15 Something from Nothing

Looking away from the view-screen for Jack, Rose sees him on the Jump seat, thinking intently.

"I've got them. The TARDIS has located the position of the fleet. She says that it will take some Time to get there though. All the disruptions to the time-streams are causing storms in the Vortex, and it will take her a bit to navigate them. I need to go work on some things, and the TARDIS has opened all her doors to you, now that you're family again," she says with a smile, knowing he'll be pleased.

She's right. His answering grin dims the Console lights.

"Thanks, Rosie!" he says leaning back and patting a strut, "and thank you, you sexy thing!" The TARDIS dims her lights and Rose would swear she actually hummed a blush at him.

That's Jack; the impossible Lover.

With a wave, she heads deep into the TARDIS.

/You shameless flirt!/

The TARDIS is blushing!

~The Lover is-well he is very sweet to us all~

Laughing to herself Rose stops teasing Darling, and gets down to business.

/I need to practice the Spherical Gallifreyan the Sphynx showed me. Can you make me a room appropriate for that?/

~Of course, my Wolf. Please keep it simple. I do not currently have the energy to expand the room to hold anything too large.~

/Understood, I'll keep it small, if I can make it happen at all./

Finding a door open, Rose steps through it and into an enormous domed interior done in dark gold with padded hexagonal tiles on the walls. The light is coming from everywhere at once.

/Well, this is interesting. I assume it is significant?/

~Yes. The tiles are designed to help you focus the mental energies, and the padding if to keep you safe should anything go...astray.~

Humming her acceptance to Darling, Rose readies herself. The Sphynx has given her what she needed to know, but the practical experience of getting there is lacking. Taking several deep breathes, she focuses inward. Not in the same way as she would to access her Foyer, but deeper, much deeper. She's looking for Bad Wolf.

Ever since her conversation with the Sphynx in the Zero room after her regeneration, she could feel Bad Wolf. Usually just in the back of her mind, but sometimes when she was really angry or frightened, she could feel the power building in her, looking for release. Now, since her dream where she was surrounded by Bad Wolf and had shared Her power, she feels it shifting in the back of her mind like another being. Rose senses Her, and she is reminded of herself, the TARDIS, and the Sphynx. It feels like Bad Wolf is becoming her own entity; sharing her reality with Rose's.

Rose thinks about her dream. How it felt to be enveloped in that kind of power; how the power itself felt-its taste. Tracing that, she reaches a door deep within herself. She can see wisps of golden light lapping at the seams. On it's surface is carved the words Bad Wolf.

/Of course they are,/ Rose thinks to herself. /At least I'm consistent./ With a smile she steps forward to touch the door, but is stopped by Darling.

~My Wolf, NO!~

/Ow! What? What's wrong? I need Bad Wolf to do the Spherical Gallifreyan, right?/

~Yes and no. You need her energy, but you do not need the entirety of Bad Wolf. You need to build an Interface between you both. If you open that door and take Her in all at once you would burn, and my Thief is not here to save you. She is still too…unstable.~

Rose sends Darling a wave of gratitude for stopping her. Thinking back on what she learned from the Sphynx in her dream, she recalls a portion that she didn't understand, a merged sharing focus, that confused her.

/Is this the Interface?/

Rose mentally shows Darling the portion of the Sphynx's instructions that had confused her. She just assumed she'd figure it out in process; the way she normally does things.

~Yes, my Wolf. That is it exactly. You need to be a lens for Bad Wolf to focus through, but you must build the Interface to channel the energy correctly.~

/Right. So the Interface…what is it and how do I build it?/

~It is me, and you sing it into being.~

Darling then shows her how the portion of her Heart that Rose retains was part of the original Interface that kept Bad Wolf from devouring Rose instantly the first time around. All that singing in her head had been the TARDIS trying to save Rose until the Doctor could do something, and also allowed Rose to channel all that power to complete the tasks she and Bad Wolf had designed, starting with Satellite 5 and culminating at Dårlig ulv Stranden with the Sphynx.

/Wow, thank you. I hadn't realised it was so complicated. Okay, I sing it, sing what?/

~Your intentions; like in your dream. It does not matter what you sing, only that it contains your intent. You sing it because part of you and I are one, therefore you are able to utilise a similar Interface. The Time Lords would call it Block Transfer Computations, only your maths are music.~

Rose knows what Block Transfer Computations are. She's been studying them in her research into space-time manipulations and temporal physics. The ability to create using just math is a heady notion, but daunting. Music she understands. Music is in her blood, and now apparently it is more than a euphemism. Grinning, Rose feels she has more of a handle on what's expected of her. Taking a deep breath, she prepares herself, when suddenly a thought strikes her.

