Author: d8rkmessngr
Pairing: Jack/OMC, Jack/?, Jack/Ianto eventually, het and slash
Rating: NC-17 (betaed)
Summary: He left Jack on the game station. Abandoned. But then…he came back…different. An AU look on what happens if things happened differently. Doctor Who 'verse with Torchwood later on. Be sure to read the warnings.


Warnings: Please read each chapter's individual warnings. Some parts down the road may briefly mention non-con, abuse, and/or violence. Dark in the beginning. Please note there are some dark thoughts as my boys are broken…for now. Each chapter will be labeled for your convenience.
Author's Notes: Please note this is an AU that will cross over DW to TW season one. I'm probably spoiling my own story, but it will eventually be Janto. There's a bit of a journey first. I hope you enjoy. I'm working on this and intend to post regularly every other day. And again, I always believe in happy endings. So without further ado…
Disclaimer: RTD and BBC owns them. I'm just borrowing them for a while.

Warning For This Chapter: Other than the sex (not yet), none.


Prologue + Ch 1

Master Fic List: here



Chapter 2
Time Vortex
One week later…

It felt different.

Jack stood in front of the wardrobe and scrutinized himself. It felt odd to be standing here again. And there was a sickening feeling when he discovered barely any Rose's or his clothing remained on the ship. It was like the Doctor threw everything away save a few articles for sentimental reasons.

If the Doctor did sentimental, that was.

"Do Time Lords spring-clean?" he muttered. Jack reached in for the greatcoat he’d hung there.

In a fit of nostalgia, Jack had changed into his old attire of a blue t-shirt and jeans, topped with the black leather vest he found on the bottom of the closet. It felt weird wearing it again and he felt oddly pleased the Doctor had even bothered to keep any of it on the TARDIS. Jack had trotted out to the control room with his arms wide and a "Ta da!" The Doctor, deep in thought over a console he was dismantling for some reason, had looked up, studied Jack critically and looked back down muttering, "That can't be right."

"I like the forties anyway," Jack grumbled, wishing he didn't feel so peeved. He slipped his braces over his shirt and looked at the mirror in the closet. A little thin, his face sharper, he didn't look too bad for a hundred year old man.

"Still looking good," Jack winked. He gave his braces a snap. His smile faded.

A hundred years. Would he still be around for another hundred more? Two hundred? God, a thousand?

The amusement faded and a little fear flitted across his face.

What had happened to him?

It was the first question Jack had wanted to ask when the Doctor showed up. Actually, a fist to his jaw or a deep searing kiss, Jack was still deciding when the Doctor draped his arm around his shoulders and waltzed him in. The return, the feel of the Doctor pressed up against him was all too much. To Jack's dismay, his knees buckled the moment he entered the golden glow of the TARDIS. Next thing he knew, Jack was waking up alone in his old living quarters.

They'd done nothing but just jumped from one time to another, the TARDIS jolting with each abrupt stop before another jolt and she flew to another one. It was hard to have any conversation then when you were too busy clinging to the walls for dear life. Jack even fell asleep on the settee, the Doctor still preoccupied with whatever kept him busy and muttering.

"How do I ask?" Jack murmured to the mirror. He slid the grey braces between two fingers, up and down as he chewed his lower lip. "Hey, Doc, you're not the only one with long life now? I guess you're stuck with me for a while." Jack rolled his eyes. Oh yeah, that would go well. Not.

"What do you think, gorgeous?" Jack asked over his shoulder.

The TARDIS only murmured, barely a vibration, shuddered and then stilled.

"What's wrong?" Jack frowned. He brushed a palm against the wall and thought it felt cold and clammy. He missed how it pulsed under his bare feet. He used to sleep naked in his quarters because he thought he could feel the ship breathe under him. Rose had made the mistake of walking in on him once, waking him up with such a screech that it had sent the Doctor running with that screwdriver of his. The Doctor had laughed, hustled Rose out with a reminder of what century Jack was from and the TARDIS had discretely dimmed the lights for Jack. Not that Jack would have minded if either of them had stayed.

"You miss Rose," Jack surmised, his mouth crinkling sadly when the ship shuddered under his hand. "Yeah, I miss her, too. Maybe the Doctor wouldn't be so…" Jack shrugged. He patted the wall, checked the mirror again and headed for the control rooms, mentally rehearsing what he was going to say.

But then the Doctor had the TARDIS try to go to year 800,000. The jolt threw everyone off their feet, setting spots in the ship on fire and all thoughts of telling the Doctor fled.



Jack watched the Doctor paced around the TARDIS' central controls, muttering under his breath. Once more like before, the Doctor was fiddling with the dials and the TARDIS gave a protesting chirp, and then stilled.

"Damn!" A quick pivot and the Doctor slammed his hands on the coral counter.

Jack winced at the squawk the ship made. That was a new one. The TARDIS went back to what sounded like a disgruntled hum. Jack patted the settee he was sitting on. The ship softened to a purr. Better. Since Jack had first returned, the ship still felt…off. The hum he slept to before sang differently, like a shy singer suddenly aware of an audience. Jack couldn't sleep (not that he slept a lot these days) under the unfamiliar vibration.

