Resolving Issues

[the_blaidd_drwg]

Who: Rose Tyler, Jack Harkness
When: Afternoon, after Jack spends the morning with Martha
Where: Lounge
Summary: Rose is still irritated at Jack's attitude in the lobby and it turns out they have some issues to work out between them.



Rose was still grumbling about Jack that afternoon, completely unable to understand where his bout of attitude had come from. It was completely beyond her comprehension no matter how many times she analyzed the situation. Of course, her irritation at the entirety of said situation probably didn't help matters any, and, as predicted, she did feel bad about how she'd reacted to the new arrival's insistence on knowing what was going on, but with everything else that had been going on lately, she just couldn't take it anymore.

Normally these things wouldn't have continued to bother her so much, especially the bit with Jack, but she had very few acquaintances in the hotel, and even fewer of them were what she could consider friends. Martha didn't know her, just of her, and Rose could easily tell what the other woman's opinion of her had been before they'd met. Jack was the only one who really knew anything, the one she'd been close with so long ago. It mattered to her that he'd acted that way at all, and that she may have helped to cause it.

She needed to do something was what it came down to. She had all sorts of pent up energy from just milling around the damned hotel and there were only so many banana daiquiris a girl could drink before she really started to just look pathetic.

So she forced herself out of bed, where she'd been alternately moping and seething, and got dressed in jeans and a t-shirt that, like all the other clothes the hotel had swiped from her TARDIS, was just slightly too big for her. Her sonic screwdriver went in her pocket like always, along with her assortment of keys, and then she pulled on her boots and set off. A good bit of wandering never hurt anyone.

Comments

[the-blaidd-drwg.livejournal.com]

She didn't even have to think about it. "No," she answered without hesitation, "I wouldn't. I... I couldn't go with him. It would be too painful." She wanted to hide against him, but resisted the urge. "He's not my Doctor, anymore. My Doctor's gone."

[capj_harkness]

"Then that answers your question," he said, his tone brightening slightly because they'd entered territory where he was much more sure of himself. "If you meet him and he asks you, you walk away. I did it. Martha did it. It hurts and it's hard..." his voice trailed off. "It's so hard," he breathed, "but you feel better afterwards." He looked at Rose. "I wouldn't trade traveling with the Doctor for anything," he confessed, "but I think the trick to it is knowing when to stop. Sometimes you don't get a choice, but when you do... you have to walk away with what he taught you and just be a better person than you were when he found you. Know what I mean?"

[the-blaidd-drwg.livejournal.com]

She nodded silently, biting her lip and feeling so... lost. He made it sound so easy, but if she was put in that position... She might not be able to say no. Just seeing him again, seeing that same face... She might agree without even thinking and then live her life in that constant pain. "Would be nice to have adventures with you again," she mused quietly, before thinking of another problem the plan. "What about my TARDIS? I couldn't just..." She couldn't even think of the words for the longing she felt for her poor ship.

[capj_harkness]

Jack ran his hand over her hair again. It was almost an unconscious gesture. A comforting gesture, maybe for both of them. He'd done it so many times in the past. "It's a time machine, Rose. I'm not suggesting you mothball her. You could still travel whenever you wanted." He cocked his head to look at her face again. "We could go together, now and then."

He had to admit, it was an enticing idea... and would he ever love to show Ianto another planet. He'd love to just show him an alien that wasn't trying to eat them, to be honest. He wanted to show him that the universe was full of wonder, and some of it was actually nice; that it wasn't all the sort of shit that washed up on Torchwood's beach. It almost hurt to think about it. There was so much conspiring against the possibility that hoping for it was actually painful.

[the-blaidd-drwg.livejournal.com]

She smiled again at the idea. Traveling around the universe with Jack, in her TARDIS. The Little Girl would love that. She'd probably be even harder to manage than before. "That would be fun," she admitted, her fingers having a mind of their own as she started to play with the collar of Jack's shirt. "She's my home, Jack. My life, now. The closest thing we had to a child." She didn't know why she was telling him these things, they were just coming out on their own.

[capj_harkness]

"Well, then," he said, "we owe it to her to get her out of here." He grinned. "And you have to admit," he added cheekily, "when we get her back to Cardiff, she'll officially be the world's most luxurious mobile home."

