The Time Agent's Wife I: Retcon on Rainy Days
Meredith hurried down the street, long black dress trailing through the puddles, raindrops sliding down long red hair and alabaster skin. Her head was bent downwards against the rain. What would go on to become Roald Dahl Plass was deserted; even the poor starving beggars had taken their few pennies and gone to seek out shelter. In the summer, crowds gathered around the area, laughing and eating ice-cream. Days like that, the Plass had a distinctly holidayish feel to it. But Cardiff was not famed for its excellent weather, and more often than not, Meredith found herself fighting her way through wind and rain, skirts soaked and hair tangled.
Arriving at her destination, Meredith was forced to raise her head to survey the area. Her face was instantly hit with icy rain that stung her cheeks and dripped off her lashes. Everywhere was grey; grey sky, grey plass, and grey rain. Everyone was huddled inside. Good. Nobody would be around to see her. Slowly, carefully, she stepped onto the concrete slab, hoping desperately it was the right one. With no water tower to guide her, the concealed entrance to the underground institute could be anywhere.
On her fourth go she found it.
Torchwood~Cardiff
Captain Jack Harkness was having a bad day. 'Bad' didn't even begin to cover it. Three savage Weevils, a high-as-a-kite Blowfish and a four-legged, nine-eyed amphibian stalking up and down Hope Street had already given him enough trouble that morning. The sopping, shivering young woman currently sat in front of him was all he needed.
And yet here she was.
Which left Captain Jack with a problem.
The problem wasn't the girl, per say. The problem, rather, was what she was asking for. She kept asking for a doctor.
"Look, what are you coming to me for?" he asked her, for what felt like the one-hundredth time. "I'm not a doctor. I can't help you if you're sick. I'm not a doctor."
The girl sighed and tried again. "Look, you're not listening to me. I need to see the Doctor."
"This is Torchwood!" Jack told her. "Not the doctor's surgery. Okay?"
"Christ Almighty, you've not changed one bit, have you? The Doctor, I need to see the Doctor!" the girl stressed. "Not a doctor. The Doctor."
Jack turned away. "Sorry. I can't help you."
The Captain took three steps before her words fully sunk in. He turned back around. "Sorry, I've not changed? Since when? Where do you know me from?"
She simply stared back at him, head tilted slightly to one side in a fashion he would come to know well, waiting for him to get it.
He tried one last time. "Who sent you?"
The woman's soft pink lips seemed to take an age to part. And when they did, Jack begun to understand. And his Universe started to fall apart.
Torchwood~Cardiff
The words were barely more than a whisper, but Meredith knew Jack well enough to know that he had heard them.
"Captain Jack Harkness."
He nodded, slowly. Fingers steepled. Breathing slow and even. A forced sense of calm washed over Jack. Sitting opposite the young woman who had suddenly become someone very important, he leaned forwards towards her.
"What did I say?"
Mirroring his pose, Meredith leaned towards him, and told him what to do.
Torchwood~Cardiff
An hour later, and Jack was ready to hear the message. The message that Meredith had waited eighteen years to deliver. She had many more years of waiting before Jack would need to remember.
There would come a day when Meredith would need to complete a task, a task she couldn't complete on her own. First, however, there were things Jack needed to know. And Meredith had to be the one who told him. But there were certain things he couldn't know yet. Things about Meredith, about who she was and what she was going to do. These things, he would know later.
There was a message he had to know now.
She leaned forward slightly further.
"I'm not who you think I am, Jack."
"Then tell me."
"I can't." she said, sitting back. "Jack, what I'm about to tell you, you can't remember. You can't know until it's time. Do you understand?"
Jack nodded, although he didn't know. Meredith knew he didn't know, although she said nothing to suggest this. She had a feeling Jack knew she knew, too.
She continued. "Tomorrow, you'll get a visit from a girl. She's fifteen years old, her name's Gwyneth. She's going to come and tell you something. Another message, but you won't understand it. Okay?" After a pause, in which neither person said anything, Meredith went on. "I'm going to tell you about this girl, because you need to know. And then you will hear my Message. And then you'll forget. Alright?"
