Kris shifted, lying down in the flowers and letting her coppery hair spill into Jack's lap, where he idly sifted his fingers through the thick mass. "You never did tell me what the two of you were doing there."

"Business," the Doctor replied evasively.

"Actually, I'd like to know too," Jack added, leaning back on one arm. "Not that I'm not grateful we made the trip - " he tugged lightly on Kris' hair, eliciting a smile - "but I am curious as to why we were there in the first place."

"Well..." The Doctor sighed, evading Rose's inquiring gaze. "We needed another Time Lord."

"Right, we got that part."

"So I decided to try some things that I'd already tried, because one of the constants of the universe is that if something doesn't work, you try and do it again. Just in case. So I went looking for some friends of mine, people that I'd known, to see if there was any chance I'd overlooked something before. Going places and times where I knew they'd been."

"And I'm guessing you found nothing," Jack said.

"Right on. That colleague I was seeing at Sirius Port? Didn't exist. All his friends were there, everyone who was supposed to be there at that particular place and time...but not him. Not Tonbaro, who was a Time Lord I knew in the Academy." A grin crossed his features at the whisper of memories from his school days...and the accompanying hijinks. "Anyway, I stayed and talked to them for awhile. Good people, although they obviously had never heard of Tonbaro. And these were folk he'd known for a long time."

"It was also around that time...the trip to Angdotia...that I started sleeping again," Jack added.

"What do you mean?" Rose regarded his quizzically.

"After the Gamestation I wasn't ever able to really sleep, until I got back on the TARDIS. The ship did something with the telepathic connection; I don't know exactly what, still don't, but I could actually get tired when I was on board. And I could sleep." Jack smiled. "It was incredible, the first time it happened. But anyway, that's a sidetrack - where were we?"

"I was off meeting with Tonbaro's friends, and Jack was causing a bar fight..."

"What?" Rose twisted in the Doctor's arms, regarding Jack. "Not that that surprises me, but..."

"It's true." Kris nodded from Jack's lap. "That's how we met."

"I hear another story coming on..."

-8-8-8-

Jack retrieved his martini from the bartender, sliding money (including a generous tip) across to the man, and turned to survey the room. Decent place; not too crowded. What one might expect of the "better" bar at the spaceport - even the smaller ones always had two, a grungy one and a clean one. This was the clean one.

The Doctor had said not to expect him back at the TARDIS before morning. Any other man, Jack would've figured that he'd find the colleague they'd come to meet and then seek out some companionship - of the dalliance variety - but not the Doctor. If he said he'd be talking with what's-his-name all night, then that was exactly what was going to be happening. Talking. How boring.

Jack sipped his martini - just right - and shot the bartender a look of gratitude. "Nice. Thanks, buddy."

The bartender grunted and turned back to drying glasses, as Jack's eyes roamed over the room. The Doctor might not be one to indulge, but if he was going to have the TARDIS all to himself for the night, he certainly wasn't going to pass up the opportunity...

His gaze settled on a brunette sitting alone by the wall, nursing a mug of something resembling beer, with a plate of food in front of her. He mentally catalogued her assets: on the short side, but not too short. Nice, thick hair: reddish brown, closer to auburn than he'd first thought. Change the brunette to redhead, then. Thin but curvy, as far as he could tell beneath the battered mechanic's coverall she wore. Her sleeves were rolled up, and her arms and hands looked strong.

-8-8-8-

"So that was your initial impression of me?" Kris laughed. "Good God, I feel like an inventory entry. 'Human female, age 28...'"

The four of them laughed, Jack included, whose cheeks were stained a faint red. "In my defense..."

"In your defense, I know, I know, you were only looking for some 'dalliance'."

"Right, so can I get on with the story?"

-8-8-8-

He was interrupted in his train of thought by a woman interposing herself directly in his line of view, and looked up. "Help you?"

