[Theatrical Muse] A drink with Jack.

[his_sarah_jane]

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.

Comments

[flexibledancer.livejournal.com]

Without taking his attention from her, Jack managed successfully to wave the bartender over and silently order another round of drinks. His own beverage still being water, of course.

"So, you didn't find out much about me before we met then, huh?"

[his-sarah-jane.livejournal.com]

Sarah Jane eyed the new glass of wine, and with a slight sigh, picked it up. She might as well - after all, there really wasn't anything to lose.

"Unfortunately. I had hoped it would have given me an edge in interviewing you," she explained as she gave the wine a slight swirl before taking a sip. "However, I suppose it probably wouldn't have helped much anyway. Especially seeing as he hasn't met you yet."

[flexibledancer.livejournal.com]

Jack mirrored her sip, reaching for his own glass and drinking from it as he nodded slowly, staring into the clear water afterwards as he replied, "Wouldn't have made much difference, to be honest. You wouldn't find anything out.."

[his-sarah-jane.livejournal.com]

"Such an enigma," Sarah murmured from behind the rim of her glass. She took a sip, and laughed softly to herself. "Oh, Jack. Is this how you treat all the journalists in your life?"

[flexibledancer.livejournal.com]

"Only the good looking ones," he replied with a grin. "All the others are either ignored, or told to go away in not so many polite words. In fact, you're the only one that's ever got this far with me."

Whether that was meant to sound as perverted as he intended was anyones guess, though knowing him, it was. "So, what else do you want from me? Got any easy questions for me? What's 2 + 2? The capital of France? Stuff like that.."

[his-sarah-jane.livejournal.com]

"That's too easy," Sarah answered with a coy smile. "And never let it be said Sarah Jane Smith asks pointless questions."

That would be rather embaressing, actually. And quite the ruin to the small reputation she had been building.

"I'm honoured though, that you've let me get this far. I must say, that this has certainly been an interesting -- if not very frustrating -- first meeting."

[flexibledancer.livejournal.com]

"Yeah but all your questions are so.. vague," he said, circling a finger in the air lazily as if that was going to help his explanation. "I'm better with multiple choice exams or those yes/no things."

Jack couldn't help but grin rather mischievously at the mention of the meeting being frustrating, clearly knowing that he was being an awkward bastard and enjoying every moment of it.

[his-sarah-jane.livejournal.com]

She took another sip of the wine and nodded, watching the finger with a curious eye. "Then give me an example, Jack. If you were in my position, what sort of question would you ask?"

[flexibledancer.livejournal.com]

Reaching for his water again, Jack took a small sip, brows furrowing in an overly dramatic yet nevertheless thoughtful frown, "I dunno, I'm not a journalist. Maybe something like 'Jack, why are you so attractive? Is it a) You were born that way, 2) You just are, or all of the above?'.. See, I could answer a question like that. And for the record, the answer would be 'all of the above.'"

Placing his drink back down, arms now folded and never dropping that frown of his, he added quickly, "Or maybe something like 'Do you want to take me out on another date?'.. that answer would be 'yes', by the way."

[his-sarah-jane.livejournal.com]

Her lips quirked into a small grin, much to her dislike. He wasn't supposed to be this charming, or this tough to crack. But face it, Jack Harkness was truely an enigma.

And Sarah Jane Smith had always been attracted to mysterious men.

She lifted her wine glass to her lips again, serious and thoughtful in demeanor. If this was the way he wanted to play it, alright then. She could do this.

"Alright, Jack. I'll play by your rules for a small bit."

Sarah took another sip before allowing the grin to grow. "Do you want to take me out on another date?"

[flexibledancer.livejournal.com]

Happy to be getting his own way, if only for a little bit, the Captain grinned broadly in return, "Oh, absolutely. If you'll let me, of course. Though if you turn me down, I'll have to warn you.." He leaned in once more, grin never faltering as he muttered, quoting her earlier words, "I'm rather persistent."

Though honestly, if Jack got nothing more than todays meeting, he was still happy enough to meet her. All congratulations went to her in managing to deal with his childish and constantly frustrating mannerisms and still play along after it all.

Sarah Jane was certainly the type of woman he could enjoy his time with.

[his-sarah-jane.livejournal.com]

"Rather persistent, eh?" Sarah grinned in return, a grin that mirrored the amusement and pride (those were her words to begin with, after all) and even that bit of nervousness inside. Overall, it was a rather pleased sort of grin.

She leaned foward, careful this time not to stumble off her barstool, and rested her elbow on the counter while gazing up at him. "For some reason, that doesn't surprise me at all. I suppose you'll miss the pursuit if I say now that I'll let you."

[flexibledancer.livejournal.com]

"Well, it'd save me a lot of time if you just agreed. I love a chase as much as the next male, but to be honest, you're enough of a handful as it is," he chuckled lightly, a cheeky smirk on his features, his inner-child happily on show.

Jack was quite the man of opposites, but at least knew business and leisure to be two different things. He was an introvert who loved to show off, or an extrovert who kept to himself, or one of the other many conflicting words.

[his-sarah-jane.livejournal.com]

A handful. Sarah really liked the sound of that one. She had been called many things in the past - plucky, brave, curious (too curious for her own good), excitable, smart - but never a handful.

