Day 1.
You wake up when Jack calls you. It's supposed to be your day off, but you already knew things were going to go to hell, so you weren't counting on having the day to yourself. Jack's call confirms your theory.
"You watching the news?" He says, and you curse.
"I don't need to, I'm on my way." You hang up and sigh.
You're sitting at your workstation, trying to think about another way to stop it all, without having to open the Rift and free Abaddon.
Ianto comes in, holding a Bible, and reading. ""And I heard but did not understand and I said, 'Master, what is the End of all these things?' And he said, " 'Go, Daniel, for the things are closed up and sealed until the end of time.' " Daniel 12, verse 10."
"This totally makes me feel better." You say sarcastically.
Owen's standing near the Doctor's hand, but his focus is on another machine. "This machine's on the blink. Keeps losing power." He walks up to where Ianto is and sees him holding the Bible. "Sorry, don't let me stop your portents of doom. Or have you finished?" He goes back to his sarcastic self.
While Owen sits at his desk, Ianto puts the Bible aside. "No. Plenty more where that came from." You roll your eyes but you know it's true. Jack, who'd been sitting at his desk, stands up and joins you, Tosh following him close behind. "Abaddon, the Great Devourer, who'll lead the world into shadow." Ianto says.
"Yeah, thanks, Ianto, I can do without the superstition. You people love any story that denies the randomness of existence." Jack says as he walks in.
"Thanks. That makes me feel better." Ianto replies, also being sarcastic.
"Supernatural's Abaddon is even worse." You snort. You had to tell Owen your story, and obviously he told Tosh. Owen was cross with you for a while but Tosh wasn't, at least not much, and managed to calm him down. Jack isn't happy that they know, but there was no other way to try to save them.
"What's Supernatural?" Owen asks.
"One of the best TV shows of all time." You answer.
"What about us? I mean, we're a TV show, right?" You nod. "Aren't we one of the best TV shows of all time?" He feigns jealousy.
"Totally." You admit.
"Ha!" Owen says smugly.
"Guys! I've been fielding calls all night. The government, UNIT, the CIA... Half the western world and a good portion of the Eastern are asking the same question: Is this anything to do with us?" Jack interrupts.
"Yes." You nod immediately.
"Lucy is right." Tosh says, before telling you all to follow her to the conference room. There, she walks toward the plasma as she taps in commands. "I've run a profile on every reported temporal anomaly and tracked any physical or temporal pattern." She shows the world map on the monitor. There's a big red dot indicating Cardiff, and from there, red lines appear in various locations.
"Definitely our fault." You add.
"The cracks in time trace back here to the Rift. This city—this Hub—is the center. What you're seeing around the world are ripples and aftershocks. The Rift is splintering because of you." Jack looks at you and Owen.
"What?" Owen asks.
"It's not my fault parts of the equation were erased!" You glare at Owen.
"I didn't mean to erase them!" Owen protests. "So are we going to sit around crying into our lattes, or shall we do something about it?" You have to admit he's got a point.
"Bring those who've fallen through time back here, into the vaults." Jack orders.
"And do what with them?" Owen asks.
"We'll deal with phase one first, then I'll tell you about phase two." Jack still ressents Owen, it's obvious. Even Ianto couldn't help, so you wonder if anyone can.
"You can't control time. You can't send them back!" He starts shouting "What are you gonna do?"
"We'll think of something!" Jack shouts back. Owen quiets down. You look around. All of them, except Jack, look guilty and scared, and you have a feeling you look like that as well. "Hey, this is not the end of the world." Jack says softly, trying to cheer you up.
You can't help but snort. "Just because this isn't the end of the world doesn't mean the world isn't about to end." You reply. "Why is it always the end of something? Just for once, I'd like to see a season finale without anything about to end!" You rant softly to yourself.
"Well, you say this isn't the end of the world, so we'll be fine, right?" Jack still tries to cheer you all up.
