Chapter 4:

How it ended Jack never did find out. Just found Mickey lying on the ground, with Rose's hands red with his blood while she stops him bleeding to death. Martha is on her knees helping him, her dress already stained dark across her lap. Behind them is the body of a woman, her featherlike hair dark with drying blood. Wolf stands against the wall, the muscles in his arms bunched up and he looks tense.

Owen is down on his knees beside her in an instant. "What do you need?"

The Doctor is standing over one of the slavers, his fists clenched and his eyes black. Jack suppresses the shiver that races up and down his spine. He has seen the Doctor angry, but never like this. He looks infinitely older than Jack could believe. Infinitely more powerful and more vengeful than one man should be. Jack takes a step backwards as the Doctor leans down towards the slaver.

"I gave you your chance. You're a fool."

His voice is so unlike the Doctor's that Jack sees even Rose shudder. But she doesn't look up. No one is looking at him. They are all suddenly so busy and interested in anything else. Only Jack is watching when he breaks the alien's neck. The Doctor stares down at the body for a long moment, then looks up and meets Jack's eyes. Jack feels his blood run cold and he wants to turn on his heels and run away. But he does nothing, merely rocks on his heels and keeps his gaze on the Doctor. The Doctor blinks and his eyes suddenly look lighter, the ones Jack knows better.

Mickey groans loudly and both their attentions fly to him.

"Rose?" the Doctor asks.

She shakes her head. "I have to take him back. He won't…make…it if I don't." She glances round at the body behind her. "Honey is dead isn't she?"

The Doctor nods.

Rose presses her lips tightly together. "She saved me."

The Doctor looks at her sympathetically, then looks at Jack. "Round them up. Do what you need to do."

Jack nods back. "Owen?"

Owen gets awkwardly to his feet and fishes in his pocket for the Retcon pills. "Wolf?" he asks hesitantly.

Wolf shakes his head. "No thank you. Just get me home to Virginia. She'll be waiting."

Jack nods. "We will."

Wolf crouches beside Rose and gives her a one armed hug. "Thank you Rose Tyler my succulent lamb chop. Be happy." He stands up and walks over to Jack and Owen. The three of them head out of the door into the main hall.

The Doctor crouches beside Rose and puts a hand on her arm. "I think you should…"

"No way." She whips her head round and glares at him. "Absolutely not Doctor. I work for Torchwood as well remember, I know what that stuff is."

He holds up his hands, knowing when he is beaten. "Okay Rose."

At that moment Gwen's comm. squeaks loudly. She hooks it into her ear. "Yes?"

"Thank f…" Ianto's curse is cut off by a crackle of static. "Why aren't any of you listening to your comms? Where's Jack?"

"Busy right now. Retcon-ing. Zapping people home."

"Great. Well hurry up. The opening in the rift is collapsing! You need to get those people out of there now!"

Gwen's face has gone white. The Doctor looks at her sharply. "What is it?"

"The rift. The opening isn't stable. Ianto says…"

The Doctor has his own earpiece on in an instant. "Ianto how long?"

Tosh mutters something in the background. "If I boost the power I can give you twenty minutes. No longer," Ianto says his tone worried. "Is Jack…?"

"Jack is fine," but the Doctor's attention is now on Rose. He has to lose her again. Twenty minutes is that all? "We'll be quick."

"You have to go don't you?" Rose's voice is small.

The Doctor stares at her for one anguished moment, rips his earpiece from his ear and stomps out of the room. "JACK!" he bellows.

Mickey bites off the strangled scream as they lay him down in the small cell where the transmat beam is situated. The Doctor looks at Jack. "They're all out?"

"Every one," Jack says nodding firmly. "I swept every room myself."

"Good."

His attention goes to Rose, who is standing beside Mickey in front of the transmat beam, and their locked gaze is so intense that Jack feels like an intruder on the moment. Behind him Gwen, Owen and Martha stand silent witness to the action.

"Rose…" the Doctor starts, stepping towards her.

She steps towards him and their lips meet in a sharp desperate kiss. "There's not enough time," she mutters against his lips. He nods his forehead against hers, feeling the tears welling hotly in his eyes, but not quite falling down his cheeks.

"I love you," she says her voice cracking, and tears running wetly down her face.

"I love you too," he says quietly.

Jack watches helpless as this plays out in front of him. Rose blinks back her tears and takes a step away from him. "Time to go."

The Doctor stares at her. "No…Rose…I can't lose you."

She smiles. "You never will."

"Stay."

"It will tear universes apart. And then where would we be?"

"So?"

She laughs.

He smiles back weakly. "Spoken like a true Time Lady."

Jack wants to cry. Rose is trying so hard to be brave, not crack , and not make this harder than it already is. Jack wants to run to her, kiss her, tell her not to leave him again but he can't. This isn't his moment it's theirs. It was always going to be theirs. The air positively crackles between their gazes. Rose finally breaks the look and walks to Mickey's side. Mickey smiles painfully up at her.

"Guess this is goodbye Doctor," Rose swallows.

Jack sees something crack in the Doctor's composure. He takes two long strides to Rose, grabs the back of her neck and kisses her fiercely. Jack realises then that he is crying and feels his own eyes burning. He has seen the Doctor cry before, when cradling the Master's body and begging him to regenerate, but it wasn't like this.

"I'm not losing you again Rose!"

