Title: Don't Need A Gun
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/Jack Harkness
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 1, letter100
Prompt: 76, Gun
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own Ianto Jones, the Tenth Doctor, or Jack Harkness. Please do not sue.

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Dear Jack,

I knew that sooner or later we were going to argue about something. After all, that's what couples do at times, isn't it? No one can have a relationship that's completely free of disagreements, no matter how much two people love each other.

You know what this is about. And you also know that I'm not going to back down on my stance. I also know that you don't want to back down, but I want you to understand just why I feel the way I do, even though I've already explained it to you many times before.

In fact, I don't really need to tell you why I hate guns. You know why. You always have. We've had this discussion too many times before to go into it all again. I would just be saying words that you've already heard, and that you'll probably tune out.

I can understand why you think guns are necessary. And in some instances, I can reluctantly admit that they're needed. But I'll never condone the use of them, Jack. It's hard enough for me to let you have them on the Tardis on a permanent basis.

You know how much I hate destruction -- and to me, that's all guns are good for. They might save the day at times, but they aren't something that can be relied upon. You've always known how I felt about the subject, and I haven't changed.

Guns may be useful at times. I'll admit to that. But I'll never be able to bring myself to touch one. I hate them -- always have. I've had to use them before, and the experience left me more shaken than I've ever been in my entire life.

I don't like the fact that you seem to rely on them so much, Jack. They're not good for anything but being threatening, bringing death and destruction to situations that might be able to be resolved without resorting to threats and violence.

I realise that you come from a different world than I do -- and I know that you've been through enough in your time on Earth through the centuries to think that violence is a way of resolving trouble. But it isn't, not really. Violence only leads to more violence.

It's a vicious circle, and I believe you know that. But still, you see a gun as being something that you can stand behind and protect people with, as well as protecting yourself. You haven't quite realised yet that your mind, your ingenuity, is a more secure protection.

I hate that you carry a gun with you whenever we leave the Tardis. I hate that you always pull out that gun when you feel the least bit threatened. Haven't you learned yet that a show of force only brings more force to bear against you?

Yes, I'll reluctantly admit that I've been rescued a few times due to you wielding a gun. I don't think guns are completely useless -- and I know that sometimes, they're the only way out of a bad situation. But still, for me, they're a court of last resort.

You seem to feel that your gun is an extension of yourself -- of the authority that you wield as the leader of Torchwood. But it isn't, Jack. A gun is only something that you can put to use -- it's not something that defines who you are or what you do.

It worries me that you put so much reliance on something that can only bring destruction. Even though there are times when guns can be a help, they're still an object of fear -- and in that sense, I don't think that they can ever be regarded as a good thing.

I understand that there may be situations we find ourselves in where you feel that it's necessary to use a gun. And that may very well be so. But you have to know that I'll never be comfortable with them. And you already know that I'll never willingly use a gun.

You've tried to explain to me time and time again just why you think it would be a good idea for me to get past that attitude, but I refuse to ever use a gun, no matter how much you insist. There are some things I won't back down on, Jack. That's one of them.

I'm sorry if that refusal worries you. I don't want to cause a rift between us because of this, but there are some opinions that I've held all my life, opinions that I won't change. That one is at the top of the list, and I want you to respect that.

I won't forbid you to have guns on the Tardis, though you know they make me uneasy. I understand that you're uneasy if you don't have one with you when we go out, and I can live with that -- as long as you don't insist that I carry one as well.

You worry about me too much, Jack. I know that sounds like a silly thing to say, given the situations that I always mange to get myself into. But I've taken care of myself without the use of guns for over 900 years. I think I can keep doing so -- without carrying a weapon.

Besides, you know that I've always firmly believed that my greatest weapon is my mind. And that's been proven true -- at least in my case -- over and over again. I don't need a gun. Not when I have my mind to get me out of whatever trouble I might happen to land myself in.

I wish that you wouldn't insist on carrying a gun. But you do, and that's part of who you are. I love you for who you are, Jack, not for who I want you to be. So I won't try to change that part of you -- though I will admit that I wish you would choose to change it for yourself.

I won't try to make you change. I could never do that. But I do hope that at some point, you'll realise that you don't need a gun. Your mind is enough to get you through any situation we may end up in -- though I'm sure there will be times when you'll need my help as well.

Your

Doctor

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