Fic: Living Paradox, by wendymr and dark_aegis: 3/3
Story: Living Paradox
Authors: wmr/ wendymr and Gillian Taylor/ dark_aegis
Characters: Ninth Doctor, Jack Harkness, Rose Tyler
Rated: PG
Disclaimer: Not ours, or Jack would have been around a lot longer!
Summary: There are reasons the Time Lords tried to police time. This is one of them.
Written for measi as an incentive fic for bidding on wendymr in the April Support Stacie Auction. dark_aegis very kindly agreed to write it with me. I'm hugely embarrassed that it took so long to write this, and I hope that the longer story than promised is sufficient recompense. The prompt was dark and stormy night; well, we did mention it! With very many thanks to yamx for BRing.
Chapter 1: Now You See Him... l Chapter 2: Paradox
Chapter 3: Resurrecting the Dead
She did it. She’s saved Jack. Or Douglas, or whatever his name really is.
The Doctor’s going to be pleased. She turns to look back across the street at him; she caught sight of him while Jack was arguing with the bloke with the gun. But he’s staring at her, eyes wide and horrified.
And then her breath goes out of her with a whoosh as she’s dragged, pulled down and she hits the ground with a thump.
“Ow!” she yells. “What you do that for?”
“You almost got killed!” Jack yells. “What’d you do that for? God, now I really do believe you. Only a civilian could be that stupid.”
If she’d known that was all it’d take to get him to believe her... Jack Harkness really can be an idiot sometimes. He was convinced that she was a rogue agent or a spy, and nothing she could say would change his mind. But then it’s not the first time he’s jumped to conclusions about her, is it?
Oh! It’s all there in her mind now, from tumbling into Jack’s arms and saying hello twice to flirting and dancing with him, to the Doctor saving him, and then the last three weeks of adventures and fun and laughter and the three of them becoming a team. She remembers.
Jack’s looming over her, his face very close to hers, and she almost reaches up to touch him, to hug him and tell him how glad she is that it worked, that he’s alive. But, abruptly, he rolls over and jumps to his feet, running across the road. “Sampson! You cowardly bastard!”
She collapses to the ground again, breathing heavily. That was close. God, too close for words. This Jack shouldn’t ever have met her; not here, not now. And there she was talking to him, or, rather, letting him harangue her with questions, for more than five minutes. And then she nearly went and hugged him and called him by a name he obviously wasn’t using at this point in his life. What has she done? Oh, and how much worse it could have been.
The Doctor’s going to be furious.
But Jack’s alive. And she remembers him. That has to mean everything’s okay, doesn’t it?
***
Jack's gone chasing after that Sampson bloke, but he doesn't feel as though the Captain's life is in any danger now. No, this is something completely different.
Rose.
He's at her side in an instant, dropping to his knees beside her. “What did you do?” he asks. That's the first thing to come out of his mouth when it should've been a question as to whether she's all right. Course she is, though. She's sitting right here, isn't she? A little breathless, maybe, but fine.
“I-I'm sorry,” Rose stammers. “I didn't mean to. He just - he saw me. I don't exactly blend in and he confronted me, accusin' me of being a spy. I tried to get out of it, I really did, but it didn't work.”
Damnit. Jack can't meet Rose yet. That'd cause another paradox. Though, strangely, he doesn't sense that another paradox is imminent (or already in place). Time's evened out.
“Rose-” he begins.
“I know! I know I wasn't supposed to talk to him. I know he wasn't even supposed to see me, but I don't really blend in around here. The locals just moved and he spotted me,” Rose says, her eyes filling with tears. “I've mucked it all up again, haven't I?” She glances at the sky and he realises she's looking for Reapers.
“Maybe not,” he allows. “What did you tell him?”
She shakes her head. “Told him nothing. Just that I wasn't a spy. Said I was a civilian. He didn't believe me, though. But that's all right, isn't it? I mean, I remember Jack now.”
He blinks and focuses on her intently. “You do?”
She nods. “I remember everything. All of the last three weeks he's been with us. Everything up to when he disappeared. I remember it all.”
That's… that's good. No, that's really good. If she remembers, and the paradox has ended, that means this is sorted. He grins. “Ha! Ha ha! I knew it!” He leans in and smacks a kiss on her forehead, then helps her back to her feet. “Don't you see, Rose? It's fantastic! Ha! Time really did sort it out, didn't it? Regardless of what you might've done!”
She looks at him like he's lost his mind. He hasn't, of course. He's brilliant. “What? Doctor, tell me what happened.”
“Two years, Rose! Jack said he lost two years. How much you wanna bet that's when this happened? Two years he lost, and because of that, he doesn't remember you. Doesn't remember any of this.”
Her lips form into a little 'oh'. “So where is he, then? We saved him, right? I remember him, and you said I didn't cause a paradox, so where is he?”
Ah. Good point. “There're two places he might've ended up once the paradox reversed itself. Might be back in the TARDIS, or he might be here, just twenty-five years from now.”
Her brow furrows as she looks at him. “Doesn't make sense, though. If he's back in the TARDIS, wouldn't he always have been there? Didn't think just anything could turn up in there.”
He nods. “Time's a little tricky that way.”
“That's just… I give up. I don't think I'm ever gonna get this paradox stuff. I mean, there's my dad being alive when he shouldn't've been, and almost getting eaten by Reapers and now there's this. Jack getting killed before he ever met us, me forgetting about him, but no Reapers. And now that it's sorted, what? He just pops back like nothing ever happened? I mean, what would he remember?”
He shakes his head. “Don't know. Never been in a paradox like this before. This is the sort of thing my people would've stopped before it ever happened. Time travel used to be something that not just anyone had access to. Now look at it. It's like the latest fad.”
“So, there could be other paradoxes out there? Other things that change history an' you don't know about it?” Rose asks.
She's clever, this one. “Yep. It's possible. Only I don't know about it ‘cause the paradox isn't big enough to catch my attention.”
