A/N: Thank you to all who read the last chapter! I'm so happy you're still interested in Jessica and the Doctor's (and Rose's) journey! I love reviews, so please, let me hear your thoughts! I haven't done an original adventure to this extent ever so it's kind of an experiment. Love you all!

BAZAAR OF DREAMS

PART THREE

"Feeling better?" I winced in sympathy at the pale, sour expression on Rose's face.

Never thought I'd be happy the Manipulator braced me for that nausea.

Rose collapsed on the luxurious couch with a huff. "Boy, do I miss the TARDIS. Might be a rough ride, but it doesn't yank your intestines out and rearrange them." She fingered the edge of her shirt, a distant look on her face.

"At least they were on our…ow!" I winced as I received my own favored form of punishment.

"That was the stupidest thing you've done!" Rose cried, trying to be mad and understanding at the same time. "What were you thinking? He could've taken you anywhere…any when and we wouldn't be able to find you!"

I blushed, massaging my head. "At least we have his name. You and the Doctor make a great team, so you'd find me sooner or later."

Even the thought of being with him waiting for the Doctor mad me uncomfortable. Would I have been able to endure that?

"Hold on. You weren't believing those lies coming out of his mouth. Were you?" Rose leaned forward and placed a hand on my knee. "Cause information like that, if it was real, the Doctor would've known already, right? He would've said something before now."

Oh, how I wished she was right. I couldn't ignore the sinking feeling that ate away at my confidence, however. "Maybe, but…."

A beaded door hanging parted with a faint clatter. Wearing heavy crimson robes, a woman not much older than myself entered and perched on a nearby chair. The hood covered most of her face with shadow, but I could make out some facial tattoos or markings that accentuated her eyes. "I apologize about the rough transportation. My friends didn't have time to manage a more stable transport. You're safe now, though, until that pitiful excuse of a Time Agent manages to catch up. He's persistent, I'll give him that." She smiled, running her hands over the rich embroidery of the robe.

Everything about the tent, for that matter, contained hues of red and gold and black and layer upon layer of embroidery that would put my Mom's work to shame. Whoever the woman was, she no doubt had either extreme funding or was richer than anyone on Earth.

"Right. Thanks for the rescue." Rose scowled even as she perched on the edge of the seat. "Who are you, again? Cause I know we haven't met yet, but you seem to know who we are. Is this a reverse time thing?"

The woman smiled. "I'm no one you need to know about right now, Rose Tyler. Sometimes you'll just have to live with not being able to know all the answers. At the moment, you need to reach the Doctor through the defenses the Time Agent set in place." A fist-sized rock appeared in her hands.

From the look on her face, though, it was the complete opposite of a rock.

"You expect us to trust you just like that?" Rose snorted, nervous laughter bubbling out of her. "I don't know about you, but we've only just met."

"If all goes well, we won't need to meet again for a long while."

I inhaled slowly, the scents like incense easing through my senses. She'd said nothing of the two of us meeting again, so I had the sneaking suspicion that we would. "Rose, my friend said to trust the Angels. I trust my friend." I straightened from the slouch I'd gotten into and turned my full attention to the woman. "What do you need us to do?"

"Jessie!"

"Look, I'm not letting that creep catch up to us and haul me away, no matter what I said back there and not with our head start." I pulled my temper back. Softened my tone and face even though a storm had begun to rage inside me. "If it makes you feel better, I haven't felt anything wrong with her."

In truth, the woman radiated little to no emotion at all. Her control of her emotions and mind had to be way better than mine.

Rose searched my eyes, glancing from me to the woman and back. Without the Doctor, things were so much more complicated for her. I couldn't blame her for her indecision.

Finally, she sighed and threw up her hands. "Okay. How do we get hold of the Doctor?"

The woman smirked and extended the object. "Empathy connects everybody. We all posess some form or we wouldn't be able to connect with others. Jessica is an exception in that she can actively detect and affect others' emotions. This can reach out across time and space using your thoughts and emotions of a single person. In this case, the Doctor."

"How…how will emotions help?" Rose looked a little spooked, but she wasn't backing down now.

"Use your memories and knowledge of him. Your feelings towards him and how you know him can boost the link. Enough for him to follow it through the Time Agent's defenses."

Crap. I knew almost too much about him. Probably more than Rose, but acknowledging that would make her hate or resent me for sure. Though I doubted it would work, I knew I had to let Rose go first.

I gave her an encouraging nudge. "Well, you've been with him longer than I have, so…."

"I'm not the empath," Rose tried to return the favor, realization and nerves at something so foreign making her hesitate.

I sighed. Touched her arm. "Rose, I've seen how you look at him. You've had moments I won't ever have with him. That's a special link I haven't formed yet." My shy smile felt a little forced, but I hoped it looked convincing. "Go on. Give it a shot."

Rose paused, a little blush giving a red tinge to her pale face. She grinned. "Okay. Just tell me what to do."

A familiar mind rushed over mine as the woman talked quietly with Rose. One I'd know anywhere.

Jessica.

So faint. Just a whiff of thought, then it vanished, but it was enough to give me hope.

The Doctor. He tried to reach me. We had a chance at breaking through.

"You need not speak while you're reaching for him," the woman murmured. "This is a personal link. One you needn't share with others unless you want to."

Rose cupped the device in her hands, eyes squeezed shut. Slowly the thing began to glow a dull green. Pulsating like a heart.

I sat quietly as the minutes dragged on. Did it work? For the sake of our friendship, I hoped it would.

