So, this is the story that I mentioned I was working on in my A/N to 'Shattered'. In case you didn't read the summary for some inexplicable reason, this story is quite dark. You've been warned. Also, this is a bit AU as in 'Exit Wounds' and 'Dead Man Walking' never happened, so both Owen and Toshiko are alive and well, alongside the fact that any episodes after 'Journey's End' never occured. Anywho, moving on from all that stuff, enjoy the story! Disclaimer- Do I own two multimillion dollar TV shows? I'm afraid the answer is no.
In Which Own is the King of More Than Just Weevils, Jack Becomes Really and Truly Shaken, and Martha Demands to Know Just What Is Going On.
~oOo~
The squeaks of tennis shoes on the concrete floor or Torchwood's makeshift basketball court came to a stop as Owen, who was currently in possession of the ball, halted to a stop. Jack, who was guarding the medical doctor followed suite. The other three players- Gwen and Ianto on Jack's team, Toshiko and Martha (Who had been called to Cardiff for an investigation, dicing to stay the night after it ha been discovered that the case was a false alarm), on Owen's- hung around the outer edges of the court, waiting for one of the men in the middle to make their move.
Owen quickly feinted a pass, fooling Jack into blocking one way, and then threw the ball to Toshiko. Tosh caught the ball and eyed the basket, probably calculating the 18 different approaches she could take, and then shot the ball, the orange sphere passing cleanly through the net, giving a quiet whoosh as it went through. Jack grabbed the ball as it fell back to the ground, and glared at Owen sullenly.
"That makes it, oh, what is it, Martha? 17-2?" Owen asked, in a manner that wasn't si much questioning as it was making a statement; his voice confident, almost arrogant. Jack gave a sigh.
"Yes, Owen. I admit it. You are the undisputed king of Torchwood basketball." The Ex-Time Agent conceded, and edge of mockery working its way into his tone. He turned to the other members of his team. "What d'you say?" He glanced at his wristwatch. "It's 11:30. Should we give up?"
Gwen gave a slight yawn and nodded.
"Might as well."
"Why not?" Ianto agreed.
"Right then." Said Jack, addressing the group of five that stood in front of him. "YOu should all be getting home, I suppose. Are you going to be here tomorrow, Martha?" He questioned.
"I'll go ahead and stay around, yeah." Martha answered.
"Have you got a place to sleep?"
Martha shook her head and Jack turned to Ianto.
"Ianto...?"
Ianto nodded.
"You can stay with me if you'd like, Ms. Jones." He offered. Ianto Jones, ever the professional.
"Thanks, Ianto." Martha said warmly.
"Mind if I crash at your place tonight?" Jack asked. "Haven't slept for a few days and I'm dead tired."
Ianto rolled his eyes some.
"Yes, Sir." He replied, somewhat sarcastically. "Come right along."
Jack gave his trademark flirty grin and started towards the exit of the Hub.
"Alright. The rest of you can all go home, and I'll see you tomorrow, I suppose." Jack dismissed, walking out of the room. The rest of the Torchwood team looked at each other for a short moment, then grabbed their things before removing themselves from their base, following Jack's lead and shutting off the lights, then each one of them heading their own separate ways.
~oOo~
Jack opened his eyes and glanced around at his surroundings. Where was he? Oh, yes, Ianto's flat, with Martha as well.
He rolled off the couch he had spent the night on and looked out the window. Still dark. The Immortal estimated the time to be about five or six in the morning. It made sense to him, seeing as how he usually didn't sleep at all, and when he did, he still required less sleep than most other humans.
He wandered around Ianto's flat, navigating through it with expertise even in the dark, a skill acquired over the many hours he had accumulated here. He reached the kitchen and searched around for a few moments, finding a piece of paper and a pen. Jack scribbled a note for Ianto and Martha, letting them know that he was heading back to the Hub. Leaving the note at a visible spot, JAck grabbed his coat and started walking.
Jack walked the cold streets of Cardiff, making his way back to the Hub, thinking as he went along. He vaguely wondered what the day might hold. It could be anything; Weevils, other alien invasions, hoards of paperwork, anything at all. Or maybe there wouldn't be much to do today. Maybe the team would finally get a day off.
