A/N Rose receives a little extra reassurance as she and the Doctor pay a visit to a special friend.

Chapter 29

Rose's exam was now complete, and the Doctor had somehow managed to recover his mental faculties and survive answering her questions about mammary glands, lactation and other such pregnancy-related changes experienced by females, while fighting down his surging desire to do so much more than simply talk about her body. While giving Rose a personal biology lesson when trying to rein in his intense desire for her might have taken supreme effort, he was at least glad she wasn't too shy to discuss such things with him.

He now just wished Rose would lose some of the reticence he could see in her eyes whenever their conversations fell to the topic of their past intimacy. He meant what he had said to Rose, though; he would not push her for more between them, no matter how much he craved it. And he knew their relationship well enough as to have no doubts that more would certainly come for them with time. He just had to survive these moments alone with her long enough to reach that point.

As for Rose, despite the stories the Doctor had now shared with her about some of their adventures together and all the questions he had been answering for her, there was still one more unanswered question on her mind.

He had been open with her to this point, so Rose felt no hesitation asking him this. As the two began making their way out of the infirmary together, she brought up her next question. "There's something else I still don't know...something else I've been wondering about that I can't remember." The Doctor nodded encouragingly for her to continue. "Where's Jack?"

"Jack?" the Doctor repeated. Then it dawned on him why she would ask. "Oh, yes, of course. The last you remember he was still traveling with us."

"Yeah," she answered quietly. Rose hated having these missing gaps in her life. "Where is he now?"

The Doctor had already been through one uncomfortable conversation with her about Jack in the past. With all the information she was currently trying to come to terms with, the last thing she needed to try and deal with at the moment was learning again the details of Bad Wolf and Jack's immortality. He decided it was best not to go into all of that now, but that didn't mean he couldn't answer her question. "He's on Earth, actually. Your current timeline. I suppose you could say he's busy defending Sol Three with this...well…he has this team. Torchwood, they're called. And rather brilliant, at times," he had to admit.

"Torchwood," Rose repeated, the name striking a recent familiarity. "Like...like the name of the house in Scotland with the werewolf you were telling me about?"

He nodded. "After our encounter there, Queen Victoria founded the original Institute with the intention of 'fighting the alien horde'." A cold chill ran down his spine and his expression darkened. "That regime was destroyed in a battle...which...is a very long and unpleasant story. But afterward Jack rebuilt the organization – changed it. It's no longer the same as it once was. For one thing, I'm not considered an Enemy of the Crown by them," he added as an aside.

Rose took a minute to ponder what he'd told her. "Sounds like he's keepin' busy, then," she replied wistfully.

"Oh yes. Quite." It was then the Doctor had an idea. If there was one thing Rose was in need of right now it was familiar faces. It pained the Doctor that he wasn't one of them, but he could take Rose to visit someone who was.

He stopped walking and turned to her. "Would you like to go see him, Rose?"

Her face lit up at the offer. "Can we?"

"'Course we can. And I suppose...," his eyes gravitated to her belly, "we have some news to share with him, don't we?"

Rose half-smiled, her eyes ducking. She briefly wondered what Jack would think of hearing about this, but she had a hard time being able to put too much thought into what others would think considering she was still trying to figure out what to make of all this herself.

The Doctor and Rose reached the console room, and after a brief punching of buttons, pulling of levers and whacks with the mallet, the coordinates were set for Torchwood Three. Not only would seeing Jack do Rose some good, but the Doctor could use the backing of a friend himself about now. Very rarely did he ever find himself at a loss in a situation, but he was still grappling with how to best proceed in all this. Jack was in the unique position of being someone who understood the two of them, had even watched over Rose growing up and was the one to bring her back to the Doctor when two universes had torn them apart.

With that in mind, the Doctor spoke up just as they arrived at their designated location, wanting to fill her in on at least that one significant detail concerning Jack.

"There's something else you should know, Rose," he said, engaging the handbrake and stepping away from the console to come near to where she stood. "You remember the battle I mentioned?"

She nodded. "The one that you said destroyed the original Torchwood?"

He swallowed with effort. "Yes. And in that battle I...I lost you. The opening of a breach between two worlds led to the battle, and we became separated by that breach, with you trapped on the other side in a parallel universe. The same universe Pete came from. The walls between worlds then closed and I couldn't reach you." The Doctor's chest constricted as he relived the raw memory of that day.

She looked searchingly in his eyes. "Then how...?"

