Time Lord Fugue
Chapter two- Return
Captain Jack Harkness sat comfortably in his office, leaning back in his leather chair, his booted feet propped up on the large, wooden corner desk in front of him. Things seemed to be going well lately; despite losing Tosh and Owen, he and the rest of Torchwood 3 had defended against a Dalek invasion of earth and then helped to return the stolen planet to its rightful place in the solar system. The weevils, it seemed, had been pretty put out by the whole event and opted to stay in the sewers. Perfect.
"Jack?" Ianto called his boss down to the various observation monitors located in his area of the Hub. "TARDIS materialising in Roald Dahl Plass now."
"I thought he wasn't coming back here?" Questioned Gwen, who had just returned from the extensive archives and only caught the tail end of the conversation by chance.
"So did I Gwen, so did I," came the usual enigmatic reply, the typically confident American drawl betraying his confusion. "I'll go topside and see what's up." Jack crossed the floor of the Hub and was about to reach the perception filtered elevator that would raise him up, side by side with the massive shining chrome water feature from the dark, damp bottom of the old Victorian railway station to the surface of the modern, 21st century Docks in Cardiff Bay when Ianto called out;
"Wait, Jack, he's disappeared. I can't find him on any of the scanners or cameras!"
"Shit! Where the Hell'd he go? Find him Ianto!" yelled Jack as he legged it back across the floor of the Hub and grabbed the faded blue cotton greatcoat and Webley revolver from his office. "I'm going after him. You two stay put. And I mean it this time Gwen! There's no knowing what might have happened out there, and I need to know you guys are safe." He fixed his Bluetooth headset onto his right ear and in three strides had lunged out the back door, ignoring the rest of the team's protests as he collided with the doctor. "Whoa! Watch where you're… Doctor?" Jack gazed in confusion at the figure sprawled over the floor in front of him. The Doctor shook his head and used the make-shift Tourist Information desk in the small room to haul himself back to his feet. "So, how'd it go? I know you weren't planning on coming back…" Jack's companionable prose drifted to a halt as the Doctor's eyes met his, tears streaming uncontrollably down his cheeks.
"I didn't tell her." He stated matter-of-factly "And before you say anything, of course I tried! It wasn't as if I just bottled it and came straight back!" Catching Jack's disbelieving look, he shoved past, into the Hub. Jack strode after his friend and grabbed his arm;
"I only asked a question, there's no need to get angry with me." He growled, barely holding his own temper in check now. The Doctor pulled away, shoving Jack into Tosh's newly unoccupied workstation, scattering piles of priceless and now useless tech.
"Of course there's something to be angry about!" The Doctor yelled, ignoring the startled looks of Ianto and Gwen whilst focusing his full 'Oncoming Storm' glare at Jack. "She told me to go Jack. She said she never wanted to see me again, and to prove it, she's marrying the other me. Hel, she even stopped me finishing my sentence! Now do you believe me?" All anger drained away in an instant, the Doctor once more became a sad, lonely child; looking to jack for assurance that he'd done the right thing by coming back. He sat heavily on the steps to the side of the wrecked work station, head in hands as the full enormity of Rose's words sunk in.
Jack stood and brushed his trousers down, motioning the two gawping Torchwood employees should leave the Hub.
"Come on, you need to rest Doc'," he murmured. He gently took the Doctor's arm and led him in the direction of the small room that acted as Jack's 'nap-zone' or bedroom on his all too frequent 24 hour shifts. While they walked he couldn't help but think that they'd have got at least a wolf-whistle from Owen by now, but before he could be completely lost in the past Gwen took Owens' role and changed a would be snide comment into a joke, no doubt trying to lighten the mood.
"He won't get much rest if you take him in there, Jack!" She grinned, before taking the frosty glare as a hint and retreating after Ianto.
"Here. It's not much, but its quiet here- you won't be disturbed." Jack told the Doctor, leading him to the small bed beneath the old, arched Victorian brickwork.
"Thank you Jack" came the simple reply as the Doctor tiredly eased his converses and pinstripe jacket off before slipping gratefully under the covers and pulling them up to his chin. As Jack made to leave, the Doctor reached out a slender hand from under the duvet; "stay, please? Until I fall asleep?"
'He has gorgeous eyes…' thought Jack as he gazed at the seemingly young man in his bed. He quickly shook himself; 'Damn it Jack Harkness! He needs your help, not advances!' and sat on the edge of the bed. "Course I will." A slow smile of thanks spread across the Doctor's face before his eyes drifted shut and a few minutes later his breathing deepened as sleep finally claimed the exhausted Time Lord.