Nice Towel Doc, Chapter 37
A Spa Day for Jack, Part 2
I have been really lazy. No excuse. Sorry guys, I hope this slightly longer one makes up for the delay! Many of you wanted a resolution for the cliffhanger, and here it is!
Disclaimer:
Jack: Katarina doesn't own anything. I, however, own the affections of many-
Me: JACK HARKNESS!
"The alien whimpered like a scared dog as it crept meekly back out whence it came. The crowd cheered, and Rose stood agape.
'Doctor?'"
The Doctor cringed. Well, there you were. He was so dead. He shut his eyes and prepared himself for the slap he knew was coming. When nothing happened, he opened one eye. Rose was gone.
DW
Rose ran through the hallways of the resort hotel, tears streaming down her face. She ducked into a supply closet, scrubbing at her eyes furiously. She took a shuddering breath, and slowly began to shut that memory away in the place in her mind reserved for times like this. Times when the Doctor was so undeniably stupid, and he didn't realize how she felt.
Oh crap. She'd admitted it to herself, there was no going back. The thought brought on a whole other wave of crying, and all hopes of forgetting were lost.
Suddenly, the door opened, revealing a cautious Jack, who immediately relaxed at the sight of his companion not some dangerous alien. He climbed over a bottle of window cleaner, shut the door, stumbled around in the darkness for a few seconds, and then sat down heavily next to Rose.
"Hey, Rosie," he said, hugging her tightly. Sure, Jack was a flirt, but he cared like a brother this time. Beneath all the innuendoes and gallantry, there was a softer side to him, one that he let few people see.
Rose sniffled, and snuggled closer to him. "Hi," she whispered. "Did you hear what happened?" She felt Jack nod, his chin moving against her head.
"Why did he do that?" She felt another bout of tears coming, and she attempted to rally herself. "Does he know... never mind."
Jack pulled back, a grin on his face. "Now you admit it," he crowed happily. "You love him!".
He saddened considerably. "Welcome to the club."
Rose gasped. "Wha- you... him?" She'd know Jack didn't really have a preference, and he'd flirt with anything that moved, (and on occasion, non-moving,) but she'd had her doubts when it came to the Time Lord.
Jack laughed. "Sure, but not for long. Have you tried living with him? The man's not my type at all."
Rose giggled. "And he doesn't see what he's missing. No one to love? Ha."
DW
The Doctor was pacing through the halls when he heard Jack's chuckle and Rose's higher giggle coming from a supply closet. What on Clom were those two doing in there? He stepped up to the door, and put his hand on the knob right as he heard Jack say 'you love him!'
He paled, and turned to sprint away.
DW
The Doctor had contemplated going back to Rose for a half-hour. Here he was, with the handle half-opened and his mind wholly terrified. What if he was wrong? What if they were talking about another man? Before he had the chance to decide, however, the door opened, and Jack walked out, very surprised.
"Err, Jack! Good to see you! Now I'll just go and... find the Rose- TARDIS. Yes, I'll find the TARDIS. Not Rose. Why ever would I-" he was cut short as Jack shoved him into the closet, and spoke through the crack in the door.
"I'm not letting you out until you two sort things through. Oh, and Doc, I'll sit against the door, so your screwdriver won't do anything."
The door shut firmly.
DW
The two companions sat in a immeasurably awkward silence for ten minutes before the Doctor noticed Rose was crying. Instinct took over, and he scrabbled his way through the dimness to pull her into his lap.
"Rose, I'm so sorry. I wanted to keep you safe, and I got carried away."
She glared at him, shoving herself away, to the opposite corner of the closet. "Carried away? Sharpening your acting skills, are we Doctor..."
His jaw dropped. "That's not what I meant! That wasn't acting." Seeing the look on her face, he revised his wording.
"Okay, Kailo was acting. I really do... you know."
"Know what?" Rose looked up slightly, hopefulness in her gaze.
"Well... you know."
"Know what, Doctor?"
"You know what I mean..."
"NO I DON'T," Rose yelled. Outside, Jack cringed. Maybe he should let them out. He changed his mind at the last second, and slumped against the door again. This was for their own good. You could only dance around the elephant in the room for so long before someone knocked over the china cabinet.
"Rose," the Time Lord whined, "does it need saying?"
"Yes. It. Does. I have cried so many times because you'd never feel that way about me. I have always been there for you, even when you ran off with some stupid French girl. I HAVE LOVED YOU FOR SO LONG, and what do I get in return? A bloody idiot who can't ever give me a straight answer." She sunk back into her corner, looking at her shoes to avoid the Doctor's heartbroken expression.
His face crumpled, then morphed into anger. Anger at himself, anger at Rose, and anger at Jack. Anger with all the rules he'd constructed to keep his heart safe.
"I thought it didn't need saying because I was sure that the whole universe could see right through me, no matter what I did. I know I'm going to lose you, and that scares me more than anything else in the Universe. That, I, the Oncoming Storm, is brought to my knees by a human girl. " He crawled over to her, checking for any signs that she wanted to be left alone. None. He sat down next to her, and stared straight into her eyes. Then, he leaned over and whispered three small words in her ear.
DW
Jack was right, to say the least. Also, he found out that Calogor'ian mud baths were unusually fun, and that the Doctor was seriously allergic to skin lotion from Alta Gamma Seven.
And of course, as soon as three days were up, the trio was back to their home, traveling to save the universe again.