Probably only one more chapter after this one. Still tweaking the ending.
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Rose and Jason slept snuggled next to each other in the narrow hospital bed. Dr. Sullivan came in early the next morning with discharge papers and instructions in hand. It's a good thing too because Rose knew he was going barmy staying there and his unique physiology was helping him heal quickly. By 8am, Rose was wheeling Jason out to her car.
As Rose settled into the driver's seat, she turned to Jason and asked, "Where do you want to go now? We can go back to my flat or we could stop somewhere for breakfast."
Jason's stomach, rather than his mouth, responded with a loud growl. Rose giggled, "Breakfast it is, then."
Rose and Jason enjoyed a full fry up at a quaint family-owned place between Torchwood and Rose's home.
After eating their fill, they headed to Rose's place. Jason glanced around the flat, noticing an absence of photographs, aside from ones that included her mum, dad, and brother, Tony. Rose took their stuff to the bedroom before returning to the living area to see Jason browsing the collection of books on the shelf.
"Advanced astrophysics, Shakespeare, Edgar Allen Poe… quite the eclectic taste in reading material," Jason commented.
"Yeah," Rose replied a bit sheepishly. "Some of those were John's books." James nodded but didn't continue with this subject. "So, what do you want to do now? We could watch a film…"
"Only if we get to snuggle up on something more comfortable than a hospital bed," Jason answered.
"Will the sofa do?"
"Oh yes"
Rose and Jason settled under a blanket on the sofa to watch an action movie about stealing cars. "I love this movie," Jason said as the bad guy appeared on the screen. "That Raymond Calitri is so intense."
Rose rolled her eyes but burrowed into Jason a little further. She couldn't care less about the movie and was just relieved to have Jason safe with her. As the credits rolled, Jason stretched his arms above his head and sniffed. "Damn it, Rose. Why didn't you tell me I needed to bathe?! I stink."
"Maybe I wanted to snuggle rather than send you off to shower," Rose smiled with the tongue in her teeth.
"We could always snuggle in the shower," Jason pulled Rose closer and nuzzled his nose into her neck.
"Could do," Rose replied. "But, I really need to go get some groceries." Jason gave Rose a look of disappointment. "Don't fret. Go take a shower and I'll be back before you know it."
Jason and Rose stood up, gave each other one last lingering kiss before heading in opposite directions – Jason toward the bedroom and ensuite and Rose out the front door.
Rose ran to the store and picked up some essentials and meal ingredients as quickly as she could, luckily avoiding attracting any unwanted attention from photographers and fans. When she walked in the door of the flat, she called out for Jason. She listened for a reply or for any sign that the shower might still be running, but all she heard was silence. She put the groceries down in the kitchen and called out again. When Jason still didn't respond, Rose decided to go check on him.
As Rose walked down the hallway, she felt the TARDIS in her head, a sense of urgency in its hum. She walked down the hallway and saw the basement door open. Without hesitating, Rose ran down the stairs and gasped at the sight before her. The TARDIS door was open and Jason was collapsed on the ground in front of it. Rose fell to her knees next to Jason, feeling for a pulse. He was breathing and his hearts seemed to be working. She needed to get him up and out of the basement before he woke up, but she knew she wouldn't be able to lift him alone. Rose pulled her mobile out of her pocket and dialed Jack.
"Hello, Rosie!" Jack greeted on the other end.
"Jack! I need your help with Jason. Can you come over to my place?"
"Yeah, Rosie. Be there in a tick."
Within a few seconds, the atmosphere around Rose shifted and the familiar thwump of the vortex manipulator echoed through the flat.
"We're in the basement, Jack!" Rose called out.
Jack hurried down the stairs and rushed to Rose's side.
"What happened?" Jack asked.
"I don't know. I left Jason to shower while I went to the store and when I came back, this is where I found him. Help me carry him upstairs to the bedroom, yeah?"
"Sure thing, Rosie."
Once they settled Jason onto the bed and Rose was sure he was okay, Rose and Jack returned to the living room.
