Some things about this story:

I started it during Season 1 of Torchwood and right after season 6 of Doctor Who.

Whereas I normally DO ship Jack and Ianto: this is a different story. Don't like it, leave.

They are the PONDS. Not the WILLIAMS. And don't try to tell me different :P

Please Rate and Review.

Astrid.

Astrid coughed and shook violently, placing her hand on the wall for support. She leaned against the wall and wiped the blood from her mouth. The sounds of the water lapping against the dock soothed her, which is why she had come to the loading docks in the first place – a stupid mistake, seeing as an alien had just ripped a hole in her stomach.

"Hey, are you alright? Miss?"

Astrid sighed and cursed. "Fine!" she croaked back.

"Miss." He appeared in front of her quite suddenly. "You're bleeding."

"No, really?" She laughed sarcastically. She convulsed and slid down to the ground, clutching her chest.

The man leaned down in front of her. "Weavil," he said. "Did you see which way it went?"

"I was a little preoccupied trying to stay away from the teeth and claws."

"Who are you?"

"Astrid." She squeezed her eyes shut in pain. "I'm gonna die."

"You don't seem too worried about it."

"Neither do you."

He shrugged and shook his head. "I'm sorry to say –"

"What, that I'm not gonna make it? Just give it a few minutes, pretty boy." Astrid took a deep breath. "Who are you?"

"Captain Jack Harkness," he said. "At your service."

"Not really," Astrid said.

She suddenly burst into a bright golden light and Jack scrambled backwards, his eyes wide.

"What the hell . . . ?"

The golden light disappeared, and Astrid was still there, but it wasn't Astrid. The Astrid Jack had just seen had been mousy with curly brown hair and dark chocolate eyes. This girl had long, straight blonde locks of hair and stunning green eyes.

"You . . ." Jack started.

"Regeneration," she said. And she passed out.

When Astrid woke up, she was on a soft sofa and dressed in white silk pajamas. She looked around the posh apartment and stood, slipping her feet into some soft slippers waiting by the couch.

She found Jack in a small office off of the living room, talking on the phone.

"Where am I?" Astrid asked.

"My apartment," Jack said without turning around. He held up a finger. "One sec." He continued with his phone call. "Anyway, I tracked it as far as Merchant Street and that's where it went underground. Start there and don't come back until you have it." He hung up and began working on some forms.

"Did you dress me?"

"Yeah. Your clothes were all bloody. I threw them away."

"I liked that shirt."

"It looked good on you." Jack stood and Astrid realized how short she was now; Jack towered over her, and she had to tilt her head to look at him.

Jack crossed his arms. "So, are you going to explain what happened at the docks?"

"You said it yourself, it was a Weavil attack," Astrid said, turning and going to the kitchen. "Have you got any crisps?"

"A, how do you even know what at Weavil is, and B, what the hell happened back there?"

"A, I'm hungry and want some crisps, and B, they are way up there." She stood on her tiptoes, trying to reach the crisps on the top of the fridge. "Why am I so short?!"

Jack grabbed the crisps and handed them to her. She dug in ravenously, sitting on the counter.

"Okay," she said after a moment, rolling her eyes at Jack's waiting posture. "I regenerated, okay? I've only done it twice before. And I know what a Weavil is because I'm not an utter moron, unlike the rest of these people in Cardiff."

"That gave me no information whatsoever," Jack said.

"Sorry, pretty boy, that's all I've really got."

"Who are you? Really?"

She shrugged. "Not really sure. All I know is my name is Astrid."

"What's that around your neck?"

Astrid looked down at her silver locket with an "R" engraved on it. "Oh, that?" She shrugged again and took it from around her neck. She handed it to him, and he examined it.

"I've had it since forever," Astrid said. "It has my name on the back. At least, I assume it's my name.

"What's the "R" stand for?"

"No idea. I was found in Rochdale when I was a baby with nothing but this locket. Maybe that's what it stands for: Rochdale."

Jack handed it back to her. "Ever heard the term time lord?"

There was suddenly an odd noise and Jack and Astrid turned around, shocked, as a blue police call box appeared in the middle of Jack's living room. The door opened, and a man stepped out.

"I heard my name."