Actually, I quit. No one takes my frock.

[captainjack]

There were only so many things to do in a day, and Jack had done most of them. Most. Sure, he'd missed out on some expert flirting, and the bookshelf had decided he needed books about what to do when the honeymoon was over and coping with memory loss. Those, and one can of film.

He'd seen it. It really wasn't his shining moment, but it was...well

Comments

[goingtodorking]

Karen peers over the back of the couch behind the man and watches Doctor Who. Karen loves Doctor Who. She watches it after her bath, and she's allowed to stay up on a Saturday, and Rose is her favourite. Karen wants to be Rose when she grows up, even now she's met her.

She makes a little excited noise.

ShorHor isn't as good at being quiet as Karen and starts trying to eat the bottom of the man's troubles.

[captainjack]

Jack looked over his shoulder at the sound and smiled at the little girl. Cute. Tiny, but cute.

"Hello," he said, warm and casual.

[goingtodorking]

Karen's mouth drops open. It's really him. It's really him.

"It's you," she blurts out. "Oh...my...God."

[captainjack]

He flashed a broad smile and nodded to the couch. "It is. Captain Jack Harkness...what's your name?"

[goingtodorking]

"Karen." Karen doesn't make any move from behind the couch. "I used to watch you on the telly with my dad."

[captainjack]

"Really? Did you see this one?" he asked, gesturing at the screen.

Mummy? Are you my mummy?

[goingtodorking]

"This one's scary," breathes Karen, her chin resting on the back of the sofa. "Rose is in it. And the kids with the...funny faces."

Daddy had explained that it was pretend, but that didn't stop Karen from feeling slightly nervous.

[captainjack]

"She is, and they are," Jack answered. "But they can't hurt you , you know. It's just a film."

Of course, this being the island, he couldn't really be certain of that. After Daleks and everything else at Halloween, Jack knew exactly how awful this place could be.

"You want me to turn it off?"

[goingtodorking]

Karen shakes her head, her little chin pressed into the back of the sofa, watching the episode with rapt attention.

"The Doctor's going to save everyone."

There's nothing like being five years old to give you completely faith in things.

[captainjack]

"The Doctor always saves everyone," he nodded. A little lie never hurt. "Do you want to stay back there so you can hide? You can sit up with me if you want."

[goingtodorking]

Karen thinks about that, for a second, and then she clambers over the back of the sofa and drops down next to him.

ShorHor tries to get up on the settee too.

[captainjack]

Jack draped his hand across the back of the sofa and looked down at her. She was right, this one was scary...especially for a little kid. Hell, it had been scary when he was there and they'd been closing in on them.

"Karen, how old are you?"

[goingtodorking]

"Five," says Karen. "And a quarter." She automatically snuggles in against his side a little bit. Even if this is Captain Jack and that's cool, this episode is totally scary.

[captainjack]

His arm curled around her automatically. Adults, kids, it really didn't matter to him. He'd never had a problem with human contact.

"That's a very good age to be," he said as he turned his eyes back to the screen. "Just a little older than Jamie, there."

Once it was all over, he was just a little boy again. Jack had a hard time being unsettled, now. At the time, it was a different story.

[goingtodorking]

Karen nods, her hair falling across her forehead.

"I remember. But ShorHor's never seen it before."

[captainjack]

"Then let's let it play," he smiled. "If ShorHor gets scared, well, I've got two arms," Jack said as he gave her a little squeeze.