Fic: Devil or Angel (1/?)
Title: Devil or Angel (1/?)
Author: momdaegmorgan - My master fic list
Rating: Adult
Spoilers: Doomsday
Characters/Pairings: Ten/Rose, Jack, other characters
Summary: Rose and the Doctor have been reunited and are once again traveling through time and space together. They're also finally being honest about their feelings for one another but there are still secrets being kept, secrets that could threaten their newfound closeness.
Sequel to You've Got to Hide Your Love Away. It helps to have read that first.
Disclaimer: Doctor Who owns my soul. I own nothing.
Author's Note: Updates will be every Friday. Beta by sinecure
In the last six months, Jack Harkness had been told no less than two secrets, been the bearer of bad news three times, withheld important information from one of his closest friends, and lost said friend in the process. He'd also watched another friend hit rock bottom, twice, felt at least partly to blame for both of those times, and was, in a different sort of way, losing her as well.
But he was happy.
Well, maybe happy wasn't exactly the right word. Because he wasn't. Wasn't happy that he'd had to watch the two people that meant the most to him hurting so badly and for so long. Neither was he happy that he'd come so very close to losing one of them more permanently than through a simple broken friendship.
And the choices that he'd made, both before and after coming to Pete's world...well, he wasn't too happy about those either.
But watching Rose and the Doctor smiling at each other from across the console, Jack felt a rightness in the universe that he hadn't felt in well over a century. He knew there was a good chance that this would be his last trip in the TARDIS, possibly even the last time he saw either of his friends again, but he was okay with that.
Because, as long as he knew that they were out there, together, traveling amongst the stars, that was all that mattered.
“Ready?” the Doctor's voice rang out across the console room, and though there were a total of five other passengers on board, he only had eyes for the one.
Even from across the room, Jack could see the twinkle in Rose's eyes, the way her face lit up and glowed with excitement. She didn't answer the Doctor, didn't have to, they knew each other so well there was no need for such obvious statements as yes or forever.
Without even a cursory glance around the room to see if everyone else was ready, the Doctor began his familiar dance around the console, flipping switches, spinning dials, and, occasionally, slamming his trusty mallet into one part of the console or another. Rose, even after all the years of separation, found her place by his side, pushing down this button or toggling that lever as needed. She hesitated sometimes, needing the occasional reminder as to where the trans-dimensional matrix was or what direction to twist the phase shifting calibrator, but, other than that it was an almost flawless routine.
They complimented each other.
Jack could've helped; he knew the TARDIS controls like the back of his hand, had learned the intricacies of the ship's navigational panel during his first stint traveling with the two of them. But the Doctor didn't ask, and Jack knew that it wasn't completely due to the bad blood between them; he just wanted Rose by his side, not Jack.
Within minutes they were crossing dimensions, leaving one universe behind for another. The ship began to shudder and shake, forcing its occupants to grab onto the closest stable structure or risk being tossed about like rag dolls in a washing machine. Jack wrapped his arm around the support strut to his left, eyeing the two at the center of the storm, ready to jump in and offer his assistance if needed.
But, despite the Doctor's precarious position sprawled halfway across the console, and Rose's animated attempt to stay anchored by his side, they seemed to have everything under control. And when they reached out for each other at the same time, fingers intertwining perfectly, like they were made for one another, Jack knew everything was going to be all right.
~~~
“Talk to him,” Rose said, nudging Jack with her shoulder and nodding her head toward the open door of the TARDIS.
Jack let his gaze wander in the direction she'd indicated, peering inside, trying to catch a glimpse of the Doctor. But it was no use, he was probably firmly entrenched beneath the console, knee-deep in circuitry, attempting to fix whatever essential system had gone haywire during their trek back through the void.
Avoiding Jack in the process.
“Probably better if I don't,” he said, keeping his voice light. Rose didn't need to worry about him right now, not when she had everything she wanted waiting for her just a few feet away. “Besides,” he added before she could voice her objections, “I think he's a bit anxious to get going. Probably bouncing off the walls in there.” He forced a smile to his lips but could tell by the look on her face that she wasn't buying it. Instead of pushing the issue like he expected however, she turned to face the Millennium Center and the entrance to Torchwood.