The Captain laughed.
After a good while of walking, no less than forty-five minutes, he arrived at the back entrance of Torchwood, letting himself in and working his way through the concrete hallways, rolling the metal door open, and entering the Hub. He flipped on the lights, making towards the center of the room, glancing around, and-
Jack froze.
What.
The TARDIS. The big-little, impossibly blue box resided smack in the middle of the Hub. Jack wondered briefly if it had been accidentally parked there, or if its pilot's landing skills had improved. With a start, Jack remembered.
The pilot.
If the TARDIS was here, then that meant-
"Doctor?!" Jack called, hungrily searching around. "Doctor?!" He called again, an edge of anxiousness working its way into his voice.
"Harkness?!" Rang a voice from the opposite side of the Torchwood compound.
The Doctor's voice.
The Time Lord appeared suddenly, popping out from behind a group of Toshiko's computers. His eyes flashed to Jack, examining the other man through his black framed glasses. After a brief second, he began walking towards Jack, stopping once he was in front of the Ex-Time Agent.
"Didn't expect you here at this time." He said, voice oddly detached as he continued his inspection.
Jack raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, well, I didn't really expect to see you here, Doc."
The Doctor stiffened slightly at the old nickname, but said nothing.
"...So. Questions. First off, why are you here? Second, what's with your...You?" Jack asked, both eyeing the Doctor and motioning to him.
The Doctor was dressed in his usual attire; His long brown trench coat, and blue pinstriped suit, paired with red Converse.
But...Something was off about him. His eyes were darting round the Hub, and when he glanced at Jack, they were full of distrust. His clothes seemed less taken care of than normal; dirty, rumpled, and singed at the edges.
And...if Jack wasn't mistaken (He almost hoped he was), the Doctor's suit was stained, rather heavily in places, with what looked suspiciously like blood. Jack glanced at the Time Lord's hands quickly. They were tainted slightly red, and if Jack looked very closely, there was blood caked underneath his fingernails.
Jack looked back up, meeting the Doctor's steely gaze.
"Really. What happened? Why have you got all this blood on you?" A look of concern overtook Jack's features, working itself into his next words. "Are you alright, Doc?"
"Don't call me that!" The Doctor snapped, glaring at Jack.
Jack flinched at the Doctor's sudden outburst. What was going on here?! The Time Lord loved it when Jack called him Doc, why the sudden aversion? Why was he so blood stained?
What had happened to him?
"Alright then. Fine. I won't call you that. Is Doctor still fine?"
The Doctor nodded stiffly.
"Okay. Why are you here?" Jack questioned, somewhat cautiously.
The Doctor shrugged. shoving his hands into his coat pockets.
"TARDIS brought me here. Not a bloody clue why. Got on your computers to check the Rift, and nothing's going on. But she still won't open up." He replied.
"Well, that explains that." Jack said. "I still want to know what's happened to you though."
"It's irrelevant, Harkness." The Doctor responded, his tone matching his cold facial expressions, voice closer to a growl than not. Jack scoffed.
"Not really, no. It's completely relevent. My friend is covered in blood, I want to know why. Go ahead and spill it."
"I'm not your frien-" The Doctor cut himself off, shaking his head. "Leave it, Harkness." He said quietly, a dangerous edge to his voice. The Immortal gave a disbelieving stare that quickly morphed into confusion.
"...Why are you calling me 'Harkness'? You never do that."
"Well, I am now, aren't I?" Said the Doctor, a bit too sarcastically to be considered friendly. "Deal with it."
Jack cocked his head to the side slightly.
"Where are we at? Have you done the Master yet?" He asked. The Doctor nodded. "Daleks and Davros?"
Another nod.
"Four years ago." The Time Lord answered.
"Have you got a companion?" Jack asked, trying to ignore the growing uneasiness in the pit of his stomach.
Was he really being this intimidated by the man in front of him? The Doctor was still ridiculously skinny, more so than he had been last time they met if Jack's suspicions were correct; It wasn't as if the Doctor presented a physical threat to him, but still...The blood, the cold tones and words, the unsettling look in the Doctor's eyes...
"No."
The Doctor's voice was enough to distract Jack from his train of thought. The Time Lord gave a bitter laugh.
