Sorry for the long delay. Thanksgiving weekend came around as working a whole lot - now I just want time to do my Christmas shopping! ARGH! But here is the next part and I hope you really really like it.

And as always, please review. Reviews really do motivate me to continue writing. And I am always receptive to constructive criticism. So, please tell me what you think.

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Chapter 11

It was a mix of instinct and medical training that caused Martha to move first while Jack looked on. She slowly walked up to the bodies and crouched down to take a better look. A moment later, she covered her mouth and quickly moved away, sickened by what she had seen, gaining a look of concern for her from Jack. He touched her shoulder reassuringly before finally going to the bodies to look for himself. If he hadn't already seen so much brutality in his one hundred seventy plus years of life, he too would have been hard pressed to remain at their sides. In fact, he admired Martha for her strength to even remain in the room.

The victims both were mutilated after being shot, the male in the chest and the woman in the back. The murderer had done a very good job in covering up the cause of death with the mutilation, though. A 21st century forensic pathologist wouldn't have been able to find the reason, other than mutilation. Jack, however, was from the 51st century. He knew a laser blast pattern when he saw it, even with the condition of the bodies. Not only were the chests of the victims practically obliterated but it also appeared that it had happened sometime the previous day.

"They've been here for about sixteen hours or so. Can't give an exact timeframe without Owen doing an autopsy," he told her, referring to Dr. Owen Harper, a member of his Torchwood team. "But rigor mortis has set in and the blood on the carpet is completely dry despite the loss of it from the body." He looked over at Martha, who still had her back to the bodies. "You okay?" he asked her with concern.

Martha nodded slightly, swallowing tightly. "Yeah. Just… for a minute, I thought…" She turned back towards Jack, showing the rest of her thoughts on her face. "I mean… he can regenerate but… if he was on his last regeneration…"

Jack gave her an understanding half-smile, his eyes still reflecting the seriousness of the situation. "Yeah, me too. But it's not him. It's not Dr. Holloway either. They're both human and I'd guess in their late sixties, early seventies. Dr. Holloway is in her late thirties."

Martha returned to the bodies to examine them with him, now that she was recovered from the shock of the brutality. She pointed out the victim's hands. "Matching wedding rings. Married?" she supposed.

She watched as Jack quickly, but respectfully, searched the pockets of the male. Finding a wallet, he opened it and looked at the driver's license.

"Erik Holloway. Well, based on the last name, I'm guessing that they were Dr. Holloway's parents," Jack told her before returning the wallet where he had found it. "Probably in the wrong place at the wrong time." As the two of them stood up, he shrugged his World War II era overcoat from his shoulders and covered the bodies with it. He looked upon them for a long moment, paying his respects in silence, before raising his head. "Take a look around here and see if you can find anything. I'm going to take a look at the rest of the house."

Martha frowned slightly at his words. "And what am I looking for?"

"Anything to indicate what Roni was looking for," he informed her. He briefly glanced at their surroundings, which showed obvious indications of being ransacked. "She made one hell of a mess in here so she was obviously looking for something and got pretty frustrated about not finding it, whatever it was."

"How do you know she didn't find whatever it was that she was looking for?" Martha questioned, clearly confused as to Jack's train of thought.

"She hasn't gloated yet," Jack replied. Seeing the raised eyebrow on Martha's face, he shook his head. "Trust me. Whatever it is, she hasn't found it. Besides, I have a feeling I know what she was looking for."

"And that is?"

Jack didn't answer the question, starting for the back of the house. "Take a look around. See what you can find," he called back to her.

Martha rolled her eyes slightly. "You're worse than the Doctor," she muttered under her breath as she started to do as she was instructed. But even as she looked around, she couldn't see anything of any kind of relevance. What she did learn was that Dr. Grace Holloway had very distinctive tastes. What few possessions she had which Veronica Ramses hadn't broken were of fine quality and showed Grace preferred simplicity in designs. What was more, Martha got the impression that, although she enjoyed the finer things in life, Dr. Holloway wasn't in the least bit snobbish. Martha found herself looking out the window, thinking about what kind of woman Grace Holloway was. She had a feeling that she would like her a lot.

While in her search, she spotted a purse sitting on the coffee table. Taking a look in it, she discovered a small wallet and opened it, saddened by what she'd found. "Janet Holloway," she read off of the driver's license present. Glancing towards the dead woman laying several feet away, she couldn't help the deep sadness that filled her. "I'm sorry, Janet," she whispered to the woman before replacing the wallet and continuing with her task. A moment later, she noted Jack's return to the living room.

