Title: Punk Venom
Author: Shen
Rating: PG-13 this part, NC-17 overall
Characters/Pairings: Ten/Jack/Rose
Summary: When chipmunks go bad, and the Doctor's on call, where does that leave Jack? A Ten/Jack/Rose OT3 fic. From the prompt: Someone is hurt; someone else provides comfort; and the third member of the trio feels left out.

Chapter 2: Infected

What the hell? He only carried Rose halfway down a small mountain yesterday; what gives with the Doctor treating him like a nuisance? But then, maybe there was some excuse. Having to do with the shouting. For now, he supposes he should be glad to know that Rose is going to be okay - and he is, really. It's just... oh, well. Jack Harkness is a man that can take care of himself. Especially for a day or so in a low-crime, tourist-friendly area like this.

He meanders down the road a ways until he finds the first likely inn. It wouldn't do to be too far away. One room registration, a shower, and a meal later, Jack should feel more relaxed, but something's still bugging him. Niggling at the back of his mind.

He tries his phone again. This time, the Doctor's doesn't even ring. Rose's is off as well.

There's grimacing at that, but he forces it away. He wouldn't want premature wrinkles over all this nonsense. He's just being needy. So, time to poke around some shops to pass the time! But first, a trip back to the park to grab their pack, which was discarded outside the ambulance yesterday.

But is he being needy? As he walks, Jack mulls it over. He has a right to know what's going on, he feels. They're supposed to be equal partners, and sometimes, Jack questions the Doctor's understanding of that. Ever since the Gamestation, anyway.

Tired of the tourist kitsch and determined to make himself useful, Jack heads to a different section of the market after lunch. He'll search for things that can be used as TARDIS parts; that will be a good use of his free time.

Still, his mind grinds away at the subject of the Doctor, even as he methodically roots through boxes of questionable electronics and burnt out ship parts. Today's behavior, while not outstanding on its own, just reminds him that the Doctor's been strangely cold to him since his physical overhaul. It had taken the trio a while to get back to their physical relationship, which was understandable, given the older man's sickness and Jack's and Rose's need to adapt to the change. They had only just returned to the bedroom a couple of weeks ago. And, though Jack missed the old Doctor dearly, he also frankly enjoyed this new, lithe body with an oral fixation. The uncertainty lay in whether that feeling ran both ways.

Jack cornered the new, new Doctor in a corridor three days after they had resumed shagging, while Rose still slept. He pounced playfully, pressing the other man gently into the wall and leaning in.

"Um, Jack, shouldn't we wait for Rose before doing something like this?" His voice was higher than normal, and Jack frowned.

"I just wanted a kiss before breakfast."

"Oh! Sorry, then." The Doctor leaned in and gave Jack a chaste peck on the lips before using his eel-like grace to slip under Jack's arm.

The guy just seemed more attentive to Rose. Everyone played together, but he preferred to end up inside their woman. He hadn't bottomed for Jack recently, either. They had even taken to sleeping exclusively with her in the middle. Could this incarnation be... straight? He's often wondered but been too afraid to bring it up to either lover. Or what if the man just didn't like him that way anymore? The Doctor's love for Rose is obvious and bright, blinding even, but Jack occasionally catches him shooting strange, unsettled looks in his own direction.

Rose and the Doctor were enjoying some kind of television marathon, and after reading his fill in the library, Jack decided to join them. However, when he entered and sat next to the Doctor, the Time Lord stood up and stretched.

"Well, I'd best get to work cleaning the- EM coils under the console displays!" Rose and Jack watched him walk out and shared a puzzled look afterward. Then, Rose shrugged.

"This him is antsy. Must've hit his limit for sitting down and watching telly." She scooted over and snuggled up under Jack's chin. He kissed her hairline.

"Yeah, another hour and he'd burst a blood vessel."

"Or start disassembling something important." Jack snorted.

"Your poor vibrator. He deserved it when you didn't speak to him for a day."

"I only talked after that because he made me a banana cake with little TARDISes drawn in pink frosting."

"Haha, and then she shot coolant in his face the next chance she got for disrespecting her beautiful blue color." The ship rumbled, the humans chuckled and cuddled, and the screen glowed merrily. Still, Jack shot an extra look at the door through which the had Doctor exited, and he wondered.

By the end of the day, Jack has nothing to show of his efforts except four failed phone calls, a t-shirt that says, "Tentacles are Love," and a powerful momentum for his moping. As such, he decides that a Scotch-like beverage would be the perfect "dinner."

