Until We Meet Again
Word Count: ~ 2.400
Summary: 1940 - when Jack comes back from a mission, he finds the Doctor in Torchwood Three's cells.
Characters: Jack Harkness, Doctor (10)
Pairing: Jack/Greg Bishop (hinted), Jack/Angelo Colasanto (hinted), Jack/Estelle Cole (hinted), Jack/OC (hinted)
Rating: R
Spoiler: Small Worlds, Jack's past as shown in Miracle Day / Novel: The Twilight Streets
Setting: 1940 - team from the novel Twilight Streets
Crossover: Doctor Who
Crossover-Setting: sometime after Planet Of The Dead
Crossover-Spoilers: Parting Of The Ways, Doomsday, Utopia, Last Of The Time Lords, Journey's End, Planet Of The Dead
Author's Note: Written for torchwood_fest for the prompt Torchwood 3 captures the 10th Doctor. I really hope this is what you wanted. I planned something else entirely and ended up with this.
Beta: Eleanor Harkness-Jones, thank you!
Disclaimer: I'm not making money with this fanfic. The tv-shows Torchwood and Doctor Who and the characters appearing within them belong to their producers and creators. Any similarities to living or dead persons are purely coincidental and not intended.
xxx
Jack stared at the man sitting cross-legged on the thin mattress in the cell, bars separating them. A few minutes ago, up in the main Hub, for just a moment, he'd thought that Brennan had allowed herself a joke in saying they'd caught the Doctor. Knowing his connection to the Doctor, it would have been a cruel joke, though – which would fit somehow. Brennan couldn't stand him. That was no secret. But Rhydian and Llinos, they liked him well enough, Jack supposed, and wouldn't make fun of him that way. And Greg… Jack didn't know what he'd done to deserve the gentle smiles Greg sent his way. Greg had good reason to hate him. After all, Jack had shagged him and then thrown him aside like he didn't matter at all. Not because he didn't like Greg. The problem was that he liked him too much. And that couldn't happen. Not with Jack's sanity at stake.
He was well-aware of the downward-spiral his attitude had taken over the last few years. At the beginning, after he'd landed on Earth in the late 19th century, he'd tried to keep his morale up. In the end, only his job at Torchwood had saved him from getting killed in drunken fights more than he had been. And then he'd met a girl who'd taken is breath away and before he knew it, he and Tessa had gotten married. He'd never told her about his immortality but he'd come close several times. She'd died when she'd fallen down the stairs. It had taken a long time for Jack to recover from that but by the time he'd met Angelo, he'd been alright again. He'd fallen hard and fast – and then he'd learned that it was better never to speak about his immortality to anyone. Angelo had been a bitter, brutal, bloody lecture. And then there'd been Estelle and Angelo's echo warning him to never tell her… so after a very happy time, he'd vanished from her life. That last loss had broken him and he'd resolved that he would never let anyone come that close again. He was trapped here, until the Doctor would come. Torchwood would give him work and money. His charming smile and well-practiced flirting would give him sexual relief. And that was enough. It had to be until the Doctor would come in the 21st century.
And then, today, Jack had come back from a mission to Brennan's triumphant smile, his teammates' excitement and this man in their cell: tall, messy brown hair, a dark pinstripe suit and trainers. He was nothing like the Doctor Jack had known, but his eyes… his dark, beautiful, old eyes gave him away. Jack wondered if the seer had been wrong. The Doctor was here – in 1940 – after all. Well before the 21st century.
The Doctor looked at him with a neutral expression. He didn't seem surprised to see Jack and dread filled him, fuelling the insecurities he'd felt after he'd found himself all alone on Satellite 5: had the Doctor left him on purpose? Why? He'd tried to do everything right after the mess-up with the nanogenes!
He glanced at the door leading into the corridor that had brought him here from the main Hub, making sure it was closed, that there would be no witnesses to their talk. Then he said, "I can't believe you're here."
A smile tugged at the Doctor's lips. "Believe me. I didn't expect to be here today, either." He got up and shoved his hands in his trouser pockets casually. He didn't seem bothered by his situation at all. Torchwood had just caught its number one enemy… and he didn't even care.
