Fic: Through A Glass Darkly 4/5?
Story: Through A Glass Darkly
Author: wmr /wendymr
Characters: Rose Tyler, AU Ninth Doctor, AU Jack Harkness, Jackie Tyler
Rated: PG13
Disclaimer: Not mine, unfortunately, though I'm willing to pay in instalments...
Summary: It's only when she's finally given up looking for a way back that she finds him.
Written for the incredibly generous wiggiemomsi, who won my services in the September Support Stacie Auction. I promised a minimum-5000-words fic; so far, this one's over 21,000 words. I hope you like it, Wiggie! With very many thanks to my fantastic team of BRs, dark_aegis, yamx and kae_nine.
Chapter 1: Shadow of the Past l Chapter 2: Tug of War l Chapter 3: Friction
Chapter 4: In The Way
Shit.
This isn’t what he intended. How the hell did it happen?
Though he knows how it happened. This was always going to be hard, and he’s all out of practice at keeping his guard up. She’d never have got to him like that before.
This won’t help persuade the Doctor that he doesn’t need any well-intentioned interventions. Quite the opposite.
“Rose.” He hurries after her, exiting the kitchen just in time to see her round a corner in the hallway. “Rose. Look,” he says as he catches up with her. “This isn’t what I intended. I thought... I thought we could talk. Get to know each other a bit.” He blows out a breath, trying to release the tension that just won’t go away. “I didn’t mean to insult you. I... this isn’t easy for me.”
Great job. Way to convince her. So much for showing the Doctor that he really is getting better.
She halts, takes a deep breath looking as if she’s trying to compose herself, then looks at him, pulling a face. “Think I started it, actually. Jumped to conclusions about why you weren’t talkin’ to me.”
He didn’t expect that. But it helps. “Come back to the kitchen?”
She nods, giving him a smile that screams for use in situations where diplomacy is called for. “Yeah, why not?” Though he supposes he can’t blame her. When did the Doctor tell her that he can’t get her back to the other Doctor? Can’t have been more than a few hours ago, at most. Talk about bad timing - or lack of thought, more like.
Cleaning up the spilled coffee and making her a fresh cup gives him time to get his reactions under control. By the time he takes a seat opposite her, he feels almost calm. “So.” He tries a smile too; he’s not sure it’s any more convincing than hers. “Let’s try this again. Tell me about the Jack Harkness you knew.”
It’s as good an opener as any, even despite what Rose said just before she walked out. Her Jack Harkness would be ashamed of him? Well, no shocker there. No doubt Ms Tyler would be surprised if she ever discovered that he wouldn’t argue with that assessment. Hell, he’s ashamed of himself. Of everyone on Schattenwelt, he’d never in a million years have picked himself to be where he is now.
Still, as a lead-in to the conversation this works. He’s genuinely curious, for one thing: parallel version of himself? Hell, yeah, he wants to know about the guy. But, also, if she’s telling the truth then the two of them were friends. Good friends, given the way she just talked about him. And yet if anyone had suggested to him that he and someone like Rose Tyler could be good friends... yeah, not in this universe.
She doesn’t answer immediately. Thinking, obviously, as if she’s wondering how to put it - or, perhaps, how to spin her answer. Information-control isn’t only an essential part of government, after all.
Finally, she says, “He was a Time Agent. Used to be, anyway. By the time we met him, he wasn’t any more. Some bad stuff’d happened to him. They took two years of his memories and he was... angry about it. Well, anyone would be,” she adds, as if the guy needs defending. “We met him, he saved our lives, and then the Doctor saved his life. He stayed with us. I think at first it was because he had nowhere else to go, but it didn’t take long before he wanted to be with us because he loved the life.”
She takes a sip of her coffee, her gaze falling to the table. When she doesn’t speak again, he reminds himself that conversation’s made up of two people talking.
“Where was he from?” Schattenwelt, like him?
She looks surprised at the question, and a flush creeps up her cheeks. “I never asked. Don’t think either of us did, though I think the Doctor probably knew. He never said. I just knew he was a Time Agent from the fifty-first century. S’pose I just assumed he was from Earth, like me - I mean, he was human.” She chews her lip. “Or was he? Just assumed that too, didn’t I? I mean, by his time...” Her gaze meets his. “Should’ve asked. Wish I had.”
She wants to ask where he’s from, and how much of her Jack’s story matches his. The fact that she’s not asking actually raises her a notch in his estimation. Because it’s not that she’s not curious; she’s respecting his privacy. How he’s so sure about that he can’t quite tell, but he knows.
“I was a Time Agent too,” he admits. “Resigned a couple of years ago.” And that’s all you’re getting. “And...” It’ll mean nothing to her, nothing at all, he tells himself. Twenty-first century human. “I’m from a planet called Schattenwelt. Makes sense your Jack probably was too.”
Her eyes widen slightly, and he can see more questions in her eyes. Deliberately, he lets his gaze slide away from hers, turning his body away as well. She worked for a covert intelligence operation, this Rose Tyler. She’ll be trained in understanding body language.
Clearly, she is. She doesn’t ask her questions. Instead, she says, “He died in the end. He said goodbye to us an’ went off to save the universe. Fought Daleks, delaying them to give the Doctor enough time to save everyone. Except Jack - was too late for him.”
Daleks. He’s heard of them, but never encountered them. The Doctor has, he thinks, but they’re not one of the species they’ve discussed in detail.
The Doctor’s voice echoes in his head - god, he’s really had too many of the guy’s lectures, hasn’t he? - You’re supposed to say sorry.
His fingers curl into fists. “I’m sorry. Sounds like you miss him.”
She nods. “Him and the Doctor. But, yeah, no goin’ back.” Her fingers drum on the table. Then, as if she’s remembering another lesson from her Vitex-heiress etiquette book, she resumes the conversation. “You’re a hero, too. The Doctor says you helped him save the TARDIS when you were just a kid.”
The Doctor told her that? He’s going to have to have words with the guy about boundaries. Though, wait a minute - is this some sort of subtle apology for what she said before?
He finds he has no idea at all what to say to that.
“Saved my life, too, ‘bout six months ago.”
His head jerks up. The Doctor’s standing in the doorway, expression suspiciously bland. How long’s he been there, listening?
Rose has swung around in her chair and is staring at the Doctor. “What happened?”
