AUTHOR: NNWest
DISCLAIMER: None of them are mine...but their universe is a lot of fun.
AN: Someone requested more and it appeared. I guess the characters weren't done with me. As always, I must thank my beta darkaegis (my very own Title Fairy)!
The Doctor looked up from the console as his companions burst through the doors. They were laughing, cheeks rosy from the brisk air outside and, the Doctor noted with slight concern, their hands linked together. "You were supposed to be back half an hour ago. I was about to send out the hounds," he announced dryly. "What kept you?"
"That was my fault," Jack admitted. "Sorry. But, I found what you were looking for." He dropped Rose's hand to dig in his pocket, coming up with a small crumpled bag which he offered to the Time Lord.
"You know, for a former Time Agent, you don't have much of a sense of it." As soon as he spoke, the Doctor's conscience pricked him for berating Jack. He knew Jack's touching Rose was probably quite innocent, but he couldn't help being miffed at the other man's casual familiarity with Rose--his Rose.
Rose apparently felt he had been too hard on Jack as well. She spoke up, "Now Doctor, be nice. He did find the part you need to fix the TARDIS."
The Doctor dug into the bag and examined the tiny glittering circuit. He did have to admit that Jack had done something he thought nearly impossible. He had procured an extremely advanced piece of temporal technology--something that would not be invented for several centuries--while they were stuck in the early twenty-first century, on Earth. When he had tracked down the problem with the TARDIS, the Doctor had been positive they would remain fixed in this time period until he could jury-rig something to limp them forward to a more technologically advanced time zone to find a replacement. Instead, Jack had stepped forward and within a few hours, he had the necessary part in his hand.
He softened his tone. "I'm sorry, Jack. Thank you."
Jack grinned. "Not a problem. Old Rudy owed me one--just one though. Next time, I think he's going to charge me full price. It's not easy to come by that kind of merchandise this early."
Rose stepped up to look at the component in the Doctor's hand. "So that's it? Just pop it in and we're on our way again?"
"Yup." The Doctor gave her a wide nearly-manic grin before he noticed the smudged make-up around her eyes and his expression fell. "Have you been crying? Rose, what happened?" he asked, concerned.
"Umm, that was my fault too," the ex-Time Agent confessed anxiously.
"It's nothing," Rose interjected quickly, embarrassed that she had let her emotions get away from her earlier. "Jack didn't mean anything by it and everything's fine now. Just leave it at that."
The Doctor appeared dubious but said nothing else. He fixed Jack with a brief reproving frown before he dropped down to crawl under the walkway grating that surrounded the TARDIS' control console to install Jack's acquisition. Within a few seconds, the background hum of the TARDIS took on a distinctly healthier tone and after the thump of a compartment door being driven home, the Doctor reappeared. Striding up the ramp to the console, he merrily proclaimed, "And we're off!"
The next couple of days saw a return to the TARDIS' crew's restless tour of space-time's trouble spots: a palace revolution here, a natural disaster or two there, an invasion of hostile aliens on this or that planet. Through it all, there was something that was nagging at the Doctor. Something in the dynamic between Rose and Jack had been altered and the Doctor found himself struggling to define it.
They touched more, the Doctor realised one day as he watched Rose reach out and give Jack's shoulder a short squeeze as she wandered past him. If there had been anything remotely sexual in it or if things had changed between Rose and himself, the Doctor guiltily acknowledged to himself that he would have been hard-pressed not to dump the ex-Time Agent off on the next planet--breathable atmosphere or not. But, Rose still held his hand, still stood dangerously close to him, comforted and teased him as she always had. It was just that now when Rose's fingers were laced together with the Doctor's, her other hand sought out Jack's too.
More interesting was the change the Doctor had noticed in Jack. While Jack continued to flirt outrageously with anything that had a pulse, the Doctor and Rose included, it seemed his endless libidinous pursuit of pleasure had slowed considerably. In fact, since the day Jack and Rose had been late back to the TARDIS, Jack had not appeared interested in bedding any of the attractive individuals he had met during their adventures.
On one of their rare quiet evenings, Jack entered the lounge to find Rose and the Doctor sitting together on the sofa, the Doctor at one end and Rose on the centre cushion curled into his side. "You two are so cute," Jack observed. Rose had effectively pinned the Time Lord down and was probably watching some interminable love story from the TARDIS archive. This was nothing new and Jack had figured out a while ago that though the Doctor always complained about her viewing selection, he never got up to leave.
