for ambitious_woman Back to Earth, 1750

[quitehomoerotic]

There's something about Earth.

Out of all the places out there, all the little planets in the sky, Earth just has something special. He wanted to go back, and he hated that he wanted to go back. He'd ran away from there for a reason; he couldn't cope with it any more. It wasn't like he was even born there, sure he spent over a hundred years there, kicking his heels, saving the place on countless occasions, but it shouldn't matter so much to him! But there he was, sitting on some dirty transporter, wondering about getting back.

He couldn't go back though. He couldn't go back to there and then and the people he left and the people that left him. He'd ran so far across that planet to get away from the things that hurt, but it was just too small. Impossibly small and those troubles were right behind him, peering down from him from above. Guilt weighing down on him that he just couldn't escape.

So he stayed away. He stayed away and kept quiet. Frequented corners of dingy bars and found solace in the bottom of a bottle.

But it wasn't what he wanted, and pretend as he might that he was okay with wallowing, he wasn't. He wanted to be doing something, anything, and that damn feeling that Earth was where he should be just wouldn't quite go away.

That's when he realised; he had only one option. Go back. But not now.

It's also when he realised that he had to fix what had been broken for over a hundred years. He had to get himself back in the game.

Out in space and with the resources on the various ships he'd found himself travelling on, it was surprisingly easy to happen upon the little components and tools he might need. He'd never found them on Earth, but then he never did have that sort of luck. It took a while, but he got there, bit by bit amassing what he needed until finally he could sit down and with care take apart his vortex manipulator and put it back together again with new and renewed working technology.

He could go anywhere.

But where? Earth, of course. But not a place he'd been, not a time he'd been. Somewhere new, but somewhere that would be enough to comfort him in knowing he was 'home'. So he didn't make a decision as such, he just put in some parameters to avoid (Cardiff being the biggest), and he pressed the button and hoped for the best.

When he arrived, without even needing to check he knew he was on Earth. It had that smell, that slight mix of something in the air that always seemed to be there, no matter where or when you were. Good, he thought, good. This was good. He didn't check when or where he was, that could come later. For now he'd explore (and he'd forgotten how nice that could be).

So that's what led him to walking around a vast (and likely very private) garden, lined with intricate designs of flowers and plants. French, he suspected. That was okay, he hadn't been to France in a long time.

Maybe he'd enjoy this.

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[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

"Oh not any more," Jack said, and he almost sounded saddened by it. "Guess you could say I'm unemployed at the moment."

He took a deep breath, as though he was gathering himself, and he turned his head so as he could see her properly.

"Oh you can say that again," he smiled. Fondness in his tone, for the Doctor. Unmistakable.

"Looks like you're used to sightseers dropping in."

[ambitious-woman.livejournal.com]

"We are both, then, at a crossroads. Who we were and who we will become." Her smile was raw, and there was real mirth in her voice. "Uncertainty is the most inconvenient companion, is it not? And quite the inhospitable bedfellow as well. It keeps running off with my sleep."

She was not entirely sure why she said such things to this man. Only that she did.

Again, that voice. The tilt of his smile as he spoke of the Doctor. It caught her in a way that she could not fully explain. As if it were not her at all.

"I know you," she spoke out of turn to their conversation. With little warning she closed the space between them and pressed a singe hand to his cheek. "Somehow I know you."

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

Jack looked off again. He didn't like who he was now and he didn't like to think about who he'd be. He had forever, he had no choice but to be someone. And he had no idea who that person would be. She really could have no idea how close she'd hit to his own personal truth.

"Oh I know that," he said. Sleep was so often few and far between, even on his best of nights, and then even when it was achieved it was full of unwanted dreams.

Jack didn't often share himself. He didn't open himself, so perhaps that was why he could see that that was exactly what she was doing. He felt, if nothing else, that deserved a respect.

Her following sentiment though, more than threw him. "What?" he swallowed hard and his eyes (but not head) moved to acknowledge her hand on his face.

"I've never met you," he whispers. But there feels as though there's no weight in his words.

[ambitious-woman.livejournal.com]

"Nor I you," she agreed, even as her hand continued to cradle his cheek. She could feel the way the touch was altered with each word spoken. "But that does not ---"

Then something sparked.

And understanding fully dawned.

If it was the touch. His expression or merely his presence was difficult to say.

Perhaps because she was laughing. her hand slipped away."

"Dancing."

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

"Dancing"?

He was surprised, and quite obviously still confused. There was no full understanding there in him, and no understanding of the leap she could have made to reach it.

"I'm not much of a dancer," he said, but with a tone that implied he once might have been. In more ways than one.

[ambitious-woman.livejournal.com]

"Dancing," she affirmed, more certain than ever her instinct was correct.

"You did dance, once. And he held a memory of it. It was there, when I needed it."

That, then, was enough of that. Reinette was well aware she had shared a great deal more than the man before her. Even still, certain things were worth repeating.

