Support Stacie Fic: The Feather and the Mountain -- for The Shadow Proclamation
Title: The Feather and the Mountain (1/10) [Prologue]
Author: ladychi
Beta: canaana
Graphic: amyxaphania
Rating: Older Teen
Characters: Ten/Jack/Rose
Summary: Written to the prompt "Ten, Jack and Rose figure out how to have a relationship together". Just after Children of Earth, Ten, Jack and Rose must heal their individual wounds and come together.
Author's Note: Thanks for your generosity, The Shadow Proclamation! I'm sorry it took me so long to get this fic to you, but I hope you enjoy this.
Death is as light as a feather; duty as heavy as a mountain.
The Feather and the Mountain: Prologue
Smoke hung, low and wispy, embracing the legs of tables and the feet of the patrons of the bar on the fourth moon of Poosh. The customers there were of all different species, all different races, and all dressed to the nines. Shoes gleamed. Hooves were trimmed. Branches and vines were vibrant green. The bartender shook martinis and poured them into cone-shaped glasses and popped the tabs off of water spiked with luminescent minerals. The bowls on the bar held peanuts, hay, and fertilizer, but aside from the overall embracing nature of the place, there was an atmosphere of quiet desperation. The smell of sweat masked the strong scent of alcohol, and patrons spoke in mouths creased by lines of worry and fear. Captain Jack Harkness knew he only had days. Just days, before the moon would break out in a vicious war that would break this society that he was very much enjoying into little pieces. It would be centuries before they recovered. And then there would be a tyrannical regime, and then another revolt, and then, a milennia from now, there would be a peace like this, again.
Because, he thought with a glum smile, it wasn't just humans who couldn't learn a fucking lesson, it was every goddamn creature in the whole damn universe.
He gestured at the bartender for another shot and steadfastly ignored the man's...tree's...very attractive forelimbs, dexterous fingers and witty smile. It'd been a long time since he'd felt the pressure and pleasure that a treeman could coax from his body, but the last time he'd indulged, well.... He was putting that on hold for now.
Drunk, stupid and lonely. Jack flicked a coin in the air and caught it in his hand. There were worse things to be, he supposed. He couldn't think of any at the moment, but surely...
He caught the scent of something. A perfume he'd not smelled in years. Something light, but yet earthy...musky, dusky... Rose.
His eyes widened, and he whirled, searching for her, hoping that his brain hadn't played some stupid trick on him. If he couldn't find her...that would just be too cruel. The universe wasn't kind, but she didn't normally go out of her way to rip his heart out of his chest. He was usually responsible for that all by himself.
Finally, he caught sight of her, across the bar. She was so much thinner than he'd remembered, like someone had chiseled out her cheeks and defined her face, like she'd been sculpted from what had been there before. But her eyes - wide, brown...beautiful--were just the same.
She held out her hand and gestured to him. Come here, Jack.
Summoning all of his willpower and ignoring his better instincts that shouted about timelines and safety and the end of the world, he endeavored to walk a straight path over to her, but his treacherous limbs were awkward and too heavy for stealth or grace. Still, his arms were open before he got there, and she fell into them, pressing her face into his chest.
Neither one of them said anything until Rose took his hand and tugged on it gently.
“Come on, Jack. Let's get you cleaned up, yeah?”
It was like the universe came back into focus, like someone took off the goggles that had been obstructing his view. “Yeah. Okay, Rosie. Sounds good.”
He thought of a number of questions as they made their way down the street. Things like how'd she find him, and what had she been up to, and where was the Doctor, but his tongue and his mind were numb with the liquor and the only thing he could think was that she was real and her flesh was warm in his.
She pushed open the door to a hotel, but didn't stop at the front desk, instead, taking him immediately up a flight of stairs and unlocking a nondescript door.
In all of time and space, hotel rooms varied very little. This one was specifically designed for humans and had an exaggeratedly large bed, vanity, vid screen and bathroom.
“Take off your shoes, Jack. Let's get you sobered up, okay?”
He nodded dumbly. “I've died of alcohol poisoning before, you know. It's not all that bad.”
“You're not dying today,” Rose said firmly. “C'mon, off with the belt and the braces. I'll unbutton your shirt.”
Jack wobbled a little, but he grinned. “You like my chest. I remember you used to...” he waved a hand, “lick it. All over.”
