Ficlet - Irene and Jack
Just a comment fic I wrote for fennishjournal posting it here so I don't lose it. Cleaned up a tiny bit from the original.
“So,” came a smooth American voice from somewhere behind her. “I heard you’d been killed. Beheaded even.”
Irene sipped her drink. The man slipped into the press of bodies next to her and winked at the harassed bartender who smiled back and blushed. He mouthed ‘the usual’ at the bartender and pointed to Irene’s drink. He poured the man a glass of water and slid a fresh drink across the bar to Irene.
“Rumours of my death were greatly exaggerated. As were rumours of yours it seems,” she replied sparing her companion a sidelong glance. Captain Jack Harkness was as good looking as ever, and just as aware of it. The two of them were getting quite a lot of admiring glances, not that she blamed her fellow patrons; the two of them made a very striking couple.
“Well you know me,” said Jack taking a sip of his water and not offering any explanation.
“Nobody knows you, Jack,” replied Irene. “What do you want?”
“Why, Miss Adler!” said Jack with fake outrage laced through his voice and face. “Can’t a friend buy you a drink when you’ve been through a tough time without having to have ulterior motives?”
“Is that what we are?” asked Irene staring into her original glass. “I’m not sure I have any friends.”
Jack took the glass away from her and held her hand in his own. “Irene Adler, you have a friend.”
Irene looked up into Jack’s eyes. Flawless clear blue focused on her and Jack smiled. Jack’s smiles were brilliant, and all encompassing, and made you feel like the centre of the universe for a moment. They were also, Irene knew, one of the most dangerous things on the planet. She found herself smiling back anyway.
“You told me about your Doctor once,” said Irene letting go of Jack’s hand and picking up the drink he’d brought her. “That he made you be brave? Then he left you, and it felt like you hadn’t been brave enough.”
“Yes,” replied Jack simply.
“Well, I met a man called Sherlock. He made me be clever, but I really wasn’t clever enough. Then he saved me anyway.”
“Bastard,” said Jack lightly, and Irene couldn’t help but chuckle. Jack raised his glass. “To those people who make us better. Whether we want to be or not.”
Irene knocked her glass to Jack’s. “Amen.”
“So,” came a smooth American voice from somewhere behind her. “I heard you’d been killed. Beheaded even.”
Irene sipped her drink. The man slipped into the press of bodies next to her and winked at the harassed bartender who smiled back and blushed. He mouthed ‘the usual’ at the bartender and pointed to Irene’s drink. He poured the man a glass of water and slid a fresh drink across the bar to Irene.
“Rumours of my death were greatly exaggerated. As were rumours of yours it seems,” she replied sparing her companion a sidelong glance. Captain Jack Harkness was as good looking as ever, and just as aware of it. The two of them were getting quite a lot of admiring glances, not that she blamed her fellow patrons; the two of them made a very striking couple.
“Well you know me,” said Jack taking a sip of his water and not offering any explanation.
“Nobody knows you, Jack,” replied Irene. “What do you want?”
“Why, Miss Adler!” said Jack with fake outrage laced through his voice and face. “Can’t a friend buy you a drink when you’ve been through a tough time without having to have ulterior motives?”
“Is that what we are?” asked Irene staring into her original glass. “I’m not sure I have any friends.”
Jack took the glass away from her and held her hand in his own. “Irene Adler, you have a friend.”
Irene looked up into Jack’s eyes. Flawless clear blue focused on her and Jack smiled. Jack’s smiles were brilliant, and all encompassing, and made you feel like the centre of the universe for a moment. They were also, Irene knew, one of the most dangerous things on the planet. She found herself smiling back anyway.
“You told me about your Doctor once,” said Irene letting go of Jack’s hand and picking up the drink he’d brought her. “That he made you be brave? Then he left you, and it felt like you hadn’t been brave enough.”
“Yes,” replied Jack simply.
“Well, I met a man called Sherlock. He made me be clever, but I really wasn’t clever enough. Then he saved me anyway.”
“Bastard,” said Jack lightly, and Irene couldn’t help but chuckle. Jack raised his glass. “To those people who make us better. Whether we want to be or not.”
Irene knocked her glass to Jack’s. “Amen.”