He catches the Doctor’s eye and, his lips a thin line, gestures clearly that he doesn’t want that question answered. The Doctor holds his gaze for a few seconds before giving a faint nod. “Not important. Come on, you two! Can’t sit around chin-waggin’ all day! Places to go, things to see! Thought we’d visit Xavxaxxaq. Twenty-apple-fourteen, fantastic year, that was.” He spins on his heel, a true whirlwind. “Get a move on!”
***
Jack tries to find an excuse not to come with them, but the Doctor knows the instant he gives up and resigns himself to the inevitable. Good. He wouldn’t have taken no for an answer anyway. He’s indulged Jack too long, and it’s not done his companion any good at all.
Excitement’s shining in Rose’s eyes as the materialisation sequence begins. She looks younger, almost childlike in her inability to stay still. She’s itching to run for the door. It’s a moment or two before he realises that, of course, it’s been six years since she’s seen an alien planet.
She glances his way and he grins at her, catching her eye, then nods towards the door. “Go on.” She squeals a little and breaks into an instant run, reaching the door in under two seconds and immediately pulling it open.
He looks over at Jack, still behind the console, leaning against the wall. “Coming?” At the expression he catches on Jack’s face - impatience and distaste combined - he shakes his head. “You were that excited first time I took you in the TARDIS.”
“I was sixteen,” Jack retorts.
“An’ you were still excited the next time. Twenty-five then, weren’t you? And already in training in the Time Agency.”
He holds Jack’s gaze. The lad’s always been honest, even when he hasn’t wanted to be - even when it’s hurt him. That’s one reason he’s still here. “Point,” Jack says finally. Jack unfolds himself from the wall and strides towards the door. “Let’s go, if we’re going.”
Outside, Rose is crouching down, brushing her hand over the purple grass. She’s bringing her hand to her lips to sniff it when the snick of the TARDIS door closing alerts her to their presence. She flushes a little and says, sounding a bit awkward, “The Doctor - the other Doctor - took me to this planet with apple-grass once. Smelt amazing.”
He smiles, pretending not to notice the slight shake in her voice at the reference to his other-universe counterpart. “It does, yeah. This just smells like grass.” He offers her a hand, and she takes it, swinging easily to her feet. He can tell the precise second she resolves to push the memories away and focus on here and now.
“So tell me about this place. Zavax-ah, right?” She hasn’t let go of his hand, and she swings it slightly as she looks around her. Been a while since he’s had someone to hold his hand like this - Jack’s not one for that - and it feels nice. Familiar. She feels familiar.
“Xavxaxxaq. Dwarf planet in the Cytherea cluster.” Not that that’s likely to mean much to her - unless she’s been there before. “Bit out of the way, and not got a lot to recommend it - ‘cept what we’ve come to see.”
“What’s that, then?” They’re walking along a pathway now, Rose by his side with her hand still in his. Jack’s behind them, he can tell from the slightly shuffling footsteps on the loose gravel - at least the bloke’s staying with them. That’s something.
“Storms. Pretty amazin’ storms they have here. Thunderstorms with multi-coloured lightning, or tornado funnel-clouds in shades from dark grey all the way to silver, for instance. Rain’s usually warm, too. People come from all over the galaxy just to watch.”
“Sounds a bit dangerous,” Rose comments, though she doesn’t look one bit scared.
He’s about to answer, but Jack gets in first. “It’s safe. Specially-constructed observation platforms all over the place.”
“Yeah,” he agrees, carefully not letting his surprise at Jack’s interjection - or at the revelation that Jack’s been here before - show. “Heading for one now.” He glances at his watch, then adds, “One other thing about the weather patterns here.”
“Yeah?”
“Completely predictable. Can set your watch by them. Which means...” He breaks into a run. “Best hurry, unless you want to get soaked!”
The three of them run together, Rose’s laughter echoing with their footsteps on the gravel path. Along the way, they join groups of locals also heading for the viewing platform he’s chosen for this particular storm. Xavxaxxaqians are squat, spindly creatures, with large heads and bulbous eyes. Rose eyes them with curiosity at first, but is quickly smiling and saying hello and, as their pace slows with the number of people heading for the platform, chatting with them about the storm to come and how rapidly the sky’s darkening.
It’s a thunderstorm, his favourite to watch on Xavxaxxaq. The rain’s just starting as they finally make their way onto the platform, and he nods his head towards the lower level. “Best view’s down there.” It’s actually an overhang, with fantastic views down a ravine as well as out into the open sky. Best of all, many Xavxaxxaqians suffer from vertigo, so they tend to prefer to stay away from the cliff edge. Suits him.
It’s a spectacular storm, with some of the best forked lightning he’s seen in a very long time. For well over an hour, the sky’s lit up in brilliant hues of scarlet and purple and cerulean and sapphire, as well as the traditional orange and yellow. It’s fantastic. But even better’s the look of awe and wonder on Rose’s face as she stares at the panorama. She might be an experienced time-traveller, but it’s clear that she hasn’t lost any of the excitement.
Even Jack’s impressed by it, and that makes a change. About time the lad started to get back to his old self. Course, it’s not easy, and he’d be the last person to say Jack should just get over what happened, but the way Jack’s been living isn’t healthy.
Eventually, the storm ends and they turn to go. And that’s when Rose falters and tugs at her hand. “Oh, god, I’m sorry!” she exclaims. “I just realised. Been holdin’ your hand all this time. You must’ve thought I was some kind of - I dunno, crazy person.”
He grins and tightens his hold on her hand. “Nah. ‘S okay with me if it is with you. Been a long time since I’ve had someone’s hand to hold.”
Next to him, Jack’s lips tighten, and the younger man looks away. He cups Jack’s nape with his hand, a brief caress. “Some people,” he adds with dry amusement, “don’t seem to understand that the universe looks better when you’ve got someone’s hand in yours.”
Jack looks back, rolling his eyes. “If I’d known you wanted it that badly...” A large, warm hand folds around his free one, and the three of them walk side by side back to the TARDIS.
***
It’s a relief when the Doctor strolls into the bedroom a mere ten minutes after Jack announced he was going to bed. Sure, the guy’s seemed mostly normal today, though there was that unexpected trip to Xavxaxxaq and also his very obvious friendliness to Rose. But after what he said to the Doctor last night it wouldn’t have surprised him to find himself out on his ear today. Or at the very least left out in the cold.
The Doctor comes over and sprawls on the bed beside him. “Did good today, you did.”
