Scifiangel Reborn 2/4 (Nine/Jack) [PG]

[scifiangel]

banner by von_gelmini

Title: Reborn 2/4
Chapter: Two - Coping
Author: Scifiangel
Beta: royalladyemma
Series: The Multi-verse
Pairing: Nine/Jack
Rating: PG for this chapter. Adult over all.
Warnings and Spoilers: Some violence and to be safe – all of New Who, especially The Empty Child and The End of Time.
Disclaimer: I don't own our lovely boys. They belong to the BBC. I make no money from this, much to my sorrow. Full disclaimer under cut.

Summary: The Doctor wakes up. How will he cope with what has happened?

Please read chapter one first: Shared Pain

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental. This is a work of parody, as defined by the Fair Use Doctrine. Any similarities, without satirical intent, to copyrighted characters, or individuals living or dead, are purely coincidental. This work has not been endorsed by Russell T. Davies, the BBC, or any of the others holding copyrights or licensed books or movies. No connection is implied or should be inferred. This is not a commercial work. The authors receive no financial gain from its production or distribution. It is available without charge. Distribution is limited. The distribution of this story is for personal use only. Any other form of distribution is prohibited without the consent of the author.

Coping

The Doctor slowly regained consciousness. He didn't bother opening his eyes. What would be the point? He had no reason to be in the world of the living. He took a mental inventory of his physical status.

Hearts and lungs were working well; circulatory system and respiratory bypass were both fine; and the only pain that he could feel was in his jaw, which was strange. He must have regenerated. 'Well, that's disappointing.'

He sent his mind outward in search of the TARDIS; he hadn't felt her right away and feared that she had died without him. It was a balm to his soul when she touched his mind, reassuring him. She seemed to be too far away for him to be inside her though, which was disturbing. 'Where am I?'

He stretched his mind out trying to sense the timeline and to his shock he found that he was no longer in his own universe. He wasn't sure which universe he was in, but it was definitely not Universe Prime. He quickly asked his ship if she was going to be all right. He was afraid she would die here without the home universe's energy. The TARDIS assured him that she had aligned herself to this universe and she was using its energy. 'Oh, my clever Girl.'

He sighed when the realization hit him that now they were permanently stuck here in this unknown universe. 'Maybe that's for the best,' he thought. There won't be any reminders of a home he could never go back to.

Once again he sought out the timeline he was in and found that he was on Earth in this universe's World War II. Nineteen forty-one to be exact. He double-checked the outcome and except for some minor differences this war happened the same as the one he was familiar with. That was good. At least he didn't have to learn everything over again.

He sensed another presence near by. It seemed to be familiar. He thought back to the dreams he had been having. At least he thought they were dreams. He remembered a comforting voice talking to him, reading to him, and having long discussions on odd subjects. 'Did the voice really praise the benefits of a navel?'

He remembered warm gentle hands lifting his head and bringing much needed water to his parched lips. Those same hands had put a cool flannel on his forehead and gentle fingers had caressed his cheek. It must be those fingers that were currently entwined in his. 'Someone's been taking care of me,' he was surprised to realise.

He remembered an aroma that always accompanied that voice and those hands. The Doctor inhaled deeply, drawing the heavenly scent into his lungs. It sent his blood pumping and his body tingling. 'Pheromones,' he mused. 'Sometime between the Forty-ninth and Fifty-third centuries.' That didn't belong in Nineteen forty-one. He would need to be careful. Even Time Lords were not completely immune to their effects.

He opened his eyes and looked down on the sleeping form of a young human sitting in a chair with his head resting on the edge of the Doctor's bed. He reached over and caressed the soft dark hair on the young man's head. "Thank you," he whispered.

Suddenly, the Doctor remembered something else. Memories that were not his own had flooded his mind in the dreams. A small boy dying in his arms. The image of his hands, torn and bleeding, as he rummaged through the rubble of his ruined home only to find his parent's broken bodies. His best friend being tortured and killed in front of him by cruel alien creatures. Glimpses of war, and torture, and pain. So much pain, longing, and loneliness hidden behind a disarming smile and a flirty attitude. Using his body for pleasure in an effort to fill the emptiness in his soul. So many painful memories.

In his delirium the Doctor must have touched the young man's mind. He hoped he hadn't hurt him.

"My poor boy, what have I done to you?" the Doctor whispered, caressing his hair again. "Did I burden you with my pain? Goodness knows you have enough of your own."

The Doctor's benefactor began to stir. The young soldier lifted his head and rubbed his eyes. At first he didn't see that the Doctor was awake, but as soon as he did his face lit up with a dazzling smile.

"John, you're awake!" the young man exclaimed as he put the back of his hand on the Doctor's forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"John?" the Doctor asked with an amused smile.

"Oh yeah," his benefactor shook his head. "I had to call you something. For some reason you just looked like a John." The young man held out his hand to the Doctor, that's when he noticed the vortex manipulator on the young man's arm. "I'm Captain Jack Harkness and who are you?"

"John is a good name," the Doctor replied, not wanting to take the chance of a time agent knowing who and what he was just yet. "You can call me John."

"Right," Jack said, his dazzling smile turning into a knowing smirk. "I get it. You don't know if you can trust me yet. John it is then."

"Can you tell me how I got here?" the Doctor asked.

"Your ship crashed in the woods near here. I pulled you out to save you from the fire that was raging through what I think was the control room." Jack's smile lit up his face again. "She's a real beauty, by the way. How do you use inter-dimensional transference in conjunction with the time vortex without it ripping itself apart?"

The Doctor was impressed. This Jack was extremely intelligent. "I might just tell you someday."

