Series: True/Troubled Beauty
Series tagline: How do you love someone who believes they don't deserve your love?
Chapter: 07. Dinner and Dancing
Fandom: Doctor Who (10th)
Chapter Summary: I think the title says it all. There's a banquet and line dancing.
Rating: PG-13 for some mild sexual references
Word Count: Around 5,650.
Warning: over the series there are a lot of references to other shows, actors, movies, games etc. so there may be spoilers for them. There may be the odd spoiler for Doctor Who episodes as well but I think I'm being rather cryptic.
Disclaimer: I am a lowly fan. This is FANfiction.
A/N: I know some off you are getting bored with the angst. I'm sorry; I can't seem to write any humour for this series. I have written angstier fics for Doctor Who about Jack. I prefer to think of this as bittersweet
Feedback: Always appreciated
07. Dinner and Dancing
"Jack isn't eating." The Doctor announces to the others.
"You summoned us here for that?" Rose screams. "You made it sound like some big emergency. You made it sound urgent! You made it sound exciting!"
"He hasn't eaten for weeks!" the Doctor counters.
"He's a big boy Doctor!" Rose argues. "He'll eat when he's hungry. He doesn't need you mothering him!"
"I'm not!" The Doctor defends, his voice ridiculously high.
"You used to be interesting." Rose mutters under her breath before storming off to her room, leaving the Doctor rather confused and upset by her behaviour. He really doesn't know what has gotten into her but whatever it is he's sure Jack can cheer her up. He's probably already doing so, Jack's got this sixth sense, he knows what mood people are in and what they need. But he still doesn't realise how much he's needed.
"How are we supposed to get him to eat?" Mickey asks, partly out of his own concern and partly out of him wanting to rouse the depressed Doctor. "Whenever we offer him food he tells us he's not hungry. He tells us to eat it instead!"
"He cooks for us all the time." Sarah-Jane recalls fondly. Jack is an excellent cook. "But he's always too busy to eat."
"We need to do something! TARDIS is really concerned about him!" The Doctor's features are contorted with worry and his voice is almost frantic.
"TARDIS?" Mickey can't refrain from questioning, a smirk on his lips which soon disappears as he sees the unshed tears shimmering in the Doctor's eyes.
"He was inside the deltratoxiradiathum bay the other day, replacing some deltra crystals which had burned out. The crystals are really heavy and once you've taken them out you've got to put new ones in really quickly otherwise it releases a toxic radiation. Jack had really been pushing himself, like always. Pushing past the headaches, working through the hunger, ignoring his exhaustion. He overexerted himself removing the crystals; his body had no more to give so it just collapsed.
"Five minutes he was in that radiation, five minutes before I pulled him out. He should have rested for days, gotten some sleep, eaten some food. I should have made him rest but within an hour he was by Rose's side at that stupid holographic club. TARDIS couldn't stop him but he's going to… he needs to stop running himself into the ground. He needs to start taking better care of himself!"
"He's always been bad at that." Sarah-Jane recalls, smiling slightly as she remembers a simpler time when it was just her and the Captain. "He's been worse since he got here. More people to please I guess. Not to mention TARDIS herself."
"He's been even worse since I pulled him out of the radiation." The Doctor says, shaking his head disapprovingly. "I don't see how he thinks he owes us anything. He tries so hard. He doesn't need to try so hard. I wish he could just see what we all see. I don't get why his self-perception is so different! But he never stops to take a look at himself. He's always on the move, always busy, always."
"I asked him about that once." Mickey remembers. "He told me he's like a Sharkuna, has to keep swimming or he'll die."
"And I've trapped him here." The Doctor realises, his tone flat and his expression sombre. "But at least he's safe here. We can look out for him. We can protect him!"
"Yeah but can we protect him from himself?" Mickey asks, harshly.
"You've always said you want what's best for him." Sarah-Jane softly tells the Doctor but her words are heavy. "It's obvious he's uncomfortable being here…"
"He belongs here!" The Doctor screams, silence ensues. "Do you both feel like this?" The Doctor asks, feeling as though he's being betrayed, feeling like he's got a mutiny on his hands. Both Sarah-Jane and Mickey nod hesitantly and wordlessly. The Doctor is in a daze: he feels sick, he feels dizzy, his hearts are racing, his skin is sweating, his thoughts are swimming. He can feel his legs give way, he can feel himself falling, he can feel a strong pair of arms catching him and place him down carefully down.