"Jack. He decided to be cavalier with the Laws of Time." His lips quirked into a smile. "And that is something I will always be grateful to him for. He traveled back to before the walls had closed, crossed over and brought you back to me."

Rose stood still for a moment, then released a laugh in near-disbelief. "Well, I s'pose that's Jack for you."

It was at that moment the door to the TARDIS opened and they were met with the familiar voice of the man in question. "Are you two planning on actually coming out, or are you just using my hub as a parking space for the day?"

Rose spun around towards him and, without further hesitation, ran forward into his arms. "Jack!"

He stumbled back slightly at the force of the enthusiastic impact, suddenly finding himself with an armful of Rose. "Whoa!" he chuckled. "Now I could really begin getting used to this kind of greeting." They pulled back slightly, his arms still around her as his blue eyes twinkled. "Although if you really wanted to be friendly..."

"Stop it," the Doctor warned the lustful Captain.

Jack loosened his hold on her with a sigh. "Doctor," he greeted. "Nice to see you haven't changed a bit."

Something akin to a dark cloud crossed Rose's face, and Jack couldn't help but notice. He took a step back, folding his arms.

"Okay. I know you both well enough to know that these faces," he gestured at the two of them, "mean something. So tell me. Are we about to be invaded?" He sighed. "And just when I thought it might actually be a quiet day for once."

"No alien invasion," the Doctor assured him. "Weeell, unless I count." His voice sobered as he looked at Rose. "There has been quite a lot happening recently, though." He was now at a bit of a loss where to even begin.

Rose spared him the effort as she spoke up, spilling out the words she was still trying to get her own head around. "I...I'm gonna have a baby."

Despite the circumstances, the Doctor couldn't keep the gleam of joy and pride off his face at her words. Jack's mouth fell open, then nearly split in two from dimple to dimple as his face broke into a broad grin. He knew the Doctor and Rose were now together, in every sense of the word, but he'd honestly never quite expected this news from them.

"A baby? Really? Ha! Oh, that's...that is just BRILLIANT!" He scooped Rose up into another hug before setting her down and giving a visual appraisal. "And just look at you! Oh, I knew you looked more gorgeous than ever. You are gonna be one hot babe with a Time Tot in the oven." He gave her a wink then nodded towards the Doctor. "He won't be able to keep his hands off you, not that I could blame him. Though I suppose that's what got you here in the first place, right?"

Rose flushed, and the Doctor, knowing she was still a little uncomfortable with this topic, saved her further awkwardness by moving ahead and bringing up the next issue. "There have been some complications, though."

Jack's grin slid from his face. "Complications? Are you alright, Rose? What's happened?"

She looked to the Doctor, a trace of sadness and lingering confusing showing through her eyes. "I've lost part of my memory," she replied quietly. "I can't even remember..." Rose trailed off, unable to finish.

Jack reached forward and tilted her chin up to meet his eyes. "Hey, now. Everything's alright. Look at you – you're strong, you're healthy, and that's what matters." He wrapped her in a hug as he looked over her shoulder at the Doctor with concern. Why didn't things ever go smoothly for these two?

"How did it happen?" Jack asked him.

The Doctor drew a deep breath. "The baby began forming a telepathic link to Rose, and when it did, it joined with the bond she and I shared, magnifying it beyond what her mind could withstand. I had to partially sever our link, but the damage already done caused her memory loss."

Rose pulled back from their embrace. "I've remembered some things, just not the most recent. I don't remember..." Rose dropped her eyes downward.

"Me," the Doctor finished for her. "This me. She doesn't remember my regeneration or anything after. She's just found out today about the pregnancy and...us."

Talk about a lot to contend with in a day, Jack thought to himself.

"Well, if there's one thing I can relate to, it's memory loss," he replied in empathy. "Although I've never woken up and found myself to be missing memories and pregnant." He paused. "Well...not both at the same time, anyway."

That got a small, watery laugh out of Rose. The Doctor came nearer to the two of them. "Considering all the newness she's been coping with, I thought Rose could do with seeing a few familiar faces."

Jack gave her a beaming smile and a wink, lifting her spirits a little higher. "Familiar and gorgeous. Just what the Doctor ordered."

"Oh, it's so good to see you, Jack!" Rose said as she put her arms around him once more.

The Doctor fought the small emotion of jealously that was trying to work its way to the surface as he regarded the two of them. He wasn't jealous of Jack in the sense of a rival at this point – their friendship was too strong for that. Despite his flirtatious air, Jack respected and would never try to compromise the Doctor and Rose's relationship. No, the Doctor felt jealous because he envied Jack being held within Rose's memories while a part of himself had been lost. Rose was genuinely smiling just seeing Jack, though; and that alone was enough to bring a smile to the Doctor's face, too.

