What Did Jack Do, Now?
The TARDIS hurtled through the space-time vortex as Rose holed herself up in her room. She was wallowing in a dark pit of depression and looking back on past failed relationships. Elijah, as well as her father, had been ripped from her life just as she started to love them. The Doctor, as far as she was concerned, wanted nothing but a platonic relationship with her. And Mickey was a sweet man, but just a loser. As she marveled at the amount of failed loves she had in her life, her gaze fell upon Elijah's coat that was draped around the back of her chair, sending her into a fresh bout of bitter tears.
Jack was torn in two on his feelings about seeing Susan. He was ecstatic to see her again, but wasn't sure how she'd take the news. He turned to his left and grabbed a picture out of the drawer on his bedside table. It was a picture of him and Susan from so long ago. A knock on the door shook Jack out of his thoughts. He put the picture back into the drawer and called out, "Come in."
The Doctor stepped in and announced, "We're here," in a glum tone.
Jack shuffled into the console room, followed by a sniffling Rose. The Doctor left the doors first, followed by his human companions to find the Torchwood Hub empty. They saw the truck missing and assumed they were out on a mission of some sort so they waited. Rose took in the massiveness of the Hub. She heard the fierce cry of the Hub's pet pterodactyl and cringed. Walking away from that part of the room as fast as she could she wandered over to the morgue and opened one slab to see a cadaver of some far off alien. She quickly slammed it shut as she heard people walking in. She sauntered back to where the Doctor and Jack stood waiting for the team to walk in.
As the Torchies walked in the first thing that they noticed was a big blue box in the middle of the Hub. They also noticed three people, a man, a woman, and Jack, with varying emotions gracing their features. The man's face was grim. Anticipating something horrible. The woman's face was harsh yet sad, as if she had cried, but Jack's face out into a huge grin when he saw the old team. They all looked as if they were searching for someone they couldn't find. So Jack asked bluntly, "Where's Susan?"
Then a woman that Jack, the Doctor, and Rose couldn't identify stepped forward with a large smile. She had side swept bangs and her brown hair was in a ponytail. She wore a long, flowing coat that covered a dark purple sweater and black jeans. She wore boots with a slight heel and a massive multi-colored scarf that looped around her neck several times and still reached her ankles. It frayed at the bottom. "Hey Grandfather," she said and immediately the Doctor asked, "What happened?"
"Well, I died in child birth," she said, earning surprised looks from the Doctor and Rose and a shocked face from Jack. Just then a small thing ran into the Hub yelling, "Mommy. Mommy! Look what me and Daddy made! See, that's you and that's me and that's Daddy and that's Auntie Tosh and that's Aunt Gwen and that's Uncle Owen!" yelled the ball of energy, hopping around Susan. Then Susan glared in the direction of the doorway. Jack turned to see Ianto leaning against the frame, looking older. He had warmer eyes and small stubble growing. "All of the team looks a little older," Jack noticed and then he said in a unnervingly calm tone, "I have two questions; one, how long has it been since we left Susan here and two, what the HELL is going on?"
Susan replied quietly, but with an underlying layer of pure venom, "It's been fifteen years and I have married Ianto and had a child."
After Susan shared the news the Doctor and Rose noticed Jack stiffen and his voice gain a hard glint, "Oh."
"So where's Elijah?" Susan asked naively, not noticing the Who Crew shift uncomfortably.
"That's why we came," said the Doctor, "There's no easy way to say this but-"
"He's left this universe," said Jack with a harshness Susan had never heard. Those words sent Susan into a sobbing fit, Ianto ran to her and embraced her while their daughter looked around, puzzled, "What's happening?" she asked.
"Nothing, just silly grown-up stuff," replied the Doctor, crouching down so he was eye level with the child, "And what's your name?"
"Are you an alien?" the girl asked skeptically.
"What does that matter?" the Doctor asked, slightly offended.
"Mommy said that you should always ask a person's species before you talk to them," she replied, sounding like she was reading off a cue card.
"That's a very good rule," said the Doctor in an understanding tone, "I'm Galifreyan."
"Really?" asked the girl, her face lighting up, "So am I! But I'm part human so I will age normally until after my first regeneration," she said uncharacteristically for a five year old, "My name's Theora."
"I'm the Doctor," he said and then Theora squealed and jumped into his arms, "Granddad!" she exclaimed halting Susan sobs.
"Grandfather, could you take Theora around the Hub?" Susan asked, her eyes puffy and nose sniffling.
"Sure missy,' he replied in a soft tone, using his pet name for her, "Do you think you guys could come with me?" he asked turning to the Torchies.
