"I Really Can't Stay" by Sabine (G)

[misslucyjane]

Fandom: TORCHWOOD
Pairing: Jack Harkness/the Hand
Author on LJ: iamsab
Author Website: fromthesabrary
Why this must be read:

This is the tale of two men and a hand and a love that can never be--except this is Whoverse, Torchwood-verse, and anything is possible, including an affectionate relationship between Jack Harkness and a hand in a jar.

Sabine's writing is stunning, no matter what the subject or fandom. She knows words, knows how to use them for maximum impact, and knows how to put them together so prettily.


The hand bobs. Somewhere it can feel the Doctor's new hand dancing across the Tardis controls, and its fingers twitch. It feels the Doctor's blood pulsing through it, feels the motion of the Tardis suspended somewhere in the air, fifty, maybe a hundred miles away, no more. Like he came back for something, and the hand lets itself think maybe the Doctor came back to reclaim it, and is scared again.

And it's as if Jack knows, or can sense it, because he reaches out and flips open the safety latches that hold the jar shut and sets the lid on his desk. The hand swims to the surface and feels the cool air of the Hub on its fingertips. Jack reaches in, twines his fingers through the hand's, and pulls the hand out of its goo.

The hand, warming against Jack's palm, waits for orders that it knows won't come.


I Really Can't Stay