Bad moon rising
All these secrets were giving Jack a headache. The Doctor refused to share anything personal, Gwen was sick but wouldn't say of what, Owen had complete trashed the lab, Jack couldn't confide in his team, Martha was in love with the Doctor and lord knows what Rose was turning into before she died. How the hell where they ever supposed to handle both the Master and these cracks when no one wanted to share what they knew?
"I really need to talk to you" Jack said to the Doctor, as they all walked back to the hub. "It's important."
The Doctor slowed his pace and the two of them fell behind the group. "What?"
"The cracks!"
"What cracks?"
"There are cracks, in the universe, between the dimensions" Jack said.
"Oh… Well, that makes sense" the Doctor said with a thoughtful expression.
"How does that makes sense?"
"A lot of people crossed over, the fabric between the dimensions would be torn and then… cracks. Add to that a Time Lord and the rift, well it really was only a matter of time."
"So how do we fix it?"
"I don't know. Opening the rift would only make it worse and obviously we can't just send everything back to it's original place."
"Great, so the walls of the universe are going to collapse on us. Guess we don't have to worry about the Master then."
"Don't joke, Jack. This is serious" the Doctor stated in a warning tone.
"Well what the hell am I supposed to do, then? My best friend is dead, my team is falling apart and I have no idea what to do about either the cracks or the Master. So tell me how I'm supposed to react, because I sure as hell don't know" Jack sneered.
"You think you're the only one? You're an idiot Jack, always have been, always will be. And if you would just open your eyes you would see this is bigger than you and me, it's bigger than Rose! You need to stop playing around or you'll end up getting all of us killed!" The last part was almost growled and the Doctor turned to walk away before Jack could respond.
Martha looked around at the trashed lab. "Nice…"
"Owen has anger issues" Gwen said, sitting down.
"Apparently." Martha made a face. "So, you've been feeling ill?"
"Been throwing up, sleeping badly, losing focus. Which is really a problem in this line of work."
"Any family history of that?"
"Losing focus? Plenty, but that's just because my family is stupid… Rose was sick before…. Well, before. Like fever and vomit. You think I caught something?"
"Maybe" Martha said. "Do you know what was wrong with her?"
"No, Owen couldn't find anything. He said her blood was clean."
"Maybe it was just a bug" Martha suggested. "It's November, so it's not impossible it was just the flu or something."
"Yeah, maybe" Gwen said, as Martha took a bloodsample.
"When was your last period?"
Gwen suddenly widened her eyes. "Oh shit!"
The Doctor, Jack, Donna, Tosh, Jenny and Ianto were sitting in the conference room, staring at each other. The atmosphere made Jenny, who wasn't used to situations like these, extremely uncomfortable.
"We could send the Master back to the other universe" Tosh suggested.
"No, we don't want to open the rift again" the Doctor said.
"And he'd probably just wreak havoc there as well" Jack added.
"We could look him up" Donna said.
"He'd just get out" the Doctor said in a tired voice.
"Who is this Master guy" Jenny asked.
"He's like your uncle" Jack said.
The Doctor sent Jack a reproachful glare. "He is not your uncle. He's a Time Lord, like me…"
"Only really evil" Donna said.
"And crazy" Ianto added.
"Oh… And you said something about cracks" Jenny asked.
"Yes, because everybody have been completely irresponsible and ignored my wise advice, the universe is about to collapse on us" the Doctor said.
"And you lost a team member to these cracks?" Jenny really just wanted to know what exactly was going on.
"To the Master" Jack corrected. "Her name was Rose." He gave the Doctor a pointed glare.
"She was…. A friend of mine. Ow!" The Doctor looked at Donna, who had just kicked him under the table. "What?"
"Don't lie to your daughter" Donna said in a sharp tone, before turning to Jenny. "She was like your… well, step mum, I guess."
"What?" Jenny looked even more confused now and the Doctor was furiously rubbing his temples.
"Maybe this is a talk for another time" Jack suggested.
"Perhaps Jenny and the Doctor should have a moment for themselves" Donna countered.
"And perhaps we should save this family reunion until the walls of the universe aren't rumbling down upon us or Rose's killer is caught?" Jack had raised his voice now.
"Maybe this is more important" Donna said in an equally loud voice.
"Listen, if you think I'm gonna take the advise of some ginger temp from London than you are extremely wrong!"
"Is that so? Well listen you enormous git, I don't care what the bloody hell you think! The universe can bloody well wait five bleeding minutes…"
"Enough" the Doctor suddenly yelled. "Everybody, except Jenny, get out!"
"What" Jack argued.
"Get out" the Doctor repeated.
Donna, Jack, Tosh and Ianto got up and left the room. The Doctor looked at Jenny. "Being surrounded by apes really gives me a headache!"
Outside the conference room, Donna and Jack were about to continue their argument, when Gwen suddenly appeared. Jack rolled his eyes. The last thing he needed right now was Gwen demanding another talk. "Not not, Gwen" he said and tried to sidestep her.
"Jack, I'm pregnant…"
"Congratulations?" It came out more as a question than an actual statement of congratulation.
"It might be yours…."
"Oh…"
"Yes. So I'm gonna need you to pee in this cup." Gwen handed him a cup before turning around and leaving him standing there, with the cup, looking like he'd just been hit over the head.
"Do you sleep with all your employees" Donna asked with a snigger.
