Archive of Our Own ^beta

Jack stood in the snow and waited. Closing his eyes he took a deep breath, appreciated the fresh air, knowing it was one of the last moments of breathing the air he’d have the chance to enjoy.

The doctors of New New New New New New New York could not find anything wrong with him. It was old age, they told him with surprised looks. Parts of his body were failing him. While he continued to be alive, he continued to age, and there was only so much that supplements and nutrients could do for a body after a few million years. Every step could be felt in his bones. He was going to have to get rid of most of them. The good nuns would help.

A blue police box began to appear on the next rise. Jack heard it, felt his heart skip a beat with excitement as it always did when the Doctor arrived. He didn’t even know which incarnation of the Doctor this would be but he was enthused to see the Time Lord again. He turned from the box, trying to look calm, deciding to let his friend come to him. A difficult thing to do.

He didn’t look the same. Jack knew that very few people he had known only 300 years ago wouldn’t recognize him. He supposed that would be a good thing, as the next time he turned toward the TARDIS the Doctor was heading toward him. The Doctor as Jack had first met him. It would be good for that Doctor not to know him as Jack Harkness. He knew him a few thousand years ago on another planet, in another galaxy, in another bad situation. He wouldn’t be recognized as the man he was there either.

When the Doctor was within hearing distance he smiled at Jack, held up his psychic paper showing the Oods’ invitation. “I received an invitation.”

Jack nodded, smiled. “The song should start shortly.”

“Are you their spokesperson?” The Time Lord stood an arms length away and took in the snow capped view.

“No. Just another invited attendee. They invite a handful of guests every year for the celebration. They won’t come out to see us. We will just be honored with their-” The sound began drifting up through the mountains. Jack smiled wider. “Honored with their song.”

The Doctor listened, smiled sadly. It was a song of strife and victory, a song of praise and hope. It was a song of gratitude to DoctorDonna.

“Have we met before?” The Doctor asked when the song got to it’s chorus for the third time.

“I have, but you haven’t yet. At least I don’t think so.” Jack spoke softly, still moved and respectful of the emotion in the song. “Who are you traveling with now?”

The balding dark head nodded, as if he expected the answer. “I’m traveling alone at the moment.”

“Ah.” The man who was once Jack Harness looked back to the scenery. “Then not yet, but probably soon.”

Two choruses later, there were tears in Jack’s eyes, the Doctor was visibly choked up. “Who is Doctor Donna?”

“Donna was human, remarkable human. One of the most remarkable humans. Full of compassion, and intellect, and not a little sass.” Jack gave another watery smile. “I liked that about her.”

“I can see.”

“Today is the anniversary of what was once International Women’s Day on Earth. They celebrate the strongest woman they knew. The Ood sing of Donna every year in tribute.”

“She saved them.”

“She helped.”

“I’ve not heard of her before.”

“Donna roared for a very short time. Even in her own life, it was a short time. But the universe, time, is irrevocably different, better, for her contribution.” Jack wiped at another wave of tears.

“She was an Earth human?”

“Mostly,” the older guest supplied. “She fused, through metacrisis became both human and Time Lord.”

“I am the last. I caused the metacrisis?”

“HA! And you think I’m self-important!” The Ood song began describing the liberated life they now enjoyed because of what DoctorDonna had helped them do. “Right now, at this point in your life, your the only one. But that’s the thing with Time Lords, isn’t it? You travel as you see fit, before and after your great war, to planets and times as the spirit strikes you.”

The Doctor looked less than pleased.

“The metacrisis was an accident. And without it, more damage would have been done. Donna saved so many with what she was able to do. Across multiple universes. It was a fortuitous accident.”

“It would have been tragic as well.” The Doctor added in what Jack thought of as his know-it-all voice. “A human made into human/Time Lord would not have been able to survive for long.”

“Her memory was erased. Which was the most tragic thing of all. She’d become more than she ever thought she could be, more than she would have even dreamed possible, and the memory of it had to be taken from her.”

“She saved a race of people.”

“She also helped to save reality.” Jack smiled to himself this time. “I think you would have liked her.”

“I’m sure, I’d probably like you too.”

“Not any time soon.” Jack laughed heartily.

The two stayed silent until the song ended almost two hours later.

“This happened, Doctor Donna saved them thousands of years ago.” The Doctor finally spoke into the quiet. “You spoke as if you knew her, personally.”

“I met her, she was stunning. And after her memory was erased, I watched out for her until she passed away. Old, happy, and in her sleep.”

“You’ve been alive for thousands of years?”

“Really? Wow. It’s strange, it usually feels like much more than that.” Jack winked and laughed. “What was it you called it? Wibbly-wobbly Timey-wimey stuff?”

“I said that?”

“Not yet.” Jack winked again and his waiting spaceship transported him to where it was sitting in orbit.