Home. His home. But not hers, not anymore.
“I'm gonna miss this place,” she mused and he didn't miss the wistfulness in her voice. “Gonna miss working with you. Working with them.” He turned and followed her gaze to the small group of people standing by the invisible lift.
The Doctor had managed to bring them back to a time just over a week after they'd left. Luckily there'd been very little rift activity during their absence, but Tosh and Ianto had sounded more than relieved when Jack called to say they were just outside. The happy welcome back had quickly turned into a tearful farewell though, as everyone said their goodbyes to the woman who had become such an integral part of their team in just a few short weeks.
Watching them--the people he thought of as more than just his employees--he realized how much he'd missed this place too. How much he missed the way Gwen and Ianto gently ribbed each other, the way Tosh watched Owen out of the corner of her eye when she thought no one was looking, and Owen, with more and more frequency lately, watched her too.
It was good to be home.
A tense but companionable silence stretched out between them as Rose lost herself in memories of this place, these people. Jack kept silent, reluctant to interrupt, to expedite her departure. He knew he couldn't keep her anymore, that she was never really his in the first place, but he wasn't ready to give her up just yet either. He'd always felt a closeness with Rose, ever since the barrage balloon, when he saved her from plummeting to her death, and she and the Doctor saved him from a meaningless life pulling con after con just to stay alive.
After she'd returned from Pete's world just as incapable of death as he was, their bond had grown even deeper. They'd both found in each other a kindred spirit, someone who understood what it was like to be immortal. Even the Doctor couldn't share that with her, because he would die eventually, like everyone else. It'd just take him a lot longer. But Rose would live forever, like Jack, and to give up that sort of kinship with her...well, it didn't matter; they had all of time to find one another again.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her turn back, saw the look of hesitation on her face. She was beating herself up over things that she had no control over again. It reminded him so much of the Doctor that he'd laugh if he didn't think she was seriously considering staying here just so he wouldn't have to be alone for the rest of time.
“Jack, I...”
He shook his head, stopping her from making whatever self-effacing statement she was considering. “No.” He cupped her cheeks in his hands, holding her gaze with his own, insistent that she hear him out. “I know you feel bad about this, but don't. It's not your fault.”
“But...I asked you to keep things from him. Made you promise.” She lowered her gaze to a spot somewhere between their feet.
“Rose, look at me.” He waited until her eyes lifted to his before continuing. “I made my own decision not to tell him. And I'd do it again in a heartbeat if you asked me to. Even if I don't agree with the reasons.”
And he didn't.
He'd never thought it was a good idea for her to hide herself away from the Doctor. But it wasn't just her; the Doctor had sent her away before, made decisions for her too, and...well, he had a tendency to do that to everyone.
He'd been wrong about it before, just as Rose had been wrong when she refused to let Jack contact the Doctor until fate had finally forced her hand. Maybe one day they'd both realize they weren't protecting each other, weren't saving one another from some awful fate, but were in fact, only making the hurt worse.
Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Jack focused his attention back on Rose. “Look, none of that matters now. What does matter is that you've been given a second chance. Both of you."
She tossed a look over her shoulder at the TARDIS, light brown hair brushing against his hand as she did so. When she turned back to him she couldn't hide the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “Yeah,” she agreed, “I guess you're right.”
Grasping her by the shoulders, Jack pulled her close, hugging her against him, preventing her from seeing his own smile fighting for control of his lips. “So go on then. Get back to him before he's taken apart half the console and you two end up stuck here for weeks.” He paused before adding, “With Owen stopping by twice a day to see if you 'need anything'.”
Face buried in his chest, her body trembled, not with the tears he was certain she'd been so close to shedding just a few minutes ago, but with barely contained laughter. Her arms snaked around his back, returning his embrace, squeezing him once tightly before pulling away with a smile that not only lit up her whole face, but reached her eyes as well.
“Thank you, Jack.” She placed a gentle kiss to his cheek before turning to the TARDIS.
Jack stayed where he was, watching as she walked away from him, waiting until the TARDIS dematerialized, the Doctor and Rose with it, before returning to his team.