"Everything okay, Doctor?" Jack was a little bored. Pacing was what the Doctor did these days.

"It doesn't make sense! He is the factor!" The doctor shouted at the glowing column the counter surrounded. "Why won't you take us to—"

"Doctor!"

"What?" The doctor snarled. He spun around and Jack was surprised to catch a glimpse of the twisted fury on his normally congenial face.

"Whoa!" Jack showed his hands, his eyes wide. "Nothing! I just…" Jack lowered his hands, frowning in concern. Did Time Lords get sick? "Is everything okay?"

The Doctor blinked and it was like a switch. His face shifted; it was the only way to describe the sudden change because now, a more pleasant expression was in place.

"I…what?"

Jack smiled nervously. Okay, he'd never known the Doctor to have…tantrums. Then again, Rose always seemed to bring out a more patient side of the hyper Doctor.

At the mention of Rose, his gut clenched again. The Doctor had made no mention since Jack rejoined him. No mention of returning back (or was that forward?) to get her. And while Jack didn't mind having the Doctor to himself, times like these (and it appeared to happen a lot lately), he missed Rose's calming effect. All the Doctor had been doing the moment he hustled Jack back in the TARDIS was go further into the future. But the Doctor just grew more and more upset with each destination.

"No, no, no, no!" The Doctor threw up his hands in frustration again. "Still no! What is it? What else could it be?"

The TARDIS rumbled. Jack bit back a smile. It almost sounded like it cursed at its owner. Lovers' spat maybe?

"Uh…anything I can do?" Jack tried. The Doctor had him do nothing more than "sit and look pretty" (the Doctor's words not his; he would have preferred "gorgeous"). "You've had me doing repairs before. The ship's been fine with me handling her."

The Doctor waved him off. "Yes, yes, of course you have but that was before."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Uh…before what?"

"Before you beca—" The Doctor snapped his mouth shut and turned back around. He folded his arms and studied Jack with a pursed mouth.

Jack had heard the term "bug under a microscope" before during his travels with the Doctor and Rose. Jack understood it now. He waggled his eyebrows at the Time Lord, offered his best disarming smile and to his discomfort, the Doctor merely smiled back. This cheeky regeneration thing…Jack missed the big ears and angular jaw. He was feeling like a hungry Trew-kla was eying him up for dinner. Or for sex. Whichever it was in the mood for. It was always one or the other. Very annoying.

"Doctor?"

"I was thinking where we might want to go next," the Doctor announced, spinning on his heels as he paced around the controls. "Any ideas, Captain? Time and space, Jack! Time and space!" His eyes gleamed with a familiar glint Jack knew. "Shall we visit the Barcelona planet? Maybe see a planet come to life?"

Jack smiled cautiously. "Barcelona's nice."

"Maybe Graticaphoria?"

Jack laughed. "Space pirates? I don't think so, Doctor."

It was still strange to see this new face, but he still got the same flutter in his chest when the Doctor tilted his head and smiled at Jack.

"Oh, I don't know. I think I would look handsome with an eye patch and a robotic parrot on my shoulder."

Chuckling, Jack shrugged. "Better than U-boat captain."

The Doctor frowned, puzzled. "What?" He shook his head and leaned his hip against the consoles, his right hand drumming against the surface in a thrum-thrum beat.

"Think about it," the Doctor invited, his voice low. "It's you, me and the TARDIS. Where would you like to go, Jack?"

Jack jumped to his feet, feeling like the years between them had never existed. He grinned happily at the Time Lord. "How about we go back to Raxacoricofallapatorius and see how Margaret the egg is doing?"

The Doctor gripped his shoulders and beamed. Despite the stranger's face, the huge smile was familiar and gave Jack a warm glow in his gut.

"Perhaps Beijing in the 10th century and we dine with emperors?" The Doctor abruptly grabbed Jack's left wrist and spun Jack around the floor expertly.

Jack laughed, delighted. "Look, the Doctor can dance after all!"

"I'm very light on my feet," the Doctor claimed. He waggled his brow towards Jack. "A very good dancer, in fact," he added, his voice growing husky. His hand around Jack's shoulders slid down to settle on the small of his back. He pulled Jack closer and his eyes darkened as they drew close enough Jack could feel him breathing against him.

"O-okay." Jack's laugh faded into a nervous chuckle. For a moment, it sounded like…no, not possible. Not when he had witnessed how the Doctor watched Rose with barely hidden longing. "Good to know for future reference." Jack stepped out of the Doctor's arms, confused. "Maybe I'll buy you that drink after all and we'll go dancing?" Jack waited for the expected response.

The Doctor's smile grew secretive. "Perhaps we shall."

Wait, wait, wait! Jack backtracked, his mind reeling. Blood pounded in his ears. Okay, flirting was one thing, but the Doctor never—

"Doctor?" Jack narrowed his eyes. This was more than just a different face.

