When Mori got a whiff of city breezes she let out a whoop and kicked up her heals. "WOO! Fresh air!" She giggled, turning around and around with her arms outstretched. She'd just walked into the mall, and her eyes had lit up with excitement.
The mall was crowded, shoppers hurrying this way and that, "Wow, my first trip outside the US." Mori sighed in relief. And suddenly she felt shy, stopping at the entrance.
"Its just the mall." Martha chuckled. "You're sure happy."
"Dunno why... its like... everything's NEW again. I mean..." Mori tried to describe what it seemed like to her.
"SO." Toshiko said in the nosey tone only a gossiping woman can. "What's it like?"
"Like what?"
"I mean, from a human point of view, what's it like being a timelord?" Toshiko asked curiously.
"Hmmm... well for starters, if you tried to grab onto the mind, its like grabbing a high tension powerline. It used to take me AGES to translate one paragraph in Latin. I can probably pick up the Aeneid and read it like it was my first language. Then there's the senses. Ever have glasses? I'll probably get used to it, but right now my eyesight seems like... the sharp, crisp look you get when you put on a new pair of glasses. And... the rest I really can't describe. You have to /walk/ in the shoes really." Mori took a deep breath, "Speaking of shoes, so where do we start, J Crew or Hollister?"
Martha started to laugh. "J Crew and Hollister are only in America." Gwen rolled her eyes. "Come on." She lead the way through the mall.
"Really? No American Eagle or Pacific Sun?" Mori sounded disappointed. "Darn." The eyed the older woman. "What's wrong, don't like malls?"
"American Eagle? Really?" Martha teased. "This is Wales Mori. What would they need with American Eagle?"
"What can I say? I'm a Mall american mutt." Mori quipped. "Mall American. I like that! Cynical and clever!"
"Oh no I love them." Gwen said sarcastically. "A maze filled with rats squabbling over cheese, what could be more fun? Come on, I'll show you what stores we DO have." Gwen shook her head. "I don't do malls unless its Christmas. They're too crowded and annoying."
Mori kept up easily, and had a grin on her face akin to a kid in a candy store. "Here, this one." She beckoned the other girls over to a store window. "I LOVE that dress." She pointed. "Sapphire blue, kinda cute, and I love the color, what do you think?"
"you sure you wanna show up in a blue dress?" Martha teased. "The old song..."
"Devil with a blue dress on." Mori rolled her eyes. "I forgot about that. Hmmm..." She caught sight of a familiar grey, black and red storefront. "Hot topic!" She squealed. "I can even get hairdye. Come on!"
"Something tells me we're going to have to put a leash on her." Gwen muttered to Toshiko as they followed Mori. "Easy there. Besides Mori, you do martial arts, what's going to happen if you try to kick a badguy wearing a /dress./"
Mori blushed. "Oh right, fine." She started going through the racks of clothes. "I could find my way through this store blindfolded." She dug through the rack of tops. "I'll probably need just a couple of pairs of jeans, probably get one pair of cargoes. I can dance in them but they're rather easy to get things tangled up in." Mori found a sapphire blue corset vest, the kind that ties in back, "But I'll probably need a week's worth of shirts. Aaaah, fishnets are such a wonderful thing. Great for getting past school dresscodes."
"You like getting past school dresscodes?" Toshiko handled the shirts like a kid handling something that had cooties. "You don't strike me as a troublemaker."
"Honey, I don't just dress to kill, I dress to shock and scandalize." Mori told her. "Damon actually makes pretty good clothes. He'll probably have been making some accessory or something for Christmas the year I disappeared." A couple of tubetops were added to the pile. She stopped by the band t-shirts and blinked. "Oh I want this one." She tugged a Gorillaz shirt with the band insignia on it from the top of the pile "hmmm... yeah but I don't think I'll wear it." She stopped by the men's clothing. "Oh this looks like something Jack would wear." She indicated a tight looking black snap up yoke shirt. "I want it too... aaah, do I look okay in a man's shirt?"
"That one yeah. Might want more effeminate clothing though." Martha stopped by the clearance rack. "I want this one." It was a black corsette top, sleeveless, with dragon shaped studs along the collar. "What do you think?" She held it up. The former companion was trying her best to be the big sister of the group. Mori had her brother, but there really was nothing like having and older sibling of the same gender. Besides, she kind of liked Mori.
