Fortunately for Jack the next hour of the meal managed to pass without further incident. He felt himself relaxing as he drank the excellent wine and with that relaxation he easily fell back into being his most charming self. He and the Doctor had chatted away about hundreds of different things. It had been nice. Jack had realized that without Rose around the two of them could relax around each other, no longer competing for her attention. Rose was still a topic that he was curious about and the effects of the alcohol made him keener than ever to find out just exactly what the Doctor thought of her.

"You know Doc, you never did explain what was up with you and Rose."

The Doctor looked at him across the table.

"There is nothing 'up' with Rose and me," he said. "She is my assistant. It has become, well, tradition that the Doctor has an assistant."

"And all the better if the assistant is young, attractive and blonde?"

"It's not like that at all." The Doctor looked down into his plate.

"Oh come on Doc," Jack was really beginning to push now, "every time anyone gets anywhere near 'your' Rose you get all protective."

"I do not!" The Doctor protested indignantly.

Jack laughed. He was suddenly very confident again. "The gentleman doth protest too much."

"No, you're just wrong, that's all."

"Doc, you're rude to anyone who comes near her. Mickey doesn't stand a chance with you and all because he and Rose used to get cozy together. Anywhere we've gone you've done your best to put other men off. And it has been easy to do, I mean, who would compete with a snarling Time Lord?"

"I do not snarl!" The Doctor had raised his voice and people on the tables nearby began to look round.

"You're doing it now!" Jack told him. He hadn't realized that he was going to get quite such a reaction from teasing about Rose. "There's no need to be so upset."

"I'm not upset," The Doctor was still very loud and he nodded his head from side to side to emphasize the word 'upset'. More people were staring at the two of them.

Suddenly the hologram appeared beside them.

"Gentlemen, you are disturbing the other customers," it informed them in a serene voice. "If you cannot calm down I shall ask you to leave."

"Don't worry," the Doctor replied, never taking his eyes off Jack, "I'm going." As he got up Jack stared back into his gaze and it was like locking onto a laser. There was anger and fire and passion in that gaze. Jack almost dropped his eyes but something compelled him to continue looking into a soul that had seen everything; a soul that had saved the world and the universe and sacrificed everything else in the process.

"So much for a romantic dinner," the Doctor scoffed at Jack. Breaking the glance between them he turned to the hologram and said, "He's paying."

The hologram produced a bill from somewhere as Jack watched the purposeful strides of the Doctor disappear out the door.

"Your bill sir," the hologram said.

"God damn it," said Jack.