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Fic: Stepping Sideways: A Jack in the Box (3/4)
This chapter started out as about 300 words. Then it (happily) grew! :)
Chapter 1 and notes here.
Summary: “Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” – Miriam Beard (or: The Seeker takes some time out to travel and think things over)
Setting: Between A Good Day and The Death and Life of Rodageitmososa. (This is AU, but within New Who between Name of the Doctor and The Day of the Doctor.)
Spoilers: A Good Day. But can easily be read on its own.
Rating: PG-13.
Characters: The Third Seeker (OC), Alt!Capt Jack (during his con man days)
Beta: Um... That would be a no. All mistakes mine.
Feedback: Would be amazing. :)
Stepping Sideways: A Jack in the Box
“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller
Three.
The spaceship was a tree. Which was impossible, so it had to be a trick, but Jack couldn’t figure out how. They had landed in a forest, and the spaceship he had stepped out of stood amongst the other trees… a bit bulkier than the rest, but not by much. The Seeker was leaning in the open doorway, through which Jack could see the control room which stretched much further back than the tree he was looking at. Slowly he made his way around it, but there were no holographics involved, and he returned to the front, studying the Seeker, who was smiling smugly, eyes dancing:
“For your information... As you have probably gathered, I am not human, and this is very very advanced technology. Your lipstick, retcon and any other little tricks you may have up your sleeve won’t work on me; besides which I’m practically immortal, highly telepathic and the controls are isomorphic. In case you ever feel tempted to… get a little creative. Are we clear?”
Jack crossed his arms, eyes narrowing, mind following several different avenues at the same time. It had to be dimensionally transcendental, but how?
“I thought you said I was your best friend…”
“You on another world, yes. Whereas this you is currently a conman, and a very charming and successful one at that. Now I don’t have a problem with that. I just want to make sure we are on the same page: I would love for you to stay, but don’t think you have a hope in hell of conning me.”
“I hope your bedside manner is more forthcoming,” Jack shot back, cheeks dimpling. (He was enjoying this. No pussyfooting around…)
The Seeker held his eyes, and hell, if this wasn’t flirtation taken to a whole other level.
“If you have any complaints when we get that far, I should probably point out that you were my teacher in the arts of Eros. So you’ll only have yourself to blame.”
At which point Jack couldn’t stop himself from beginning to chuckle, and as he was by now desperately needing some answers he had to ask:
“Who - or what - are you?”
“I’m a Time Lord, and everything you have heard about us is probably true. Except for the fact that we are all dead.”
Jack did his best not to let his jaw drop, then softly whispered “Bugger me,” subconsciously channelling a former partner.
The Seeker raised an eyebrow.
“All in good time…”
Jack tried to think back to that morning. Had it seemed particularly auspicious? Had there been any signs that today would be the day he finally hit the jackpot?
Not that it mattered. He smiled his best million watt smile and thanked his lucky stars for looking out for him.
~
Going by first impressions, Jack had half expected the Seeker to play hard to get. And there had certainly been a wariness and hesitation to their physical interactions - a few kisses, but the Seeker had always broken it off just as things began to get interesting.
Resigning himself to waiting it out (and it’d be worth waiting for, of that he was sure), he was surprised to look up one day after a swim in the TARDIS swimming pool, towel in his hand, to find the Seeker leaning against the door frame, studying him.
The Seeker was usually fairly buttoned up, but here he was in shirtsleeves, collar and top button undone, and with bare feet below the nicely tailored black trousers…
The myriad questions in Jack’s mind must have shown on his face, as the Seeker half-smiled.
“I decided, fuck it - it’s gonna happen sooner or later, there’s no need to drag it out. I just need to get over myself. So, what do you say?”
He should have said something cutting about his other self having done a terrible job teaching the Seeker how to seduce someone with subtlety or finesse. Or quipped something like ‘Don’t mind if I do’.
As it was, he quite simply let the towel drop to the floor and pinned his Time Lord to the wall.
~
Afterwards, the Seeker had studied him with that look Jack still couldn’t gauge, laying a hand on Jack’s chest, then closing his eyes.
“It’s so strange. It’s you, but it isn’t.”
Jack had lazily brushed a lock of black hair out of the way, pondering the peculiar twists of fate. He could never quite escape the feeling that there was something the other wasn’t telling him, and physical intimacy hadn’t changed that.
Not that the Seeker was altogether secretive. He answered most of Jack’s questions quite happily, but there was still something nagging at the back of Jack’s mind. It might just be the fact that the Seeker knew him so well, anticipating his responses and behaviour in a way that was downright spooky at times.
Or maybe it was the fact that his new friend was a Time Lord. Jack knew only of the Time Lords as ancient legends, and this wry and somewhat calculating youthful looking man was not at all what his history lessons had conjured up.
