dameruth: "The Gift That Keeps On Giving" (Ten/Jack) [PG/Teen]

[dameruth.livejournal.com]

Title: "The Gift That Keeps On Giving"
Author: dameruth
Challenge: 2010 Doctor/Jack fest
Characters: Ten/Jack
Series: None/standalone
Rating: PG/Teen
Spoilers: None.
Summary: Written for the prompt: "Ten, during his goodbyes, goes to see the Face die (from a distance), but stays longer, seeing him come back again as Jack. Somehow, Jack prevents the regeneration and goes off to travel with the Doctor. Bonus: Sex and telepathy."

A/N - I didn't quite manage the bonus points, I fear, but this still turned out fun and fluffy; surprisingly so, in fact, given that Ten/Jack is my Angst!OTP and I'm not a fan of the "Jack as the Face of Boe" schtick. But the prompt generated an idea as to how the trope could be handled in a way I actually liked, and, bingo, fic was born. Thanks to dark_aegis, yamx and itsabere for their kind, helpful and astonishingly *fast* beta work. Any errors that remain are strictly my own. :)


The Doctor doesn't know why his wandering path of farewells has taken him here, not really. He's been running on raw instinct for the last little while as the growing sense of wrongness in his body heralds the end of a life he's reluctant to leave, regardless of the pain it's brought him.

Well-hidden, his TARDIS has materialized far back in the labyrinth of the Senate building, and he's limped this far to watch in numb silence from a hidden spot among the bones of the dead as Martha, his younger self, and Novice Hame witness the Face of Boe giving his last, no-longer-cryptic message before dying. Even with such grand drama playing out before him, it's hard to concentrate; he can feel the first stirrings of nausea pinching his digestive tract, and a faint itch (soon to be pain) starting deep in his skin, his scalp and at the bases of his finger- and toe-nails. The effects of radiation are coming home to roost at last, as the deceptive calm of the "walking dead" incubation period reaches an end. All the growing, dividing cells of his body have been killed off, and without them working constantly to replace the existing architecture of his body as it wears out, he's facing a slow, terrible dissolution until the regenerative process kicks in and "saves" him.

Rose next, he thinks, his brain dull and sluggish as he watches Hame, alone, say a last silent farewell to the Face before following Martha and the younger Doctor from the mausoleum that this once-grand building has become. Literally – he's seen it: the Senate building will be sealed off forever after this, to serve as a combination of tomb and monument. Eventually both the Face and Hame will be canonized and people of all species and walks of life will pray for support and healing at the closed-off doors, leaving prayers, flowers and candles behind. Now, however, there are no miracles. Only death, death and more death. He still doesn't know why he's here, but he does know he won't last much longer and he's promised himself that he'll go see Rose last of all, as a way to keep himself going until the end.

Hame is outside now with the others, breathing fresh air and standing in sunlight for the first time in decades. He knows, because he remembers being there with her. She will never enter this building again. Nobody will. Safe from discovery, he drags himself out of hiding to stand before the lifeless Face of Boe. "Old friend," the Face had called him. A friendship to be enjoyed by a future self, apparently, since he's only met the strange, ancient being three times so far, by his reckoning. Not much material for a friendship there.

"Guess I'll be seeing you later. Or sooner. Or something," he says, trying to joke, but the words fall cracked and humorless from his lips. He's on the verge of turning away when the Face moves.

Not a muscle spasm or death-twitch. It's as if the Face is melting, scaly flesh liquefying, flowing, contracting in on itself. The Doctor jumps back, a burst of adrenalin giving his dying body a bit of its old bounce. He can't look away; the spectacle is grotesque, surreal, and weirdly fascinating. Is this normal? Is this what his kind does when they die? he thinks, before things get even stranger and rational thought cuts out entirely.

The puddle of liquefied flesh continues to contract and a naked humanoid body, sprawled face-down on the floor, begins to take shape. Not just any body; the Doctor recognizes it a half-second before it takes a hoarse, wheezing breath and lives again.

