Chapter Three
Morning dawned and the TARDIS was ready to go; the Doctor spent the night unhooking her from all of Torchwoods computers. Donna was not ready, however, and had almost thrown Rose out of her room in an attempt to get more sleep. The Doctor had promised Rose that she could fly the TARDIS, so she'd been up early with him, going over controls and procedures. It frightened him how fast she had picked it up, almost as if it was natural to her. He was making a mental checklist of things to ask her when they had the time. They were standing alone outside the TARDIS waiting for Jack, Owen and Gwen. Rose leaned against his arm, smiling faintly.
"Rose," he began hesitantly. "If something was wrong, you would tell me, wouldn't you?" he looked down at her, frowning in concern. Rose looked up, startled.
"Of course." the moment the words left her mouth she regretted them. Nothing was strictly wrong, she thought. His look of relief flooded her with guilt. They didn't have time for a discussion of the past; she couldn't just say that she'd become a part of the TARDIS and the Vortex. It would have to wait.
"I hate mornings." Owen stumbled in, breaking into her thoughts. She had to smile, he didn't look like he was much of a morning person. She usually wasn't either, but the excitement of the day was fueling her adrenaline.
"Good morning!" The Doctor said cheerily. "We haven't eaten, Rose thought it might be fun to get doughnuts for breakfast when we get there."
"You know what'd be fun? A glass of scotch." Owen retorted wryly. Gwen nudged him with her duffel.
"Haven't you had enough already?" she asked, rolling her eyes. He smirked.
"I can still remember where I was last night, so no." he stared up at the TARDIS and looked at the Doctor. "Although, I may have to take that back." The Doctor grinned and opened the door of the TARDIS and gesturing for them to get inside.
"All ready to go!" he said cheerily. Owen glared at him
"We're not going to fit in there." he stated. Rose smirked at him, understanding his confusion. He gave her a sarcastic smile in return. Jack merely brushed past him, his face beaming.
"Owen! Live a little, I didn't think you were this boring..." He yelled from inside. Gwen followed Jack, shrugging her shoulders.
"What on Saint Mary's..." her voice echoed as she disappeared from sight. "Owen, you've got to see this!" Owen rolled his eyes as Rose looked back at him, smirking.
"You coming?" she asked. He pressed his lips together, contemplating. It wouldn't be the first time that Jack had played a joke on him. Hesitantly he followed Rose inside and his jaw dropped.
"It's...it's..." he was at a loss for words. The console room glowed warmly, and Jack and Rose leaned against the middle pillar watching him with amusement.
"Yeah, beautiful isn't she?" the Doctor shut the door behind them, his voice proud. Gwen was walking around, taking in the entirety of the room. It was like nothing she'd ever seen, and that was saying a lot. Jack grinned at her, enjoying their reactions.
"It's alien isn't it?" Gwen stated. She looked at Jack. "But we've never seen anything like this before." He shook his head.
"Nope." she turned to look at the Doctor and Rose.
"Does this mean you're alien?" she asked. Rose bit her lip, trying not to acknowledge how dangerously close Gwen was to her current predicament. She just gestured to the Doctor.
"Just him, two hearts and all." she said. Jack grinned.
"Oh I missed this." he turned and rested his hands on the console. Rose grinned and jumped up, running around to the screen.
"Are you ready for this?" Jack looked at his team. Gwen nodded, still amazed and Owen just stared, completely lost for words.
Rose met the Doctor's gaze looking for the signal to go. He gave her a slight nod, maintaining his stance by the door. Her smile widened, recognizing that he was demonstrating his faith in her.
"Allons-y!" she exclaimed, flipping switches and beginning the customary run around the console. The TARDIS heaved, nearly tossing Owen and Gwen to the ground, as she dematerialized.
"What's happening?" Gwen looked up at Jack. He just laughed, stepping out of the way as Rose brushed passed him. The TARDIS came to a shuddering halt and Rose stopped, staring gleefully at the Doctor. Jack raised an eyebrow at the Doctor.
"Trusting her with the TARDIS, my this must be serious." he winked at him as Rose rushed past him to the door. The Doctor only grinned and looked down at her.
"Ready?" he asked holding out his hand. She slipped her hand in his and bit her lip. Together they pulled open the doors and stepped out to investigate their destination. The Statue of Liberty loomed in front of them, her shadow defending them against the suns glare. Rose's jaw dropped and the Doctor scooped her up and swung her around.
"You did it!" he cried, Rose laughing. Jack followed them outside, watching them indulgently. It was good to see them together again; he needed her almost as much as he needed to keep traveling. Owen and Gwen stepped out beside him, both of them in awe.
"But we were..." Owen looked up at the box and back at Jack.
"Yeah, it's a spaceship, fantastic isn't it?" he commented. Gwen nodded.
"Don't show it to Rhys, he'd want one of his own." she grinned. Donna appeared beside her, ecstatic.
"Oh this is BRILLIANT! I've always wanted to see New York, but he rarely goes anywhere normal. Too boring for him I suppose." she jerked a thumb towards the Doctor.
"Not anymore." Jack rocked on his feet, waiting for the Doctor and Rose to notice them. "Should we interrupt them? They really are so sweet."
"Oi you two, breakfast!" Donna called, not bothering to think about the question. They looked up, their expressions practically glowing. The Doctor held up his hands and stepped back, framing the Lady Liberty behind him.
"Well Donna, what would you like? We have the all American smorgasbord, everything from chow mein to hot dogs." Rose giggled beside him.
"Coffee." Jack announced, leading the way to the ferries. The Doctor rolled his eyes and began following him.
"You people are so boring..." he huffed. Rose punched him in the arm.
"Oi!" she fell into step behind him, the others close behind. He frowned and rubbed his arm.
"When I say people, I rarely mean you." He winced as he heard Donna grunt behind him.
"I heard that spaceman!" she exclaimed, grinning at Gwen. Owen looked back at the TARDIS still in awe. They had traveled across the sea, in seconds, inside of a box that was bigger on the inside. He looked at Gwen, who hadn't stopped smiling since they had stepped outside.
"You forget sometimes," she said looking out at the ocean. "You get so caught up in work, and people dying and the sacrifices you make, that you forget that it's so different and wonderful." He nodded stiffly, squinting into the sun. He only vaguely heard the facts about the city that the Doctor rambled off. He could feel adrenaline rushing through him as the energy from the city became stronger. Torchwood didn't see much beauty, or joy for that matter. The joy he saw in this mysterious Doctor and Rose baffled him to the core. He had a faint memory of a joy like that, but he kept burying it in his mind, it hurt too much to think about. Owen pressed his lips together and turned back towards the city. They had a job to do.