A/N -sorry for the delay in updating. The last chapter was so dark and heavy I had a hard time figuring out how to follow it. Also my sister passed away and as you can imagine that put a hitch in my creative process.

Boromir, a hand on the shoulder of each of his new friends, attempted to guide them into the hall in an effort to get them out into the fresh air. His good intentions were thwarted when the Doctor suddenly bolted towards the TARDIS with Jack at his heels.

"He needs the TARDIS," Jack said over his shoulder. "She knows how upset he is. He needs her more than anything else right now."

The Doctor fished his key out of his pocket with shaking hands. Jack took it from him and opened the TARDIS door. The Time Lord leapt inside. He ran to one of the struts and crumpled to the floor, resting his head against the coral, gasping for breath. Jack went to him and sat on the floor beside him, his eyes glued to the Doctor, wary of a downturn.

As Boromir entered, he could sense the TARDIS reaching out to the Time Lord. He placed a hand on the strut where Jack and the Doctor sat. He could sense something passing between the marvelous machine and the Time Lord…

~sweet~theif~love/comfort/protect~I/You~need/love~no~hurt~I~love~sweet~thief/no hurt/no guilt/love~love~love~

In Boromir's mind, it sounded almost like singing.

Aragorn, having followed them inside, stood staring for quite a while, speechless. "Yes, she is bigger on the inside," Boromir said. "And she is quite alive. They are linked in spirit. It is difficult to believe, but I know it to be true."

"Should we not get them out into the fresh air?" Aragorn asked.

"I think not," Boromir said. "We should wait. She doesn't mind."

"How do you know this?"

"Can you not sense what she is saying to them?"

"I cannot," Aragorn said, brow furrowed. "Is this magic? And how did she get here in their room? I have been meaning to ask."

"The Doctor brought her here. He said she wanted to be in the room with her friends. They speak with each other, if one can call it speech. I cannot understand how they do it. But is it magic? I think it is not, at least not magic as we know it. This is a thing we here in Middle Earth have not. It has to do with his being a Time Lord. Remember, Aragorn, he is not as we are. Jack said he is a man, yet not a man. We must not allow ourselves to forget this. See now, how she calms him, and Jack as well."

They watched as Jack brushed his fingers through the Doctor's hair with a "Shush, shush, now…nothing can harm you, the TARDIS is with you, with us. Between the three of us you'll feel better soon".

The Time Lord wordlessly tapped the coral. One-two-three-four. One-two-three-four. One-two-three-four.

Jack again took his hand in an effort to still the rhythm. "Is this to do with Midnight? I never liked your answer to that. An answer that means both yes and no isn't an answer."

The Doctor looked at him, lips pressed together: I'm not telling you.

'Stubborn thing,' Jack thought. But how to get it out of him? Patience…this would take patience. Jack forced a feeling of deep, deep dread down. He felt in his heart that something horrible was going to happen, something the Doctor knew about and refused to let Jack know. But why?

And what was there to do but wait it out, wait until his friend could tell him. In the meantime, his friend was falling apart all over again. Jack reached out to the TARDIS. ~Help him, please, please help him. Make him understand. Make him see that you suffered as much as we did. Make him see that you need him as much as I do, more than I do! Please!~

Suddenly the TARDIS began to play music. It was 'Skylark'. When the lyrics reached the part 'faint as a will-o-the-wisp, crazy as a loon,' Jack could bear it no more. He wrapped his arms around his friend, feeling hot tears course down his cheeks.

"That's you, Doc. My crazy, brilliant friend. We're here," was all he could think to say. "The TARDIS and me, we're here. Don't ever think we aren't. No matter what happens or what happened, she'll never stop loving you, even when you don't love yourself."

"She says she's your mother," the Doctor said suddenly, "and I'm your father. I guess that's true. My son. My only son. At least the only son I have left since…"

"Does this mean I have an Oedipus complex?" Jack said, grinning.