"Not if we don't start moving. So…" You trail off, looking at Jack so he can give you more orders.
Just before he can say something, a computer beeps, and Ianto goes to check. "Priority one attendance requested at the hospital. Mortality rate's gone through the roof. They're sealing off the area and designating it a hot zone." He reads.
"I'll go." Owen says, putting his earpiece on.
"Tosh, go with him." Jack orders.
"Uh, no, thanks, I'm fine on my own." Owen just wants to be alone. He feels guilty enough because he's caused this and he knows it, and he blames himself when he probably shouldn't, because if he said the truth, it was just an accident.
Still, Tosh won't take no for an answer. "And you'll be even better with me alongside." She says firmly, as she grabs his arm softly and leads him out. "Shut up and come on." They leave.
"I love it when the world's ending." You mumble sarcastically. Honestly, you can't believe it. You've seen it many times, in many different shows, different countries and eras, but you never thought you'd live it. "It's even better when it involves Abaddon."
"How did we stop it?" Jack asks. You know this is a serious matter, even more than when it involved Tosh and Mary.
"You're not worried about the spoilers?" You try to joke and fail miserably. "Some things happened and the Rift was fully opened, and then Abaddon was freed…" You hesitate.
"And how did we stop Abaddon?" Jack pushes.
"He—he fed off human lives so…" You take a deep breath. Ianto's here, and you know he'll understand. You also know it'll hit him hard, probably as much—or maybe even harder—than Jack. You glance at him before answering. "You gave him an all-you-can-eat buffet." You say softly, looking back at Jack. If Jack pales, Ianto's completely white, and looks like he's about to faint. Jack just needs to take a look at Ianto to understand why glanced at Ianto before answering. As Jack walks over to Ianto to pull him to a hug and mumble some things in his ear—reassuring things, you bet—your phone rings and you answer it. "Lucy Blake, how can I help you?"
"Lucy, it's Gwen." Gwen says. "I didn't know who else to call—"
Before she can say anything else, you interrupt her, "I'm on my way."
Jack wanted to come with you but you pulled him aside and insisted he had to stay, for Ianto's sake. It was obvious the young Welshman wasn't going to recover from such a shock any time soon, never mind how well he says he is.
"What is it?" You ask as soon as you get to the police station, though you don't need to ask to know what it's all about.
Gwen and her partner, Andy, show you the monitor where you can see the Roman soldier shouting in latin. "Double murder. Stabbed two blokes in Penarth. Brutal, it was. No mercy." Andy informed you.
"What are we supposed to do? He doesn't speak a word of English, and he's dressed as a bloody Roman soldier!" Gwen exclaims.
"He's not dressed as a Roman soldier, he is a Roman soldier. And he's shouting in latin, probably." You admit.
"Only word I could pick out was Gelligaer." Andy says.
"Gelligaer." Gwen corrects his pronunciation.
"Isn't there a Roman Fort out at Gelligaer? Built around 75 AD?" You ask. Gwen nods. "I'm guessing he was on his way there, time splintered, he ends up here." You say to yourself.
"Excuse me?" Gwen asks. You look up at her, realising you've spoken out loud. "What does that mean?"
"Yeah, just," you shake your head, "ignore me."
"But what did you mean?" Gwen insists.
"That soldier came through a crack in time." Both Andy and Gwen's eyes widen. "Look, I need to get him back to the Hub." You say to Gwen. "Can you help me get him in the SUV?"
After a while trying to sedate him, you finally do and Gwen and Andy help you carry him to the SUV.
"Everyone's saying it, you know—in work, on the streets. Do you think this is the end of the world?" Gwen asks you.
You think of your answer carefully. "Just because the world is about to end doesn't mean it will definitely end. That's what Torchwood's here for." You tell her. "Save the world when it seems impossible to." You fake a small smile and then drive back to the Hub.
The ride's silent, as you don't even bother to turn on the radio or put on some music from your phone. You park the car, and you see Bilis Manger. Your eyes widen. You recognize him even though you've never seen him in person before.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He says though his lips aren't moving.