"Are you alright, Doc?" Jack asks, his beautiful blue eyes brimming with concern.
"Jack?" Is the Doctor's dreamy response, a goofy grin plastered on his face. "What are you doing here?"
"Rose is upset. She thinks you've forgotten her birthday." Sarah-Jane shakes her head in disapproval. At least she's got an excuse: she never knew Rose's birthday but the boys should be ashamed of themselves. Instead, they're just staring blankly at Jack. "Today."
"Is that today?" The Doctor has the look of a deer caught in the headlights. "Boy, it is hard to keep track of time when you're in a time machine!" The Doctor tries to joke.
"The phone you modified for her," Jack continues, trying to keep the heat out of his voice whilst also explaining Rose's reasonable anger. "That's the only thing which has wished her happy birthday. I was coming to give her a birthday treat at Paradise Pleasure Palace to find her in tears! She really thinks you've forgotten her birthday! Whatever surprise you guys are planning, it better be good."
"Planning. Yes. Right. Surprise. Of course." The Doctor grins madly, happy because it's clear Jack never doubted him for a second and that makes him feel great! Jack's faith in them is constant, not deserved but it is unwavering. It's such a shame that Jack's faith in himself is non-existent.
"Actually, we were planning a banquet." Mickey says, thinking fast. "The best food from all the Universe. With Rose at the head of the table. You know what they say: the stomach is the best way to a human's heart."
"That must be very confusing for aliens." Sarah-Jane acknowledges, making the others laugh.
"Is there anything you suggest, Jack?" Mickey asks subtly. "We need a human guinea-pig to test the food, my tastes are a bit too bland. Too bland for Rose." He grudgingly admits.
"I'm sure Sarah-Jane will be happy to oblige." Jack replies, "I was hoping to take Rose down to TARDIS' wardrobe room, let her try on a few hundred outfits. A bit of retail therapy… of sorts. If that's okay with you, Doctor." He adds, feeling as though he's overstepped his mark.
"No, that's a good, good idea." The Doctor admires. "I wonder why I didn't think of it. But take her to Paris for a day, go shopping for real. Or Italy. Oh, the planet of Xashoné, it's the best for clothes shopping and TARDIS can supply you with all the money you need. Give Rose some fresh air. Let her meet some new people." He subtly includes, "And let her pick out some new outfits for you, she'll like that. " the Doctor is whizzing around the control panel before Jack can protest. "The course is set already. Grab Rose. Here's some money," He pulls a lot of money from his pockets and gives it to a stunned Jack. The Doctor's pockets are as endless as Mary Poppins' bag. "Go enjoy yourself. Step outside to find the biggest and best shopping mall of the Universe."
"What are we waiting for then?" Rose asks. She's obviously been there for a while, listening and watching. As quiet as a mouse. Jack shrugs his shoulders before linking arms with Rose and striding off. Rose pauses in the doorway. "You'll come to my party, won't you Jack?" She puts on her best pleading face and voice. "You'll eat with us, sit with us at the feast, have dinner with us?" She asks for the Doctor's benefit.
"I wouldn't miss it for the Universe." Is Jack's honest reply, followed by a dazzling smile. It even makes Rose giggle so it's no surprise the Doctor's spine melts. Metaphorically, of course. It isn't until the TARDIS' doors are closed and the Doctor can't see Jack any more that he even begins to focus. He still needs Sarah-Jane and Mickey's help though.
"We need to plan this banquet. I've never planned a banquet before." Mickey sound excited.
"No, me neither." The Doctor realises, a confused look upon his face, which is soon contorted into a goofy grin. "It's gonna be great!" he starts to run off but stops when he realises his companions aren't following him. "Come on then!" he orders before dashing off again. With a roll of their eyes, a shake of their heads and just a slight smile upon their lips, Mickey and Sarah-Jane trudge off after him.
TARDIS is definitely a LOT bigger on the inside than on the out and it's a shame as Mickey realises how unfit he is, even Sarah-Jane is fitter than him and that's just depressing. Sarah-Jane is only beginning to show signs of tiring whilst Mickey is flat out knackered. The Doctor is still going at the happy, hyper pace he started off at.
