Title: Never leave me
By: ebonyjet
Pairing: 10/Jack
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Set just after episode "Last of the Time Lords". When Martha tells the Doctor she's not comming with him.

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And there, she was gone. Martha Jones: his companion, the woman who had helped him live again after he’d lost his beautiful Rose. Poor Martha never really replaced Rose. Of course she hadn't, how could she? But Martha had known that: it was the main reason she'd gone. She chose to leave him, oh god....he'd made some one flee like he did, right now. He'd chosen to leave someone, turned his back and ran, he would always run. He'd hurt a man as much as he was hurting at this exact point in time. But that man had suffered for years, a hundred and something of them.
"Jack!" The Doctor ran from the doors of his bright blue police box. "Jack! Stop!" God, he couldn't run any faster, he couldn't shout any louder. "Jack!"

Captain Jack Harkness stopped in his tracks. It wasn't five minutes ago that the he walked away from his only chance to travel the stars with the magnificent time lord ,and his wonderful companion, Martha Jones. Now a crazed man in a brown suit, with untidy light brown hair was flying at him. He knew it was the Doctor, but couldn't understand why he would of come back. How many years had it been since the Doctor had last seen him? How long had the Doctor been travelling in the five minutes since he'd left for the second time?

"Doctor?" Jack asked, confusion printed across his chiselled features. "Why are yo...?" Before he could finish, the Doctor grabbed hold of both the Americans shoulders, and fixed his desperate stare to penetrate Jack’s very soul. "Come with me!"
"What?"
"Jack, come with me! Please, please come with me. Be my companion, stay with me! You live forever: why not spend eternity riding the TARDIS across the solar systems? You can take over when I die. The TARDIS is yours, I'll show you how to position the coordinates, fly it. I’ll even give you the screwdriver, anything! Just please say you'll come with me!" Both the Doctors hearts raced. Deep down he knew, knew the answer to his question, knew his efforts where so completely pointless and useless there was probably was no point in even trying. But he had to.

Jack sadly shook his head. "I would love to, but I can't."
"Please?"
"Doctor, I’m sorry." Jack lent forwards, trying to see into, rather then just look at the Doctor himself. "What happened? Is Martha okay? Where is she?"
"She won't travel with me any more, I've got her mobile, she can talk to me and I can talk to her, but she won't come. The Masters dead, I’m the last of the time lords again. I'm completely alone. I can't get Rose back, I need you to come with me." The Doctors eyes were filled with sadness and regret, for only Jack to see.
"Doctor I have to stay. Torchwood, my team needs me."
"But Jack, I need you."

Jack shook his head, "I'm sorry. I am so, very, sorry but I don't need you....not any more. I learned not to need you Doctor. You'll do the same, you know you will. I'm impossible. You said it was hard for you to even look at me. I'm not gonna travel with you, because what happens on the day it becomes unbearable for you? When I burn your eyes? I'm not going to wait around for you to decide you can't handle it any more. I'm not going to give you the chance to leave me behind again."
"But I won't..."
"You will, you know you will. Doctor, let’s face it: as long as you know Rose is out there some where, you’re never going to be happy with anyone but her."

Jack stroked the side of the Doctors face, while letting tears fall down his cheeks. He could hardly believe what he was saying, but he knew it was for the best, "Find her. Doctor, go and find a way to get her back. What do you think about using the paradox machine one last time?" He whispered, giving the Doctor one of his biggest and brightest smiles. "Find her. She's looking for you."
The Doctor tightened his grip on the other mans shoulders, and gave Jack a shake. "We'll find her together!" He told him in a bright voice that held the promise of great adventures. Even if it was just the Doctor trying desperately to get Jack to save him from loneliness, the other man had to admit it was extremely tempting.
"No."
The Time Lord’s face fell and he took his hands from Jack's shoulders. "Jack. You can't just leave."

Jack took his hand from the Doctor's cheek. "You did." He turned his back on the other man, practically feeling his own heart breaking in his chest, and falling to his feet as sharp little shards of shattered glass. He looked back only once: to salute. "We'll meet again Doctor. Just do me a favour?"
"What?"
"Remember: you are not alone! Rose loves you." Jack smiled again, turning his back one final time but continuing to speak. "Find her, or I will. And she fall harder and faster for me then she ever did for you. You've got the universe, a TARDIS, a suit, a nice personality and a great hairdo but I'm way sexier, and no one resists Captain Jack Harkness."
"I did."
"Wrong again Doc. Hello, Doctor, think about it? Intergalactic conman, guess what you want back that I have."

The Doctor blinked, realising what Jack had just said. He patted himself down, checking his pockets. There was an odd bulge in his inside top left pocket. He rummaged around in it, and realised what was missing, "Oi! You've got my physic paper!" But Jack was gone..... where had Jack gone? The Doctor turned, and started walking back to the TARDIS, pulling out what was making the odd feeling bulge in his jacket…..it was a single, pale pink rose.

Captain Jack Harkness watched as the Doctor slowly walked away. He pulled his wrist up to press a button on his "space hopper", and wiped his face as the lift on the perception filter, hiding him from view, began to descend into the Torchwood hub. The smell of Ianto's exquisitely hand ground coffee filled the air. Jack knew he was home.

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