight panic.

"We've got an intruder." He appeared in front of her, staring at the screen, inputting commands. "Alien origin, but not the Doctor, the parameters are refined so that he doesn't show up as a threat." He broke off for a second. "That's weird."

The Doctor was suddenly right beside him, screwdriver in hand, staring at something Jack was pointing to on the screen. Rose's view was obscured by their backs and she took a step forward trying to see over their shoulders.

"What's weird?"

They both turned as one to face her, the look on both their faces slightly startling to her. Not quite as startling however as when the Doctor raised his arm, screwdriver glowing slightly and pointed directly at her face.

"What have you done with Rose?"