"Jack!" the Doctor said an outraged expression on his face. "Incorrigible, impossible…impertinent…thing!" He glared at Jack, but his anger didn't hold and he snickered in spite of himself. At least he wasn't falling apart any more. Jack thanked the Universe for his inappropriate sense of humor…somehow it occasionally seemed to snap the Doctor out of his worse moods.

"You feeling better now? Wanna step out for a breath of fresh air?"

The Time Lord nodded. "I want to see the stars," he said. "I need to breathe the air. And I need a cuppa. I really, truly need a cuppa."

"I'll get it," Jack said. "Cup of tea, the stars, some fresh air, it'll do you a world of good."

Boromir gave Jack a hand up. As Jack went into the galley to make tea, Boromir held his hand out, offering a hand up to the Time Lord. Instead of accepting the offer, the Doctor pulled Boromir down to sit beside him.

"Lean back and rest your head against the coral," said the Doctor.

Boromir did as he was told, closing his eyes. "What music is this she is playing?" Boromir asked.

"It's an old tune. I don't know why, but when I listen to it, it gives me a feeling of well-being. She knows it, and she plays it when I need to hear it."

"It is a good song," Boromir said. "I can sense her, with my head resting here. I can almost hear her. She loves you so, but why does she call you a thief?"

"We stole each other," said the Doctor. "The other Time Lords were going to decommission her. I just couldn't bear it, and since no one wanted her I took her for my own. She wanted me as much as I wanted her."

"I see," Boromir said. "For I somehow know she needs you as much as you need her. What a wonderful thing she is."

"That she is," said the Doctor, running a hand affectionately along the grid near his foot. "I wouldn't be the same without her. In fact, nothing would be the same without her. It's…a long story."

"I hope some day to hear it," Boromir said. "But not, I think, this night." He placed a hand on the Doctor's shoulder and, giving it a gentle squeeze, added "Perhaps if there are other tales to tell tonight, you should try to find something more merry?"

"Oh," said the Doctor with a grin, "We have some of those! In fact, we've quite a few. And Jack knows a lot like that. We both had quite a few adventures before we met. We traveled together for a while. Then he was killed and then made immortal and I…well, I abandoned him. But we got back together, and we've not lost touch with one another since. We've had some adventures that make very good stories to tell. Though with Jack…well, some of them I wouldn't want them told in mixed company."

"There you go again," Jack said, returning with the Doctor's tea. "You never talk about my romantic side! And I do have one, you know!"

"Sorry. I know you do, it's just…well, you do have a somewhat legendary status as a lover. Our own pan-galactic Casanova."

"Met him once," Jack said. "You know, I think what that poor fellow needed more than anything else was for someone to really love him. To put him first, for once. His mother certainly never did and I think it messed him up for life."

"You met him?" The Doctor looked positively gobsmacked. "I met him! Lovely fellow. Always thought you two should have met up. Jack…tell me you didn't…"

"I didn't," Jack said. "Not that it wasn't on offer, for my part. He wasn't interested. But don't ask about some of his girlfriends. Now, that I did. Did I ever!"

"Somehow I don't doubt it," the Doctor said.

Jack gave the Doctor a hand up and placed a mug of steaming tea in the Doctor's hand. He offered his arm in a gentlemanly manner to the Doctor. "Little fresh air and a walk down to the stream? You look like you could use some star-gazing."

"Oh, go on, you big lump!" The Doctor shoved Jack playfully.

"See if I put you on my dance card next time. Like you can even dance."

"I can so dance!"

"Not even. Come on, Doc. Fresh air!"

"All right. But I can so dance."

"I've seen you. That was not dancing. That was…flailing."

"Some day, Jack Harkness, I'm going to show you I can so dance. Fair play to you, though, you are a good dancer."

"And a good singer," Jack said smugly.

"Go on! You are not!"