"I love it! You'd look cute! Get it!" Mori squealed. Gwen's face was twitching. Toshiko was giggling, "Whaaat! She'll look CUTE in it!"
"Don't go crazy you two." Gwen rolled her eyes but was interrupted by Toshiko. The girl grinned and pushed her towards the lingeure. "You should get something to wear for Rhys, youuuuu know... My old friend Naomi works here. She'll be able to point to something a married woman SHOULD be wearing for her husband."
"Oh no you don't!" Gwen shook her head. "I don't do goth. It doesn't work on me."
"Here Martha, I LOVE these, but they're like... sixty bucks US a pair!" She held up a pair of royal blue tripp cargo pants. "I LOVE this brand. But see how everything kinda... jingles when you walk? It would get caught on things." Mori picked out some relatively normal pairs of jeans, two plain black and a pretty good fit on Mori, the younger timelord was skinny as a rake. A pair of tiger patterened blue and black jeans was tossed on the pile for the heck of it.
"How about these? Same colors, but the straps hug the waist. No snags." Martha suggested. "Some cultures wouldn't get some of the designs here, or like them. And if you're going back in time to someplace on Earth, the locals will be scandalized enough seeing a woman in pants."
"Ooooooooh!" Mori squealed, snatching them. "Yeah, those. One skirt. Just one skirt. Then we just need shoes and I'm done."
"you'll be awefully cold without a jacket." Martha reminded her.
"Trust me when I say Damon's got that covered." Mori picked through the skirts and took about thirty seconds to find one that fit. "Heeeere we go! Simple and plain." She held it up.
"And you're so fortunate that Jack is paying for all of this." Gwen scolded. "These..." She told the cashier.
The woman at the cashier grinned, then spotted Toshiko. "TOSH! Darling! I've missed you lately! Have you been busy at Torchwood? I'm so jealous, you get to run special opps and I'm selling clothes for tuition." She pouted. "you never come around anymore." Then she spotted Gwen and beamed. "Oh, you're that cute second in command at Torchwood aren't you?" The cashier smirked. "Think you could get me Jack's autograph? I hear he's a hottie."
Gwen rolled her eyes, and Toshiko giggled. "You don't know the half of it. But no Naomi, we're just here to get Mori some spare clothes."
"New recruit?" Naomi asked hopefully. "I'm Naomi, Tosh is a friend of mine." She said cheerfully. "My own personal tech support."
"Oh... not me. My older brother joined recently though." Mori blushed. "They're just trying to make me feel at home. Is... is Torchwood that public? I'm from America, I wouldn't know."
"Oh yeah, well sort of. We don't really know all of what you guys get up to in there. But everybody knows that when somebody holds up a badge and calls 'torchwood' you run for cover, no questions asked, cause weird stuff always follows in their wake. They're the city's pride and joy them. Aaaah, and my old classmate made it. I'm jealous Tosh, you get to have adventures." Naomi held up Gwen's purchase. "HEALS." Naomi commented. "Simple, buckle up high heals. Are you sure you don't want anything fancier?" Naomi asked, pouting in disappointment. "You'd wear those pretty well." She pointed to a hideous pair of 24 hour red high heals with black bows and skulls on them.
Gwen looked like she was going to blow a gasket. "she doesn't do goth." Toshiko and Martha chorused. "And I'm just getting the one top." Martha blushed. "I normally don't dress goth, /she's/ the gothette." Martha indicated Mori. "But I saw that shirt and I couldn't resist."
"You'll look gorgeous in it, it really flatters your chest, I'm a design student, trust me. I know fashion. Well, girls, happy shopping. And Mori, welcome to Cardiff. You be careful around torchwood, things just tend to happen to them." Naomi said with a wink. "Tosh, you promised you'd help with my computer when you got off work today!" Naomi reminded them as they left.
"I'll remember! and thanks!"
It took all of 2 hours to get Mori's clothes, much less time than Martha thought it would be. After all, one knows how teenage girls get at the mall. A simple duffelbag and backpack took care of luggage, and Mori appearantly just wanted 2 pairs of nikes, since last year's hightops were on sale 2 for the price of one. The rest of the afternoon Gwen and Toshiko gave the visitors the 50 cent tour of the city. "You know..." Gwen said with a sigh as Toshiko took her turn at the wheel. "Its not often we get a day off to ourselves like this."
