The Doctor slammed the door, locking them behind himself as he entered the TARDIS. He didn't make it far inside the comfort of her walls, however, before he slid down the first coral he came to. He couldn't stop the tears as they started to slowly flow down his cheeks and soon he was weeping silently to himself. He had been so angry at Jack for hurting him, even if it was an accident. Now, he was just confused and once more afraid. He had closed off the bond from Jack's anger as he felt it resonate through him as clearly as he had once felt the Master's anger. Up until that moment in the hub, he had trusted Jack never to hurt him. That all changed as he watched Jack hit the man that he had once called his lover. He tried to wipe the tears from his eyes as he placed a hand on his stomach. He had vowed that he would protect his children. That he would give them a life without fear or pain. He thought that he had found that comfort with Jack. Now he wondered how long it would be before Jack took his anger out on his body. How long until he walked on legs that ached from the abuse they received? He couldn't go through that again. He would find a way to kill Jack and make sure that he stayed dead before he let that happen.
From somewhere deep inside the TARDIS, he thought he heard laughter. He turned his eyes towards the corridors and just for a moment he thought he saw a man wearing a black suit with short blonde hair staring back at him. He blinked, rubbing the tears from his eyes and the man was gone. He quickly connected with the TARDIS, confirming that he was only on the ship. Despite her reassurance, however, he still felt uneasy. Hesitantly, he pulled himself to his feet, stumbling towards the corridors. While he tried to tell himself that it was an illusion and that the Master wasn't really there, he had to confirm it for himself. Getting to the corridors, he looked down the endless hall, seeing no one. That meant nothing, as doors could close and the Master could be hiding behind anyone of them.
Hearing a knock on the TARDIS door, he paused looking towards it. He heard a key jiggle in the lock but the doors remained tightly closed. Satisfied that no one would disturb him in his search, he headed deeper into the corridors.
"Doctor?" Jack called out from beyond the control room. The Doctor ignored him as he continued down on his journey. He made his way slowly down the corridor, opening each door that he came to. Despite finding each room empty, he couldn't stop. Every few doors or so, he came across the medi-bay or his room time and time again. He ignored the TARDIS at first as he continued on his way but eventually listened to her advice. He entered the medi-bay the next time he found it, going over to the bed that was set up for him. He sat on the edge of the bed, pulling the monitor over to himself.
The first screen that he saw, once again reassured him that the TARDIS was empty besides himself. The screen then changed to show him that he had a thick bruise across his back. The drawer next to the bed opened revealing painkillers that were safe for him to take while pregnant and also an ice pack. He took them both out, swallowing the pills dry before applying the ice to his sore back. He sat their miserably until he heard footsteps in the corridors. Sitting up quickly, he winced in pain as Jack entered the medi-bay. Silently he chastised the TARDIS for allowing the immortal to enter.
"What do you want, Jack?" The Doctor asked him coldly as he came closer.
"I came to apologize. I didn't mean to hurt you, Doc," Jack informed him.
"This time you didn't. What about when I make you angry? Are you going to hit me like you did Ianto?" The Doctor asked him, his voice low even as he let the anger come through.
"I shouldn't have raised my fist in anger at him," Jack started to answer.
"No, you shouldn't have. You've asked me to allow you to protect me and my children, then you hit the man you claim to love. If Ianto can't trust you never to hurt him, then how can I?" The Doctor questioned him. Jack hung his head as the Doctor yelled at him.
"I made a mistake, Doctor," Jack answered him. He didn't like being open with anyone but the Doctor needed an answer or he was never going to trust him again. Every time Jack became angry with him, he would wonder if this was the time that Jack snapped and hurt him like the Master used to. Jack shuddered as he couldn't imagine ever bruising the Doctor's legs so he couldn't run. So that he would have to stay there while Jack used his body and made the Doctor feel helpless to defend himself. "I needed Ianto here. I needed his support as I cared for you and your children but he abandoned me. I was so angry at him that I didn't think before I hit him. I promise you, though, Doctor that I will never hit you out of anger. You have been punished enough by the man that you thought loved you and I refuse to be like him."
"He never loved me," The Doctor whispered. It had taken a long time to finally admit that to himself. The Master never loved him, not really. The Master loved power and the way that he could force the Doctor to submit to him. The Doctor wondered sadly if the Master could ever feel any sort of affection, even for the children that he sired. "I don't know if he was capable of love like you or I feel. That is why you could never be like him, Jack. You're a good man and I'm proud of how you changed from the con-artist I met to the man who stands before me now."
"So will you at least give me a chance to prove that I will never hurt you," Jack wondered as he tried to figure out how he could give both Ianto and the Doctor what they needed without hurting them. The Doctor thought about it a moment, then nodded.
"First time you raise your fist to me, though, will be your last," The Doctor answered. He didn't elaborate on his threat and he didn't have to. Jack knew that if he ever raised his fist to the Doctor, he would never see the Time Lord or his children again. Moving around the bed, he gently took the ice pack from the Doctor's hand. He touched the edges of the darkening bruise with his fingertips as he vowed to make it up to the Doctor.
