Author's Note: I've been getting a lot of requests for information as to exactly what happened to the Doctor. And I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint. We'll be finding out what happened to him just as Jen, Jack, and Rose do. We might get a brief appearance or two by the Doctor, but for at least another couple of chapters we'll be focusing mostly on this Trio and their adventures in trying to reunite with the Doctor.

But, then, once he is located, there will be some more adventures involving him, and repercussions that will be involved with his reunions with both Rose and Jen.

Chapter Ten

Rose's hand hesitated as she reached for the lock on the door to the Tardis. She had dreamed about this moment for nearly two years, but never had she imagined that it would be like this. In her dreams and fantasies, she'd thrown open the door to find his grinning face waiting for her on the other side, and she'd thrown herself into his waiting arms. Briefly, their reunion after he'd fallen into a pit a galaxy and several years away flashed through her mind, and she sighed.

Slowly, she turned the key in the lock and pushed the door open. Part of her half-expected to see him calmly waiting for them, puttering around with the Tardis' controls and muttering to himself as he often did when he was wrapped up in his work. Holding her breath, she stepped into the ship.

It was a still, silent control room that greeted her. She didn't know why she expected otherwise. Jack wouldn't lie to her, and despite his debonair attitude, he did seem as genuinely concerned about the situation as she and Jen were. Still, finding the empty ship was a let-down.

And at the same time, strangely not. She paused on the entrance ramp about halfway up and gazed around the console room, her eyes sliding over every detail of the familiar room. A soft, slow smile began to tug at the corners of her lips, and she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, that comforting, familiar old smell that was simply the Tardis, mixed with a faint trace of the Doctor's cologne.

She was home.

"Hello, Tardis," a warm voice spoke up behind her. She turned around to glance at Jen, who was having her own homecoming experience with the ship. Jen gazed up, a grin on her lips, her arms folded over her chest. "It's been a very long time."

The ship responded with the familiar beeps and chirps that made Rose laugh. She strolled over to the familiar loveseat and flopped down on it comfortably. Amused, Jack pushed past Jen and sat down next to Rose.

Jen's smile faded into a scowl. "What do you mean, 'Who am I?'" she retorted to the ship, indignantly. "I know I've regenerated a time or two since we last saw one another, but inside I'm the same person! I used to play hide and seek here inside of you, and you helped me hide from my brother and my sister."

Rose looked momentarily startled, and her heart twisted as she glanced sharply at Jen. The Doctor hadn't had one child, but three. At least. The simple, casual statement was a stark, cold reminder of just how much he had lost.

Slowly, a smile spread over Jen's lips as she listened to the Tardis' response. "Yes, that's right," she replied. "It's me, Jen. It's been a long time, ol' girl. It's good to see you." The smile widened, then, and she laughed. Turning to Rose, she offered a warm smile. "Tardis says that she's very glad to see us both. She said that our Doctor hasn't quite been the same since you've left, and that she has missed you too."

"I've missed you too, Tardis!" Rose cried, delighted to receive such a warm greeting from the beloved ship.

Jen's smile faded, however, as the ship continued. "Yes, Jack told us that he's gone missing. What did you see?" Rose could swear that the ship sounded serious and somber as it continued. Perhaps, however, it was only the continued furrowing of Jen's brow that made her feel that way. "You're sure?" Jen finally asked. The Tardis chirped in affirmation, and Jen thoughtfully folded her arms over her chest and leaned back against the console. "Hmmm…" she murmured.

"What's wrong?" Jack asked.

"Tardis said that the Doctor left three days ago with the intent of getting some food supplies. When he stepped out he was distracted, and wasn't paying attention, and so someone rapped him on the head and dragged him off."

"So he's been kidnapped?" Rose asked, eyes widening with concern.

"It would appear that way," Jen replied, glumly.

"Who would want to kidnap the Doctor?" Jack interjected, dubiously. "And how did the Tardis know what happened?"

"Tardis is telepathic," Jen replied, "and she's specially synchronized with the Doctor. Even if he's not inside the ship, she can still detect his thought patterns and brainwaves. So she might not have actually seen what happened, but she was aware of it as it happened to him, largely from his point of view." Her brow furrowed. "Tardis is running into the same problem that I am, however: something is clouding his mind and making it nearly impossible to make a telepathic connection with him."

"What could cause that?" Rose asked.

"A number of things," Jack spoke up. "Drugs. A telepathic wave interference device…"

"Extreme pain or distress…" Jen added, softly.

All three of them fell silent, a dark gloom settling over the three of them.

"I'll ask it again:" Jack finally said. "Who would want to kidnap the Doctor?"

Jen laughed, a short, bitter sound. "Any number of people. He has many enemies, for starters." Darkness settled into her green eyes. "Many peoples and races were affected by the Time War and the aftermath. For all we know, it could be someone seeking revenge on the Last of the Time Lords in repayment for that." Brusquely, she pushed herself away from the console and shoved the sleeves of her shirt up. "Alright, then, no more moping about," she said sharply to both Jack and Rose. "We've got a lot of work to do if we're going to find him." Without waiting for either one of them to respond, she strode purposefully toward the door and stepped outside.

