Through Death Will I Protect

Rating: PG 13 - T

Pairings: Jack/Dawn

Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood or Buffy characters, canon story lines, etc; they belong to their respectable creators.

Summary: "The Key needs to be protected. She needs to be safe."

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In a heartbeat, Jack Harkness reached for Dawn. Skin touched skin and Dawn realized now that he wasn't the only one naked. She clenched the sheets into her fists and began scooting quickly away from him.

"Dawn!" Worry filled in his voice, Jack pleaded with her. He needed to hold her to make her unafraid, to fix whatever she was so terrified of. It never occurred to him that it was he she was afraid of.

The two continued, scooting toward and scooting away. But on only a bed, even the king sized bed the two shared, there was only so much space.

"Oomph!" Dawn fell. A mess of sheets and blankets followed her.

It was now that Dawn called out in desperation, "Buffy! Help me, Buff…y." Dawn's final syllable came out in a whisper. Jack could hardly hear it. Dawn's eyes misted over as the previous day's events washed over her. Buffy was dead. There was no one to help her.

Dawn went limp. She was still, frozen, knees pressed against her chest, forehead pressed to her knees, her mind too weak, too tired, too hopeless to defend against this stranger that continued to advance on her.

Jack slid off the bed and positioned himself in front of Dawn. Jack places his hands on the sides of her legs, needing to touch her, to comfort her. Feeling her body tense upon contact, Jack willed himself to pull away from her. So softly, Jack spoke trying in anyway to make her- her, "Dawn, come on baby. Look at me, baby." Dawn's head rose slightly, water-filled eyes looked at him in no recognition. "Dawnie, what's wrong? What happened? What…?"

Jack finally took note of her eyes. Her beautiful blue eyes. Filled with tears. With no recognition of him. None. She looked at him like she was a scared child and he a stranger. His eyes pulsed in fear and he could only breathe out the question, so afraid of her answer. "Do you not know me?"

She answered the very way that he prayed she would not. A whimper escaped her lips, "No."

Water filled his eyes as he watched her, shaking in fear, tears tracing lines down her delicate features. "Jack," He finally choked out. "I'm Jack. You're Dawn. You're, you're my wife."

And then she slapped him.

"I am not your wife, mister!" The words brought Dawn back to life, Dawn pushed him backwards, "No, no, no!"

Jack fell back on his bottom and then stood up after Dawn, who was now running out the door.

If she were anyone but the woman that he loved, he would have given a smile, maybe a little laugh, at the sudden shock that she went through at the sights of the Torchwood hub. Instead, Jack watched her body stiffen and horror spread across her face. And of course, at the exact moment Torchwood's resident Pterodactyl took a choice dive.

Jack gradually made his way next to her, trying to come up with something to help her. But he couldn't.

Hearing him, Dawn turned on her barefooted heels. Her naked body faced him, but she took no notice. Nor did she notice his naked body starting back at her.

"What is this?" Dawn questioned him, her hands spreading out in emphasis. Her loud voice turned quieter, "What are you trying to pull?"

Jack stood put, not wanting to upset her. "This is Torchwood. You work here, I work here… we live here."

"No, no, no, no, no!" Dawn's voice grew louder again in protest. "I already told you, I'm not married to you. I don't know you!"

This time, Jack's spirit was too tired to argue with her. "I'm going to call Martha and have her come here. Why don't you go back into our room and put some clothes on." Both statements, not questions. He wasn't used to ordering her around, nor was he used to not asking her on her thoughts. She wouldn't have it any other way. Now, he didn't know what to do. He was terrified. And he needed help.

Bringing the attention back to her nudity, Dawn brought her arms up to cover herself. Not trusting him, but overly embarrassed by her naked body, Dawn took Jack's offer to grab herself some clothes and rushed past Jack and into the bedroom they just left from.

Watching her bare form disappear through his office and into their bedroom, Jack looked longingly after her. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Dawn was supposed to know him, to love him, to play naked hide and seek with him, and beat the aliens that popped into Cardiff, and convince him to order pineapple anchovies pizza every time even though he hated it, and, and everything!

Jack traced the familiar path back into his office. Taking a seat on his chair, Jack picked up the phone and dialed a familiar number. Only half six, but Jack had no doubt that Martha Jones was already up- possibly already at work.

Three rings rang through his ears before he heard the London voice pick up, "Jack?"

Jack took a breath in and propped his forehead up with his palm on the desk. "Martha, I need your help."

Jack heard a sigh on the other end. "I'm in the middle of something of my own right now. I really can't. I could send some UNIT…."

So he played the trump card. "It's Dawn, Martha. Something is wrong with her." In those words, he pleaded with her, begged her to change her mind.

A heavy pause hung in the air. "What's wrong with her?"

Jack shook his tired head forgetting that she couldn't see him. "I don't know. She just… she doesn't know me. She doesn't believe we're married. She didn't know where we were or what Torchwood was."

"Did she hit her head recently? Or encounter electrical currents? Or come across a new type of alien or alien technology? Or… face anything out of the ordinary?" Martha faltered at the end, trying to come up with any type of plausible reason.

"No, nothing," Jack quietly denied. "Will you come?"

He knew she would. But when her yes came through the phone, Jack let out a breath he had been holding since first telling him no. "I'll be there sometime this afternoon."

Jack knew he couldn't further press her to come any sooner. "Thank you."

A dial tone hit his ears. Hanging up the phone, Jack let his eyes fall onto a photo propped up in a frame next to the receiver. Their wedding photo. "Goddammit, why Dawn?"

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Notes: So I was very much debating leaving you at "and then she slapped him," but I figured I might as well give you the entire scene. So question is, would you rather have shorter chapters and quicker updates or longer chapters and less quick updates?

Also wanted to ask if anyone is a beta: I am looking for one for my fanfic story "As Legend Tells It" and possibly this one. I've been looking through the beta profiles, but wanted to ask people who actually have read these stories first! Let me know!

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