Disclaimer: I own nothing associated with Torchwood, only the circumstances of this story
Summary: My idea of an extended scene based on the one in Season #3 episode 1 where Jack visits Alice. It's meant to be a one-off but if there's demand I could continue it.
Author's notes: This is my first Torchwood story, and I haven't seen all of season #1 yet to know if the idea of Jack with a family is new. Pieces of dialouge are taken from the actual episode.
Spoiler Alert: Last episode of season #2, and all of season #3.
Title: Her Dad, Her Hero
He approached the house and parked beside the curb, then cut the engine. The silence deafened him, and forced him to think of what a heel he'd been. He'd been sending her money, and meant to stop by long before this… he couldn't think of a convincing excuse why he hadn't.
First it was Gwen's wedding, then Tosh and Owen's death…. And then he couldn't bring himself to do it; it'd been too long, too much had happened. She'd aged… and he'd stayed the same. He chuckled to himself: When it came to aliens Capitan Jack Harkness was fearless, when it came to his own family he was a complete coward. She was his daughter, he shouldn't be afraid.
She looked up from her dishes at the sound of a car door slamming. Watching him walk up the path she was surprised to see him. He hadn't contacted her for months besides sending cheques and that made her suspicious; what did he want? She asked herself, and kept coming up empty. She opened the door before he had a chance to knock, and met his piercing blue eyes:
"Come in." She held the door open for him to walk past her into the house.
"Hi Uncle Jack," came the excited squeal from her son.
"Hey buddy." Jack reached down affectionately ruffling the child's hair. He took a 10-pound note from his wallet and slipped it into the child's hand. The boy ran back to his television show.
He followed her into the kitchen and taking of his coat took a seat on a kitchen chair. while she made tea. She sat a mug in front of him and leaned against the breakfast bar.
"How are you Alice?" He asked, concern written on his face.
"Good. Steven keeps me busy." She smiled mentioning her son.
"I can imagine." He answered
"How are you?" She asked.
"I'm okay. I keep busy with work mostly." He replied.
"Work. Anything to do with this whole children thing?" She looked him straight in the eye.
"Yes. I had a spare afternoon, and was actually hoping to spend some time with Steven, and maybe take him out." He kept the answer vague. She continued looking at him, her eyes narrowing. Jack knew she realized what he wanted.
"I'm afraid that's not possible Dad. It's just too dangerous given the situation, and I want him safe."
"Are you calling me dangerous?" He asked.
"No, you're not dangerous, you're…" she tailed off searching for words. Suddenly she broke eye contact with him. Jack sensed she wanted to say it: "you're immortal, you're a freak of nature" instead of waiting for her to complete the statement he took the opportunity to enter his plea:
"Please Alice. I want to know my grandson. I want to spend time with him. I want to do things with him; take him to football matches, help him with schoolwork. He deserves that, even if he doesn't know who I am."
Alice took a deep breath and let out: "I find new wrinkles every week, and here you are as handsome as when you visited me when I was Steven's age. You don't change; you haven't changed. And that's the whole problem; it was mom's problem, likely why she asked you to stop coming over. I'll grow old, and you'll be standing at my gravesite looking just as you do right now."
"I found a grey hair last week." He tried to joke, shrugging off her statement. Alice cracked a half-smile:
"That must have driven you crazy."
"It did. I drove the whole staff nuts. They didn't care, instead they just mocked me," Jack told her pouting.
"Aww poor you." Alice mocked. They both laughed.
"He's going to figure it out. Either seeing you looking younger than his mother, or looking younger than him. Or one day you'll be out with him, and doing a good deed like chasing an armed robber or stopping someone from being beaten in the street, and somebody will get lucky and kill you. Five minutes later, as he's crying over your dead body, you'll sit up and take a breath as if nothing happened." She predicted.
"Then we tell him." Jack said without blinking an eye. She hesitated, biting her lip in thought.
"You remind me of your mother when you do that." He told her. She stopped and made her way over to the window, leaning on the sink staring out at the street.
"You remind me of me, when you do that." He told her. He walked over standing behind her placing his arms around her pulling her close. She put her head on his shoulder. He sighed: "You did that a lot when you were younger. I'd visit you, and you'd have a nightmare. Then you came running out of your room, and I'd sit down in a chair gather you into my lap and tell you I could beat all the monsters away. And you laid your head on my shoulder, and fell asleep."
"I remember that too. I remember feeling loved. I remember thinking Uncle Jack is going to make the monsters go away." She replied.
"I still will," he assured her. Alice answered the unasked question:
"The answer is still no Dad."
They'd reached an impasse. Jack stood placing his mug on the counter, then put on his coat. Alice looked on smiling:
"I remember playing dress-up in that coat. It dragged on the floor, and looked as if it swallowed me whole."
Jack chuckled, easily picturing it: this dainty little girl parading around in the big blue coat. Alice led the way to the door. Jack exited the house pausing on the porch taking one of her hands: "I love you. I'll do anything to keep you safe," She looked at him, swallowing the lump forming in her throat:
"I know. I love you too." Jack took a deep breath and turned making his way back down the front path.
"Be careful Dad," she called out to him as he neared his car. He turned to her grinning: "I always am. I'm indestructible remember?" She nodded, and stood watching as he drove away. She stared after him long after his car faded into the distance before finally reentering her house. She shivered unable to erase the growing sense of unease- the feeling that she'd just seen him for the last time. She pushed the unease to the back of her mind; Jack Harkness was her dad. He was her hero. If there was anyone who could save the world it was him.
The End