"Yes, yes, what is it?" The Doctor returned back to the ship. He flipped a few switches before glancing back up at Jack.

"You're…" Jack narrowed his eyes. "Different."

There was a flash of annoyance that flitted across the Doctor's face, so quickly Jack thought he was mistaken. "I told you before, regen—"

"Regeneration, I know," Jack interrupted, trying to soften the words with a big, bright smile. His teeth flashed as he grinned. "And I'm not complaining about the looks, believe me."

"Good." The Doctor stroked his chin, still looking disgruntled. "I looked rather goofy then."

"I didn't think you looked goofy before," Jack muttered under his breath. Out loud, he agreed. "At least no big ears."

The Doctor looked crossed. "What are you talking about? I didn't have big ears!"

"Mickey was right. You needed to look at a mirror," Jack grumbled before he waved towards the Doctor. "I wasn't talking about your physical appearance. I mean, it feels like you…changed," Jack finished lamely. He cringed when the Doctor walked up to Jack on the settee and placed his arms to the back on either side of Jack.

"Hm," the Doctor said with a half-growl. "It appears I wasn't the only one who changed, though, Captain."

Jack stared at the inscrutable gaze. He felt pinned. His throat tightened as the Doctor leaned in closer. "What?" Jack managed. His heart pounded. Did that mean the Doctor knew?

Then, shadows that were behind his light eyes fled and the Doctor's face brightened. "Or maybe Crestantal!" He abruptly walked away from Jack and leaned by the counter. The Doctor pulled a thoughtful face and tapped his nose, thinking. "I remember they had the tallest banana trees. They actually reached the sky!"

Jack relaxed. "And you like bananas," he teased shakily. He slumped back on the settee. His knees were weak all of the sudden; breaking away from the Doctor's gaze was like getting a breath of fresh air. Jack gulped, feeling a little flushed. Weird.

"We can go anywhere, Jack." The Doctor's voice rippled around him. Jack blinked up at him. "We could see the birth of stars, see the start of the human race, watch the universe triple with life, or…" The words grew heavy, almost intoxicating. Jack's eyes slid shut, then they flew open again.

"Or," the Doctor sat down besides Jack on the settee, his arm sliding across the top of the seat. "We could go to the end of the universe." He matched his gaze with Jack again. He was suddenly sitting very close. Very close. Jack could feel his hip against his.

"End…" Was the ship getting warm? Jack's tongue felt thick. His eyes fluttered. He could feel the Doctor's fingers tracing the skin where his hair ended. "End of the universe?" he mumbled. Jack's brow furrowed. "That's far…she can't go that f-far, can she?" Jack shook his head. No, the Doctor mentioned they'd never gone further than…"Too far, Doc…Doctor…"

The Doctor's fingers drummed a beat lightly on his skin. "Not far, Jack," he purred by Jack's ear. "Not far at all. Just a blink in time, Captain."

Jack worked his mouth. Jack felt himself sagging back. Something wasn't right. "Doctor?" he mumbled. "I…" He couldn't hold a thought. The Doctor's fingers did a light rhythm again his skin, his voice was thick and syrupy in his ear.

"Think about it, my handsome Jack," the Doctor's voice lowered until it was almost a hiss, hot breath in his ear.

"We could see the end of the universe. A hundred trillion years. I could show you Utopia."

"We…we can't…" The sigh was almost plaintive. Jack felt himself sliding across the settee. His legs dangled out but the Doctor's hands were warm and heavy on his torso.

"You can, Jack."

"M-me?" Jack moaned. "I…I can't…" He tried to raise his arm where his wrist strap was but he could barely lift him limb. What—what was wrong with him?

The Doctor was still smiling, a small, thin smile that held none of the humor of before. His eyes darkened. Jack could see himself in them.

"D-doctor…"

"Shhh…" the Doctor soothed. He reached up to Jack's forehead and brushed back his hair.

"End of the universe," the Doctor intoned. He stroked Jack's face with a knuckle. "And you're taking us there." A dark, syrupy voice oozed over his awareness. Jack felt his limbs leaden. The ship beneath him trembled and he shivered too like he was cold. But he wasn't. A warm, heavy sensation infused with his bones.

Jack tried to tell the Doctor he didn't understand. He couldn't, there was no way, but Jack opened his mouth and found words wouldn't come out. He blinked wearily at the Doctor.

"Tired?" the Doctor asked sweetly. He tsked when Jack nodded weakly. "Then just sleep. And when you wake, it'll all be just a dream."

A dream? Fear rippled over him. Jack weakly grabbed his arm. The Doctor understood.

"Don't worry." The Doctor's smile grew feral. "I'll be right here."

A shiver went down his back but before Jack could question it, he sank deeper into darkness. His last thread of thought as everything around him dissolved, was that the TARDIS sounded like she was crying.


Chapter 3

Additional Notes: Many thanks to snakeling for betaing this chapter long ago. Yes, I finally finished and can start reposting! Huzzah! LOL.