Jack opened his eyes and looked at the clock, 6.30am, much too early. He rolled off the bed and winced. He looked down at his chest, and there on his ribs was a bruise. That wasn't there last night. Then he remembered the dream, he ran to a mirror and looked at the bruise closely, sure enough the bruise was real and relatively new. But how could he physically get hurt from a dream. He shook his head, the brain was a funny thing.
"She can't really have been in my dreams" he said to himself as he got dressed, "its not physically possible, especially not from so far away"
He stood and checked the mirror again, and still the bruise remained. "Only one way to know for sure" he said to no one in particular as he stalked into the main hub. He walked up to the computer and accessed the camera above the hub, "Surely it's only a coincidence" he muttered as he noticed the Tardis. He grabbed a shirt and pulled it over his head as he made his way to the surface.
He looked at the blue box, hardly able to believe his eyes. He shook his head, it's a coincidence, Rose Tyler is just a dream. He took out his key and opened the Tardis doors, "Hello people," he sighed in his most flirtatious voice, "just a friendly neighbour popping in to see if you need any sugar"
The Doctor looked up from under the console, "Jack.."
Jack leant over the Doctor "Don't I get a good morning kiss; you know I'm a good kisser"
The Doctor frowned and checked the reading from his sonic screwdriver again, "Jack I really don't have time for this"
"Oh ignore him, he's preoccupied, I'm Donna"
Jack turned to stare at the tall red head standing nearby, "Well hello Donna, I'm sure the Doctor's told you all about me"
"Jack, stop it" the Doctor glared at him,
Jack shook his head, "He's just jealous Donna, you can call me Jack"
"Hello Jack"
"What's up with the Doc?"
"He's trying to figure something out"
Jack raised an eyebrow, "you mean there's something he doesn't know"
Donna laughed, "You got it in one"
Jack smirked, but then remembered his dream… "So, erm, you been to any beaches recently" Jack asked off hand…
Donna sighed, "Yes, that's why we ended up here"
Jack paled, "Melanista right?"
Donna nodded watching the Doctor slam the hammer against the side a panel, "look," she smiled "he is losing his temper with her now"
But Jack wasn't listening, "You saw the Master"
The Doctor and Donna both stared at Jack, "How'd you know that?" they both chorused at the same time.
Jack stared at the Doctor, and pushed a hand through his hair, the dream was real, he'd spoken to Rose.
"Jack!"
Jack looked at the Doctor.
"How do you know about Melanista?"
Jack sighed, "A little bird told me you had some trouble and may need some help"
"Little bird" the Doctor raised his eyebrows, "spit it out Jack, what do you know?"
Jack held his hands up, "Ok, ok I'll tell, but it sounds a little crazy"
"Not as crazy as my day's been"
"It started in a dream"
"A dream?"
"Yeah a dream. I'm lying on a beach being fed strawberries by these beautiful blond girls"
"Jack" the Doctor stared at him with impatience, "get on with it"
Jack paused, "well suddenly this woman appears"
Donna giggled and the Doctor stared pointedly at Jack.
"Hey I wanted a sailor, and I ended up with a woman"
Donna howled with laughter and the Doctor glared at Jack, "Donna can you get me a cup of tea, I have a feeling we'll be here all day"
Donna thought about making a comment about being the paid help, but thought better of it when she caught the Doctor's face. "Right I'll be off to get the tea then" and she quickly exited the room.
"Now Jack, why don't you get straight to the point how did you know about Melanista"
Jack shrugged his shoulders, "I told you it was hard to believe, I'm still trying to understand it myself"
"So…"
"This woman I knew once a while back, she appeared in my dream last night and we had a long talk about stuff"
"Stuff"
Jack nodded, "She told me you'd be here and asked me to go and see if you were ok" Jack wouldn't look the Doctor in the eyes.
The Doctor ran a hand through his hair and touched his ear lobe, "What are you hiding from me Jack"
Jack shrugged, "It doesn't matter really, it's just a dream"
The doctor turned his back on Jack and placed his hands on the console, "Jack yesterday I was at Melanista when the Master turned up on the beach, just as cocky before, if not more so. Last thing I remember the Master is using the sonic screwdriver to knock us out then next think I know Donna and I wake up in the Tardis in Cardiff"
Jack shrugged his shoulders, "Maybe the Master just needed a lift"
The Doctor shook his head, "I checked with The Tardis, the Master never stepped on board"
Jack stared at the Tardis view screen and pressed a few buttons. "I can't believe it, How did you end up here then?"
The Doctor shrugged, "I've checked Donna over, ran scans on my brain to see if I've lost some memories along the way but everything is fine"
Jack shook his head, "Maybe she was right, anything is possible"
The Doctor turned to look at Jack, "You sure the woman in your dream wasn't the Master trying to get to me through you"
Jack shook his head, "No, it was her definitely her, she knew things that no one but her could know"
"Jack, the Master is very good at mind manipulation, he can manipulate your thoughts and use them against you"
Jack shook his head and closed his eyes, "I'm sure it was her, I can still smell her perfume"
"It was a dream Jack"
Jack shook his head and pulled out his shirt and showed the Doctor bruise, "Ok Doc, how did that get there then. I dreamt she elbowed me in the ribs and then I wake up and find the bruise"
"How can you be sure it wasn't the Master?"
Jack shrugged, "Just trust me on this one Doc, it was not the Master"
The Doctor stood in front of Jack, "Do you mind if I have a look?"
Jack shrugged, and the Doctor put his hand against Jack's temple and tried to look through Jacks thoughts to the dream he had last night. The Doctor stared in shock as he saw Rose appear in Jack's dream;
"Rasilion" he muttered to himself, "she's beautiful"
Jack smiled, "More beautiful than ever"
"She was here" the Doctor motioned to Jack's head, "she was really here" The Doctor dropped his connection to Jack and stepped back.
"How was she able to do that?" The Doctor sat down on the floor as he felt his legs give out, "How did she reach you Jack?"
Jack shrugged, "To be honest, all that matters to me is that I spoke to her and I know someone is taking care of her"
"She looks better than I remember"
Jack joined the Doctor on the floor, "Still the same Rose though, still worrying about you"
The Doctor smiled, "Still worrying about everyone else"
"Doc, she said she's coming back"
The Doctor nodded, hope flickering in his eyes, "She did," the Doctor paused and stared at the floor, "but its not possible, not unless you destroy the universe to do so and I know Rose wouldn't do that"
Jack took the Doctor's hand in his, "What about what happened in the last 24 hours, a Tardis can't fly herself, yet here you are safe and sound in Cardiff and look at me Doc I should have died long ago. Impossible is just a word"
The Doctor put his head in his hands, "Jack you can't imagine how much I miss her, how much I regret not saying the words I left unsaid at Bad Wolf Bay. In the months after I lost her I hurt like hell. I can't go through that again"
Jack nodded, feeling his friend hurting and unable to help.