The Doctor suspected Rose might want some time alone to talk to Jack, so he gave her that chance by excusing himself. "Tell you what, while you two do some catching up, I think I'll go say hello to that team of yours, have a look about, maybe...chat up a Weevil," he said with a small grin as he slipped on his long coat and moved to the door.

"Just don't go stirring up any trouble out there. We usually have plenty to go around as it is," Jack called after him, humor lacing his tone.

"Now how can trouble be stirred up out there when you're in here?" the Doctor retorted as he stepped out.

Jack laughed and gave a small shake of his head as he looked back at Rose. His face softened. "So...how are you feeling, sweetheart? Really. Everything else aside."

Rose released a small laugh. "If I could put everything else aside I s'pose I'd say I was feeling fine." She drew her brows together as she stared off past him, her voice sounding lost. "I can't though. And I just...don't really even know what to do from here."

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to do anything, Rose. This doesn't have to be harder than it already is. Just take things a step at a time as they come."

"You sound like my mum," she chuckled.

"And to think just a minute ago I'd been happy to see you," he replied in mock offense.

She smiled slightly and lifted her eyes to his. "It's just...so much to take in, and I feel so lost in all this."

"Of course you do. That's only natural. It's been...what? A day since you found out? Not enough time to adjust to a life you don't remember. But you're not lost, Rose. You've got your friends, your family. You've got the Doctor...even if he's a little different right now from who you remember."

Rose bit down on her lip. "I know he's still the Doctor. I get that now. S'just...the Doctor we knew is gone, Jack. An' I miss him," she quietly admitted. A small, breathless laugh worked its way free. "And this one...he's just so..."

"Gorgeous? Cheeky? A little bit infuriating and sometimes more than a little confusing?"

"Pretty much, yeah," she laughed in bemusement of it all.

"He's also still the same," he gently assured her. "Some things about him might have changed, but other things never will. Like the way he feels about you. That Time Lord is crazy about you, Rose. That much I can assure you."

Rose softly shook her head. "That's another thing that's so hard to wrap my head around, though. The other Doctor, he never felt that way. Never said..."

"Oh, now there's where you're wrong. It might have taken him awhile to admit how he felt, but it was always there and so blatantly obvious from the day I met you two."

"You really think so?" she asked, wanting so much for it to be true. This Doctor had said so, but she never got to hear it from the other him.

"You really have to ask?" he said with a grin. "I mean, come on. I said it that first day. You two were so lost in each other's arms you didn't even notice you'd been teleported. Adorable."

Rose recalled the memory. A memory she did have and clung to tightly.

"He's the same in all the ways that matter most, Rose," he reiterated gently. "And I think you can feel that, can't you? What's your heart telling you?"

Rose blew out a breath. "Things that are a little scary. Because my head tells me I barely know him, and yet every time I just look at him, I feel so..." She cleared her throat. "But to just jump into all this. How do I learn to be his...his wife again? His..."

Jack grinned slowly. "Something tells me you'll be a very quick learner in that department."

Rose flushed hotly and swatted his shoulder. "Shut up."

"But if you need some personal pointers...," he continued, his grin widening.

The more they talked the more at ease Rose began to feel. This familiarity and reassurance was just what she'd needed.

The Doctor peeked his head through the TARDIS door sometime later, spotting the two on the jump seat, laughing together over a past story.

"Ah, there you two are!" he called cheerily. "We've struck up a bit of a party out here and thought you might like to join us. Ianto's even ordered pizza."

"What, again?" Jack groused good-naturedly. "Don't they ever learn variety? Still, knowing their appetites we best get some before it's gone. What'd you say, Rose? Feel up to some pizza?"

Rose thought back to her last attempt at eating pizza and didn't think at the time she'd want to face more anytime soon, but the more she thought about eating the hungrier she realized she'd become. "Yeah, that sounds good, actually," Rose replied. She was also anxious to greet Jack's team, too. Maybe she'd skip chatting up a Weevil, but she wouldn't mind having a look around.

The Doctor held the door open for her as she passed him with a brief smile. Once she'd stepped out, the Doctor lingered inside. He too wanted a chance to talk for a minute with Jack.

Jack stood back and eyed the Doctor with a look of thoughtful curiosity.

"What?" the Doctor queried.

Jack shrugged. "Just...trying to picture you with a kid, is all."

