Season Four: "Partners in Crime"
Rose sighed happily, waiting outside the building. The Doctor would arrive any moment, and she'd been waiting for this for a long time. Her schooling was finally over. She'd spent ten long years studying in the Library, getting her degrees in xenoethnology and interplanetary psychology. She'd never thought that a girl who never got her A levels would ever become a woman who was fifth in her class in a whole different galaxy with two degrees.
"Goodbye, Aunt Rose," another woman said, bounding toward her to give her a tight hug. "Thank you for everything."
"Oh, don't mention it, it was wonderful to get to know you like this," she said in return, reaching up to brush the woman's hair out of her face. "We're going to be all right. It's all going to work out. We have to straighten out eventually."
The woman laughed, tears gathering in her eyes. "I know you're right, but it's so hard knowing all that is going to be out there. Not to mention what I told you about the… well, you know, and my… and he doesn't even…"
"Hush," Rose soothed her. "You love him, don't you?" The woman nodded. "You'd do anything for them?" Another nod. "Then you're going to have to trust me and be patient. But, as much as I love you, you're going to have to scoot. The Doctor will be here soon, and we both know how that would end."
Another hug and she was off, Rose waving at her as a voice behind her suddenly asked, "Who was that?"
She turned and threw herself into her husband's arms. "Hello, Doctor," she beamed, kissing him exuberantly. "She's a very dear friend, and we'll see her again. But not just now. Because now, I want to hear what you've been doing while I was finishing up."
"It's been a very boring few years for me, Rose," he said, hugging her tightly. "Astrid and I took a few trips, saw a few sights, but then she was ready to start her life and I was just bored without you there."
"Bored?" she laughed as he walked her toward the TARDIS. "You didn't get into trouble every moment? I know you began visiting rather frequently toward the end of my classes. Nearly every other weekend."
Her connection to the TARDIS renewed the moment she stepped aboard. She touched a strut fondly. "Hello, darling," she smiled at her home. "I missed you… Doctor!"
He jumped as she rounded on him. "What?"
"A few years? Liar! She says after Astrid left to start a life of her own, you skipped from visit to visit with me!"
He pulled her close and buried his face in her hair. "I'm not even going to apologize, Rose. I missed you. My life is empty without you. I wanted you to have your time and get your schooling in, but I wanted to be with you. I've spent so long being alone…"
She sighed and held him. "You don't have to be alone anymore, love. I'm going to be with you. You should have told me sooner."
"I was not going to take this away from you. Now, how about, as a treat for you, we pick up Jack and head somewhere silly?" the Doctor said, deftly changing the subject.
Rose let the matter drop, moving to the console. "If you want. But as a trade, I think it's time for me to learn to fly her."
Jack Harkness walked slowly toward the Hub, feeling a bit dejected. He hadn't seen or heard from the Doctor and Rose in several months, and he was surprised how much he missed them. As he neared the secret entrance, he saw a woman ahead of him.
"Can I help you?" he called. People didn't usually hang around unless there was a reason.
She turned and smiled. "Probably. After all, I'm here just to see you."
He grinned and ran to her, scooping his pseudo-sister into a hug and twirling her around. "Rosie!"
Rose laughed and returned the hug. "We missed you too. The Doctor dropped me here to convince you one more trip."
He set her down. "I don't know, Rosie. I have a lot of work to do here. And the team..."
She shook her head. "That's an excuse, Jack, and you know it."
He cringed a bit. "Things change, Rosie. I'm not sure I'm cut out for it anymore."
Rose tipped her head. "Fine. You don't have to come. How about just coming to have dinner with us?"
"That I can easily do." Jack looped an arm around her. "So where is the husband, anyway?"
"You'll never believe it. He's checking out something called Adipose. By the time we get there, he's either gonna be stuck somewhere, caught and in trouble, or trying to talk his way out of somewhere he shouldn't have gone."
She walked toward a motorcycle parked not far away.
