Fic - Faith
Mostly written last night and tonight because I'm having trouble sleeping. If I still like it in the morning I'll post it to comms.
Title: Faith
Author: szm
Rating: G
Spoilers: The Stolen Earth, also assumes that everyone survives Journey's End and the Daleks are defeated (shush! I like living in denial. Until saturday - everyone lives!)
Jack sat on the floor of the Tardis. The Doctor and Rose talking a mile a minute somewhere behind him. Sarah-Jane had gone home to her son and Martha had gone back to what was left of Unit. Rebuilding and all that.
The CCTV footage that he’d managed to recover from the Hub was still playing on the inside of his eyelids.
“Those don’t work on Daleks.”
“I’m going out fighting. Like Owen and Tosh. How about you?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Bullets and the horrible grating voice of the Dalek. He doesn’t know if he’s pleased that the footage cut out before the final shot or not. He never wanted to see them die, but it feels like yet another way he failed them. They were so brave, and now there are no witnesses to their final stand.
Like Owen, like Tosh.
“You didn’t know,” said Donna sitting next to him. “They didn’t tell you. They let you go so you could save everybody. And you did.”
Jack couldn’t look at her; he’s not a hero. He never, ever was. “Maybe they just didn’t think it would make any difference. Maybe they thought I’d leave them anyway.”
“Would you?”
That makes him look at her. Makes his head spin round fast so he can pin her with a vicious glare. It doesn’t seem to faze her though. She just returns it with a cool gaze of her own.
“No!” exclaimed Jack. “Of course I wouldn't.”
“Don’t get offended. I don’t know you do I? Besides what would have happened if you stayed? That Dalek would have killed the Doctor and Rose. And then we would have lost,” she shrugged. “Then everybody would have died anyway.”
“Except me,” replied Jack softly almost to himself.
“They made their choice. Don’t you dare undermine it with your self pity,” Donna’s voice was hard and she sounded angry. Strangely that helped more than the soft words from Sarah-Jane or even the hug from Martha.
Jack chuckled despite the gnawing darkness in his soul. “They were both so bloody stubborn. You’d have liked them. I tried to send them both away in the beginning. Gwen fought her way though retcon to stand with Torchwood.”
Donna smiled and Jack smiled back.
“She never let anything go. She knew when something wasn’t right, and even if she had no idea how to fix it she’d throw everything into trying.”
“Bet you fought a lot,” said Donna.
Jack smiled sadly. “Yeah, she never gave up. Ever. And Ianto, I tried to get him to leave so many times. When he first joined, and after Lisa. He just stood his ground and made me take him in. He should have gone. Found a life far away from Torchwood. They both should have.”
Donna didn’t ask who Lisa was. Just sat with Jack while he sorted though his memories. Tears running unheeded down his face.
“Ianto just made himself indispensable. You’d never notice until he was in every fibre of the world. He knew more about the hub after two weeks than I knew after twenty years. He…”
Jack stopped dead. Staring ahead into space. He could bearly breathe. The Dalek’s were such monsters in his mind. The bogeymen from his childhood, his first death, nothing could stop them. But Ianto and Gwen, they never did what they were told. Never backed down, even when the cause was hopeless.
“Jack?” asked Donna after a few minutes.
Jack looked deep inside and found just a little spark of faith.
“They never gave up,” breathed Jack. “Ianto risked the world to save Lisa. Gwen fought the world on every turn. Ianto knows the Hub better than the back of his hand. I just assumed that the Dalek won. What if...?”
He jumped up. “Doc, Rose?” he shouted, the other two turned to see what the commotion was about. “I gotta go, great to see you both.”
“Jack, were are you going?” asked Rose. “I thought you said there was nothing left for you here.”
“They survived Rose. I know they did. If anyone could, it would be them. And I promised I’d go back.”
The Doctor looked at Jack with sad, serious eyes. “What if they didn’t? Jack you’re expecting a lot of them. To face a Dalek and survive…”
“Rose crossed universes for you,” pointed out Donna. “That’s impossible too.”
“Donna Noble, you old romantic,” said Jack with a grin giving Donna a bone-crushing hug.
“Yeah well, don’t go telling everyone. And less of the old!”
Jack let her go and took a step back. He raised his hand to his wrist strap. The Doctor caught his wrist. They looked at each other for a long moment.
Suddenly the Doctor broke into a grin of his own. “Good luck Captain.” Jack found himself being hugged by both the Doctor and Rose.
When they let him go Jack stood up straight. He took a deep breath. “Goodbye,” he said to both of them.
Rose looked at the Doctor she gave him the cheeky smile Jack remembered from the old days and inclined her head towards Jack. The Doctor rolled his eyes but he was smiling too. They both faced Jack and gave him a salute.
“Goodbye Captain,” said the Doctor.
“God’s speed,” added Rose.
And Jack teleported away.
The Doctor looked round the Tardis. “So ladies? Where to now?”
**
Jack reappeared in the Hub. It was as silent as the Hub ever was, the soft hum of the computers and the sounds of Myfanwy moving high above. Time to find his team.