For the briefest moment, the Doctor looked all of his nine-hundred-plus years as something ancient passed within his eyes. "I've been a father before, Jack."

Jack sobered. Both men had lived through the ravages of Time and understood how its passage etched itself upon the soul. A person carried so much more within their being than what you saw to them in a single moment. "Well from where I stand, I think it'll be fantastic. You, Rose, and the start of a brand new race?" A slow smile grew. "Yeah, I can picture it all, and it's gonna be epic."

The Doctor's eyes were distant. "Yeah," he breathed, his quiet reply sounding something close to awe.

The Doctor's gaze flicked downward again as he stood silent.

Jack took a few steps closer and waited. He knew the Doctor wanted to talk over what he and Rose were currently facing. It was obvious that's what was weighing on his mind but wasn't sure just where to begin. Jack knew the Doctor well enough to know he'd never been adept at opening up about private issues concerning himself, so Jack gave him a moment to work up what he wanted to say.

"So...," the Doctor finally began, scratching at the back of his neck in that awkward way. "How does she seem to you? I mean...do you think she's coping with...all of this alright?"

Jack offered a slight smile. "She seems like she's handling it about as well as you. You're both a little out of your depth with all this and both seem as nervous with each other as two teenagers on their first date. Well, not that I was ever like that as a teenager, but you get the point."

The Doctor blew out a rush of air as he leaned back against the railing of the ramp. "I'm just not sure of the best way to proceed from here, Jack," he confessed in a rare moment of personal candor. "I don't want to do anything that would push her too far or make her any more uncomfortable than she already is, but I don't want to stand so far back that she gets the feeling of indifference, either."

Jack clapped him on the shoulder. "Just don't try too hard either way. Just be yourself with Rose. That was obviously enough for her the first time."

The Doctor grunted. "And that's the other issue. I can be myself, but Rose doesn't feel like she even knows who that is right now. It was hard enough for her to come to terms with my regeneration the first time when she was there to see it happen. This situation has thrown it at her in a whole other way."

"Just give it time, Doc. That's something you have plenty of, right? Rose just needs time for all of this to settle in." Jack gave him a cheeky grin, lightening the mood. "And incidentally, it's about time you came to me realizing I'm an authority on this type of thing. Any time you need advice, tips, or detailed demonstrations, just remember Mr. Love is ready and waiting."

The Doctor snorted and shook his head as the two stepped out into the hub. "I will try very hard not to keep that in mind."

-:-:-:-

The Doctor and Rose felt a little of the mutual tension ease as they spent some time in the sociable atmosphere with the five-member team, but they couldn't keep that buffer between them permanently, and it was eventually time for the two of them to return to the TARDIS.

Jack knew the Doctor and Rose would be alright as he watched them go. He had no doubts those two could make it through anything the universe threw their way, as it so often seemed to take delight in doing. After a parting goodbye, the Doctor walked with Rose back into the TARDIS, a little of that uncertainty and tension returning now that they were once again alone. They stopped at the console as the Doctor put them adrift into the Vortex. He then turned to Rose and offered a soft smile.

"Now as your doctor," he said warmly, "I think it's time you get some rest. It's been an eventful day for you all around, to say the least."

Had it really just been a day since she'd learned of all this? Rose thought to herself. No wonder her head was still spinning. And maybe it was the power of suggestion, but somehow hearing the Doctor mention rest made Rose suddenly aware of just how tired she really was.

"I am knackered," she admitted.

This did, however, raise yet another question for both of them. Where would she choose to sleep?

Technically, Rose had already said her goodbyes to Jackie and Pete, but she could easily return to the flat to sleep in her old room. Rose wanted to be on the TARDIS, though. This was home. She knew that she and the Doctor undoubtedly shared a bedroom now, but not only would that be unfamiliar to her, but it had high potential to create more awkwardness.

"Your room here is still as you remember it, if you want to sleep there...for now," he said, offering her the choice, even though the thought of her not choosing their room pained him somewhat, but he understood. "But I'm sure you'd be quite comfortable in...our room, too. It's up to you, Rose."

Rose was about to make the uncomplicated choice and tell him she'd just take her old room, the one she was familiar with, so the words she spoke came as a surprise to her. "Could I just...see the other room? I don't remember it, but that's part of the problem, yeah? Maybe seeing it will...I dunno...bring something back." She shifted on her feet a little as she looked at him.

The Doctor tried to keep his enthusiasm in check and not grin like a loon. Tried, at least. "Of course. I'll show you the way."