"Wife's name was Janet Holloway," she told him softly. "Just to let you know."

Jack nodded at her words but didn't reply, immediately telling her what he had discovered. "I was right. Found the TARDIS sitting in the guesthouse out back, locked up nice and tight. Roni was obviously trying to find a key to get in. She probably thought the Doctor was hiding out in it."

"Well, he isn't," Martha announced, her eyes returning to the window. "Take a look outside."

Jack walked to the window and followed Martha's gaze to see the Doctor stepping out of a red convertible sports car, laughing at something his driver, a woman who appeared to be in her early forties, had said. The two went to the trunk of the car and the woman opened it up, allowing the Doctor to reach in and pull out a couple of suitcases.

"We'd better intercept them before they come in," Jack told Martha as he walked towards the door. "I'd rather we told Dr. Holloway about her parents before she sees them for herself."

Martha didn't say anything to Jack's words, instead following him out of the house.

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Dr. Grace Smith drove down the street, a smile on her face as she listened to her husband rattle on about something she didn't really understand. She didn't mind though. The Doctor was clearly having a good time in his one-way conversation and she wasn't going to spoil his happiness by telling him that she was completely in the dark as to what he was saying. When she saw the car parked in her driveway, however, she interrupted him with a slight frown.

"That's Dad's car," she told him. "What's he doing here?"

"You didn't call him to tell him about our elopement," the Doctor stated with a bit of questioning in his voice. Gaining a shake of the head from his wife, he gave a wry grin. "I wonder how he's going to react to the news."

"He'll probably ground me for a month," she commented jokingly, gaining a laugh from him as she parked and the two of them stepped out of the car. The two went to the trunk and, after Grace opened it, proceeded to take their two pieces of luggage from its small but functional space.

Turning her head to say something to the Doctor, Grace noticed how he seemed concerned, his face somber as he stared straight ahead.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"We have a visitor," the Doctor told her quietly. "Someone I haven't seen in a long while." Seeing the raised eyebrows Grace gave him, he clarified, "He's not your father either." He paused, thinking about the implications of what he felt. "I have a bad feeling, Grace."

A shiver ran down Grace's spine at the Doctor's words. If he had a bad feeling then there definitely was trouble brewing and she was sure that she wouldn't like it in the least. "The Master?" she whispered, fearful that the answer to her question just might be 'yes'. Seeing the Doctor shake his head, she questioned, "Who?"

Before the Doctor could answer, the door to the house opened and two people very familiar to the Doctor but completely unfamiliar to Grace stepped out and headed towards them.

"Felt you from out here, Harkness," the Doctor told his immortal friend, shaking his hand.

"Doctor," Jack greeted. Before he could say more, the Doctor turned his attention to the black woman.

"Martha," he greeted with a smile, opening his arms for a hug.

Martha instantly moved into the hug, squeezing the Doctor tightly before stepping back and slapping him hard on his left cheek.

"Ow!" he exclaimed in shock, rubbing his face. "What was that for?"

"We've been trying to find you for the past two months!" Martha yelled at him, quite clearly more relieved than upset. "I gave you that phone for a reason, mister!"

"Phone?" he questioned. Getting a hard glare from her, he realized what she was referring to. "Oh. That phone. I guess I just haven't had it on me lately." Even as he spoke, he heard Jack speaking a familiar sentence.

While Martha confronted the Doctor, Jack walked up to Grace and extended his hand.

"Captain Jack Harkness, ma'am."

"She's taken!" the Doctor growled as he stepped towards Jack, obviously protective of Grace.

Jack frowned at the Doctor's reaction. "I wouldn't even dream of flirting with your wife, Doctor."

"Wife?!" Martha exclaimed in shock, her gaze going from the Doctor to Grace to Jack and back to the Doctor. "You're married?"

The Doctor ignored Martha's incredulous question, focusing his attention on Jack. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," Jack replied bluntly. "But we found something else first." He turned his head slightly, indicating the house.

"What?" Grace questioned, finally speaking up. "What did you find? For that matter, who the hell are you and what are you doing in my house?!"

Jack took a breath. He hated being the bearer of bad news. Gwen Cooper was always so much better at letting others know about tragedy striking. That was one of the things that made her such an invaluable member of his Torchwood team. He swallowed tightly to prepare himself.

"Dr. Holloway," he started. Glancing at the Doctor momentarily, he could see the Doctor's eyes grow dark, as if the Time Lord already knew what Jack was about to say. "Are your parents Erik and Janet Holloway?" He noted the way she stiffened at his question and mentally cursed Fate for giving him this task again.

