One Door Closes

[travels_in_time]

Title:: One Door Closes
Author: travels_in_time
Rating/Characters: PG / Jack, Doctor
Spoilers: LotTL
Summary: Everything changes. Well, almost everything.
Notes: Many many thanks to jadesfire2808, who beta'd and poked and red-penned and just generally encouraged. I had a lot of trouble with this one, and if it's coherent now it's largely due to her.

Comments

[_medley_]

"You can die, Jack. You can die over and over and over. Every time the Master nearly lost what little sanity he had left, nearly killed me right then, I’d hear you. Breaking loose, causing trouble, propositioning the guards, sabotaging the station. He'd go to find out what the fuss was about. And he'd come back, hours later, calm. Happy. Blood all over his clothes, his hands. I knew. Every time, I knew what you were doing. What he was doing to you.”

Oh, you broke me into little tiny pieces with that. It's so Jack, and of course the Doctor had to know. But then you made it better with this, which cracked me up:

Jack nodded. "I won't do stupid stuff, and you won't interfere in other people's affairs. Yeah, I can see how this is going to work out well."

Oh, yeah, that'll work! I can see him rolling his eyes from here. This is so good--the awkwardness, the mixed emotions, the memories neither of them really wants to deal with, and finally, Jack going home. ::happy sigh::

[travels_in_time]

So glad you liked it! Yeah, it's awkward, there's a lot of history and emotion and Stuff there, but the TARDIS is home, and that's what counts in the end.

[kitsun3]

::happy sigh::Aw, this is lovely...

"So, where do you want to go? There are governments out there to overthrow, corridors to run through, prisons to break out of, aliens to snog. Come on, Jack! We've got work to do!"
Heh, nice. Not so into tea this time? ;)

[travels_in_time]

Thank you! Yeah, I think the tea has gone way past cold by now... :D

[crabby_lioness]

You know them better than they know themselves.

[travels_in_time]

Oh, I wish! Thank you so much!

[rustydog]

I'm going to have to think about this for awhile to comment coherently, because I think I'm broken again (but in a good way). I will say that for a story with no action, that is a single conversation, I was still on the edge of my seat, and I felt like I was right there. I'm very impressed. It was worth the wait. :)

N’carthans will probably be in contact with Earth in a few weeks, and somebody should be advised not to sign any contracts with them whatsoever, at least not until an experienced arbitrator can be found...

Is this from another story, with a time loop? It seems so familiar!

[travels_in_time]

I was kind of worried about that--nothing actually happens in this story, it's all talking--but I'm glad it worked for you anyway!

I hope that's not from somewhere else! I was thinking somebody like the Ferengi, who you really shouldn't sign contracts with without somebody looking them over very carefully first, but I think I can see where you're seeing the similarity. :D

[rustydog]

I was kind of worried about that--nothing actually happens in this story, it's all talking--but I'm glad it worked for you anyway!

Not "anyway" though - sometimes stories where nothing "happens" are the best. They can't all be that way, obviously, but every once in awhile a good, pregnant conversation can get places feet and police boxes can't.

I was thinking somebody like the Ferengi, who you really shouldn't sign contracts with without somebody looking them over very carefully first, but I think I can see where you're seeing the similarity.

Okay, I see. Definitely true about the Ferengi, too! I guess it was just the idea of a contract - did you write that time loop fic where they were in negotiations but the aliens had really come to blow up Torchwood? I can't find it.

[travels_in_time]

No, that was one of Jades'--check heretoutopia. I forget the name, but it was one of the last ones.

[clancy_s]

Stunning: enough that it's hard to make a sensible comment. I can so see that happening behind the scenes in LOTTL.

[travels_in_time]

Glad you liked it!