Author: momdaegmorgan - My master fic list
Rating: Adult
Spoilers: Doomsday
Characters/Pairings: Ten/Rose, Jack, other characters
Summary: Rose and the Doctor have been reunited and are once again traveling through time and space together. They're also finally being honest about their feelings for one another but there are still secrets being kept, secrets that could threaten their newfound closeness.
Sequel to You've Got to Hide Your Love Away. It helps to have read that first.
Disclaimer: Doctor Who owns my soul. I own nothing.
Author's Note: Updates will be every Friday. Beta by sinecure
In the last six months, Jack Harkness had been told no less than two secrets, been the bearer of bad news three times, withheld important information from one of his closest friends, and lost said friend in the process. He'd also watched another friend hit rock bottom, twice, felt at least partly to blame for both of those times, and was, in a different sort of way, losing her as well.
But he was happy.
Well, maybe happy wasn't exactly the right word. Because he wasn't. Wasn't happy that he'd had to watch the two people that meant the most to him hurting so badly and for so long. Neither was he happy that he'd come so very close to losing one of them more permanently than through a simple broken friendship.
And the choices that he'd made, both before and after coming to Pete's world...well, he wasn't too happy about those either.
But watching Rose and the Doctor smiling at each other from across the console, Jack felt a rightness in the universe that he hadn't felt in well over a century. He knew there was a good chance that this would be his last trip in the TARDIS, possibly even the last time he saw either of his friends again, but he was okay with that.
Because, as long as he knew that they were out there, together, traveling amongst the stars, that was all that mattered.
“Ready?” the Doctor's voice rang out across the console room, and though there were a total of five other passengers on board, he only had eyes for the one.
Even from across the room, Jack could see the twinkle in Rose's eyes, the way her face lit up and glowed with excitement. She didn't answer the Doctor, didn't have to, they knew each other so well there was no need for such obvious statements as yes or forever.
Without even a cursory glance around the room to see if everyone else was ready, the Doctor began his familiar dance around the console, flipping switches, spinning dials, and, occasionally, slamming his trusty mallet into one part of the console or another. Rose, even after all the years of separation, found her place by his side, pushing down this button or toggling that lever as needed. She hesitated sometimes, needing the occasional reminder as to where the trans-dimensional matrix was or what direction to twist the phase shifting calibrator, but, other than that it was an almost flawless routine.
They complimented each other.
Jack could've helped; he knew the TARDIS controls like the back of his hand, had learned the intricacies of the ship's navigational panel during his first stint traveling with the two of them. But the Doctor didn't ask, and Jack knew that it wasn't completely due to the bad blood between them; he just wanted Rose by his side, not Jack.
Within minutes they were crossing dimensions, leaving one universe behind for another. The ship began to shudder and shake, forcing its occupants to grab onto the closest stable structure or risk being tossed about like rag dolls in a washing machine. Jack wrapped his arm around the support strut to his left, eyeing the two at the center of the storm, ready to jump in and offer his assistance if needed.
But, despite the Doctor's precarious position sprawled halfway across the console, and Rose's animated attempt to stay anchored by his side, they seemed to have everything under control. And when they reached out for each other at the same time, fingers intertwining perfectly, like they were made for one another, Jack knew everything was going to be all right.
~~~
“Talk to him,” Rose said, nudging Jack with her shoulder and nodding her head toward the open door of the TARDIS.
Jack let his gaze wander in the direction she'd indicated, peering inside, trying to catch a glimpse of the Doctor. But it was no use, he was probably firmly entrenched beneath the console, knee-deep in circuitry, attempting to fix whatever essential system had gone haywire during their trek back through the void.
Avoiding Jack in the process.
“Probably better if I don't,” he said, keeping his voice light. Rose didn't need to worry about him right now, not when she had everything she wanted waiting for her just a few feet away. “Besides,” he added before she could voice her objections, “I think he's a bit anxious to get going. Probably bouncing off the walls in there.” He forced a smile to his lips but could tell by the look on her face that she wasn't buying it. Instead of pushing the issue like he expected however, she turned to face the Millennium Center and the entrance to Torchwood.
