Sorry about the delay. I had some technical difficulties, so I couldn't upload the next chapter. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 3

Rose's heart filled with a feeling she thought she would never experience again. She had hope. The doctor was here and that meant everything was going to be alright.

The creature holding Rose captive, however, apparently did not feel the same way. "Or you'll do what?"
he asked, chuckling lightly to himself. "Prod me with your broken instrument. You can't see me, Doctor,
but I can see you," the creature spat out mysteriously, pressing the very edge of the blade into Rose's
neck, making the Doctor flinch.

Suddenly, a figure materialized directly in front of the creature out of thin air, a large gun pointing directly
at the head of the creature, "Bet you didn't see me," he said, pulling the trigger, causing the creature to blast
backwards powerfully against the Torchwood van behind it, the knife in its hand barely missing a shocked Rose
as it did so.

Tosh stepped forward, shining her flashlight into the face of the mysterious savior, "Jack..?" she asked, almost unable
to believe it.

Jack stepped towards her, letting the gun he was holding drop to the ground. "Hey, Tosh," he said, his
voice light and happy, "I trained you guys well. I find you right where the evil is." He swept her up into a hug before doing the same
with a similarly shocked Gwen and Owen.

Rose was in a state of utter confusion. In the past few minutes she had become the hostage to a rather disgusting-looking, evil
creature, rediscovered the Doctor, and watched a friend she thought dead miraculously appear before her to save her from imminent death. But out
of all of those things, the only thing that seemed to matter was the Doctor. She turned slowly around to see him, a rare look
of relief, disbelievability, and joy on his face. Sure, he was soaking wet and had an interesting blue suit on, but it was definitely her
Doctor. Rose moved her hand slowly up to meet his handsome, tired face. Can I touch you? I'm still just an image. No touch.

The Doctor, usually completely confident of his lucidity, was not sure that this moment was actually happening. A thousand different
equations raced through his head, but when Rose touched him, he only saw her. Am I ever gonna see you again?
You can't.

Rose had dreamed this moment countless time, never quite believing that it would ever come true. So, she did the only thing
she could think to do. She smiled, the first real smile she had for a long time, the smile she reserved for the Doctor, and said,
"Hello."

"Hello," the Doctor said cheerfully, beaming down at Rose. His Rose. He wrapped his arms around her, feeling her shutter as he did
so. "Rose Tyler," he stated simply, as if the two words conveyed everything he ever wanted to say. Rose clutched him tightly, tears
streaming down her cheeks, afraid to let go of him for fear he would slip away from her once again.

The two broke apart with a clearing of the throat from Jack. "Don't I get a hug?" he asked, smiling, holding out his arms in front of him.

Rose smiled back at him and walked into his arms. "I thought you were dead," she whispered.

He laughed as he stroked her back, "It's going to take more than a few Daleks to bring me down."

Rose laughed through her tears, "I've never been so happy to see you in my life." She pulled back to look him in the face, "Where exactly
did you come from?"

Jack walked over to the Doctor, "That would be the Doctor's doing, of course. One of his gadgets."

This statement seemed to break the Doctor out of his trance, who had never stayed so quiet for so long in his life. "Well, I needed
something to replace the sonic screwdriver, didn't I?."

Rose spoke up, appalled, "What happened?" The sonic screwdriver seemed more of a friend to Rose
than many of the people she had met on her trips to alien worlds and ancient pasts, a constant through all of her adventures.

"Dropped it into a Martian pot of tertellium. Nasty little substance," he said quickly, looking off into the distance as if to remember
the events before focusing again on the situation at hand. "Real question is, how did that creature know it was broken?"

"What exactly is going on here?" Gwen demanded. "You three seem to know more than the rest of us, at least that's what I gather from your
little reunion here," Gwen glanced at Rose a bit harshly before continuing, "and I think the rest of us deserve some answers."

The Doctor looked at Jack, obviously waiting for him to speak. "Doctor," he began, "this is my team: Owen, Gwen, and Tosh. Guys,
this...is the Doctor." Jack looked at their angry faces. "And I see you've met Rose," he said cheerily, almost as a peace offering.

