Jack Harkness stood on top of the Millennium Centre, gazing down at the Plass watching the last of the theatre-goers head for the carpark. Even from up here, he could hear music spilling out from neighbouring pubs. Saturday night and all was peaceful with the world, or at least the portion of it that was Cardiff Bay. The crowd had a beautiful night for a good time. From his place on the roof, he could see the wharf lights join the moon's reflection on the bay dancing on the ripples of the water like fairie lights. Tonight Jack was lucky, it was actually peaceful. Breeding season for the weevils had ended, nothing had come through the rift in almost a month and the government wasn't harping about expenses. This was almost a vacation. Of course, a better vacation would be a Paris hotel with Ianto and his stopwatch, but a guy couldn't have every thing, not even an immortal one.

The clear, cloudless night had just enough chill in the air to feel good. Standing on the top of the building, a strong, cold breeze whipped up around him, making him grateful for his great-coat. He was always careful that no one could see him up here. The last thing he needed was a report of Batman on top of the building. This was his spot. It was where he came to unwind at the end of the day or in the middle of a sleepless night. Someone whooping from a nearby pub brought a few of the nights the entire gang partied in those same bars. Since Owen and Tosh, he didn't party much anymore, at least, not in the places where he swore Owen still flirted, and Tosh still twittered after a simple drink. The heartbreak was still too much.

An unexpected buzz from his wrist monitor startled him, bringing an end to his daydreaming. A quick punch of numbers entered the code to deliver the security feed to his wrist monitor only to see a quiet control room. He switched camera feeds until he saw the cell hallway. The weevils cowered at the back of their cells and as he turned the camera for a better view almost falling off the roof at the sight in the hallway. After three long years, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Jack ran for the lift whooping like the drunken club patron below.

The TARDIS was in the Hub.

He raced to the basement, running a list of greeting lines through his head as he went. The last time he saw this silly box was a few weeks after the Doctor regenerated. The Doctor obviously stopped for a refill of rift energy. He'd stepped out of the TARDIS with a cute young red-head, both looking impossibly young. Jack remembered how hard his heart pounded at the sight, and the crushing disappointment that followed when the Doctor walked out of view of the CCTV cameras.

Now, here sat the TARDIS. Jack waited, his worry notching up a level when no one came out. Without realising, he held his breath. Not sure what to expect, he reached to open the door, only to have it swing in. A breathy nervous chuckle escaped as he stepped into the TARDIS to the sound of the cloister bells and the dim lights flashing mauve. The ship was so entirely different, all shiny and futuristic. The metal grating and ramps were gone, replaced by a glass floor and staircases with proper railing. Silly do-dads still dominated the console. The bicycle pump was gone, replaced by new dials and an ancient Royal typewriter. Red and yellow pumps turned out to be mustard and ketchup.

"Doc!" Jack called, but only the sounds of the ship answered.

When he didn't get an answer, Jack headed down a set of stairs leading to a storage area. For once, the ship came up with a place to put cables, tools and blankets without having to pull up metal grating. But other than neatly kept storage, he found nothing. Jack came back up to the console as the Cloister Bells gave voice to her moans.

"What happened, old girl? Where is he?"

Images of hands grabbing this new Doctor flooded Jack's mind. Before he could ask the next question, the Doctor's holographic message popped on. The image of the slender young man in the hologram still left Jack gob-smacked. His angular face and chin rivalled Nine's ears. A dishevelled mop of brown hair nearly as gravity defying as Jack's Doctor hung across green eyes that still held a glint of gold , but looked tired and pensive. Most of all, he still made Jack's heart race. What surprised him most was the intended recipient.

"Halloo Ponds, sorry about not answering back. Been a bit busy lately. I am following a lead on Kovarian and Melody. Amy, I will get her back. So, before you ask, yes I'm still hot on the trail - so to speak. That brings me to the point of this message. I managed to find Kovarian on a little planet in the Raemer belt. I literally was at the door when they took off. I have picked up a lead on a woman travelling with a human child. The woman is too old to be the baby's mum and the general description matches Kovarian. The lead is a bit dodgy. Problem is it came with a rumour that someone wants to steal the TARDIS. So, Rory you are always fussing I should be cautious. This is me being cautious. I've programmed the TARDIS to leave Regulus IV 72 hours and 1 minute past my failure to return, to come get you. I have cut my link to her, so no one can track her through me. She can still feel me, but I can't feel her or tell anyone where she is. That way she is safe. If you're seeing this, I'm in trouble. I wouldn't ask but... Anyway, chances are good you will never see this message, and I will be home with Melody. See you soon!" he finished brightly.