"Nice," Jack grinned as she handed him a helmet.
"It's yours if you want it," she grinned. "Make up present for all the birthdays I missed."
He kissed her cheek with a wink. "Best sister ever."
Several hours later that evening, in the offices of Adipose Industries, the Doctor was running through the halls and ran smack into Donna, whom he'd just realized was there a few minutes before. She was beaming broadly at him, and he snatched her up in a hug.
"Oh my God!" she cried. "I don't believe it! You've even got the same suit! Don't you ever change? And where's Rose?"
"Yeah thanks Donna," he laughed slightly. "She's not here, but I'm not sure we've got the time to catch up just now!"
He glanced out and saw the guards heading toward them.
"Just like old times!" he teased her, running toward the stairs, Donna only a couple steps behind him. The two burst onto the roof and looked around. The Doctor rushed to the edge of the roof and looked down.
Donna hugged herself briefly, talking in rapid excitement, "Cos I thought, how do I find the Doctor? And then I just thought, look for trouble and then he'll turn up! So I looked everywhere, you name it - UFOs, sightings, crop circles, sea monsters. I looked, I found them all. Like that stuff about the bees disappearing, I thought, I bet he's connected. Cos the thing is, Doctor, I believe it all now. You opened my eyes. All those amazing things out there, I believe them all. Well, apart from that replica of the Titanic flying over Buckingham Palace on Christmas Day, I mean that's gotta be a hoax!"
He began working hurriedly on the controls of the window washer's cradle with his sonic screwdriver. All during her chatter, he nodded absently. But he looked up.
"What d'you mean, the bees are disappearing?"
She shrugged, moving toward him. "I don't know. That's what it says on the internet."
He climbed over the low wall and into the cradle.
"Well on the same site, there was all the conspiracy theories about Adipose Industries, I thought let's take a look!"
"In you get!" he said with a grin, holding a hand out.
"What, in that thing?" she asked incredulously.
"Yes in that thing!" he answered with a laugh. "Do you see the TARDIS?"
"But if we go down in that, they'll just call us back up again," she disagreed.
He shook his head. "No no no, because I've locked the controls with a sonic cage. I'm the only one who can control it. Not unless she's got a sonic device of her own. Which is very unlikely."
Donna sighed, crawling in after him. They began to descend the side of the building. After a moment, they stopped and began heading back up. Frowning, the Doctor stopped the cradle, knocking them both to the floor. He sprang to his feet and pointed his sonic screwdriver at the nearest window to open it.
"Hold on. Hold on, we can get in through the window," he reassured the redhead. "Can't get it open!"
Donna held a huge spanner out to him. "Well, smash it then!"
He took the spanner and swung it at the window. Absolutely nothing happened, but a strange sound from above them made Donna look up.
"Cutting the cable!" she shouted, but not fast enough.
The cable broke and the cradle tipped fiercely. The Doctor managed to hold on, but Donna fell out, barely catching herself on the cable.
"DONNA!" he shouted.
She was hanging to the cable. "Doctor!"
"Hold on!"
She snorted. "I AM!"
The Doctor tried to pull her up by the cable, but he couldn't quite manage.
"Doctor!" Donna cried again, slipping just a bit.
A strange noise caused him to look up and he saw the head of the company cutting the other cable. The Doctor pointed the screwdriver to her hand, and the pen sparked causing her to drop it. The Doctor caught the second sonic, then climbed up the cable to another window, finding it open.
"Hello, love," Rose grinned. "You were late for dinner, so Jack and I came to you."
"Hey, Doc," the captain said slowly, narrowing his eyes and stepping to the window. He looked up, then down before turning back to the couple. "All right, let's go."
Rose didn't even have a chance to ask what was happening as the two men rushed her from the room and down a few flights of stairs to a room in which a young black woman was sitting, tied to a chair. A woman's feet were clearly visible out the window.