"Maybe," she cooed. Jack lifted an eyebrow. Not the type he generally preferred: bit too made up. Bright red lips, blonde hair, tight clothes - he wasn't in the mood tonight. The redhead by the wall was looking much better.

"I'm looking...for a man." Breathy voice. Bedroom voice. His pants were suddenly uncomfortably tight. Well...she wasn't bad looking, really, and certainly a known quantity...

-8-8-8-

"You were going to go off with Celeste?" Kris was hooting with laughter. "I would've paid to see that!"

Jack rolled his eyes, glaring at the Doctor and Rose, who looked suspiciously like they were muffling laughter as well. "Like I said, she was a known quantity, okay? You I didn't know about, and she certainly seemed to be available and willing..."

-8-8-8-

Fingernails lightly scratched his bare forearm, and he looked down to see a slim, delicate hand with long, bright red nails clamped onto him. He raised his eyes again, looking the blonde in the face. "What kind of man are you looking for?"

"Well...he's tall...dark-haired...very handsome..." Her nail trailed along the line of muscle on his arm. "Very muscular..."

Jack lifted his glass, toasting the blonde. "I think I might be able to - "

Once again, he was interrupted. This time, by a roar, coming from the direction of the bathrooms. Oh, I could just see this coming...

Sure enough, a hulking giant whom Jack was willing to bet was the blonde's date was coming out of the men's, looking mighty pissed and heading straight for him. And I was having such a nice night. He shrugged, tossing back the rest of his martini. No use in letting it go to waste.

The gorilla stopped in front of him. Conveniently, the blonde had vanished, and reappeared cowering behind the giant. "Pretty boy," was growled in his general direction.

"Captain Jack Harkness, pleased to meet you." He extended a hand, which was ignored. Oh well - he'd tried.

"You leave Celeste alone, if you knows what's good for you," the big man rumbled. "She don't need you messin' around with her - she got ME." A thumb that was about the size of Jack's entire hand turned in towards the massive chest.

"Well, actually...she was the one that came up to me. I was on my way over there." He pointed to the redhead's table. Everyone looked over in that direction, and said redhead looked up, startled. Jack grinned. "Hi, honey!"

Please let her play along, please let her play along...

He wasn't disappointed. The redhead's surprised look was quickly replaced by a welcoming, sultry smile, and she got up, sauntering over in his direction.

"Jack! I didn't see you come in. Always have to get a drink first, don't you?" She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him close and maneuvering herself to whisper in his ear, "I'm Kris. Thank me later."

Oh, I plan to. He'd gotten a good feel of her with that hug...a lean, firm body with plenty of curves in the right places. For a moment he actually felt grateful to the blonde for creating the situation.

-8-8-8-

Kris was doubled over in the flowers, clutching her stomach and gasping for air. "If I'd known what was going through your head at the time..."

"Would you have done anything different?" Jack swatted her bum as the Doctor and Rose looked on with amusement.

Kris stopped laughing, raised her head, and looked into the captain's blue eyes. "Not a chance in hell."

-8-8-8-

The giant was looking from one to the other of them dubiously. "Kris? Dis your guy?"

"Sure is, Mikey." She gave the giant - Mikey? - a saucy wink. "Pretty one, isn't he?"

"Yeah. Which is why I don't buy it." He glared at her. "Yous couldn't get a pretty boy like dis, Kris. And if you did, we'd all know about it. So hows come none of us ever seen dis guy before?"

Oh boy. Jack thought he might be in trouble - usually when they were that big, they weren't very smart...

Kris stood up straighter, drawing herself to her full height. Which meant that the top of her head was just about brushing Jack's chin, but the gesture was appreciated. "I said he's mine, Mikey. Is there a problem with that?"

Mikey and Kris glared at each other for a minute. Mikey seemed about to back down, and Jack's estimation of Kris rose several notches...and then he noticed that a crowd of friends had gathered around Mikey. And that the bartender, who'd made him such a good martini, was slipping into the back room.

