The Doctor winced as Jackie started shouting again.

"False hope and empty promises! That's all you're givin' her! She deserves better! She deserves a real life!"

"Jackie," Jack said softly, "this is what we wanted. We wanted to see Rose be motivated to get stronger. And I – at least – wanted to see her make a choice about her life. And I think she made the right one. He loves her. He'll keep his promise. She's chosen a life here on Earth. What more do you want?"

"I want HIM out of it!"

"Well, that's not for us to decide. That's between them."

Jackie got in the Doctor's face again. "I swear, if you take her away and anything happens to her –"

"It won't," the Doctor stated. "I won't take her anywhere dangerous. I promise. I wouldn't risk it, not after what's happened."

Jack put his hands on Jackie's shoulders, leading her towards the door. "Jackie, just take some time to digest it all. It will work out."

"Jack?" the Doctor called.

"Yeah?"

"We still need to talk."

"Yeah, we do. I'll be right back."

"You can't tell her, Jack," the Doctor said after his explanation. "She can never know."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "You're going to lie to her? If she stays here, especially if she ends up working with Torchwood, she's probably going to find out. What do you want me to tell her?"

The Doctor shoved his hands in his pockets. "I'm not sure yet. But she's been through enough. She shouldn't have to carry that guilt."

Jack nodded in agreement. "Thanks for telling me."

"Thank you for taking care of her. And Jackie."

"So, you can help her get better?"

The Doctor nodded. "The TARDIS has the technology to repair most of the damage. And I've got a dermal regenerator somewhere to erase the last of the scars. I wish –" He cut himself off, leaning against the console.

Jack stepped forward, handing him a mobile phone. "Here. It's loaded with all the numbers you'll need. Me, my team, Torchwood 1, Jackie, and UNIT. We can coordinate in case … there's ever a next time. Don't go it alone. Please."

The Doctor nodded again. "Thank you."

"So, what happened to you?" Jack asked. "How did you get separated?"

The Doctor started pacing madly around the control room. "Rose must have told you."

"She tried, but some of the details are a little fuzzy for her. And … it would probably be good for you to get it off your chest."

The Doctor sighed, flopping down in the pilot's chair. "It was a nightmare, Jack."

"Where were you?"

"I took Rose to the Deliktret Marketplace. I mean, it's certainly a lively place, but I … she –"

Jack smiled gently. "Did she wander off?"

"No! I told her to absolutely stay by my side! It was just so sudden! I couldn't even sense it coming. In all the hustle and bustle, the Izogreds landed and managed to cast a graviton net into the crowd. She was just inches away from me, but she was caught in it, and I wasn't. I was right at the edge of it. They caught about a hundred people. There was mass panic and hysteria. I told her –" His voice broke. "I told her to sit tight, and I'd get her out. But as I moved to help, the net sent out a Fayon pulse."

Jack winced. "How big?"

"Everyone within a one kilometer radius. Even works on Time Lords, apparently. I was out for fifteen seconds. When I came to, they were gone. The pulse also wiped the transport records, so the locals couldn't figure out where they came from or where they'd gone. I went back to the TARDIS, but she was within the radius, too. It took at least twenty minutes to get her ready to fly. But we couldn't track them either. I … I've never been so close to crossing my own timeline as I was then. I knew what would happen to her; it was happening even as I was searching.

"I followed reports of other such occurrences, but I never got there in time. I kept trying to get there before they would land, but something kept the minutes right before the abductions time-locked. The Izogreds have their claws on some technology ahead of their time."

Jack frowned. "It definitely sounds like it."

"And … that's been my life," the Doctor said, waving his hand vaguely. "Just running, searching … losing hope. Slaves of the Izogreds don't have long life expectancies. I tried to appeal directly to their government, but of course, they denied everything. I came to a point where I decided that Jackie deserved to know. I was planning to just keep searching until I at least found out Rose's fate."

"I was right. You did everything you could. Well, aside from calling us."

"I didn't exactly have a reason to feel warm and fuzzy about Torchwood."

"No, but you could have tried to find me."

"I didn't know you had access to any more resources than I did, Jack. I'm … look, I'm sorry that I ran away from you. You've got every reason to be angry with me. I just couldn't … and I had to save Rose after she consumed the Vortex. But that doesn't make it right."

"So, how do you manage being around me now?"

