| Date: 4 February 2008
Characters: Jack Harkness, Susan Foreman Location: library, outside, cafe Link to IJ: thread #56762 |
 Jack raised an eyebrow at the shelf of books in front of him, a faint smirk coming to his face at the titles before he looked over his shoulder to see if the door that he'd stepped through was still there. Figured that he'd go to check up on the progress on the renovations to his office only to step through a dimensionally transcendent door that vanished as soon as he'd done so. And of the four species he knew had that sort of technology, three wouldn't drop him in a library.
"Amusing," he said out loud, glancing up at the ceiling for lack of anywhere else to direct the statement. "Hope you're better than the Doctor at getting me back to the time and place I left," he added before shoving his hands into the pockets of his trousers, sauntering down the aisle between the stacks. Peering into an open space, he let a grin creep onto his face at the sight of someone sitting reading a book. He leaned against the nearest shelf, waiting for them to look up. |
 Susan blinked a few times at the sound of an exclamation, frowning a bit before turning back to her book. That was, until she felt someone's eyes on her back. Turning slowly, Susan glanced over her shoulder before offering the familiar face a friendly smile.
"Spot of light reading, Captain?" Susan asked, motioning to the small stack of books on the table next to her. |
| Jack raised an eyebrow. "Captain? It's been a while since someone called me that." He glanced at the books on the table, studying the titles a moment. "Interesting reading. Anything good so far, Miss...?" |
| "It's easier to go with something generic," Susan said, offering him a grin. New arrival. They were so easy to spot after awhile. "It passes the time. As long as I don't take it too fast. Foreman. Susan Foreman. Please, sit," She said, motioning to one of the other chairs.
"No reason for you to stand when I'm not." |
| "Susan," Jack said, as if tasting the word, sitting on the arm of her chair instead of any of the others availible. "One would think I'd remember meeting a lovely young woman such as yourself back when I was still just a captain. What planet are you from?" |
| "You didn't," Susan said, smiling up at Jack as she sorted through the books and offered him one on parallel realities. "I don't believe we've ever met, Captain. Not within the normal timestream, at least. You're new here, so it might take a bit to settle into the inconsistencies that you'll run into. And me, I'm from Gallifrey." |
| Jack took the book with an amused smile, not particularly paying attention to it. His eyebrows shot towards his hairline at the mention of Gallifrey, and he gave Susan an amused smile as he set the book back on the table.
"If you came from Gallifrey, I know I'd remember you, if I'd met you." He studied her face a long moment, the smile fading only a little, into something more genuine. "It would be nice to have met more than just one Time Lord and his TARDIS before it all went to hell." |
| Susan blinked several times in confusion at his last statement before an eyebrow lifted slowly, "Before all what went to hell?" |
| Jack shrugged, moving to another chair, leaning forward, his elbows on his knees as he picked up a random book, just to have something in his hands.
"Time War," he said succinctly, watching Susan. "Don't know how it happened in your universe, or even if it happened, but it was hell on mine. Changed history, destroyed worlds. Ended when the Daleks tried to attack Gallifrey. Took their entire fleet, left the rest of the universe to itself while they went to take out the Time Lords. Instead, the Doctor destroyed them. And Gallifrey. And almost himself." He grinned a little, looking down a second before meeting Susan's gaze again with a hint of mischief in his expression. "Had a daft set of ears when I ran into him again after. And his companion..." He shook his head, chuckling. "I don't know where or why he picked up Vain, but she kept him on his toes. He needed that after the War." He didn't mention that most people didn't know how history had changed, since he didn't know how he remembered the old history. One spattered with Daleks, and species that had vanished in the changes. Been wiped out by the ripples of change from the destruction of Gallifrey and the Daleks. Most of them. Their final destruction had another effect that he really didn't want to talk about, either. |
| Susan just stared for a long moment as things clicked into place. Exactly why Grandfather wouldn't talk about home for too long, why he seemed to go solemn whenever she mentioned it. And then a slight rage boiled up in her. Why hadn't he bothered to tell her?! She would have much rather found out from him than from some...random new arrival. Even if it was Jack.
"Grandfather did what?" Susan asked after a moment, just to confirm that she had heard right before squeezing her eyes shut. "Daleks. Why is it always Daleks?!" |
| Jack moved to crouch in front of Susan, a little concerned by her reaction. And a little wary of flirting quite as blatently with her if the Doctor was her grandfather. He reached for her hands, rubbing his thumbs over the backs of them, trying to provide at least a bit of comfort.
