Title: Dungeons & Darkness
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/Jack Harkness
Fandom: Doctor Who/Torchwood
Rating: R
Table: 12
Prompt: 22, Dungeon
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the Tenth Doctor or Jack Harkness. Please do not sue.***
Jack clutched the Doctor's coat in both hands, wishing that he had some kind of mystical power that would let him touch the Time Lord's clothes, or anything that had been near him, and let him know where the other man was. Especially when he should have kept a closer watch over the Doctor and made sure that no one could get to him in the first place.
He'd known that it was bad idea to stay in this time. It was more than obvious that he and the Doctor didn't belong in medieval England, though it had been interesting to experience firsthand just how people had lived in those days. But now, the Doctor was experiencing one of the less palatable aspects of the time. Jack knew that the Time Lord was locked in a dungeon somewhere. Naked, judging from the fact that he'd found the Doctor's clothes, nearly shredded to rags, on an upper floor of the castle.
The problem was, he didn't know where the Doctor was being held captive. Or what might have been done to him in the time that he'd been separated from Jack.
The fact that the Time Lord had been stripped of his clothes definitely wasn't a good sign, Jack thought worriedly, ducking behind a heavy velvet curtain to avoid two servants walking in the opposite direction and gossiping. He strained his ears to hear; maybe they would say something about, say, a man being held prisoner in the dungeons. Maybe even which dungeon he was in, if luck was with them.
But nothing came to his ears but the giggling of young girls. Jack squeezed his eyes closed, leaning against the wall, his knees feeling suddenly shaky. What if he couldn't find the Doctor? What if the Time Lord had somehow been forced to regenerate? What if he was .... dead, beyond reach and beyond help by this point?
No. He wasn't going to let himself think like that. The Doctor wasn't dead. He couldn't be. He would somehow know it if the worst happened, wouldn't he? After all, he was the Time Lord's companion. More than a companion; though they hadn't yet consummated their steadily growing relationship, there was much more between them than mere friendship.
Somehow, he was going to track down the Doctor and get them out of here. And never come back to this goddamn time again, Jack promised himself grimly, moving from behind the curtain and making his way cautiously down the hall. None of the doors to either side of the hallway looked like they led to a dungeon, he thought, staring at each one in turn as though he wanted to order the doors to open and lead him to the proper place.
The end of the hallway, a turn to either the right or the left. Jack looked down both corridors; neither one seemed any more prepossessing than the last one had been. He had no idea where he was in the castle -- he'd long ago managed to get himself thoroughly lost. He didn't care about marking his way now; all he wanted to do was find the Doctor and make sure that the Time Lord was all right before formulating a plan to get them back to the Tardis safely.
Jack squinted down the hallway to his left, realizing that the end of the corridor was a heavy door barred with a stout oaken beam. His pulse quickened, and he took a step in that direction. That looked like it could be the door that led to a dungeon. And he was more than willing to bet it was where he would find the Doctor.
Jack moved quickly down the corridor, advancing cautiously, ducking behind another curtain when he heard voices. He had to hold his breath, not daring to breathe; the two of them stopped directly in front of his hiding place, and he was certain that he would give himself away by a violent sneeze from all the dust motes tickling his nose.
Fortunately, the sneeze didn't materialize, and the two people moved off down the hallway, leaving silence behind them. Jack peered out from his hiding place, then sprinted down the hall to the door. The bar wasn't going to be easy to remove, but he'd manage it. If the Doctor was down there, trapped, naked and alone, nothing in the universe would stop Jack from getting to him. No force would keep him from the Time Lord.
The bar was harder to move than Jack had thought it would be; he cursed under his breath, struggling to force it to move just a few inches to allow him room to open the door enough to slip through it. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally managed to push it back far enough for the door to open slightly, just enough for him to wriggle through the crack that yawned down into what seemed like an impenetrable darkness.
Jack blinked, trying to make his eyes adjust to the lack of light. No, there was obviously a torch guttering down there somewhere. He could see the flickering light bouncing off the walls -- enough light to let him know that the place was damp, cold, and nowhere that he wanted the Doctor to be, no matter what kind of shape the Time Lord was in.
He started down the steps, hoping that he wouldn't run into anyone along the way. There didn't seem to be anybody down here guarding whoever might be a prisoner in this place; from what he could tell, they probably threw their captives into the dungeon and left them there. The worry returned, a hundred times stronger. What if the Doctor was hurt, and hadn't been able to call out for help?
