InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Yes. I'm a cryptotaxidermist."

The Doctor (not_your_tardis) wrote in colligo_threads,
@ 2012-06-16 20:28:00

Entry tags:

jack harkness, jonathan crane, rose tyler, the doctor (10)

Who: The Doctor and Open
What: Having given his temper several days to decide, The Doctor visits a lake, sees Jack, and ends up getting in a fight with a very strange thing and....RUNNING!
Where: The Lake, and surrounding grounds, possibly spilling out into the city.
When: Saturday, June 16th, late evening
Rating: Likely PG - now updated to R, for language.
Notes: Random Scenes make me happy!

It had been one of his worst days ever, and since, he'd not run, but walked. He'd walked, and walked, being careful to stay away from any would be passerby, from anyone who might have spoke to him, from anyone who might have talked to him at all. The Doctor knew, understood, what his temper could do. He knew, better than anyone could have imagined, because he'd been there. He'd been the one to think it, to see it unfold in front of him, to make it happen. He'd been the catalyst for the greatest undoing, the greatest legends, across time and space - and he knew better than to risk subjecting anyone else to that.

His message had been heard, of that he was certain, but The Doctor gave no reply as he wandered the streets of this new city with a downcast gaze and tattered suit. He now understood just what was in front of him. Rose was here, Martha was here, even River Song was here. There was, of course, The Master as well, and several other voices he did not recognize. Everyone though, save three, and the voice of a child, were all reminders of how he'd failed and he wasn't entirely convinced the others weren't part of some strange time stream of his either, given how non-nonchalantly they'd responded.

At least now he knew that Molly had been telling the truth, and that meant there were others out there, another Doctor, at the very least - and that was never a good thing. The Doctor had struggled to find his bearings, wandering the city, trying to think. Did he trust The Master, was Wilfred really going to be fine? How could he even have known who he was talking about unless..

The Doctor didn't even finish the thought. There was no need. If it was The Master, somehow making his way back from the other side of the Time Lock, this place wouldn't look like this at all. There would be no park, no lake, no buildings, no city, no people. The Time Lords would have erased it all, and it simply never would have been. There was at least a small comfort in that, as he approached the edge of the lake, dropping down to his haunches to run his fingers through the blades of grass. He sighed, softly, whispering to himself the one question he always seemed to be asking himself.

"What do I do now?"

His dark eyes drifted skyward, as if the stars themselves might have an answer or, at the very least, a TARDIS.

That would have been nice.

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timeaftertime
2012-06-17 02:22 am UTC (link)

After hearing that one of his familiar Doctors was here-- and very, very angry about it-- Jack had debated with himself whether he should reply to the message sent out. It was meant to be public, obviously. A warning. And he'd like to have let the Doctor know that another friend was around and wanted to help... assuming the Doctor wasn't from some wacky timeline where they were enemies or something like that.

He'd finally settled on going out looking while checking his PDA almost constantly for updates. It seemed better to go about this in person.

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not_your_tardis
2012-06-17 02:44 am UTC (link)

The Doctor was unaware of both of them, that either of them had come looking for him at all. So absorbed was he, in his thoughts, in checking his PDA, and debating replies, that it was almost like the rest of the world was lost to him. He was desperate for an answer, some kind of clue, something more than a name. After all, if this Asaph was a God, like The Master had claimed, then his old friend had a point. What was he really going to do? He needed more to go on.

He'd just scan the messages, debating, thinking, and doing nothing. It wasn't like him to be defeated, and he refused to think he was, but he needed to stop and think until he knew more.

That and maybe apologize for his earlier outburst.

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timeaftertime
2012-06-17 02:53 am UTC (link)

When Jack had made it to the park and stopped being so engrossed in his own PDA, he looked up from it to see the Doctor himself very absorbed in his PDA. Ah, technology.

The Doctor looked... not that good, really not. Even if the message hadn't included the name and the horrible sound that Jack had to assume was sonic screwdriver feedback, he'd recognize the Doctor from his familiar (if very beat up) suit and the haunted expression.

Jack put his own PDA into a coat pocket as he approached the lake. He was very slightly tempted to give the Doctor a nudge with his foot as a sort of light-hearted greeting, but he didn't want to startle the Doctor into falling into the water. There really was no perfect greeting, was there? If he went for serious, he might not be serious enough, and if he tried for something light, he might be flippant. He settled for very loudly clearing his throat.