"God, I hate cold floors," Jack Harkness murmurs in a gravelly voice and rolls over, opening his eyes. He's looking right up at the Doctor, and his face pulls into an expression nearly as stunned as the Time Lord feels.

"Doctor? You're still here?" Jack gasps. "What . . .?" he breaks off and corrects himself, in a tone of understanding: "No, not still here. Here again." He pushes himself up and tries to rise, but his bare feet slip on the polished stone floor, muscles still stiff from his resurrection. Instinctively, the Doctor catches his hand and helps Jack to his feet.

"Thanks," Jack says. "It's gonna take a while to get used to having my legs back." Their eyes meet and the Doctor feels dizzy, as if he's falling. Looking into those blue eyes is like gazing up into the sky, into infinity. This close, without the intervening glass and smoke (which, he now thinks, might have been more than they seemed), he realizes that the odd, skin-crawling feeling he'd always picked up from the Face was the whiff of a fixed point, but one mellowed into something far more subtle than the bright, stabbing sensation he'd first experienced in the presence of Jack's immortality. This is not the Jack he's just recently seen in a bar; this Jack is much, much (how much?) older.

"Hello, old friend," Jack says and his tone is warm, though he frames the words with a wry, lopsided smile.

"What?" the Doctor asks, unable to stop himself. "How?"

Jack raises his eyebrows. "That covers a lot of territory. Care to be a little more specific?"

"You really are the Face of Boe? Were? Will be? Whatever? I thought you were just taking the mickey when you said that to me and Martha!"

Jack chuckles. "Actually, at the time I was messing with you. They did call me 'the Face of Boe' at the Agency, but as a joke. It was a reference to the real Face, who was already a celebrity back then. But, fast-forward a few billion years, loop back on my own timeline once or twice, and there I am, the 'real' Face of Boe after all. I swear the Universe has a sense of humor, sometimes."

"But," the Doctor sputters. He waves a hand up and down, indicating Jack's bare, muscular and completely human body, ". . . How?"

"How did I get to be a head in a jar? Oh, that's a long story . . . " Jack says with a grin, but he breaks off when the first real gut-twinge sends the Doctor spasming and doubling over. Jack's large, strong hands catch hold of the Doctor's upper arms, steadying him. "But you don't have a long time, do you?" Jack finishes. He helps the Doctor straighten, and the Time Lord is rocked by what he sees in Jack's face. So much past love, pain and compassion, blended and distilled into acceptance and something approaching serenity, while remaining alert, aware and part of the present. It's the Face's vast, abiding calm, carried over into human form.

"You're still saying your goodbyes, aren't you?" Jack asks softly. "I never did get to thank you for Alonso, you know. We were both exactly what the other needed just then."

He speaks as if it were yesterday, he looks as if it were yesterday – all but his eyes. And: billions of years, he'd said.

"You remember that?" the Doctor asks, hearing the dying rasp in his own voice.

Jack cocks his head, a hint of a smile at the corners of his mouth; it's a very Jack expression, dry humor blending seamlessly with the Boe-ness. "I remember everything," he says.

"That's impossible," the Doctor says, glaring.

"Yeah, I am," Jack says, and if it comes out sounding slightly snarky, well, maybe he's entitled to that.

The Doctor opens his mouth to respond, but breaks into a fit of coughing instead. Jack supports him; when the Doctor stops and swallows, he tastes the first faint copper tang of blood in his mouth. "I have to go," he tells Jack. Rose. He wants her to be the last one he sees before he regenerates. That thought overrides everything else, even this bizarre, unforeseen reunion. His impending death creates a form of tunnel vision, narrowing his world down to the barest essentials.

Jack is frowning, and doesn't release him. "Before you go," Jack says, hesitates, and then leans forward. The Doctor catches his intent and almost pulls back, but stops at the last minute. After all, they've already parted with a kiss once, just before Jack died and was reborn to be . . . whatever he is. It's the Doctor's turn to be on the other side now. The symmetry is undeniable.