Warmth spreads through him, and some of the uncertainty - the trepidation - he’s been feeling since last night melts away. “I’m trying.”
“Noticed.” The Doctor smiles, his eyes warm. “Was about time, too.”
“Suppose so.” Well, the Doctor thinks so, at any rate, and he knows there’s no point arguing about it. The Doctor’ll only take it as further evidence of him being in denial.
Time to change the subject. “You like her, don’t you? Rose?”
A faint shrug. “Yeah. I do, actually. You got a problem with that?”
“Nah.”
“Liar.”
He exhales loudly. “I’m trying, all right?” Even though every word he speaks to her practically chokes him. And it’s not as if he doesn’t know it’s not fair to hold Rose Tyler responsible.
“I know.” The Doctor pats his thigh; the gesture’s reassuring. “Was impressed today when I found the two of you in the kitchen.”
“Good.” Convenient that the Doctor just happened to stumble on them there, of course - but then, knowing the Doctor, and knowing this ship, it won’t have been a coincidence.
“Course, the Jack Harkness who spent his summer holiday with me - what? Three years ago? - would’ve been flirtin’ non-stop with her.”
The Doctor’s right, of course he is. He can’t deny that she’s attractive. Very, in fact. But... “That was then.”
“Yep,” the Doctor says, neither condemning nor approving.
It feels like the conversation’s over and he’s off the hook for the time being. But there is one question he still needs an answer to if he’s going to get any sleep tonight. “You’re not gonna do anything like kick me out for my own good?”
The Doctor’s eyes open wide. “Why would I do that? Told you when you came on board. TARDIS is your home as long as you want it. Course I’m not gonna kick you out. Thought you had a bit more intelligence than that.” He turns his head, giving Jack a lightning grin. “That’s not to say I’m gonna sit back an’ watch you hide away from the universe for the rest of your life. Let you do that too long already.”
His heart slams against his rib-cage. “That’s why we went to Xavxaxxaq today?”
“Oh, yeah.” The Doctor’s expression grows serious, and he finds his hand taken in a cool grip. “An’ why we’ll go somewhere else tomorrow, and somewhere else the day after that. I live for travellin’, Jack. It’s what I do. And... it’s what you need. We’re gonna visit Earth some day, too, and not just Rose’s century either. Just givin’ you fair warning.”
He looks away, and the fingers of his free hand curl around the quilt. The room’s spinning, and he hasn’t even had a drink in over a week. Carefully, shakily, he slides off the bed and crawls under the covers. It’s suddenly cold.
The Doctor slides in next to him, and a solidly-reassuring arm is looped around him from behind. “Easy, lad. Won’t be tomorrow, or the day after. But you know it has to happen some time.”
Maybe. But he was hoping it’d be a very, very long time away. If at all. “Suppose so.” His teeth are chattering.
The Doctor pulls him, just a little bit roughly, until he’s lying on his back, then leans over and kisses him. It’s just enough to drive the chill away, at least for tonight.
There’s no guarantee it won’t be back tomorrow, though.
***
“You really think you can get it all out of me?” she asks once she’s connected up to his machines.
“Gonna try. Can’t ask better than that.” His hand rests briefly on her shoulder before he moves away to gather the instruments he needs. “Course, I’m a genius. Not often I fail. Any me.”
She’s told him already how she came to have the Time Vortex inside her, and that his counterpart died taking it out of her - though, he tells her, her Doctor didn’t get it all, which is the problem. She’s also told him she doesn’t want him regenerating in the same cause. “Jack’d kill me again if I did,” he retorted, and for the first time she found herself wondering about the two of them: exactly what their relationship is.
“Trick is to get it out without hurting you either,” he tells her now. “But we’ve got time. Makes it easier, that does.”
“Yeah.” She catches his eye, almost feeling as if she’s pleading. “Just let me be able to see my mum without endangering my planet, yeah? That’s all I want. Or... well...” Embarrassment grips her, and she looks down. This is a position she’s never been in before with the Doctor, after all: the interloper, the unwelcome third person on the TARDIS. With a jolt, it strikes her how Adam must have felt, and her Jack to begin with - and, oh god, Mickey! They were horrible to him, and what makes it worse is that she never even realised. “If you can fix me, it means I can get out of your way here. I mean, it’s not like you wanted to ask me to come along. You didn’t have a choice.”
The Doctor stills. After a moment, he lays down the instruments in his hand and comes back over to her. “You can see your mum any time you want, Rose. Thought you knew that.” He frowns. “Told you, day we left London. Visits are fine. ‘S only dangerous if you’re hangin’ around more than a day or so. Take you back any time you want to go, I will. You just have to say.”
“Oh.” She feels herself flushing. “Didn’t realise. Prob’ly wasn’t listening - too focused on sayin’ goodbye. I thought... well, I s’pose I thought I was saying goodbye permanently anyway, ‘cause the idea was to take me back to the other universe.” She has to glance down then as another stab of disappointment hits her at the reminder that her Doctor’s out of her reach for ever.
“Would’ve been permanent then, yes.” He gives her a thoughtful look. “Weren’t so worried ‘bout never seeing your mum again then, were you?” It’s not an accusation; it sounds - so unlike this version of the Doctor she knew from her own universe - like genuine idle curiosity.
“Course I was.” She leans up on her elbows, meeting his gaze. “You think I wanted to leave her behind? An’ Dad and Tony, and everyone else? Was different before when I travelled with the Doctor. He always brought me home. I never had to choose between home an’ being with him. Not until Mum ended up over here an’ I realised he was planning to send me here too. Made a choice then. I chose to stay with him, and it was the hardest thing I ever did. Not that it mattered. Ended up separated from him anyway.”
The Doctor nods; she’s told him bits of the story already. “Should get started.” He reaches for his instruments again and starts connecting wires and probes to her temples and sternum, his movements completely impersonal.
Just as she thinks he’s put that short conversation out of his mind, he adds, his attention apparently focused on the equipment, “You don’t have to ‘get out of our way’. Might not’ve asked you to come with me in the first place, but I can see why the other me did.” He turns to her for just long enough to give her a lightning smile. “Can stay as long as you want, even after I sort you, all right? If you want to, o’ course.”
If she wants to? Of course she does! He might not be her Doctor, but he’s a Doctor, and they’re travelling in time and space. Having adventures. And she still loves that.
