IDChapter30
Jack went up to the front of the cave and let the night watch volunteer get some sleep. He'd had a good rest, if not exactly one he had desired, and he wouldn't be sleeping anyway, what with worrying about Isana. Jon came up and sat down on the bench with him. He could see the grief in Jack's eyes in the moonlight.
"I'm sorry," he began, but Jack cut him off with a wave of his hand.
"Please don't apologize. You and I both know you're not really sorry for what you did. You know, I thought perhaps you'd changed. I thought maybe being stranded here by your brother, being half human, at least for awhile, and being married to Rose and being a father might have softened you up a bit, might have gotten it through your thick skull that you are not the judge, jury, and executioner of the universe. Obviously I was wrong, you still feel entitled to make decisions for everyone." Jack buried his face in his hands for a moment, collecting himself. Jon remained silent. Finally Jack looked up and met Jon's eyes.
"I swear, if I didn't love you so much, I'd kill you." Both men fought back tears, biting their lips. Then Jon reached for Jack, and they embraced, holding each other and letting the tears come. They sat that way for awhile, then Jon pulled a couple of handkerchiefs out of his pocket, they blew their noses, and they sat back again on the bench, shoulder to shoulder, silently comforting each other.
"Occupational hazard," Jon finally said.
"What?"
"Being a Time Lord. Occupational hazard, makin' decisions for everyone. Can't seem to get away from it."
"Oh, who are you trying to kid? You wouldn't have it any other way."
"Actually, I would. I rather enjoyed things back on Earth, living life on the Slow Path, teaching, watching the minds of my students grow, playing with my daughter and Tony, building a normal life with Rose. Not having the burden of the universe on my shoulders. If Arianna had been a normal child, we might still be there."
"Really?" Jack asked, "You'd have been perfectly happy to not be in the thick of things, just sitting back and letting everyone else run the show, and screw things up?"
Jon grinned. "Hell, no." They both laughed. "I will try to do better, though, Jack. Really. Just let me know if I start going off the deep end and getting too bossy."
"Yeah, sure, assuming I get the chance, and not another hypo in the neck!" Jack rubbed the spot ruefully.
"Weelll... yeah, there is that. Sorry." He patted Jack's hand. "Forgiven?"
Jack grasped Jon's hand in his. "Just promise you won't do that again. I'm a big boy now, I can make my own decisions."
"I promise." Jon leaned in and gave Jack a quick, one-armed hug, "I've got to go back to bed. We've got a big day tomorrow."
Jon made his way back to the cot next to Rose and slid in. He felt her reach across to him, and he rolled over and kissed her.
"You and Jack kiss and make up?" She asked sleepily.
"Well... we made up. We didn't kiss, though." He murmured, smiling.
"S'good." She fell back asleep.
The next morning everyone was up and about putting the encampment together. Even the children took part, washing utensils in the nearby stream. Rose oversaw everything even as she put the security system components in place. Without a source of power they were useless, but it wouldn't hurt to have them ready. Jon and Jack made a trip back to the ship to retrieve a couple of very important items. They came back to camp and Jon waved Rose back to join them as he crawled through the opening in the back of the main cave.
"Wow," was all Jack could think to say as he surveyed the fluorescent cavern.
"S'pretty neat, yeah?" Rose asked, her eyes shining.
"Yeah, it is a nice little love-nest. You two going to keep it to yourselves?"
"For now, because it actually has a greater purpose, although it does indeed make a splendid 'love-nest'." Jon grinned as he scanned carefully with his sonic until he'd found the right spot, near the middle of the cavern. Carefully unwrapping the package he had retrieved from Voyager, he dug a hole, placed the piece of coral in it, then applied a drop of the precious vial of fluid that came with it. He sat back on his haunches for a moment, eyes closed, concentrating, then he seemed to burp, then breathed a golden mist onto the coral. It glowed brightly for a few seconds, then dimmed to a soft coppery luminescence. "Rose," he motioned for her to join him. He plucked a hair from her head.
"Ouch!" She gave him a dirty look. He ignored her and wrapped the golden strand around the coral, which absorbed it. Jon then covered the coral lightly with a bit of dirt from the hole and got up.
"Well. We've just planted a TARDIS." He beamed at Rose and Jack.
So how long before she's ready?" Jack asked eagerly.
"Well... normally it takes over 50 years..." he laughed as Jack's eyes bulged at the thought of waiting another 50 years to travel in comfort, "...but I have had some thoughts on how to speed that up to more like 2 or 3."
"Years?"
"Yep-p. Years. Some things just take time."
"Should we mark this spot or something?" Rose asked.
"No need. It will be obvious shortly where it is." Rose looked down on Jon, who had moved off a few paces. Then she realised she was looking down upon him...
