Captain Jack Harkness: Origins Doctor Who/Torchwood/X-Files Crossover
Title: Origins
Rating: PG-13-ish
Pairing: Doctor/Rose; Captain Jack; Mulder/Scully implied
Word Count: 1,910
Warning: adult content, angst, crossover, baby/kidfic
Spoilers: THAT season 4 casting rumor as this takes place after THAT
Disclaimer: None of the characters from any of these shows belong to me... Jack William Tyler is mine, though.
Feedback: yes, please.
Summary: Torchwood/Dr. Who/X-Files crossover in which we learn where Jack Harkness came from... well, sort of.
A/N: The song "Behind Blue Eyes" belongs to The Who, not the Doctor, and not me. And thanks to Liz for the beta... she's officially inflated my ego just a notch ;)
Captain JackHarkness: Origins
No one knows what its like
To be the bad man
To be the sad man
Behind blue eyes
Origins I: “If I shiver, please give me a blanket/Keep me warm, let me wear your coat”
In the middle of the night, the family is awakened and the child is returned to his rightful parents. It had only taken three months to find him, and ironically, it’s his first birthday that night.
He’s no longer confused as he dozes in the arms of his mother, her red hair tickling his head and her tears dampening his cheeks as they fall, one by one. She’s so happy to have him back, and he’s so happy to be with her.
It doesn’t last.
When he wakes up, his mother is saying goodbye, and his father carries him into a big blue box, bigger on the inside, depositing him into the arms of a stranger. His heart shatters as he watches the doors close and his parents are holding each other, crying. He doesn’t sleep, and he doesn’t eat, much to the chagrin of the strange man’s companion. He doesn’t like the strange man, but he sure does like the companion. She’s warm and inviting, filled with mirth. That man on the other hand, he radiates sorrow, though it dissipates whenever he’s near his companion.
He loses all sense of time which unnerves him, crying at all hours and begging for his mother. The companion holds him, whispering soothing things and rocking him in her arms, gently. Drifting into an uneasy sleep, he dreams of his mother and father, and wills himself to remember that his name is Mulder.
When he wakes up, he has no idea where he is or how he’s gotten there, but he’s in the arms of the strange man’s companion, in what looks to be a house. The blue box is in a closet, and every now and then, the stranger travels away. It makes the companion sad, so he tries to give her his best smile with his biggest dimples. Sometimes, it works.
He grows up in this house with these people who he understands are not his parents and he never treats them as such. He has a wonderful life, for a while.
Origins II: “No one knows what its like/To be hated/To be fated/To telling only lies”
“Doctor, have you noticed that William looks a lot like someone we know?” Rose says one day, looking not at the Doctor, but at the four year old child sitting in the family room, playing with his toy cars.
The Doctor sighed, and pulled Rose into his lap, leaning further into the chocolate brown couch that rests in the room next door to where Will plays.
“What?” she asks, searching his face.
“It’s probably time I told you the truth…” the Doctor says, softly, not meeting her eyes as he plays with one of her hands.
Rose says nothing, gulping down the uneasiness that his words awaken, and the Doctor can feel her heart rate increase.
“We’ve both met him before,” the Doctor says, locking eyes with Rose.
“So it is him? It’s Jack?” Rose asks.
The Doctor just nods.
“And you knew about this all along?” she asks again, anger rising up inside her.
“Rose, I’m sorry. I didn’t know right away, because we both know Jack’s different now, ever since…” he trailed off, hearing Rose’s sharp intake of breath. She was still tormented by what she’d done, even though both the Doctor and Jack had told her they didn’t blame her. She took the Doctor’s hand in hers, biting back tears.
“Anyway, I figured it out and I was going to tell you, I just hadn’t quite figured out how,” the Doctor said, running his thumb in circles over Rose’s hand.
“You had three years…” Rose mumbled, though he could tell from her voice she wasn’t angry.
“I only just figured it out, a few months ago,” the Doctor said, kissing her lightly on the cheek.
