Doctor Who © BBC
Images © www. David-Tennant. com (w/o the spaces, of course)

Box of Photos

The Doctor was sitting on the jump seat in the console room of the TARDIS, watching as Jack tried to learn Gallifreyan. The TARDIS was being less than helpful, as usual. The Doctor thought that instead of choosing to not translate it, as the old girl often insisted was the case, perhaps she couldn't. For a ship over a millennium old, there had to be things that she couldn't do anymore.

"Sweet!"

The Doctor leaned up to see what Jack had found, and smiled as the screen filled with English. He must have touched a nerve, there.

"Hey Doctor, I think you've got mail."

He jumped up off of the seat and ran to the monitor closest. There was a message up on the screen that said, ironically enough, "You've got Mail!" At least it hadn't actually said it.

"You've Got Mail!"

He rolled his eyes at the TARDIS' attempt at humor. How could he have mail? He didn't have an address. They weren't parked anywhere. They were drifting in the Vortex at the moment, and it wasn't as if there were any postal carriers in the Vortex. How could he get mail? And if he could get it, where would it go? The screen changed to one of the TARDIS maps. Jack frowned.

"You have maps of the TARDIS? And you let me get lost on purpose?"

The Doctor grinned.

"You were pretty. Adam never did find a bathroom; kept finding swimming pools and showers and a river, once."

"Thanks, Doc. At least I had a loo."

"Nah, that was the TARDIS. She likes you."

"Did Rose get lost?"

"Never. I think the TARDIS likes Rose more than she does me."

The screens all changed quickly to black with one word in white in the center.

"YES"

Jack laughed as the Doctor smacked the monitor.

"Can you please tell me where you have stashed this phantom mail?"

The map came back up, and a blinking pink dot decorated the center of one of numerous rooms. Jack turned his head from side to side, most likely trying to figure out which room it was in.

"That's my room."

"You have a room?"

The Doctor laughed.

"No, I sleep in the jump seat."

"You sleep?"

He could only laugh as he turned to the main corridor and turned right. After three turns, a set of stairs, a moving sidewalk (to which Jack asked why all the corridors couldn't be moving sidewalks), and small stream with stepping stones (The TARDIS was showing off, he was sure), they came to his room.

"Don't try to get here again, she'll just move you around all night. Not that I'm in here very often. Once a year, at least."

"That's because you fall asleep fixing the TARDIS."

The Doctor pondered the inside of his room. Was it him? He had a large bed, not that he ever got around to using it. It had black sheets made from Pelusian silk worms, and there were little stars around the outsides (The TARDIS liked to joke). It wasn't made, and the TARDIS refused to be his housekeeper. There was his one giant desk, which had leaning stacks of books and papers that ranged from old Earth parchment to hyperfiber sheets. There was a claw-footed tub near the wall leading to his bathroom, though he didn't remember putting it there. The armoir was full of some of his more embarrassing outfits, so that companions couldn't find them and make fun of him, not that it had ever stopped the TARDIS from purposely showing them to Rose. The two of them liked to make fun of his fashion faux pas.

"Is that it?"

Jack was pointing to a white box sitting on his bed, which he hadn't noticed a moment ago.

"I guess it must be."

They walked over to the bed and the Doctor plopped down ungracefully. He sent Jack a questioning look when the man hesitated to sit down.

"It's just… this is your bed. The Doctor's bed. You're inviting me into your bed. And I've got nothing, no witty remark, no lewd comment. I feel woefully inadequate. "

"Jack Harkness, inadequate? I rather think not. Now, get your near immortal arse over here and open this box. If it explodes, at least you won't die. I'd rather not regenerate."

"Oh, thanks."

"You're welcome."

Jack sat down on the bed and tossed him a grin, becoming the same old Jack once again. When he got the box open, he pulled out a letter.

"There's a note."

"Well, read it."

"But it's your mail."

"And I'm saying, read it. Out loud, if you will."

Jack cleared his throat.

Doctor,

John has assured me that this will work, and I'm not launching a box of photos into space for some random alien to find. Or rather, some other alien to find.

Rose might not have appreciated your disappearing, but I understood what you did, what you gave her, and I just wanted to say thank you. She wasn't very happy at first, but she and John worked it out, and have become closer than ever.

To show you how happy Rose is, I've enclosed some photograps. They're mostly Rose and John together, doing all sorts of things. There are a few of just John, as well, showing how much he's changed and become someone new and original, not just a copy of you.

