Disclaimer: The Doctor and Jack Harkness belong to the BBC. I am merely playing with them :)
Thanks to the-writer1988 for the beta. All remaining mistakes are mine.
A Social Visit
The Rift manipulator at the Torchwood Hub was beeping loudly and the whole team was waiting for orders. Tosh was pressing buttons on her computer to get a location while Jack rushed toward her, his eyes narrowed in concentration.
"Okay, let's get to work. Owen, Suzie, I want you to go out and find whatever caused this Rift spike. Tosh, please keep an eye on the energy and give them a call if anything changes." The Captain was in his element and took care of the current situation swiftly. However, for once he was sure that his presence wasn't needed out there.
He looked wearily toward his office, knowing that he had to do some paperwork. This was the one part of his job as leader of Torchwood Three that he really disliked. With a sigh he walked over and sat down at his desk. Even while shuffling around the papers, he was still listening closely to what was happening outside. He was always ready to step in when needed.
Suddenly, he heard Tosh crying out with surprise. "Jack, you need to see this."
He was behind her in an instant and at spotting the blue police box standing prominently on their invisible lift, he inhaled sharply. Well, he had to admit, the Doctor knew how to make an entrance and it was just like him to use the existing perception filter to hide his TARDIS from too observant eyes.
"What is this?" Tosh said nervously, pushing buttons on her computer to examine the box. "I can't get any readings. It shouldn't even be there!"
He placed his hand over hers and shook his head. "Just leave it. He's a friend of mine and I am sure that you won't be able to hack into his security systems." He saw the ambitious shimmer in Tosh's eyes at his words and chuckled. "Do me a favor, Tosh. Just let it go for once."
She gave him a pout. "I am sure I would be able to hack it though," she replied.
"Well, there's no need. As I said, he is my friend and there is no threat in his presence here." Jack grabbed his coat and walked toward the entrance. "Keep me posted if Suzie and Owen need my help, will you?" he said.
Tosh looked after him with bewilderment. "What are you going to do?"
Jack turned around and smiled broadly. "Oh, I think we're going for a walk. I am sure that he wants to talk to me alone."
The Doctor looked at the TARDIS screen to check his environment and a smile crossed his face at seeing the man in the military coat leaning against the railing across from his ship.
Rose and Mickey had been exhausted and he knew that both of them would sleep for at least six hours. The TARDIS would take care of them, in case one of them would awake. He didn't want them to know what he was doing.
What was he doing anyway? He honestly didn't know why he had brought the TARDIS here. After having read Reinette's letter, he had just pulled the lever without questioning his motives. Well, he couldn't turn back now.
He walked out of the TARDIS, his hands hidden in the pockets of his suit and the brilliant smile in Jack's face at seeing him gave him a warm feeling. He didn't know why he was here, but his old friend was certainly happy about his visit.
"Doctor," the Captain greeted him, not hiding his surprise about the Time Lord's presence. "I didn't expect to see you again so soon."
"Jack, it's good to see you. How long has it been exactly?" The Doctor asked and decided that if he was to come here more often, they had to talk about some rules. Wait a moment? Did he really just think about visiting regularly? He shook his head, wondering what was wrong with him.
"Three days," Jack answered. Then he reached out with his hand but instantly took it back when he saw the Doctor flinch slightly. He turned toward the bay and said in a neutral tone, "I suggest we take a walk. Tosh is downstairs and I assume you're not here to meet my team."
The Doctor couldn't help but smile gratefully and somehow he had an idea now why he had come here. He needed a familiar face to talk to, someone who wouldn't ask any questions he wasn't ready to answer ΜΆ someone like Jack, who always had accepted him for what he was.
Silently they walked toward the landing stage and the Doctor took in the salty air, loving the sense of the afternoon sun warming his back. Jack seemed to feel that he wasn't ready to talk yet and didn't push. Relieved, the Doctor began to relax gradually.
When they arrived at a bench which was placed directly by the water, the Time Lord placed his hand on Jack's arm. He wanted to make an effort and show Jack that he had noticed his hurtful gaze when he had flinched away from him earlier. He took in the uncomfortable feeling that was still there but somehow muffled by the knowledge that this was the Captain, his old friend. Weird as it was, the Doctor had to admit, that while his instincts told him to get away, he also began to appreciate this sensation as something unique to Jack.
