Two months after Jack joined them they were tinkering under the TARDIS console when Jack decided to broach the subject of him and Rose.

"So Doc," Jack starts. "How long have you been in love with Rose?"

The Doctor, startled by the question sits up suddenly and bangs his head on the underside of the console. Letting out a gallifreyan curse which the TARDIS shocks him for he turns to look at Jack. "What makes you think I am?"

Jack rolls his eyes as he sits up more carefully and stares back at the Doctor. "Please, it's clear to everyone but the two of you."

"I can't love her, Jack," the Doctor sighs.

"But you do anyway," Jack guesses. "Anyone can tell, from the fact that she's the first thing you think about in any situation to you marking her as yours when you were drunk that one time to stop other males from coming on to her."

The Doctor sighed again. "I do but she can't know. I live a lot longer than humans, how can I ask her to tie herself to me if I would eventually lose her."

Rose walks in before Jack can respond. "The two of you, tinkering with the TARDIS again?"

The Doctor and Jack jump up as the Doctor responds, "we just need to stop off in Cardiff to fuel up on the rift before we can fly off again."

Rose stared at them for a few seconds before shrugging and sitting down in the jump-seat. "I'll just give mum a call and see if she'd like to meet us." Last time she called Mickey but this time thought she'd try her mum.

"Hello," Jackie answers.

Rose grins to herself. "Hi, mum."

"Hello sweetheart." Jackie greets.

"Mum, we're going to be in Cardiff and I thought you might like to meet us to catch up." Rose suggests.

"Oh, I'm sorry sweetheart I have a birthday party to go too. Tell ya what I'll send Mickey up. He can bring your passport," Jackie suggests. "Bye darling."

"No, mum," Rose tried to stop. She looks up to see identical grins on both their faces. "She hung up on me."

"Why do you think I don't like to go see her?" The Doctor grins.

"Oi, that's my mum." Rose knows what would get rid of his grin. "My mums sending Mickey with my passport."

The Doctors grin disappeared. "Tell her you don't need that."

Jack looks between them, this is going to be interesting.

The TARDIS appears in the middle of Roald Dahl Plass in Cardiff centre. The Doctor was on a ladder fixing some wires while Jack was at the console attaching the wires so the TARDIS console could absorb the energy. Rose was sitting on the captains chair watching them and sneaking peaks at the Doctors bum.

Someone knocks on the door and Jack moves to answer. "Who the hell are you?"

"What ya mean who the hell am I? Who the hell are you?" Mickey demands.

"Captain Jack Harkness, whatever your selling were not buying." Jack grins realising who this must be.

"Get outta my way." Mickey demands as he pushes past Jack and into the TARDIS.

Jacks wondering what Rose ever saw in him. "Tell me, this must be Rickey."

"Here comes trouble," the Doctor greets. "Hey Rickey boy."

"It's Mickey," he yells back as he sees Rose. "Here's your passport."

"Ignore them they like to wind you up," Rose grins at her boys fondly. "Thanks, though you didn't have to."

"You look fantastic," Mickey smiles at her.

She can see it in his expression, he's still holding out hope that she'll come back. She doesn't know what she'll do about it, the sooner he gets over her the sooner he can move on with his life.

"So, what ya doing in Cardiff and who the hell is jumping Jack flash? I mean I can't believe you go out with big ears up there." Mickey snarked.

"Oi," the Doctor complains.

"Look in the mirror," Mickey retorts. "But this guy, I don't know he's kind off..."

"Handsome," Jack interrupts.

"More like cheesy." Mickey finishes.

Jack looks at the Doctor confused. "Early 21st century slang is cheesy good or bad."

"It's bad," Mickey assures him.

"But bad means good, isn't that right?" Jack tries to reason out.

"You saying I'm not handsome?" The Doctor interrupts as he steps off the ladder and over to Rose.

Rose rolls her eyes at him. "Yes Doctor, your very handsome." Rose assures him with a peck on the lips. She turns back to Mickey. "We just stopped off, we need to refuel. Thing is Cardiff's got this rift running through the middle of this city, it's invisible but it's like an earthquake fault between different dimensions."

"The rift was healed back in 1869," the Doctor picks up.

"Thanks to a girl named Gwyneth," Rose continues. "Cause these creatures called the Gelth they were using the rift as a gateway but she saved the world and closed it."

"But closing a rift always leaves a scar," Jack jumps in. "And that scar generates energy, harmless to the human race."

"But perfect for the TARDIS," the Doctor interrupts. "I just park it here for a couple of days, right on top of the scar and."