It's an old tradition, memory whispers, calling up another kiss, another farewell: ghostly lips made of stardust, and a traveler to send on her way. That's appropriate, too.

Jack isn't a ghost, or stardust. He's all soft, living human warmth when his mouth touches the Doctor's, and the Doctor relaxes, taking in the sensation, glad his leaving won't be as lonely as he thought. Even the memory of a single last kiss to take into the darkness makes that final voyage a bit more bearable. Wrapped as he is in the moment, he doesn't recognize the tingling he feels as anything more than damaged, over-stimulated nerve endings until it coalesces into a solid snap like a spark of static electricity. His body tries to jerk away in reflex, but Jack's hand is cupping the back of his head with unexpected strength, holding him in place.

The Doctor's lips part in surprise and protest, letting more of that tingling, sparking stuff slip into his mouth like a trickle of water. Then it's as if floodgates have burst and energy is pouring into him, runneling down his throat and radiating outward through his entire body. It fills him like the rising sap of Spring, reawakening all the dead places inside him and making them live again: stem cells, kick-started, begin dividing, repairing, healing. The sensation is completely unlike regeneration except for its overwhelming inevitability. It's not a painless process, but it is a joyous one, and the Doctor, stunned and confused, lets the raging current bear him along. Finally, when the flow fades to a trickle, he breaks free from Jack's kiss with a shuddering intake of air that sounds very much like Jack's usual returning-to-life gasp.

The Doctor gulps in more air, breath after breath, respiratory bypass failing him for once. Returning awareness of his body above and beyond the cellular level informs him that he's come alive in all possible ways, which is as embarrassing as it is unexpected. Even though Jack never looks away from the Doctor's face and their bodies aren't touching – except for his hands on Jack's shoulders (he doesn't remember placing them there, but he must have done, for balance) and Jack's hand now resting loosely on the back of the Doctor's neck – the Doctor is still certain that Jack knows, somehow, being Jack.

"Thought that might give you a lift," Jack says, and the wicked twinkle in his fathomless blue eyes confirms the Doctor's suspicions. Ancient beyond mortal understanding or not, some people never change.

"What the hell was that?" the Doctor growls, allowing himself the mild profanity in this dizzy, unbalanced moment. His voice is harsher than he intended, almost angry. Rippling shudders of fading power slosh back and forth through his body like the aftershocks of pleasure's height – not the most comfortable comparison at the moment, since it does nothing to reduce his body's reaction.

Jack's eyebrows arch in amusement. "Life. Eternal life, in particular. Sometimes there's so much of it, a little bit spills over into someone else who needs it. The gift that keeps on giving, you could say." He goes (mostly) apologetic. "Sorry I didn't warn you. I didn't know if it'd work on Time Lords, and it seemed cruel to get your hopes up if it wouldn't."

I'm not dying! the Doctor's perceptions go internal again for a moment, verifying the renewed activity of his body's machinery. He no longer feels queasy or itchy – thankfully, the miraculous renewal was instantaneous, with no lag time needed for all systems to come back on line. Otherwise, he would have been in trouble. He turns his attention outward and realizes he and Jack are still standing in a partial embrace, which Jack, at least, seems in no hurry to end. He's just standing there, waiting for the Doctor, radiating that unhurried serenity, for all that the air is chill and he's wearing nothing but his bare skin. The Doctor realizes that something's needed, in more ways than one.

"Thank you," he tells Jack. It's long overdue and seems like a tiny pittance of what the man is owed, not just for this gift of physical healing.

Jack's face lights up with his wide, movie-star grin. "You're welcome."

