Work Text:
Coda
by Lilithangel
Jack Harkness travels time alone, but he's never lonely. He can always find company when he needs it and is always willing to try new species. When he catches up to his original century he is more experienced than any human in existence and very popular at parties.
He also has two doctors in his life for the other times. One is a Time Lord who pops back and forth along his time line. He loves this alien with all his heart, but it is more complicated than any relationship in his long life. They discovered sometime in the thirtieth century that being a fixed point meant the Doctor could cross his timeline so he often had no idea which Doctor was visiting. On the plus side he had met every version so far and most companions. He'd even had a few brief encounters with his original Doctor, the one who saved him. They had hurt a lot but been worth it.
And he never came back to life alone because he had the ghost of a doctor with him at all times. Owen Harper had died twice but it didn't take and so he stayed with Jack. The two doctors kept him pretty much sane as the centuries progressed.
As the years went by Owen was able to affect the physical world more and more. If he concentrated he could be physical around Jack, so whenever Jack woke from the darkness it was to Owen's almost solid body, his head resting in Owen's lap and his hair smoothed by Owen's pale hand. Often with Owen's not calm voice berating him for his stupidity again. And Jack was never left trapped anywhere, rescuers sent in the right direction by mysterious directions or a ghost yelling in their ears.
"What happens to you when I die?" Jack asked Owen one day after finding new clothes to replace the ones vaporised by an explosion.
"At first it was like when I was first dead," Owen said, "when I could interact with the old team I was just still there. Now it's like I'm in a holding pattern, just waiting for you to come back."
"Lucky I don't stay dead for long then," Jack joked. "I'd hate for you to get bored."
"Bored is something I've never been with you, Harkness," Owen said.
"The Doc asked me once, a long time ago," Jack continued, "if I wanted to die. Then I said no and I don't think I'm ready even now, but what about you?"
"I am dead," Owen replied.
"He wouldn't let me dodge the question either," Jack said sternly.
"This is more than I could have ever dreamed," Owen said, "it sucked not being able to touch anything but you and the team, but even that became bearable for the chance to see the universe. So, no, I'm not ready for it to end yet."
Jack sat down on the grass next to Owen and put his arm around the doctor's shoulders, resting it carefully in case Owen forgot to concentrate.
"Then I guess it's going to be us for the long haul," Jack said, "Harkness and Harper, intergalactic men of mystery."
"Harper and Harkness," Owen corrected, "intergalactic men of mystery one living forever, one dead forever. What a pair we make."
"Wouldn't have it any other way," Jack said, "except its Harkness and Harper."
Eternity isn't such a long journey when you've got someone to travel with, dead or alive.
END