Chapter 1

It's a cold winter's day in Cardiff and Ianto Jones – Harkness is walking down the street, his leather loafer's tapping on the footpaths and his neck is swathed in a bright red woolly scarf, hands in pockets of his dark navy suit as he makes his way towards the Wales Millennium Centre, to the Hub.

He whistles as he walks, a tune of something or other, sounds like Dixie, his step getting faster as he gets closer to The Hub. He reaches the door to the tourist office, opens it and walks through. He takes the familiar route through the many secret passageways to the big mechanical round doors to the entrance of Torchwood. He steps through the circular entrance and looks up to the overhead walkway to spot his husband walking along, hand to ear as he speaks into the mic next to his mouth,

"Listen Martha, I don't care where you get the technology from just try anything, we're not just talking about anyone here, we're talking about the father of my best friend's children okay?" When Jack wants something, he usually gets it.

Jack pauses as he catches sight of Ianto below looking up with the red scarf around his neck, Jack pulls at his shirt collar impatiently, thinking about what happened only hours before in their bed early that morning, but still the sight of the gorgeous Welshman looking up at him, his porcelain skin catching the light from the lights in the ceiling, giving his cherub face an almost angelic glow, "My god he looks so gorgeous in that red scarf" Jack thinks to himself and feels a slight twinge of arousal in his groin, he starts to speak into the earpiece as he stares down at Ianto,

"Okay Martha, I understand, just try okay? Have you contacted Code 9 yet?"

He waits for the reply. Touching his ear again he replies,

"Right we will try from this end through the Rift got to go, Talk soon Martha Jones!"

Jack Jones – Harkness removes the earpiece from his head and looks down upon his welsh beauty from the walkway he's standing on above, he gives Ianto a lop sided grin and sighs,

"Ianto darling, what are you doing down there teasing me with that red scarf on? You know that red always gets me hot!"

Ianto by this point had bounded up the stairs onto the walkway, Jack met him halfway and embraces his husband, they kissed passionately in greeting. Ianto pulled away from the Immortal, breathless he asks,

"Coffee sir?"

"Of course Mr Jones – Harkness" Jack flashes Ianto one of his best smiles and gently tugs at the red scarf Ianto is wearing.

Ianto walks off to the Hub's Kitchen with the red scarf around his neck to make coffee. Jack walks off in the opposite direction to his office. He sits down behind his desk, slipping off his suspenders and fingers the wedding band on his left hand. Since John Hart was cryogenically frozen to save his life after giving birth to his and Mark's twins, Jack worries constantly about Mark, John's lover and Jack's best friend from Boeshane in the 51st Century, Mark moved in with Jack and Ianto after there honeymoon with the twins, Jack delights in having his godchildren living with him, especially Joelin, "she's such a scamp", Jack thinks to himself and a small smile plays on his lips only for a second, then he looks sad again, Mark has become withdrawn and distant, he put's on a brave face but Jack can tell that he is not himself, Mark visit's John on the Astral Plane, but without physical contact, how long will Mark last without John? Only time will tell.

Ianto returns with two big steaming hot mugs of coffee, he see's the worry on Jack's face, knowing his husband all too well, Ianto says nothing as he places the coffee on Jack's desk, as Jack looks up, Ianto's face says it all without a single word spoken between the couple.

As Jack reaches for one of the steaming mugs he lets out a big sigh,

"I'm okay Yan, just trying help John is harder that I thought that's all."

"You can only do you best Jack, we'll find a cure in time, I'm sure of it" Ianto replies as he takes the seat opposite his husband.

"Yeah but what if we're not in time? Then what? I just hope we can get a hold of The Doctor, he'll know what to do, how to help us." Jack takes a sip of the coffee.

Ianto takes a sip of his coffee as he ponders how to answer his husband and quell his fears; He start's to loosen his scarf from around his neck when a knock came from the office door.

"Come in" Jack says.

Dan was standing in the doorway; he's bright green eyes blazing with excitement mixed with fear, his thin frame tensed like a spring. He takes a couple of steps into the office and replies,

"Jack we just had a spike in Rift activity, you'll want to see this."

Jack had left his rift monitor at home this morning, "Damn you Yan" he thought, Jack rose from his desk, grabbing his cup of coffee he pulled up his suspenders with the other hand as he took big strides crossing his office to the door, Ianto followed, leaving his red scarf behind on Jack's desk. Dan had started off ahead of them, straight down to the computer monitors that are connected to the Rift.