Eventually, the Doctor arrives at his destination and stops. Sarah-Jane arrives thirty seconds later and Mickey finally arrives five minutes after her. He collapses straight onto the floor; upsetting all the dust and making it fill the air. Mickey chokes whilst Sarah-Jane holds a handkerchief to her mouth to allow her to breathe. The Doctor physiology means he can breathe dust as well as air, so he's not really bothered. Can't really see, though.
"What the hell is this room!" Mickey coughs.
"Banquet room." The Doctor explains simply.
"It looks like it hasn't been used in centuries." Sarah-Jane exclaims, wanting to open her eyes and look around but deciding against it as she subtly tries to remove the mountain of dust, which blew into her mouth when she spoke.
"It hasn't been used for centuries." The Doctor replies. "Wait a second." He adjusts his sonic screwdriver by touch alone until it emits a vacuum-hygenia wave to clean up the place. "It's fine now." He waits a few seconds before leaning towards Sarah-Jane. "You can open your eyes now, Sarah." She slowly does so and is astounded by the sight she before her.
The room stretches out, far into the distance. Now that the dust has gone the golds, purples and reds make it look so royal. The solid dark wood table looks like it could host over 500 people and looks SO grand. The cutlery looks silver and so polished it sparkles. It looks spectacular, fit for a queen, fit for Rose. Now they've just got to plan and provide the food.
"What food does he like?" The Doctor asks eagerly. "Jack. What food does he like?"
"It don't matter 'cos he won't eat it." Mickey sulks and Sarah-Jane kind of agrees with him.
"Well, we need something to fill the table. Might as well fill it with everybody's favourite food." The Doctor rationalises slyly. "So what's Jack's favourite food? I know he lives off coffee so I'll have lots of coffee flavoured stuff, ice cream and … stuff. What else does he like?"
"He never talks about his likes and dislikes. Just what he thinks you'll like. He's very objective." Sarah-Jane offers awkwardly, knowing she's not being very helpful.
"Oh, he does have this weird thing about chips!" Mickey explodes.
"Oh yeah." Sarah-Jane remembers. "When he was in his late teens he developed a thing for salty fries and strawberry milkshakes."
"I didn't know about that one!" Mickey shouts. "I was talking about his unhealthy craving, which he's kind of passed onto me, of chips dipped in hot chocolate spread. Only, it's not really chocolate 'cos it's from a different planet, natural and healthier, but it tastes a lot like it. Better even."
"Better than chocolate?" Sarah-Jane exclaims before realising it actually is because Jack's fed it to her too. Oh yeah, that's definitely going on the menu. "Oh, he likes parsnip chips too. That's one of the first things he cooked me after I ended up exploring the Universe with him." She smiles.
"Chips and tomato ketchup!" Mickey announces. "He told me that was one of his odd likes and I remember thinking it weren't all that odd but he was grinning that Hollywood grin of his and I realised he was being all American. What he meant was crisps and tomato ketchup!" Mickey cringes but Sarah-Jane just laughs. The Doctor is listening intently, hanging on their every word.
"Peanut butter, raison and grated carrot sandwiches." Sarah-Jane smirks. "That's another Captain Jack Harkness special." The dishes are rolling off their tongues now, TARDIS helpfully supplying every dish mentioned. Sarah-Jane and Mickey have great fun but often have to drag the Doctor out of whatever daydream he's in so he can offer some more exotic and alien meals. Hours pass and the table fills with food. The table is just about full when the birthday girl herself arrives, closely followed by her faithful friend.
"Rose, you look gorgeous!" Mickey's eyes are wide open, the pupils dilated. She really does look beautiful, like a prom queen, the tiara to match. A pale pink dress, magnificent material that clings to her body superbly, a brilliant but simple design. Her make-up has been expertly applied and it's obvious she's been manicured and pampered like a princess today, she looks very happy and beautiful indeed. Mickey laughs to see she's wearing trainers with her dress but that is the girl he loves. She receives whole-hearted compliments and praises from Jack, Sarah-Jane and Mickey but not the man she really wants to notice her. The Doctor is too lost in Jack's appearance to pay too much attention to Rose.