The happy smile he received for not ending the contact right away was filling him with joy. Then he nodded toward the bench. "Let's sit down a bit," he said and Jack followed him.
Once again silence fell between them and only after a long while the Captain finally spoke up. "So, what brings you here?" he asked.
The Doctor heaved a deep sigh. "Honestly? I don't even know. It just seemed the right thing to do."
Jack frowned and took in the Doctor's thoughtful expression. He knew that something must have happened. For the Doctor to visit him without the threat of an alien invasion was not only unusual but outright impossible.
"Well, we can just sit here and watch the sun going down if this is what you want, Doctor," Jack said with an encouraging smile. "Or you could at least tell me what you've been up to since we last met."
"I snogged Madame de Pompadour," the Doctor blurted out, his tone betraying that there was much more to the story than this.
Jack laughed. "Did you? Well, hello Casanova! You seem to be quite the heart-breaker." He gave the Time Lord a wink, his eyes shimmering with mischief.
The Doctor raised his eyebrows and Jack had to chuckle at the reaction. He should have known that his friend wouldn't catch the joke. "Casanova? Nice man that. His reputation doesn't do him justice though. No, I wouldn't really compare him with me," the Time Lord said, his voice serious.
Jack rolled his eyes. "I really should have known that you know more about his story than any of us. But honestly, Doctor, Madame de Pompadour? That's quite an achievement. Even I would feel honored if she paid me any attention at all."
"She was an exceptional woman with a brilliant mind," the Time Lord replied and his gaze became distant.
"What happened?" Jack asked, his voice softening at seeing the sadness in the Doctor's eyes.
The Time Lord inhaled sharply. "Let's just say someone was out there to kill her. I saved her, risking being stuck in 18th century France in the process. But she returned the favor and showed me a way back. I told her to pack her things and choose a star because she wanted to see the universe. When I went to fetch her, she was already dead."
Jack narrowed his eyes at hearing the flat tone. Then he shook his head. "That's not what I meant. Tell me what really happened."
The Doctor looked at him, surprise written all over his face. Then he nodded, apparently accepting the fact that Jack was able to see things other people didn't grasp. "She was in my mind," he said, his voice laced with sadness. At seeing the Captain's questioning glance he began to elaborate, "I know that you've often wondered why I didn't take another step in my relationship with Rose. Well, it's only natural for me to keep my human companions at arm's length. Even if I felt such an emotion as love or attraction, it would never work. Time Lords need more than a physical connection to have a relationship. We need to have a telepathic bond with someone to really connect."
His gaze shifted toward the ocean and Jack saw the pain shimmering in his eyes. The Captain fought against the urge to squeeze the other man's hand in reassurance. Considering his condition, such an action would only upset the Doctor more.
"While the Time Lords were still alive, I had multiple connections with friends and family in my mind. I had children, and every single one of them had a bond with me. I was always able to feel them. After the Time War. . ." He swallowed deeply and Jack knew that talking about this was difficult for him. "Suddenly all these connections faded. I was alone and it caused me physical as well as mental pain because of the broken bonds. I was really damaged when I met Rose and she was able to fill the void to a certain degree. But ever since having lost my family and friends, I wasn't able to do anything about the loneliness in my mind."
Jack frowned. "There are many species in the universe who are able to connect on a telepathic level. Even humans in the future can do that. Why didn't you look for someone who could give you what you needed?" he asked with a soft voice, careful not to push and drive the Time Lord back into his shell.
Tears were glistening in the Doctor's eyes now. "I killed my people, Jack." He replied with sudden agitation. "I don't deserve such a connection after what I've done."
Jack didn't protest, not because he agreed with the other man but because he knew that the Doctor wouldn't accept the reassurance at this point.
"Then I became used to it," the Time Lord continued. "I didn't miss it and my friendship with Rose was enough to make me better. But when Reinette touched my mind. . . It was a shock. I haven't felt another presence for years. Having that again was so overwhelming and it made me crave it. I really wanted to take her with me just to return to that feeling." He took a deep breath and shook himself. "No point in dwelling on it. In the end fate decided that I still don't deserve it."
