Rose Tyler fic-a-thon fic
Title: Brief Reunions
Authors: Malana
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Doctor Who
Summary: In Cardiff, Rose finds vampires...and an old friend.
Notes: Set sometime early second season. Slight spoilers for Torchwood.
Of the many things that Rose Tyler had expected to find in Cardiff, vampires were not on the list.
Well, the Doctor was quick to point out that they were not in fact vampires, but rather a parasitic species from the Kelden galaxy, but as far as Rose was concerned they were vampires. After all, they had pointy teeth and drank blood. They also exploded into a rather spectacular amount of dust when you put a wooden stake through their heart.
Running from vampires in the National Museum and Gallery of Wales was not exactly Rose’s idea of a good time. It was made even worse due to the fact that she had somehow managed to lose the Doctor. She knew she had to be somewhere in the museum. But the last she had seen him was near the dinosaur exhibit. She was now by a display of Roman artifacts. There were actually quite a few neat displays around. If she hadn’t been scared for her life, she might have been enjoying the whole thing a lot more.
The only good thing was that the vampires were incredibly stupid. That was good for two reasons actually. It meant she could dispatch of the creatures fairly easily, but it also meant that she didn’t have to feel quite so bad when she did so. The Doctor had told her it was best to think of them as leeches, both in terms of what they did and their brain function.
But, while the things may be stupid, they were still dangerous. They were fast and they liked to hunt in packs.... Much like the pack that was approaching her now.
There were six of them. The things were quiet. Rose hadn’t even heard them come in. But suddenly they were there. She reached for the stake she had attached to her belt, and groaned. It wasn’t there.
“Probably wherever the Doctor is,” she muttered to herself. She began to look frantically around the room for something she could use as a weapon. Rose mentally cursed the Romans for making so many things out of clay, and not nearly enough things out of pointy wood.
Rose quickly moved backwards as the creatures approached.
“C’mon, Doctor,” she whispered. The Doctor would come save her at the last possible moment. That’s what he always did. He always came to save her. She squeezed her eyes shut as one of the creatures reached a gnarled hand towards her. She took a deep breath...
...And coughed when she sucked in a lungful of dust. Her eyes flew just in time to see the last two vampires turn to dust. She coughed again, and then sighed in relief. The Doctor had made it right in time, just as she knew he would. She looked up, and her jaw dropped when her savior stepped into her line of sight.
“Jack?”
Captain Jack Harkness stood in front of Rose, a broad smile on his face, “Looks like I was just in time to save your butt. Good thing too, it’d be a shame to lose a butt as cute as yours.”
“Jack!” Rose rushed into her old friend’s arms. Tears came to her eyes, and she couldn’t stop smiling. “But how...why...how are you...what...”
Jack put a finger to her lips. “Shh. I’m sure you have a ton of questions, but we haven’t really got time. It’s all a very long story. But I’m here on Earth. I’m working for an organization called Torchwood. We track down dangerous alien technology. I’m based in here in Cardiff.”
Rose shook her head in wonder. “You’re back...and you fight vampires.”
Jack grinned again, “Actually their aliens from the...”
Rose cut him off. “I know, I know. The Doctor keeps correcting me.” She rolled her eyes.
Jack laughed, “I’m sure he does. I got word of the infestation and came to clear it out. I must say, I was more than a little surprised to see you here.”
Rose looped her arm though Jack’s and began to lead him down a corridor. “Come on. We’ll go back to the TARDIS. I’m not sure where the Doctor is at the moment, but he’ll turn up there eventually.”
When they got to the TARDIS, Jack fell silent. He stared for a moment, running his hands along it gently.
“You miss it, don’t you?” Rose asked.
Jack nodded, “How could you not miss this?”
Rose grinned as she watched Jack walk around the outside of the machine. “Well, you don’t have to miss it anymore. You can come with us again. The Doctor will be thrilled to have you back. Oh! But he’s changed now. He’s different. I mean he’s really different.”
Jack nodded, “Yeah, the Time Lord thing. I’ve heard about that. What’s he look like now?”
Rose grinned, “He...he look’s quite good actually.” She blushed slightly, “He’s got more hair, and he’s tall and thin. He wears this suit...” she trailed off. “Anyway, I’m sure you’ll find him to your liking.”
Jack’s smile fell a little, “Yeah, I’m sure I would.”
Rose’s own smile faltered at that, “What do you mean would?”
Jack shook his head. “I can’t come with you Rose.”
“What? Why not? Of course you can.”
“I can’t. I miss you Rose Tyler. You and the Doctor. I’d love to come traveling through time and space with you again. But I can’t. I have responsibilities here. Ones that I mean to keep.”
