for quitehomoerotic: Welcome to the Sahara Desert

[rude_not_ginger]

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The Doctor woke only a few short hours later and found himself positively disappointed at his lack of dreams. He'd spent years asleep without dreams, and now, when he really wanted them, he still had nothing. No memories, no twisting nightmares, not even a good brain-dump of nonsensical mental garbage. Just nothing. He was asleep next to Jack on the bed, and then he was awake.

He sighed. His memory was still swiss-cheesed with missing parts of the last two hundred years, but there seemed to be more gaps filled in. And that was something, wasn't it? It meant maybe a few more nights of dreamless sleep and he'd be back to himself completely.

He just hoped there weren't more memories like Mars to discover.

He looked over to Jack, asleep next to him. This was what Jack loved the most, he said. Not sleeping alone. Not being alone. In that instant, the Doctor understood it.

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[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

"I wasn't trying to get you to---" he sighed and glanced down. He supposed in a way he was. His curiosity, and that wasn't fair on her, was it? Not at all.

"The ship is going to get pulled into that storm, Beatrice. So we need to go. Unlock that door and lets go to the TARDIS. Just come with me. You can have your argument with the Doctor. You can do whatever you need to do, but staying around here isn't going to help anything."

He took a long breath.

"Beatrice. You don't need to prove yourself to him. Trust me, he already thinks you're brilliant."

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"I know I don't need to," she snapped. "All I ever did was prove myself to him. And he, he couldn't do anything. He couldn't even fix the necklace I broke on my first trip. Figure he must've lost it. And that was mine. I mean, how many of my things did I leave with him?"

She put a hand to her chest, as if afraid her heart would suddenly realized it belonged with the Doctor, too.

"I can save this ship."

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

"Ahh," he said, nodding and smiling to himself. "That'd be the necklace in his pocket then. Do you think he's forgotten you? Because he doesn't. He doesn't forget anyone. He just pretends to."

He looked over at what she was doing. A mass of wires that surely couldn't be fixed.

"What are you trying to fix?" he asked. "Can I help?"

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"No, I've got it," she snapped. But she looked almost contemplative at Jack's statement about the necklace. She shook her head. "You're lying. He's lost it. I know him. He wouldn't have even known about me if I hadn't dragged him back."

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

"If I was gonna lie I think I'd be a bit more creative about it than that," Jack pointed out, both eyebrows raised.

"And trust me, you're not alone there, he barely knew who I was yesterday morning. Beatrice, what do you want from him? What do you hope to achieve? Because those wires? You think fixing that will fix everything else? You probably don't like me very much, don't worry, a lot of people don't. But let me help."

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

She looked at the mess of wires and her face switched from one of anger to one of utter defeat. There was no repairing them. She pointed to a box near them. "That unit needs repairing. We can refit the gravity wells, keep the storm from lifting us away."

It was a very primitive solution by a 51st century technician's standards, but in her 23rd century mind, it would work.

"Why you?" she asked. "Why you and not me?"

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

Jack looked over and at her explanation. Oh it wouldn't work, he knew that. It was a clever idea, no doubt, but it would buy them a minute or so, if that. Time they were wasting by being stuck there at all.

He wasn't about to tell her that though. Not in so many words, at least.

His eyes flicked to her face, and he let out a sigh. "Why anyone? Because I was there. Because... we understood. Because I'm about the only person out there that has longer than he does. I don't know, Beatrice."

Again, he looked at the wires. "I know how hard it is to love him," he told her, quiet. So quiet.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"No you don't," she replied, just as quiet. "He loves you back."

There was a sudden, loud crash on the side of the ship, and water began pouring in from the ceiling. Bea got to her feet and raced over to the door lever.

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

"Oh Beatrice," Jack said with a sad laugh. "That doesn't make it easier. It makes it harder."

The crash shuddered and Jack stood up. He looked around and stepped over, touching his fingers against the roof. "The storm's getting worse!" he said, "Something has put a kink in the ship. It's bent it out of shape. Beatrice we have to get out now."

He moved to a panel next to the door, a series of alarms was going off and a gas was pouring from a vent beside one of them.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

The gas hit Beatrice in the face and she threw herself backwards from it.