"Open up the engines," Jack jumps in. "Soak up the radiation."

"Like filling her up with petrol," Rose grins. "And off we go."

"In to time," Jack high fives Rose and the Doctor.

"And space." They finish together as they have a good laugh.

Mickey looks at them confused. "My god, have you seen yourselves. You all think your so cleaver, don't you."

"Ya," the Doctor agrees.

"Ya," Rose copies.

"Yep," Jack replies as he gives Mickey a light slap on the cheek.

They decide to go explore Cardiff. "Should take 24 hours," the Doctor explains as they all step out of the TARDIS. "It means we've got time to kill."

"That old ladies staring," Mickey points out.

They all look over. "Probably wondering what four people are doing inside a small wooden box." Jack suggests.

Mickey looks to him. "What are you captain off, the innuendo squad?"

Jack makes a whatever sign with his hands as he goes to walk off.

"Wait," Mickey calls. "The TARDIS, you can't just leave it here. Doesn't it get noticed?"

"Yeah," Jack agrees. "What's with the police box, why does it look like that?"

"It's a cloaking device," Rose explains.

"It's called a chameleon circuit," the Doctor jumps in. "The TARDIS is meant to disguise itself, wherever it lands like if this was Ancient Rome it would be a statue on a plinth or something. I landed in the 1960s, it disguised itself as a police box and the circuit got stuck.

"So it copied the real thing," Mickey asks. "There actually were police boxes?"

"Yeah, on street corners," the Doctor agreed. "Call for help before they had radios and mobiles. If they arrested somebody they could shove them inside till help came. Like a little prison cell.

"Why don't you just fix the circuit?" Jack enquires.

"I like it, don't you?" The Doctor answers defensively.

"I love it," Rose assures the Doctor as she feels the TARDIS give her a mental bear hug.

"But that's what I meant," Mickey insists. "There's no police boxes anymore so doesn't it get noticed."

"Rickey," the Doctor sighs. "Let me tell you about the human race. You put a mysterious blue box slap bang in the middle of town what do they do? Walk past it. Now stop nagging, let's go and eat."

They walk off as Rose threads her arm through the Doctors. "So what's the plan then?"

"I don't know," the Doctor stats. "Cardiff, early 21st century and the winds coming from the east. Trust me, safest place in the universe."

Rose can feel the TARDIS and Bad Wolfs amusement, he should never say something like that. They find a restaurant just of the Plass and they sit down to eat. Jack regales them with tales of his travels.

"And it turns out the white things are tusks and I mean tusks and it's woken and it's not happy," Jack tells them as the others laugh.

"How could you have not known it was there?" The Doctor interrupts.

"We were standing there, 15 of us naked." Jack continues. "And I'm like oh, no no no it's got nothing to do with me and then it roars and we are running. Oh my god we are running and Brockovich falls so I turn to him and I say."

"I knew we should've turned left." Mickey jumps in.

"That's my line," Jack yells out as everyone cracks up laughing.

"I don't believe you," Rose comments. No but I wouldn't mind seeing that, Bad Wolf pipes up. Rose notices the Doctor looks like he's seen a ghost.

"No I just picked him up and went right for the ship full throttle. Didn't stop till I hit the space lanes and I was shaking, it was unbelievable." Jack continues unaware that the Doctor was now holding a newspaper.

Typical the Doctor thought as he saw Margret's picture on the front of the newspaper. The universe couldn't give him one nice normal day out. He walks over and takes the front page of the newspaper from the man and turns to face Rose, Jack and Mickey. "And I was having such a nice day." He shows them the picture.

Once they brought Jack up to speed on how they know her. They all agree to confront Margaret so they head for the council chambers.

Arriving they stand in a line just outside the doors and they notice four different exits. "According to intelligence," Jack starts. "The target is the last surviving member of the Slitheen family, a criminal sect from the planet Raxocolcophalipatorus masquerading as a human being as if inside a skin suit. Ok, plan of attack, we assume a basic 57/56 strategy covering all available exits out of the building on the ground floor. Doctor, you go face to face that will designate exit one. I'll cover exit two, Rose you exit three, Mickey Smith you take exit four. You got that?"

The Doctor looks at him insulted, "excuse me, who's in charge here?"

Jack rolls his eyes. "Sorry, awaiting orders, sir."

The Doctor grins suddenly. "Right here's the plan. Like he said, nice plan anything else?"

"Present arms," Jack calls and everyone holds up their mobile phones.

"Ready," they all agree.

"Redial," Jack says.

