Title: Mercurial Rhythm
Chapter: Four
Rating: T
Summary: The Doctor, Rose and Jack stop on a planet for little bit of shopping but what starts out as an innocent expedition ends up being a trip full of a lot of interesting conversations…okay, someone else write my summary for me.
Pairings/Spoilers: The Doctor(9)/Rose and takes place just after The Doctor Dances

A/N: Thanks to everyone who's reviewed earlier chapters, I'm glad you liked it. Thanks once again to saganmidreams for the betaing. Sorry this one's a little late, I had meant to post it before work but I completely forgot.

Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

"What's the deal with you and the Doctor anyway," Jack asked casually as they wandered from the chair stalls into a set of shops selling something that looked like black apples.

"He just whisked me away one day from my boring little life and I haven't looked back since."

"Not what I meant," he said without looking at her.

She smiled, biting her lip a bit though still with no idea what she was walking into. The conversation had the taste of playful banter and she always enjoyed that, though she wasn't paying enough attention to the serious, pressing streak in Jack's eyes to realize just how far the banter would take them. "Then what do you mean, Captain Jack?"

He grinned down at her. "Why aren't you two…dancing on a regular basis?"

She looked slightly aghast before turning a deep red and becoming very interested in her own feet. She couldn't believe he'd just asked her that, straight out with no warning; he'd only known her a week.

It had to be the dancing; the actual dancing, not what Jack was talking about. At the time she hadn't realized the rest of the world existed and since then she'd tried not to think about it. But how must it have looked to him? Obviously very, very misleading and unmistakably wrong. Again something inside her gave her a swift kick and told her quite clearly that Jack was a whole lot smarter than her. She liked the Doctor, a lot; she just had to deal with it.

After recovering from the shock wave that rippled through her body at the realization of just how much she felt for the Doctor, she looked back up. For a second, Rose was convinced she'd be able to yell at him and tell him just how wrong he was, but every time her eyes would meet his he'd just give her a knowing look. Eventually she resigned herself to the fact that he was already convinced and denial wouldn't work on him, even if it had worked a treat for her for several months.

Jack watched the flitter of emotions dancing across her face and body. You could always tell a person's bluff from their back: he was fascinated at how she could go from tense to relaxed to sagging so many times in only a minute. He was pulled from his observation when she spoke again.

"That obvious am I?"

He nodded.

"Do you think he knows?"

He shook his head.

"Good."

"Why is that good?" Jack asked.

Rose just looked up at him, still red as a tomato and looking more than a little confused. Everything inside her was in conflict, she felt embarrassed, resentful of Jack pushing her, despair at the hopelessness of it all and yet happy that it was finally out. Not only had she admitted it to herself but also to Jack. Perhaps now she could do something about it, hide it better maybe. "You don't think that him knowing I have a mad crush on him might damage the friendship a little?"

Jack stared back at her, aghast; she wondered if suddenly her nose had fallen off, his expression not making a terrible amount of sense otherwise.

"No." He paused to see her reaction; she seemed incredulous. "I think you'll have the same wonderful friendship but get to sleep with each other as well."

"He's a 900 year old time lord and you think he'd sleep with an old-fashioned, teenage, shop-girl ape?" Moving away from him as her skepticism grew, she placed her hands on her hips and waited for his comeback to that. He was being utterly stupid.

"Yes," Jack spluttered. Was she really that blind? Did she really think that she was so far beneath the Doctor that he couldn't, rather than wouldn't, be interested? How was that even logical? Of all the people through space and time, he'd chosen her to go with him.

He tried to find a way to explain the ridiculousness of her words but couldn't, everything in his head jumbled together until he just blurted, "Do you see him eyeing anything else? Got a girlfriend on board that I haven't met yet?"

"Well, maybe he doesn't need to…" she trailed off; this conversation had quickly become her worst nightmare.

He was angry, and possible a little envious that she could have something so brilliant sitting in front of her and not see it. "Damn, Rose, you really can't see it?" Looking almost as incredulous as she did, he let out a breath, trying to calm himself. This was meant to be easier.

She stared at him a long moment before her eyes focused on something over his shoulder and she let out a sigh of relief. Pushing past him and fleeing into the bookshop, she was happy beyond words to escape the onslaught of difficult questions Jack had been throwing her way.

