"White"

A/N Part 2 of a two parter for my 100 prompts. JACK HARKNESS IS BACK IN TOWN!!! And forget his disappearance at the end of ep 13. That was cruel to Gwen, and so doesn't feature in the universe this story is in…. :-)

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The first thing he noticed was soft lips being withdrawn from his, the pressure of them against his own barely negligible. As if from far away, he heard footsteps withdrawing, and then he felt his lungs fill with air as he opened his mouth and whispered "Thank you."

And he breathed.

Gwen spun round, shocked, and hurried to him, reaching out for his shoulders to hold him, to check she wasn't imagining, as she grinned, and he opened his eyes. He laughed up at her, haggard and exhausted, truly looking as if he had come back from the dead. Everything, he soon perceived, was white, from his clothes, to the bag, to the stool by his side where Gwen had sat. He himself felt a pure, cleansed white; it was as if he had been reborn. He had thought that was it, whilst he had been falling through the darkness barely recognising who or what he was, but then he had awoken from his sleep, rejuvenated, and glowing white.

Gwen stroked the side of his face, tears once again falling freely, as she laughed hoarsely. "I knew you'd come back. I knew you would."

"I should have known Gwen Cooper would never lose faith with me." He smiled.

She smiled, then rubbed at her eyes fiercely with the cuff of her jacket. When she looked at him again she was stern. "Don't you ever do that again, Jack. We all thought we'd lost you."

He shook his head slightly, crackling the plastic of the bag as he moved. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

She nodded her head, gripping his shoulder firmly with one hand. "Jack, I –"

He stopped her. "I told you before. I forgive you." He turned his head to her hand, and that mere action of feeling his cheek on her fingers sent her pulse racing, and brought tears to her eyes again.

"Thank you." She murmured, and his eyes were soft as he said "No, Gwen. Thank you."

Abruptly his voice changed. "Come on, help me up and out of these clothes."

Gwen started, looking at him confused. "Surely you should rest for a while."

He raised an eyebrow. "What, here?"

She shook her head. "No, of course we'll move you, it's just that I thought..."

"Fine then, I'll move myself." Gritting his teeth, and with a low groan, he managed to raise himself onto his elbows, and look around the room. "Didn't think I'd be here for a while at least, you know."

"Jack!" Gwen put an arm around his shoulders for him to lean on. "You shouldn't do that."

"Yes I should." He said, rolling his head back, feeling the muscles stretch and the bones click as he got used to the feeling again. He looked at her, all seriousness back. "Look, I can't just lie around here forever. I feel fine, I just want to get back on my feet. I'll have a rest, I promise, I won't just amble straight back into work. Just let me get dressed, and let me see the others. You forget they think I'm still dead, remember?"

She nodded, and letting him lean on her, helped him sit up, and from there, extricate his legs from the bag, and get down off the metal slab. He wavered as he finally took his weight onto his own two feet, but Gwen was there as his prop, and soon he could stand up normally.

With her help she got him into the little chamber off the morgue, where Jack's clothes and some of his belongings were lying, labelled and ready to be packed up, though no one had been able to sort them out yet. She helped him to a chair, which he sat down on shakily, and then turned to the table where his clothes were folded up neatly by herself, during one of her fitful moments a few nights back. She pulled out a navy blue shirt, a pair of trousers and some underclothes, blushing slightly as she put them to one side for him. She wasn't like this with Rhys' clothes, so why with Jack's?

She turned back to him, smiling softly. "I'll let you get changed in peace and quiet." She stepped outside, back into the main room of the morgue, listening to the movements and thumps going on in the room behind her. Jack, for his part, was attempting to get his t-shirt off with some difficulty; he kept losing his balance and feeling himself go faint. Finally, he pulled it off, but then fell against the metal table, making it ring sonorously and he cried out in pain as he bruised his hip. Holding onto his side, he winced, then looking up sadly and hopelessly called out "Gwen?"

She looked round the corner of the door cautiously, but seeing he was still at least wearing some clothes, came in, her eyebrows raised in question softly.

Jack sighed. "I think I need your help."

