Teaspoon fic rec: The Captain Dances
Have you ever seen a fic that contains a pairing you've never thought of, instinctively think you're not interested as you ship half the pairing with someone else, but decide to glance at it anyway because you're mildly intrigued?
Well, I just did that. The pairing is post-CoE Jack Harkness... and 1941, just post-TDD Nancy.
In The Captain Dances, by companionenvy, a new author on the Teaspoon, the Doctor's real 'farewell gift' to Jack is to send him back to 1941. We're never told why the Doctor thinks that this is a good idea for Jack, but it's not difficult to figure out: Nancy needs him if she's going to carry on feeding London's orphans. She also has a five-year-old, blond-haired son.
It's a fairly short story, not much over 3000 words, but it's powerful.There are several moments where I just stopped and had to re-read what I'd just read, and this is one of the most heartwrenching:
So it is ironic, bitterly ironic, that they should be stopped by, of all things, a chain on a storeroom door. Sonic technology wasn’t made to deal with metals that had become obsolete long before they were invented, and it turns out that this alloy of steel is resistant to their tools. Nancy is disappointed, but Jack can see a way. They’ve managed to at least force the door slightly ajar, and while the two of them are far too large to get in, they have other assets.
“We could send Jamie through,” he says.
Nancy opens her mouth to reply, but the implications of what he’s said have already hit Jack. “No,” he whispers. “Gods no.”
For those who've had enough of never-ending angst, especially where Jack's concerned, let me reassure you: this story leaves the characters better off than it finds them.
Even if the idea of Jack/Nancy doesn't appeal to you - and it didn't to me - give this story a chance. I did, and I'm so very glad - I'd have missed a real gem if I hadn't.
Well, I just did that. The pairing is post-CoE Jack Harkness... and 1941, just post-TDD Nancy.
In The Captain Dances, by companionenvy, a new author on the Teaspoon, the Doctor's real 'farewell gift' to Jack is to send him back to 1941. We're never told why the Doctor thinks that this is a good idea for Jack, but it's not difficult to figure out: Nancy needs him if she's going to carry on feeding London's orphans. She also has a five-year-old, blond-haired son.
It's a fairly short story, not much over 3000 words, but it's powerful.There are several moments where I just stopped and had to re-read what I'd just read, and this is one of the most heartwrenching:
So it is ironic, bitterly ironic, that they should be stopped by, of all things, a chain on a storeroom door. Sonic technology wasn’t made to deal with metals that had become obsolete long before they were invented, and it turns out that this alloy of steel is resistant to their tools. Nancy is disappointed, but Jack can see a way. They’ve managed to at least force the door slightly ajar, and while the two of them are far too large to get in, they have other assets.
“We could send Jamie through,” he says.
Nancy opens her mouth to reply, but the implications of what he’s said have already hit Jack. “No,” he whispers. “Gods no.”
For those who've had enough of never-ending angst, especially where Jack's concerned, let me reassure you: this story leaves the characters better off than it finds them.
Even if the idea of Jack/Nancy doesn't appeal to you - and it didn't to me - give this story a chance. I did, and I'm so very glad - I'd have missed a real gem if I hadn't.