Jack awoke and stared at the ceiling above his head. Today was the day she was leaving, and he was trying to keep his selfish words to himself. She had filled his dreams and her walking away was going to hurt him deeply. He understood why she was going, he really did. But that didn't take away the sting that the thought brought.

She had a brother, a family she had never known and he knew what he would give up to get back to his family. So he couldn't blame her for going.

Jack sat up slowly, and ran a hand down his face. It was early still, early enough there was no rush to shower and shave. Early enough he had the luxury of wallowing in self pity for a few minutes.

This wasn't going to just affect him. Rose had become fast friends with Ara, and Jack would have to be blind to realize that the way the Doctor cared for the girl wasn't purely platonic. And it was more than that…they were so much the same. They bore similar scars and he knew that it was going to kill the Doctor to watch her walk away too.

But this was one of those times; you kept your mouth shut and did what was best for the person that you cared about.

A soft knock broke into his thoughts. Jack expected the Doctor, maybe even Rose. Either of them had been in his room before.

"Come in," he responded softly.

The door opened slowly, and Ara walked into the room. He swallowed a gasp. He wasn't expecting her, and he could hardly look at her. He tried to find the right balance of eye contact and not screaming out for her not to go.

"Can…can we talk?" she asked, standing by the door still.

"Yeah," he agreed, nodding his head quickly. "Of course….want to sit?"

She moved over to the bed, sitting near him. Up close he could see that she had been crying, and he fought the strong urge to wrap his arms around her. He would let her share what she wanted to share, and it was very possible that she didn't even want him to know that the tears had fallen.

"I'm scared," she said, very softly.

He almost missed it. Being afraid…admitting she was afraid was huge for a person like Ara. And the fact that she had chosen him to admit her weakness to touched his heart. He wrapped a cautious arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer.

"But it's going to be okay," Jack said, trying to sound confident and strong.

"You can't know that," she argued.

He sighed. "You're right…I can't, but I can believe that."

She looked up at him. Her eyes were dark but filled with hope, and as much as he wanted to keep her to himself, he wanted this for her more.

She nodded after a moment, and he just held her. They sat there in the silence, her warmth seeping into his side and helping to fight off the chill of loneliness. He held her as long as he could, until he thought the others would probably be up and about

Then he kissed her head, and she stood up.

"Thanks," she said, and hurried from the room.

He watched her go, hands gripping the bed tight. This was what was best, he knew it in his heart, but that didn't stop the pain.

DW

Ara sat on her bed. She was waiting and feeling worried and excited. A new life, it was why she had left her planet in the first place. She was going to have a family, a brother that was all her own. She never had to fight again. This was everything she wanted, but tears were still streaming down her face.

She ran her hand along the bed, touching the soft blankets. She had never had a bed before, never felt as safe as she had in the TARDIS. But it now seemed that this was just a temporary stop on a longer journey.

She knew no one was going to make her go; no one would kick her off this ship. Adex would let her fly off into the universe if that was what she wanted, but she was nothing more than a coward if she didn't face her fears. She had to stay, because she couldn't run forever. Leaving here was going to hurt; walking away from the only other people she had ever loved wasn't going to be easy.

But this was a chance she had to take. This was something that she had to do, so when the Doctor knocked on her door she stood at once. There was no Tave, the war was over. Today is what she had, and it was her choice what to do with it.

She would live in his honor, she would try for him. She would be everything she could be, for the boy who never belonged anywhere but with her.

DW

The Doctor watched her step out into the hall. She had been crying, but he couldn't acknowledge it, because he was already on shaky ground. He gave her an awkward pat on the shoulder but she threw her arms around him.

So he held her, and just let her be for a moment. He wasn't abandoning her here that much he had decided last night. He had little blue ball, with a little button in it. If pressed it would send a signal to the TARDIS. He could be back to her in minutes if she decided this life wasn't what she wanted.

But it was going to be her choice. Finally he pulled back and Jack and Rose appeared. They all walked her outside and he gave her the ball and explained. She nodded and slipped it into a pocket.

Adex approached, looking even more like her in the sun. He smiled at her, and patted her back gently.

"Ready, little sister?" he asked, smiling down at her.

She nodded.

"Goodbye," she said, and hugged each of them one last time.

"We will come visit?" Jack asked.

"Of course," the Doctor agreed at once.

"You will be welcome anytime," Adex said, offering his hand to the Doctor to shake. "Thank you for taking care of Ara."

"She took care of us too," the Doctor replied with a faint smile.

She turned, lead away by her brother. With the smallest look back he watched her disappear into a building.

Rose moved closer and laid her head on his arm. He hugged her and let out a sigh. He loved Rose, and he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers.

It was brief, but it was something. He let her go and headed back to the TARDIS. They would be back to visit Ara, he would make sure. And he knew that she was alive, and she was safe, and she would be happy. That was the best he could hope for with any companion. So he closed the TARDIS doors behind her, and walked the path up to the console to lead them away.