Fic: Miss Dexter Regrets
Cross-posted at Teaspoon
Title: Miss Dexter Regrets
Author: MeiLin
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Shae Han, Jack Harkness
Disclaimer: The Beeb owns everyone in here, and a good chunk of me too, apparently. Except 99% of Shae and 100% of Sean and Jane.
Summary: "Miss Dexter" faces the end of the Master's rule. Part of the "Bend Sinister" series about "Miss Dexter," aka Time Agent Shae Han, and the "Valiant" series of missing scenes from the Year that Wasn't.
Author's Notes: You have eumenidis to blame for the conjugal remark. :)
Was it over? Shae Han didn't know yet. The name was still on her lips, on all of their lips, like a prayer. Well, it was a prayer: "Doctor." And now all around her, the soldiers were staring at each other, as if waking from a long nightmare. She felt the crushing fear lift from her; Archangel was down. The Doctor must have come back.
Shae took what felt like the first deep breath she'd taken in months--and expelled it quickly as Jack came running flat out down the corridor, soldiers following in his wake. She fell quickly in step with him. "Jack! Did he come back--the Doctor, he's come back, right?"
Jack shot her a sideways glance, never breaking his stride. "Yes. We're ending this. Now."
"Let me help!"
He turned his head and gave her an incredulous look. "I don't think so."
"I've forgotten more about temporal mechanics than you'll ever know!"
"Yeah, yeah," said Jack, taking the stairs two at a time with Shae close behind, "everything I learned came from you. And thank God I've had a century and a half to forget it all."
She stopped him on the landing, clutching his arm. "For God's sake, let me help! Let me help you end this!"
Jack grabbed her wrists in one hand, but she didn't struggle. "I so do not have time for this." He quickly handed her guns to the nearest soldier, swapping them for a set of handcuffs.
"Jack, don't," she begged, but before she could do anything she was securely cuffed to the railing and Jack and the men were off. "No! Dammit!" she screamed, pulling in despair against the chain. She slumped down on the stairs and sobbed.
---
"He's dead."
Shae looked up blearily. Jack was standing over her, his handsome face still covered with weeks of filth. "What?"
"The Master. Lucy shot him."
"Good," she mumbled. "Wish I'd done it myself. Lucy..." Shae trailed off. "That doesn't sound right." She frowned in thought. Her mind was so fuzzy; why couldn't she think? Time running backward seemed to have muddled her brain. She shook her head slightly to clear it.
"It's all over, Shae. It's back to the way it was before the paradox engine."
She was silent for a moment. "So," she said, looking up at him, "what happens to me now?"
Jack clasped his hands in front of him and loosened his stance. "What should have happened when we brought you in from Penarth Pier. Except this time I'm not offering you a cell at the Hub. Which is a pity." He cocked his head, looking down at her appraisingly through hooded eyes. "Ianto and I would've made conjugal visits, could've been real cozy. We'd even have turned the CCTV off."
"Jack--!"
"You are now officially UNIT's problem. Not mine." He turned on his heel.
"Retcon me!" Shae called after him.
Jack turned around. "'Scuse me?"
"I said, retcon me. I won't fight it," she said desperately. "Don't lock me up, just let me forget, take everything but my girlhood, I don't care--"
"Oh no." He advanced on her, furious. "You don't get to forget this! I won't let you. You get to remember every goddamn thing you did. All of it! You think I'm going to grant you that kind of absolution? I don't think so!" he shouted. He got control of himself and added almost gently, "I can't believe you'd even ask me that, Shae." He sprinted up the stairs towards the conference room.
Shae stared at his retreating back. "I wanted...I wanted to help..."
---
"Miss Dexter?...Ma'am?" said a soft Irish-inflected voice. "Shae?"
Shae got to her feet, a strong hand at her elbow. "Sean." One of her bright young lovelies. Tall, graceful, blue-eyed and sandy blonde Sean Molloy. "Perfect. Handcuffs, if you please." Sean quickly unfastened the cuffs, and Shae finally felt her head clear and her wits return. "We have to get out of here. Jane--she was with us. Where is she?"
"On her way," he answered promptly, hugging her close.
"No." Shae pulled back. "No. Send her to the hangar deck. Tell her to put her RAF training to use and get us out of here. We'll meet her there. There's quite a bit of confusion still--we'd best go right now while we can."
Sean touched his earpiece as he followed Shae down the stairs toward the hangar deck. "Da Silva--Molloy..."
Two of her squad of eight handpicked agents. That works, Shae thought; the six on the ground don't remember the Year and will learn to fend for themselves. And she had the two prettiest left. How lucky.
Jane Da Silva, her black eyes urgent, met them on deck. "I've found us transport, ma'am, where are we going?" she shouted over the din of the engines.
"Brazil," replied Shae, and Jane's face lit up. "We're going to Brazil. I have a few little hidden nests around the world for us to settle in, and we'll start there." The three of them hurried toward the plane.
As Jane climbed into the cockpit, Shae stopped her long enough for a lingering kiss and a smile, then settled back with Sean in the passenger compartment. "Time now to rest. To rest and to plan." Soldiers, spies or whores--they'd lay low and figure it out.
If she couldn't forget, she could turn it to her advantage, somehow. As long as she was free, she could still complete the mission: Getting home. And if she couldn't complete the mission, she could at least enjoy herself.