Jack is clothed in the most fantastic dark purple suit, dark blue shirt. The Doctor can't decide on whether the tie is blue or purple but what he can decide on is the fact that it looks so handsome on Jack, it really brings out the blue of his eyes. The cut is immaculate, fits his figure perfectly and the material looks so soft the Doctor has to resist the urge to feel it, and feel the body underneath. The Doctor doesn't realise he's staring until Sarah-Jane has to physically close his mouth and give him a gentle push to bring him back to reality. Jack hasn't even noticed.
"Nice suit, Jack." Mickey admires. "Very sharp."
"I'm glad you think so Michael, because Rose has bought you a suit exactly like this but in your size. It's in your room." Jack tells him. "In fact, you'll find several more outfit in your room and so will you Sarah-Jay. Rose wanted to buy the Doctor some more outfits but she er… she didn't bother because she knew he wouldn't wear them. She got you a tie though!" Jack says so brightly that it makes the Doctor smile. "But Sarah-Jay and Mickey are gonna need bigger closets."
"Enjoy your day out, did you Rose?" Sarah-Jane laughs.
"It was perfect! Jack is THE person to take if you wanna go shopping. Mickey always complained and I haven't even been able to GET the Doctor to go shopping with me, ever! But Jack's real fun, supportive like. He really knows how to treat a woman. I didn't have to lift a finger." She sighs, blissfully content.
"I'm perfectly willing to be your butler madam," Jack says in a sharp, clipped, English accent, "however being a bag lady can be awfully difficult on the muscles." He realises how selfish that sounds to his own ears. "But it's okay though, I'm glad to do it." He smiles sheepishly. "And it gave them time to prepare your banquet." For the first time Rose gets a proper look at the spread supposedly laid out for her birthday.
"We're never going to eat all of this!" Rose exclaims, in awe. "What are you trying to do? Are you trying to make me fat?" she laughs.
"Yeah, I'd go change if I were you." Mickey grins, an idea forming in his mind. "Change into some slacks. And feast. You too Jack." Mickey orders.
"But I'm not going to eat…" He begins to protest.
"Yes you are." Rose states firmly. "It's my birthday and I want you to stuff your face. It's your job to make me feel less like a pig." She instructs him before dragging him off so they can both get changed.
They return half an hour later (it's only taken them a few moments to get changed but taken a lot longer to get to their bedrooms and back). They're both dressed in T-shirt and sweat-pants yet actually, they still look hot. Mickey pulls out the chair at the head of the table and Rose sits down. Mickey sits in the chair down right from her. Jack pulls out the seat opposite Mickey and lets Sarah-Jane sit down. Sarah-Jane drags Jack into the seat next to her. The Doctor is the only one left standing so that means he has to be the waiter, filling everybody's plates with their favourite dishes out of their reach. He fills Jack's first.
"You shouldn't have to serve us!" Jack exclaims. "Sit down, I can do it." He tries to stand up but Sarah-Jane is clutching firmly at his arm. The Doctor has placed both his hand on Jack's shoulders so he has no choice but to remain seated. Sarah-Jane forces Jack to eat a spoonful of coffee ice cream. He glares at her, disbelievingly for a moment before politely but swiftly taking the spoon from her and shovelling the ice cream into his mouth. There is a collective sigh of relief as Jack realises how hungry he is and begins to appreciate the food.
Everybody appreciates the food and Rose thinks this may be the best birthday she's ever had. Shopping and fine food is all a girl could really want. She really owes it all to Jack, in more ways than one, and she can't blame the Doctor for falling in love with him. In fact, she's even beginning to feel almost sorry for him. He's stopped serving everybody over fifteen minutes ago and sat down next to Mickey, opposite Jack. His plate is full but he hasn't eaten a bite because he's too busy staring at Jack like a lovesick puppy. Bless.
"I'm stuffed." Mickey sighs. "Rose, that suit you bought me won't even fit anymore." They all try to laugh but most of them are too full to do anything for the moment. Even Jack is full, feeling slightly guilty for devouring such high quality food but happy because the others enjoyed it. "Gee, what to do with all the leftovers?" Mickey asks, faking coyness and precariously holding his heaped spoon. It eventually spring out of his hands and the contents splatter all over Rose's face. Everyone is aghast for a moment before Rose bursts into a grin.