"What the..!" She and Jack jumped down to where Jon was as he chuckled. "She's putting out roots already," he laughed. They turned back and could see a sizable mound forming where they had been standing.
"That's amazing!" Jack marveled.
Rose was getting distracted. Memories of the previous day's activities with Jon had her constantly glancing over at the little ledge where they'd been so passionate. She was getting hot just thinking about it. "I think I'll just go back and check on everything." She quickly exited, before she threw herself at her husband. Must be Jack's pheromones or somthin' rubbin' off on me, she thought. She breathed a sigh of relief as she exited the small tunnel and entered the main cave.
Jon looked at Jack. "What do you say we make that trip now?"
"Good a time as any." Jack brought up the coordinates for the Krillitane Home World on his vortex manipulator, pulled Jon close, and they left in a flash.
They materialized in an alley a short way from the Esteemed Father's palace. "Before we approach him, what is our story going to be?" Jack asked.
"We're just collecting the reward. But we can tell him we're going to use it to restore my race, which was quite powerful in my original universe - for which reason the Shadows are keeping an eye on me."
"That ought to pique his interest," Jack agreed.
"Yes, especially if you let it slip that my wife killed one of them in her sleep..." Jon winked.
They walked to the palace gates and were met by two guards. Jack identified himself and asked to see the Esteemed Father. The guards let him through, but stopped Jon. "He's with me," Jack explained, but the guards shook their heads. "I'll be back for you," Jack promised Jon. Jon walked down to a small cafe with a view and sat sipping tea. Thank goodness tea is literally universal, he thought. Several teas later, one of the guards showed up looking for him, indicating that Jon should follow him. "Talkative bunch, aren't you?" Jon quipped as he followed the guard through the palace gates and into the building, down a hallway, up some stairs, and into a sitting room where Jack was waiting.
"The Esteemed Father can hardly wait to meet you," he grinned. He opened a hidden door in the corner of the room and they entered an ornately decorated office with what looked like french windows opening into a courtyard. Seated at the desk was a handsome, well-groomed humanoid male.
"Doctor, I'd like to introduce you to the Krillitane Esteemed Father."
Jon's eyebrows raised, and he reached out and shook the man's hand. "Excuse me, you aren't quite what I expected, um... how should I address you, sir?"
The gentleman graciously took Jon's hand and smiled. "You may call me 'Father', I am sure you were expecting someone more... reptilian? Avian?"
"Something like that," Jon agreed. "Is your appearance a projection?"
"No, this is how I actually am. I project a more 'Krillitane' appearance when I speak to my people. I'm quite enamored of the humanoid form, I find the most advanced races tend to be humanoid, and so I took it upon myself to evolve in that direction. I try to discreetly move my people in that direction, not only in appearance, but in philosophy. Races based solely on dominance tend to stagnate and die out sooner or later, I'd rather my race not go in that direction."
"I see. Apparently not all your people agree with you, if the lot my family met is any indication."
"A regrettable truth, I fear. How fortunate you were able to overcome that band of outlaws, we had been hunting them for years when they managed to disappear without a trace. How did you do it?"
Jon started from the beginning, telling the Father how he and Rose had been left on that Earth, how Rose and Arianna had been dosed with the oil, how they had figured out what was happening, had drawn the Krillitane fugitives out into space, and had learned to use the oil to survive and escape, killing the fugitives in the process.
"And the abilities your wife gained also enabled her to kill a Shadow in her sleep. Remarkable!" The Father was clearly impressed. "The Krillitane People owe you and your family a debt for ridding us of those rogues. I am having a ship prepared for you, stocked with supplies of food, medicines, technology, weapons, and whatever else you may desire. I'd like to invite you to stay with me for awhile, so that we may get to know each other better. Specifically, I'd like to learn more of the universe you came from originally, and what your people were like. I'd also like to discuss with you my vision for my people. According to Jack you'd like to bring your people in this universe back from the brink of extinction, we could help each other. Would you stay, please?"
Jon answered carefully. "I can't right now," he explained. "I have refugees who need those supplies. But I will return, and would be happy to spend time discussing things with you."
"Very well. I will have your ship prepared shortly,meanwhile please have tea with me." He led them into a sitting room where various finger foods and beverages were waiting. The three of them talked cordially, trading stories about Jack, and after awhile a servant entered and informed the Father that their ship was ready.
"Have a safe journey," the Father told them, handing Jon a credit card. "This card is linked to an account with a considerable sum of credits. You are a rich man. I am also sending along a security contingent. No, I insist!" He said over their protests. "You are a marked man," he told Jon, "and it would not be right for me to allow a Friend of the Krillitane Empire to travel unprotected. They will follow your orders, and will return you safely here when you are ready."
"Thank you," Jon said humbly.
"I hope to see you soon," the Father waved goodbye.