Letting his thumb follow the Seeker’s cheekbone, simultaneously appraising and wondering at the naked, living legend in his arms, he attempted humour in the face of the weirdness he couldn’t categorise.
“Well, they did always say that Time Lords were cryptic and up themselves…”
The Seeker opened his eyes again, bright green meeting Jack’s blue, mesmerising. Love was no part of this, but intrigue and fascination worked equally well for keeping Jack enthralled.
“Pompous, Jack. The word you are looking for is pompous. And you’re absolutely right.”
Jack’s eyes narrowed.
“Secretive is probably more like it…”
“That too,” he agreed, letting his head fall down to rest on Jack’s chest. “Sorry. But I never played well with others. I will tell you my secrets in good time, I promise. But right now - can this be enough?”
The kiss that followed the question sealed it quite easily. Especially since Jack had a few chapters of his own past that he was quite happy to leave behind untold. And quite frankly, travelling round the universe with a living legend (and lover) was not something Jack was going to spurn…
~
There were adventures and fighting and a small heist or two and saving a few planets from evil regimes, and it was evident that the ‘best friend’ tag was no idle boast. They worked together as perfectly as Jack had ever worked with any of his Time Agent partners, the Seeker instinctively knowing Jack’s ingrained training and habits… Besides being a hell of a good fighter himself, the laser screwdriver immensely useful and very deadly when necessary.
“You trained me,” was the Seeker’s enigmatic response when Jack complimented him.
They were sitting on the roof of a palace, celebrating with cigars and copious amounts of alcohol after a successful coup to overthrow a tyrant.
The evening dusk was wrapping itself around them, the sky had gone a dark lavender, and they could hear the people rejoicing throughout the town.
“Mind you, my father was pretty handy too…” the Seeker then added, taking a long slow drag of his cigar, as Jack abruptly found himself focussing on the conversation with far more interest than before.
“Your father?” he asked, the subject of the Seeker’s parents never having come up before, and he had to admit to being curious.
“Hm?” the Seeker replied, half turning.
“Your father? Taught you to fight?” Jack prompted, and the Seeker smiled that strange smile that Jack could only ever think of as too ironic for his own good.
“After a fashion. If you could call ‘genocide’ fighting… He just wants to bond with me, really, it’s just unfortunate that he’s an evil, psychotic megalomaniac who loves murder and mayhem.”
Jack wasn’t sure whether this was jest or not, so merely mumbled: “Sounds charming.”
“Oh he is. Right up until the moment he snaps your neck. People tend to be a little less fond of him after that…”
The Seeker refilled his wine glass, as Jack mulled this over. If true, no wonder the other didn’t feel like sharing… Even so, he didn’t want to miss his chance for further information, now his friend was finally letting his barriers down. (Possibly due to the drink, although Jack liked to think that he’d managed to win the other’s trust.)
“And your mother? Presuming you have a mother…”
How exactly Time Lords procreated was not entirely clear. He was sure his teaching back in the day had said they’d moved beyond simple physical reproduction, but what it had been replaced with was a mystery.
The question led to a prolonged silence. It had gone so dark that Jack could hardly make out the Seeker’s features, and he worried if maybe he’d overstepped some kind of line.
“My mother was human,” the Seeker eventually said, voice softer than Jack had ever heard. “And in case you’re wondering why my father married her, she possessed the quality he values over any other: Loyalty. Not that it was voluntary…”
The Seeker didn't continue, instead emptying his glass, before adding:
“In short, there are a lot of reasons I don’t talk about myself much.”
Jack didn’t know what to say. The Seeker was usually as opaque emotionally as he was himself; calm, competent and brilliant, with a side-line in wry humour that Jack deeply appreciated.
A monstrous father and a human (and abused) mother he had never guessed at. And now that he had this information, he wasn’t sure what to do with it.
In lieu of anything to say, he reached out and took the Seeker’s hand, trying to communicate without words.
It seemed to work, as the Seeker then shuffled across and leaned against him, with a little sigh that cut Jack to the quick.
“You smell the same…” the Seeker mumbled, and Jack felt like he had won some sort of victory. It was no longer his differences that were noteworthy, but the ways he was similar to the ‘original Jack’. And he had finally been allowed inside the defences, learning something of what lay behind that enigmatic façade.
With hindsight, he should have known it was all too good to be true. The perfect friend/lover/partner, who accepted him without question and never asked for anything…
~
One day, having checked into a ten star hotel for some exquisite pampering (Jack had quietly pocketed the credit card with limitless funds, and if the Seeker noticed, he didn’t say anything), Jack brought up the matter of the Seeker’s current travels - why was he there? (Jack didn’t ask ‘Why me?’ because the answer to that question was abundantly obvious. Nor did he ask ‘Are you running away from something?’ because he was beginning to have some ideas as to the Seeker’s reluctance to talk about himself in any detail. Dark pasts had an unfortunate habit of being difficult to get rid of.)
