The first thing Jack heard was the soothing sound of waves. He wasn't sure why he would be hearing such a thing in the darkness he was surrounded in, though. He hadn't heard such a thing in all the other times he had died. Nor had he smelt the unmistakable scent of the salty air either, come to think of it.

Another gentle crashing sound and, as his sense of feeling returned, Jack realized that he was being pushed gently to firmer ground by some kind of force. His hands clenched weakly into fists, and his fingers closed around sand; the feeling was quite familiar, and it assured him that he was far from dead. All he had to do now was open his eyes and see in which world he was actually in.

And open his eyes he did. Slowly, almost with difficulty, he willed his eyelids to flutter open… only to shut them again almost at once. The sun was well up in the sky, that much was clear, and its beams fell directly on him as if intending to blind him with their brightness.

Deciding that staying like that wouldn't help him, Jack sat up with many a wince and looked around in order to determine the situation. He was on a beach, just at the edge of the water, and he was soaking wet from head to toe. Apparently, when he fell through the Rift, he had fallen, or rather teleported, in the ocean, drowning in the process. In all honesty, he was grateful that he didn't remember that.

That was neither here nor there anymore, however. He had to determine where he was and, more importantly, how far away he was from the nearest settlement. Once he found that out, he would be able to proceed to the next step, which was to find Ianto. And in order to do that, he'd have to start walking, even if his legs felt like lead.

Gritting his teeth, he forged his way away from the beach, trying to find a path that could take him further inland. As his eyes drifted in every direction, he saw the first clue considering his whereabouts. A shipwreck, standing quite prominently in the sand dunes, its tall bow and time-gnawed planks making it look like a sea-monster that came out to the beach and now basked in the sun. Jack knew that shipwreck; he had seen it in pictures, he had read about it, he had heard people talking about it; he had even come to see it with his own eyes before.

Helvetia. That meant he was in…

"You alright, mate?"

Jack turned instantly, the voice cutting into his train of thought. He hadn't even realized when the young surfer had walked up to him, probably curious by the strange sight that Jack was presently.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Jack answered, trying to play down matters. "I just got… a bit lost."

"Seems like it," the young man said, his lips twitching as if struggling not to laugh. "You got robbed?"

"Pretty much." Trying to explain matters would only complicate matters after all. Besides, it seemed to satisfy the young man, who nodded his understanding.

"Talk about bad luck," he commented. "Did they hurt you?"

Jack shook his head. "I'm fine."

"You sure, mate?"

"Yeah, no worries," the immortal man said.

The young man didn't seem that sure, though. He pursed his lips in thought and, once he reached to a decision, he addressed Jack again.

"I'm on my way back home. I could take you there so you can file in a report at the police station."

"Where is home?"

"The village of Rhossili."

It was a tempting offer, truth be told. Still, Jack decided not to jump at the chance at once. "I don't have anything to pay you back with."

"Well, you were mugged," the man pointed out with a gentle tease. "Don't worry about it. I'll feel more at ease once you've returned home safe and sound, yeah?"

Under the circumstances, Jack deemed it was best not to look a gift horse in the mouth, so he finally nodded his acquiescence. "Okay."

The young man smiled kindly. "Great. Come along then. The car is this way. And, by the way," with that he extended his hand, "I'm Adrian."

"Jack," the former time-agent replied, and he hoped that Adrian wouldn't try to pry any further.


Jack might have hoped that Adrian wouldn't wish to know anything further about the man he had picked up, but he had underestimated the natural human curiosity. For indeed, several minutes of driving in comfortable silence later, Adrian made his first question.

"So where do you live?"

"Cardiff," Jack relied at once and as honestly as he could under the circumstances.

"That's quite the detour you've done then."

"I wanted to see the bay."

Adrian nodded his understanding. "Well, I'll take you to the nearest police station and then I'll give you money for the bus back to Cardiff. Or you could stay at my place for the night first."

Jack blinked. "Why?"

Adrian smiled a bit. "We've been talking for some time and you didn't ask me for my mobile once. So I assume you don't have any family or friends in Cardiff to assure them you're fine or call them to come pick you up. So my guess is you don't know anyone in Cardiff well enough to have a spare key to your house or accommodate you till you change the locks."

"I didn't want to indispose you," Jack said.

