his_sarah_jane | [Theatrical Muse] A drink with Jack.

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jack harkness,
tm

[Theatrical Muse] A drink with Jack.

Sarah Jane wasn't nervous, not really. So the Doctor gave her a suspicious look when she asked if they could visit the near future, talking on and on about how she wanted to see England shortly after the millennium passed. She got another funny look when she mentioned Cardiff, but he reluctantly agreed.

And so here she was, waiting for Jack within distance of the city's center at Bute Park. The Doctor had actually done well this time, getting (as far as Sarah knew) the year (and month, if this chill meant anything) spot on. She shivered, hugging the blue jacket she wore as she waited on the park bench.

Hopefully, Jack would show up soon enough -- and the Doctor would remain none the wiser.

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"Hey, we all gotta have a hobby," Jack mused as he sat up, reaching for the tea lazily and pouring himself a cup- plenty of sugar and a dash of milk- whilst Sarah went for her notebook.

It was as Sarah Jane asked her question that Jack took that direct moment to take a sip from his cup, shrugging his shoulders wordlessly as he eyed that pad of hers.

"What you got on me so far?" A clear avoidance of where to begin as he questioned the notes, tea-cup held close to his lips as if preparing to go for another sip at any moment.

"That you're an absolutely arrogant and frustrating man with too many secrets for his own good," Sarah replied curtly, wiggling further in to the bed. This was a rather comfortable bed, much like her one back on the TARDIS.

"And that you travelled with the Doctor, which certainly means you're no wimp. And gives you somewhat of a spot in my book."

Lounging back on the bed once more, the tea cup was cast aside on the bedside table and forgotten about within moments as he watched Sarah Jane with a keen stare, arms folding behind his head as before.

"Awr, you write such nice things about me. But that's pretty much me in a nutshell, you really don't need any more information than that, other than 'handsome'. I'll write that in for you if y'want," he grinned as he sat up just enough to reach out for her pen.

She tried her best to stiffle her laugh, holding the pen above her head. "Oh no you don't! Handsome is not a quality I put down on these things."

Sarah Jane glanced back down at her notes, looking over them closely. "There really isn't much there, in my opinion. You just have to be so secretive, don't you?"

With a put-on pout and giving up far too easily, he rose to sit up once more, fingers working skillfully on the laces of his boots as he glanced over to her, "Gotta keep a few secrets. If I tell you everything, then I'm just another guy with no mystery that you know everything about. Where's the excitement in that?"

And whilst there had been some humour in his tone, his question was serious enough. He really did enjoy that sense of secrecy.

Sometimes, Sarah Jane really detested a man with a valid point. But still!

"You haven't told me everything though. There are huge gaps of information that you just leave blank." She shook her head, rolling her eyes slightly.

"Besides," Sarah continued, looking him over as he undid his laces, "something tells me that knowing you isn't boring at all. You're certainly the type that I imagine would keep a girl busy."

Meant in the most innocent way possible!

"Oh, I know how to keep a girl busy, alright." Charming as ever, though easily defined innuendo as always. There was no way such an innocent comment could simply be passed by when a man like Jack Harkness was nearby, though it had been said more for amusement rather than any real intention to follow his words for now.

With his boots and socks dealt with and kicked off the side of the bed carelessly, Jack went back to leaning on an elbow as he eyed her, "But I suppose you're right, I could still keep your interest, secrets or not. I'm not so sure you can handle them though."

That last statement certainly came across to Sarah Jane as a challenge. Handle them? Hah! Sarah could handle loads. Or, at least, that was what she always told herself.

And for the most part, it always turned out to be true.

Her eyebrows raise in doubt and she tilts her head at him. "Is that a challenge, Captain Harkness?"

Well it seemed he couldn't scare her off that easily, and that thought made him smile. Sarah Jane definitely wasn't your everyday female reporter, but of course, that was surely the reason the Doctor had taken her on. Not everyone could handle a life with the Doctor.

"You seem to be taking it as one.. Do you really think you can handle them?" He questioned with amusement, leaning in closer.

Sarah braced herself, not allowing any movement of nervousness when he leaned closer. That would betray the air of confidence she had going. An air that was, for the most part, true.

"Yes, in fact, I think I can do. I'm not your average reporter, Jack."

By the time he was done leaning in, his lips where almost to hers, head tilted and a smug sort of smirk gracing his features as he mumbled softly, "Mm, so I noticed.."

But he didn't move further, just simply lingered ever so close for a moment longer before dropping himself back onto the bed to stare up at the ceiling, that smugness never failing, "You want secrets? I got tonnes of 'em. I suppose I could try sharing a few. You ask the right sorta questions and you might just get lucky tonight.. with receiving answers, I mean." Yeah right. That's obviously exactly what he meant.

She didn't blink again until Jack had moved away, having been frozen in place by his close proximity. She cursed herself for being such a fool: for the sudden flutters in her stomach and the sudden pounding of her heart. It had been far too long since the last time Sarah Jane had been alone with a man like him, and clearly, she had forgotten how to act.