"You must be cold," the Doctor says, which is stating the bloody obvious, but he has to keep talking and say something. That's the way this incarnation reacts to things, after all. "The TARDIS is just this way," he adds, indicating direction with a tilt of his head. He's careful to keep his eyes on Jack's face, since the flush of arousal is finally fading, but he has the feeling if he dwells too much on Jack's state of undress, he might embarrass himself again. Which is ridiculous; he's seen more naked humans than he can count in his lifetime, and it shouldn't affect him. He just doesn't think about humans that way. That way lies nothing but pain, given the difference in lifespans. He hadn't loved even Rose in that way, for all that he cares far too much about her for his own good, or hers.

His response is a side effect of that jolt of life-force, he decides. That must be it.

He makes himself move (maybe it'll help if I stop touching him), and drops his hands from Jack's shoulders. "After that, I can give you a lift, if you want – to anywhere and anywhen. But you knew that. Where are you going now?" The last is spoken with genuine curiosity as he begins to walk in the direction of the TARDIS.

Jack falls into step with the Doctor as easily as ever; his his bipedal balance is returning quickly, it seems. He inhales, exhales, and looks thoughtful. "I'm not sure. I spent so long looking after the city and waiting to give you that message, I kind of got lost in the moment. I didn't think about after." He lifts one bare shoulder in a shrug, and the Doctor studiously ignores the distracting play of muscle under skin. "I'll keep going, like always, stay out of my own way as much as possible. Not that that'll be a problem. The Universe is a big place. Even though I've been around longer than it has, I haven't seen more than a fraction of it. I'll just go somewhere new." He pauses, then flicks a sidelong glance at the Doctor. "So. Is that offer still open?"

The Doctor blinks. "Offer?" For a moment, all that's running through his still gutter-bound mind is the thought that he hadn't figured even Jack would take an involuntary physical reaction as an offer.

"To travel with you," Jack says, with good-humored patience. "If it is, I think I'm finally ready to take you up on it."

"Oh. Oh, that offer . . ." The Doctor's mind spins madly, then clicks to an immediate decision like a slot machine lining up a winning combination. "Yes. Yes, it is. Very much so. I'd be happy to have you, Jack." His mouth snaps shut after the last bit, as it sounds horribly suggestive to his own ears. It doesn't help that Jack stops walking and stands stock-still, looking shocked.

Cringing inwardly, the Doctor asks, "Jack?"

Jack shakes his head. "It's been a long, long time since someone's called me that," he says. "And even longer since I've really felt like Jack Harkness."

It's the Doctor's turn to be startled, though he realizes he shouldn't be. After all that time, there's no reason why the man standing before him should have held on to something as superficial as a name, and an assumed one at that.

The former Face of Boe grins, then. "Yes. Jack. Why not? Now that I've ditched the tentacles, might as well go back to the beginning. Well, near enough." He resumes walking, and there's a visible change in every step, the sense that he's reassuming an old persona and enjoying the feeling.

The Doctor finds himself grinning, too, happier than he's been in a long time. His alone-ness had been getting to him, and this time there isn't the usual background guilt of knowing that he's pulling someone out of their proper setting and into his chaotic, often-dangerous life; nor is there any worry of being abandoned far too soon by someone he's become fond of. Jack is as rootless now as the Doctor himself, and even less vulnerable than a Time Lord to the dangers they're likely to encounter; he can travel in the TARDIS as long as he chooses.

A long time, I hope, the Doctor thinks, finding that he's looking forward to having this new-new-new-to-the-umpteenth-power Jack around for company, with his blend of uncanny age and irreverent, well, Jack-ness. They round a corner, and there's his ship, part of the shadows save for the soft, welcoming glow of her "police box" panels and windows. He pulls the key from his pocket – he'll need to make another copy for Jack, he thinks. "D'you want to say goodbye to anyone before we leave New Earth? Novice Hame . . .?"

Jack shakes his head, a shadow that isn't quite sorrow crossing his face. "She'd have no idea who I am, now, and I wouldn't try to explain. We've had our goodbyes; best leave it there." He smiles up at the TARDIS, patting her wooden shell as he leads the way through the open door the Doctor offers him. "Let's get out of here."

