Post Pomp Post Script

[amberfocus]

A/N:  I was feeling a little bit sorry for Jack at the end of Post Pomp, so wrote this little follow-up one shot for him.

Post Pomp Post Script

Jonathon Ashford Kensington the Fourth, later to be known as Captain Jack Harkness, paced the deck of the good ship Time Salvager. He knew that he had made the correct decision to save the life of the woman he loved, but he couldn’t bear the thought that in less than 12 hours Rose Tyler and everything that had happened in the last two hundred sixty days would be wiped from his mind as if it had never existed.

Rose had changed him. Changed him on a deeply fundamental level. And he knew that if he could only remember her after the Doctor repaired the time line, that change could only make him a better man. Even if he had to spend the rest of his life grieving for her, for a love that could never be, it would be worthwhile.

An idea struck him and he raced back to his quarters. Furiously he typed everything he could remember about finding Rose and their relationship into his computer. He entered in all of the information from Rose’s diary that she had left behind.  He dug through security footage and lifted out images of Rose, found the digitally saved pictures that had been taken of her in the weeks he'd known her. Then he downloaded it into a tiny subcutaneous micron data chip and went off to the infirmary.

With a charming smile and his usual flirtatious manner, he distracted a nurse and managed to nick a syringe and a bottle of injectant fluid. He made his way on board the Madame de Pompadour and set his wrist comp to take him back in time two hundred sixty days. Trying to be that precise could be difficult, but fate was on his side today.

He watched from a hiding place as the Doctor reunited with Rose and Mickey. His heart was begging for him to join them, to ask to come along, but he knew he couldn’t. It had to be enough that he’d run into Rose again one day. As soon as the TARDIS doors closed behind them he loaded the syringe with injectant, dumped in the micron data chip and jabbed it against the skin of his thigh. As soon as he was done, he sighed and tossed the syringe into a nearby disposal chute.

It was done. If it worked, and he prayed to every diety he could think of that it would, that he'd gone back far enough in time to make it work, one day he’d find the  data chip and he’d have a history of what happened here. It wasn’t the same as a memory, but it was better than nothing. He hit the retrieval button to return him to his proper place in time, just before the time line shifted, recovered and repaired itself.

Somewhere in the 51st century the future Jack Harkness forgot Rose Tyler.

Comments

[slvrcrystalc.livejournal.com]

I still don't really understand how that would work. Why wouldn't Jack's body be changed by time if his memories were? The Doctor wasn't changed, he kept both his memories and his body.

And how would the recall function take him back to his 'normal/right' time? How would he even know where he should be if the Time Agency never intercepted the TARDIS's signal?

[slvrcrystalc.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I also love the fact that somehow he'll eventually remember what he had with Rose. A warm and fuzzy happy ending!

Never doubt the fact that I love your fics, even if I nitpick. I'm just a nitpicker =(

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

Not worried about it. I'm always happy to explain things further. *smiles*

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

I sent him back to where he was supposed to be 260 days previously, his proper place in time just before the time lines shifted. And there's no saying that it did work. He was just hoping he could outrace the time change.

[slvrcrystalc.livejournal.com]

Oh, I see =) He'd still be 260 days older though, wouldn't he?

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

Yep, but he won't know it.

[wiggiemomsi.livejournal.com]

"It was done. If it worked, and he prayed to every diety he could think of that it would, that he'd gone back far enough in time to make it work, one day he’d find the data chip and he’d have a history of what happened here. It wasn’t the same as a memory, but it was better than nothing. He hit the retrieval button to return him to his proper place in time, just before the time line shifted, recovered and repaired itself."

VERY clever, that; but I forsee another story, eh? What would happen to the relationship between Rose & the Doctor with all that proof of how she nearly died because he abandoned her? That would be a nifty angsty story after Rose is rescued/comes back from the alt!universe, and she & the Doctor go to find Jack! So ... when are you planning on starting the story?? With your cute little plot bunnies multiplying all over the place, I imagine you could whip that puppy out in a very short time, huhhuhhuh??

*Grins hopefully*

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

Sorry, dearie, but Andromeda Rising comes next in the Jack's Path verse, followed by Andromeda Descending, both of which take place in Jack's missing years which are post Ten/Rose Time Eternal reunion, and then the story you're talking about, Blitzed, where Jack finds the data chip and sets a trap with the Chula war ship for the Doctor and Rose in the London Blitz, only to find her with a different Doctor, Nine... And since I've only written 15 chapters of Andromeda Rising, there's a ways to go for anything resembling what you are talking about. And it's all compatible with Time Eternal so...well, it can't work like you're thinking, but there will be more eventually. I'm working to finish Andromeda Rising and will start posting it here now that Jack's Path is done. I'm not sure there is enough Ten/Rose in it to post it at Time and Chips though, so may just post it here. We'll see. I have to reread and do some rewriting.

