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tamingthemuseTitle: 1,000 years
Fandom: Doctor Who/Torchwood
Rating: PG
Prompt: prompt 167-antapology
Warning: Angsty
Summary: Jack's birthday is coming up and The Doctor pays him a visit.
Jack was on top of another building. This one miles higher then any of the ones in the 21st centaury. It was so high in fact he had to put a mask over his face to stay alive. He was slowly freezing to death, but that didn’t matter. Another death in the millions he’d already had. It didn’t matter at all.
His hair was white down, his skin wrinkled and worn. He was still handsome though, aged well, he thought. Could have used an immortality with eternal youth, but who was he to get picky? He’d lived longer then any human on record. He was edging towards his millennium birthday now. It’d been a long, slow ride and it wasn’t going to end any time soon. He’d grown bored of life, bored of the process of living so long ago, but he still lingered.
Even back on Earth again he barely felt anything. The ache that was associated with this planet had faded and he yearned for it. He wanted to weep, to bellow, to mourn all his friends, all his comrades, but he had no more tears. They had dried out or been used up, splattering the ground of time.
His memories were like cinema pictures now. He connected with them on some level, but they were dull. He still loved each and every one, but could watch them in his mind without feeling extremely happy or extremely sad. Youth was not wasted on the young, excitement was. He hadn’t been excited about anything in so long. Not even this.
The Doctor had asked him to come and visit. They had communicated through physic paper, a common device now. The Doctor had practically begged him to met him on Earth for they could celebrate his birthday.
The Tardis, the blue box of his destiny, landed beside him and The Doctor stepped out. It was a new form, one Jack hadn’t seen before. Nothing like the lengthy, big eared Doctor that had seduced then abandoned him back when he was merely a child of the Earth. Nor was it the handsome, four eyed, suit wearing Doctor who had admitted that Jack was wrong and he’d left him on purpose only to ask him back when Jack had proven useful. It’d been guilt that had driven that Doctor. Guilt over what he’d done, what Jack had become.
It was a new face, but the same old eyes. Perhaps one of the few creatures older them him besides the stars and the planets now. He’d even seen the birth of a few of those and the death of others. A cycle that he was no longer a part of, but always watched.
“Doctor,” he said bowing his head to the other man.
“Captain Jack Harkness,” The Doctor said and opened his arms for a solemn hug. They embraced and Jack felt nothing. Well, perhaps a slight stirring of the passion he had once lived off of, but nothing more.
“They call me Boe these days, but you may call me Jack” Jack informed him, but knew he wanted to be Jack right now.
“Don’t be so formal,” The Doctor said, but it was more out of dismay then out of respect, “We’re old friends you and I.”
“I always wondered Doctor, how you felt when you changed. When you transformed into a new person with a slightly different personality. Now I wish to know that more then anything. I have been me far too long,” Jack told him and he saw a sadness come over his Doctor that was so profound it moved even Jack’s wary soul. The Doctor had always understood he was wrong, but it’d taken Jack a thousand years to figure out why. Jack didn’t fit anywhere. He was like a floating block of shouldn’t have been. An accident, a horrible accident and when The Doctor saw something horrible he ran. He’d run when he’d seen the train wreck Jack suddenly was in.
“I’m sorry,” The Doctor told him and Jack closed his eyes. He’d waited a long to ear those words, to embrace the idea that The Doctor did feel bad. He’d figured it out a long time ago, but he ached still.
“You deserted me when I had no one else to turn to. You ignored me. Forgot me. Ran away. I’m old enough that I should have forgiven you, but the fact that I haven’t means I shouldn’t. You’re a coward Doctor and you’ve been spending a very long lifetime trying to make up for that fact,” Jack said and turned to him, “But I understand your reasons. That understanding is all I can give you.
“I know,” The Doctor said tilting his head down before popping up and smiling, “Care for some ice cream? I’ve got the Tardis and I figured some good old Haagen Daz and watch Clueless.”
“You like the time era don’t you?” Jack asked letting The Doctor lead him.
“I think we both lost someone special back there didn’t we?” The Doctor asked as the door closed behind Jack.
“I think so,” Jack said as the Tardis powered up and he had to admit that it was still the most beautiful sound he’d ever heard.
Fandom: Doctor Who/Torchwood
Rating: PG
Prompt: prompt 167-antapology
Warning: Angsty
Summary: Jack's birthday is coming up and The Doctor pays him a visit.
Jack was on top of another building. This one miles higher then any of the ones in the 21st centaury. It was so high in fact he had to put a mask over his face to stay alive. He was slowly freezing to death, but that didn’t matter. Another death in the millions he’d already had. It didn’t matter at all.
