Chapter X

Local Time: 10:18 AM

"Why are you here, though?" Jack asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You are way past your jurisdiction. I hacked the computers at the Agency-"

"Why am I not surprised?" River said, rolling her eyes.

"- and you, I mean, we weren't assigned here. No one is assigned here. Justica is a division of Storm Cage."

"Which is policed by the Time Agency, both of which are under the jurisdiction of the Justice Department, but you're right. We're here for- other reasons. The Agency doesn't even know we're here. And I'd like it to stay that way. What about you, Jack? Torchwood?"

"How do you know about Torchwood?" He asked incredulously.

"You cleverer than you give your self credit for. You- I mean, your younger self, can hack the Agency's computers, too. The younger you found that message that the older you sent, and that is one of the reasons we're here."

"I read- I mean, the younger me read the message that explicitly said 'Do Not show to Jack Harkness."

"Yes, you did. You are very bad at doing what you're told, aren't you?"

"Thank you."

"That wasn't meant to be a compliment."

"It sounded like a compliment. Anyway, the reason you're here, is because you read a message, that I sent, to keep my timeline straight, that sent you on some search of your own, against the Agency's wishes, which is why I had two years of my memory erased, which is the reason I don't remember reading the message that I sent."

River sat there going over what he'd just said before replying, "Basically. I think."

"This is why I'm starting to hate time-travel. How old am I?"

"What?"

"The younger me. At the hotel, apparently. How old am I?"

"You're about 20."

"Ah. So, at the beginning of the two years I don't remember."

"Yeah. How old are you now, Jack?" River asked pointedly.

"3312, at last count."

River's jaw hung open in shock. "H-how? And what moisturizer do you use?"

"I died. Shot by a Dalek. But a friend of mine, gone now, took the time vortex into her mind. Brought me back to life, but she made a mistake. She brought me back for forever."

"Wow. Forever, as in- never die?"

"No, I can die. I just don't stay dead."

"Is that it, then? You called me here so you can brag about being immortal?" River said sarcastically.

Jack shook his head somberly. "No, River. I wanted you here because there are two years of my life that I don't remember, and apparently I spent most of them with you."

River sucked in her breath. "So the plan worked, then."

"What plan?" He asked.

She smiled. "Like an old friend once told me, spoilers."

"River, who am going to tell? The Agency? In this current timeline, the here and now, it's a few years past when that all happened, River. The Agency is only seven guys now. I'd already have forgotten and be conning some guy out of a half a million credits."

"You moved onto being a con man?"

"I prefer criminal, but, yeah. In a sort of round-about way, that's how I got this way. Never dying."

"Most people would say it's a gift."

"Who says I want to live forever? Watching everyone you love and care about die and everything around you turn to dust. What a gift." He said dejectedly.

River remained silent as she mulled over this information in her mind. "I'm sorry." She finally said.

"What?"

"I'm sorry. This was all my fault, wasn't it? If I hadn't had listened to Geon, and gone straight back to the Agency, we wouldn't have went looking for the Doctor, and you wouldn't have gotten two years of your memories erased. And you wouldn't have had to go through all that."

Jack, however, ignored the apology. "Did you say the Doctor?"

"Yeah, I did. Do you know something about the Doctor?" River asked expectedly.

"Yeah, I- wait, why are you looking for the Doctor?"

"Geon, he said was on a couple of missions for the agency, and a couple of times he saw the Doctor leaving. He thought that this guy was causing some of this stuff. Left on his own, this Doctor could screw up the time lines."

"Ah." Jack was trying and failing to hide a grin.

"What?" River said warily.

"Nothing. Just that, he wasn't far of from the truth."

"Do you know something about the Doctor?" River asked again.

"I can't tell you anything."

"Jack-"

"No, I'm really sorry. I can't. Just remember this. And don't ask me to explain it to you because you're the one who told me to tell you this, and nothing else. You have to save him."

River was confused. "What? Save who? The Doctor?" She asked.

"I don't know, but that is exactly what you told me to tell you, right here, right now." Jack got up to leave. "You'll see me later, River."

"Bye, Jack." She watched him walk for a few seconds before getting up. "Wait, Jack-" He turned around and she kissed him. Taken aback, he asked, "What was that for?"

"Just to say, thank you." Then she left him standing there alone staring after her as she walked out the door.

The waitress walked up to him. "Sir?"

"Yes?"

"Are you going to pay the bill?"

"What?"

"Well as your friend left, she said you were getting the bill?"

"Why, that little-" He muttered, shaking his head. I should have seen that coming. He thought. "Yeah, I'll cover the check."