They all push the redial button so there connected to each other's phone.

"See ya in hell," Jack comments as he moves to cover his exit.

Rose gives the Doctor another peck on the lips before moving to cover her own exit while the Doctor walks up to the desk outside of the mayors office. "Hello, I've come to see the Lord Mayor."

"Have you got an appointment?" The young man behind the desk asks.

"Nope, just an old friend passing by. Bit of a surprise. Can't wait to see her face." He grins imagining Margret's reaction to knowing their there.

"Well she's just having a cup of tea." He insists.

"Just go in there and tell her the Doctor would like to see her," the Doctor explained.

"Doctor whom?" The young man enquires.

"Just the Doctor," the Doctor insists. "Tell her exactly that, the Doctor."

"Hang on a tic," the young man stats as he enters the office. The Doctor was standing around waiting when he hears chins breaking in the office.

The young man comes back out and stands in front of the door. "The Lord Mayor says, thank you for popping by. She would love to have a chat with you but um, she's up to her eyes in paperwork, perhaps if you could make an appointment for next week"

"She's climbing out the window, isn't she," the Doctor stats calmly.

"Yes, she is," the young man agrees.

The Doctor pushes past him and enters the office to see Margret climbing out onto scaffolding. "Slitheen heading north." The Doctor says into the phone.

Rose hears him, "on my way," and runs between a couple of workers scattering paperwork everywhere.

Jack hears him, "over and out," and runs towards the next exit jumping over a trolley in his way.

The Doctors now standing on the scaffolding but is attacked by the same young man. "Leave the mayor alone."

The Doctor managers to get out of the young mans hold and followed Margret down the ladder to the ground floor while calling out, "Margret."

Both Rose and Jack see her looking between them before taking off down the only exit not covered by anyone.

"Who's on exit four," Jack yells as the Doctor, Rose and Jack chase her.

"That was Mickey," Rose replies as they reach the exit and Mickey comes stumbling out.

"Here I am," Mickey puffs.

"Mickey the idiot," the Doctor stats as they all stop. They watch her teleport away.

"She's got a teleport, that's cheating," Jack cries. "Now we're never going to get her."

"Oh," Rose assures Jack. "The Doctors very good at teleports."

The Doctor grins while holding up his sonic screwdriver. He pushes the button and Margret reappears running towards them. Realising what happened she turned and started running in the opposite direction while pushing her teleport.

The Doctor held up his screwdriver again and pushed the button again and like last time Margret reappeared closer than before. So once again she turned and headed in the opposite direction while teleporting.

The third time the Doctor pushed the button on his sonic and she appeared right in front of them. Completely worn out.

"I could do this all day," the Doctor tells Margret.

"This is persecution," Margret told them. "Why can't you leave me alone? What did I ever do to you?"

The Doctor scoffs. "You tried to kill me and destroy this entire planet."

"Apart from that," Margret sighs.

They lead her back to her office and into the attached conference room.

"So," the Doctor starts. "Your a Slitheen, your on earth, your trapped, your family get killed but you teleport out just in the nick of time. You have no means of escape, what do ya do. You build a nuclear power station, but what for?"

"A philanthropic gesture," Margret insists. "I've learnt the error of my ways."

"And it just so happens to be right on top of the rift." The Doctor stats.

"What rift would that be?" Margret asks innocently.

Jack scoffs. "A rift in space and time. If this power station went into meltdown the entire planet would go schleop." Jack mimes an explosion.

"This station is designed to explode the minute it reaches capacity." The Doctor realises.

"What happened to the experts London would've sent to check on this?" Rose asks Margret.

"We're in Cardiff," Margret scoffs. "London doesn't care, the whole west coast could fall into the sea and they wouldn't notice." She suddenly realised what she'd said. "I sound like a welsh man. God help me I've gone native."

"Why would she do that?" Mickey asks. "Great big explosion, she'd only end up killing herself."

"She's got a name, you know." Margret replies defensively.

"She's not evil and a she, she's a thing." Mickey insults.

"Oh, but she's clever," the Doctor realises. He knocks over the pieces of the model power station and picks up the base, flipping it over. "Fantastic."

Jack looks at it excitedly. "Is that a tribal physical wave form macro kinetic extrapolator.

The Doctor looks at him impressed. "Couldn't have said it better myself."

Jack takes it from him. "Oh, genius. You didn't build this."

"I have my hobbies," Margret boasts. "A little tinkering."

"No, no, no I mean you really didn't build this." Jack stats. "Way beyond you."

"I bet she stole it," Mickey suggests.