“It’s weird,” she replied, looking over at William/Jack.
“He won’t remember,” the Doctor said, as if this would make the awkwardness end. He watched the little boy play and the sadness in his hearts briefly stung him when the child looked up at him and smiled. Except for the blonde hair that he knew would continue to darken, there was no mistaking the dimpled grin of a young Jack Harkness.
“What d’ya mean?” Rose asked, alarmed.
“When he joins the time agency… he’ll lose his memory of us. It’s already happened, otherwise, he would’ve recognized us when we met,” the Doctor replied.
“But he wouldn’t, Doctor. Because you weren’t, well, you, when he met us,” Rose said, looking back at Will.
The Doctor hadn’t exactly thought of it that way before and felt rather stumped suddenly.
“And he doesn’t call me Rose. We made up aliases…” Rose added, not taking her eyes off the boy.
The Doctor sighed.
“Are you sure this is where he’s supposed to be?” Rose asked, turning back to the Doctor on the couch, taking his hands in hers.
“Technically he should be in the 21st century being raised by his true parents, but we both know that can’t happen. And you already know why his parents couldn’t come here. They’re already part of events, and they’re needed where they are. He’s needed back in their time when he’s old enough to do what he must do,” he replied, sadly.
Origins III: “No one knows what its like/To feel these feelings/Like I do/And I blame you”
“No, I’m not going, and that’s final. I don’t have to do what you say; you’re not even my parents. I hate you both!” Will finished his argument by running into his room and slamming the door as hard as he could.
Rose stood outside the door, running her hand over it softly before turning to the Doctor.
“He’s a boy, Doctor. A boy. You can’t expect him to not have feelings about this, it’s been his home for twelve years!” she says, exasperatedly.
“It isn’t safe anymore. We can’t stay here…” the Doctor says quietly, running his hands through his hair.
“You should have thought of that before,” Rose replied, snapping at him. There is fire in her eyes, rage boiling behind the deep brown.
“What is going on with you?” the Doctor asked, his eyes wide. “You’re never this angry, I can feel it radiating off of you! Tell me what it is…” the Doctor says gently, pulling Rose close to him.
She doesn’t look at him, but he feels the tears falling onto his hands as she looks determinedly at the floor.
“Rose…” he whispers, using his forefinger to tilt her chin up to face him.
“I don’t want to do this to him…” she whispers back, losing the struggle to hold back her emotions.
“That’s not just it, I can feel it… just tell me. Whatever it is…” the Doctor stared into her eyes deeply, sending nothing but love to her.
“I’m pregnant,” it comes out strangled, and she twists away from him, hugging herself. She can’t bring herself to look at him, until she feels his arms wrap around her from behind.
“I know,” he says gently into her ear, pulling her closer.
“Where will he go…where will we go, after this?” she asks. He can hear how tired she is and his hearts break.
“I’ll tell him the truth, and then he’ll want to get away. He’ll go to the school, and he’ll learn, and he’ll grow up. He’ll join the time agency…and then everything will be as it should be,” the Doctor says, nuzzling into Rose’s neck.
“But what about us? What about this?” Rose asks, taking the Doctor’s hands and placing them over her belly.
“We’ll have a fantastic life,” he says softly, his eyes filling with tears.
“And Will? We’ll just forget him?” Rose asks, turning to face the Doctor, tears streaming down her face.
“He was never ours, Rose. And he never will be. He’s Jack Harkness, our friend, our companion, and the man who will save Earth in the 21st century. It’s his path, his destiny…” the Doctor says, though his tears betray him.
Rose can see it. He’s grown attached. This is just as painful for him as it is for her. He hugs her and kisses her softly before he uses the sonic screwdriver on Will’s door and enters the room. Rose doesn’t need to listen at the door; she knows the Doctor is telling him the truth about his life.
When the Doctor finishes telling him the truth, Will looks up at the Doctor and the Doctor sees the man in him that he will eventually become.