"Is anyone gonna tell me what's going on?" the woman on the chair asked.
"What, you're a journalist?" the Doctor asked, trying to open the window.
"Yes."
"Well, make it up!" he answered glibly as he reached out and grabbed the legs.
"Get off!" the woman yelled.
"Hang on, I know that voice!" Rose exclaimed as Jack moved to untie the journalist.
"I've got you! I've got you. Stop kicking!"
He finally managed to pull her inside where Rose caught her in a huge hug.
Donna hugged the smaller blonde woman back, asking, "I was right. It's always like this with you, innit?"
The Doctor grinned. "OH YES! And off we go!"
Jack looked at the woman he'd just released. "Now do yourself a favour, get out."
Come on, Jack!" Rose called as the other three ran for the door.
He followed, knowing it would be a while before they would all have a chance to chat. They ran across the call center area - meeting the woman in charge and the guards.
"Well then," she smiled coldly, taking off her glasses, "at last."
Donna waved slightly. "Hello."
The Doctor smiled. "Nice to meet you, I'm the Doctor, this is Jack, Donna, and my wife, Rose."
"Wife?" Donna asked, beaming at them. "When did that happen?"
"1969," Rose replied. "But now may not be the right time to tell you about it."
"Partners in crime," the woman nodded. "And evidently off-worlders, judging by your sonic technology."
"Oh yes, I've still got your sonic pen. Nice, I like it. Sleek, it's kinda sleek," the Doctor complimented her, pulling the device out and showing it to the others.
"Oh it's definitely sleek," Donna agreed.
"Can I get one of those?" Rose grinned cheekily. "I'll be good for… oh, a year or so – maybe."
"No you wouldn't," the Doctor chuckled, turning back to the woman. "Yeah, and if you were to sign your real name that would be...?"
The company head straightened with self-importance. "Matron Cofelia of the Five-Straighten Classabindi Nursery Fleet. Intergalactic Class."
"A wet nurse, using humans as surrogates," he clarified.
"I've been employed by the Adiposian First Family to foster a new generation after their breeding planet was lost," the matron explained.
"Hang on, what do you mean lost? How do you lose a planet?" Jack asked curiously.
The woman waved away the concern. "Oh, politics are none of my concern. I'm just here to take care of the children on behalf of the parents."
Donna laughed, "What, like an outer space super-nanny?"
She shrugged. "Yes, if you like."
The redhead thought about what that meant. "So... so those little things they're, they're made out of fat yeah, but that woman, Stacy Campbell, there was nothing left of her."
Oh, in a crisis the Adipose can convert bone and hair and internal organs. Makes them a little bit sick, poor things," the matron said, her cold smile back in place.
"What about poor Stacy?" Donna asked in horror.
Rose gasped. "Seeding a level 5 planet is against galactic law."
Donna and Jack both looked at the blonde, a bit surprised at the increase in her apparent knowledge since either of them had last seen her. Donna didn't realize how long could have passed for her and the Doctor since they'd saved her, and Jack (who suddenly realized she hadn't really told him much about what had happened in her life since their time with the Master) wondered how long it had been for them.
Matron Cofelia raised an eyebrow. "Are you threatening me?"
"We're trying to help you, Matron. This is your one chance; because if you don't call this off, then we'll have to stop you," the Doctor warned her.
"I hardly think you can stop bullets," the matron smirked.
"I dunno," Rose mused thoughtfully. "I haven't really tried…"
"And you're not going to!" the Doctor said sternly.
The bodyguards aimed their guns at the group and Jack sighed.
The Doctor flung an arm out in front of the immortal man. "No, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on, one more thing, before... dying. Do you know what happens if you hold two identical sonic devices against each other?"
The matron paused a moment before answering with a short, "No."
"Nor me, let's find out!"
The Doctor pointed the sonic screwdriver and the sonic pen at each other, creating an awful noise. The matron and her guards squirmed in agony and a nearby glass pane shattered. With a shout, Rose pushed the Doctor so that he stopped.
