This is dedicated to those amazing and splendiferously fantastic people on Time and Chips. A constant source of support and comments g along with wonderful fics and a very friendly attitude. These guys are helping me write this faster!
Anyone reading my other stories may be miffed to hear that I'm gonna concentrate on this until I finish it now. I've got it all planned, and I just want something finished. Sorry!

Chapter 6

When she next awoke, it was because the room was far too hot, and she struggled lethargically against the hot covers.

"Oi, who turned the heating up?"

"The Doctor. Apparently there was something wrong with your 'homeostatic system'." Jack said, inserting air quotation marks with his hands.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jack shrugged.

"You were too cold."

"Ah, so that's why you're wearing shorts and a t-shirt." Rose said. Jack looked offended.

"Hey, I happen to think I look very sexy in this outfit!" Rose rolled her eyes at him, and pulled herself out of bed, her skin feeling hot underneath her rumpled clothes.

"Sexy or not, I want my heating fixed – I'm not gonna sleep in this every night. Anythin' you can do?"

"Sorry Rosie, that's not my forte. I'm into the 'looking cute and taking care of the sleeping beauty', not TARDIS mechanics." He grinned, and she smiled back despite herself.

"Oh you." She replied, heading for the bathroom. "Well this sleeping beauty ain't asleep no more, so you can go and amuse yourself somewhere else while I have a shower."

"I'm upset you don't want me to stay." Jack replied in a mock-hurt tone of voice. "But if that's the way you want it to be, then I must resign myself to the fact that I am not the man who has captured your heart." And with a flourish, he left, leaving Rose to chuckle to herself. Really, that man could be so overdramatic sometimes.

"So, where is he?" Rose said, walking into the living room, towelling her hair dry. Jack looked up from the TV, and gave a wry grin in response.

"The lab, where else?" he said, then hesitated. "Look Rose, I don't know if your going there is a good idea at the moment. He's really beating himself up about all this." Rose shot him a small, determined smile, hanging the damp towel over a radiator.

"Precisely why I'm gonna see him. See you later." Rose left the control room, and strode purposefully to the lab.

"Doctor?" Rose called, trying to spot the elusive Timelord amongst the piles of paper and gadgets that were strung all over the TARDIS laboratory.

"Rose?" his answer came as he surfaced, his tired expression tight. "You should be resting."

"So should you." She replied bluntly, crossing her arms and leaning casually against the doorway.

"I'm fine." he parroted, covering his face by frowning at a piece of paper.

"No, you're not."

"I'm fine." He repeated through gritted teeth, eyes narrowing as if he could will the paper to catch fire. "I don't know what Jack's been telling you this time-"

"Jack said nothing – he didn't need to say anything! I could tell before he needed to tell me that you haven't slept for at least two weeks!"

"Gallifreyans have a different physiology to-" the Doctor started vaguely, but Rose interrupted, her brown eyes alight.

"We're not thick, we researched that. One week without sleep, absolute maximum."

"I've had rest!" the Doctor explained, abandoning his pretence of research to throw the paper onto the desk.

"Only because Jack carried you to bed!" she exploded, moving into the room. "Doctor, face it, we're worried about you! You may not be human, but you're not bloody invincible! We're worried about you, I'm worried about you. And," she swallowed against the panic and sadness that had been forcing its way up her throat since she had woken, "with, with everything that's going on, I need you to be steady. Please."

The Doctor crossed from his position to stand in front of her as she sniffed unsuccessfully.

"I just can't stand losing you Rose." He said in a lost voice that caused the first tear to spill over onto her cheek. "I need to stop this."

"But I need you safe," she replied, meeting his gaze with hers. "I don't want to lose you."

"You won't lose me Rose." He said softly, folding his arms around her. "You won't lose me."

Rose rested her head on his jumper-covered chest, feeling safe in a way she had never before. Part of her felt strange, vulnerable in front of him – a man who seemed to be able to shut his emotions away until they couldn't be seen, but she ignored this, and relished the comfort of his embrace, made all the more personal by the soft light fabric in place of the usual thick battered jacket.

Then she pulled back, and smiled slightly at him.

"You're still gonna get some rest though." She said firmly, watching the reluctant acceptance cross his face.

"OK, OK," he replied, holding his hands up in a peaceful gesture.

"Now." She added. The Doctor rolled his eyes, and Rose grinned relentlessly back. He quickly moved away to shuffle his papers into order, and turned off the computer console. He lifted the infamous jacket off of a chair where it had been discarded earlier, and stood expectantly in front of her. Still grinning, she stood aside and let him out. Then, with the air of a mother hen, she shooed him along the corridors, pausing to catch Jack's grin and wink as she passed the American.

The Doctor stopped when she had walked him all the way into his rather Spartan bedroom, and folded his arms resolutely.