/Darling, is this how you manifest whatever it is we need—tea, extra furniture, the redecorating-through musical maths?/

~Yes, my Wolf.~

Darling can feel Rose's surprise and comprehension. Delighted, she wraps Rose in a warm melodic hug.

/Wow, okay. I think I got it. One more question, though. Do I need to be in here to…manifest, or can I do it from outside myself?/

~Now that you know what it feels like to gather the energy, and where it comes, you must practise accessing it from outside. We will not have this much time when you need to utilise this power.~

Pulling herself back to the domed room, is a bit of a shock. It had felt like a long time in her mind, but the entire conversation she'd just had with the TARDIS has taken only 2 minutes and 27 seconds. Excited to try out this new ability, Rose can't help but giggle to herself. The Doctor is going to go completely mental when he finds out. So, without a trace of lingering apprehension, Rose begins her practice.

Jack tries to go exploring, but he gets stuck in the Library. There are so many thoughts and images in his head that he needs more time to process them, and this is the perfect place. Walking over to a chair and small table near the window, he sits and watches the first and larger of Gallifrey's two suns rise. He's transfixed by the view as the night recedes and he can really see where he is…or rather how…it's rather confusing. What he can see outside the window should in no way exist in a ship of any kind; it makes his head hurt. This ship, Rose, the Doctor, his ex-partner; it's a lot to take in on top of a year's worth of memories that aren't even his filling his head. The memories are all from Rose's perspective, so it really is like watching Jack TV.

"Jack Harkness"—he likes it, and wonders where it came from. He's very amused at how cheekily he played Rose and the Doctor off each other. He must have received a 'the blonde is mine' conversation from this first Doctor at some point, because the way he starts interacting with both of them changes after that trip to Russia. It is enlightening and frustrating to have the other person's side of the story. Jack really wants to know more about his relationship with the Doctor, but Rose slept a lot back then. No wonder the Doctor keeps teasing her about it. Seeing Rose and the Doctor fall in love through her memories of himself is adorable. Everything was pink and happy and fun, not that there wasn't terror and grief. The nano-infested gas mask people, and that unpleasantness on Arkannis Major. He didn't look forward to experiencing that adventure from his own perspective; Rose's is bad enough.

Family. Rose just called him "family". He hasn't been part of a family for years. He can hardly remember what one feels like. Anytime he thinks of family, images of battles, his father dead, his mother broken, and Gray, his little brother screaming and then lost; fill his mind. That's all he had to pull from.

There's nothing about the Time Agency that makes him think of family. It's an Agency cloaking itself in secrecy to cover its own agendas based in self preservation. He can only imagine what they are thinking of the Chelsea 426 episode. 2500 years in the future, is a long time, Jack wonders if the shifting timelines affects anyone he knows. It doesn't appear he will ever know. He wonders whether he should be upset about that thought or not...he isn't.

What he's upset about is his partner. Jack thought he knew him. Sure, he wasn't always the best partner on the job, but he was always solid when everything went to shit. He never shied away from the difficult jobs, and you could always count on him in a firefight. Plus, he'd been a lively if somewhat unimaginative lover. When you were stuck on a mission for weeks or months it was nice to always have a familiar face to return to.

The constant side jobs, the trafficking in black market antiquities; Jack tried to overlook John's indiscretions, but this was over the top. John couldn't have any idea of the shitstorm he was flirting with. Hell, Jack had breakfast today with the physical manifestation of a Goddess he grew up reading about; so, who knew.

/Yup; fiery, death, destruction, and shitstorm, Johnny-boy. You only thought you were having a bad day before,/ Jack thinks at his far away partner.

As Jack contemplates the changes in his personal universe, the TARDIS kindly manifests a cup of coffee for him on the little table nearby. Jack is so intent on the view and his pondering that it takes a couple of minutes for the delicious scent wafting his way to have an impact. Once it does, his head snaps to the side, eyes startled. Picking up the cup, he first sniffs it, and then takes a tentative sip. With a groan of pleasure he takes a more substantial drink.

"Oh you gorgeous creature! This is perfect, thank you!" he enthuses. "And to think I ever spoke sweetly to the food replicator. Where have you been all my life?"

He says this entirely out loud to the TARDIS who is intensely amused with him. She hums her appreciation and makes him a plate of biscuits as well. She always did like the Lover. He never hit her with the mallet, and he was always so—flattering. He could stay as long as he liked as far as she was concerned. In a burst of inspiration, She decides to redecorate his room for him.