If you'd like to leave this, and us, in the past and move on, I wouldn't blame you. You don't ever have to look at the pictures, I'll never know. But if you'd like to know that it was worth something, sacrificing your own love for my daughter for her happiness, then these might go a little way towards that.

John and Rose have been married almost a year now, 2010, and Rose just found out she's pregnant. John fiddled with the dimension cannon, promising that you'd left a tiny hole, perhaps just enough to get one last message through, and that you'd stabilized it so that it would stay open indefinitely. That's how we're hoping this might reach you.

Thank you so much, Doctor. I know when we met, we certainly didn't get on. You looked forty, and my daughter had disappeared for an entire year. But eventually, we worked it out, didn't we? I care about you like a son of my own, and I hope that you're happy, where and whenever you are. You might have taken my daughter initially, but you've given my family a second chance, and if I've learned anything in my life, it's that those don't come easy for any of us, alien or not.

Please take care of yourself, as you know Rose would want you to.

Love,

Jackie Tyler

P.S. If you do decide to look at the photos, be sure to check the backs. I've written in little descriptions and commentaries.

Jack folded the paper back and laid it next to the box. They both stared at that little white box that had travelled through the Void just for him, just so he might have a reason to think his decisions were worth it. Would it really, though? Would it make him feel better about choosing to leave Rose in that universe and escaping?

"Are you going to look?"

"I don't know."

Jack looked down at the box again.

"Would you mind if I did?"

"No."

"I mean, I don't doubt your choice or anything. It's just… I'd like to know that the end of this story is happily ever after for Rosie, 'cause she deserves that."

"I know. Go ahead."

Jack opened the box carefully and pulled out a small stack of photos. As he flipped through them, he laughed. Apparently some of Jackie's messages on the backs were funny. He stopped at one picture and lingered on it longer. He watched as Jack ran a finger down the photo and smiled to himself. The former Time Agent sighed and smiled as he straightened the stack in his hand. When he finally looked up, the Doctor saw a slight sheen to the blue eyes.

"Well?"

"I don't know what you want me to say?"

"Should I look at them?"

Jack looked back down at the photos, touching a place on one of them again.

"Yeah, I think you should. If you can just see how happy she is, then maybe you'll let go of some of that guilt. You've never had that before, right? I mean, you saw Sarah-Jane again, and you found out she'd waited for you for so long, but here you can see that Rose has moved on, and she's happy. Sure, it isn't you she's with, but she's living a fantastic life, and she's beautiful. You'll love some of the things Jackie says, too."

He sat still for a moment, weighing his options. If he didn't look, he'd always wonder if they were living well, having the one adventure he wasn't meant to have. And now, he's got proof, photographic evidence. Silently, he held out his hand, and Jack placed the stack of photos in his hand.

I have the actual pictures on Photobucket. Search "TerrificaOneiroi" and look at my album. I searched for a lot of them and photoshopped some of them. (Like the one with the wedding rings.) Be sure to read the captions!

http : / /s38 . photobucket . com /albums /e136 /Terrifica(underscore)Oneiroi /? action (equals) view & current (equals) JohnandCaanHa . jpg (w/o spaces, of course)

When he'd cycled through the photos, he flipped back to the one. Maybe he should have focused on the one that showed their wedding rings, or them dressed up fancy for some swanky awards ceremony, but his favorite out of all of them was the simple one. A movie in Cardiff. Rose wearing a hoodie, and him, John, in a Superman tee-shirt.

A date night, it was so human, and they both looked so happy with their lot in life. Standing in front of the restaurant where he'd held Margaret the Slitheen captive, just enjoying a nice night on the waterfront. They didn't need a fancy Time machine; they were living the most fantastic life just popping to the movies for a fun night, enjoying the nighttime air and each other's company on the slow path.

And Rassilon, did he envy John for that.

Rose Tyler, Rose Smith, it didn't matter. She was living and loving and looked like she was having fun. She didn't look like a woman who harbored regrets or hard feelings. She looked wonderful, and happy.

And ultimately, if Rose was happy, then so was he.

He smiled at the picture again and stood up. He put the other photos in the box, keeping the Cardiff one in his inner jacket pocket, closest to his left heart. If he ever felt that urge to see her smile, he'd always have one with him. A little pocket full of sunshine. It was surprisingly enough for him. He turned to Jack.

"So, let's see if the TARDIS can translate one of my Academy books into English for you. That should keep you busy for a good while."

Jack smiled and joined in the banter, agreeing at the same time that they were glad that Rose was happy, and that life goes on, both of them feeling just that bit better for it.

Reviews are Welcome!