A/N: Thank you, melhrain, for pointing out that Ianto's name is spelled with an 'I' instead of a 'Y.'

Disclaimer: If I really did own Torchwood, Owen wouldn't be as much of an ass, and Jack would get more than he already does.

One More Time!

Chapter One: Meet the New Girl.

--o--

"What in the bloody hell?" Owen spun around as the intruder alarms went off. Gwen and Tosh looked on in shock as Ianto dashed for a gun. Without pausing, he aimed it at the girl who had suddenly appeared on the second-story overhang. She was sitting on the edge, her legs hanging over the 20 foot drop to the floor of the hub.

Without taking her eyes off of the girl, Toshiko killed the alarm and activated the intercom. "Jack," she said slowly, "I think you should come up here."

No one moved as they waited for Jack, except for the girl. She calmly kicked her feet back and forth as she watched Ianto, no expression at all on her face.

--o--

Taking the stairs two at a time, his long coat flaring around his legs, Jack rounded the last corner to see the near-frozen tableau. He looked from one team member to the next, coming to a stop at Ianto. "Ianto," he began, "why are you pointing a gun at …" his gaze followed the angle of the gun, and he propped his hands on his hips. "A little girl?" His eyes narrowed as she pushed herself off of the ledge. Tosh gasped as she fell, but her jaw clicked shut when she landed softly, a slight bend in her knees the only outward sign of her jump.

Jack cocked an eyebrow as he got a better look at her. Still small, but clearly not a child. Flame-red curls that tumbled nearly to her waist, a fully-curved figure with piercing green eyes, she looked to be around eighteen – nineteen, tops.

She looked straight at Jack, trapping his gaze with her own. The corner of her mouth twitched with what might have been a smile if her eyes weren't completely dead. She tilted her head to the right. "We meet again, Jack Harkness." Her voice sounded like her body looked – low and sensual.

"What?"

Jack raised a hand to cut off Gwen's outburst, never taking his eyes off of the strange girl. "First off, it's Captain Jack Harkness, and second, it's only 'we meet again' if we already have. Which we haven't." His eyes roamed from her face to her feet and back, smirking as he paused at the … ahem … obvious spots. "I would definitely remember."

Owen rolled his eyes and Gwen groaned.

"Trust Jack to find a way to flirt," Tosh mumbled.

"Hey!" Jack glared at them over his shoulder. He pointed at Tosh. "And don't try to pull off that 'I'm innocent' look, I know it was you." Turning back to the girl, he paused. He didn't know how eyes that dead could seem to be looking in.

She blinked and again focused on him. "Pardon. Again for me. Before for you."

He crossed his arms, no longer playing. "Who are you?"

"I am the Archive." Her statement fell into the silence like a stone into a still pool. She dropped the sensual flavor from her voice, leaving only a quiet seriousness.

Surprise flashed across Jack's features, swiftly replaced by anger. He stalked towards her. "Don't play games with me, little girl." His voice contained barely suppressed rage. "Don't you dare pretend to be one of them. There aren't any left." His hand shook as he pointed at her, inches away from her face. His words were clipped, forced out through clenched teeth. "Don't. You. Dare."

Her eyes didn't change, but Jack thought he saw the tiniest shift in her expression. A touch of … desolation? "All of them?" she whispered, soft enough that Jack could barely hear her, despite being close enough to touch her. "Everyone? It felt so empty, but all of them?"

Jack was floored by her reaction. Was it possible? He shook his head abruptly. No, he told himself firmly. If there were any others still alive He would know.

"Now I don't know who the hell you really are, but you can cut the shit and drop the act now. There are none left. Not one. And I sure as hell don't appreciate you barging in here claiming to be what you aren't." He hoped like hell she wouldn't catch the lie, because then he'd have to explain about Him. And he really didn't want to think about Him right now.

Not when a tiny little voice in the back of his mind sometimes whispered that maybe he should have stayed …

"But how …" she whispered. "How could …" He narrowed his eyes as he saw a faint tremor in her fingers.

"Jack …" He could hear the warning in her voice. His team wasn't going to be patient with him for too much longer. He knew they'd be wanting answers, and soon.

"Not now, Toshiko."

"Would you like to tell us what's going on?"

"Not now, Gwen." He glared at Gwen over the girl's shoulder.

