JNlad79 left RoseTyler a message:
I am so sorry. Donna filled me in, at length, and with much derision, about what happened last night. Honestly, I dinnae remember much. I barely remember talking to you. I dinnae remember what happened, really. But I know you were there and that you made sure I was okay, which, considering the distance, was quite a feat. I really appreciate it. I'd like to make it up to you. Jack's show ends filming this week, and he will be coming home on Thursday. Can I treat you to dinner on Friday? In London, of course. And with everyone. I'll call Martha, and you should invite Clara too. I was an arse, and whether you decide to tell anyone is up to you, but just in case you do, I feel the need to make it up to everyone. Let me know if you can do Friday, and I'll make a reservation. xo John

RoseTyler left JNlad79 a message:
Don't worry. Other than those involved (Jack and Donna) I will not speak a word to anyone. You're entitled to your privacy and you deserve it, far be it for me to mess with that. I only got as involved as I did because I was worried. Otherwise I wouldn't have said a word to anyone. Dinner sounds lovely. I'll invite Martha and Clara, just let me know where to invite them to. I'm glad you are okay, I was worried. But not judging, you had a legitimate reason to be upset and anyone would be, in that position. So don't be too hard on yourself. I'm here if you want to talk. Jack has my phone number if you'd prefer to speak over the phone, rather than the group chat. Up to you. I'll see you (in person!) soon! Take care!

JNlad79 left RoseTyler a message:
Shite. Jack got your phone number first? I really screwed things up. Okay, let's plan on dinner for everyone on Friday night, my treat, and I'll email you the reservations once I make them.

RoseTyler left JNlad79 a message:
Sounds good. And no, you didn't screw anything up. Looking forward to meeting you in person! I hope you have a better week! Xoxo

Rose was hesitant about going back into the chat, considering what had happened last time. Jack had been in almost constant contact with her since then, feeling that she'd developed a very close bond with John, moreso than any of their other friends, so he wanted to monitor the situation. But after the last time, John had yet to make an appearance in the chat. He'd emailed her, but hadn't faced her in the chat yet. She figured he was embarrassed and didn't want anyone else to know what had happened, and Rose was obliged to maintain that illusion. It wasn't their business. So she invited Clara and Martha under the pretenses that it was Jack's homecoming, and he was really excited to see them all. They both agreed to go.

Rose had gotten in the habit of turning on the chat when she was just hanging out in her room, even if she was the only one there, on the off chance that someone would show up. It was because of this reason that she met John's girlfriend, and would be fiance. Rose was busy folding laundry and cleaning her room, when someone popped up on the screen.

Doc'sPrincess has joined the chat.

Doc'sPrincess: Are you Rose?
RoseTyler: Yes. And who are you?
Doc'sPrincess: I'm Reinette, John's girlfriend. I know you heard all about the sordid details of last night, and some of them were misinformed, but I only wished to thank you for making sure he was okay. I do love him, whether you believe it or not. He's a good man, and I love him. And thanks to you, he will continue to be a good man. So thank you.
RoseTyler: You're welcome. I'm glad he is okay as well.
Doc'sPrincess: You don't like me, do you? He's probably convinced you I'm a cheating bitch, I'm sure. Well, I'm not. A cheater, at least. I'm sure many would call me a bitch. But I do love him. And he seems to care about you quite a lot. So I want to make an effort to reach out to you, so we can maybe be friends too.
RoseTyler: If we're being candid, can I ask you why you spent the night at the house of the man he thought you to be sleeping with? It made things worse, from the perspective I have.
Doc'sPrincess: He's gay. The man I was with is gay. I was just angry with John for assuming the worst in me. So I foolishly tried to play the worst hand I could. I realize now it was a horrible thing to do, and had far-reaching consequences. But I really did want to thank you for being there for him. I should have known better than to do that, so I appreciate you being there for him.
RoseTyler: Again, if we're being candid, why do you keep saying no to marrying him? He loves you, he's a good man, I just don't understand.
Doc'sPrincess: No, you wouldn't. And that's a good thing. You're young, and you're still hopeful and believe in true love. Once you reach a certain age, you realize 'true love' is just an agreement made by both parties. And I'm not sure I'm ready to make that contract with him yet. He's with me because he wants to raise his social status in Glasgow – my family is a big deal here. And I'm with him because of the same reasons – I want to marry outside of the group of suitors provided to me. Somewhere along the way we decided we actually like each other, and then again decided we don't. But it's for the best for both of us. So I just wanted to say, I hope you don't think anything more will happen with you and John. I know he's to meet with you on Friday, but I just want to make sure we're both clear about things, so you don't do anything you'd regret, you understand? He might try, but you should know he would always pick his reputation over anything else. And his reputation relies on me.
RoseTyler: Noted. So, are you going to be there on Friday?
Doc'sPrincess: I wasn't planning to be, should I? I want to trust you, Rose. I want to like you. Can I?
RoseTyler: Yes, you can.
Doc'sPrincess: Good. I'm not a big fan of the internet, so this makes me happy. I won't have to try too hard. I won't be there this week, but I do hope to meet you soon. And I hope you take away from this that I love John, and will, one day, agree to marry him. It just isn't time. And I look forward to meeting you, you seem like a wonderful girl
RoseTyler: You too. But, as John's friend, I have to ask that you please be kinder to him. It was scary watching him that night, and seeing how he reacted. I am sure you are a wonderful woman, but please try not to be needlessly cruel to him again. I don't think he can handle it.