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not_your_tardis
2012-06-17 03:22 am UTC (link)

The Doctor almost didn't notice the subtle vibrations that hinted on an approach and, even when he finally did, he really seemed to pay them no mind. If it was someone for him, they'd likely say something or make it known and, if it wasn't, then The Doctor found himself remarkably less than curious at all. Then there was that sound, that tiny human sound that was always a not-so-subtle way of trying to get your intention.

Naturally, The Doctor looked.

Promptly he wished he hadn't.

A soft groan left his lips as he rose to his feet. "Not you.." He began in a soft voice that was somewhere between a groan of dismay and a silent prayer. "Not today, please, not you." Even if he did only half mean it. Sure, there were things about Captain Jack Harkness that made him uncomfortable, but even now the man was somewhat of a welcome sight.

"Hello, Jack." The Doctor 'popped' the K sound like he always would.

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timeaftertime
2012-06-17 03:23 am UTC (link)

Jack wondered if it would ever not hurt to have the Doctor, any version of him, act like Jack was some... thing. He didn't manage to hide his flinch, but he did get his expression reasonably neutral once he'd realized his own reaction.

"Doctor." His voice was even and cautious. Hopefully he wouldn't get some sort of rant over his existence or anything else, but then part of him did think it was better he take it than the Doctor go off on Rose or Martha or anyone else. Especially Rose. "I guess it's too late for that, since it is today and it is me. Hey."

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not_your_tardis
2012-06-17 03:31 am UTC (link)

The Doctor stared at him for a long moment, his dark eyes transfixed on the man, as if trying to sort him out. He had no understanding of where he was, but there did seem to be more and more people from his world popping up - which The Doctor universally understood as probably not good. If he'd been a spiritual human, he very much thought he might believed himself to be dead and in some kind of afterlife.

The Doctor turned toward him, clearly it wasn't the person he'd most wanted to see in the world, but even he knew, it could have been worse. He continued to stare at him, honestly unsure of what to think, what to say. He could have asked him how he got here, could have asked him where he was from, but The Doctor picked an entirely different thing to say.

"For all I say it's wrong.." His voice trailed. "That undying bit of yours really has its advantages." It had been invaluable after all, on the Dalek Crucible. "Still. I'm sorry." And it was said in that most genuine, heartfelt of heartfelt ways. "I really am."

Of all the people who could have stood there with him, in that moment, he imagined Jack understood the kind of day he'd had better than anyone.

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timeaftertime
2012-06-17 03:49 am UTC (link)

While he maybe should give the Doctor more credit, Jack had honestly expected the Doctor to take out all that obvious anger on him.

Maybe part of that was his failure to patch up his shakier friendship with the newest Doctor; they'd clashed so badly months ago, when River had gone bad and joined up with the Master to torture Rose. That Doctor had accused Jack of being so interested in killing the Master that he'd get Rose killed. Jack had never quite gotten over being thought of like that-- or the Doctor thinking of the Master as a friend to defend.

Of course, part of that was also how this Doctor had treated him when they first reunited, years ago now. Calling him "wrong," in particular.

He could hear how much meaning the Doctor put into the words, and he was shocked by it. Why now? And what exactly was he apologizing for, calling him "wrong" before or the words just now about not wanting Jack there? Jack would have to really process that later. The Doctor looked like he'd been through hell, and being the Doctor, that could very well be more than metaphorical.

"And I'm really here right now, and I'm wondering, what happened? I heard your message. I think my ears are still ringing a little."

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not_your_tardis
2012-06-17 04:04 am UTC (link)

"Yeah.." His voice danced quietly from his lips before sinking into the water like a small stone pebble. "Sorry about that too.." The Doctor stuck his hands in his pockets and turned on to the water.

Jack wanted to know what happened. Of course Jack did. Jack had really never seen The Doctor take more than a scratch, few people had, and he still looked like he'd been put through the ringer. With no TARDIS, and no time stream to recharge in, the healing process was going much, much, slower than he would have liked.

He considered Jack's question for a long moment, his figure trembling under the weight of the answer, of the truth. The Doctor considered for a moment, simply answering. "Someone took me away from someone I like." He responded flatly, a quiver of that rage rippling through his voice. "Wilfred Mott. I don't think you ever met him. Donna's Grandfather. They took me away when he was stuck on the other side of a radiation venting chamber. The whole thing was about to flood, all five hundred thousand rads worth - and all I had to do was push a button and let him out."