Jack wrapped one hand around one of the bars that separated him from the man who'd saved him… and then left him like he didn't matter. Or hadn't he? He swallowed his insecurity, deciding to give the Doctor the benefit of doubt for now. "You changed."
"You didn't," the Doctor answered, matter-of-fact. Did he know what had happened to him? Had he caused it? Why? Why would he condemn Jack to a life like this?
"I don't know why." He wrapped his other hand around one of the bars as well. "Do you?"
"Not exactly." The calm, the utter casualness in the Doctor's stance and voice angered Jack. So he'd known.
Jack suppressed his anger, giving a helpless laugh instead. "Well, I'll take whatever explanation you've got."
"I'm afraid I can't tell you."
The frustration, the anger, the disappointment got the better of Jack now. He slammed his palms against the bars. "Why not? It's the least you can give me!"
"I really can't," the Doctor replied calmly.
"I deserve an explanation. You left me there, didn't you? Knowing what had become of me."
The Doctor didn't answer.
Jack sneered. "I knew it. You saw a chance to get rid of me, like you wanted to from the start, and you took it. Too bad that your fate is in my hands, now. I could get you out of here. But you know what?" He shook his head and stepped away. "I'll just let you know what it felt like." He turned and walked towards the door.
The Doctor's voice stopped him with his hand on the heavy handle. "Jack." He didn't sound pleading, just calm, as if he he knew that Jack would stop.
And he did. "You left me on purpose."
"I couldn't stand looking at you."
Jack whirled around and stalked back to the cell, pointing an angry finger at the Doctor. "After all I did for you? I gave my life for you, you bastard! I tried to become a better man for you! Someone you could be proud of, someone you could call a friend. And you just abandoned me the first chance you got." He stared at the Doctor, waiting for a response, an apology, he didn't quite know what.
"Are you finished?" the Doctor asked finally, breaking the silence.
"Yes!" Jack hissed.
"Then it's my turn. I chose to leave you because your condition went against everything I've learned. Don't think I didn't feel guilty because I did. And I can't answer your question about what happened, Jack, because I would disrupt time doing it. You can't know yet."
Jack frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"This is not the first time I've met you after what happened on Satellite 5."
Jack thought about this, worked out the implications, remembered what the seer had told him about when he'd see the Doctor again and asked, "When?"
"I can't give you an exact date, I'm sure you'll understand."
"21st century?"
"Yes."
Jack took a step back, taking a deep, calming breath. "I was told that's when I'd see you again." He rubbed his forehead. "That means you're going against the time lines. You can't be here. Your presence is… harming time, isn't it?"
"Don't worry," the Doctor answered. "It's okay. I checked everything before coming here."
"You checked…" Jack's mouth dropped open, and then he couldn't help but laugh when it suddenly made sense. The all too easy capture, the way the Doctor acted as if nothing was wrong. "You let them catch you on purpose, didn't you?"
The Doctor shrugged and there was a smug little grin showing that Jack remembered all too well from another face – another version of him. "Please… as if I wouldn't be able to get out of here in a matter of seconds."
Jack smiled. The fact that the Doctor had gone to all this trouble to see him warmed his heart and he was inclined to give him another chance… or at least to listen to what he was about to say. "Your screwdriver?"
"I gave it a perception filter." He reached into his breast pocket. Jack's eyes reacted to the perception filter, drifting away from the Doctor's hand and not noticing the screwdriver he was without a doubt holding up. Jack closed his eyes in concentration and opened them again. And there it was. The Doctor grinned brightly, lighting up his whole face. "They didn't find it."
Jack stepped closer to the cell, raising his eyebrows questioningly. "You went through so much trouble just to see me?"
