Chapter 8

Almost there…

Jack slithered on his stomach in the small, cramped tunnel just underneath the spaceship, praying he didn't get stuck and all those hours of working out would pay off.

There! Now, which part was it?

He studied the array of wires next to him, trying to remember the instruction pamphlet he'd read and his Time Agent training. Ah, the mauve one should do the trick. Jack carefully extracted his wire cutters and gently snipped the right wire. Immediately above him, he heard an alarm going off and the panicked shouts of the aliens. Nodding his head as a sign of a job well done, he pulled himself forward. It was time to get out of here. This spaceship was no longer safe to be on, having just disconnected the engines. Plus, there was the little surprise he'd left in the side room near the cockpit. Jack was sure the Gwarf and Slitheen would explode with joy when they found it.

Rose sighed with happiness as she sat, curled up in her lover's arms, on the captain's chair in the TARDIS. Suddenly, something occurred to her.

"What was the unexpected trouble?"

"Hmm?" asked the Doctor, sleepily,

"Yesterday when you got back from Raxacoricofallapatorius, you sad you'd run into some unexpected trouble,"

"Oh yeah. Well…" the Doctor grinned, "The TARDIS kind of materialised in 'Margaret's' personal quarters by accident and I guess I may have startled her a little as two minutes after arriving, I was holed up in jail."

Rose laughed and shook her head in disbelief.

"It was OK, though," the Doctor continued, "Once she'd found out who I was and I'd apologised, she was ready to talk with me." He sighed. "I do feel sorry for her though. Having your family betray you like that, it's a horrible feeling."

Rose wondered if he was speaking from personal experience or not as his words held a bitter edge to then. She squeezed his hand softly and he squeezed back.

"Where's 'Margaret' now, anyway?" she asked, "Did she escape with you or…"

She was cut off by the Doctor leaping up with a shout. "Oh God! She's still down in the pit! We have to go and get her." He ran to the control panel and began jabbing buttons quickly. "It's too deep to climb out," he explained, "The TARDIS will have to land inside to get her out."

"How did you get out then?" Rose asked.

The Doctor flashed her a cheeky smile. "I stood on the shoulders of a Slitheen."

As the image burst into her head, Rose couldn't help it.

She burst out laughing.

President Blon Fel-Fotch Passameer-Day Slitheen was bored.

It felt like she'd been sitting in this dark hole for ages, waiting for the Doctor to come back for her once he'd found his companions. She exhaled loudly as she thought about her companions, her brothers. They'd betrayed her and left her down here to rot. She thought she knew them better than that. She still felt the internal pangs that a Slitheen only got when a family member had died and she'd felt it twice as hard. She knew two of her brothers were dead and that made her sad. Even though they had betrayed her, they were still her family.

Suddenly, she heard a strange whirring sound and the dark interior began to glow blue. 'Margaret' blinked. Somehow, there was now a blue police box standing in the middle of the pit. The door swung open and the Doctor stepped out.

"I apologise for taking so long," he said,

"You're here now. Thank you Doctor," she replied,

"Would you like to come in so we can get out of here?"

'Margaret' nodded and entered the police box. She gasped.

"Welcome to the TARDIS," the Doctor said,

"It's amazing," she said, staring around in awe before frowning. "I suddenly feel as if I've been here before…"

She missed the look the Doctor threw at Rose before saying, "It's the only one in the universe; none other like it,"

"I must be mistaken then," 'Margaret' said.

The Doctor didn't reply, instead keying in the co-ordinates to take them back to the beach. "Here we are then."

Rose led the way out before stopping and chewing on her lip.

"What's wrong?" the Doctor asked,

"I'm wondering where Jack is," she explained, "he used his teleport to get onto…"

Boom !

A dull noise cut off her words, causing them all to look up sharply.

"He was on that!" Rose cried, "That spaceship that just exploded, oh God, what if he's dead?"

"My brothers are," said 'Margaret' softly, "I can feel it. My cousins too."

Rose gave a gasping sob. "He can't be dead, he can't be! He promised me, Doctor!"

The Doctor silently held out his arms and held his weeping companion. He, too, couldn't help but be worried about Jack's fate. He stroked Rose's hair whilst scanning the skies, looking at all the bits of the spaceship slowly falling down through the thick smoke. There was one heading in their direction very fast, a small black, round shape.

"Look out!" he said, pulling Rose away. 'Margaret' moved back as well and her mouth opened as she suddenly realised what it was.

"That's not debris! That's…"

Rose took her face away from the Doctor's shoulder just in time to see a large red and white parachute explode out of the capsule, slowing it down considerably but it still hit the sand with a substantial thud, bouncing several times before coming to a rest.

The three onlookers waited with bated breath, Rose shivering violently despite the suns warmth. Suddenly, an invisible door on the side of the capsule opened with a hiss and Captain Jack Harkness stood there, shakily.

"Well, it's a good thing that spaceship had an escape pod, unlike that damn Chula warship!"

"JACK!" Rose screamed, running over to him and helping him out before hugging him fiercely, "I was so scared…"

"I'm here, Rosie," the 51st century time agent said, stroking her cheek lightly, "I made it." His knees suddenly buckled and Rose staggered slightly as she suddenly found herself supporting his entire weight. The Doctor darted forward, helping to hold him up.

"I think he's a bit shocked and exhausted," the Doctor explained, "come on; let's get him in the TARDIS."

The two companions heaved their now unconscious friend between them into the TARDIS and along the corridor to Jack's old room- still exactly as he'd left it, months before.

"He'll be alright," the Doctor reassured Rose, "He just needs to sleep. It looks like he single handedly managed to stop the Gwarf and Slitheen."

Rose nodded and followed the Doctor back to the control room where 'Margaret' was patiently waiting. Suddenly, the TARDIS 'phone began to ring.

"Must be your Mum," the Doctor commented, "she has good timing!"

Rose smiled and picked up the receiver.

"Rose? Is that you?" Jackie's nervous voice said,

"Yeah. Hey Mum, you alright?"

"Yes thanks. I'm just phoning to tell you its Result's Day,"

"Oh thanks. We're on our way back,"

"Good… where are you?"

Rose grinned. "Two universes over on this incredible planet with a deserted beach just for us, 'cause the Doctor is so amazing."

The Doctor winked at her, grinning back.

"I'm sure he is. You two still happy then?"

"Mum," Rose replied, "we're never better."

Rose leant back with a sigh as the Doctor's arm circled her waist slowly, "Gotta go, Mum," she said, hurriedly, "see you in a bit!"

She replaced the phone unsteadily, her neck being assaulted by the Doctor's mouth. "If only we didn't have company," he murmured in her ear, referring to 'Margaret' who was politely ignoring them. "Come on, let's get you back home!"

He fiddled with the control panel and the Vortex began moving in her familiar rhythm. Then, the Doctor turned to 'Margaret'.

"I'm taking Rose back home first and then I'll take you to Raxacoricofallapatorius. Is that alright?"

"Yes. Thank you, Doctor. I admit I had been worrying about how I was to return home. The ship we arrived in can't be driven by just one Slitheen,"

"No worries," the Doctor replied, cheerfully, "Earth 2008, here we come!"