His hair was white down, his skin wrinkled and worn. He was still handsome though, aged well, he thought. Could have used an immortality with eternal youth, but who was he to get picky? He’d lived longer then any human on record. He was edging towards his millennium birthday now. It’d been a long, slow ride and it wasn’t going to end any time soon. He’d grown bored of life, bored of the process of living so long ago, but he still lingered.
Even back on Earth again he barely felt anything. The ache that was associated with this planet had faded and he yearned for it. He wanted to weep, to bellow, to mourn all his friends, all his comrades, but he had no more tears. They had dried out or been used up, splattering the ground of time.
His memories were like cinema pictures now. He connected with them on some level, but they were dull. He still loved each and every one, but could watch them in his mind without feeling extremely happy or extremely sad. Youth was not wasted on the young, excitement was. He hadn’t been excited about anything in so long. Not even this.
The Doctor had asked him to come and visit. They had communicated through physic paper, a common device now. The Doctor had practically begged him to met him on Earth for they could celebrate his birthday.
The Tardis, the blue box of his destiny, landed beside him and The Doctor stepped out. It was a new form, one Jack hadn’t seen before. Nothing like the lengthy, big eared Doctor that had seduced then abandoned him back when he was merely a child of the Earth. Nor was it the handsome, four eyed, suit wearing Doctor who had admitted that Jack was wrong and he’d left him on purpose only to ask him back when Jack had proven useful. It’d been guilt that had driven that Doctor. Guilt over what he’d done, what Jack had become.
It was a new face, but the same old eyes. Perhaps one of the few creatures older them him besides the stars and the planets now. He’d even seen the birth of a few of those and the death of others. A cycle that he was no longer a part of, but always watched.
“Doctor,” he said bowing his head to the other man.
“Captain Jack Harkness,” The Doctor said and opened his arms for a solemn hug. They embraced and Jack felt nothing. Well, perhaps a slight stirring of the passion he had once lived off of, but nothing more.
“They call me Boe these days, but you may call me Jack” Jack informed him, but knew he wanted to be Jack right now.
“Don’t be so formal,” The Doctor said, but it was more out of dismay then out of respect, “We’re old friends you and I.”
“I always wondered Doctor, how you felt when you changed. When you transformed into a new person with a slightly different personality. Now I wish to know that more then anything. I have been me far too long,” Jack told him and he saw a sadness come over his Doctor that was so profound it moved even Jack’s wary soul. The Doctor had always understood he was wrong, but it’d taken Jack a thousand years to figure out why. Jack didn’t fit anywhere. He was like a floating block of shouldn’t have been. An accident, a horrible accident and when The Doctor saw something horrible he ran. He’d run when he’d seen the train wreck Jack suddenly was in.
“I’m sorry,” The Doctor told him and Jack closed his eyes. He’d waited a long to ear those words, to embrace the idea that The Doctor did feel bad. He’d figured it out a long time ago, but he ached still.
“You deserted me when I had no one else to turn to. You ignored me. Forgot me. Ran away. I’m old enough that I should have forgiven you, but the fact that I haven’t means I shouldn’t. You’re a coward Doctor and you’ve been spending a very long lifetime trying to make up for that fact,” Jack said and turned to him, “But I understand your reasons. That understanding is all I can give you.
“I know,” The Doctor said tilting his head down before popping up and smiling, “Care for some ice cream? I’ve got the Tardis and I figured some good old Haagen Daz and watch Clueless.”
“You like the time era don’t you?” Jack asked letting The Doctor lead him.
“I think we both lost someone special back there didn’t we?” The Doctor asked as the door closed behind Jack.
“I think so,” Jack said as the Tardis powered up and he had to admit that it was still the most beautiful sound he’d ever heard.
no subject
Date: 2009-09-29 10:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-29 11:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-10-04 05:00 am (UTC)I really like this. It's like, you can't help but feel bad for Jack. He reminds of the Doctor because they're both outside of time and you've really illustrated that here. Where the Doctor finds purpose and gets used to death, it just seems like Jack has had enough of that. He was running from all his grief and now it's caught up with him. I just got that feeling from this piece.
I really liked it!
no subject
Date: 2009-10-04 05:10 am (UTC)Jack and the Doctor are really a like on some levels. It's harder to see since they both play up the laughing and fun, but it's actually pretty dark inside of them. Jack's just less asexual or trying to be.
I'm so glad you really liked it and it touched you in such a deep way.