Rose blushed but gave him a coy look. “Only when I was returning the favor. And you're in no condition to be getting me all... excited, yeah?”
“You've got no idea what condition I'm in,” Jack slurred.
“Got a fairly good idea,” Rose said dryly. “Into the shower with you.”
Jack blinked and looked down. He wasn't entirely sure how it had happened, but he was completely naked. It was a realization that might have startled other people, but it happened to Jack on a semi-regular basis, and so he took it in stride.
“You're not going to drown me, are you?” He stepped over the side of the tub and leaned his forehead against the cool wall. “I don't mind that one so much. It's like falling asleep, once you get past the panic. Except I've got to wake up. Which is increasingly disappointing.”
“No, you're not going to drown,” Rose said. “I'm going to sit here and make sure you end up okay.”
“Wanna come in and wash my back?”
Rose smiled, but shook her head. “No, Jack. Not right now, yeah?”
“Yeah, okay.”
The water, when it hit, was cold, but gradually it warmed up. Jack stood under its spray and let it push all the grime off of him through sheer force. His head was starting to ache, and it felt like his mouth and brain were full of cotton. He moaned and closed his eyes.
“Bend over, Jack. I'll wash your hair,” Rose said gently. Her fingers were magic, Jack remembered, and so he bent. She worked the shampoo into his scalp while he practically purred under her hands. It wasn't until he lifted his head that he realized she'd stepped into the shower with him, completely naked.
With a shaking hand, he reached for her and drew her close, following the path of a water droplet with his finger. “Tell me something, Rosie.”
“Sure.”
“Are you real?” Jack's hands gently squeezed her flesh. “I don't want to be wrong about this, and I don't want to wake up in a hotel room I've never seen before, alone. If it's you, I... I have to know you're still going to be here when I wake up.”
“I forgot how you were when you got like this,” Rose muttered, but lifted his torso up until they were eye-to-eye. “Jack Harkness, I promise you that I am real, that I love you very, very much, and that I will be here when you wake up.”
**
He woke up on top of the covers, clad only in a pair of boxers. Coming to awareness just as suddenly as he came back to life, he gasped in air out of reflex.
“Rose.”
Jack heard the sound of footsteps, and someone sat on the bed. He opened his eyes and looked over, more than a little shocked. The Doctor lay on the bed, all long, impossible pinstripes and glorious hair, and eyes that knew. Jack didn't try to hide himself from that knowledge, but he did firmly believe in ignoring it for as long as possible.
The Doctor spoke, one canvas trainer bouncing back and forth at the foot of the bed. “She found you last night.”
“So where is she? And hello, by the way.”
The Doctor smiled. “Hello! Rose is grabbing us lunch.”
“Lunch? What time is it?”
“Local time? It's one forty-five. In the afternoon.”
Jack groaned, hiding his eyes behind his hands. “What are you doing here?”
The Doctor raised an eyebrow. “Waiting on lunch, obviously.”
“No. What are you and Rose doing here?”
“We were just on Earth,” the Doctor said shortly. “We spoke with Gwen.”
Jack sighed and ground the heels of his hands into his eyes. “Shit. It's not as bad as it sounds, you know? I just had to get out. I had to go someplace different.”
“And destroy your liver in the matter of a few hours,” the Doctor said cheerfully. “Makes complete sense.”
“What did you do when you blew your planet up?” Jack asked, his voice scathing. “I'm pretty sure you weren't reading up on the stages of grief, then, Doc.”
“No, I was trying to pilot the TARDIS into a sun.” The Doctor sniffed. “I wasn't being sarcastic, Jack. I was just saying. It makes complete sense.” He sighed. “And, for what it's worth, I am sorry. I just... I knew I couldn't...”
“Yeah.” Jack nodded. “You don't have to explain it to me. I get it.”
The Doctor's hand clasped Jack's shoulder, and he pushed himself out of bed. “You might want to have a shave. Maybe another shower. Get your head on straight. When you're done, Rose and I have something we want to talk to you about.”
Jack laughed. “Why do I feel like I'm being sent to the headmaster's office?”
“Jack.” The Doctor's voice slipped to that low, serious register that did serious things to Jack's already pretty-serious libido. “Please.”