The Hub was deserted when they got back. "Wow, where did everybody GO?" Mori asked. There was a note taped to Toshiko's computer. "Girls, Damon wanted to get a gift for Mori. We'll be back by dinner. Jack."
"That's a sign for trouble if I ever heard one." Gwen shook her head. "Knowin him he's probably going to come back at midnight, drunk as a sailor with Ianto tellin him to lay off the sauce and come to bed."
Mori stretched. "Well while you're waiting, I'm going to try some of these on!" Mori darted towards the bathroom with the shopping bag in hand.
"Should we worry?" Gwen asked.
"Oh yeah, probably." Martha agreed. "Since I haven't met that many Timelords I don't know if the energy level is a natural thing or if we're just lucky."
"She's probably reacting to the change." Toshiko speculated.
The boys came back around dinner. "I /still/ think you shouldn't have stopped for a drink Jack." Owen shook his head. "That bar, if looks could kill you'd have been dead a hundred times tonight!"
"Then its a good thing they can't." Jack smirked, "oh my god... she's a new woman! Oooh, and that shirt isn't too bad." Mori was wearing the button up man's yoke shirt and the pair of strap pants Martha had picked out for her. "Not that bad."
The Doctor arched an eyebrow. "Should you be wearing so much black?"
"It was this or the fishnets. Don't worry, not all the stuff I got is black." Mori chuckled. "I like black, blue and red typically. Yellow just... doesn't do it for me. Occasionally I can be coaxed into green or purple."
"Good to know." Doctor said sarcastically. "I'm going to have to give you a lesson in dressing inconspicously."
"Typically." Damon rolled his eyes. "Mori wears black from the waist down, color from the waist up." He handed mori a gift box. "THIS is for you. I picked it out and decorated it, Doctor and Jack rigged something special into it."
Mori blinked, opening the box cautiously. "Oh my!" Mori pulled the denim coat out of the box. "NEAT!" She turned it around. "Seeeee?" She pointed to the back. "The family crest aaaaand beneath that."
"The Torchwood insignia." Jack told her. "There's a locator chip in the back under the collar. It won't work back when Torchwood was first created. Those ladies were mean. But turn of the century to the present it will tell our people you're friendly. I calibrated it to go off when your regeneration is triggered. Its like a distress beacon. The Tardis should pick it up too. Doctor can find you ANYWHERE with that homing chip intact, if you get lost or in trouble, he'll be able to help you."
Mori grinned. The dragon and phoenix were overlaid over the current Torchwood insignia, the one with the 't' made of hexagons. But a smaller insignia used on letters and documents was on the back where some brands of clothing would put the brand logo. Mori ran her fingers over it, feeling the chip. "Neat. So..."
"When your regeneration is triggered." Doctor explained. "It sends an automatic distress call to the Tardis saying where and when you are. If you're in the vicinity, it also sends a distress call to Jack here at Torchwood 3."
"And it lets us know that you're friendly." Damon added cheerfully. "The transmitter was Tosh's invention. Believe it or not most of the security used by the other Hubs is based on programs SHE wrote." Toshiko rolled her eyes, blushing a bit. "Well they ARE. And there are what... 23 hubs besides cardiff?"
Mori experimentally pulled the coat on. "WOW, i like it." She blinked. "Didn't know you guys were so prolific." She said with a cheerful grin. "You Torchwood folks are like fleas... one hitches a ride, you all do!"
"London has JUST rebuilt itself." Ianto reminded Jack. "So for awhile it was just 22. And I know several officers there who would have been offended at being called a 'flea'."
"Who's counting?" Owen rolled his eyes. "So Doctor, will you be staying long? You strike me as the shy sort, the seeerious kind." He teased. "You should stick around, might be good for you."
"Not particularly long no." The Doctor said cooly. "I never really stay in one place for long. As soon as Mori is able, we're leaving."
"Project Ark?" Mori asked, meaning the message from her mother's transmission. "I mean, if we're going to be hunting for data... we DO need a next move."