Jack didn't reply and silence fell again, both sitting on the bench, thinking about what had been said.
After what seemed like en eternity the Doctor stood up, walking to the railing and leaning toward the water. He had to get a grip on his emotions. This wasn't him. Sitting here and sharing this was unbelievable. More so, how did he come to burden Jack with it? He had no right to do so after what the younger man had experienced because of him. But the Captain made it so easy to talk about this. Even now he was just sitting there, his eyes showing not the slightest shimmer of judgment.
"Where are Rose and Mickey?" the other man asked and the Doctor turned around.
"They were exhausted and went to sleep. It was quite the adventure and they've been waiting for five and a half hours for me to return. I am sure that these hours must have been agony for them. They were stranded on a spaceship in the future with no means of escaping. Rose doesn't know that the TARDIS has an emergency protocol which would take her back to her own time if I was really lost."
Jack gave him a surprised look. "But she must know. When you sent her away on Satellite Five, that was the emergency protocol, wasn't it?"
The Doctor shifted uncomfortably. He didn't want to return to the subject of Satellite Five and Jack's immortality. However, he knew that he had left the Captain with only part of the story and he owed it to him to answer his questions. "She doesn't remember it. Even Mickey has a better picture of what happened than Rose. He at least knows how they opened the heart of the TARDIS." He rolled his eyes, showing how foolish this had been in his opinion.
Jack's curiosity was piqued now and the Time Lord had to smile at the recollection of what Mickey had told him. "Jackie, Mickey and Rose opened my TARDIS with a truck," he said and chuckled. "Can you imagine that? The finest ship in the Galaxy, and it only took a truck to almost destroy it." He frowned. "I mean, we both know that it wouldn't have worked if the TARDIS hadn't been willing to cooperate. You've known her well, Jack. No companion I've ever had was able to connect with my ship like you did."
He saw confusion in the Captain's eyes at his mental leap. "Sorry, where was I? Oh yes, they opened her with a truck and then the door banged shut and the TARDIS left. Well, I assume that in the moment Rose connected with her, she wasn't herself anymore, which is why she doesn't remember what exactly happened until she woke up again. Must have been a shock for her, because a few moments later her Doctor vanished and she was stuck with this me."
Jack's eyes widened slightly. "You mean you didn't have the time to explain it to her? She just saw you change and had to accept that you were still the Doctor?"
The Time Lord ran his hand through his hair. "I know, I really should tell them from the beginning. But how do you do that? Handing over a Time Lord manual?"
Jack gave him an amused snort. "Well, I begin to understand now what you meant by saying you were busy," he answered with a nod.
The Doctor wanted to protest, he almost couldn't bear that Jack was still trying to see the good in him, looking for an excuse that the Time Lord had him left behind. But in this moment Jack's mobile rang and the Captain answered it without hesitating. The Doctor observed his brief conversation on the phone with narrowed eyes. Jack was the personification of a leader, he always had been, but his role for Torchwood seemed to have strengthened this personality trait even more. He would love to have someone like him back on the TARDIS, someone who would be willing to do what had to be done, someone who would challenge but not doubt him. . . . He heaved a sigh. That was not possible and there was no point in wishing.
Jack had finished his call and the Doctor instantly knew that something was wrong. "Suzie and Owen found something and Tosh said she's getting suspicious energy readings. I must go back to the Hub," he gave the Time Lord an apologetic glance.
The Doctor sprang up enthusiastically. "Well, then let's go and see what it is," he said with a brilliant smile.
Jack raised his eyebrows. "My team is down there and you would have to answer a lot of questions. I didn't expect you to be comfortable with that."
"Well, there is no point in delaying it any longer. If I want to visit you from time to time, I have to get to know them anyway," he bit his lip and his eyes widened. No, no, no, he didn't just say that? He shouldn't do that.
When he looked up, he saw an amused smile on the Captain's face. "Don't worry, Doctor, what I said the last time you were here still stands. I'm not expecting you to come back. I am astonished enough that you came now. So, calm down. But I'd really love you to meet my team. Come on. We have to use the other entrance though, because someone parked his space-ship on my invisible lift."
