A/N: Happy Thanksgiving for those it applies to!

Standard Disclaimer: I own nothing of Doctor Who.

Chapter Four- -Don't Stop Believing

[In which the Doctor and Rose face their obstacles without losing hope]

Rose woke with her head pounding.

She groaned as she sat up. Her travel with the Dimension Cannon had lessened the effects of the trans-mat beam, but the resulting headache from the crude transport was still pretty bad.

Rose took a moment to take in her surroundings. She appeared to be in a typical prison cell of some sort. There were no windows that she could see, and between that and the damp feel of the cell, she was guessing she was being held underground.

She continued to search her surroundings, trying to gather any information she could. The single guard outside her cell didn't react to any pleas or questions, but Rose was able to gather some information from his appearance; he was a private guard, he was not currently uniformed by the military, he was American, and he was armed with both lethal and non-lethal weapons.

She paced her small cell- -since it was complete with a small toilet and functional cot, it was better than some cells she'd been in- -as she tried to think of a way to escape. She kept up a stream of one-sided chatter to the guard, no longer expecting a response; she'd heard- -and confirmed often enough first-hand- -that letting your captor know you are real and human and have feelings, emotions, and connections can improve your chances of survival.

"And I couldn't believe it," she was currently explaining to the silent guard, "when he pulled out a ring. And it's gorgeous," she said, studying the ring as the spoke, "just like he is. The Doctor makes me feel loved, protected, excited, happy, challenged, and respected. He treats me like I'm the most fragile and important person in the world, and he does it while still treating me like I'm capable. He hasn't tried to send me away for my own good since Canary Wharf. You should always treat a girl like that, you know," she continued. "Treat her like she is irreplaceable and unique, like your life didn't really start until she entered it, even if you've lived a long, long time."

She sat down on the narrow cot with a sigh and fiddled with the ring on her finger.

"He must be so worried. I hope he doesn't do anything too mad to get to me. He's the Oncoming Storm, you know," she raised her voice slightly and spoke more pointedly to the guard. "It really isn't a good idea to be on his bad side."

She took the ring off her finger to study it more closely. On the inside of the band was writing that she recognised as Gallifreyan. Looking at it was making her just a little dizzy. Before she could look away, it was like the symbols shifted slightly, and she was certain the words said, in English, "My love, my life, my Rose." However, when she tried to focus, the words returned to indecipherable Gallifreyan. After a little experimenting, she decided it was reminding her of those Magic Eye picture books she'd seen when she was younger.

She started to get a headache and decided it was time to try to get some rest. Rose didn't see a way out yet, so she knew she needed to save her strength for when opportunity presented. She was pretty sure it was past dark by now.

She reclined and tried to get comfortable, and she was pleasantly surprised that she took less time than usual to fall asleep. As she closed her eyes, she immediately began to dream.

O~O~O~O~O~O

"There!" she heard the Doctor say. "That should do it."

As with her earlier dreams of the original world's Doctor, Rose was able to sense her Doctor's feelings. He was currently conveying both hope and desperation in nearly equal measure.

"So, Doc," said Jack from where he was sitting on what appeared to be an exam table of some sort, "I don't want you to explain the whole thing again because it makes my head hurt, but basically, this is gonna make it so I dream what Rose is seeing?"

"Temporarily, yes," said the Doctor, emitting a surge of jealousy and irritation. "This should enhance the latent connection between the two of you, allowing something like a telepathic connection." Rose felt his jealousy become tinged by a bit of sadness and wondered whether he still actively missed having a telepathic connection with others. She could see the Doctor prepare a syringe and felt him walk to Jack.

"This will render you unconscious for approximately five hours. We have to make sure you're under while she's asleep; impressive as my Rose is, I doubt her telepathic capabilities are strong enough to function while she's awake." Jack extended his arm, and the Doctor administered the injection. "If this works, if you see Rose, tell her," he said, feeling a dizzying mix of hope, fear, love, longing, jealousy, and sadness, "tell her I love her, and she has to keep herself in one piece so I can tell her that every day."

As Jack lost consciousness, Rose's dream's vision went dark.

O~O~O~O~O~O

"Rosie!" she heard before she opened her eyes. "Are you alright?"

She sat up and opened her eyes. It looked as if she were back in her cell, with one major difference: Captain Jack Harkness was standing in the middle of the room.

"Shhh," she said hurriedly, gesturing toward the guard.

"Nah, I'm fine," said Jack. "He can't hear me. I'm not really here. Doc put me in your head somehow. I can go as far as you can see, and that's it. You should probably pretend you aren't talking to me, though. Doc had said you'd be asleep before we could talk, but it doesn't look like you are. Not that I'm an expert on these things," he added with a grin, "though there's plenty of other stuff I am an expert on." He winked outrageously.

Rose stood. "I've been talking to myself all day," she said in a way that implied she was still talking to herself. "Hey, you gonna talk to me yet?" she aimed at the guard. When there was no response from the man (who she was pretty sure had been replaced by a different guard than her original) she continued talking. "The Doctor's going to rescue me."