Home. His home. But not hers, not anymore.
“I'm gonna miss this place,” she mused and he didn't miss the wistfulness in her voice. “Gonna miss working with you. Working with them.” He turned and followed her gaze to the small group of people standing by the invisible lift.
The Doctor had managed to bring them back to a time just over a week after they'd left. Luckily there'd been very little rift activity during their absence, but Tosh and Ianto had sounded more than relieved when Jack called to say they were just outside. The happy welcome back had quickly turned into a tearful farewell though, as everyone said their goodbyes to the woman who had become such an integral part of their team in just a few short weeks.
Watching them--the people he thought of as more than just his employees--he realized how much he'd missed this place too. How much he missed the way Gwen and Ianto gently ribbed each other, the way Tosh watched Owen out of the corner of her eye when she thought no one was looking, and Owen, with more and more frequency lately, watched her too.
It was good to be home.
A tense but companionable silence stretched out between them as Rose lost herself in memories of this place, these people. Jack kept silent, reluctant to interrupt, to expedite her departure. He knew he couldn't keep her anymore, that she was never really his in the first place, but he wasn't ready to give her up just yet either. He'd always felt a closeness with Rose, ever since the barrage balloon, when he saved her from plummeting to her death, and she and the Doctor saved him from a meaningless life pulling con after con just to stay alive.
After she'd returned from Pete's world just as incapable of death as he was, their bond had grown even deeper. They'd both found in each other a kindred spirit, someone who understood what it was like to be immortal. Even the Doctor couldn't share that with her, because he would die eventually, like everyone else. It'd just take him a lot longer. But Rose would live forever, like Jack, and to give up that sort of kinship with her...well, it didn't matter; they had all of time to find one another again.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her turn back, saw the look of hesitation on her face. She was beating herself up over things that she had no control over again. It reminded him so much of the Doctor that he'd laugh if he didn't think she was seriously considering staying here just so he wouldn't have to be alone for the rest of time.
“Jack, I...”
He shook his head, stopping her from making whatever self-effacing statement she was considering. “No.” He cupped her cheeks in his hands, holding her gaze with his own, insistent that she hear him out. “I know you feel bad about this, but don't. It's not your fault.”
“But...I asked you to keep things from him. Made you promise.” She lowered her gaze to a spot somewhere between their feet.
“Rose, look at me.” He waited until her eyes lifted to his before continuing. “I made my own decision not to tell him. And I'd do it again in a heartbeat if you asked me to. Even if I don't agree with the reasons.”
And he didn't.
He'd never thought it was a good idea for her to hide herself away from the Doctor. But it wasn't just her; the Doctor had sent her away before, made decisions for her too, and...well, he had a tendency to do that to everyone.
He'd been wrong about it before, just as Rose had been wrong when she refused to let Jack contact the Doctor until fate had finally forced her hand. Maybe one day they'd both realize they weren't protecting each other, weren't saving one another from some awful fate, but were in fact, only making the hurt worse.
Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Jack focused his attention back on Rose. “Look, none of that matters now. What does matter is that you've been given a second chance. Both of you."
She tossed a look over her shoulder at the TARDIS, light brown hair brushing against his hand as she did so. When she turned back to him she couldn't hide the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “Yeah,” she agreed, “I guess you're right.”
Grasping her by the shoulders, Jack pulled her close, hugging her against him, preventing her from seeing his own smile fighting for control of his lips. “So go on then. Get back to him before he's taken apart half the console and you two end up stuck here for weeks.” He paused before adding, “With Owen stopping by twice a day to see if you 'need anything'.”
Face buried in his chest, her body trembled, not with the tears he was certain she'd been so close to shedding just a few minutes ago, but with barely contained laughter. Her arms snaked around his back, returning his embrace, squeezing him once tightly before pulling away with a smile that not only lit up her whole face, but reached her eyes as well.
“Thank you, Jack.” She placed a gentle kiss to his cheek before turning to the TARDIS.
Jack stayed where he was, watching as she walked away from him, waiting until the TARDIS dematerialized, the Doctor and Rose with it, before returning to his team.