Ch 12
Jack rubbed The Doctor's back in slow lazy circles as he felt the afterglow hit him. His fingers gentle in sharp contrast the the gouging claws they had become earlier. That thought made him pause, he hadn't been exactly gentle and was afraid he had actually scarred his new lover. Raising his head a bit he took a peek at the damage and found the wounds were already a light pink no longer weeping blood as he suspected they had been earlier.
"Sorry about the nails," he breathed out rolling them both over on their sides and kissing the man held in his arms.
"I actually quite liked that," The Doctor admitted with a sly smile, "it's like salty and sweet. Pain and pleasure in the right mixture..."
Jack was a bit surprised by that. Personally if anyone had was making love to had ripped his flesh like that it would have made everything come to a grinding halt, and really he wasn't in the habit of hurting his partners.
Filing that away for, what he hoped would be future reference, Jack allowed the sleep that had been tiptoeing up on him to take over and pulling the Time Lord to his chest, held him close.
His dreams were not peaceful. The doubts and worries that this trip was somehow a swan song, fear that he would be left behind, again filled his thoughts. His first dream he was alone in a desert, nothing but sand everyone and he was so thirsty that his mouth felt like a million foot soldiers had marched across in in the stocking feet.
That quickly switched to waking alone in the tent to find that The Doctor had just broke camp without him. Leaving him to make his way back home by any means possible. The whole time as he trudged along in his dream, he knew in his heart of hearts he would never see the Time Lord again.
That thought brought him out of his sleep with a cry of despair. Both his arms and the tent were empty. He frantically dressed, expecting to see the TARDIS gone and the camp abandoned. Instead his saw The Doctor making a snow man with limited success and even more limited skill. But at least he was still here! Jack stood watching the thin man trying to roll a ball of snow amongst the patches of brown mud.
The Doctor looked up with a smile that quickly vanished as he took in Jack's pale face and strained expression. He bounded over to him, "are you OK?" he asked placing a concerned hand on his shoulder.
Jack mustered a smile back, "I had a nightmare is all. I dreamt you left me, and when I woke up you were gone."
"I wouldn't do that," the Time Lord protested.
"But you have in the past," Jack countered, all the hurt from being abandoned before seeming to rush out.
"That was different, I had no choice," The Doctor's voice was soft, "but it won't happen again."
"Promise?" Jack swallowed hard, amazed at how desperate he sounded.
"If it's within my power, I promise."
Looking away, slightly ashamed at how needy he had become, Jack cleared his throat, "so what is on the agenda for the rest of the day?"
Taking the cue The Doctor shifted focus, "I would really like to finish this," he pointed at the sad looking snow man, "but aside from that, no real plans. What would you like to do?"
Smiling for real now, Jack sidled up to the thin man, taking him into his arms and dancing to the music playing in his head whispered in his ear, "I don't think you showed me all of your moves," he laughed, "maybe you could enlighten me a bit more?"
"Don't you think we should pace ourselves?" The Doctor asked pulling back a bit.
"Doc you've kept me waiting for this for years, I think we need to make up for lost time," Jack grinned.
Jack paused as the Time Lord regarded him blankly. Had he pushed his luck too far this time? He hadn't been aware he had been holding his breath until The Doctor chuckled low in his throat, "I'll take that into consideration. But for now, the snow is starting to melt, and my masterpiece is about to be slush..." with that he turned back to his snow man.
Deciding to play along Jack joined him. He hadn't made a snow man since he was a boy and frankly he grumbled to himself, it was cold, wet and boring. He'd much rather spend 'quality time' with The Doctor, but he was aware how precious these first hours, and days would be. One misstep and he could be back to being ignored and the wonderful intimacy threatened to be taken back to the former just friends level.
His inner thoughts were interrupted as something cold and wet hit him in the face. A snowball? he felt the slush sliding down his neck, he looked up to see The Doctor forming another one and lobbing it straight at him.
Jack jumped to his feet scooping a handful of snow as he went, and made to return fire, "oh you are asking for it," he mock snarled, his voice quivering with restrained laughter.
"You'll have to catch me first," The Doctor challenged, then took off down the ridge.