"Fair enough." Jack smiled his knowing smile again. The Doctor smiled back. He couldn't seem to help himself. "Do you feel up to getting dressed?" When the Doctor nodded, Jack stood up and walked over to a wardrobe that was against the wall. He opened it up, took out a pile of neatly folded clothes, and handed them to the Doctor. "Here are some of my muftis. That means civilian clothes, by the way. Your clothes were burned beyond saving I'm afraid."

"That's alright," the Doctor said as he began to put on the dark green jumper Jack had given him. "They don't suit me anymore."

"I'll leave you to it then." Jack headed for the bedroom door. "I'll be in the kitchen fixing us some soup. Holler if you need me."

********

'So, John was finally awake,' Jack thought the man looked well enough. He didn't even have much of a bruise on his chin where Jack had punched him. He felt a bit bad about that, but he didn't know what else he could have done.

There were so many things he wanted to say to John, so many things he wanted to know. Should he tell John that he had seen inside his mind? That he knew what kind of man he was and what he had sacrificed? Should he tell John that he knew about the Great War the man had fought? Should he tell John that he knew he had been forced to destroy his own planet in order to save the whole universe? Should he mention any of it or would that just cause him more pain? Jack found that he wanted very much to help John, he just wasn't sure how. Finally he decides that it probably would be best if he didn't say anything at all and he would wait to see if John mentioned it.

Jack had the soup, bread, and tea on the table by the time John came out of the bedroom. Jack thought he had chosen the clothes well. John looked rather handsome in his black jeans and black leather jacket. He motioned for John to sit down and they ate their soup in companionable silence.

All through the meal Jack tried to think of a way to ask if John would stay with him for a while or if he had somewhere he needed to be. Of course John may not have an answer and the subject may be too painful. The last thing Jack wanted was to hurt him. He had grown very fond of the man despite the fact that he'd only been awake for the past fifteen minutes.

As soon as they were both done eating John stood up and faced Jack. "I want to thank you for taking such good care of me, but I think I'd best be getting back to my ship now."

"Of course," Jack sighed, his shoulders sagging a little. He had hoped to have more time to get to know John. He had been so lonely up here in the mountains alone. It had felt good taking care of someone. It had given him a sense of purpose. "I'll take you right away, but let me give you something first." Jack pulled the metal instrument out his pocket that he had taken out of John's burnt coat. He handed it to John and smiled when his now former patient grinned from ear to ear.

"My sonic screwdriver!" John cheered, which made Jack laugh.

"You're joking, right?" Jack chuckled and shook his head. "Who looks at a screwdriver and thinks – This should be more sonic."

"What, you never been bored, never had a long night, never had a lot of shelves to put up?" Jack wasn't sure if John was being serious or joking until he smiled that manic smile again.

********

The Doctor could feel Jack's eyes on him as they walked through the woods. He knew the lad had many questions, but he just didn't think he could stomach facing the answers yet. The Doctor decided a pre-emptive strike was his best strategy. He slowed his pace so he was level with Jack and could see his face.

"Jack," the Doctor asked. "May I ask you a question?"

"Sure," Jack answered with a smile. "Fire away."

"What is a time agent like you doing here during World War II?"

Jack's face changed rapidly from smiling to flashes of anger, pain, and shame, before returning to a smile, but this time it didn't reach his eyes. The Doctor wondered if the lad knew just how clearly his emotions were written on his face.

"I'm not a time agent," Jack replied. "At least not anymore." The Doctor watched as Jack took several deep breaths and swallowed hard before continuing. "I know you don't completely trust me and there may be a good reason not to. The last time I was at the Agency, I had just woken up to discover that they had stolen two years of my memories. Erased them without any explanation." Jack bowed his head, a look of shame and guilt back on his face. "I don't know what I did, but I must have deserved it."

"I doubt that, lad." The Doctor laid his hand on Jack's shoulder and squeezed reassuringly.

"You know, John," Jack managed a crooked half smile. "I'm way over thirty years old. I'm not really a lad anymore."

That made the Doctor laugh out loud and slap Jack on the back. "To me you are, Lad."

"Oh, and how old are you then?"

"In Earth years," the Doctor answered putting his arm around Jack's shoulders. "Almost nine hundred."

Jack whistled at that revelation. "Wow, your species sure lives a long time."

The Doctor sobered at that statement. "They used to." He desperately wanted to change the subject. "How much further?" he asked, pulling his arm from around the ex-time agents shoulders and picking up the pace.

"Not far," Jack answered smiling. "Just the other side of that hill."

********

As they reached the top of the hill, the Doctor saw three men wearing Nazi uniforms loading the TARDIS into a large truck. He also saw the guards in the back of the truck aiming their rifles at them. Before the Doctor could react, Jack jumped in front of him as a shot rang out. Jack's momentum and the bullet threw them both to the ground with a bone-jarring thud. The Time Lord lay on the leaf-covered ground, with a bleeding Jack in his arms for only a second, before the Doctor dragged him into the woods for cover.

A moment later the Doctor heard the truck drive off at high speed. He sat up with Jack in his lap and pressed his hand to the young man's chest trying to stop the bleeding, even though he knew it was in vain.

"It's alright, John," Jack whispered. "It's a good death, saving a life, instead of taking it." Jack smiled up at him, and then his eyes rolled back and shut.

"No!" the Doctor shouted. He felt for a pulse and found one that was weak and thready. "Not one more person is going to die because of me." The Doctor knew it was well passed the normal fifteen hour regenerative window, but it hadn't been a normal regeneration. His TARDIS had helped it along. He wasn't sure if he had enough regenerative energy left. He prayed it would work as he leaned down and pressed his lips to Jack's.

Next Chapter: Comfort

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