"Come on!" Jack shouted.
They all ran for the exit, the Doctor sprinting ahead, holding Rose's hand tightly. They arrived at a storage cupboard at the end of a deserted corridor and the Doctor began throwing the supplies out.
"Well, that's one solution. Hide in a cupboard. I like it," Donna remarked snarkily.
"I don't know," Rose grinned. "A good cupboard has gotten us out of a few tight spots."
The Doctor shook his head, opening the back of the cupboard to reveal a big green machine built into the wall. "This time, we're hacking in to this thing, because the matron's got a computer core running through the center of the building. Triple deadlocked. And now I've got this and Jack here, I can get into it."
"It is nice to be loved, brother," Jack joked as he moved in next to the Doctor and began studying the machine. "Whoa, nice technology."
"She's wired up the whole building. We need a bit of privacy," the Doctor said.
Jack nodded, touching two sparking plugs together. "Just enough to stop them. Why's she wired up the tower block? What's it all for?"
The two men started fiddling with cables.
"Inducer online," an automated tone announced.
"You look older," Donna commented.
"Thanks," the Doctor said absently.
"Why doesn't Rose?" the redhead asked pointedly.
The blonde shifted. "Well, I don't exactly age now, Donna. I'll look just like this until… well, until I'm gone."
"You mean until you die?" Donna asked curiously. "Cos I would love to get in on that beauty secret."
"I wouldn't recommend it," Rose said seriously. "Not unless you're planning to live a long, long time and don't mind the possible death in the attempt. But I don't mind, seeing as it got me a forever with him."
Donna smiled. "I been thinking about you two for about a year and a half now. You do anything amazing in that time?"
Rose glanced at Jack and the Doctor. "Well… I lived about twelve years in that time. Not sure exactly how long either of them got. But I went to school, way out in the universe. Got me degrees in xenoethnology and interplanetary psychology."
"What's xeno…?"
"Alien cultures," Rose grinned. "I don't know them all, but I understand a lot more'n I used to. I thought you were gonna travel the world?"
The redhead snorted. "Easier said than done. It's like I had that one day with you and I was gonna change. I was gonna do so much. Then I woke up next morning, same old life. It's like you were never there. And I tried. I did try, I went to Egypt. I was gonna go barefoot and everything. And then it's all bus trips and guidebooks and don't drink the water and two weeks later you're back home. It's nothing like being with you. I must have been mad turning down that offer."
"What offer?" the Doctor asked curiously.
"To come with you," Donna answered as though they'd just asked a moment ago.
He stopped working and looked at Donna like she was mad. "You want to come with us?"
"Oh yes, please!" she replied eagerly, winking at Rose who covered her smile.
"Right."
"Doc, little help?" Jack reminded the Time Lord, wondering again if he really was over this life they led.
"Inducer activated," the monotone voice announced.
Rose jumped. "What's it doing now?"
The Doctor became a bit wide eyed. "She's started the program."
"Inducer transmitting."
"So far they're just losing weight, but the Matron has gone up to emergency pathogenesis," Jack said grimly.
"That's when they convert..." Donna said weakly.
The Doctor nodded, finishing her thought. "Skeletons, organs, everything. A million people are gonna die!"
"No, they won't," Rose said firmly. "You can stop her. I know you can."
He looked up, warmed by the faith in her eyes and nodded, reaching into his coat and pulling out a little golden capsule on a necklace. "Gotta cancel the signal!"
He pulled off one end to reveal a chip which he showed to Jack.
"This contains the primary signal. If we can switch it off the fat goes back to being just fat."
Jack grinned, hooking the capsule to the machine and doing a bit of work. After a moment, he frowned.
"Inducer increasing."
"What happened?" the Doctor asked.
"She's doubled it."