The Doctor finds himself watching Jack's shapely backside in passing and has to admit that maybe, just maybe, some of his reaction to that kiss might have been the result of long-buried impulses of his own, rather than the raw power of Jack's life force.

Lifespan certainly isn't an issue here. If that barrier has been removed, maybe others have, too. The Doctor's mind shies away from that train of thought, but more from the sheer novelty of the idea than anything else; then his lightning-quick thoughts circle around again for a second look, followed by a third, as his eyes continue to linger on Jack. "Maybe we can go somewhere and you can finally buy me a drink," he says, surprising himself. He's managed to conquer a lot of his rude-but-not-ginger impulses over time, but not all of them.

He even surprises Jack, who laughs, short and startled, then grins over his shoulder. "Wow, Doctor. That was pretty cheeky, even for you. Should I bother putting clothes on?"

The Doctor sniffs, straightening his tie, as he moves to the controls. "'Course you should. We aren't going anywhere for drinks that doesn't have a dress code."

Jack rolls his eyes. "Putting clothes on just to take them off again later. Told you you were a lot of work. Wardrobe room still in the same place?"

"If it isn't, the TARDIS will give you pointers. And don't get ahead of yourself. Drinks first. Then we'll talk about other options. I want to hear your long story about becoming a face in a jar, too. We've got time for it now."

"Yeah," Jack says, with a blinding grin. "We do. And you're gonna want to be drunk for that one, I promise."

The Doctor coughs. It sounds like "clothes."

"Yessir," Jack says, running an affectionate hand along a coral strut on his way out of the control room. "Coming right up, sir." From his tone of voice, there's no way the words are innocently chosen.

"Don't start!" the Doctor calls after him, before taking them into the Vortex. Not to see Rose, oh no. He will still want to go to her again someday, since no regeneration lasts forever and he fully intends to keep his promise to himself (circumstances allowing), but he'll leave that final goodbye until its proper time, when he's ready to leave this life.

He slams levers home with gleeful force, dancing around the controls for the sheer joy of feeling renewed life and health coursing through his body, while the TARDIS hums and purrs with relief.

Right now, he'd much rather say hello to Jack.

Comments

[trobadora]

Oooh, yes, this really hit the spot right now. :D

Absolutely lovely, even though (just like you) I'm not a fan of the Face of Boe thing. If it has to be true, this is how it should go - "you're gonna want to be drunk for that one", indeed! :D

So many cool bits! The Doctor's slow death, his no-this-isn't-a-reaction to Jack, this:

"That's impossible," the Doctor says, glaring.

"Yeah, I am," Jack says, and if it comes out sounding slightly snarky, well, maybe he's entitled to that.

And don't think I didn't notice the Doctor recognising Jack's naked body from behind, right away! Not to mention the absolutely perfect final line. :D But my absolute favourite was Jack's reaction to his old name. ♥

[dameruth.livejournal.com]

Heh -- I've been telling people that I'm probably gonna have to *get* drunk to figure out how Jack became the Face, cuz I currently have no idea.

I figure Jack's always had a clothing-optional attitude (it's certainly canon that he doesn't mind being naked around others), so Nine probably got an eyeful more than once when Jack was living on the TARDIS. Even a Time Lord would have to notice (and remember) *that.* ;)

Thanks! glad you enjoyed it!

[firefly124.livejournal.com]

Ooh, that's gorgeous! (Of course, now I want to hear that long story too. *g*)

[dameruth.livejournal.com]

If I ever figure out what that long story is (Jack may know, but I certainly don't!), I'll be sure to write it up. Like I told someone else, maybe *I* need to get drunk and see if that shakes any cracky ideas loose . . . :D

Thanks! Glad you liked it.

