A/N: What?! A new chapter? What is this? Haha. Yes, folks, I'm back. Slowly and surely regaining my "voice" for this story so if the Doctor or Jessica sound a little different, that's because it's been months since I dared to write something due to school and work. Thank you for your continuing devotion and favorites and reviews! I have two long adventures planned now, and as such, it'll be a bit before next chapter, but at least I'm getting back into the swing of things!

Keep the reviews coming, please! I've gotten great feedback and story ideas from you all. Love you fellow Whovians!

Doctor Who

Mail Delivery

Probably worse than an alarm clock, the Vortex Manipulator zapped my arm the next morning.

"Shit!" I yelped and did some sort of spasm thing, trying to shake the tingling out of my arm. "Ow, ow, ow! Stupid piece of…."

"Oi, watch it!" Quicker than possible, the Doctor snatched the coffee from my other hand, preventing a disaster. A frown began pinching his forehead, but not too concerned yet. "What's gotten into you?"

I shook my head, wrestling with the sleeve of my shirt. The Vortex Manipulator flashed a couple times—minus the heart-stopping shock of course—with an address somewhere in Cardiff.

Jack. In the chaos of a wound in time, I'd forgotten about his call.

The Doctor went into full-on scowl mode. "Why are you wearing that thing?" He demanded, only with more curiosity than anything else. With care, he set the half-empty mugs on the little table before grabbing my arm. "You said it doesn't work."

Right. Don't think about his skin on mine. Or how close he had to stand to do so. Just in case I braced my barriers a bit more than usual.

"Well, I think it does work, just on its own time, no pun intended." I shrugged as the Doctor brought out his screwdriver. "It's not going to tell you anything, you know. But I know who it's from."

Ever obstinate, the Doctor snorted and resumed trying to sonic it. "Hang on." His eyebrows rose in surprise. "I'm getting access to this thing's base code. Timed access, actually." The Doctor's eyes danced up to meet mine. "Jessica Gale, what have you been up to?"

Great, the blush all but seared my face off. I rolled my eyes, heart racing with the strength of his stare. "Not as much trouble as you get up to, that's for sure."

For once, the Doctor didn't rise to the bait. Just kept my arm prisoner and raise his eyebrow some more. He wouldn't take half-answers this time.

Hopefully my brain could work around that. "Remember the guy I called while we were stuck in Downing Street?"

"You mean your time-traveling boyfriend?"

"Will you stop it with the 'boyfriend?'" I couldn't smack him in my current position so I settled on a hard shove. Though my little grin took a lot of the sting out of it. "He's a good friend who helped me a few times while I waited for you. Anyway, he called just before the Reaper fiasco and wanted me to drop this code off for him."

"Just like that?"

"Yep."

"And you won't be telling me who he is?"

The annoyance at being in the dark bled through and tried pulling at my guilt strings. Had he known about Jack, I would've told him everything. Well, short of a relationship that would never….

With an effort, I pulled my thoughts to a screeching halt. Way too painful right now.

I placed a gentle hand on his own. "Look, I hate not telling you as much as you hate not knowing." It didn't take any conscious effort to keep my voice calm and gentle as he could take it. "I'll reiterate what I said in Downing Street…."

"I remember." The Doctor's almost inaudible grunt almost belonged to another person.

A knot grew in my throat and I nodded. "Okay then. Introductions are on me."

The whirring of the screwdriver intensified, but the Doctor didn't take his eyes off mine. "Do you trust this man?" His voice sent shivers across my soul. No joking around as a shield. The concern wrapping around me like a shield did not come off as forced either.

Trying to breathe through the chaos of emotions he brought out in me, I gave his hand a squeeze. "Never as much as I trust you, but yeah. I know it's asking a lot but…."

"And done!" The Doctor sprang away before I could react. He pulled what looked like a jump drive out of a console, tossing it over his shoulder in one smooth gesture. "So, Cardiff, about twelve years in the future, and right smack on top of the Rift." He paused in his mad dance around the console, a thoughtful frown flying across his face. "Interesting choice, that. Probably set up shop there on purpose."

All the while, he didn't meet my eyes. Tension radiated off every line.

I said nothing, worry sending a jolt of adrenaline through me. Had I pushed a button I hadn't noticed?

As the silence stretched on, the Doctor eventually faced me. He rolled his eyes, but the soft grin beneath ran over my nerves like a balm. A man of few words anyway, he didn't need to say anything to explain his willingness to help.

Gripping the drive in a fist, I jumped off the couch to join him. Trying to act normal for both our sakes. "So! What's this Rift and why would it be interesting for someone to send me there?" An opening for him to jump into the safety net.