"That's the trouble. We didn't find anything in our database or any of the other HUBS, though there's a note that some data on the Timewar's aftermath and information about any timelords that were on Earth, the Doctor included was stored at Torchwood London. Unfortunately Torchwood London's databanks got TOTALED in the Battle at Canary Warf. Their science officers tried to upload their databanks to three other hubs, just in case something happened during transmission. They were killed before the upload could be completed." Jack shook his head. "Most of the information and equipment stored there was destroyed or damaged beyond repair."
Ianto cut in. "I was there. They're literally rebuilding everything from the ground up. And its not worth going back in time to see if they have it. It said the "aftermath" of the timewar. That could mean the project, or it could mean everything BUT what you're looking for. They tended to save everything, their tech officer was a real packrat. Not to efficient either, Toshiko would have been appalled."
"Your best bet is probably to go to Sarah Jane's place up in Easling. She collects information on Alien activity and then gives it to her computer Mister Smith. And the AI that became Mister Smith was around for thousands of years before she found him. So she's never been able to sort through the entire database, there might be information she's never looked at stored in there." Jack explained. "Hell, sometimes she sends me things I'VE never seen, and I'm the professional."
"So our next stop is Sarah Jane, and we plan our move from there?" Mori asked the Doctor.
"I think so, yes." Doctor told her. "I was never easy around Torchwood, its not Jack's fault, or his team. I've just had some bad experiences with them in the past. Old habits are hard to break."
"At least let us make sure you have dinner before you leave." Gwen frowned. "I'm not going to send you off hungry."
"Are you sure you're not just getting attached?" Jack teased.
"If you mean would I ever leave my post to go on a journey with him, no, I wouldn't. I have a home, and a family, and its my job to remain here and protect the place while YOU'RE out galavanting around with him." Gwen eyed her leader sidelong. "However, if you mean 'attached' as in professional respect and common courtesy? Then yes."
"Wow, Jack she's good." Mori said with a chuckle. "Can I borrow any of that attitude Gwen?"
"No."
"Gwen kept the Hub running while I was traveling with you and Martha. And any woman that's willing to bash me in the head? That's something special." Jack explained. "Every leader needs somebody to put him or her on a leash if they get into trouble, I'd trust her about as much as you would Martha."
"Speaking of which." Martha added. "I contacted my commanding officers at UNIT, I'm allowed to have another week off to myself. I'll go with you and Mori to meet Sarah Jane, go back to the Hub for a night, and then return to New York to finish salvage the morning after."
"Sounds like a plan." Mori grinned hugely. "And I get to spend another evening with my brother before I go off with you."
"Party in the Hub?" Owen asked hopefully.
That had only happened TWICE in the history of his team. Most of the time, even if there weren't any cases pending, there was enough routine maitenance or reports, enough things that had to be done that they were too tired or too busy to do any partying. Hell, they even had a cold case storage area for unsolved cases, just in case something from the past reappeared. And there were analysis to conduct on this or that artifact. At the end of the day, everybody was tired and wanted to go home or out for the night.
"Yep, are you kidding? There are no cases pending, Martha AND Doctor are visiting, and Damon has his little sister back. I'd say that's cause for a party!" Jack grinned. "And to think I was getting BORED before you guys showed up!" He caught it barely out of the corner of his eye, Damon's expression had him worried.
It was the look of somebody who had been through too much in too short an amount of time. He'd seen it on Owen's face when he was ressurected, on Toshiko's face after the incident with the soldier from World War 1.
"I'll be back in an hour with takeout and drinks and DONT get into any trouble." Gwen warned Jack, "Last time you planned anything festive it took a month to fix the damage."
"I'll behave! Honest." Jack laughed. "Damon, lets go get cleaned up. I think its best we stay out of the way of the women." Jack tugged the Botanist away. "Alright, what's up?"
Damon eyed Mori and the Doctor as he left. "Nothing..."
"You're worried that what happened to Mori could happen to you?"
"Yeah..."
"Not happy about it?" Jack asked.
