Total eclipse of the heart
Everything had been a blur to Rose, after the dragon had crashed into the sea. Jack had called someone and told them about the incident. Ianto had driven off to find Pete, Mickey and Jake. Donna had said a lot and the Doctor had said nothing. When they got back to the hub, the Doctor had opted to sneak inside with Jack, rather than walk in with the rest of them. Than Jackie had said a lot and Tony had started to cry. It had really been a long day. And now Rose sat at her desk, staring at the 'Bad Wolf' sign hanging over the couch. She didn't even notice Ianto leading Pete, Mickey and Jake inside or that Mickey tried to get her attention. It was like someone had turned on her auto-switch.
"She came through about two months ago. I don't know how, but I suspect she somehow used the rift. It took her a few tries, though, and obviously she didn't know what to aim for, as she appeared in the middle of the street and was hit by a car."
"Was she hurt?""Concussion and a few broken ribs, nothing life threatening. She healed fast, was able to walk out of the hospitable without help and never complained about pain." Jack noticed that the Doctor suddenly looked tired. "Before she came, the words 'Bad Wolf' started to appear. Like when we travelled together, you said that they followed you, like with Margaret the Slitheen and the Game Station. What does it mean?"
"Who knows?" The Doctor looked intensely at Jack. "When did you realise it?"
"Earth, 1892. Got in a fight on Ellis Island. Man shot me through the heart, then I woke up. Thought it was kind of strange, but then it never stopped: fell off a cliff, trampled by horses, World War I, World War II, poison, starvation, a stray javelin… In the end, I got the message. I'm the man who can never die, and all that time you knew." Well, that was one question answered right there: the Doctor full well knew about his "condition" and had chosen to do nothing about it.
"That's why I left you behind. It's not easy even just… just looking at you, Jack, because you're wrong.""Thanks.""You are. I can't help it. I'm a Time Lord. It's instinct, it's in my guts. You're a fixed point in time and space; you're a fact. That's never meant to happen. Even the TARDIS reacted against you when we landed, tried to take us through the whole time and space, just to get away from you."
"So what you're saying is… you're prejudiced?""I never thought of it like that.""Shame on you.""Yeah" the Doctor agreed with a small smile."Last thing I remember, back when I was mortal, I was facing three Daleks, death by extermination and then I came back to life. What happened?""Rose.""I thought you'd sent her back home.""She came back. Opened the heart of the TARDIS and absorbed the time vortex itself.""What does that mean, exactly?"No one is ever meant to have that power. If a Time Lord did that, he'd become a god. A vengeful god. But she was human. Everything she did was so human. She brought you back to life, but she couldn't control it. She brought you back forever. That's something, I suppose. The final act of the Time War was life.""Do you think she could change me back?""Is that what you want, Jack?"
"Life has no meaning without death. I will keep on walking the earth while those around me die" Jack said and looked through the window in his office. Gwen was talking animatedly with Mickey the Idiot, laughing at something he said and making big hand gestures, like she was illustrating something to him. He suddenly felt envious.
"Would you die for her?"
"What?" Jack shook himself out of the funk.
"The brunette. Would you die for her, make yourself mortal so you could be together?"
"Would you do that for Rose?"
The Doctor smiled, but it looked sad. "I am mortal Jack, my lifespan just proceed many other's."
"That didn't really answer my question, though."
"No I suppose it didn't."
"Are you going to tell me what 'Bad Wolf' means?"
"I told you I don't know.""Yeah but you have a few good guesses, I'm sure."
"The Bad Wolf is Rose. She absorbed the time vortex, thus creating Bad Wolf. Left clues all though time and space for us leading to that very moment."
"There are files on you, Torchwood files. About you and your companions. The files on Rose was destroyed by a virus called 'Bad Wolf'. And Pete told me, just before Rose crossed over, she was working on a case that had brought her in danger. They feared she had been discovered.""So she came here… Well, I suppose it makes sense" the Doctor mumbled to himself. "She is protecting herself. By erasing the files on her and crossing over, she is protecting herself."
"From what?"
"That's the big question. Wait, how do you have access to Torchwood files?"
"Doctor, look around! You think this is just something we do on hobby basis? This is Torchwood!"
"You work for Torchwood? After everything they've done, all the death and heartache and you're a part of it?"
"This isn't London, this is different, I swear!"
"And Rose, she works for you now? Here, at Torchwood?""
