On the way to Plenary
They'd been travelling for several hours, and Gwen was beginning to think her earlier worries had been groundless. The younger one was remarkably well behaved, not at all what she'd been expecting from an eighteen year old version of Captain Jack Harkness.
But the more she listened to him talk, the more she realised that he wasn't simply a younger version. He was, in fact, someone entirely different, and she had to wonder if her Jack realised just how different.
"I got turned into a fox for awhile. That was interesting," Jack was saying from where he was sprawled across the floor, taking up far more of the limited space than he should rightly have been able to.
"Were there any -"
She could hear the grin in young Jack's voice as he interrupted her Jack's question. "No, there weren't any other foxes on the island. Just me."
"Shame. That could have been fun." Gwen looked back at their identical grins and shook her head. The younger one was different, didn't have quite the sharp edges that her Jack had, but they were still so alike. All charm and smiles, but there was that hint of cold underneath it. It was just less pronounced in the younger version. "Aha."
Simultaneous "Whats?" were thrown her way, and she shook her head. "This? Is too confusing. I can't call you both Jack. So you," and she pointed a finger at the younger, "are now Young Jack, and," she lifted her chin at the older, ignoring the newly christened Young Jack's protest, "you can stick with being Captain Jack. Okay?"
"I am not answering to Young Jack," sounded at the same time as, "Works for me."
"Fine then. Jack and Captain Jack. Better?"
They glanced at each other, then back at her and nodded. Gwen had a sudden moment of shivery premonition, knowing she had been right, that there was going to be trouble, as she found herself the focus of identical blue eyes and near identical smiles. "Right," she said shortly and went back to flying the ship.
Captain Jack watched her for a minute, then turned back to Jack. "How'd you get turned into a fox?"
"Kissed someone I shouldn't have."
Laughing, he promised, "That's not the last time that's going to get you into trouble. It's usually worth it though."
Jack started slightly. "I keep forgetting," he said. "Forgetting that you're me. That I'm sitting here, talking to myself. I still don't understand how it's possible. Shouldn't one of us disappear or shouldn't you know what I'm going to say before I say it or something?"
"Nope," the Captain replied smugly. "I told you, I'm immune."
"Then how come we can't touch?"
"Maybe we can, maybe we can't. I don't know for sure," Captain Jack admitted. "Do you really want to take the chance?"
"Given that there's a chance it could rip the universe in half, which would mean neither of us would be around to enjoy it? I'm going to go with no."
"True." The Captain smirked and settled back, making himself comfortable, propping his feet up on the bulkhead and crossing his arms behind his head. "Tell me about these people that you had to ask for permission."
Jack glared at the crack about permission. "Sam said you can't be me. That it doesn't work like that."
"Who's Sam?"
"She's the one that almost shot you. The blonde one who almost shot you," he amended. "Actually, she gave me something to give to you." Jack dug into his pocket and pulled out the note Sam had given him. "Here."
Remembering their encounter, the Captain accepted it warily, read it, then slowly smiled. "I like her."
Jack smiled as well, but it was softer and far less predatory than his older counterpart's. "I like her, too," he said quietly.
The Captain gave him a long, slow, measuring look and snorted. "Uh huh. I guessed as much."
Jack crossed his arms defensively. "Hey, it's not like it's going to go on forever. Graduation's in May and that's it for Sam and Cedric. I'm going to enjoy them while I'm still around."
That gave him pause and he studied Jack carefully, for long enough that the younger man started to fidget, then asked, "Who's Cedric?"
"Cedric's the one who almost turned you into a newt after your crack about having four."
A raised eyebrow was eloquent of the Captain's scepticism, and Jack just grinned smugly. "He's a wizard."
"Seriously?"
"Seriously."
"Very nice. I knew leaving you at that school was a good idea."
Jack's smile was huge as he answered, "Yeah. I can't argue with that."
"Tell me the rest."
So Jack did, starting with what he could remember about the morning he woke up, and working his way through everything that had happened since then. He left out a lot of things, stuff about Isabel, about Parker, about Sam and Cedric. Things he thought the Captain wouldn't understand. Things that he wouldn't have understood before he came to Fandom High.
He also left out the Doctor, an instinct he'd learned to listen to warning him not to mention the man or his blue box.
As he wound down to the end, he added, "And I have to be back by Friday night."
"Why?"
"I'm taking Sam and Cedric to a dance, something called Homecoming."
Another long, measuring look was followed by, "Not a problem." Looking thoughtful, the Captain stood and stretched, wandering forward to lean over Gwen's shoulder, leaving Jack to amuse himself by studying the inside of the ship.