"Food fight!" Rose declares, not caring how cliché it is because it's her birthday. Mickey suggested it, anyway. The Doctor looks lightly worried at the thought so Sarah-Jane throws him at the deep end by covering the Doctor in a kind of soup. Jack feels a need to protect his Doctor so he instinctively throws a plate of jelly into Sarah-Jane's lap. He immediately regrets it.
"I'm sorry Sarah-jay, I don't know why I did that. I'm so sorry." He apologises profusely. Sarah-Jane just glares at him, an evil playful grin tugging at her lips.
"You will be." She promises but the Doctor beats her to it. Jack is soon covered head-to-toe in that 'better than chocolate' substance and it's all the Doctor's doing. Thankfully, he manages to refrain from any 'good enough to eat' jokes. The Doctor has just declared war because nobody gunges Jack. Sarah-Jane and Mickey rush to defend Jack's honour whilst Rose is busy trying to gunge Jack even more. The Doctor attempts to gunge Rose. Jack desperately tries to keep the peace but after being coated in several different dishes, by accident or purpose, he decides to have some fun and gunges anything vaguely human shaped as identification is now extremely difficult. The food is flying and alliances are broken because recognition between ally and foe is impossible. Everybody soon adopts the method of throwing food at anybody who isn't them. It's the best fun they've all had in a long time.
Eventually, all the food has been thrown so much it's practically liquid, and the gang begins to tire. The food fight slows to a halt, everybody on the floor in fits of laughter, rolling around in the sludge.
"What a mess!" Jack complains.
"Jack, how come you're playing the housewife?" Sarah-Jane enquires of him. "I thought that was my role."
"Yes, you may be the neglected housewife." Jack admits, finding her and wiping the food off her face so he can look at her properly. "Making us all cups of coffee and tea, playing agony aunt and being completely taken for granted." He strokes her cheek before kissing it. He adds the conclusion of his speech in a British accent. "But I am your Jeeves. I am yours to command. I am here to serve, ma'am."
"Jack, you're not here to serve!" Rose says sincerely, as seriously as she can whilst coated in various foods from all over the Universe. "You're here to have fun."
"You need to relax more, man." Mickey tells him gruffly. "You can't be our butler, our assistant, our footybuddy, our studdybuddy, our dance partner, our teacher, our slave, our cook, our waiter, our instructor, our cleaner AND our friend! You can't be all things to all people. Being a friend is plenty enough."
"When did you get so wise?" Rose teases Mickey before kissing him on his rather tasty forehead.
"I just want to help." Jack says softly, helplessly. Sarah-Jane hugs him at that, Jack feels selfish but he leans into the embrace and he closes his eyes. When he opens them again he finds the banquet room sparkling clean. The Doctor had used his sonic screwdriver to emit a vacuum-hygenia wave whilst he wasn't looking. Jack looks at the Doctor in disbelief: the Doctor looks at Jack with a smug grin on his face.
"That solved that argument." The Doctor's grin intensifies. Jack accepts it with a sheepish smile, which makes the Doctor's grin falter as he tries to fight the butterflies in his stomach. The butterflies win.
"I've got to thank you guys for a birthday I'll always remember." Rose sighs, contentedly. "Thank you Jack, especially."
"It can't be over yet. It isn't over until we've danced!" Jack insists but quickly realises not everybody may want to. "I'm sorry. It's not my place to… It's a stupid suggestion. I'm sorry. It's getting late… I guess…"
"What did you have in mind, Jack?" Rose interrupts his self-refutation. It hurts her to see the Jack she once knew who lived for the limelight, now flinch whenever he's the centre of attention. It hurts the others more.
"… line dancing." He eventually replies, so softly. Thankfully, everybody is listening intently and after letting it sink in they are highly intrigued. Unfortunately, Jack takes the silence the wrong way and it about to leave as a voice stops him.
"Will you teach us?"
"Are you sure you want me to teach you?" Jack asks, uncertain and insecure.
"You lead, we'll follow." Rose reassures Jack before shooting an accusing glance at the Doctor.
