Another encounter...and a betrayal?
The fayre was buzzing with tourists and locals, a light breeze blew the flags of the Contrade that lined the street.
Jack had settled himself at one of the tables outside a cafe.
He'd lost the Doctor minutes after entering the fayre; not that he was worried the Doctor always seemed to find him.
He was watching the crowds, so he didn't notice the person approaching him until they sat down opposite him and he flashed a smile when he saw a very attractive female smiling at him.
"You're here for the Palio?"
"Isn't everyone?" he replied.
"So it would seem, you were at the banquet of the Leocorno Contrade? I take it the one you were arguing with is your lover?"
"You could call him that, just not to his face," Jack gave her a wry smile.
She raised an eyebrow and reached out and touched his hand. "You must like them fiery, he seemed...spirited. Ah well, I won't bother you," she said and got up. "But a spirited creature must be tamed eventually."
Jack shook his head at that remark and rubbed absently at the hand that she had touched, and after a few moments forgot the conversation as he returned to watching the crowds and watching for the Doctor.
The man in question was busy perusing the stalls. He stopped in front of a jewellery stall and saw something that caught his eye, two sets of cufflinks, but different coloured stones glittering in the sunlight.
The stallholder moved over and offered the boxes to the Doctor and he took them.
He studied the design; a rearing unicorn studded with semi-precious stones, one garnet, and the other amber.
He was undecided on which stone to chose and he went to put them both down, when someone spoke behind him.
"You should buy the amber. It brings out the fire in your eyes."
He started as he recognised the voice from the night before. He turned and the man from the stable was standing just behind him.
"You think, I always thought garnet was more my colour."
The man stepped closer and took one of the boxes from him; their fingers brushed and the Doctor felt that unbidden rush of want again.
"Let me," the man said and with a glance at the stallholder took the amber cufflinks and held them against the Doctor's face. "Definitely amber," he said and deliberately brushed a finger against the Doctor's cheek.
This time the Doctor couldn't suppress a shiver.
The man smiled when he felt him shiver. "So, are you here alone?"
The Doctor blinked. "And if I wasn't?"
"Then whoever you're with should be careful. They shouldn't risk losing you to someone else."
The man passed a handful of notes to the stall owner and handed the box to the Doctor. "For you, and if it's not out of turn, I would like to see you again."
The Doctor blinked again and fell back into his preferred mode of coping with a question that flustered him...he babbled.
"See me again, well...it's just that I sort of have plans...when I say plans, it depends on...I have a partner...well a sort of a partner."
The man laughed. "If you change your mind, this is the where I'm staying, it's easy to find. But if you don't then..."
The man boldly grabbed the Doctor's shirt and pulled his forwards and kissed him, then turned away and into the crowd, leaving a stunned Doctor and a giggling stall holder.
The Doctor stared after the man...the kiss tingling on his lips. He frowned and ran his tongue over his lips...there was something?
The sound of trumpets interrupted his thoughts; it was the signal that the race was starting soon and for the people to gather. He placed the box in his pocket and weaved his way through the crowds.
When he saw Jack the encounter at the stall was forgotten, his eyes only for Jack.
Jack stood as he approached and greeted him with that dazzling smile and a cheeky. "Are you sure there's no bloodhound in Time Lord DNA?"
They found the section where the hotel owner and his Contrade were sitting just as the Corteo Storico was starting and the Doctor was caught up in the excitement, and then the roar of the crowd as the first horse appeared.
The chaos of the race sent his adrenalin soaring, even more so when the hotel owner's Contrade won, even though the rider was unseated in a skirmish on the last bend; a rider-less horse could still win.
The Doctor was still buzzing when he and Jack left the victory banquet and veered off from the parade of the winning horse through the Contrade.
They burst through the doors of their suite and before Jack could properly close the doors, the Doctor pushed him against them and kissed him, deeply and passionately.
Jack grinned. "If I knew horse racing did this to you, I'd have taken you racing earlier."
"That's too organised," the Doctor said breathily and kissed Jack again. "I like the chaos, the melee, rode in it myself once."
He was beginning to babble and Jack shut him up with a kiss.
"This needs champagne," Jack said. "I'll get some from the bar."
The sigh of frustration from the Doctor added speed to his feet and he practically flew down the stairs.
He was just filling a bucket with ice, when a voice came out of the shadows.
"Champagne, an excellent choice for romancing."
Jack nearly dropped the ice as a man stepped out of the shadow, a very attractive man. A spike of lust ran through him...where the hell did that come from? He should only be thinking about the Doctor.
The man was right in his face and another spike of lust went through him and it became uncontrollable and everything became hazy...until he heard a gasp.
He pulled away from the man and found he was half undressed...but it wasn't that which caught his attention, it was who was standing at the entrance to the bar, a look of intense hurt on their face.
Then the figure was gone, out of the hotel.
Jack was frozen for a few seconds before his brain told his feet to move. He raced out of the door, but the street was empty.
"Doctor!" he yelled but only silence greeted him...he was gone.
The Doctor had decided to go and help Jack find the champagne. As he came down the stairs he heard the crash of furniture, was Jack in some kind of trouble.
"Five minutes, that's all I ask...no aliens or fights."
He crept down the last few steps, sonic in hand, ready to help Jack. He edged round the corner and what he saw wasn't Jack in trouble, but Jack entangled in an explicit embrace with another man.
He couldn't stop the gasp and when Jack turned at the sound the Doctor saw the haze of lust on his face.
He turned away and ran...ran away from the betrayal.
He ran until his chest burnt and he sank to the floor. He heaved in a breath and then let out a choking sob. How stupid was he to think that Jack would ever change.
"Stupid, stupid Time Lord," he sobbed.
Anger flashed across his face...he wiped the tears away. "If he wants a non-exclusive relationship, then fine."
He fished in his pocket and took out the card the man from the stable had given him...time for him to have his own fun.
Jack was sitting on the steps of the hotel when the owner and his daughter returned.
"Captain Jack, why so glum? It's a great day!"
His daughter shushed him and sat next to Jack. "You and your Doctor have had a fight?"
Jack laughed. "If only."
She put her hand on his arm. "He has been unfaithful?"
"No!" Jack said sharply. "He would never, it was me."
"Then you must go and find him and ask his forgiveness."
"I don't even know where he went."
"We shall find him," the hotel owner said. "As I said, there is nowhere he can go without being found. Daughter, give me your phone."
The Doctor eventually found the house and knocked on the door. He was about to chicken out when the door opened.
The man smiled. "So, you decided to take up the offer, come in."
The Doctor stepped inside and as he walked further into the living room the man's smile turned from gentle to malevolent...step two was nearly complete...now to set step three into action...and this part he was going to enjoy.
Authors Notes
The Corteo Storico or historical parade is referred to as "passeggiata storica" It is a costume parade which takes place before the Palio.
The Palio in fact is won by the horse who represents his contrada, and not by the jockeys. The winner is the first horse to cross the finish line—a horse can win without its rider (a condition known as cavallo scosso).