"The last thing anyone thinks after being mugged is not indisposing someone who could help them out," Adrian pointed out. "And if there's anyone in this world who's actually that level-headed, it's not you."

"Thank you," the former time-agent said wryly.

"I'm only saying what I've concluded," Adrian answered.

"So when exactly did you conclude that it was safe for you to take home someone you've met just fifteen minutes ago?"

"When I said I would take you to the police station to report the mugging and you didn't so much as flinch," Adrian answered, grinning. "Besides, I'm a copper myself."

"You are?" Jack looked at the surfer dubiously. Handsome, no, gorgeous face, well-toned muscles, big, expressive blue eyes and soft blond hair… the guy was more like a model rather than a police officer.

Adrian nodded, amused. "Which means you'd better watch out. I'm onto you."

Jack couldn't help but chuckle a bit at that. "So… am I to assume all officers who live in Rhossili are into surfing or just you?"

"As far as I know, just me. Helps me keep fit," Adrian said with a shrug.

"It certainly does," Jack agreed. In the next moment, however, guilt ate away at him. Here he was, leaving a whole universe behind him in order to find the Ianto of this one, only to start flirting with the first – beautiful, admittedly – guy he came across. "Sorry."

"No problem. I should warn you, though, I'm already in a relationship," Adrian replied with a smile.

"Naturally," Jack said with a small smile of his own. "You're a lucky man."

"I like to think I am." Adrian turned on the blinker and gently parked outside a cozy white house. "Well, this is my home. If you are a serial killer, I suggest you run away now while there's still time," he declared, half-teasing, half-serious.

"Believe me, serial killer I am not," Jack replied, putting his hands in his pockets as he followed Adrian up to the door. He frowned, however, when he heard a loud bark from inside the house. "You've got a dog?"

"Yup. You afraid of them?" Adrian asked curiously, opening the door.

"Well…" Before Jack had the chance to complete his sentence, a yellowish blur appeared from the inner rooms and hurried up at the two men. Next thing Jack knew, the large dog was greeting the younger man in a friendly manner, wagging its tail to and fro.

"Hey, Suzie. You happy to see me?" Adrian cooed, petting her. "Were you a good girl?"

The Labrador simply panted happily, nuzzling her master. Before Jack had to ponder on the scene, though, a voice that certainly sounded familiar reached his ears.

"Adrian? Is that you?"

"Yes, don't worry," Adrian called back, letting Suzie trot back inside the house. "You up?" he asked as he beckoned Jack to follow him.

"Kitchen."

Jack turned to the direction he heard the voice, all the while racking his mind to remember just where he had heard it before. It was definitely not Ianto's, and he was sure that it shouldn't have a distinct Welsh accent…

The owner of the voice appeared, hands stretched out just slightly in order to carefully, but surely, fumble his way out of the kitchen. Jack instantly took in the handsome young face – he looked about Adrian's age – the strong athletic body and, more importantly, the eyes, gazing into nothingness.

"Hey, love," Adrian said tenderly, and he walked up to the Cor doppelganger to place a light peck on his lips. "Tidying up?"

"I figured I might as well. How was the water?" In the next moment, he cocked his head, his frowning expression reflecting his puzzlement. "Is someone with you?"

"Yeah, sorry. Proper introductions first," Adrian said. "This is Jack," he took the blind man's hand and placed it on Jack's arm. "And, Jack, this is Corben, my partner."

"Glad to meet you," Cor – no, Corben – said, smiling politely. Jack, on the other hand, couldn't help but feel his heart wrenching at the sight of the unfocused gaze. What had happened to that version of his young friend to end up like that? Or had he perhaps been born that way? Whatever the reason was, the former time-agent felt for him quite deeply.

Adrian most probably picked up some of the tension, for he clapped a hand on Jack's shoulder quite deliberately. "Jack here got mugged. He was wandering in the beach when I met him."

"Oh?" Corben asked. "Did you take him to see Stuart in the police station?"

"Not yet. I figured he could spend the night here first. God knows he'll need some strength in order to endure the questioning."

Corben nodded. "True. I'll order us a proper meal for three then. Italian sounds good?"

Adrian looked in the direction of Jack, who deemed that he did feel rather hungry and, thus, he nodded.