"Damn Doc, what did you do, and who the hell are the Ponds? Old girl, why are you here?"

The TARDIS communicated by pictures and impressions. Images of exploding timelines flooded through Jack. She showed him pictures of a young couple wrapped in a protective cocoon. He assumed they must be the Ponds. She made it clear: she needed her strongest child to get Thief back. Thief was wrong to go for the Ponds. Whoever this Melody person was, going after her had put the Doc in deep trouble. The TARDIS showed Jack a picture of the Ponds crying and the Doctor receiving a beating. S he needed his help for all of them.

"Give me a little while to get Martha here. I need to make sure we can treat him if he's hurt, okay?" Jack felt the TARDIS nudge him. A blast of warm air enveloped him in a hug.

Jack grabbed his mobile and dialled Martha. Disappointed that it went to voice mail, he left a short message: "Get to the Hub and prepare for an injured friend." A second message went to Ianto. "Be back soon, had to do something." Minutes later with his Webley strapped to his side, Jack re-entered the TARDIS.

An hour after he left, Martha walked in to find, an empty Hub and sticky notes taped to her computer screen in the autopsy room and on the medical supply cabinet. He's in trouble be ready.

o0o

River lay half-asleep on her bunk in Stormcage, a contented smile on her face. Her updated diary still lay open on her chest. Less than an hour had passed since she returned from an epic date. Dinner and then a night at the Paris Opera Ballet ( her choice ) followed by a weekend at Disneyland Paris in 2032 ( his choice ) . They'd spent the entire time playing, snogging and, her smile broadened at the thought, of doing other things. The weekend of activities left her wonderfully exhausted. At 1103, he could still be such a child. The best part: there were no monsters or unjust battles involved. Despite the weirdness of their relationship, and her reason for being in this prison, she was utterly content with her life.

She'd spent three days revelling in the very feel of his body, and the way the pupils of his beautiful green eyes dilated when he made love to her. Keeping the memory alive of those special moments when he looked at her with all the love in the universe made up for all the times their timestreams crossed in the wrong order. Now half asleep, listening to Stevie Wonder sing 'Come Back to Me, ' she fantasized about the feel of his fingers on her skin as he traced her name in Gallifreyan and then explored the folds of her body. The thought sent a shiver of delight her through her.

Her smile relaxed as she slipped into sleep only to jerk back awake minutes later to the sounds of his blue box over-riding Stevie's voice. That was quick, she thought. The late night visit didn't bother her a bit. Snogging was an excellent way to end the evening. The TARDIS always made sure the cameras saw what they were supposed to see. This time, though, she would lie very still, letting him make the first move. His footsteps echoed as he crossed the few feet from the ship, but he said nothing.

When he didn't speak, she couldn't resist crooning huskily, " Hello Sweetie, miss me already ?"

"I don't know, good-looking; tell me who you are," Jack crossed his arms, "and why the TARDIS brought me here. Then, maybe, I'll let you know."

River nearly fell off the bed at the sound of the stranger's voice as she scrambled to her feet.

"What the hell? Who the hell are you." River stuttered. "What are you doing here? Where's the Doctor?"

"Captain Jack Harkness. Now, before I get back inside, who the hell are you ?"

"I'm River Song. Now, answer my question, what are you doing with the TARDIS !"

"The Doctor's in trouble. The TARDIS came to get me. I thought she was taking me to some planet called Regulus IV, but instead, I've wound up in a prison - not my favourite place I might add. Do you want out or not ?"

River stared open-mouthed at Harkness, then whirled to grab her manipulator. Thirty seconds later, the ship entered the vortex with both her passengers, leaving the prison klaxons blaring.

"I've heard of you, the Doctor told me about you. Why would the TARDIS come for you?" she asked as they raced up the gangplank to the console.

"I had the same question about you because I'm guessing your are not from my Doctor's time. I've never heard of you."

"What did he do?" River snarled.

