Author's Note: About five minutes after I posted this, I recalled that Owen was irrevocably dead before the events of Stolen Earth/Journey's End, but I really like the way this piece reads, so I've decided to let it stand as an AU piece. I've rewritten it to canon, and posted that as chapter two.

AU Version

"Chiswick?" Owen grumbled. "I mean, bad enough we had to come here, but we couldn't even go to London proper, we have to go to Chiswick?"

"This is business, not pleasure," Jack reminded him.

"Yeah, but whose business? It's that Doctor of yours, right? Not even proper Torchwood business."

Jack was more than familiar with Owen's 'complaining just for the hell of it tone' and could mostly tune it out. Especially when someone tapped on the vehicle's window, pointing a weapon at him. He sighed and lowered the window. "That's a paint ball gun," he said to the elderly gent who was aiming it at him.

"And I'm at point blank range," the old fellow assured him. "I don't imagine you'd fancy a face fulla paint. Now, you two can get your 'ands up, and tell me what you're doing outside my house."

Jack plastered on his most harmless smile and slowly raised his hands, jerking his head at Owen to do the same. "Sir, really, we just got a bit turned around and stopped to check the GPS, that's all," Jack said smoothly.

"Yeah, well I've noticed your GPS gets turned around on this street about once a month. Now, who are you? You ain't some kind of alien, are you?"

Owen snorted, and Jack just sighed.

"You're Wilfred Mott, aren't you, sir?" Jack asked.

"What if I am?"

"I'm a friend of your granddaughter."

"A friend of Donna's, eh? We'll just see about that."

Jack reached out swiftly and grabbed the old man's arm. "No! She won't remember me, and if she sees me, if she starts to remember, it could hurt her."

Wilf's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "How'd you know about that?"

"Because I'm also a friend of the Doctor. He asked me to keep an eye on Donna."

"God bless ya, lad! Why didn't you say so in the first place?" Wilf exclaimed, finally lowering the paint ball gun.

"Because we're supposed to be being subtle about this," Owen said acidly.

"You sure that one ain't an alien?" Wilf said out of the corner of his mouth.

"Hey! Watch it, old man!"

"What's your name, lad?"

"Captain Jack Harkness, and my colleague here is Dr. Owen Harper."

"A doctor? Is there something wrong with my little girl?"

"No, Mr. Mott," Jack assured him, "and we aim to keep it that way. I made the Doctor a promise. I won't let anything happen to Donna."

Wilf looked long and hard into Jack's eyes…eyes that reminded him strangely of the Doctor, so very old, in such a young face. "Maybe it's you who's the alien," he said slowly. "You got eyes like him."

Jack knew full well that 'him' meant the Doctor. "No," he said softly. "I'm human. I've just traveled a lot, that's all."

"No," Wilf said slowly, trying to grasp a concept that floated just out of his understanding. "There's something else…"

"Jack," Owen spoke up in the most pleasant tone he'd used all day, "maybe we should take this gentleman out for a drink?"

"No, Owen. That won't be necessary. We can count on his discretion."

"That you can mate. I know how to keep my mouth shut. But you lot! You call this subtle? I seen you here six times, same car an' all," Wilf said smugly.

"All right, then, we'll be on our way," Jack said pleasantly.

"I really think we should have Retcon'd him," Owen muttered as they pulled away.

"No need. For one thing, we can count on his discretion - this is his granddaughter's life we're talking about, and for another, he's spotted us in this car six times…he didn't say anything about the other four."