"What do you think happened while you were gone?" Jack wondered.
"I don't know. Something must have made him want to go into the basement. Maybe seeing the TARDIS caused his memories to leak through and overwhelm him? That's my only theory. John described a similar situation that happened years ago when he had to change his biology to hide out from a dangerous enemy. He lived as a human for nearly three months with false memories of a human life he hadn't lived."
Rose and Jack sat in silence for a bit before Rose offered to make them some tea while they waited for Jason to wake up. As they sipped their tea, Jack broke the silence, "So, what are you going to do about him now?"
"What do you mean?"
"You remember what the TARDIS said," Jack recalled. "How are you going to prove your love for Jason? I mean, you do love him, right?"
"Of course I love him. I realized a long time ago that I was made to love him. No matter what universe or what body, I have always and will always love the Doctor." Rose opened her mouth to continue when a commotion behind them got their attention. Rose and Jack jumped off the sofa to see Jason collapsed on his knees, clutching his hands to his temples.
"Jason!" the two yelled simultaneously. Rose ran to his side and Jack vaulted over the sofa to meet them.
"Jason, love, what's wrong?" Rose pleaded.
"Rose… did you mean what you said earlier?" Jason asked.
"Which part?" Rose wondered how much of her conversation with Jack that Jason had heard.
"When you said you love me," Jason finally managed to get it. "Do…do you mean that?"
Rose reached out to cup Jason's cheek and looked deep into his eyes with as much sincerity as she could. "Yes. I love you." Rose replied. "I told you before, I don't care what you've done in your past to make you think that you are not worthy of being loved."
Rose took a deep breath and continued. "Years ago when I first met my husband, we tried to deny the feeling that existed between us. John told me to forget him. But the universe kept bringing us back together. I knew from the moment I met him that we were meant to be together. We wasted many years trying to ignore the universe and our love for each other. I learned my lesson then. When you love someone, and I know that I love you, don't fear it and don't deny it. Embrace it. So yes, Jason, I love you. Maybe it's fate. Maybe the universe is giving us both another chance at happiness. Maybe we're both crazy. I don't know. But I do know that I was meant to find you at just this moment in time. And I'm not wasting another minute second guessing how I feel." Rose felt a pull inside her that she couldn't resist even if she had tried. She leaned her head forward to brush her lips against Jason's ear and whispered, in perfect Gallifreyan "My love, my hearts," ending with his given name.
Rose leaned back to see Jason's eyes twinkle and a smile grew on his face. He reached out to caress Rose's cheek and then closed the distance between them. He kissed her softly yet passionately. As they kissed, Jack tried to get their attention.
"Um… I hate to break this up, but… um… guys?" Jack said, with increasing concern. "Um… Jason is glowing…"
Rose's eyes flashed open and she quickly backed away from Jason as his skin began to glow golden with regeneration energy. Jason glanced at his hands and then nervously at Rose. "Stay back!" they both yelled at Jack.
"Don't you dare regenerate on me!" Rose told him sternly. Jason stood unsteadily from the floor and stretched his limbs out in the familiar pose of regeneration that had haunted Rose's dreams all those years ago. But just as the light around Jason was growing to an intolerable brightness, it faded to nothing. Jason collapsed to the ground, still conscious but clearly very weak.
"Jason!" Rose ran to his side quickly. "Jack, come help me get him to the sofa while I go make him some tea." Jack picked up Jason off the floor.
"You know…this is the second time today I've held you in my arms," Jack flirted as he carried Jason to the sofa and set him down.
"And you didn't even buy me a drink first," Jason replied.
Rose returned a few minutes later with a cup of tea. She handed it to Jason, eyeing him suspiciously for any signs of changes between semi-human and Time Lord. Jason sipped his tea, sighing contentedly
"A super-heated cup of free radicals and tannins. Just what the Doctor ordered," Jason winked knowingly at Rose.
"Doctor?" Rose asked tentatively.
"Hello," Jason replied, wiggling his fingers at Rose.