He's sipping from his second glass when he feels someone walk up to his elbow. It's a human man, one just a hair shorter than himself, who smoothly deposits himself in the neighboring bar stool and looks at Jack intently. As he takes his time swallowing a sip of liquor, Jack perceives sandy hair, green eyes, and a well-cut blue jacket, but his own eyes are drawn to the other man's lips. Full, and offering a crooked, inviting smile.

"I couldn't help but notice a fellow glenmik drinker. This establishment provides one with a... fine presentation, don't you agree?"

"Definitely above average. And the aroma is something else." Jack leans forward as if to catch a better whiff of the stranger's cologne before he realizes that he's slipped into his playboy persona without thinking. Of course, he's so high strung right now, boning a complete stranger could be exactly the distraction he needs. There was a time where he wouldn't even have to think about it.

"Indeed. I'm no expert, but I can definitely tell when I've found a good specimen." Oh, that grin is cheeky.

"Heh, you're awful confident in your... judgment," Jack parries back.

"Well, I'm almost never wrong, and most people tend to find my tastes... most agreeable." As he speaks, the sandy-haired man slides his hand onto Jack's elbow and up his arm, quirking an eyebrow.

Jack offers his winning smile and adds, "I bet they're pretty enthusiastic about it, too."

"Oh yes," the man answers huskily. "Would you like to go somewhere and give my skills a test?" Jack undergoes a wave of want. But... what if his phone rings?

The thought acts like a spray of cold water. And how would his partners feel? To do this just because he feels neglected for a day? They could be okay with it (especially the Doctor, the way he's been acting), but Rose's era tends to look down on this sort of thing. And it hadn't been discussed between them. No, this is wrong.

It takes less effort than he expects to say, "That sounds wonderful, it really does, but... I need to be here. Sorry."

"Oh." The man blinks and leans back, visibly bruised by the turn-down. "Sorry; my fault." After the curt apology, he turns to walk away.

"No! It's... mine." Jack sighs; the man is long gone. Great, now he's hurt a totally neutral party with his attitude.

~*~*~*~

The next morning, Jack wakes with a sense of determination.. No more moping around town. He gets ready and marches out of the hotel without even eating breakfast. That hospital will let him see Rose Tyler, or else; whether it takes lying, manufacturing tears, or climbing through the vents. He's not quite an Oncoming Storm, but he will not be denied in this.

Five purposeful steps down the road, his mobile rings.

In a measured, carefully even voice, he answers it, "Hello?"

"Jack?" returns a small-sounding intonation. Relief blows all sternness away.

Softly, he asks, "Rose? Are you alright, sweetheart?"

"I jus' woke up, so they're letting me out. Can you meet us here?"

"Of course!"

"...My hand hurts, and it has a huge bandage on it, too," Rose grouses sleepily, drawing a smile out of the former con man.

"I'll kiss it for you. As soon as I'm there. See you soon!"

"Bye, Jack. It's good to hear your voice." Immediately, Jack runs back, gets their pack, and checks out.

They're waiting when he dashes into the waiting room. Right away, Rose walks up, bows her head, and falls forward to rest on his chest. Jack encloses her in his arms and squeezes gently, nuzzling her and sneaking a dose of her familiar scent. It calms his heart immediately.

"Mmm," he rumbles, and Rose snuggles back with a happy but tired sigh.

"Now we can get back to the TARDIS and really fix you up!" the Doctor exclaims. Looking jubilant, he walks up to join the embrace, but ice blue eyes stop him in his tracks. All the worry and hurt from the last day is channeled into that aggressive glare.

"Jack?" the Doctor questions carefully.

"Why wouldn't you talk to me? You turned your mobile off after you hung up on me." At this, Rose pulls back from the hug and looks from man to man, puzzled.

"But I had to, Jack."

"Sure. Looking for any excuse to ignore me, more like. Par for the course lately, am I right?"

"Jack," admonishes Rose, taken aback by the venom in his voice. And if Jack were to be honest with himself, the tone surprised him as well. But he stands firm.

It's grim triumph he feels when the Doctor drops his fakely confused expression and sighs knowingly.

"Let's go sit down somewhere. A bench in the park?" Well that's a start.

But Rose asserts, "Excuse me. I'll be happier the farther away we are from Chip, Dale, and Bitey McPoison, thanks."

"C'mon, I found an outdoor cafe with good breakfast."

"Now there's an idea; I'm bloody starving." Jack leads them out the door and down the street.

After ordering food, Jack resumes glaring at the Doctor. For his part, he puts both elbows on the table, leans forward, and matches Jack's gaze.