[ageless-aislynn.livejournal.com]

Eeeeeee, that clever, clever Jack! *hugs him* I'm so glad you gave him a bit of something more after what all he went through in Post Pomp! *applause* That was just such a great coda to end with! ♥!

Oh, something I forgot to mention earlier tonight when I started my Post-Pomp-romp, lol! ;) I wanted to comment on each Chapter so you'd know I'd read them all (and I really did try to have something even marginally substantial to say but I know I fell quite short a lot of the time 'cause I was dying to get to the next part, lol! ;) ). Anyway, don't feel compelled to have to respond to each one, unless you'd just like to! I don't want to make you feel swamped or overwhelmed or anything! *hugs* ♥!

[cindergirlgrimm.livejournal.com]

OOOOO....

So, somewhen in the future Cassi's Uncle is gonna start a beat down? Maybe? Oh, I would love for the Doctor to have to come clean about everything to his family

[cindergirlgrimm.livejournal.com]

Seriously, though, there's gonna be a sequel, right?...

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

Yes, there's going to be sequel but it may be different from what you are expecting. I may only post it in my journal and not on Time and Chips, though, I haven't decided yet.

[bluevolvic.livejournal.com]

Awww, poor Jack.At least one day he'll figure out the truth.Maybe its best he forgot,he would have been unhappy without her, just like The Doctor would have been.

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

Well, I have lots of plans for Jack, but yeah, one day he'll find out the truth, only...well, it won't be quite what he bargained for.

[starmalachite.livejournal.com]

Sorry I haven't been commenting more, but everyone else always beat me to anything of substance I had to say. But I've enjoyed this story immensely.

One small criticism: after all that time spent racheting up the angst, the resolution felt rushed. But that could just be me.

And I'm highly amused that your ending makes a bad Latin/English pun that occurred to me around chapter 4 come true:

Post "Pomp", ergo propter "Pomp."

(After "Pomp," therefore because of "Pomp.")

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

It was meant to kind of rattle along at breakneck speed. Jack does get more of a resolution with Rose eventually, but it won't be until I write Blitzed. And that won't be until I finish doing his two missing years in Andromeda Rising and Andromeda Descending, since Blitzed comes after them chronologically.

And the bad Latin/English pun was intentional. You're the only person to ever say they caught it. *grins*

[azriona.livejournal.com]

Poor Jack. I wonder how he finds the chip.....and what he thinks of it when he does.

Nice post script, btw. Whew, but sitting and reading a story straight through makes me hungry.......I'll go procrastinate in this direction now. :)

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

Well, he finds the chip at the end of Andromeda Descending when he has his memories taken from him, and that sends him off into the story Blitzed, where he meets up with Nine and Rose (in canon) on purpose with the intent of winning Rose back. He may not have his memories back but when he finds out about this, he uses it as a purpose to get on with his life. Still in the process of writing Andromeda Rising, though, and the other two haven't been written, just outlined.

[azriona.livejournal.com]

So, what you're telling me is that my Timey-Whimey headache is going to get worse before it gets better - is that right? *grin*

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

Oh, you have no idea! Between Jack's Path series and Time Eternal series, you'll need that bottle of Tylenol in your icon. *giggles*

[azriona.livejournal.com]

*groan*

There's only one thing I can say to that, isn't there? Fantastic!

[absolutbritish.livejournal.com]

I just have to stress it again: I really like your stories. No matter if it's 9/Rose or 10/Rose, it just fits.
I saw that you're doing sort of a sequel with Jack and the Doctor's and Rose's grandaughter Andromeda. Do you intend to write another Rose / Doctor story for that series, too?

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

Wait, for which series? For Time Eternal? Or Jack's Path? I will be writing the next Time Eternal story called In This Darkness Tumbles Hope, after I finish Hunger Moon and before I start the next in that series. As for Jack's Path it goes:

Post Pomp
Andromeda Rising
Andromeda Descending
Blitzed (Nine/Rose, Jack set during The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances)

Jack's Path and Time Eternal are compatible.

I'm halfway through Andromeda Rising, just haven't posted it here more than the first chapter.

[absolutbritish.livejournal.com]

OK, got it, thanks so much.

Will you be posting Andromeda Rising here or where can I fin them otherwise?

Anyways, I'm looking forward to all of your stories...

[amberfocus.livejournal.com]

Yes, I'm posting it here. Here are the links to chapters 1A and 1B.

Ch. 1A: http://amberfocus.livejournal.com/47060.html
Ch. 1B: http://amberfocus.livejournal.com/47125.html

I will be posting chapter 2 sometime tonight or tomorrow, possibly in two parts if it's too long like chapter 1 was. I am only posting it to my journal, not to Time and Chips, because it doesn't have enough Rose/Doctor in it to justify posting it there under their rules. Least I don't think it does.