Title: The right kind of Doctor
By: lilithangel
Pairings: Eleven/Jack
Rating: G
Spoilers: contains slight spoilers for 5.09 Cold Blood and 5.10 The Doctor and Vincent.
Summary: The Doctor takes Amy to a carnival planet to cheer her up after Vincent. They meet the most unlikely beachcomber ever and things are finally settled between the Doctor and Jack.

***

It was a beach planet a long way from Earth but he had promised Amy a beach after the whole Rio thing and Vincent, and Carrenth did have a carnival.

“A planet wide carnival Amy, imagine that. Longest beach in the system decked out for an entire planetary cycle.” The Doctor flung the door open to reveal a beach, a completely empty beach.

“Well it is a beach, I’ll give you that,” Amy said pulling off the shirt she’d worn in anticipation of him getting it wrong again, “not much of a carnival though.”

The Doctor frowned. “Right planet, right period in history. Where’d I go wrong this time?”

“Wrong week,” a voice drawled, “and wrong beach.”

The Doctor spun around and beamed, then blinked and then beamed again.

“Jack, Amy look it’s Jack in shorts. Why are you in shorts Jack?”

“It’s a beach Doctor,” Jack said with a half smile. “You must be Amy, I’m Jack.” Jack held out his hand which Amy took eagerly, drinking in Jack’s strong tanned body. “Not going to tell me to stop it?” Jack added quizzically to the Doctor.

“Why would I do that? Not my place to do that although it does seem to me that you both are far too good at saying hello. There’s more to life than saying hello you know. Anyway what are you doing on Carrenth Jack, isn’t it a bit quiet? Unless you’re here for the carnival, great things carnivals lots of cotton candy and dancing and how did I manage to end up a week early?” the Doctor trailed off under the dual amused gazes that were focused on him.

“I didn’t think it was possible for you to babble more and here you are younger and more babbly,” Jack said, his smile genuine.

The Doctor laughed and hugged Jack. Jack hugged back with surprised enthusiasm.

“And here you are, all tanned and alive and what’s that?” the Doctor pointed to the object in Jack’s hand.

“It’s a metal detector,” Jack replied. “Just doing a bit of beachcombing.”

“Find anything interesting?” Amy asked.

“Bits and pieces,” Jack replied, “it’s amazing what washes up around here.”

“Bits and pieces? Come on Jack, I know you, there’s got to be more than bits and pieces to keep the great Captain Jack Harkness occupied.” The Doctor fiddled with the metal detector grinning when he made it beep.

“Just Jack,” Jack said, “haven’t been a Captain for a while now.”

“Jack the beachcomber,” the Doctor said dubiously.

“Jack the beachcomber,” Jack repeated, “got a little hut down the beach a bit; I make enough from my finds to eat. It’s a nice life. Do you fancy something to drink?”

“Beachcomber Jack,” the Doctor added with a grin, “sounds like fun and fun is what we came for didn’t we Amy? Amy?”

“Come on,” Amy said, already following after Jack, with a lot of interest in her eyes.

The Doctor couldn’t resist putting the detector headphones on and wandering along behind the other two listening to the sand. If he concentrated he could hear Amy asking Jack questions about the planet, about the carnival and about Jack. Jack answered all her questions with good nature although his answers about himself were short and not very illuminating.

The flirtation between the two was almost automatic coming naturally to both of them, and yet it seemed perfunctory. The Doctor was pleased to see some of Amy’s sadness ease under Jack’s charm and a little bit pleased that the sexual attraction was muted.

“A kiss-o-gram?” Jack’s voice rang out with delight. “I bet you were fantastic too.”

“You bet I was,” Amy replied, “still manage to fool the Doctor in the beginning that I was a real police officer.”

“With those legs I’m surprised he noticed what you were wearing,” Jack said his gaze sliding down her body, past her denim shorts and continuing down.

“Stop,” Amy said with a blush, “I had handcuffed him to a radiator so he was distracted.”

“Handcuffed by a pretty policewoman? I’d have been more than distracted,” Jack replied. “So who’s he taken you to meet?”