"Doctor please…" She says, voice desperate. "We can't…you know we can't."

"No Rose." He grips her arms firmly. "I'm not letting you leave me."

"I can't Doctor." Her voice is pure anguish. "Mickey will die. The rift will collapse. Millions will die. I love you but I can't do that for you." She strokes the side of his face tenderly. "Goodbye Doctor," she says with finality.

His hands tighten on her arms. "No Rose…"

"Jack please…" Her voice breaks his heart as she looks at him in distress. "I can't…I can't do it…"

Jack walks forward and hauls the Doctor away from Rose. The Doctor struggles against him and Rose covers her eyes with her hand. "Please Jack make him stop…I can't…"

Jack feels the tears come to his eyes and spill over, as he holds the Doctor as tightly as he can, his arms wrapped around the other man's arms and torso. "Bye Rosie."

She smiles through her tears. "Bye Jack."

The Doctor struggles more. "Rose…"

Rose looks away. "Press it."

Gwen is the only one who moves. The sound of the Transmat beam powering up fills the small room. Jack sees Rose steel herself.

At the very last moment the Doctor makes one last bid to free himself from Jack who struggles to hold onto the flailing man. "Rose!" he shouts. She looks round at him, eyes red rimmed. "I'm coming for you!"

There is a flash then nothing at all.

"Jack!" Ianto cries as the TARDIS door opens. Jack smiles feebly and gives Ianto a slap on the shoulder. Tosh hugs him and he responds briefly then reaches back to help Martha support the Doctor and lead him out of the TARDIS. Owen and Gwen follow them.

Tosh stares at the Doctor in alarm. "Can we…?"

Jack shakes his head and relieves Martha of the burden of the Doctor. He stumbles towards his office.

"Jack…" Martha starts.

Owen touches her arm gently. "Don't," he says shaking his head. "Better for all of us if we just go home."

She throws a look over her shoulder at the door of Jack's office and sighs. "I guess so."

Owen slides his arm around her shoulders. "Come on Doctor Jones I'm sure we can find some way of improving our night."

Martha grins at him. "Dressed like this?"

He smirks. "Don't have to stay dressed…"

Tosh turns away and Ianto gives her arm a silent squeeze.

Jack has carefully helped the Doctor down the ladder into his cubbyhole and now the Doctor is sat in a pathetic huddle on the bed, staring unseeingly at the wall. Jack crouches kneels beside him and draws a blanket around his shoulders. "Doctor?"

The concern in his eyes proves to be his undoing and a sob escapes his lips. "I…I'm…I'm so sorry Jack." He hiccups, trying to get the tears under control and force a smile onto his face.

"Don't be Doctor," Jack bites his lip for a second. "It was Rose…I understand."

The tears come again but silent, desperate ones racing down his cheeks. He nods. "It was Rose." He slumps against Jack, so utterly defeated that he has no strength left.

Jack, awkwardly in the small space, helps the Doctor to lay down on the bed before lying beside him.

The Doctor knots his hands into the front of Jack's t-shirt. "I lost her…how could I lose her again? Jack…how could I?"

"Ssshh ssshh," Jack murmurs soothingly and presses a kiss to the Doctor's forehead. "Sleep…Doctor please sleep."

Ianto looks in on them about an hour later, having seen the others home. He finds Jack and the Doctor fats asleep in a tangle of blankets. The Doctor's eyes are red rimmed and puffy even in sleep and Jack looks little better. But he has placed himself protectively at the Doctor's side, his hand resting in the Doctor's. Ianto smiles sadly to himself and closes the office door quietly when he leaves.

Jack stares out at the skyline of Cardiff as the sun dips orange below the horizon the next evening. He hums the X-Files theme tune softly to himself. Scully, he thinks and smiles to himself. The light breeze ruffles his hair and he shoves his hands into his trouser pockets. He rocks on his heels as he hears soft sneakered feet coming towards him across the rooftop. Jack keeps his eyes on the sky.

"Hey," is all he says.

"Hey," the Doctor replies softly, eyes forward on the sunset.

The breeze flaps their coats around their legs.

"Put Martha on her train okay?"

"Yeah." The Doctor looks over at Jack who looks back at him. "She's alright."

"Are you leaving?" Jack keeps his voice even.

"pretty much now." The Doctor shuffles his feet. "You could…come? If you want?"

Jack smiles sadly at him. "You already know my answer Doctor."

"Oh," he pouts. "Why not? Just one trip?"

"I can't. I'm needed here."

"Guess so." The Doctor smiles at him, but Jack can see a flash of sadness in his eyes. "Do you think she's happy?"

Jack shrugs. "I think she was…now…" he leaves the rest unsaid.

The Doctor nods biting his lip. "Until I destroyed half her life."

Jack's eyes widen in shock. "That's not what I meant!"

"Isn't it? I did it to Martha…"

"The Master did it to Martha not you," Jack interrupts him.

"Then I guess we're more similar than I thought." The Doctor turns to walk away. "I'll see you Jack."

Jack grabs his arm. "You could never do that…"

The Doctor all but growls at him. "Get away from me Jack Harkness you have no idea what I can do."

Jack releases his arm. "Don't do what I think you're going to do Doctor. Rose wouldn't want you to."

He turns dark eyes to him. "There's a storm coming Jack, and I'm going to start it."