Author Note: Hey guys, sorry for the long wait...I've had this written for ages, just haven't found the time to post. My bad. Sorry!

Anyways, I hope this chapter proves a little more popular than the last...reviews are always good! Hint hint! Hehehehe.

So as always, enjoy!

oOo

Captain Jack was waiting for Rose when she got home, and pounced on her almost as soon as she was through the front door, smothering her in a huge hug that almost knocked her off her feet.

"Whoa Jack! Steady!" she exclaimed, rocking back on her one good foot and both crutches, trying to keep her balance.

"Sorry," he muttered. "Its just...I almost lost you...we almost lost you," he quickly corrected himself and tried not to look too embarassed, but it was too late and he ended up blushing madly. Rose chose to ignore this, much to his relief, and hobbled into the living room, where she crashed out on the sofa and refused to move.

"I would have come to see you...only I don't do hospitals...How are you?" Jack asked, shifting her feet to make room for himself to sit down, despite the fact that the two chairs over the other side of the room were free.

"Physically, I'm in pain, although its not as bad as it was...emotionally, I'm not sure...and mentally, I think I've lost it," she replied with a shrug.

"You what?" Jack laughed as he pulled the coffee table further their way so that Rose could rest the heavy cast on her foot up on it instead of his knee.

"Well, I apparently step out into the road on Westminster Bridge - of all places - for no reason! Then I wake up in hospital and insult the snobbish consultant. Then I start ranting on about a dream that I was so sure was real, and now I don't know what's real anymore, and what's not. I'm confused, Jack! So confused."

"You want to hear what I think happened?" Jack asked calmly, shifting up towards her a little more. "I think you've had too much on your mind these past few weeks and you're starting to imagine things...you're trying to right the wrongs of this world by believing in things that aren't real. Things like the Doctor's return...because thinking about these things helps you to live each day...gives you hope...gives you a purpose to carry on. You're looking for things that aren't there, and the more you look, the more you believe that they are actually there. Perhaps this accident was your body telling you to stop...your mind didn't realise what was going on, and so you don't know why you did what you did...infact you can't even remember...am I making sense?"

"Honestly?" she asked.

"Honestly," he confirmed.

"You lost me at the 'believing things that aren't real' bit."

"Thought as much," he grinned. "You had that glazed look in your eye that told me you weren't listening."

"I was! I just...didn't hear what you were saying," Rose replied sheepishly, then seeing Jack's face sighed and corrected herself. "Alright fine, I wasn't listening. I was thinking about something else."

This was the truth. She had been thinking about something else. She'd been thinking about having a glass of wine and a hot bath...although the plaster cast kind of removed the option of having a bath. But still, the thought was satisfying enough for now.

"If you want, we can forget about the past few weeks and just have the night in?" he offered. "I can order a takeaway...we can chill out...have some wine...watch a movie...what do you say?"

"I say you just read my mind," she grinned. Something about watching a movie the night you came out of hospital always seemed to appeal to Rose, and god knows she'd been in hospital enough times now for this to almost be a regular occurence. Jack grinned, grabbed the cordless phone from the side table, and a copy of the yellow pages, then started leafing through numbers, while Rose sent Mickey a text to let him know how she was. She could have phoned, but then she'd probably end up talking to him all night and spoil the special evening that Jack had just spontaneously created. She'd see him in the morning anyway...he was only staying with his mate for the night to help do something to his car...apparently. Although, Rose had to admit that this was very odd behaviour for Mickey...he never stayed over at anyones! Something told her that Jack had more of a hand in this than he was letting on. After all, it seemed a coincidence that the night she came out of hospital, Jack and Suki had gone to their friends for a sleepover, Mickey was staying with a mate, Jackie had gone late night shopping and Pete was working late...leaving her and Jack alone in the house. Bit of a big coincidence actually.

But if Jack did have anything to do with it, he certainly wasn't letting on...infact he looked almost innocent as he leafed through pages and dialed numbers.

At last, once the chinese had arrived, the text to Mickey had been sent and Rose had picked a movie from the cupboard, the two settled down for their night in together.

oOo

"I loved that!" Jack cried through a mouthful of noodles, towards the end of the film. "The maelstrom was just so...wow! And the fighting! I got chills watching it! The way they tore that ship apart! BOOM!"

"I liked the wedding," Rose replied as she finished off her carton of food and set it on the coffee table, trying not to laugh at Jack's childish enthusiasm and excitement. "That's got to be one of the coolest weddings ever. Getting married in the middle of a huge battle like that!"

"It's very romantic, I'll admit," Jack agreed, calm again, placing his empty carton inside hers and sipping his wine. "But would it last? It was a spur of the moment decision, after all."

"Come off it!" Rose argued, sipping her own glass of wine. "They've been in love since they first met! If you'd watched the first two films, you'd have known that."