His expression turned even colder. "And someone, took me away." He balled his fists and took a breath, trying to keep himself calm.

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timeaftertime
2012-06-17 04:13 am UTC (link)

"It's okay. You meant it for Asaph, right, not to blow out anyone else's ears?"

He walked over next to the Doctor, facing the water like he did. He'd seen the Doctor with a great deal of emotional pain, of course, but it was strange seeing him scabbed and bloodied. No, he hadn't met the man, but he knew how the Doctor felt about saving people.

"Grandfather of the woman who saved the universe-- more than one universe? Yeah, I can imagine how likable he must be. And Asaph seems to have some of the best-worst timing around, taking people from when they really need to be right where they were."

Hesitantly, Jack reached a hand over to the Doctor's shoulder to offer a supportive squeeze.

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not_your_tardis
2012-06-17 04:30 am UTC (link)

"Well he made a mistake when he took me." The Doctor replied sharply. "A very big mistake." Of course the message hadn't been meant for the ears of anyone else, but it hadn't occurred to The Doctor that it might be taken in such a way. He wanted to send a message, he wanted to send it loudly, and he'd done just that. His threats were never, ever, idle and today someone had made a very formidable enemy out of him.

He felt Jack's touch on his shoulder, but barely seemed to respond to it much at all. "Wilfred Mott was one of the bravest, more beautiful, humans I've ever met and today some man - thing - God - whatever decided to take me away from him when he needed me most..." The Doctor's voice shifted as he turned to look at Jack.

"Funny thing is, he was begging, pleading with me, not to save him anyway..." He swallowed the thick knot in his throat as he made the confession he knew Jack was going to understand.

"I was supposed to die today." Or, at least that was how he understood it.

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timeaftertime
2012-06-17 04:38 am UTC (link)

"I'll say. You're going all Oncoming Storm-- or were you before you got here?-- and he's definitely more than earned it."

Jack could point out what he was sure other people would (if they hadn't already) that for all the people raging about Asaph, nobody had been able to do anything about the bastard yet. This really didn't seem like the time. Besides, despite Jack making sure he still enjoyed living his life while here, he hadn't let go of wanting to leave and he believed that if anyone could change things here, it was the Doctor.

To hear Donna's grandfather described that way really said a lot about the guy. The rest of what the Doctor said, though, made him frown in thought. He kept his hand on the Doctor's shoulder.

"So he was going to die, and he was accepting that, and you were just... going to do it anyway?" His expression got more solemn with the Doctor's confession, and he purposefully echoed a question the Doctor had once asked him, "Do you want to die?"

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not_your_tardis
2012-06-17 04:52 am UTC (link)

"Of course I don't want to die but it's not fair that a good man, a bright, brilliant, wonderful humans should have to die just because a mad Time Lord thought he could play God!" There was a substantial echo in his words, from the lessons he'd learned on Mars, and that pain still hung heavy in his hearts. "It wasn't his fault - wasn't his place - he shouldn't have to suffer."

Which The Doctor entirely believed to be true. Wilfred shouldn't have had to suffer for The Master's plot, he should not have been broken by a man who wanted to live forever, he should never have been at the mercy of the High Council of Gallifrey. He never should have seen any of it. He was a good man, who took good care of one of his best friends, and The Doctor had just left him. Even if it had been through no fault of his own, the guilt of that alone was gnawing at his hearts.

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timeaftertime
2012-06-17 05:04 am UTC (link)

"Wait, what are you talking about? You tried to play God?" Jack got the feeling he was missing a fair bit of context there; had the Doctor done something he regretted after catching Wilfred up in it? Was Wilfred trying to stop something? Obviously, the Doctor felt absolutely horrible about whatever it was.

Then he remembered talking with the next Doctor about timelines, and about the Master coming back to life in that other universe. Now him playing God and getting people killed for it, Jack could easily envision. Maybe this Doctor was from the same one after all.

"Doctor-- I get the whole heroic sacrifice thing, you know that. And being completely bewildered when you're somehow alive when you were sure you weren't going to be. But if I'm following right, you're saying you were going to sacrifice yourself for someone who asked you not to. What happened?"