Grace swallowed tightly, swaying slightly. It was enough, though, for the Doctor to quickly come behind her to hold her, steadying her. "Oh, my gawd," she whispered. Looking between Jack and Martha, she knew the truth without them having said any more. "They're… they're not…" she started. Seeing the look of sympathy on both Jack and Martha's faces, she ran for the front door.

"Grace!" the Doctor called out to her, quickly following her as she ran.

"Mom! Dad!" she cried out as she rushed into the house, looking around. The Doctor was on her heels, looking at her with growing concern as they both noticed the covered bodies just inside the living room.

The Doctor moved up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. He knew what was running through her mind, even though he wasn't reading it. The telepathic link between them allowed him to feel everything she was feeling. "You don't have to," he told her quietly, already knowing how she was going to reply to that statement.

"Yes, I do," she whispered, pulling away from the Doctor's hold and going to the bodies. Slowly uncovering them, she let out a pain-filled sob as her worst fears were confirmed. Turning quickly, she rushed into her husband's arms, sobbing into his shoulder as he held her tightly to him.

Jack and Martha entered the house, the Doctor's and Grace's luggage in their hands. Leaving the luggage by the door, they slowly approached the couple, Martha staying a short distance further away as Jack observed the look in the Doctor's eyes. He knew that look all too well. Someone was going to pay for the deaths before him. Jack was just glad that he wasn't on the Doctor's hit list.

Several minutes passed as Grace poured her anguish to the Doctor. When she finally slowly pulled away, he looked into her eyes with shared heartbreak. "I'm sorry, Grace. I'm so sorry," he told her compassionately, pulling her to him again in a hug before kissing her forehead. He turned to Martha, noticing her watching silently. "Martha, take Grace to the TARDIS and make her a cup of tea, please," he requested of his dear friend. He returned his focus to his wife. "Go with her," he instructed quietly. "I'll join you shortly."

Grace hesitated for a moment, clearly not wanting to leave the Doctor's side. However, seeing the concerned look in his eyes for her, she nodded slightly and obeyed, letting the woman the Doctor called Martha escort her through her own house and to the guesthouse. At the very least, she knew that she could trust Martha, just based on the fact that the Doctor trusted her.

The Doctor waited until he heard the door to the yard close. Then, with dark eyes, he looked at Jack, fury brewing behind his brown eyes.

"Who did this, Jack?" he demanded. "And don't tell me that you don't know. I recognize a blast from a 51st century laser blaster, no matter how well it's covered up. As I recall, Time Agents carry laser blasters. And you used to be a Time Agent. So I want to know who did this and why."

"You're right. It was a Time Agent," Jack confirmed as he again covered the deceased couple. "Her name is Veronica Ramses. She used to be my partner when I was still with the Time Agency. She claims that you are a wanted criminal and that she was sent to bring you to justice. But I think it's more likely she wants revenge. For what, I don't know." Seeing the unwavering gaze the Doctor gave him, Jack knew that the Time Lord wanted all the little details concerning this woman he had just introduced. "She came to me two months ago and demanded that I tell her where you were. I told her the truth, which was that I didn't know. But she was just baiting me to look for you myself. She just wanted me to find you for her."

"Did you?" the Doctor asked quietly.

Jack frowned at the accusation. "No," he replied briskly, blatantly offended by the possible accusation. "I put her on a wild goose chase which she obviously didn't take to for long. I don't know how she found this house but she obviously found you before we could warn you about her." He watched the Doctor for a long moment, waiting for a reaction – any reaction – to tell him what was running through his friend's mind.

The Doctor took a deep breath as he thought on what Jack had told him. He was certain that he'd never met or had even heard of anyone by the name of Veronica Ramses. He had no clue what Ramses had against him. Whatever wrong she thought he had done to her, it had to be a grievous one for her to kill two innocent people. But then again, perhaps she was the kind to harm the innocent to punish the guilty.

"Why them?" he asked Jack quietly.

Jack shook his head. "The only thing I can think is that they interrupted her while she was looking for the TARDIS key. Other than that… I don't know." He easily noticed how the Doctor's eyes never moved from his in-law's bodies. Going to him, he put his hand on the Doctor's shoulder. "I have to cover this, Doctor," Jack told him. Seeing the slight glare from his friend, he assured him, "I won't send them to Cardiff. They'll have a decent and proper burial here in the States."

The Doctor nodded slightly at his words. He knew the general rule Jack followed when it came to such circumstances, where the cause of death didn't fit with the current timeline - like being killed with a laser blaster from the 51st century, was to take the bodies and store them below the Torchwood Three Hub and then cover up their sudden disappearance. He also understood the reasoning around the rule. However, the Doctor always felt it was a cold and callous way to treat the dead and cringed against the idea every time it was brought up. He was silently grateful for Jack's compromise on the issue when it came to Grace's parents.