As they reached the monitors, Jack handed his coffee to Ianto and threw himself down into the monitor's chair, the monitor was going crazy, images, graphs and sounds we're haywire as Jack started to interpret the information on the screen, Ianto peered over his shoulder. Dan jumped onto the other monitor, his thin face fixed with concentration as he tried to interpret the many symbols on his screen. Jack turned back over his shoulder to Ianto and said,

"What the hell is this all about? Time portals are opening in the rift, but this show's nothing is passing through" his face puzzled as he spoke.

"It's says over here Jack that they have opened up over Australia, nothing here in Cardiff though, but your right nothing has passed through" Dan nodded his head in agreement as he spoke.

"Where about's Dan?" Ianto asked.

"Country New South Wales, it's called Moparrabah? It's near a little town called Kempsey halfway between Sydney and Brisbane, Strange... It's only isolated to one farm at the moment, called Mountainview, Belongs to a T Racroll... oh no, spoke too soon... 3 more have opened up over Kempsey, Crescent Head and South West Rocks, Blimey Jack this is weird." Dan was just as confused as Jack,

"What is this all about then Yan?" Jack mused to himself.

The monitor alarmed again, but this time it wasn't what Jack anticipated. The monitor showed the camera on the surface beaming through a picture of a Blue Police Box materialising out of thin air, and a whirling, groaning sound coming from it, it stopped with a dull thud, one of the doors swung open and a tall thin man with brown hair sticking up, he was wearing a long brown leather trench coat with a blue suit and red converse sneakers on, stepped out and started to look around. By this point Jack had flown out of his seat and bolted out the round Hub's doors, through the secret passageways, out through the tourist office and was sprinting to the blue box, the man turned to see Jack coming towards him at like a hundred miles an hour, the man slightly raised his head in the air, took one hand out of his pocket and waved to Jack, when Jack saw this he slowed his step and waved back, the man started to walk in Jack's direction, when Jack reached him, he was breathless and had to bend forward to catch his breath, the man looked over Jack's shoulder to see Ianto and Dan closely behind Jack, Ianto in front and Dan bringing up the rear, the tall man smiled a sad smile. He looked down at Jack, and started to pat him on the back to bring his breathing back to normal,

"Blimey Jack, you think we haven't seen each other for years, what's the hurry? Think I was goanna fly off before saying hello."

"Doctor...oh my god... am I glad to see you Doctor!" Jack lifts his head up as he speaks, "We have a big problem with the Rift Doctor."

"Time Portals opening over Australia right?" The Doctor helps Jack to stand as he speaks.

"Yeah did the TARDIS pick up on that?" Jack has recovered by now. Ianto and Dan arrive, panting and blowing like a couple of old bullfrogs.

"That's why I landed, needed a definite location fix, what did your monitors pick up Jack?" the Doctor asks as he looks around at nothing in particular.

"They opened up in a small town in New South Wales called Kempsey, half way between Brisbane and Sydney, Their was 4 when I was looking at the monitors when you turned up Doctor, They we're over South West Rocks, Crescent Head and a place called Mo...mopra..."

"Moparrabah Jack, it's called Moparrabah" Dan interrupted as he went to stand besides Jack.

"Moparrabah? That's Dunghutti for 'caves', local aboriginal tribe, met the chief once, long time ago, had to save one of the settlers from a couple of tribesmen from being killed, blimey, pretty part of the world that is Jack, Hello Daniel how's things?" The Doctor nodded in Dan's direction, Jack stepped back as Dan offered his hand to The Doctor.

"Pleasure to see again you Doctor" Dan was bouncing slightly with excitement as The Doctor took his hand and shook it warmly.

"Pleasure is mine Daniel, can I call you Dan, you look like a Dan" The Doctor replied as he looked Dan up and down while shaking his hand.

"Of course Doctor, that's what everyone calls me" Dan replied.

Ianto was standing on the other side of Jack by now, The Doctor turned and jumped a little when he realised that Ianto was there, the Doctor gave him a rub on the back as he caught his breath.

"Ianto, good to see you again! How's married life then? I hope your hubby here is treating you well?" the Doctor asked casually.

"Oh Doctor... So good to see you... yes Jack is treating me just fine thanks" Ianto replies as he struggles for breath.

"Blimey Jack, tad chilly out here isn't it?" The Doctor turned his attention back to Jack as he let go of Dan's hand.

"Sure is, lets head back to The Hub, I'll show you our readings." Jack turned and starting walking back to The Hub, Ianto fell into step beside him, The Doctor matched his stride Dan fell into step next to the Doctor and they talked as they walked, The Doctor didn't seem to worried about the readings, he was more interested in Jack and Ianto's honeymoon...