"Yeah," said Jack, "He is. He said that this should transfer enough of my consciousness that he can track it. Then again, he also said you'd be asleep, so we'll see."

"Why would you help?" she asked, careful to try to sound as if she were still talking to either the guard or herself. "You don't know me."

"I've dreamed of you for years, Rosie," said Jack in reply. "Well, I've dreamed of the Doctor thinking of you. There's no way I couldn't admire you after feeling what he feels for you. And how jealous he gets of me? I suspect the version of me who does know you is in love with you at least a little." He avoided eye contact as he continued. "I don't know that version of myself. He's so much more than I am. I'm just a mercenary."

"So was he," Rose told him. "So, after I had been traveling with the Doctor for a little while, we met this man, right? He saved me. I ended up on a barrage balloon in the middle of an air raid. This man, this Captain, he rescued me, flirted a bit, tried to pull one over on me and the Doctor. When the three of us ended up trapped, the Captain was the only one who could get out, and he did. He didn't have to come back for us. The Doctor and I, we'd have been in trouble, maybe even dead, but this stranger saved us. If that weren't enough, this man who didn't think he cared about anyone but himself, he risked his life to save everyone."

Jack, who had been listening intently, was now watching Rose, more hope in his eyes than she'd seen in the stranger who was also a best friend.

"So you see, I don't believe you're 'just' anything. You're not just a man for hire," she continued. "You are good, and you can show everyone else that side of you just as soon as you decide to."

Rose jumped as the guard turned to face her, an odd expression on his face. "You really think that?" he asked.

Before she could respond, Rose heard footsteps coming down the hall toward her cell, and the guard whipped back around to his stationary position.

"Sir," he acknowledged politely as a familiar face came into view.

"Van Statten," muttered Jack. "I shoulda known this had something to do with my employer. I'm so sorry, Rosie. Good news is, he's a collector. He won't hurt you unless he has to. If he took you, he wants something or thinks you're special."

While Jack explained, van Statten and his bodyguards- -four of them- -approached the cell. At a nod from his boss, the prison guard unlocked Rose's cell.

"About time," said Rose. "It gets pretty boring with nobody to talk to."

"Well," said van Statten, his tone just as self-important as Rose remembered, "Good thing I'm here for you. Come along."

Rose followed, pretending complacency as she took the opportunity to study more of the complex.

Henry van Statten ignored her as they walked, two bodyguards ahead of him and one holding each of Rose's arms lightly. He barked orders into his phone's headset as they continued briskly through the hallway. Jack wasn't talking any longer and Rose couldn't turn to look, so she didn't know whether he was still with her.

The facility seemed a lot less impressive than the one in Rose's memory. It looked old, run-down, and much smaller. Not long after leaving her cell, the group reached what appeared to be van Statten's office. Van Statten and two bodyguards entered, and the other two bodyguards ushered Rose inside the office before shutting the door behind her.

Still ignoring Rose, van Statten made his way to his desk. He sat down in his seat and sorted through the small pile of paperwork as Rose took in her surroundings.

The shelves were covered in what looked like random junk. The few things whose purpose she recognised were broken in obvious ways and had never been particularly interesting to start with. The office was small; she thought her prison cell might have been bigger. With four people in his office, there was almost no room left to move.

"You," van Statten said suddenly, gesturing at one of the guards. "Go fetch me something to drink. Make it strong; I'm tired of dealing with you. And you," he continued, turning to the other guard, "Go tell that science geek I need him to come here. Damned communicator never does work in this office."

As the guards left, van Statten finally turned his gaze toward Rose.

"So," he said, a hint of pride in his voice, "What do you think of my collection?"

"Honest?" said Rose, taking a full look around. She didn't see Jack, so he must be gone. "I think it looks like a lot of rubbish."

"I'll have you know," van Statten replied angrily, "These are all priceless alien artifacts."

"Yeah?" said Rose, her patience and tact having faded quickly, "I think I saw one of those at Henrik's, right next to the wind-up rats," she said, pointing at a particularly boring-looking artifact.

Van Statten rose from his chair, his face red with anger. "And what do you know? Just because you set off our energy sensors, it doesn't mean you know anything! I've studied this! I've collected for years and have filled this room with the most important items! I have employees who respond to me and me alone! I am God in this place, and you will respect me!"

Before Rose could respond, the door opened. She turned slightly, expecting to see a returning guard.

"Oh, hello," she heard, her heart soaring at the beautiful voice. "This isn't the café. I wanted to order a banana shake." The Doctor paused and turned to face Rose directly, brilliant smile covering his face. "Love a good banana milkshake. Makes everything right with the world."

Rose ran to the Doctor and flung her arms around him, reveling in the feel of his arms wrapped tightly around her. The hug was far too brief as the Doctor set her down next to him and turned to face van Statten.

"So," said the Doctor, restrained anger in his voice as he held tightly to Rose's hand, "We meet again for the very first time."

A/N: Rose and the Doctor should never be separated for long!

Between the holiday and a very long drive for the two days after, I might not be able to update until after the long weekend. Love the reviews!