Before they could continue, the hologram popped on stopping both mid-word. He looked so young ; this was made just weeks after Demons Run. This was at the beginning of their relationship. "What did you do?" She swallowed a sob at the sight of her husband looking so - tired. This was wrong. Her anger grew as she listened to the message. She'd made him promise never do anything to change her time. How could she not know about this? What was he doing on Regulus IV? Her jaws clenched tight, she ignored Harkness as she whirled around the console inputting the coordinates to her parents.

She thought, by now, they would have understood.

o0o

Amy Pond was properly angry. She loved her raggedy Doctor, she truly did. He was the brother she never had. Right now, though - she hated him. He'd not bothered to answer her calls for days, message after message having gone to voice mail. Her instincts told her something was wrong, but with her postpartum hormones still strong, her emotions were in turmoil. She wanted to kill him. What good did adding voice mail to the TARDIS do if he didn't answer the bloody messages ?

Amy wanted her baby. She wanted to show Melody off to her mum, dad, and Aunt Sharon. She wanted to lay her in the pram or even a pushchair and walk the neighbourhood, bragging to the other mums that her daughter was prettier, smarter, and generally more brilliant than their daughters were. She wanted to unpack the room full of nursery furniture and lay her daughter in her new crib.

Instead, she had an empty nursery, and empty, aching arms. This was so unfair.

The phone clutched in her hand felt as if it weighed a ton. She looked at the lounge wall contemplating how many pieces it would shatter into when it landed against its surface. Rory would kill her. This was the third mobile in as many weeks. Not to mention how mad he would be for the dent in the drywall.

" The insurance will only replace one, Amy," he fussed when he'd given her this one. "And, I really don't want to have Dad come back to fix another hole," he said after Brian left the last time. All of her friends understood her sadness nd tried to be understanding. Everyone knew someone who had miscarried a baby.

They could never know that Melody was stolen out of her arms or that the avatar baby dissolving in her arms left her demoralised and plagued with nightmares. Curling up on the couch, she began to cry again for what must have been the millionth time. Rory would be home soon. She had to pull herself together. She couldn't - wouldn't let him see her cry again. A strong-willed, fiery, young woman, Amy never had trouble pulling herself together, but since Demon's Run, she was a mess. The struggle to regain her confidence left her exhausted.

Drawing a deep breath, Amy forced the sadness away and prepared for her husband getting home from work. Her common sense finally kicked in, and Amy dropped the mobile on the table. She had a husband to feed. If nothing else, since coming home, she learnt how to cook a proper meal. The oven timer sounded as she headed into the kitchen. Rory walked through the front door just as she pulled a roast out of the oven.

"Something smells good." She heard him say.

"Rory!" Amy screamed as the wind kicked up in the back garden and the tell-tale sounds of engines filled the air.

"I know," he yelled as he reached her side. The grin on his face broadened as he grabbed her hand and they raced together for the back garden. Expecting to see their best friend, both were gob-smacked when; instead, River barreled toward them.

"Amy what did you do?" River yelled at her mother.

"What - - where's the Doctor?" Amy and Rory both stumbled back, stunned by River's fury.

"He'd do anything for you. What did you ask him to do ?" River grabbed Amy by the arm, on the verge of shaking her.

"River, what's wrong?" Rory asked, pulling Amy away from his irate daughter. "Who's that man?" He pointed to Jack stepping from the ship. "W here's the Doctor ?"

River looked back at the forgotten man, grabbed her parents and steered them back into the house.

Rory closed the french doors and turned to the angry woman confronting his wife. "Alright River, tell us what's wrong." He kept his voice calm in an effort to calm her down.

River closed her eyes and drew a breath. After several second of silence, she opened them to look at the faces of her parents. She forced herself to keep a controlled and even tone. " I need to know what you did. Mum? What did you convince him to do ?"

"River, where's the Doctor ?" Rory slipped his arm around Amy's waist, pulling her tight against him. Suddenly, his worst nightmare- their worst nightmare seemed to have come true.

"The TARDIS came to get me in Stormcage. He's in trouble. That man out there is Jack Harkness. She went to get him first. FIRST Mum! Not for us - for him. Her cloister bells are going off so loud I have a headache. That means he is in truly serious trouble. I need to know what you did."

