Chapter Twenty-One

"You knew all along that Jack would come back, didn't you?" Rose asked later that night as the four of them sat on the Tardis' main deck. She was tucked comfortably under the Doctor's arm as the two of them sat side-by-side on the pilot's seats.

"Well," The Doctor said, smiling down at her. "It's not the first time that I've seen him die." He paused to smile up at Jack. "And as reckless as he is, I'm sure it won't be the last."

"How did you do it?" Rose asked Jack as she rested her head on The Doctor's shoulder.

The question gave Jack pause. He stared silently at Rose for a moment. "It was your doing," he finally said, softly.

Confusion fell over her features. "My doing?"

Beside her, The Doctor nodded. "On the Game Station," he explained, "when you had absorbed the Time Vortex and resurrected Jack. You brought him back to life, but you weren't meant to do that. No one was meant to absorb the Vortex like that, Rose, and you had no control over it. You brought Jack back." He paused. "You brought him back permanently."

Jen had remained silent through the entire conversation, but now spoke up. "So you can't die?" she inquired of Jack.

"Oh, I can die," he replied. "I just don't stay that way."

Rose's eyes grew wide. "Oh, Jack," she breathed, remorsefully. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry about it," he brushed aside her concerns. "You were only trying to help." He frowned. "Although, I do keep aging. I'd love to know how that's going to end up…"

"So," The Doctor said to change the subject. "We obviously can't track Bilis, so we'll have to wait until he creeps up again. In the meantime, where to next?" He glanced at Rose. "We never did make it to Barcelona…"

"Actually," Jack spoke up, scratching the back of his head, "I should be returning to Cardiff. My team is probably waiting for me…"

"And that leaves me," Jen interjected. Her green eyes rested on her father. "I'm thrilled to have you back again," she began, "and I don't want to lose touch…"

"But?" he asked gently as he leaned forward.

"I'm not cut out for this nomadic life of traveling around in time and space," she responded. "I've lived one life in one place since the Time War, and if I'm going to be honest, I enjoyed it. Besides," she added, grinning mischievously, "I'm sure that the two of you would rather be alone, without my intruding."

Rose blushed, and The Doctor flushed and chuckled. "You wouldn't be intruding, Jen."

"Yes, I would. Whether you want to admit it or not, I would be."

"So what are you gonna do?" Rose asked.

"I suppose what I was doing before," Jen replied, smiling. "Find myself a nice, quiet place on a planet somewhere; get a job and a life." She pointed at Rose's mobile phone. "I can get me one of those and keep in touch with the pair of you."

"If you're going to do that," Jack spoke up, as he walked over and slipped an arm companionably around her shoulders, "then you could always settle on Earth and come to work for me."

"For you?" Jen asked.

"For Torchwood?" The Doctor sputtered, anger darkening his voice. "Absolutely not!"

"Torchwood?" Rose inquired. She looked at Jack. "You work for Torchwood?"

He nodded. "I head up Torchwood Three in Cardiff." He turned to Jen. "Torchwood specializes in alien life and technology. It's our job to prepare the Earth for alien contact and defend against invasion."

"By destroying any alien life that it comes into contact with," The Doctor interjected sardonically.

"It's not like that anymore," Jack replied defensively. "I've worked hard for a long time to change Torchwood and its outlook." He lifted a brow and offered The Doctor a challenging look. "What better way to help change Torchwood than adding a Time Lady to the staff?"

"I believe that it's my decision to make, anyway," Jen said to her father. She paused and gave Jack a long, searching look. "What would I be doing if I decided to join you?"

"You would be a wealth of knowledge and information," Jack said to her, resting his hands on her shoulders and looking her in the eyes. "You could educate us and help us to educate and prepare the rest of the world."

"So you're going to use her?" The Doctor snapped. "Pick her brain?"

"No," Jack retorted, testily. He gazed earnestly at Jen. "I'm asking her to help."

A heavy silence hung in the room for several moments. "Alright," Jen finally replied. "I'll agree to it." The Doctor made a noise of protest, and he held up a silencing hand. "On a trial basis," she added, glancing reassuringly at her father. "If you truly want my help, then I'll agree to stay. But if I don't like what's going on, then I will leave."

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" The Doctor asked as he and Jen leaned against a rail outside the Millennium Center in Cardiff.

"No, I'm not," Jen replied. "But that's half the fun of it, isn't it?" She glanced across the square, where Jack had disappeared. "You don't trust him, do you?"

"In most cases, yes I do," he replied. "I'd trust Jack with my life." He paused and chuckled, "But with my daughter…"

"I'm not a little girl," she reminded him, grinning. "I can handle myself around Captain Harkness."

"Then maybe I should worry about him," he replied, and turned to draw her in for a parting hug. He squeezed her extra tightly. "You be careful," he said, softly. "I don't want to lose you again."

"The same goes for you," she replied. Stepping back, she held up the mobile phone she had just acquired. "And I'll be in touch." She grinned. "Maybe it'll be good for you to have a point of reference and someone to check in with occasionally," she said with a grin.

He made a face. "As long as I don't have to settle down and have a house and a mortgage and a dog," he replied with a shudder.

Jen laughed, the two shared one more hug, and he turned to head back to the Tardis.

Rose was left standing there, grinning at Jen, who lifted a brow and smiled at her. "I can't say that it's not weird to watch him ride off into the sunset with you," she said. "But he's happy, and that's all that matters."

"I hope he is," Rose replied, glancing over her shoulder. She paused and met Jen's gaze. "Thank you," she added softly.

"For what?"

"For giving him back to me."

A soft smile touched Jen's lips. "Just look after him," she replied. "That's all I ask in return." She paused and sighed. "I'm sure I don't have to tell you that he tends to get himself into trouble."

Rose laughed. "No, you don't have to tell me that."

"I can't tell you to keep him out of trouble, then," Jen added. "Just stick by his side."

"No," Rose said. "I won't leave him again. Not ever."

"Goodbye, Rose," Jen said, and reached for her new friend. The two hugged tightly, and then Rose pulled back and walked over to the Tardis. She paused at the door, waved, and disappeared inside. A moment later, the Tardis fired up its engines and then vanished from sight, leaving Jen standing in its windy wake to face her new life as the Doctor and Rose set out to continue theirs together.

Author's Note: And that's the end! …Of this one. The adventures will continue in a sequel, set on Earth with the Torchwood crew.

And so…

…To Be Continued.