Title: Lightning Crashes
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/Jack Harkness
Fandom: Doctor Who/Torchwood
Rating: PG-13
Table: Cadenza challenge, 5_prompts
Prompt: Second verse -- I want to feel that lightning strike me
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the Tenth Doctor or Jack Harkness. Please do not sue.

***

The Doctor stood on the concrete walkway in front of the Hub, hands shoved into his pockets, looking down at his feet. He hardly noticed the darkening sky above him; it didn't matter to him whether it poured rain from the heavens, or stayed bone-dry.

The weather meant nothing to him. All that he could focus on at the moment was the storm that was taking place within his own hearts -- and whether or not he'd ultimately made the right decision in coming back here for one last time.

Was this a desperate chance that he shouldn't have taken? Would Jack realize that he was here, and come out to talk with him? Or would the immortal stay inside the Hub, watching him, knowing that he was here but not wanting to deal with their confrontation?

Jack had to feel how unsettled he was; with that uncanny sense he had of knowing what the Doctor was feeling, he had to know what was going to happen when they met again. It was past time for them to get their feelings out in the open.

And if Jack did meet him face-to-face, what would he do? Would he be able to state how he felt without breaking down -- or would he fall to his knees in front of his former lover and beg Jack to give them another chance? He had no idea.

The wind whipped around him, making him pull his trench coat closer. He was usually impervious to the cold, but for some reason, since Jack had left, he'd felt it much more acutely than ever. Maybe it was because of the coldness that seemed to permeate his hearts.

He should probably go into the Hub, but something held him back. He didn't want to go to Jack's room there; that room had been the scene of too many personal surrenders. And he certainly didn't want to talk where the other Torchwood members might hear them.

No, it was better if they met here, outside. There was enough space for them to keep others away -- and it was impersonal ground. Neither of them had any bad memories here; they could speak with equanimity and, hopefully, keep their emotions in check.

An ominous rumble of thunder made him look up at the sky, squinting. It was definitely going to rain; he hoped that if Jack sensed his presence, the other man would come out here quickly, and not insist that they go back into the Hub to keep dry.

"Doctor."

The Time Lord whirled around at the sound of Jack's voice; he hadn't expected to hear it, not so close behind him, close enough for him to reach out and touch the man it belonged to. As much as he'd thought about the moment of their meeting, he was completely unprepared for it.

All he could do was stand there and stare at Jack, his mouth dry, words refusing to come out. All that he had wanted to say had disappeared from his mind; he was tongue-tied in a way that he'd never expected to be, not with this man.

The Doctor stood there, swallowing hard, staring at the man he'd waited so long to see. No words came into his mind; nothing that he could say would possibly begin to express how he felt at this moment, the emotions that Jack Harkness aroused in him.

"J-Jack." His own voice was shaky when he answered; no other words would come to him.

Jack didn't seem to need words, however. In one quick movement, he stepped towards the Doctor, reaching out to pull the tall, slender man into his arms. Before the Time Lord realized what was happening, Jack's lips were on his.

His head was spinning, his senses reeling; he felt as though he was falling from a great height, but he had no worries about hitting the ground, not with Jack's arms around him, Jack's lips on his, Jack's presence surrounding him.

His own arms wound around Jack's neck just as the storm broke; another ominous roll of thunder sounded, then rain began to pour down, lightning flashing around them in the darkened night sky. But neither man noticed the inclement weather.

The two of them were too lost in each other, hearing only the thunder of their own galloping hearts, each of them entranced by the sparks that flashed between them, igniting a roaring conflagration that no rain could ever hope to dampen.

As the thunder and lightning crashed around them, the two men finally broke apart, their gazes locking and holding. Jack was the one who spoke first; his words rang loud and clear, even through the thunder that still sounded through the night air.

"I don't have to guess why you're here." His voice was quiet and husky, his tone direct. "I'm not going to lie, Doctor. I want you to be here. Or more to the point, I want to be with you. I made a mistake. I can admit that now. I want you back."

The Doctor could only blink, anything he might have wanted to say dissolving in the face of Jack's unexpected confession. "Y-you do?" he finally managed to gasp, raising a hand to wipe the water from his face and push his dripping hair back.

"I do." Jack smiled wryly, shaking his head. "I've known that for a long time. I just didn't know how to tell you without feeling like I was backing down from a decision I'd made. I was letting my pride get in the way. But that pride doesn't mean anything if I can't have you."

"You've always had me," the Doctor told him, his voice trembling. "Didn't you know that? I never wanted you to leave. Why do you think I kept coming back? I kept hoping that you'd admit you were wrong. I just never thought that you actually would."

Jack's arms went around him again -- this time, pulling him close against the other man's body and moving down his back. The Doctor gasped, his eyes widening when Jack's hands slid further down to cup his bottom, then squeeze gently.

The immortal's words were whispered, but the Doctor heard each one as though it was shouted from the rooftops. "When I first saw you in this body, I felt like lightning had struck me," Jack told him, his voice catching in his throat. "That's kind of how I feel now, too."

"I felt it, too," the Doctor whispered, unable to make himself speak more loudly. "I felt it the first time we ever met -- and it was even stronger when we met for the second time and I was in this body. I want to feel that lightning strike me again, Jack."

"So do I," Jack told him, before their lips met again.

The Doctor was sure that he could hear lightning crashing around him -- and it had nothing to do with the storm. This lightning came from his hearts, twisting and curving around the two of them as they stood there on the pavement, locked in an embrace.

He didn't care that he was soaked to his skin, or that he and Jack were in full view of anyone who might happen to be crazy enough to be out in this kind of weather. The only thing that mattered was that he was back in Jack's arms.

All the loneliness that he'd felt for so long was swept away by the other man's kiss, by the knowledge that Jack wanted him back. They would be together again; Jack would come back to the Tardis with him, and their lives would finally be back in sync once more.

The two men took no notice of the storm raging and the lightning crashing all around them. All they could focus on was each other, the mutual need that was finally being assuaged in each other's arms, the longing that had come to an end.

The rain continued to pour down, soaking both of them to the skin. But neither man noticed; the lightning that had struck them came from within, a lightning that they had both waited what seemed like an eternity to feel again, and that they both welcomed.

***

Next story in series - Foolish Games.