"We - I asked him to find you - - to find my baby. I want my baby back. What is so wrong with that ? Kovarian stole you, and I want you back." Amy's voice was thick with her own frustration and rage. "What's wrong with wanting to be a proper mum?" She wanted to roar back at this woman who claimed that she was her daughter. It didn't make sense on Demons Run, and it didn't make sense now.

The two women glared at each other. Angry silence roared in their ears. River understood her mother's pain, and anger, but she told them after Demons Run, she didn't want a second of her life changed. Dropping her head, River stepped up to her mother, and blew a frustrated breath before she spoke. Amy was so young, how could she make her understand?

"How many times did you ask him, Mum? Was it ten, twenty, one hundred? You are the only person in this universe he would ever break his own rules for. If he could fix or change anything without going back on his own timeline, he would. I made him promise never to do it for me, but you - he would bend the universe for you. He has so much guilt over you and Dad as it is, and you used it against him. He went to a planet to follow a lead, and now he is in trouble because of what you did. He wasn't even supposed to go on this - quest."

"River, " Rory asked softly. " What did the message say, and why didn't the TARDIS come to get us ?"

"You need to see for yourself, and she didn't come to us because she's angry. She's scared, and she's angry. I can't imagine her pain at being cut off from him. Only death can separate a TARDIS and its pilot. You need to listen to the message and then we need to find him. "

"What about the bloke outside, pacing a hole in our garden ? Why did she go to him ?" Rory asked again.

"Jack Harkness is/was an old friend of his. They were close, but then stuff happened, and the Doctor doesn't talk about it much, at least not to me. I asked the TARDIS why she went after him, and was blasted with cold air and a pounding headache for the answer."

"Yeah, well he's headed this way." Rory opened the door to an irate man.

"Look, I don't know who you people are or what you are doing, but I'm leaving in two minutes." Jack barked, his anger bordering on rage. He turned back for the TARDIS, leaving the strangers to follow or not.

The three looked at each other and followed the stranger to the TARDIS. The Doctor's holographic message popped on the second they crossed the threshold. Amy let out a small cry at the sight of the alien. He straightened his bow tie trying to look cool; instead, he looked unwell and exhausted.

She reached for her husband's hand. "What did I do, Rory?"

"I'm guessing, you are the red-head I saw him with a couple of years ago, and since you're here, that makes you, and nose over there, the Ponds." Jack asked, trying not to let his anger override his self-control. "What's this about? What did he walk into?"

Amy's Scottish accent was thick with emotion. " Who are you ? He never talks about before."

"I'm his friend. He is my best friend, and for every second I waste trying to figure out what the hell is going on, I'm wasting time to find him."

"Actually, we're the Williams. I am Rory, and this is Amy. The Pond thing is a private joke. A few months ago, a woman named Madam Kovarian kidnapped our baby. The Doctor is trying to find her, and bring her home. Oh, one more thing mate," Rory snapped, " only the Doctor gets to call me 'the nose'. That's the short story."

"I did this," Amy whispered as she stared at the hologram in front of her. "I let him get all emotional, and now he's in trouble." She sucked in a lung full of air. " We need to close the house." She turned back out of the TARDIS to do just that.

Jack looked back at the image wavering in the air. " 900 years Doc. 900 plus, when will you learn you don't have to fix everything by yourself. And could you at least pick companions with fewer issues ?" Jack sighed as the hologram popped off. He felt every tear the TARDIS wanted to shed, but couldn't. He felt her rage at the danger her Thief was in. As the Ponds walked back in, a new message came on her computer screen.

"What the -" Rory started, "What is that?"

"It's Gallifreyan, like on the home box." Amy answered.

They all stared at the screen; none of them knew the TARDIS to leave messages on her screens. She would hum, croon; even send images to their heads. She would blow cold air or knock them off their feet when she was angry. They'd never seen her act like this.

With tears brimming in her eyes, River translated, " It says: Find my Thief. He hurts. They are hurting him. " River's voice cracked as she laid her hand on the message. She couldn't stop tears from sliding down her face.

"I will find him, old girl. I promise," Jack whispered to the ship. "Hey, have I ever let you down." He turned to this three weird strangers and spoke again. "We need to get to the Hub, and pick up supplies. He and an old companion developed meds for him. I will get him back and sure hope you are worth it!"

He tried to hide his fear only to receive a cold blast from the equally scared ship . The TARDIS shuddered as she slammed her doors and dematerialised.