The Doctor let some of his time awareness out to look at Jack as the conversation washed over him. Jack was still a solid fact in the time stream but it was as if the edges had been worn away and now time caressed him instead of smashing against him. Taking a leaf out of Vincent’s book he let himself hear the colours and Jack wasn’t jarring anymore, instead there was a splash of bold and beautiful colour that only made the other colours more striking and perfect.

“So do you still like banana?” Jack asked him as they reached a small hut.

“Nah,” he admitted, “horrible stuff banana, almost as bad as pear.”

“I thought you liked pear?” Amy said.

“I’ve never liked pear,” the Doctor said and Amy rolled her eyes.

Jack smiled fondly at the bickering and opened the door to his hut. Inside wasn’t really a hut, it was a self contained cottage with a kitchen and living area covered in bits of metal and electrical equipment.

“Sorry about the mess,” Jack said sweeping a pile of junk onto the floor from a couple of chairs. “Haven’t done any entertaining for a while.” He went over to a cabinet and opened it to reveal an array of bottles. “Pina colada for the lady?”

“Yes please,” Amy said with delight, “now that’s more like it.” The drinks cabinet was part of a seventies style wooden bar complete with barstools and Amy hopped up on one.

“How about you Doctor, can I tempt you with a pinita colada?”

“Do you have those little umbrellas? I still like them,” the Doctor replied.

Jack laughed and waved a packet of umbrellas, “when have you known me not to be prepared?”

“This is really nice,” Amy said spinning around on her barstool. The Doctor and Jack were perched at separate ends of the bar peeking at each other like schoolgirls, looking away when the other was watching and it amused her.

“It is,” the Doctor said, “nice sunsets here, the ocean turns an incredible magenta. Of course you’d know that wouldn’t you Jack, living here and all. How long have you been living here?”

“A few years, not long enough to raise suspicion.”

“Why here?”

“It’s quiet, very little ever happens beyond the carnival and people come here to be happy,” Jack said simply.

“It’s not too quiet for you?” The Doctor frowned as he tried to fit this new Jack into his understanding. Jack’s timeline was impossible to look at, it was like trying to watch events through a pinhole so he couldn’t tell what Jack had been through or where he would end up.

“I’ve had plenty of excitement in the past and I’ve got plenty of time for excitement in the future,” Jack said.

“How do you stand time going so slowly?” the Doctor asked. It had been hard enough waiting around while Vincent painted he couldn’t imagine pottering around all day everyday the way Jack would have to. “When I was human I can remember living everyday but I didn’t remember any better, but you do Jack, doesn’t it drive you crazy?” He swung his stool halfway around and then back again idly.

“I’ve done crazy Doctor and it wasn’t that much fun, I’ve played how many ways to die and the big goddamned hero. I’m getting old Doc and I’m going to get older, now I just take things as the come.”

“Wait,” Amy interrupted, “how many ways to die, what’s that about?”

“I don’t stay dead,” Jack said, “it’s a thing.”

“You’re not that old,” the Doctor said.

“Older than you,” Jack countered.

“It’s a thing?” Amy asked incredulously. “Anyway, neither of you looks like you could apply for a senior’s card anytime soon,” Amy said.

“Looks can be deceiving,” Jack said with a grin, “but thank you.”

“What’s under there?” the Doctor suddenly, gesturing to a tarpaulin in the corner of the room.

“Not sure yet,” Jack replied, “found a large chunk of something washed up down the beach. Couldn’t identify the material but every so often I collect a bit more and try to fit it together.”

“Oohh… can I?” the Doctor jumped up.

“Go for it,” Jack said, “I’d appreciate your opinion.”

The Doctor pulled off the tarpaulin with a flourish. “Oh you poor thing,” he said crouching down beside the wreckage. “How did you end up here?”

“Do you know what it is?” Amy asked crouching beside him.

“It’s a research droid, or what’s left of one,” the Doctor said, “they sent out hundreds of them to explore deep space and send back data. Never running down, practically indestructible always searching for life but that was a thousand years ago and on the far side of another galaxy. You’re a long way from home little guy.” He patted the metal side.

