To Love and to Lose (2 drabbles)

[unfeathered]

Title: To Love and to Lose (2 drabbles)
Fandom: Doctor Who
Author: unfeathered
Pairing: Jack/Reinette, Doctor/Reinette, implied Jack/Doctor
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Word Count: 200
Spoilers: The Girl In The Fireplace
Disclaimer: Not mine
Summary: "Come on. Madame de Pompadour! How often is a guy going to get that sort of a chance!"
Beta: Unbeta'd
Author’s Note: Set in an AU where the Doctor left Rose on Earth at the end of The Christmas Invasion and went and picked up Jack from the Game Station instead. I got to thinking how The Girl In The Fireplace might have gone just a tiny bit differently.


"Jack! There you are! Come on, we need to get going! What on earth took you so long?"

Jack just grins, eyes dancing. "We were as quick as possible," he murmurs, falling in beside the Doctor as he hurries towards the window into the ballroom.

The Doctor shoots him a wide-eyed look of realisation. "You didn't…?"

Jack's grin just grows.

"Jack." The Doctor rolls his eyes. "Only you!"

"Come on. Madame de Pompadour! How often is a guy going to get that sort of a chance!"

It's only then that Jack sees the Doctor's eyes, and realises what he's done.

* * *


The Doctor forgives him, rather incredibly. Comes bounding back from Reinette's bedroom announcing she'll be coming with them. Jack grins, and waits impatiently.

But she doesn't come.

The Doctor reads him Reinette's letter. They gaze at each other, mourning the chances lost. Jack of all people knows about the cruelty of timelines, which once crossed may not be crossed again. Reinnette's known the Doctor almost her entire life. There's none of it left for him to visit. He's banned from her life. He can never see her again.

Jack holds the Doctor, heart aching, as the tears start to fall.

Comments

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

awww... the second one made me all sad.

but the first one- well of COURSE Jack would. Of course

[unfeathered]

Of course he would. *g*

("I've only got five minutes, so we'll have to be quick, but..." *g*)

And yeah. I'd forgotten how sad the end of that was, but Jack would understand, where Rose wouldn't, not so much.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

Rose would understand being sad because, well, someone they knew was dead. But it wouldn't go any deeper or further than that. Even pre-TW Jack would completely understand the difference

[unfeathered]

Oh yeah, exactly. Because of his Time Agent training. He knows all about timelines. :-(

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

I want more info on Time Agents!!!! I do I do!!!

[unfeathered]

Yeah, me too. Though at least there are certain things one can assume. :-)

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

they'll always argue over the size of their wrist comps? :)

[unfeathered]

*g*

[phoenix64.livejournal.com]

Aww, our poor boys. *pets them*

[unfeathered]

Yeah. Sad stuff. :-(

[skipthedemon.livejournal.com]

OUCH.


I love the idea of this verse.

[unfeathered]

Thank you!

I'm loving it more and more as it takes shape, yes. I hadn't realised just how drastically different it would make both Jack and the Doctor. It's fascinating.

[mad-jaks.livejournal.com]

oH Jack! *slaps his wrist* how could you??

Poor Doctor... *pets him*


OT question - I just got in and found the *very* first episode of Angel airing on the Sci-fi channel *squee* Could you possibly tell me what the episode where Faith shows up is called so I can make a point of not missing it again?

[unfeathered]

Jack could, very easily... *g*

Faith's in two in S1 - 1.18 Five By Five and 1.19 Sanctuary. She also pops up again in S4.

Did you watch the first one? It's my absolute favourite episode of Angel. :-)

[mad-jaks.livejournal.com]

I'm watching it right now! Won't be here for the end though as I have to go fetch Simon from Scouts - they're out in the countryside this evening so that'll be a half hour round trip...

[unfeathered]

Ah well, maybe you can find the end on Youtube or something...

[mad-jaks.livejournal.com]

I remember how it ends so that's not too bad :D But I will be *really* annoyed if I miss the Faith episodes again. I think I've seen the beginning of one and the end of the other :(

[laurab1.livejournal.com]

OF COURSE Jack did that ;)

Oh, boys :(

[unfeathered]

Of course he did! *g*

And yeah. *hugs them*

[starfirefic.livejournal.com]

*sniffs* - OK, that's lovely. Both Jack's unknowing exuberance in the first piece, and the sadness of the second piece.

And I loved the phrase "Reinnette's known the Doctor almost her entire life. There's none of it left for him to visit." - the starkness of the statement just seems to sum up the bleakness of the situation. And love just how much Jack understands that...

[unfeathered]

And I loved the phrase "Reinnette's known the Doctor almost her entire life. There's none of it left for him to visit." - the starkness of the statement just seems to sum up the bleakness of the situation.

That's what came home to me when I watched it this time - the fact that DW gets round the "Why can't you just travel back in time and fix it?" question by not allowing people to go back and change their own timelines means that the Doctor literally cannot see Reinette again. Ever. That's just... harsh.