![[I saw three ships]](../2005-1icon.png)
"…I mean, you'd never believe it if you weren't there, but I swear it's exactly what happened! All three of them had exactly the same tattoo, had never met before in their lives. Seriously. Those things moved in unison; it was creepy."
Jack took another flourishing swig of his drink and adopted a mysterious tone. "To this day, none can figure it out."
Rose, with a two-thirds empty glass in her own hand, shot him a highly dubious look. "Should make you prove one of these stories, one day."
"Be careful what you wish for, love," the Doctor put in, completely unhelpfully. "You never know which one of them he'll choose. And I, for one, don't especially want the proof that went behind the one he told the other day, about the woman whose breasts… well, that one."
"Listen to the Doctor, Rose," said Jack with dignity. "The sense of mystery is part of my allure."
"So you're admitting it might not be true?" she asked triumphantly.
"No, I did not say that; you are taking that completely out of context. You're making no sense, sweetheart, perhaps you shouldn't drink any more." He grinned and made a joking lunge for her glass.
Rose yelped and dodged back, narrowly avoiding spilling what was left of her drink. "Hands off, you've got your own."
The Doctor held out a hand to catch Rose before she toppled backward. "Easy there, Rose. You go too far back and it's a long way down." He was right. The platform—it wasn't even accurate to call it a room—they were perched on was several hundred feet in the air, tucked into the branches of one of the massive Trikalia trees of Assidicus Three. Most of the planet was dominated by a forest so old that the trees could be more than a mile across at their base. The people of Assidicus Three lived among the upper branches of such trees; to live any lower was impossible, as the sunlight could not penetrate. "Maybe Jack's right. The altitude can affect a person's tolerance, and yours isn't that high to begin with."
Jack translated while topping up her glass, "You're completely hammered, love." He smiled at her. "Don't spill that."
She glared at them both, though it was more than half-joking, and took another drink. "I am not a lightweight."
"Maybe not on the ground. But up here, you do seem more than a bit pissed," the Time Lord said defensively.
Jack waved a cheerful hand in front of her face, quickly switching from four fingers to three as he did so. "Quick check—how many fingers am I holding up?"
"Three!" she answered with a note of defence in her own voice. "'m not that drunk, see? And you cheated, Jack Harkness."
The Doctor shrugged and winked at Jack. "Well, I guess she showed us."
Jack blinked at his hand, which he had by then changed back to four fingers, but shrugged easily. "I am maligned," he told her. "You're a cruel woman, Rose Tyler—and clearly entirely too sober. Drink up!"
She eyed him suspiciously, but took another healthy swig of her drink. "Make up your mind."
The Doctor's eyebrows raised and he shook his head quickly, but said nothing. She was an adult, after all. He promised to protect her, not babysit her. Jack, on the other hand, had promised nothing. He usually gets out of that. He still would, of course. But not being bound to do so made the arrangement more comfortable, to his mind.
"So, Jack," Rose spoke after a few moments of silence, sitting up a little to look at him. "Let's have another story, even if I still don't believe a word of them."
Jack leaned back and stretched lazily, heedless of the aforementioned long drop. "…Well," he said, after an unnecessarily dramatic pause. "There was one time. A—turning point in my life, I guess you could call it. Before, all was meaningless. My very soul was a veritable wasteland." His speech was punctuated by mock-grand gestures. "It was a low point in my sordid life of crime when an angel came unto me from above—literally. Her radiant beauty shone upon mine starvéd eyes, her golden locks, her gentle eyes, her fabulously fitted jeans—"
Rose interrupted at this point by throwing a cushion at his head. "Laying it on a bit thick there, Jack."
"Let the man finish," the Doctor said mock-crossly. Then, turning back to Jack, "You were saying something about her jeans?"
Jack caught the cushion, laughing. "What, they deserved a mention. As does that gorgeous t-shirt. Rose, your sartorial choices should be a galactic legend."
"Who says they aren't?" she countered. "Been to enough places people might've started talking by now."
"I would know," he said rather haughtily.
"How? I hadn't been with the Doctor for that long before we picked you up."
"I just would; it's a talent. I absorb gossip subliminally."
"…That I could believe," she conceded teasingly.
Jack just nodded smugly.
"Absorb gossip, you say?" the Doctor asked, eyebrow raised. "Heard anything good about me lately?"