The Seeker mulled over the answer for a moment, eyes lost and not seeming to notice the masseuse who was using all six hands on his back simultaneously.
“I guess it’s… a holiday? I mean, I did just win a war, so I wanted a break. Get my head together before the next step.”
“The next step?” Jack asked, puzzled.
“Oh, I’m going to rule the universe.”
The Seeker’s voice was as calm and matter-of-fact as when he’d asked Jack what he wanted for breakfast that morning.
Jack merely stared, by now being very familiar with the Seeker’s deadpan sense of humour, and waiting for the familiar little quirk in the corner of his lover’s mouth. Except it didn’t come.
The moment stretched, then the Seeker had added: “Well, obviously not all of it. Just the bits that need fixing…”
“Right,” Jack said, before being brought back to the present by his own masseuse beginning to do something both painful and wonderful, but even so his mind was whirling.
They’d ‘fixed’ quite a few things together, but only ever as helping hands to local dissenters, and if the Seeker had seemed overly interested in the ruling structures after the downfall of the despots, Jack had chalked that up to general anthropological curiosity.
“Don’t worry, my universe, not yours,” the Seeker then added, smiling, as he studied Jack with those guarded, doting eyes. So enigmatic and unique and delightful to unravel and ravish that Jack dismissed the warning bells.
(Time Lord humour; that’s all it was, he told himself.)
But then came the day when he stumbled upon a klaxon...
~
It was a fairly ordinary day. Jack had decided to go exploring, and this time found a completely new corridor. Although the Seeker had vaguely said something about the TARDIS being endless… Maybe it was new.
He almost didn’t see the opening, and he had the strangest feeling that the TARDIS didn’t want him to go down that way - which of course made him even more curious.
The corridor was nondescript and bare and he had almost decided to turn back when he came upon a door bearing a large sign.
DO NOT ENTER
DANGER OF DEATH
Jack looked at it speculatively. He remembered the Seeker talking about Time Lord engineering, how the engine was an exploding star in the act of becoming a black hole - ripped from its orbit and suspended in a permanent state of decay. He’d said something about how it was also too dangerous to show Jack, as more than a few seconds’ exposure could kill him.
Jack bit his lip.
A few seconds would surely be OK?
The door was locked, so opening it was a bit complicated, but being Jack helped overriding the lock mechanisms - the Seeker truly trusted his best friend in every way imaginable, which was one of the things he found quite reassuring, despite his occasional twinges of doubt. And Jack trusted his other self too - at the very least to choose his friends wisely.
When the door opened he stepped inside, bracing himself for the deadly heat of a star.
What he found was infinitely worse.
tbc.
Chapter 1 and notes here.
Summary: “Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” – Miriam Beard (or: The Seeker takes some time out to travel and think things over)
Setting: Between A Good Day and The Death and Life of Rodageitmososa. (This is AU, but within New Who between Name of the Doctor and The Day of the Doctor.)
Spoilers: A Good Day. But can easily be read on its own.
Rating: PG-13.
Characters: The Third Seeker (OC), Alt!Capt Jack (during his con man days)
Beta: Um... That would be a no. All mistakes mine.
Feedback: Would be amazing. :)
“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller
The spaceship was a tree. Which was impossible, so it had to be a trick, but Jack couldn’t figure out how. They had landed in a forest, and the spaceship he had stepped out of stood amongst the other trees… a bit bulkier than the rest, but not by much. The Seeker was leaning in the open doorway, through which Jack could see the control room which stretched much further back than the tree he was looking at. Slowly he made his way around it, but there were no holographics involved, and he returned to the front, studying the Seeker, who was smiling smugly, eyes dancing:
“For your information... As you have probably gathered, I am not human, and this is very very advanced technology. Your lipstick, retcon and any other little tricks you may have up your sleeve won’t work on me; besides which I’m practically immortal, highly telepathic and the controls are isomorphic. In case you ever feel tempted to… get a little creative. Are we clear?”
Jack crossed his arms, eyes narrowing, mind following several different avenues at the same time. It had to be dimensionally transcendental, but how?
“I thought you said I was your best friend…”
“You on another world, yes. Whereas this you is currently a conman, and a very charming and successful one at that. Now I don’t have a problem with that. I just want to make sure we are on the same page: I would love for you to stay, but don’t think you have a hope in hell of conning me.”
“I hope your bedside manner is more forthcoming,” Jack shot back, cheeks dimpling. (He was enjoying this. No pussyfooting around…)
The Seeker held his eyes, and hell, if this wasn’t flirtation taken to a whole other level.
“If you have any complaints when we get that far, I should probably point out that you were my teacher in the arts of Eros. So you’ll only have yourself to blame.”