"Oh no." You can't help but say. "Don't you dare! Don't you dare go after any of them, you bastard!" You're referring to Gareth, Caren and Arthur. You know Bilis killed Rhys to get Gwen to open the Rift. You don't want him near the people you care about. "They haven't done anything, don't you dare!" You can't help but shout, and you punch him—or try to, since he disappears just to prevent receiving the blow. You hit the steering wheel, tears in your eyes, before getting out of the car, and slamming the door shut. Before you get the Roman soldier out of the trunk, you call Gareth. When you're talking to him, your voice trembles slightly.
"Hey, are you okay?" He asks you, having obviously noticed how upset you are.
"Oh, you know me." You fake a smile, even if he can't hear you. "I'm on a rollercoaster that only goes up." You quote. Since you read "The Fault in our Stars", that's the reply you use when people ask you if you're okay when in reality it's completely the opposite. That's not what the character meant when he said it, but given the story of the book, every sentence said, every quote can have different meanings.
"I was thinking, maybe we could go bowling tonight?" He asks.
"I can't tonight, sorry. What about tomorrow?" You ask.
"Yeah. Tomorrow's perfect." He sounds a bit disappointed that it's not today, but you're not sure when all this is going to end, so…
"See ya." You say before hanging up. You get the soldier back at the Hub, and inside a cell. You're surprised to find the Hub silent. No sign of life whatsoever.
You come bak from the cells and Jack and Ianto arrive. "Coming through." Ianto announces, as the cogwheel turns to let him in. He has a handcuffed weevil with him. Jack's right behind him, with another handcuffed weevil. "Thirteen more reports of Weevils on the loose. We can't keep up at this rate." Ianto says as he sprays the weevil to calm him down. Ianto still doesn't look well, but Jack's with him so he could be worse.
"Everything's on the increase." Jack adds.
"Obviously." You're worried out of your mind. "I need to go." You say suddenly, and walk out.
"Lucy. Lucy!" Jack shouts back.
But you don't answer, you grab the keys for the SUV and drive back to your flat, since it's faster than walking. You've got tears in your eyes, and you're afraid. Very afraid.
You wipe them away as a couple fall, and you knock on Gareth's door repeatedly. No answer. You take a paperclip out of your pocket—ever since you've started working for Torchwood, you've had a paperclip with you at all times just in case you need to pick a lock—and use it to open the door. You put in back in your pocket, and walk in. You look around, but there's nothing. And it's not until you step further inside that you step on something that stains your studded foldable black military combat boots red that you find him. Or—should I say—his body. Gareth's lying on the floor. His blue eyes, which had previously been full of life, are now empty, and staring into the nothing.
This time you don't stop the tears when they fall.
"No." You shake your head. "No. No, please." You kneel next to him, not caring if you stain your studded black skinny jeans. You hold him in your arms as you cry. Then you start sobbing. You're angry. You're so, so angry. But you're even more sad, and torn apart by his death, that you can't move away.
You don't know how much time has passed since you first found him, but you haven't left his side since. You feel a hand on your shoulder, and you hesitate a bit before looking up. It's Jack. And he's not alone. Ianto and Tosh are here as well. The sobs that had stopped a while ago come again, and you turn your head to look at Gareth again. This time, you're more angry than sad.
You kiss Gareth's forehead, before finally letting go of him. You're covered in blood. Your black leather jacket and your dark turquoise off shoulder tunic are stained as well, but you don't care. You wipe your tears, and force the sobs to stop.
You let your teammates lead you back to the SUV. Ianto drives his car, since they had to take his to follow you, and Jack drives back to the Hub. You're in the car with Tosh and Jack.
"Where's Owen?" You ask. Your first words since they found you covered in blood.
"He's been relieved of his duties." Jack answers. You were staring at the window, but now you turn your head to stare at Jack.