RoseTyler has left the chat.

The week seemed to crawl by after that. The only upside being that she, Martha and Clara all got to work together for three days in a row leading up to Friday. Spring was in the air, and Martha had just finished her exams so she was in an excellent mood and all in all, they were looking forward to celebrating on Friday. Despite knowing John and Jack for over a year, she'd not met them in person and was really excited to do so. Rose hadn't mentioned anything about what happened with John, so they didn't know what had brought on this sudden interest in meeting in person.

"I reckon his girlfriend finally said yes to marrying him and he wants to do a big announcement with everyone there," Martha mused over chips at lunch on Friday.

Rose looked away, uncomfortably, "Nah, I reckon he just wants to celebrate Jack coming home for the summer. His show's doing really well, so he won't have a lot of free time anymore. And since Jack lives here in London, they wanted us to come too." This was partly true, at least. "Besides, I um, I actually talked to John's girlfriend last night. I got the distinct impression that the opposite happened."

"Ohh, you met Reinette? John must like you. She pretends she's one of the gang when she comes around, but she only comes on to snoop and get information. If she sought you out, she must think you're a threat," said Martha, laughing. At Rose's look of discomfort she quickly added, "Only joking. She's nice enough, but they've got a twisted relationship and I just try to stay out of it, to be honest."

"Yeah, that's my plan," said Rose, frowning slightly. "Anyway, she won't be there tonight. I think it's just them and the three of us, right?"

"I'm bringing Mickey," Martha said, grinning.

"What! This'll be like your 6th date, you guys getting serious on us?" asked Clara, with a wink.

"Never! Well, maybe. I dunno yet. We'll see how things go over the summer now that I'll have some free time."

"Oh, Martha – I'm so happy for you!" said Rose, reaching across the table to pat Martha on the shoulder.

"Yeah, now we just need to find you someone, Rose," said Clara, laughing.

Rose knew there was someone she had found, but would never admit it, even to them. It was just too complicated and all wrong at the moment. So she just rolled her eyes, "Yeah, not very likely. Have you seen the single blokes around here? Not a chance."

"I dunno, Rose, what about Jack? He's single and he's definitely interested, you never know…." Martha said, finishing her lunch.

Rose and Clara exchanged a glance and both burst out laughing. To cover for this, as she wasn't sure if Martha knew that Jack's interests were elsewhere, she said, "And he lives across the bloody world. Not gonna happen."

"Stranger things have happened," Martha said, shrugging. "So do you want to share a cab tonight? We could meet at my place, or I could come to you since you're in the same building."

"Maybe," replied Rose, pulling out her wallet to pay for lunch. "It's my early day today, so I'm off in a couple of hours. Not sure what I'll get up to yet, but I'll check in with you a little later."

They parted ways as they got back to work, heading to their respective stations. Rose was willing the time to move faster and finally it was almost time for her to clock out when her manager called her to the front of the store. She swore under her breath, taking one last longing look at the clock.

"Rose, dear, I know you're almost off duty, but you've been requested specifically by a VIP customer. Now, I know it isn't your department, but I do hope you'd do us a favor and assist this customer anyway," said Harriet, her manager. "Very high profile, and there'll be a high commission for you as well."

Rose's eyes widened. "Absolutely, Harriet. I don't mind at all."

"No, I rather thought you wouldn't," Harriet grinned, "especially when you see who the customer is. Come along."

Rose had a feeling she knew who would be there when they reached their destination, which appeared to be the Men's Apparel department. Rose was thoroughly unsurprised to see Jack Harkness leaning against a display counter watching them approach, looking every bit the dashing television star.

"Mr. Harkness, Ms. Tyler would be delighted to assist you with anything you need."

"I bet she would," said Jack, through a particularly smug grin.

"Rose, I'll be upstairs if you need anything. Send one of the other girls up to fetch me if you do."

"Yes, ma'am."

Jack waited until Harriet had turned the corner and engulfed Rose in a massive hug. "Nice to finally see you. You're even more gorgeous in person, how's that fair?"

"You sweet talker! Good to see you, too. Couldn't wait until tonight?" she replied cheekily.

"Not a chance. We tried to get Martha and Clara, too. But I guess that's not part of their job description so the scary lady would only get you."

"Harriet's a sweetheart, she's not scary. And did you say 'we'?"

"Yeah, John's in the loo. Ten quid says he gets lost trying to find his way back and we end up finding him in the basement."

"Security's too good, they stopped me before I reached the basement door," said John, approaching unseen from behind them. "Hello, Rose. Lovely to see you, give us a hug!"