"Erm, okay then. Let's take a break, clean up and get changed, then I'll meet all of you that want to come…"
"That's all of us." Mickey interjects. Jack looks disbelievingly at the Doctor but the Doctor just shrugs and gives him a weak smile in return and a slight nod of the head. With an internal sigh, the Doctor realises Rose is right: he'd follow Jack anywhere. He's sinking more and more in love, drowning it but it's too late to resurface, even if he wanted to.
By the time the Doctor manages to drag himself back to reality he finds he's all alone in the banquet room. The others have already gone to get changed, he doesn't even know what room they're all meeting in. The Doctor finally dawdles off, lost in the world of love.
Jack waits patiently in the club 'Bailé', the club he designed for Rose. He considers switching on some of the hyper holographical beings but thankfully Sarah-Jane comes to alleviate his loneliness and worries. He feels a wave of relief that at least someone has come but that emotion is soon replaced by a different one. His mouth opens wide and for a guy who was so anxious to talk to anybody, he can't think of a single smart thing to say.
"Wow!" Is the intelligent response he finally manages. But what else can you expect? She's dressed in a thin denim shirt, designed to show her curves; white necktie; stone washed and torn blue denim jeans, showing the tantalising flesh of her legs but only in agonising glimpses; and to top it all off, high heeled leather cowgirl boots. "Wow!" he repeats.
"Why thank you, kind Sir." She gives him a cowgirl wink, her fingers in the belt loops of her jeans. "You don't look so bad yourself." She smirks before walking right past him and sitting at the bar. There's no hyper holographical bartender so she reaches behind the bar and pours herself a small glass of XXX.
Jack has only just managed to close him mouth to find Mickey and Rose entering, arm-in-arm. Jack somehow manages to keep him mouth closed but his eyes are wide open, the pupils dilated.
Mickey's donned a white cowboy hat; white denim jeans; a red shirt, the top two buttons undone; his black polished shoes have spurs on them. His fingers skim the brim of his hat, nodding at Jack before kissing Rose so Jack knows she's his girl. Damn.
Rose has her hair in plaited pigtails; her purple and pink chequered shirt is rolled up at the sleeves and tied off just above her diaphragm; her blue denim skirt is so short it could serve as belt but Jack certainly isn't complaining; her cowgirl boots are knee-high, about three times longer than her skirt. She looks like a Country Western Goddess!
"Yeehaa!" Jack cries. "Now this is what I like to see. I'm glad ya'll put the effort in." But then the Doctor strolls in, in his usual brown pin-striped suit and coat. Jack is surprised the Doctor's turned up at all. He's being remarkably quiet though, he's taking in Jack's appearance.
Jack's cowboy boots are actually tap shoes in disguise; tight black trousers, with tassels; the most superb dark purple shirt, the material looking and flowing like shimmering liquid, the first few buttons undone showing off his broad chest, the sleeves rolled up showing off his muscular arms; a gun holster, no gun though; a black cowboy hat. He looks dressed to kill.
"There's only enough room in this TARDIS for the both of us." Mickey stares Jack out. "And I'm the sheriff of this here TARDIS town."
"Sure, you are." Jack agrees and doesn't challenge him. "In fact, here." Jack tosses him a sheriff's badge he had stored in his gun holster.
"And you're supposed to be a villain(!)" Mickey shakes his head, even as he's busy fastening the badge to his shirt. "You're not worthy of that black hat you're wearing. You should be wearing a white one."
"No, I need a black hat because I AM a villain." Jack protests but realises he sounds like a whining ten year old boy, not very intimidating. "I'm a very, very bad villain." The Doctor lets out a laugh at that unintended pun, only it comes out more like a giggle. There's silence for a few seconds but then Rose tugs on the Doctor's arm and drags him into the centre of the dance floor.
"You could have put more effort in, Doctor. It is my birthday after all." Rose moans. The Doctor is bewildered. Mickey unfastens his 'Sheriff' badge and tosses it to the Doctor. Rose catches it and puts it on the Doctor's shirt for him. Jack tosses Mickey a 'deputy sheriff' badge but Mickey tosses that to Sarah-Jane. She nods and puts it on. Jack rolls his eyes before taking control.