"You're kidding." When he doesn't answer, you grow mad. "Are you bloody stupid? Why did you—no, don't answer that. I know why. But we need everyone to deal with this bloody apocalypse."
"It's not the apocalypse." Jack says.
"Well, it might as well be!" You exclaim, before turning back to the window. You take a deep breath, to calm you down. Your anger's taking hold of you, and you can't take it out on the first person who makes a mistake. If anything, you've got to take it out on who made it happen, on Bilis Manger. "Sorry. But, just so you know, firing Owen was a big mistake."
"Oh, really?" Jack raises an eyebrow at you.
"Yeah." You refuse to look at him. You look out the window again, wishing to get lost. Why did this have to happen? If you couldn't stop it, will you be able to stop Owen and Tosh from dying? That makes you start crying again. Tosh—who's on the passenger seat—looks back at you, and says something but you don't hear her. Instead, you start muttering the lyrics of a song, if anything to help you calm down, because you're emotionally unstable right now, and the slightest provocation could lead to a disaster. "What about the world today?" You sing softly. "What about the place that we call home? We've never been so many, and we've never been… So alone."
You fiddle with your key necklace as you walk back into the Hub. You're still numb. You're still angry. You're still sad. You're still feeling the weight of loss on your shoulders. You wonder if it's possible for you to be in love with Gareth—you haven't spent that much time with him, because of your job—because it sure feels like you do.
"Lucy, I'm so sorry." Tosh says. You smile faintly at her.
"Thanks but…" You take a deep breath. "Saying you're sorry won't bring him back." Your voice breaks when you say those last words and you look away. You don't want to start crying. Not because your teammates are around, but because crying won't bring him back either.
You sit on the couch, but you can't help the few tears that fall. At least you're not sobbing.
The cogwheel opens and alarms blare. Owen comes through and sees you crying. "Oh, shit. What happened?" He asks. You don't answer. Instead, Tosh does.
"Her boyfriend died." She says softly.
"No. He was murdered." You correct her. "Bilis Manger did it."
"Bilis Manger? That's the Ritz's caretaker." Jack's now suddenly interested in Gareth's death.
"He wants to open the Rift to free Abaddon." You admit, then look up at Owen, because you know he's here to open the Rift, though why? You don't know. Since he didn't have that thing with Diane, then maybe it's because of Katie? "I won't stop you if you do." You tell him.
Something flickers in his eyes and your suspicions are confirmed. He wants to open the Rift. He walks to the Rift Manipulator. Ianto makes a step toward him, a little hesitant.
Jack obviously doesn't see his hesitation. "Make sure you stop him."
You see Ianto's face, and you realize how torn apart he is. What he thinks will bring Lisa back, or follow the orders that came from the man he loves—at least you hope they're already in love.
Finally, Jack notices his hesitation. But just when he's about to say something, Tosh follows Owen. "Toshiko?" Jack asks her.
"I'm going to help him." She admits.
You stand up and follow them, because you know if they do open the Rift, the computer will need everyone's retina print scanned. Ianto follows, but you can see he's not sure about what he's going to do either.
"Lucy! Ianto!" Jack yells at you, and follows you, but he has to run to catch up with you since you're already with Owen and Tosh.
"Enter Emergency Protocol One." Tosh tells Owen. Owen just types.
"Get away from the computer, Owen." Jack arrives. Ianto stands aside, still confused. You stand between Ianto and the rest of the team. Tosh and Owen exchange a look, and Tosh takes Owen's place near the computer. Owen just looks ready to attack Jack if necessary. "This is a trap. All these cracks around the world, they're diversions. This is what Bilis wants. Shouldn't you know that, Lucy?" He turns to you at the end.