[wendymr.livejournal.com]

Ditto to not being a fan of the 'Jack is the Face of Boe' notion, but if he has to be then this story and honorh's Happily (Not) Ever After (http://www.whofic.com/viewstory.php?sid=21205) are the only ways I'd like to see it happen :)

You've done a great job of showing us, rather than telling, that Jack is so much older and wiser here - far older, and probably knows more in some ways, than the Doctor. And I loved the Thought that might give you a lift line. Perfect! And the Doctor actually admitting, to himself and later to Jack, that he is attracted :) I thought at first, before Jack moved in to kiss him, that the Doctor was going to walk away and leave him there, and I was about to smack him for it - good for Jack for pushing the issue.

And, yes, I too love Jack's reaction to being called by that name :)))

Just one concern, though: Jack knows, though we don't, what interaction he's had with this and future Doctors from this point on until he died as Boe on New Earth; does that mean he can't stay with the Doctor for very long for fear of causing a paradox?

[dameruth.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'm actually rather glad the whole FOB question has been left anbiguous in canon. At least it lets us come up with reasonable fanfic explanations (though my first thought is still that Jack was yanking Ten's chain). :)

Oh, there was no way Jack would have let the Doctor walk away, especially given how sick Ten was. And I doubt even Ten would have behaved quite that way unless he was really ill; but it's like when you've got a bad flu, and a lot of things just leave your head entirely.

Yeah, I considered the question of how much Jack knew about the Doctor's future and how much he'd interacted with him before, but decided to just let it pass for the sake of this story. I figure he'll know how to work around the potential paradoxes when they show up . . . After all, he's had a looooong time to get used to stuff like that. :)

[doctorinchains.livejournal.com]

Really loved it. Perfectly balanced. Thanks for a great read.

[dameruth.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I'm glad you liked it! :)

[ana-rpm.livejournal.com]

Great story! I like this ancient Jack. Different as the Face, but still very much Jack. Loved the Doctor's *reaction* to Jack's kiss of life, and that he eased up on the denial at the end. *g*

Any chance we'll get Jack's long story about becoming a head in a jar? And what they'll do after that drink? ;)

[dameruth.livejournal.com]

Ten's a genius when it comes to denial, but even he has to admit certain truths. ;) You know, I don't know if I'll ever write up the story of Jack becoming the Face, because I have no idea how it happened. Maybe *I* need to get drunk, and see what inspiration strikes. XD

Thanks, glad you liked it!

[ent-alter-ego.livejournal.com]

Count me in as another person who dislikes Jack as the Face of Boe, and I disregard it as a joke. But, if it has to happen, at least this way he ends up with the Doctor. And we get Ten still - hurray!

[dameruth.livejournal.com]

Yeah, those were pretty much my thoughts when I had the idea for this; and I like to challenge myself every now and then by trying to write something different, so . . .

Thanks! :)

[pitry.livejournal.com]

Oh, that was terribly sweet!

Jack being the old and wise one - now that's an entertaining angle :)

[dameruth.livejournal.com]

Aw, thanks! Yeah, writing Really Old Jack is an appealing prospect, but I don't know if I'll ever get any more bunnies to follow this particular story. We'll have to wait and see.

[joking.livejournal.com]

Oh, I love Jack's reaction to being called by that name; it reminds me of one of my favorite lines from Children of Earth: "I have lived so many lives. It's time to find another one." It's like Jack is the one who's truly regenerated, in the end.

[dameruth.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Yeah, I was thinking of the way Jack seems to be looking at his different "lives" almost like the Doctor's regenerations. Gives them even more parallels as characters . . . which, of course, is why I ship them so hard. They can really understand each other, which gives the relationship that extra bit of plausibility.

[lindenharp.livejournal.com]

You did a beautiful job of presenting a believable Jack who is at once the mischievous young man we met in 1941 and also an ancient and wise force of the Universe. Now, write a follow-up (pretty please!).