Jack nodded again.
"In 2007 you're going to meet a woman called Gwen Cooper. She's with the South Wales police force. She has a boyfriend called Rhys Alun Williams, and parents called Geraint and Mary Cooper. Okay?"
"Gwen Cooper. Boyfriend Rhys, family Geraint and Mary." Jack repeated.
Meredith nodded. "She's going to join Torchwood." she told him. "She'll survive after all your team have gone, and stand beside you as the world ends. She'll stare into the pit of death, and walk away unscathed. She will watch over you long after her mother passes and her daughter grows up and her husband shakes his head in despair and walks away."
Jack chuckled. "Sounds like a hell of a girl."
"She is." Meredith agreed. "The girl who's going to come and see you, Gwyneth, is an ancestor of Gwen. Gwyneth isn't an ordinary fifteen-year-old. She's a psychic, and I believe Gwen will be, too."
"Why are you telling me this?" Jack asked, puzzled.
Meredith only smiled, sadly. "I'm afraid you'll have to find that out for yourself, Jack. But don't worry. You'll know."
"How do you know?"
"Because you told me." Meredith placed a hand on top of his. "And now you may know the message.
She whispered the words into his ear.
Torchwood~Cardiff
Her auburn locks tickled his face as she gently pulled away. "Jack, I'm sorry, but you need to forget what I've told you." she said softly, pulling a small white pill from her coat pocket, along with a miniature crystal glass and frosted glass bottle. She poured the contents of the bottle into the glass and pushed the glass and pill towards Jack. He stared at them.
A faint smile played around his lips. "You're retconning me?
"Yes," Meredith replied, "but I need a favour first."
"What favour?"
"I need to find the Doctor. You know who I mean, Jack."
Jack did know.
"But I can't help you." he said. "Believe me. If I could bring him to me, right now, I would."
Meredith took hold of his hand in both of her small, gloved ones. "You can't," she breathed, "but I can."
And Meredith leaned towards Jack. And kissed him.
Torchwood~Cardiff
Jack fell asleep almost as soon as he had swallowed the memory-loss pill. Meredith moved softly, so as not to wake him. The other Torchwood Three employees watched her go. As of Jack's orders, they spoke not a word to her, but silently wondered.
Once out on the Plass, Meredith spotted the blue police box immediately. She made her way towards it swiftly, and opened the doors, feeling vaguely sick.
She had a job to do.
Author's Note:
Hello! This has been the first in my new series, The Time Agent's Wife. Introducing Meredith, featuring Jack. In stories to come, I hope to also feature the Doctor, Torchwood Three (modern day), Rose Tyler, the Ponds, River Song, and Miracle Day. It'll all come together in the end. Probably.
Eventual pairings (I hope!) should be as follows; Jack/Ianto, Toshiko/Owen, Amy/Rory, Gwen/Rhys, (maybe Esther/Rex if I ever get around to doing Miracle Day), possibly River/Doctor, although I'm not sure about that one yet. Opinions?(!) And another MD-pairing, although this one's very odd and would probably be a drunken one-night stand where he loves her –uses her- and leaves her, but... Jilly/Blue-Eyed-Man?
Also, what do you guys think about Meredith/Jack? It would feature heavily in the series, but if I manage to actually finish this series, the end result ought to be Janto. Hopefully.
In my mind, I compare Meredith to River a lot, and that should become clearer later on. The story-arc remind me of the River/Doctor arc, a bit, but it will be different, I promise.
However, talking of pairings, I will experiment a lot (but it's not random, it all ties in, honest!), so expect the following;
Owen/Meredith, Owen/Gwen, Gwen/Jack, Gwen/Andy, Andy/Meredith (I may keep this one), Doctor/Rose (I may keep this one, too).
Oh, and on a final note, Meredith is Welsh. Currently.
PS
For any of my Sherlockian readers, the latest instalment of 'Hours' is being finalised. You'll be seeing it very soon. x