For lastgallifreyan

[great_smile]

Who: Captain Jack Harkness and The Doctor
When: End of DW S4 and TW S2
Where: Tardis
Summary: The Doctor tries to take Jack back to Cardiff.
Warnings: None yet.

Comments

[lastgallifreyan]

"What, already?" said the Doctor, automatically. How many times had he heard a companion say that? He'd heard it from Martha and Donna in more recent months, and from numerous others over the decades. He was an expert at brushing aside their concerns, carefully enticing them into taking another trip.

He opened his mouth to suggest a quick jaunt. Felspoon, perhaps, even if an inexorable image of Donna swam into his mind as the words formed on his lips. Maybe not Felspoon, then. Somewhere else. Anywhere else. As long as it was far away from here, as long as it was loud enough to drown out the aching guilt in his chest

[great_smile]

"Sure. Go for the summer months. This skin always looks better when it's tanned." He joined the Doctor, ready to press a button or help steer if it was required. Standing there, his fingers lovingly caressed the console. He didn't want to leave, but he did. It was very complicated. He knew how it felt, knowing that he'd be alone. He didn't want the Doctor to feel it too. He wished someday the Doctor would find someone to travel with. Someone just for him.

He leaned over and gently nudged the Doctor's shoulder with his. "Come to Torchwood for a little while. Consider it an adventure. I'll give you a tour," he murmured. He smiled at the Doctor. "You're always welcome there. Always.

If it wasn't for Ianto and Gwen, he'd let the Doctor entice him into many adventures. He had responsibilities. He belonged there. The Doctor knew that. He had to. He felt the TARDIS shaking around them. He would miss this. He would miss her.

"I feel like she might have forgiven me. She's not making me ride outside this time," he joked.

[lastgallifreyan]

The Doctor glanced sideways at Jack touched the console. It must be hard for the other man, finding himself shut out from somewhere he'd once considered a home of sorts...

Actually, that was a good point. Why hadn't she made any attempt to throw him off? The Doctor hadn't even felt any stirrings of annoyance in his mind, letting him know that the Captain wasn't welcome here, even if he had been invited.

Strange...

Too strange.

In fact, he wasn't entirely surprised when he flicked a switch to take them smoothly back to Cardiff, and found the ship jerking unexpectedly sideways instead. Staggering, the Doctor wedged a foot up on the console, using it to hold down a switch while he reached for a lever and his rubber hammers with his free hands.

"Here we go..."

[great_smile]

Jack smiled and stroked the TARDIS a little more. It wasn't so long ago that he stood here, white t-shirt and jeans, working on her with the love and care he always felt. It hurt so badly when she'd taken them to the end of everything. When he found out why she did it, it almost broke his heart. The TARDIS was a seperate entity. A person, just like the Doctor. It was different, but it wasn't either. To be let back inside again, after helping with the Daleks, it made him feel whole again.

The jerking threw him back against the wall. "What the...!"

His eyes widened and he barely had time to grab onto something to hold on. The ship seemed to rocket through time and space, as if on a mission of her own.

"Doctor?!"