A couple of hours pass with Jack deep in thought and enjoying his snack. The TARDIS begins gently pushing at Jack's mind, trying to prod him to seek out Rose. She needs Jack to see what Rose is doing; what she is and is not capable of. Being afraid of her will not help the upcoming ordeal. Rose also needs to learn to focus under stress. What better way to do than to do it under observation. It doesn't take too long, before he thinks it would be a great Idea to see what Rose is up to.

~Finally!~ thinks the TARDIS. Merrily, she eventually deposits Jack at the door to the room Rose is working in.

As Jack reaches the door to a room he's pretty sure the TARDIS is pointing at, he thinks he can hear Rose singing. It doesn't have words, but is a startlingly complex series of notes that makes his hair stand on end. Listening for a moment, Jack is about to enter when he hears a crash and swearing on the other side of the door. He assumes it's swearing—the TARDIS isn't translating it. Pushing through the door quickly, he see's Rose in the centre of a huge golden domed room surrounded by bits and pieces of debris. Half a shoe here, rocks everywhere, some broken tea cups, and lots of dust; some gold and some not. Gazing towards the swearing Rose, he sees she also is covered in gold dust, looking disgruntled and bending over to retrieve a half-formed.…teapot?

"Rose?" he isn't sure what to think with her all sparkly, but he calls out anyway.

Noticing him for the first time, she's shocked out of her concentration and drops the half-formed teapot to the floor where it bursts into golden light and some more dust. "Jack! I didn't hear you. Ummmm, so what's up?" she says sheepishly.

He isn't sure if she's embarrassed about being caught swearing up an untranslatable blue streak, or the business with the teapot. "Hey Rosie. I think the TARDIS wanted me to come find you. What are you doing? This is all a bit.…weird."

"Ya, weird," she agrees as she unhappily throws herself to the floor in a cross-legged heap. "Well, where to start? Last night I dreamed…" she relates the entire story of the creative and learning filled dream as well as the information the TARDIS had given her. He joins her on the floor in a somewhat clean spot and is understandably much more impressed with the debris around him now that he knows what it is.

"So what seems to be the problem? There are definitely recognisable pieces laying around." He leans over grabbing a piece of broken teacup, as he asks this. The process of picking it up is enough to crush it into dust and a smaller burst of light. Surprised he shakes his hand clean letting the dust fall to the floor.

"That's the problem; nothing is stable enough. I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong." Picking up a small rock she crushes it in her palm with similar effects. "It's so frustrating. So much depends on me doing this," she says as she starts to cry; tears of frustration rolling down her cheeks leaving streaks through the gold dust. Sliding across the floor to reach her, he hugs her to his side, and thinks about what he's learned.

"Rosie, I don't think you're the problem. I think your 'song' is incomplete," he says slowly working it out in his head. "You said that you and the Sphynx created that planetary system in your dream, and implied that you and the Doctor were going to have to work together to fix the breach. What if you need more voices?"

"Jack you're brilliant, you are! But wait, the Sphynx was able to do it alone." After a moment of excitement her face fell again.

Bumping shoulders with her Jack replies, "The Sphynx is a pan-dimensional elemental being, and you're not…even channelling Bad Wolf like you are. You're cool, but you're not that cool," he finishes with a wink hoping to cheer her up.

It works, she chuckles at him. "Well, then, mister you're all I have…can you sing?" Rose says this with more of her usual humour.

"Rosie, can I sing? That's like asking a duck if it can swim! I had an undercover assignment one time wear I hid in the middle of an American Barbershop Quartet in the 50's, The Lads of Enchantment. We won an award in 1957. You tell me what you need, and I'm your guy!" he's so enthusiastic, she has to grin at him in return.

"Weelll, I think you're right that I'm missing the chords that would complete the Manifestation." She's re-energised for the project with his spot on suggestion. Standing and reaching a hand down to Jack, she pulls him to his feet, "Want to try it with me?"

With matching grins they prepare themselves for what they might be able to do together. Jack realises he is already having more fun, than he's had in years.

If Darling could sigh with relief, she would. She had really needed the Lover and her Wolf to reach these conclusions, but they had to get there on their own. Some things must be learned, and all the Timelines showing success needed them to figure this out themselves. Relaxing a bit, she continues watching their progress keeping her amusement at their near misses hidden, but enjoying the developing camaraderie that their success will hinge on. She'll let them know how proud she is of them when they've finished. They'll be reaching their destination soon, at which point, there will be very little time for fun.

A/N:Hello! I am so pleased at how much attention this story is getting! Thank you all for the reviews, it really helps keep a girl inspired to keep writing. I promise, there is a reunion coming. This won't be the only story in my 'verse, so this one has a lot of exposition to set up all the neato stuff for later. We go where we need to, not necessarily where we want to. -grin- Friday's chapter: You Shall Not Pass. Reviews are love, so share. Cheers!