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not_your_tardis
2012-06-17 05:15 am UTC (link)

"All I had to do..All I had to do, was push a button. Just one button. My hand was almost touching it..and the next thing I know, I'm standing in a library." That was the truth of it, or as much as he'd want to say. The Doctor was really quite good at dodging questions he didn't want to answer and this instance would be no different. "And after the day I've had.." He didn't finish the sentence at first and, for a long moment, fell silent.

"I just wanted one. One more win. One last, really, good day." He said with a tremor in his voice that began at the bottom of his hearts. "One last day where everybody lives, where The Doctor saves the day and flies off in his box. One last day where everybody laughs and lives at the end of the day, but what did I get? I got stolen away." His lips pursed into a deep scowl.

"And you?" He figured establishing timelines was probably important.

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timeaftertime
2012-06-17 05:29 am UTC (link)

"I'm thinking Asaph grabbing someone who just had one button to push to save someone's life is one of the biggest asshole moves I've heard of from him."

He could tell there was some dodging going on, but the Doctor seemed determined to do it and Jack knew it'd take awhile to pull out answers. If he got too direct, the Doctor would just shut him out and change the subject. Jack would have to piece together the hinting and emotions until the Doctor was willing to really say anything.

"'Everybody lives'. I remember that. That'd be the way to go. But what made it the last day, anyway?"

Right, it was always important to check on that. Jack shrugged, and went for the faux-casual. "Things. Putting Cardiff back together after the Daleks stole Earth and we dragged it back, after it'd already been wrecked because my brother came back with one hell of a grudge. Trying to keep up with the Rift with too few people and in-between random kidnappings to other realities. Oh, and I got married. It really would've helped if Martha and Mickey had joined the team like I wanted them to."

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not_your_tardis
2012-06-17 05:42 am UTC (link)

"Yeah.." He replied again in a soft and drifting tone. "Always was my favorite, that, and I never did get it often enough." He doubted he'd told such a serious truth in a very long time.

"Right. The great Cardiff Rift - hold on, you had a Brother? Bet he's a character." The Doctor mocked softly. "And you got married?" The Doctor asked seriously, before he posed the next question quite seriously. "Does she know?" They both knew to what The Doctor was asking.

"And you mean Martha Jones? She'd have done well with Torchwood - mind you, Osterhagen Key - can't say I saw that coming - can't say I liked it much either. No more teleporting I assume?"

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timeaftertime
2012-06-17 05:56 am UTC (link)

"Yeah, me too. I wish we had more of that. Usually we're lucky if anyone is reasonably intact and not too traumatized." Okay, maybe he wasn't just talking about times with the Doctor any more.

"Yeah. He was tortured into insanity and blamed me for it, buried me in the past, nearly blew up Cardiff, killed one of my best friends and got another one killed so... a character. I guess you could use that word. He's in stasis now." As much as he disagreed with how any of the Doctor's selves handled the Master, he knew the Doctor would understand keeping Gray alive. The scale of what Gray did was very different, anyway. At first, he was very confused by the marriage question, and then he laughed. "Hey! He knows! Everyone knows! I didn't secretly marry someone without anyone knowing about it!"

"Of course I mean Martha Jones! You think I'd have just any Martha? I was pretty shocked at that thing, too. She got rid of it, you know, after. I can't believe I missed that."

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not_your_tardis
2012-06-17 06:22 am UTC (link)

The Doctor was, to be entirely honest, relieved to hear that Jack had taken a different path when it came to the man, and one that didn't involve killing him at that. His features softened, the first sign of a smile appearing at the corners of his mouth. "Careful Jack." The Doctor warned, staring out over the water. "I just might change my mind about you."

Which was highly unlikely, and they both knew it. Still, The Doctor didn't deny he saw a lot of himself in Jack, likely due to their adventures together, but that didn't matter. Jack was, at the end of the day, a good person. Sure, he made every hair on his head want to jump up, and every muscle in his body told him to run away, but The Doctor had just learned to tune those things out.

"Him?" The Doctor questioned with a raised brow. "Right. Fifty first century. That's old news to you. Still, progressive for Twenty First Century Earth. What's his name? - and yes.." The Doctor replied, looking at Jack with a bit of a smug grin. "I do think you'd have any Martha. You're Jack Harkness..." His voice trailed off.

"..Anything that moves.." He teased.