The Doctor's grin faded and he became serious. "It had to be here and now. There's a fixed point in time here. What happens now was always supposed to happen. I have to be here. You have to be here. In this room. Talking about all these things. I saw it for a while on the TARDIS's time map, ever since we met the first time, actually. You know, I often follow the TARDIS's advice on where to go. She finds points I can meddle with and tells me which fixed points to avoid. Since we parted ways, she pointed me here but I didn't want to go for obvious reasons. Then we met again and then again and recently, she became more insistent I come here." He came closer, leaning his shoulder against the bars. "Jack, you have to listen to me and not ask question because I can't tell you much. I watched you over the last few months and I know the man you will become. This…" He pointed at Jack. "…is not him. Lonely by choice."
Jack snorted. "Well, I lost my wife, I lost a girl I loved very much and my last boyfriend turned out to hate me for what I am."
"So you close yourself off?"
"Better than the alternative. I can't stay with people, Doctor. I'm too different from them. They can't understand me."
The Doctor shook his head. "But you of all people thrive on human contact." He looked at Jack thoughtfully. "That's what the TARDIS was pointing out to me. Your current behaviour blocks several fixed points that will be very important for the future. That has to change, Jack."
"Easier said than done. Who would want me with all the baggage I'm carrying?"
"Open your eyes," the Doctor answered. "That fine young man – Greg Bishop, isn't it? – is looking at you with nothing but affection. And he knows what you are. You colleagues, they like you. I saw them trying to get closer. I saw you pushing them away."
"Because I'll lose them. I always do."
"That's life, Jack." The Doctor's eyes became sad. "A lot has happened since we parted ways. Rose, two other companions, short-time partners…" He shook his head. "I thought the same as you do. Why should I care if I lose them at the end of the day?"
Shock sliced through Jack like a knife and he swallowed. "Is Rose…? Rose, is she…"
"No," the Doctor said, "but she's not with me anymore." He smiled sadly. "I've been travelling without a companion for quite a while now. And it made me different… cold, arrogant… we extraordinary beings need ordinary ones – and I mean that in the best possible way. We need their love and friendship or we lose touch with reality. If you continue to close yourself off, you will become like me. I'm no good without a companion and you are the same. If you let it happen, you will make a decision in the future that will change time forever." He nodded at Jack. "And now I'll leave."
Jack shook his head pleadingly. "Take me with you."
"You need to be here. Fixed points, remember?" He sighed and seemed genuinely sad for turning him down. "Besides, I was told that my song is ending… I have to face that alone."
Jack reached out to him, slipping one arm between the bars and touching the Doctor's shoulder. "You don't have to."
"Yes, I do." He heaved a deep breath. "When we see each other again, you have to pretend this didn't happen." He smiled. "I will be harsh and unfair. Just know that I'll end up being very proud of you." He activated his screwdriver and only one moment later, the TARDIS materialized behind him in the cell.
Jack stared at the ship longingly, but he accepted the Doctor's wish to go on alone. Despite everything, he still trusted that the Doctor knew what he was doing. And he had come here to see him after all. Nevertheless… "One last question," Jack said.
"No questions."
"Please."
The Doctor stared at him for a long moment, then he nodded. "Alright. If you do me a favour."
Jack nodded and then asked, "Why? What's so important that I need to set myself up to get hurt? I don't even really belong here. I can't be that important."
The Doctor smiled. "You have no idea at all, do you? You're more than important, Jack. You'll become this world's guardian. You'll save thousands of lives, but you can't do it alone. That's why you need to hurt. So that you don't lose your humanity. So that you'll forgive a young man when he brings the enemy into your base. So that you feel at home here – with the team, with him. So that when you need him, he'll be at your side and make you stronger. Because Earth needs you here and it needs you human. The 21st century is when everything changes and you have to be ready."
"Who is he?"
"You'll know. When it happens, you'll know. Just… forgive him."
Jack nodded reluctantly. "Fine. What's the favour?"
The Doctor smiled. "Greg Bishop. He'll help you become human again. Don't push him away." He nodded at Jack and opened the door to his TARDIS.
"Doctor," Jack said. He waited until the Doctor looked at him questioningly. "Don't stay alone."
The Doctor nodded slowly. Then he flashed a smile and entered his ship.
The TARDIS vanished.
And Jack was left behind to wait for the 21st century.
END
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