Rose stepped up next to Jack. "Yeah, best not to mention that if you're trying to get on their good side. I've not exactly been the most honest of
guests," she said ashamedly. Rose offered a smile, "Sorry."

The moment was tense before the Doctor stepped in between the Jack and Rose and Owen, Gwen, and Tosh. "Yeah, hate to interrupt this
heart-to-heart," he said pleasantly. "Owen, Gwen, Tosh," he shook each of their hands as he pronounced their names. "However, this evil
problem we have here is not going to solve itself, so it might be best if we moved this gathering back to your facilities." They all began to
move back to the rather beat up looking van. "Brilliant," the Doctor exclaimed, excited now that things were moving forward.

"Now, Rose," the Doctor said, bringing his attention back to the now somewhat bloody and completely soaked girl, "Why don't you come
with me to park the TARDIS. Can't leave it just anywhere when the game is afoot." He offered his arm in a gentlemanly way.

Rose smiled brightly, "'Course." She linked her arm with his and they started walking down the street while the others piled into the van.

Once they were all inside the van, there was a moment of silence before everyone seemed to start talking at once. Jack held his hands
up in a defensive gesture, "Hey, hey. One at a time please."

Gwen spoke first. "Where the hell did you go?" she asked. "One minute you were there, and the next..."

Jack sighed. "I'm sorry I left so abruptly, but I needed some answers of my own. Answers only the Doctor could give. I saw my
opportunity to get those answers and I took it. No time for hesitation," he said apologetically.

"Who exactly is this man you're traveling with?" Tosh asked, an air of concern in her voice, "The Doctor is supposed to be an enemy
of Torchwood, of the empire."

"Those are all lies," Jack said vehemently. "The Doctor is a good man. Well, life form."

Owen rolled his eyes from the front seat, "You're not saying he's... an alien?"

Jack silence said everything. "Oh, fantastic," Owen exclaimed.

"Then how does he know Rose?" Gwen thought a moment before continuing, "How do you know Rose?"

Jack thought carefully before responding to the question, "I traveled with them both a while ago." He paused again before
continuing, "The Doctor needed someone to travel with him. Everyone needs someone, When I met the Doctor, Rose was
that someone. They make quite a pair those two. Companions, traveling across the universe together." Jack smiled at the thought.

Owen snorted from the front seat, "Companions. That's one word for it."

"Thanks for that," Rose said as she and the Doctor walked briskly along. "Don't think that lot wants to talk to me much right now."

The Doctor smirked back at her, "Yeah, what'd you do to them, steal their puppy?" He leaned down closer to Rose as if telling a secret,
"Truth is, didn't really want you riding in that van. Looks like it's seen better days."

Rose glared up at him with mock anger, "And you would leave poor Jack to that fate?"

The Doctor smiled to himself, "Oh, something tells me Jack doesn't have too much to worry about."

They rounded the corner to see the police box, "And here we are then," the Doctor exclaimed.

Rose ran from his side to the TARDIS, attempting to wrap her arms around the box.

The Doctor watched her amusedly. "You know, it's smaller on the outside, but not that small," he quipped, earning him an exasperated glance.

Rose turned slowly toward the Doctor, "I guess I was afraid it might change." She paused before adding, "That you might change."

"New, new, new Doctor?" he said, reminiscing.

"I guess I just haven't really wrapped my brain around everything yet - decided if it's real," Rose said quietly, turning to look at the Doctor.

The Doctor walked up to Rose and she swore that when she looked up into his eyes, they were glassy with emotion. "Some things will never
change, Rose," he said tenderly, bringing his hand up to her cheek. The Doctor opened his mouth to continue when the door to the TARDIS opened
suddenly, startling both of them and bringing their attention away from each other to the lighted doorway.

In it stood a tall, pretty, black girl who couldn't have been older than 25. Rose noted that she looked rather aggravated, an
assumption that was confirmed when the girl opened her mouth to speak, "Doctor, where have you been? I've been worried
sick about you?" She glanced past the Doctor and Rose before continuing, "And where has Jack run off to? He better not need
any rescuing because early 21st century Cardiff is not exactly my idea of intrigue and adventure." The girl seemed to notice Rose
for the first time, extending her hand towards her and saying with a polite smile, "I'm sorry. I'm being rude. My name is Martha. Martha Jones."