He sat in the bar. It was yet another bar on yet another planet. The only thing he cared about was the glass in his hand. More specifically, he only cared about the fact that the glass was empty.

"Another" he grunted to the bartender. It obliged. He wasn't exactly sure what "it" was and he didn't exactly care.

He took a swig of his drink. 'I really wish I could get drunk' he thought sullenly. He had built up a real resistance to alcohol. At this point he had to risk alcohol poisoning just to feel buzzed.. Not that alcohol poisoning worried him...This particular drink tasted like a mix of sour yogurt and banana with an aroma of sweet equine piss.

After sitting in that bar on that planet for just a little too long, he got up quickly and strode over to one very nice looking woman. He made sure to put on his attractive demeanor.

"Hi, I'm Tyler Smith". He flashed her a smile, white teeth gleaming and blue eyes twinkling.

He had stopped using his old Alias in an attempt to move on with his life. Choosing instead, to name himself after two of his friends he hadn't gotten killed.

"Hello, Sweetie" returned the woman, wild curls blooming around her face. She looked him up and down, a playful smirk pulling at her lips.

He grinned at her response, leaned in close to her, and whispered, "Sweetie huh, you'll be crying more than that by the end of tonight". His hot breath may have smelled strongly of alcohol but it still tickled her neck in a pleasant way.

She smiled and turned her head away, giving him more neck to breathe on.

He got the hint and obliged.

There were a couple of electrifying breaths breathed before she turned towards his oh-so-close face to give him her response "Is that so?"

He pushed forward, leaning against her in her corner-of-the-room chair and placed his hands on the wall either side of her face. "Yes". They were both loving it. His lips were touching hers and she was breathing into his mouth. Their eyes were locked. Not quite kissing can be most of the fun sometimes.

"Well alright then" she said before pulling him into a deep kiss. Her tongue dove into his mouth ruthlessly, surprising him only momentarily before he matched her ferocity with his tongue.

He pulled her out of the chair and sat down, taking her with him. His hands wandered to her bum and felt a very nice round rear. His attentions came back up when caught sight of her well-endowed chest. She was pushing it upwards to his face, grinding it against him. And he, like the gentleman he was, wasn't about to turn her down. His hands left her ass and found new homes on her chest. He squeezed her and brushed his knuckles across the soft exposed flesh above her low but not too low neckline, eliciting a contented sigh from the woman.

Gasping away from their kiss he rested his head against her shoulder. "Do you want to get a room with me?" He knew the answer. Girls just like being given an option.

"Yes" She was excited. It was about time to start experiencing her new body and this guy seemed like he was in the right place at the right time.

He picked her up, her legs wrapped around his waist, and he carried her out. Pausing only for a moment, he tossed a tip at the bartender.

After what seemed like way too long, he found a room at a crappy alien hotel. They kissed their way onto the bed, battling for dominance. He got the upper hand, shoving her down ripping off her clothing as she made quick work of his. Taking a moment to look at her naked form underneath him, he admired her full curves and classic "human" look.

She really was beautiful; golden skin, large full breasts, very curvy sides and hips, long legs, and green/blue eyes challenging him to find fault. He found none in her. She grabbed his face and pulled him down for more deep kissing. His hands wandered to her breasts again, carefully caressing them. He stroked up and down her sides.

He wondered if he would remember this one.

He'd had so many lovers in recent history, his nights were blurring into one long amorous haze.

That night, while thoroughly enjoyable, ended in the same emptiness that he couldn't seem to shake. He lay by her side staring at the ceiling as she recovered, panting and whimpering in satisfaction, but it had no affect on him.

"You... That.. Wow." She rolled on top of him and kissed his chest. His hand came around her reflexively, stroking her well muscled back.

After several minutes, Jack was restless again. He rolled the now sleeping woman off of him and wandered out of the room, shutting the door quietly so as not to disturb her.

He found his way to his recently acquired ship and sat sullenly in the Captain's chair. Motionless for hours, he fought with himself as to where he should go next. The pull towards earth was getting stronger by the day. He had hoped that the tie he felt on his soul to earth would fade. Years of drinking and hookups had dulled his pain but only if he was constantly distracted. When he faced reality, he had to acknowledge that no amount of drinking and sex could make him feel alive and free from his past. With each encounter, he felt more distant from the experience. It was habitual. The pleasure that sex brought him became more and more fleeting with each repetition. It was harder and harder to find distractions in this life.. No more.. He needed to see a friend.

