Dropping in

[exileineternity]

One late december night, there was a groaning and wheezing in the Torchwood hub and a blue box appeared near the entrance. It sat there silently humming in the dim light, while it's occupant dashed about the mushroom shaped console in an attempt to start its refuelling sequence

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[great_smile]

Another lonely night in the world of Jack Harkness. With Tosh and Owen gone, he felt more and more alone, not like he’d ever tell his team that. It was Christmas Eve. And, for once, there was no danger in the United Kingdom. No aliens were flying overhead. No Daleks were trying to take over. It was an odd feeling. He almost missed the adventure, almost. Not like he’d ever gotten involved. He couldn’t. Timelines and spoilers. In the past, all he could do was sit back and watch the news, waiting for the Doctor to save the day like he had in the past

[exileineternity]

The Doctor rubbed his chin. The refueling was running smoothly, and the TARDIS seemed to be stable with the influx of energy.

Without much though, he quickly dropped down beneath the mushroom shaped console and started to remove grates to have a look at the neuro-feeds connected to the TARDIS's central data crystal. Thankfully, she was holding together, but it didn't hurt to work an adjustment or two. He has time after all.

[great_smile]

Jack was running. The breeze of the bay was whipping through his hair as he was running along the plass. Fuck, he had to hurry. Did the Doctor really have to park on the lift and block him? Well, yeah, he did. If he wanted to refuel. Which meant he had to come up, out of the tourist door, and run. And that wasn't easy. His arms were pumping beside him. He couldn't lose the Doctor again. The man would never come see the Hub. He knew that now. No matter what happened. Domestics.

He ran up to the TARDIS and stood in front of it, panting. He couldn't breathe. For all the sex he had, sometimes he felt like he was really out of shape. Reaching under his shirt, he pulled out the small chain, holding the key he never lost. He wore it, always, close to his heart. Well, the TARDIS hadn't left him yet. He could still see it. This was a good sign.

Slowly, he unlocked the door and stepped inside.

"Doctor?"

[exileineternity]

The door openings and Jack's voice caused the Doctor to peek up from the bowels of the TARDIS. At first he didn't know what the say, but then decided it was best to force his concerns away. It was good to see Jack after all, he did miss him dearly. "Why Jack, good to see you!" He waved his hand at a large trunk out of reach near one of the organic looking gold roundel pitted walls. "Could you get me a sonic cuplink? It seems I started a project without the proper preparation."

As he spoke he fished his sonic screw driver out of his jacket pocket, and squirmed on to his belly and deeper into the hole in the floor, arse up.

[great_smile]

Jack enjoyed the moment with the Doctor. It was a moment of closeness that never had seemed to come before. The best way to describe it would probably be that he loved the Doctor the way Ianto loved him. Oh he saw it, and he loved Ianto back. He also loved Gwen. And Owen and Tosh, bless them. They weren't the Doctor, though, and they never would be. They didn't live forever. They didn't know what it was like to lose people, not like he did. Not like the Doctor did. There was just something that the Doctor had that nobody else would ever match. And nobody understood that, but him

[exileineternity]

"Fuel..." The Doctor admitted as he eased back next to Jack. The hand holding was kind of comforting. "But... If I didn't want to see you, I would have paid better attention you know. I thought perhaps we could talk, but I'm not one to talk you know. Better at listening. But I realized something not long ago, and you seem to have hit the nail on the head."

He admitted his feelings to Jackson Lake, it was hard to admit them to close friends, but he knew, at least a part of him knew, Jack would understand. After all he did leave Jack behind and of all of companions Jack was the one who deserved to see that side of him. "I can stay for a while. If you'd like... Perhaps give a little advice, until you get the hub back on it's feet."

[great_smile]

"I'd like that." He smiled warmly at the Doctor. "The Hub needs a bit of repair work. That futuristic touch that only you and I have. I bit of getting work done, a little getting down and dirty." He smirked at the Doctor. "You want to get dirty with me?"

Ah, the innuendo never stopped. "Seriously. I... I'm glad you're here."

[exileineternity]

"Well, I'm not sure if interior decoration is in my resume, but I c an certainly help with some things. Though technically I can't break any rules..." He trailed and blushed at the getting down dirty line. "Do you ever stop?" he asked with affection in his voice. "Perhaps innuendo-rehab?"