"No, i'm not." Damon said cooly. "I happen to like my humanity, and I'd much rather stay here at the hub with you and Ianto then go with them." He looked the other in the eye and said simply. "If you breathe a word of this to Mori I'll strangle you, but frankly I'm SCARED. Everybody says the Timelords were so great, but they're DEAD." (1)
"Owen is working on a way to test for the Ark Trigger, can you save going angsty on me until its finished?" Jack asked Damon, trying to reassure him. He wasn't surprised at Damon's reaction, one of the things that struck Jack as unusual was the similarity in background. He'd lost Grey because he let go of his hand, Damon lost Mori, and blamed himself for not going out to try and rescue her. "That's why Mori and Doctor are going out. They're trying to find data."
"Whatever." Damon leaned back against the wall. "I just hope she comes back in one piece... Jack, when she comes back. Legally Mori is dead, do you think you could help her come up with a new identity?"
"If she'll have it." Jack chuckled. "She's a fierce one, you're lucky to have her. She said she wanted to earn her own way. Give her what she's worked for."
"That's Mori." Damon drooped. "Things are going to cool down again. I feel like giving Simply Stitches a visit, the Fates that run it are always friendly."
"You have... the weirdest contacts. A yarn shop run by the greek goddesses of life and death." Jack had met Haruka and her sisters Harmony and Hope. They were the three fates, the sisters who wove the fabric of mankind, and when it was time for somebody to die, they were the ones who cut the string binding that person to this world. Most of the time they were friendly, but Haruka took her duty seriously. Haruka had made it clear, she was willing to help Torchwood if they needed a little bit of friendly spiritual advice, but if it were time for any member of the Torchwood team to go, Jack included, she wouldn't hesitate to cut their life cord. Somehow Jack had felt like he was back in gradeschool, and they were always giving away the things they'd made while 'watching' mankind. "Have they slapped you on the wrist with a ruler yet?"
Damon laughed, then turned just in time to see Mori jump Doctor and tug him over to the computer to see if any of her favorite shows were on and what /had/ happened to Tachikoma after they got dismantled? She wanted to see! Then Owen broke out the beer ("Since I can't have any, get tanked."), and Martha scolded him not to harm his body, she didn't want to sew him up again. Gwen called home and promised Rhys she'd be home soon, work went well and she'd tell him all about it when she got home. Toshiko shook her head and watched as she fixed one of the broken monitors. Damon returned to the group just in time to scold Mori for trying to take one of the beers.
It was something like that that Mori wanted to remember. She was an alien, off to find more aliens, she was enjoying a yummy takeout dinner in the control room of an organization that hunted aliens. Her older brother had a boyfriend he liked, the atmosphere was warm and beautiful, and WOW, was that a pterodactyl they were keeping as a guard dog?
Too soon she was sleepy, Martha placed a hand on her shoulder and said quietly. "There's a spare room off the infirmary that you can sleep in."
"What about you?" Mori yawned.
"I'm going to sleep at Tosh's tonight. I'll be back in time to leave in the morning." Martha promised. "And something tells me Jack isn't done with Doctor yet."
"you were /planning/ that last night!"
"oh, a little nudge here and there. A couple of nights, no strings attached, to work off the stress. He's always saving the world after all, even a timetraveling doctor needs a little love!" Martha giggled.
"Alright, I think I'm going to fall over." Mori groaned. "And sleep for a week."
"I hope not, don't think Jack's bum can take a whole week." Martha snickered, pointing. Sure enough, Jack was tugging Doctor gently towards his room. "Ianto you're welcome to join us. This time Doctor, /i/ top."
"We'll see about that." Doctor rolled his eyes, then whispered "You can top me when you've turned 900. For now..."
"Your doctor, your night." Ianto quipped, sounding just a tad annoyed.
"Come on Ianto..." Damon purred, tugging on his arm. "Just because Jack is having some alone time doesn't mean we can't have fun." He was drunk, you could tell, his cheeks were rosy, his ears were pink, and he was leaning all over the other.
"You'll probably fall asleep by the time we get to my place, you're too drunk to snog anything." Ianto rolled his eyes.
Mori stumbled for the spare room, Martha making sure she got there alright. The former companion waited until she was sure that the young Timelord was asleep before leaving a wrapped package on the bedside. "Night Mori." And left.
There was no alarmclock, long ago Owen had done that deliberately when he set up the spare room. It was meant to be a place to rest, ergo, no alarmclock. It was 9 am when Damon rapped on the door. "Rise and shine little bird..."