"First thing's first. So you know, I had to stop using the phone because the signal was interfering with the medical equipment."

"I thought they just told people that to keep them from yapping loudly in hospital hallways," comments Rose.

"I'm afraid not. I actually thought the nurse was going to bludgeon me with her data pad - that's the shouting you heard, Jack. So I turned off both our mobiles."

"Oh." Well, that part sounds reasonable enough. But he strengthens his resolve. "Still, you couldn't walk out and talk to me at all?"

"Her situation was delicate, and I didn't want to leave her," the Doctor protests.

"Excuses again-"

"Alright, Jack, alright. I'm sorry for that. You've noticed that I've been acting funny around you, I see." To Jack's surprise, Rose snorts.

"Kind of hard to miss. I was waiting for you two to work it out, but trying to leave you alone together was like trying to join the wrong ends of a pair of magnets. Or trying to pair plaid and paisley tastefully." The Doctor sniffs, trying not to look offended.

"...I see. Well, so you both know, it's very hard to hide one's emotions when in an entirely new body with novel mood patterns." He refocuses on the other man. "Jack, I don't hate you. You have to believe me about that much. But you might have noted, I'm not the only different one around here lately." Slowly, it dawns on him.

"My immortality?" The conversation pauses as the food is brought. Rose tucks in enthusiastically but keeps her eyes on her men, still listening.

"Yes, Jack. You're not just resilient or long-lived; you're a fixed point in time. I am a creature of time. I know I've frequently mentioned – well, made light of – perhaps even mocked humans and your instincts and biases, but the truth is, we Time Lords have our own. There's no polite way to say it; Jack, you feel like an aberration to me. It makes me skittish, makes me want to... run."

Jack stands up and turns to leave. He can't take any more of this right now.

"Wait!" The Doctor grabs his wrist and forces him to turn around. Staring eye to eye, they stand together, and a chill hand comes to rest on the side of Jack's neck, thumb on his cheek. He flinches but doesn't turn away again.

"I can't help what I physically feel, Jack; I'm sorry. But I'm learning. I've been trying, and I will try harder. I've slipped up, taken the easy route on a few days, but... but..." All of a sudden, the Doctor whirls away and starts pulling on his hair, frustrated. It's with vague amusement that Jack notes Rose with her fork halfway to her mouth, which is slightly ajar.

The Doctor turns back to him, "What I mean to say isn't that you're an awful lot of work. You are, but you can't help it. And more than that - it's - Jack, you're worth it. You're more than worth it, because I value us," he gestures in a circle to include all three partners, "more than I can say. I am so, so glad to be fighting my instincts, because you're indispensable to me. I'm reminded every day, and it makes the effort easier. You can take care of yourself and others in a crisis. You help the TARDIS; you protect us; and you are bloody good in the bedroom. Alright?" Now the Doctor looks needful, pleading for understanding with his eyes. Jack can't think of any words to express his emotions, so he just nods.

This, too, can be worked through, he thinks carefully, trying to imprint it like a mantra. None of them can help the state of his body or change the Time Lord's instinct's, and it's not like he was thrown out or spat on or anything. Now that it's all out in the open, he's not happy exactly, but it's better than being in the dark. They sit back down with their food.

"Wow," Rose comments. "Jack, one of us should get injured more often."

"Oh!" The Doctor turns to her and adds, "Rose, you're indispensable, too. I trust you, and you're talented when it comes to people, especially upset people, and-"

"Yeah, I know I'm bloody good in the bedroom," Rose finishes haughtily before softening it with a blush and a loving smile. "I wasn't the one that needed to hear it, though; it's alright. I'm proud of you two." They get back to eating. Slowly, the tension falls prey to the everyday act of sharing a meal, passing the salt, stealing bites of food.

Rose is the first to finish, and she sits back, looking contemplative.

"You know, Doctor, you probably could have snuck a text message through." It's the Time Lord's turn to stop with food halfway to his mouth.

"Er..."

"And why didn't you send Jack back to get the TARDIS for us, if her medbay is so much better than the hospital? You said I was out for two full nights, and she's only six hours ride away. There aren't any big established events we would have been mucking about with, right?" Jack and the Doctor share a sheepish look while she stares at them both. The Doctor is the first one to start laughing.

Several moments later, Rose giggles, "Well aren't you two a pair of useless? This proves I'm the source of common sense in this outfit."

"Hey, now, don't go calling a single raindrop a monsoon." Rose throws her serviette at the Doctor.

To be concluded