Time and the Trickster

By Lumendea

Chapter Thirty-Five: Interlude with Jack

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

….

Rose rolled over with a groan and picked up the ringing mobile phone. A quick glance at the alarm clock told her that it really wasn't very early, but she was still on break so it felt like it was.

"Hello," Rose said as clearly as she could manage.

"Morning gorgeous," a cheerful male voice greeted on the other end. In her half asleep state it took Rose a moment to place the voice.

"Jack?" She asked a moment later when her brain began to work. Sitting up straight in bed, Rose's expression became worried. "Is something wrong?"

"Relax Rose," Jack answered with a chuckle. "Nothing is wrong."

"Oh," Rose replied softly as she stood up and walked to her dresser. "Then hello."

"Hello Rose," Jack said sounding like he wanted to laugh. "Doesn't Cambridge start back up on your birthday this year?"

"Yeah," Rose answered around a yawn. "I'm heading back tomorrow to get settled back in and then the Doctor's picking me up."

"I'm jealous," Jack complained with a huff before turning cheerful once more. "Then how about lunch, just the two of us."

Rose blinked in surprise, sure she knew Jack was a friend, but this was a bit of a surprise. "Okay," she heard herself say. "Where do you want to meet?"

"How about I pick you up?" Jack suggested sounding far too amused for Rose.

"Alright," Rose agreed after a moment's pause. "Mum's out of the house most of the time right now."

"Right," Jack breathed slowly. "She knows one of the big secrets now." There was a paused, "Things still awkward?"

"Yeah," Rose answered softly with a sigh. "She barely talks to me."

"I'll be by in an hour," Jack told her warmly. "See you soon gorgeous."

Rose closed her mobile and looked at herself in the mirror. "Do you know what you just got yourself into?" she asked herself, but she didn't have an answer.

Rose showered and washed her hair before doing it up in a quick side crown braid to keep her long bangs out of her face. She had originally planned on having her Mum trim up her hair, but with the awkwardness Rose wasn't going to ask Jackie to come near her with scissors. Besides as she considered the style that Shareen had suggested Rose considered that maybe it was time to let her bangs grow all the way out.

Not knowing what Jack had in mind, Rose dressed in blue dark jean and a purple turtleneck sleeveless shirt that Sharon had talked her into buying. It was dressy enough to work if they went someplace nice, but not too much. As she slipped on her jewelry, Rose gently touched her sapphire pendent. It occurred to her that she was about to turn twenty and poor Jane had only been sixteen. Rose had a great if odd significant other while Jane had been abandoned by the very husband whose family had pulled her into the royal fray. Taking a deep breath, Rose tried to clear her thoughts, getting angry about Jane's fate wouldn't change anything and wouldn't help anything. But maybe it was time to swing by the Tower of London and put some fresh flowers on the grave.

She grabbed a small purse and transferred her mobile, wallet and sonic pen into it along with a few other things. Glancing at the clock, Rose headed downstairs to wait for Jack. Rose studied the house thoughtfully and she leaned against a wall. One of her mother's pink jackets was tossed over the back of the parlor sofa and a popcorn bag was on the coffee table from when she'd been watching TV. Her eyes trailed up the painting of Lumen and Rose gazed at it thoughtfully. The glowing figure looked out towards her with the TARDIS standing in the background surrounded by the stars. Yet how Rose at the age of fourteen had painted the TARDIS she'd never seen remained a mystery. She half hoped Shareen was right that she'd seen it during one of her early meetings with the Doctor out of the corner of her eye and the image of it was in her subconscious. But Rose didn't think that was it. She just didn't have a better explanation yet.

The doorbell rang and Rose couldn't help, but smile a little. Jack Harkness did like to say he was gentleman. Rose's smile widened a little bit more as she wondered if she should check for mistletoe when she opened the door. Jack was dressed a lot more simply than he had been last time Rose saw him. His long coat was gone and he was in a blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up exposing his vortex manipulator on his wrist.

"Rosie!" Jack greeted with a wide smile as he held out his arms waiting for a hug.

Rose grinned, but looked up and examined the doorframe and overhang making Jack laugh. She looked back at the former Time Agent and then stepped forward to hug him. Peeking over his shoulder, Rose saw a black SUV parked on the street.

"You actually have a vehicle?" Rose asked.

"What did you think when I said I'd pick you up?" Jack questioned as he released her. "Just the vortex manipulator?"

"If you had then I would have insisted on driving," Rose replied with a shudder. "I hate traveling with those things. They're so bumpy."

"Now you sound like the Doctor," Jack grumbled with an eye roll. "He always going on about the TARDIS."

"Well you have to admit that she is amazing," Rose reminded him with a tongue on teeth smile. "But I suppose a vortex manipulator is a great backup."

