Chapter Three

After an hour of sitting in a pub called The Green Pagoda—which was just down the street from where he had separated from the Doctor and Rose—Jack Harkness was getting bored. In that time he'd had three sakes, and although the warmed rice wine was stronger than he remembered sake being, three were far less than he would have to drink in order to get drunk. Which was a good thing—he'd have to keep his head if there was going to be a riot.

He'd also spent the time flirting, first with the bartender and then with three others, one for each sake he'd had. The bartender was of a species he didn't recognize—green with cactus-like needles covering his body—but he seemed receptive, and in Jack's opinion the needles just made him more interesting.

He ordered another drink, a whiskey this time, and the glass the bartender placed in front of him was filled with a steaming liquid that glowed a brilliant chartreuse. Inwardly shrugging—he was always up for something new—Jack took a sip. It was sharp, more than slightly dry, with a bitter aftertaste reminiscent of burnt walnuts that burned both his sinuses and the back of his throat. It wasn't as bad as some of the drinks he'd had in the past, and it was thankfully stronger than the sake, so he took a long swallow.

Followed by a huge gulp of water from a glass the bartender passed to him.

"Not bad," he said after he had recovered somewhat. The bartender winked at him.

As he took another swallow of the water, a beautiful young woman sat down next to him. She was clad in a scarlet kimono hand-embroidered in a complex pattern of soaring white cranes and golden starburst flowers. Her long black hair was swept up into an ancient style and held in place with chopsticks the same color as her robe. Jack glanced at her, and she smiled shyly at him.

Encouraged, he turned to face her. He flashed her a wide grin.

"Hi, I'm Jack Harkness," he said. "Can I buy you a drink? By the way, I love your kimono…"

~oOo~

The Doctor and Rose sat on pillows at a low table, eating what passed for traditional Japanese fare in New Tokyo.

"Now this looks like rice," he said, pointing at the contents of a bowl with his chopsticks, "but it's not the kind of rice you'd ever have gotten on your planet. It's actually closer to triticale, which is a hybrid of wheat and rye. And the sashimi comes from an aquatic creature native to this planet."

Rose used her chopsticks to lift a piece of the sashimi to her mouth. She nodded approvingly at the taste.

"Not bad," she said.

The Doctor smiled at her proudly. So many of his previous companions would have turned up their noses at unfamiliar foods, but not Rose. She was always up for anything he suggested, whether it was exploring a new planet, trying new foods, or investigating trouble. Clever, compassionate and completely fantastic, that was his Rose.

Oops. Where did that thought come from? She was his best friend, but she wasn't his. Not like that. And why was he thinking of her that way? That was a line he did not cross. Nope, no way, no how, no matter how beautiful she was. And she was very beautiful, especially with her hair like that, hanging down around her shoulders….

Oops again. He picked up his drink and took a sip to break his train of thought. As they were having a traditional Japanese meal, he had ordered sake, but for some reason he hadn't noticed how strong it was until now.

Rose lifted her tiny cup to her lips and took a sip. "This is really good," she said.

"Best be careful with that," he warned her. "It's stronger than I thought it would be."

She rolled her eyes. "Shareen and I used to drink tons of stuff a lot stronger than this," she said. "Besides, it's not like I've had all that much. I'm fine."

He lifted an eyebrow. "If you say so."

~oOo~

Jack glanced at the clock behind the bar. 17:00. The riot had to be starting soon. And as much as the Doctor had said he wanted to find out what had caused it, neither of them wanted Rose to get caught in the middle of it. It was time to find them. After an apology to his companion, he downed the rest of his drink and headed out the door.

~oOo~

The Doctor paid the bill, and they made their way out to the street. Rose seemed a bit unsteady on her feet so he wrapped an arm around her, not noticing the stares the two of them were receiving.

"Let's get you back to the TARDIS," he said to her. "You seem to be having trouble walking."

"'S just because my leg fell asleep while we were sitting on the floor," she told him. She shook it a little to try to get the circulation back in it. From the look he was giving her, she could tell he didn't believe her.

"If you say so," he said.

"I do say so. Besides, what about investigating the riot?" she asked.

"We'll let Jack do that," he told her.

Rose snorted. "Hard to investigate a riot when you're busy causing it." As he laughed, she grinned at him.

Her smile faded as she stared at him thoughtfully. He had been kidding earlier, but his jumper really did bring out the color of his eyes.

"Y'know, Doctor, you have the most beautiful eyes," she told him.

He raised his eyebrows at her comment. "That's the sake talking."

"Nope," she answered. "I've always thought that. They are the most incredible shade of blue. And you have a wonderful voice, too."

"Even though I sound like I'm from the North?" he asked in amusement.

"Even though you sound like you're from the North." Her eyes drifted to his mouth. "And you have the most beautiful lips."

"Rose," he said warningly.

"You do, you know. In fact, you're absolutely gorgeous, and the best part is you're not a bit conceited. In fact, you don't even realize how gorgeous you are."

"Now I know you're drunk, and we need to get your eyes checked on top of it."

Rose shook her head. "I'm not drunk. And my eyes are fine. You shouldn't put yourself down like that. I think you are… absolutely fantastic."

He stared at her. They were in dangerous territory, territory they had been dancing around ever since they had danced in the TARDIS console room. And now that she had brought it out in the open between them, he wasn't exactly sure what to do about it. Oh, he knew what he should do….

She took a step closer to him.

"Rose," he said again. This time it came out as a plea, but he wasn't sure if it was for her to stop or to continue.