At which point Jack couldn’t stop himself from beginning to chuckle, and as he was by now desperately needing some answers he had to ask:
“Who - or what - are you?”
“I’m a Time Lord, and everything you have heard about us is probably true. Except for the fact that we are all dead.”
Jack did his best not to let his jaw drop, then softly whispered “Bugger me,” subconsciously channelling a former partner.
The Seeker raised an eyebrow.
“All in good time…”
Jack tried to think back to that morning. Had it seemed particularly auspicious? Had there been any signs that today would be the day he finally hit the jackpot?
Not that it mattered. He smiled his best million watt smile and thanked his lucky stars for looking out for him.
~
Going by first impressions, Jack had half expected the Seeker to play hard to get. And there had certainly been a wariness and hesitation to their physical interactions - a few kisses, but the Seeker had always broken it off just as things began to get interesting.
Resigning himself to waiting it out (and it’d be worth waiting for, of that he was sure), he was surprised to look up one day after a swim in the TARDIS swimming pool, towel in his hand, to find the Seeker leaning against the door frame, studying him.
The Seeker was usually fairly buttoned up, but here he was in shirtsleeves, collar and top button undone, and with bare feet below the nicely tailored black trousers…
The myriad questions in Jack’s mind must have shown on his face, as the Seeker half-smiled.
“I decided, fuck it - it’s gonna happen sooner or later, there’s no need to drag it out. I just need to get over myself. So, what do you say?”
He should have said something cutting about his other self having done a terrible job teaching the Seeker how to seduce someone with subtlety or finesse. Or quipped something like ‘Don’t mind if I do’.
As it was, he quite simply let the towel drop to the floor and pinned his Time Lord to the wall.
~
Afterwards, the Seeker had studied him with that look Jack still couldn’t gauge, laying a hand on Jack’s chest, then closing his eyes.
“It’s so strange. It’s you, but it isn’t.”
Jack had lazily brushed a lock of black hair out of the way, pondering the peculiar twists of fate. He could never quite escape the feeling that there was something the other wasn’t telling him, and physical intimacy hadn’t changed that.
Not that the Seeker was altogether secretive. He answered most of Jack’s questions quite happily, but there was still something nagging at the back of Jack’s mind. It might just be the fact that the Seeker knew him so well, anticipating his responses and behaviour in a way that was downright spooky at times.
Or maybe it was the fact that his new friend was a Time Lord. Jack knew only of the Time Lords as ancient legends, and this wry and somewhat calculating youthful looking man was not at all what his history lessons had conjured up.
Letting his thumb follow the Seeker’s cheekbone, simultaneously appraising and wondering at the naked, living legend in his arms, he attempted humour in the face of the weirdness he couldn’t categorise.
“Well, they did always say that Time Lords were cryptic and up themselves…”
The Seeker opened his eyes again, bright green meeting Jack’s blue, mesmerising. Love was no part of this, but intrigue and fascination worked equally well for keeping Jack enthralled.
“Pompous, Jack. The word you are looking for is pompous. And you’re absolutely right.”
Jack’s eyes narrowed.
“Secretive is probably more like it…”
“That too,” he agreed, letting his head fall down to rest on Jack’s chest. “Sorry. But I never played well with others. I will tell you my secrets in good time, I promise. But right now - can this be enough?”
The kiss that followed the question sealed it quite easily. Especially since Jack had a few chapters of his own past that he was quite happy to leave behind untold. And quite frankly, travelling round the universe with a living legend (and lover) was not something Jack was going to spurn…
~
There were adventures and fighting and a small heist or two and saving a few planets from evil regimes, and it was evident that the ‘best friend’ tag was no idle boast. They worked together as perfectly as Jack had ever worked with any of his Time Agent partners, the Seeker instinctively knowing Jack’s ingrained training and habits… Besides being a hell of a good fighter himself, the laser screwdriver immensely useful and very deadly when necessary.
“You trained me,” was the Seeker’s enigmatic response when Jack complimented him.
They were sitting on the roof of a palace, celebrating with cigars and copious amounts of alcohol after a successful coup to overthrow a tyrant.
The evening dusk was wrapping itself around them, the sky had gone a dark lavender, and they could hear the people rejoicing throughout the town.
“Mind you, my father was pretty handy too…” the Seeker then added, taking a long slow drag of his cigar, as Jack abruptly found himself focussing on the conversation with far more interest than before.
“Your father?” he asked, the subject of the Seeker’s parents never having come up before, and he had to admit to being curious.
“Hm?” the Seeker replied, half turning.
“Your father? Taught you to fight?” Jack prompted, and the Seeker smiled that strange smile that Jack could only ever think of as too ironic for his own good.
