Just a quick note – I don't own any of these characters, and I haven't seen the second series of Life on Mars, but I have seen the ending episodes to series three of Doctor Who.... :)

"Ianto?"

"Mmm?"

It was a cold, quiet night in Cardiff, and in Jack's little office, he and Ianto were snuggled up together on Jack's chair. Ianto lifted his head off Jack's chest, and looked up at him.

"What is it, Jack?"

"I thought I heard something. You know that noise the Rift makes when it's bringing something through?"

"Or taking it away," Ianto murmured sleepily. "Yeah, how could I forget it?"

"I heard a noise that sounded just like it," said Jack. "C'mon, let's go see." He lifted Ianto gently off his lap, kissed him on the forehead, and reached for his Webley.

"Do we have to?" Ianto asked, but he knew the answer anyway. He grabbed his waistcoat off the floor and followed Jack, who had already left.

Ianto ran into the Hub, where Jack was standing, open-mouthed at the sight in front of them.

The water tower was ablaze with the fiery orange glow of Rift energy and was pulsing, giving off little sparks every beat.

"Whoa," Jack announced, before there were screams, and two figures began to emerge in the bright, gas-like flares.

***

"I've just about had enough of you, DI Tyler," moaned Gene Hunt. "Every time we go out to get away from work, and your wacky ideas on forensics, you start acting as crazy as ever!"

"Gene, I'm sorry, OK?" Sam said. "It's just...I feel like I've seen so many things before, even though they haven't happened yet!"

"There you go again," glared Gene. "Stop talking crazy! That car accident has certainly-", but said no more, as a deafening bang exploded behind them, making them both jump into the air.

"What the f-?" exclaimed Sam, before the orange light engulfed them.

***

The two inspectors tumbled through the air, crashing into the pool of water at the base of the tower with a heavy splash.

"There you go," Jack said proudly, as Sam crawled out of the water onto the concrete, sopping wet.

"Let me give you a hand," Ianto offered to Gene, who was splashing frantically. Gene pushed his hand away, and pulled himself out of the water.

"I can do it meself, you bloody poof," he growled.

Ianto raised his eyebrows at Jack, who grinned, with a "How did he know?" expression.

"Ignore him," Sam said. "He's just a little angry and confused because we seemed to have appeared inside some hi-tech place way out of his time period."

"Oi!" Gene shouted at Sam. "You happen to have come from there as well, unless Hyde is actually in the 23rd century!"

"21st," Jack corrected him.

Sam's eyes widened. "What year is it?" he asked excitedly.

"2009," Ianto informed him.

"Damn," Sam sighed. "I'm actually from 2006."

Gene laughed. "Him? He's crazy. He got hit by a car, he doesn't know what he's thinking. You can't travel in time!"

Jack smiled. "What year are you from, then, uh-?"

"Gene," Gene said. "And that's Sam." He paused, and then remembered what Jack had asked him. "1973," he added. He rolled his eyes, not believing this was happening.

"No Back To The Future jokes, then?" smirked Ianto.

"Shh," whispered Jack, mock horrified. "You might mess up the space-time continuum!" The two men cracked up laughing, and Sam grinned. Gene scowled.

"So?" Sam asked. "How did we get here?"

"It's a thing called the Rift," Ianto explained. "Put simply, it's like a big door in time and space, and it kicks stuff through, or pulls stuff in, to or from anywhere in the universe!"

"A portal?" Sam wondered. "D'you reckon that's how I got to 1973 from 2006?"

"God help you all," Gene muttered. "You're all insane."

"It's a possibility," Jack said, ignoring Gene.

"Could you send me back to my time?" asked Sam hopefully, happiness flooding his face.

"Not this close to our time," Ianto admitted. "We've worked put how to manipulate the Rift to send things back in the twenty years plus range. That's the closest we've got so far, but if we try sending you back any less than that, you could end up anywhere."

"We just haven't had the time," Jack said.

"Lots of work to do," Ianto agreed.

Gene smiled. "So you can send me back, then?"

"Yup," Ianto said.

"But not me," Sam stated.

"Not unless you wanted to go back with Mr. Smiley here," Jack told him. "But you could always make a new life for yourself in this time. Three years isn't that big a gap in time, really."

"There's a new Prime Minister," Ianto mentioned.

"And they have iPhones," Jack added.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Sam said. "Let's get Gene the hell out of here!"

***

"All in all, a pretty exciting night," Ianto said, standing by the base of the tower, having just finished cleaning the wet concrete with a large squeezy mop.

"Uh-huh," Jack approved. "But the sex was definitely the best part." He seemed a little distracted. Ianto walked over to him, and put his arms around his waist.

"Thinking, Jack?" he asked, with a smile.

"Yeah," Jack replied. "Talking about Prime Ministers earlier, that Sam guy looked a hell of a lot like someone I know..."