Fic: Starting Over 5/6 (Donna, Martha, Jack, Ten) [PG]

[hence_the_name]

Title: Starting Over (5/6)
Author: hence-the-name
Characters Donna, Jack, Martha, Ten
Pairing: Jack/Ten
Rating: PG
Spoilers: All of New Who and Torchwood. Takes place after Journey’s End.
Summary: The TARDIS lands in Cardiff with a mysteriously ill Doctor on board.

A/N: Once again, my thanks for my readers' patience with the delay between chapters. Between

Comments

[adafrog]

Great section, thanks.

[hence_the_name]

Thank you!

[slyreflection]

Oh Arda. It's so... *sigh*. Your fic is so moving; it has the amazing quality of being not at all melodramatic, almost restrained really, and yet evoking such strong, strong emotions. It isn't right, but I'm glad that for the Doctor and Donna a little bit of it can be right again.
Oh, Jack. That line killed me, really... sometimes the Doctor can be so selfish, especially when it comes to Jack... when his companions don't need his protection, sometimes he seems to forget that they need him in other ways too. Still, you characterize his tenderness mixed up in all his complexity very well, and I love this version of the crew.
Thanks for the update! I really love this fic :D.

[hence_the_name]

Thank you! Your comment brought a huge smile to my face. This has been a tough one to write, so I'm really happy to hear that it's affected you so deeply.

Jack is so good at hiding his vulnerability from the Doctor, I don't think the Doctor realizes how badly he's still hurting. He's very conflicted with how he feels about the Doctor; I'm glad that came across.

Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment!

[wendymr]

Oh, another chapter! And how wonderful :) Donna and the Doctor both get their memories back, and Donna understands.

And I absolutely adore what you did with Jack here, and with Donna just keeping the Doctor company and talking about Wilf until he fell asleep.

This is so plausible; of course Jack would be hurt and angry:

“You could have let me say goodbye!” Jack’s hand came down hard on the countertop. He glared at the Doctor with tears standing out in his eyes. He drew a ragged breath. “You aren’t the only one who loves her, you know.”

Oh yes. And the Doctor, even though he more or less acknowledged that in Utopia, didn't give them any time together in JE. :(

But I love this, too, and it's a gorgeous image to leave us with while we wait for the final chapter:

ll day, he had had to keep his distance from him when all he wanted to come close, to offer the comfort of a hug or an arm around his shoulders, and then the knowledge of what the Doctor had done had kept him away like the opposite end of a magnet. He sighed. “You bastard

[hence_the_name]

Thank you! Donna talking the Doctor to sleep is my favorite part of this chapter. :) I'm glad you liked it, too.

Jack's feelings about the Doctor are so complicated right now; he's hurt and angry but he also just wants to be near him and be quiet with him. It was a tough balance to strike so I'm glad I got it across. :)

I figured after the last couple of cliffhangers I'd end with something nice and gentle. ;) Hopefully the wait won't be too long...we'll see how the end of the semester goes...

[daisybblue]

Oh, this was worth waiting for. You build dramatic tension beautifully, never letting it slip into melodrama. I look forward to the next part.

[hence_the_name]

Thank you!

[dark_aegis]

That was wonderful and well worth the wait. I love what you've done here. Donna and the Doctor have their memories back. And Jack's angry with the Doctor (of course he is!). But what I adored the most about this was the Doctor asking Donna to stay. It made me rather happy. I can't wait for the next installment :)

[hence_the_name]

Thank you! Donna talking the Doctor to sleep is my favorite part of this chapter, too. :)

Jack's feelings about the Doctor are so conflicted...he's hurt and angry and sad and also just wants to be able to be there for him.

I'm really glad you enjoyed this! :) Hopefully the next couple of weeks won't kill me with work and I'll be able to let the muse out to play!