But it’s not quite that simple, is it? The Doctor might like having her around - might even want her to stay. But Jack doesn’t. Oh, he’s trying, but she can see how much of an effort it is for him. Worse, she’s seen his unguarded reaction to her, when she comes upon him unexpectedly and he hasn’t had a chance to prepare. It’s cold hostility, as if she’s his bitter enemy.
It feels personal, whether or not it is. The Doctor says it’s nothing she’s done, but that’s hardly reassuring.
Both of them on the TARDIS together can only be a temporary measure, at best. Long-term... well, Jack was here first, wasn’t he? She didn’t miss that our way either. They’re a pair, the Doctor and Jack, whether they’re shagging or just very close friends. Inseparable, as her version of this Doctor once described him and her.
On this TARDIS, two’s company and three’s very definitely a crowd.
***
Another day, another day-trip. It seems like every waking hour the Doctor doesn’t spend with Rose in the med-lab they’re spending on alien planets. The Doctor should hire himself out as an interplanetary tourist guide.
Of course some of it’s shock therapy for him, to wean him off what the Doctor calls his hiding in the TARDIS habit. But he knows damn well the Doctor’s also doing it to impress Rose.
Today, it’s Tirnanoige, a planet devoted to the search for eternal youth. He hasn’t been here before, but the Doctor has - as usual - so he gets to have two companions hanging on his every word. Despite himself, he can’t help but be fascinated at the sight of these baby-faced bipedal wolf-like creatures who, the Doctor assures them, are almost all old-age pensioners by the standards of Rose’s time.
“Ow!” Rose’s exclamation interrupts the Doctor’s latest monologue. Automatically, he turns to look at her; she’s bent over, rubbing the back of her calf.
“What happened?” the Doctor asks.
“Feels like something hit me. Ow!” she exclaims again, louder.
The Doctor bends and scoops up what looks like a couple of stones. “Who’s throwin’ those at you?”
Almost without conscious thought, Jack’s drawn his weapon. A movement in the bushes to the side of the parkland they’re walking through catches his eye. One of the wolf-creatures is just about to throw another missile.
“Put that down!” he orders, instinctively moving into attack position, his weapon trained on the creature.
There’s a blur of movement, and suddenly Rose is standing between him and the creature - directly in the line of fire, the stupid woman. He’s about to protest, to ask her what the hell she’s doing, but she speaks first.
“Jack, put that away!” Moving slowly, never taking her eyes off the wolf, she moves forward. “Hey. I’m not gonna hurt you. Why were you throwing stones at me?”
The creature dips its head, looking shamefaced. Rose moves closer, and after a few steps, to his astonishment, she’s got her arm around its shoulders and is talking softly to it. He glances at the Doctor. The Time Lord’s looking at her, admiration in his gaze. After a few seconds, he finally looks at Jack.
“Keep tellin’ you not to be so quick to go for weapons, don’t I?”
He shrugs, feeling on the defensive. “It was attacking her!”
The Doctor shakes his head, then nods towards the woman and the wolf. “He’s a kid. He saw a strange creature, didn’t know what it was, and threw the stones to see what would happen.”
“Yeah.” Rose is coming back over, waving to the wolf. “He didn’t mean any harm, Jack. He didn’t realise he was hurting me.”
He reholsters his blaster. “You could’ve got seriously hurt. Or killed. You walked right in front of my gun.”
“He could’ve got seriously hurt,” she says, a steely note in her voice. It’s clear what she considers to be the worse outcome, and it stuns him to silence.
He bides his time until they’re back on the TARDIS and in the Vortex. Rose excuses herself; she’s been doing that a lot, he notices. Keeping out of his way? Or being tactful and giving him and the Doctor time alone together? More likely the former; after all, she doesn’t know they’re lovers, does she?
This time, he follows her, catching up with her at the door to her room. “Mind if I talk to you for a minute?”
Surprise flares in her eyes. “Course.”
She walks into her room, leaving him with little choice but to follow her, and offers him one of the two easy chairs. The room’s restful and tidy; in fact, it barely looks as if it’s occupied. Other than what the TARDIS has provided, it doesn’t look like she’s done anything to make it hers.
Another mystery to add to the enigma he’s discovering Rose Tyler is.
He’s almost lost the art of small talk, as he discovered the other day. So he gets straight to the point. “You walked right in front of a live blaster. You risked your life to protect a creature that was hurting you. Why did you do that?”
Her eyes widen. She’s genuinely shocked that he’s asking the question. Something inside him cracks just a little bit. “He didn’t deserve to die just because he threw a couple of stones at me!”
“You think I’d have shot it?”
“Him.” That steel note’s back in her voice. “You’ve travelled with the Doctor for - how long, Jack? Hasn’t he taught you that aliens are people too?”
“Five months,” he murmurs. “And yes.” He exhales slowly, feeling his gut twisting. “Though I always knew that anyway. You’re right, though. You wouldn’t have known it from me today, would you? Call it a soldier’s reaction - one of my team’s threatened, I respond.”
Rose nods. “Can understand that. I’ve had field training. My Doctor’d hate the idea, but I’ve carried guns almost as long as I’ve been a Torchwood operative.” She shakes her head. “But he was just a kid, Jack.”
“Yeah, but you didn’t know that.” He can’t help it; admiration’s creeping into his voice now. “He could’ve been planning to attack. You put yourself in danger - from him and from me - just in case there was a chance he wasn’t.”
She shrugs. “Mickey and Jake - they’re friends who’re also field agents - they’d give me hell for that. But it seemed like the right thing to do.”
“I should give you hell, too. In fact, if you were on my team at the Agency, you’d find yourself on report.” He drums his fingers on his knee, looking down. That knot in his gut’s getting tighter, and it’s hard to swallow.
“My planet’s gone,” he says abruptly, and almost freezes at his own words. He didn’t intend to tell her. That’s not why he followed her. Yet now he’s started, he can’t stop himself. He barely hears her sharp intake of breath as he continues. “There was a war. It got blown up in a nuclear explosion the like of which you can’t even imagine in your time. Far as I know, I’m the only survivor - and I’m only alive thanks to the Doctor. Though I didn’t thank him at first.”
“Oh, Jack...” Her voice is achingly soft, and she’s stretching out a hand towards him. He’s treated her like dirt ever since she’s been on board, and she’s trying to comfort him.
He holds up a hand, signalling her to keep her distance. “Thing is,” he continues, and his voice is shaking. “The war was against your people. Humans. Fifty-first century humans destroyed everything I ever had, and all because we were different from them.”