"No, no, no, no… I need... Haven't got time! It's too far, I can't override it! They're all gonna die!" the Doctor panicked slightly as he wracked his mind for another answer.
"Is there anything I can do?" Donna asked.
"Sorry, Donna, this is way beyond you! Gotta double the base pulse, I can't..." he trailed off, running a hand through his hair.
Rose place both hands on his shoulders, rubbing slightly, her voice calm and steady. "Doctor, tell us what you need."
He looked up at her, the fear of failure clear in his eyes. "I need a second capsule to boost the override, but I've only got the one. I can't save them!"
Donna gasped and reached into her pocket, pulling out another necklace, causing everyone to stare at her for a moment. The four people laughed in relief as the Doctor took the necklace and Rose and Donna hugged tightly. As the Doctor and Jack got it hooked to the computer, the lights in the machine went off.
Over the sounds of their cheering, a loud horn sounded.
"What the hell was that?" Donna asked.
"My guess would be the nursery," Rose said with a worried look.
"When you say nursery you don't mean a creche in Notting Hill, do ya?" the redhead nearly groaned.
"Nursery ship," the Doctor confirmed.
The computer unit lit up. "Incoming signal."
"Doc?" Jack said.
"Hadn't we better go and stop them?" Donna suggested.
The Doctor raised a brow as he listened. "Hang on, instructions from the Adiposian First Family. She's wired up the tower block to convert it into a levitation post. Oh. Ooh. We're not the ones in trouble now. SHE is!"
They all headed to the roof, just in time to see the matron being lifted into a tractor beam.
"Take me! The children need me!" she called.
Around her, the tiny Adipose babies were rising quickly, waving cheerfully at the people watching.
The redhead looked at the Doctor. "What you gonna do then? Blow them up?"
He looked surprised. "They're just children. They can't help where they come from."
She smiled. "Oh, that makes a change from last time."
Rose leaned against her husband. "Many things have changed. But these babies aren't going to kill people or destroy any worlds. The Adiposians are a peaceful people, mostly."
I'm waving at fat," Donna said in wonder.
Jack chuckled. "Actually, as a diet plan, it sort of works. There she is!"
They ran over to the edge of the building.
"Matron Cofelia, listen to me!" the Doctor called.
She gave them her cold smile. "Oh, I don't think so, Doctor. And if I never see you again, it will be too soon."
"Oh, why does no one ever listen?" he moaned. "I'm trying to help! Just get across to the roof. Can you shift the levitation beam?"
"What, so that you can arrest me?"
Rose tried. "Just listen, yeah? We saw the Adiposian instructions - they know it's a crime, breeding on Earth. So what's the one thing they wanna get rid of? Their accomplice!"
"I'm far more than that," she sniffed. "I'm nanny to all these children."
They glanced up, seeing the babies had reached the ship. The matron hung in the air alone.
"Exactly! Mum and Dad have got the kids now, they don't need the nanny anymore!" the Doctor pointed out.
The blue light surrounding her vanished, letting the stubborn woman fall the many stories with a scream that ended abruptly. They all looked away, Rose and the Doctor clinging to each other as they often did when they couldn't save someone.
"Why wouldn't she just listen?" Donna asked softly, though none of the others had an answer for her.
The four of them made their way slowly to the street and away from the scene. The Doctor started to throw the sonic pen into a bin, but he stopped and looked at it.
"Rose, would you care to have this?" he asked his wife
She looked at it thoughtfully. "It'll do until I get a screwdriver," she shrugged, pocketing the pen.
Jack laughed, shaking his head. "You know, I never thought a screwdriver could be used to save the planet until I met you."
"Or the galaxy," teased Rose.
"Or the universe!" Donna chimed in.
He shook his head. "You're all loony. Let's get to the TARDIS before someone reports us for madness."
Rose couldn't help but laugh. "How do you report someone for that?"
The four of them laughed, but it was cut short by the sight of a body being taken away under a cover. They all knew it was the Matron.