She shakes her head. “All of this is so… mental. Right. Doesn't matter. Let's find Jack. I miss him, you know. Jack. Even if he's never been gone, feels like it. It's wrong that we went through all of this without him.”
It is, and isn't. That's the joys of time travel. He nods. “C'mon, then. Back to the TARDIS.”
Rose is quiet on the way back to the TARDIS, probably mulling over what happened. “What about the bone?” she asks before he has the chance to slip his key into the lock.
“What about it?”
“Is it still there? Inside the TARDIS, that is. ‘Cause wouldn't that be bad? I mean, if Jack's in there an' he happens to touch it…”
Oh. That'd be bad. Very bad. He needs to get rid of the thing before Jack can. He opens the door and hurries inside, aiming straight for the console. It's only when he grabs the bone that he realises that it's not just Rose and himself inside the TARDIS.
“Doctor? Rose? What the hell just happened?” Jack asks, his face ashen. Timelines snap into place in an instant and he knows what's about to happen.
“Rose!” he commands, not having enough time to get rid of the bone and reach Jack's side in time.
She runs towards the Captain just as the lad's knees buckle and he collapses. This is what he saw. There is another paradox in place right here and now.
“Doctor! What's wrong with him?” Rose asks, touching her hand to Jack's brow. “He's burnin' up!”
He would do. Damn. Only one thing he can do. He hurries towards the doors of the TARDIS as he explains, “There're two things in the TARDIS that can't exist at the same time. Jack's alive and dead at once. Time's confused in here, despite the temporal grace. Jack's body's fightin' against it and humans aren’t meant to be able to withstand that.” He pulls the doors open and throws the bone outside. Can't have bits of the paradox this close together any more.
There's a brilliant flash of light as soon as the bit of bone exits the TARDIS's protective field. Time snaps again and Jack begins to groan.
***
“Jack!” She’d like to run and get cold cloths, but she’s not sure that she should leave him right now. The Doctor’s busy with something else so he’s no help.
“Rose?” Jack’s voice is more of a groan. “What just happened?”
“I dunn-” she begins, but the Doctor’s suddenly towering over them and he interrupts her.
“You were smack in the middle of a paradox, lad. All over now, though. Should be fine.” He extends a hand down to Jack, who accepts it and levers himself to his feet as if he wasn’t running a fever just seconds ago.
“A paradox? Whoo! That’d explain why I feel as if I almost got blasted out of existence,” Jack says, shaking his head.
“Truer than you think, Captain.” The Doctor studies Jack hard for a couple of moments, then nods. “Time for a cuppa, I think. You two go on. I’ll just take us into the Vortex, then I’ll come an’ join you.”
Jack obediently falls into step beside her, and that tells her how shaken up he is because normally he’d want to help the Doctor. “So, paradox, huh?” he says as they exit the console room. “What happened? ‘Cause the last thing I remember is walking down this street with the two of you, and there were these lizard people all around. Funny, though, I kinda sorta had the feeling I’d been there before, but I don’t remember when or why.”
“Yeah, that’s when it happened. You just vanished, Jack. It was like you were never there at all.”
His eyes widen. “Let me guess. Something changed in my past?”
She shouldn’t be surprised. Jack’s not a Time Lord, but he is a time-traveller. “Yeah. Someone killed you.”
He leans against the kitchen counter. “Any idea who? And if that’s what happened, how come I’m standing here now?”
As she makes the tea, she relates the story. Jack listens mostly in silence, interrupting just now and then for clarification. When she’s finished, he gives a low whistle. “So you guys tracked down what had happened and changed history back again? Stopped Sampson from killing me?”
“Course we did!” she exclaims. “Why would we do anything else?”
Jack doesn’t answer immediately. Instead, he turns to take mugs down from the wall-cupboards and get the sugar and milk ready. Finally, he says, “Sampson was in my unit. We never really got along all that well from the start, but I pissed him off when I caught a couple of rogue traders he’d been tracking for a while. I had no idea he was following them - just happened to see them smuggling narcotics off-planet and grabbed them. So I got the commendation, and he was on my case from then on.” He shakes his head. “Think the Doctor’s right - that must’ve been in the two years I don’t remember, ‘cause I don’t remember him trying to kill me. Don’t remember seeing you and talking to you, either.”
“Must be.” She pours the tea. “I’m just glad you’re back.”
“Me too.” He gives her a wide smile, then holds out his arms. She walks straight into them, accepting the hug and giving him a warm hug back.
“It’s weird,” she adds as they separate. “I remember all of it. Both knowing you an’ forgetting you. Can’t really get my head around that.”
He smiles. “Must’ve been weird, I guess, having the Doctor talking about someone you’d never heard of.”
“It was.” She nods. “Tell you what, though - he was practically frantic. An’ it wasn’t all because of the paradox, though he did say something about the universe endin’ in twenty days if we didn’t get you back.”
Jack snorts in evident disbelief. “Come on! The universe was gonna end because I wasn’t around? That’s crazy.”
She shrugs. “He said that’s what was gonna happen. Have to ask him about that, though he says it’s fine now. Anyway, like I said, besides that, he was worried about you. Desperate to get you back.”
Jack’s expression turns sceptical. “Nah. Doubt that.”
“He was, I swear,” she insists. “You didn’t see him.”
Jack frowns. “But he - I mean, he thought I was a waste of space after that nanogene screw-up. He only saved my life because you asked him to, right?”
“Nah, I saved you because everybody lived, an’ I wasn’t going to let you muck that one up too, Captain,” the Doctor comments dryly from behind them, and they both whirl around.
Jack’s mouth tilts at one corner. “Figured it was something like that.” He shrugs. “Doctor, I... I don’t know what to say. Thank you sounds too little.”
“Didn’t have a choice, did I?” The Doctor shrugs, a little uncomfortably by the look of it. “Universe endin’ in twenty days if I didn’t.”