"Yes," they replied, including Ianto. They all set off, leaving Jack and Susan alone.
"So," asked Jack, "How long did it take you to fall into Ianto's arms, an hour?"
"Try three years," Susan replied, "Why did you wait fifteen years, huh? It's a bloody time machine. Did he let you drive?" Susan fired back, "I waited for three years! And even then we dated for 6 years. Six years! I mean how long has it been for you?" Susan inquired.
"A day and a half," he replied guiltily.
"And how do you feel right now?" she asked with her hands on her hips.
"Like shit," he replied looking into her eyes.
"Try feeling that for three years. For one thousand ninety five days I felt worthless, diving into work. I felt 'like shit'," she yelled vehemently.
"I still love you," Jack whispered, "How can POSSIBLY forget, after all that happened with us? HUH? TELL ME!" he yelled, not noticing that the Doctor had been standing in the doorway for his entire confession.
They stood there looking at each other for a few moments, until the Doctor smiled and said in a sarcastic tone, "I guess its story time."
"I was still a Time Agent," said Jack after they had all sat down in chairs, "I was in the 24th century finding out about big races that I could make a bit of profit on. I was in the library when I first saw Susan. She was a vision, holding the hand of a five year old boy,"
"Elijah," Susan interjected, "We were there for a class on pyrotechnics. I had been a month after David had died so I was filling my time with whatever I could. That's when I met Jack. He helped me forget about the pain…" she trailed off.
"So you two were in a romantic relationship?" asked the Doctor.
"Yep," replied Jack, "Until the big-wigs at the Time Agency pulled me back in, they had found out about my little jaunt, but the yelling match with them was worth it," said Jack smiling at Susan.
"So, basically," said the Doctor enraged and slightly twitchy, "You had clandestine meetings that involved sex with my Granddaughter for a month." Which was a bad choice of words because just then, Ianto walked into the Hub and heard the Doctor, causing him to rush Jack, sending flying off the chair his face connecting with the floor, "You did WHAT with my wife?!" he bellowed.
"Hey, it was way before you were around," Jack defended.
"Doesn't make it any more acceptable on my part, Jack," Ianto said sarcastically, holding him in a headlock, Jack's nose pouring blood because of the impact to the floor.
Just then Theora entered the Hub, stared for a moment at her father and this stranger fighting then timidly asked, "Uh…Mommy?" she said with a worried tone, "We gots a problem."
"What's wrong honey?" Susan asked; glad to have a distraction from the mess of a conversation if front of her.
"EX-TERM-IN-ATE!" said a tinny voice, scaring Susan and sending the Doctor into anaphylactic shock.
"We gots Daleks," Sammie said with a sheepish smile. Those three words called forth a collective reaction,
"SHIT!"
The Torchies then popped out from behind the big, black Dalek, followed by two more black Daleks. The Daleks talked to them in their stupid metallic voices, "WE WANT TO BREAK THROUGH THE RIFT!"
"What do want with it?" asked Susan in an authoritative tone. She was really the only one to take charge because the Torchies were being held captive, Ianto still had Jack in a headlock, and the Doctor had a disbelieving feature grace his face while Rose curled up in a ball in fright rocking back and forth.
"WE WANT THE REST OF THE DA-LEK RACE!" they cried.
"Why?" asked Susan, "where did they go?"
"THEY ARE IN THE VOID! OUR EN-E-MY, THE DOC-TOR SENT THEM THERE! IF YOU DO NOT O-PEN THE RIFT WE SHALL KILL THIS HU-MAN!" they stated gesturing at Gwen, who looked defiant, but her eyes betrayed her and showed dead fear. The Daleks then made a line, all three of them, leaving the Torchies to their backs, facing the Doctor keeping Gwen in between two of them.
"NO!" cried the Doctor, "No one needs to die!"
"THEN DO IT! BREAK THE RIFT!"
The Doctor followed the Daleks commands, splintering the Rift and letting in a universe, and slowly destroying the one they were in. He then turned back to face the Daleks a truly violent look on his face.
"You know what?" asked the Doctor, finally speaking up, enraged, "I am just PISSED OFF. I mean how many times must I kill you before you stay down?!"
"STOP TALK-ING!" yelled the Daleks.
