Ch 8
Jack was not sure what he was expected to say, or even what he felt he should say now. He remained silent even though his mind was whirling so fast his head was almost swimming.
Taking a deep breath he leaned forward, "I'm trying to understand this…" he ventured, "but if you don't talk to me, I will just keep guessing and probably come to the totally wrong conclusion so help me out here!"
At first it seemed like he was not going to get an answer but then The Doctor looked up at him, "what do you want to know?"
"Let's start with something easier," Jack started, "the waterfall, did you do that on purpose?"
"It didn't start out that way, I genuinely wanted to see it better, but I did feel the branch start to give way…" the Time Lord admitted with a grin.
"You could have died!" Jack shouted, "why on Earth did you do that? What if I hadn't gotten to you in time? Are you insane?"
"I wasn't going to die, I can handle being colder than that. And I knew you'd save me."
"You don't know that! What if I hadn't gotten there in time?" Jack gritted his teeth, leaping over the fire to grab the Time Lord's lapels, yanking him to his feet, "what in the hell is wrong with you? Why would you be so reckless?"
Then it struck him. He was an idiot, he let go of The Doctor and sat down with a thump on the log, "you did it for me, to make me feel important. Let me be the hero..."
There was no answer to this and really he didn't need one, he was right. The Time Lord was willing to put his life in Jack's hands for the sole purpose of giving his ego a boost. Jack was both flattered and horrified.
"No more games, Doc," Jack tried for a smile, "I appreciate all you're trying to do, but you're scaring me. Let's start this again, OK? Is the TARDIS really in lock down?"
The Doctor nodded, "it's really in lock down, there are some repairs she needs to do and until they're done she won't unlock."
"Good, the truth is good," Jack replied. Then pushing his luck he continued, "was all this planned so we'd wind up making love?"
At that the Time Lord smiled, "do you really want to play twenty questions? Or would you rather do something more interesting?"
"I should have known this openness was a limit time offer," Jack sighed ruefully. Considering persisting with his line of questioning he gazed into the amused eyes looking directly into his, and realised it was hopeless, "OK I give up, time to go look at the lambs?"
"Breakfast first," The Doctor replied the edges of his mouth quirking up, "I don't want you chasing them around the valley with a jar of mint jelly in your hand."
"Then after wards? I mean after the lambs?" Jack prompted.
"Where's your sense of adventure? Do you really want to plan everything in advance?" the Time Lord teased.
"Your sense of adventure is just a bit more 'exciting' than I'm used comfortable with," Jack sighed, "just promise me, please, that you won't throw yourself under the herd or anger a protective mama sheep just so I can save your skinny, but desirable arse OK?"
"I promise," The Doctor laughed, "now breakfast, I have dehydrated eggs, dehydrated bacon and something that the package claims is freeze dried pancakes," he fished in a metal box by his side, "which one do you want to try first?"
Jack was still reeling from the earlier events and food didn't sound at all appealing. 'If you could call what The Doctor was holding out food,' he snorted.
"I don't care," he finally replied, "you choose."
"Freeze dried it is," the Time Lord laughed prying open the package and pulling out something that looked like beige paving tiles, before setting them into the frying pan on to the fire.
Sitting still, Jack tried to organise his thoughts. He was usually a fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants kind of guy but The Doctor had succeeded in completely throwing his normal state of being in chaos. He watched him making their breakfast with a new sense of how alien this man truly was. He wished he could get inside his head, get past the façade and really see what was going on in that impressive mind of his.
He was brought out of his thoughts by a warm plate of odd smelling something being shoved under nose, "eat up!" The Doctor smiled thrusting the plate into his hands.
"Aren't you having any?" Jack asked noting that the plate next to the Time Lord was empty.
"Thought I'd let you test them first," The Doctor laughed, "make sure they're edible."
"Gee thanks," Jack grumbled, breaking off a piece of pancake and popping it into his mouth.