“Yeah, Rose said.” And it’s clear from Jack’s face that he actually believes the Doctor that that’s the only reason, even if he’s still sceptical about the end of the universe thing.
But then a grin breaks out across the Doctor’s face. “ ‘Sides, would’ve been a waste. You’ve just started to be useful around here.”
Jack’s eyes widen again, and he lunges at the Doctor, pretending to throw a punch. The Doctor blocks it, and the two of them burst out laughing.
When she’s finally managed to get the two of them calmed down enough to drink their tea, she asks the question that’s been on her mind ever since they fixed the paradox.
“Doctor, what was gonna happen if we didn’t get Jack back? How was the universe gonna end?”
Jack sits upright, completely alert. “Yeah, about that? That’s not possible, is it? I mean, what could I possibly have to do with saving the universe from ending?”
The Doctor shrugs. “Anyone could do that. The most insignificant person could have more impact than you can possibly imagine. All it takes is one person not where they’re supposed to be when they’re supposed to be, an’ everything collapses. One person can change history. As for how it would’ve ended, dunno, do I? It was a possible timeline. Well, it was the timeline we were headed for then, but now it’s just a possibility that won’t happen.”
“Good thing, too,” she says, and reaches out to cover Jack’s hand with hers, and then the Doctor’s with her other hand.
The Doctor turns his hand palm-upwards, curling his fingers around hers. With his free arm, he reaches past her to lay a hand on Jack’s shoulder. “Yep.”
***
It’s the Time War all over again. They’re surrounded by Dalek ships, thousands of them, with up to half a million Daleks ready to attack. And this time there’s only one of him. No armies of Time Lords to help; no ally nations and species there as back-up.
It’s just him, and a few humans who haven’t a clue what they’ve let themselves in for.
He’ll send Rose home, of course. He promised Jackie, and it’s a promise he intends to keep. The others... well, best not think about that.
Jack, more aware than any of the others of what’s going on and what their chances are, is saying goodbye. Rose wants reassurance that they’ll see him again, but he can’t give her that. Not this time. This is the end. Jack’s going to die, and he probably will too. But if they’re very, very lucky they won’t die for nothing. Their deaths will ensure the destruction of the Daleks too.
The Captain’s in front of him, saying something idiotic about being better off as a coward. And that’s when it hits him. This is it.
It’s twenty days since Semai. Twenty days since Jack was killed in his past and they had to undo the paradox. And here they are. Without Jack and what he’s going to do to delay the Daleks, he wouldn’t have a hope of building the Delta wave in time. Without Jack’s help on the TARDIS a few minutes ago, he’d never have been able to rescue Rose. Without Jack, the Daleks would proliferate and that'd be the beginning of the end of the universe. It would've been inevitable, then. No species other than Daleks. What'd be left if that happened wouldn't be worth calling a universe, then.
When Jack kisses him, he can’t find the will to respond. He can’t even say the words of thanks and farewell that the lad deserves.
He saved Jack’s life twice. But he’s saved him only to throw him as a sacrifice to the invading monsters below. How’s that doing the boy a favour?
It’s not right. It’s not fair. But he doesn’t have a choice.
The guilt sticks in his gut as he sends Rose home, a lump swelling in his throat at losing her. It’s burning in his chest as Jack tells him that he’s never doubted him, never will. And it’s practically crippling him as he hears the lad, defiant until the last, slamming against the wall as he’s cut down by Daleks. Exterminated.
When Rose comes back with the TARDIS, as one with the Time Vortex, he can’t help wishing she’d come two minutes sooner.
She brings Jack back to life, and he cringes at what the Captain’s become. Immortal. A fixed point. Wrong. And, when Rose almost burns up and he has to kiss the Vortex out of her and carry her back into the TARDIS, he’s tempted to run.
His hand’s on the dematerialisation switch when he stills. Stops. Remembers.
Without Jack, the universe would have ended today. Jack went to his death without complaint, actually volunteered for it, all for him. He’s not going to repay him with betrayal.
When Jack comes staggering into Satellite Five’s control room, he’s leaning against the TARDIS door-jamb waiting for him.
“Doctor,” Jack manages, sounding breathless and in pain. “What... what happened?”
“Long story.” He wraps an arm around Jack’s shoulders. “Come inside, lad. Rest.”
Jack’s gaze falls on Rose, lying still on the grating. “Is she...? I thought you sent her home!”
“I did. She came back. She’ll be fine. Just sleepin’, that’s all.”
“And you?” Jack’s gaze searches his face. “You okay?”
He’s not, but Jack doesn’t need to know that yet. Time enough to tell the two of them when Rose is awake. When it starts happening. “Never been better,” he insists cheerfully. “Daleks are all wiped out, the universe is saved, an’ we’re all alive. Fantastic!”
“Yeah.” Jack’s still leaning on him. “Think I could sleep for a week, though.”
“Time enough for that.” They’ll probably all need it. Regeneration sickness is gonna be bad this time, given what’s caused it.
“Doctor.” Jack’s face is very close to his. “I... I died. I know I did, but here I am alive again. I don’t know what you did this time, but thank you.” He leans in and, before the Doctor realises what he’s doing, human lips are pressed against his, firm and warm.
It’s not just an ordinary kiss. It’s a second or two before the Doctor realises what’s happening, but it’s too late to stop it. The power inside Jack, the force that’s keeping him alive, is attracting the Vortex inside him, the power he took from Rose and that’s going to cause him to regenerate.
He tears himself away from the young human. “Jack, no-”
It’s too late. Jack’s slumping to the floor, and golden light’s streaming from his open mouth and returning to the TARDIS.
***
Her head is killing her.
She lifts a hand and presses it against her forehead, as if by that pressure alone she can keep her brain from trying to dribble out her ears. It feels like the worst hangover she's ever had multiplied by at least a hundred. It takes her a moment to realise over the throbbing in her head that she's lying on something hard, something that is most definitely not her bed.
