Chapter Thirty -
"The only reason you are here is because I cannot have you dying before you can save my Rose in her past." The Doctor explained to Jack who blinked in shock. "That, and you did help us back there. So for that, I am giving you exactly three trips. That is the amount of times you have saved my Rose."
"Okay, so I have some questions and one statement." Jack told them.
"That is only to be expected." The Doctor said.
"First: you mentioned that I saved Rose in her past, yet this is the first time I am ever meeting her. How is that possible?" Jack asked and the Doctor narrowed his eyes at Jack in thought.
"How long did you say you were with the Time Agency?" The Doctor asked.
"I didn't." Jack told him and the Doctor nodded.
"In all your years of working with the Time Agency you've never met a person that seemed to know you yet the next time you meet them they don't seem to remember you?" Rose asked as she lent against the railing.
"While working with the Time Agency you rarely met the same person that didn't work for the Agency twice, it was easier to keep a paradox from happening that way. The few times that happened it was always linear to their Time Line." Jack explained.
"Well, here on the TARDIS that doesn't happen. Sometimes the first time you meet a person isn't always the first time they've met you. Take me for example. The first time I actually met you was when I was sixteen and you saved me from dying at the hands of a bad mistake I made." Rose explained to him.
"And you are sure it was me?" Jack asked. "Not that I would save you, or anyone, that needed help, I just don't want to take the credit for something if I didn't do it." Rose smiled at him.
"Yes, I'm positive it was you." Rose told him. It was silent for a minute as Rose watched Jack and the Doctor take in each other, sizing the other up.
"What are your other questions and this statement?" The Doctor asked.
"Where is our first destination?" Jack asked.
"Undecided." The Doctor told him.
"Where is my room?" Jack asked.
"We'll show you to your room once we're done here." Rose told Jack knowing that the TARDIS would need a little more time to finish his room.
"That is all for my questions." Jack said.
"And your statement?" The Doctor asked.
"I just wanted to inform you that the outside of your ship is smaller that the inside." Jack told him with a smirk. The Doctor was expressionless for a minute as he read Jack before he smirked as well.
"Thank you, I hadn't noticed that." The Doctor joked.
"Just trying to be helpful to a fellow freelancer." Jack told him causing Rose to giggle.
"Before we show you to your room, there is one rule that you are yo know before you officially start traveling with us. If you purposefully do anything to put Rose in danger, you are giving me totally rights to throw you out of an airlock." With that said, the Doctor turned and began to walk towards the hallway that held their room. "The TARDIS has placed your room through here."
"The TARDIS?" Jack asked as both him and Rose began to follow the Doctor.
"That's her name." Rose explained as she placed her hand on the wall as they walked. "It stands for Time and Relative Dimension In Space, and she is alive." She saw Jack blink a few times before nodding.
"I've seen a lot stranger things during what I remember of my time with the Agency." Jack told her, accepting the explanation.
"She also gets inside your head." The Doctor told them as he stopped just outside their room. "She translates any language, written or spoken, so that you can understand them."
"What about that language," Jack nodded to the circle language that was on hers and the Doctor's bedroom door. The Doctor glanced at it for a long moment and Rose began to wonder if he would answer Jack.
"That is the language of my people, that is the only language she won't translate." The Doctor told him. "This is mine and Rose's room." He continued on without giving Jack time to question why the TARDIS didn't translate his language. "It seems the TARDIS has taken quite a liking to you, because your room is across the hall from us." He nodded towards the beautiful oak door across from their door that had Jack's name on it in brass with the circle language under his name in gold.
No one moved and the Doctor motioned for Jack to open the door. Jack made his way to the door and slowly, almost cautiously, opened the door. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped as he caught sight of his room. Rose peeked around his shoulder and saw that it was the exact same room as last time. The walls were made to look like trees in the woods surrounding a clearing, the floor was made to look like grass (and was softer than silk, if she was remembering correctly), the ceiling was made to look like a clear blue sky with a few white clouds floating across it (Rose knew that at night it would hold the night sky with the constellations that Jack grew up looking at). In the middle of the room was a single bed that was big enough to fit all three of them comfortably.
"This is the clearing I used to play in with my brothers." Jack whispered in awe. "How?"
"I told you, she gets into your mind. And I did tell you the TARDIS had taken quite a liking to you. She wants you to feel comfortable here, so she took the one memory that comforted you the most and recreated it into your room as best as she could." The Doctor explained before walking into the room and looking around. "You'll find the doors to your closet and en suite hidden somewhere in the trunks of the trees. I'm sure if you ask her nicely, the TARDIS will show you where they are."
"Oh TARDIS, you beautiful goddess of a ship, would kindly show me where my closet and en suite are?" Jack asked within seconds there were two clicking sounds before the trunks of two trees on the other side of the clearing swung open.
"Jack, I know Rose told you my ship was alive, but please do try to keep from trying to sleep with her." The Doctor told him causing Rose and Jack to laugh. Rose's laugh quickly turned into a yawn as she realized how tired she actually was. Both Jack and the Doctor took notice of that.