They walked away, rather brought down by their inability to save the Matron. As they were nearing the TARDIS, Donna finally said something that cheered the time travelers.
"Well, at least we saved everyone who was taking those awful pills…"
The small group stopped and looked at her in surprise. After a moment, about the time when Donna was beginning to squirm uncomfortably, Rose reached out and hugged her fiercely.
"Thank you, Donna. We needed that reminder."
The redhead blinked, but hugged the slightly smaller woman back before pulling away and beaming as she surged around the corner. "So, then - TARDIS! Come on!"
They followed her, to find her staring in gleeful shock at the beautiful ship that was home, and a rather worn out looking car.
"That's my car! That is like destiny! And I've been ready for this."
"You have?" Jack asked, watching her open the boot and seeing that it was full of suitcases.
"I packed ages ago, just in case. Cos I thought, hot weather, cold weather, no weather..."
"No weather?" Rose laughed. "Love, can we go find a planet with no weather? I'd like to see that."
Donna started to load her luggage to the arms of the stunned Doctor and the very amused Jack.
"Well... you lot go anywhere, I've gotta be prepared," the redhead said logically, handing Rose a striped hatbox.
"You've got a... a... hatbox?!" the Doctor cried.
She simply grinned. "Planet of the Hats, I'm ready!"
"Wait until you see the wardrobe, Donna," Rose laughed. "It's like having a mall all to yourself."
The Doctor move to stand in front of the TARDIS surrounded by Donna's suitcases, looking quite serious. Donna was babbling in the door to Rose, beaming, oblivious of his mood. Jack noticed the difference and tipped his head.
"Something worrying you, Doc?"
Donna turned, immediately coming to the wrong conclusion. "Do I need injections though, do I? Like when you go to Cambodia, is there any of that? Cos my friend Veena went to Bahrain, and..."
She trailed off, noticing the Doctor wasn't smiling anymore. "You're not saying much."
He shook his head, trying to think how to explain his fears. In his mind, all he could think of was Rose separated from her family forever, and Martha caring for her traumatized relations, and all of the problems he had caused Jack and countless others throughout his many, many years. "No, it's just... It's a funny old life, in the TARDIS."
"You don't want me," their new companion said softly, her tone deeply sad but accepting. It was as though Donna was quite used to being rejected or unwanted.
"I'm not saying that!" he amended quickly, eyes darting to Jack and Rose, silently begging for help.
"But you asked me…" the human woman said, still so quiet.
The Doctor just stared ahead, so sad and worn. Rose moved to him, trying to send him a wave of love and support, knowing what he was thinking without trying. He wrapped his arms around her and took a deep breath.
"Would you rather be on your own?" Donna asked. "I mean, since you're married now and all..."
"No," the Doctor said quickly, followed almost immediately followed by his wife's reply.
"Actually, no. But..."
He looked at the bags on the ground. "Every time, like with... Martha, like I said it... it got complicated. And that was all my fault. I just want a mate, for me and for Rose, but they always-"
Donna interrupted, all indignance and righteous anger. "You just want TO MATE?"
He blinked, his arms falling away from his wife in his shock. "I just want a mate!"
"You're not mating with me, sunshine!"
Jack and Rose began laughing uncontrollably.
"A mate, I want a mate!" he exclaimed. "Rose! Help!"
She struggled to stop her giggles and shook her head. "A friend type of mate, Donna."
"But if you're looking..."
"No, Jack!" the Doctor groaned, though he was beginning to smile again.
"Well just as well, because I'm not having any of that nonsense. I mean you're just a long streak of... nothing. You know, alien nothing," Donna sniffed.
"There we are, then. OK." The Doctor shook his head.
"I can come?" she asked, her eyes shining with hope.
"Yeah," the Doctor nodded.
Rose laughed, "Course you can, yeah."
The married couple smiled at each other and the Doctor told her, "We'd love it."