Jack watched her go. "She's certainly to the point," he observed, his eyes following her out the door.

Rose snorted. "You'll never get her into bed," she replied dryly.

He turned and glanced down at her, indignant amusement lighting his eyes. "I'll bet you ten bucks that I can," he replied.

"Jack Harkness, how dare you suggest that I would make a bet on something as beautiful and sacred as sex—" she began.

"Twenty."

"—A beautiful experience meant to be shared between two people who genuinely love each other—"

"Fifty."

"Done."

Outside, they found Jen carefully scrutinizing the outside of the Tardis and the area surrounding it. "Jack, you said that you were looking into the situation when we arrived. Did you find any kind of evidence at all?" she asked, intently.

"There was a little bit of blood right here," he said, squatting down and running his fingers over the concrete. Jen squatted down next to him and listened. "It was just a little puddle and a trail. Trail stopped after about two feet, so it really didn't give me much to go off of. It rained yesterday, so it's pretty much washed away."

"Right," Jen replied, her eyes already darting around thoughtfully. After several moments, they came to rest on two rather elaborately-dressed women across the street. Inspiration suddenly fell over her features, and she pushed herself to her feet and began to walk in their direction. "Prostitutes…" she murmured.

"What about them?" Rose asked, taking off after Jen, though it was a struggle to keep up.

The sound of her voice seemed to pull Jen out of her thoughts, and she gazed at Rose for a moment as if she had only just remembered that both she and Jack were there. "Prostitutes are usually very territorial," she replied. "Most of them have a set area in which they work, and don't really allow newcomers into their territory. There's a good chance that those ladies over there might have been working that night, and may have seen something."

"Why didn't I think of that?" Jack asked, falling into step behind the two women.

Rose couldn't suppress a chuckle. "I'm shocked that you didn't," she shot back, and was rewarded by a sharp poke in either rib, which elicited a brief squeak from her lips.

"Excuse me," Jen spoke up, addressing the women as she approached them. "I need to speak with you."

The two women glanced at each other with raised eyebrows. "Sorry, sweetheart," the first one replied. She was the taller of the two, with rich dark hair and luscious ruby lips. "We're not into multiples, no matter what the price is."

"Flattering as that assumption might be," Jen replied, dryly, "I wanted to speak with you on something of more of a personal matter." She pointed over in the direction of the Tardis across the street. "A few days ago a man exited that box and was kidnapped. Would either of you happen to have seen anything?"

"Men and women both are kidnapped outta this city every day," the second woman replied. She was petite, delicate, and blonde. "Ain't nothin' new."

"This man was very well-dressed, with thick, dark hair. Very charming. Probably wearing a long coat, trainers. Possibly thick glasses," Rose spoke up, earnestly. "He disappeared about three days ago."

The pair looked at each other blankly, and then shook their heads at Jen, Jack, and Rose. "Sorry, sweetheart. Doesn't ring a bell."

The trio glanced at one another with defeat, and then sighed heavily. "Thanks anyway," Jack said, slipping an arm around Jen's and Rose's shoulders to lead them away.

"Wait!" the blonde suddenly spoke up, as if something had just occurred to her. "You might check with Mary."

"Mary?" Rose asked, whirling back around.

"Yeah," tall and brunette answered. "She works this corner in our off hours. You might have trouble getting anything out of her, though."

"And why is that?" Jen asked, curiously.

"She's young, and new at this. Grew up in a right proper home, so all of this," the brunette said, sweeping a hand around at Rasarnia in general, "is a bit foreign and… much for her. Fell into hard times, so she picked up this line of work in desperation. But she's pretty quiet and doesn't talk much. Even if she saw something, she might not say. Try back in about three hours, and she should be here. Can't miss her. Really young, redheaded, and you can smell the fear on her a mile away."

Glances were exchanged between the three time travelers. "Thank you so much for your help," Jen replied, sincerely.

"No problem," the blonde replied. Her large, blue eyes traveled up Jack's body. "You interested in thanking me right proper, sweetheart?" she cooed.

"Tempting as that is," Jack replied with a crooked grin, "you couldn't handle me." And with that, he turned to walk away with Jen and Rose.

"So a reluctant young prostitute may be the key to unraveling this little mystery," Jen replied, thoughtfully.

"We should just send one of us in to start," Rose said. "It might be a bit easier for her to open up if there's not so many of us on her at once."

"Yes," Jen agreed, "and we'll need someone with a nice, soft touch."

Slowly, wicked grins on their faces, both women stopped in their tracks and turned to gaze up at Jack.

"Now why is it that the first time we have a prostitute to interrogate, I'm the one that gets elected?" he complained.

"Because, Jack," Rose replied, sweetly. "You're the most charming of the three of us."

"Certainly the most charismatic," Jen agreed, smiling up at him. "And definitely have the best way with the ladies."

"Alright, alright," Jack waved them off. Grinning he straightened his tie. "Difficult as it'll be, I'll take one for the team."