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Chapter 60 - Running with Shakes and Jack

Rose woke up and was surprised to still be laying in the arms of the sleeping Doctor. She raised up and kissed his cheek. He mumbled something in the strange language he used so often, but said Rose in the middle of his words.

"You sleep, sweetheart. You've needed to sleep for days." she whispered to him. She could feel he was comfortable and relaxed. She kissed his forehead and got up.

She dressed in her running clothes. As she walked back through the bedroom, the Doctor spoke to her.

"Sweetheart. Come here a bit." he asked her quietly.

She smiled and sat next to him on the bed. She ran her fingers through his hair causing him to smile. He still hadn't opened his eyes.

"What is it? I've never felt you so relaxed." she told him.

He continued to smile with his eyes closed. "I've never been so comfortable. I could lay here all day. Where are you going so early?"

"I thought I would go try out that new treadmill. Everyone is still asleep."

"Go find Shakes and see if he wants to run with you. There's a work-out room someplace. Jackie came back last night and she's asleep. If she sees you on the treadmill, she's going to be cross. She still thinks you are supposed to be taking it easy from your heart surgery. Let's not get her upset."

Rose groaned, "Ugh. How much longer do I have to keep up this act?"

He opened his eyes, "Well, you could always tell her the truth."

Rose shook her head. "Nope! I'll find Shakes! Don't want to deal with that!"

He laughed. "I don't blame you. That's the reason I mentioned it."

She continued to run her hand through his hair.

He closed his eyes and smiled again. "Oh, I love that."

Rose giggled at him. "You stay here and sleep. You've needed to sleep for days."

He kept his eyes closed. "Oh, I don't want to move. I'm so relaxed. I need to get up and do a million things-"

Rose rubbed his chest and leaned down to kiss him. "I tell you what. If you stay here and sleep, I promise that I'll kiss you to wake you up when I get back."

He smiled like a loon. "Oh, that sounds great! A good, proper snog, though."

Rose leaned down and kissed him. "With your favorite lip gloss. Morning breath and all."

He laughed, "Morning breath. I don't have morning breath. I'm a Time Lord!"

Rose looked surprised. "You're right! I've never thought about that. How does that work?"

He looked up at her. "It's complicated. I'm just grateful it does. That had to be the worst part of being human. Ugh! How do you deal with that?"

She pointed at him. "Watch it, Old Man."

He laughed, "Old Man is going back to sleep for a few more minutes to await a lovely wake-up call." He pointed at her, "You go enjoy your run, but make sure you take someone with you. Don't go on your own. No wandering off. I'm serious."

She smiled. "I wouldn't dare! Not after what happened to Dad."

He looked at her and she could feel how determined he was. "I'm very serious, Rose."

Rose went back to running her hand through his hair. She felt him begin to relax again. "I promise I'll take someone with me. I have a question for you, though."

He closed his eyes as he held her hand. He raised her hand to his mouth and kissed it. "What's your question?"

"What did you do to your arm? Your burn is gone. Have you made a burn machine I'm unaware of?" Rose teased him.

He pointed at her as he kept his eyes closed. "That... is a splendid idea. I'll make that and name it after you. No, I honestly don't know. I realized last night at the bar that it hadn't hurt all day. I unwrapped it to find it was healed. Very strange."

"You didn't do anything to it? I remember you complaining about your broken hand and how you would just do something with your regeneration energy to heal yourself." Rose reminded him.

"No, I didn't do that. I thought about it, but had been so busy I hadn't gotten around to it. It's not something I want anyone see me do... well... but you. You know how that stuff is." he told her as he held her hand.

"Yeah. I get that. So, you are just...healed?"

"Yeah." he replied with a sigh. "I'm sure it's something to do with Bad Wolf and you. "

Rose said, "Oh, I don't want to talk about that."

"You don't want to talk about it. I don't want to talk about it. It's a wonder we ever find anything to talk about." he laughed.

Rose laughed. "Indeed!" She leaned down and kissed him. "I'm going to go run. Lay here and rest some more, and I'll come back and kiss you to wake you up when I'm done."

He smiled. "I can do that. Rose might have found a way to make me sleep!"

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Rose walked out into the sitting room and called for a Quauhtin. Sam popped his head in and she asked if anyone would like to join her for a run. Rose stepped into the hall as Shakes agreed and went to his room to change. Jack walked out into the hallway and rubbed his face. As soon as he saw Rose, he smiled.

"Well, good morning there, beautiful lady!" he smiled. He looked her up and down. "Nice outfit!"

She laughed and pointed at him. "Watch it! He would be proper cross. You know how he is."

Jack laughed and put his hands on his hips. "Yeah, Rose Tyler is off the market. I'm living in the Twilight Zone. Where are you off to?"

"Shakes and I are going for a run. Want to join us?" Rose asked.

Jack smiled. "I'd love to!" He rushed back into his room and changed into short and trainers.

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All three of them got treadmills next to one another in the workout room on the building's third story. It was extremely nice. Tellys were all over the walls with state of the art equipment. A man walked around and gave them water bottles and towel when he noticed they needed them.

