Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.
A/N: In "The Doctor Dances," the Doctor and Jack seem to have a fairly antagonistic relationship, especially at the beginning; but, by the next episode, "Boom Town," they've achieved a genuine comradery. This fiction will presume to fill in the gap and relate the adventure(s) that made that leap possible...at least, that's the plan. Please read and review. This is my first attempt at a Doctor Who fic, and I'd especially like feedback on whether or not you think the characterizations are faithful to the canon.
A NEW LIFE: PROLOGUE
It was an odd sensation, the feeling of jealousy that Jack experienced watching Rose and the Doctor dance around the central console of the Tardis. He wasn't jealous that Rose had chosen the Doctor over him, though that had been a surprise. Jack was jealous of their laughter and their obvious affection towards one another, but, more than that, he was jealous of the clear and moral goodness that they both seemed to radiate. He'd known them less then a day, but he could already sense that they represented something new and foreign to anything that he'd experienced in his life. Honestly, he had thought that goodness was an archaic ideal; he hadn't thought that people or Time Lords or any living species for that matter could actually be moral in the face of an increasingly immoral universe. But, these two had proved him wrong... It made his head spin.
Jack knew that he was missing two years of memories, but, from the memories that he retained, he had a pretty good idea of the man he was—lies, betrayals, crimes, and debauches beyond counting filled his head. He'd thought that he'd grown callus to his own history; in fact, until his chance encounter with Rose and the Doctor he'd have been proud to describe himself as an opportunistic survivor who lived life without regrets. But inside the Tardis, he suddenly saw himself in a different light. It was volcano day, and it was discomforting.
But, recalling the Doctor's greeting, he felt a strange hope:
"Welcome to the Tardis."
"Much bigger on the inside..."
"You'd better be."
It was a both a challenge and an invitation. It was a second chance, a chance to be something more than he had yet been or dreamt to be. And there, right in front of him, gaily tripping over one another's feet, were two companions who seemed to believe that anything was possible.
Not a bad beginning for a new life, Jack decided. Nope, not bad at all.