***
tbc in Chapter 5: Full Disclosure
Author: wmr /wendymr
Characters: Rose Tyler, AU Ninth Doctor, AU Jack Harkness, Jackie Tyler
Rated: PG13
Disclaimer: Not mine, unfortunately, though I'm willing to pay in instalments...
Summary: It's only when she's finally given up looking for a way back that she finds him.
Written for the incredibly generous wiggiemomsi, who won my services in the September Support Stacie Auction. I promised a minimum-5000-words fic; so far, this one's over 21,000 words. I hope you like it, Wiggie! With very many thanks to my fantastic team of BRs, dark_aegis, yamx and kae_nine.
Chapter 1: Shadow of the Past l Chapter 2: Tug of War l Chapter 3: Friction
Chapter 4: In The Way
Shit.
This isn’t what he intended. How the hell did it happen?
Though he knows how it happened. This was always going to be hard, and he’s all out of practice at keeping his guard up. She’d never have got to him like that before.
This won’t help persuade the Doctor that he doesn’t need any well-intentioned interventions. Quite the opposite.
“Rose.” He hurries after her, exiting the kitchen just in time to see her round a corner in the hallway. “Rose. Look,” he says as he catches up with her. “This isn’t what I intended. I thought... I thought we could talk. Get to know each other a bit.” He blows out a breath, trying to release the tension that just won’t go away. “I didn’t mean to insult you. I... this isn’t easy for me.”
Great job. Way to convince her. So much for showing the Doctor that he really is getting better.
She halts, takes a deep breath looking as if she’s trying to compose herself, then looks at him, pulling a face. “Think I started it, actually. Jumped to conclusions about why you weren’t talkin’ to me.”
He didn’t expect that. But it helps. “Come back to the kitchen?”
She nods, giving him a smile that screams for use in situations where diplomacy is called for. “Yeah, why not?” Though he supposes he can’t blame her. When did the Doctor tell her that he can’t get her back to the other Doctor? Can’t have been more than a few hours ago, at most. Talk about bad timing - or lack of thought, more like.
Cleaning up the spilled coffee and making her a fresh cup gives him time to get his reactions under control. By the time he takes a seat opposite her, he feels almost calm. “So.” He tries a smile too; he’s not sure it’s any more convincing than hers. “Let’s try this again. Tell me about the Jack Harkness you knew.”
It’s as good an opener as any, even despite what Rose said just before she walked out. Her Jack Harkness would be ashamed of him? Well, no shocker there. No doubt Ms Tyler would be surprised if she ever discovered that he wouldn’t argue with that assessment. Hell, he’s ashamed of himself. Of everyone on Schattenwelt, he’d never in a million years have picked himself to be where he is now.
Still, as a lead-in to the conversation this works. He’s genuinely curious, for one thing: parallel version of himself? Hell, yeah, he wants to know about the guy. But, also, if she’s telling the truth then the two of them were friends. Good friends, given the way she just talked about him. And yet if anyone had suggested to him that he and someone like Rose Tyler could be good friends... yeah, not in this universe.
She doesn’t answer immediately. Thinking, obviously, as if she’s wondering how to put it - or, perhaps, how to spin her answer. Information-control isn’t only an essential part of government, after all.
Finally, she says, “He was a Time Agent. Used to be, anyway. By the time we met him, he wasn’t any more. Some bad stuff’d happened to him. They took two years of his memories and he was... angry about it. Well, anyone would be,” she adds, as if the guy needs defending. “We met him, he saved our lives, and then the Doctor saved his life. He stayed with us. I think at first it was because he had nowhere else to go, but it didn’t take long before he wanted to be with us because he loved the life.”
She takes a sip of her coffee, her gaze falling to the table. When she doesn’t speak again, he reminds himself that conversation’s made up of two people talking.
“Where was he from?” Schattenwelt, like him?
She looks surprised at the question, and a flush creeps up her cheeks. “I never asked. Don’t think either of us did, though I think the Doctor probably knew. He never said. I just knew he was a Time Agent from the fifty-first century. S’pose I just assumed he was from Earth, like me - I mean, he was human.” She chews her lip. “Or was he? Just assumed that too, didn’t I? I mean, by his time...” Her gaze meets his. “Should’ve asked. Wish I had.”
She wants to ask where he’s from, and how much of her Jack’s story matches his. The fact that she’s not asking actually raises her a notch in his estimation. Because it’s not that she’s not curious; she’s respecting his privacy. How he’s so sure about that he can’t quite tell, but he knows.
“I was a Time Agent too,” he admits. “Resigned a couple of years ago.” And that’s all you’re getting. “And...” It’ll mean nothing to her, nothing at all, he tells himself. Twenty-first century human. “I’m from a planet called Schattenwelt. Makes sense your Jack probably was too.”
Her eyes widen slightly, and he can see more questions in her eyes. Deliberately, he lets his gaze slide away from hers, turning his body away as well. She worked for a covert intelligence operation, this Rose Tyler. She’ll be trained in understanding body language.
Clearly, she is. She doesn’t ask her questions. Instead, she says, “He died in the end. He said goodbye to us an’ went off to save the universe. Fought Daleks, delaying them to give the Doctor enough time to save everyone. Except Jack - was too late for him.”
Daleks. He’s heard of them, but never encountered them. The Doctor has, he thinks, but they’re not one of the species they’ve discussed in detail.
The Doctor’s voice echoes in his head - god, he’s really had too many of the guy’s lectures, hasn’t he? - You’re supposed to say sorry.
His fingers curl into fists. “I’m sorry. Sounds like you miss him.”
She nods. “Him and the Doctor. But, yeah, no goin’ back.” Her fingers drum on the table. Then, as if she’s remembering another lesson from her Vitex-heiress etiquette book, she resumes the conversation. “You’re a hero, too. The Doctor says you helped him save the TARDIS when you were just a kid.”
The Doctor told her that? He’s going to have to have words with the guy about boundaries. Though, wait a minute - is this some sort of subtle apology for what she said before?
He finds he has no idea at all what to say to that.
“Saved my life, too, ‘bout six months ago.”
His head jerks up. The Doctor’s standing in the doorway, expression suspiciously bland. How long’s he been there, listening?
Rose has swung around in her chair and is staring at the Doctor. “What happened?”