What the hell did she do last night?
Oh. Oh, god. She opens her eyes and winces as the harsh lighting of the TARDIS tries its best to sear her brain. The ship's lights dim obligingly and she pats the floor beside her in thanks with the one hand that isn't pressing against her forehead.
Last thing she remembers - and it's hard to remember much of anything beyond this headache - is her mum helping her get the TARDIS open. It took a big yellow lorry to do it, but it happened. She looked inside and… what?
She shakes her head, moaning as the movement jostles her brain. God, she hurts. The Doctor, though! Did it work? Did she manage to do it? Get back to him? She rolls onto her stomach, breathing deeply through her nose and exhaling through her mouth as the motion causes bile to rise into her throat. It'd be worth the pain if he and Jack are all right. That's what matters, right?
One inch at a time, she manages to rise to her hands and knees, carefully picking up her head to peer through narrowed eyes at the console room. Her hopes fall as an apparently empty room greets her gaze. She must have failed. Damn it!
Wait. What's that? There. Just beyond the captain's chair. Is that...? Feet! Oh, god, what if she did succeed, but too late to do anything about it? She grits her teeth as she forces herself to her feet, vertigo causing her to sway alarmingly. Somehow she manages to stumble her way through the seemingly infinite distance between those feet and herself without incident. It isn't until she rounds the chair that she realises just who those feet belong to.
It's Jack. And kneeling beside him is the Doctor.
There isn't enough time for her to even congratulate herself on a job well done. She moves to the Doctor's side, dropping to her knees and closing her eyes when it causes her stomach to churn uncomfortably.
“Is he all right?” she asks, or rather whispers, dreading the answer.
“Will be,” the Doctor replies. Even though she doesn't open her eyes she can feel the weight of his gaze upon her. “And you? How's your head?”
“Feels like it wants to explode, but I'm all right.” She manages to muster up a smile for him that she doesn't really feel.
“Liar. Will sort you once I'm sure Jack's all right.” There's something in his voice - worry? Is that it? - that makes her open her eyes again to study them both.
Jack's still unconscious, his face ashen. The Doctor, now that she has the chance to take a look at him, doesn't seem to have fared any better. He's equally pale, and is he shaking?
“Doctor, what happened?” she asks - no, that's definitely a demand.
“Don't you remember?” he counters. Even his voice is shaking! Oh, he hides it well, but it's definitely shaking.
“Are you all right?” she asks, giving him her full attention. He does really look terrible. Like all the life was just sucked out of him or something.
“Fine, me,” he says and she suppresses the urge to throttle him. She would do if he didn't look like he was about to fall over.
“Liar,” she says, echoing his earlier words. “No, really, Doctor, what happened?”
“What do you remember?” he asks.
“I remember bein' at home. Then I was here, openin' the TARDIS and there was this singing…”
“That's it,” he says, smiling brightly. “I sang a song and the Daleks all ran away.”
He's having her on. She knows he is. “Doctor, what happened to Jack? Seriously. No jokes. No Daleks running away. The truth.”
“You don't want to know,” he replies, sobering quickly.
She does hit him now, regardless of the way he looks. “Tell me, Doctor!”
“You did somethin' impossible, Rose. Should've been completely… well, you looked into the TARDIS-”
Yes! That much sounds familiar. “I remember that,” she says.
“You had the Vortex runnin' through you, Rose. For a few minutes, you were the most powerful being in all of creation.”
She was? Her eyes widen. “I was?”
He nods. “With all that power, an' you know what you did?”
“Saved you.” It isn't a question. She knows that's what happened. Has to be. Only reason he's here, right? Alive? And Jack, too, even if he's passed out.
“And him,” the Doctor says, nodding at Jack. “Problem is that it was too much for you. Human brain isn't meant to contain that sort of energy. No-one's brain is, actually. So I… took it from you.”
She remembers something. There was this light, and he was there, leaning towards her and- “You kissed me!” And she wasn't able to enjoy it properly! That’s not fair.
“Remember that, do you?”
“But why's Jack unconscious?” she asks, leaning over to brush her hand against his temple. He seems chilled, like he was hypothermic or something.
“Idiot saved my life,” the Doctor says.
Saved his- That's when she remembers what he was saying. About how no-one's mind can withstand the Vortex. He pulled it out of her. He was going to die! “What? Wait, what? You were dying?” For her? God, she almost killed him! If it weren't for Jack… No. She's not thinking about that.
“Yep. Bit temporary for me, though. I just come back.”
Before she has the chance to probe that particular response, Jack sits up suddenly, almost hitting her. “Jack!”
“Whoa. That was - ow. Remind me not to do that again, okay?” Jack says, pressing his hand against his own forehead.
She sympathises, really.
“You daft apes, the pair of you,” the Doctor says, shaking his head. “Don't you realise what you've done?”
“Um, no?” Jack says, looking confused.
“Saved the universe, you did! The pair of you! And we're all here, alive, nothing wrong with any of us!”
There was something wrong? Besides her head? And is this how the universe could’ve ended if Jack had stayed dead?
She doesn't have a chance to ask what he's on about before he's pressing a firm kiss against her lips. Is that his tongue? It is! By the time she gets her wits about her and is about to respond, he's moving on. Is he? Oh. My. God.
He's kissing Jack. No. That's a proper snog, that is.
Oh.
When he breaks for air, she's feeling rather flushed. She never realised just how, well, hot it is to watch two men making out.
“Could've ended up very different,” the Doctor says, reaching out to touch her and keeping one hand on Jack. “Now, c'mon, you two. To the medbay. Need to see to your injuries.”
“Then bed?” Jack asks, leaning around the Doctor give her a rather suggestive wink.
Her breath catches in her throat as she looks at the Doctor.
His grin is pure mischievousness as he replies, “Mine, or yours?”
“I fancy ours,” she counters and is rewarded by the stunned, and pleased, looks on both of their faces.
