Warnings - I suppose pre-slash for this one, there are some spoilers for 'Doomsday' and some for 'Parting of the ways' but that's it.

The Tardis seemed empty, funny that he had never thought it had been empty before but since he'd said goodbye to Rose he had felt more alone than ever, the incident with the bride had been entertaining but now he was back in the Tardis, sitting in the main control room with his back against the central panel. Outside the doors was Cardiff 2007, not a time he had been to but he could not find the will to get up and go outside.

He did not know what the Tardis liked so much about Cardiff other than the rift which could refuel the poor girl, something kept drawing her back here time after time and too many memories now haunted the streets memories of Rose, the woman he had loved so much, memories of Jack as well though those were not so frequent and time had started to ease the painful sting of some of those memories.

There was a sound from outside the door, and then someone walked in, the sun was behind them and the Doctor could not make out who it was to start with, he did not know anyone alive who would be able to get into the Tardis, those with the keys were dead.

"Anyone at home?" An American voice called, one that had the Doctor on his feet.

"Jack?" He questioned staring at the figure in front of him, it certainly looked like Jack Harkness, a couple of years older with longer hair that had started to curl and dressed in jeans and t-shirt but it looked like him all the same.

"Doctor?" Jack questioned taking a few moments to study this new version of the time lord.

"You died." The doctor said simply getting to his feet and walking towards the man in front of him. He hesitated before touching not sure that Jack was not going to disappear.

"I'm not dead." Jack replied taking the doctors hand in his own.

"I heard you…" The doctor said he had heard the gunshots in the corridor and knew that Jack was getting closer to him.

Flashback: a year earlier

He had been working frantically on the device trying not to think about all the people who had died to buy him the time he needed, Lynda was dead and so was everybody else which left him and Jack as the only living people on the satellite. He could hear gunfire getting closer to where he was and knew that the Daleks had made it to level 500 and Jack was trying to hold them back give him as much time as possible.

"Doctor you've got twenty seconds maximum." Jack's voice said having activated his comm. System. This time unlike every other occasion the connection was not terminated and the Doctor heard Jack's gun run out of bullets and him switch to a smaller handgun. The sounds were even closer now and there could be little more than a door between the Doctor and Jack. Suddenly the gun clicked empty the sudden silence sounding even louder to the Doctor than the gunfire had.

"Exterminate." The distorted voice of the Daleks rang out and the Doctor closed his eyes.

"I kind of figured that." Jack said a smart alek till the end, the sound of a Dalek weapon firing and a body falling to the ground. The pain that Jacks death caused was unexpected as the Doctor had not realised he cared for the man that much but now with Jack dead he suddenly realised that he loved him as he loved Rose as well.

End Flashback.

"I don't know how to explain it, I was shot I remember the pain the next thing I know I'm gasping for breath and there's ashes in front of me. I'd got to my feet and then I heard the Tardis. You left me there you know." Jack says a faintly accusing look on his face for that.

"I thought you were dead Jack, you have no idea how pleased I am to see you though." The Doctor said hauling Jack in for a hug breathing in his scent and feeling the grief that he had wrapped around him start to lift slightly.

"About as pleased as I am to be here." Jack said hugging the doctor back. Feeling the doctor start to shake Jack managed to get them to the floor and he held the shaking time lord tightly as for the first time in many years the Doctor cried.

Later

Standing in Jack's bedroom doorway the Doctor drank in the sight of the man, against all the odds Jack was back with him and this time the Doctor was going to protect him, as he hadn't the last time. They had time now to explore whatever there was between them and as the Doctor had started to realise maybe just maybe he did not need to be on his own always.

Like it? Hate it? Let me know. There may be one more part to this but that'll depend on whether insperation strikes me or not.