A/N This will be the last before Dragon Con. If you are going, see you there. Otherwise, please enjoy. Thanks to the usual suspects.

"Cana," Frial called as they cleared the woods. The woman that came running was clearly from wherever the alien warrior called home. "Captain Jack," she said as they set him down in the grass. Rose looked around for the Doctor. On the ground in front of the black sci-fi looking space ship were a variety of people, some being bandaged, all wanting answers which Nari began giving them as soon as they set Jack down.

"I'm fine," Jack was protesting as Cana began to examine him.

"You will sit right there and let her get on with it, Jack Harkness," Rose said sharply.

"Ah, you must be Rose," Cana said, as she probed beneath the bandages. "This is deep and you are bleeding badly. Help me get him into the ship's infirmary."

"He's going to be alright, Isn't he?" Rose asked. The look on the medic's face was frightening her. Before anyone could answer, the Doctor came through the hatch.

"Not sure I can do much with those two, it'll take…" he stopped immediately, taking in both Rose's presence, with joy and relief, and Jack's. The blood on his shirt brought the time lord to his side, immediately.

"We need to get this one sewn up, Doctor," Cana said as he knelt down to look.

"I've got 'im," he said, standing as he lifted Jack gently but firmly to his feet.

"Doctor," Frial and Nari both offered but the time lord refused with a shake of his head. Cana and Rose followed behind.

"He will be fine, he is a strong man," the alien woman said. On closer inspection, Rose could see that her face was covered in very very short fur and there were almost translucent whiskers that shifted as she talked. Her long hair was red-brown and confined in a braid, unlike Frial, whose blonde mane hung free. Rose was so fascinated she almost didn't notice that they had arrived at the infirmary.

The Doctor was lowering Jack carefully to a treatment table. "It's really…" Jack started but the looks on his partners' faces was obviously enough to stop him.

"Don't be any more stupid than you already were. Thought you were going to take care?"

"It was my fault, Doctor. The creature leapt from concealment as we were subduing one of his fellows," Frial said. Rose started; she hadn't even heard her behind them. "Captain Jack turned to take a blow which would have almost certainly killed me."

"And then you saved me from the second blow, so I think we're even, not to mention that shot," he said, wincing as the Doctor pealed the bloody bandages off.

"The arm is just a grazing burn, blaster barely hit him. I'll put a burn pack on, but it should be fine," Cana said, attending to the other wound.

"Better'n this. It's deep and I don't know anything 'bout the knife. Infection risk's pretty high. You want anaesthetic before we start cleaning it out?" he asked the younger man, knowing his reluctance to hand over control, even a little.

"I wouldn't say no to a hypervodka but no, I can take it."

"You don't have to, lad," the Doctor said gently, looking into the young man's eyes.

"Jack," Rose said, distress clear on her face.

"I'll be fine, sweetheart, but I'll take a kiss first. That's better than anaesthetic any day, and it'll give me something to take my mind off what he's doing." Rose immediately stepped forward and kissed him. He smelled of blood and battle but his lips felt good, full of reassurance and promise.

"Yeah," he said. "Much better now. Doc?"

"Alright, but no more stalling," he said, leaning to kiss the young man.

Yep, Rose thought, definitely getting better. She was starting to wonder what she had been missing for so long.

"Now, hold on, Jack. I'm going to have to make sure it's clean first. Don't trust 'em." Jack nodded, setting his jaw as they helped him lay face down on the table. The Doctor turned to get the instrument tray while Cana started mopping away the blood. Rose felt completely useless, trying to stand out of the way.

"Doctor, something's not right here," Cana said. The look on her face sent a chill through Rose. "He's still bleeding badly, it's not clotting."

The Doctor looked over where she indicated and said something that apparently even the TARDIS wouldn't translate. "I should have known it wouldn't be that simple, not with this lot. Looks like there was an anti-coagulant and who knows what else on that blade. His body's fighting it but it can't completely. It's only his superior physiology that's kept it from being worse."