Out of the blue, Rose made a frustrated and angry noise. She jerked upright, her irritation coloring her emotions with a sour tinge. "I…I thought I saw the inside of the TARDIS, then…then I lost it. Can I try again?"

The woman shook her head, apology thinning her lips. "Give yourself time, Rose. This is not something your brain is used to."

Rose made a face, but the faint lines of exhaustion at the corners of her eyes gave away how draining it had been for her. "I guess it's your turn, Jessie. Hope you get luckier than I did."

When my skin touched those contours, I could feel the device waiting for me. Like an extended hand. The room began fading away at once.

Okay. The Doctor.

I poured every memory I had of him into that opened hand: the Doctor finding me in the bathroom and fixing me; Downing Street; the gentleness and concern in him as he tried to get me off of those pills; the nightmares that haunted him every night; the look he gave me when I played the musical device in Statten's office; him opening up to me about Magpie. Every memory I had, yet it seemed that more was needed.

Swallowing my nerves, I opened up every feeling I had for him. How I felt when our skin touched; exchanging those genuine smiles that only happened between us when we were alone; all those feelings that raged through me when I eased his nightmares; how I'd protect him with everything I had, even from himself; other, more intense emotions I couldn't put words to.

Feeling that shining bond between us that glowed like a trillion suns.

With a satisfied rush, I no longer saw or felt the room around me, but the TARDIS console room. Faint, like a ghostly dream, but it was her. I spun around, feeling a wave of shock and hope from behind.

The Doctor stared at me, dumbstruck and wordless.

A sheepish grin flashed over my face. I raised a hand in a weak wave. I had no idea what to say.

He reached towards me. From very far away, I could just make out his voice. "How?"

My mind felt drawn to him. I reached out with my own hand. "Find me." The words fell soundlessly from my lips.

The Doctor swallowed, hard. He nodded. "I will."

Our hands touched.

The link between our minds burst wide open. A blazing connection that sent us both flying.

Before our minds broke apart again, his voice came through as clear as if he stood right behind me.

I'm coming for you, Jessica. I can't loose you.

"Jessie!"

Hands on my shoulders yanked me back to reality. My knees were right in front of my nose. I would've fallen to the floor if Rose hadn't caught me.

"Jessie, are you all right?" Rose held me tight, a comforting warmth.

I grinned, though my brain still felt a bit sluggish. "I think it worked."

"You saw him?" As kind as she acted, Rose couldn't hide her smidgen of jealousy from me.

"Did you touch?" The woman's intense gaze made me nod at once. "Oh, good. That should've left a trail for the TARDIS to follow." She sank back into her chair with relief….

….and a Weeping Angel lounged next to her, arm draped over her shoulders.

I didn't jump or yelp like Rose, at least. Still, I managed to avoid looking at it…him for too long. It seemed the least I could do since he showed himself. Still made me nervous, but being stone when someone looked at you couldn't be easy.

Surprise and gratitude nudged at my senses. Kind of a wordless "thank you."

"…but why could you see him and I couldn't?" The hurt grew the longer Rose went without answers. That vicious circle I tried to keep her out of.

I could feel the wire I tread on. "Rose, I'm an empath. Connecting with people is second nature. I can't help it. Believe me, sometimes I wish I could be blind to everyone's secret feelings and just have to guess like everyone else in the universe."

I inwardly knew the Doctor and I had that link—though I had no idea how or why that happened—but nothing else. At least, I didn't think so.

Rose's self-destructive circle of bitterness, inadequacy and other sour emotions slowed to a crawl. A thoughtful scowl replaced an accusing one. "Don't you have an off switch? I mean, how can you get mad at someone who deserves it when you can feel their emotions all the time?"

"Well, I can block out others' emotions once in a while, but not completely. That would be like you loosing your eyesight." I reached up and fingered the TARDIS key where it lay under my shirt. "Sorry. It's…just how I am. Once in a while, it would be nice to have things less complicated."

"Huh. Never thought of that. Sorry. I'd think it would make life easier. For me, anyway." A sheepish grin brightened her demeanor considerably. "That way I'd stop making an idiot out of myself."

"Pardon the interruption, but that very persistent Time Agent is closing in on this place." The woman, alone now, stood with a calm that seemed to come from experience of a woman that lived for centuries, not just a couple decades. "My friends will slow him down as long as they can, but your best chance will be to hide in the bazar."

"The what?"

"In your century's language it's called the Bazaar of Dreams. Dangerous for you, however you'll be taken to a more…stable area. This whole planet is the largest bazar across the five galaxies. Many dangerous things can end up here." A wistful smile made her look so much older. "You've given the Doctor a way in. Keep the Time Agent busy chasing you and he'll be too distracted to keep the Time Lord away."

The Time Agent. Had he been telling the truth? Did I belong to his…Time Agent thing? Or was he conning me?

The woman placed a hand on my arm, making me jump. "Don't let what he says worry you for now, Jessica Gale. Yes, you're special and have many adventures waiting for you. It doesn't change you." Her eyes had taken on a weird golden shimmer. "Talk to him. Perhaps it is time you looked into your past some more."

"Time can shove itself in a place where the sun don't shine," I grumbled. Self-pity that I tried to keep contained slithered about inside my chest. "Why can't I just stay in the background? It's better that way."

The woman smiled. "Perhaps, and that is usually the fate of an Empath. You run with the Doctor and the Bad Wolf. It is inevitable that you forge your own path. Good luck, Little Bird."

Every inch of me became covered with layers on layers of goosebumps. "Wait I don't know what you…."

A hand appeared on my shoulder.

"Damn teleporting sons of…."

We got whisked away before I could let loose.