Relief fueled the eager grin that warmed up my face but I pretended not to notice. The Doctor began smacking things on the console. His arm even brushed my back as he zoomed past me. "Literal rift in time and space. It's closed now, but it's still bleeding off tons of raw energy. Might use that to fuel up the TARDIS one of these days," he added with a thoughtful purse of his lips.

"So even the TARDIS needs gas occasionally." I grinned back at him. The fact he would go out on a limb for me after the Reaper fiasco was a lot to wrap my head around.

"In a sense…hold that thing down." The Doctor waited until I'd pulled the lever as far as he wanted. The TARDIS purred for a few seconds before a quiet bump signaled a landing. Quietest flight to date.

"I take it you had something to do with it closing? Must have been some adventure if I know you."

The Doctor made a face, strolling back around towards me. "Charles Dickens thought it was, at least."

A bit of incredulity bubbled up inside. "Wait, what?"

"Go on!" The Doctor gave me a shove towards the door. His annoyance feeling more like a bad habit than a real emotion. "You're turning us into the postal service for a time traveler I haven't heard of before. The least you can do is not waste his time."

Reluctantly letting go of the lever—which felt warmer and softer than I thought—I raised my hands in surrender. "Fine, fine. But I'd love to hear about Charles Dickens eventually. Don't think I won't hound you for that story." I wagged my finger in his face with a grin.

"Oi…." Now a mischievous air relaxed the Doctor's barriers to a more comfortable mood. He gestured towards the doors. "Get going before I change my mind."

Though I made a face, I descended the ramp with a huge smile. He'd stay behind no matter how much he protested. The tone of his voice and feel of the emotions he let me see reassured me of that point. My heart raced at the amount of trust and how willingly he gave it.

With a grateful backward glance, I ducked outside….

And got immediately drenched in a very cold, torrential downpour.

I squeaked as I shut the door behind me. "Of course, you don't think to mention I'd get wet did you, Jack?" I grumbled.

Before I could even consider going back in for a rain coat, the deluge just…stopped. I blinked some more and stared up at the angry clouds. Nope, still raining, but I wasn't feeling it on my face. At once, I grinned with a little laugh borne from a heart that glowed.

The Doctor. Somehow, he'd given me an invisible umbrella. He really had a soft spot after all and was doing his best to show it.

The Vortex Manipulator buzzed, though much more gently than the zap from before.

Place the drive on the sidewalk, hun. I'll grab it as soon as you leave. Sorry about the rain.

I tried to ignore the very empty square while I located the sidewalk in question. The tower flowing with a water feature sure looked nice, but for the sake of getting around my curiosity, I put the proverbial blinders on.

The dozen or so feet I walked to the sidewalk, I didn't get a drop on me. Since the Doctor wasn't there to get embarrassed, I grinned like the love-struck idiot that I actually was.

"Bit of a show off, Mister Grumpy, though he'd never admit it."

Sub-zero ice got thrown over all the warm fuzzies I'd been floating with. That voice. I'd only heard it once, but when it came down to it, I'd always recognize it no matter how much it changed. I set the drive down with exaggerated care.

That must have set off some alarms in his head. "Now, now. There's no need for that drastic…ow!"

My palm stung from the side of his face, the sound echoing even through the muted roar of the rain. "You self-centered, son of a bitch!" I had never called myself a screecher, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone at the far end of the plaza would've been able to hear me with no problem.

The Doctor looked just as young as me as he massaged his cheek. "Ouch! All right, all right, I get it!"

My next attempt hit his shoulder. It shook, even as I tried to sort through all the raging emotions inside me. "That is a hell of a lot less than you deserve for trying to screw up my timeline and yours! What's it going to take to get it through your thick head that I'm…not…leaving?!"

The Young Doctor still cringed my way, expecting another flow. Still, genuine regret and sorrow bled through soulful eyes that held nothing back. "Jessica, if you'll just let me explain…."

"Explain?" I jabbed a quivering finger in his chest, eyes stinging as I tried to hold back tears. Tears for what, I didn't know, but I could barely keep myself under control. "Explain why you think messing with your own past is in any way a great idea? Di you learn nothing from Pete Tyler?"

"No, no, no, no, no!" Young Doctor caught my finger just before I jabbed him again. His face contorted as his other hand pulled at his shaggy hair. "I know what this looks like, Jessica, but I promise this isn't about…that."

Deep, slow breaths cooled the worst of my temper. It didn't keep me from glaring daggers at him, though. "Are you sure? Cause back tracking like this seems a little too much like you didn't hear me the first three…."