End
And, for anyone interested, a somewhat smutty Epilogue
Authors: wmr/ wendymr and Gillian Taylor/ dark_aegis
Characters: Ninth Doctor, Jack Harkness, Rose Tyler
Rated: PG
Disclaimer: Not ours, or Jack would have been around a lot longer!
Summary: There are reasons the Time Lords tried to police time. This is one of them.
Written for measi as an incentive fic for bidding on wendymr in the April Support Stacie Auction. dark_aegis very kindly agreed to write it with me. I'm hugely embarrassed that it took so long to write this, and I hope that the longer story than promised is sufficient recompense. The prompt was dark and stormy night; well, we did mention it! With very many thanks to yamx for BRing.
Chapter 1: Now You See Him... l Chapter 2: Paradox
Chapter 3: Resurrecting the Dead
She did it. She’s saved Jack. Or Douglas, or whatever his name really is.
The Doctor’s going to be pleased. She turns to look back across the street at him; she caught sight of him while Jack was arguing with the bloke with the gun. But he’s staring at her, eyes wide and horrified.
And then her breath goes out of her with a whoosh as she’s dragged, pulled down and she hits the ground with a thump.
“Ow!” she yells. “What you do that for?”
“You almost got killed!” Jack yells. “What’d you do that for? God, now I really do believe you. Only a civilian could be that stupid.”
If she’d known that was all it’d take to get him to believe her... Jack Harkness really can be an idiot sometimes. He was convinced that she was a rogue agent or a spy, and nothing she could say would change his mind. But then it’s not the first time he’s jumped to conclusions about her, is it?
Oh! It’s all there in her mind now, from tumbling into Jack’s arms and saying hello twice to flirting and dancing with him, to the Doctor saving him, and then the last three weeks of adventures and fun and laughter and the three of them becoming a team. She remembers.
Jack’s looming over her, his face very close to hers, and she almost reaches up to touch him, to hug him and tell him how glad she is that it worked, that he’s alive. But, abruptly, he rolls over and jumps to his feet, running across the road. “Sampson! You cowardly bastard!”
She collapses to the ground again, breathing heavily. That was close. God, too close for words. This Jack shouldn’t ever have met her; not here, not now. And there she was talking to him, or, rather, letting him harangue her with questions, for more than five minutes. And then she nearly went and hugged him and called him by a name he obviously wasn’t using at this point in his life. What has she done? Oh, and how much worse it could have been.
The Doctor’s going to be furious.
But Jack’s alive. And she remembers him. That has to mean everything’s okay, doesn’t it?
***
Jack's gone chasing after that Sampson bloke, but he doesn't feel as though the Captain's life is in any danger now. No, this is something completely different.
Rose.
He's at her side in an instant, dropping to his knees beside her. “What did you do?” he asks. That's the first thing to come out of his mouth when it should've been a question as to whether she's all right. Course she is, though. She's sitting right here, isn't she? A little breathless, maybe, but fine.
“I-I'm sorry,” Rose stammers. “I didn't mean to. He just - he saw me. I don't exactly blend in and he confronted me, accusin' me of being a spy. I tried to get out of it, I really did, but it didn't work.”
Damnit. Jack can't meet Rose yet. That'd cause another paradox. Though, strangely, he doesn't sense that another paradox is imminent (or already in place). Time's evened out.
“Rose-” he begins.
“I know! I know I wasn't supposed to talk to him. I know he wasn't even supposed to see me, but I don't really blend in around here. The locals just moved and he spotted me,” Rose says, her eyes filling with tears. “I've mucked it all up again, haven't I?” She glances at the sky and he realises she's looking for Reapers.
“Maybe not,” he allows. “What did you tell him?”
She shakes her head. “Told him nothing. Just that I wasn't a spy. Said I was a civilian. He didn't believe me, though. But that's all right, isn't it? I mean, I remember Jack now.”
He blinks and focuses on her intently. “You do?”
She nods. “I remember everything. All of the last three weeks he's been with us. Everything up to when he disappeared. I remember it all.”
That's… that's good. No, that's really good. If she remembers, and the paradox has ended, that means this is sorted. He grins. “Ha! Ha ha! I knew it!” He leans in and smacks a kiss on her forehead, then helps her back to her feet. “Don't you see, Rose? It's fantastic! Ha! Time really did sort it out, didn't it? Regardless of what you might've done!”
She looks at him like he's lost his mind. He hasn't, of course. He's brilliant. “What? Doctor, tell me what happened.”
“Two years, Rose! Jack said he lost two years. How much you wanna bet that's when this happened? Two years he lost, and because of that, he doesn't remember you. Doesn't remember any of this.”
Her lips form into a little 'oh'. “So where is he, then? We saved him, right? I remember him, and you said I didn't cause a paradox, so where is he?”
Ah. Good point. “There're two places he might've ended up once the paradox reversed itself. Might be back in the TARDIS, or he might be here, just twenty-five years from now.”
Her brow furrows as she looks at him. “Doesn't make sense, though. If he's back in the TARDIS, wouldn't he always have been there? Didn't think just anything could turn up in there.”
He nods. “Time's a little tricky that way.”
“That's just… I give up. I don't think I'm ever gonna get this paradox stuff. I mean, there's my dad being alive when he shouldn't've been, and almost getting eaten by Reapers and now there's this. Jack getting killed before he ever met us, me forgetting about him, but no Reapers. And now that it's sorted, what? He just pops back like nothing ever happened? I mean, what would he remember?”
He shakes his head. “Don't know. Never been in a paradox like this before. This is the sort of thing my people would've stopped before it ever happened. Time travel used to be something that not just anyone had access to. Now look at it. It's like the latest fad.”
“So, there could be other paradoxes out there? Other things that change history an' you don't know about it?” Rose asks.
She's clever, this one. “Yep. It's possible. Only I don't know about it ‘cause the paradox isn't big enough to catch my attention.”