Relieved the Doctor laughed at that. "It's the perfect spot, don't you think?"
"No, Doctor, it isn't. We have to look for another solution if you're really planning to come back. We built this entrance for a reason, you know."
Jack couldn't help feeling amused by the Doctor's examination of their security system. He knew that it was one of the most advanced the 21st century on Earth had to offer, but it was hardly a challenge for someone like the Doctor. If the Time Lord wanted to, he could land his TARDIS in the Hub without any effort. However, he had chosen to materialize outside and Jack appreciated the consideration behind this.
When they entered the Hub, Suzie was examining a small metal ball and Owen was ranting about the local police who had obviously delayed their return. The Captain cleared his throat, drawing their attention to him and their visitor. "This is. . ." he hesitated not sure what the Doctor wanted him to say.
The Time Lord stepped forward and gave them his brilliant smile. "Hello, I'm the Doctor. I was told that this makes me your enemy number one but you really need to know that there was no reason for Queen Victoria to fear me. My friend Jack should be able to tell you more about me later. Now, what do we have here?"
He walked over to Suzie and pulled a pair of glasses from his pocket. Jack raised one eyebrow in amusement. Glasses? That was definitely new. Then he met the incredulous glances of his team and sighed. There would be a lot of explaining waiting for him later.
The Time Lord narrowed his eyes in concentration and took out his sonic screwdriver. Carefully he chose the setting and pointed it at the small ball, then he looked up with a satisfied smile. "Done," he said and gave it back to Suzie, "you can examine it now. There's no danger at all. You're lucky that I was popping in. Nasty things these mental bombs, could have erased all your memories if you'd activated it. But it's a really nice piece of technology, not that you lot could use it at this point in time but who knows, you seem to have a knack for. . ."
"Doctor," Jack interrupted him with a stern voice and at the questioning glance from the Time Lord he added, "Remember rude? And babbling?"
The Doctor opened his mouth in astonishment but then nodded quickly. "Uhm, yes, sorry, Jack. Seems to happen to me all the time." Then he looked toward the others. "Now who are you then? I am really happy to finally meet Jack's team."
Tosh was the first to step forward, while Owen and Suzie were looking at the alien with shock. "Hello, I'm Toshiko Sato, well, you can call me Tosh. I am a bit confused. I thought that I've already met you once during the Slitheen invasion in London. . . ."
"Ah, yes, I remember you!" The Doctor replied with a genuine smile. "I've regenerated since then." At seeing her questioning glance he shook his head. "Well, long story. I'm sure you will find something about regeneration in my file." At Jack's cough he turned around, "What? I certainly have a file, haven't I? I mean enemy number one, please, there must be quite the file."
"Yeah," Jack replied with a grim smile, "there is, but it's classified. I am going to explain about the regeneration part later," he said to Tosh.
Meanwhile Owen and Suzie had approached them and Owen was reaching out with his hand. "I'm Owen Harper. I am the Medic around here," he said the confusion about all of this still evident on his face.
"And I'm Suzie Costello," Suzie said and shook the Doctor's hand.
"Suzie is my second in command. Tosh is our computer genius. By the way she'd really love to try to hack into the TARDIS security system," the Captain said with a mischievous smile.
The Doctor's eyes widened at that and Jack saw him swallow. "You didn't?" he asked, his eyes fixed on Tosh.
She smiled reassuringly and shook her head. "Jack asked me not to."
The Captain was rewarded with a grateful smile at that and as always his heart skipped at seeing the approval in the Time Lord's eyes. He knew that his team would be nagging him with questions for the whole night now that they met the Doctor, but this one smile was worth every effort.
Apparently Tosh's terminal still held the same fascination for the Time Lord as it had during his first visit and now that the person who was responsible for it was present, there was nothing stopping him from examining the programs and functions she had set up for Torchwood. It gave Jack a moment to give Owen and Suzie the order to bring the mental bomb into the archives and lock it away.
