plaid_slytherin: Syzygy (Ten/Jack) [All Ages]
Title: Syzygy
Author: plaid_slytherin
Challenge: Resolutions
Rating: All Ages
Pairing: Ten/Jack
Spoilers/warnings: AU after The End of Time
Summary: When the Doctor and Jack run into a crisis, Jack resolves to stick with the Doctor, no matter what.
A/N: Just barely made it, but I made it. 1 down, 11 to go in my year of wintercompanion!
All scientific calculation said that the twin suns of Nylyn Tyr were supposed to have died in the year 67010. However, it was currently 67015 and it hadn't happened yet.
In Jack's opinion, they had no reason to be poking around on this planet. What did five years matter in the grand scheme of things?
"That's easy for you to say," said the Doctor, when Jack had voiced this thought, as they made their way across the arid, dead plain.
Jack snorted. "I thought history was changeable." He wished he could wipe the sweat from his forehead. The suit prevented that, though. Technically, he didn't need it, but the Doctor had thought the researchers, if they were still there, might be alarmed.
"Trust me," he'd said awkwardly, when they were still in the TARDIS. "It makes for… difficult questions."
The suns were still there, hanging hot and high next to each other in the blue-white sky. Nylyn Tyr was a harsh environment and had been unfit for human habitation for almost five hundred years. That had no guarantee of stopping curiosity, though. There was still a research base on the planet, after all.
"It is," said the Doctor. "Prediction is even more unreliable." The heat didn't seem to be affecting him, but it still made Jack nervous. Jack knew Time Lords were more resilient than humans, but he also knew the Doctor wasn't totally unbeatable.
And Jack definitely wasn't ready for the Doctor to regenerate. They'd come too close-far too close-just a few months before.
The Doctor had said little about the incident, hadn't even thanked Jack for helping him out of that sticky situation that had gotten them traveling together, but Jack had decided he'd reached the point where he didn't need the Doctor's thanks. It was enough to keep doing it. It was enough to stay by him.
Even if the Doctor kept dragging him to uncomfortable places. It was almost like he wanted to die.
Jack's thoughts were interrupted by the sight of the research station in the distance. It was a series of interconnected dome-like structures that reminded Jack somewhat of an old Earth film he'd gone to see back in the seventies.
"Bio dome," the Doctor murmured appreciatively. "Ionic fence…" He looked quite proud. "What clever humans! And all in the name of science. The inside should be perfectly habitable." His voice was muffled as he looked down, struggling to unzip the pocket on his protective suit to get at the sonic screwdriver. With some difficulty, he thumbed the controls and the sonic screwdriver bleeped.
Jack didn't notice a change in the fence, but the Doctor stepped right on through, so he followed.
"Hello?" the Doctor called, pulling his helmet off. "Anyone home?"
Jack followed suit, but there seemed to be no response. The Doctor approached the building cautiously, but there were no signs of life.
Jack was amazed at how pleasant it felt inside the bio dome. The air was somewhat stale, but despite the blazing pair of suns overhead, it didn't feel hot at all.
The Doctor seemed to be having the same thought.
"Controls are still working," he murmured. He gave the door a gentle shove and it swung open. "Can't have been abandoned long or we wouldn't be breathing."
"Well, it's good they've left, isn't it?" asked Jack, following him into the building.
"Oh, certainly." The Doctor set his helmet down by the door and unzipped his spacesuit. His jacket was rumpled and it was difficult for Jack to keep from staring.
He unzipped his own suit, tugging his damp T-shirt away from his chest.
"How can you stand to have all those layers on underneath?" he asked, pushing the bulky material down and stepping out of the suit.
The Doctor smirked. "I bet you'd like me to strip, wouldn't you?"
Jack felt a rush of heat, but he forced a grin. He really hated when the Doctor did that. "Guess you found me out," he said, chuckling.
The Doctor rewarded him with a smirk. "Never change, do you, Jack, even after all this time?"
Jack's grin broadened, became genuine. "You should talk!"