"It's transport," Jack tells them as he sets it on the ground. "You see, the reactor blows, the rift opens. Phenomenal cosmic disaster, but this thing shrouds you in a force field. You have this energy bubble, so your safe then you feed it coordinates and stand on top, and ride the concussion all the way out of the solar system.

"It's a surf board," Mickey realises.

"A pan dimensional surf board, yeah." Jack agrees.

"And it would've worked," Margret scoffs. "I would've surfed away from this dead end dump and back to civilisation."

"You'd blow up a whole planet, just to get a lift." Mickey exclaims.

"Like stepping on an ant hill," Margret grins.

While Jack explains the extrapolator the Doctor notices the name of the project. "How did you think of the name?"

"What?" Margret scoffs. "Blaidd Drwg. It's welsh."

"I know," the Doctor insists. "But how did you think of it?"

"I choose it at random, that's all," Margret dismisses. "I don't know it just sounded good. Does it matter?"

The Doctor turns to face them. "Blaidd Drwg. Bad Wolf."

"That name seems to be following us," Rose tries to hint as she feels Bad Wolf snigger.

"Everywhere we go," the Doctor agrees. "Two words. Bad Wolf." The Doctor suddenly snaps out of the mood he was in and grins. "Nah, just a coincidence. Like hearing a word on the radio then hearing it all day, never mind. Things to do. Margret were gonna take you home." He didn't want to worry the humans.

"Hold on," Jack stops him. "Isn't that the easy option, like letting her go."

Rose starts feeling excited even though she's been there before. "I can't before we get to go to Raxacocophelipatorus."

"That's it," the Doctor exclaims and hugs her for getting the name right.

"They have the death penalty." Margret stats and the grin falls from everyone's faces. "The family Slitheen was tried in its absence many years ago and found guilty. With no chance of getting out. According to the statute of government, the moment I return, I'm to be executed. What do you make of that, Doctor? Take me home and you take me to my death."

"Not my problem," the Doctor stats as Rose shows her support by taking his hand.

They lead Margret back to the TARDIS.

"This ship is impossible," Margret says in awe. "It's superb. How did you get the outside around the inside?"

"Like I would give you the secret, yeah." The Doctor scoffs.

Jack starts wiring the extrapolator up to the TARDIS console.

"I almost feel better about being defeated," Margret stats. "I never stood a chance, this is the technology of the gods."

"Don't worship me," the Doctor tells her. "I'd make a very bad God. Wouldn't get a day off for starters. Jack, how we doing big fella?"

Jack finishes wiring up the extrapolator. "This extrapolators top of the range, where'd you get it?"

"Oh, I don't know," Margret shrugs. "Some airlock sale."

"Well it must of been a great big heist." Jack comments. "It's stacked with power."

"But we can use it for fuel?" The Doctor asks.

"It's not compatible," Jake shakes his head. "But it should knock off about 12 hours. We'll be ready to go by morning."

"Then we're stuck here over night," the Doctor warns everyone.

"We've got a prisoner, in a police box." Rose stats happily.

"Your not just police," Margret tells her. "Since your taking me to my death that makes you my executioners. Each and everyone of you."

"You deserve it," Mickey sneers.

"Your very quick to say so," Margret stats. "Your very quick to soak your hands in my blood. Which makes you better than me how exactly? Long night ahead." Margret sits on the jumpseat. "Let's see who can look me in the eye."

She starts with Mickey who turns away after a few seconds then to Jack and the Doctor who focus on what their doing. She then turns to Rose.

Rose stares calmly back at her. She can feel guilt creeping onto the Doctors mind through their link and knows Jack and Mickey are feeling guilty as well. "I have a question for you? How many species did you kill to be given a death penalty? Or better yet, if we let ya go, how many more would you kill?" Rose continues to stare at her as the Bad Wolf starts showing. Her eyes start to glow gold before Margret's the one forced to turn her head away. Rose did what she intended, the Doctors guilt lessened a lot as he let her words sink in. The guilt was still there, just not much.

To lessen the tension Rose decides she wants to go out to a restaurant with the Doctor. Rose sidles up to the Doctor and places her hand in his, "since we're here over night, maybe we could go out?"

The Doctor forgets what he's doing when she gives him her special smile. "Yeah," the Doctors voice squeaks before he clears it embarrassed. "Sure."

"I'll be alright looking after this one," Jack let's them know as he points at Margret, completely forgetting that Mickey was there as well.

The Doctor took Rose to a lovely restaurant, they enjoying the fact that they had some time alone together. Since picking up Jack it seems he's made a game out of trying to catch Rose and the Doctor in the middle of kissing and other things.