She shakes her head. “All of this is so… mental. Right. Doesn't matter. Let's find Jack. I miss him, you know. Jack. Even if he's never been gone, feels like it. It's wrong that we went through all of this without him.”
It is, and isn't. That's the joys of time travel. He nods. “C'mon, then. Back to the TARDIS.”
Rose is quiet on the way back to the TARDIS, probably mulling over what happened. “What about the bone?” she asks before he has the chance to slip his key into the lock.
“What about it?”
“Is it still there? Inside the TARDIS, that is. ‘Cause wouldn't that be bad? I mean, if Jack's in there an' he happens to touch it…”
Oh. That'd be bad. Very bad. He needs to get rid of the thing before Jack can. He opens the door and hurries inside, aiming straight for the console. It's only when he grabs the bone that he realises that it's not just Rose and himself inside the TARDIS.
“Doctor? Rose? What the hell just happened?” Jack asks, his face ashen. Timelines snap into place in an instant and he knows what's about to happen.
“Rose!” he commands, not having enough time to get rid of the bone and reach Jack's side in time.
She runs towards the Captain just as the lad's knees buckle and he collapses. This is what he saw. There is another paradox in place right here and now.
“Doctor! What's wrong with him?” Rose asks, touching her hand to Jack's brow. “He's burnin' up!”
He would do. Damn. Only one thing he can do. He hurries towards the doors of the TARDIS as he explains, “There're two things in the TARDIS that can't exist at the same time. Jack's alive and dead at once. Time's confused in here, despite the temporal grace. Jack's body's fightin' against it and humans aren’t meant to be able to withstand that.” He pulls the doors open and throws the bone outside. Can't have bits of the paradox this close together any more.
There's a brilliant flash of light as soon as the bit of bone exits the TARDIS's protective field. Time snaps again and Jack begins to groan.
***
“Jack!” She’d like to run and get cold cloths, but she’s not sure that she should leave him right now. The Doctor’s busy with something else so he’s no help.
“Rose?” Jack’s voice is more of a groan. “What just happened?”
“I dunn-” she begins, but the Doctor’s suddenly towering over them and he interrupts her.
“You were smack in the middle of a paradox, lad. All over now, though. Should be fine.” He extends a hand down to Jack, who accepts it and levers himself to his feet as if he wasn’t running a fever just seconds ago.
“A paradox? Whoo! That’d explain why I feel as if I almost got blasted out of existence,” Jack says, shaking his head.
“Truer than you think, Captain.” The Doctor studies Jack hard for a couple of moments, then nods. “Time for a cuppa, I think. You two go on. I’ll just take us into the Vortex, then I’ll come an’ join you.”
Jack obediently falls into step beside her, and that tells her how shaken up he is because normally he’d want to help the Doctor. “So, paradox, huh?” he says as they exit the console room. “What happened? ‘Cause the last thing I remember is walking down this street with the two of you, and there were these lizard people all around. Funny, though, I kinda sorta had the feeling I’d been there before, but I don’t remember when or why.”
“Yeah, that’s when it happened. You just vanished, Jack. It was like you were never there at all.”
His eyes widen. “Let me guess. Something changed in my past?”
She shouldn’t be surprised. Jack’s not a Time Lord, but he is a time-traveller. “Yeah. Someone killed you.”
He leans against the kitchen counter. “Any idea who? And if that’s what happened, how come I’m standing here now?”
As she makes the tea, she relates the story. Jack listens mostly in silence, interrupting just now and then for clarification. When she’s finished, he gives a low whistle. “So you guys tracked down what had happened and changed history back again? Stopped Sampson from killing me?”
“Course we did!” she exclaims. “Why would we do anything else?”
Jack doesn’t answer immediately. Instead, he turns to take mugs down from the wall-cupboards and get the sugar and milk ready. Finally, he says, “Sampson was in my unit. We never really got along all that well from the start, but I pissed him off when I caught a couple of rogue traders he’d been tracking for a while. I had no idea he was following them - just happened to see them smuggling narcotics off-planet and grabbed them. So I got the commendation, and he was on my case from then on.” He shakes his head. “Think the Doctor’s right - that must’ve been in the two years I don’t remember, ‘cause I don’t remember him trying to kill me. Don’t remember seeing you and talking to you, either.”
“Must be.” She pours the tea. “I’m just glad you’re back.”
“Me too.” He gives her a wide smile, then holds out his arms. She walks straight into them, accepting the hug and giving him a warm hug back.
“It’s weird,” she adds as they separate. “I remember all of it. Both knowing you an’ forgetting you. Can’t really get my head around that.”
He smiles. “Must’ve been weird, I guess, having the Doctor talking about someone you’d never heard of.”
“It was.” She nods. “Tell you what, though - he was practically frantic. An’ it wasn’t all because of the paradox, though he did say something about the universe endin’ in twenty days if we didn’t get you back.”
Jack snorts in evident disbelief. “Come on! The universe was gonna end because I wasn’t around? That’s crazy.”
She shrugs. “He said that’s what was gonna happen. Have to ask him about that, though he says it’s fine now. Anyway, like I said, besides that, he was worried about you. Desperate to get you back.”
Jack’s expression turns sceptical. “Nah. Doubt that.”
“He was, I swear,” she insists. “You didn’t see him.”
Jack frowns. “But he - I mean, he thought I was a waste of space after that nanogene screw-up. He only saved my life because you asked him to, right?”
“Nah, I saved you because everybody lived, an’ I wasn’t going to let you muck that one up too, Captain,” the Doctor comments dryly from behind them, and they both whirl around.
Jack’s mouth tilts at one corner. “Figured it was something like that.” He shrugs. “Doctor, I... I don’t know what to say. Thank you sounds too little.”
“Didn’t have a choice, did I?” The Doctor shrugs, a little uncomfortably by the look of it. “Universe endin’ in twenty days if I didn’t.”
