Chapter Six
Author's Note: Sorry for the mix up! I accidently posted a chapter from a different story, but tada here it is!
"Nothing like a good smoke bomb to clear out those pesky Therleans." a cheery voice called through the smoke. "It's their natural instinct to run for cover when smoke is around. Their predators use it to hunt down their colonies." A tall silhouette could be seen walking toward them, the blue of his jacket becoming clearer as the smoke faded away.
"Jack!" Rose squealed, recognizing him. She ran forward and jumped into his arms.
"Rose!" He swung her around, laughing. River lowered her blaster, checking to make sure the aliens had left. She kept her finger on the trigger, just in case. Their new arrival was a bit pretty, and looked far from helpful. The Doctor was grinning at the two, but when Jack failed to let go he cleared his throat. Jack set Rose down and smirked over her shoulder at him.
"Oh I know that look," Jack smiled down at Rose. "Hasn't changed much since his regeneration." He let go of Rose and stretched out his hand to the Doctor. "Good to see ya boss." He caught River staring incredulously at him and his eyebrows shot up. "Hello..." He walked past the Doctor and caught River's hand, giving her his signature grin. "Captain Jack Harkness." he winked. River was slightly taken aback, but enchanted with his frank and beguiling manner.
"Professor River Song." River winked back, giving him her own smirk. Rose looked at the Doctor, surprise and amusement on her face. He grinned back at her, his laughter just barely contained.
"Enchante Mlle." Jack turned to Donna. "and who is this flaming young lady?"
"Donna Noble." Donna blushed as he kissed her hand.
"I'm sorry you ladies have to put up with him." Jack gestured to the Doctor. The Doctor rolled his eyes.
"I'm sorry I put up with you." He retorted. Rose nudged him, giggling. Oh, she'd missed this.
"And where exactly did you pick him up?" River asked, less urgently than she intended. She attempted to look stern as she put her blaster away, but her natural instinct was to flirt right back.
"Where did we pick him up Rose? World War II wasn't it?" The Doctor asked. She nodded.
"I was hanging from a barrage balloon, in the middle of the German Blitz with a Union Flag across my chest, and he came to my rescue." she smiled at the memory. "How did you get off of Satellite 5?" she asked, her face becoming serious. The Doctor sent Jack a warning look, and Jack gave a subtle nod in response.
"That is a story for dinner and a nice bottle of champagne. You have some story to tell as well, trapped on a parallel universe for all this time! Bet he's glad to have you back." Jack waggled his eyebrows at the Doctor. The two looked at each other inadvertently, smiles creeping onto their faces. Rose patted Jack's arm.
"Big question is, how'd you know we were here?" Jack shrugged.
"Simple, our scanners are so overloaded with lifeforms we didn't know what to do. Ianto came up with the idea to try and separate them out, so we could focus on the more dangerous species. Course, when I saw a bivascular system, I knew it had to be you." he said. "Then I saw your stalkers and figured you might want some help."
"We could have handled it just fine." River stated, irritated that somehow she was always left out.
"Blasting them to smithereens is not the answer." Rose retorted, her voice low. "We weren't in any immediate danger, there was no call for a weapon."
"And where did you learn that? The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?" River snapped. Rose's eyes flashed, gold swirling through her eyes, nearly clouding them over.
"Field experience."
"Where was that, last week's recess?" Jack gawked at the two of them, surprised at the bitterness between the two. The Doctor's eyes had widened to saucers, and he looked hesitant to do anything.
"At least I had recess, tell me, did they have school in the 18th century?" Rose replied. Donna whistled loudly.
"Oi you two - stop it." They both glared at her. Donna ignored them and took a deep breath. "We are a team and as such, we work together. Until we can sit down and figure this out," she glared at the Doctor. "You will be civil to each other or I'll have into to both of ya." Jack grinned.
"I like you." he said. "Bet you keep him on his toes." he nodded to the Doctor. The Doctor scowled at him.
"You, headquarters, now." Jack saluted and let the Doctor lead the way. Jack fell into step beside Donna and gestured to the three ahead.
"How long has this been going on?" He whispered. Donna sighed.
"Just since this morning. River hadn't met Rose till this morning, she hasn't been back for very long."
"How long has she been back?" he asked.
"Just barely a week." Donna watched as the Doctor unconsciously reached for Rose's hand. Jack followed her gaze and grinned.
"Well I'm rooting for Rose." he chuckled. "not that there'll be much contest." Donna looked up at him surprised.
"You sound sure of yourself." He stuffed his hands in his pockets.
"I used to travel with them years ago, before he had this face. They were inseparable, and completely oblivious." he smirked.
"They still are." Donna laughed and pointed at Rose as she dragged the Doctor away from a street vendor.
"Back entrance Doc!" Jack veered off the street towards a small tourist center, waving for the group to follow him.
"Where are we going?" River asked testily, eyeing the small building unfavorably.
"Welcome to the Torchwood Hub!" Jack led them down the long hall and through a large door. Rose had tensed and looked up at the Doctor. He squeezed her hand.
"Jack rebuilt this Torchwood after Canary Wharf. It's different now." he said softly. She nodded, allowing a tired sigh to escape her. He tightened his grip on her hand.
"The rest of the team is out trying keep things under control." He gestured to a corner of the room. "There should be some tea and coffee in the pot though, Ianto makes sure to keep it fresh for when we come back."
Rose circled the large room in awe. It was several stories high, and littered with alien machinery. Computers were stationed all over the room along with different work stations.
"You just took over Torchwood?"
"This branch, yeah." he had stepped up to a platform. "I had to station myself where I could keep an eye out for the Doctor. Do you approve?" He looked down at her. She grinned.
"On top of the rift, that's brilliant." She joined him and touched a screen, bringing it to life. "Dang, you weren't kidding." She blew up a scan of nearby streets, multicolored dots overwhelming the screen. Donna stepped up to look and Rose pointed at the dots. "Each one represents another life form, different colors for various species and galaxies of origin." she paused. "At least the ones we know of."
"And do we have a solution for this?" River asked. She picked up several guns and began inspecting them.
"Violence won't be one of them." Rose commented darkly. River ignored her, setting her blaster on a target on the wall.
"I can see why the Doctor's so concerned for your safety." She shot the target, the shot ringing through the room. "It must be so hard to have a companion who can't defend herself."
"Those weapons are not to be used, in or outside of the hub. Put it down." Jack growled. River glared at him, flipping the gun through her fingers before laying it to rest on a desk.
"Jack, where's that tea you were talking about?" The Doctor asked giving him a look.
"Kitchen is through that door." Jack pointed and River spun on her heel, looking at Rose.
"Why doesn't the little housewife go get the pot?" she raised an eyebrow. "You really should leave this to the professionals anyway." Rose's jaw dropped, and the Doctor growled.
"River," he took off his jacket. Rose stepped back down, clenching her teeth together.
"No, we'll take care of this. Get busy." she laid a hand on his arm, and gestured River.
"We need to work this out on our own."
"Be careful." he whispered. She nodded, squaring her shoulders and following River through the door.