"No more companions. Never again."
Jack arched an eyebrow.
"None? In four years? Blimey."
The Doctor shrugged, indifferent.
"It's better this way."
"You'll find somebody." Said Jack.
"I don't want to find somebody!" The Doctor flared. "Humanity can go top themselves for all I care! They'd be doing me a hell of a favour!"
At this, Jack's mouth actually gaped open slightly.
"...You don't mean that." He said. Hoped.
The Doctor smirked.
"Don't I?" He replied, tainting Jack's hopes with doubt.
"...I don't think that you mean it." The Captain took a step towards the Doctor. "You care way too much about our race to mean that. I know that you've done way too much for us to mean that."
The Doctor blinked once before replying, his words slow and deliberate.
"You have no idea what I've done, Harkness. No. Idea. I make Daleks look like bloody saints."
Jack swallowed hard as he studied the Doctor's stony features.
"What could you have possibly done to say that?" The Immortal asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
"I've killed, Harkness. Killed, destroyed, abandoned people, planets, whose only hopes were me helping them." The Time Lord took one step closer. "Enjoyed it."
And just like that, Jack was scared. The unshakable, infallible, fearless, Captain Jack Harkness was scared, downright bloody terrified.
Suddenly, the rust colored stains covering the Doctor were much more intimidating than they had previously been.
"...Why is there so much blood on you, Doc?" He asked, forcing the tremor that wanted to be there out of his voice.
"Doctor." The Time Lord reminded him, his tone hard. Jack shook his head.
"...What's happened to you?" He asked, voice just above a hoarse whisper. The Doctor smirked.
"Four years, Harkness. Four years happened." He retorted.
"No way you've changed this much in four years." Jack denied, not wanting to believe what he was hearing for even a second.
"There was only so much I could take!" The Doctor snapped, flaring unexpectantly. "Even I can only take so much! When she left, I lost it! 900 years, I had a lot of hate and anger already built up! And when she left, that was it! I was done!"
"She is..."Jack inquired, wanting, needing, for the Doctor to say her name, maybe confirm that there was still the smallest bit of himself that he wasn't willing to show.
"Donna." The Doctor spat.
Jack gave a slight snort of disbelief and the Doctor shot him a curious (Though possibly deadly) glance.
"What?"
"So, after Donna, you basically decided that the universe could go screw itself?"
"Why should I be the one who has to save it? Every time?!"
"Because you're the only one who can save it every time!" Jack argued. The Time Lord glared at Jack, then turned away, walking towards the TARDIS. He grabbed his key out of his pockets and tried to open the ship's doors, his attempt bringing forth no success. He swore under his breath and spun around to Jack.
"Why did she bring me here?!" He demanded to know. "She brought me here, no reason as far as I can tell, and now she won't let me in! Tell me what's going on, Harkness!" He paused for a moment, thinking. "You brought me here, didn't you?!" The Time Lord accused, trembling with anger. "The TARDIS brought me here and now she won't let me leave! What the hell have you done to her?!"
Jack set his jaw, standing up straighter.
"We had nothing to do with this, Doctor." He defended heatedly. "Nothing"
"Then why. Can't. I. Leave." The Doctor growled, his teeth clenched, eyes brooding.
"Maybe the TARDIS doesn't want you to leave!" Jack exclaimed. "Maybe she wants you to stay here! Have you even considered that?!"
The Doctor chuckled humorously.
"Why would she do that, Harkness? What purpose would it serve?!"
"Maybe, and this is just a thought, mind you, but maybe, she thought you needed some downtime? You know, maybe she brought you here to rest up some? Maybe she wants us to help you."
Another laugh, louder this time; Sharper, more manic too.
"What gives you the idea that I need your help?" He asked breathlessly.
Jack buried his face in his hands for a moment before re-emerging.
"Look. Either way, you're stuck here. No way out. You've not got much choice other than to stay here until she lets you in, so you're probably going to be staying here a while."
The Doctor said nothing, though the look on his face made it clear that gears were turning in his head, trying to think of a way out of the situation.
"...This is bullshit." He muttered. Jack shrugged sadly.
"Maybe so, but it's what's happening.
The Time Lord stared at the ground, hard.
