Chapter 1: Goodbye Cardiff, Hello Forks
Hermione Granger walked through the Oval Basin on her way back to work from her holiday with the Doctor; she was pleased to be back in Cardiff
Suddenly something ran straight into her, knocking her flying.
"Oof! Hey watch where you're going!" She called as she got up, she turned to face the creep that had knocked her over, it was gone.
"You're in trouble before you've even got to the door!" Called a voice that Hermione couldn't help but smile at as Captain Jack Harkness walked up to her from the Water Tower feature just a few feet from where she now stood.
"I don't know what the hell that thing was, but if I ever see it again.... Oh never mind. Hello!" She greeted him with a great big hug.
"Yeah, but you're not going to like what I've got in stall for you."
*
"What?! But Jack I've just got back off my holiday, I don't need another one!"
"I'm sorry, sweetie, but you're the only one who can, and the only one I can spare, and you know that!" Jack replied to her ranting and she fell silent. Hermione knew he was right; they were still two men down after Tosh and Owen....
"Okay, I'll do it. I just hope someone's going to tell the Doctor about this."
"He already knows. So we'll drive you to the airport and then you've got to get off in New York, then get on a flight that will take you to Phoenix, and get on another plane to a place called Port Angeles where you will then get on a coach to Forks, apparently it always rains there."
"So I'll have to buy a brolly too. And what about K-9 can I take him with me?" Jack nodded.
He then told her that she'd be leaving in the morning, and that they will come and knock for her to wake her up.
Hermione went back home feeling like she should have put up a better fight, but Jack had been right after all, she was the only one they could spare.
"Okay, K-9! Come on, I'd better get you packed away for the flight." Hermione deactivated her robot dog, and packed him up in the box he came in. Then she set about packing all of her other stuff, like clothes and a carry-on bag. Before having a shower and going to bed.
*
She awoke the next morning to the sound of people talking; Jack, Gwen and Ianto were here.
"Morning all!" She declared as she walked through fully dressed to put the kettle, only to have Ianto stand in her way holding a cup of coffee and a bacon sandwich.
"How long have you all been here?"
"Long enough for Ianto to get straight into the kitchen and cook, we've already eaten," Jack clapped his hands, "okay, you all packed?" Hermione nodded. So while she ate, the others heaved her luggage down to the SUV. They came back up and Jack explained that they would keep her car in the garage, and that she'd get her choice of American car which would be ready and waiting for her at her home.
"Oh and we've also enrolled you in the local school, so all you've got to do is get yourself a weekend job somewhere and you'll be.... What?" Hermione was staring at him.
"Jack I'm nineteen years old! I shouldn't have to go to school!"
"You'll be fine. Come on it'll give you a chance to live normally for a while."
"Well then you might just as well take K-9 out of the boot if that's the way I'm going to be living now." Jack blinked.
"No K-9 is going with you, that was the only condition the Doctor gave me so that he would let you go." Hermione finished her sandwich and drained her coffee.
"Okay I'm ready. I'm getting the jitters so let's go before my bottle completely goes!" Laughing, they all exited the block and climbed into the SUV.
*
It was an eventful ride, Gwen started singing along to a song that was often played in the Hub, next to join in was Ianto, and then Jack, tapping out the beat on the steering wheel, Hermione joined in at the more powerful part of the song.
They sat for ten minutes waiting for the plane to arrive, and when it did, the tears started, Gwen had started Hermione off.
"I'll phone as soon as I get there." She said hugging them each in turn, then she grabbed her carry-on bag and, giving her friends on last wave, boarded the plane.
She found her seat and settled down, and waited for the plane to take off.
Once it did, she did something that took her completely by surprise, she burst into tears.
Tears all spent, Hermione eased herself to sleep on the plane as she felt claustrophobia creep up on her.
She awoke with a gentle start when the hostess asked the couple in front of her if they wanted anything; when the hostess came to her she felt hungry, Hermione chose a salad to start, with a chicken as a main course, and a chocolate mousse for pudding.
The next time she woke up, she heard the overview telling her first flight was at an end, so she got up and disembarked and went to collect her luggage, before going and getting her second plane (which only took an hour to get to Phoenix) then she finally reached Port Angeles and came out of the airport altogether and found the coach that would take her the rest of the way to Forks.
She sat listening to her I-pod watching the countryside change from a desert to lush greenery, then told the coach driver to stop at the stop just opposite her Torchwood rented house.
Unlocking the door she went inside, and sneezed.
"Oh my god! It looks like I'm going to have to do a little bit of cleaning before I do anything else." She said to the empty hallway as she picked up her luggage and hauled it up to her room.
Then she pulled out her CD player and bounced back down the stairs.
She found a plug socket and turned the volume up loud, and it was a very good rock CD, perfect for house work.
"Ooh baby don't you know I suffer, ooh baby can you hear me moan?" She sang along whilst she flung the windows and front door open.
Then she grabbed a broom, smiling at herself, she was a witch but she was using the muggle way of cleaning....oh well. She began sweeping the dust out of the house and into the garden.
Going back inside Hermione didn't notice two cars drive slowly past her house.
When she finished she knew that it was late, and jet lag had set in when she got to New York, although she was used to jet lag what with travelling with the Doctor, she never knew what time she was in nine times out of ten. So the jet lag didn't bother her much.
It was well past midnight in Forks, but all of Hermione's clocks told her that it was only half past three in the afternoon in Cardiff, and the cleaning had made her hungry, so she changed the clocks and then went out to her car (a very stylish Volvo, it was black, and had a little sticky-note on the dash board saying 'Torchwood' Hermione smiled as she jumped in and started it up.
She had to keep her wits about her, as she now had to drive on the wrong side of the road.
"Americans, why can't they drive on the right side of the road....oh wait, this is the right side of the road to them, silly little English girl!" Hermione chuckled to herself, as Alesha Dixon's 'Boy Does Nothing' blared enough but not too loud, through the radio. Of course it was going to take her a while to get used to America, let alone Forks.
She parked up outside an all night diner that looked pleasing, so she got out and braced herself for the impact her accent was going to have on these people.
"Why hello there, what can I get you, darlin'?" Asked the main waitress as Hermione picked up her menu and glanced down until she saw what she wanted.
"Burger with salad and a diet coke please." The waitress smiled and walked off.
Truth be told Hermione could tell by the waitress' eyes that Hermione had been the talk of the town, but, clearly, no one had told anyone that she would be English.
"There you go. Now you can either pay now, when you leave, or run a tab." Very well rehearsed.
"I'll pay now thank you." She gave the waitress the exact change and tucked into what must have been half a cow.
It took her the best part of fifteen minutes to eat the burger, and then she sat and admired the scenery, and sipped her coke. Then she saw an advertisement calling out for a doctor to help out with recent animal attacks.
She decided that she'd pop in on the way back from school tomorrow. Draining the rest of her coke she said her goodnights and went back out to her car.