"In hindsight, that was probably a bad idea" Jack said, still staring at the spot Gwen had been a few moments before.
Donna smirked at him. "Have fun with your cup."
Jack stared blankly at her and then left in the directions of the toilets.
"Never a dull moment at Torchwood" Tosh said with a worried look at Ianto, who looked just as a surprised as Jack.
"You think…" He gestured at the directions Gwen and Jack had left in.
"Tell you what, that's gonna be one messed up child" Donna said with a laugh and left Ianto and Tosh standing there.
"You think she's having both of them tested" Tosh asked.
"Rhys and Jack? Apparently. Probably also Owen."
"What? Why, I thought that was a long time ago" Tosh said with a confused look.
"I caught them in the storage room two months ago." Ianto rolled his eyes. "Come on, I want to be there when she asks Owen to pee in a cup."
The Doctor found Jack in his office, staring at a cup filled with… "Is that pee?"
"Yes."
"Your pee?" The Doctor had a quizzical look on his face.
"Yes."
"Oh-kay… I want to take a walk around Cardiff, see if I can get wind of the Master."
"Wind of him?"
"I can smell him. And feel him." At Jack's weird look, the Doctor added: "It's a Time Lord thing."
"I just have to give this to Martha" Jack said.
"Why? No, actually, don't tell me, I think I'm better off not knowing."
Jack found Martha and handed her the cup with a fake smile and left the hub with the Doctor.
"So how does this work?"
"What?"
"How do you find him?"
"Time Lords are telepaths. So I should be able to sense him. And he doesn't smell like monkey, so he stands out in this crowd."
"You know, you really need to work on your manners. Did you call Rose a monkey too?"
"I called her an ape once or twice. But she thought it was funny" the Doctor said in a defensive tone.
"Dollars to donuts, she hated it."
"What? Why?"
"Well, unless you're actually a monkey, it's offensive! No one likes to be called stupid apes, not even stupid apes!"
"You're very sensitive, Jack. Is it the impending fatherhood?"
"Shut up" Jack just grumbled. They walked together in silence for a while, until Jack couldn't contain himself any longer. "So, you have a daughter now."
"Yes."
"When did it happen?"
"I told you, we went to this planet called Messadine…"
"No, when did you start calling her daugther? Because I know you, doc, and you don't do domestics, so I figure you put up one held of a fight. Especially considering her looks."
"What's wrong with her looks?"
"Nothing. She's hot, but she looks a bit like Rose. That didn't make you feel uncomfortable?"
"We don't choose how we look, Jack…" Jack snorted at this. "Not even me."
"So, purely coincidental that you look forty years younger and a lot hotter this time around."
"I did not look seventy years old before! I was… Special."
"Got that right" Jack mumbled.
"Could you just focus on this, please?"
"What, it's not like I know how to find the man."
"Then just be quiet."
Owen had been hovering around his desk since there was nothing more to throw around in the lab. He had spotted Gwen talking in hushed tones with that Martha person and then walking with determination in her steps, towards Jack, handing him a cup. It didn't take a genius to figure this one out and Owen decided to slip out, before he was awarded one of the little cups as well. This was something he was keen to avoid for as long as possible.
He walked around the hub aimlessly for some time, checking in on Janet and throwing their basketball around a little, before he ended up in front of the morgue. He debated with himself whether he should go in or just move on; maybe he could get a little closure, just seeing her this last time. He looked at the door and noticed it wasn't closed. "That's odd" he mumbled and pushed it open. Everything looked like it used to, except the container Rose had been placed in was open. Had one of the others been down there? He looked around and noticed damp footprints on the floor, leading from the container to the door. "Okay" he Owen called out in a shaky voice. "This isn't funny, who ever did this. Kinda sick, actually…" No one responded. Owen sighed, what the hell was going on here. He knew Torchwood was weird, but this… This was weird, even for Torchwood.
Jack was standing in the middle of Cardiff with the Doctor, when his phone started to ring. "Yes?"
"Jack, Rose is gone."
Jack sighed. "Owen, I know this is hard for you, it's hard for all of us…"
"Listen, you twat, she's gone, like literally gone. Her body is missing!"
"What the hell do you mean her body is missing?" His raised voice attracted the attention of the Doctor and several onlookers.
"Like it's not here, obviously!"
"Okay, so where is it?"
"How the hell should I know?"
"How the hell can you not know? What, someone just walked out of the hub with her body in tow?"
"I think… Oh god this is going to sound so crazy… I think the body walked away on its own."
There was a moments silence over the line and Jack and the Doctor shared confused looks. "Excuse me?"
"There are these footprints, it's the right size and they start in the morgue" Owen explained.
"So you're saying Rose walked out of the morgue on her own?" The Doctor raised both eyebrows at this.
"It's a theory" Owen said, feeling somewhat sceptical himself.
"Well, it's a crappy theory" Jack yelled. "You think she just woke up and decided to go for a walk?"
"I don't know."
"Find the damn body" Jack yelled and hung up.
A/N: I kinda rushed this chapter, because I felt bad for how I left things in the last one. And I know a lot of you aren't exactly happy with me because of it. So hopefully a quick update and a chapter with a little plot can ease you all a little. I think there's like two of three chapters left and then it's the end. Kinda weird, actually, as I have never written anything this long, ever! And I want to thank everyone who have read this for making it really a really special and great experience.