"He remembered you. In a way that was close enough for me to touch. That says a great deal, I think."

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

Jack stayed silent for a long moment, but his expression held the shock that words didn't express.

She knew. She saw. And it was true, every word of it. And not just words, no, her own expression seemed to tell it to.

"He abandoned me," Jack said as an almost knee jerk reaction, surprising even himself in the process, "before he met you. I spent a long time trying to find him again. And when I did? He tried to run away."

Why was he telling her? He didn't know. Maybe because she already knew more than most. More than any, in some ways.

"I'm surprised he thought of me at all."

[ambitious-woman.livejournal.com]

It would be all too easy to agree with him. Partly because it was the least revealing option, she thought. Casual compliance, and an easy peace. Or as much ease and peace they two were capable of. Mostly, though because it was true.

But she did not.

Very little in her life to this point had been simple. Why should she seek such things now?

"You speak of action in one breath, and thought in another." She might have been speaking to herself. "Emotion. It seems to me that what we think or feel often has little to do with that we actually do."

Little space remained between them and she did not alleviate it.

"You have never run, then?"

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

She was close, but Jack made no attempt to widen the distance. His skin bristled but he was good at this. This different sort of dance. He held his own, even when he felt in many ways, that he was sinking.

He let out a half laugh as he looked at her, and his lip curved into an almost smile, though he really had no cause for it.

"Why do you think I'm here?" he whispered. And then quieter, "I'm always running."

He regarded her again, and just in her face, in the way she held herself, he could imagine why the Doctor would be intrigued. Or was he just trying to attach a reason to his own intrigue?

"Besides," he said, "if you know the Doctor," and he knew that she did, "I think you'd know that anyone he travels with, gets used to the running."

[ambitious-woman.livejournal.com]

It was not be accurate to suggest that her features hardened. That she allowed his words in any fashion to make that deep a mark on her person. She simply would not.

Instead Reinette sat in repose, as close to a state of unfeeling as she could manage. Through the years, she had nearly perfected it. The last time -- the night of the Yew Tree Ball -- had been her greatest lesson.

"Some of us are not allowed that liberty."

Something different between them, then. It was good, she thought. He was far too close as it stood.

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

"Yeah?" Jack responded with a voice that was firmer than it needed to be; he couldn't help it. Some internal self protective mechanism.

"Well maybe you're better off that way. Maybe everybody is." He regretted his words as soon as they were spoken. He didn't mean them, not at all really. He was just tired and sore and he wondered so much why the Doctor hadn't come back again.

He shook his head, regretful, and sighed.

"I really shouldn't be here," he said again, seemingly reminding himself of the fact as much as her.

[ambitious-woman.livejournal.com]

The words did not hurt as much as they might have. That was one thing to be said for the slower path. There was time. And even if she would never favor the word resigned? It was far too passive. There was understanding. And they understood one another well.


"The Doctor could not. You should not."

Reinette remained still, watching him.

"Yet here you are."

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

Jack shook his head and let out a half laugh. "Yeah, well. That's one thing me and him have got in common. We don't always end up doing what we're supposed to."

He raises a hand and rubbed it over his face, catching sight of the elaborate sleeve on the coat he was wearing. A costume, a disguise. And all he'd intended to do was glide by, not participate, not play old games.

But like she said, here he was.

Honesty, like before, wasn't something he thought to give easily, but then before he could even stop himself, he spoke something far far too honest. A reason for being here? A reason for not leaving already? Just a reason?

"I don't have anywhere to go."

[ambitious-woman.livejournal.com]

Yet here you are.

Her eyes refused to break his gaze, containing far more gravitas than the rest of her person where Reinette finally spoke. Her smile was one of watercolors rather than bold oils, but it was there.

Music continued to echo softly from the ballroom.

"I am aware that the path is slow and at times rather formal. But you are somewhere, Jack." Again, she spoke is name in the French way.

"And you are welcome to remain a while, if you would like. There is only one rule."

He would understand.

"We do not wait."

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

"Oh I'm used to the slow path. Believe me I'm used to the slow path more than you could imagine."

Almost in spite of himself he found he couldn't help but smile as she spoke his name. He wondered what his voice sounded like to her ear. Wondered who he sounded like.

Part of him (a large part) voiced reluctance inside his head. A voice telling himself to do the right thing and turn and leave. Not to meddle in a timeline that wasn't his. In a place that practically screamed he shouldn't be.

But where would he go? Would it be any better?

He breathed out deeply and nodded.

"A while. I'll stay a while. And no," he shook his head, insisting, "trust me, I'm done with waiting."

[ambitious-woman.livejournal.com]

"A while," she repeated, smiling. It was something bolder. Something warm coiled in her center and Reinette recognized it finally has happiness. She had not felt it in some time.

"How promising."

She offered her hand.