"That's monoxol gas! It fuels the ship, it's toxic---"

And as she threw herself backwards, she let out a sharp cry. One of the open hatches had stabbed her in the side. She fell down to the ground, clutching at the wound.

"Get out of here," she said. "Get out of here, it's poison---"

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

Jack stepped back and then turned sharply towards her as she slumped down. He ran over and moved down to her height, crouching beside her and one hand reached out towards her side. She was bleeding, and he tried to stem it, but the blood loss was already considerable.

"It doesn't matter," he said dismissively. "It can't hurt me. You have to come with me now. I'll get you to the TARDIS and we'll stop this okay?"

He spun his head back and looked at the vent, the gas was getting out and into the room. He stood and ran to the door, tried to open it but the buckling of the ship had moved the mechanism. He couldn't get it open.

Immediately, he ran back to her side, squatted down next to her.

"It's okay," he said. "We can still get out. Vortex manipulator, see? Handy little thing. Now stay with me, Beatrice, okay? You stay with me." Even as he was taking he was ripping the arm from his shirt and trying to use it against her side to hold against her wound.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

She coughed against the gas and shook her head.

"I had the whole ship force-sealed when one of the guards told me you had that. Unless the Doctor turns it off, we're trapped here."

She reached down her hand to cover Jack's, where it pressed into her wound. Tears filled in her eyes. "I don't want you to die here, too. I didn't---I didn't mean for this to happen. I just wanted him to know. I just want him to be happy. You make him happy."

Her eyes started to close as the gas started to quickly take effect.

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

So they were stuck. Even vortex manipulator couldn't get through a seal like that. They were stuck unless he could reach the Doctor. Maybe he could. Maybe he could open his mind and try and find him. He tried. And he could feel him there but... it was blocked. The force-seal was causing too much interference, even with their rings. It wouldn't get through, not in time.

Doctor, can you hear me? Please hear me. He tried, but he doubted it would be heard.

Jack shifted his other hand to her cheek and cradled her face as her head started to lilt. "It's okay," he said. "It's fine. I can't die. I'll wake right back up again. I'll stay with you. Come on, talk to me, Beatrice. Talk to me."

He carried on talking as he pulled her over into his arms, his hand tight over the wound and his bloodied fingers lacing with hers.

"You're going to be okay," he told her, but he knew that wasn't true, and there were tears in his eyes. He should have been able to save her. He could feel the gas as he breathed in, and he was losing strength too, his muscles giving way.

"Just you stay with me," he said, voice a little slower. "Stay right here, Bea. The Doctor will be here soon."

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What's going on, Jack? the Doctor called over to him. I see a gas leak in your sector. You and Bea need to get to the TARDIS.

Beatrice nodded. "Yeah," she said. "The Doctor will save us."

And with that, her head lolled over to the side, and her breathing stopped.

Jack. Jack talk to me.

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

"Beatrice," Jack said, his voice hollow and empty. "Bea. Beatrice."

His hand tightened a little around hers, and he pulled her body closer to his. His lips touched loosely to her forehead and he fell sideways to the floor.

His eyes were struggling to stay open and he just about managed to press a thought to the Doctor, broken and shaky.

I'm sorry.

He breathed one last breath and his head fell to the side. He was dead. His hand still holding hers.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

Jack.

The life signs in the engine room blinked, and then suddenly went out.

Jack!

The Doctor ran down the corridor, slipping on the wet metal and falling hard onto the ground. He bit his lip and it split open, but he pulled himself up and ran faster, further down the hallway. No, no, no. No, it wasn't possible. This couldn't be happening. No.

He to the door and pulled out the sonic. Deadlocked. He couldn't even pry it open if he wanted to. He looked up, through the small, glass window. The room was a fuzzy haze of green, but he could see the shiny metal of Jack's glasses in there.

They were dead. Both of them. No, no. All three of them. Jack would be back, but not Bea. Not Bea, because he wasn't fast enough. The ship shook again, and several lights went out in succession. He couldn't cry right now, he couldn't. Still had to save the TARDIS, still had to get Jack out of there. Grief could come later.

He reached a panel and pressed the button that said de-oxygenaite. With a whoosh of air, the room was cleared of the gas. He pressed another button that reoxygenated it. Too late, of course. He looked through the window to see Bea lying quietly on her back, and Jack to the side, holding her hand.

