Captain Jack Harkness

The wily hunter trotted through Bohemia with a small velvet corpse in her mouth. Her person hadn't been feeding her as much and she'd taken to hunting for herself now that she had sharp teeth and claws. She had taken to hunting for him as well when he was home. He had been home for a long time (for him) and there was a growing pile of gifts on the floor next to the hammock. He was a big man and two voles, three mice, a large beetle, a small snake and this new bit of vermin would make a nice meal for him.

Jack didn't notice Dulcita or her efforts to feed him. He'd been laying in the hammock since he had gotten done with the ITF. He'd been fine the day before, all strength and calm in the wake of Tosh and Jackson vanishing. He'd been a rock for Ianto as he'd been for the Doctor when Gwen vanished and for Logan when Cutter was gone. He'd been fine all night and all morning as he pushed himself hard, past the point of thought. But then he came home and he knew he wasn't fine. People came back, it was a fact of this place. Sarah Jane had gone and returned. Wilson had come and gone a few times. There was always a chance, he knew, that people could come back. Yeah, sure, they'd be different and not recall what had happened before, but they'd be here. Gwen might come back. Owen could return. Tosh might show up again.

But Jackson wouldn't. Jackson had been born here to two people from specific points when they broke from their timelines. Even if Tosh and Owen returned, the boy would always be gone. He was a victim of time and place. Jack wondered if, perhaps, he had remained with Tosh, if she was maybe in some alternate plane from what the reels showed. It was a nice thought, but he didn't think it was the way things went. Not here.

That was when he stopped being fine and started being stoned. He lay in his hammock with the shell on his chest, joints tucked into his breast pocket, and a lighter laying on his stomach. The air was hot and Jack was disappointed that he'd fallen back into this. It had been months. Months with some very hard losses, yet he'd soldiered on. He had been better. He had been fine. It wasn't until the little boy with his name who had only learned to walk and talk was gone that the fractures broke apart. He had until Wednesday to pull himself back together. By the next session of drills, he'd be fine again. All he needed was a little time, a lot of pot...and apparently a pile of carcasses from the cat that had climbed the steps and added another to the pile.

Jack had been searching the corridors and rooms for...he didn't know how long. When he came across food, he ate it and when he was tired he had lain down in a place that was as lovely as the butterfly atrium had been. He never did find that again, which was kinda tragic, but he was too busy searching. He'd forgotten all about his lunch and the repairs. He'd forgotten the Doctor's warning that he needed to be careful or he'd walk out a month later and think only a few days had passed. He'd forgotten any responsibilities or friends he had on the island...not forgotten entirely, but it just seemed like they wouldn't be bothered if he was gone for a while. He had something to do. Something consuming. Something important. The TARDIS needed him and he could help. He could make her better.

As he looked down the deep shaft that continued on in inky darkness, down and down into what could be anything, Jack knew that was where he needed to go. He needed to get down in there, no matter how long it took. He circled the giant hole and tried to find a way past the barricade, the decided that the best course of action was to simply climb over. He could jump in and get to the bottom faster. He'd fix her with his bare hands or die trying.

He'd already died once and come back thanks to the TARDIS and Rose. He wasn't afraid. Death was just a do-over.

Jack had wandered until twilight fell and it started to become difficult to see. He hadn't paid much attention to where he had been walking...paths. The well worn paths kept him fairly safe. He wasn't lost, he was just walking. Thinking.

Remembering.

He looked up and around, getting his bearings, and he saw the unmistakable outline of the Doctor's treehouse. When he'd first had the problems with his memory after Adria, he'd gone to the Doctor for answers. Now...he didn't need answers. Walking and thinking had helped things fall into place. This wasn't like when people disappeared. He hadn't gone immediately to smoke or drink this away. He didn't want to forget. He'd buried the memory for so long...now, he just needed time.

There was no one he could think of other than the Doctor who could help with that.

Thursday evening after dinner, Jack decided maybe he should have some idea of what the plans were for joining the rooms of the treehouse. It had gone up okay, but rennovations might be a little more complex than building from the start.

It wasn't where he lived anymore, so he knocked...and waited.

Jack had most of the pieces cut and was lining them up in the field near Stu and Jane's. He really didn't want to be helping with this, but he'd promised and it gave him something to do besides worry about Mimi or dwell on House.

He stopped to drink, wiping his face and neck with the shirt he'd long since taken off and laid aside.

After Chase...after Ace...Jack was ready to get out before anyone else saw her. Being on the second floor somewhat hindered that as she stood and looked at the Doctor's door. She wondered for a moment if he was the same, or if he'd gotten...feminized.

She knocked gently and called out against the door, her voice a velvety breath. "Doctor? Are you in there?"

[Preplay Genderswitch. Timed to Saturday morning]

Thursday was a spectacular day. Not too hot, not too humid, the sky was a gorgeous blue and the breeze stirred the air just enough. Jack woke with the sun and was finishing up the cutting of the treads. He had a pile of bamboo cut to length for spindles and he'd selected the nearby tree he'd use for the center support. Now all he needed was to assemble the spiral staricase up twenty feet or so, and then fix the landing so the short bridge would tie on.

Sometimes he was really happy with the bookshelf.

What a fucking day. Jack came back to his room and did the right thing, letting others have his bed. Tosh. Gwen. Ianto. They were going to need more rooms or something.

But tonight he was worn down and raw. He'd had enough honesty for one night. Right now he could just go for the right kind of Doctor.

Jack went back to the treehouse after the lab. He couldn't figure out how he was going to handle the look of disappointment in Lisa's eyes, couldn't stand the thought of House telling him how stupid it was to have even tried. And the Doctor...fuck.

Just fuck.

He laid on the sofa, which still smelled faintly of Ianto, and watched the fire burn lower. He should get up and toss another log on. He should get up and do something. Anything. Thinking this over a hundred times wasn't going to change the fact that he was different than he had been before.

"Oh, I plan to," he said and leaned in to kiss him again, soap-slick skin making his body glide against the Doctor's.