[dameruth.livejournal.com]

Gah, like I need another 'verse? With "Frost" (and a bunch of others) still waiting for a new chapter?

Still, though, thanks! Glad you liked it enough to want more. That's a real compliment . . . ;)

[wynkat1313.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed this. I loved Jack aged/agelessness and the idea (which never bloody occurred to me!) that once the Face died Jack's immortality might kick in and he'd resurrect again. There's an interesting thought!

[dameruth.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I've actually seen some other fic playing off the idea of the Face turning back into Jack following his resurrection, but to my shame I can't remember the titles or authors of the folks who laid the groundwork for the trope. Still, it's a fun concept to play with, hence my choice of prompt. :)

*butts in*

[juliet316]

The one with that concept on Teaspoon is called Reborn, and there's one that's linked to the notsobigheaded comm

Re: *butts in*

[dameruth.livejournal.com]

Oh, yay! Someone more organized/with a better memory than me saves the day! :) Thanks! :D

Re: *butts in*

[juliet316]

Heehee, to be fair the only reason I remember Reborn is because it's on my favorites page at Teaspoon. Otherwise, I'd probably wouldn't remember it.

You are welcome though. :-D

[lefaym.livejournal.com]

Oooh, very nice! The rapport between the Doctor and Jack is spot on.

[dameruth.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I love writing these two characters together (well, obviously). ;)

[dameruth.livejournal.com]

LOL! Yeah, I had a moment like that when the prompt caught my eye and I said, "Y'know, if things went *this* way, maybe Jack as the Face wouldn't be a bad thing after all . . ." o_O ;)

I have to admit, the dynamics of the changed relationship *would* be fascinating, but I don't think it'd be bad for Ten to feel like he's not the oldest one in the room (and the default final authority, stuck with all the hard choices) for once. Sort of the reverse of how Torchwood-Jack loved being around the Doctor and ceding authority for a bit in "Utopia" and all.

LOL! Maybe I should see how many LJ-ers I can get to buy *me* a drink to get me to write about Ten and Jack having a drink together . . . ;) Dunno if more will be forthcoming, we'll have to see. :)

[canaana.livejournal.com]

the Doctor is still certain that Jack knows, somehow, being Jack.

Yes, if there's a paranormal gift for sensing arousal, I'm sure Jack has it.

The Universe is a big place. Even though I've been around longer than it has . . .

I love this. It's such a deft, sharp observation, and you run it by us in such an understated way that it just cuts more keenly.

I, too, am an FoB, loather. But you've written it around to a point where it becomes less grotesque and more just another part of an occasionally outrageous continuity. And I love that Jack, who once blocked the memory of his Gray's loss, now remembers everything (or at least pretends to).

And regarding that whole getting drunk thing . . . *looks down at her hands and taps her fingers together awkwardly* Yeah, I don't know how, but I know why. If you'll bring the mead, I'll bring the mango rum. ;)

[dameruth.livejournal.com]

Yes, if there's a paranormal gift for sensing arousal, I'm sure Jack has it.

What was that description from Hitchhiker's Guide, about having erogenous zones starting one mile away from one's actual body? That's Jack.

Anyway, thanks! FWIW, this version of Jack was being literal about remembering everything, at least when I wrote that line.

Ooooo, mango rum. I think I'd have to bring something besides mead, though -- that stuff's still paint thinner. However, within 12 hours of you posting that you knew the "why," someone else PM-ed me with the "how" (and a very good "how" it was, too); you be interested in getting together for a ficcish three-way? After that drink, of course . . . (I have both your emails, I can get us all in touch that way.) ;)

[canaana.livejournal.com]

Love to! :-) I've already started on the rum, but don't worry, there's plenty more. :)

[agent-hal.livejournal.com]

Yay! Thanks for filling my prompt! I loved it, even without the bonuses. XP

[kholly.livejournal.com]

I love the idea of this. I've never been one for Jack as Face either, but if you go with that and go with him still not dying, then you get the chance to explore what Jack would be like after billions of years to settle.

with his blend of uncanny age and irreverent, well, Jack-ness
This, what would this be like? Not that I think you need yet another 'verse to play in. But when I'm in a mood for thinky thoughts I might come back and read this again and ponder it some more.

