MISSING
Chapter One
All Jack could see was Ianto walking into the mist, heading towards danger. Jack tried to run after him but he couldn't move his feet. He shouted out to him but not a sound passed his lips. He tried again.
"Ianto, no. Don't leave me. It's dangerous over there, come back to me. I can't lose you."
Jack heard those words but instead of a shout all he heard was a whisper. Suddenly he felt someone walk up to him. Jerking around, he could see no-one. Realising that he'd taken his eyes of Ianto, Jack spun back around. He searched the mist frantically trying to see his lover, his soul but he was gone.
"NO!"
"Whoa, settle down Captain. You were dreaming."
"Doctor?"
"Yes Jack, it's me. Although, I think you were hoping for someone else. Who's Ianto then?"
"Just one of my team."
Jack surveyed the room and realized that he'd fallen asleep on the couch in his office again. He hadn't left the Hub in a week, not since Ianto had disappeared. He hadn't had much sleep during that time either. But he didn't know why he was seeing the
Doctor. Maybe it was still a dream.
"It's me Jack. I'm real and I'm here."
"You hate Torchwood, you would never come here."
"I may dislike Torchwood, but you, I kinda like. I heard that you had some problems and could use my kind of help."
"Who? How?" Jack asked confused. He rubbed his eyes and looked up at the Doctor.
"Who, well Martha of course. How, well that was her as too."
Reaching into his pocket, the Doctor retrieved the mobile phone that Martha had tossed at him when she had decided to stay on Earth a year and a half ago. Looking at Jack, the Doctor saw his confusion and explained.
"After the year that wasn't, Martha stayed with her family, as you know. Well, she made sure that she could reach me, anytime, anywhere. So she called me and said that you needed my help and here I am."
"Just like that? I thought I was, how did you put it? Oh yeah, I was a fixed point in time, just plain wrong, remember?"
"Jack, stop. You know that we sorted that out. I'm here to help you. What's happened?"
"What, didn't Martha tell you how it's my fault that half my team was killed and now……….."
"Jack, stop it now."
But the Doctor reaslised that Jack was no longer willing to listen to him. Jack just looked up and glared so the Doctor sat down opposite him and waited. While he waited, he looked around the office. There wasn't anything personal in the room. Nothing to show who Jack was, who he really was. He supposed that having reminders of his past could bring pain as well as joy. If anyone could understand why Jack kept certain things locked away it was the Doctor. Every time a companion moved on or was taken from him, he inevitably would find some of their things scattered throughout the TARDIS. He'd set aside a room to put these items into. It pained him greatly every time he had to enter that room. However knowing that he would be seeing Martha he had retrieved a small bag from that very room that she had left on board.
However, there was one item that he hadn't place in there. Rose's denim jacket, it was hanging over the back of the chair in his bedroom. It was the last thing he saw at night and the first thing he saw in the morning. He had put the rest of her things away but he hadn't been able to place the jacket in there as well.
Martha stood outside the office, looking in on her two friends. They weren't talking and they had identical looks on their faces. She knew who they were thinking of. They were both immersed in their love and guilt. Each having to face the fact that they may never see their true loves again. Martha had long ago come to the conclusion that the Doctor would love Rose for the rest of his life and therefore she had moved on.
Martha turned and smiled at Gwen as she walked up to join her at the window. They stood side by side watching the two men inside the office. Lost in their own worlds they didn't acknowledge the women.
"What are they doing?"
"At the moment, nothing. The Doctor will just wait until Jack is ready or at least until he thinks that Jack is ready to talk."
"Martha, it's already been a week. That's why we called your friend. What is his name anyway?"
"I don't know his real name, never have. To us, he's the Doctor."
"Hang on, Doctor? Is this the man that Jack was with when he went missing 18 months ago?'
Nodding, Martha smiled once more at Gwen and turned back to look at the men. She knew she'd done the right thing. They'd done all that they could. They needed the Doctor and his TARDIS. They had to track down Gray before he followed through on his threat and killed Ianto.