When the Doctor Met Jack
By: The Bubbles
Summary: As it turns out, that night in London was not the first encounter between Jack and the Doctor… although to be fair they didn't actually meet here, either.
A/N- This is what happens when Bubbles goes to bed right after Torchwood goes off… just a little something I thought of a while back.
(o.o.o)
Jack walked into the room, humming contentedly to himself. It had been a good day for him, of course, any day he got to beat up alien gerbils, retrieve what he was almost certain was a lost bit of technology from the Doctor's sonic box, and get a call from Martha just to chat was a good day in his book.
So when he walked in on Gwen and Ianto staring intently at a computer screen, neither of them moving or speaking or even acknowledging his presence- his presence!- he knew that somewhere, the powers-that-be were laughing at him.
"Okay, so what's up?"
They didn't answer for several minutes. Then, Ianto turned to stare in bewilderment.
"The lift has been blocked."
Jack tried not to get his hopes up at this, he tried to stop his heart racing at the idea that maybe, just maybe, the powers-that-be had decided to let something else go right on this, this wonderfully perfect day.
But when he looked at the screen, what should he see but the TARDIS? His heart skipped about three beats and jumped up into his throat, and then started beating far faster than could be considered healthy. In fact, he was quite certain that, had he been able to die, he would have. And wouldn't that have been inconvenient?
After staring at the blue box for hours, or maybe seconds, he turned and took off, Ianto's and Gwen's shouts rang in his ears, but he neither understood nor answered them. He only stopped when he reached the door to the little blue wooden box, sitting innocently on that same slab of pavement, taking in the energy of the rift so that she could refuel.
It wasn't the same TARDIS. He could tell by looking, now that he was closer. It would be the same, someday many centuries later- or sooner, or maybe even next week- but at the moment, she was colder, newer, not quite the same as he remembered.
Also, there was a very strange man standing in the doorway, who was most certainly not the Doctor, but at the same time Jack could tell that this man could be none other than the Doctor, for he had that air about him that suggested he was all at once warm, and cold, and mad, and brilliant.
"Wrong one again, then," he said quietly, but the odd man who was not and at the same was the Doctor heard him.
"I'm sorry, do I know you?"
He ran a hand through the massive curls on his head, and gave Jack a curious look, as if he could tell that everything about the man was just wrong.
"Not yet, but you will. I'm, uh," he paused. It wouldn't do to give his name, unless it screwed up the time stream. "Captain John Hart," he finally said. "I'm from the Time Agency. We met- will meet- in your future."
The Doctor seemed to accept that this and thankfully didn't press the matter further. As he pondered this, he spotted something over Jack's shoulder and peered curiously. Jack turned to look as well.
It was Gwen and Ianto, standing in the door of the tourist's center and staring at the man in the little blue box. Jack sighed. He had forgotten about them.
"I've gotta go, Doctor," he said. "Looks like you're done fueling up anyway." He turned to walk away, and then turned back. "Just one more thing."
He grabbed him and kissed him, same as he had done the last few times they said goodbye. Unfortunately, for Jack, anyway, he hadn't done much before the Doctor shoved him away.
Jack laughed cheekily and turned to stroll away, whistling. The Doctor glared in his direction long after he had gone back inside, wondering what in the world had possessed his future self to take him along with him.
Once back in the hub, Ianto and Gwen pulled up chairs to stare at him.
"Well," Gwen finally asked. "Was that the famous Doctor?"
"Oh, that was the Doctor all right," he said happily, the memory of the kiss still lingering, " but it wasn't my Doctor."
(o.o.o)
A/N- This could also be considered a companion piece to my stories "Not MY Doctor" and "Things to Make Sonic (And Why You Shouldn't)." If this one is a success, I may do one with some other previous Doctors, because really, Jack did say that he waited around for the right version of him to come along.
I would also like to point out that this takes place sometime in the aftermath of Torchwood, season three, so Jack already knows Ten. That's why Tosh and Owen aren't there.