[dshael.livejournal.com]

Ancient beyond mortal understanding or not, some people never change.
:D :D :D Put it to music, that could be Old!Jack's theme song. Wonderful second chance for the Doctor! And an enjoyable story with the perfect ending.

[scifiangel.livejournal.com]

I can't even describe how made of win this story is. Perfect.

[taffimai.livejournal.com]

This is brilliant! All their history is weaved into the story beautifully and this is a much better ending to that episode.

[redpearl-cao.livejournal.com]

The only way I can accept Jack become FOB is that he gets to come back from it, like in this fic!
Liked the bit how Jack putting on his old personality. I wonder what their relationship would be like now, when the Doctor is not the older and more experienced one. Hopefully they'll have more fun.

[knm1234.livejournal.com]

That was a brilliant story, and a really hard prompt, I thought. Jack's older (so much older) than the Doctor, which is great. It would be good to see how this new relationship pans out, if you ever feel like writing a sequel...

[macadamanaity.livejournal.com]

I love stories where Jack has long since passed the Doctor in age & wisdom and I love fixxits, so this pretty much just has me grinning.

[honorh.livejournal.com]

Absolutely love it. The way Jack blends with the Face of Boe there at the end--you really worked that well. He's not the same old Jack, but back in his old body, he's no longer the FoB. Gorgeous!

[purplecdnpoodle.livejournal.com]

Like so many others have commented, I hate the Jack as the Face of Boe idea, but you make it work and enjoyable. And he's still Jack, just incredible wise, mature Jack. Perfect.

I'd love to hear the story too, but don't want to encourage alcohol as an aid to cracky thoughts...

[tardis-stowaway.livejournal.com]

I'm another one of those who refuse to believe that Jack becomes the Face of Boe, but I love this story anyway. Jack here is very believable as someone inconceivably ancient and changed by the years yet still with the same core personality. I appreciate the fact that he WAS joking about being the Face of Boe in LotTL, but was unexpectedly proved right later. I'm amused at how unexpectedly surviving a near-regeneration situation has put the Doctor's mind thoroughly in the gutter in addition to the physical reaction. This is a lovely mix of humor and genuine emotion.

[juliet316]

I don't like the Jack as the face of boe idea, but I'm liking the stories that are coming out of this prompt.

Lovely EoT fix - it. Maybe if you don't write the story of how Jack became the FOB, at least write Ten and Jack finally getting that drink.

[dameruth.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Yeah, I think it's neat that this prompt is inspiring multiple stories, and different ways of dealing in a positive way with the unpopular "Jack as FoB" trope. :)

At this point, I'm not sure what else, if anything, I'll write to follow this, but I usually follow bunnies that hop across my path . . . ;)

[beguiled-child.livejournal.com]

Lovely!!!

[maggietimelord.livejournal.com]

Love this!!!
My thought with the FOB is that Jack eventually stops caring what he looks like. He evolves beyond that vanity and as he ages, he slowly evolves into the face.
In this story, he probably sensed the Doctor and that sparked the vanity and the new body. :D

[teleens-journal.livejournal.com]

Gorgeous. I'd always wanted to see a fic with pretty much exactly this and you executed it brilliantly.

Thanks for writing!

[phinnia.livejournal.com]

eeeeeeeeeeee!
oh, this is absolutely marvelous - i could quote all my favorite bits, but i'd end up quoting pretty much the entire fic. Although I really, really want to hear the story that they have to be drunk for now. *pleased flailing*

[rrr-nightingale.livejournal.com]

Oh, I love this prompt! The fic is wonderful) It's so nice to imagine this situation...))
Thank you!