That was when he knew he was in trouble.

"He come on to Celeste, Mikey!" hissed one of the friends. Jack made a mental note that that friend, whoever he was, was going to be one of the first ones down if it came to a fight. "You don't stand for that! You knows that!"

"Dat's right," growled Mikey. His huge hands were clenched into fists. "And if he is your guy, Kris...dat makes him your problem."

Kris glanced over her shoulder at Jack. What startled him was the grin on her face that he felt spreading to his own.

"Can we get out of here?" he mumbled, as the crowd - ten men or so - drew into a circle around them.

"Not without some big guns."

"That's what I thought. Can you fight?"

As an answer, she turned, pressing against him so that they were back-to-back. "I can fight."

"Good to hear!" He grabbed the nearest chair. Out of the corner of his eye, someone moved towards Kris. Something silver flashed in her hand, and the man went down, bleeding from the temple. All right then - she could take care of herself.

After that it was all a blur.

Flashes of clarity: Jack distinctly remembered smashing the chair over some guy's head with a feral yell. At one point Mikey had punched him in the gut, and Kris had been screaming in his ear for him to stay upright, pushing back against him to prop him up while bashing Mikey's hand with the torq wrench she was holding. He also remembered Kris grabbing one of the broken chair pieces and stabbing someone in the leg, and being grateful that she was on his side.

His next really clear memory was of a lot of bodies on the floor moaning, and him and Kris standing in the center, virtually untouched. His face felt sticky, but not overly so, and he guessed he had some kind of small cut. Kris was sporting a black eye and had a few cuts across the back of her left hand, but other than that, they were fine. Mikey the giant had disappeared - probably had had the sense to get out while the getting was good. He suddenly remembered that Mikey had been the one Kris stabbed in the leg, and was absurdly pleased.

She was breathing hard as she re-holstered the torq wrench on her belt. "You got a ship?"

"Yeah," he answered, dabbing at his face.

"Now would be a good time to get on it."

They began working their way to the bar entrance, which was - strangely - clear of spectators. Apparently the actual fight had killed any desire to watch it.

"What about you?"

She shrugged. "What about me? I got myself involved in your problem, and now the problem's solved. My business will go down for a couple weeks while Mikey and his friends sulk, and then they'll remember that I'm the best and cheapest mechanic on this rock."

"Do you have somewhere to go?"

"Home. Or my shop, I suppose." Another shrug.

He stopped walking, putting his hand on her arm to make her stop too, and turned her to face him. "Hey. At least let me get you dinner and a drink - I owe you."

"Yeah, you do." She seemed pleased. "But where are you planning on doing that? Everywhere's closed except the other bar, and trust me, if you had problems at this one..." She didn't finish the sentence, but then, she didn't have to.

"I've got food on my ship. We can eat there."

Kris looked down the promenade. "Maybe."

"You got a husband to go home to? Boyfriend? Girlfriend? Something-else-friend?" She shook her head, looking amused.

"Nope. Just me."

He'd figured, from what she'd said in the bar, but it was good to have the confirmation. "I'm very glad to hear you say that." He extended his arm. "Shall we dine?"

-----

Kris peered at the blue box as Jack led her into the dock. It looked very small, sitting there all alone in the dock space allotted for it... "This is your ship?"

"Yep!" He pulled his key out, fumbling it into the lock. "Bigger on the inside."

"I hope so," she mumbled...then caught her breath as Jack swung the doors open and led her inside.

Jack smiled at the incredulous look on Kris' face as they entered the control room, remembering the first time he'd stepped into the TARDIS. "Nice, huh?"

She was standing at the control console, carefully running her fingers over the various components. "Is that...a bicycle pump?"

"Yep." At her look, he held his hands up in defense. "The Doctor is the only one who understands how it all fits together. It's his ship; I'm just along for the ride. And I can fix some things in a pinch, so he puts up with me."

