Hayley sat on the doctor's table. Owen was checking her pulse, well, her pulses. He noticed she was still looking around. Owen smirked to himself.
"Do you like it here?" He asked, referring to her looking around. She looked at him, a little embarrassed.
"Yes." She mumbled. She looked at Jack. He smiled at her. He was sitting next to her on the table.
"Have you gotten to see much of the city yet? Or did that weevil come up as you got here?" Owen asked, trying to start a conversation.
"No, I had just gotten to earth when I saw it." She chuckled. "what a nice greeting." She said sarcastically. Jack and Owen chuckled too. After a few minutes, Owen declared what she already knew...that she was ok. He just didn't want her doing stranious activity for a little while. Hayley agreed that she wouldn't fly until he "okay'd" it. There was a slight pause.
"Um," She said a little hesitantly,
"Where, are we?" Jack looked at her and smiled welcomingly. The last thing he wanted her to be was afraid of asking questions.
"Cardiff." He said.
"Right." She said. "2008" She mumbled to herself, thinking. Jack hopped off the table. Then he turned and helped Hayley down. It was a longer way to the ground for her than it was Jack.
"Speaking of Cardiff, do you want to go see it?" Jack asked looking down at her. He was excited to show her around. He loves the city. Jack looked at Owen as if silently questioning if he was going to come.
"I think I'm going to stay here, I got some work to catch up on." Owen answered.
"Alright. How 'bout you?" Jack asked. At first Hayley thought he was talking to the air, but then she saw Jack look up at Ianto who was leaning on the railing overlooking the medical room.
"Well, I'll come for a bit, but then I have something to do." Alright Jack said. Jack led Hayley up the stairs. They went to Jack's office. Jack went around to his desk and opened one of the drawers. He took out some money, then he grabbed his big navy blue jacket and put it on.
"ready to go?" He asked, straitening his jacket. Hayley nodded excitedly. Just then, Gwen came in.
"Hello. Where you off to?" she asked noticing Jack putting on his jacket.
"We're going out to get Hayley some new cloths and show her the city. Want to join us?" Jack answered.
"Sure, but only for a bit, Rhys made plans to go out to dinner tonight." Jack nodded. They walked out of the office. Jack had an idea.
"Hey, meet us at the front entrance, I want to take Hayley out that way." Jack said.
"alright." Ianto said. Gwen and Ianto then headed out the rolling door and out the back entrance to the hub. Hayley followed Jack. Jack climbed up onto a big platform, then he gestured for Hayley to join him. He held out his left hand and she took it. He helped her up onto the platform. And she stood next to him. They stood there for a few seconds. Hayley looked at him puzzled, but he winked at her reassuringly. Just then, the concrete platform they were standing on jolted slightly. Hayley jumped and grabbed Jack's hand. He laughed and the platform started rising into the air. Hayley beamed at Jack. Jack was pleased at her reaction. Standing on the platform, Jack and Hayley rose from the ground. The cement platform they were on replaced a gap in a sidewalk. Hayley looked around. They were standing on a side walk in front of a huge copper-looking building with glowing letters. Farther out, but kind of in front of her was a railing looking out what looked to be a big body of water. She felt the wind blow through her hair. She closed her eyes for a second and took a deep breath of new air in. She loved the feeling, especially after being indoors for a while. Well, to her it felt like a while. Jack stepped off the cement block. Hayley followed him. They walked a few steps, then they saw Gwen and Ianto coming towards them. They met up, and took off.
They got into the city and started walking. Hayley looked around, taking in everything. She had never taken a walk down a street like a normal person. They passed a big window display with faceless perfect women and men wearing the latest fashions in the newest colors for the season. Though to her, they looked like art, for she did not even know what fashion was. At her home, she would wear whatever she could make that was comfortable, and things she got from her home. You did not have to buy things.
"ah, look at this." Gwen said, spotting a store with children's cloths displayed in the window.
"Yeah, that looks good." Ianto said.
"Hayley?" Jack asked, wanting to know what she thought.
"ok!" She said enthusiastically. Gwen and Ianto went in. Hayley tugged on jack's sleeve. He looked down.
"um, you know, Ive never um, done this before." Jack laughed.
"Don't worry! We'll help you." Hayley smiled. Thy walked in. They spotted Ianto and Gwen already started picking out cloths that looked about her size and that would look cute on her.
