31_days | [10th December][Doctor Who] 20 Little-Known Facts About Captain Jack Harkness

Title: 20 Little-Known Facts About Captain Jack Harkness
Day/Theme: 10th December/"The most ill-regulated memory"
Series: Doctor Who
Character/Pairing: Jack, the Doctor, Rose (implied Jack/Nine, implied Jack/Rose)
Rating: PG-13/12

1. Jack likes tea and Jaffa cakes. He blames this on an early Time Agent assignment in 1980s London; whatever the reason, Jaffa Cakes is a brand name that crops up throughout history almost as frequently as Bad Wolf.

2. When Jack first entered the TARDIS, he was uncomfortable, even after the dancing ended. He didn’t start grinning inside until the TARDIS console lit up when he touched her, because that was when the Doctor turned to look at him, clearly as surprised as he was, and Jack knew that the Doctor had decided to keep him.

3. Jack was very fond of Algy. He made the Blitz cosy, never a talent to be underestimated in a British winter when being bombarded.

4. Jack had never been as scared as he was when he watched the TARDIS fade away without him, leaving him alone on the cold, dead Satellite 5.

5. Conversely, Jack had never been as calm as he was when facing down the Daleks.

6. Jack has nightmares, not about the Daleks, but strange, formless half-memories that melt away when he tries to grasp them.

7. The moments after sleep and before waking are worse than any others in Jack’s day.

8. He’s really not a morning person. Comes of staying up so late the night before.

9. Jack likes poetry. On days and nights when the three of them were just sitting round a table in the TARDIS kitchen and one memorable night spent in a Kolmandrean gaol cell, he and the Doctor used to fire verses back and forth. Rose laughed loudly at the dirty limericks, but sometimes an odd line or two would make her catch her breath and she smiled like sunlight. Jack liked that even more than the poetry.

10. Jack writes quite often to his executioners. They’re always happy to see him when he’s in the neighbourhood.

11. Jack didn’t program that protocol into his timeship’s computer, but he liked martinis and he liked the idea, so he kept it.

12. Jack had never expected to die before they were pulled onto Satellite 5. Something had always turned up in the nick of time: a Time Agent, a friendly executioner or the TARDIS.

13. After Satellite 5, he knew every time that he got in trouble he was going to die. Not that he let that stop him.

14. Jack dances with anyone beautiful and everyone’s beautiful. The Doctor’s a far better dancer than he pretends to be and he’s the only partner who’s ever deliberately tripped Jack up.

15. Jack is a techno-geek and proud of it.

16. Jack left his sonic blaster somewhere in the 32^nd century. He hasn’t bothered going back to look for it.

17. Jack was the one who made up the “off into time and space!” dance. Rose had been depressed, something about it being her mum’s birthday, and Jack had been only too happy to be silly with the Doctor to cheer her up. She’d laughed herself sick before they were done.

18. Jack misses Rose.

19. Jack misses the Doctor.

20. Jack loved the TARDIS. It had been more like home than home.