Jack took the Doctor's tea, handed it to Boromir and grabbed the Doctor, dancing him around the console and singing…

"And in your lonely flight
haven't you heard the music in the night,
wonderful music,
faint as a will o' the wisp, crazy as a loon,
sad as a gypsy serenading the moon.

Oh, skylark, I don't know if you can find these things
but my heart is riding on your wings.
So if you see them anywhere
won't you lead me there…"

He danced his friend all the way around the console, singing away quite beautifully until he came back around to where they had started. He stopped, took the tea and handed it back to the Doctor. "Now, you were saying?"

"So you can sing," the Doctor conceded. "Doesn't mean I can't dance!"

"I think I just found out you can, when you want to. I'm still better, though. And you lead horribly."

"You're a man of many parts," said the Doctor. "And don't you dare make a joke of that! I know how your mind works!"

"And doesn't that scare you to death," Jack grinned. "Come on, let's have that little walk."

As they walked towards the door, Aragorn suddenly stopped. "Blankets," he said, pointing to a stack sitting by the door. "They were not there when we came in!"

"That would be the TARDIS," the Doctor said, smiling proudly. "She put them there, didn't you, old girl? She thinks of everything."

"Then she is…she really is…" Aragorn stammered

"Alive," Boromir finished, patting his shoulder and grinning. Ever the gentleman, he opened the door to the TARDIS and stood by as each one passed through, placing his hand briefly on the back of each of his friends as they filed by. A good opportunity, he thought, to put the Doctor's plan to touch Jack more into action, keep it light and casual so as not to raise any suspicion in Jack. As he touched the Doctor's back he could feel the Time Lord was still quite tense, the muscles on his lean form taut as a drum-head. Jack noticed the look of concern on Boromir's face and nodded almost imperceptivity as if to say 'I know.'

He grabbed the blankets on the way out, shutting the door behind him, turning from this wonderful blue box with a wistful smile and followed his friends. Aragorn led the way. Boromir trotted to catch up to him.

"I know your mind must be in quite a muddle," he said. "So was my own when first I walked inside the Doctor's box. But could you not sense her? I could do so right away."

"I could not," Aragorn answered. "And yet you could. Surely there is some meaning to this, but what it is I cannot guess."

"Nor me," Boromir said. "But my heart tells me I have nothing to fear from it all. The Doctor says she likes me. Why I do not know."

"Such strange and wondrous things," replied Aragorn.

"What is strange and wondrous?"

"A man that is not a man with a box that is not a box. And his friend, who seems jovial and quite friendly, yet there is that in him that, I would wager, would frighten the fiercest warg. All are a puzzle to me."

"I doubt they are puzzles we shall solve," said Boromir agreeably. "Yet we may enjoy trying, whilst they are here. Somehow I do not think they shall be here long."

"And why do you think this?"

"You've spoken to Jack," Boromir said. "They do not belong here." He pointed skywards. "There," he said. "There is his home. The Doctor and his wonderful box belong up there, with his friend, sailing through the stars, like Eärendel. I cannot know how, but I feel that is as it should be, and somehow I find it…comforting."

They ran into Merry and Pippin in the hallway by the stairs leading to the path that would take them to a mossy, smooth patch by the little stream. They spread the two large blankets on the soft moss, and each took a place around the wine and snacks Merry and Pippin had scrounged up and arranged in the middle.

As the Doctor settled on the blanket, being careful not to spill his tea, Merry and Pippin brought cups from a basket and, filling them with wine, passed each one a cupful except the Time Lord. "Think I'll stick with tea if it's all the same to everyone. Lembas, you know. Could be a bad mix for me. I can do without a repeat of my behavior of a few nights ago. I really disgraced myself, didn't I?"

"Ha! You call that disgracing yourself?" Jack laughed. "If you want disgracing yourself, you should have been with me when I accidentally fell into bed with Queen Ooria of Ka'all."

"How do you accidentally fall into the same bed as a Queen?" asked the Doctor.

"Well, they have their beds in the branches of trees and I was actually aiming for her daughters' bed. I misjudged."

