Story: Captain Jack: Babysitter

Author: Stitch54

Timeline: Follows the events in SJA 'Temptation of Sarah Jane Smith', and precedes Torchwood series when Jack is living on Earth since 1869 waiting for the Doctor.

Summary: What happened to baby Sarah after her parents drove off? She didn't go straight to Lavinia Smith, that's for sure.

Disclaimer: I do not own SJA or Torchwood, or even Doctor Who. Sadly, but I am working on it.

AN: I have jiggled about with the original and am making the story much longer and multi chaptered. Some will be longer, and some will be shorter. I'm still working on some of the new chapters that I am putting in, so they will be added once complete.

18th August 1951

Captain Jack Harkness watched from a distance as the three figures walked away from the pram. The older woman in pink stopped as the two teenagers continued to walk out of the village. She turned to have one last look at the baby they left behind. If it was anyone else other than Jack watching this scene unfold, they would have been very concerned by the behaviour of these three strangers.

Jack had watched the events of the afternoon unfold before his very eyes, and he couldn't do a thing to stop it. It was all up to these strangers that, unbeknownst to them, he had a lot in common with. Before he managed to send himself back to 1869, Jack had done so much research upon the Doctor, it didn't seem mentally possible. And what he found out from the hacked into UNIT records, was that he travelled a lot more than before Rose; a hell of a lot more.

And today, he decided to investigate one of his former, or yet to be companions; Sarah Jane Smith. The UNIT records detailed everything about this woman, and were probably some of the most complete records in the UNIT achieves because this woman will save the Earth almost or maybe even more times than the Doctor himself.

And he had just watched the future saviour of the Earth say her goodbyes to her parents, who in turn said goodbye to their child from the future and in the present. Jack had seen some strange things in his immortal life, and this was added straight to that list.

He thought for a moment about going after the future Sarah Jane Smith, and hitch a ride to the future. But then, he could come out at a time where he will have missed the Doctor completely. Plus, he was sort of employed by Torchwood, even if at the moment it was classed as a secret society by all accounts. UNIT will be the big boy on the block till at least the mid eighties, and then the serious action will begin. How could he miss that?

According to the biography by UNIT, she was raised by her aunt, a pioneering virologist in the fifties and sixties. But, how was that baby to get to her aunt, with nobody around to notice that she was left in the middle of the square?

Jack then found himself running at full pelt across the stone square once the time travellers had left, towards the child. As he reached the pram, he saw that the sleeping babe was oblivious to what had just happened. Jack smiled to himself as the small face twitched in the peaceful sleep. How was it that small babies could be so cute? "So, we finally meet Miss Smith", Jack smiled as he shifted the weight of his bag on his back, "And you are asleep".

He clutched his hands around the handle bar of the pram, and began to push her back to the village hall. He had been staying in the pub for the past few days, and only watched the family from a distance or had very slight interaction with them. The parents seemed like nice people; Eddie and Barbara Smith. Mum was a very cheery character and made one of the finest cups of teas around, and dad seemed to be very accepting of who Jack was. Well, what he could see on the surface. And Jack knew this; this kid was going to be one good looker. No wonder the Doctor took her along in the TARDIS. But he wasn't expecting to become her babysitter until she could get to her aunt in one way or another.

As he pushed her into the village hall, he somehow managed to make more noise than he intended to. The head of the community council, Mrs. King Jack thought her name was, gave him a strange look as he crashed through the doors. She was a woman with a big personality, always made sure that her voice was heard, and Jack knew better than to draw her attentions towards him. Well, that plan had gone through the window. "Excuse me", she started in her high pitched voice, "Where do you think you are going with that child sir?"

Everyone in the village hall stopped and looked towards Jack. In normal circumstances, he wouldn't have minded the attention, but his priorities were focused on Sarah at this particular moment. "Oh, uh, I've just found her in the square", Jack started, "She was all on her own".

"Gosh it is all about the Smiths today isn't it", Mrs. King complained as she walked over to Jack, "First that strange woman and her son, and then that girl. You'd think this is a circus rather than a village fate".

"A very well organised circus", Jack muttered under his breath.

"I guess I'll have to look after her until they come back from wherever they have gotten to", Mrs. King sighed as she looked in at the sleeping baby.

"Oh, I'll look after her", Jack suggested, "You can trust me. I was in the RAF in the war".

"Really? You don't look old enough, if you don't mind me saying so sir", Mrs. King told him.

"Not at all", Jack smiled at her, "I can find you my credentials if you need proof".

"Oh no no", Mrs. King protested, "I can see by your apparel that you are an army man".

Even though Jack was then put in charge of looking after her, he was still kept under continuous watch by the other villagers. Sarah slept for another good few hours, right up until it was starting to get dark. All the time she was asleep, Jack was expecting for someone to come rushing in to announce the passing of her parents. It would have happened by now, so it was only a matter of time until she was officially an orphan.

As the fate started to wrap up, Jack was aware that the presence of people around him was becoming less and less. As Sarah began to stir from her sleep, Jack bent down into the pram and lifted her up onto his shoulder. Rocking her back and forth, he looked out for Mrs. King. He knew that she had left a few minutes ago to say goodbye to some of the participants of the fate, but even he knew that she had been too long.

Suddenly, she came back in. Her face was like death itself, and Jack then felt it in his gut. It was now official. The child over his shoulder was an orphan, and there was no way she could know. Mrs. King shook her head as she strode across the emptying hall. Jack gave Sarah Jane a gentle pat on the back as he shifted her on his shoulder into a more comfortable position. "Is everything alright Mrs. King?" Jack asked the woman as she crossed the room over to him.

"The poor child", she sighed, "Her parents, uh, word has just come in that their car crashed in a lane. The police have found two bodies".

"Oh shit", Jack said, forgetting his formalities which resulted in a very stern look from Mrs. King, "Are they sure it's them?"

"It is sadly true", Mrs. King sighed, before looking at the sleeping child over Jack's shoulder, "The poor thing doesn't even know".

"Does she have any family she can go to?" Jack asked, knowing the answer already.

"Hmm, I think Edward mentioned that he had a sister", Mrs. King pondered over the thought, "A scientist I think he said, Lavinia I believe was her name".

"If you could direct me to a phone, I may be able to get through to her", Jack told Mrs. King as he set Sarah Jane down into the pram.

"Down there", Mrs. King pointed to a door off to the left of the stage, "Why are you doing this may I ask sir? What does this girl mean to you?"

"Oh Mrs. King, if only you knew", Jack smiled.