"Five more minutes Damon..." Mori grumbled.
"Don't think so, you'll want some of Ianto's supercoffee before you go off on a journey with the Doctor..." Damon leaned in to whisper in his sister's ear. "A journey across time and space, sounds exciting neh?" Mori squeaked, toppling out of bed in a mess of blankets. Damon ran off to the control room, laughing.
Mori grasped the edge of the bedside, a wrapped brown package fell on her head. "OW!" Then she picked it up. "To Mori, from Martha." She opened the package. Inside was a large velvet red journal, a golden phoenix was pressed into the cover in glass. A red leather strap neatly closed the volume. A red ribbon marked the place, with a silver bird charm dangling from it. When Mori opened the cover, a letter slipped out.
Dear Mori,
The best stories are the ones you tell yourself, I thought you might want something to keep track of your trip in. Have a safe journey.
Martha
PS: When you return, I'll give you a doctors note for school that says you aren't an alien, so you get your wish.
Mori laughed, dressed, then slipped on her new coat... "oh yes, so stylish." The sneakers were squishy and squeaky, perfect. The jeans fit perfectly, with just the right amount of scratch to the denim. Mori slipped on one of the tanktops she'd bought, and then the jacket swirled just right when she put it on. The Journal was lovingly put into the flap of her backpack meant for textbooks. She brushed all the tangles out of her hair, then bolted for the door. "Hiiiiii!" She chimed, stopping at the door. "Good morning everyone, the sun is shining, the birds are singing. Give me coffee..." Mori bolted for the coffee pot.
"you don't need that doll, you're cheerful enough already." Owen quipped.
"And you're a deadman, you need cheer!" Mori chirped. "Martha thanks for the book!" Suddenly Mori had a garlic bagel between her teeth, a dougnut in her hand, and a mug of Ianto's best coffee in her hand. She straddled a chair and started eating.
Martha was already done with breakfast. "No problem. I'm only coming with you for a day or so." She winked. "Won't Sarah Jane be happy to see us!"
"So what's she like?"
"Hmm, late middle age, rust red hair with just a bit of grey. I only saw her once mind you, but she seemed like... you know the old stories of the village wisewoman?"
"Yeah." Mori sighed, gulping on her coffee.
"She's lucky. All the companions before Rose... are not... around anymore. Either too old or..." Doctor bit his lip, shaking his head. (1)
"I see." Mori glanced in the direction of the Tardis. "All of them?"
The Tardis had been resting in the control room the whole time. The Torchwood team had all walked past it every day, but while Jack was familiar with the old blue box, the other four had felt as if they were looking at something... forbidden. The Doctor was Jack's muse, mentor, and mystery.
While Ianto had been present at the battle of Canary Warf, that was the closest he'd gotten to the doctor. He'd heard rumors whispering through HUB 1, 'did you hear? we found a timelord!' 'the doctor! the doctor himself arrived!' 'What? Why would the doctor come here?' 'you missed him Ianto! the doctor went right through that door just a second ago! you should have come down here /early/ like usual! you could have said hello!'
To Gwen that blue box represented an enigma. What about the doctor was it, that people like Jack, or Martha or this Rose person she'd heard about from Jack, what about this doctor was so special? Jack had said earlier that the doctor had been out of sorts when he'd arrived at the Hub. But he held him in such high regard, why?
Toshiko wanted a peek inside, just a peek. Before she'd gone home the day prior, she'd walked over, just a quick look at the inside. But... she couldn't. She felt almost as if even touching the enigmatic little ship would be... violating something. Something hallowed, something sacred.
Owen wasn't sure what to make of either the ship or its occupant. Doctor hadn't wanted to leave a trace of himself behind, even a drop of blood or a hair. Well, he probably shouldn't have asked anyway. And besides, the timelords were once the mightiest alien species out there, the DNA of a timelord being left behind wasn't a good thing anyway. But still, the timelords were a mystery he would have wanted to crack. And besides, Doctor made Jack well. Maybe he'd find a way to make him well too.
Damon was still timid as far as the doctor was concerned. But Damon never really thought of himself as very brave. More than anything in the world, he was fearful of the transformation that Mori had undergone. Something was warring inside of him, something fighting with itself. Human curiousity warring with human fear.
