WOTD challenge: consanguineous. (Long-Lost 1/1)
I'll just say sorry now, okay?
WOTD: consanguineous \kon-san(g)-GWIN-ee-us\, adjective:
Of the same blood; related by birth; descended from the same parent or ancestor.
Story: Long-Lost
Author: WMR
Characters: Nine, Rose, Jack
Rated: G
Summary: Jack flirts, gets poisoned and finds out more than he wanted to know.
Long-Lost
“I was only being friendly! How was I to know she’d take offence?”
“I’d think the extended claws might’ve given you a clue,” the Doctor says dryly as he extracts a blood sample using the sonic hypo.
“And poisonous, too! What did I do to deserve that?”
“You flirted.” The Doctor grins. He’s enjoying this too much.
“How bad’s the poison?” Rose wants to know. “Will he be okay?”
“Should be.” The Doctor gives her a reassuring smile. “That species isn’t especially interested in murdering its victims. Just repelling them. Even if the TARDIS doesn’t have an antidote in her memory-banks, he’ll just be sick for a few days.” Winking, he adds, “The enforced rest might even do him good.”
“Thanks,” Jack says, pulling a face. “Nice to know you care.”
The Doctor takes the blood sample to the analysing equipment. “It’ll just take a couple of minutes.”
They wait. And then the machine beeps, and the Doctor goes to get the results. “Doesn’t look too bad,” he says after glancing at the printout. “I’ve come across this before. Should be able to mix you an antidote easily enough.”
“Thanks, Doctor.” Jack slumps weakly back against the examining couch. He’s sweating a little and in some pain.
The machine beeps again. Frowning, the Doctor reaches for a second printout. He reads it and his frown turns to distinct puzzlement, and then after a few moments a grin breaks out, transforming his features.
“What is it?” Jack asks, worried that there’s something else wrong with him. The Doctor’s just enough of a sadist to enjoy that. Well, as long as it’s not too serious.
There’s amusement dancing over the Doctor’s features. “Oh, just something surprising. When I set the machine to analyse your blood, I must’ve hit the key for a DNA analysis as well as for toxins. And, believe it or not, the computer’s found a match.”
“What?” Jack is bemused. “For my DNA?”
“Yup.” The Doctor walks over, carrying the printout. “You’ve never mentioned your family, Jack. Your parents both from the fifty-first century?”
He shrugs, wondering what this is about. “Mother, yes. I never knew my father.” He doesn’t much like the look of the smirk on the Doctor’s face. “My mother was a Time Agent as well. She told me she had a relationship with a guy back in the past while she was on a mission, and he was my father.”
“Right.” The Doctor grins. “That explains it, then.” He hands over the printout. “See what you make of that.”
Jack looks. And looks again. There’s definitely a very close match to the other DNA on the sheet of paper. Close enough for the computer to indicate a shared parent.
“Oh god...” he whispers.
And to think he’d actually tried... At least it’d never got that far. Even he wouldn’t contemplate that!
And no wonder the Doctor is looking so amused. As if he’d love to burst out laughing. And triumphant, too.
“What is it?” Rose asks, sounding very puzzled.
Jack raises his gaze to her, slowly and very reluctantly. “Rose, you have my word that I’ll never flirt with you again.”
“Why?” To his chagrin, she’s actually looking a little relieved.
He flicks the paper. “According to this, I’m your half-brother.”
END
x-posted to time_and_chips