Deep breath. Deep breath. Questions. Right. She could ask questions.

"Okay then." Paused by another breath as Sarah worked to get her nerves under control. "What exactly is Torchwood?"

Resting his hands on his stomach, his fingers began to drum out an idle sort of beat, a lengthy pause given after Sarah's question as he stared rather blankly towards her, taking his time over considering his reply.

The very secrecy of Torchwood was heavily due to people's ignorance towards what they did.. but when it came to someone like Sarah Jane, such lack of knowledge to anything alien wasn't an issue. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to say just a bit..

"We're an organisation that deals with all things alien on Earth. I mean, it's a lot more than that, but, y'know.. that's the basic job description."

Sarah frowned. An organisation that dealt with all things alien on Earth? Well, that sounded awfully familiar to her.

She shifts in the bed, turning on her side to better face him. "What about UNIT? Surely they're still around."

"Yeah, they're still about, but according to records, we were founded first," he replied with a smile, a purposefully childish hint in the last part of his statement.

"What we do is different from them. Less organised maybe, but I'd say more professional and advanced. Torchwood Three- that's my lot, by the way- have plenty to deal with here in Cardiff, and that doesn't just mean alien, but also dimensional."

As if in a childhood argument, Sarah Jane scrunched up her face in annoyance. Founded first? Hah. Said who? Some mysterious charmer from the future who she had only just met?

"We've -- UNIT, I mean - has dealt with things other than alien in the past, you know. There was the time a group of scientists were playing around with a time machine. And another with a crazed robot."

She paused. "Wait, dimensional?"

He nodded vaguely at her explanation of UNIT's doings, clearly not that interested. Torchwood dealt with the group enough as it was, and the two organisations weren't always on the best of terms.

"Not so much dimensional.." Yeah, he better rephrase that, seeing as he wasn't dealing with someone completely ignorant. He kept forgetting that part.

"It's- Have you ever heard of The Rift in Cardiff?"

She shook her head, clearly intrigued. "A rift? A...dimensional rift?"

The Doctor had never mentioned anything of the sort. Huh.

"Well, it's a Rift in space and time. The Doctor did have something to do with it, but it's in his future, and in our past," a pause was given as he squinted thoughtfully, making sure he'd got that the right way round before continuing. All this time stuff could get complicated at times.

"But anyway, it runs right through Cardiff. All sorts of stuff passes through here, extraterrestrial and extratemporal. We're here to monitor it's progress and deal with whatever it lets through. Full time job, that's for sure."

She stiffled a giggle as she looked at him wide-eyed. The idea of some sort of rift (running through Cardiff of all places) sounds exciting. Like the things she and the Doctor usually faced, except on a more day-to-day basis.

"Oh, I bet. It certainly sounds like an intriguing full time job. The type you wouldn't mind having."

Like travelling with the Doctor. It had, in many ways, taken over her life. But being his companion was a role, and a job, she wouldn't give up just yet.

The shrug that followed her statement was uncertain, taking a moment to consider before replying, "It has it's ups and downs. There's times when it'd be nice to have a break, but then when we do get a break, I wish it would keep moving.. Guess I'm just not always easily satisfied."

It may have been partly to do with him being totally unused to staying in one place for so long. Jack Harkness really had settled down, "But it's certainly not as glamorous as travelling around with the Doctor."

Sarah frowned, thinking on his first response still. "I don't know," she finally said, more of a whisper than anything. "To be honest, after everything I've seen with the Doctor, I'm starting to think that anything that doesn't involve having to fight or hide from things might be boring and normal for me now."

It was a strange thought, actually. But it was one that had been nagging Sarah Jane for a while now, especially whenever she was faced with a moment of tranquility on one of their adventures. Was everything else simply mundane to her now?

She shrugged and shook her head, the thoughtful look still in place. "I don't think anything could ever be as glamorous as travelling around with the Doctor."

Jack missed his time with the Doctor, there was no arguing that, and he really wished it had been so much longer. Or at least, he wished he'd been remembered, because he was still very touchy one that subject, even if he had made up his own reasons and excuses why the Doctor did what he did.

"I guess you get used to normal life eventually. Well, as normal as something like Torchwood can be.. At least you'll always have that knowledge that we're not as alone as most this ignorant lot think we are."

"We're not alone, and that there are so many great things out there. And here too, if you just know where to look," Sarah continued softly. She sighed and fell on to her back, staring up at the ceiling.

There was so much. She had only begun to see it all.

"And yet we can have all this around us and still be alone. Same goes for every race out there," Jack considered, staring up at the ceiling with a light frown.

He didn't remain like that for long though, his mind kicking in with the suggestion that laying around feeling sorry for yourself was really not the best way to woo women. And so, with a smile that was perhaps a little forced, he glanced over at her, "Not often I get to find someone who actually knows about this stuff."

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