The Doctor walked through the snow, back to the TARDIS. Rose actually listened this time, staying put inside the TARDIS. Of course, he had to explain how dangerous it would be for her to accompany him. He couldn't chance anything going wrong. It was dangerous enough crossing his own time line twice, well, now that his time lines had merged it was really only once, but that was bad enough.

He mulled over what he found out from the Elder of the Ood. He asked, how could he not? Even after everything Rose said he'd still been afraid that he was the cause of her suffering. That his request put her where he found her, but that wasn't the case. She'd been there the whole time, or, maybe not exactly there, but she'd been in this universe. Taken through the crack before he sealed it.

The Elder didn't tell him much, probably because it was too dangerous. He'd shown the Doctor an image. Just one. Rose had been hooked up to machines, being used as an energy source, much like the Roboforms wanted to use him when they came for him on Christmas Eve after he regenerated into his tenth form.

It made sense. Since she carried the same Time Energy within her that was inside him, but there had been something…something different about her. He wasn't sure what it was and it made him want to run those tests all the more, but he knew he had to be careful. Her mind was still fragile and after seeing that image he knew he couldn't push her. He wasn't sure what she'd gone through before he found her, but whoever took her had kept her since taking her through that crack. How long had she been there? A day? A week? Years?

He didn't know. Had no idea what she suffered and pushing her, that could break her and that was something he wouldn't chance. The tests were important, but he'd start out slow. Scan her with the TARDIS. She didn't even need to know. The TARDIS was far more powerful than his sonic. She might pick up on something. Something that would tell him what was going on with Rose and what she was becoming, because she was changing. He'd already picked up on that.

Not a lot, just a bit, but that's how these things happened. Changes didn't happen all at once. Just a bit at a time, like the fish aliens. Would she still be herself, still be Rose, or would she become something else? Change more and more until there wasn't anything left?

That thought frightened him. He had to find out and if that was possible then stop it, if he could. He wouldn't lose her again and to have her there and lose her was more than he could take. More than he could survive.

He opened the door and stepped inside. She stood up from the jump seat, giving him a smile as he crossed the room toward her and he couldn't help grinning because she was there. Rose Tyler in the TARDIS with the Doctor, forever this time. Even if it was only her forever. He pushed that thought aside.

"Finished?" she asked.

"Yep," he replied, walking over to the console. "Now, where do you want to go?"

"What about Amy and Rory?"

"Time machine, remember? We can pick them up anytime. I want to take you wherever you want to go." He flipped a lever and then caught her eye. She was giving him that cheeky grin, which was really not good what with them being alone and all. "So," he turned his attention back to the console, "the past, the future, a new planet, where do you want to go?"

"Can we…" she trailed off and he glanced at her. "Can we visit someone?"

Visit…Oh. Was she going to ask her visit her mum? Not her mum on the parallel world. She knew how impossible that was, but her mum before everything happened. Before Canary Wharf and the Crucible. His hearts grew heavy as he realized he'd have to deny her request. That would be dangerous. Too dangerous.

"Rose," he began, prepared to break the news, although not prepared to watch her fall apart.

"It's just, I know I can't see my mum or Mickey, or anyone like that because it would be too much of a risk, bumping into past us or something like that," He smiled. She did know. Of course she knew. She was Rose and she'd always been clever. "But I haven't seen Jack since the Crucible and-"

A new emotion surged through him. One that made him want to strangle the immortal man, or punch him, or both. Yes, first punch him then strangle him.

"Jack? You want to visit Jack?" he asked, unable to keep a bit of disdain from creeping into his voice.

"Yeah, why?" she asked.

"All of time and space and you want to visit Jack."

Yes, he was a bit jealous, more than a bit, but he had every right to be. She was there with him in the TARDIS and she was thinking about Jack. It was…He felt her take his cheek. He turned to her, gazing into her eyes.

"Not like that. We're friends, that's all. I've told you that, yeah? I love you. You're my Doctor, but Jack's my friend. The only one I've got left from before and I miss that. I just want to see him, yeah?"

Jack was all she had of her old life. Before everything backfired and she lost her family. He cupped her cheeks, giving her a smile. If she wanted Jack then he'd give her Jack. Wait. He glanced at her. No, not give her Jack. Let her see him, visit him, as a friend, just a friend. He grabbed the lever to start the Time Rotor.

"To Torchwood then," he said, flipping the lever and giving her a smile. She grinned and then they laughed.

-0-

The TARDIS materialized and the Doctor raced over to the doors with Rose following. He reached for the handle, but was startled by knocking, coming from the other side of the door. Knocking? Who would be knocking on the TARDIS doors?

Slowly, he opened one of the doors and found Jack standing on the other side, grinning like a school boy at Christmas.

"D-" Jack paused. "Doc?"

"Doctor, and yes, it's me Jack, new face, that's-"

He was cut off by Jack stepping through the door and pulling him into a bear hug.

"Doc!" the man exclaimed. "Long time no see."

"Jack," he protested.

The man released him and looked him over.

"Hell of a change. Are you younger?" Jack asked, giving him a flirty grin.

"No, I am not younger, Jack," he snapped, straightening his suit.

"Rosie!" the man exclaimed, shoving past him and in the next moment Jack had picked Rose up in a hug that rivaled the one he'd given the Doctor.

"Jack!" she said, happily, throwing her arms around the man's neck.

He did not at all like the way they were hugging, but he kept his mouth shut…barely. Jack set her down and she laughed. Okay, she'd seen him. That's all she wanted, right? To see Jack. They could leave now, couldn't they?

"I thought he dropped you back on that parallel world, which," Jack eyed him, "by the way, Doc, was the worst idea you ever had."

"Actually, he did," Rose said.

"Then how did you get back? Oh." Jack glanced from her to the Doctor. "Did something happen? Is that why you're here?"

"No, nothing's happened. No threat to the universe," he replied, which wasn't entirely true, but Jack didn't need to know about the cracks.

"Then," the man looked at her, "how did you get back?"

They didn't need to get into all that, did they? He already felt bad enough that she'd been there and he hadn't known, wouldn't have known if he hadn't decided to selfishly alter his own time line.

Suddenly, the TARDIS door slammed shut. He spun around.

"What?" he exclaimed.

The Time Rotor began to move. What? No! What? He raced over to the console.

"No! No, no, no!" he yelled.

"What's happening, Doc?" Jack asked, running up next to him with Rose.

"I…I don't know."

He flipped levers and pushed buttons, trying to get her to stop, but nothing was working. It was almost as if…

"Doctor, where are we going?" Rose asked.

"I have no idea. Someone else is controlling the TARDIS." He stepped back, glancing from her to Jack. "I'm locked out of the controls."

That couldn't happen. Couldn't possibly…A bright light consumed the inside of the TARDIS.

Standard Disclaimer.

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