"She has a brother," the Doctor told him. "Andrew. He needs to be informed of their deaths."

"I'll take care of it," Jack assured him. "In the meantime, Roni's still out there and I wouldn't put it passed her to be having this house watched. You need to get you and your wife away from here as quickly as possible. Get off Earth. Go on a second honeymoon or something."

The Doctor glanced at Jack for a moment before turning and starting for the back of the house. "Easier said than done at the moment," he commented as he left the house, Jack on his heels.

"And why is that?"

"The TARDIS isn't exactly in the best condition," the Doctor told him, guiding him to the guesthouse. Pulling out the TARDIS key, he unlocked the timeship's door and entered, allowing Jack to follow him in.

Jack stopped the moment he entered, looking at the damage around him. While it was obvious that there had been repairs done, it was also clear that there still were many more repairs to do.

"What happened?" Jack exclaimed, going to the console to peer under it. "What did you do to her?"

"As if I did this on purpose!" the Doctor protested. Seeing the look that Jack threw his way, he explained, "Two years ago, I was just on my way to Constantinople 1626… or was it 1623? 1625?" Again, he noticed the annoyance on Jack's face and got himself back on track. "Anyway, for some as yet unknown reason, she just dropped out of the vortex in the middle of the SATT system."

"Wait a minute," Jack piped in. "Sigma Alpha Theta Twelve?" he asked for clarification. "Isn't that an asteroid belt now?"

The Doctor gave him a brief nod. "Well, somehow the shields weren't working and the TARDIS isn't designed to withstand a lot of damage with the shields down, as you know. I had to make an emergency dematerialization, which would have worked just fine if an asteroid hadn't damaged the beacon and the Directional Locator."

"So you crashed on Earth," Jack concluded.

"Materialized in the ionosphere and was unable to slow my descent. Not to mention the massive electrical interference just materializing there caused the TARDIS. We crashed right in the middle of Grace's driveway. Nearly destroyed The TARDIS completely," the Doctor verified what he knew Jack was realizing. "And since she was grown rather than built, and there isn't exactly anywhere I can go to get replacement parts, everything needs to be regrown or grafted."

"And so you've been stuck on Earth for the past two years affecting repairs," Jack surmised. "You could have gotten hold of me. I could've helped you out."

The Doctor shook his head slightly. "You were busy with your responsibilities to Torchwood. Besides, I estimated that it will take at least ten years to effectively repair the TARDIS for safe travel and I didn't think that Grace could handle two unexpected guests much less one for that long."

Jack smiled slightly at his words. "Oh, there's a story behind that." Seeing the Doctor's raised eyebrow, he clarified. "You and Grace. But…" he stated firmly, "it's a story you're going to have to tell me later. I have work to do." He gestured his head towards the inside door. "Go take care of your wife."

The Doctor nodded his head slightly as he turned towards the door, not envying Jack's work but nonetheless grateful for his friend's actions. He stopped for a moment with thought and turned back to the ex-Time Agent. "How did you know Grace and I are married?"

"Matching wedding rings," Jack told him over his shoulder.

The Doctor noted Jack's leaving the TARDIS as he himself made his way to the kitchen, which he found unsurprisingly silent. It had been only a few short days since he had been in the room but he was suddenly struck with how much still had to be fixed even here. The ceiling was still exposed, revealing wiring that still needed repairing. He was just grateful that, since he had started repairs, he at least was able to make the kitchen functional…barely. There still was much to do in repairing the ancient timeship. Unfortunately, it was looking as if they weren't going to be giving the time necessary.

Looking in from the doorway, he saw Martha and Grace sitting at the table, with Grace on one end and Martha perpendicular to her. Both had cups in front of them but the Doctor had a feeling neither of them had been doing much drinking. The scent of the room indicated that the tea had at one time been quite hot but it was now rapidly cooling.

As the Doctor quietly went to the table, Martha stood and silently excused herself from the room, knowing that the two needed some time alone. The Doctor sat in the chair Martha had vacated, scooting the chair as close to Grace as possible. He placed his hand over hers, which rested limply on the table. Taking the hand, he raised it to his lips and gently kissed it before pressing it between his.

The coolness of her husband's skin against her caused her to raise her eyes to meet his. She swallowed tightly, biting on her lip to keep from sobbing again. She didn't want to cry anymore, not after the living room in the Doctor's arms and then again in the kitchen with Martha holding her. But with the man she loved so close again, it was proving difficult to maintain her composure, something she had been able to do on a daily basis every time she walked into an operating room.