The ground suddenly starts shaking. A blast of power explodes the windows. The Doctor and Rose run outside to see lightening coming from the TARDIS. They manage to get inside the doors when Margret rips the arm of her skin suit and grabbing Rose by the throat.

Rose had forgotten about this part, don't look into the light. Bad Wolf warns her.

"What's happening?" Mickey asks.

"Oh, just little me," Margret exclaims. The Doctor heads towards her when he sees she's holding Rose, but freezes at her next words. "One wrong move and she snaps like a promise."

"I might off known," the Doctor scoffs.

"You," she directs at Jack. "Fly boy, put the extrapolator at my feet."

Jack looks to the Doctor who nods his head. All he can see is Rose dying and that terrifies him. Jack places the extrapolator at Margret's feet and slowly moves away.

"Thank you," Margret grins at Jack as she steps onto the extrapolator while keeping Rose at arms length. "Just as I planned. Failing my first plan, if I were to be arrested then anyone capable of tracking me would have considerable technology of their own. Therefor they would be captivated by the extrapolator. Especially a magpie mind like yours, Doctor. So the extrapolator was programmed to go to plan Z. To lock onto the nearest alien power source and open the rift, and what a power source it found. I'm back on schedule, thanks to you."

"The rifts going to convulse," Jack worries. "She's going to destroy the whole planet."

"And you with it," Margret grins. "While I ride this board over the crest and inferno all the way to freedom. Stand back boys, surfs up."

A panel on the console suddenly opens up and Rose quickly closes her eyes and turns her head. Margret though seems captivated by the light.

"Off course opening the rift means you'll pull this ship apart," the Doctor explains calmly.

"So, sue me," Margret bites back.

"It's not just any old power source," the Doctor continues. "It's the TARDIS, my TARDIS. The best ship in the universe."

"It'll make wonderful scrap," Margret scoffs.

"What's that light?" Mickey asks.

"The heart of the TARDIS," the Doctor explains. "This ships alive. You've opened its soul."

"It's," Margret says in a trance. "So bright."

"Look at it Margret," the Doctor enticed.

"Beautiful," Margret exclaimed.

"Look at it," the Doctor continued to entice." Look at the light."

She lets Rose go who moves over to Jack.

Margret starts smiling a truly happy smile before looking up at the Doctor. "Thank you," she says before disappearing.

The skin suit falls to the floor empty and the Doctor jumps into action. "Stay there you three. Close your eyes." The Doctor runs around the console and pulls a lever to close the panel. "Come on Jack, shut it all down now, all of it."

Jack runs around following the Doctors orders.

"Rose that switch on your left," the Doctor orders.

The Doctor, Rose and Jack run around pushing buttons and pulling levers till the TARDIS stops shaking, alls quiet in the console room.

The Doctor runs to Rose and engulfs her in a bear hug as Mickey discreetly leaves realising he never stood a chance against that alien.

"Nicely done, thank you all," the Doctor stats.

"Margret must of been burnt up," Jack suggests. "Carried out her own death sentence."

"No," the Doctor disagrees. "I don't think she's dead. She looked into the heart of the TARDIS even I don't know how strong that is. And the ships telepathic like I told you Rose, gets inside your head, translates alien language. Maybe the raw energy can translate all sorts of thoughts." The Doctor lifts the skin suit and smiles as he lifts an egg up. "There she is."

"She's an egg," Rose stats.

"Regressed to her childhood," the Doctor grins.

"She's an egg," Jack repeats.

"She can start again," the Doctor assures them. "Live her life from scratch. If we take her home, give her to a different family, tell 'em to bring her up properly. She might be different."

"Or she maybe worse," Jack points out.

"That's her choice," the Doctor tells them.

"She's an egg," Rose grins.

"She's an egg," the Doctor agrees.

Rose suddenly realises that Mickeys not there. "Where's Mickey?"

Both the Doctor and Jack shrug as they place Margret the egg carefully on the console.

"We can wait if you want to go find him," the Doctor assures her.

"No, it's fine," Rose smiles at him. "I think he finally understands."

"Off we go then," the Doctor declares. "Always moving on."

"Next stop Raxococalphalipatorius," Jack stats grinning. "I don't often get to say that."

"Well just stop by and pop her in the hatchery," the Doctor explains to them. "Margret the Slitheen can live her life again."

I felt like Rose should've stood up to Margaret by pointing out why her family were given the death penalty considering she was willing to blow up a planet.