It wasn't as though they would help him, anyway, Jack thought savagely, one hand bunching into a fist. If the Doctor was hurt, if the Gallifreyan had been harmed in any way -- Jack would see the people responsible for it in hell before he left. There was no way anyone was going to cause the Doctor harm and get away with it, not while he was around.
He'd reached the bottom of the steps, with no sound from another person. Jack frowned, looking around at the damp walls, the stone floor. If the Doctor was here, he was probably on the verge of freezing to death. They'd have to find some way of covering him up before they could make their escape, that was certain.
A soft moan drew Jack's attention, his eyes widening and searching the dark corners of the large central room he was in. That sound was unmistakable. It was the Doctor. Jack would know the timbre of that voice anywhere.
The moan came again, a little weaker this time. Jack looked around frantically, trying to ascertain which direciton it was coming from. He had to find the Doctor, find him quickly. He could be anywhere in this place; for all Jack knew, it could run underground through the entire castle, a series of tunnels that ultimately led nowhere.
Should he say something, to let the Doctor know that he was here and help was on the way? There could be other people down here, people that he hadn't seen yet. Even now, some medieval bad guy could be holding a sword to the Doctor's throat, ready to dig the blade into his flesh at the first sign of trouble ....
Jack swallowed hard, finally deciding that he knew which corridor the moan was coming from. If there was someone holding the Doctor captive, he'd have to deal with that in the best way he could, and hope that luck would be with them. If it wasn't, well .... that was something he would have eternity to hate himself for.
Another soft moan came from somewhere ahead of him, sounding weak and muffled. Jack was almost running down the corridor now, heading for what seemed to be a dead end just around the corner. Turning that corner, he stopped dead in his tracks, equal parts of relief and anger surging through him at the sight that greeted his eyes.
The Doctor was lying naked on the stone floor in front of him, knees drawn up to his chest, a gag in his mouth to keep him from screaming for help. His arms were pulled behind his back, wrists cuffed together and attached to a short chain embedded into the stone wall. Jack's heart sank; there was no way he could free the Doctor from those chains. And there was no way he was leaving the Time Lord here while he found something to somehow break the chain with, not in the condition he was in.
He dropped to his knees beside the Time Lord, cradling the Doctor's head in his lap and starting to work at the knots that held the gag in place. There were silent tears streaking down the Doctor's face, tears that Jack wanted to kiss away. He wanted to take the Time Lord into his arms, hold him and kiss him and assure him that everything would be all right, even though at the moment he wasn't so sure of that himself.
Jack finally managed to loosen the gag, pulling it away from the Doctor's mouth and taking the Time Lord's face between his hands. He studied the other man intently, wanting to make sure that the Doctor was lucid. The Time Lord's gaze met his, dark eyes unfocused and confused for a moment before he seemed to come to himself, swallowing hard and nodding.
"We have to get out of here," he said, his voice cracked and hoarse. "I know they'll be coming back for me soon, and it would be best to be as far away from the castle as we can get before they do. Preferably in the Tardis and away from here entirely."
"I've got to get these chains off you," Jack answered, studying the cuffs around the Doctor's thin wrists. There had to be some way to remove them, or at least manage to slip the Time Lord's hands out of their confines. His wrists were already scraped raw, a mute testament to the Doctor's struggles to free himself.
"Use the sonic screwdriver," the Doctor rasped, swallowing again. "It should be in the inner pocket of my coat -- wherever that is. I'm afraid those men weren't too keen on letting me keep my clothes on, considering what they had in mind for me."
Jack had indeed found the Doctor's coat, the one item of clothing that hadn't been ripped to shreds. He searched through the pockets, his fingers closing around the sonic screwdriver and pulling it out. He wasn't exactly sure how to use it; that had always been the Doctor's area of expertise, and he hadn't yet shown Jack just what it could be used for. They'd always thought there would be time for things like that ....
"How do I use this?" he asked, glancing at the Doctor, his heart clenching in his chest when he saw the grimace of pain on the Time Lord's features. The look was gone in a second, hidden behind a carefully contrived bland look, but that brief glimpse had told Jack all he needed to know. The Doctor was in pain. They had to get back to the Tardis. Now.
"Just point it at the chains. It should do the rest." The Doctor shifted his position slightly, holding out his wrists towards Jack as best he could. "It should only take a few seconds."
