Jack had started in the back of an unused storage area. The Hub was practically a rabbit's warren of such places but none were fit for a home. Not even one was big enough—or good enough—not for him and his Doctor at any rate. He started with the lowest setting on the squareness gun. It had been so long since he had used it and he was rusty. As well, he felt uncertain as to what condition the gun was in and unsure of how disuse may have affected it. Better to take it easy, since he was going for precision.

Now he ran into his office like an excited boy. He stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of an irate Doctor spitting, spluttering and trying his best with clumsy hands to wipe his tongue on the sheet. Rhys and Ianto stood nearby with some mysterious substance splattered on their clothing.

"What the hell happened?" he asked, having to bite back a laugh at the sight of the two men, who were dabbing themselves with paper towels.

"I don't know," Rhys said. "I was trying to get him to eat and he went ballistic, started spewing it back at me. Ianto just walked in at the wrong moment."

Jack sat down next to the Doctor. "What's wrong, sweethearts? Didn't you like it? You really need to eat something besides bananas, you know, you can't live off…oh." Jack said as he caught the smell. He started laughing again, louder and harder than ever.

"What the hell is so funny?" Rhys said, wiping his face.

"Pears! Pears is what's so funny. You gave him pureed pears. He hates pears."

"Wish to hell you'd told me," Rhys said. "Anything else he hates?"

"Not that I know of," Jack said. "Sorry, but it really is funny. Wish you could have seen your faces."

"Jack!" said the Doctor, his face scrunched up in distaste. "Pears, Jack! Pears!"

"I know," Jack said. He went to his desk and poured the Doctor a glass of water. He took the glass and helped the Doctor wash the taste away. "You didn't mean to make a mess, did you?"

He looked at Rhys and Ianto mournfully. His lower lip trembled. Rhys and Ianto buckled.

"We aren't angry with you, honestly," Ianto said. He sat beside Jack and brushed his fingers through the Doctor hair. "Rhys isn't angry either. Are you," Ianto prodded.

"No, not at all, mate," Rhys reassured. "I didn't know, I won't give you any of those nasty pears again, I promise."

Jack grabbed a wet wipe and cleaned pureed pear off the Doctor's chin. He dabbed fussily, like a cat cleaning its kitten. "I found something behind the concrete down there," Jack said, tossing the paper towel and pulling a square case out of the waistband of his jeans. "It's a DVD! A DVD hidden behind the concrete. It's in a temporally preservative case, and I bet I know how it got there!"

He went to his desk and grabbed his laptop. Sitting back down on the bed, he pressed a few buttons on the case, which opened with a cheerful chirping sound. He put the DVD into the laptop. A video popped up…and there he was, just as Jack knew he would be: the eleventh Doctor. "Hullo, Jack!" He was grinning maniacally. "Knew you're clever enough to work it out! As you've probably figured out, I went back in time to put this DVD behind the concrete. Those council workers never even noticed. Uniforms! Wonderful disguises, all people see is the uniform! Practically as good as a perception filter. I love a good uniform. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know you're on the right track. I'm looking into what I can do to help you out, but I mustn't waste time right now, slight emergency, you know how these things go. Off to Utah!" He popped a Stetson on top of his head. "Like it better than the fez? I wear a Stetson now. Stetsons are cool. Keep working, Jack, and don't lose hope! You know how important hope is. Goodbye for now. Oh, and Jack! Get him some crayons. He'll like crayons. And don't forget to let him hold that bit of coral. And Rhys! Pears. Pears are evil. Avoid them at all cost. They're the Daleks of fruit." And with that, the video ended.

"Jack!" the Doctor cried. He waved at the computer. "Jack mine!" Jack took in his expression. He looked distressed and sounded a little angry.

"Are you afraid he'll take me from you? Don't be afraid, I'm yours, not his," Jack said. He pulled his Doctor closer and kissed his temple, chuckling softly. "Now you're just being silly. Don't worry, you still have me. He's just trying to help. He went back and left us a little message. I promise I won't leave you for him, sweethearts. And really, he's trying to help us. He said if we can't get you well he would try to fix you up. But I think he wants us to do it. Maybe it's better for you this way. We belong to each other, remember? And you know what? I'm going to build us a home. Our own little home. And you'll be safe and happy in it someday. Just you wait."

The Doctor leaned against him. "Jack home!"

"I'm home?"