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andintheendfear
2012-06-17 06:27 am UTC (link)

Jonathan stalked through the park, a near visible aura of rage around him. Yes, it had been several hours since the message, and Jonathan's ears were still ringing, pain lancing from them.

The loud ringing from the message had interacted unexpectedly with the brain damage left over from the toxin, sending the electrical impulses in his ears to go haywire.

He stormed up to the two men, eyes flashing behind his glasses. Without speaking he reared back, and landed a solid punch in the Doctor's face, hissing in pain as he did and drawing back, shaking his hand.

"Asshole." he hissed, glaring and nursing his wounded hand. "Owe."

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not_your_tardis
2012-06-17 06:34 am UTC (link)

The Doctor had been quite happy with this little chat, a rare thing with Jack it seemed, but all of that was shattered in a rush of skin, muscle, tendon, and bone. The Doctor didn't even have time to react and found his sprawling self really quite thankful he hadn't been wearing glasses, as he crashed into the dirt with a loud groan of surprise.

Followed by another expression of absolute rage.

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timeaftertime
2012-06-17 06:46 am UTC (link)

He glanced over at the Doctor and cracked a smile, coming more naturally to him than to the Doctor. "What, because I didn't execute my brother? Naaah, same old Jack. You know me."

It wasn't surprising that Jack would have a lot in common with the Doctor; Rose herself had seen it in them, and travelling with the Doctor had done a lot to shape who Jack had become. Their long lives and history of tragedies gave them a certain understanding as well. Despite the time apart, it was easy to fall back into their old banter.

"Yeah, gotta remember the times! You kinda 'met' him on screen, if you remember-- Ianto Jones. Got me a Jones." He laughed and flashed a grin back. "And I'd have that Martha in other circumstances. But no! Not anything that moves! I have my standards!"

The Doctor was calming down, actually making jokes, and Jack thought things were going to get better. They'd get that anger dealt with and find somewhere to settle the Doctor in. And then some psycho came up out of nowhere and punched the Doctor.

Jack was too shocked by the suddenness of it to catch the Doctor, but he soon enough got caught up in his fury as he threw his own fist in the assailant's face. "Oh, he's the asshole?! For hurting your hand with his face when you punched him?"

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andintheendfear
2012-06-17 06:57 am UTC (link)

Jonathan stumbled back as he was punched, holding his broken nose, tears filling his eyes. He opened his mouth to answer when a low, animistic growl spilled from him.

Eyes widening in horror, Jonathan opened his mouth again to warn them, and instead of even a growl, a cloud of Fear Toxin spilling out.

Jonathan stumbled back from the pair, trembling in fear, shaking his head in denial as a pain filled scream was wretched from him.

Clothing tore, skin splitting, Jonathan simply 'grew'. His body filled out, muscles rippling, being coated with a burlap 'skin', threaded through with yarn veins. The bones of his feet expanded, sinking into the grass, naked and visible wile black fur started sprouting over his arms, head and legs.

Straw started shooting out of his body, sticking out between the 'skin' and bones of his arms, legs and neck.

"Little toys..." the beast growled, more toxin being expelled with each breath. "Little toys that hurt little Crane..."

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not_your_tardis
2012-06-17 07:13 am UTC (link)

There was something about getting punched in the face by an effective stranger that had a way of making you very, very, angry. Then there was something about seeing the person get punched in return that was, even to The Doctor, at that moment, very, very, satisfying. Even in the face of it all he had no stomach for violence. Then, of course, there was something about seeing someone who just got punched in the face grow much, much, taller and start sprouting straw and oozing gas.

"Jack.." The Doctor spoke his name fervently, clambering to his feet and grabbing the other man by the arm. "Remember that thing we used to do a lot of back in the day?"

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timeaftertime
2012-06-17 07:18 am UTC (link)

Retaliatory punches were definitely satisfying for Jack, and he actually knew how to punch without hurting himself. The satisfaction, of course, was very short-lived. Usually, punching someone didn't start them morphing into some kind of gas-spewing straw-creature.

Jack brought up his free arm so the sleeve could help against the gas. "Yeah. Oh yeah. It's definitely coming back to me. RUN!"

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	not_your_tardis 2012-06-17 07:24 am UTC (link)
	"That's the one!" The Doctor replied, tugging his own arm up and over his face before tattered white shoes got down to that very thing. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)