Author's Notes: This is my very first time writing the Doctor, so please be gentle. Enjoy
It had seemed like the perfect set up, or at the very least, the perfect date. The Doctor landed the TARDIS in a quiet village in late 1980s Spain. He gave no particular reason for the excursion, but Jack had a feeling the Doctor amazingly did desire quiet once in a while.
Jack had to admit, it was a nice change, not to be running all the time or watching their backs. There truly was no danger here, just beautiful countryside and simple people. They'd walked the town and found a tiny little restaurant with the most delicious food. Jack almost wished the TARDIS would stop translating for a moment, so that he could hear the Doctor speaking Spanish. Other than ordering their food, the two men said little as they ate. If he hadn't seemed so relaxed, Jack would have been concerned about the Doctor's lack of conversation.
After dinner, they walked leisurely back to the TARDIS, parked on the top of a hill, overlooking the little town. As the sun went down, the whole scene was becoming incredibly romantic. If Jack was planning a date, he wasn't sure he could have done this well.
Jack looked up as the Doctor stopped before going into his ship.
"Doctor?"
The Doctor was staring at the sun sinking into the horizon. "There aren't any roses."
"What?"
"There aren't any roses. You know, that daft Earth expression about taking the time to stop and smell the roses – always seemed rather silly to me. I mean, if you do have time to stop, who's to say there are actually going to be any roses around?" Jack sensed he wasn't finished and just waited. "But there's that," he said, nodding towards the sun. "I've seen so many, but I hardly ever sit still long enough to watch it set. Never understood the point, really."
Jack tried not to smile. "So … there are no roses, but you want to stop and watch the sunset?"
"Completely daft, I know—" He was cut off as Jack sat down in the grass and leaned back onto his elbows.
"Not daft at all, Doctor." Jack kept his eyes on the sinking sun. He was really enjoying having the Doctor calm for a change. He wanted it to last as long as possible. And he couldn't stop thinking that there were other reasons for this pit stop.
The Doctor plopped down to the ground rather unceremoniously beside him.
After a long silence, Jack spoke again. "Thanks for bringing me here, Doc. It's beautiful."
The Doctor grinned at him. "Despite the dearth of young men and women to flirt with?"
"No, you're right. Sometimes you need to stop and watch the sunset."
The Doctor also leaned back as the sun turned a brilliant orange.
Jack was at a loss; he didn't know whether the Doctor had anything romantic in mind or not. It seemed like the perfect date, but with the Doctor, it was impossible to tell. He decided to take the slight more direct approach.
"Doctor … you have to admit, this is all pretty romantic."
He didn't seem terribly surprised. "Is it? Hadn't really thought of it like that. Just thought a change of pace might do us both some good."
Jack took the plunge. "I don't think I believe you."
The Doctor looked over at him, puzzled. "Why not?"
Jack shook his head. "Because this is too perfect. And I don't think watching the sunset is the only thing you stopped to do." He leaned over towards the Doctor and closed in for a kiss.
The Doctor leaned back to dodge the kiss and stood up quickly.
Jack just sighed, letting his head loll back towards the purple sky. "You're just going to pull away?"
"Just because this is your ideal date, Jack, doesn't mean that's what was going through my head."
"Oh, don't play coy. You have a lot more than just one thing going on in your head when you do anything. This was one of them; it's obvious."
"No, you're viewing my actions through your own twisted perspective of the world."
Jack stood up, raising his hands in surrender. "All right, all right. I concede; I'm not the mind reader. Maybe you weren't thinking about it when you thought of this. But now that it's been brought up, why waste it?"
The Doctor glared at him. "I can think of several reasons."
Jack dared to take a step closer as the sun continued to sink. "Tell me the most important one."
When the Doctor looked down at the ground, Jack thought he was trying to avoid question. Instead, however, he drew a rough line in the red soil between them with toe of his converse.
He looked up at Jack with a dark stare. "This is the line, Jack. You don't get to cross it."
Jack felt like a small child being denied a toy. "Why not? It's not like you haven't thought about it, or that you don't want it."
"No, it's not. But that's the line I don't cross. End of discussion." He turned on his heel and headed back to the TARDIS.
"You would have crossed it with Rose!" Jack shouted after him.
The Doctor stopped walking, shook his head in what was either sadness or disbelief, and then entered the TARDIS.
Jack felt a chill breeze sweep over the hilltop as the last of the sun dipped below the horizon.