LOVE
THREE
The system's sun was now set on the Boeshane Peninsula and following breathtaking flashes of orange and red and finally cerulean and purple the stars had come out in full-force. The cacophonous noises of the day – buzzing insects and riotous birds, had melted into the music of the night – droning insects and crooning amphibians. Other, more constant sounds continued on undeterred – the off-shore breeze, the pounding surf, and the hushed words of two men talking.
With the help of The Doctor's sonic Jack built a roaring fire on the beach. The Time Lord and the Captain had moved their chairs near to it, then nearer still, and then finally giving up on the chairs altogether they sat down upon a large, gnarled piece of scavenged driftwood which Jack had pulled up close – but upwind – to the flames. As they conversed, sparks flying up toward the heavens, their shadows danced behind them.
"So, Doctor?"
"Yes, Captain?"
"Do you… um… know of any good doctors?"
"Oh Jack, let it go. I was only joking about your weight."
"No, it's not that."
"Hmm? Well then, what is it?"
"Umm…"
"Jack, what's going on?" The Doctor sounded just a tiny bit alarmed. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Doctor… it's just that I…" the Captain's voice trailed off. The campfire crackled and hissed.
"Yes, Jack? It's just that you… what?"
"It's just that this thing that has happened to me – what Rose did to me, for me – I want to, I need to understand it better. I have so many questions. I don't believe in miracles, Doctor. I don't believe in inexplicable marvels. Something physically changed inside me. Rose did something, but what was it? Is it quantifiable? Qualifiable? Can I lose it? Can I share it? Pass it on to my children? I haven't on my own been able to find answers to any of my questions and the sheer number of those questions keeps increasing the longer I'm alive. I'm starting to feel more and more weighted down by them…
"I'd like to find someone to talk to, and you've informed me in no uncertain terms that you are not that person – that you can't or you won't answer any of my questions about what happened to me on Satellite Five."
"No Jack, I'm sorry but you're right – I am not that person. And if I may I'll take this opportunity to reiterate something I said to you earlier…"
"Yes! I understand! There are some things I'm not supposed to know. But this is my body we're talking about. It's my life. I have a right…"
The Doctor stretched, rotating his shoulder blades. The driftwood was not a real chair, just a vaguely convenient, unpleasantly hard surface above the sand on which to perch. And it was definitely not comfortable seating. "I'm not denying, Captain, that you have that right. Of course you do. What I'm attempting to remind you of is a warning which you often yourself express to others, and that is: be careful what you wish for."
Jack paused for thought and then looked wordlessly at The Doctor and shrugged.
"Didn't do it for you?" the Time Lord asked.
Jack shook his head.
"Okay. Well…" The Doctor smiled lopsidedly and gave it his best New Jersey accent, "I know a guy who knows a guy. I might be able to arrange something for you."
Still Jack didn't speak, but he did raise an eyebrow.
"On a planet called Miri," The Doctor continued. "There's a certain scientist – a physician and savant – I know of. Discreet. Brilliant. Cutting-edge. Driven. Back in the day he helped a few Time Lords that were having, uh… troubles."
"Troubles?"
"Allow me to retain some semblance of propriety here, Jack. De mortuis nil nisi bonum… Respect for the dearly departed and all that. But yes, troubles. Believe it or not, Time Lords can and do have them."
"Oh I'm not questioning that." Jack narrowed his eyes, studying his friend, but decided to leave the fascinating topic for another day. "Do you think he'd be willing to see me?"
"Oh, I have no doubt he would be willing to see you. You'll intrigue him, Jack. But I have to warn you, he's a bit… erm… unusual."
"How do you mean?"
The Doctor sniffed, "He's odd. Strange. Eccentric. Like a lot of smart people we know, present company excluded of course, he lacks certain social skills. He can be harsh, rude, cold and unsympathetic. But he makes up for any shortage of common niceties with skill and intelligence."
Jack smiled, "Odd, strange and eccentric people don't bother me…" The Captain waited, unsure if The Doctor had gotten the joke. Evidently The Doctor hadn't and continued to prattle on obliviously.
"There's something else about this physician, Captain. As a young man, during his post-graduate studies, he was in a freak accident at a research facility. His body sustained a considerable amount of damage and large pieces of it, of him, had to be replaced by constructed components. In fact such biomechanical augmentation became one of his many, many specialties." The Doctor swallowed hard. "The bottom line is that he's more cyborg than organic. If you're squeamish about such things, he may put you off. Some prospective patients who come to him for help never get past the first consultation. Some people run screaming from his office before they're even properly introduced."
"I pride myself on my tolerance Doctor. I don't think I'll have any problems with him. He actually sounds quite interesting. What's this fellow's name, anyway?"
"Well, remember I told you he is a bit eccentric?"
"Yes. Yes, you did."
"Since the accident he's dropped the name he was born with, which is Iserliss, and goes solely by his title, which is…"
"Wait. Let me guess: Doctor."
The Time Lord nodded, "Right."
"Are you joking?"
"Would I joke about such a thing?"
"Oh, knowing you, probably not."
The fire was beginning to die down and the damp sea-air was turning chilly. The Doctor plunged his hands deep into his coat pockets and leaned forward, "So, Jack, I have question or two for you."
"Go ahead, Doctor."
"Do you really want to see this fellow, as you've called him?"
Jack thought for a few moments and then nodded, "Yeah, I think I do."
"Are you going to be able to cope with whatever it is he discovers about you?"
"Well, I think so, Doctor, but that's my problem not yours. Isn't it?"
"I suppose so, Jack. If you put it that way I guess it is. Lastly, do you want me to accompany you or do you want this visit to be a private affair?"
In the dim light of the dying campfire the Captain gazed into The Doctor's eyes. Jack's expression was exceptionally calm but his mind was working furiously. Finally he shook his head, "Is that a trick question, Doctor?"
"No Jack, not in the least. I'm mindful of what happened with Wil and her desire for secrecy, and I am mindful of your own privacy, Captain. You know I will always be there for you. But I have no intention of being where I am not wanted. I'm a curious person by nature, but I have no desire to learn things I am not meant to learn. As you said, this is your body, your life. If you want to investigate in private the wonderful, complicated mystery that is Jack Harkness, I understand and will abide by your wishes. That's all I'm asking Jack. It's a simple question but maybe not such a simple thing to answer. Do you want me there with you or not?"
Jack Harkness leaned over, reached out with his hand and lightly touched his precious Time Lord's face with his fingertips. To his astonishment, his precious Time Lord did not withdraw from the delicate, ephemeral caress. "Always, Doctor. It's the simplest thing in the whole universe: I always want you with me."
-00-
"At the touch of love everyone becomes a poet."
Plato