“After a fashion. If you could call ‘genocide’ fighting… He just wants to bond with me, really, it’s just unfortunate that he’s an evil, psychotic megalomaniac who loves murder and mayhem.”
Jack wasn’t sure whether this was jest or not, so merely mumbled: “Sounds charming.”
“Oh he is. Right up until the moment he snaps your neck. People tend to be a little less fond of him after that…”
The Seeker refilled his wine glass, as Jack mulled this over. If true, no wonder the other didn’t feel like sharing… Even so, he didn’t want to miss his chance for further information, now his friend was finally letting his barriers down. (Possibly due to the drink, although Jack liked to think that he’d managed to win the other’s trust.)
“And your mother? Presuming you have a mother…”
How exactly Time Lords procreated was not entirely clear. He was sure his teaching back in the day had said they’d moved beyond simple physical reproduction, but what it had been replaced with was a mystery.
The question led to a prolonged silence. It had gone so dark that Jack could hardly make out the Seeker’s features, and he worried if maybe he’d overstepped some kind of line.
“My mother was human,” the Seeker eventually said, voice softer than Jack had ever heard. “And in case you’re wondering why my father married her, she possessed the quality he values over any other: Loyalty. Not that it was voluntary…”
The Seeker didn't continue, instead emptying his glass, before adding:
“In short, there are a lot of reasons I don’t talk about myself much.”
Jack didn’t know what to say. The Seeker was usually as opaque emotionally as he was himself; calm, competent and brilliant, with a side-line in wry humour that Jack deeply appreciated.
A monstrous father and a human (and abused) mother he had never guessed at. And now that he had this information, he wasn’t sure what to do with it.
In lieu of anything to say, he reached out and took the Seeker’s hand, trying to communicate without words.
It seemed to work, as the Seeker then shuffled across and leaned against him, with a little sigh that cut Jack to the quick.
“You smell the same…” the Seeker mumbled, and Jack felt like he had won some sort of victory. It was no longer his differences that were noteworthy, but the ways he was similar to the ‘original Jack’. And he had finally been allowed inside the defences, learning something of what lay behind that enigmatic façade.
With hindsight, he should have known it was all too good to be true. The perfect friend/lover/partner, who accepted him without question and never asked for anything…
~
One day, having checked into a ten star hotel for some exquisite pampering (Jack had quietly pocketed the credit card with limitless funds, and if the Seeker noticed, he didn’t say anything), Jack brought up the matter of the Seeker’s current travels - why was he there? (Jack didn’t ask ‘Why me?’ because the answer to that question was abundantly obvious. Nor did he ask ‘Are you running away from something?’ because he was beginning to have some ideas as to the Seeker’s reluctance to talk about himself in any detail. Dark pasts had an unfortunate habit of being difficult to get rid of.)
The Seeker mulled over the answer for a moment, eyes lost and not seeming to notice the masseuse who was using all six hands on his back simultaneously.
“I guess it’s… a holiday? I mean, I did just win a war, so I wanted a break. Get my head together before the next step.”
“The next step?” Jack asked, puzzled.
“Oh, I’m going to rule the universe.”
The Seeker’s voice was as calm and matter-of-fact as when he’d asked Jack what he wanted for breakfast that morning.
Jack merely stared, by now being very familiar with the Seeker’s deadpan sense of humour, and waiting for the familiar little quirk in the corner of his lover’s mouth. Except it didn’t come.
The moment stretched, then the Seeker had added: “Well, obviously not all of it. Just the bits that need fixing…”
“Right,” Jack said, before being brought back to the present by his own masseuse beginning to do something both painful and wonderful, but even so his mind was whirling.
They’d ‘fixed’ quite a few things together, but only ever as helping hands to local dissenters, and if the Seeker had seemed overly interested in the ruling structures after the downfall of the despots, Jack had chalked that up to general anthropological curiosity.
“Don’t worry, my universe, not yours,” the Seeker then added, smiling, as he studied Jack with those guarded, doting eyes. So enigmatic and unique and delightful to unravel and ravish that Jack dismissed the warning bells.
(Time Lord humour; that’s all it was, he told himself.)
But then came the day when he stumbled upon a klaxon...
~
It was a fairly ordinary day. Jack had decided to go exploring, and this time found a completely new corridor. Although the Seeker had vaguely said something about the TARDIS being endless… Maybe it was new.
He almost didn’t see the opening, and he had the strangest feeling that the TARDIS didn’t want him to go down that way - which of course made him even more curious.
The corridor was nondescript and bare and he had almost decided to turn back when he came upon a door bearing a large sign.
DO NOT ENTER
DANGER OF DEATH
Jack looked at it speculatively. He remembered the Seeker talking about Time Lord engineering, how the engine was an exploding star in the act of becoming a black hole - ripped from its orbit and suspended in a permanent state of decay. He’d said something about how it was also too dangerous to show Jack, as more than a few seconds’ exposure could kill him.