It was probably the quietest morning Hub 3 had ever had. Mori knawed on her breakfast like a dog on a bone, listening to Jack and Martha gossiping about this or that bit of work. But five silent pairs of eyes stayed trained on her section of the room.
Mori got an amused look on her face, the five on one side, the doctor and companions on the other. Doctor seemed quite content to share breakfast and coffee with Jack and Martha. Then the Timelord glanced sidelong and saw five pairs of eyes fixed on him. "Oh COME ON people! You're staring at me like I got the plague or something! I don't /bite!/ I don't have /rabies!/ Why are you sitting all the way over there??" Doctor demanded. "Come on, pull up your chairs and sit. You know Jack thinks highly of you lot!" Doctor beckoned to Jack's team. "Get ova here, you guys face down danger and death every day but you treat me like I've got fleas. Honestly."
Mori started to laugh. Jack rolled his eyes. "Doctor, Mori and Martha are about to leave, come on and say goodbye. Jeez guys, he doesn't come by often."
Four of the five came over to get better aqcuainted, the warmed up to him quickly. Doctor even laughed when Ianto said how close he'd come to seeing him and Rose at Canary Warf. "Ah well, you got your chance." And then Toshiko started in with a million questions about the Tardis. The fact that the doctor's mind was tied into it was something she had a little trouble getting her head around. A /living/ ship, an actual /living/ ship! Owen apologized for when Doctor had first arrived and Gwen asked question after question, mainly about where Jack had come from, and what had Galifrey been like? She'd never been off earth, and when Mori had had enough couldn't she come?
But Damon stayed shy, and as bagel and pastrey flew off the bakery tray and the coffee maker emptied he got quieter and quieter. "Brother... what is it?" Mori asked quietly.
"What you're about to do Mori, I don't think I could ever have the courage to do it. My tie, my loyalty is to the earth under my feet and to Earth as it is now. Just remember, you're a lot stronger than I am."
"But Damon... I feel so horrible. I told you to drop dead and you nearly did. You survived and moved heaven and earth to try and find me again. That's strength in and of itself and you don't know it." Mori clung to her brother.
"all strength is relative Damon." Doctor told him. "Maybe someday you'll find yours, I wouldn't mind taking you with me if you want. Breakfast is over, its time for me and Mori and Martha to go."
"No. My place is here, with Jack, with Torchwood." Damon insisted. "I'll be waiting for you Mori. I promise."
"I'll hold you to that." Mori clung to Damon tightly, then gave her brother a kiss on the cheek. She reached up and whispered in his ear. "'Arma virumque cano, Musa, mihi causas memora'" I sing of arms and of a man oh muse, recall to me the reasons. (2)
Tears fell from Damon's eyes as he whispered back, a quote that he loved from the same book. "Sunt lacrimae rerum et mentem mortalia tangunt." These are the tears of things, and our mortality cuts to the heart. (3)
Martha and Jack and Doctor were saying goodbye again. "You'll be alright here? You won't get into trouble while I'm not around will you?"
"I'll try not to, we don't want to end up resetting things by accident." (4) He joked. "Doctor, remember to celebrate." He winked. "And don't be a stranger, remember Gwen wants to go on an adventure too. And you have to bring Mori back to Damon eventually. Tell Sarah Jane hello for me."
"Oh come on, don't get all teary now Mori." Doctor shook his head when he saw Mori's face. "Come on..." Martha followed Doctor inside, a huge grin on her face.
Mori scooped up her bag and went through, but then she paused, and poked her head back out. "Damon, I should have said it three years ago but... have a good day."
Damon wiped his eyes on his sleeve. "You too, Mori. Stay safe."
And then the Tardis door closed, and Jack sighed as the little blue police box faded out of sight. "You know Damon, she /is/ coming back. Just not the way you thought she would."
1. I saw school reunion. The impression I got was that except for Sarah Jane most of the old companions, if not all, ended up dead for one reason or another. Either that or they aged and died.
2. The opening lines of the Aenid - virgil.
3. Also from the Aenid.
4. Referring to the episode "Reset" in which Martha comes to visit Torchwood, and almost ends up staying because Owen dies.