[ooc: NFB due to distance]
But the more she listened to him talk, the more she realised that he wasn't simply a younger version. He was, in fact, someone entirely different, and she had to wonder if her Jack realised just how different.
"I got turned into a fox for awhile. That was interesting," Jack was saying from where he was sprawled across the floor, taking up far more of the limited space than he should rightly have been able to.
"Were there any -"
She could hear the grin in young Jack's voice as he interrupted her Jack's question. "No, there weren't any other foxes on the island. Just me."
"Shame. That could have been fun." Gwen looked back at their identical grins and shook her head. The younger one was different, didn't have quite the sharp edges that her Jack had, but they were still so alike. All charm and smiles, but there was that hint of cold underneath it. It was just less pronounced in the younger version. "Aha."
Simultaneous "Whats?" were thrown her way, and she shook her head. "This? Is too confusing. I can't call you both Jack. So you," and she pointed a finger at the younger, "are now Young Jack, and," she lifted her chin at the older, ignoring the newly christened Young Jack's protest, "you can stick with being Captain Jack. Okay?"
"I am not answering to Young Jack," sounded at the same time as, "Works for me."
"Fine then. Jack and Captain Jack. Better?"
They glanced at each other, then back at her and nodded. Gwen had a sudden moment of shivery premonition, knowing she had been right, that there was going to be trouble, as she found herself the focus of identical blue eyes and near identical smiles. "Right," she said shortly and went back to flying the ship.
Captain Jack watched her for a minute, then turned back to Jack. "How'd you get turned into a fox?"
"Kissed someone I shouldn't have."
Laughing, he promised, "That's not the last time that's going to get you into trouble. It's usually worth it though."
Jack started slightly. "I keep forgetting," he said. "Forgetting that you're me. That I'm sitting here, talking to myself. I still don't understand how it's possible. Shouldn't one of us disappear or shouldn't you know what I'm going to say before I say it or something?"
"Nope," the Captain replied smugly. "I told you, I'm immune."
"Then how come we can't touch?"
"Maybe we can, maybe we can't. I don't know for sure," Captain Jack admitted. "Do you really want to take the chance?"
"Given that there's a chance it could rip the universe in half, which would mean neither of us would be around to enjoy it? I'm going to go with no."
"True." The Captain smirked and settled back, making himself comfortable, propping his feet up on the bulkhead and crossing his arms behind his head. "Tell me about these people that you had to ask for permission."
Jack glared at the crack about permission. "Sam said you can't be me. That it doesn't work like that."
"Who's Sam?"
"She's the one that almost shot you. The blonde one who almost shot you," he amended. "Actually, she gave me something to give to you." Jack dug into his pocket and pulled out the note Sam had given him. "Here."
Remembering their encounter, the Captain accepted it warily, read it, then slowly smiled. "I like her."
Jack smiled as well, but it was softer and far less predatory than his older counterpart's. "I like her, too," he said quietly.
The Captain gave him a long, slow, measuring look and snorted. "Uh huh. I guessed as much."
Jack crossed his arms defensively. "Hey, it's not like it's going to go on forever. Graduation's in May and that's it for Sam and Cedric. I'm going to enjoy them while I'm still around."
That gave him pause and he studied Jack carefully, for long enough that the younger man started to fidget, then asked, "Who's Cedric?"
"Cedric's the one who almost turned you into a newt after your crack about having four."
A raised eyebrow was eloquent of the Captain's scepticism, and Jack just grinned smugly. "He's a wizard."
"Seriously?"
"Seriously."
"Very nice. I knew leaving you at that school was a good idea."
Jack's smile was huge as he answered, "Yeah. I can't argue with that."
"Tell me the rest."
So Jack did, starting with what he could remember about the morning he woke up, and working his way through everything that had happened since then. He left out a lot of things, stuff about Isabel, about Parker, about Sam and Cedric. Things he thought the Captain wouldn't understand. Things that he wouldn't have understood before he came to Fandom High.
He also left out the Doctor, an instinct he'd learned to listen to warning him not to mention the man or his blue box.
As he wound down to the end, he added, "And I have to be back by Friday night."
"Why?"
"I'm taking Sam and Cedric to a dance, something called Homecoming."
Another long, measuring look was followed by, "Not a problem." Looking thoughtful, the Captain stood and stretched, wandering forward to lean over Gwen's shoulder, leaving Jack to amuse himself by studying the inside of the ship.
[ooc: NFB due to distance]