A.N: This is probably going to be a one-shot (unless I get fantastic feedback *ggg*). I basically wrote it because I have so many theories about time-locks. Anyway, I'm still trying to find my voice for the Doctor, so be patient (but don't hesitate to criticize (nicely) if you know something I can do better). I'm German, married to an American, so please excuse if I don't sound British enough. And finally, I haven't gotten around to Seasons 5 and 6 yet (shame on me, but the DVDs are already ordered), so I'm basing my Doctor off of David Tennant. And yeah, I know, you can't really improve on anything there, you gotta make do with hoping you're doing pretty well as an author. ;-) Alright, let's get started before the author's note turns out to be longer than the story.

Goodbye

„But there has to be a way!"

The Doctor just looked at Jack without answering.

Jack's voice rose all the louder: "But it can't be! You can't! It can't be!"

"Oh come on, Jack, you're making such a fuss. Plus, you're going to see me again. I know it. Time-traveller time-lines, always crossing and never linear. It's brilliant, isn't it?"

"No, it's not!"

"Oh come on!"

"But I need you Doctor, the world needs you!"

The Doctor leaned back and his trademark smile split his face: "Yes, I'm brilliant, I know it. But you're the fixed point in time, I'm not."

Jack paced up and down, trying to think of a way out: "What's with the Tardis? She won't find another owner. She will want to keep you alive."

The Doctor nodded. "Oh yeah, oh yeah she does. But she can't. That's why I'm here. You have to be her guardian when I'm gone. She can't fall into the wrong hands. She's too dangerous."

"But…"

The Doctor quickly interrupted him, a hint of impatience in his voice now: "I got one more rejuvenation than most others. It's all there is. There is no reason to cry about it."

The Captain's eyes took on a dark and angry shade.

It made the Doctor soften up: "Jack, you of all people should understand. I have already lost everything. Everyone. My family. Rose. River. So many others. Some of them I killed myself. I'm tired, Jack. I'm ready to go."

With a sigh, Jack let himself fall onto the stone step next to the Doctor. They were sitting in Cardiff, right above the old entrance of Torchwood Three. The time-traveling blue police box sat on the rift, recharging. He shook his head: "But you can't be. I can't be the only one left."

The Doctor didn't give an answer for a while, just stared at the Tardis and into the distance beyond. Finally, he said quietly: "I don't have a choice in the matter. No more than you."

"Just don't die!" Jack exclaimed heatedly.

The Doctor laughed. "Ah, what good would a Timelord be, if he didn't even know his own time?"As abruptly as he'd started laughing, he stopped. He put his hand in his pocket and dug up a round, golden instrument, not unlike a pocket-watch: "Here."

He handed it to Jack, who took it carefully. He examined it from both sides. It was covered with circular symbols, some tiny, some covering the whole surface, but all woven together in an intricate pattern. "What is it?"

"It's a part of the key. And it can lead you to the Tardis in case she gets lost. In a way, it's a part of her. Here", he gave him a small silver key. "That's the actual key to the Tardis. I'll program her to come back here when it's time."

Jack stared blindly at the two little tokens in his hands.

The Doctor relieved him of the necessity to think up something to say: "I want you to destroy the key, once you have the Tardis secured."

"Once you're dead."

"Yep", replied the Doctor levelly. "Once I'm dead. Actually, it would probably be best, if you destroyed both keys. But that's the one that's really important." He tapped the golden pocket-watch with his index finger.

"Why? What's it do?"

"You're safer, if you don't know."

"You can't give it to me and not tell me what it does!"

"In all fairness, I don't want to give it to you at all. You're an abomination. You shouldn't exist. And we ain't even friends really."

"I'm the only one left", replied Jack drily.

"Yep."

They sat in silence for a while, before the Doctor finally spoke up again: "It's a part of the key. The key to the time-lock."

"The time-lock? The one you put on the time-war?"

"Yep."

"But how?"

The Doctor smiled a big mysterious smile before he answered: "You wouldn't understand. But I can tell you this much: The key is threefold. One part time-lord essence", he tapped the golden watch, "one part time vortex", he nodded in the direction of the Tardis, "and one part Timelord," he tapped his own chest, "cause I'm that good."

"You're, you're part of the key!"

The Doctor nodded. "Yes. Oh yes. It was a brilliant plan." But then his face fell. "That's why I had to live. I had to seal it from the outside." For a moment, he couldn't hide the pain in his eyes.

"So you could – you could open the seal again?"

"Well, yes."

"But you never, you never even thought about actually doing it?" Jack's voice had gotten excited.

"Oh, I thought about it. But there is no way."

"But your family, your daughter, your granddaughter, is any of them still alive behind that lock?" When he met an icy stare from the Doctor, he quickly retreated: "I'm sorry, none of my business," but he couldn't let it go that easily: "Couldn't you get them out?"

"No. No, I can't. I can't reseal the time-lock. Once broken, I couldn't stop the war. It would be the end of everything."

Jack shook his head slowly. "Even though… I'd be tempted to try. If I could bring back... even if just for one moment…"

"You loved him", the Doctor remarked with some surprise.

"Yeah, I loved him." Jack turned his head away, embarrassed.

"Never knew you had it in you, you old bastard", the Doctor gave him a good natured poke. But when he saw the glistening in Jack's eyes, which the Captain quickly tried to hide, he turned serious again. "Will you do what I ask of you?"

"Of course." Jack nodded.

"And Jack, for once be responsible? Don't be tempted. Don't meddle with the lock. Don't meddle with the Tardis. Don't try something brave and stupid. Let the Universe live for a while after I'm gone."

"I'm actually quite competent, you know."

The Doctor grinned: "Oh, come on. You're human. You worship guns over bananas. How is that competent?"

Jack just shook his head. Then he asked the question that was pressing on his mind: "Doctor? How long do you have?"

"Ah, unto the next apocalypse, I guess." The Doctor shrugged: "Does it matter?"

"To me it matters."

Suddenly abandoning all the frills, the Doctor studied the expression on Jack's face for a long moment, before nodding to himself and then carefully wrapping his fingers around Jack's. They sat still, not looking at each other, the memories of old times and the knowledge of being the only ones of their kind thick in the air.

Finally, the Doctor squeezed Jack's hand and let go. He stood up and brushed the folds out of his suit. "I guess I should be going. New places and adventures await."

Jack got up, too: "Is it time already?"

"Yeah, it's time."

With a spring in his steps, the Doctor started out towards the Tardis. Jack followed him a little slower.

Lovingly, the Doctor laid his hand on the rough wood of the time machine: "Take good care of her, yeah? She is the most fantastic ship in the Universe."

"I promise."

The Doctor unlocked the door. "Brilliant. Then all is well."

He took a half-step inside the Tardis, but then turned around. His face had crinkled up and he looked directly at the Captain again: "I'm sorry, Jack. I'm sorry I have to leave you alone in time."

The Captain nodded: "I know."

"But you will see me again. Even if I won't see you again. I promise." He drew Jack into a hug. "Goodbye, Captain Jack Harkness. It was an honor."

Then he quickly let go and went inside the Tardis without turning around a second time.

As Jack watched the Tardis blink in and out of focus, starting her next and possibly final journey, he lifted his right hand for a salute: "My honor, Doctor, it was my honor."

The End?