"Of course I know that." You reply. "Doesn't mean I'm going to stop it." Grief's still heavy on you. Otherwise, you probably would've stood with Jack. But that would be under different circumstances. "And maybe he hasn't just murdered Gareth. Maybe Caren and Arthur are dead as well." Only Tosh knows who they are, but you don't care. "I can't let them die. Not when it's my fault." You blame yourself even though it's not your fault. You blame yourself because you knew you couldn't stop them from dying. You blame yourself because it hurts so much, you don't know how else to deal with it, than try to correct it. But you also know what's going to happen is so terrible, you wouldn't do what Gwen did and start it all yourself. You'll help, but that's it. Your retina print should be enough, and that's all you'll do.
"What are you afraid of, Jack?" Owen asks.
"Rhea Silva." He answers.
Jack takes out his gun and points it at Tosh's back. "I said 'Move!'", he repeats. That infuriates Owen, who puts himself directly between the gun and Tosh.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He shouts. He wouldn't let Tosh be hurt.
"Final warning." He repeats. Tosh stops, and turns to Jack.
"Jack…" She starts, and then trails off.
"You're a united front now? Toshiko, the poor girl who'll screw any passing alien that gives her a pendant? Owen, so strong, he gets in a cage with a Weevil, desperate to be mauled. Or Ianto, hiding his cyber-girlfriend in the basement. Your two comrades here pumped bullets into her, remember?" Ianto tenses at Jack's words, and you feel anger bubbling up inside you.
"Jack, stop it." You order, even though you know you're in no position to do such thing.
"Oh, because you're in so much pain." He tells you. "You're in so much pain that you won't do anything other than sulk even though you started this."
You clench you fists. "That's the thing about pain. It demands to be felt." You quote.
"And you're going to let the whole world end just because that little boyfriend of yours just died?"
That's it. That's the final straw. You don't care if Gwen did the same thing, you punch him in the face so hard he falls to the floor, dropping his gun. "Fuck you, Jack! Fuck you!"
Owen takes his chance and picks up Jack's gun and points it at Jack.
"We're relieving you of your command, 'Captain'. We're opening that Rift and getting back what we lost!" Owen yells. You know you shouldn't have punched him, and now that you finally let your anger out, you feel a bit calmer, and guiltier too, but that doesn't mean Jack wasn't being a dick. Tosh goes back to typing.
"Shit." She curses when the monitor reads that it'll need everyone's retina print. Jack starts to get up, but Owen shouts.
"Stay down!"
"You're in charge, Owen? You've gotta have significantly bigger balls." Jack's being a dick again. Owen shoots him in the head, and you jump back, startled. Ianto's eyes widen, and you stop him from going over to Jack since Owen's still shooting him. When he stops, you let him go, and Ianto kneels next to Jack, and holds him.
"I'm sick of people doubting me." Owen practically spits out.
Ianto just looks at him in shock. He's pale, incredibly pale. "What have you done?"
Owen doesn't answer and scans everyone's retina prints, including Jack's. A warning pops, saying that it'll damage the Hub's infrastructure. He doesn't even hesitate and immediately presses enter. An alarm blares, as Jack gasps back to life, and Ianto tightens his grip on him. Jack grips Ianto hard, as he focuses again on what happened. You can barely hear Tosh and Owen's exclamations. They didn't know Jack wouldn't stay dead. When Jack looks up at Ianto, he looks so guilty and is full of regret. Jack takes this as a bad sign, and finally pays attention to the alarm and his surroundings.
"What have you done?" He finally asks, and you look away. Everything starts to break.
"Shit. I didn't remember this." You say as an apology. Ianto puts Jack's arm around his shoulders, and grabs him by his waist, helping him walk away from all the mess. The Hub's being destroyed, and you're lucky you get out.
Jack's leaning heavily on Ianto, who's having trouble carrying him, but does it nonetheless. He grips him tight, and you know that even if Jack was able to carry himself out, Ianto wouldn't let go of him, because he knows the moment will come and he will die.
You're out on the streets when you hear a voice behind you. "From out of the darkness, he is come." It's Bilis Manger. You turn to him, furious.
