[ace]

[more_flexible]

He'd left the hut and just walked. He'd been 'around' in that general sense of the word. He'd been to the beach, been to the jungle, he kept getting food in the kitchen and showering and the basics. He didn't need to go all Walden Pond...he just needed to think.

He thought. He thought a lot. Who he'd been. Who he'd become. Who he really cared about. Who he neglected. It was thoughts like that that took him to Ace's place. Naturally, she wasn't there, but Jack had nothing but time, so he waited.

And waited.

And waited.

The door wasn't locked and he'd gone in and come out a few times. He could only stand it so long, though, before he figured the wrath of Ace was worth picking up...God...at least her laundry. Jack started gathering it up and putting it all in one pile. He got on his knees to dig around under her bed and to get to one stray sock, he had to pull out a box. He sort of recognized it. Hadn't he...didn't he put a dress for her in that box? He smiled a little and lifted the lid.

And promptly forgot all about the laundry.

Comments

[pawnoffenric.livejournal.com]

Ace shoved her hair out of her face. She'd been trying to figure out what to do with herself, since she didn't want to spend a lot of time where He was. The Doctor.

Things were still awkward. They'd never really gotten better, once she'd become ... pointless.

She had books - reduced to studying, when she nudged open her door with her foot.

And found Jack sitting on her floor. She couldn't see anything but his back, couldn't see the contents of that box - all carefully packed, wrapped with the greatest care. Two dresses from Jack. Hairpins. Jewelry from Ianto. The shell from the Doctor, the only thing he'd ever really given her. Some of the pins from Jamie. The lingerie bits from that incredibly odd night she had with Jamie, speaking of. (Except the bra). The white silk scarf she'd gotten from Captain Sorin back home.

Everything, carefully wrapped and placed in that box. The rest of her possessions were in total disarray - she didn't bother to pick up pretty much anything, but this... that box was different.

"Jack?" Why was he sitting-

Her laundry.

"I told you that you didn't have to touch it."

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"I didn't mean to..." he started, looking back over his shoulder. Twisting just enough to see her revealed the open box before him. "I was just bored waiting, so I was piling it up. I wasn't prying, really." He paused, then smiled, giving her the most curious look. "I didn't realize you still had this dress."

[pawnoffenric.livejournal.com]

The dress.

The dress, and everything else-

"You- It's just-" She moved forward faster then she even thought she could, gathering up the red fabric and the box and everything else. "It's not important." She was trying to put it all back, to make it all fit, but it only worked one way and the filmy skirt seemed to spill from the box's edges.

She didn't want him to know- she didn't want anyone to know how much it meant. How special the few things she got really were. How much she never wanted to lose them.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

Jack nodded and got out of her way, hauling himself off the floor where he'd sat long enough for his feet to tingle.

"I'm sorry," he said casually, not sounding entirely genuine with the apology, then he added, "I have a box like that, too."

[pawnoffenric.livejournal.com]

Ace's shoulders were hunched, something he'd not seen in a long while. "A box like what?" She paused, trying to refold it without dumping everything.

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"Stuff I don't let people see."

A broken ring. A shell. A silver caduceus. A handcarved lovespoon. A star made of seaglass. A tie. He had a set of books, too, but they were lined up on a shelf...held in place by the box.

Jack took a breath and cleared his throat as he took note of her shoulders.

"I didn't mean to pry, Ace. I was honestly going after that sock under there."

[pawnoffenric.livejournal.com]

"I... people don't get me things." She said it softly, staring down at the box. "People-"

People.

"I- I don't get things, is all. And these... these are things that people thought I'd like. And actually thought about it."

[captainjack.livejournal.com]

"Sort of the point of a present," he pointed out, taking a seat at the foot of her bed. "I've always been really bad at giving gifts. Mostly because I want to make someone happy. I worked on the clothes box for a couple days before I decided that was the dress. Kind of like shopping, actually. Huh...hadn't thought of it like that before..."