Jack bit his lip.
A few seconds would surely be OK?
The door was locked, so opening it was a bit complicated, but being Jack helped overriding the lock mechanisms - the Seeker truly trusted his best friend in every way imaginable, which was one of the things he found quite reassuring, despite his occasional twinges of doubt. And Jack trusted his other self too - at the very least to choose his friends wisely.
When the door opened he stepped inside, bracing himself for the deadly heat of a star.
What he found was infinitely worse.
tbc.
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I can't wait for the next part :D
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Thank you! Funnily enough then writing the actual relationship was the stumbling block for ages - I knew the *shape* of it, but wasn't sure what actually happened... I'm so glad it grew. :)
and oh man, talk about a cliffhanger!!!
I love cliffhangers. <3
I can't wait for the next part :D
It needs some editing, but shouldn't be long...
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I want to draw hearts around their relationship. It works so well? And it's like a teenage romance, which is kind of sweet and I love how it's not the Seeker who's tentative, it's Jack. Specifically, that it's con artist,
fuckanything with a postcode Jack who is being more careful as opposed to the Seeker.“If you have any complaints when we get that far, I should probably point out that you were my teacher in the arts of Eros. So you’ll only have yourself to blame.”
HA.
Ah, so this is a universe where Gallifrey is still around? We knew the last universe was TenToo's from 'canon', and the one with Missy is (will? Have you posted it yet, I can't recall...) is 'canon', so is this another universe all together? If so, what are the Rules? It makes for an interesting wildcard in plotting out how their relationship will go.
The sudden beginning of the relationship is just... *swoons* I like seeing how this Seeker goes about a relationship because it's not Roda's Seeker, which I'm far more used to in... this regard. It's good to see this Seeker as something that isn't warmongering as well (that's a blunt way to put it, but I mean, 1. he's a blunt regeneration and 2. what I mean is that we've mostly seen him in A Good Day so this makes for a definite change).
I also like that there's a slow burn romance. It's not all just sex sex sex we get to see them in down time, as friends, as lovers, as partners in... crime/resistance. (Roda would love what they're up to, I'm sure. The Seeker and Jack saving people from dictators? That's her kink.)
“Well, they did always say that Time Lords were cryptic and up themselves…”
True, TBH.
But no, I enjoy how well they work together and how they really feel like a couple, which makes what I know you have planned for the future seem a lot more likely. It's still difficult to imagine Jack 'settling down' but then that's just Jack. And settling down doesn't need to be a nuclear family etc etc so I'm sure you'll write it well. They seem realistic - a little bit honeymoon, but they don't know everything about each other and Jack is definitely the Companion so they're not necessarily on the same level, even though it's likely what the Seeker intended.
The talk about Lucy was harrowing. It's interesting for Jack to make judgement based on what the information usually means, and he manages to be both completely wrong and on the ball. (I'm babbling a little bit, apologies.) Interesting as well that when the Seeker thinks Jack is getting too close to the right answer he distracts him (eg. "You smell the same"). Then again, he did want to escape from people who 'know' him.
WHAT HAS JACK FOUND? I WOULD BE COHERENT BUT IT'S DRIVING ME NUTS.
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It was mostly just the ‘the spaceship is a tree wtf?’ which isn’t *much* of a cliffhanger, which is why I was somewhat confused. And with the cliffhanger in this chapter, I’m sure you can see why… And no, different universe, no Seeker planet.
I want to draw hearts around their relationship. It works so well? And it's like a teenage romance, which is kind of sweet and I love how it's not the Seeker who's tentative, it's Jack. Specifically, that it's con artist,
fuckanything with a postcode Jack who is being more careful as opposed to the Seeker.Well, the Seeker *knows* Jack, so he is absolutely aware of what he’s getting in to, as it were. Jack is (especially at this point) generally up for a good time, and somewhat freewheeling, making it up as he goes along - and a cool spaceship and fun adventures with an enigmatic, living legend to spend his days (and nights!) with is a pretty good deal, so he’s going along with it. I found ‘tentative’ quite an interesting word though, but probably quite accurate. I don’t think Jack at this point would give his heart away to anyone.
HA.
Seeker is sassy.
Ah, so this is a universe where Gallifrey is still around? We knew the last universe was TenToo's from 'canon', and the one with Missy is (will? Have you posted it yet, I can't recall...) is 'canon', so is this another universe all together? If so, what are the Rules? It makes for an interesting wildcard in plotting out how their relationship will go.
My head canon (not stated, but inferred) is that Gallifrey is gone, what with the Time War and all. Jack basically thinks the Time Lords are all dead (which I think is fairly clear?) – whether or not there is a Doctor knocking about somewhere is a different subject. Like I said elsewhere, the Seeker steps into Jack’s time line before Jack may or may not meet the Doctor.