The Doctor closed his eyes and concentrated. Focused on healing Jack faster, the way he had before.

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

It was unceremonious, when Jack came back to life. There was never any fanfare or celebration, just a deep breath and a return to life. He'd be back, and he'd go on, because he never had any option.

This time it came with a cough and a splutter. He could still feel the damage from the gas on the inside of his throat. It felt raw and strained. He blinked his eyes slowly and he realised where he was. He realised who's hand he was holding, and he realised too that she was dead. Her eyes were closed and her skin already pale. His hand was sticky with her blood, and his shirt wearing the damage of how he tried to stop it. It all drew a painful picture.

Carefully, he pushed himself up, still on his side. He looked at her, watching, his hand still in hers and tears rolling down his cheeks without even noticing it.

And then, oh then, he knew he was there. He turned his head towards the door, and he saw him.

He could do nothing but stare.

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The Doctor looked back, his face as hard as stone. He gestured to Jack's wriststrap.

Get out of there.

He'd ask him why he didn't use it later.

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

The look on the Doctor's face made Jack's heart sink. This was all his fault. Jack should have protected her. The Doctor had trusted him to look after her and take her to safety and look what happened? The Doctor should blame him.

Carefully, he detached his hand from hers, and pushed himself to standing, one hand against the floor. He was wobbly on his feet, the gas still in his system a little. It would take a while to disperse.

He moved himself towards the door and put one hand flat to it.

I can't, he tried to tell him. The room is secured.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

The Doctor shook his head. She thinks of everything. Thought. He looked past Jack at Bea's body. She looked like she'd gotten older in their time apart. Even only four months, it wore on her. He could've continued to stare, but the ship rocked again with the force of another wind gale. He darted to the side panel, pulled out his sonic, and undid the security.

Now, Jack. Get here, we'll get to the TARDIS.

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

Jack leaned forward a little and he felt like his legs could give way. His whole body hurt, both inside and out. He turned his head back and looked at Bea's body. The blood that had leaked from her wound was matting with the bottom of her hair and colouring the bright blonde a dirty red.

He flicked open his wrist strap and his eyes seemed to haze as he looked at it. He wasn't sure if it was the effects of the gas or just his inability to cope.

He pressed a button and disappeared from the room, re-appearing moments later on the other side of the wall, next to the Doctor, almost immediately slipping down the wall to the floor. He didn't look up at him.

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"We can't sit here," the Doctor said. "We've got to find the TARDIS, get out of here. This ship is going to be destroyed. Come on."

He had to keep moving. He couldn't stop right now. He couldn't think about Bea, he couldn't think about the things he'd remembered, and he couldn't think about the fact that he didn't even give Bea a hug before---before---

"Get up, Jack! Let's go!"

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

Jack didn't reply to the Doctor's words. He stayed silent even as he pushed himself up to standing. He hurt. Everything hurt.

He flicked his wrist strap open and looked at the display.

"One floor up. Storage 47," he said, closing the cover again and starting to walk in that direction. No other words. He didn't have any.

[rude-not-ginger.livejournal.com]

"Don't walk," the Doctor snapped, starting down the corridor, "Run!"

He'd already fallen once in this corridor, but that wouldn't stop him from running again, faster this time. There was a loud crunching sound, as the storm seemed to tear the ship apart at its seams.

He darted up the stairs just as water started pouring in from the ceiling. The ship was taking on water. If they stayed, they'd be at the mercy of the storm, at the mercy of the water and the wind.

He threw open the door to storage 47. The TARDIS stood there, calm and patient as ever.

"In!"

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

Jack didn't argue, he just ran. The metal of the ship seemed to groan as it ripped apart, it was as though it were a vast creature in pain. It seemed somehow appropriate.

On the stairs Jack stopped only briefly to look up to a crack in the hull where the water came through like a flood. The desert outside must have been like an ocean, and for a moment, he considered what would happen if he stayed.

It was a fleeting thought though, and he was soon running up the remainder of the stairs and to the TARDIS.

He put a hand to the handle and she opened without need for a key. He head inside quickly and moved around the console, pressing a button or two to try and read the status of the storm. He left the helm to the Doctor.