When they had left and the Doctor's curiosity seemed to be satisfied for now, the Time Lord came over to him and took his hand. "I need to go," he said and Jack could have sworn he saw a hint of sadness. "I've really enjoyed talking to you." He shifted about a bit nervously before saying, "As you don't want me to block your invisible lift. Perhaps you could show me, where I should materialize the next time?"
Jack inhaled sharply at that and gave the Doctor a nod. For a brief moment he was speechless. He should prepare himself for regular visits then, shouldn't he? After all the Doctor had come back once and there was no reason not to repeat it now that he even had met his team.
He led the Doctor down into a storage room. "It's never locked," he explained, "not that locked rooms would be a problem for you. But I want you to feel welcome here. You shouldn't have to stand in front of a locked door if you come to see me."
The other man looked around and smiled. "That's perfect," then he frowned. "We need to establish a few rules if we really want to do this, Jack," he said with a serious voice.
"You mean like no mucking up your timeline? Well, why do you think have I asked you, what you've been up to since we last met? You just have to tell me if you've been here on Earth. I promise you to be careful with this. I always was. I didn't try to meet you before now, because I knew what it would do."
The Doctor smiled proudly at him. "I should have known that. After all you're not only a 51st century guy but also an Ex-Time-Agent."
Jack took his hand and was happy to notice that the Time Lord didn't flinch this time. "Doctor, if you really come back again, will you think about something while you're away?"
The Time Lord gave him a questioning look and Jack was happy to see a careful nod.
"Will you please consider telling Rose about this? I don't want you to lie to her and I'd really love to see her again. Please think about it. I am willing to accept whatever decision you make."
He saw the uneasiness at his request and was surprised that the Doctor nodded in acceptance after a few seconds. "I promise to think about it. It's just that. . . ."
Jack held up his hand to stop another surge of babbling. At this point he was already able to recognize the Time Lord's tone before one of these rants started. "I know, you don't want to burden her with the knowledge of what she's done to me. However, I am sure that meeting me now would help her to accept it. And as you said, she didn't even know what was happening to her. I just think that it wouldn't be fair to hide her in the TARDIS while you come here. And I love her, too, you know."
The Time Lord's eyes softened and Jack felt that the other man would really think about this. Satisfied he took the Doctor's arm and led him upwards into the Hub again. He smiled to himself at realizing that this time there was no visible reaction to the contact and he began to believe that the Time Lord would be able to overcome his uneasiness in the future. Perhaps one day he would be able to even hug the other man, something he had wanted to do since he had seen him leaving his TARDIS today.
After having said his good-byes to the team, Jack had brought the Doctor to the TARDIS. This time the Captain's tone had been light when he saw him off and the Time Lord had realized that it was due to the fact that the other man believed him to be coming back again. However, now that the Doctor was back in his ship, he began to think about his motives to come here and his instinctive reaction was to wonder what had gotten into him.
Why on earth would he turn to Jack to talk about his feelings? Why was he even talking about that? He had lived well enough without doing that. The encounter with Madame de Pompadour had shaken him, but that was no reason to run away and seek comfort. It never has been before. However, he had to admit that he felt much better. His conversation with Jack had helped him and he was surprised to realize that he wanted to have that again.
He felt a nudge at his mind then and looked up. Oh, yes, the TARDIS was angry with him for running to the Captain. His ship couldn't accept the young man for what he was. A fixed point in time couldn't exist in a person and she was following her instincts to run away from it.
Suddenly he felt angry for the sake of a human thrown into this situation, being left alone on a deserted Satellite in the future, and his eyes narrowed. "You shouldn't scold me for making up for our mistakes," he said through clenched teeth. "After all you did this to him. We can't just do things without taking the responsibility for it. You could at least make an effort to accept that I am trying my best to apologize."
He turned away from the console and grabbed the railing when she lurched a bit to show her protest. Well, she wasn't ready yet. Perhaps she never would be. But he swore to himself at this moment to seriously consider Jack's request. Rose needed to know, especially if he wanted to see the Captain again and somehow he knew that this was what he wanted. He wouldn't give up another companion.
Smiling to himself, he began to dematerialize the TARDIS. She would have to get used to the fact that they would return to Cardiff frequently.
TBC