She smiled, which turned into a grin as his stomach rumbled audibly. "What was that you were saying about food?"

"Right. This way."

-----

"So why'd you pick me?"

Jack had shucked his outer shirt, leaving himself in a T-shirt and letting his braces dangle past his hips, and was standing at the kitchen counter whisking eggs and milk together in a bowl. He turned at Kris' question. "What do you mean?"

"I mean back there, in the bar. Can I help?"

"Sure - grab the mushrooms and the tomatoes out of the fridge, they need chopping. Why'd I pick you in the bar?"

"Yeah." She bent over, rummaging in the fridge. Jack craned his neck and gave himself a thumbs-up for having found what had to be the only mechanic with a fantastic bum. "Why'd you pick me out as the person you were with? For all you knew, I could've had a husband, or boyfriend, or a something-else-friend." She winked, straightening up with her hands full of vegetables. "Cutting board?"

"Second drawer by the stove. Well, the reason I picked you out was because I happened to be telling the truth. I really was going to come over to your table."

"Oh?" She lifted an eyebrow, laying the tomatoes out on the board and accepting the knife he handed her.

"Yeah. So at that point, I had to skip all of the charm I'd been planning to use on you, and just hope you'd play along with me..."

"I see."

"Of course, it would've punched a big hole in my plan if you'd been attached otherwise...but everything worked out in the end! And here we are, making omelets."

"And here we are," she laughed. "Making omelets."

"So..." Jack put down the bowl and turned to face her, extending his hand for the second time that night. "I'm Captain Jack Harkness. Pleased to meet you."

Unlike his previous attempt, she took his hand and shook it firmly. "Kris Ballantyne. Nice to meet you, Captain Jack."

He pulled her hand to his lips, planting a kiss on the back, and was happy to see her caught off guard as he slowly dropped her hand. "So, Kris Ballantyne..." he continued, scooping up the tomatoes she'd chopped and dropping them into the bowl of eggs, "what's a nice girl like you doing in a spaceport like this?"

She laughed. "Running the family business. Dad died three years ago and I took over the shop."

"Ship repair?"

"Yeah. I fix all the clunkers that the jockeys bring in - I like it, really."

Jack was digging in the fridge again, bringing out a block of cheddar cheese. "So you're handy to have around."

"You could say that. At least in a bar fight." She gave him a sly grin. "So, now I've told you what I do...what do you do?"

He shrugged. "Right now, I knock around with the Doctor. I'm just a companion, I guess you could say."

"So when you say companion, how disappointed should I be?" Her hands moved, dicing mushrooms, but her eyes slid over to him, and the corner of her mouth quirked up.

She'd stolen his line. She'd stolen his line. And what was even better, she didn't know she'd stolen it.

Jack suddenly realized that he liked this woman.

"Not disappointed at all," he answered, winking at her.

"Oh good. I was hoping you'd say that."

He grinned. "I like to...explore...all the wonderful life that the universe has to offer."

"Oh, "explore", is it?"

"Mmm-hmm. That reminds me, I have another question for you."

"Go ahead."

He pulled a cheese grater out of another drawer, and began to scrape cheddar into the bowl. "Why'd that gorilla say that you couldn't get a guy like me?"

"Huh? Oh...Mikey. Well..." She looked uncomfortable. "Everyone knows everyone else's life in a place like this. That was why he said if you were my guy, they'd all know about it." The mushrooms were finished, and she neatly piled them to the side of the cutting board.

"Right...I get that." He dumped the mushrooms into the bowl, stirred the whole thing, and poured it into the pan he'd greased. "Wrong question though."

"And I was hoping you wouldn't notice." She sighed theatrically. "Well...I turned Mikey down awhile back. And I don't really date, anyway, mostly because running a ship repair shop in a spaceport is a little time-consuming. Plus...most guys don't like mechanics. Threatens their manhood or something."