"Right, I do believe I am quite tired from all the excitement and near death experience I just had." Jack said making shooing motions with his hands. "That, and I want to take a nice roll in my bed that I'm sure the lovely and sexy TARDIS had warmed quite nicely for me." Rose heard the TARDIS giggle in her mind causing her to giggle.
"Good night, Jack, we'll see you in the morning for breakfast where we'll discuss where you're first trip will be." Rose said giving Jack a hug and a kiss on the cheek before taking the suddenly glaring Doctor by the hand and exited the room to quickly make it to their room. Rose gave a squeak of shock when she was suddenly swept off her feet by the Doctor and lightly tossed onto the bed. She bounced a few times before coming to a rest flat on her back. She rose up on her arms to look at a very smug looking Doctor. "What was that for?"
"I just wanted to see something that only I'll ever get to see." The Doctor told her as he slowly crawled over her.
"And what is that?" Rose asked flirtatiously.
"The way you look just seconds before I devoured you." He playfully growled at her before kissing her passionately. Rose quickly responded, wrapping her arms around his neck and her left leg around his. "I don't really like him being on the TARDIS." The Doctor told her against her lips. "But, seeing as how both you and my TARDIS seem to want him here, I will allow him to travel with us."
"What are you saying?" Rose asked as the Doctor sighed and rested his forehead on her shoulder.
"These next three trips are to be a trial run, I guess you can say. If he doesn't do anything to put either of us in real danger by the end of them, then he'll be allowed to stay however long he wishes." The Doctor told her and Rose pulled the Doctor into a kiss.
"I love you." She told him before kissing him once more, allowing all of her love for him to fuel the kiss. The Doctor moaned as his hands took her face into his hands lovingly as they began to kiss slowly and languidly for a few minutes before the Doctor pulled from the kiss.
"Rest, you've had an exciting day today. And I feel that tomorrow may be even more exciting." He told her with a soft kiss on her nose.
"What about you?" Rose asked.
"I'll be right here, beside you, holding you in my arms all night." He promised her as he rolled them so that he was under her with head resting on his chest in between his hearts. Rose sighed and snuggled up to him, allowing his double heart beats to lure her to a peaceful sleep.
~Replay~
"How about the planet of Persephassa?" Jack suggested before taking a bite of his omelet that Rose had made for him. They were discussing where they should take Jack on his first trip out. The Doctor had suggested they go somewhere relaxing like Women Wept.
"The sex planet?" The Doctor asked causing Rose to nearly choke on her omelet.
"Jack! Why would you want to go there on your first trip with us?" Rose asked once her coughing fit had stopped.
"It's not a sex planet, but it does have a section designated for, what you would call, a 'red light district' called Eros's play ground." Jack explained to her. "And I'm not talking about going there, at least not yet." He told her with a wink causing Rose to role her eyes. "No, I'm suggesting the more 'refined' section. It has many different message parlors, luxury private pools, and even the best fine dinning you could ask for. And not to mention the many different floating gardens it holds are what it's mainly famous for."
"That sounds really lovely!" Rose said. The Doctor looked between the two of them for a minute before taking a slow bite of his omelet.
"Oh, it is. I've been there a few times before while I was with the Agency. Though, since it was for work I didn't really get to see much of that section." Jack told her.
"I guess it wouldn't hurt to go. I've been meaning to take Rose on a relaxing spa day." The Doctor said and Rose squealed before leaning over and pulling him into a hug and kiss.
"I'm gonna go get ready!" Rose told him as she shot from her seat and ran from the kitchen as Jack and the Doctor's laughter followed her. She ignored them, it had been years since she last had a proper spa day, one where she had other people messaging her as she got a facial and soaked in mineral water. And with their life style, Rose didn't know when the next opportunity for a real spa day would pop up again, so she was going to enjoy it while she could.
Rose quickly ran into her's and the Doctor's bedroom and straight into the en suite where she showered and shaved. She wasn't going to be one of those girls that went to a spa unclean with hairy legs. Not that girls had to shave if they didn't want to, that just wasn't her. That, and entering a spa unclean just felt rude.
By the time Rose was finished with her shower and getting dressed in a beautiful summer dress that started in a light blue almost white at the top and faded to a dark blue at the bottom and had two silver straps that crisscrossed her midsection. She quickly slipped on the roman style sandals that the TARDIS had sitting out next to the dress before grabbing the small travel sized suitcase the TARDIS had packed for her. After a quickly look in the mirror, Rose left the room and made her way into the console room.
"I've made us a two night, three day reservation at the best hotel and spa this planet has to offer." The Doctor explained when she entered the room. Rose sat her suitcase on the captain's chair before leaning up against the console next to the Doctor.
"You going to actually enjoy this trip with me?" Rose asked and the Doctor pointed to the small bag at his feet.
"Thought I might enjoy a dip in our private pool and hot tub with you." The Doctor told her and Rose smile before lifting up on her toes to kiss him.
