Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. Sorry if some characters are OOC.
What he notices first is her laugh. He can hear it, drunk and bubbly, all the way across the room and he searches for the face from which the laugh came.
Then it's her hair, her hair that would leave the Doctor green with envy, so red and vibrant and luscious, he's not surprised the laugh belongs to her.
Her face is gorgeous. Her infectious smile makes the rest of her glow. She's curvy and proud, and wearing clothes that make Jack remember why he's here instead of some intergalactic bar where women don't dress as scantily.
He swoops in, charming and sweet. "Hi, I'm-" he pauses and a false name falls from his lips. "James Potter. You, madam, are very drunk."
She giggles. "That's the point!" Her friends are long gone. Jack knows what the men around here are like. He sighs, making a split-decision. She's young and naive. Tonight, he'll save her.
He takes her to his apartment, because he doesn't trust the address she's saying into his ear, trying to sound hot and breathy and coming across as lonely and pained. He tucks her into his bed and sleeps on the couch. It's not like it will kill him, he muses silently before snorting, because he's a bit drunk too, as he realizes that even if he did die, he'd pop right back up. Whether that's a blessing or curse is debatable.
The next morning she's embarrassed. He's all-charms and now she's pissed, glowering at him from over her mug. She leaves in a huff, but not before they arrange a date and time to meet up again.
He never tells her his real name, even though now they're getting married. He remembers the Doctor and wishes he and Rose were there, because maybe then it would hurt less, or maybe then it would hurt more. Lily is so happy, and he is too, and he's ashamed, but her pokes and glares and slaps and playful yet painful punches make it a little easier. She's a witch and so he says he's a wizard. It works out without question. They hang out with her school friends, and he likes them, and he sees a bit of himself in Sirius.
Jack sleeps with his arms around her now, because she's pregnant, and he refuses to let the baby come to any harm at any point ever. She's constantly pissed, but life is great when she's in the right mood. He's not the same man he was, and he wonders if that's a good thing.
The war is getting worse and their child is a target. They're hiding out, trying to decide a secret keeper when the Doctor stumbles back into Jack's life with a new face and a woman named Martha by his side. Ultimately, it's decided there will be two secret keepers. Pettigrew, the most unexpected, and the Doctor, who would never give them up, ever.
The Doctor laughs when Jack tells him the kid's name and pouts when he realizes the baby isn't ginger like his mother. Martha does a lot of eye-rolling and gets along great with Lily. Soon enough, the Doctor and Martha are visiting weekly, and the Doctor has finally made the connection. He pulls Jack aside and Jack does his best to explain, but it's hard. Martha and Lily are playing with Harry in the living room, but it's clear they both know something's wrong, because Lily has her wand in her hand and Martha is poised to run.
Eventually, Halloween comes and it happens and the Doctor picks him up after Hagrid and Sirius have left and the crowd of curious onlookers has dissipated. Jack's chest hurts like the hell; that killing curse packed a punch. Once in his room inside the TARDIS, he breaks down. He cries and screams Lily's name. She's dead and he's not and it's not fair. She never knew his real name.
The Doctor notices how sad his friend is and takes him to the year his son defeats Voldemort, but ends up parking the TARDIS in the middle of the crowd celebrating Voldemort's death. Jack struggles to find him, but the kid is gorgeous, no doubt. He had two gorgeous parents, it isn't surprising. Martha literally gives him a push in the right direction and he kisses both her and the Doctor for good luck, even though people are staring now. He runs up to his son, steadies the teen by placing his hands on his shoulders, and says, "Harry Potter, I am your father." The Doctor laughs and Martha starts crying, but she laughs too.
Harry is doubtful. "My dad is dead." Everyone is quiet and everyone is watching.
Jack expected this. "Well, I was, but then I wasn't. I can't actually die."
His ginger friend whose hair the Doctor is eyeing butts in. "Prove it." The Doctor stops laughing and scratches his head while Martha begins to chew on her bottom lip, worry flooding through her system.
"Fine," Jack concedes after a pause. He pulls his gun out and hands it to Martha, who squeezes her eyes shut and pulls the trigger. The bullet lands in his shoulder and electrocutes him. The crowd gasps collectively. A woman screams. Martha drops the gun and rushes into the Doctor's embrace. She knows he'll get back up, but she still killed her friend. She can't watch. She buries her face in the Doctor's chest, and he grips her tighter, and then she hears Jack say, "Don't start without me."
She laughs and punches him. He deserves it.
Jack turns to his son. "Believe me now?"
Harry's emerald eyes widen. "Dad?"
"He gets her eyes, but not her hair," the Doctor mutters. "So not fair. I wanna be ginger!"
"Stop whining or I'll shoot you next," Martha threatens.
Jack and Harry hug and Martha coos. The Doctor sonics the Great Hall, a dropped wand, Ginny Weasley and Dean Thomas while everyone is distracted.
"How are you alive?" asks Hermione, and Jack looks to the Doctor for an explanation, who is intently studying a piece of rubble. The Doctor sniffs it, then licks it (beside him Martha gags and sidesteps away), then sonics it.
"Doc?" Jack inquires, raising an eyebrow. He and Martha roll their eyes. Jack turns to Martha, grinning charmingly. "So, Martha-"
"Stop it!" warns the Doctor, not looking away from the chunk of rock. "Hmm…"
Martha rips the sonic out of his hand and tosses it to Jack. "Explain Jack's inability to die, now!"
The Doctor pouts, but explains, "Jack is a fixed point in time. My former companion Rose Tyler took in the time vortex and brought Jack back to life, but she had no control over her new power and brought him back permanently. He can die, but he can come back. Harry inherited that. That's why when Voldemort hit him with that killing curse, he didn't die!"
Things calm down. Jack, the Doctor and Martha sit off to the side with Harry and his closest friends. They talk for hours. Jack reveals his true name, and family is reunited, and Martha sheds more tears. All in all, it's a good day and everyone's smiling and laughing late into the night despite how the day started.
The Doctor can't help but wish it was this nice all the time, but the universe doesn't work that way.
The next day, the Doctor, Martha and Jack get stuck at the end of the universe.
Jack moves on from his life as James Potter because it hurts less than dwelling on it, even though he misses Lily and Harry and even Sirius and Remus and Harry's friends because for a brief moment he was truly living and not just surviving.
One day, he finds a stack of books on his doorstep. Realizing they're about his son, he reads them in a matter of days, then rushes to King's Cross Station to see his grandchildren off.
They're all adorable, of course. Jack carries Lily and remarks how the Doctor would be so unbelievably jealous of her hair.
All is well.
Madeline: IT HAS BEEN FOREVER SINCE I'VE POSTED YOU GUYS! I MISSED YOU ALL!
Martha: *whispering to the Doctor* Do you think she realizes that no one cares?
The Doctor: *whispering* Martha, I'm supposed to be the rude and not one.
Madeline: Anyway, this idea just popped into my head and became this piece of fluff because why not?
Jack: Please review, favorite, and perhaps even follow Madeline. *charming smile*
Madeline/Martha/the Doctor: Stop it!
Harry: Yay, my dad's not dead!
Hermione: No, he is Harry. Just not in this fanfic.
Ron: Great, now Harry's crying.
Madeline: Er, bye!
~Madeline, Martha, the Doctor, Jack, Harry, Hermione and Ron