"Well," says Jack, sitting up. "There was this rumour about a devilishly handsome humanoid who stole the hearts of six Al'lanthoran maidens, rescued two old-timers, and set the Town Hall on fire a while back. I don't know if you…."
"I didn't set it on fire! It was a smoke bomb, that's all. Honestly!"
Rose eyed him. "Why were you throwing smoke bombs in the Town Hall?"
Jack just grinned inquiringly, sipping at his glass.
The Doctor held up a hand. "I didn't throw anything. I set one off. That's all. One." He studiously avoided answering the question.
Like he was getting away with that. "Why?" she persisted.
"Obviously, to create confusion." The Doctor threw his hands up as though that should have been obvious.
"Did it at least work?" asked Jack helpfully.
The Doctor grinned. "Must have. I made it back to the TARDIS in one piece. And, for the record, there were only five maidens. The sixth… well, not so much."
Jack snickered. "Poetic license, Doctor. Maidens are required in tales of heroism. Accuracy is not."
Rose pulled a 'ha, I win' face at him. "See? Knew you'd admit it sooner or later."
"That only applies to tales of heroism. Jack's tend more toward tales of debauchery and unprecedented anatomy," the Doctor pointed out in Jack's defence.
"Right," said Jack, unabashed. "Different situation, different rules."
Rose grabbed another cushion and aimed as if to throw it. The Doctor merely ducked out of the way. This was between her and the Captain, as far as he was concerned.
Jack reclined, gracefully waiting for her to throw it. A lady's right, to throw the occasional cushion, after all. He was not disappointed. It connected with his head, somehow not spilling his drink.
The Doctor blinked, and then reached over and pulled Rose's drink from her hand. He sniffed at it. Yeah, it was the same stuff they were drinking. He gave a shrug and handed the glass back. "I think we were wrong, Jack. To have had as much as she has and still make a shot like that? Definitely not drunk enough."
Jack nodded thoughtfully, and extended his glass to her. "Your need is greater than mine, beautiful."
Rose chose not to admit she hadn't actually been aiming for Jack's head, accepting the glass with a grin.
"Right then," the Doctor said after topping off his own glass. "Your turn for a story, Rose."
"My turn?" She looked vaguely panicked. "I'm not good at stories."
"Neither am I," put in Jack. "It's all in the style. Just go for it."
"But you've got places to start from", she protested. "I haven't done anything interesting that the Doctor wasn't there for."
The Doctor shrugged. "So tell him one of the things we did together, if you like. I wouldn't have a problem hearing one of them again."
"Yeah, go on," Jack encouraged. "I was left out of loads you guys did. Only fair to fill me in."
"Okay." She thinks. "'ve I told you about the first time we met?"
Settling back into the cushions, the Doctor continues to sip at his drink, his expression carefully guarded.
"Not sure I got the full story," Jack said. "Go on, tell me about that."
"He blew up my job," she told him. "Because it was full of living shop window dummies."
"Other people worked there, too," the Doctor reminded her. "Like that chap Watson, or whatever."
"I'm sensing a 'blowing things up' theme with you here, Doctor," Jack grinned.
"Wilson", she corrected, glancing away for a moment.
The Doctor sobered up just a bit. "Right," he said sadly. Then, to Jack, "Jack, my boy, there are few problems in this world—or any other—that cannot be solved by the proper application of high explosives. Old friend of mine taught me that."
"It's a no-nonsense approach; I'll give you that," Jack said.
The Doctor put a hand on Rose's shoulder, speaking quietly. "There was nothing I could've done. He was already dead when I got there. I'm just glad I managed to get you out."
She looked back at them, rallying. "Yeah, I know. Me too."
Jack couldn't reach her shoulder, but patted her leg gently—somehow managing not to make the gesture a grope. "And what would we do without you, hm?"
"Don't answer that," the Time Lord put in quickly, noticing the trace of a smirk on the girl's lips.
Rose laughed. "Spoil my fun."
"Your fun? Weren't you referring to our fun?" Jack smiled mock-innocently.
"Yeah, and?"
Jack eyed her a brief moment. "Fun for everyone, then."
The Doctor grinned at them both. "Best kind."
"Of course", Rose said with a grin in return. "Can't have people getting left out."