The Doctor pursed his lips. "Quite right, too." He clapped his hands together, his demeanor changing instantly. "Well, then. Let's make sure everyone's out and then we'll get back to the TARDIS before the radiation storms start. That would be a pickle if there ever was one." His brow furrowed. "What do you think they mean by that, anyhow? Pickled onion? Pickled eggs? Pickled herring? If we were on Ululailia, we might have pickled chubb!"
The further they walked into the bowels of the satiation, the more convinced Jack became that any researchers who had been here were long gone. They hadn't left in a hurry; there were no signs of a panic. They had simply left, with no intention of ever returning, letting their empty research station go to the ages. The Doctor and Jack were silent for most of this time, each of them preoccupied with his own thoughts.
"I suppose we should go," said the Doctor, his voice echoing in the empty mess hall.
"Yeah," said Jack. "Looks like they already got the message."
"Hmm," said the Doctor, as they headed back in the direction of the door. "Maybe we should've shot for an earlier time. Perhaps we're the reason… oh, bother, it's even giving me a headache." He rubbed his temples. "I can never keep straight what I'm supposed to do. I should start sending myself letters. But then, of course, I'd never know quite when to post them."
Jack wasn't quite sure how to respond to that as he stepped into his spacesuit. He'd written the odd note to himself now and then. It was a small comfort, at least, to know that there was somebody else in the same proverbial boat.
They hadn't been paying much attention to what was going on outside until the moment they opened the door.
It seemed like they had picked the right day after all.
Jack had never seen a sun die in person, but he had seen holo-vids, so he was reasonably sure he knew what he was looking at.
"We've got to get back to the TARDIS," said the Doctor.
Jack frowned. The radiation surges would come and go over the next few hours, though of course, it wasn't perfectly predictable.
"Can you get through that?" he asked the Doctor, looking out at the searing light. It would probably be better to go when the radiation levels were at their lowest, but it would be almost impossible to predict whether or not they'd stay like that until they reached the TARDIS.
"We can't exactly wait it out," said the Doctor thickly. Jack couldn't see his eyes through the thick dura-plastic of his visor, but he thought he could guess at the expression the Doctor was making.
He paused.
The Doctor took Jack's hesitation for consent. "Come on," he said, once more using the sonic screwdriver to get them out through the fence.
Even through the thick material of his suit, Jack could feel the searing heat. He'd never felt this kind of heat in his life. The irradiated room on Malcassairo had been different somehow, like a dull throbbing heat that he barely noticed. This, on the other hand, was almost unbearable, and they only had a mile to walk.
He wondered how it was for the Doctor.
A quick glance to his right gave him his answer.
The Doctor was flagging, his normally energetic stride seeming sluggish, as though he were carrying a great weight on his shoulders.
"You okay, Doc?" Jack asked.
There was a beat before the Doctor replied. "Yeah," he said slowly, his voice over the com-link sounding staticky and faint. "I'm all right."
Jack debated reaching out to take his arm to offer support, but he decided against it. It might cause more trouble than it was worth.
They were silent for the rest of the journey, though Jack continued to keep an eye on the Doctor, trying to ignore the uncomfortable prickle on the back of his neck.
The Doctor made it 5,265 feet before he collapsed.
Jack dropped to his knees beside him. "I thought you said you were all right."
Inside the helmet, he could see the Doctor's eyes narrow. "That was fifteen minutes ago," he wheezed. "Come on, now. Jack. You've got to get me in to the TARDIS. I think…" He took a deep breath, let it out through clenched teeth. "I think I'm going to-"
"Don't say it," said Jack sharply, hauling the Doctor to his feet and practically carrying him the last few yards to the TARDIS.
Jack hadn't considered the matter of how to get his key out of his spacesuit pocket, but the TARDIS doors opened anyway and Jack muttered his thanks to the ship as they entered.
"He'll be all right," he informed her as she hummed concernedly. "I've got him."
"Lab," said the Doctor, as Jack pulled his helmet off. "Get me to… the lab. And then leave me there. If I'm going to regenerate, I need-"
"Oh, no," said Jack, shucking his own helmet and helping the Doctor back up. "You can't get rid of me that easily."
The Doctor didn't respond. His head lolled dangerously to the side.