Rose turned to greet him and was swept up in a hug almost before she'd turned around. He leaned towards her ear, whispering, "Thank you, again."

She looked up and met his eyes, which were so earnest and looked truly happy to see her, and she knew she was a goner for him. He held her close for a second longer than was strictly necessary, before stepping back and turning to Jack. "So, I think Jack wanted to buy out the store?"

Jack laughed, "Well, I like to travel light, so I'll need some things for the summer. I hope that's okay?"

"Sure. Come on, we've got a VIP lounge, sort of. Well, it's more of a private dressing room, but it'll do."

"Sounds good. Lead the way."

"So you can stare at my bum? No way."

"But you're the only one who knows how to get there, so you have to," John said, smirking. "Seeing your bum will just be an added bonus for us, now that you've pointed it out."

Rose rolled her eyes fondly and lead them towards the dressing room. She glanced back and caught them both staring, as she expected, but they had the good sense to pretend they weren't when she caught them.

"All right, we'll need to get your measurements and then I'll get you some champagne and I can start bringing things in."

"Or, how about I go look around and pick out some things I like, since I know my size better than you, and you can get paid to hang out in here for a little while?"

"That's not really how this works. The whole point is so you don't have to walk around the store and get harassed," Rose said, frowning.

"I can handle myself. Take a break, Rose. That's an order. And if I see the scary lady again, I'll tell her I made you do it."

"An order? Well, fine, but the scary lady's my boss, not you. But aye, aye, Captain Jack."

"And you," he said, turning to John. "Behave."

"I'm pretty sure that's my line," John retorted.

"Well, you're the one with the recent history of bad behaviour when combined with alcohol and blondes, so it's my turn."

"Go on, then. We'll be fine." John waved him out of the room. Jack gave a salute and exited the dressing room.

"So, how was the rest of your week? I didn't hear much from you. I hope you're doing better?" Rose asked.

"Much better, now I'm here. I'm in my favorite city, with my best mate, and my best…Rose," he finished, lamely.

"Well, that's the spirit. How long are you in town for?"

"Just the weekend. I've landed a role, so I'll be out of the country filming for a while." He walked over to where the champagne bucket and glasses were and peeled off the foil on the top of the bottle.

"Oh, that's good, right?"

"Yep!" he agreed, emphasizing the 'p' at the same time that he managed to pop the cork on the champagne, making Rose giggle. "That's a lovely sound," he murmured, handing her the glass he'd just poured. "But, it means I'll be without an internet connection. We'll be very much 'on location' – which is code for the back of beyond. Not sure I'll even get my phone to work, but I'm going to try. Speaking of which," he said, sitting down next to her on the plush sofa, "I need your phone number, Rose Tyler. If I've got to go three weeks without seeing your face, I'd like to at least be able to call you now and again, see if you're alright and make sure Jack hasn't swept you off your feet."

"Oh, and that'd be such a bad thing?" she grinned, letting him know she wasn't serious. "Here, have you got your phone on you?" He reached into his pocket and pulled it out, unlocking it for her. "I'll just put in my number for y…hang on, is that me?" she asked, seeing the background picture. It was, indeed, the picture Martha had taken and sent to him.

He blushed, "Well, er…no? Oh, all right. Yes. It's a lovely picture, and it made me happy when I got it to see that there were still fans, fans as gorgeous as you even. And then it's how I met you, and you've been a good friend. Made me smile the last couple of days. And they were rough days. It's only been on there since a couple of days ago, I swear!"

Rose blushed a little as well, trying and failing to catch his eye. "That's sweet. But I don't know if it's the best idea to let your girlfriend see that. She might get the wrong idea."

"Yeah, well, she and I are separating for a while, so it doesn't really matter what ideas she gets. At least until this movie is finished. After that, I dunno. But it'll be good to have some time apart, to clear my head. I feel like we've been doing this dance for years. And I'm bloody tired of dancing. She's the dancer, not me. And I think I've taken that analogy farther than I should have, but you get the picture. I just don't know if it's worth it anymore."

"I'm sorry," Rose said, quietly, taking his hand.

"Me too. But what are you gonna do? And besides, today, Rose Tyler, is about celebrating! And thanking you, but mostly celebrating! Jack's home, I'm in London, and I hear Martha's just finished her exams, so let's go spend an obscene amount of Jack's money, how's that sound?"

"Considering I get commission? That sounds fantastic!"

"I'm thinking we're buying you a gorgeous dress to wear tonight, and then you can leave the tab open at the end of the purchase so Martha and Clara can do the same."

"I don't think I feel comfortable getting paid to spend Jack's money on myself."

"Oh, come on. I'm buying something for myself as well. And if you let Jack pick the dress, he definitely won't care."

"I'm not letting him pick out a dress for me, I'd end up starkers!"

"Good point, that. All right, let me pick the dress then?"

"Not a chance. My dress, my decision."

"Oh, now it's your dress? Weren't you just the one saying you weren't comfortable with the whole thing?" he grinned down at her as they walked, only just realizing that they were still holding hands.

"Well, things change," she grinned back at him.

"That they do, Rose. That they do."