Jack did as the Doctor told him, discovering to his relief that the Time Lord was right. The cuffs sprang open, freeing the Gallifreyan's bound wrists. Jack knelt on the floor and pulled the thin man into his arms; the Doctor was pale and wan, his skin cold and clammy, but at least he was conscious and seemed to have his wits about him.
The Doctor wrapped his arms around Jack's waist, burying his face in the immortal's shoulder, his slender body shaking. Jack didn't know if it was because of the cold, or some sort of delayed reaction to his forced imprisonment in this place. He wanted to hold the Doctor and comfort him, but they had to get out of here as quickly as they could. There would be time for caresses and soft words later, no matter how much he wanted to give them now.
"Shhh, it's all right," Jack murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of the Doctor's head, aching to wrap his arms around the other man and reassure him. Time for that later, he told himself sternly, tilting the Doctor's face up to his and brushing away the traces of tears with soft fingertips. "Do you think you can walk? We need to get you back to the Tardis."
"I .... I don't know." Another spasm of pain crossed the Doctor's face when he moved, and Jack groaned inwardly. If the Doctor wasn't mobile, that would slow them down a lot. And he had no idea what had happened for the Time Lord to be in this condition, so there was nothing he could do to somehow make it easier for the wounded Gallifreyan to get to his feet and back to where he belonged.
Jack scrambled to his feet, reaching down to grasp the Doctor's hands and help him get up. It was only then that he saw the trails of dried blood on the Time Lord's inner thighs, the realization of what had been done to the Doctor hitting him a moment later.
He'd been raped. It was more than obvious -- and Jack wanted to kick himself for not realizing it sooner. Why hadn't it dawned on him that the men who'd grabbed the Doctor had meant to use him? If he'd been watching, been more vigilant .... But it was too late for him to castigate himself for what he hadn't done.
Jack wanted to ask how many, who they were, what they'd done -- so he could go looking for them after he'd delivered the Doctor safely into the Tardis. He wanted to find every man who'd touched the Time Lord and send them to a well-deserved, bloody death. He wanted to make them pay for harming the man he loved. But he couldn't. It was impossible.
"Oh god ...." Jack pulled the Time Lord to his feet, letting the trembling man lean against him, his arms wrapping around the Doctor's waist again. "I'm so sorry .... I didn't know ...."
The Doctor shook his head, raising a hand to wipe at the tears on his face. "It doesn't matter," he said wearily, looking up at Jack. "It isn't the first time, and I doubt it will be the last. Let's just .... get out of here. I'll be all right if I can get back to the Tardis."
Jack nodded, swallowing back his protests. The Doctor was right; they didn't have time to stay here and wait until the Time Lord's resilient body could heal. "I'm going to carry you. I don't think you're in any shape to try to walk, and if we have to make a run for it, I don't want you to be in any danger of being caught."
"You won't be able to run if you have to carry me," the Doctor objected, frowning as he reached for his trenchcoat. "And as I recall, the Tardis is in some dusty, disused room. Something that looked rather like a ballroom, wasn't it? I suppose it may have been noticed at this point, but it did seem to be in a disused part of the castle. If we're lucky, we can make our way back there without any mishaps."
"I can run and carry you." Jack wasn't about to let the Doctor try to walk and possibly do more harm to his already damaged body. "You don't weigh that much -- and you forget, I've had a lot of experience with tight situations. Besides, if you try to argue with me about this, I'll just sling you over my shoulder. That would be pretty uncomfortable for you."
The Time Lord managed a wan smile, shrugging into the coat and buttoning it up the front. "If you want to try to carry me, then go ahead. But if you need to put me down -- then do it. I won't have you trapped here. If worst comes to worst and you have to leave me behind, don't you dare hesitate, Jack."
Jack's eyes met the Doctor's, locking with the other man's steady gaze. The immortal shook his head, his mouth setting in a stubborn, straight line. "No. I won't even consider leaving you behind. Not after what you've already been through. If one of us stays -- then we both stay. I'm not going to abandon you here."
"You may have to, Jack." The Doctor's voice was barely a whisper, and Jack was sure he could detect a slight trembling in the Gallifreyan's tone. "Better one of us than both of us."
He shook his head again, refusing to even think about the idea of leaving the Doctor stranded here. "No. It's not an option, not for any reason." Jack stepped close to the Doctor, cupping the Time Lord's face in his hands and pressing his lips against the softness of the Doctor's mouth. "I love you. I'm not leaving you here to face god knows what."