"Because they're crafty bastards with two things they do well," he replied, though he doubted she was really expecting an answer. "Survive and kill." |
| Susan sniffled, blinking and looking up at Jack with tears shining in her eyes, "I saw them destroyed. I saw them destroyed, and I thought that would be the end of it. But they had to be a time traveling race, too. It's hard to stop a race bent on destroying the universe when you're so evenly matched." |
| "I know." Jack reached up one hand to stroke her hair back, a wry smile on her face. "They killed me once. Friend of mine brought me back, though. A little hard to die now, but I'd do it again, just to make sure the Daleks don't have a chance to come back. And they are gone. Never coming back, no way to worm out of the last destruction." |
| Susan wasn't so sure. They always seemed to find a way. She wasn't even completely sure they were all gone from her Earth. "I hope you're right," Susan said after a long moment before looking up at Jack. "I'm from several hundred years before the war happens, I think. My Grandfather was still just an old man the last time I saw him, and here he is, nine and ten regenerations in." |
| "On his tenth, the last I saw him." Jack rubbed a thumb over Susan's cheek once, watching her for a long moment. "And arguing with a six-year-old over the merits of vinegar versus ketchup with chips."
A change of subject to keep the mood from worsening, much the same as he remembered Vain picking an arguement with the Doctor to keep him from brooding about the Time War. Or Rose dragging them out shopping, or insisting they visit her mum, to acomplish the same thing. |
| "Vingear, hands down. With just a little bit of salt," Susan said with a soft laugh. It was still slightly disjointing, thinking of her Grandfather in different terms. But she liked the him that he was, both of them that she'd met here. And she had to love him. It was what family did, after all.
"I just can't believe he didn't tell me." |
| "He's good at not telling people a whole lot of stuff." Jack shrugged, a half-smile on his face. "It's just who he is. I've learned to live with it."
He drew in a breath, looking around a moment. "So, what is there in this place, besides the largest library I've seen outside the TARDIS? Any place to take a lovely young lady for lunch?" |
| "Pocket universe, outside the normal laws of time and space," Susan said, grinning slightly as she poked Jack in the chest. "Not that that should bother you too much, being outside of the normal laws yourself."
Bouncing to her feet, Susan tried to shake off the news. No time for brooding. She could do that later when she didn't have anyone else to worry over. "And there's a few places. I keep finding something new everyday. I'm not sure whether I just haven't been looking hard enough or if the place is expanding to make room for the new arrivals." |
| "Then let's see if we can't find someplace new for you to eat today." Jack grinned, thinking of some of his favorites from the 51st century, ones he hadn't had in over a century and a half. He held out a hand for Susan, waving the other in an broad gesture. "Lead the way." |
| Susan grinned as she took, taking the hand without any hesitation as she lead him out of the library and into the streets, "It's odd, really. This place looks like 21st century Earth in most aspects, but there are so many inconsistencies that it's starting to get really funny. I don't even know what half the things at the bar are." |
| "Do they have a Pan-Galactic Gargleblaster?" Jack chuckled, looking around at the buildings around him. They did look like a lot like the century he was in, though more buildings built fifteen and sixteen years ago, from his perspective. Nice, certainly, and definately a bit of a visual reminder that he wasn't at home. |
| "I don't know," Susan said with a playful grin. "I haven't actually asked. Not that I think I'd want one. I like my brain completely intact."
Walking down the street, Susan kept her eyes peeled for anything new that might jump out at her as they walked, "Anything specific that you'd like, Captain?" |
| "Just call me Jack, please." Jack smiled at her, his free hand in his pocket. "Any place that has 51st century delicacies would be nice, if it's not too expensive. I haven't had anything from home in.. well, in too long." |
| "They don't charge here. For anything," Susan said, grinning up at Jack. "Which is how you know that this place is separate from the natural laws of the universe." |
| Jack's eyebrows rose at that, and he quirked the corner of his mouth up. "Well, that's certainly different." He gestured to a cafe off on a side-street. "How about there?" It had a handful of tables outside, perfect for enjoying the lovely weather, and watching people while eating. |
| "Looks as good as anything," Susan said, grinning over at him as she gave his hand a slight tug to direct him over to the tables. "It's nice, though. Not having to deal with money. One of the banes of the universe, currency and capitalism is." |
| "All systems are flawed." Jack shrugged, settling into one of the chairs after moving it around the table so it was next to the other, instead of across from it. "And money doesn't matter much when you're going to outlive the currency."
He grinned easily, picking up the small menu in the center of the table to peruse it. Just what he'd been looking for, with Boshaeni specialties, and some Earth delicacies from the 51st century that he'd latched onto when he got to the Time Academy as the closest he'd get to food from home. |
| Susan smiled as she slipped into the seat across from him, picking up the menu and browsing it idly with soft smile, "Oh, I haven't had some of these things in ages." |
| "After I left the Time Agency, I haven't had a chance to get back to a time and place they had any of this. Not long enough to properly enjoy them, anyway." He grinned, picking out a few things that he'd missed the most, and making his order to the server who came up. "Of course, the twenty-first century has its own specialties. Some of them very interesting, if you know where to look." |
| "They seemed to enjoy deep frying things a bit too much in the 21st, if you ask me," Susan said, grinning up at Jack. |
| "Humanity, yeah, they do." Jack shrugged. "I work at Torchwood, and a couple of my good friends are involved with the non-human community. Most of them native to Earth, actually." He'd actually been surprised at the variety of sentience native to Earth when he'd been trapped traveling the slow path. "Some of them used to be human, but..." He chuckled, giving Susan an easy smile. "They're all so amazing." |