The Doctor smiled, and with a bit of effort he gave a clumsy little nod. Jack wrapped his arms around his mate. "Look at you," he murmured into the Doctor's hair. "You're going to get better. I just know you are. You be good for Rhys, will you? I'm going to go back to work on our home." He took the little piece of coral that was a TARDIS scion from his desk and handed to the Doctor.

The Doctor nodded again. As Jack walked away, he heard him say "Eeyore? Tea?" He glanced over his shoulder to see his mate clutching the coral to his chest and humming tunelessly. His eyes glittered, and there was a little smile on his face.

Jack spent the rest of the day working on their home, making sure the walls were plumb and the ceilings and floors level, measuring, planning, drawing up blueprints. This would be a living room, there a kitchen, over there a bedroom, an en suit toilet included, big enough to accommodate a hot tub. There would be a media room, another room for the Doctor to have a workshop. On a whim, he added a room for a gym. He would do all the work himself as a labor of love. By the end of the day, he was tired in body and mind, and ready to spend time with his mate.

When he got to his office the Doctor was sleeping, curled on his side in a ball, the piece of coral hugged tightly to his chest. Rhys was reading some notes Martha had given him on caring for the Doctor.

"Has he been sleeping long?" Jack asked, sitting on the bed and gingerly brushing his fingers through the Doctor's hair.

"About forty-five minutes or so," Rhys replied. "He managed to eat chips today. We let him use his hands, so he could feed himself. Martha said we should let him to help improve his motor functions. He's been happy as Larry to have that bit of coral. He asked for you, too. He didn't just say your name either. He said 'Where's Jack?' I reminded him that your were building a home. He seemed happy enough with that, but I could tell he missed you. Kept looking around like he expected you to walk in any second."

"He does seem to be getting better fairly quickly," Jack said. "but we need to keep this on a one day at a time basis. Has Martha learned anything, done any tests?"

"She and I got him down to the lab and she scanned him. She wants to talk to you."

"I'll nip down there and see what she has to say," Jack said, his brow furrowed with worry.

He found Martha looking at images of the scans. She motioned him to step closer. "I've compared these to the ones I did after the Nostrovite poisoning," she said. "There seems to be some small changes. But I just don't know if this is something that naturally occurs during a regeneration…which his wasn't a normal one, so there's no way of knowing…or if this is brain injury."

"So, what do we do?"

"I don't know," she said. She pinched the bridge of her nose. She looked worn out. "If you speak with the new Doctor, ask him if we should use that cerebral regenerator he cobbled together. He said it should work on a wide spectrum of species, but I wouldn't want to try it if it isn't keyed to work on his species. That could cause more harm than good."

"I'll see what I can do. In the meantime?"

"We carry on," she said. "Give him therapy, support, love. Looks like it's going to be baby steps for now. But he is improving at a very rapid rate, so the baby steps are going to go quickly. He may be fine without us doing much. Time Lord physiology really is amazing. He isn't boasting when he says their physiology is superior, Jack. If he does have brain injury, his body will put it on the front burner, and since it seems he has no other injuries it should go smoothly enough if he can heal himself. His muscle and bone is sound, respiration is good, everything in top condition except his brain. I'll keep doing scans to see if there is any changes. We continue working on his speech and motor skills. Jack, you're central to this. He works harder because he wants to please you. He was in a snit about feeding himself until we told him it would make you proud of him. But he did really well with it. I want him using a spoon tomorrow. And I want to start on ambulation over the next few days."

"Do you think it's wise to push him like that?"

"Jack, you know what happens when you coddle him."

"But—"

"No, Jack. I'm pretty sure his basic personality is pretty much the same, although it's just a guess. Just because the architecture of his brain is similar to ours doesn't mean much, but it's all we have to go on. Assuming his personality is relatively the same, if you coddle him he'll start acting out again, just like he did before. He won't work hard enough. He'll get contrary. Correction, he'll get more contrary than his usual contrariness. If he works hard, then by all means reward him with all the love you can muster." She pointed at Jack and looked at him sternly. "But no spoiling, Jack. I mean it."

"Oh, all right," he conceded.

"And I want you to work on his speech. When he struggles for a word, try to help him. Don't let him get lazy. Make him use more words. He's picking them back up quickly. But if we push him I really think it'll go even quicker."

"How do I do that?"

"Well, for instance, instead of him hollering 'Eeyore, tea,' you make him ask. Say the phrase and get him to repeat it as best he can."