The girl was looking around at the others now. That's odd, he though. She looked surprised that there were other people in the room. She got here before I did. Why does it look like she's seeing them for the first time?

Suddenly she froze, staring at Gwen.

"What?" Gwen asked nervously.

"You know Gallifreyan …" she mumbled.

"I know what?" Gwen took a cautious step back as the girl stumbled towards her.

Jack lunged for her, grabbing her bare wrist. -Zap!- He snatched his hand away at the jolt that ran through him the instant that he touched her skin.

She froze.

"What was that?" he demanded, shaking his hand. "What did you just do?"

She rounded on him, her eyes blazing with fury. "You lied to me!" she hissed. "How dare you!"

He paled instantly. "How do you know that? What the hell did you just do?" he asked again, shocked at the sudden change in her.

"I'm the Archive, you stupid human! Did you honestly think you could keep something like that from me? How dare you!" She slapped him. Hard.

"Hello!" Owen called out, waving his hand. "Not to interrupt your fun, but would either of you two like to clue the rest of us in?"

She turned her head slowly, her eyes pinning him like a hawk. "That depends," bringing the seductive tone back to her voice, "on what you already know."

"Oy!" he squawked. "That bloody hurt!"

She was frozen again. Jack hadn't even seen her move. She'd disappeared from in front of him, and touched Owen's face a split second after he noticed that that was where she had gone.

"Nothing," she spat. She turned to Tosh.

"Hey!" Jack called out, too late.

"Nothing."

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Ianto bringing up the gun. "Ianto! No!"

But he didn't have a chance to fire it. He rocked back in shock as she stood frozen before him. He raised his hand to his cheek as he asked, "what are you?"

"Nothing!" She gave him a disgusted look as she turned, but paused when Tosh spoke.

"An archive. Literally, an archive. You're absorbing our memories. Our thoughts."

She stared at Tosh.

"I'm right, aren't I? You're absorbing our thoughts."

"No." Jack was surprised. Her voice was even. Calm. How could she change so quickly? He could barely keep up. Not even He switched modes that fast. "Not thoughts. Only knowledge."

She turned to look past Jack, at Gwen.

"No," he demanded. "You leave her alone."

"Dammit!" He spun, glaring at her as she stood behind Gwen, fingers raised. "No!"

"No, Jack," Gwen spoke firmly. "This is my choice now." She turned her back on him, facing the girl.

"Gwen!" he called.

"This is my choice." She raised her hand, mirroring the Archive's gesture, and reached out.

The girl tipped her head to the side and paused. "Very well." She held her own hand still.

What? Jack thought. They were both frozen. Then they relaxed simultaneously and he saw what had happened. Gwen had laced her fingers between the girl's and held on, so that the shock didn't push her away. And she still hadn't let go.

"You poor child." Her voice was odd, distant somehow, her accent stronger. "Traveled so far, you have, so many places, and come home to horror… Come home to war… You saw your world destroyed, and all of them gone…" She shook her head, staring at the girl. "The things you've seen…" She pulled her hand away and staggered back. "… the Lords of Time." (1) Jack caught her as she fell, still staring at the girl in shock. "What are you?"

Jack's head whipped up, and he stared at the girl himself. They'd both asked that question. In perfect unison. He noted in the back of his mind that she, too, had taken several steps back, and was now pressed against the window of his office, staring back at Gwen.

"How did you do that?" she demanded, fear in her voice. "What did you do?" Her knees buckled and she slid to the floor. "What are you?" she asked weakly.

--o--

A/N:

(1) A dozen virtual chocolate chip cookies to the whoever gets that reference. :)

Jack: Is it still a crossover if you're crossing a spin-off with its parent show?

lady.grae: Yup. So says melhrain, the Ultimate Authority.

Owen: A crossover? Like with the rift?

lady.grae: Not quite.

Ianto: So is there going to be a pairing in this, or what?

lady.grae: Why? Do you one in mind?

Ianto: -blushes- Umm…

lady.grae: Hmmm? -snickers-

Jack: Ooo! Ooo! I do! I do!

lady.grae: -smacks Jack- Of course you do!

Jack: -pouts-

lady.grae: -mysteriously- You shall see. All shall be revealed in Time.

Jack: -groans- You just had to say that, didn't you.

lady.grae: -grins madly- What's the point of a crossover if I can't make bad jokes?