“You said it Doctor,” Jack said, “never running down, nearly indestructible. It probably had damage to its guidance systems when it finally crashed.”

“They were desperate to find out if they were alone in the universe,” the Doctor said sadly.

“Who were they?” Amy asked.

“Doesn’t matter now,” the Doctor replied, “they found other life alright and it destroyed them. This is probably the last piece of them left.”

“Then I guess I’ll keep looking for bits, see if I can bring a small piece of them back to life,” Jack said.

“There should be an AI unit,” the Doctor said, “not complex but the bit you’ll need to really bring it back.”

“I’ll keep looking,” Jack promised and he re-covered the droid. “Well the light show will be starting soon and you don’t want to miss that. Who’s for another round?”

“What light show?” Amy asked with excitement.

“They’re rehearsing for the carnival,” Jack said, “it isn’t the full show but the things they can do with their media satellites is pretty damn impressive.”

He fetched them more drinks and led them outside as the sky filled with laser lights. Jack kept them entertained with stories of the things that had washed up on the beach and kept plying them with drinks.

A warning glance from the Doctor had his best innocent look in reply but it was followed by a nod of understanding and the Doctor relaxed. This was an older Jack, not a less flirtatious Jack but there was something more settled in him.

“I am getting old Jack,” the Doctor sighed over his third pinita colada when Amy had fallen asleep on Jack’s sofa, “and I don’t like it.”

Jack raised an eyebrow and sipped his much more pedestrian whiskey.

“I’m making mistakes,” the Doctor continued, “if it wasn’t for people like Amy or Vincent saving the day… did I tell you we met Vincent Van Gogh? He painted his sunflowers for Amy,” he beamed. “We stumbled on a Krafayis and Vincent could see it.” The smile slipped from his face. “It was blind and alone and I couldn’t stop it because I was stupid and old. I think maybe I should just let people handle things on their own.”

“You couldn’t handle doing nothing,” Jack said.

“Didn’t say I’d do nothing,” the Doctor said, “just not saving the universe all the time stuff, just maybe something else. How do you cope with linear time,” he asked again suddenly, “it takes so long with lots of nothing happening.”

“Don’t have a lot of choice do I?” Jack said calmly, “and you’re really not that old.”

“I feel old. Did I ever say sorry about everything, you know the immortality and all?”

“In your own way yeah you did.” Jack was trying to keep up with the switches in conversation but this new Doctor was a hundred times more energetic than the last which was saying something. He was also more settled in himself Jack was pleased to see. The grief in his old friend’s eyes had been hard to bear sometimes.

“Good, good,” the Doctor nodded, “needed to be said. Say, what happened to Alonso?”

Jack frowned and then his expression cleared. “We travelled for a bit then a rather grateful shipping magnate heiress took a shine to him. Last I heard he was commodore with a parcel of kids.”

“Good, that’s good. Not good that he left you but good if he’s happy. Are you happy Jack?”

“Sometimes,” Jack said, “sometimes I’m not but that’s okay, that’s living. Are you happy Doctor?”

“Same as you Jack, but I have company at least,” the Doctor said looking at Amy’s sleeping form. “You should have company.”

“I do when I want it,” Jack replied, “but sometimes I’m happier alone.”

“You could come with us if you wanted,” the Doctor suggested, “not because of any obligation but because you’re my friend and you make the other colours in the universe brighter.”

Jack looked at the Doctor in surprise. “I would love to Doctor,” he said even while shaking his head, “but not right now. I’ve got a droid to finish rebuilding and you’ve still got adventures to go on. If you need to, let me lure you back anytime and next time you ask me, I’ll say yes.”

The Doctor looked at Jack steadily for a moment and then nodded. “Thank you Jack.”

* * * * *

A few years later Jack made one last adjustment and sent the droid back out into the universe with new messages and a renewed mission.

Finally, sometime after that a blue box appeared on the beach outside his hut. The door opened and the Doctor stepped out right into Jack’s arms, and Jack held him as he shook. Jack didn’t have to ask what caused the tears and the Doctor didn’t have to tell him. He just packed a bag and set about teaching the Doctor about linear time and how good it could be to have a bit of it.

END

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