m_findlow

Title: Old friends
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters/Pairings: Jack, Alexander Martin (The house that Jack built)
Word Count: 500 words
Rating: PG
Notes: Written for Challenge 76 - Hill at anythingdrabble
Summary: Alexander gets a visitor.

'Why the hell are you here?' Alexander complained as Jack took control of his wheelchair, trundling it over the green lawns of the Mercy Hill Care Home. He had a mind to tell Jack to stop. The chair had no suspension, and every tuft of grass under the wheels made the whole thing jarr his old bones.

Jack however seemed oblivious to any discomfort he might be causing. 'Can't I visit an old friend?'

'Not when I know that a visit doesn't include breaking me out of his hell hole,' he muttered, teeth rattling in his mouth as the righthand wheel bounced unexpectedly over a rock. 'You never visit.'

'Okay, so I happened to be in the area. Doesn't mean I don't think about you every now and then. You're not the only one here I know.'

Alexander grunted. 'Why doesn't that surprise me. Nice to know at least there's someone else other than me you dislike. Why else would you leave us here with the demented inmates and the incompetent nurses?'

Jack smiled and rolled the chair to the edge of a small pond within the grounds, parking it next to a wooden bench. 'It's really not as bad as you make out.'

'Oh, really? You don't have to live here.' He surveyed Jack as he lounged back on the bench coat hanging open in the pallid sunshine. 'I thought maybe you were coming to see if things had improved and to put yourself on the waiting list, but I can see you haven't changed one damn bit. Not like the rest of us.'

'You're not over the hill yet, Alexander,' Jack replied. 'You're what, a hundred and sixty? Your species average two hundred.'

'A hundred and fifty two, thank you very much. My grandmother made it to two hundred and twenty six.'

'So, nothing to worry about,' Jack teased.

'What about you?' Alexander asked, squinting at Jack. 'Aren't you ever going to get old?'

Jack kept his eyes fixed on the pond, noticing it was covered with a metal grating just an inch or two below the surface to prevent the residents from accidents, or perhaps from deciding to go out on their own terms. 'Nope. This is me, Alexander. The world will keep turning, but I'll keep on just how I am. I don't look it, but I'm old. Older even than you. Sometimes I think it'd be nice just retire somewhere and stare out at the gardens all day long.'

'Staring out and planning your escape. It's overrated, trust me.'

Jack rested a hand on Alexander's knee. 'You don't have to worry about me coming in and muscling in on your territory. The ladies are all yours.'

'A pity most are demented. Having someone remotely intelligent to talk to is refreshing. Even if it is you.'

Jack smiled. 'I'll try and visit more often.'

'Bring me a burger or something next time, then. I'm not worried about growing old. Starving to death first is more likely.'