J A C K

After the blowout of the nanogenes, after being berated to within an inch of his life by the Doctor and then somewhat redeeming himself by disposing of the bomb, after finding himself rescued and welcomed (openly by Rose, begrudgingly by the Doctor) into the most amazing and astonishing ship he'd ever encountered, after the surprise of dancing and the not-so-surprise of getting a stern warning from the Doctor of the rules of life on the TARDIS (don't mess with the ship, don't mess with Rose, don't con, don't lie, go to bed), Jack was, without a doubt, utterly reeling.

Rose, he knew, could tell. She guided him down the hall a few turns away from where he noted her room to be, helped him find a spare but serviceable bedroom of his own, and wished him good night with a kiss on the cheek. She looked like she wanted to say more, but she wisely left him to his own devices to begin figuring things out.

Jack looked around. His room was small, almost monk-like. One small twin bed, metal frame. One small cabinet for clothes. A chair and desk, simple and spare. No obvious decorations on the wall. Soft light glowing from one lamp. Bathroom across the hall. It was efficient, and simple, and suited him just fine for now.

The only problem was he had no interest in sleep.

He had just been caught running a con on a man who, it turned out, was some kind of immensely powerful alien with a ship that had shattered all of his expectations about technology, a man who he could tell didn't fully trust him.

He was, he assumed, just here for the night, likely to be dropped off the next day at the spaceport of his choice. And if that were the case, he'd like to get a better look at the ship first. He stowed his duffel under the bed, freshened up just a little, and set off down the hallway, attempting to be quiet.

He paused in the doorway of the console room and just marveled in what he saw. The lights had been lowered and everything was lit in a green and golden glow. The rotor thrummed quietly and a quiet hum surrounded him. He found himself drawn towards the console, running a light hand over various buttons and levers, patting a strut, tracing an admiring finger over a display or two.

"Going somewhere, Captain?" The Doctor's voice was icy cold, and Jack was irritated with how visibly he jumped.

"No," he said, pasting on a charming grin. "Just admiring your ship. She's a beauty."

The Doctor eyed him with open suspicion. "That she is. Still doesn't explain why you're sneaking back out here in the middle of the night."

Jack sighed. "I'm not sneaking. It's just…" He tried to find the right words. "You don't have any reason to keep me around. I'm fit to assume that you'll be dropping me off at a space port first thing tomorrow. Just wanted to have another look at this amazing technology before I go."

"In the middle of the night?"

"Well, I don't sleep much," Jack said, deciding to be truthful. "Not lately, anyways." He saw the Doctor take a closer look at him with that remark but he had no intention of further revealing anything about the nightmares his work in the Time Agency had left him with. "And honestly, I knew I couldn't touch anything if you were around in the daytime, so why not?"

The Doctor harrumphed. "Don't want you touching her now, either, as a matter of fact."

Jack held his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay," he said, conciliatory. "You win. I'll just go back to my bunk then, sound all right?"

The Doctor nodded. Jack bit back his annoyance at being treated like a pickpocket caught sizing up suit jackets, and turned to go. He'd almost reached the hallway again when the Doctor called out.

"Captain – "

Jack turned around, heart pounding in spite of himself. "Yeah, Doc?"

"Don't call me Doc. And I was wondering – you play chess?"

Jack grinned. "With a vengeance, actually."

The Doctor considered him in silence for a moment, then nodded, more to himself than to the other man. "Well if you really don't sleep," he said, voice approximating something a little more on the friendly end of gruff, "then come with me."

He headed off to the library. Might as well keep an eye on his new castaway while delving a little further into what made this man tick.