"All right, kids, save it for tonight." Jack joked as he made his way with a travel bag slung over his shoulder.
"I've booked us two separate rooms." The Doctor announced as he began to put in the coordinates for the planet Persephassa at the date he had set their reservation for.
"Wow, you all ready trust me to share a room with Rose?" Jack asked jokingly.
"You're not sharing a room with Rose!" The Doctor growled out, falling for the bait.
"Oh, I see." Jack said winking at Rose who was hiding her laughter behind her hands. "But don't you think Rose would get awfully lonely all by herself?"
"I can easily change the reservation for just me and Rose if you like?" The Doctor threatened.
"Do you really trust that I won't try and sleep with this sexy ship of yours if you leave me alone with her for longer than five minute?" Jack asked there was a pause before the Doctor responded.
"The second room is for you. Do with it how ever you want, invite a guest, don't use it and go to Eros's Playground, I don't care just as long as you're not on my ship without adult supervision." The Doctor told him causing Rose and Jack to bust out laughing as they landed. The Doctor bent to pick up his bag as Rose grabbed her suitcase before he took her hand in his and lead them out of the TARDIS. "Shut the door behind you, Jack, don't want to come back to unwanted guests."
"Got it." Jack said as he followed them out, closing the door behind them. Rose looked around them with a gasp. The area they had landed in was gorgeous. The sky above them was a beautiful deep orange looking as if it were on fire. There was a purple sun shining high above them.
"How is the sun purple?" Rose asked.
"It's not." The Doctor told her. "You see the color of the sky?" Rose nodded. "As the sun's rays passes through the atmosphere, the gasses cause the sun to appear purple and the sky to take on that fiery orange look, however, if I were to take you above the atmosphere and show you the sun, it would look like your sun."
"The sun and sky is what gave the planet it's name: Persephassa. This planet was named after the ancient Grease legend of Hades and his beautiful wife Persephone. The purple sun and fiery sky is Hades watching and protecting Persephone while the planet itself is his wife the Goddess of the Underworld and Springtime and Nature." Jack explained.
"Beautiful." Rose whispered as she continued to look around as she allowed the Doctor escort her into the tallest building in front of them. Though the buildings were made of mostly glass and metal, she could see the love for nature with all the flowers, trees, springs, and vines that were allowed to climb up the buildings. Rose blinked when the second they entered the building the Doctor paused and tensed up. She looked at him and saw him staring at something with wide eyes, she turned to find a young man that looked no older than her staring at them with wide, scared eyes.
"Doctor? What wrong?" Jack asked but the Doctor seemed frozen. Rose looked at the young man, knowing that who ever he was had caused this reaction from the Doctor. Was he an old traveling companion like Sarah Jane Smith? But, even back then the Doctor never reacted like this to seeing Sarah Jane Smith. But then again, they had been on Earth at the time and it was more likely to stumble upon an old companion on Earth than on a planet millions of light years away from Earth and millions of years passed the time they should be alive.
"What are you doing here?" The young man asked the same time the Doctor asked: "Who are you?"
"You can't be here! Why didn't you ever tell me you came here?" The young man asked.
"It's too late to shield your mind! I've already felt you!" The Doctor hissed out.
"Damn it, I knew I should have taken mum's warning more seriously!" The young man growled at himself glaring at the ground deep in thought before looking back up at them a few seconds later. "It's too late now, you've all ready landed, you're apart of history now." The young man walked up to them before holding out his hand for the Doctor to shake. "My name is Ace Tyler, and I am from your future. Don't ask me anything else because you know I'm not allowed to tell you. Those are the rules you've engraved into me at a young age for if I were ever to encounter you in the past and didn't have my mind shielded properly."
Rose's eyes widened as she got a better look at the young man, he looked like the perfect combination of both her next Doctor and the future Doctor she had met on platform one but with this Doctor's steel-blue eyes. His hair was a strawberry blond and in the style of the future Doctor's hair, only more messed up as if he constantly ran his fingers through it. Was he another glimpse of the future her and the Doctor could have.
"Why are you here?" The Doctor asked as he took the young man's hand to shake it.
"A companion of mine has been having a hard time recently. I've tried contacting you and," the young man's eyes flashed over to Rose for a split second, "mum are unable to drop by to help, so mum suggested we come here for a few days." His words faded off as his eyes widened. "You... She knew! Mum knew y'all would be here!" Rose blinked at the use of the word 'y'all' she had only really heard it from Jack and only during dire emergencies when he slipped into his 'unsophisticated talk' as Jack called it.
Rose opened her mouth to saw something when a small body collided with hers from behind, as arms wrapped around her midsection, knocking her to the ground. "Mama Rose is here! Lala knew you would come! Mama Rose always comes when Lala needs her!" A young girl cried as Rose felt someone nuzzle into the back of her neck.
"'Mama Rose'?" Rose repeated in shock. What was going on? Who was this young man? Who was this young girl? Why was this young girl calling her Mama Rose? Ever since that night Jack rescued her from Jimmy she hasn't been able to have kids. Her womb was damaged too much that night.