He catches the Doctor’s eye and, his lips a thin line, gestures clearly that he doesn’t want that question answered. The Doctor holds his gaze for a few seconds before giving a faint nod. “Not important. Come on, you two! Can’t sit around chin-waggin’ all day! Places to go, things to see! Thought we’d visit Xavxaxxaq. Twenty-apple-fourteen, fantastic year, that was.” He spins on his heel, a true whirlwind. “Get a move on!”
***
Jack tries to find an excuse not to come with them, but the Doctor knows the instant he gives up and resigns himself to the inevitable. Good. He wouldn’t have taken no for an answer anyway. He’s indulged Jack too long, and it’s not done his companion any good at all.
Excitement’s shining in Rose’s eyes as the materialisation sequence begins. She looks younger, almost childlike in her inability to stay still. She’s itching to run for the door. It’s a moment or two before he realises that, of course, it’s been six years since she’s seen an alien planet.
She glances his way and he grins at her, catching her eye, then nods towards the door. “Go on.” She squeals a little and breaks into an instant run, reaching the door in under two seconds and immediately pulling it open.
He looks over at Jack, still behind the console, leaning against the wall. “Coming?” At the expression he catches on Jack’s face - impatience and distaste combined - he shakes his head. “You were that excited first time I took you in the TARDIS.”
“I was sixteen,” Jack retorts.
“An’ you were still excited the next time. Twenty-five then, weren’t you? And already in training in the Time Agency.”
He holds Jack’s gaze. The lad’s always been honest, even when he hasn’t wanted to be - even when it’s hurt him. That’s one reason he’s still here. “Point,” Jack says finally. Jack unfolds himself from the wall and strides towards the door. “Let’s go, if we’re going.”
Outside, Rose is crouching down, brushing her hand over the purple grass. She’s bringing her hand to her lips to sniff it when the snick of the TARDIS door closing alerts her to their presence. She flushes a little and says, sounding a bit awkward, “The Doctor - the other Doctor - took me to this planet with apple-grass once. Smelt amazing.”
He smiles, pretending not to notice the slight shake in her voice at the reference to his other-universe counterpart. “It does, yeah. This just smells like grass.” He offers her a hand, and she takes it, swinging easily to her feet. He can tell the precise second she resolves to push the memories away and focus on here and now.
“So tell me about this place. Zavax-ah, right?” She hasn’t let go of his hand, and she swings it slightly as she looks around her. Been a while since he’s had someone to hold his hand like this - Jack’s not one for that - and it feels nice. Familiar. She feels familiar.
“Xavxaxxaq. Dwarf planet in the Cytherea cluster.” Not that that’s likely to mean much to her - unless she’s been there before. “Bit out of the way, and not got a lot to recommend it - ‘cept what we’ve come to see.”
“What’s that, then?” They’re walking along a pathway now, Rose by his side with her hand still in his. Jack’s behind them, he can tell from the slightly shuffling footsteps on the loose gravel - at least the bloke’s staying with them. That’s something.
“Storms. Pretty amazin’ storms they have here. Thunderstorms with multi-coloured lightning, or tornado funnel-clouds in shades from dark grey all the way to silver, for instance. Rain’s usually warm, too. People come from all over the galaxy just to watch.”
“Sounds a bit dangerous,” Rose comments, though she doesn’t look one bit scared.
He’s about to answer, but Jack gets in first. “It’s safe. Specially-constructed observation platforms all over the place.”
“Yeah,” he agrees, carefully not letting his surprise at Jack’s interjection - or at the revelation that Jack’s been here before - show. “Heading for one now.” He glances at his watch, then adds, “One other thing about the weather patterns here.”
“Yeah?”
“Completely predictable. Can set your watch by them. Which means...” He breaks into a run. “Best hurry, unless you want to get soaked!”
The three of them run together, Rose’s laughter echoing with their footsteps on the gravel path. Along the way, they join groups of locals also heading for the viewing platform he’s chosen for this particular storm. Xavxaxxaqians are squat, spindly creatures, with large heads and bulbous eyes. Rose eyes them with curiosity at first, but is quickly smiling and saying hello and, as their pace slows with the number of people heading for the platform, chatting with them about the storm to come and how rapidly the sky’s darkening.
It’s a thunderstorm, his favourite to watch on Xavxaxxaq. The rain’s just starting as they finally make their way onto the platform, and he nods his head towards the lower level. “Best view’s down there.” It’s actually an overhang, with fantastic views down a ravine as well as out into the open sky. Best of all, many Xavxaxxaqians suffer from vertigo, so they tend to prefer to stay away from the cliff edge. Suits him.
It’s a spectacular storm, with some of the best forked lightning he’s seen in a very long time. For well over an hour, the sky’s lit up in brilliant hues of scarlet and purple and cerulean and sapphire, as well as the traditional orange and yellow. It’s fantastic. But even better’s the look of awe and wonder on Rose’s face as she stares at the panorama. She might be an experienced time-traveller, but it’s clear that she hasn’t lost any of the excitement.
Even Jack’s impressed by it, and that makes a change. About time the lad started to get back to his old self. Course, it’s not easy, and he’d be the last person to say Jack should just get over what happened, but the way Jack’s been living isn’t healthy.
Eventually, the storm ends and they turn to go. And that’s when Rose falters and tugs at her hand. “Oh, god, I’m sorry!” she exclaims. “I just realised. Been holdin’ your hand all this time. You must’ve thought I was some kind of - I dunno, crazy person.”
He grins and tightens his hold on her hand. “Nah. ‘S okay with me if it is with you. Been a long time since I’ve had someone’s hand to hold.”
Next to him, Jack’s lips tighten, and the younger man looks away. He cups Jack’s nape with his hand, a brief caress. “Some people,” he adds with dry amusement, “don’t seem to understand that the universe looks better when you’ve got someone’s hand in yours.”
Jack looks back, rolling his eyes. “If I’d known you wanted it that badly...” A large, warm hand folds around his free one, and the three of them walk side by side back to the TARDIS.
***
It’s a relief when the Doctor strolls into the bedroom a mere ten minutes after Jack announced he was going to bed. Sure, the guy’s seemed mostly normal today, though there was that unexpected trip to Xavxaxxaq and also his very obvious friendliness to Rose. But after what he said to the Doctor last night it wouldn’t have surprised him to find himself out on his ear today. Or at the very least left out in the cold.
The Doctor comes over and sprawls on the bed beside him. “Did good today, you did.”
Warmth spreads through him, and some of the uncertainty - the trepidation - he’s been feeling since last night melts away. “I’m trying.”