It made her feel important.

"Well then, as much as I'd hate to contradict this whole handful business, you see, I--"

There was a pause as she considered her next action. But only momentarily before quite suddenly, Sarah stepped out of her chair and titled her head up to give him a quick peck on the lips.

"--I think I'll agree without a fight."

He was a very intriguing man, after all.

[flexibledancer.livejournal.com]

If her words weren't enough, her quick kiss certainly had him beaming.

"Best news I've heard all night," he said, reaching for her hand and grasping lightly, fingers toying with hers before lifting to place a chaste kiss to the back of it.

"Now see, this is why simple questions are the best. They get fantastic results."

[his-sarah-jane.livejournal.com]

She giggled despite herself when he kissed her hand. It was a rather gentleman-like act, unlike her quick kiss from before. Well, she decided, someone had to take initiative, and perhaps Jack was right.

They do get fantastic results.

"But it does help most when you have a willing partner," she pointed out, slipping her hand back into his. "And I simply happened to chose, this time, a question that you would be most agreeable in answering."

[flexibledancer.livejournal.com]

Her hand in his was accepted and kept as he drew her closer with a soft pull, slipping off his own chair as he did so. It had been some time since he'd met anyone quite like Sarah-Jane, and even armed with her barrage of questions, he found it far too easy to like her.

"I'm always a willing partner. I'm just not so good at answering questions, especially when I've heard them all before." Taking a moment to peer around the bar, Jack shrugged his shoulders heavily as though this was all a huge effort for him, "I guess I could take another shot at your inquiring.."

[his-sarah-jane.livejournal.com]

Not even fully realising what she was doing, Sarah Jane leaned her head against Jack's chest, grinning slightly at the feel of the buttons against her cheek. It wasn't like any of the spontaneous, rescue from death hugs she and the Doctor always shared, but that wasn't such a bad thing.

It was warm...safe even. She had to hand it to him, he knew his stuff.

"Could you?" Sarah looked up at him, her face hopeful. "We could go someplace more private than a pub if that would make you more comfortable."

[flexibledancer.livejournal.com]

An arm wrapped around her, firm but comfortable in it's embrace as he peered at her with an arched brow, "Private sounds good. Though I can't promise I'll be anymore willing to cooperate."

Drawing away smoothly and with an obvious reluctance, Jack gave up on the bar stool, choosing to stand and lean as he finished off the rest of his drink, "I can't take you back to mine. Well, I mean, there's not really any place to take you back to, it's all work related and.. well, the TARDIS is out of the question.."

[his-sarah-jane.livejournal.com]

"I don't want to have to explain you to the Doctor. I'd hate to think of the time paradox that could cause," Sarah replied thoughtfully.

She frowned, looking in to her wine as she considered the dillema. Whereever he lived, it was obviously part of the information he was hiding from her. But the bar, well, Sarah had met with enough other reluctant interviewees in her past before the Doctor to know that sometimes they were too...too paranoid to be cooperative in a public place.

"It looks like I will have to take you up on that offer of a motel room, Captain Harkness. But bear in mind that this is for questioning purposes only, whatever you may think." It's said with a grin though.

[flexibledancer.livejournal.com]

The mention of a Motel had obviously been a suggestion he'd wanted, if the glimmer of a smile in his eyes was anything to prove by it, though he remained surprisingly straight faced, giving a noble sort of nod, "Questioning only. Understood."

As if innocent Captain Jack would even consider anything more. Really now.

"Shall we?" Jack queried as he reached behind for his beloved RAF coat.

[his-sarah-jane.livejournal.com]

Sarah took one more sip of her wine before slipping an arm in his. She briefly hoped he didn't mind, but then decided against it. Mind or not, he would have to deal with it. After all, it was much more fun to walk out of a pub linking arms with a man than not.

"I'm sure you know of a place around here that we could go to?"

[flexibledancer.livejournal.com]

Slinging his coat on and hitching the collar up whilst Sarah-Jane took a final sip of wine, Jack accepted her arm happily, leading her out of the pub with the usual well-behaved manners, holding the door open for her again and all of that. He could be quite the gentleman when he wanted to be.

"As a matter of fact, I do. Small B&B not far from here, nice and quiet," he pointed down the road to emphasize his point before heading off in that direction, Sarah-Jane at his arm. "So, you ever been to Cardiff before?"

[his-sarah-jane.livejournal.com]

She looked down the road he gestured too and shrugged. He was the native, after all. In a way. She grinned and moved her arm out of his, stopping just when her hand was at the crook of his elbow, holding that tightly.

"Once, if I remember correctly. Aunt Livinia came here for a conference and oh, I hated to be left with a neighbor," Sarah said, smiling up at him briefly before looking around the street they walked down. "Travelling was always much more fun."

[flexibledancer.livejournal.com]

"Aah, yeah, travelling.. the best times of anyone's life," he agreed with a vaguely wistful tone, eyes lifting skywards. "Suppose we all gotta settle down sometime or another though, whether we like it or not."

It wasn't long before they'd reached the place he'd mentioned, a comfortable looking Bed and Breakfast that certainly looked as quiet as he thought it would be. To keep up with his well-behaved act, he obtained a room with one double bed and a sofa bed, should the interview go on for a while..