"I'll do that," Jack paused, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Last night when we went to bed, he kept saying 'more'. I got him to settle for kisses, but I have a feeling he wants more than just kisses and cuddles. Martha…what do I do? It isn't that I find him undesirable now. It's not like I'm repulsed by the changes in him or anything. But I feel like a monster for wanting him. Like a sicko. I feel like a pedo."

"How about that?" Martha said teasingly, trying to lighten the mood. "Jack Harkness, asking me about sex!" This did manage to get a grin out of Jack, so Martha continued. "He isn't a child, but I understand what you're saying. Jack, he does have diminished capacity, but we aren't sure of the degree or in what areas just yet. All I know to say is if he gets demanding, perhaps you should indulge him. Maybe not full-on. But if he pushes you for sex, I don't know…maybe a little heavy petting or something? He just wants to feel loved by you. He's injured, true. But apparently he still has desires. It's up to you to guess the extent of those desires and how much to respond to them."

"You sure?" Jack said, looking worried again. "I don't want to do more harm than good."

"He may or may not be having to reroute neural pathways," she said. "If he isn't then it's all good. If he is, the stimulation may very well help. Just let me know if there's anything going on out of the ordinary between you two. Any behavior of his which is out of the spectrum of your normal intimacy. Who knows, maybe it'll help with his diagnoses if I have more information in regards to intimacy."

Jack still looked uncertain. Martha put her arms around him and hugged him. "Trust Jack Harkness to put the Doctor's well-being ahead of his considerable sexuality," she teased." At this, she felt his tension diminish a little.

"Thank you," he said, taking her shoulders in his hands. He kissed her cheek. "You look ready to drop. Tomorrow is another day, yeah?"

"Yeah," she replied. She looked at her watch. "It's about time to go. Ianto got some chicken. It's cooked, cut into bite-size bits and in the fridge. When he wakes up, let him feed himself. And there's enough for the both of you. Eat it with him, but eat yours with a fork, to remind him he needs to relearn how to do that."

"I will," he said. "Now, you collect your gorgeous Welshman and go home. See ya tomorrow."

He told the rest to go home as well and saw them off. He stood for a few minutes, taking in the silence of the Hub as his Doctor slept peacefully in his office. And then he heard it.

"Ja-a-a-ack! Where's Jack?"

"Coming, sweethearts!" he answered, feeling himself grin in spite of his worries. How not? No matter what, that voice would always be music to his ears. He rushed to sooth his mate's distress at awakening alone.

The second the Doctor saw him, his brows drew down and his bottom lip poked out. "Jack!" It sounded like a scolding.

"I'm right here," he said. "Were you scared?"

The Doctor struggled to sit up. Jack helped him, and then gathered him into his arms. He was trembling.

"Scared," the Doctor whimpered. "Scared, Jack! Scared!"

Jack kissed the top of his head. "Don't be, you mustn't think I'll leave you all alone."

"U-u-u-ll…lone. U-u-u-ull…alone."

"No, no, you weren't all alone, I would never do that to you!"

The Doctor struggled in his arms and Jack let him pull away. He shook his head 'no'. "I—I was. I was alone."

"Once you were," Jack said. "But no more. Not since you became my mate," Jack said, rubbing the Doctor's upper arms.

The Doctor smiled then. "No…no more alone. My Jack," he said. He patted Jack's chest. "My Jack."

"That's right," Jack said. "Are you remembering?"

He nodded. "Membering. Membering more."

Recalling Martha's instructions, Jack corrected him. "That's 'remembering'," he said encouragingly. "Can you say 'remembering'?"

"Ruh…re…membering. Remembering…more."

"Very good, sweethearts," Jack said, drawing him close and kissing his cheek. "I'm very pleased with you, sweethearts, very proud. You're trying so hard. That's very, very good."

This time the Doctor patted his own chest. "Vuh…very good," he said with a grin.

"Yes," Jack said, laughing. "You sure are very good." He kissed his mate's cheek again.

"More, Jack," the Doctor said reproachfully.

"Okay," Jack said, kissing him briefly on the lips. "Better?"

The Doctor's face lit up then, and he nodded enthusiastically. "Jack, tea."

"Tell you what," Jack said. "If you can say 'I want tea', I'll not only get tea for you, I'll give you another kiss, and then we can eat some chicken."

The Doctor scrunched his face up, concentrating, obviously reaching inward, trying to access memories and act on them. "I…wuh…want. I want. I want tea!"

Jack laughed, embracing his lover. "That was so very good! You ready for another kiss now?"