“Yeah, Rose said.” And it’s clear from Jack’s face that he actually believes the Doctor that that’s the only reason, even if he’s still sceptical about the end of the universe thing.
But then a grin breaks out across the Doctor’s face. “ ‘Sides, would’ve been a waste. You’ve just started to be useful around here.”
Jack’s eyes widen again, and he lunges at the Doctor, pretending to throw a punch. The Doctor blocks it, and the two of them burst out laughing.
When she’s finally managed to get the two of them calmed down enough to drink their tea, she asks the question that’s been on her mind ever since they fixed the paradox.
“Doctor, what was gonna happen if we didn’t get Jack back? How was the universe gonna end?”
Jack sits upright, completely alert. “Yeah, about that? That’s not possible, is it? I mean, what could I possibly have to do with saving the universe from ending?”
The Doctor shrugs. “Anyone could do that. The most insignificant person could have more impact than you can possibly imagine. All it takes is one person not where they’re supposed to be when they’re supposed to be, an’ everything collapses. One person can change history. As for how it would’ve ended, dunno, do I? It was a possible timeline. Well, it was the timeline we were headed for then, but now it’s just a possibility that won’t happen.”
“Good thing, too,” she says, and reaches out to cover Jack’s hand with hers, and then the Doctor’s with her other hand.
The Doctor turns his hand palm-upwards, curling his fingers around hers. With his free arm, he reaches past her to lay a hand on Jack’s shoulder. “Yep.”
***
It’s the Time War all over again. They’re surrounded by Dalek ships, thousands of them, with up to half a million Daleks ready to attack. And this time there’s only one of him. No armies of Time Lords to help; no ally nations and species there as back-up.
It’s just him, and a few humans who haven’t a clue what they’ve let themselves in for.
He’ll send Rose home, of course. He promised Jackie, and it’s a promise he intends to keep. The others... well, best not think about that.
Jack, more aware than any of the others of what’s going on and what their chances are, is saying goodbye. Rose wants reassurance that they’ll see him again, but he can’t give her that. Not this time. This is the end. Jack’s going to die, and he probably will too. But if they’re very, very lucky they won’t die for nothing. Their deaths will ensure the destruction of the Daleks too.
The Captain’s in front of him, saying something idiotic about being better off as a coward. And that’s when it hits him. This is it.
It’s twenty days since Semai. Twenty days since Jack was killed in his past and they had to undo the paradox. And here they are. Without Jack and what he’s going to do to delay the Daleks, he wouldn’t have a hope of building the Delta wave in time. Without Jack’s help on the TARDIS a few minutes ago, he’d never have been able to rescue Rose. Without Jack, the Daleks would proliferate and that'd be the beginning of the end of the universe. It would've been inevitable, then. No species other than Daleks. What'd be left if that happened wouldn't be worth calling a universe, then.
When Jack kisses him, he can’t find the will to respond. He can’t even say the words of thanks and farewell that the lad deserves.
He saved Jack’s life twice. But he’s saved him only to throw him as a sacrifice to the invading monsters below. How’s that doing the boy a favour?
It’s not right. It’s not fair. But he doesn’t have a choice.
The guilt sticks in his gut as he sends Rose home, a lump swelling in his throat at losing her. It’s burning in his chest as Jack tells him that he’s never doubted him, never will. And it’s practically crippling him as he hears the lad, defiant until the last, slamming against the wall as he’s cut down by Daleks. Exterminated.
When Rose comes back with the TARDIS, as one with the Time Vortex, he can’t help wishing she’d come two minutes sooner.
She brings Jack back to life, and he cringes at what the Captain’s become. Immortal. A fixed point. Wrong. And, when Rose almost burns up and he has to kiss the Vortex out of her and carry her back into the TARDIS, he’s tempted to run.
His hand’s on the dematerialisation switch when he stills. Stops. Remembers.
Without Jack, the universe would have ended today. Jack went to his death without complaint, actually volunteered for it, all for him. He’s not going to repay him with betrayal.
When Jack comes staggering into Satellite Five’s control room, he’s leaning against the TARDIS door-jamb waiting for him.
“Doctor,” Jack manages, sounding breathless and in pain. “What... what happened?”
“Long story.” He wraps an arm around Jack’s shoulders. “Come inside, lad. Rest.”
Jack’s gaze falls on Rose, lying still on the grating. “Is she...? I thought you sent her home!”
“I did. She came back. She’ll be fine. Just sleepin’, that’s all.”
“And you?” Jack’s gaze searches his face. “You okay?”
He’s not, but Jack doesn’t need to know that yet. Time enough to tell the two of them when Rose is awake. When it starts happening. “Never been better,” he insists cheerfully. “Daleks are all wiped out, the universe is saved, an’ we’re all alive. Fantastic!”
“Yeah.” Jack’s still leaning on him. “Think I could sleep for a week, though.”
“Time enough for that.” They’ll probably all need it. Regeneration sickness is gonna be bad this time, given what’s caused it.
“Doctor.” Jack’s face is very close to his. “I... I died. I know I did, but here I am alive again. I don’t know what you did this time, but thank you.” He leans in and, before the Doctor realises what he’s doing, human lips are pressed against his, firm and warm.
It’s not just an ordinary kiss. It’s a second or two before the Doctor realises what’s happening, but it’s too late to stop it. The power inside Jack, the force that’s keeping him alive, is attracting the Vortex inside him, the power he took from Rose and that’s going to cause him to regenerate.
He tears himself away from the young human. “Jack, no-”
It’s too late. Jack’s slumping to the floor, and golden light’s streaming from his open mouth and returning to the TARDIS.
***
Her head is killing her.
She lifts a hand and presses it against her forehead, as if by that pressure alone she can keep her brain from trying to dribble out her ears. It feels like the worst hangover she's ever had multiplied by at least a hundred. It takes her a moment to realise over the throbbing in her head that she's lying on something hard, something that is most definitely not her bed.
What the hell did she do last night?