The woman hugged herself again, "Ohh, that's just... Car keys!"
"What?" Jack spluttered, still trying to stop his laughter.
"I've still got my mum's car keys! I won't be a minute!"
As Donna took off toward the opening in the alley, the three remaining travelers looked at each other and laughed again.
"You two better get to taking that luggage into the TARDIS," Rose nodded, heading for the door with the hatbox.
"Aren't you going to help?!" the Doctor and Jack both protested.
Rose grinned that tongue in teeth grin that had always gotten her husband and brother to do exactly what she wanted, and she knew it would work yet again.
"Now boys," she said seriously. "Someone has to pick a room for Donna."
She disappeared with a laugh and the Doctor just smiled and shook his head, loading himself up with luggage.
"She sure has you whipped," Jack noted teasingly.
The Doctor smirked at the equally laden captain. "Yeah, just me, Jack."
Jack winked. "Wouldn't want you to suffer alone."
"Too kind, too kind…"
When they'd gotten everything inside and Donna still wasn't back yet, Rose jogged out to find her.
"Donna! Shake a leg, yeah? Got a whole universe to see!" the blonde called to her friend who handed her keys to the policeman she was talking to and hurried over.
Neither saw the man stop and turn, brown eyes wide as he called out even while he faded away, "Rose!"
The woman in question paused and looked around, frowning until Donna pulled her toward the TARDIS. She still frowned as the two women entered the ship.
"What's wrong, love?" the Doctor asked, as he began to get the TARDIS ready to go.
She moved up and began to help, Jack lending a hand out of habit.
"I thought I heard Mickey call my name," she admitted, her voice holding a far away tone.
Jack moved to her side, ever ready to protect her from the world, and the Doctor looked at her, worried. Perhaps coming back to her correct time period in London was a bad idea after all. He would do anything to keep his beautiful pink and yellow girl happy and safe.
"Just wishful thinking, I'm sure," she finally said. "So, Donna, is it as wonderful as you remember?"
The redhead smiled, seeing that her friend wanted to change the subject. "Even moreso. Although frankly, you could turn the heat up."
"It is a bit chillier in here than it was before," Jack noted.
Doctor hit a button. "Sorry, just me and Rose, I don't notice she gets cooler. My physiology is more temperate, and Rose… well…"
The blonde shrugged. "I pretty well match the TARDIS. Don't much get hot or cold unless she's too far away."
"So, whole wide universe, where do you want to go?" the Doctor asked their new companion. "We'll drop Jack off on the way, if he wants."
"Oh, I know exactly the place," Donna grinned.
"Which is?"
She pointed. "Two and a half miles, that way."
They took the TARDIS to the spot she indicated, waving cheerfully at her grandfather who was sitting in his back yard with a telescope.
"I think I'm going back to the Hub, Doc," Jack said quietly while the girls giggled and leaned out the door together. "Take Donna, teach her about being brilliant, and keep Rosie happy. But you and I both know I'm a soldier, and there's still too much to be done for me to leave Earth. They can't do it on their own yet."
The Doctor nodded, putting an arm around his near brother in law. "I understand. But, if you ever need us, call. You still have Rose's number? Good. Don't try to do things on your own just because you're stubborn – like me."
They left him, and the motorcycle Rose insisted he keep, in front of his base and they headed off to another grande adventure. The Doctor pulled his wife into his arms after Donna had gone off to bed and they danced slowly in the dimmed light of the time rotor to the sound of the TARDIS' hums and she sighed happily.
"I will never regret choosing you," she told him as he bent to kiss her. "I will always miss them, but you're never going to be alone again, my Doctor."
"I love you, my Rose," he murmured to her. This time with her… it was the most important thing in his universe.
A/N: So sorry for the delay in updating. Been going through… well, it's not something I want to talk about. But I do intend to continue on with both this and my other story, which is also getting an update. Please, oh please review and let me know that my hard work is at least appreciated.