Gwen felt her heart leap with shyness and anticipation, feeling herself shake a little. "Of course," she said, hurrying forwards, mentally berating herself for leaving him on his own and expecting him to manage without her. She stepped forwards and took the t-shirt from his limp hand, and put it on the table. She reached out for a clean one and turned back to him. He raised his arms as she slipped it over his head, manoeuvring it so that his arms would fit through the sleeves. She pulled it down, her fingers skittering over his skin, and she felt them tingle. Looking up at him, she sighed, shaking her head, and instructing him to sit back down, went to the sink in the corner, and taking a handkerchief from her pocket, soaked it in water and then went back over to Jack, and slowly, biting her lip, she bent down to his face, and began to wash his features.

She started with his eyes, drawing the cloth over them, her own eyes gazing into his as she did it. She brought the cloth over his cheekbones, then wiped his forehead free from the sweat and clamminess of several days. She washed the sides of his face, then did his cheeks, smoothing downwards, noting that even after days of not shaving, there was still barely a shadow of hair on his chin. Finally, she dabbed his nose with the cloth, smiling at him as she did so. She hunted in his coat pocket until she found another handkerchief and dried his face, repeating her path over the contours as she did so. When she had finished, she nodded at him. "Much better", she whispered, satisfied now that he at least looked living once again.

Then she turned back to the task in hand, and picked up his shirt. He easily slipped his arms through the sleeves as she held it out for him, and sat patiently whilst she buttoned it up for him. Truth be told, he could have done that himself, but it was pleasant to sit there and be looked after and fondled by a woman in such a way. Then, Gwen gestured for him to stand up, and they were both left looking at each other. There was nothing else for it. The shorts had to come off. And Gwen was dreading it.

She was perfectly educated n such matters, having lived with her boyfriend for a number of years now, but there was something different about the fact that the shorts belonged to Jack. Her heart thumped as she looked at him, unable to meet his eye.

Jack could have easily made her take them off for him, and enjoyed the experience thoroughly, but despite his teasing, he was a gentleman. Kindly, he looked down at her. "Gwen, if you could just stand to my side so I can lean on you –"

Gratefully, she nodded, and moved immediately, fixing her eyes on the stone wall of the chamber whist Jack leant on her shoulder and pulled off the shorts. Without having to say anything, she handed him a pair of boxer shorts, which he got on eventually, after much heavy leaning on Gwen.

"Trousers, please." He asked next, but Gwen, now happy that he was modestly attired, reached out for them, and stood in front of him once again.

"Oh no, you'll do yourself an injury if you try to put these on yourself. Lean on my shoulders." He did so, smiling to himself as he lifted his legs one at a time to put them into the legs of the trousers. Gwen stood back once he was in them, and let him do the zip and button himself, blushing as he winked at her. He pulled the breeches' straps up over his shoulders and reached for his socks and shoes, sitting down on the seat to slip his feet into them, but Gwen did the laces for him, worrying that too much bending down might send him faint again, and give him a headache. Finally, he nodded at her.

"Right – effects, please, madam." He said, putting on a posh voice. Gwen turned back to the table and handed him a few items they had taken off him when putting him into the bag. His gun, snug in its leather holder, his wallet, his watch and several other odds and ends restored, he put his hands on his hips.

Gwen stood back, smiling. "There – Captain Jack Harkness is back. Come on, the others have got a bit of a shock coming –" She set off towards the door, but was stopped by his voice.

"Gwen?"

Se turned around, her eyes clear. He came towards her, walking slowly but definitely once again. He took her hands in his own and brought them up to his lips, and kissed them. "Thank you for everything. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Jack.."

But he reached forwards and repaid the service she had once done to him, long ago, in a clinic, on their first mission since her arrival, and more recently, only just a few minutes ago. He kissed her, softly, and when he broke off he smiled at her. Then he stood back and held his hand out to her. She looked down at it, and smiling at him, slipped her hand into it, and squeezed it tightly. The two set off for the main Hub, and Jack smiled to himself as he walked. Abadon had nearly killed him, but the monster had given him a fresh start. The canvas was blank, and it was empty for him to do as he wanted with it. Looking across at the woman by his side, still there for him if he needed to lean on her, he knew the canvas would not remain white for long. Black and white had shaped his life for the past few days, but he now knew what the colour of the future was.

It was as varied and as beautiful as a far off galaxy, and he wouldn't miss this journey for the world.

A/N As before: in three clicks you can make me smile…