The sudden beginning of the relationship is just... *swoons*
You mean the Seeker appearing all… unbuttoned? Aye, I was very pleased with that…
I like seeing how this Seeker goes about a relationship because it's not Roda's Seeker, which I'm far more used to in... this regard. It's good to see this Seeker as something that isn't warmongering as well (that's a blunt way to put it, but I mean, 1. he's a blunt regeneration and 2. what I mean is that we've mostly seen him in A Good Day so this makes for a definite change).
I’d say not as blunt as 2nd Seeker, and more secretive. But yes, his big shining moment so far is the War in the Medusa Cascade, so it’s good to get a look at him when he’s not massively controlling and focussed on Killing All The Daleks and being massively defensive about everything.
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The Seeker and ‘his’ Jack were always foremost friends. He automatically transfers this approach to alt!Jack, just adds the sleeping together. Which is what he reckons might possibly happen in future, and this is his chance to try it out without possibly ruining his relationship with ‘his’ Jack. Of course this was not his initial intention when he looked up alt!Jack, but since alt!Jack went straight for the snogging (and he has a suspicion that ‘his’ Jack fancies his current regeneration) he figured he might as well go for it.
(Roda would love what they're up to, I'm sure. The Seeker and Jack saving people from dictators? That's her kink.)
<3 She’ll get her turn…
True, TBH.
Very true.
But no, I enjoy how well they work together and how they really feel like a couple, which makes what I know you have planned for the future seem a lot more likely.
Funnily enough, this bit was the great stumbling block. As in, I knew what I wanted, but the details eluded me. Which is why the chapter was so horribly short to begin with. What did they DO? How to show the relationship working and evolving, but not make it horrifically clichéd? I am so very happy that I figured it out. Or at least, you seem happy with it, so I count that as a win.
It's still difficult to imagine Jack 'settling down' but then that's just Jack. And settling down doesn't need to be a nuclear family etc etc so I'm sure you'll write it well. They seem realistic - a little bit honeymoon, but they don't know everything about each other and Jack is definitely the Companion so they're not necessarily on the same level, even though it's likely what the Seeker intended.
Yeah, there’s no settling, just ‘travelling together’ with no kinda strings or settled status. If Jack thinks about it at all, he probably reckons he’s a ‘holiday fling’, which suits him fine.
The talk about Lucy was harrowing. It's interesting for Jack to make judgement based on what the information usually means, and he manages to be both completely wrong and on the ball. (I'm babbling a little bit, apologies.)
Never apologise, I love your comments! And yeah, it’s the Seeker allowing Jack some very private information, but then leaves it up to Jack to interpret.
Interesting as well that when the Seeker thinks Jack is getting too close to the right answer he distracts him (eg. "You smell the same"). Then again, he did want to escape from people who 'know' him.
The Seeker is… very private. But he also realises that there needs to be some give and take and that Jack is taking a lot on trust.
WHAT HAS JACK FOUND? I WOULD BE COHERENT BUT IT'S DRIVING ME NUTS.
*smiles enigmatically*
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I have this mental image now of m!Roda, once everything's done and dusted, assuming he has diplomatic immunity in Alexander the Great's territories.
Or at least, you seem happy with it, so I count that as a win.
You did. I think knowing that the Seeker has ulterior motives makes it less cliché.
GIVE ME MOOOOORE? *puppy dog eyes*
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... He is probably correct on that score.
You did. I think knowing that the Seeker has ulterior motives makes it less cliché.
*nods* Yes, it's - by it's very nature - not going to last, but the Seeker holds all the cards, as it were. Which is probably why Jack is fairly cautious, emotionally at least.
GIVE ME MOOOOORE? *puppy dog eyes*
AS SOON AS IT STOPS BEING SHIT, ABSOLUTELY!!
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– In the now-standard new-Who shot…
who was smiling smugly, eyes dancing
– “Go on, say it. Most people do.” :)
It had to be dimensionally transcendental, but how?
– From Keeper of Traken:
NYSSA: But why is it so much bigger inside than it is outside?
ADRIC: Oh, the Doctor told me that was because it was dimensionally transcendental.
NYSSA: What does that mean?
ADRIC: It means it was bigger inside than outside.
The Seeker held his eyes, and hell, if this wasn’t flirtation taken to a whole other level.
– And little does he know how right he might be, given what happened to Josh and Jamie…
“It’s so strange. It’s you, but it isn’t.”
Jack had lazily brushed a lock of black hair out of the way, pondering the peculiar twists of fate
– Clara would protest at this point about competing with a ghost, and she would have a good point. Jack seems to be just enjoying the ride and not as bothered. It must still hurt somewhere on the inside, though, mustn’t it? Or are the intrigue and fascination enough, for now?
