Act 5, Scene 2 – "I do suffer love indeed, for I love thee against my will."

Down in the main part of the Hub, Gwen and the Doctor were putting the finishing touches to the Reverse Dimension Cannon. Mickey, keen to make it up for his part in Rose's betrayal, had written the computer programme that would be downloaded into the hardware ready to ensure that, as soon as Rose was safely back in the parallel universe, the device would stop functioning. Martha was refusing to speak to him, turning her back as she helped Gwen and the Doctor as much as she could.

Leaning on the railings above them, Jack watched their progress, thinking hard. Someone would have to travel back to the parallel universe with Rose to explain to her colleagues there the consequences of building such a device. Jack was under no illusions that the last time the Dimension Cannon had been used it had aided Davros and Caan's plans on the Dalek Crucible. This time there did not seem to be anything like that happening, but a possible consequence could never be ruled out.

"Amy?" Jack called down to the red-head who was hovering beside Gwen. She glanced up and nodded, moving quickly up the stairs to his side. "Can you do me a favour? When Donna gets back can you send her up to my office?"

"Oooh!" The young woman squealed, beaming at him.

Jack sighed. "I need to speak to her."

"Yeah, right. OK. I won't say anything." She promised, winking.

"No, Amy… I just need to speak to Donna about this parallel universe thing."

"What's in it for me?"

Raising an eyebrow at her, Jack folded his arms. "You can chose dinner tonight… pizza, Chinese, Indian, Thai… your choice."

"Deal."

"So, will you tell Donna to come and see me?"

"Of course… I'd never stand in the way of true love." She teased, leaping back down the steps before Jack could respond.

He rolled his eyes and went into his office, closing the door behind him and sitting at the desk. The projections showed that the rift would be most active, and therefore most useful to help with the dimension shift, in about twenty minutes. Gwen had assured him that they would have finished by then; they were simply tying up the loose ends and ensuring there was nothing they'd overlooked. Hopefully Donna would be back by then, but if not…

Jack opened a drawer and pulled out a sheet of paper. For a moment or two he simply stared at it. Then he began to write, letting his feelings pour out of him and onto the page. He was so engrossed that he almost missed the sound of his door opening and someone entering the room. Flustered, he pushed the note underneath a pile of blueprints and looked up.

"You wanted to see me?" Donna asked, a smirk playing about her lips.

"And you came?" Jack asked, chuckling and trying to ignore how hot his cheeks were.

She grinned broadly. "I can go again, if you want, Captain Yak-features."

"Not one of your best."

"I know." She sighed as though it pained her to admit and moved around his desk to perch on the surface in front of him, her hands folded in her lap. "But I just haven't had the heart to think of any more recently."

"I appreciate the obvious effort you went to. I mean… thinking of things that rhyme with Jack… that must have taken a while."

"Not really… I'm quite good with words… Jack, yak, crack, slack, hack, back…" She laughed, the sound making Jack smile even more broadly. "So, what did you want to see me about?" His face fell slightly and instantly she reached out and put a hand on his cheek, her eyes flashing with concern. "What is it?"

"We've built a Reverse Dimension Cannon to send Rose back to her parallel universe."

"But… that's brilliant." Donna smiled, slightly confused as to why Jack still looked worried.

"Yeah… except someone will have to go with her to make sure they don't try anything like that again. The walls of reality have already been weakened twice and the Daleks took advantage of it last time. Who knows if there's anything biding its time out there this time." Jack told her.

Donna looked guilty. "Oh…"

"Yeah, oh." Jack agreed. He glanced quickly at the door and seeing that it was shut, he reached forwards and pulled Donna's face to his, kissing her tenderly. As he attempted to deepen the kiss, she moved away from him and fixed him with an amused look.

"Not the time, Jack." She pointed out with a sigh. "What exactly are you trying to tell me?"

"I have to go with her."

There was a silence as Donna processed his words. "Let me come with you."

"No." Jack shook his head. "It's too dangerous."

"You're telling me it's too dangerous and then expecting me to let you go?" She snapped.

"Yes."

"No."

"Donna…"

"Jack!"

Despite the tenseness, he smiled. "See, we can't even agree when we've decided we're in love."

"That would be boring." Donna pointed out with a shrug. "And so not us."

"Very true." Jack stood up and grabbed his coat from the back of his chair. Bending down and kissing her once more, he strode to the door. "But I am going."

Quicker than he thought she was capable of, Donna had passed him and was leaning her full weight against the office door so he couldn't pass. "You'll have to get through me first."

"Very tempting…" Jack murmured, his eyes burning a trail over her body. Donna felt her knees go weak at the look in his eyes. "But I don't have time. Donna you have to let me go. I need to make sure they stop trying to cross the universes."

"What's the worst case scenario?" She asked weakly.

"I get stuck in Rose's world and can't get back." He told her, looking into her eyes and speaking softly. "Or I get stuck between the two universes, trapped in the void." Donna's breath stuttered out of her as she felt hot tears pricking at her eyes. Jack smiled and cupped her cheek gently. "But that's very worst case. I'll be absolutely fine."

"Promise me."

"I promise." He told her seriously. "I love you, Donna Noble."

She smiled. "I love you too, Captain Jack Harkness. And when you get back I'm going to show you just how much."

At her words, Jack felt his resolve to go weakening rapidly. Looking at her, he could imagine all sorts of ways she could show him and his desire for her was much stronger than his desire to get Rose safely out of the way. Before he knew it, Jack had pinned her against the door and was doing his best to forget that he needed to leave.

Breathlessly they sprang apart as there was a tentative knock on the door. Donna practically sprinted across the room, rearranging her top so that it looked less indecent and perched on the edge of Jack's desk. He did the top couple of buttons of his shirt up and took a breath.

"Yes?"

Rory poked his head around the door, instantly taking in their flushed faces and the obvious distance between them. "Umm… they sent me to tell you that the Reverse Dimension Cannon is ready and the rift will be at optimum efficiency in five minutes."

"OK, thanks…" Jack told him as Donna bent her head, letting her hair fall over her face and preventing them seeing the tears that were pooling in her eyes.

"Is… is everything alright?"

"Fine, Rory, thanks." Jack assured him quickly. "I was just asking Donna to keep an eye on things here if… well, if the worst comes to the worst and I don't make it back. She might be a pain in the butt, but she's good at what she does."

"Back atcha, Captain Hunchback." Donna told him, standing up and stalking past them both. She gripped the banister tightly as she descended the stairs, willing her legs to cooperate and not collapse underneath her.