Young Doctor gripped my shoulders, pulling us close enough that our foreheads touched. "I remember exactly what you said," he murmured in a voice so low, it sent chills racing along my skin. "I know it might not look like it, but I never forget a word you say. Even Baldie, as ornery as he was…is. No matter what I do, I've never been able to forget a single moment with you."

"What…."

"Now please, listen to me because I can't stay here much longer."

I was too stunned by his openness and intensity to speak. Who was this Doctor? What changed to make him so…human? A couple tears escaped my grasp, but I sniffed them away as best I could. I managed a tiny nod.

"Hit me, mister, I can take it."

If Current Doctor's smile could outdo the sun, Young Doctor's set the whole galaxy on fire. "Fantastic! First, you were the one who sent me here, so I won't spoil anything this time." A grimace of an adventure yet to come crinkled his face. "Right, right, sorry. What I mean is, sometime soon, in your future, you'll be on your own and have to scare off a few aliens without Big Ears over there."

I could read that easily enough: The Vortex Manipulator would yank me away again. The aliens didn't scare me as much as the thought of never seeing the current Doctor again. Those fears I locked away before the Young Doctor would notice too much. "Okay. Stranded and having to be a human version of you. Got it."

"Now, as soon as that starts, I want you to call Sarah Jane Smith." Memories gave him a more tender look. "Old friend, Sarah. Anyway, she can help you out, though knowing you, you'll manage quite fine on your own."

"Hush, you." I poked him in the chest with just enough force to give us some space. "Okay, I get the hint and believe me, it'll help. Seriously, though, did you have to see me face-to-face? Wouldn't an e-mail have been safer?"

Those ears went so red as he ran a hand through that crazy hair, I knew I was dealing with the Doctor. A sheepish grin softened some lines around his face. "Yeah, well, on top of you telling me to come here, I couldn't not come back and see you like this."

My eyebrows rose and I crossed my arms, trying to be more mature than him for once. "Like what?"

"This!" He all but danced around in front of me with a very familiar grin. "You're just starting out! So many things to do, people to see! I almost envy Mister Moody for what's about to happen."

"Uh, uh!" I held up my hands to bring an end to the endless tirade I felt coming. This Doctor had become a talker for sure. "Okay, I think you better slow down now or Other Me I'm usre will add to your collection." My smile began fading as a thought occurred to me. "Um, I'm sorry if this is asking a lot, but…."

"You can ask me anything."

"This point, where I get yanked away? How far ahead for me is it?" I couldn't hide the tremor that crept into my voice.

Young Doctor stilled with a shake of his head. "Your Rules. I can't…."

"I just want to make the most of my time with this you as I can." My gaze danced towards the TARDIS. "If we left stuff unsaid and I get stuck…."

With a soft laugh, Young Doctor planted a gentle kiss on my forehead—a feat easier to do as we had become almost similar in height. "Don't you worry about a thing, Jessica Gale. You have so many great things in store for you both. I'm officially jealous now."

Thankfully I could direct my tears towards being…well, my current Doctor. I sniffed and gave Young Doctor a push away from the TARDIS. "Careful, you, or both of us will smack you sillier than you've ever been in your life. I need to get the other you out of here unless two Doctors, two TARDISes, and the Rift plus two of me make for a good combination?"

How could this Doctor cut through me so quickly?

Alarm and joy sparkled in his face as he started running backwards. "Nope, probably one of my worst ideas! Ta!"

With that, Young Doctor tore around the corner and out of sight.

Such a tone of finality settled over me, I knew with that empathic instinct that I wouldn't see this Doctor again. Not out of his timeline anyway.

Somehow I made my way back into the TARDIS, leaning heavily on the doors once they closed. My head swam with so many possibilities and questions I could barely think straight.

"There you are." The familiar, reassuring sass of the Doctor pulled me out of my own mind. "Thought you'd go for a stroll? Or did…."

"Doctor, we need to leave."

"Excuse me?"

I sighed, opening my eyes to meet his perplexed scowl. "Leave now. There's…too many things going on at once. I don't think the Rift would like it for too much longer." My lips curled into an apologetic smile. I opened my barriers enough for him to realize my sincerity.

With Rose, the Doctor would've put up a fuss with being ordered around. After a moment or two, he nodded briskly and made quick work getting the TARDIS running. Once the wheezing quieted down, he pivoted to face me again. "Now how did you…"

I charged up the ram and tossed my arms around him in a fierce hug, cutting off his sentence. Pure, in explainable emotion drove me, bright as the sun and the cracks in the Doctor's barriers when he chose to show them. I just had to feel how solid and warm and real he was.

The impossible Time Lord I'd fallen in love with.