"All right." The Doctor sighed softly, knowing when he'd lost a battle. "I won't argue with you. We don't have the time to spare."
"No, we don't," Jack agreed, glancing around and hoping that he'd be able to make it up those steps leading into the dungeon with the Doctor in his arms. He'd have to. He didn't have any choice; it was either get them out of here, or sit in the increasingly cold prison and wait for whatever fate might happen to fall on them.
The Doctor leaned against him, the slender body almost sagging into his arms. Without further hesitation, Jack bent to hook an arm under the Time Lord's knees, the other firmly around his back, lifting the slender man into his arms. The Doctor wrapped his arms around Jack's neck, leaning against him, feeling almost weightless in his grasp.
Jack didn't quite know how he made it up the steps; the two of them didn't exchange any words, each of them searching the darkness leading upwards with narrowed eyes, hoping that each step would be the last one. Jack almost sighed with relief when he came to the top, pushing the heavy door open a little wider to slip through. They were just lucky that it hadn't been closed.
"I don't know which way the Tardis is," Jack said worriedly, looking around and scanning the corridor for any approaching people. Fortunately, the place seemed to be deserted; they might be able to make their escape safely, after all. His heart rose at the prospect, even though the worry about actually finding the Tardis still loomed large in his mind.
The Doctor closed his eyes, leaning his head back, a furrow appearing between his brows. Jack watched him, wondering just what the Time Lord was doing. He felt a dizzying rush of relief wash over him when the Doctor opened his eyes again and inclined his head to one of the doors on the left side of the corridor that stretched in front of them.
"That way," he said, his voice sounding weaker than ever. "I can't explain now, but .... I can feel that it's the right direction. Don't question me, Jack. Just get us there. Please. As quickly as you can."
Tightening his hold on the Time Lord, Jack headed towards the door, pushing it open with his shoulder and entering. It was deserted, the windows shuttered, the meager furniture draped and dusty. It was obvious that no one had been into the room for a long time -- and it looked very much like the huge ballroom where they'd left the Tardis. Jack was sure that the Doctor was correct, and they were headed in the right direction.
"The door on the opposite side of the room. Hurry," the Doctor whispered. Jack looked down at the man in his arms; the Doctor's face was paler than ever, and his breathing was starting to sound labored. He needed the Tardis, Jack realized; he needed the bond with the ship to restore him. He quickened his pace, practically running for the door.
He pushed through the door .... and there was the blue police box, looming large in the dimness of the shadowy ballroom. Jack had never been so happy to see anything in all the many years of his long life. And never would be, he thought to himself as he rushed across the room.
To his shock, the door opened without either of them two men touching it; he could almost feel the ship beckoning him inside, as if it knew that the Doctor was in urgent need. Jack didn't question that feeling; he slipped through the doorway, glancing back to make sure it had closed and checking it quickly before heading towards the room that was designated as the Doctor's sleeping quarters.
"No .... leave me here, Jack." The Time Lord's voice was still weak, cracked and hoarse, but he looked a little better, as if being inside the Tardis had already started to restore something of his usual vitality. "I need to set the controls to get us out of here. And I .... I need to be here."
Jack nodded, slowly setting the Doctor on his feet, but keeping an arm looped around the slender waist. He didn't want to let the Time Lord go -- and he wasn't quite sure just how close he might have come to losing the Gallifreyan for good. But they were here now, safe. He couldn't put into words how thankful he was for that.
He steadied the Doctor as the other man leaned against the console, pressing a few buttons and then slumping against Jack with a breathy sigh. "There. Not a moment too soon."
Jack slid both arms around the Doctor, pulling the other man back against him. "I'll stay here. I don't want to leave you alone," he murmured, brushing a kiss against the Doctor's cheek. "I have a feeling you might need me."
"Always," the Time Lord murmured, placing both hands over Jack's and relaxing into his lover's embrace. "I'll always need you. I always have -- even though in the past, I'd have been far too proud to admit it."
"I've always needed you, too," Jack said softly, turning the Doctor's face to his for a long, deep kiss. "And I always will. Until the end of time."
"I'll need you far beyond that," the Doctor whispered, closing his eyes and giving himself over to the immortal's insistent kiss.
The blue box shimmered into nothingness as quietly as it had arrived, leaving the dusty, shadowed ballroom empty and undisturbed.***
- Main Torchwood slash page
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- Amazon.com - Torchwood: Children of Earth
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- Amazon.ca link - Torchwood - The Complete First Season (7DVD)