"You just think violence like that happens to other people," she murmured without preamble. "Not to your own family." She bit her lip again, seeing the look of empathy from the Doctor. Of course, she knew he understood what she meant. He'd lost his mother due to a violent, nonsensical act. She let out a shaky breath. "I have to tell Andrew. Don't know what I'm going to say…"

"Jack will take care of that," the Doctor assured her. "He'll take care of it all."

"You trust him?" Grace asked quietly, unsure about letting a stranger – at least a stranger in her eyes – with tasks of such personal importance.

"With my lives," he stated emphatically, squeezing her hand gently. "They will have a proper funeral in a few days time. But afterwards, we may have to run."

"Run?" she questioned quietly. "Why?" She hesitated as she gazed upon her beloved's face, seeing the truth there. "The person who murdered Mom and Dad… they're after you, aren't they? Why?"

The Doctor shook his head. "I don't know. But she's extremely dangerous and I have a feeling she will do anything to get to me, even if it's through you." He brushed a strand of hair from her face. "We need to start planning an escape because we may have to leave at any moment."

"But you said it would be years before the TARDIS could travel anywhere," she pointed out to him.

The Doctor winced slightly at her words. "Yes, and that is where the problem lies. Even if we completely ignored getting the time regulator and all that working, it's still going to take another three years just making her a transmat. We may have to abandon her until she can fully heal. There just aren't enough biowires to fix everything that we need right at this moment. You saw how long it took just to make her safe enough to walk through and to get electricity flowing." He took a deep breath. "In the meantime, I want you to move into the TARDIS. It's the safest place for us right now, despite her not exactly being the most attractive place to live."

Grace was disturbingly quiet at his words, her eyes focused on his hands as they held her single hand.

"I know it's a lot to take in right now," he started. He stiffened slightly as she looked up at him. She looked so utterly and completely lost, not at all like the strong woman he had married only three days before. "Are you going to be okay?" he asked with growing concern.

Grace didn't say a word in response, plainly stunned by all that had happened in just a short amount of time. In less than an hour, she had gone from basking in the joys of marital bliss to coping with not only the loss of both of her parents but also with the possibility of being on the run for who knew how long. She didn't know how to answer her husband's question, at least not yet. She couldn't remember ever being as terrified as she was right at that moment.

Sensing the torment that ran through her, the Doctor pulled her gently into his arms and held her for a long moment before encouraging her to stand and walk with him. He guided her through the damaged corridors, his arm around her shoulders protectively. Reaching their destination only a minute later, he opened the door and slowly helped her through the doorway.

Two years before, when he had discovered just how much damage had been done to the TARDIS because of the crash, the Doctor had determined which rooms absolutely had to be repaired immediately and had put them at top priority. The first and foremost was, of course, the console room, without which there would be no chance of the TARDIS ever traveling again. There were several engineering related rooms, including the power auxiliary room, and the medical bay. And while it wasn't necessary as such with him living in Grace's guesthouse, he felt compelled to fix up the main kitchen, the main bathroom, and his own bedroom. Of course, that included all the corridors that led to each of the rooms.

Now, he was grateful for his impulsive decisions concerning his bedroom as he brought Grace over to the bed and encouraged her to sit. Assuring her that he would return, he left the bedroom and went to the medical bay to retrieve a bottle and stopped by the kitchen before returning to the bedroom.

Kneeling in front of Grace, he opened the bottle and shook out a single pill before setting the bottle on the nightstand. Taking her hand, he placed the pill in her palm and put a glass of water in her other hand. She looked at the pill blankly for a moment before shaking her head.

"No," she mouthed slightly, trying to give the pill and water back to the Doctor. "I don't want to rely on drugs."

But the Doctor was insistent. He gently wrapped his hand around the hand holding the sedative. "Grace, you're exhausted but you're not going to get any sleep because of the stress you are feeling, no matter what your intentions may be. And right now, sleep is the one thing you need the most." Raising his free hand, he cupped her cheek gently. "Please, amazing Grace. Just this once. For me."

Grace looked into his eyes for a long moment before nodding slowly. Putting the pill in her mouth, she washed it down with water.

Smiling slightly at her cooperation, the Doctor retrieved the now empty glass from her and placed it next to the bottle of sedatives. Then, after helping her out of her clothes and into a pair of pajamas, he gently laid her down, covered her with thick blankets, and kissed her forehead lovingly. Holding her hand, he waited until he was certain that she was asleep before he left for the console room.