#333- Of Box and Officers
Over a hundred and sixty years of perfectly crafted con artistry, and the best the Captain could come up with was a police officer? Did he pick the disguise because he was lazy, or because it was a particularly witty jab at his blue box? The Doctor didn’t believe either; he believed that Jack was sure that nobody would ever find him again.
Well, if that were the case, maybe he should have thought twice before zooming around the universe.
Still though, nobody on Earth would come looking for him. What was left of Torchwood had now retired, except him. He would never retire, and he would never want to. The Doctor had seen further then this point in Earth’s timeline. Somebody was keeping it safe and secure while he was away.
But somebody was also screwing around in the universe. Somebody other than himself.
Somebody was playing in HIS sandbox!
“Excuse me, officer” The Doctor tapped the Captain’s shoulder from behind, and spun around to capture his attention away from a busty blonde. Apparently, she assumed the pedestrian always has the right away, because she walked off with her nose up rather high. Well, that was too damn bad. And might I just say that you’re looking absolutely ridiculous in that. 2054, and they can’t help but make you all look like a bunch of well dressed apes”.
“That sounds like the Doctor I first met, not the one who shoved off with Rose”.
Ooh. Touché. Doctor knew that Jack wasn’t being snippy because he was sore. He just wanted to avoid conversation. He wanted to avoid another potential loss. Or maybe he could sense why the Doctor was actually there.
“Hey now we know you’ve got a bit of a soft spot for blondes as well, now don’t we? Captain Jack Harkness, who isn’t a Captain or a Jack at all. And now you’re playing dress up again?”
“I’m an official police officer actually. It comes with benefits. Had to work outside of Cardiff but…” Jack paused, smiled and laughed. How easily he’d submitted to small talk. But it was so nice… to see the Doctor again. And he was still the same! He hadn’t regenerated just yet. Considering the danger he could get into…
But Jack didn’t want to get attached again. He just wanted to save the universe and fuck.
“Doctor... I don’t know how long it’s been for you. But you know it’s been years for me. We’ve got younger people running Torchwood. If you need help, go talk to them”.
“If I needed Torchwood, I would have found Torchwood. Not you”.
“Alright then…” The anomaly brushed off invisible lint from his uniform, and attempted to give the Doctor a familiar smile, “Then why did you find me?”
“Because somebody has been buzzing around the universe,” Before Jack could object, and explain that he no longer used his vortex manipulator with the exception of extreme circumstance, the Doctor held up a hand for silence. “In a Tardis. Once or twice. It’s got it’s chameleon up and running, so it thinks it can disguise itself. But the idiot whose piloting it is rather daft because-“
“Alright alright!” Jack held his hands up in defeat, “So you caught me. But I didn’t know it was going to grow up into a ship. I just used it as a paperweight!”
“Jack….”
“Alright, alright… Come on. I’ll show you where I’m hiding her!”