"Italian sounds great," Adrian said, picking up the signal.

"Okay then," Corben said with a smile. "Suzie, phone."

Suzie complied at once and trotted over to the wireless phone, gently picking it up with her teeth and then handing it over to her charge. Jack hadn't seen that sort of thing before and, though he didn't normally care much for dogs, he had to admit to himself that he was currently impressed… and relieved. Suzie couldn't compare to cyber eyes, but it didn't mean this version of Cor was utterly helpless.

"Good girl," Corben said gently, patting the lab on the head, and he speed-dialed a number. "Hello? Yes, I'd like to place an order in the name of Corben Moore. Oh, hi, Christie, you're on quite the early shift today…"

Now that was something that brought back memories. As Corben paced gently, the phone in hand and talking charmingly at the girl at the deli, Jack couldn't help but recall Ianto. The young man always ordered takeout whenever the two of them intended to spend the evening together at the Hub.

"It was an explosion," Adrian said in that moment.

"Hmm?" Jack landed back to reality and he regarded the other man, trying to understand what he was talking about.

"We were both in drug-law-enforcement in Cardiff," Adrian explained. "He and some colleagues of ours raided a crystal-meth lab about six months ago, and the two college kids behind the operation thought it a really good idea to destroy any evidence by burning it. Thing is, meth is made of extremely flammable ingredients and, well… Corben was closest to the explosion."

Jack winced. "Nothing could be done?"

"Only aesthetically speaking. The plastic surgeon took care of his scars, but there was nothing that could be done about his vision."

"Bet it wasn't easy for him," the former time-agent murmured in sympathy.

"It wasn't. Things are looking up again once more though. Just don't stare," Adrian said, smiling weakly. Their conversation was cut short, however, when Corben gently wrapped his arms around his partner's waist from behind and kissed him on the cheek.

"Christie said the spaghetti will be here in thirty."

"Great," Adrian said. "Will you set the table while I hand Jack some fresh towels?"

"Yes, and please have a shower the two of you. Suzie and I can sniff the salty water and sweat a mile from here."

Adrian tapped the man's arm in mock reproach. "Come along then, Jack. Bathroom's that way," he said, pointing with his thumb upstairs.

Jack immediately shook his head. "You don't have to go through all that trouble for me."

"Sorry, mate, but if Corben says we stink, then we stink."

"You do," Corben seconded, nodding sagely.

Adrian shook his head in an amused manner. "See what I mean? Now come on. You go first, and then I'll go."

Jack wanted to say no, feeling he was imposing on the two of them. But… something stopped him from actually saying anything. He supposed it had to do with the openness he had been welcomed and the homely feeling that he was surrounded in, or perhaps the fact that he didn't want to feel alone after abandoning everything and everyone without any chance of ever going back. Whatever it was, he wanted to savour this safety and security for as long as possible. So, he caught himself nodding and saying, "Okay. Thanks again", and followed Adrian up the stairs.

"Oi! And make sure you put your clothes in the correct laundry basket," Corben called after them in a Parthian shot. "I won't be blamed if I mix the whites with the coloured ones again!"

"Right, got it," Adrian said with a look that implied that that sort of thing was more than just a common occurrence; something that made Jack laugh softly.

God knows he had needed that kind of light-hearted distraction.


As Jack still ate his spaghetti, he had to admit that he had missed the food on Earth a lot more than he cared to admit. The meals on the Voyager were basically copies of the real thing, chemically tampered with so as to taste the same. For someone who had tasted an actual burger or an actual piece of pizza, the difference between the two was like night and day. The rich flavour filled his mouth and tingled his palate in a pleasurable way that warmed his insides.

"Whoa, somebody is hungry!" Adrian commented, seeing the former time-agent, practically wolfing down the contents of his plate. "Slow down! Nobody's taking it from you."

Jack realized that an odd sight he must have been – to one of them at least – with tomato sauce trickling down his chin and a piece of spaghetti sticking from the corner of his mouth. Feeling quite self-conscious, he swallowed the mouthful that he had been munching on quite happily. "Sorry. It's just so good," he replied with a sheepish smile.

"Or you were that hungry," Corben said. "How long were you at the beach, wandering?"

