for jackedthename

[failedhullabaloo]

[ It's laundry day at St. Edelweiss. Which means that a certain young woman with bleached blonde hair and about two inches of light brown roots is curled up in the warmest spot of her cell that she can find (which really isn't that warm), completely naked.

Except that then there's some sort of flicker, and instead of sitting naked on the floor of her cell with her knees hugged to her chest, she's sitting naked on the floor of some weird cavern type place with her knees hugged to her chest.

She meeps softly, and scoots backwards until her back hits something solid, trying not to panic and failing badly at it. She doesn't really care that she's naked right now, she just knows that she's somewhere completely foreign to her, and that she might very well have just ended up somewhere worse than the asylum. ]

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[jackedthename.livejournal.com]

[What she will be confronted with is Jack just staring quietly for a moment or two, because well. The Rift generally isn't kind enough to deposit strangers in the middle of the Hub, for one, and two, that is Rose Tyler sitting right there, naked as the day she was born. He stands carefully and heads over, thanking his lucky stars that he's the only one currently at the Hub.]

Rose?

[failedhullabaloo]

[ Rose, who went missing from some alien bazaar one day after the Blitz but before the Game Station, who the Doctor could find neither hide nor hair of after, despite his best efforts.

She jumps at the sound of his voice, her head whipping towards him and her eyes wide with fear. She takes a couple of sharp, near-hyperventilating breaths, her focus darting from Jack's face to the rest of the hub and back.

When she speaks, her voice is hoarse and shaky. ] J-Jack?

[jackedthename.livejournal.com]

Yes, love, it's me. [He kneels to offer her a hand, and if she takes it, she will be getting pulled into what is quite possibly the tightest hug that ever was.] What happened to you, beautiful?

[failedhullabaloo]

[ Rose doesn't take his hand, not just yet. She looks at it, then back up to his face, confused and scared and a little suspicious because this could be a trick ]

You... you didn't come. I w-waited and waited a-and you didn't come...

[jackedthename.livejournal.com]

We didn't know where you'd gone, Rose. We tried. We really did.

[failedhullabaloo]

[ And there it is, something in his eye that... reminds her of the Doctor, oddly enough. And that's enough, somehow, to overcome the fear that this might not be real.

She slips a shaky hand into his, her other wrist held against her chest.

When he hugs her, she'll be bonier than he remembers, by a lot. She was all curves and softness last time they saw each other, but she's all angles and sharp edges now, underfed and burning up with a fever and her breath rattling in her chest a little.

She's been through a lot. ]

[jackedthename.livejournal.com]

[He does hug her, as promised, gently, as though afraid she'll break if he sets her down too hard. When he pulls back he gives her a long, concerned look. He knows what pain looks like, he's become all too familiar with it over the course of his very long life so far; there is far too much of it in Rose's body language than he would like to see.

If she notices, Jack looks almost the same as the day she left. Aside from the eyes. The eyes are older, tired, full of past regrets and everything else Jack doesn't talk about. Much more like the Doctor's than they were before.]

Oh, Rose. C'mon, we'll find you some clothes. I'm sure Gwen or Tosh has something around.

[failedhullabaloo]

[ Rose crosses her arms across her chest, but it seems more to stave off the cold than anything else. Months of having to be naked for 24 hours once a week is enough to desensitize you to the idea somewhat. ]

Clothes are good. [ She's too tired, too drugged, too sick to be curious. Well, much. ] Where are we?

[jackedthename.livejournal.com]

[Normally, Jack would fully approve of having a naked Rose around. But this is different. She needs help, and that takes first priority.]

The hub. Above the rift in Cardiff.

[failedhullabaloo]

Oh. [ She trails along with him, her bare feet padding near-silently on the Hub's floor ]

That doesn't really explain anything you know. [ She smiles, very faintly. Look! Teasing! That's good! ]

[jackedthename.livejournal.com]

Sorry. Force of habit. [He grins right back, still a bit concerned, but -- he's always been good at masks.]

So, you know the TARDIS? She refuels on rift energy. There just so happens to be a rift passing through Cardiff that lets in all kinds of fun things when it has a mind to. So -- my team and I take care of it. Or we try to.

[failedhullabaloo]

Oh. Good, that probably needs taking care of.

[ she stumbles and reaches out with her bad hand to grab hold of something, stifling a yelp of pain when she does. She's fine. She's fine. She's not allowed to have painkillers and she's fine. ]

U-um, can I have somethin' to eat after clothes?

[jackedthename.livejournal.com]

It does, unless you want Romans running 'round Cardiff.

[He frowns a little and moves to hold her elbow, just in case.]

Sure, if you don't mind takeaway. I think I'd burn the hub down if I tried to cook anything.

[failedhullabaloo]

Better'n hospital food. [ Rose says this absently, like she's not really paying attention. To be fair, she's looking around at the hub, trying to see some sign that this is a dream or hallucination. She doesn't want it to be, but if it is... she'd rather figure it out sooner than later. ]

[jackedthename.livejournal.com]

Hospital food? [He stops in the midst of grabbing his phone to give her a worried look.]

Love, what happened?

[failedhullabaloo]

[ Rose hesitates and ducks her head, her hair falling in front of her face. ]

[ faintly ] Can I have clothes, please?

[jackedthename.livejournal.com]

..Right. Yeah. Of course. [Okay. What's happened can come later, food and clothes come first. It's almost enough to make him wish Gwen was here, she's much better at this sort of thing than he is. But he leads Rose to his office, considers a minute, and then gives her a quick cheek kiss.] I'll be back in a moment.

[He's sort of figuring he won't be able to find anything of Gwen's or Tosh's, so hopefully Rose doesn't mind his coat, a spare set of trousers, and a shirt. They might be big, but they'll work.]