Rose bit her lip and nodded, trying not to cry. “Okay. But at least stay and say hello to the Doctor.” Rose knew that it the Doctor asked him to come along, he’d have a harder time saying no.
Again Jack shook his head. “I can’t do that,” he paused. “I’m sorry, Rose. But if he knew the work I was doing here...He wouldn’t approve. Torchwood takes alien technology to help find a way to protect Earth from future attack. You know how he feels about weapons technology. He’d want it all to be destroyed. He’d try to go up against Torchwood, and I can’t let that happen.”
“But...” Rose searched for something, anything that she could say that would change Jack’s mind. But she couldn’t’ come up with anything.
“You can’t tell him you saw me here.”
“What?!” Rose’s eyes went wide.
Jack smiled sadly, “I know that you don’t want to lie to the Doctor. And I wouldn’t ask you to if it weren’t important. Please Rose, promise me you won’t tell him. Promise me.”
Rose was quiet for a moment before responding. “For you.” She wouldn’t do this for anyone else. The Doctor was the Doctor. How could she lie to him? But it was for Jack. Jack, who she owed so much to. She nodded slowly, “Okay, Jack. For you.” She fought back tears, “But if you change your mind you get in touch with my mum, okay? She’ll pass it on and the Doctor and I’ll come get you...okay?”
“Okay,” Jack ran a finger down Rose’s cheek and placed a soft kiss on his lips.
“Goodbye, Rose Tyler.”
“Goodbye, Jack Harkness.”
Rose couldn’t watch as Jack walked away. Instead she headed into the TARDIS. She leaned against and control panel, and let out a sobbing gasp. She took deep breaths, trying to get a hold of herself.
She had just managed to stop the tears, when the Doctor arrived.
“Hello, hello. Got away from the Keldenairens alright, then?”
Rose forced herself to smile, “Yep. I got away from the vampire horde unscathed.”
“Well, I have slain the head of the ‘vampires’, as you seem so insistent on calling them. So, the people of Cardiff are safe from bloodsuckers for another day.” The Doctor grinned at Rose and headed for the TARDIS controls.
“I’ve got a fantastic idea for our next stop.” He pushed a few buttons, then turned to look at Rose, a quizzical expression on his face.
“Are you alright? You seem quiet.”
“I’m fine.”
“See anything interesting while slaying parasites?”
Rose shook her head, “Nope. Nothing interesting at all.”
Authors: Malana
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Doctor Who
Summary: In Cardiff, Rose finds vampires...and an old friend.
Notes: Set sometime early second season. Slight spoilers for Torchwood.
Of the many things that Rose Tyler had expected to find in Cardiff, vampires were not on the list.
Well, the Doctor was quick to point out that they were not in fact vampires, but rather a parasitic species from the Kelden galaxy, but as far as Rose was concerned they were vampires. After all, they had pointy teeth and drank blood. They also exploded into a rather spectacular amount of dust when you put a wooden stake through their heart.
Running from vampires in the National Museum and Gallery of Wales was not exactly Rose’s idea of a good time. It was made even worse due to the fact that she had somehow managed to lose the Doctor. She knew she had to be somewhere in the museum. But the last she had seen him was near the dinosaur exhibit. She was now by a display of Roman artifacts. There were actually quite a few neat displays around. If she hadn’t been scared for her life, she might have been enjoying the whole thing a lot more.
The only good thing was that the vampires were incredibly stupid. That was good for two reasons actually. It meant she could dispatch of the creatures fairly easily, but it also meant that she didn’t have to feel quite so bad when she did so. The Doctor had told her it was best to think of them as leeches, both in terms of what they did and their brain function.
But, while the things may be stupid, they were still dangerous. They were fast and they liked to hunt in packs.... Much like the pack that was approaching her now.
There were six of them. The things were quiet. Rose hadn’t even heard them come in. But suddenly they were there. She reached for the stake she had attached to her belt, and groaned. It wasn’t there.
“Probably wherever the Doctor is,” she muttered to herself. She began to look frantically around the room for something she could use as a weapon. Rose mentally cursed the Romans for making so many things out of clay, and not nearly enough things out of pointy wood.
Rose quickly moved backwards as the creatures approached.
“C’mon, Doctor,” she whispered. The Doctor would come save her at the last possible moment. That’s what he always did. He always came to save her. She squeezed her eyes shut as one of the creatures reached a gnarled hand towards her. She took a deep breath...
...And coughed when she sucked in a lungful of dust. Her eyes flew just in time to see the last two vampires turn to dust. She coughed again, and then sighed in relief. The Doctor had made it right in time, just as she knew he would. She looked up, and her jaw dropped when her savior stepped into her line of sight.