"Oh, no you don't," said Jack, working to get the Doctor's spacesuit off. "Where's an extra hand when you need it?"
The Doctor groaned. "Jack."
"Right, right." As gently as he could, he helped the Doctor across the console room.
Thankfully, the TARDIS had moved the lab so it was adjacent and Jack mentally thanked her again.
"You're not going to leave, are you?" asked the Doctor.
"Not on your life," said Jack. "I've got you this far, I'm not giving up now. I like this regeneration too much to let it go just yet."
"Jack," said the Doctor again. "Please."
"No way," said Jack firmly.
The Doctor didn't say anything, but there was a slight hint of a smile on his lips. "If you want to help me, get me into the cryochamber."
"Okay," said Jack, hoping it would very soon become obvious what the cryochamber was.
"There," said the Doctor weakly, pointing to a sleek, conical contraption that looked just barely tall enough to stand up in. "Jack, hurry. It's starting."
Jack didn't dare look down at the Doctor; he couldn't stop thinking of the half-regeneration he'd seen the day the Daleks stole the Earth. It had been so violent and shocking-he wasn't sure how a full regeneration would go. And he didn't want to find out.
"It's going to be okay," he told the Doctor, though he wasn't sure he really believed it.
"My hand," the Doctor said, and at first, Jack thought it had to do with his severed hand, but then he realized the chamber was keyed to the Doctor's handprint.
"Hang on," he said, shifting the Doctor in his arms so his right hand flopped in front of the security display. Weakly, the Doctor pressed his palm to the reader and the door opened.
"I'll be fine, Jack," said the Doctor, slowly taking a step forward out of Jack's grasp. He gripped the chamber's doorframe tightly and turned back to give Jack one final glance. "You know, it might not work. I… might change." His eyes were full of concern-was he worried that Jack might not accept a new Doctor?
Jack kissed the Doctor on the forehead. He seemed to lean into it, relishing it. "It's fine," he murmured, feeling his resolve solidify. "Really." It was true. He didn't care what the Doctor looked like, as long as he was okay.
The Doctor gave him a weak smile before stepping in and closing the door.
It seemed like an eternity to Jack (more than enough time to take his spacesuit off), but it was probably only a few minutes that he was alone with his thoughts. Did he really mean it that he didn't mind if the Doctor regenerated? Or had he just said that?
He tried to imagine how a new Doctor might look, but he couldn't. There was no way he could have conceived of the difference between his first Doctor and the present one, after all, so he really had no basis for imagining a new one.
But he didn't mind, he decided. He'd take what he got. Even the faint worry that the new Doctor might no longer want to travel with him was far from his mind. All that mattered was that Jack wanted to stay with the Doctor no matter what he looked like.
He released the breath he hadn't even realized he was holding when the door opened and a familiar, tall form stepped out.
"There we go," said the Doctor, sounding pleased. He did a bit of a turn, beaming. "Still look the same, do I? I'm not half the old me and half the next me, or anything?"
"Nope," said Jack, shaking his head in relief. "You look perfect."
"Brilliant!" The Doctor coughed, making a face. "Oh, I'm still working out a few bugs, though." He cracked his neck. "I think I could go for a spot of tea right about now. What do you think?"
"Sounds like a plan to me," said Jack.
The Doctor slipped his hand into Jack's causing him to jump.
"That wasn't too bad, was it?" the Doctor went on. At least he'd recovered his talkativeness. "Just a minor crisis."
Jack snorted. "Minor crisis? I was jumping out of my skin!"
The Doctor smirked. "Were you worried about me, Jack?"
Jack didn't dignify that with a response.
"Thanks, though," said the Doctor quietly. "I know it's not the first time, but you… you saved my life. Or accommodated my vanity, but either way, I'm grateful."
"Well," said Jack, "it's what I'm here for."
The Doctor stopped suddenly and leaned in to give Jack a quick, unexpected kiss. Not that he was going to complain. "I'm glad you're here," the Doctor told him earnestly.
Jack smiled, holding the Doctor's gaze. Jack was glad he was here, too.
"Tea?" he said.
"Yes!" the Doctor exclaimed, tightening his grip on Jack's hand. "Tea, tea, tea. And biscuits?"