"We are different. The old regime was destroyed at Canary Wharf. I rebuilt it, I changed it, and when I did that, I did it for you, in your honour."
"I need some time to think" the Doctor said and left Jack's office.
"Rose are you alright?"
Rose looked up at Donna, who was looking worriedly at her.
"Yeah fine, just tired, I suppose. It's been a long day."
"A lot of running."
Rose smiled. She had moved from her desk to the couch, but she still felt weird. The reunion between her and the Doctor had been perfect, just like she had imagined it (and lord had she spent time imagining it), but now… He looked at her like she was a difficult puzzle he was trying to solve. And really, two women? He was travelling with two women, and the younger one kept looking at him like he was Christmas come early. "Yeah, a lot of running."
"But you must be so happy to have him back" Donna asked. She had a hard time containing her enthusiasm and overzealous joy. This was something out of a romance novel: the brave and kindheated (in plural, she reminded herself), but lonely time traveller was finally reunited with the love of his life, the young and beautiful woman who never gave up hope. And Donna honestly couldn't think of anyone who deserved this more than the Doctor.
"It's a bit more complicated than that" Rose sighed. She really wanted to talk to the Doctor, she needed to talk to him, but he had vanished inside Jack's office and had yet to come out.
"Oh he's just being a typical man. They're all like that, trust me. He's just a bit shocked right now, is all…"
Rose just nodded and looked at her mother, who was currently fighting with Pete. Jackie was livid at the moment, she had been ever since she had been told the Doctor was here and the fact that he was accompanied by two other women did nothing to cool her temper. Rose sighed again. Really, how were they ever going to sort this mess out. Something as simple as sleeping arrangement gave her a booming headache and when she noticed her mother walking towards her, she wanted to flee.
"You tell that space-man I want a word with him as soon as possible" Jackie said in a loud voice.
"Mum please" Rose said. "Keep it down, will you? Tony's asleep and there's a lot of people here, right now."
"I certainly will not! I have lost you so many times to that bleeding Time Twat and I've had enough. And now he's gallivanting around with two other women. Didn't take him long to get over you, eh?"
"Mum, stop it" Rose said in a loud voice. "Just stop it! You're just making everything worse. Just, shut up and sit down until Jack get's back so we can sort everything out." Jackie looked like she had been slapped in the face, but did as she was told.
After the Doctor had made his hasty exit, Jack had spent a little time trying to figure everything out, but after about half an hour he gave up.
"Could you all just gather around please" Jack called out in the main room of the hub and twelve people (Tony sleeping safe and sound at Gwen's desk) gathered around him. "I know it's been a long day and we're all tired, but we need to figure all this out. First off there's Jackie, Pete, Tony, Mickey, Jake, Duncan and Tim. You need a place to stay until we can find a more permanent solution. Then there's the rift; we need to make sure if the dragon is the worst thing that came through."
"We'll stay with Rose" Jackie said in a cold tone.
"But Rose is staying in the TARDIS, with us" Donna interjected. Both Rose and the Doctor opened and closed their mouths several time at this, but nothing came out.
"She most certainly is not" Jackie said. "And don't think you're getting out of explaining yourself to me" she said to the Doctor, who immediately took a step further away from her.
"We can't fit eight people into my apartment" Rose said.
"Why don't Rose stay with me tonight, her parents can stay at her place along with her brother, Mickey, Jake, Duncan and Tim can stay with Owen."
"Yeah? And where am I supposed to stay then" Owen asked.
"Oh, you can stay with me" Tosh immediately offered.
"Wonderful" Owen mumbled and fished out his key. "Don't touch my stuff and don't break anything!" he said and tossed them to Jake who just smiled back.
"Great, that's sorted out then. Doctor, I expect you to stay around for a while?" The Doctor just mumbled something unintelligible as an answer.
"So that's it, yeah? We just go back to the TARDIS and stay there" Martha asked. She had been quiet for a long time, trying to work it all out, but this situation was just too uncomfortable and weird for her to make any sense of.
"You're welcome to stay here, Myfanwy loves company, but the couch is horrible to sleep on" Jack said and Martha choose not to answer.
The group of people slowly started to break up. Rose handed over her keys to Pete and gave them directions and some emergency numbers, just in case. Owen wrote down his address and a Ianto called a cab for the group and before long they were on their way.
"We need to talk."
Rose turned around at the sound of the Doctor's voice. They were standing a little way's away from the rest of the group and she couldn't help but notice that he was standing very close to her. She nodded.