“Yeah.” Jack threw his feet off the bed and stood up. “Of course, Doc. Whatever you want.”
Author: ladychi
Beta: canaana
Graphic: amyxaphania
Rating: Older Teen
Characters: Ten/Jack/Rose
Summary: Written to the prompt "Ten, Jack and Rose figure out how to have a relationship together". Just after Children of Earth, Ten, Jack and Rose must heal their individual wounds and come together.
Author's Note: Thanks for your generosity, The Shadow Proclamation! I'm sorry it took me so long to get this fic to you, but I hope you enjoy this.
Death is as light as a feather; duty as heavy as a mountain.
The Feather and the Mountain: Prologue
Smoke hung, low and wispy, embracing the legs of tables and the feet of the patrons of the bar on the fourth moon of Poosh. The customers there were of all different species, all different races, and all dressed to the nines. Shoes gleamed. Hooves were trimmed. Branches and vines were vibrant green. The bartender shook martinis and poured them into cone-shaped glasses and popped the tabs off of water spiked with luminescent minerals. The bowls on the bar held peanuts, hay, and fertilizer, but aside from the overall embracing nature of the place, there was an atmosphere of quiet desperation. The smell of sweat masked the strong scent of alcohol, and patrons spoke in mouths creased by lines of worry and fear. Captain Jack Harkness knew he only had days. Just days, before the moon would break out in a vicious war that would break this society that he was very much enjoying into little pieces. It would be centuries before they recovered. And then there would be a tyrannical regime, and then another revolt, and then, a milennia from now, there would be a peace like this, again.
Because, he thought with a glum smile, it wasn't just humans who couldn't learn a fucking lesson, it was every goddamn creature in the whole damn universe.
He gestured at the bartender for another shot and steadfastly ignored the man's...tree's...very attractive forelimbs, dexterous fingers and witty smile. It'd been a long time since he'd felt the pressure and pleasure that a treeman could coax from his body, but the last time he'd indulged, well.... He was putting that on hold for now.
Drunk, stupid and lonely. Jack flicked a coin in the air and caught it in his hand. There were worse things to be, he supposed. He couldn't think of any at the moment, but surely...
He caught the scent of something. A perfume he'd not smelled in years. Something light, but yet earthy...musky, dusky... Rose.
His eyes widened, and he whirled, searching for her, hoping that his brain hadn't played some stupid trick on him. If he couldn't find her...that would just be too cruel. The universe wasn't kind, but she didn't normally go out of her way to rip his heart out of his chest. He was usually responsible for that all by himself.
Finally, he caught sight of her, across the bar. She was so much thinner than he'd remembered, like someone had chiseled out her cheeks and defined her face, like she'd been sculpted from what had been there before. But her eyes - wide, brown...beautiful--were just the same.
She held out her hand and gestured to him. Come here, Jack.
Summoning all of his willpower and ignoring his better instincts that shouted about timelines and safety and the end of the world, he endeavored to walk a straight path over to her, but his treacherous limbs were awkward and too heavy for stealth or grace. Still, his arms were open before he got there, and she fell into them, pressing her face into his chest.
Neither one of them said anything until Rose took his hand and tugged on it gently.
“Come on, Jack. Let's get you cleaned up, yeah?”
It was like the universe came back into focus, like someone took off the goggles that had been obstructing his view. “Yeah. Okay, Rosie. Sounds good.”
He thought of a number of questions as they made their way down the street. Things like how'd she find him, and what had she been up to, and where was the Doctor, but his tongue and his mind were numb with the liquor and the only thing he could think was that she was real and her flesh was warm in his.
She pushed open the door to a hotel, but didn't stop at the front desk, instead, taking him immediately up a flight of stairs and unlocking a nondescript door.
In all of time and space, hotel rooms varied very little. This one was specifically designed for humans and had an exaggeratedly large bed, vanity, vid screen and bathroom.
“Take off your shoes, Jack. Let's get you sobered up, okay?”
He nodded dumbly. “I've died of alcohol poisoning before, you know. It's not all that bad.”
“You're not dying today,” Rose said firmly. “C'mon, off with the belt and the braces. I'll unbutton your shirt.”
Jack wobbled a little, but he grinned. “You like my chest. I remember you used to...” he waved a hand, “lick it. All over.”