“So what happens now, Doc?” Will asks, and the Doctor flinches, his hearts aching at the nickname he’d only ever known Jack to use.
“I’m sorry, so very sorry, Will. But you can’t remember us. Not yet anyway…” the Doctor reaches for his sonic screwdriver, and Will nods, letting the tears come as he finally allows himself to hug the Doctor properly. “I don’t hate you…” he murmurs as the Doctor hesitates and then pushes the button, taking away Will’s memory and putting him into a deep sleep. He watches him all night; at some point, Rose joins him, and they both let the tears fall.
The next morning, Will has gone away to school, having been told by the Doctor and Rose that he will see his parents again someday. The school is full of gifted children, some who have families, and some who don’t, like Will. Security is heavy; Will is never without a security detail.
When he reaches the age of adulthood, William joins the time agency, along with a few of his close friends from the school. A few years later, his memory is stolen and he wakes up in 1941. After that, he goes by Captain Jack Harkness. When he meets the Doctor and Rose Tyler, before they’ve technically met him, he has no memory that they’ve raised him in the 51st century, nor does he remember that his name was once William Mulder. He only knows he must find his way to the 21st century, because that’s when everything changes.
The Doctor and Rose never see William again, though the moment he enters the school, they’ve taken the TARDIS back to Torchwood, where they step out and envelop a surprised Jack Harkness in their arms, clinging to him tightly through their sobs.
Some time later, their son is born. They name him Jack William.
And one day, that same year, Jack Harkness completes his destiny. At the end of it, when the battle is over and he saves the world from annihilation, he is approached by a couple, a man and a woman. In the recesses of his mind, he thinks he might know them, though he can’t quite say from where yet. When they tell him their names, and the woman pulls him into her arms, his memory returns. He turns to see the Doctor and Rose, holding their baby boy, and he blows them a kiss before he shouts “I don’t hate you!” to them. He feels his mother’s red hair tickle his face and her tears fall on his dimpled cheeks. She’s so happy to have him back, and he’s so happy to be with her…again.
Rating: PG-13-ish
Pairing: Doctor/Rose; Captain Jack; Mulder/Scully implied
Word Count: 1,910
Warning: adult content, angst, crossover, baby/kidfic
Spoilers: THAT season 4 casting rumor as this takes place after THAT
Disclaimer: None of the characters from any of these shows belong to me... Jack William Tyler is mine, though.
Feedback: yes, please.
Summary: Torchwood/Dr. Who/X-Files crossover in which we learn where Jack Harkness came from... well, sort of.
A/N: The song "Behind Blue Eyes" belongs to The Who, not the Doctor, and not me. And thanks to Liz for the beta... she's officially inflated my ego just a notch ;)
Captain JackHarkness: Origins
No one knows what its like
To be the bad man
To be the sad man
Behind blue eyes
Origins I: “If I shiver, please give me a blanket/Keep me warm, let me wear your coat”
In the middle of the night, the family is awakened and the child is returned to his rightful parents. It had only taken three months to find him, and ironically, it’s his first birthday that night.
He’s no longer confused as he dozes in the arms of his mother, her red hair tickling his head and her tears dampening his cheeks as they fall, one by one. She’s so happy to have him back, and he’s so happy to be with her.
It doesn’t last.
When he wakes up, his mother is saying goodbye, and his father carries him into a big blue box, bigger on the inside, depositing him into the arms of a stranger. His heart shatters as he watches the doors close and his parents are holding each other, crying. He doesn’t sleep, and he doesn’t eat, much to the chagrin of the strange man’s companion. He doesn’t like the strange man, but he sure does like the companion. She’s warm and inviting, filled with mirth. That man on the other hand, he radiates sorrow, though it dissipates whenever he’s near his companion.
He loses all sense of time which unnerves him, crying at all hours and begging for his mother. The companion holds him, whispering soothing things and rocking him in her arms, gently. Drifting into an uneasy sleep, he dreams of his mother and father, and wills himself to remember that his name is Mulder.