"Hey it's not my fault if I was off being a Time Agent and saving the universe whilst the first two were being screened in cinemas!"

"Alright, you're forgiven," Rose laughed. Jack could be so petulant at times...it was hilarious, and so fun to wind him up even more.

"Thank you...hey, wait...what do you mean 'I'm forgiven'?"

"Do you mind?" Rose nodded towards the screen. "Missing the last few scenes of the film here. My future husband's on screen!"

"Right...sorry..." Jack fell silent again and Rose watched him out of the corner of her eye, trying not to smile. How long would it take Jack to work it out?

Ten minutes later...

"What do you mean your 'future husband'?!"

"Orlando Bloom...soooooo gorgeous and hunky and fit and dreamy and - "

"Alright, I get the picture!" Jack exclaimed, with an exaggerated wave of his hands to show his frustration. Then he glanced sideways at her and saw she was struggling to keep a straight face. She was winding him up on purpose. Well two could play at that game.

"I'll admit he is kind of fit. That hair...and oh, those eyes. Dreamy."

This made Rose look at him sharply. "Jack you're not..."

"What?" he asked innocently. Now it was his turn to try and keep a straight face.

"You're not...you know...flexible, are you?" Rose was floundering...obviously not sure how to breach the subject of Jack's interests.

"Depends how flexible you want me to be," he replied with raised eyebrows. "Why? Does it matter if I like men as well as women?"

"No, course not...not at all," Rose replied quickly...a little too quickly, and Jack knew she was lying. He told her as much, and she just blushed in embarassement. Seeing her blush and flounder was too much for him and he burst out laughing. It took a moment for Rose to work out what was so funny.

"You're teasing me!" she cried, slapping his shoulder.

"You started it," he retorted. "And besides, just coz I look and sound and act the same as your parallel friend...don't mean I'm the same."

"I know," Rose replied with a nod. Then she decided to quickly change the subject before it became awkward. By this time the film had finished, so she glanced at her watch. "12:30...we should really go to bed."

"Together?" Jack suggested cheekily, earning him another slap.

"Down boy," Rose laughed as she got unsteadily to her feet. This was easier said than done, however, when one foot was in a giant plaster cast and the other had gone to sleep. She wobbled all over the place, threatening to lose her balance at any moment. Jack saw this and immediately jumped up to help, just as Rose fell forwards into his arms.

"Hello," he grinned as she looked up into his eyes.

"Hello," she replied, bemused by his choice of words. Of all the things he could have said, he'd said hello. Sometimes she wondered just what went on up in that brain of his. "Are you gonna let me go?" she asked at last.

"Nope."

"Right, so...now what then?"

"Now I'm going to kiss you."

"Oh." Rose wasn't sure if he was just messing about, or if he actually meant it. Jack picked up on her uncertainty almost immediately, but he took it to mean something else entirely.

"Is that alright? I mean, I thought I'd give you warning this time so you couldn't blame me for it."

"I never blamed you last time," Rose replied quietly. "I blamed myself."

"Because of Darren?"

"Because of the Doctor...and Darren," Rose sighed, looking away. Jack gently took her chin between the finger and thumb of one hand and turned her to look back at him.

"They're not here," he reminded her gently. "And neither of them are coming back, either."

"I know," Rose nodded sadly, as if this knowledge hurt her even more than any physical injury ever could.

"Rose..." Jack called her name softly, gently...afraid he'd spoilt the moment. But when he looked into her eyes, he was relieved to see that they were full of fire, and passion, and warmth. This gave him all the courage he needed to continue.

"I love you." He muttered softly, gazing into her deep brown eyes, longing her to return the gesture. And then she said it, and it was real, and warm, and genuine.

"I love you too."

Jack was too stunned to reply. After all she'd been through...all of this with Darren and the Doctor and everything else...and yet she loved him, so much so that she'd told him - those three little words he'd been longing to hear escape her lips...they finally had...and they weren''t a lie either. He could tell that she meant them...each and every word.

He was truly honoured, and touched by this thought. His lips were trembling, but he didn't care. Slowly, hesitantly, he leaned forwards. Rose leaned forwards to join him, and for a second time their lips met in a soft and gentle kiss...and because there was nothing to stop them this time, it lingered and deepened, expressing everything they both realised they should have spoken to each other before. One that, to them, mocked their false heroics in denying the feelings they'd had for each other all along.

He loved her. She loved him. They both knew it...had always known it...and now nothing could come between them. They were free at last to be together.

From the doorway, Jackie and Pete watched their daughter quietly, smiling to themselves. Both knew that from now on, things would be so much better for Rose...even with all the alien threats out there still, at least Rose was happy now. And if Rose was happy, they were happy.

Silently closing the door behind her, Jackie looped her hand in Pete's and they both turned away towards the stairs, intending to get some sleep before work...which was alarmingly only a few hours away. Rose may not have to worry about getting up early in the morning, but they did.