"I want you to remember something," she said. "I am not drunk. I am doing something I've wanted to do for a long time—the sake just made me brave enough to do it." She stared into his eyes as she took another step closer to him. She grabbed the lapels of his leather jacket to steady herself, stood on her tiptoes and kissed him lightly on the lips.

"Rose Tyler," he said, staring at her as if she were a puzzle he couldn't quite figure out. He took a deep breath and let it out in a rush. "Oh, hell," he said.

Before he could stop himself, he pulled her into his arms, bent his head to hers and kissed her back, both of them unaware a crowd was gathering around them.

~oOo~

From the other end of the street, Jack saw the crowd gathering.

"Looks like it's starting," he said to himself. "Wonder what's causing it." Knowing that that was the direction the Doctor and Rose had headed, he took off at a jog to try to find them.

As he neared the crowd, he started calling them.

"Doctor! Rose!" he yelled.

~oOo~

The Doctor and Rose broke apart, startled to find themselves surrounded by people applauding. They blinked at the flashes made by the dozens of cameras pointed at them.

Jack's voice cut through the crowd. "Doctor! Rose!"

"Jack, we're over here," the Doctor called back.

Jack pushed his way through the crowd to find that Rose was in the Doctor's arms. He grinned.

"I'm not even gonna ask," he said, chuckling. "But I think we need to get going." He pointed to a camera on the corner of a nearby building. It was pointed in their direction. "CCTV."

The Doctor groaned. "That means the authorities are gonna be here any minute now."

"What?" Rose asked. "What's going on? And why are all those people taking pictures of us?"

"Remember when we were talking about the government having very strict codes of conduct?" Jack asked. Rose nodded. "Well, that means no public displays of affection." He chuckled. "If we don't get out of here right now, the two of you are going to get arrested."

"What!" Rose cried in astonishment. She began to giggle.

"C'mon," the Doctor said gruffly. He grabbed Rose's hand and pulled her through the crowd, some of whom had begun to display their own affection for each other.

By now the crowd had grown so large that the way back to the TARDIS was blocked. Police sirens wailed in the distance. The Doctor swore under his breath.

"We've got to get outa here," he said. Rose tugged on his jacket.

"Doctor, we've lost Jack," she said urgently.

"Jack can take care of himself. Besides, they're not looking for him, they're looking for us." He scanned the area, looking for a way to escape. "Okay, I think I spotted something." He pushed through the crowd again and pulled her into a narrow alleyway between two tall buildings.

"I don't think anyone noticed us coming in here," he told her. "We should be safe for the moment. Too bad this alley's blocked off at the other end. We're gonna have to wait for the crowds to die down before we can get out of here and go back to the TARDIS." He leaned against the side of the building and looked at her. She was trying—unsuccessfully—not to laugh. "What?"

"You know what this means, don't you?" she asked. "It means that Jack didn't cause the riot at all. We did."

The Doctor chuckled. "That we did," he said, grinning. "And as long as they already want to arrest us…." He jerked his head at her. "C'mere."

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her again, this time slowly and deeply.

"Well, look at the two of you," Jack said from the entrance to the alley, and they broke apart, the Doctor looking mildly sheepish, Rose with a pleased-as-punch look on her face. Jack shook his head. "Doctor, when you finally decide to snog her, you pick the most repressed planet in the quadrant to do it and manage to start a riot in the process to boot." He grinned. "I'm so proud of you."

Rose burst out laughing. The Doctor rolled his eyes.

"You forgot where you were, didn't you?" Jack asked, raising his eyebrows and smirking. The Doctor's mouth twisted in an effort not to grin.

"How does it look out there?" he asked.

Jack laughed. "Seems the reports of a riot were a bit exaggerated," he said as he walked towards them. "Feels more like a block party. The street is jam-packed with people. Someone started piping music into the street from somewhere, and a whole bunch of people started dancing. One of the local restaurants is even selling food out there. The cops are out there looking for you two, though."

"I've got to get Rose out of here and back to the TARDIS," the Doctor told him. "I really don't want to have her get arrested again. We're going to need you to create a diversion."

"Well, all right," Jack said. "But you're gonna have to carry them back to the TARDIS."

"Carry what back?" the Doctor asked.

Jack threw his coat at him, hitting him square in the chest. Jack then toed off his boots, pulled his braces off over his shoulders and started unbuttoning his shirt.

"What are you doing?" the Doctor demanded.

"You said to create a diversion," he replied with a cheeky grin.

Rose laughed as Jack tossed the Doctor his shirt and vest. As he started to unbutton his trousers, she vaguely wondered what type of pants he wore under them.

Oh.

The answer was none.

"I'll meet you back at the TARDIS," he told them. "But if I'm not back by morning, you may need to bail me out of jail." He tossed his trousers to the Doctor, who neatly caught them. "No rush. I figure the two of you could use a little time alone. Besides, one of the cops out there is kinda cute." He crossed back to the entrance of the alley. "Rose, be gentle with him." He winked at her, and she grinned back. "Have fun, you two."

After he ran back out of the alley, the sounds of shrieks, laughter, applause, catcalls and wolf whistles filtered in from the street.

Rose turned to the Doctor as he wrapped Jack's clothes and boots into a tidy bundle.

"Y'know," she said, "I never used to believe half the stories he told. Now I think I do."

"The diversion he created isn't gonna distract them for long," the Doctor said. He tucked the bundle of Jack's clothes under his left arm. "We've gotta take advantage of it while we can." He took her left hand in his right and gave her a manic grin.

"Run!"