Wow, I seriously can't believe this is the 22nd chapter! I want to thank anyone who read, reviewed, favourited or put this on story alert because they all mean so much to me as this fic is nearing its end: BUT it's not over yet! Please continue to review, I love them. Brilliant! Warning: rated a bit for language and slight violence but not as bad as some chapters, I think. Enjoy as always, thanks. :D
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brilliance In Her
Adam smiled coolly as he turned around. "Captain Jack Harkness. Nice to see you again." The Doctor's mouth gaped open in shock at Adam's sweet-sounding words. How in Rasillion's name did Jack know Adam?
He swallowed the lump in his throat down as he found his voice again, turning to stare at Jack. "How does he know you then, Jack!" Jack tore his own blue eyes from Adam and turned to face the Doctor. "Huh? Come on, I wanna know!"
"Hey, calm down, Doc, I just work for Torchwood." Jack stated as if it cleared up everything.
The Doctor gaped at Jack, the name sounding familiar to him. "And what the hell's Torchwood when it's at home!"
"Oh, what a surprise, Doctor, you haven't been listening to a word I've said, have you!" Adam fumed, coming in between them. "I was taken by Torchwood! He works for Torchwood! Do the damn math!"
The Doctor's eyes were quizzical, searching for an answer he could accept. "You're the one who captured him, Jack?"
"Yes, Doctor." Jack reached in his belt and produced his old blaster, pointing it at Adam's head. "We found out that he was interfacing with the Sycoraxians in order to destroy the earth, or at least that's what I was told. Then I found out your little secret, didn't I, Adam?" Jack's head cricked to the right. "One you'd had to keep very, very quiet over." Jack clicked his fingers. The door in Adam's head creaked open, worn from overuse, the metal rusting a little at the sides and cutting into Adam's forehead. Smiling broadly, Jack clicked his fingers again and the doors sealed themselves slowly, sparks shooting at the metal scraped together and burning Adam's skin.
Alone in this house again tonight
I got the TV on, the sound turned down
And a bottle of wine
There's pictures of you and I on the walls around me
The way that it was and could have been surrounds me
I'll never get over you walking away
"I found out that you'd travelled with the Doctor. I found out that you weren't exactly the innocent human victim in all this." The barrel of Jack's blaster gun pressed harder into Adam's head.
Adam smiled sickly, "Nah, I guess Rose was in the end. Now you're holding a gun to my head! What would our little rosebud think, huh?" He laughed audibly; Jack lowered his gun in defeat, eyes to the ground. "She was a good little slut of a bitch, I'll give her that." Jack's teeth gritted, his fist balled and all the tension stored up in him released in one swing, connecting with Adam's jaw with a crack. Adam stumbled backwards, holding his face, still smiling.
"Don't you dare talk about her like that ever again or I'll make you suffer."
He ignored Jack, "That was one hell of a punch, Harkness! Rose'd be so proud of you, beating up her rapist like this." Jack punched his jaw again, harder. So much force in one swing that it knocked Adam to the ground, his lip bleeding and his cheek bruised.
Jack felt hands on his chest, pushing him back as the Doctor, grinning, squatted down by the fallen Adam. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, mate," his grin slipped, his face hard as rock. "I might just let Jack kill you. I haven't seemed to be able to make my mind up yet."
Adam breathed heavily staring hard eyed at the Doctor, his gaze flicking between Rose's two protectors. His voice was a grating sarcasm. "Then choose death. That way she'd really love you, Doctor!"
Would it help if I turned a sad song on
"All By Myself" would sure hit me hard now that you're gone
Or maybe unfold some old yellow lost love letters
It's gonna hurt bad before it gets better
But I'll never get over you by hiding this way
The Doctor opened his eyes and stared hard down at Adam, seeing him for what he was after all this time. Adam was a little boy, not used to being told 'no', never knowing when to stop, when to let go. He wanted revenge and was prepared to go the whole way to get it, not caring who he used and abused along the way. The Doctor got the distinct feeling that this bastard would kill his own mother for victory. The thought disgusted him, bile rising to his throat so far he could taste it on his tongue. Adam's eyes flicked to the floor as he breathed raggedly.
Finally Adam's voice spoke past the tension. "It's a shame she can't see this. You two working together again, after all this time. She's love to see it."
"What d'you know about it?" Jack put in, his voice full of malice, "What would you know about what she'd want to see?"
Adam scoffed, "Well, she told me for one thing, you idiot." He got to his feet and leaned against the back wall, cradling his jaw in his hand. "After the stupid bint tried to kill herself. Told me about you both, how she was so proud of the way you two worked together. Told me stories in the hospital afterwards, did Rose. Recounted every little adventure you three had together. I almost thought she was jealous the way she described them, so heroic, so noble the both of you."
The Doctor's curiosity peaked. "What did she say to you?"
I've never been the kind
To ever let my feelings show
And I thought that being strong
Meant never losing your self-control
But I'm just drunk enough to let go of my pain
To hell with my pride, let it fall like rain
From my eyes
Tonight I wanna cry
He paused for a moment, eyes going between the two men. "She said she'd always felt like the third wheel when you two were working together, that she was reminded of how stupid she was, especially when you two would ramble on and on about technology and she didn't have a clue. She said it felt like a slap in the face when you laughed at her for not knowing anything that was worth knowing. I used that to get at her, actually." He laughed shortly, "She gave me ammunition!"
Silence greeted Jack. It burned him, tickling flames at his feet until he couldn't stand the torture any more. "Doctor? Did we…?"
He cut Jack off abruptly, "He's lying, I know it; he's lying. You're lying! Brilliant tactic, Adam but it won't work. I know Rose too well and she'd never have believed that we thought she was stupid!" Jack's wrist-com beeped. He glanced at it, eyes going wider as he read the miniature screen. The Doctor went on, rambling at Adam. "Rose knows that I love her to death! Rose is the most amazing thing that's happened to me in centuries!"
"Erm, Doc…" Jack put in, pointing at his wrist-com, but was cut off by the Doctor.
"Rose is beautiful, the best thing in the world, the bravest and the most loyal person I've ever met and it burns me up inside to know that a scumbag, cockroach, son of a…"
"Doctor…" he was cut off again
"It kills me to know that you've touched Rose, felt her skin under your fingertips, it really kills me but d'you know what gets me through this? It's the fact that I know Rose is strong enough to better you because, believe me, Adam; Rose Marion Tyler is never going to let a little runt like you get the best of her. I love her too much to see her destroyed by you!"
"Doctor!"
He went on, staring Adam down, looking at his eyes. "She's the brightest star in the sky, the most beautiful, brave woman I've ever met! She's…"
"Listening behind the door!" Jack yelled.
I've never been the kind
To ever let my feelings show
And I thought that being strong
Meant never losing your self-control
But I'm just drunk enough to let go of my pain
To hell with my pride, let it fall like rain
From my eyes
Tonight I wanna cry
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A/N: Does this count as a cliffhanger because I have absolutely no idea.