"Out." he said, but Rose just smirked and turned her back. Rolling his eyes again and resolving that even if he threw her out bodily she would still win, he grabbed some long sleeved pyjamas from a drawer and quickly changed in the ensuite bathroom.

Rose turned when she heard him come out, and had to forcibly restrain herself from gawping at his lean frame, lightly clothed in pale blue, his feet uncommonly bare. Without even thinking about it, her eyes glanced up and down, before flushing slightly. Luckily for her, the Doctor hadn't appeared to notice, now being too tired to notice much. He pulled back the covers and climbed into bed, unwillingly admitting to himself that his human companions were right for once.

Rose moved forwards and in a teasingly condescending manner, tucked him in gently. Responding to his thoughts, the lights dimmed, and she smiled as he noticeably relaxed.

"Good night Doctor." She whispered, stopping herself from bending down to kiss his now smooth forehead. She walked to the door, just catching his mumbled reply before she shut the door.

"Night Rose."

"Jack?" The soldier looked up as Rose walked in, clad in a light t-shirt and some soft flannels he was sure belonged to the Doctor. She looked tired, as usual now, and he felt his chest constrict slightly. He could now understand the Doctor's concern; after all, Rose was always the one to get into trouble, but somehow, between them, she wriggled her way out every time. Except now.

"You alright? Something up?" he asked quickly, hiding his copies of the Doctor's notes under some magazines on the living room table.

"Nah, I'm alright." She quickly reassured him, knowing he would jump to erroneous conclusions faster than you could say Raxa-whatever it was. "I was just finishing putting him to bed and was wondering where you were."

"I'm getting plenty of sleep, I can assure you," he said quickly, holding his hands up defensively and feeling triumphant as she laughed.

"Good thing we're in the vortex or I'm sure your libido would be stopping that." He just winked in return, and she sat opposite him, curling up on the sofa.

"Something bothering you?" he said lightly, putting his feet up right on top of the magazines he was trying to hide.

"Well, I dunno." She flushed slightly, and fiddled with her hands. Jack knew with an amused sense of foreboding that something big was coming up, and he was practically sure he knew exactly what it was. Sure enough, much erring, silences and promises to allow her to do certain things to his genitalia and general health later…

"I love him. I do." Jack sighed to himself and grinned. Unfortunately, she caught this, and narrowed her eyes at him.

"You think this is a joke."

"No!" Jack threw himself forward to apologise. "No, nothing like that. I believe you, I really do."

"Then…?" She was confused.

"Well, isn't it obvious? I've known since I saw you guys. Such a cute couple, I remember remarking."

"We weren't dancing!" Rose retorted, flushing hotly, remembering the instance. He smirked.

"It certainly didn't look like talking. And you were hardly sambaing."

"You're hopeless!" Rose said, standing. Jack copied the movement, and managed to look slightly apologetic.

"Sorry. It's just true." Rose smiled wryly.

"Must be obvious to an omnisexual like you."

"I'm hurt." He said unrepentantly, and then frowned. "You've been learning new words from the Doc. Omnisexual… it has a certain ring, doesn't it?"

"I do believe we were here to talk about my non-existent love life, not your reproductive habits."

"OK then," Jack said easily, flopping back down. "You fancy him, he fancies you, where's the problem?"

"He doesn't fancy me." Rose muttered, flopping down herself.

"He so does!" Jack replied, unsure as to where the conversation was going.

"He doesn't!" Rose insisted. "How can he fancy a stupid ape like me?"

"Who called you that?" Jack said quickly, unwittingly flexing his muscles at the thought of someone insulting his Rosie as he joined her on the sofa.

"He did." She replied in a small voice, leaning against him. "Said he'd 'picked up another stupid ape'."

"When?" he replied sharply, and listened intently as she hastily explained the events when they travelled back to the 1980's.

"But I am. I'm just a stupid ape who worked in a department store folding clothes, and now he's all worried and stuff because I've managed to get into even more trouble." She ended slightly tearfully. Jack folded his arms around her and placed his chin on her shoulder, trying to force his words into her head.

"He was angry and hurt because he thought you didn't care and he let that get to him. And so you worked in a department store. So what? That doesn't affect who you are. All those famous people, Charles Dickens started off as a clerk in some office. I bet you if he hadn't seen something real special in you, the Doc would never have chosen you. And this is not your fault," he added, "If it's anyone's fault, it's mine for opening the damn thing, and that is not open to discussion."

Rose smiled slightly, sniffing.

"What is it with you guys and Dickens? I can't stand him. Well, he was OK, his work's naff."

"Uneducated."

"Omnisexual."

"You say that like it's an insult!" Jack retorted, eyes glinting with mischief. Rose rolled her eyes, leaning back against his shoulder. She sighed, and smiled as he continued to chatter, quite happy to take over the role of big brother again.