A/N: Warning! This chapter contains some language!

Rose hurled herself down on her bed and hugged her knees to her chest. Her breath came in shaky ripples as she attempted to recover from her conversation with the Doctor. Laying in a fetal position, she turned to look at her nightstand. On it was a smiling picture of her and the Doctor that was proudly framed in a crystal frame she had picked up at a 51st century market. A burning lump forced itself into her throat. The picture had been taken on a visit to her mum's a few months ago. How much simpler things were back then, she couldn't help but think. Unable to take her eyes off the photo, she choked back the inevitable tears that threatened to spill over. In just a couple minutes since their breakfast conversation, Rose felt as though she had aged a few years.

Tears. Hot, salty tears rolled down her face freely now, as she lay down on her bed, burrowing her head into her pillow. She could smell the faint scent of the Doctor on her sheets, a fresh combination of spices, soap, and of course, bananas. Rose fought hard to suppress a smile at the thought of the Doctor's obsession with bananas. Damn. Had it really been only a few hours since he had come to her in the dark of night after she woke from a nightmare, holding her until she fell back asleep?

We can't have a future. Rose's thoughts tortured her as she replayed the Doctor's heart-shattering words in her head. A sob escaping her mouth, she buried her face further into the pillow, which was now soaked with tears. What had happened to her? She never cried like this.

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A faint knock on her door brought Rose back to reality. Her eyes fluttered open as she looked around her room, disoriented. Still in a trance-like state, she tried to deduct how she had gotten there. She must have dozed off earlier…

A second knock reverberated through her room, this one more forceful than the first. Rose squinted, knitting her eyebrows together as she focused her attention on the door. She knew that it couldn't be the Doctor, because he never knocked. She had found that out the hard way just a few months ago, when he had barged into her room to tell her about his plans for the day and ended up walking in on her as she was getting dressed. Rose felt her face grow hot as she recalled his reaction.

Her curiosity heightened, Rose stood up and went to her door. When she opened it, she found herself staring face to face with none other than…

"Jack!" Rose cried as her friend enveloped her in his arms. It had been months since she had last seen him, and he was the very person that she wanted to see at that moment. He embraced her for what seemed like eternity, then stood back to look at her.

"Rose, what happened? You look like hell." Jack's face fell as he looked her up and down, eyes wide and filled with worry.

"Sit with me?" she asked, moving out of the doorway to lead him into her room. She slumped down on her bed. Jack sat coolly in Rose's desk chair with it facing backwards, crossing his arms on the back of it.

"How have you been?" Rose questioned him politely. As much as she wanted to vent to Jack, to tell him everything that had happened, she managed to contain herself. She didn't want to throw all of her emotional baggage on him the second he walked in.

"The usual," Jack replied with his face painted in his signature smirk. "Met some people, spent some nights I can't remember… I'm sure you're wondering how I got here. After kicking some arse with my Torchwood team, I used my vortex manipulator to teleport here because I wanted to pay a visit to you and your little Time Lord boy-toy."

Rose winced at the last part, still sensitive to what had happened earlier. She let herself relax and playfully narrowed her eyes at her friend. "You teleported here on accident, didn't you?"

"Damn you, Rose Tyler. Can't you just be happy to see me?"

She smiled weakly, "'Course I'm happy to see you! Been way too long, it has!"

Jack raised his eyebrows at her. "Can't the two of you just shag and make up?"

The shift in conversation was quick enough to give Rose whiplash. "Jack… you know he isn't like that… In fact, I really don't think that would ever happen… Not after earlier…" She broke off and felt tears coming on again.

"You mean you the two of you haven't…?" His eyes widened.

She shook her head at him. Really Jack? This was not the time to bring up her sex life.

The smirk was wiped off his face and he softened towards her, sympathy washing over him. "What did that inconsiderate git do to you? If he hurt you Rose, I'll kick his Time Lord (and very attractive) arse!"

He was angry now, and talked as though he was her overprotective older brother. She had never seen him behave this way.

"Oh, you know how the Doctor's been in this incarnation… he says things that come out more harshly than he intends…" she began, trying to find a place to start when explaining the conversation that had taken place over breakfast. She bit down hard on her lip. "Actually, I think he really meant what he said. 'S not really something that could've sounded any less cruel."

Rose went on to tell him everything that had happened, from her nightmare last night to her chat with the Doctor this morning. By the end of it, the water-works were full force and Jack's hands had curled themselves into fists. She could tell by the severe expression on his face that a confrontation between him and the Doctor was to be expected.

Soaking in what Rose had told him, Jack suggested that she take a hot shower to help her calm down.

"I'll wait here until you're done," he promised. "Unless you want me to join you." He wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively.

She rolled her eyes at him, already looking through her wardrobe to find clothes to change into for the rest of the day. She settled on a pair of dark trousers, a baby blue v-neck, and her favorite grey jumper. Rose grabbed the clothes and headed to her en suite.

When Rose looked into her large mirror over her sink, the person staring back was not one she recognized. Her blonde hair was a knotted disaster with random strands of hair sticking out in every which direction. Her cheeks, besides looking uncharacteristically pale were stained with mascara that had smudged from all of her crying. She forced her puffy eyes from the mirror and walked over to the bathtub, which had already been filled with water and bubbles.

Thank you, girl, she mused in appreciation to the TARDIS as she quickly undressed and stepped into the tub. The hot water revived her and she felt her misery wash away. This ship really does have a mind of her own, Rose thought to herself as she closed her eyes blissfully and sunk to her nose in bubble bath.

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"Feeling better?" Jack asked when Rose stepped out of the en suite.

"Much better, actually. That was a good idea, to take a bath." She was wearing the outfit that she had picked out before and had wrapped her hair in a towel to dry. She sat down on her bed and looked at Jack expectantly.

The room suddenly started to shake and Rose and Jack found themselves thrown on the floor. "What the…" she started. She tried to stand but found herself tumbling back onto the ground.

A loud boom echoed through the room, causing the walls to tremble upon its reverberation. The shaking ceased and they could finally feel the floor beneath them. Rose let out a sigh of relief.

"The TARDIS has landed," Jack announced, standing up quickly and brushing off his clothes.

"Yeah, I gathered that."

Rose stood up. She grabbed the towel on her head and pulled it off, setting her wet locks free. She brushed a few fingers through her hair and looked at Jack, who was watching her intently.

"Well, d'ya wanna see where we've landed or not?" she asked him, making her way to the door. He followed suit.

"By the way, Rose, if you aren't getting any from the Doctor, you can always let the captain show you a good time."

Rose didn't turn around to look at him but she could hear the smirk in his voice. Before she could come up with a sarcastic response, her bedroom door flung open and they were staring at the Doctor. His face was paler than Rose had ever seen it.

"We're on the planet Oublieux," the Doctor announced.

Rose heard Jack mutter under his breath. "Shit."

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A/N: Thank you so much for reading and staying patient with me while it took me a little to update. I wanted to make sure I was completely happy with it before I posted. Please leave me a review because I greatly appreciate each and every one I receive! See you on the update :)