Almost Lover

A Jack Harkness and Martha Jones Story

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Alternate Ending For The Last of the Time Lords episode.

Rating: K to K Plus

Summary: The Doctor had dropped Jack and Martha and her family off, and had left, promising to come back for Martha in a few hours. Something occurs, though, that makes Martha change her mind. The truth is that Jack is there for Martha when everything crashes, and the Doctor is not.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. The BBC and Russell T. Davies have everything.

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Jack glanced sideways at Martha. Ever since time had reversed back to its original state, and the world had been saved from the Master's hideous plans, she had been extremely quiet. The Doctor, of course, had not really noticed, sometimes Jack thought he had the observatory skills of a gnat. The Doctor had willingly taken the Jones family to Leo's house, the one member of the family who knew nothing about the year that never was. The first few moments had been ones of tears and hugs, and Martha had invited both men to join them. Only Jack had accepted, the Doctor had given a rather blunt "No, I don't get involved with that sort of thing anymore." And a few moments later the blue telephone box had vanished from the street corner.

Martha leaned against the kitchen counter, watching through the door as her mother held onto her son tightly. Her father was also there, holding his grandson and talking to Tish. Martha bit her lower lip and turned abruptly away from the scene, but not before Jack had seen her chin tremble. She walked to the back door and opened it, allowing the slight breeze to waft into the small room. Jack waited a moment before joining her, and he knew by her shoulders shaking that she was crying. He reached around her shoulder and turned her face towards his, there were tears streaming down her cheeks, and her bright eyes were overflowing.

"Jack." It was not spoken in ordinary friendship. It sounded like someone reaching out, begging for help. Jack's arms enfolded Martha as her tears switched to being more convulsive. He held her, not caring if his coat got wet, he stroked her hair and her back gently. Martha just held onto him, her fists holding tight to his shirt. "Shhh, it will alright, Martha. Just take it one moment at a time..." Jack started to walk out into the small garden area, bringing Martha with him, and he calmly shut the door behind them.

Martha's strong defenses finally collapsed, and Jack knelt on the cold paving stones as she began to shake, her cries muffled against him. He understood, however, why it was happening now. Before, Martha had walked the whole world over when it was a hell-hole, to save everyone, including her family. And to see them together again, safe and sound, no longer refugees or criminals, had finally allowed Martha to release a years worth of worries and weight.

She was a person who did not easily break down, but when she did, it was with torrents of grief or anger. Jack tried his best to comfort her. He brushed a finger against her cheek as he slid his palm down onto her neck. He rocked her gently, and Martha wrapped her arms around his neck, her face pressed tight against his chest. "They're safe, Martha, you did it." She nodded, and Jack cupped her chin with his hand and brought her eyes to look into his.

There was something there, in Martha's eyes, those beautiful brown spheres, that made Jack pause. It was a hurt so huge, so old, that it was like running into a brick wall. "He wasn't here when I needed him, Jack. Is that the truth about him? He just doesn't care about people and their problems?" Jack shook his head fiercely. "No, Martha. He does care, but he has been depended on before and lost everything. So I guess he decided to stop caring about some things. Domestic things. But he does care for you, that much I know."

Martha's face looked crestfallen. "I'm sure he does. But I can't stay with him, otherwise I'll wake up one morning and my whole life will have gone by." And I'll still be alone, because he doesn't care about me in that way. And he never will." Jack lowered his eyes and looked down at the plain brown flagstones. "But you were there. Good old Captain Jack." Jack smiled at that remark without looking up. "Yeah, I'm good to the last flop." Two fingers curled underneath his chin, and he glanced up in surprise. "No, Jack, you are special person. You see things others can't see. And that's why I love you."

Jack didn't have enough time to move before he found Martha's lips on his own. Somewhere in the back of his mind a small voice said he should have known this was coming. But something about this kiss was so powerful, yet so sweet. Jack found his hands moving to hold her face, even as Martha deepened the kiss. Jack felt himself slipping away into that place that he had only ever been twice before, when a certain woman called Gwen Cooper had kissed him. It was a place where his past did not haunt him, where former deeds were forgotten.

Martha pulled away from him abruptly, her lips slightly swollen and her breath coming in gasps. "Jack...I'm sorry. I didn't mean-" Jack held his fingers in front of her mouth. "I know. But I think we both needed that." Jack stood and brushed off his coat. Martha blushed as he helped her to her feet, still embarrassed at her boldness. Her tears had stopped now, her eyes were only a little red, and there was a new light in them. Jack leaned forward and lightly kissed her mouth again. "One for the road. And now, I believe your family should take priority over everything else. May I escort you inside, charming miss?" Jack used his most overdone British accent as he offered his arm to Martha. She smiled at him and curtsied deeply. "Why, thank you, kind sir."

Jack walked her back to the kitchen where Martha's sister, Tish, was making some tea. Jack paused at a notepad hanging on the fridge door. He pulled his pen from his coat pocket and quickly wrote something down. Martha stood beside him, her face full of curiosity. He leaned close to her and whispered into her ear. "My number, just in case you ever need someone to help you out." He slid the paper into her hand, before turning and tapping Tish on the shoulder. "I'm heading out, so I thought I might say goodbye now, please pass it on." Tish turned and nodded, before giving Jack a gentle hug. "Thanks, Captain, for everything..." She gestured with her eyes towards Martha, and Jack realized that she must had been spying on them through the back window.

"Sure thing, Tish. See you someday again, hmm?" Tish merely shrugged before picking up the tea tray and heading into the next room. Martha came to stand beside him, but this time she was not like a dam of emotions, she was open and whole, she was the old Martha Jones. "Going to join them this time?" Martha looked at him, her eyes far brighter than they had been in a while. "Yes, I am. But first, I want to say thank you, and good-bye...for now." She hugged him, her arms holding his chest tightly. Jack leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her hair. "Good-bye, Martha Jones. You will always amaze me." She smiled at him, and it was somehow happy and sad at the same instant. She leaned up and kissed his cheek before whispering softly to him. "You were my almost lover, Captain Jack Harkness, did you know that? And you can be sure that what you just did for me is something I will never forget."

A few minutes later, if anyone in particular had been watching, they would have seen a man walking up an empty street, his old World War II coat flapping in the breeze as he placed on foot in front of another. And if that same person had looked into the house he had exited from, they might have seen a family that had drawn together, three generations in one room, with joy and sorrow all intermingled. And a special smile rested on the face of the oldest daughter as she fingered a small, folded, plain piece of paper.

Finis