Rose was between Shakes and Jack.

Jack spoke. "I haven't ran in several days. I miss it."

Rose smiled, "Yeah, I've not either. We've been so busy. We have a treadmill upstairs, but the Doctor wanted me to come down here instead. My mum still thinks I'm recovering."

Jack looked confused. "From what?"

Rose looked serious, "Some stuff. I'd rather not talk about it."

Jack nodded his head. "I'd rather not talk about it. You sound like the Doc'!"

Rose looked at him and smiled. "Thanks."

Jack asked, "So, I imagine these rotten children don't know anything about the Doctor? Who he really is? Who these Quauhtin really are?"

Rose smiled, "They have no idea. We can't tell them, of course. They are only four years old. He's worried it will scare them."

Jack nodded. "I'd have to agree."

Rose continued to run, "Tell me, you and him seemed to have so many more adventures than the three of us had. What am I missing?"

Jack laughed, "You slept through a lot of our adventures. He never sleeps. Well, at least as much as I knew. He would fall asleep if you got him still for about an hour or so a day. I think he needs a lot more sleep than that, but he just won't do it."

Rose agreed. "Tell me, do you know what's the deal with his teeth?"

Jack laughed, "His what? This teeth?"

Rose smiled, "Yeah. I was teasing him about morning breath this morning and he told me he didn't have it. I have no idea why."

Jack laughed, "Yeah, he doesn't! You didn't know that? He doesn't even need to brush his teeth. Makes me sick. He told me that once when I was complaining about not having toothpaste on the TARDIS."

Rose laughed in surprise. "What in the world? I've seen him brush his teeth. A lot! Even then?"

Jack laughed, "Yeah, I asked him that too. He said he liked the taste of the mint. His favorite was Venetian Spearmint. He used to carry those around in his pockets. Crazy, I'm telling you!"

Rose laughed, "Oh, yes. He loves mint. That doesn't surprise me. Not at all now."

Jack laughed. "How drunk was he last night? We had him playing a drinking game with a friend of yours."

Shakes laughed. "Oh, it was great! Very entertaining!"

Rose shook her head and laughed. "I really don't even want to know. He was trashed. And I know if you were involved, it turned into trying to get our sex life secrets out of him."

Jack looked surprised, "Me? Would I do that?"

Rose shook her head. "Oh, don't even try. I know you too well. And I don't even want to know what he said."

Jack nodded. "Fair enough. I'll just say, he's a lucky man. Wow!"

"Really! Don't want to know!" Rose demanded.

Shakes was laughing.

Jack laughed and continued to run. "Don't worry, Rose. You know how he is. He didn't tell us anything. He's very private about everything. Especially stuff like that."

Shakes nodded. "It's true."

Rose relaxed. "Well, that's very true. You know, he did something last night that was just amazing."

Jack looked surprised at her. "Are you going to start talking about your sex life with us? The hell! He wouldn't like that, Rose!"

Rose laughed, "No! Idiot! He lit candles just by whistling really low. I've never seen anything like it."

Jack laughed, "Oh yes! I bet he can do that. Oh, he sucks. That would be brilliant."

Shakes looked surprised, "Like the people of Shaula?"

They all continued to run. Jack nodded his head and smiled. "The very same. That is such a neat trick! Damn. I didn't know he could do that! Makes sense though. He can speak all of those languages. From the way I understand it, it's a pitch he has to hit to make it work. Isn't that right, Shakes?"

Shakes nodded, "Yes, that's what I've always been told. I've never even seen it done."

Jack pointed out, "But I know of something he can't do. And I thought it was hilarious when I found out."

Rose looked surprised, "Dare I ask?"

Jack laughed, "You know how you take helium and suck it in? It changes your voice to be very squeaky? His won't do that."

Rose laughed, "It won't? Why?"

Jack shrugged his shoulders. "I have no idea. We should try to get him to do it. I bet this version of him doesn't even know it. It was an older version of him that I got to try it. Ha!"

Rose laughed, "You met an older version of him?"

Jack shook his head. "Several different times. It's giving me a problem now, because I want in on this bet you have going on. Jake told me all about that. I think I know how we can get that out of him. You can get us the information we need!"

Rose laughed, "Believe me. I've tried. I've not given up, but he's not going to tell us."

Jack smiled. "Oh, he might. Keep at him. I've told Jake my number and my bet!"

Rose spoke. "You don't even have any money! Or identification! I just thought of that. We need to -"

"Already taken care of, Rose! Jake and I went to Torchwood last night and did all of that. There's no record of it, though. Jake's a handy guy! I'm officially here now."

Rose was surprised. "Wow! In the middle of the night? How did Jake...?"

"He knew how to work all of the equipment. He said he would rather do it that way so we didn't have to deal with someone named Thomas. He said that he was a pain in the ass."

Rose laughed, "Oh, hell yeah he is! The only person I've ever seen the Doctor punch out!"

Jack nearly fell off the treadmill. "My God! Really? Okay, I need a break."

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