Preface: This story is the result of a Valentine's Day conversation in the car with Mister Blue Stone Shining Wolf. I told him that since the Valentine's themed "The Game of Love Hearts" was my first published fic here, I wanted another Team Tardis Game Night story as a sort of one year anniversary piece, but that no game seemed worthy of writing about. He proceeded to come up with the competition, prize, and the basic contribution to the competition of each character. All I had left to do was set up the story and add in the details.

Because my first fic here was written in a spontaneous whim in one sitting and published immediately afterward without a beta, this fic is done in the same spirit. It is an unbeta'd two-chapter story with each chapter written in one sitting. (The next chapter to come shortly.)

While I did not publish this in time to officially be a Valentine's holiday fic or to be on my exact publishing anniversary date, I do find it fitting that this fic about love stories was thought up by the love of my life.

Storyline
Chapter 1: Valentine

"Let me see it!" Rose exclaimed, making a swipe for the oversized heart-shaped box of chocolates that Captain Jack Harkness was holding as they walked back to the Tardis. But since it took two hands to hold, she was unable to dislodge the item from the ex Time Agent's protective grip. "C'mon share!" she begged, but Jack shook his head.

"Y'really ought to share," the Doctor agreed. "But you can keep th' roses." The Doctor nodded to the twelve long-stemmed partially bloomed buds that were wrapped in a thirty-ninth century version of cellophane and tucked under Jack's right arm.

"Did you hear that, Rosie?" Jack said to the young blonde to his left. "To the victor go the spoils!" He flashed the same winning smile that ensured he rarely slept alone (except for when he was on the Tardis), offered his free elbow, and said, "Shall we?"

Rose laughed, but instead of taking his arm, she skipped a few paces ahead to the blue time machine, unlocked the door with the key that hung from a string around her neck, and ran up the ramp.

"Meant the flowers," grumbled the Doctor to Jack as they followed after her. "You can have the flowers."

Rose leaned against the console eyeing the pink and red heart-shaped container that was still firmly in Jack's grasp. "It's not just yours, Jack," she said. "The Queen of Hearts may have handed it to you, but we were all part of the rescue. It belongs to all of us"

"Actually, on planet Valentine, the reward for valor goes to the captain only," said the Doctor. "And since he was introduced to the Queen using his name and title, Jack is technically in his rights to keep it."

"Even though he is not our captain and it was my idea to blind the Ynahteb warriors with glitter from the festival cannons?" Rose challenged him.

"But it was my quick thinking that got all the civilian Valentenians out of the castle courtyard and into the catacombs to hide till they had the victory," said Jack. He crossed to the other side of the console and sat on the jump seat, placing the box of sweets next to him with the bouquet on top of it.

"Wouldn't be a victory without catching the mastermind behind it. Was me who found the beacon the Knave of Hearts was using to contact the Ynahteb warships," the Doctor reminded him.

"Only because I sussed out it was him that betrayed the throne," Rose reminded the Time Lord with a grin. Then she frowned and shook her head. "Who knew planets would go to war over tarts!"

"Seen worse," said the Doctor.

"Really?" Rose asked looking completely astonished.

The Doctor nodded. "Was a hundred-year civil war on the planet Faloblot over the color the of the football chosen for their World Cup game."

"I can actually believe that one," Rose said with a shake of her head. "And I have to admit," she added. "That the tarts on Valentine are extremely good. Too bad they won't share." Rose directed her gaze at Jack as she spoke the last sentence. Jack shook his head and moved his reward closer to his side.

"Still the wedding was romantic, wasn't it?" Rose said with a wistful smile. "A princess and a prince from neighboring kingdoms who meet by chance and fall in love! It's like Romeo and Juliet."

"No it isn't," the Doctor said.

"That's just 'cos you don't get romance," Rose said.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy, not a romance." He leaned against the railing that surrounded the console area and crossed his arms. "Even if you describe the neurological reaction of attraction of two young teens as love at first sight, their foundation of love is rebound for one and a desire not to enter an arranged marriage for the other. The point of the drama is to examine how the ongoing feuding of the families was futile and could cause catastrophic results—in this case, the deaths of two young people."

"Blimey," Rose said. "You take all the fun out of it. Remind me not to choose a rom-com for film night."

"Depends on the film," said the Doctor with a shrug. "Love a Nora Ephron film: When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail..."

"So it's just Shakespeare you dislike." Rose concluded.

"Shakespeare is fantastic," the Doctor said with the shake of his head. "But you have to respect the genres. Taming of the Shrew is brilliant and one of the first romantic comedies in the English language."

"In other words," said Jack, who had leaned back and put his feet up on the console. "In order to be a romance, it has to have a better ending."

"Sort of, yeah," said the Doctor with a nod.

"Okay, new idea," said Jack. He stood and picked up the chocolates and bouquet. "In honor of the planet Valentine's new royal couple, lets come up with a new ending for Romeo and Juliet. The one with the best ending wins the chocolates."

"And how are we going to choose who wins?" Rose asked. "We'll all just vote for our own."

"We will have to be honest with ourselves then." Jack smiled and made his way to the corridor. "Meet in the library in a half an hour with your idea."

Author's Notes: Like my other stories, I have used a song title as a story title. (And I actually used a song title for each chapter as well.) I found the lyrics to Hunter Hayes' "Storyline" to be quite fitting. So go check them out. There are several songs called Valentine