The Doctor grinned, looking very pleased with himself. He nodded. Jack put a finger under his chin, tipping his head back and gave him a kiss, letting this one linger a bit. The Doctor hummed happily into Jack's mouth. When he pulled away the Doctor looked a bit flushed, but very happy. "I want tea," he said.

"You little devil! You want another kiss, don't you?"

The Doctor nodded again. Jack gave him another lingering kiss. Again, Jack had the pleasure of drinking in that happy little hum. He pulled away and caressed his lover's cheek. "I'll make your tea and warm up our chicken, okay?"

The Doctor nodded, seemingly content now. Jack went downstairs and made tea, then warmed the chicken. He put everything on a tray. As an afterthought, he added a couple of Toffee Dodgers he had stashed for when his lover came home. When the Doctor saw the Toffee Dodgers his face brightened. "I know what you're thinking," Jack said. "Those are for after. Chicken first." He sat on the bed and placed the tray on the Doctor's lap. "You have to feed yourself. And no cheating!" Jack raised a finger for emphasis. "Chicken first, Toffee Dodgers after."

The Doctor pouted at Jack. "Want! I…want."

"No," Jack insisted. "Martha said I shouldn't spoil you. Chicken first."

He looked rather sullen, but the Doctor reached for a bit of chicken. His fingers were still clumsy but nowhere near as bad as previously, and he popped the chicken into his mouth and bit down. His eyes grew wide. He chewed and swallowed. "Good! More?"

"Yes, eat all you want," Jack said. He picked up his fork and stabbed a piece for himself. The Doctor watched him closely. "Tomorrow we'll let you try to use a spoon, maybe even a fork. Would you like that?"

The Doctor nodded and picked up another bite of chicken. He made quick work of eating, taking another bite each time Jack did. When the chicken was gone, he eyed the Toffee Dodgers longingly. "I want," he said.

"You did good," Jack said. "Go on, go ahead. Have your biscuits now." Jack watched as he grabbed one and stuffed it into his mouth. "You did very well," Jack told him. "You were good, waiting until you finished all your chicken. I'm very proud of you." The Doctor grinned around his mouthful of Toffee Dodger. Jack gave him some tea and then the Doctor reached for the remaining biscuit. "You finish that, I'm going to get some wipes and clean you up, okay?"

After Jack had cleaned the Doctor's face, he gave him another kiss. The Doctor patted Jack's chest again. "I want more," he said. "I want more, Jack." This time he patted the bed beside him.

Uh oh.

"Well…okay," Jack said nervously. He kicked off his shoes and lay down beside his mate. The Doctor, with a little effort, rolled onto his side facing Jack. He smiled, reached out, plucked at Jack's shirt, trying to pull him closer. Jack complied, wrapping his arm around his mate's waist. The Doctor tipped his head back expectantly. This time when their mouths met the Doctor slipped an arm around Jack's neck and parted his lips greedily.

Oh boy.

He had to remind himself it was okay, that Martha had told him it wasn't wrong. He forced himself to relax and deepened their kiss. He pulled away to look at his mate. The Doctor looked at him happily, a gentle smile gracing his swollen lips. "I…love. I…love Jack," he said.

Jack tightened his arms around his mate. "I love you, too, Doc," he said gently. The Doctor looked at him yearningly, and Jack didn't have the heart to hold back. He kissed the Doctor again. The arm around his neck tightened as the Doctor moaned into his mouth. The taste of honey and sage filled their mouths quite suddenly. In a matter of minutes, the aphrodisiac effect made itself known. No turning back now. With trembling hands, Jack undressed himself, and then began cautiously undressing his lover.

The Doctor groped at Jack's crotch and moaned at what he found there. "More," he whimpered. "I want more Jack." Not 'I want more, Jack'. Pretty obvious what that meant. Jack kissed him again, this time seeking out the Doctor's talas with his tongue. He trembled in Jack's arms and squirmed deliciously against Jack's hardness. Jack took one of his hands and guided it to his cock. The Doctor grasped it greedily. He was clumsy still, but it was quite obvious he knew what he was doing and enjoyed it. Jack reached down, found the Doctor's cock, and reciprocated. His lover gave a tiny yelp of pleasure and thrust himself in Jack's hand.