"Biscuits sound great."
Author: plaid_slytherin
Challenge: Resolutions
Rating: All Ages
Pairing: Ten/Jack
Spoilers/warnings: AU after The End of Time
Summary: When the Doctor and Jack run into a crisis, Jack resolves to stick with the Doctor, no matter what.
A/N: Just barely made it, but I made it. 1 down, 11 to go in my year of wintercompanion!
All scientific calculation said that the twin suns of Nylyn Tyr were supposed to have died in the year 67010. However, it was currently 67015 and it hadn't happened yet.
In Jack's opinion, they had no reason to be poking around on this planet. What did five years matter in the grand scheme of things?
"That's easy for you to say," said the Doctor, when Jack had voiced this thought, as they made their way across the arid, dead plain.
Jack snorted. "I thought history was changeable." He wished he could wipe the sweat from his forehead. The suit prevented that, though. Technically, he didn't need it, but the Doctor had thought the researchers, if they were still there, might be alarmed.
"Trust me," he'd said awkwardly, when they were still in the TARDIS. "It makes for… difficult questions."
The suns were still there, hanging hot and high next to each other in the blue-white sky. Nylyn Tyr was a harsh environment and had been unfit for human habitation for almost five hundred years. That had no guarantee of stopping curiosity, though. There was still a research base on the planet, after all.
"It is," said the Doctor. "Prediction is even more unreliable." The heat didn't seem to be affecting him, but it still made Jack nervous. Jack knew Time Lords were more resilient than humans, but he also knew the Doctor wasn't totally unbeatable.
And Jack definitely wasn't ready for the Doctor to regenerate. They'd come too close-far too close-just a few months before.
The Doctor had said little about the incident, hadn't even thanked Jack for helping him out of that sticky situation that had gotten them traveling together, but Jack had decided he'd reached the point where he didn't need the Doctor's thanks. It was enough to keep doing it. It was enough to stay by him.
Even if the Doctor kept dragging him to uncomfortable places. It was almost like he wanted to die.
Jack's thoughts were interrupted by the sight of the research station in the distance. It was a series of interconnected dome-like structures that reminded Jack somewhat of an old Earth film he'd gone to see back in the seventies.
"Bio dome," the Doctor murmured appreciatively. "Ionic fence…" He looked quite proud. "What clever humans! And all in the name of science. The inside should be perfectly habitable." His voice was muffled as he looked down, struggling to unzip the pocket on his protective suit to get at the sonic screwdriver. With some difficulty, he thumbed the controls and the sonic screwdriver bleeped.
Jack didn't notice a change in the fence, but the Doctor stepped right on through, so he followed.
"Hello?" the Doctor called, pulling his helmet off. "Anyone home?"
Jack followed suit, but there seemed to be no response. The Doctor approached the building cautiously, but there were no signs of life.
Jack was amazed at how pleasant it felt inside the bio dome. The air was somewhat stale, but despite the blazing pair of suns overhead, it didn't feel hot at all.
The Doctor seemed to be having the same thought.
"Controls are still working," he murmured. He gave the door a gentle shove and it swung open. "Can't have been abandoned long or we wouldn't be breathing."
"Well, it's good they've left, isn't it?" asked Jack, following him into the building.
"Oh, certainly." The Doctor set his helmet down by the door and unzipped his spacesuit. His jacket was rumpled and it was difficult for Jack to keep from staring.
He unzipped his own suit, tugging his damp T-shirt away from his chest.
"How can you stand to have all those layers on underneath?" he asked, pushing the bulky material down and stepping out of the suit.
The Doctor smirked. "I bet you'd like me to strip, wouldn't you?"
Jack felt a rush of heat, but he forced a grin. He really hated when the Doctor did that. "Guess you found me out," he said, chuckling.
The Doctor rewarded him with a smirk. "Never change, do you, Jack, even after all this time?"
Jack's grin broadened, became genuine. "You should talk!"
