A/N: Sorry it's been so long since I've updated; I've been busy. Enjoy. Please review.

"What?!"

The dark haired man releases him, grinning from ear to ear. "What, never heard of a bear hug?"

The Doctor rolls his eyes; of course that wasn't what he was speaking of. "You're supposed to be dead!" Captain Jack Harkness had traveled with him and Rose for some time, until they lost him on Satellite Five. He thought he'd never see the man again; obviously, he was wrong. "Wait, how'd you know it was me?"

Jack laughs. "That was easy; who else stands in the middle of the street aiming a sonic screwdriver at thin air?"

The Doctor looks away sheepishly for a moment, before remembering his question. "Are you gonna tell me how you survived the Daleks?"

"Ah, yeah, that. I don't know what happened. One minute I was being shot by a Dalek, the next I was waking up on the floor, a pile of dust where the Dalek had been." He grins. "Guess someone was on my side."

A look of realization crosses the Doctor's face, and he tries to hide it. Jack, however, notices it.

"What, do you know what happened? Tell me! I've been waiting centuries to find out what happened, if you know you'd better tell me now!"

The Doctor meets his gaze, stunned. "Centuries?"

Now it's Jack's turn to look sheepish. "Oh. Ah, yeah. Kinda forgot to mention that. I can't die, or age for that matter."

The Doctor's eyes widen with disbelief. "What do you mean, you can't die? Everyone dies, it's nature!"

"All I know is every time I'm killed, I wake up later to find my wounds healed. It can take minutes, hours, or even days. What I don't know is why."

The Doctor takes a deep breath, preparing himself. "Remember on Satellite Five, I sent Rose home? Well she didn't take it. You know Rose, she can't sit around when she knows we're in danger. She- she opened the heart of the Tardis, looked into it. She took in the time vortex to come back to me, and -"

Suddenly he's interrupted by Jack. "But- that would have killed her! Rose isn't-" Realization dawns, and his face falls with grief. "She's dead, isn't she? That's why she isn't with you."

"Jack, she's not dead. Now if you'll listen, I'll tell you what happened."

Jack is visibly flooded with relief. "Alright, I won't interrupt."

"So as I was saying. She used it to destroy the Daleks." His eyes shine with pride, remembering it like it was yesterday. "She waved her hand and killed their entire fleet as if they were nothing. But you're right, the power of the vortex is deadly to have in one's head, and it was killing her. I tried to get her to release the power before it was too late, but she was too overcome by it. And so I took it from her, and released it back to the Tardis. She must have managed to revive you before I took the vortex, and the energy of the vortex is still there, keeping you the same. For the most part. You will age, albeit slowly." He grins. "End of story."

"That's why you regenerated, isn't it?"

"Yes, but it was well worth it, to save her."

"Where is she now, then?"

"Oh, she took a break. Shopping with friends." He grins. "You know how Rose is with shopping." He sobers quickly. "You can't tell her, though. About the vortex, or why I regenerated. She doesn't remember it, and I'm keen to keep it that way."

"Doctor, she has a right to know."

"Leave it, Jack. I don't want her to feel guilty. If she knows what happened, she'll feel as if she killed me, and that is so far from the truth."

Jack reluctantly agrees. "So where's the Tardis then?"

"Ah… yeah, it's kinda… on a hostile alien ship… yeah, we can't get to it right now."

Jack rolls his eyes, heading westward. The Doctor follows.

"Where are we going?"

"Well we gotta have someplace to work from. Besides, I want you to meet my team. We'll need your help with these Sontarans." He looks at his watch, judging the time. "I'd say we have less than two hours before they release their poisonous gases; we'll have to work fast. Luckily we have a plan."

"What team?"

Jack grins, pride of his Torchwood team beaming from every pore in his body. "I work for Torchwood."

"What's Torchwood?"

Jack raises his eyebrows at his old friend. "You don't know what Torchwood is?" He laughs; of course he doesn't know about the organization that was started because of him. "Founded by Queen Victoria in the late 1800's, we seek to arm and protect the human race, specifically the British Empire, from alien threats. I head a team based in Cardiff, on top of the rift. We mostly deal with things that come through it."

"Torchwood… I've heard that before." The Doctor looks thoughtful. "Of course! Torchwood House, 1879. Rose and I traveled there and helped Queen Victoria get rid of a werewolf. She banned us from the British Empire though because she thought we were dangerous."

"Yeah, you might be careful. My team won't do anything to you, but if Torchwood London got a whiff of you, you'd be in trouble. They consider you dangerous."

"And you work for them?"

"Oh, don't look at me like that. My team is different from them, Doc. We only seek to protect the people, and if possible the aliens that come through here. That's all."

"I hope for your sake that's the truth, Jack."

A/N: Don't forget to review! I love to hear from you.