A Galaxy Apart

Not Exactly Legal

With a terrible headache Jack wakes up in his room the next morning...or should he rather say midday as he checks his watch. Almost one o'clock. God, that must have been a hell of a night as it takes a lot to get Captain Jack Harkness to have a hangover.
'I don't get hangovers' it comes up in Jack's mind. He smiles sadly at the memory. Now he knows why he drank so much yesterday night. Drink to forget for a little moment. Jack should know that this will never be a solution, forgetting for one night and remembering then everything you wanted to get rid of the next morning was definitely not worth the price of the headache.
At least he didn't wake up in the wrong room. The last thing he wants is to have sex with strangers and not even remember it. Even though this used to be his style a while ago...but not nowadays. Jack has undeniably changed since the day he met the doctor and ianto and became the leader of torchwood. Jack wanted to be a better man. To change for the better so that he could finally look one day into the mirror without a glance of shame in his eyes, without being disgusted of the man in the mirror with his charming smile and seductive smirk. If people knew what was hiding underneath his skin, in his heart, in his memories. Everything he did in the past. All his lies, his crimes, his bad habits, all of what he never wanted to become.
Who was he at all? Ex time agent. Traveller. Leader of a secret organization...or used to be it. A man who lost everything he had worked for. His home. And the people he loves. He lost his lover, the man Jack loved more than anyone else...and still loves. He sits up and stays at the edge of the bed while he buries his head in his hand closing his eyes. So often...mainly at night when he tries to fall asleep he sees him right in front of his eyes. The beautiful Welshman...Ianto...with this charming smile and...Jack stops himself and gets up. He takes the pillow and throws it against the wall in anger and inner pain. He really needs to get away from this before this suffering will tear him apart.

He picks up his jacket and heads once again to the lift. As expected it's full of people again who apparently will never stop chatting but it amuses him a bit as he tries to understand a few words of the foreign languages and dialects. Some of them smile at him almost smirking and Jack...Jack smirks back. Heading out of the lift he stops for a moment in the middle of the crowd to take a deep breath. He closes his eyes and a little smile appears on his face. Yes, this is life at its most vivid. At its peak. Wild chattering, noises of all kinds. Smells, scents, a foreign air. Something Jack hadn't noticed till now. Maybe today was the day he could start a new life. A new chance. A chance to invent himself once again...
Lost in thoughts suddenly a middle middle old  woman dressed in lilic runs into him "Careful, old man, don't get into my way, idiot" she sniffs and heads away before Jack can even say anything. He has to chuckle while he looks around. By now he notices how beautiful this spot is. Even though its only a cruiseship it is adorable and impressive. Somehow without being aware of it his subconscious mind leads him to the bar he almost drunk empty by yesterday evening. His headache is gone as his body repairs itself automatically, God, he can't even get properly drunk. Well...time for round for number two right? With a little smirk Jack enters the bar and takes the same spot as yesterday evening. Even the cute barkeeper is back who blushes as soon as he sees Jack and comes hesitantly closer.
"Any wishes...sir? Or just the same as yesterday?"
"Same as yesterday, my boy"
Jack has to chuckle. He partly remembers having flirted intensely with this boy yesterday evening and with some strangers...but it's still all a blurred memory to him. Jack looks around somehow hoping to find a familiar face...but nothing. No one until-
"I see you thought about it." Jack shudders under the sudden touch of a hand on his shoulder and turns abruptly around. It's the older man again who gives him a faint smile and sits down right next to him.
"Uh...yeah I... I might have thought about it"
"And?" he looks Jack interested in the eye trying to figure out what the tall man is thinking about.
Jack takes a deep breath "I want to know what sort of job this is. Tell me what you want, what I'll get for it and then I'll think about it"
"No no no, boy. Accept it or not" he says in a cold tone but with a faint smile.
Jack moves his jaw overthinking. He really wants a job. Something to get distracted. Just something to get away from this self loathing. But on the other hand this sounds...not exactly legal. But it's tempting. So tempting... Jack bites his teeth together to hide the pressure of making this decision
"I'm waiting..."
"I guess the job is something...illegal"
"Might be. Would it bother you?"
Jack doesn't answer. His mind wanders back to the thoughts he had this morning. About becoming someone better.
"Boy...I see the pain in your chest. I see the suffering in your eyes. You've lost someone am I right?"
Jack nods and looks away as his drink comes "I've lost everything I've loved"
"That's what I thought as I saw you for the first time, boy. And now you're sitting here and on one hand you don't want to forget the one you've loved and on the other side you wish you could forget everything, get rid of the pain and just...go on. And so you're lookin for a way to distract yourself to avoid the inner conflict, the inner ambiguity burning in your soul. Am I right? "
"Very" Jack almost drowns his drink fully.
"Well then...why don't you take my offer? It will definitely distract you. You'll get some proper money and maybe I can arrange a few things for you."
"Like what?"
"You'll see. I'm a man of surprises."
"Hm" Jack hesitates. It seems somehow interesting and...delightful, this offer. Well... Why not? What could he lose anyways...
"Again. Is it legal?"
"Partly...don't tell me you always want to be the hero of the story, the good boy, do you? You don't look like that, my friend"
Something of this words triggered a part in him and a little smirk appears on Jack's face.
"I like to think of myself as a criminal"
The man breathes a laugh "Bet you do. That's the attitude I was looking for" he claps on Jack's shoulder. Jack smiles a bit and oder two more drinks for them
"What shall I do for you?"
"You have to steal something for me. Basically it's mine so you rather steal it back. More details later on boy"
"well, sounds like something I can manage"
"wondeful...Ah our drinks" Jack takes his drink and cheers their glasses with a little smile
"Cheers. To my new job"
"And cheers to your new life"
"Just tell me from who shall I steal it?"
"The latest I've heard it was in the hands of Captain John Hart"

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Yes, I admit it I have a weakness for my two Captains....