[the-blaidd-drwg.livejournal.com]

Rose had to giggle at that. "She really will," she agreed with a smile. "And she'll always be all fueled up and ready to go, thanks to that rift of yours that likes to cause all sorts of problems." It made her want to rush downstairs and show Jack her Little Girl, show her off like a proud parent. If only she could.

[capj_harkness]

"At least it's good for something besides causing trouble," he commented. He'd sat on top of the Cardiff Rift for so long, he'd almost forgotten what it felt like to get through 24 hours without being jolted into action by a Rift activity alarm.

[the-blaidd-drwg.livejournal.com]

She smirked at his words, shifting slightly again so she was more comfortable. It was nice, just sitting there snuggled up to Jack, having a mostly pleasant conversation. "I know that feeling," she said offhandedly, but then didn't elaborate. "This is nice, Jack," she said quietly. "We should spend more time together like this, just talking."

[capj_harkness]

"I wouldn't object," Jack told her with a smile. "You know where to find me." He fell silent then, but it was a comfortable silence. It felt like the old days, just in that moment.

[the-blaidd-drwg.livejournal.com]

Rose again absently played with Jack's collar, and she smiled at the memory of when Jack's wardrobe mostly consisted of a t-shirt and some very well-fitted jeans. "Am I really like him like that?" she asked suddenly, quietly. "In all the ways I shouldn't be?"

[capj_harkness]

Jack didn't answer right away. He'd love to be able to laugh it off and tell her 'no, of course not', but she was asking a serious question and he felt that he owed her an honest answer.

"You were with him for a long time," Jack said. "And I think you're like him in a lot of ways, not just bad ones. I think you picked up a lot of his best qualities and mixed them in with all of your best qualities." He took a breath. "And if you picked up a few of his bad habits on the way, then who can blame you for that?" he told her. "You're probably not even always wrong to be that way. It just... irked a little that you'd try it with me."

[the-blaidd-drwg.livejournal.com]

Rose just nodded, staying quiet for a long moment while she thought about what he'd said. She had been with him for a long time, just the two of them wandering the universe together. It made sense, the way Jack had explained it.

Sighing softly, she hid her face against Jack's neck and wrapped her arms around him. "'m sorry I did," she said to him in an apologetic voice. "I didn't even realize."

[capj_harkness]

He smoothed his hand over her hair again. "I know," he said. "I'm sorry I took it so personally. It's just... I've barely seen you since you got here. I was kind of starting to think you were avoiding me on purpose."

[the-blaidd-drwg.livejournal.com]

"I didn't want to... cling to you, bother you," she said quietly, almost shamefully. "Knew if I let myself, I'd never let ya have a moment of peace, and you'd get tired of me. 's been a long time, Jack, I didn't feel like I had that right." She hadn't wanted to drive him away, lose him all over again.

[capj_harkness]

He laughed lightly. "Tell you what, you promise not to be a stranger, and I'll promise to tell you the moment you become a nuisance," he proposed, having a hard time keeping a straight face at the idea of her being a nuisance. "Deal?"

[the-blaidd-drwg.livejournal.com]

She let out a little chuckle and nodded against his shoulder. "Deal, definitely," she agreed. Just the thought of getting to spend more time with Jack had her spirits soaring more than they had in quite a while. He'd meant more to her than she could ever think to express and she hadn't been exaggerating when she'd said she'd thought about him every day for all those years.

[capj_harkness]

"Good," he told her, patting her leg where his hand rested before giving it a gentle squeeze. He smiled. "I'd hate to think you were feeling shy around me."

[the-blaidd-drwg.livejournal.com]

Rose lifted her head to give him a look. "Shy?" she repeated questioningly. "Jack Harkness, when have I ever been shy?"

[capj_harkness]

He pretended to think about it for a moment, trying to suppress a grin. "Well, there was that one time, but I can understand how someone with relatively little experience might be put off by such a non-humanoid lifeform," he said mischievously.

[the-blaidd-drwg.livejournal.com]

She rolled her eyes in exasperation. "You're never gonna forget that, are you?" she said with disbelief.

[capj_harkness]

He laughed. "You brought it up," he reminded her. "And it was highly amusing to see the look on your face when you realized a)that it was sentient and b)what it was suggesting."