“Noticed.” The Doctor smiles, his eyes warm. “Was about time, too.”
“Suppose so.” Well, the Doctor thinks so, at any rate, and he knows there’s no point arguing about it. The Doctor’ll only take it as further evidence of him being in denial.
Time to change the subject. “You like her, don’t you? Rose?”
A faint shrug. “Yeah. I do, actually. You got a problem with that?”
“Nah.”
“Liar.”
He exhales loudly. “I’m trying, all right?” Even though every word he speaks to her practically chokes him. And it’s not as if he doesn’t know it’s not fair to hold Rose Tyler responsible.
“I know.” The Doctor pats his thigh; the gesture’s reassuring. “Was impressed today when I found the two of you in the kitchen.”
“Good.” Convenient that the Doctor just happened to stumble on them there, of course - but then, knowing the Doctor, and knowing this ship, it won’t have been a coincidence.
“Course, the Jack Harkness who spent his summer holiday with me - what? Three years ago? - would’ve been flirtin’ non-stop with her.”
The Doctor’s right, of course he is. He can’t deny that she’s attractive. Very, in fact. But... “That was then.”
“Yep,” the Doctor says, neither condemning nor approving.
It feels like the conversation’s over and he’s off the hook for the time being. But there is one question he still needs an answer to if he’s going to get any sleep tonight. “You’re not gonna do anything like kick me out for my own good?”
The Doctor’s eyes open wide. “Why would I do that? Told you when you came on board. TARDIS is your home as long as you want it. Course I’m not gonna kick you out. Thought you had a bit more intelligence than that.” He turns his head, giving Jack a lightning grin. “That’s not to say I’m gonna sit back an’ watch you hide away from the universe for the rest of your life. Let you do that too long already.”
His heart slams against his rib-cage. “That’s why we went to Xavxaxxaq today?”
“Oh, yeah.” The Doctor’s expression grows serious, and he finds his hand taken in a cool grip. “An’ why we’ll go somewhere else tomorrow, and somewhere else the day after that. I live for travellin’, Jack. It’s what I do. And... it’s what you need. We’re gonna visit Earth some day, too, and not just Rose’s century either. Just givin’ you fair warning.”
He looks away, and the fingers of his free hand curl around the quilt. The room’s spinning, and he hasn’t even had a drink in over a week. Carefully, shakily, he slides off the bed and crawls under the covers. It’s suddenly cold.
The Doctor slides in next to him, and a solidly-reassuring arm is looped around him from behind. “Easy, lad. Won’t be tomorrow, or the day after. But you know it has to happen some time.”
Maybe. But he was hoping it’d be a very, very long time away. If at all. “Suppose so.” His teeth are chattering.
The Doctor pulls him, just a little bit roughly, until he’s lying on his back, then leans over and kisses him. It’s just enough to drive the chill away, at least for tonight.
There’s no guarantee it won’t be back tomorrow, though.
***
“You really think you can get it all out of me?” she asks once she’s connected up to his machines.
“Gonna try. Can’t ask better than that.” His hand rests briefly on her shoulder before he moves away to gather the instruments he needs. “Course, I’m a genius. Not often I fail. Any me.”
She’s told him already how she came to have the Time Vortex inside her, and that his counterpart died taking it out of her - though, he tells her, her Doctor didn’t get it all, which is the problem. She’s also told him she doesn’t want him regenerating in the same cause. “Jack’d kill me again if I did,” he retorted, and for the first time she found herself wondering about the two of them: exactly what their relationship is.
“Trick is to get it out without hurting you either,” he tells her now. “But we’ve got time. Makes it easier, that does.”
“Yeah.” She catches his eye, almost feeling as if she’s pleading. “Just let me be able to see my mum without endangering my planet, yeah? That’s all I want. Or... well...” Embarrassment grips her, and she looks down. This is a position she’s never been in before with the Doctor, after all: the interloper, the unwelcome third person on the TARDIS. With a jolt, it strikes her how Adam must have felt, and her Jack to begin with - and, oh god, Mickey! They were horrible to him, and what makes it worse is that she never even realised. “If you can fix me, it means I can get out of your way here. I mean, it’s not like you wanted to ask me to come along. You didn’t have a choice.”
The Doctor stills. After a moment, he lays down the instruments in his hand and comes back over to her. “You can see your mum any time you want, Rose. Thought you knew that.” He frowns. “Told you, day we left London. Visits are fine. ‘S only dangerous if you’re hangin’ around more than a day or so. Take you back any time you want to go, I will. You just have to say.”
“Oh.” She feels herself flushing. “Didn’t realise. Prob’ly wasn’t listening - too focused on sayin’ goodbye. I thought... well, I s’pose I thought I was saying goodbye permanently anyway, ‘cause the idea was to take me back to the other universe.” She has to glance down then as another stab of disappointment hits her at the reminder that her Doctor’s out of her reach for ever.
“Would’ve been permanent then, yes.” He gives her a thoughtful look. “Weren’t so worried ‘bout never seeing your mum again then, were you?” It’s not an accusation; it sounds - so unlike this version of the Doctor she knew from her own universe - like genuine idle curiosity.
“Course I was.” She leans up on her elbows, meeting his gaze. “You think I wanted to leave her behind? An’ Dad and Tony, and everyone else? Was different before when I travelled with the Doctor. He always brought me home. I never had to choose between home an’ being with him. Not until Mum ended up over here an’ I realised he was planning to send me here too. Made a choice then. I chose to stay with him, and it was the hardest thing I ever did. Not that it mattered. Ended up separated from him anyway.”
The Doctor nods; she’s told him bits of the story already. “Should get started.” He reaches for his instruments again and starts connecting wires and probes to her temples and sternum, his movements completely impersonal.
Just as she thinks he’s put that short conversation out of his mind, he adds, his attention apparently focused on the equipment, “You don’t have to ‘get out of our way’. Might not’ve asked you to come with me in the first place, but I can see why the other me did.” He turns to her for just long enough to give her a lightning smile. “Can stay as long as you want, even after I sort you, all right? If you want to, o’ course.”
If she wants to? Of course she does! He might not be her Doctor, but he’s a Doctor, and they’re travelling in time and space. Having adventures. And she still loves that.
But it’s not quite that simple, is it? The Doctor might like having her around - might even want her to stay. But Jack doesn’t. Oh, he’s trying, but she can see how much of an effort it is for him. Worse, she’s seen his unguarded reaction to her, when she comes upon him unexpectedly and he hasn’t had a chance to prepare. It’s cold hostility, as if she’s his bitter enemy.