Jack realized it was time to weave a believable story and fast. "I was mugged last night. There was a kid on the edge of the road and he signaled at me to stop. I stopped and I realised that he had company too late."

"A gang then? They didn't hurt you, did they?" Corben asked.

"I have a small bump on the head from when they rendered me unconscious, but nothing too serious," Jack said. "When I woke up, it was broad daylight and I was on the sand, sans car, sans money and sans phone."

"Did you get a good look at any of them?" Adrian asked.

"Just the kid that stopped me," Jack replied. Sure, there was no kid, but he figured he could give a pretty generic description that wouldn't provide any real evidence to the police if it came down to that.

"Guess you know now the first rule in these parts," Adrian said. "Don't stop for any random stranger."

Jack chuckled. "Yeah, I do. Which is quite embarrassing, considering I come from the States to get away from all that."

"Where are you from?" Corben asked.

"Uh… New York," Jack replied, slowly getting the impression that he was being interrogated. Corben's tone certainly seemed to imply that.

Corben, however, still smiled. "I always wanted to go there," he said. "See the city from the top of the Empire State Building; walk the Times Square; see 'Rent' at a Broadway theatre… that kind of thing. Not that that can happen now," he tapped his temple at that. "Just saying."

Jack understood what the young dark-haired man told him and relaxed once more. "Maybe you'll get to go with Adrian one day and experience those things with your other senses," he said encouragingly.

"Maybe," Corben said. "I'm still amazed at how many things I can discover even though I am blind."

All sense of security was gone once more at those words. Either he was getting paranoid or Corben was aware of more things than he let on.

Adrian must have picked up the tension – yet again – for he quickly stood up. "How about dessert?" he asked.

Jack couldn't do much else except nod and reply, "Sure."

"Great. Corben, kitchen please."

Jack picked up the edge in Adrian's voice and, apparently, so did Corben; the blind man's expression was neutral even as he stood up and followed his partner in the inner room. Not intending to pass up that kind of opportunity, the former time-agent sneaked up to the door as well, meaning to eavesdrop on the two of them. He had to find out in how much trouble he was in and if he'd have to flee.

"What's got into you?" Adrian's voice was soft, and yet Jack could still hear everything.

"He's lying," Corben said at once.

"What?"

"I don't know where he's from, I don't know if he was actually mugged, I don't know why he came here 'just recently' as he claims, but I can tell you this; he's hiding things," the blind man insisted. "If he was knocked out, he would be left on the side of the road rather than thrown in the sea; unless they intended to drown him, in which case it makes you wonder why they didn't manage that, considering he was unconscious and unable to fight back. And since we're at it, he's not from New York. In fact, he's not even American; his accent is all wrong. He pronounces several words in a British, no, actually, Scottish way. He's not a tourist; he's been here for quite a while."

There was a pause for several moments. "Okay, I admit that you made some pretty good points, even if the accent thing is rather hard to swallow," Adrian said. "But I also know he had plenty of chances to mug me, to hurt you or try to escape, and yet he did none of those things. He is pretty much lost here, that's true enough about him."

"Then why lie?" Corben asked. "The only reason one would do that is because the truth is more than just a little bad."

"That doesn't necessarily mean he's a criminal," Adrian said.

"It doesn't necessarily mean that he isn't either."

"No," Adrian admitted. "All I'm saying is we should give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe there's another reason he doesn't want to tell the truth."

"Such as?"

"… I don't know. But whatever it is, I'm sure it's pretty rational."

Jack supposed he had heard enough. Trying to move as silently as possible, he headed towards the exit, hand already extending to turn the doorknob. He couldn't stay here, not anymore; that was certain.

And yet… where could he go from here? He had no money, he had no clue of what this world was like; he didn't even know how to reach the people that he had known in his previous life. And, for that matter, he didn't know if the versions of his friends were actually in this universe. Even if there were, they wouldn't know him, just like in Corben's case.

In other words, he wouldn't go very far on his own. He needed help. It was with that thought that he turned on his heel once more and made a beeline for the kitchen, walking straight in.

"Adrian, Corben… I haven't been completely honest with you."

The two men exchanged a glance – technically, Corben simply turned his gaze in Adrian's direction – and then Adrian looked back at Jack.

"Go on."