"What am I supposed to do with myself?" He asked, glaring directly at Jack for answers.
"You could always help us with the Rift."
The Doctor stiffened again.
"I don't do that anymore, Harkness! What part of that don't you understand?! I don't help people anymore!" He said, his voice raising with each word he spoke.
The Immortal stared incredulously and began to open his mouth to respond, how he didn't know, when the door to the Hub, revealing Ianto and Martha.
Ianto, seeing a strange man conversing with Jack, a possibly hostile, unfamiliar one at that, reached for his gun holster purely from instinct. He drew it and aimed at the Doctor, his grip steady and unwavering.
"Who is he, Jack?" THe Welshman asked, motioning to the Time Lord with a flick of his wrist. Upon hearing a new voice, the Doctor spun around to face Ianto, his own hand reaching inside of his billowing jacket and withdrawing something from an interior pocket and pointed it at the opposing man with steel equal to Ianto's. A look of concern flashing across Ianto's features and the small gasp emitted from Martha is enough reason for Jack to adjust his position so that he can see exactly what is in the Doctor's grip.
No
This, this, is too much. The Immortal almost refuses to believe it but...he can't. He can be hopeful, but he refuses to let that emotion rule him to the point of stupidity. So instead, he swallows the hard lump in his throat and accepts the impossible scene in front of him.
A gun.
The Doctor, the man of peace, of second chances, of mercy, the man who at one time would refuse to touch such a thing even if the fate of the world depended on him using one, was holding a gun, aimed directly at Ianto, entirely calm, his breathing perfectly even.
"Wh- What the hell?!" Jack sputtered, completely thrown by this new development.
"Doctor?" Martha asked, her voice, rather remarkably, only slighty higher in pitch than normal.
"Put the gun down, Doc!" Jack commanded, a little angry, mostly disturbed. The Doctor gave no response to signify that he'd heard the Immortal.
"Not until he does." The Time Lord replied, not moving his gaze from Ianto for even a fraction of a second. Ianto glanced over at Jack, clearly confused.
"Both of you, put your guns down." Jack said.
Ianto cautiously lowered his gun first, placing it slowly back into his holster. After a moment, the Doctor gave an almost unpercievable nod and lowered his own, putting it back inside of his coat.
Only then, as the Doctor was replacing his weapon back into its original location, did Jack allow himself to actually study exactly what the Doctor had been holding moments before.
It was a revolver. A .44 if Jack wasn't mistaken- Which he rarely was concerning these types of things. It looked close to the same model as Jack's own favored weapon, accurate and technical.
And terrifying.
Absolutely terrifying to see in the Doctor's hands.
Jack knew that his friend had changed. That much was painfully clear, but Jack hadn't know that the Time Lord had changed that much. From the pacifist of the universe, to the man who would readily arm himself with a gun.
There was an uneasy rustling noise which was just enough to distract Jack, causing him to instead glance at an obviously confused Martha.
"No, wait," She started. "I'm sorry, but- What the hell just happened?" The medical doctor asked, motioning rather grandly to Ianto and the Doctor, almost glaring at the Time Lord in question. "Doctor, what was that thing you just pulled?"
The Doctor glanced at Martha, not seeming to be particularly concerned with the question.
"He was threatening me." He replied calmly.
"And so you point a gun at him?!" Martha replied, disbelieving. "Since when is violence an option with you?!"
At around this time, Jack decided that it would be for the better if he were to interrupt the conversation to have it avoid going, very easily, into very bad places.
"Actually, Martha," He started before the Doctor could reply. "All of us shutting up right now might be the best option." He declared. Ianto complied, silently raising his hand.
"What?" Jack asked shortly. Ianto pointed to the Doctor.
"Can I ask who he is?"
Jack's gaze flashed to the Doctor and then back to Ianto, opening his mouth to respond.
"I'm the Doctor." The Time Lord said before Jack had the chance.
"He's fine to be here." Jack said. "Remember Davros? He's the one who helped to stop him." He turned to the Doctor. "We need to talk." He said, voice low. The Doctor scoffed.
"What about? So what, I've changed some? First off, there's nothing you can do about it. Second, it's not as if it's the end of the bloody universe!" He exclaimed.
