“How long are we staying?” asks Rose, putting on her new black jacket, the one Jack gave her in New Vegas. She pats herself down to make sure she has her phone and the keys to the TARDIS. Once that’s done, she turns to Jack and the Doctor, who are looking at her with matching fond grins. She has half a mind to tease them about it, but she’ll save it for later.
“Once we’re all fueled, it’s up to you,” the Doctor says.
She walks to the door decisively, putting on her sunglasses. “Then I hope you have a good idea for our next destination.”
Jack follows after her, calling her name. “Rose! Wait!”
Once they step outside though, Rose can tell something is off when they’re received by different noises and a distinct lack of certain buildings.
“What’s wrong?” asks Jack.
“I don’t know,” she answers. “There’s just—”
“Guys!” the Doctor calls from inside the TARDIS. Both Rose and Jack turn in his direction, waiting for him to elaborate. After a moment of silence, the Doctor’s head peeks out of the TARDIS. “I think we’re a few years off.”
Rose glances around her, at the men rushing through the streets with their hats, at the woman holding her child’s hand as they cross the street, at the cable car turning a few yards from them.
“We can’t be that far off,” says Jack, hopeful.
“We’re in 1923,” he says.
Rose sighs, then turns around to go into the TARDIS, almost praying that the TARDIS has some clothes in a color other than black.
Unfortunately, Rose’s options for clothes in the 1920s are limited. They’re not going to a party, so the bright, golden dresses are out. That leaves her with two options: a grey, tight-fitted dress that was a little too long for her and a knee-length black dress that fits like a glove. She glances at herself in the mirror, watching how the light of the TARDIS glints off the embroidered beads on the fabric. If she moves, the entire dress will sparkle. Rose thinks the dress looks too good to wear in a casual outing, but it is what it is. She’d much rather be overdressed than wear clothes that will not fit.
She fixes her stockings before stepping into the two-inch heels the TARDIS gave her, then she grabs a light coat from the rack. Apparently furs are all the rage at the moment, but she cannot make herself wear some of those coats. They look too fancy to walk the Cardiff streets during daytime. She’s checking herself out in the mirror when she sees Jack come to the door wearing a fine, yet casual, dark grey suit. He is fiddling with a hat in his hands when he sees Rose looking.
“You clean up well,” says Rose.
“That I do. You should’ve seen the Doctor’s face when he realized I’d go change clothes too. Someone has to distract the public from his leather jacket.”
“I like the jacket,” Rose hears as the Doctor walks in their direction. “What do you have against the jacket?”
“Yeah, Jack, what do you have against the jacket?” Rose eggs him on.
“I see how it is, huh. See if I take any of you two dancing now,” Jack says,
The Doctor turns to Jack with a panicked expression that Rose doesn’t have time to decipher before it’s gone.
“Dancing?” Rose asks, unable to keep the enthusiasm out of her voice.
“Remember New Vegas? You said you liked tango then. You’ll love it here.”
“Jack,” the Doctor says, a warning in his voice. By now, Rose knows the Doctor enough to know that tone. It’s the don’t invite trouble warning that became a staple of their adventures since Jack came on board the TARDIS.
“What? We have a few hours.” He puts on his hat and smooths the front of his jacket with his hands. “What’s the worst that could happen?”
After a moment, they burst out laughing knowing that, with their luck, the worst that could happen was capital letters BAD. Nothing they couldn’t handle though.
Rose walks around the picturesque Welsh capital, her shoes occasionally sinking into the moist path. Beside her, the Doctor and Jack walk in silence.
"And how did we come to be so lost, pray tell?" Rose asks, breaking the silence with a sing-song question.
The Doctor’s eyes narrow in thought. "Perhaps it was the fork in the road. I always seem to get those wrong."
Jack snorts, teasing him. "You're a Time Lord, Doctor. One would expect you to know your way around.”
“Come on, getting lost is part of the adventure!”
Rose rolls her eyes good-naturedly. "Yes, because nothing says 'adventure' like walking through the mud in the middle of nowhere."
As they reach the corner, the sound of music drifts through the air, accompanied by the distant hum of conversation and laughter. The Doctor's ears perk up and he quickens his pace, leaving Rose and Jack behind.
Rose's curiosity was piqued. "What's that?" she asks.
"Sounds like a party to me," Jack says, a mischievous glint in his eye.
As they walk, a speakeasy comes into view. The music grows louder, and Rose can see people dancing through the windows, their fine clothes a riot of color in the fading light.
The Doctor, Jack, and Rose exchange a look, and without a word, they make their way towards the party. They slip in unnoticed, blending in with the partygoers.
Rose can’t resist the infectious energy of the live music. She takes the Doctor's hand, and brings him to the dance floor where people immediately take notice of her. Jack follows at a short distance, charming his way through the crowd. The Doctor's long legs move awkwardly at first, but Rose's laughter and encouragement soon have him twirling her around to the rhythm of early jazz.
Eventually, Jack joins in, his moves smooth and practiced. He twirls Rose around, his hands guiding her through the intricate steps. The Doctor watches, grinning, as Rose's dress flows out around her, the beads and silk shimmering in the fading light.
As the music reaches its crescendo, Rose feels a sense of joy wash over her, her feet tapping out the rhythm with precision. The Doctor and Jack laugh, their eyes shining with the same joy, as they dance together to a new song.
When the dance ends, Rose grins up at the Doctor, who is beaming back at her. Jack claps them on the back, his eyes sparkling with amusement.
"Well, that was a good time," he said. "Now, shall we see if we can score some refreshments? I'm starving!"
The Doctor nods, and together the three of them make their way towards a quiet table in the back. They share a bottle of wine —at least Rose and Jack do— and talk about their plans for their next trip and Rose knows without a shred of a doubt that she cannot imagine a world where they no longer travel together. The three of them against the world.
As if sensing her gaze, the Doctor turns and catches her eye. He smiles, and Rose feels her heart skip a beat. Jack is speaking about the last time he got sentenced to death, which always makes Rose blush, and before he can get to the part where he talks about his executioners, she says, “I love you, you know?” She looks at the Doctor then, “both of you.”
Jack reaches out and takes her hand, his eyes locking onto hers. The Doctor, for his part, looks at them with a frown.
“But—”
“I just do,” Rose interrupts, before the Doctor can say something awkward about them.
She looks at Jack, and then at the Doctor, and she knows that she isn’t the only one who feels this way. The Doctor's eyes meet hers, and she sees a flicker of understanding there. The three of them sit there in silence for a moment, the only sound the hum of the speakeasy's jazz band in the background.
“Should we dance once again?” asks Jack.
“Let’s go back to the TARDIS,” the Doctor says.
Understanding dawns in Rose and she feels her stomach tighten in anticipation. “Yeah, let’s.”