"Ah. So add all those factors together..."

"Precisely."

"Well, good thing that I've got plenty of manhood." He winked again.

Kris grinned - apparently she was also enjoying the verbal sparring. "I've heard that before."

"Want to...explore...the proof?"

"Hold on!" When she smiled, her cheeks were like ripe apples. "You need to feed and water your friendly neighborhood mechanic first. Then we'll talk about exploration."

He peeked into the pan, pulling up the edge of the omelet with a spatula - it was going to need a minute before he could flip it. "Well, food should be forthcoming momentarily, but as for watering...I promised you a drink too, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did."

"Champagne?"

"Sounds good!"

A bottle was quickly retrieved from the fridge, opened, and poured. Jack raised his glass. "To Kris...my mechanic in shining armor."

She grinned, lifting her own glass. "To exploration."

-----

"That was delicious. Thank you."

Kris sat back in her chair and patted her stomach, taking another sip of champagne. They'd finished most of the bottle at that point, as well as the omelets, and a basket of cinnamon rolls that Jack had found in one of the cupboards. "I don't think I can move..."

Jack shook his head. "Me neither."

"I'm so full I'm starting to overheat. Hang on." She unzipped her coverall partway, revealing a plain white T-shirt, and tied the sleeves around her waist. "There. Much better."

"Don't stop now, the show's just starting to get good."

She grinned. "Maybe later, Romeo."

She didn't say no. This is good! His evening was definitely looking to be an excellent one.

"Come on..." he cajoled. "I'll even go first."

"What? Wait - Jack!" Kris was too late - he'd already casually hauled his T-shirt off, tossing it behind him. She shook her head, laughing between sneaking looks at his bare chest - which he immediately crossed his arms over.

"Nope. No looking till you catch up."

She rolled her eyes, knocking back the last of the champagne in her glass. "Didn't I say later? Maybe later?"

"And it is later. From when you said that. Now come on. Fair's fair!"

Kris considered, then stood up, walking over to him. "Well...you did go first after all..."

"Very true." She was right in front of him. He reached up, grabbing her hand and pulling her down to his lap, eliciting more laughter. Sliding his hands up her sides, he maneuvered her to straddle his legs. There - that's more like it. "Hmm. This is much better."

"Better?"

"Than you being all the way on the other side of the table."

His hands at her waist pulled her body forward. She went willingly, expecting to be kissed at that point, but Jack surprised her - instead of her mouth, his lips lightly touched her throat. She let out a soft sigh, body relaxing against him as he explored the soft skin of her neck with his mouth.

Her arms went around him, fingers splaying over his bare back, as he started untying the knotted sleeves of her coverall. When his warm hands slipped beneath the hem of her T-shirt, she shivered...and she was far from cold. "I have to admit, I think it's an - "

"Jack?"

He'd been too busy to notice the sound of footsteps, but it was hard to miss the Doctor appearing in the kitchen doorway, looking like he'd just been running very very fast.

"Improvement," Kris finished. Jack sighed under his breath.

"Yes, Doctor?" He tightened his arms around Kris' waist, preventing her from getting up - as her squirming was indicating she wanted to do. Not that he objected to the squirming...in fact, said squirming was making it rather difficult to listen to what the Doctor was saying. He focused with an effort.

"Who's your friend?"

"Kris Ballantyne. A mechanic from the port. Kris, this is the Doctor."

"Nice to meet you," she replied faintly.

"Ah. Right then. Likewise. Jack, we've got problems."

"Oh good! I like problems."

"Control room. Now." The Doctor added that last rather pointedly. "Meet you there."

Once he'd gone, Kris regarded him suspiciously. "You like problems?"

"When you travel with the Doctor, problems are a way of life. You learn to appreciate them. Come on - let's go."

-------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Oooh cliffie! We'd love to know what you thought… Please? Pretty please? We'll give you presents :) Teehee.