Jack, who hadn't actually removed his hand from Rose's leg yet, smiled cheerily. "That would be just plain wrong."
"Exactly," affirmed the Doctor, who also hadn't moved since putting his hand on Rose's shoulder. "And if it's one thing I'm all about, it's righting wrongs."
Rose was noticeably not doing anything to make them move. She eyed them both speculatively.
The Doctor might have been about righting wrongs, but if there was anything that Jack Harkness, former Captain, was all about, it was making a move. Still grinning unconcernedly, his hand slid up to rest above her knee, but he watched her face as he did so. Rose glanced down at his hand, then raised her eyebrows at him, more in challenge than anything.
With a nod somewhere between "ah, that's interesting" and "atta boy", the Doctor merely sat back onto his elbows, letting his hand slip from Rose's shoulder down to the small of her back as he watched the silent exchange.
Well. The girl seemed happy enough, Jack decided. So, raising his eyebrows right back, he leaned in over her legs to kiss her briefly. Why the hell not? And, for more or less exactly the same reason—or lack of one—she kissed him back.
The Doctor smiled to see the two of them together. His thumb began to rub small circles against Rose's back, and he reached out to pat Jack on the shin with his other hand. Good job, guys, he thought faintly.
Jack glanced up from Rose's face, and grinned again before leaning up to kiss the Doctor instead. Can't have people getting left out, after all. That would be just plain wrong, wouldn't it?
The Doctor's grin didn't fade as he kissed back, more playfully than anything, looking sideways at Rose and winking at her. Now she was leaning back on her elbows, watching the two of them, and she happily returned the grin.
"Well," said Jack softly, though he was smiling as much as the other two. "Isn't this nice?"
The Doctor gave a half-shrug. "Told you this was a nice place." He looked up at Jack, raised his eyebrows, and gave a quick jerk of his head toward Rose, mentally urging him back in her direction.
Jack needed no further encouragement to do so. "I'll never doubt you again," he affirmed to the Doctor before taking Rose's hand to pull her towards him again. Rose scooted closer with a small smile, fingers wrapping through his automatically.
"For truly, I have much wisdom to share," he said jokingly, putting a hand on each of their heads and gently brushing his fingers through their hair as the two came together again.
This kiss was longer and more intense, though they were still aware of the Doctor's presence. By the time it ended, Rose had somehow ended up almost in Jack's lap. He brushed his fingers slowly up her spine, smiling, before lifting his eyes to look at the Doctor.
"Oh, don't stop on my account," the Time Lord replied to the look. "I'll just see how the TARDIS is coming on that recharge." He began to disentangle himself from the other two.
Rose exchanged a glance with Jack, grinning slightly, and raised her eyebrows at him again, questioningly.
"Doctor," Jack said, mock-sternly. "Now what were we just saying about nobody being left out?"
The Doctor chuckled. "Oh, you kids don't want the old man around getting in the way."
"Doctor, shut up and kiss Rose."
Blinking in surprise at the suggestion, the Doctor's eyes slid to Rose, who was looking at him expectantly. He could tell that if her hands weren't entwined with Jack's, they'd be on her hips, and if she wasn't sitting down, her foot would be tapping. The image of that was, to his still-tipsy mind, too amusingly cute, and so, stifling a laugh, he wrapped an arm around her waist and proceeded to obey the Captain's order. The kiss began awkwardly but, thanks mainly to Rose, finished quite sweetly.
She smiled at him as they separated, one hand still in Jack's, the other on the Doctor's leg. "See? Wasn't so bad."
It was Jack's turn to beam proudly, and he did well at it.
"Never thought it would be bad, love. I just didn't think… well, it's just…been a long time," the Doctor finished, a little sadly, suddenly feeling every one of his 900-something years.
She tutted. "Silly."
"Perhaps it's been long enough, then," put in Jack helpfully. Smiling.
The Doctor looked between his two Companions and saw a warmth and acceptance there that he hadn't realized he missed. He muttered something in Gallifreyan that the TARDIS was considerate enough not to translate. Then, softly, "Perhaps." He pulled them both tightly against him, leaning down to kiss Jack again—this time giving over to the feeling and not holding back.
Rose leaned into him, watching them with a smile. A moment later, she was doing more than watching. All of them were.
No one was left out. And it was right.
![[fin]](../2005-1banner.png)