"Should be fine if you just…"

"Shut it, you're the patient, just lay there. Rose, need you."

"What can I do?" she said immediately, glad to be able to contribute.

"Go back to the TARDIS. In the infirmary there is a storage unit. It'll have synthetic blood compound formulated for Jack's biochemistry."

"You keep this stuff in stock?" she said, not as surprised as she felt she ought to be.

"With our lifestyle? Yeah. Now, across from there is a counter with four rows of drawers, second row, third down there are two sets of pressure syringes. Bring me one of each, and the dermal regenerator from the cabinet near the door. You should recognise that."

"Yeah, can do. I'll be back quick as I can," she said, heading for the door. Jack was going to be alright, just needed the right equipment, yeah? She told herself, wishing there was a faster way to the TARDIS. Mind, blood transfusion, that was pretty big. But it was probably just the Doctor being cautious.

Frial stopped her as she exited the ship but, when Rose explained, the other woman insisted on coming with her. "We do not know that they have all been caught. The leader will not say. Those who know this land are searching with assistance, but it is best not to go alone," the alien woman said as she followed. Rose had neither the time nor the inclination to argue.

When they reached the TARDIS, the other woman seemed surprised but Rose was used to that reaction. "It must be quite…intimate," she said.

"We like it," Rose said noncommittally, but she was grateful that Frial insisted on staying outside on guard duty. Besides, explaining the TARDIS always took time that she didn't have right now.

In a relatively few minutes, Rose was locking the door, the equipment and blood in a carrier bag supplied by the TARDIS, and she and Frial were rushing back toward the pirate ship with Rose fervently wishing she knew how to move the ship. They arrived back and Frial left her to round up a couple of the other freed prisoners. The cat-like alien said she thought she'd smelled something suspicious near the ship. Rose nodded absently as she rushed to the infirmary and her partners.

Jack was still laying on the treatment table when she rushed in. She handed the bag to the Doctor and took Jack's hand. "Hello," he said. Did he look paler than before? She couldn't decide.

"You mind not flirting while I'm trying to put you back together?" the Doctor said, but his tone wasn't particularly harsh.

"Don't mind him, he's just jealous. He's got me all laid out like this and can't take advantage of me. Finish up back there and there'll be some of this for you," he said, attempting his usual cheeky grin.

"Shut it down there, or I'll have to find that gag for you."

"Oh, the things I could say to that, Doctor," he said, but subsided as Rose found a stool and sat next to his head, holding his hand and distracting him. She told him about the time the Doctor had returned her to her mum 12 months late. When she got to her Mum slapping him, Jack laughed.

"Wasn't funny," the Doctor said from behind them.

Rose looked back briefly and she could see that the time lord was much less tense than he had been. The blood pack had been attached to Jack's other arm by Cana. "Clean synthetic should help his natural healing response and also bring his strength back up."

"Yeah, going to need my strength. I have plans later." The Doctor shook his head before returning to what he was doing.

"Right," he said after what seemed like forever. "Tha's got it for now. You're going to be stiff for a couple of days, and I want you to be careful. It's mended, but whatever was on that blade weakened the tissue as well. The drugs I gave you'll counteract most of that, and flush the rest from your system."

"Good," Jack said and started to rise before the strong hand on his back prevented him.

"I said rest, lad, and rest you are going to, 'less you want to explore those fantasies without the fun parts?" Jack reluctantly relaxed onto the table. "Better. Get that blood pack into you and I'll think 'bout letting you up. Rose, why don't you go see what's going for food. It must be well past your breakfast time," he said looking at his watch the way he did, though what it told him, she hadn't a clue.

She did realise for the first time that the sun had been up when she had run to the TARDIS earlier. Rose had completely lost track of time. She agreed. With a gentle squeeze of Jack's hand and a quick kiss for the Doctor, she relinquished her chair to the time lord and left to find breakfast.