Title: Faith
Author: szm
Rating: G
Spoilers: The Stolen Earth, also assumes that everyone survives Journey's End and the Daleks are defeated (shush! I like living in denial. Until saturday - everyone lives!)
Jack sat on the floor of the Tardis. The Doctor and Rose talking a mile a minute somewhere behind him. Sarah-Jane had gone home to her son and Martha had gone back to what was left of Unit. Rebuilding and all that.
The CCTV footage that he’d managed to recover from the Hub was still playing on the inside of his eyelids.
“Those don’t work on Daleks.”
“I’m going out fighting. Like Owen and Tosh. How about you?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Bullets and the horrible grating voice of the Dalek. He doesn’t know if he’s pleased that the footage cut out before the final shot or not. He never wanted to see them die, but it feels like yet another way he failed them. They were so brave, and now there are no witnesses to their final stand.
Like Owen, like Tosh.
“You didn’t know,” said Donna sitting next to him. “They didn’t tell you. They let you go so you could save everybody. And you did.”
Jack couldn’t look at her; he’s not a hero. He never, ever was. “Maybe they just didn’t think it would make any difference. Maybe they thought I’d leave them anyway.”
“Would you?”
That makes him look at her. Makes his head spin round fast so he can pin her with a vicious glare. It doesn’t seem to faze her though. She just returns it with a cool gaze of her own.
“No!” exclaimed Jack. “Of course I wouldn't.”
“Don’t get offended. I don’t know you do I? Besides what would have happened if you stayed? That Dalek would have killed the Doctor and Rose. And then we would have lost,” she shrugged. “Then everybody would have died anyway.”
“Except me,” replied Jack softly almost to himself.
“They made their choice. Don’t you dare undermine it with your self pity,” Donna’s voice was hard and she sounded angry. Strangely that helped more than the soft words from Sarah-Jane or even the hug from Martha.
Jack chuckled despite the gnawing darkness in his soul. “They were both so bloody stubborn. You’d have liked them. I tried to send them both away in the beginning. Gwen fought her way though retcon to stand with Torchwood.”
Donna smiled and Jack smiled back.
“She never let anything go. She knew when something wasn’t right, and even if she had no idea how to fix it she’d throw everything into trying.”
“Bet you fought a lot,” said Donna.
Jack smiled sadly. “Yeah, she never gave up. Ever. And Ianto, I tried to get him to leave so many times. When he first joined, and after Lisa. He just stood his ground and made me take him in. He should have gone. Found a life far away from Torchwood. They both should have.”
Donna didn’t ask who Lisa was. Just sat with Jack while he sorted though his memories. Tears running unheeded down his face.
“Ianto just made himself indispensable. You’d never notice until he was in every fibre of the world. He knew more about the hub after two weeks than I knew after twenty years. He…”
Jack stopped dead. Staring ahead into space. He could bearly breathe. The Dalek’s were such monsters in his mind. The bogeymen from his childhood, his first death, nothing could stop them. But Ianto and Gwen, they never did what they were told. Never backed down, even when the cause was hopeless.
“Jack?” asked Donna after a few minutes.
Jack looked deep inside and found just a little spark of faith.
“They never gave up,” breathed Jack. “Ianto risked the world to save Lisa. Gwen fought the world on every turn. Ianto knows the Hub better than the back of his hand. I just assumed that the Dalek won. What if...?”
He jumped up. “Doc, Rose?” he shouted, the other two turned to see what the commotion was about. “I gotta go, great to see you both.”
“Jack, were are you going?” asked Rose. “I thought you said there was nothing left for you here.”
“They survived Rose. I know they did. If anyone could, it would be them. And I promised I’d go back.”
The Doctor looked at Jack with sad, serious eyes. “What if they didn’t? Jack you’re expecting a lot of them. To face a Dalek and survive…”
“Rose crossed universes for you,” pointed out Donna. “That’s impossible too.”
“Donna Noble, you old romantic,” said Jack with a grin giving Donna a bone-crushing hug.
“Yeah well, don’t go telling everyone. And less of the old!”
Jack let her go and took a step back. He raised his hand to his wrist strap. The Doctor caught his wrist. They looked at each other for a long moment.
Suddenly the Doctor broke into a grin of his own. “Good luck Captain.” Jack found himself being hugged by both the Doctor and Rose.
When they let him go Jack stood up straight. He took a deep breath. “Goodbye,” he said to both of them.
Rose looked at the Doctor she gave him the cheeky smile Jack remembered from the old days and inclined her head towards Jack. The Doctor rolled his eyes but he was smiling too. They both faced Jack and gave him a salute.
“Goodbye Captain,” said the Doctor.
“God’s speed,” added Rose.
And Jack teleported away.
The Doctor looked round the Tardis. “So ladies? Where to now?”
**
Jack reappeared in the Hub. It was as silent as the Hub ever was, the soft hum of the computers and the sounds of Myfanwy moving high above. Time to find his team.