When he wakes up, he has no idea where he is or how he’s gotten there, but he’s in the arms of the strange man’s companion, in what looks to be a house. The blue box is in a closet, and every now and then, the stranger travels away. It makes the companion sad, so he tries to give her his best smile with his biggest dimples. Sometimes, it works.
He grows up in this house with these people who he understands are not his parents and he never treats them as such. He has a wonderful life, for a while.
Origins II: “No one knows what its like/To be hated/To be fated/To telling only lies”
“Doctor, have you noticed that William looks a lot like someone we know?” Rose says one day, looking not at the Doctor, but at the four year old child sitting in the family room, playing with his toy cars.
The Doctor sighed, and pulled Rose into his lap, leaning further into the chocolate brown couch that rests in the room next door to where Will plays.
“What?” she asks, searching his face.
“It’s probably time I told you the truth…” the Doctor says, softly, not meeting her eyes as he plays with one of her hands.
Rose says nothing, gulping down the uneasiness that his words awaken, and the Doctor can feel her heart rate increase.
“We’ve both met him before,” the Doctor says, locking eyes with Rose.
“So it is him? It’s Jack?” Rose asks.
The Doctor just nods.
“And you knew about this all along?” she asks again, anger rising up inside her.
“Rose, I’m sorry. I didn’t know right away, because we both know Jack’s different now, ever since…” he trailed off, hearing Rose’s sharp intake of breath. She was still tormented by what she’d done, even though both the Doctor and Jack had told her they didn’t blame her. She took the Doctor’s hand in hers, biting back tears.
“Anyway, I figured it out and I was going to tell you, I just hadn’t quite figured out how,” the Doctor said, running his thumb in circles over Rose’s hand.
“You had three years…” Rose mumbled, though he could tell from her voice she wasn’t angry.
“I only just figured it out, a few months ago,” the Doctor said, kissing her lightly on the cheek.
“It’s weird,” she replied, looking over at William/Jack.
“He won’t remember,” the Doctor said, as if this would make the awkwardness end. He watched the little boy play and the sadness in his hearts briefly stung him when the child looked up at him and smiled. Except for the blonde hair that he knew would continue to darken, there was no mistaking the dimpled grin of a young Jack Harkness.
“What d’ya mean?” Rose asked, alarmed.
“When he joins the time agency… he’ll lose his memory of us. It’s already happened, otherwise, he would’ve recognized us when we met,” the Doctor replied.
“But he wouldn’t, Doctor. Because you weren’t, well, you, when he met us,” Rose said, looking back at Will.
The Doctor hadn’t exactly thought of it that way before and felt rather stumped suddenly.
“And he doesn’t call me Rose. We made up aliases…” Rose added, not taking her eyes off the boy.
The Doctor sighed.
“Are you sure this is where he’s supposed to be?” Rose asked, turning back to the Doctor on the couch, taking his hands in hers.
“Technically he should be in the 21st century being raised by his true parents, but we both know that can’t happen. And you already know why his parents couldn’t come here. They’re already part of events, and they’re needed where they are. He’s needed back in their time when he’s old enough to do what he must do,” he replied, sadly.
Origins III: “No one knows what its like/To feel these feelings/Like I do/And I blame you”
“No, I’m not going, and that’s final. I don’t have to do what you say; you’re not even my parents. I hate you both!” Will finished his argument by running into his room and slamming the door as hard as he could.
Rose stood outside the door, running her hand over it softly before turning to the Doctor.
“He’s a boy, Doctor. A boy. You can’t expect him to not have feelings about this, it’s been his home for twelve years!” she says, exasperatedly.
“It isn’t safe anymore. We can’t stay here…” the Doctor says quietly, running his hands through his hair.
“You should have thought of that before,” Rose replied, snapping at him. There is fire in her eyes, rage boiling behind the deep brown.