'It's time to visit earth' he decided.

XXX

He landed his ship beside the ruins of Torchwood 3.

"Anybody home?" he called out, glancing at where he knew the cameras were located. After a few minutes of delay, Martha Jones came out to greet him.

"JACK!" She flew at him, running. They collided into a hug. It was one of those big, sloppy, satisfying hugs.

"I can't believe you're back" she mumbled into his shoulder, noticing his RAF coat was missing. In its place was a black leather vest.

"Martha Jones" He said with a smile.

They broke from their embrace and he grabbed her arms asking, "How are things down here?" His eyes searched hers for hints.

"We stated rebuilding the hub a couple years back. That first year without you was rough, Jack. Gwen called me asking for help, so of course I came. There was so much devastation, not to mention the entire world was living in fear of the next attack. But now things are really settling."

He noticed Martha had glanced away when she had mentioned Gwen. He grimaced internally.

Putting on his calm, cool, and collected demeanor, he asked, "So, how is Miss Cooper? Is she inside avoiding me?"

Martha's usual bright smile faltered then she gave it up completely.

"She's not in the hub, Jack... Let's go in and have a sit?" Martha led him down the newly constructed tunnels of the hub and into a makeshift living area. They took a seat on a crisp looking blue couch.

"I asked her to step down after that first year."

"What? Why?!"

"It became apparent to me that she needed to get away from this place. It was hurting her and she wasn't... she isn't... in any state of mind to be of help."

"What do you mean, 'state of mind'?"

"Jack, after you left she didn't know what to do. She was lost. I could hear it in her voice when she called me. Her reason for calling was that she was about to give birth so she needed someone to watch the rift, but I knew it was deeper than that. She needed someone to be by her side and help her-"

Jack cut in, "She wasn't supposed to stay with torchwood! I meant for it to fall apart, dissolve, not continue on like a dog that just won't die!"

"I know, Jack. But Gwen had to hold onto it. I think her job became a crutch for coping with her misery. Jack, she developed some... issues."

There was a moment of silence

"Like what?" He asked flatly.

Martha seemed to hesitate before a look of grim determination took over and she explained. "After her daughter was born, she fell into serious postpartum depression. She hadn't been too cheerful before, but there was a significant change in her after. She began staying out all night drinking and when Rhys confronted her about those habits, she would explode at him. She was regularly unfaithful and expected Rhys to pick up the pieces of her life again and again" Martha paused for a moment then continued. "About a year ago he gave up, filed for divorce, and got custody of their child. Gwen was so devastated she became suicidal. I did my best, Jack, I really did! I visited her as often as I could and listened to her rants about how cruel Rhys was being. Honestly, though, I'm siding with Rhys on this one. He had to protect his daughter from Gwen. Gwen was being so erratic and uncontrolled, the child wasn't safe with her."

"Where is Gwen now?" He had been listening to Martha with a calm face but inwardly, he felt like crawling into a hole and never coming out.

"I know of a few of her favorite places to be. Bars and clubs mostly. She got her flat reclaimed sometime last year so now she has a little place south of town. She is almost never there, though".

"Where do you think she is now?" He asked. He hadn't had any plans to see Gwen specifically before this conversation with Martha, maybe he had hoped to see her, he conceded, but now he needed to seek her out.

"It's getting late and its Wednesday, so she is probably at the pub.. Girls drink free on Wednesdays there."

"Thanks, Martha"

They stood up and Jack pulled her into another hug. He sighed and released her.

"Is this goodbye, Jack?" Martha asked, non-accusingly.

He turned and began walking away, stopped, and said, "I don't know yet. I don't want to stay but I need to see Gwen now"

"If you aren't going to stay, it might be better if you didn't let her see you. I don't know how your return then subsequent departure would affect her."

"Understood" He murmured then left.

Up until that moment, he hadn't realized seeing Gwen was his intention for visiting Earth all along. There was no way he could have stayed away with her so close. The entirely of the universe hadn't made him forget her. How could he think he could ignore her while he was on the same planet?