"Hayley, do you know what size you are?" Ianto asked her. Hayley shook her head.
"Thats alright, I'm good at judging sizes." Ianto said eying her to check what size clothing he thought she was.
"Hayley, look at this." Gwen called to her. She was holding up a white top with some purple design on it. Hayley smiled.
"I like it." she said to Gwen. Gwen smiled.
"alright." Gwen said. She pulled a few more things she liked off the rack. Hayley looked around. Gwen was covering tops. She saw Ianto looking at jeans for her. Then she spotted Jack over by the dresses. Hayley went over to Jack. Jack saw her.
"You getting some stuff you like?" Hayley shrugged. He gave a little chuckle.
"go ahead and pick anything out you like!"
"anything?"
"yeah! Go ahead." she smiled and started looking at dresses with him. A while later, all their hands were buried in clothing. They took her to the dressing room.
"Ok, we'll be waiting out here. Show us once you have something on." Jack said. Ianto and Jack couldn't go into the girls dressing room. Gwen went in with Hayley and helped her in and out of clothing. The first time Hayley came out in a blue shirt and jeans.
"Oh, lets see!" Jack said. His arms folded, deciding if he liked it.
"turn around" Ianto said making a spinning motion with his finger. Hayley did a turn with her arms up. Gwen was standing by the door smiling.
"is this how its supposed to fit?" Hayley asked.
"lets see, come here." Jack said. He tested her pants and shirt.
"Yup, it fits perfectly!" he pronounced.
"do you like it?" he asked her. Hayley looked in the mirror, deciding. She then smiled.
"yes! Its different, but comfy!" she said. They laughed.
"good. Go try some more then." Jack said.
The first few times she came out, she was a little shy, but as the trying on went on, she decided to copy the models on the television in the dressing room. By the end of her trying on her clothing and modeling them for Jack, Gwen and Ianto, she had them practically rolling on the floor with stitches in their sides laughing. After a few more shops and a bunch of bags later, they decided to stop at a sweet shop and they all got ice cream. Hayley had never tried ice cream before.
"you haven't lived until you've had ice cream!" Ianto said. They bought her a double scooped ice cream cone. Jack loved her reaction. Her eyes were wide with joy and a big smile from ear to ear, figuratively of course. She loved it!
"its, its AMAZING!!" she said. Once Ianto and Gwen finished their ice cream, they had to leave.
"shall I take the bags back for you?" Ianto asked Jack. There were a lot of bags with Hayley's new wardrobe.
"yes, that would be great. Thanks Ianto." Jack said.
"see you later Hayley!" Gwen said, kissing Jack on the cheek goodbye. Not a real kiss of course. It was the kind friends give to each other when they haven't seen each other for a while-type of thing. Jack and Hayley hadn't finished their ice cream, but they left the store to go on a walk. They went to the pier. They stood there leaning on the railing and finishing off their ice cream. They took in the beautiful view, savoring the moment-and the flavor.
"thank you." Hayley said to him after a few moments of silence. Jack smiled at her.
"no problem." he said. Then he took her into a hug.
"hey Jack, um, can I ask you a question?" she asked, a little tentatively.
"sure, anything." he said.
"um, you, you're not from now, are you?" Jack was a little surprised. 'How could she have known that' he thought. But then he remembered the doctor was able to tell that too. And she was a time lord as well.
"no, I'm not." he said.
"how come you cant die?" she asked. "you're human.." she said.
"well, when I was with the doctor, there was an incident and I died. But somebody brought me back to life and Ive been stuck like that since then." His stomach fluttered a little with the thought of Rose Tyler.
"I cant die either." She said. She looked out at the lake and sighed.
"I don't want to die either of course. But it gets really lonely." She said. Jack looked at her. 'A child shouldn't have to go through that kind of loneliness.' he thought. He knew that kind of loneliness all too well. Then he had an idea.
"you know what." she looked at him.
"i know exactly what you mean. But you know, I will always be there for you. I will not leave you." Hayley looked into his eyes. She felt so much comfort in them that she had never known before. She smiled. Then she fell into his protecting arms.
"i will not leave you either." she whispered to him. He closed his eyes. Finally he found someone other than the doctor who was worth living all these years for, and wouldn't leave him.