The Doctor pursed his lips. "Quite right, too." He clapped his hands together, his demeanor changing instantly. "Well, then. Let's make sure everyone's out and then we'll get back to the TARDIS before the radiation storms start. That would be a pickle if there ever was one." His brow furrowed. "What do you think they mean by that, anyhow? Pickled onion? Pickled eggs? Pickled herring? If we were on Ululailia, we might have pickled chubb!"
The further they walked into the bowels of the satiation, the more convinced Jack became that any researchers who had been here were long gone. They hadn't left in a hurry; there were no signs of a panic. They had simply left, with no intention of ever returning, letting their empty research station go to the ages. The Doctor and Jack were silent for most of this time, each of them preoccupied with his own thoughts.
"I suppose we should go," said the Doctor, his voice echoing in the empty mess hall.
"Yeah," said Jack. "Looks like they already got the message."
"Hmm," said the Doctor, as they headed back in the direction of the door. "Maybe we should've shot for an earlier time. Perhaps we're the reason… oh, bother, it's even giving me a headache." He rubbed his temples. "I can never keep straight what I'm supposed to do. I should start sending myself letters. But then, of course, I'd never know quite when to post them."
Jack wasn't quite sure how to respond to that as he stepped into his spacesuit. He'd written the odd note to himself now and then. It was a small comfort, at least, to know that there was somebody else in the same proverbial boat.
They hadn't been paying much attention to what was going on outside until the moment they opened the door.
It seemed like they had picked the right day after all.
Jack had never seen a sun die in person, but he had seen holo-vids, so he was reasonably sure he knew what he was looking at.
"We've got to get back to the TARDIS," said the Doctor.
Jack frowned. The radiation surges would come and go over the next few hours, though of course, it wasn't perfectly predictable.
"Can you get through that?" he asked the Doctor, looking out at the searing light. It would probably be better to go when the radiation levels were at their lowest, but it would be almost impossible to predict whether or not they'd stay like that until they reached the TARDIS.
"We can't exactly wait it out," said the Doctor thickly. Jack couldn't see his eyes through the thick dura-plastic of his visor, but he thought he could guess at the expression the Doctor was making.
He paused.
The Doctor took Jack's hesitation for consent. "Come on," he said, once more using the sonic screwdriver to get them out through the fence.
Even through the thick material of his suit, Jack could feel the searing heat. He'd never felt this kind of heat in his life. The irradiated room on Malcassairo had been different somehow, like a dull throbbing heat that he barely noticed. This, on the other hand, was almost unbearable, and they only had a mile to walk.
He wondered how it was for the Doctor.
A quick glance to his right gave him his answer.
The Doctor was flagging, his normally energetic stride seeming sluggish, as though he were carrying a great weight on his shoulders.
"You okay, Doc?" Jack asked.
There was a beat before the Doctor replied. "Yeah," he said slowly, his voice over the com-link sounding staticky and faint. "I'm all right."
Jack debated reaching out to take his arm to offer support, but he decided against it. It might cause more trouble than it was worth.
They were silent for the rest of the journey, though Jack continued to keep an eye on the Doctor, trying to ignore the uncomfortable prickle on the back of his neck.
The Doctor made it 5,265 feet before he collapsed.
Jack dropped to his knees beside him. "I thought you said you were all right."
Inside the helmet, he could see the Doctor's eyes narrow. "That was fifteen minutes ago," he wheezed. "Come on, now. Jack. You've got to get me in to the TARDIS. I think…" He took a deep breath, let it out through clenched teeth. "I think I'm going to-"
"Don't say it," said Jack sharply, hauling the Doctor to his feet and practically carrying him the last few yards to the TARDIS.
Jack hadn't considered the matter of how to get his key out of his spacesuit pocket, but the TARDIS doors opened anyway and Jack muttered his thanks to the ship as they entered.
"He'll be all right," he informed her as she hummed concernedly. "I've got him."
"Lab," said the Doctor, as Jack pulled his helmet off. "Get me to… the lab. And then leave me there. If I'm going to regenerate, I need-"
"Oh, no," said Jack, shucking his own helmet and helping the Doctor back up. "You can't get rid of me that easily."
The Doctor didn't respond. His head lolled dangerously to the side.
"Oh, no you don't," said Jack, working to get the Doctor's spacesuit off. "Where's an extra hand when you need it?"