"Honestly, I was a bit surprised when I landed that I could sense you weren't far. But the TARDIS and I are so frazzled that it didn't seem to bother us as much. And with repeated exposure, I'm sure we'll both adjust our perceptions." He paused, leaning against the console and not looking at Jack. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Did you … did you tell Rose I'd done the same to her? Abandoned her?"

"Not really. But … I didn't give her any assurances you'd be back either."

"Understandable."

"I figured there was something going on. I knew how you felt about her – hell, how we both felt about her."

The Doctor whirled to face him. "You haven't – I mean, you're not –"

Jack looked insulted. "Of course not! She's in no condition for that. Everything's been platonic." Jack folded his arms, looking down at the floor. "After everything that's happened, that's still what you think of me?"

"Jack, I didn't mean like that. I really didn't! I just … I – we, er, I didn't want to get in the way if you two were …"

Jack raised an eyebrow. "You said it?"

The Doctor tried to play innocent. "What?"

Jack shook his head. "Lucky, lucky girl. Look, can you keep an eye on everything here? I need to go out for a bit."

The Doctor nodded, absently fiddling with dials on the console. "Of course."

"Don't go to Jackie until she comes to you. You're liable to get hit again."

"I know."

Jack returned about an hour later with takeaway for dinner. After running some more tests, Rose and the Doctor returned to the Tyler home to eat. It was an awkward, nearly silent dinner. Rose was feeling overwhelmed and not terribly hungry; Jack was still feeling a bit resentful; the Doctor was guilty about both of them; and Jackie was still glaring daggers at the Doctor the whole time.

Immediately after the meal, the Doctor announced that he was retiring to the TARDIS to prepare the equipment for the next day.

"Doctor? Can I sleep in my old room on the TARDIS?"

"Of course, Rose," he replied. "I didn't touch it; everything should be the same."

"Oi! How do I know you won't go flyin' off with my baby?!" Jackie snapped.

Before anyone else could intervene, the Doctor replied smoothly, "Of course, you're welcome to stay as well, Jackie. The TARDIS has many guest bedrooms, some of them quite luxurious. I'd be honored."

Jackie huffed. "I doubt that, but I will take you up on it. There isn't … a weird alien loo, is there?"

"No, no worries. Come on, I'll help you get settled," Jack offered, ushering her towards her bedroom to pack a bag.

"Can Jack stay, too?" Rose asked.

"Sure, yeah," the Doctor answered. He wanted her to feel as safe and comfortable as possible. He cleared his throat. "His old room is still there, too."

Jack grinned before disappearing through the doorway. "Sounds like a TARDIS sleepover to me."

The Doctor and Jack were elbow-deep in electronics when Rose's screams pierced the air. The Time Lord dropped what he was doing.

"It's just a nightmare!" Jack shouted after him, trying to disentangle himself.

The Doctor threw open the door to Rose's room, turning on the light.

Rose was crying and thrashing in her blankets. He stepped towards her, trying to calm her flailing limbs.

"Rose, I'm here. Wake up; you're dreaming," he said soothingly.

Rose awoke with a strangled cry, sitting straight up. The Doctor sat next to her, wrapping his arms around her. "I'm here. It's all right. I've got you."

She clung to him and cried into his shoulder. There had been occasions during their travels together when she would have nightmares, and he would hold her until she calmed down. But this was different. She was shivering uncontrollably and crying as if her heart had been ripped out. He supposed, in a way, it had been.

Jack hovered in the doorway. Clearly, he was used to these nightly occurrences. The Doctor looked up at him for help, but the human just shrugged.

"You just have to hold her 'til it stops. Sometimes, it's like part of her mind is still … back there."

The Doctor was repulsed by that idea and held Rose tighter, murmuring soothing words to her. "I've got you, Rose. You're safe on the TARDIS with me and Jack and your mum. Even an army couldn't get through those doors, remember?" His words had no effect, so he simply stopped talking and rocked her back and forth slowly. Jack disappeared from the doorway and returned a little later with three cups of tea and a box of tissues.

Rose's gut-wrenching sobs finally eased as Jack set the tea tray on her bedside table. The Doctor stroked her hair, tucking it behind her ears so he could see her face. "There we are, love. Come on, Jack brought you some tea."

"Jack?" Rose groped out for him, and he took her hand in both of his.

"It's okay, Rose. We're here. C'mon, have some tea before it gets cold." He slowly placed the tea cup into her hand.

"Do you want something to help you sleep?" the Doctor asked as he watched her drink.

Rose shook her head.