Rose blushed but gave him a coy look. “Only when I was returning the favor. And you're in no condition to be getting me all... excited, yeah?”
“You've got no idea what condition I'm in,” Jack slurred.
“Got a fairly good idea,” Rose said dryly. “Into the shower with you.”
Jack blinked and looked down. He wasn't entirely sure how it had happened, but he was completely naked. It was a realization that might have startled other people, but it happened to Jack on a semi-regular basis, and so he took it in stride.
“You're not going to drown me, are you?” He stepped over the side of the tub and leaned his forehead against the cool wall. “I don't mind that one so much. It's like falling asleep, once you get past the panic. Except I've got to wake up. Which is increasingly disappointing.”
“No, you're not going to drown,” Rose said. “I'm going to sit here and make sure you end up okay.”
“Wanna come in and wash my back?”
Rose smiled, but shook her head. “No, Jack. Not right now, yeah?”
“Yeah, okay.”
The water, when it hit, was cold, but gradually it warmed up. Jack stood under its spray and let it push all the grime off of him through sheer force. His head was starting to ache, and it felt like his mouth and brain were full of cotton. He moaned and closed his eyes.
“Bend over, Jack. I'll wash your hair,” Rose said gently. Her fingers were magic, Jack remembered, and so he bent. She worked the shampoo into his scalp while he practically purred under her hands. It wasn't until he lifted his head that he realized she'd stepped into the shower with him, completely naked.
With a shaking hand, he reached for her and drew her close, following the path of a water droplet with his finger. “Tell me something, Rosie.”
“Sure.”
“Are you real?” Jack's hands gently squeezed her flesh. “I don't want to be wrong about this, and I don't want to wake up in a hotel room I've never seen before, alone. If it's you, I... I have to know you're still going to be here when I wake up.”
“I forgot how you were when you got like this,” Rose muttered, but lifted his torso up until they were eye-to-eye. “Jack Harkness, I promise you that I am real, that I love you very, very much, and that I will be here when you wake up.”
**
He woke up on top of the covers, clad only in a pair of boxers. Coming to awareness just as suddenly as he came back to life, he gasped in air out of reflex.
“Rose.”
Jack heard the sound of footsteps, and someone sat on the bed. He opened his eyes and looked over, more than a little shocked. The Doctor lay on the bed, all long, impossible pinstripes and glorious hair, and eyes that knew. Jack didn't try to hide himself from that knowledge, but he did firmly believe in ignoring it for as long as possible.
The Doctor spoke, one canvas trainer bouncing back and forth at the foot of the bed. “She found you last night.”
“So where is she? And hello, by the way.”
The Doctor smiled. “Hello! Rose is grabbing us lunch.”
“Lunch? What time is it?”
“Local time? It's one forty-five. In the afternoon.”
Jack groaned, hiding his eyes behind his hands. “What are you doing here?”
The Doctor raised an eyebrow. “Waiting on lunch, obviously.”
“No. What are you and Rose doing here?”
“We were just on Earth,” the Doctor said shortly. “We spoke with Gwen.”
Jack sighed and ground the heels of his hands into his eyes. “Shit. It's not as bad as it sounds, you know? I just had to get out. I had to go someplace different.”
“And destroy your liver in the matter of a few hours,” the Doctor said cheerfully. “Makes complete sense.”
“What did you do when you blew your planet up?” Jack asked, his voice scathing. “I'm pretty sure you weren't reading up on the stages of grief, then, Doc.”
“No, I was trying to pilot the TARDIS into a sun.” The Doctor sniffed. “I wasn't being sarcastic, Jack. I was just saying. It makes complete sense.” He sighed. “And, for what it's worth, I am sorry. I just... I knew I couldn't...”
“Yeah.” Jack nodded. “You don't have to explain it to me. I get it.”
The Doctor's hand clasped Jack's shoulder, and he pushed himself out of bed. “You might want to have a shave. Maybe another shower. Get your head on straight. When you're done, Rose and I have something we want to talk to you about.”
Jack laughed. “Why do I feel like I'm being sent to the headmaster's office?”
“Jack.” The Doctor's voice slipped to that low, serious register that did serious things to Jack's already pretty-serious libido. “Please.”
“Yeah.” Jack threw his feet off the bed and stood up. “Of course, Doc. Whatever you want.”