“What is going on with you?” the Doctor asked, his eyes wide. “You’re never this angry, I can feel it radiating off of you! Tell me what it is…” the Doctor says gently, pulling Rose close to him.
She doesn’t look at him, but he feels the tears falling onto his hands as she looks determinedly at the floor.
“Rose…” he whispers, using his forefinger to tilt her chin up to face him.
“I don’t want to do this to him…” she whispers back, losing the struggle to hold back her emotions.
“That’s not just it, I can feel it… just tell me. Whatever it is…” the Doctor stared into her eyes deeply, sending nothing but love to her.
“I’m pregnant,” it comes out strangled, and she twists away from him, hugging herself. She can’t bring herself to look at him, until she feels his arms wrap around her from behind.
“I know,” he says gently into her ear, pulling her closer.
“Where will he go…where will we go, after this?” she asks. He can hear how tired she is and his hearts break.
“I’ll tell him the truth, and then he’ll want to get away. He’ll go to the school, and he’ll learn, and he’ll grow up. He’ll join the time agency…and then everything will be as it should be,” the Doctor says, nuzzling into Rose’s neck.
“But what about us? What about this?” Rose asks, taking the Doctor’s hands and placing them over her belly.
“We’ll have a fantastic life,” he says softly, his eyes filling with tears.
“And Will? We’ll just forget him?” Rose asks, turning to face the Doctor, tears streaming down her face.
“He was never ours, Rose. And he never will be. He’s Jack Harkness, our friend, our companion, and the man who will save Earth in the 21st century. It’s his path, his destiny…” the Doctor says, though his tears betray him.
Rose can see it. He’s grown attached. This is just as painful for him as it is for her. He hugs her and kisses her softly before he uses the sonic screwdriver on Will’s door and enters the room. Rose doesn’t need to listen at the door; she knows the Doctor is telling him the truth about his life.
When the Doctor finishes telling him the truth, Will looks up at the Doctor and the Doctor sees the man in him that he will eventually become.
“So what happens now, Doc?” Will asks, and the Doctor flinches, his hearts aching at the nickname he’d only ever known Jack to use.
“I’m sorry, so very sorry, Will. But you can’t remember us. Not yet anyway…” the Doctor reaches for his sonic screwdriver, and Will nods, letting the tears come as he finally allows himself to hug the Doctor properly. “I don’t hate you…” he murmurs as the Doctor hesitates and then pushes the button, taking away Will’s memory and putting him into a deep sleep. He watches him all night; at some point, Rose joins him, and they both let the tears fall.
The next morning, Will has gone away to school, having been told by the Doctor and Rose that he will see his parents again someday. The school is full of gifted children, some who have families, and some who don’t, like Will. Security is heavy; Will is never without a security detail.
When he reaches the age of adulthood, William joins the time agency, along with a few of his close friends from the school. A few years later, his memory is stolen and he wakes up in 1941. After that, he goes by Captain Jack Harkness. When he meets the Doctor and Rose Tyler, before they’ve technically met him, he has no memory that they’ve raised him in the 51st century, nor does he remember that his name was once William Mulder. He only knows he must find his way to the 21st century, because that’s when everything changes.
The Doctor and Rose never see William again, though the moment he enters the school, they’ve taken the TARDIS back to Torchwood, where they step out and envelop a surprised Jack Harkness in their arms, clinging to him tightly through their sobs.
Some time later, their son is born. They name him Jack William.
And one day, that same year, Jack Harkness completes his destiny. At the end of it, when the battle is over and he saves the world from annihilation, he is approached by a couple, a man and a woman. In the recesses of his mind, he thinks he might know them, though he can’t quite say from where yet. When they tell him their names, and the woman pulls him into her arms, his memory returns. He turns to see the Doctor and Rose, holding their baby boy, and he blows them a kiss before he shouts “I don’t hate you!” to them. He feels his mother’s red hair tickle his face and her tears fall on his dimpled cheeks. She’s so happy to have him back, and he’s so happy to be with her…again.