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

Again, Jack found himself smiling. How could he not when this woman was standing in front of him?

He reached his own hand out, and took hold of hers in a gentle but secure grip.

"Careful," he said with a smile that was more real than he'd have expected.

"Who knows what you'll start."

[ambitious-woman.livejournal.com]

At that she laughed again. The sound did not seem at ease in the darkened room the occupied, and quickly dissipated.

But the idea of a challenge was promising. And distracting from her own life. Jack would provide both, Reinette was certain of it.

"Or what I might finish."

She led him from the room.

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

The laugh warmed Jack. He liked it, the sound appealed to him, stark against the preciseness of the room around them.

Maybe she'd be interesting for a while. Maybe he'd have a good time again.

Her words made him smirk and he smiled over at her with a glint in his eye.

"Oh now you're talking," he said as he followed her from the room.

He stepped up close to her, and leaned in to whisper in her ear as they walked. "So, you're gonna have to give me a few lessons here. Few of the who's and why's and how's."

[ambitious-woman.livejournal.com]

"If I have to teach you how Jack," again the name was murmured in the French way as she turned her own face to keep it close to his own. "Then you are not the man I presumed you to be."

There was a humor in her tone that eschewed anything more overt. True, they were close. She could feel his warmth through the fabric of her gown and she imagined he would wear his scent to her own room that evening. A mere consequence of so much time spent together. But it was no more than than. And no less either. She could like this man, Reinette thought. She could like him a great deal.

For all that, to the passing observer they were well within one another's pockets. There would be talk for certain.

"Lessons that extensive will require time. I do believe I shall have to take you home with me."

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

"Oh I think you can trust your instincts there," he smiled back at her with a cheeky glint in his eye. "In fact," he added, "I make it an art form."

He winked and let out a slight laugh, shifting his position to lay a hand on the small of her back. A gesture for some that would appear utterly intimate, but for him was second nature.

Glancing across the room he could see eyes on them, and eyes that shifted away when their noticing was noticed. He smirked. He liked that. People were gossiping already? Good. Well, they did disappear off to a room together.

"Oh is that so?" he grinned back at her, his breath breathed warm against her skin. "Now that I will look forward to." His voice was merely teasing. To the uneducated it might appear to be flirting. He suspected she knew better.

[ambitious-woman.livejournal.com]

Reinette laughed softly, which only further proved how close they stood. She could feel her own breath where it returned to her following a brief meeting with his own. People were talking, and she could not care.

No. That was not precisely true. But they were speaking of her with curiosity again. Disapproval. A great many were obviously offended. And Louis? Well, she would face him later.

But there was no more pity in their gazes. And she could not help but be anything but glad for it.

Reinette turned slightly, allowing the palm of one hand to rest against his chest. Her fingers curled slightly. Intimately.

This was a game, she knew. But she could do no less than fully engage in it.

"Did you know I am a great patroness of the arts?" She smiled warmly. "I have taken a great many of them under my care. At some point you must give me a full demonstration of your skill."

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

Much to his surprise, Jack found himself laughing again. Laughing in a way that seemed to free up trapped air from his lungs, so that the next breath he took was deeper and richer. He threw his head back a little to fully appreciate the laugh, before returning his head back down, eyes focused to meet her gaze.

He took a step in closer, in what little space there was left between them, and smoothed his hand back and forth over her back. An idle, almost unconscious movement.

"Well a demonstration like that could take up a considerable amount of your time. Sure you're ready for that now?"

[ambitious-woman.livejournal.com]

Reinette was captivated by his laugh.

She remained utterly still under the spell it cast, watching how it worked its way across his already attractive features. She sensed others were lost in it as well. Much like an actor speaking his lines to a rapt audience.

Only this was genuine. That is what held her. That is what she wanted to gather up close and keep for herself. That moment of genuine warmth. It was a rare thing in the court of Versailles. The cold, drafty hallways seem ill conceived to support it.

Reinette felt herself smile up at him and for once she could not say what she looked like.

"I pride my self on being extremely thorough, as I am sure you will find."

[quitehomoerotic.livejournal.com]

In her smile, Jack felt for a moment as though he shared something with her. Something wordless. Something that in fact required no words at all. But shared it was.

"I wouldn't imagine you'd settle for anything less," he smiled.

Again his eyes shifted and caught sight of gazes levelled in their direction. It amused him how little had to be done to fuel a fire. And here he was thinking the French were up on this sort of thing. Well, he didn't want to disappoint them.

Reaching over, he touched his hand to her arm and slipped it along to catch her hand, gripping it gently. He lifted it to his lips and placed a soft kiss to the back of her fingers. His eyes, all the time, were open and focussed on hers, and even when his mouth wasn't visible, his smirk could be seen in the crinkle of his eyes.

"Jeanne-Antoinette," he whispered, "I think we'll be the talk of the town, tomorrow."