"Right, let's begin the class shall… Doctor are you really going to keep your coat on?" Jack asks, unable to focus when the Doctor has more layers than an Ilklictus cake. "Please can I take your coat, Doctor?" The Doctor shrugs wordlessly, pretty certain that if he does overheat it'll be nothing to do with the clothes he's wearing and all to do with Jack. Jack takes the Doctor's coat and at the feel of Jack's hands on his clothes, the Doctor decides he needs to shed his jacket too. After Jack's hung them both on the coat hook he turns to address his 'class'.
"Okay, I'll be teaching at the front, facing you. I'll be like a mirror to you." Jack takes charge, just slightly nervous. "We'll start with a few simple steps. Just a slow beat. I'll pick up the pace later and add more flourishes to the moves." He uses a device in his holster to switch on the music.
Five minutes later and the Doctor is struggling. He feels like a gumblejack fish out of water. He keeps bumping into everyone and Mickey's getting really frustrated because he's actually good at this. Jack's a good teacher but he's unlikely to think so as the Doctor keeps screwing up!
"He keeps going the wrong way!" Mickey complains after the Doctor bumps into him for the twelfth time.
"Keep up, Doctor! It's not as if we're going fast." Rose whines.
"Give the Doctor a break!" Sarah-Jane defends him. "It's not his fault he can't follow directions."
"I'm not stupid! I know my left from my right!" he insists.
"Yeah, it's just me that's stupid. I had that problem when I was a kid. Took me years to figure it out." Jack stoops his head low. "Had a problem with numbers, too."
"But… you're a genius!" The Doctor blurts out.
"No I'm not!" That comes out more harshly than Jack intended it to. "Numbers still give me a bit of a problem. I tend to use colours to code things. But the directions thing was kind of more vital yet it wasn't until I was 16 that I finally figured it out, just a simple trick. I say 'I' but it was actually Maria. 5 years old and born 3000 years before me and she still taught me knew things."
"The trick?" The Doctor asks, out of curiosity and not to stop Jack talking about Maria. Not at all.
"Stick out your left hand, the palm facing away from you. Your left hand, the other one Doc." Jack smiles softly but this only serves to make the Doctor more flustered. "Now, put your thumb at a 90° right angle. It makes a 'L'. L for left."
"Huh, would you look at that?" The Doctor admires. "900 years old and I never realised that. Mind you… I've never confused my directions before. And I won't ever again." Jack gives him a sparkling smile in response, which the Doctor can't help but return.
"Well, thank Maria not me. When I was a kid everybody told me your right hand was the one you write with. Practically nobody writes by hand in the 51st Century but I do because I'm a freak and I love the tactility. Trouble is, I'm ambidextrous so that advise confused me even more." He laughs nervously.
"That still doesn't change the fact I'm got two left feet." The Doctor whines.
"Nobody has two left feet." Jack replies. "Except for that character in that film I can't remember. And the Antirightans, but even they're good at dancing."
"I'm sure they are, when you're teaching them." The Doctor smiles. He and Jack have a moment and surprisingly, it isn't any of the girls who break it up. It's Mickey, who senses the possible danger.
"Are you teaching us, or what?" Mickey asks and Jack nods guiltily. He gets back to leading the class and as he promised, the tempo picks up and the moves become more complex. The Doctor's struggling slightly but they're all succeeding. It's actually kind of fun.
They all dance for hours, completing several routines. All enjoying themselves but finding themselves begin to tire. The Doctor isn't as good as the others but he's determined to get it right whilst the others are ready to call it a day. Sarah-Jane leaves first. A few minutes later, Rose decides she wants to go to bed too. Mickey's wary of leaving but Rose uses her seductive skills to lure him away. The Doctor and Jack are all alone.
The Doctor tries the routine again but he can't get it to work. He lets out a frustrated sigh.
"Don't worry, you'll get it." Jack reassures him, gently squeezing the Doctor's shoulder. "Perhaps you're trying too hard." The Doctor scoffs at that. Jack accusing HIM of trying too hard! Oh, the irony!
"I used to be a good dancer! Do you remember that?"
"Yeah, I do." Jack's voice is soft, his smile is soft, his eyes are soft, his hand is resting softly on the Doctor's shoulder. Jack doesn't realise how close he is but the Doctor is all too aware. He tries desperately to fight the urge but he's not good at fighting. He tentatively brushes Jack's lips with his own. Jack is still for a moment before retreating, running out of the room with tears in his eyes.
END of Chapter