Chapter Text
Roald Dahl Plass, Cardiff, Wales
Earth Date A.D. 2030
The first time that Jack could remember the TARDIS landing in Roald Dahl Plass, it had been one of the happiest times of his life. Six months of traveling with the Doctor and Rose had completely reshaped his life. He'd been accepted by people he'd come to love, and he knew exactly where he wanted to be and what he wanted to be doing with his life. The second time it had stopped to refuel along the Cardiff fault line, Jack had rushed madly across the open plaza in the hope of catching the Time Lord before he departed. He had waited more than a century for his Doctor to return, and in the end, he had been the one to walk away.
The expression of honest remorse on the Doctor's face as Jack had walked away was the only reason that Jack was crossing the Plass once more, making his way toward the seemingly invisible blue police box. The perception filter on the TARDIS was causing the few passersby to simply divert course around it, oblivious to its meaning. But Jack knew.
Hands in the pockets of his greatcoat, Jack leisurely strolled from the Hub's lift toward the man who had been haunting him now for over two thousand years. There would be no more hurried racing after something impossible to catch. The Doctor was fully aware that he lived and worked under the Water Tower on the north end. If the Doctor chose to leave without seeing him, then that was his decision.
Jack's fingers curled around the object in his pocket. The smooth metal of the TARDIS's key radiated a growing warmth the closer he approached. It was a comforting feeling, as if the machine itself were calling out to him. Whether or not it was true, the captain liked to think that the TARDIS enjoyed his company. When they had traveled together in the past, it had always given him the impression that it had accepted him every bit as much as Rose and the Doctor had. More than that, it had felt like it had approved of him. Sadly, the captain couldn't say any longer if the ship's owner felt the same way.
Withdrawing the key from his pocket, Jack hesitated outside of the door. Even though they had parted on amiable terms before, he wasn't sure how this would go. The fact that the TARDIS was still there was promising, but he couldn't help feeling a little nervous as he slid the key into its lock. There was a soft click as the tumblers were turned into place, and door swung open effortlessly under his touch.
Everything looked exactly how he remembered it. Technological advances beyond anything that 21st century Earth could dream of, all being held together with adhesive tape and stubbornness. The Doctor was seated on a stripped out car seat with his feet up on the control panel looking somewhat impatient as he fiddled with small device that whirred and beeped as he adjusted various functions.
"Took you long enough to get here," the Doctor stated somewhat impatiently.
"Long enough? Last time you couldn't get away fast enough trying to ditch me. Besides, it took maybe two minutes to come up the lift and walk across the plaza. That's not exactly a long time, Doctor." The Doctor made a shrugging motion that said Jack was right but that he didn't care to admit it. "So... long time no see. Been keeping yourself busy?"
The acrid tone to Jack's question left him a touch off balanced. Even though he'd spent the last few months traveling about on his own, it had only been a couple of weeks in Jack's time since they had seen each other last. The Doctor had believed their relationship to have been patched up somewhat, or at least enough that Jack shouldn't have been looking at him with such a chilly gaze. Discreetly, he tried to sneak a glance up at his monitor to confirm that he had arrived in the correct place.
"Not too much; a little here and there... You?"
"Eh, you know how it is trying to run your own business. It's hard to find qualified, intelligent agents to run things while you fending off space invaders and try to keep the peace. Pretty status quo around here." Jack rocked back on his heels, hands stuffed back in his pockets as he considered what he should say to the man he had tried so hard to please for so many years.
The Doctor had believed their relationship to have been patched up somewhat, or at least enough that Jack shouldn't have been looking at him with such a chilly gaze. He tried to sneak a discreet glance at his control screen to confirm that he had arrived in the correct place, and the numbers glowing back at him showed that it hadn't yet been a month since he'd been to Cardiff last and seen Jack. "You know, it's only been a few weeks since I left you here. I don't know why you're in such a mood. I thought we'd done a pretty decent job of patching up these rough spots between us."
"Is that what you think?" Jack's eyes narrowed in an evaluating gaze as he tried to determine if the Doctor was serious or having him on. " I saw you two years ago, actually. You didn't see me, though. You were in London with Rose."
His words made the Doctor frown, and he gave up all pretenses of being subtle and started adjusting controls on his screen.
"It was amazing, watching you carry up the Olympic torch. You have no idea how hard it was to keep from running up to you. To Rose."
"The Olympics?" When Jack nodded, the Doctor sat in confusion for another few moments before turning on his controls. Balling his hand into a fist, he started banging on the monitor. Jack had become accustomed to his "percussive maintenance", but it was still odd to watch. With each hit, the picture on the TARDIS monitor become fuzzy. After several jolting pounds, the symbols on the screen changed over from a zero and seven to a one and four. "Damn."
"Sports car in need of a tune up?"
"It's a classic. They need to be babied. Anyway, at least it runs."
Jack gave the leather band on his arm a loving pat. "Despite your best efforts, I got it up and running again, thank you. Thought I'd have to wait at least another hundred years before the proper technology would be developed, but by chance, an escape pod from a Thurlean cargo ship fell rather conveniently through the Rift. Well, not so convenient for them. They were all dead, but they didn't have any complaints about me helping myself to their tool kit for it. Sonic really is the only way to go when putting up a shelf or fixing a vortex space hopper."
The Doctor didn't like the casual way Jack referred to the loss of life. It was too jaded. "So, Torchwood is doing well for itself, then?"
"Very well, thank you. A lot has changed since I saw you last. Cardiff is now the head of the Torchwood institute. I've managed to talk King William into approving new branches in England, Scotland, and Ireland. By the end of the decade, I expect to see a Torchwood team instituted in Calais, Madrid, and Vancouver."
The Doctor's face visibly darkened at the idea of Torchwood being so far-reaching. "It certainly sounds like you've made quite the name for yourself here."
Jack bristled at the cold snub. "Thanks. And what are you doing here? Just a pitstop?"
"Apparently, that is all I'm here for. Good luck building your little empire." The idea of needing anyone, especially Jack, left a cold pit in his stomach. Even worse, though was when Jack walked up to him and held out his hand. The captain's key to the TARDIS laying in it.
"Then I suppose I should return this to you."
.........tbc.........