Halfway Out Of The Dark || The Doctor

Boom Town

"Don't listen to him, he's winding you up." Rose told Mickey.

"You look fantastic." Mickey smiled at her, and they gave each other a big hug.

"Aw, sweet, look at those two." Jack remarked to the Doctor, "How come I never get any of that?"

"Buy me a drink first." the Doctor retorted.

"You're such hard work."

"But worth it."

"Did ya manage to find it?" Rose asked Mickey.

"There ya go." Mickey said, handing Rose a passport.

"I can go anywhere now." Rose grinned at the Doctor, brandishing the passport.

"I told yer, you don't need a passport." the Time Lord replied.

"It's all very well going to Platform One and Justicia and the Glass Pyramid of San Kaloon, but what if we end up in Brazil?" Rose retorted.

"She's got ya there." the Artist remarked from under the floor.

"See, she gets it." Rose said to the Doctor, "I might need it. I'm prepared for anything." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Sounds like you're staying, then." Mickey said sadly. An awkward silence followed. "So, what're ya all doing in Cardiff?" Mickey asked, changing the subject. "And who the hell's Jumping Jack Flash?" He eyed Jack disdainfully. "I mean, I don't mind you hanging out with Big Ears up there."

"Oi!" the Doctor huffed indignantly.

"Look in the mirror." Mickey waved him off. The Doctor shook his head and went back to his work. "But this guy." Mickey continued, "I dunno, he's kinda..."

"Handsome?" Jack smirked.

"More like cheesy." Mickey sneered.

"Early 21st century slang." Jack noted, "Is cheesy good or bad?"

"It's bad."

"But bad means good, isn't that right?" Jack asked the Artist.

"Search me." she replied, "I don't get half these human slang terms myself."

"Are you saying I'm not handsome?" the Doctor pouted, tottering down the ladder.

"I think you're handsome." the Artist said quietly, though not quiet enough as both the Doctor and Jack heard her, causing the Doctor to turn his head in the Time Lady's direction and Jack to smirk to himself.

Ever since 1941, Jack and Rose had been conspiring to get the Time Lords together. Although they hadn't succeeded in that yet, every now and then, either the Doctor or the Artist would let slip a comment that hinted at their true feelings for each other.

"We just stopped off to refuel." Rose explained to Mickey, "The thing is, Cardiff's got this rift running through the middle of the city. It's invisible, but it's like an earthquake fault between different dimensions."

"The rift was healed back in 1869." the Doctor added.

"Thanks to a girl called Gwyneth." Rose continued, "Cos' these creatures called the Gelth, they were using the rift as a gateway, but she saved the world and closed it."

"But closing a rift always leaves a scar." Jack took over, "And that scar generates energy, harmless to the human race..."

"But perfect for the TARDIS." the Doctor took over, "So, just park 'ere for a couple days right on top of the scar..."

"Open up the engines, soak up the radiation..." Jack added.

"Like filling her up with petrol, and off we go!" Rose cheered.