The Doctor groaned. "Jack."
"Right, right." As gently as he could, he helped the Doctor across the console room.
Thankfully, the TARDIS had moved the lab so it was adjacent and Jack mentally thanked her again.
"You're not going to leave, are you?" asked the Doctor.
"Not on your life," said Jack. "I've got you this far, I'm not giving up now. I like this regeneration too much to let it go just yet."
"Jack," said the Doctor again. "Please."
"No way," said Jack firmly.
The Doctor didn't say anything, but there was a slight hint of a smile on his lips. "If you want to help me, get me into the cryochamber."
"Okay," said Jack, hoping it would very soon become obvious what the cryochamber was.
"There," said the Doctor weakly, pointing to a sleek, conical contraption that looked just barely tall enough to stand up in. "Jack, hurry. It's starting."
Jack didn't dare look down at the Doctor; he couldn't stop thinking of the half-regeneration he'd seen the day the Daleks stole the Earth. It had been so violent and shocking-he wasn't sure how a full regeneration would go. And he didn't want to find out.
"It's going to be okay," he told the Doctor, though he wasn't sure he really believed it.
"My hand," the Doctor said, and at first, Jack thought it had to do with his severed hand, but then he realized the chamber was keyed to the Doctor's handprint.
"Hang on," he said, shifting the Doctor in his arms so his right hand flopped in front of the security display. Weakly, the Doctor pressed his palm to the reader and the door opened.
"I'll be fine, Jack," said the Doctor, slowly taking a step forward out of Jack's grasp. He gripped the chamber's doorframe tightly and turned back to give Jack one final glance. "You know, it might not work. I… might change." His eyes were full of concern-was he worried that Jack might not accept a new Doctor?
Jack kissed the Doctor on the forehead. He seemed to lean into it, relishing it. "It's fine," he murmured, feeling his resolve solidify. "Really." It was true. He didn't care what the Doctor looked like, as long as he was okay.
The Doctor gave him a weak smile before stepping in and closing the door.
It seemed like an eternity to Jack (more than enough time to take his spacesuit off), but it was probably only a few minutes that he was alone with his thoughts. Did he really mean it that he didn't mind if the Doctor regenerated? Or had he just said that?
He tried to imagine how a new Doctor might look, but he couldn't. There was no way he could have conceived of the difference between his first Doctor and the present one, after all, so he really had no basis for imagining a new one.
But he didn't mind, he decided. He'd take what he got. Even the faint worry that the new Doctor might no longer want to travel with him was far from his mind. All that mattered was that Jack wanted to stay with the Doctor no matter what he looked like.
He released the breath he hadn't even realized he was holding when the door opened and a familiar, tall form stepped out.
"There we go," said the Doctor, sounding pleased. He did a bit of a turn, beaming. "Still look the same, do I? I'm not half the old me and half the next me, or anything?"
"Nope," said Jack, shaking his head in relief. "You look perfect."
"Brilliant!" The Doctor coughed, making a face. "Oh, I'm still working out a few bugs, though." He cracked his neck. "I think I could go for a spot of tea right about now. What do you think?"
"Sounds like a plan to me," said Jack.
The Doctor slipped his hand into Jack's causing him to jump.
"That wasn't too bad, was it?" the Doctor went on. At least he'd recovered his talkativeness. "Just a minor crisis."
Jack snorted. "Minor crisis? I was jumping out of my skin!"
The Doctor smirked. "Were you worried about me, Jack?"
Jack didn't dignify that with a response.
"Thanks, though," said the Doctor quietly. "I know it's not the first time, but you… you saved my life. Or accommodated my vanity, but either way, I'm grateful."
"Well," said Jack, "it's what I'm here for."
The Doctor stopped suddenly and leaned in to give Jack a quick, unexpected kiss. Not that he was going to complain. "I'm glad you're here," the Doctor told him earnestly.
Jack smiled, holding the Doctor's gaze. Jack was glad he was here, too.
"Tea?" he said.
"Yes!" the Doctor exclaimed, tightening his grip on Jack's hand. "Tea, tea, tea. And biscuits?"
"Biscuits sound great."