Oh. Oh, god. She opens her eyes and winces as the harsh lighting of the TARDIS tries its best to sear her brain. The ship's lights dim obligingly and she pats the floor beside her in thanks with the one hand that isn't pressing against her forehead.
Last thing she remembers - and it's hard to remember much of anything beyond this headache - is her mum helping her get the TARDIS open. It took a big yellow lorry to do it, but it happened. She looked inside and… what?
She shakes her head, moaning as the movement jostles her brain. God, she hurts. The Doctor, though! Did it work? Did she manage to do it? Get back to him? She rolls onto her stomach, breathing deeply through her nose and exhaling through her mouth as the motion causes bile to rise into her throat. It'd be worth the pain if he and Jack are all right. That's what matters, right?
One inch at a time, she manages to rise to her hands and knees, carefully picking up her head to peer through narrowed eyes at the console room. Her hopes fall as an apparently empty room greets her gaze. She must have failed. Damn it!
Wait. What's that? There. Just beyond the captain's chair. Is that...? Feet! Oh, god, what if she did succeed, but too late to do anything about it? She grits her teeth as she forces herself to her feet, vertigo causing her to sway alarmingly. Somehow she manages to stumble her way through the seemingly infinite distance between those feet and herself without incident. It isn't until she rounds the chair that she realises just who those feet belong to.
It's Jack. And kneeling beside him is the Doctor.
There isn't enough time for her to even congratulate herself on a job well done. She moves to the Doctor's side, dropping to her knees and closing her eyes when it causes her stomach to churn uncomfortably.
“Is he all right?” she asks, or rather whispers, dreading the answer.
“Will be,” the Doctor replies. Even though she doesn't open her eyes she can feel the weight of his gaze upon her. “And you? How's your head?”
“Feels like it wants to explode, but I'm all right.” She manages to muster up a smile for him that she doesn't really feel.
“Liar. Will sort you once I'm sure Jack's all right.” There's something in his voice - worry? Is that it? - that makes her open her eyes again to study them both.
Jack's still unconscious, his face ashen. The Doctor, now that she has the chance to take a look at him, doesn't seem to have fared any better. He's equally pale, and is he shaking?
“Doctor, what happened?” she asks - no, that's definitely a demand.
“Don't you remember?” he counters. Even his voice is shaking! Oh, he hides it well, but it's definitely shaking.
“Are you all right?” she asks, giving him her full attention. He does really look terrible. Like all the life was just sucked out of him or something.
“Fine, me,” he says and she suppresses the urge to throttle him. She would do if he didn't look like he was about to fall over.
“Liar,” she says, echoing his earlier words. “No, really, Doctor, what happened?”
“What do you remember?” he asks.
“I remember bein' at home. Then I was here, openin' the TARDIS and there was this singing…”
“That's it,” he says, smiling brightly. “I sang a song and the Daleks all ran away.”
He's having her on. She knows he is. “Doctor, what happened to Jack? Seriously. No jokes. No Daleks running away. The truth.”
“You don't want to know,” he replies, sobering quickly.
She does hit him now, regardless of the way he looks. “Tell me, Doctor!”
“You did somethin' impossible, Rose. Should've been completely… well, you looked into the TARDIS-”
Yes! That much sounds familiar. “I remember that,” she says.
“You had the Vortex runnin' through you, Rose. For a few minutes, you were the most powerful being in all of creation.”
She was? Her eyes widen. “I was?”
He nods. “With all that power, an' you know what you did?”
“Saved you.” It isn't a question. She knows that's what happened. Has to be. Only reason he's here, right? Alive? And Jack, too, even if he's passed out.
“And him,” the Doctor says, nodding at Jack. “Problem is that it was too much for you. Human brain isn't meant to contain that sort of energy. No-one's brain is, actually. So I… took it from you.”
She remembers something. There was this light, and he was there, leaning towards her and- “You kissed me!” And she wasn't able to enjoy it properly! That’s not fair.
“Remember that, do you?”
“But why's Jack unconscious?” she asks, leaning over to brush her hand against his temple. He seems chilled, like he was hypothermic or something.
“Idiot saved my life,” the Doctor says.
Saved his- That's when she remembers what he was saying. About how no-one's mind can withstand the Vortex. He pulled it out of her. He was going to die! “What? Wait, what? You were dying?” For her? God, she almost killed him! If it weren't for Jack… No. She's not thinking about that.
“Yep. Bit temporary for me, though. I just come back.”
Before she has the chance to probe that particular response, Jack sits up suddenly, almost hitting her. “Jack!”
“Whoa. That was - ow. Remind me not to do that again, okay?” Jack says, pressing his hand against his own forehead.
She sympathises, really.
“You daft apes, the pair of you,” the Doctor says, shaking his head. “Don't you realise what you've done?”
“Um, no?” Jack says, looking confused.
“Saved the universe, you did! The pair of you! And we're all here, alive, nothing wrong with any of us!”
There was something wrong? Besides her head? And is this how the universe could’ve ended if Jack had stayed dead?
She doesn't have a chance to ask what he's on about before he's pressing a firm kiss against her lips. Is that his tongue? It is! By the time she gets her wits about her and is about to respond, he's moving on. Is he? Oh. My. God.
He's kissing Jack. No. That's a proper snog, that is.
Oh.
When he breaks for air, she's feeling rather flushed. She never realised just how, well, hot it is to watch two men making out.
“Could've ended up very different,” the Doctor says, reaching out to touch her and keeping one hand on Jack. “Now, c'mon, you two. To the medbay. Need to see to your injuries.”
“Then bed?” Jack asks, leaning around the Doctor give her a rather suggestive wink.
Her breath catches in her throat as she looks at the Doctor.
His grin is pure mischievousness as he replies, “Mine, or yours?”
“I fancy ours,” she counters and is rewarded by the stunned, and pleased, looks on both of their faces.
End
And, for anyone interested, a somewhat smutty Epilogue