Jack moved to sit down in one of the side chairs in the furniture grouping. "Whatcha doing clear over there?" Rose's voice drifted across to him. Jack looked over at her as she moved her legs making room for him on the third cushion. He smiled and sat down with them. He'd have been happy where he was--just to sit next to Rose, but she grabbed his sleeve and pulled him over to cuddle against her. As he settled into a comfortable position, he noted what he hoped was only bemusement and not any form of resentment in the other man's eyes. "Mmmm, warm," she murmured and snuggled a bit further into the Doctor.
Jack chuckled a bit. "Glad to know if things don't work out, I can always find employment as a blanket."
"I suspect you've covered quite a few people in your time."
"Touché, Doctor." If Jack was hurt by the criticism, he didn't show it and they all lapsed into silence.
Though Rose's video choice was every bit as dire as the Doctor liked to indicate, the time passed quite quickly for Jack and before he knew it Rose was stirring against him. He sat up so she could.
She yawned and stood. As she rubbed her eyes, she turned back to the Doctor. Leaning down, Rose pressed a chaste kiss to the Doctor's lips. She pulled back slightly and they gazed into each others' eyes for a long moment before she told him, "Good night." She moved to Jack, who tilted his head back and smiled up at her. "Good night, Jack." She bent to kiss his forehead.
"Goodnight, gorgeous," he whispered with a smirk. He was a little disappointed that he only rated a kiss on the head, but it was cancelled by the joy of knowing Rose was trying to move things forward with the Doctor. He watched her leave and turned back, intending to wish the Doctor a good night before retiring as well. Instead, Jack found he had to stifle a laugh when he saw the Doctor's slightly shell-shocked expression and dopey grin. Jack's wry smirk widened into a grin of his own.
The Doctor noticed. "And what are you grinning at?" he asked peevishly.
"The expression on your face is priceless. Was that the first time she's kissed you?"
"That, Captain, is none of your business." There was a touch of warning in his voice.
"That would be a 'yes'."
The Doctor frowned at the Time Agent's shrewd assessment. "And you can wipe that smug look off your face as well."
Jack tried without luck to look more solemn. "Hey, I'm genuinely happy for you. Rose already knows my feelings on the subject. I thought you two were perfect together the minute I met you." The Doctor's face was unreadable, so Jack continued, finally finding it in himself to be serious, "And despite what you may think of me, I would never try to come between you and Rose."
The Doctor considered Jack's words for a moment before nodding. "I believe you and I'm sorry that I ever doubted your intentions." He fell silent for a few more seconds, wondering if he wanted to know the answer to the question that had vexed him for the past few days. "What has changed between you and Rose? A few days ago, you said it was your fault she cried?"
It was Jack's turn to muse for a second. "I told her the truth when she asked. She wanted to know about my 'dancing'." A slight smile caressed his lips as he used their favourite euphemism. "It seems I made a miscalculation where Rose is concerned.
I want you to know that, while I would never do anything to take her from you, I do care very deeply for her. If called to, I will die to protect her, to shield her from anything that would rob her of the beautiful innocence she carries." Jack's proclamation had an edge of ferocity that left the Doctor with absolutely no doubts as to the man's sincerity.
The Doctor acknowledged Jack's promise with a nod. "And your miscalculation?" he inquired quietly.
"I assumed that she wouldn't do the same for me." He paused as he collected his thoughts. "I was blind and I didn't even think to look at things from her point of view, to see the way she worries about me." Jack sighed heavily and stared at nothing in particular. "So there you have it, Doctor. That's what's changed. Rose finally blew up and told me what a colossal idiot I've been and I finally believed her."
"You're not an idiot, Jack," the Doctor said gently.
"Insensitive, then...callous, heartless." Jack's gaze swept back to the Time Lord, remorse visible. "Take your pick, there are lots of words."
"And you're not any of those either. As you said, you made a miscalculation, a mistake. It's bound to happen, and Rose has obviously forgiven you. You need to forgive yourself." Jack just rolled his eyes in response.
The Doctor gave a humorless bark of a laugh. "You're right. That advice is decidedly easy to give and almost impossible to follow." Suddenly, he clapped his hands together and jumped up from the sofa. "Nothing else for it. C'mon Captain."
"Where are we going?"
"You look like you could use a drink, and I'm in a buying mood." He grinned at Jack.
Jack stood, feeling his spirits lift some. "I thought I was the one who had to buy if I wanted to get anywhere with you."
The Doctor flung a friendly arm over the other man's shoulders and steered him in the direction of the TARDIS kitchen. "Even so, I wouldn't say you were nowhere."
Jack's eyes widened and he could only stare at the Doctor. In his life surprise had left him speechless very few times, but this was certainly one of them.
The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "What, no comeback? You really do need that drink."