"Exactly," Jack agreed in a pleased tone. "Mind you, even he knows that since he's the one who fixed it for me." Jack smiled at her. "Course part of the arrangement was that I'd use it to make sure you escaped dangerous situation."

Now Rose rolled her eyes and huffed, "Honestly you two. I can take care of myself you know."

"I know," Jack assured her. "And he knows that to, it's just part of how we operate." Jack gave her a pointed look. "And I think we both know that you'll end up doing some crazy things to protect the Doctor and I in the future."

"Possibly," Rose replied with a noncommittal shrug. "Let me grab my purse," she told him. "And Mum's not home so it's safe to come in."

"Safe?" Jack asked as he followed Rose into the parlor.

"Well I suppose you wouldn't mind my Mum's flirting, but I don't want to see it." Rose answered as she grabbed her purse.

She turned back to Jack only to find his eyes on the Lumen painting and a small smile on his face. Rose studied his expression and then glanced back at the painting, wondering what Jack was seeing that she wasn't.

"Does it mean something to you?" Rose asked curiously, watching his expression closely.

"Well it is the painting that saved the Doctor's life," Jack told her with a secretive smile. "Pretty amazing in that light don't you think."

"Yeah," Rose said suspiciously which only made Jack grin at her.

"Don't fish Rose," Jack scolded lightly. "I used to be a Time Agent, I'm trained not to give things away."

"But you've told me a lot of things," Rose argued as she followed Jack back towards the door.

"Gorgeous I have never revealed anything to you that I did not mean to reveal to you."

Rose huffed slightly and closed the door, locking it with a quick flick of her sonic pen.

"Key too normal for you?" Jack asked.

"No," Rose said. "Just already at the bottom of the purse."

Jack opened the passenger door for her with an exaggerated movement and Rose tried to hide her smile. As Jack climbed in the driver's side, Rose spotted Gita Chandra down the street watching them. The Indian woman waved to Rose with a wide smile and Rose managed a small wave back as Jack pulled away from the curb.

"Lovely," Rose sighed. "Now the whole street is going to be talking about you, probably think you're my boyfriend."

"Is that so bad?" Jack teased.

"With my Mum yes," Rose muttered. "She'll accuse me of keeping more secrets."

"Well you do have a secret boyfriend," Jack reminded Rose in a teasing voice. "Wild brown hair, alien, travels around in a blue box and tends to regenerate."

"Yeah, hence the guilt," Rose muttered.

"It'll get better," Jack promised. "And if it helps while she and the Doctor's ninth regeneration will never get along well she and the tenth regeneration get on fine."

"The Doctor has hinted as much," Rose said. "Which I hope means she forgives me."

"She will," Jack promised. "She's just taking in a lot right now." He reached over and touched her hand gently. "You'll see it will be fine, just give it some time."

"Time," Rose said softly. "Always an interesting factor in my life."

"A fascinating one," Jack agreed.

"Engaging," Rose offered on an impulse making Jack grin.

"Captivating," he suggested.

"Entrancing," Rose added with a giggle.

"Alluring," Jack said making Rose laugh.

"That last one sounds a bit less like interesting and more like something else," Rose told him around a grin. "Probably form one of your pickup lines."

"I'll have you know missy that my lines have never failed me."

"You tried them on me," Rose reminded him with a grin.

"I wasn't really trying," Jack told her with a chuckle. "If I had been though the Doctor would have been in trouble."

"Keep telling yourself that," Rose told him. "Just don't tell the Doctor that."

"So birthday girl," Jack said after a moment. "Twenty huh?"

"Yeah two whole decades," Rose shook her head and chuckled. "Doesn't seem like much to be honest."

"Well you are dating someone who is over nine hundred years old," Jack pointed out.

"He's older than that," Rose told him. "He lost count years ago, but I think he just doesn't want to admit to being over a thousand years old."

"The Doctor vain?" Jack asked in mock shock. "Never!"

Rose laughed and settled back in her seat to watch the buildings go by as Jack drove her into London. "Hey Jack?"

"Yeah Rosie?"

"Thanks," Rose told him. "I know that our timelines are weird, but it's nice to have a friend like you. Sharon and Shareen are amazing, but they don't really get the timetravel thing and the companions don't know about my relationship. So thanks."

"You're welcome," Jack told her gently. "And it's the same for me you know. Not the dating the Doctor thing obviously, although that would be nice, but my timelines are all over the place too." He looked over at Rose. "Never doubt that we've a family Rose, a weird one, but we are definitely a family."

"I suppose I could have worse flirting partners/friend/brother figures," Rose agreed. "No matter how weird that sounds."

Jack sighed loudly. "Just stomp all over my dreams Rosie." Then he winked at her and Rose smiled warmly.