“Jack?”
Captain Jack Harkness stood in front of Rose, a broad smile on his face, “Looks like I was just in time to save your butt. Good thing too, it’d be a shame to lose a butt as cute as yours.”
“Jack!” Rose rushed into her old friend’s arms. Tears came to her eyes, and she couldn’t stop smiling. “But how...why...how are you...what...”
Jack put a finger to her lips. “Shh. I’m sure you have a ton of questions, but we haven’t really got time. It’s all a very long story. But I’m here on Earth. I’m working for an organization called Torchwood. We track down dangerous alien technology. I’m based in here in Cardiff.”
Rose shook her head in wonder. “You’re back...and you fight vampires.”
Jack grinned again, “Actually their aliens from the...”
Rose cut him off. “I know, I know. The Doctor keeps correcting me.” She rolled her eyes.
Jack laughed, “I’m sure he does. I got word of the infestation and came to clear it out. I must say, I was more than a little surprised to see you here.”
Rose looped her arm though Jack’s and began to lead him down a corridor. “Come on. We’ll go back to the TARDIS. I’m not sure where the Doctor is at the moment, but he’ll turn up there eventually.”
When they got to the TARDIS, Jack fell silent. He stared for a moment, running his hands along it gently.
“You miss it, don’t you?” Rose asked.
Jack nodded, “How could you not miss this?”
Rose grinned as she watched Jack walk around the outside of the machine. “Well, you don’t have to miss it anymore. You can come with us again. The Doctor will be thrilled to have you back. Oh! But he’s changed now. He’s different. I mean he’s really different.”
Jack nodded, “Yeah, the Time Lord thing. I’ve heard about that. What’s he look like now?”
Rose grinned, “He...he look’s quite good actually.” She blushed slightly, “He’s got more hair, and he’s tall and thin. He wears this suit...” she trailed off. “Anyway, I’m sure you’ll find him to your liking.”
Jack’s smile fell a little, “Yeah, I’m sure I would.”
Rose’s own smile faltered at that, “What do you mean would?”
Jack shook his head. “I can’t come with you Rose.”
“What? Why not? Of course you can.”
“I can’t. I miss you Rose Tyler. You and the Doctor. I’d love to come traveling through time and space with you again. But I can’t. I have responsibilities here. Ones that I mean to keep.”
Rose bit her lip and nodded, trying not to cry. “Okay. But at least stay and say hello to the Doctor.” Rose knew that it the Doctor asked him to come along, he’d have a harder time saying no.
Again Jack shook his head. “I can’t do that,” he paused. “I’m sorry, Rose. But if he knew the work I was doing here...He wouldn’t approve. Torchwood takes alien technology to help find a way to protect Earth from future attack. You know how he feels about weapons technology. He’d want it all to be destroyed. He’d try to go up against Torchwood, and I can’t let that happen.”
“But...” Rose searched for something, anything that she could say that would change Jack’s mind. But she couldn’t’ come up with anything.
“You can’t tell him you saw me here.”
“What?!” Rose’s eyes went wide.
Jack smiled sadly, “I know that you don’t want to lie to the Doctor. And I wouldn’t ask you to if it weren’t important. Please Rose, promise me you won’t tell him. Promise me.”
Rose was quiet for a moment before responding. “For you.” She wouldn’t do this for anyone else. The Doctor was the Doctor. How could she lie to him? But it was for Jack. Jack, who she owed so much to. She nodded slowly, “Okay, Jack. For you.” She fought back tears, “But if you change your mind you get in touch with my mum, okay? She’ll pass it on and the Doctor and I’ll come get you...okay?”
“Okay,” Jack ran a finger down Rose’s cheek and placed a soft kiss on his lips.
“Goodbye, Rose Tyler.”
“Goodbye, Jack Harkness.”
Rose couldn’t watch as Jack walked away. Instead she headed into the TARDIS. She leaned against and control panel, and let out a sobbing gasp. She took deep breaths, trying to get a hold of herself.
She had just managed to stop the tears, when the Doctor arrived.
“Hello, hello. Got away from the Keldenairens alright, then?”
Rose forced herself to smile, “Yep. I got away from the vampire horde unscathed.”
“Well, I have slain the head of the ‘vampires’, as you seem so insistent on calling them. So, the people of Cardiff are safe from bloodsuckers for another day.” The Doctor grinned at Rose and headed for the TARDIS controls.
“I’ve got a fantastic idea for our next stop.” He pushed a few buttons, then turned to look at Rose, a quizzical expression on his face.
“Are you alright? You seem quiet.”
“I’m fine.”
“See anything interesting while slaying parasites?”
Rose shook her head, “Nope. Nothing interesting at all.”