[failedhullabaloo]

'Kay.

[ Very big. But no, she won't mind. As Jack is finding clothes, she will just fold herself up in his desk chair.

She starts coughing while she waits, deep in her chest, and barely manages to fight it under control. She really really hates being sick... ]

[jackedthename.livejournal.com]

[He returns after a moment or so, and sets the clothes on the desk.

The coughing gets another worried look, of course, but it can wait until there's food. While he was gone, he'd taken the opportunity to order them some pizza.]

There. They might be a bit big, but it's clothes.

[failedhullabaloo]

Yay, clothes. [ It's quiet but genuinely happy. It's been months since she was allowed clothes before the end of laundry day! Not that she had the laundry day problem before...

She pulls them on, all of them laughably big on her, and curls back up in Jack's chair because it's big and comfy. ]

So, um. Guess you probably wanna know what happened.

[jackedthename.livejournal.com]

[He pulls up a chair from the other side of the room and sprawls down on it, quirking an eyebrow at her. Now he's the leader of Torchwood, more than he is the Jack she knows, and finding out what happened to Rose is easier if he just treats it as everyday Torchwood business.]

Fancy that, Ms. Tyler, you're exactly right. So are you gonna tell me, or do I have to beg? [There's a flash of a teasing grin, before he's back to concerned and serious.]

[failedhullabaloo]

[ Rose smiles tightly, but there's no humor in it. ]

I... I was at the bazaar. And then... everything went dark and I woke up in... a cell. Tiny, cold, dirty. Th-- they said it was 1892. We were in an institution called St. Edelweiss, a-and I was--

[ She chokes on her words a bit, and takes a few breaths to calm herself down - not too deep, though, she doesn't want to start coughing again. ]

I was... being treated for schitzo... something. I don't remember, I just... it was cold and miserable and they kept telling me you weren't real, and at night there were...

[ she trails off, shaking her head, and buries her face in her knees ]

[jackedthename.livejournal.com]

[He nods, frowning, and moves around the desk to give her a gentle hug.]

I'll look into it. Sounds like a rift of some sort, or maybe a matter transporter. We would have found you if you were anywhere on Earth.

[He pauses, sighs, and leans to kiss the top of her head.] I'm so sorry, Rose.

[failedhullabaloo]

[ Rose leans into him, pressing her face into his chest and just reminding herself that Jack is safe, and that she doesn't have to worry about being made to take meds or "therapy" or.... or anything ]

I broke my wrist, and they didn't set it. And I couldn't have painkillers because of the medicine they were giving me.

[ Yes, this is random, just... it hurts. It always hurts. ]

[jackedthename.livejournal.com]

We've a doctor here. He'll take care of it, I promise.

[For now, though, he's just going to cuddle her a bit more. He's missed his Rose, and it's wonderful to have her back, even if she is different. Oh, well. So is he.]

[failedhullabaloo]

[ She doesn't mind being cuddled. She's missed cuddles. ]

Can... can I stay with you? I don't want to go to a hospital or anything. Even if I'm sick. If you've got a doctor, then I can just stay here and... and I won't have to be someplace with lots of doctors and nurses. I have--

[ She stops, and takes a shaky breath, and continues quickly and almost panicked ]

I get... scared. Sometimes. And if I go to a hospital they might lock me up and I don't wanna be locked up again, Jack, not ever, please don't make me go back...

[jackedthename.livejournal.com]

You can stay with me as long as you want, love. [He kisses the top of her head again, reassuring and light.]

I promise. You'll never have to go back there, never be locked up again. Owen will keep an eye on you.

[failedhullabaloo]

'Kay.

[ She snuggles up against him, just... frightened and achey and that's the moment that her body decides a very nasty coughing fit is just what she needs. It goes on for a long time, rattling in her chest. And Jack can probably feel her burning up against him. Mmmm, illness. ]

[jackedthename.livejournal.com]

[He can, yes, and it makes him frown. But he holds her close until it's done, and sighs a bit.]

D'you want some tea? I could make you some, though I can't promise it'll taste that good.

[failedhullabaloo]

Just stay here? [ she closes her eyes and takes a couple calming breaths... and falls asleep. Yeah, it's been a rough day for her. ]

---

[ And this would be when Gwen chooses to walk in ]

Jack, have you-- [ ...Jack is cuddling a small blonde girl who is wearing his clothes and looks horribly underfed. What. ] Who's this, then?

[jackedthename.livejournal.com]

[Yes. Yes, he is, and he shifts Rose to one side and gives Gwen a sheepish grin. Quietly:] This is Rose. She's an old friend, used to travel with me. We thought we'd lost her.

[goodatgoogle.livejournal.com]

[ Gwen would be more suspicious, given Jack's track record with 'old friends' *coughHartcough*, but this girl looks... sick and underfed and scared even as she sleeps curled up against Jack's chest. It kicks her mama lion instincts on. ]

Poor thing, looks like she's been through hell. Can I help at all? Has Owen taken a look at her yet? Have you fed her?

[jackedthename.livejournal.com]

Not yet, she just appeared here. I got her some clothes and ordered some takeaway, but then she fell asleep. Owen should see her, though, she's got a bad cough and a broken wrist.

[goodatgoogle.livejournal.com]

I'll text Owen and wait upstairs for the takeaway, then. [ She pulls her phone out and texts Owen asking him to come in ASAP because there's an injured girl here ] I'll leave you two be. I hope... I hope she's all right.

[jackedthename.livejournal.com]

Me, too. [He gives Gwen a small smile and shrugs.] She's ...friends with my doctor, is all.