Title: Miss Dexter Regrets
Author: MeiLin
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Shae Han, Jack Harkness
Disclaimer: The Beeb owns everyone in here, and a good chunk of me too, apparently. Except 99% of Shae and 100% of Sean and Jane.
Summary: "Miss Dexter" faces the end of the Master's rule. Part of the "Bend Sinister" series about "Miss Dexter," aka Time Agent Shae Han, and the "Valiant" series of missing scenes from the Year that Wasn't.
Author's Notes: You have eumenidis to blame for the conjugal remark. :)
Was it over? Shae Han didn't know yet. The name was still on her lips, on all of their lips, like a prayer. Well, it was a prayer: "Doctor." And now all around her, the soldiers were staring at each other, as if waking from a long nightmare. She felt the crushing fear lift from her; Archangel was down. The Doctor must have come back.
Shae took what felt like the first deep breath she'd taken in months--and expelled it quickly as Jack came running flat out down the corridor, soldiers following in his wake. She fell quickly in step with him. "Jack! Did he come back--the Doctor, he's come back, right?"
Jack shot her a sideways glance, never breaking his stride. "Yes. We're ending this. Now."
"Let me help!"
He turned his head and gave her an incredulous look. "I don't think so."
"I've forgotten more about temporal mechanics than you'll ever know!"
"Yeah, yeah," said Jack, taking the stairs two at a time with Shae close behind, "everything I learned came from you. And thank God I've had a century and a half to forget it all."
She stopped him on the landing, clutching his arm. "For God's sake, let me help! Let me help you end this!"
Jack grabbed her wrists in one hand, but she didn't struggle. "I so do not have time for this." He quickly handed her guns to the nearest soldier, swapping them for a set of handcuffs.
"Jack, don't," she begged, but before she could do anything she was securely cuffed to the railing and Jack and the men were off. "No! Dammit!" she screamed, pulling in despair against the chain. She slumped down on the stairs and sobbed.
---
"He's dead."
Shae looked up blearily. Jack was standing over her, his handsome face still covered with weeks of filth. "What?"
"The Master. Lucy shot him."
"Good," she mumbled. "Wish I'd done it myself. Lucy..." Shae trailed off. "That doesn't sound right." She frowned in thought. Her mind was so fuzzy; why couldn't she think? Time running backward seemed to have muddled her brain. She shook her head slightly to clear it.
"It's all over, Shae. It's back to the way it was before the paradox engine."
She was silent for a moment. "So," she said, looking up at him, "what happens to me now?"
Jack clasped his hands in front of him and loosened his stance. "What should have happened when we brought you in from Penarth Pier. Except this time I'm not offering you a cell at the Hub. Which is a pity." He cocked his head, looking down at her appraisingly through hooded eyes. "Ianto and I would've made conjugal visits, could've been real cozy. We'd even have turned the CCTV off."
"Jack--!"
"You are now officially UNIT's problem. Not mine." He turned on his heel.
"Retcon me!" Shae called after him.
Jack turned around. "'Scuse me?"
"I said, retcon me. I won't fight it," she said desperately. "Don't lock me up, just let me forget, take everything but my girlhood, I don't care--"
"Oh no." He advanced on her, furious. "You don't get to forget this! I won't let you. You get to remember every goddamn thing you did. All of it! You think I'm going to grant you that kind of absolution? I don't think so!" he shouted. He got control of himself and added almost gently, "I can't believe you'd even ask me that, Shae." He sprinted up the stairs towards the conference room.
Shae stared at his retreating back. "I wanted...I wanted to help..."
---
"Miss Dexter?...Ma'am?" said a soft Irish-inflected voice. "Shae?"
Shae got to her feet, a strong hand at her elbow. "Sean." One of her bright young lovelies. Tall, graceful, blue-eyed and sandy blonde Sean Molloy. "Perfect. Handcuffs, if you please." Sean quickly unfastened the cuffs, and Shae finally felt her head clear and her wits return. "We have to get out of here. Jane--she was with us. Where is she?"
"On her way," he answered promptly, hugging her close.
"No." Shae pulled back. "No. Send her to the hangar deck. Tell her to put her RAF training to use and get us out of here. We'll meet her there. There's quite a bit of confusion still--we'd best go right now while we can."
Sean touched his earpiece as he followed Shae down the stairs toward the hangar deck. "Da Silva--Molloy..."
Two of her squad of eight handpicked agents. That works, Shae thought; the six on the ground don't remember the Year and will learn to fend for themselves. And she had the two prettiest left. How lucky.
Jane Da Silva, her black eyes urgent, met them on deck. "I've found us transport, ma'am, where are we going?" she shouted over the din of the engines.
"Brazil," replied Shae, and Jane's face lit up. "We're going to Brazil. I have a few little hidden nests around the world for us to settle in, and we'll start there." The three of them hurried toward the plane.
As Jane climbed into the cockpit, Shae stopped her long enough for a lingering kiss and a smile, then settled back with Sean in the passenger compartment. "Time now to rest. To rest and to plan." Soldiers, spies or whores--they'd lay low and figure it out.
If she couldn't forget, she could turn it to her advantage, somehow. As long as she was free, she could still complete the mission: Getting home. And if she couldn't complete the mission, she could at least enjoy herself.