Jack decided it was now or never - the whole truth or remain silent. Of course, Jack had never been a coward to start now… and he was crazy enough to start telling the truth to people who had no clue about Rifts or Weevils or time-travelling….

"What do you know about parallel universes?"

And just like that, he told them everything. Conservatively at first, trying to keep things as less complicated as possible. As he spoke, however, his explanation morphed into a cathartic confession in which he didn't leave out anything. Not his dark days as a conman, not his progressive change of heart, not the Doctor… not even his acquired immortality and his life in Torchwood, ending with the 456 encounter and the death of Ianto. He only stopped when he had finally spoke of his guilt-ridden wanderings, Alonso, and his madness of a plan to teleport himself in this alternate universe because of a mere sliver of hope: to find Ianto and have this second chance with him.

The last word flowed out of his lips, and then Jack looked up at them, nervous and utterly vulnerable for the first time in his long life. For silence had fallen in the room and Jack was quite certain that his story would be considered as the ravings of a psychopath.

A minute passed, then two… and still neither Adrian nor Corben spoke. That is, until the blind man turned his head in the direction of his partner, clearly addressing him.

"Well, there's your rational reason."

Adrian didn't reply, not in words anyway. He simply stood up and walked out of the room.

"Adrian…" Jack started, but Corben stopped him, clasping the former time-agent's hand.

"Wait."

Jack frowned, and yet something in Corben's voice and touch told him that he shouldn't worry. Indeed, the blind man seemed to even… smile.

"He's not heading for the phone to have you committed, if that's what concerns you," Corben said, sensing Jack's wariness.

"Then where has he gone?"

His answer came in the next moment, when Adrian walked back in with a laptop in his hands. He settled down on the couch, looked at Jack, and then started typing. Jack shifted on his place uncomfortably, unsure what to make of things when Adrian's voice broke the spell of silence.

"Parallel universes, a.k.a multiverse: the hypothetical set of multiple possible universes that together comprise everything that exists, namely, the entirety of space, time, matter, energy, as well as the physical laws and constants that describe them," he recited. "And, apparently, they can interact, so your story so far holds water," he added thoughtfully.

"Google Jack Harkness, too," Corben said. "If a version of me was in another universe, maybe there's a version of Jack in this one."

Jack shook his head. "I don't think there is any other version of me. The Doctor had been in several and I was nowhere to be…"

"Here you go," Adrian declared, already typing the name. "Three Jack Harknesses. One was a footballer, god rest his soul, the other was a rose-breeder, god rest his soul also, and the other..." Adrian blinked in surprise for a moment and then chuckled softly. "Figures."

"What?" Jack asked curiously.

"Just found a Chief Inspector Jack Harkness in London. Top officer, solved several important murder investigations, even got commemorated on more than one occasion."

"The name doesn't ring a bell," Corben commented.

"I didn't know him either, but they still hold him in pretty high regard in London. He was even involved in the War against the 456."

"The 456 were here too?" Jack exclaimed.

Corben nodded. "Two years ago. Five emissaries appeared, demanding 1/5 of the population of children from each of the five most powerful countries be handed over to them. Five civil servants were hand-picked to negotiate with the emissaries. In the meantime though, scientists from all over the world interacted via Skype, MSN, Yahoo, Facebook, every kind of real time social networking device there's out there in order to converse and find a solution to the situation. The story goes that the French finally made a breakthrough and reversed the frequency with which the 456 manipulated people to their deaths in their intimidating tactic. After that, all the other governments followed suit, killing the emissaries in the process, and we haven't been bothered since."

"What about the poison gas?" Jack asked, frowned. "They used that in my world when they felt threatened."

"They unleashed it when they realized what was happening behind their backs. The House of Thames got contaminated and people had to evacuate."

"And that's where your version here gets in the picture," Adrian said then. "He was in the House of Thames, leading the evacuation process along with three other officers, and helping people out. His colleagues commented on his level-headedness and heroism to… oh."

Jack sat up, not liking the sound of what. "What is it?"

Adrian pursed his lips. "You sure you want to know?"

Jack nodded slowly.

"Right," Adrian said softly. "The article says, '… to the end.' That Jack Harkness was killed that very same day, overcome by the poison gas."


A/n: Corben is Cor Deckard's alternate version. If you're wondering who Deckard is, you can read my Steps Back story.