fandomhighdorms | Second floor common room: Friday evening

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Second floor common room: Friday evening

Jack, in his rather pleasant new body, had been for a

handwavy

run around the island, and now he was was sprawled on the couch in the common room, shirtless. Seeing as he'd promised Karal he'd behave, he was avoiding temptation by staying away from Cedric, at least for the moment.

Flipping through the channels on the TV, he couldn't settle on anything, but he had the remote, so, "Channel surfing it is."

[ooc: *cough* Ignore that brief timeslip that temporarily hurled the common room forward one day. It's been fixed now.]

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Jack eased closer and slipped an arm around her waist, hoping the fact that it wasn't his body would keep her from reacting badly. "No, River. That's not what I meant."

Very deliberately, he slipped the leash on his thoughts, and let how much he still wanted her roll over both of them, but it was accompanied by thoughts of Sam and Cedric, and his determination not to hurt them. "You're walking temptation," he murmured in her ear.

She tensed for a moment as his arm slipped around her, then relaxed a little. He didn't feel like Jack. "Back in time, yet forward," she said. It might not have mattered so much if she hadn't felt so stuck in the same place. Very gently she placed a hand on his bare shoulder.

"Exactly." Warmth spread out from her hand, and Jack grinned and didn't try to hide his reaction. "I promised I'd be good."

Stuck between wanting to move her hand away and keeping it there, River raised it slightly, just keeping her fingertips on his skin. "It shouldn't matter. I should be going somewhere else. Still, you could have come to talk to me."

Jack settled his hand over hers, pressing it back against his skin. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, because she was right. He should have. "I'm here now. Even if I don't look right, you know it's me in here."

She wanted to be angry and tell him no, it wasn't the same, but he would be gone soon and there wasn't much time. "It's a visit for you. You could go back because you're already moving forward." She looked up, meeting his eyes. "I'm stuck. Why couldn't we visit the past too? But I shouldn't, I know."

"It was an escape, River. Not a visit." Jack let the tiniest hints of what had driven him here, the threat of losing his memories, the pain, the fear, and what it might end up costing him, escape. "And I would, you know I would. You know I want to." And I still love you, but it wasn't the same, and they both knew it. "I can't - I won't - risk losing them."

River nodded, then curled up, resting her head on his shoulder. He didn't quite feel like Jack, but she could no longer quite see Karal. "You went back in time. I did too, went to Serenity, and now I'm stuck. Don't like time travel." She glanced up at him. "I miss being the girl who loved you, but she's gone, butvthere's no one to distract me." A sad half-smile appeared on her face. "Why did you risk it?"

"Why do I do anything?" Jack smiled and kissed her forehead, gently stroking her hair. "I don't know. Once the idea was there, I had to come." He'd had to see them again, had to remember that it was real.

"Not an escape," River pointed out. "You will go back. A holiday in the past." She smiled, suddenly looking happy. "I never came to see you either. So many things I thought I wanted to tell you and none of them was important. Just felt I'd interrupt your holiday."

"You can always interrupt me, River. Any time." Jack tilted his head, considering that, and grinned. "Maybe not any time, but you don't need something important to tell me." He hugged her. "I missed you, too."

No, it didn't feel like hugging Jack, but she hugged him back anyway. Then she chuckled. "And knowing if any time is any time isn't always easy. Sometimes I wish I was more like you." She let go of him and dug a small, white feather out of her pocket. "Look."

"Sometimes I wish I wasn't," he admitted, then stroked one finger across the feather, not sure why she was showing it to him. "It's beautiful."

"You always manage to have company while being alone," River replied. "I'm not good at that. This is all I have left from being an owl apart from memories."

"I'm not sure how to teach you that." Jack focused on the feather, then looked at her in surprise. "You were an owl?"

"Perhaps not teachable," River replied. "Yes, an owl. Would have offered you dead mice but wanted to respect your privacy." She carefully put the feather back in her pocket. "The closest I've been to moving forward."

"River?" Jack sat back, looking at her intently. "If you're not happy here, maybe it's time to move on."

She met his eyes. "Have considered it, but am unsure where to go." She shook her head. "Serenity is not an option, and yet Simon is waiting for me." She hesitated. "I have friends here and they care about me, but since you left I've been alone." She looked down. "Was alone before, should be it again."

"That doesn't mean it's right," he said, but he couldn't help feeling sad, because he knew there was nothing he could do to make her happy. "And you can go wherever you want, River. Anywhere in the universe."

She smiled a little. Jack couldn't see it. "Anywhere Simon will go with me," she corrected him. "He doesn't dare brave the empty space between realities. At least not further than here." Which meant her option was being a fugitive unless the government was overthrown. "Little use for anything but being a weapon or a crazy sister. Without Simon the former takes over, with him she goes into hiding."

This was pointless and River shook her head. She had wanted to tell him because of the closeness they had had, but that feeling had been due to both of them not talking about the things that hurt. Laughing, she said: "No use." She reached for the remote control and began to switch through the TV channels, seemingly with an intent.

Jack kept watching her, ignoring the TV, wishing he had a way to help, and knowing he didn't. He couldn't stop the thought, and he didn't really try, that she might have been better off if they'd never gotten together.

But he couldn't bring himself to regret it; she'd made him happy, and he'd enjoyed knowing he'd done the same for her.

River heard his thoughts, of course, but made no sign of listening. She finally found a channel with music that suited dancing and she got to her feet, extending an arm towards Jack. "Don't think Karal would mind this kind of dancing."

Jack laughed and leapt up, glancing down at his feet while he slid his fingers through hers. "I'm not sure the kid knows how to dance, but we'll see what happens."

"I'll be patient and follow," River replied solemnly, placing one hand on his shoulder.

Grinning, he rested his other hand at her waist and led her into a dance.

Sort of.

His brain knew how to move, but these feet really weren't sure about it.

Second floor common room: Friday evening

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