"Don't tell me, you climbed the Royal Arboreta and tried to jump from one branch onto the one with the Princess?"

"Yep." Jack grinned. "And that's Princesses."

"Jack…have you no control at all?"

"Hey, they invited me!"

"What did the Queen do?"

"Well, what do you think she did? Widowed for ten years. Poor thing, she needed a good cuddle."

"I just bet," snorted the Doctor.

"Well, she did! She was lonely, I was lonely. It worked out pretty well for both of us."

"Guess I can't complain too much," the Doctor grinned. "I can always say I've had a piece of Jack Harkness."

"Ah, gallows humor! Was I rare, medium or well done?"

"Medium. And for the record, you tasted horrible. All those pheromones. Still. Kept me alive, didn't you? That's you, always saving my neck, even when you aren't trying."

"Are you saying I'm your knight in shining armor?"

"No, because that would make me the maiden in distress."

"So be the Doctor in distress then. I'll still ride to your rescue."

"I don't doubt it, just mind what you come riding to my rescue on, will you?"

"What, and miss out on the fun? No chance. Just seeing the look on your face would make it worth it."

"Talking of riding," Boromir interrupted, "When were you wanting to go?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Oh, tomorrow, maybe? What do you say, Jack? Care to take and old fool riding tomorrow?"

"Can't wait!"

Pippin took a crock out of a basket and pulled out the cork. "We thought you might prefer tea, Doctor," he said, topping off the Doctor's cup. Merry handed the Doctor cream and honey. "We have found out from speaking with Boromir that we have different names for the stars. That group, there," he pointed to the sky. "We hobbits call that group the Scythe. Boromir's people call it The Burning Briar. What do you call it?"

"Well," the Doctor said, gazing at the sky, "You wouldn't understand my native tongue. The TARDIS doesn't translate it. However, on the world Jack and I think of as our home now, it's called The Big Dipper, made up of the Alkaid, Mizar and Alcar , which are actually optical double stars, Alioth, Megrez, then down to Phecda, across the bottom to Merak, and finally up to Dubhe on the lip. If you extend a line from Merak up through Dubhe about five times the distance, you should find Polaris, the North Star. The one at the end of the handle of the dipper is The North Star." A wistful look crossed his face.

"You're babbling!" Jack said with a grin. "Good to hear it, means you're feeling better. Miss it, don't you? Being out there."

The Doctor nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I quite do."

"That's a good sign, too. Soon as we get us sorted we'll be back out there," Jack gestured at the sky. "The Doctor and the Captain. Footloose and fancy-free."

The Doctor made a small, happy, humming sound in his throat. "Can't wait," he said.

"Well," said Merry, "As lovely as it sounds, I quite think I would rather keep my feet on the ground."

"And me!" Pippin added. "I should probably die of fright up there. We hobbits do not much care for heights."

"Besides," Aragorn also added, "Middle Earth holds many wonders, and much remains to be done here by we who live here."

Boromir sighed. "I must confess, I should like to see it," he said. "But if I could go anywhere I wished, I would go home. And as soon as I may, I shall."

"My true home is gone," the Doctor said. "But I'm fine with the TARDIS. She's all the home I need."

"Mine is gone, too," Jack said. "Both of them."

The Doctor's head snapped towards Jack, his brows drawn downward. "Jack? What happened?"

"You know what happened to the Boeshane Peninsula," he replied.

"That isn't what I'm asking."

"Gone," Jack said with a frown. "Just…gone. Useless to think about it. At least right now."

"Jack?"

"Not now, Doc." Jack sounded quite final on the subject.

"All right," the Doctor said softly. "When you're ready."

Jack leaned gently into the Doctor, as if unconsciously seeking comfort. The Doctor leaned into Jack.

Boromir watched the pair of them, thinking 'see how they lean, one against the other? That is all that is holding them upright just now. They are too broken to stand on their own. Perhaps a ride may well do them both good.'