Drabble: Stranger

[lindenharp]

Title: Stranger
Author: Lindenharp
Rating: All ages
Characters: Rose Tyler, Tenth Ninth Doctor, Jack Harkness
Genre: drabble
Word Count: 100
Summary: AU for the regeneration scene in Parting of the Ways
Disclaimer: The sandbox belongs to the BBC. I'm just playing here, in the corner, making little sand-TARDISes. Not making any money, not asserting any claims.
A/N: This is for wendymr  who stumped me.  Her prompt was: Rose, either regenerating Nine or just regenerated Ten, in the TARDIS: "Where's Jack?"  Thanks to canaana  for the beta.

Rose stares at the maniac who insists he's the Doctor.  She doesn't want to believe him, but a feeling she can't ignore says that her Doctor won't return.  "Jack!  Where's Jack?"

The stranger pulls a face.  "He's fine.  More than fine."

She stands between him and the TARDIS console.  "Not moving 'til you tell me where the Doctor is.  And Jack."

As if her words conjured him, Jack stumbles through the door.  "Rose, something weird is going on--"

The stranger looks at Jack and shudders.  He inhales deeply, and releases his breath like a sigh.  "You've got no idea."

Comments

[yamx]

This hurts, but at least they are together. Things can be worked out now. *nods*

[lindenharp.livejournal.com]

There will be a lot to work out. And first, a lot to explain.

[yamx]

*has faith* Jack's very forgiving.

[lindenharp.livejournal.com]

He is. He alone, of the three of them, carries no guilt here.

It's the Doctor who will have to make a lot of emotional adjustments.

[canaana.livejournal.com]

I really do love that last line.

[lindenharp.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[wendymr.livejournal.com]

Yay! They're together!

All the rest can be worked out - what matters is they're together, Jack's not abandoned and they're all alive.

Brilliant! Thank you! :)

[lindenharp.livejournal.com]

You're welcome. Yes, there's the promise of happiness, but with a lot of angst and conflict to be conquered first.

[juliet316]

At least Rose managed to keep the TARDIS from leaving without Jack, but oh, I sense angst ahead.

[lindenharp.livejournal.com]

I sense angst ahead.

In short: hell, yes.

Rose and Jack will have to deal with the fact of regeneration. The Doctor will have to deal with the fact-ness of Jack, Jack will have to deal with his immortality, and Rose will have to deal with what she did to Jack. It's not gonna be pretty.

But they are alive and together. Please note this is not tagged as a Changes!verse story. I don't know yet how I'm going to deal with PoTW in the Changes!verse.

[honorh.livejournal.com]

Ow. But they're together; they'll work it out.

[lindenharp.livejournal.com]

I'm sure they will. (And thank you for the "ow" -- I wanted to provoke that reaction.)

I have two reviews on ff.net suggesting I write a sequel. Maybe I will, but I have Lyonnesse to finish, and then an auction fic to write. And I don't even know if this drabble is Changes!verse or not.

*wanders off, muttering to herself*

[wendymr.livejournal.com]

I don't think it's Changesverse - at least, I hope not! I very much hope that the Doctor who held Jack in his arms and would have held him until roots sprung deep into the TARDIS would not for one second contemplate running away from him on Satellite Five :(

[lindenharp.livejournal.com]

You are absolutely right. I just realized that this is the first story of the Stranger!verse, which is darker than the Changes!verse. I don't have time to work on it now, but there's at least one sequel that's demanding to be written.

Excerpt:

"Fine," Jack snaps, "I'm wrong and impossible and you can't stand to look at me." He pauses for only a moment. "New Scotia would do. Or Ishmed IV. Or Chandikor, any time after the 32nd century."

"No." Just that one word, flat and unemotional.

Rose shivers. She doesn't want Jack to go, but there's something about the Doctor's voice...

"Eruvai, or the Tanyiki Spiral. Or anywhere with a decent spaceport."

"No. I can't have you running loose out there, Jack." The Doctor's hands spread wide to indicate the entirety of the Universe.

"So... what does that mean? You're going to keep me prisoner in the TARDIS?"

Rose is still learning to read this new Doctor's face. She isn't sure of everything she sees, but something cold is flickering in those dark eyes.

"Course not. But I'm a Time Lord. My TARDIS created your... condition." His tone suggests that Jack is suffering from a loathsome disease. "It's my responsibility to keep an eye on you." He adds, as if in answer to a question, "I will always be able to find you, anywhere in time and space."

Without a word, Jack turns on his heel and stalks out of the Console Room, vanishing in the depths of the TARDIS.

"How could you?" He may be the same person in some complicated biological way that she doesn't understand, but this man in front of her is not her Doctor. "How could you say that to Jack?"

"Do you know what the High Council of Time Lords would have done with Jack if they were still around?" he demands, but doesn't wait for her reply. "They would have taken a vote on the only two options: whether to send him to the Council's laboratory for experimentation first, or to destroy him immediately."

[yamx]

*smack*

[hab318princess.livejournal.com]

yeah, this is as it should have been

will there be more?

[lindenharp.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

Despite the fact that I have other priorities, the sequel insisted on being written, and I'm working on it now. It's probably the start of a whole new 'verse for me. Warning: it's kind of angsty, though this may change later on.

[hab318princess.livejournal.com]

angsty is good :D Looking forward to it

[emraldeyedauter.livejournal.com]

aw well if we can't have nine jack and rose, then ten jack and rose is good too and hopefully they'll get it all worked out.

[lindenharp.livejournal.com]

I guess you'll be finding out.

The sequel has dug its teeth into me and refuses to let go. 3050 words and counting. :-)