Not sure of how far to take this, Jack decided to just let the Doctor do as he pleased. When the Doctor started squirming downward, Jack's breath hitched mid-inhale. What was he supposed to do? Just let his lover have his way, he supposed. He felt little kisses and nibbles trailing lower and lower until…

"Oh," Jack groaned, feeling that hungry mouth surround his shaft. His fingers threaded into the Doctor's hair. "Oh gods, sweethearts." The Doctor moaned around his shaft, greedily suckling. He didn't have the expertise he normally would but Jack wasn't about to complain. He let his lover do as he pleased to the best of his ability.

The Doctor pulled away and Jack heard a breathy "Good!" And then the Doctor went after his prize again with renewed enthusiasm. He felt his cock being slurped down deeply, heard the delighted and passionate moans; it vibrated his shaft wonderfully. His lover's hands scrabbled at his abdomen desperately and Jack knew he was about to have an oral orgasm hit his lover. He cupped the back of the Doctor's head and took control, rubbing both talas as he worked his cock in his mate's hungry mouth, relishing the shuddering of his lover as the orgasm took him.

Once the Doctor had calmed, Jack pulled him up and kissed him deeply. It pained him to say it, but he loved his mate enough to do it. "Are you finished?" Jack asked.

The Doctor shook his head 'no'. He nipped Jack's chin. "I want more," he sighed. He touched Jack's lips, slipping two fingers inside Jack's mouth. Again, pretty obvious what his mate wanted.

"I know what you want," Jack grinned. "And I'll give it to you." Jack eased him onto his back and kissed a trail down his body, pausing to lick and suck his lover's nipples before slowly kissing his way down to his mate's pleasure trail, then swallowing what he found there. He cupped his lover's sweet little ass in his hands, and in doing so discovered a damp patch beneath him. He let a finger slide into the cleft of his mate's bottom and found him soft, open, sopping wet. He pushed apart those long graceful legs and plunged his tongue inside. The Doctor moaned and grasped Jack's head possessively, wriggling delightfully with a sharp, fox-like cry. Yet again, pretty obvious what was wanted. He worked his way back up and kissed his mate hungrily.

"You do want me inside you, don't you?" Jack felt he had to check. He wanted to be sure.

The Doctor looked into Jack's eyes lustily. "I want," he said in a near growl, obviously desperate. Jack's head spun with lust at the acquiescence mixed with outright wantonness he found in his lover's eyes.

He carefully parted the Doctor's thighs and seated his hips between them, then slid gently inside. His lover yelped in pleasure and dug his fingers passionately into Jack's shoulders, squirming deliciously. Carefully moving slowly and deliberately to give his lover as much pleasure as possible, Jack poured his heart into every move, overtaken not only with pleasure, but relishing the emotions which flooded his entire being as well.

He felt those gloriously long legs clamp around his waist as he took his lover's mouth, reveling in the sensual feel of the Doctor sucking his tongue as he squirmed beneath Jack. He drank in the growl of pleasure his lover gave, sank his cock in to the balls, forcing himself to be still as his mate shattered in his arms, holding himself back until just the right moment, letting the clenching around his cock bring him to the brink. He finally let himself go just as the Doctor reached the point of mid-orgasm. His body took control then, and he happily let it, rutting into his lover like a bull, loosing a long, low bellow of pleasure as his lover's fingers dug almost painfully into his flesh and those lithe legs clamped around him possessively.

Careful not to collapse on his mate, Jack rolled the both of them, draping the Doctor's gasping form over his own body. His lover's head rested on his shoulder. No sooner had the Doctor caught his breath than he muttered "Good," into Jack's shoulder.

Jack chuckled and ran his fingers through the Doctor's hair. "Well, you haven't forgotten how to enjoy yourself, have you?"

The Doctor lifted his head, catching Jack's eyes with his own. He gave Jack a rather sloppy but very sincere grin. "I love my Jack," he gasped. Jack rolled the both of them on to their sides.

"I love my Doctor," he grinned back. He lay there and cuddled his lover for long, glorious moments before heaving a sigh contentedly. "I better get the wipes and clean us both up, yeah? And then it's back in your jammies you go, sweethearts. Okay?"

The Doctor rewarded Jack with a giggle. "O-o-o-h Kay!" he said.

Jack cleaned them both up, got the Doctor dressed once more and then pulled on a pair of pyjama bottoms. He took the neglected tray to the kitchen, got his sweethearts a drink of water and then climbed back in bed and pulled his mate into his arms, knowing he liked to be cuddled to sleep. He smiled when the Doctor purred loudly and happily for him. "Yeah," he said. "You go right ahead and purr away, baby. And if Jack has a little extra spring in his step tomorrow, well…the world will just have to deal with it."