“You trained me,” was the Seeker’s enigmatic response when Jack complimented him.
– Again, ouch. Conjuring up a wry expression here with no trouble at all.
How exactly Time Lords procreated was not entirely clear. He was sure his teaching back in the day had said they’d moved beyond simple physical reproduction, but what it had been replaced with was a mystery.
– And a thousand NA references to Looms suddenly cried out and then were silent…
And now that he had this information, he wasn’t sure what to do with it.
In lieu of anything to say, he reached out and took the Seeker’s hand, trying to communicate without words.
It seemed to work
– Lovely.
“Oh, I’m going to rule the universe.”
The Seeker’s voice was as calm and matter-of-fact as when he’d asked Jack what he wanted for breakfast that morning.
Jack merely stared, by now being very familiar with the Seeker’s deadpan sense of humour, and waiting for the familiar little quirk in the corner of his lover’s mouth. Except it didn’t come.
– It is always good watching people react to this. Because on the face of it, their reactions have a very good point. Most people who say that… aren’t… it’s like the old nolo episcopari (“I do not want to be a bishop”), which was of old the only good reply from the person you were trying to appoint to be a bishop. You knew then (or at least it was more likely) that they would do a good job. Now I want to go back and re-read the chapter of Dating with the fortune-telling. And obviously this is a few hundred years later and the Seeker is more comfortable with the idea, but…
“Right,” Jack said, before being brought back to the present by his own masseuse beginning to do something both painful and wonderful, but even so his mind was whirling.
– Yeah.
They’d ‘fixed’ quite a few things together, but only ever as helping hands to local dissenters, and if the Seeker had seemed overly interested in the ruling structures after the downfall of the despots, Jack had chalked that up to general anthropological curiosity.
– DOCTOR: Yeah. Called you an idiot. Sorry, but there's no way we could have rescued your men.
OCTAVIAN: I know that, sir. And when you've flown away in your little blue box, I'll explain that to their families.
“Don’t worry, my universe, not yours,” the Seeker then added, smiling, as he studied Jack with those guarded, doting eyes. So enigmatic and unique and delightful to unravel and ravish that Jack dismissed the warning bells.
– And, just possibly, the Seeker pushed a little at this point, as well?
as more than a few seconds’ exposure could kill him.
Jack bit his lip.
A few seconds would surely be OK?
– Oh, Jack. :) He really doesn’t change…
What he found was infinitely worse.
– See icon…
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Absolutely.
“Go on, say it. Most people do.” :)
See how I restrained myself? (Oh ELEVEN! *is overwhelmed with nostalgia*)
ADRIC: Oh, the Doctor told me that was because it was dimensionally transcendental.
See, I Jack is smart enough to understand what he's seeing, and put a name to it. He doesn't understand *how*, but he does know *what*. After all, he is one of the few people who can keep up with the Doctor's technology rambling.
– And little does he know how right he might be, given what happened to Josh and Jamie…
Well, that was a very very long time ago.
– Clara would protest at this point about competing with a ghost, and she would have a good point. Jack seems to be just enjoying the ride and not as bothered. It must still hurt somewhere on the inside, though, mustn’t it? Or are the intrigue and fascination enough, for now?
Jack is... older than Clara (in every way), and not unused to taking other's people's names/lives. And he's not a control freak, just someone living from day to day and taking life as it comes.
– Again, ouch. Conjuring up a wry expression here with no trouble at all.
Alt!Jack is quite pleased with his other self at this point. He's been handed a ready-made lover and partner.
– And a thousand NA references to Looms suddenly cried out and then were silent…
LOOMS!! Again, Jack has more information than your average guy due to his Time Agency training.
– Lovely.
Tiny little glimpse. Just enough to explain why there will probably not be any more.
– It is always good watching people react to this. Because on the face of it, their reactions have a very good point.
Oh yse. And I hear you every much on the bishops (that's the same as Caspian btw, which somehow was my first thought). No one who wants power should have it...
Now I want to go back and re-read the chapter of Dating with the fortune-telling. And obviously this is a few hundred years later and the Seeker is more comfortable with the idea, but…
He always saw it as 'becoming his father'. He has now found a way to do it on his own terms. Also, again, Dune is massively relevant. He sees far too clearly the issues with being Paul Muad'Dib.
OCTAVIAN: I know that, sir. And when you've flown away in your little blue box, I'll explain that to their families.
And this is why he could never choose the Doctor's way either. Here, for the first time, he is trying to work out how to help shape the aftermath, what works, what doesn't. It's a holiday, but a working one. Researching, learning, accumulating knowledge.
– And, just possibly, the Seeker pushed a little at this point, as well?
Oh yes. Talking about observing reactions.
– Oh, Jack. :) He really doesn’t change…
Never. ;)
– See icon…
Oh, excellent.