Truth was, he'd be disappointed if Jack stopped the innuendos, it kept him on his toes.

[great_smile]

Jack smiled and he reached up, bracing his palm over the other man's hand on his arm. He shook his head, but said nothing more about it. "It's just us today. Long story, but nobody is at the Hub. Gwen went with her husband to his parents for some anniversary thing and Ianto went to visit with his family. They'll be back tomorrow. In theory. If something truly dire happens, I'll call." He winked at the Doctor, looking a bit sly. "I think they hope something does happen and they want me to call them regardless, to save them from normality. A little normal does them good." And he liked having the Doctor all to himself. Another fact he'd never admit aloud

Sorry for taking so long. Personal family crap again.

[exileineternity]

The Doctor looked around the office. "Brilliant cover." He looked around the office a child like grin on his face.

Sorry for taking so long. Personal family crap again.

[exileineternity]

The Doctor looked around the office. "Brilliant cover." He looked around the office a child like grin on his face.

He beamed even more at the stone rolling back and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Why Jack, you've out done your self! Very, very, very, secret is a very secret sort of way. Reminds me of unwrapping a chocolate..." He paused, not sure exactly where he was going with it. "Well you know what I mean? So we have the place to ourselves? No need to worry about calling them, I'm here, if you need help we can take care of any problems! Your staff can have a holiday!"

[great_smile]

"You haven't seen the half of it, yet." He winked at the Doctor. "If you're impressed with a tourist shop, just wait."

Jack led him through the stone tunnel. Pressing a button on the wall, the lift door opened and they stepped inside. It was a quick, quiet ride down in the lift. The cog door opened and they stepped inside the 'real' Hub. And then the Doctor saw it. And he saw it all.

The computers beeped quietly in the background. Above them, the pterodactyl flew overhead, screeching softly. The water fell down the water fall and lapped into the small pool at the bottom. It was just the two of them there.

"Welcome to Torchwood."

[exileineternity]

The Rift machine was indeed, one of the most amazing pieces of machinery he had ever scene. Well, perhaps his people would have come up with something more glitzy, but this was a awe inspiring hodgepodge of bits and different technology or varying advancement strewn together in one brilliant piece of mismatched high tech jiggery pokery.

It made him more than just a little giddy and the Doctor couldn't help but poke his head into the wires and clockwork gears and advance microchip machinery of the rift machine and inspect the array of advance computer displays at Tosh's station. He pulled on his glasses and whistled. "Fantastic! Why this is a magnificient piece of jiggery pokery. Brilliant, absolutely brilliant. You're Tosh had a an advance understanding of sub-temporaltransindimentionalism! Very, very before her time!"

[great_smile]

Jack stood back and let the Doctor become enraptured with the Rift Manipulator. Just as long as the Doctor didn’t touch something. And he was pretty sure the Doctor wasn’t that stupid. He, of all people, who had told Jackie Tyler she could stand in the TARDIS, as long as she didn’t touch anything? No, he trusted the Doctor very much. The would wager that the Doctor could probably put his nose right up to something and still have enough room that he wasn’t actually touching it. Plus, Jack would always agree. It’s better to get yourself right in the middle of things when you want to learn something.

He smiled. “Yes. Well… Tosh was very bright. I stole her from UNIT. And it ran in her family a bit. She was a brilliant mind. A genius at its finest. This was all made from her and things found around here. Well, mostly here. Space junk, flotsam and jetsam that flies through the Rift.”

Jack raised an eyebrow. “You going to keep your head stuck in there for long or did you want to actually do something?”

[exileineternity]

"You stole her from UNIT? Well good for you, UNIT, some brilliant people there, bit found of guns, but brilliant..." He thought of Martha and grinned.

He rubbed the back of his head as he pulled himself from the computer station. "Well, yes, I do get a bit carried away. Do something? Brilliant idea. I am a do something kind of fellow. So, what can we do? I do like doing things...."

[great_smile]

Jack smirked. "Well, I borrowed her. She keeps saying that this is all temporary. You know? That she'll be going back. And yet, she hasn't." He reached up and tugged a bit on his braces. "She likes it here too much. I'm sure she'll stay. Or a man can hope." He winked at the Doctor. "I have a way with Martha."

Jack reached out and gently touched the Doctor's shoulder. "Let's go on an adventure. You have a time machine, after all. Should be able to return to the same time we left from. A bit of exploring might do us both some good."