It feels personal, whether or not it is. The Doctor says it’s nothing she’s done, but that’s hardly reassuring.
Both of them on the TARDIS together can only be a temporary measure, at best. Long-term... well, Jack was here first, wasn’t he? She didn’t miss that our way either. They’re a pair, the Doctor and Jack, whether they’re shagging or just very close friends. Inseparable, as her version of this Doctor once described him and her.
On this TARDIS, two’s company and three’s very definitely a crowd.
***
Another day, another day-trip. It seems like every waking hour the Doctor doesn’t spend with Rose in the med-lab they’re spending on alien planets. The Doctor should hire himself out as an interplanetary tourist guide.
Of course some of it’s shock therapy for him, to wean him off what the Doctor calls his hiding in the TARDIS habit. But he knows damn well the Doctor’s also doing it to impress Rose.
Today, it’s Tirnanoige, a planet devoted to the search for eternal youth. He hasn’t been here before, but the Doctor has - as usual - so he gets to have two companions hanging on his every word. Despite himself, he can’t help but be fascinated at the sight of these baby-faced bipedal wolf-like creatures who, the Doctor assures them, are almost all old-age pensioners by the standards of Rose’s time.
“Ow!” Rose’s exclamation interrupts the Doctor’s latest monologue. Automatically, he turns to look at her; she’s bent over, rubbing the back of her calf.
“What happened?” the Doctor asks.
“Feels like something hit me. Ow!” she exclaims again, louder.
The Doctor bends and scoops up what looks like a couple of stones. “Who’s throwin’ those at you?”
Almost without conscious thought, Jack’s drawn his weapon. A movement in the bushes to the side of the parkland they’re walking through catches his eye. One of the wolf-creatures is just about to throw another missile.
“Put that down!” he orders, instinctively moving into attack position, his weapon trained on the creature.
There’s a blur of movement, and suddenly Rose is standing between him and the creature - directly in the line of fire, the stupid woman. He’s about to protest, to ask her what the hell she’s doing, but she speaks first.
“Jack, put that away!” Moving slowly, never taking her eyes off the wolf, she moves forward. “Hey. I’m not gonna hurt you. Why were you throwing stones at me?”
The creature dips its head, looking shamefaced. Rose moves closer, and after a few steps, to his astonishment, she’s got her arm around its shoulders and is talking softly to it. He glances at the Doctor. The Time Lord’s looking at her, admiration in his gaze. After a few seconds, he finally looks at Jack.
“Keep tellin’ you not to be so quick to go for weapons, don’t I?”
He shrugs, feeling on the defensive. “It was attacking her!”
The Doctor shakes his head, then nods towards the woman and the wolf. “He’s a kid. He saw a strange creature, didn’t know what it was, and threw the stones to see what would happen.”
“Yeah.” Rose is coming back over, waving to the wolf. “He didn’t mean any harm, Jack. He didn’t realise he was hurting me.”
He reholsters his blaster. “You could’ve got seriously hurt. Or killed. You walked right in front of my gun.”
“He could’ve got seriously hurt,” she says, a steely note in her voice. It’s clear what she considers to be the worse outcome, and it stuns him to silence.
He bides his time until they’re back on the TARDIS and in the Vortex. Rose excuses herself; she’s been doing that a lot, he notices. Keeping out of his way? Or being tactful and giving him and the Doctor time alone together? More likely the former; after all, she doesn’t know they’re lovers, does she?
This time, he follows her, catching up with her at the door to her room. “Mind if I talk to you for a minute?”
Surprise flares in her eyes. “Course.”
She walks into her room, leaving him with little choice but to follow her, and offers him one of the two easy chairs. The room’s restful and tidy; in fact, it barely looks as if it’s occupied. Other than what the TARDIS has provided, it doesn’t look like she’s done anything to make it hers.
Another mystery to add to the enigma he’s discovering Rose Tyler is.
He’s almost lost the art of small talk, as he discovered the other day. So he gets straight to the point. “You walked right in front of a live blaster. You risked your life to protect a creature that was hurting you. Why did you do that?”
Her eyes widen. She’s genuinely shocked that he’s asking the question. Something inside him cracks just a little bit. “He didn’t deserve to die just because he threw a couple of stones at me!”
“You think I’d have shot it?”
“Him.” That steel note’s back in her voice. “You’ve travelled with the Doctor for - how long, Jack? Hasn’t he taught you that aliens are people too?”
“Five months,” he murmurs. “And yes.” He exhales slowly, feeling his gut twisting. “Though I always knew that anyway. You’re right, though. You wouldn’t have known it from me today, would you? Call it a soldier’s reaction - one of my team’s threatened, I respond.”
Rose nods. “Can understand that. I’ve had field training. My Doctor’d hate the idea, but I’ve carried guns almost as long as I’ve been a Torchwood operative.” She shakes her head. “But he was just a kid, Jack.”
“Yeah, but you didn’t know that.” He can’t help it; admiration’s creeping into his voice now. “He could’ve been planning to attack. You put yourself in danger - from him and from me - just in case there was a chance he wasn’t.”
She shrugs. “Mickey and Jake - they’re friends who’re also field agents - they’d give me hell for that. But it seemed like the right thing to do.”
“I should give you hell, too. In fact, if you were on my team at the Agency, you’d find yourself on report.” He drums his fingers on his knee, looking down. That knot in his gut’s getting tighter, and it’s hard to swallow.
“My planet’s gone,” he says abruptly, and almost freezes at his own words. He didn’t intend to tell her. That’s not why he followed her. Yet now he’s started, he can’t stop himself. He barely hears her sharp intake of breath as he continues. “There was a war. It got blown up in a nuclear explosion the like of which you can’t even imagine in your time. Far as I know, I’m the only survivor - and I’m only alive thanks to the Doctor. Though I didn’t thank him at first.”
“Oh, Jack...” Her voice is achingly soft, and she’s stretching out a hand towards him. He’s treated her like dirt ever since she’s been on board, and she’s trying to comfort him.
He holds up a hand, signalling her to keep her distance. “Thing is,” he continues, and his voice is shaking. “The war was against your people. Humans. Fifty-first century humans destroyed everything I ever had, and all because we were different from them.”
***
tbc in Chapter 5: Full Disclosure