He wasn't prepared to run in after her but reasoned that if she wasn't out in 30 seconds he could barge in claiming he'd though she was in danger. Standing outside something caught his eye and a self-satisfied smirk planted itself firmly on his face.

Wandering over to the bookshop two down from the one Rose had run into, he took in the metallic designs and silver plated books which were such a stark contrast to the leathery, dusty place Rose was in. One particular volume had caught his eye and he picked it up, turning it over and, with the grin still in place, ran a hand over the smooth, shiny cover. Perfect. His plan was finally in motion and going forwards rather than backwards as Rose seemed intent on forcing it.

He peered over his shoulder, checking to make sure Rose wasn't in sight then pulled out a Borkdill rock from his pocket. The shopkeeper grinned at him broadly, obviously having heard on the grapevine that someone matching Jack's description was trading the precious stones. "How can I help you?"

Jack just continued to grin manically, all the possibilities skipping through his brain. He silently held up the book and placed the stone in the hand on the salesman. Before offers of other books could even be made, Jack said, "Nice doing business," and slipped back out into the street. On the way over to the front of the shop Rose was in, he discretely slipped his purchase into the bag of metal scrap he'd managed to buy, disguising it perfectly and ensuring that Rose wouldn't accidentally come across it.

Rose emerged a minute later, startling Jack who had once again been off with the fairies as he contemplated his latest purchase. She was smiling and blatantly making it clear that their previous conversation was now over.

"Back to Othelius, then?" Jack questioned through his grin.

Rose nodded and Jack, unable to not be overly gallant and gentlemanly when in such a good mood, offered his arm through which she threaded her own. He even managed to take several of her bags from her, pulling everything into his hand and holding them above the ground by hanging them over his shoulder. She smiled, not complaining in the slightest, and enjoyed the companionable silence that encompassed them until they could see the green alien in the distance.

He was no longer hunched over the table and immediately caught Rose's gaze, waving to her excitedly. She grinned and rushed towards him, eager to see what he had made. Dragging Jack along by their linked arms she expertly threaded her way through the crowds, trying to catch a glimpse of her new necklace as she got closer and closer.

"Get the book?" Othelius asked.

"Yep. You're all finished?"

Othelius's excitement was contagious and her words bubbled over with anticipation.

He nodded but made no move to show her the creation. Pulling the book out, she smiled as he beamed at her and the text; it was wrapped in a flimsy kind of green leafy paper and tied up with string. Taking it from her, he quickly undid it, running his hand over the cover lovingly. "It's a classic with my race, a first edition too. It's my son's tenth birthday today and this is to be his gift. Thank you so much for picking it up for me. I was lucky, it's hard to find and I'm actually rather surprised it wasn't sold by the time you got there. I'm a bit slow, old legs. Really only good for sitting around so I definitely would not have made it." He was babbling in excitement over the book but finally paused, the gratitude showing on his face. "Thank you."

"No problem. I still don't feel like we're even though."

He laughed. "But you haven't even seen my work."

She interrupted him. "I'm sure it's lovely. Here, to make us square, would you like some of these?" she rummaged through her packages and then through several of the ones Jack had, not even noticing as he pulled one bag in particular out of her reach. Eventually, she pulled out a little bag of spiky and uninviting fruit, yet another extra they'd picked up; she'd tried one and it had been far too bitter.

Eyes lighting up, Othelius smiled and carefully took one from the bag. "Thank you."

Rose quickly passed him the entire bag, giving a big grin and asking, "Can I see it then?"

He chuckled quietly and turned to Jack, "I take it you're her…brother?"

Jack raised an eyebrow, slightly insulted. "Yeah, close enough."

"You have a wonderful sister and I think I may have done her justice." Jack just looked unimpressed. To Rose he said, "Close you eyes."

Othelius was apprehensive, never before had he been given the opportunity to work with a Borkdill stone and such a unique person. From what little he had seen of Rose, he was fascinated. Apart from the combination of blond hair with such fine light skin, which he rarely saw in the Luciana system, she was bubbly, full of life; she was the perfect counterbalance for a Borkdill if he said so himself. He hoped he'd done it right.

She did as she was told and felt two cold hands on her shoulders turning her around and then something scrape against her neck and fingers near the nape as he secured the clasp. She heard Jack's intake of breath, though she couldn't be sure he wasn't just playing around, and heard the jeweler bustle around in front of her. "Open your eyes."

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