Stay. (Version 2)

1. Stay

"Jeez Doc, that was a long day!" Jack exclaimed, huffing and throwing his jacket onto the nearest chair.

"It's been quite a busy little while for us, hasn't it?" The Doctor responded, stretching and walking towards the center of the TARDIS.

"I think we ought to take a break eh?" The Doctor stated simply.

Jack burst into a moment of laughter before seeing the innocent smile on The Doctors face.
"You? Taking a break? And you're not kidding?" He said, wiping a nonexistent tear from his cheek.

"Not at all! I think a break from all this adventuring might do us both some good!" The Doctor said gleefully, before reaching up to grab the console's monitor.
"Maybe there's a planet with a really nice spa? I've definitely seen something like that..." the Doctor was mumbling while browsing the galaxy on the TARDIS' screens.

"Hey now.. how is going to another planet 'taking a break from adventuring'?" Jack questioned.
"Don't you think if we go anywhere outside the TARDIS it'll just turn into an adventure?"

"Well, what- why do you say that?" The Doctor turned, facing Jack now with a puzzled look on his face.

"Well, it's like, you can't live a normal life Doc, whether you're looking for it or not, trouble always finds you." Jack was serious now, realizing The Doctor was still naive enough to think he could go out into the galaxy with a massive target on his back from god-knows how many Alien races.

"I think a break could be nice, but, let's stay in the TARDIS, okay?" Jack said gently.

"Oh... alright." The Doctor said, defeated. He knew he was not one to 'stay-cation' but he agreed nonetheless to please Jack, he hated to upset his companions unnecessarily.

"It'll be fun! I know lots of old movies we can watch, we can raid the library in the TARDIS and she's gotta have a deck of cards laying around in here somewhere!" Jack exclaimed while standing to put his coat away properly.

"Alright well, I think I'll start by getting some reading in I guess.." The Doctor headed towards the hallway and began the walk to his room, the TARDIS guiding the room to whichever door he chose to open.

Jack stayed stood there for a moment, collecting his thoughts on the strange suggestion from The Doctor himself, before grabbing his coat and heading toward his own quarters.

He reconsidered the option of just going back out but, if The Doctor suggested a break, Jack was more than happy to provide him with one. He knew they both deserved one, and he wondered if the Doctor had ever just stayed in the TARDIS for a little while before; it seemed as though in their time travelling together leaving the TARDIS was a daily occurrence, despite her having more than enough space for leisure within the outer four blue walls.

Little time had passed before Jack felt an uncomfortable sense of boredom he had not felt since joining The Doctor on his excursions. He thought The Doctor might be feeling the same and decided to wander in the direction he thought the master bedroom would be, never having seen the room himself.

The TARDIS led him to it faster than he had thought she would, having it be the first door he opened.

He immediately realized why the TARDIS had made it so easy to find.

Jack gasped, the only sound that let The Doctor know he had company.

"JACK! Please.. you weren't meant to see this, I-"
He looked down at his hands, and the shimmery dark orange blood on the floor below him, before looking back at Jack.
"You need to leave." He said darkly.

"I think I should stay." Jack took a few steps forwards, slowly, as if approaching a wounded animal.
Soon enough he reached The Doctor who was now staring past Jack, silent and stiff. Taking the weapon from The Doctor's hands and guiding him to the en suite bathroom, he inspected the damage after sitting The Alien on the side of the tub.

Scars, and fresh wounds on top, spanned his entire upper back with dark blood dripping down into the waistband of his boxers. Jack had only seen this kind of mutilation on survivors of torture, never would he have thought The Doctor would do such a terrible thing to himself.
"Why don't you use your regenerative power?Can't you heal yourself?" Jack whispered while gently mopping up some of the blood drips.

"I don't want to." The Doctor replied meekly.
"I need to be punished for the innocent lives I have lost to my own miscalculations." He sounded hollow, Jack was stunned.

"Doc.. you've saved more lives than you've lost.. trust me on that. I know the people you did lose would be proud of their sacrifice leading to a better world."
The Doctor stayed silent.

"I'll uh, run you a shower and help you get cleaned up.." He unbuttoned his collared shirt and slid it off, revealing his strong chest beneath a thin white t-shirt.
Reaching beside The Doctor, he turned on the faucet and caught a glimpse of his facial expression before standing back up. The Doctor looked... ashamed? Jack had never seen him like this- upset, injured and vulnerable. And no companion had, really; It was a first for both of them.

After The Doctor got in the shower, Jack cleaned up the floor and took the weapons from the bedside table. It seemed the one he had been using was a sort of whip that was made with razor wire, and it made Jack sick to his stomach just thinking of the mental turmoil one would need to have to be drawn to use that on themselves. He felt he should never leave The Doctor alone for too long again.
"Jack, could you hand me a towel?" Jack snapped back to reality and wrapped the weapons in the towel he had used to mop up the blood before grabbing a fresh towel to hand into the bathroom, making sure to not peek- despite the curiosity killing him.

He had sat outside the bathroom door for what felt like an eternity before the doctor came out, towel wrapped around his waist, surprised to still see Jack waiting patiently in his bedroom.

"I'm okay Jack, really... and I have to get dressed, so you should leave.."

"Are you sure you want me to leave?"

"Yes. Please. I'm fine, I'll get dressed and we can talk if that's what you want."

"I don't want to just talk, I don't want to leave you alone at all now." Jack stood, eye to eye with The Doctor now.

"Well if you're going to be stubborn about it, at least turn around and be polite while I get dressed." The Doctor seemed annoyed now but Jack was not one to back down, he turned and faced the wall while The Doctor pulled on a casual outfit.

"Is this why you suggested a break? You drop your companions off and do that while you're alone?" Jack asked, still facing the wall.

The Doctor touched his shoulder gently.

"It really doesnt hurt me as much as it did seeing your face when you walked in on me. I knew it wouldn't be easy to understand."

"Then help me understand why the hell you'd do that?" Jack said as he turned to face The Doctor.

"I told you I... I need to feel their pain. The guilt isn't enough, I'm still alive and they're still gone. I don't think I'll ever feel like I've done enough to repent." He looked down at his hands again, clean now as if nothing had happened.

"You don't need to do any of this Doc, I know not a single one of those people you lost would want you to do this to yourself after they're gone. I sure as hell wouldn't."

The Doctor was silent so he continued.
"And I'm sorry about how I said trouble always finds you-"

"No, you were right."The Doctor said flatly.

"I didn't mean it like that though, I just mean you are such an adventure that you can't help but run into something at every turn.. but I love that about you."

The Doctor looked up, but remained in thought.
When he finally spoke it was only to end the conversation.
"I think we ought to head to bed."

Accepting the dismissal, Jack grabbed his button up shirt along with the wad of bloodied towels that had the weapon wrapped inside for him to hide, away from The Doctor.
"Good night then."
And he headed back into the hallway.