"She doesn't like the way she feels afterwards," Jack explained, also sitting on the bed. He handed the Doctor his tea and took the last cup for himself.

Rose blew on her tea and sipped it slowly. "Not quite like the old days."

Jack noted the pained look on the Doctor's face. "No, but that doesn't mean that three of us can't still spend time together, right?" Jack ventured.

"Right," the Doctor agreed, looking relieved. He kissed the top of Rose's head. "We can make new memories, love. The three of us, whenever you want."

Jack raised an eyebrow at the Time Lord. "What, seriously?"

Rose turned her head from side to side, as if she were looking between them. "Why wouldn't he be serious?"

The Doctor winced. "I, um …"

Jack leaned in and kissed her temple. "Nothing, sweetheart. It's all right."

"Don't lie to me, Jack," she warned, sloshing her tea a bit. "What did you mean?"

"He doesn't trust me right now, Rose," the Doctor answered. "I … on the Game Station, I left him behind. I knew he was still alive, and I left him."

"What?! Why did you do that?! How could you do that?!"

Jack grabbed her tea before she dropped it. "Rose, I'm still a little mad at him, but I'll get over it. He apologized."

Rose turned to face the Doctor. "No, we're not just going to let that slide. No wonder he didn't think you were coming back! You left him! Why did you do that?!"

"Because I can't die, Rose," Jack answered, setting his tea down.

"Jack …" the Doctor warned.

Jack ignored him and took Rose by the shoulders to face him. "I can't die. And to a Time Lord, that's like nails down a chalkboard times a million. He couldn't be around me. Something … happened on the Game Station, and now I can't die. Ever. I hardly even age. I landed back on earth in the 19th century and have been living here since, waiting for him."

"Can it be fixed?"

"Unfortunately, no," the Doctor answered.

"So, that's why you don't sleep much?" Rose asked.

"Yeah," Jack replied. "Don't need as much now."

Rose started to cry again and held her arms out to Jack. He hugged her tightly.

The Doctor cleared his throat nervously and stood up, debating whether to give them some time alone. He had known Rose would react this way if she ever found out he had done. But it was made all the worse that she had to learn of it in her current condition. He swallowed hard.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, looking down at his companions. "To both of you. I'm sorry."

Rose pulled away slightly from Jack. "Then don't just stand there and come here."

The Doctor blinked and then set down his tea, going around to the other side of the bed to sit behind them. He put one arm around Rose, and after a moment's hesitation, the other around Jack. Rose put an arm around the Doctor, pulling insistently closer until the three of them formed a tight knot.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor repeated, leaning his head against hers.

"Never again?" she asked.

"Never," he confirmed. The moment he said it, he felt Jack hiccup and shudder, burying his face in Rose's shoulder.

Rose's hand bumped into his as she stroked Jack's back, murmuring to him. "Team TARDIS, Jack. Even if we can't run together, we'll never run away."

"Didn't think – it would still hurt," Jack managed, his voice breaking.

The Doctor closed his eyes and threaded his fingers into Jack's hair. "I'm sorry, Jack. I'm so sorry. It would have been different if you'd run into me first, but you found Rose and had to take care of her. It must have been like watching me to do the same thing to someone else."

Jack nodded. "A bit like that, yeah."

"Well, no more leaving," Rose ordered, lightly bumping her chin against the Doctor's head for emphasis. "No one gets left."

"Yes, ma'am," Jack answered.

Sometimes I think this is why I shouldn't have companions, the Doctor thought. I make such a mess, and they have to pick up the pieces. He opened his eyes, looking at the two of them. Then again, this is also why I do have companions. For moments like this to remember when the loneliness is unbearable.

Despite his claim that he didn't require much sleep, he could tell that Jack was exhausted. He probably wouldn't have been so emotional if he wasn't.

"Come on, you two," the Doctor murmured. "You need some sleep."

Surprisingly, Jack didn't argue as he guided them both to lie down. Unsurprisingly, they pulled him down between them. He smiled to himself as Jack pulled the blanket over all of them. The Doctor let each of them rest in the crook of one arm.

Rose snuggled into his shoulder and was back asleep in seconds. Jack took a little bit longer, tear tracks still evident on his face. The Doctor could feel the tension in his frame, as he twitched, hovering on the edge of sleep.

Feeling unusually affectionate, the Doctor leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to Jack's forehead. "I'm here, lad. Get some sleep."

Jack's body relaxed as he finally dropped down into sleep.

The Doctor smiled and closed his eyes.

To be continued ...