"It might be, actually!" Jack exclaimed, tone equal to that of the man in front of him. Neither said anything for a moment.
"...I've still no idea what's going on here." Ianto pointed out helpfully, voice carefully light.
"I'd like to know what's happening too." Said Martha, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
"Basically, I'm stuck here." The Doctor supplied. "And for some reason," He glared at Jack. "The TARDIS won't let me in, so I can't leave."
"I already told you that Torchwood had nothing to do with what's happening here." Jack defended. At this, the Doctor muttered something under his breath, which Jack, rather wisely, didn't ask him to repeat.
"Either way. Until the TARDIS decides to open up, he's staying here." Jack finished.
"...Okay." Martha said, following the flow of things more clearly now. "So that's cleared up. Sort of. A bit. I still want to know what that stunt was though, Doctor."
"What about it?!" The Doctor asked, bristling. "I'm not allowed to have a gun?! Is that it?!"
Martha's eyebrows knit together. This...situation, was getting more and more confusing the longer it went on. In the year that she'd travelled with the Doctor, she had never seen him act like this. The possibility of this type of behavior from him seemed a foreign concept; The gun, the flaring temper, the way he was snapping, it just didn't make sense.
"It's- It's just that I never thought that I would see you with one." Martha said, each word chosen carefully.
"Yeah, well, neither did I." Said the Doctor in response. "And then four years happened, I stopped caring, and this came about."
In one sentence, the Doctor had basically just told Martha most of what Jack didn't want her to know.
Well, shit.
"I'm sorry?" Martha asked.
Jack stepped in between her and the Doctor.
"Martha, how about we go up to my office for-" He struggled to find the word. "Tea. A nice cup of tea where I can explain things and England doesn't fall in the process."
Martha bit her lip nervously but nodded anyways.
Good." Said Jack. "Ianto. Just-...Make sure that the Doctor doesn't blow up the Hub. Okay? Try to avoid shooting each other."
Ianto swallowed and nodded.
"Right. Go ahead and talk. I'll just...take care of some stuff down here."
"Thanks." Jack said, turning away and starting towards the stairs that led to the balcony. "Come on then, Martha." He beckoned, his voice coaxing her to come with him. Martha nodded slightly and followed the Captain up the stairs. She shot once less glance at Ianto and the Doctor before stepping into Jack's office and closing the door.
The Doctor took a few steps towards Toshiko's desk and plopped down in the chair. Ianto looked at the alien; From the way Jack had spoke about him, he'd expected something...something else. Jack had said that the Doctor was the last of the incredibly powerful race of Time Lords, that he travelled through time and space while saving civilizations and rescuing other worlds. He'd expected somebody, or maybe something, some type of bold, intimidating, creature. He'd been expecting a majestic, impossible, quite possibly magical, alien. Instead, the person in front of him was thin, alarmingly blood stained, and from Jack's reactions, not the same man he'd once been.
Ianto had met the Doctor once before. Granted the encounter had been on a screen, and for mere minutes, but they'd still talked. The Welshman made his way over to the Doctor as casually as he could manage. Apparently the Doctor noticed this, as he looked up at Ianto.
"What?" He asked, clearly unhappy with his predicament. Ianto shrugged slightly.
"...Would you like some tea?" He asked, automatically saying the first appriate thing that came to mind when he was unsure of what to say. The Doctor chuckled at this, a rough laugh, like this was the first time, in a long time, that he'd had that type of reaction. Ianto arched an eyebrow
"You're offering me tea." The Doctor said, disbelieving. "I waltz into Torchwood, point a gun at your head, and you're offering me tea." He shook his head. "Humans."
Pause.
"I'll take that as a no then." Ianto eventually replied. The Doctor leaned back in his chair, further confirming Ianto's thoughts. Suddenly the Time Lord glanced at Ianto, eyes clouded and unclear.
"So, Ianto Jones, tell me what's happened to the Earth since I've abandoned it."
And there would be the first installment of the story. So far I have six chapters written and am working on the seventh. I'm thinking that this will be updated once a week or so. In other news, why don't you leave a review? Tell me what you thought, leave some ideas, anything! All in all, leave a review if you so wish, and even if you don't, thanks for reading, have a fantastic day, and DFTBA!