Title: Safe in the Arms of Love
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/Jack Harkness
Fandom: Doctor Who/Torchwood
Rating: R
Table: Amnesty in January, 5_prompts
Prompt: 1, from table 32 -- Safe in my arms
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.

***

Jack burst through the door of the Tardis at a run, kicking it closed behind him and hoping that it would stay that way. He didn't have time to lock the doors; all he could think of was getting the Doctor to their bedroom, or into the infirmary, whichever came first.

He hadn't expected to be attacked. He and the Doctor had both thought that the last planet they'd been on had no life forms; at least, that was what the ship's readouts had shown. They hadn't known that the creatures there could disguise their heat signatures.

They had been ambushed when they'd least expected it -- and almost separated. He'd been able to get out of the situation fairly well with his guns, but the Doctor's sonic screwdriver had been scant protection. In the end, all they'd been able to do was run.

And they had nearly made it back to the ship without either of them being hurt, too -- until one of those things had aimed what looked like a laser gun at the Doctor and caught the Time Lord in the shoulder, sending him face down in the dirt.

Jack had picked up his unconscious lover, slinging the Doctor over his shoulder and moving towards the ship as fast as he could. Thank goodness he knew a little about how to pilot the ship -- he could at least get them out of here and into the timestream.

His eyes scanned the console, looking for the buttons he had to press. This one .... and another. Jack closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief as he felt the familiar displacement of time and space telling him that they were away from that planet.

Shifting the Doctor in his arms, he hurried down the corridor to their bedroom, rushing into the room and gently laying the Doctor down on their bed. His eyes anxiously searched the Time Lord's face, looking for any sign that he was regaining consciousness.

There was none. But he hadn't really expected that, had he? Jack asked himself, starting to remove the Doctor's jacket. He had to see how badly the Time Lord was hurt; there was blood seeping through his jacket, too much for him to think that it was only a flesh wound.

But that could be the case, Jack told himself, taking a deep breath as he carefully pulled the Doctor's jacket off and began to work at the buttons on his shirt. Whatever he'd been shot with could have simply nicked the other man's skin, leaving a lot of blood but not much damage.

He wouldn't draw a sigh of relief until he found out for sure, Jack though, hesitating for just a second as he began to peel back the fabric from the Time Lord's flesh, trying to steel himself for whatever he might see and hoping that he could take care of it.

He knew the coordinates to get to Torchwood; if there seemed to be any serious damage, he would take the Doctor there, to Owen. His team doctor would be able to patch up the man he loved; he was sure of that. Owen knew more about this than he did.

Swallowing hard, he gently eased the blood-soaked fabric back from the Doctor's shoulder, peering at the wound. It didn't look as though there was a hole; whatever his lover had been shot with, it had obviously been a weapon that Jack hadn't seen before.

He wondered if he should leave the Doctor even for a moment, but he knew that he had to get bandages and antiseptic from the infirmary to cleanse the wound. He'd be all right for just a few minutes; Jack hoped he wouldn't wake up before he came back.

Hurrying to the infirmary, he tried to push back the sense of urgency that was sweeping over him. As quickly as he could, he grabbed what he needed and headed back to the bedroom, hoping that the Doctor hadn't wakened in his absence to find himself alone.

At least if he did wake up, he would realize that he was here on the Tardis, and that he was safe. He'd have to know that he was on his ship; the calming atmosphere of the Tardis would surround him, and he would feel that he was in a place of safety.

But when he got back to the bedroom just a few minutes later, the Doctor's eyes were still closed; he obviously hadn't awakened. His breathing seemed to be easier, Jack thought as he sat down on the bed next to the Time Lord. At least he wasn't getting worse.

As he began to cleanse the wound on the Time Lord's shoulder, Jack realized with a profound sense of relief that it wasn't as bad as it looked. It was more of a flesh wound than a deep one; apparently the shot had merely scored his shoulder.

It had caused a lot of bleeding, but no more than that. All he would have to do was cleanse the wound and bandage it, and the Doctor should be all right. Jack would just have to let him rest and recuperate, and hope that his body would heal itself.

He didn't doubt that the Doctor's body would heal quickly; he'd been with the Doctor long enough, and knew enough about his Time Lord physiology, to know that the other man's body healed quickly and fairly easily. He would be all right -- this time.

There were so many terrifying things that could happen to the Doctor -- but that had been a risk that he'd accepted by becoming a Time Lord and traveling the universe. He accepted the fact that he could walk headlong into danger anywhere that he went.

It was one of the things that Jack loved most about this man -- his bravery, the way that he could accept the risks that he took and not think that they were much of a risk at all. To him, they were simply everyday occurrences, things that he had to deal with.

No human he'd ever known would have that kind of an attitude, Jack told himself, finally setting the roll of bandages and the antiseptic aside after he'd bandaged the Doctor's shoulder. He lay down on the bed beside the Time Lord, gathering the other man into his arms.

It was only a matter of time now before the Doctor woke up; he would sleep and heal, and he'd be safe in Jack's arms when he awakened. Jack closed his eyes, letting a sigh of relief escape him. The Time Lord was safe in the arms of love, right where he belonged.

How could he ever have left this man? Why had he thought that he belonged with Torchwood more than he belonged here, with the person he loved more than life? He'd been a fool -- but he wasn't ever going to make that kind of stupid mistake again.

Leaving the Doctor had been the worst thing he'd ever done -- for either of them. He was just lucky that he'd had the chance to fix that mistake; Torchwood got along fine without him, but the Doctor had needed him more than he could ever have realized.

The Time Lord could get along on his own; he had for centuries before he'd met Jack. It wasn't his physical protection or presence that was needed -- it was his love. The Doctor needed to be loved and wanted, even though he probably would never admit to it in those words.

At least he was safe now, Jack though, looking down at the man in his arms. The Doctor's breathing was regular and deep; he was obviously in a relaxing sleep, his body healing itself even as Jack watched. He would be all right; they'd gotten out of there in time.

There was no need to take his lover to Earth, to subject him to any poking and prodding. But he would do it anyway, Jack thought with a sigh. He wanted to be absolutely sure that the Doctor was all right, and it wouldn't hurt to have Owen check him over.

The Doctor was safe in his arms -- and that was how he intended for things to stay, Jack told himself firmly. There would be no more restlessness, no more making decisions that would hurt them both .His days of roaming and wanting freedom were behind him.

He wanted to keep himself safe in the arms of love, too. He needed to be here with the Doctor -- to know that he was also loved and needed. It had taken him a while to discover that; and now that he had, it was the most important thing in his life.

He'd always search for adventure, just as the Doctor would. The two of them would always be travelers; it was in their blood, something that they needed to survive. But they also needed each other -- and he wasn't going to try to deny that fact any longer.

Jack lay back against the pillows and closed his eyes, the Doctor clasped in his arms. He was going to lie here and think about their future, how lucky he was to have the Doctor -- and be grateful for the fact that the Time Lord was resting safely in his arms.

***