Author's Note: Earlier I accidentally posted the wrong chapter. Sorry. Anyway, the first chapter is kind of short, sorry about that. It's kind of hard when he's not allowed to interact with little Rose. The other chapters are longer.


Jack strolled casually through the park near the Powell estate. Undercover missions didn't bother him, he was used to it, and he could pick up a lot of information in a short time. He knew that every week Jackie Tyler brought little Rose and Mickey to this park to play, even if the day was cold, wet, and grey. Which was pretty much every day.

Jack missed his home planet. Of course, he could travel south to some warmer country, he had the money for it. But he was stayed close to Rose, her secret, personal bodyguard.

Today there didn't seem to be much danger; Rose and Mickey ran around the park playing tag with an older girl with dark brown hair. Jackie seemed to be chatting with the girl's mother. The only other person in view was a strange looking man in a tweed jacket and a bow tie swinging on the swing set, watching the children somewhat forlornly. The brown haired child broke off from the game and went to the swing next to the man. Jack was too far away to make out what was being said, so he changed his course ever so slightly to move nearer, mostly out of curiosity. But before he could get close, the girl ran back to her mother, turning at the last moment.

"Mister, I hope you find her again."

"Yeah, me too."

"Who was that?" the girl's mother asked, kneeling down.

"I was talking to a sad man."

"Clara Oswald, what did I tell you about talking to strange men?"

Clara grinned sheepishly as they walked off. "Sorry, mum."

By now, Rose and Mickey had disappeared. Jackie must have taken them home. Sighing, Jack turned and began to do the same, when he saw the strange man watching him a few feet away.

"Captain Jack Harkness," the man said. "I thought that might be you."

"It's me alright," Jack said, throwing his arms open dramatically. "But might I ask who you are? No offense, it's just I'm as time traveler, or I was, so sometimes I meet people in the wrong order."

The man laughed. "So do I. Only sometimes I regenerate and people don't recognize me."

"Doctor?!" Jack exclaimed. "Is that you?"

"It's me!" The Doctor said, imitating Jack. "What do you think?"

"The nose and ears are better, but the hair takes some getting used to."

"Of course you would say that," the Doctor grumbled. "So what are you up to nowadays? Working at Torchwood yet?"

"I am, but I'm on vacation. I come up here a lot. How did you know?"

"Like I said, wrong order. I would love to take you traveling with me, you'd probably be able to help with a problem, but I'm afraid I can't."

"Oh, why not?" Jack asked, pouting.

"Because I'm going to need you at Cardiff in a few years. And your work at Torchwood is essential to human history."

"Wow. No pressure then."

"It'll be natural for you, don't worry."

"So, will you like this?"

"No, I'll look like I did before this, but after what you last saw me as."

"I don't follow you."

"This my eleventh face," he explained. "Last time you saw me was on the space station with the Daleks and Rose, right?"

"First time I died and came back to life," Jack said.

"When that happened, I was in my ninth form. But after that I regenerated into tenth. So when you see me in Cardiff, I'll be in my tenth form. Skinny, long trench coat, and sticky-upy hair. And I've got the Tardis, which is the big give away."

"Right, I'll remember. So, what are you doing here?"

"Same as you, I suppose," he said, glancing towards the Powell estate. "Watching Rose grow up."

"Do you do that as often as I do?" Jack asked.

"How often do you do it?"

"I get off once or twice a month."

"Not that often. But I am thinking of staying on for a bit and tutoring her."

"What subjects?"

"Math, science, and world history."

"She'll ace those classes with you teaching."

"You bet she will! But I'm not doing that quite yet. I'm in the middle of something else that can't wait."

"That problem you mentioned earlier?"

"Yeah. I lost one of my friends. I met her twice, but she died each time. Sound familiar?"

"Yeah, me if I were a girl."

"Basically. But I'm trying to find her again. If you meet anyone like that at Torchwood, let me know."

"I'll keep an eye out for her."

"Thanks, mate," the Doctor said, slapping Jack on the back. "Ooh, I am never saying that again. Doesn't roll off the tongue like I thought it would. Anyway, best be off. Things to do. See you 'round, Captain."

"See you around, Doctor."

Jack only remembered to ask for a name for the mystery girl after he was gone.