"NO!" yelled the Doctor, "I have had to listen to so many of your goddamned monologues about how I am the 'filth of the Universe' you can listen to one of mine! I am so sick of you! You are nothing but fucking dust bins! I mean all you are, and by you I mean your race, are bloody dust bins on wheels; a dying man's shot at infamy. I mean you fucking assholes do nothing for the universe! I should've destroyed you when the Time Lords gave me the chance. Every time I see you, EVERY TIME, I feel like I am reliving my previous body's first Christmas party with our past selves."
"We all got so hammered and acted completely like idiots, but the one thing I remembered, was the Sixth Doctor plastering a sign to the back of my leather jacket that said 'Exterminate me!'; that was one of the most humiliating moments of my LIFE!" the Doctor yelled, completely serious, but at mention of the Christmas party all of the people behind the Doctor suppressed a giggle, not noticing that the Torchies had disappeared.
"But you know what makes me the most pissed off? It's that you claim to be the smartest beings in the Universe but really, you're not. I mean I have already tampered with the Rift which is making a universe mesh with this one, but how can you be so sure that it's the right one? I mean the universe that is splintering its' way in here could be one without any Daleks, did ya think of that? No I bet you didn't and the coup de grâce…" the Doctor ranted, finishing this sentence with a flourish of his hand, and a blue police box appeared right next to the Doctor's, causing Rose to stand and filling her heart with hope.
Then Elijah stepped out, taking in the sight before him. His face then got hard and he walked back into his TARDIS.
"YOU HAVE BE-TRAYED US!" the Daleks cried, "SO SHE SHALL DIE!" Then in a flash of blue light and a tortuous sound the Daleks had murdered Gwen.
Just then Elijah stepped out of the doors again with a gun that looked more like a handheld cannon.
"WHY?!" cried the Doctor, "No one needed to die! You murderous bastards! That's all you do, kill, you never evolve!" he yelled.
Then the Doctor spoke again in a thoughtful tone, eyes lighting up in realization, "You never evolve! You blundering idiots never learn from your mistakes! You are just stuck in a stupid little rut, never thinking out of the box! HA HA! That's BRILLIANT!" he cried, earning frightened looks from all of the people in the Hub, fearing for his sanity.
"Which is why I always win," He finished with a grim tone.
Then Elijah fired his cannon three times, the Doctor dragging Susan, Rose, Jack, and Ianto away from their line of fire. The three Daleks disintegrated when the bright blue shots from the cannon hit them, leaving a charred heap on the floor. All of the people in the Hub cheered and jumped up and down, congratulating one another. All except Sammie.
"What's the matter Theora?" the Doctor asked, "We won!"
"I gonna miss Aunt Gwen," cried Theora, flinging herself onto Gwen's corpse. The Doctor lifted Sammie's body and held her in his arms as she sobbed. All of them then took a solemn moment to honor her then Jack and Susan lifted her body and put into an empty slot in the morgue. Once Theora's sobs had died down, Rose walked over to Elijah, looking up into his eyes. His hopeful eyes met hers and Rose's hand connected with his cheek, causing him to reel back.
"You did fit in," was all she said and then she walked closer to him and met his lips with a comforting kiss, forgetting that all of the other people in the Hub existed. The only way they were brought back was when everyone looked at the two and said, "AWWWW," obnoxiously, and Theora added in a silly voice, "A cornucopia of love!"
With that saying Elijah broke off the kiss and asked his mother, "You let her watch Potter Puppet Pals?"
"Not my fault," defended Susan, happy for the distraction from Gwen's death, "Someone was supposed to monitor the sights she went to, OWEN," she said giving him a pointed stare.
"Well she didn't find any porn," Owen said, defending himself.
"Yeah, sure Owen," said Jack, "that makes it all better." Throughout this little banter Rose and Elijah went off into a corner, "No doubt to go make out," thought the Doctor. He then tuned back into the conversation in time to hear Jack say, "Sorry Ianto. I didn't even think what ripples me getting together with Susan would have."
"It's okay; I mean I was the one who tried to beat you up. I may have been a tad jealous" he replied nonchalantly.
"Yeah," said Susan sarcastically, "Just a bit."
The Doctor then clasped his hands together, "Well, it's time we be off. Jack, Rose lets go." Jack dutifully filed into the TARDIS while Rose stood there facing the Doctor.
"Rose? Let's go," prodded the Doctor, oblivious.
Rose walked up to the Doctor, stood on her tip toes and kissed his cheek, "Thanks," she said.
"For what?" inquired the Doctor, clueless.
"Exactly," said Rose with a small smile and then she ran into Elijah's TARDIS, it whirring away into nothingness, leaving a stunned Doctor.
That last thing between Rose and the Doctor was from Rose, she said it to Mickey before running into the TARDIS.