"You." You say accusingly, your entire fury in your words. "It's your fault." You run over to hit him, but Owen and Tosh stop you. You glare at them, but stop fighting, frustrated.
"What is he talking about?" Tosh asks.
"Son of the Great Beast, cast out before time, chained in rock and imprisoned beneath the Rift." Bilis replies.
"I know the Great Beast." You admit. "Almost killed the Doctor. And Rose. And pretty much everyone on that ship." You remember. "I hope I'm not getting anything wrong." You're still angry, but since you can't take it out on him, you clench your fists, your fingernails digging into your skin. Bilis doesn't reply. Instead, he looks up at something behind you.
"All hail Abaddon, the Great Devourer."
"Shit." You curse, and look. Abaddon's even more hideous than in the episode.
"Come to feast on life." Bilis says. "The whole world shall die beneath his shadow." Without looking, you know the entire team's staring at Abaddon. Bilis sounds proud when he speaks to Abaddon. "I look upon you, my god, and know my work is done." You turn to him but before you can yell at him or try to punch him again, he disappears.
Jack turns to you. "Get me to an open space." You know what he's going to do. You shake your head.
"No way. I'm not sending you to your death." He stares at you, hoping you'll comply, but you stand firm. Then finally, he looks up at Ianto.
"Ianto." He doesn't need to repeat his order. Ianto pales, but nods once, before moving him to the SUV's passenger seat, and then walking around to drive.
"What do we do now?" Owen asks.
"Now we wait." You reply.
You leave Owen and Tosh alone, and you walk back to your building. There, you knock on Gareth's door. Nervously, you wait until the door opens, and Gareth stares at you with surprise, then he frowns.
"What happened to you?" He asks. You look down at your clothes, still covered in blood, then look back up at him. You'd forgotten about your clothes, and now you forget about them again.
"It's you…" You whisper. "It's really you." Tears threaten to spill, and you pull Gareth into a hug. You hug him fiercely, and refuse to let him go.
"Yeah, it's me…" Gareth trails off, confused. "What happened to you, are you all right?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Now that you're back goes unsaid.
"Because you're covered in blood." He points out.
"It's not mine." You admit, but still won't let him go. "God, I'm so glad you're all right." Suddenly, you start crying again. At least you're not sobbing. You bury your head on his chest, and Gareth holds you.
"Are you sure you're all right?" He asks again.
"Oh, you know me," you repeat your words from earlier, "I'm on a rollercoaster that only goes up." And this time, you actually mean it. This time, you cry because you're happy. You cry tears of joy, because you've recovered what you'd lost. Because everything will be all right.
Still, you can't help it when you say, "I love you." And as soon as you've said it, you mean it. Gareth's startled, but doesn't react in a bad way.
Instead, he replies, "I love you too."
When you return to the Hub, everyone's in the morgue, around Jack's body. He looks deathly pale, and even though you're used to him dying and don't react anymore, just the sight of him so pale makes you sick.
"How is he?"
"Dead." Owen replies.
"You sure?"
"He's ice cold. No vital signs." Owen says.
"He can't die." Ianto whispers the words, too heartbroken to say it louder.
"He was wrong." Owen says tactlessly.
"No, he wasn't. He's a fixed point in time and space. He doesn't know it but still. He can't die permanently. He won't until…" You trail off. "Spoilers."
Owen shakes his head. "He won't wake up. He's dead. Permanently."
You force yourself to be patient. "Why don't we leave him, yeah?" Owen and Tosh start to leave, and before you follow them, you hug Ianto, and whisper in his ear, "Kiss him."
Before he can ask why, you walk out, close behind Owen and Tosh. They turn on the monitor and watch Ianto. Now that you're all gone, he lets a few tears fall. He sits next to Jack, just staring at him. Finally, he speaks. "Wake up." He asks, brokenly. Then he leans over and kisses Jack. It's a short kiss. He pulls away and stares at Jack, before standing up. He hears Jack gasping, coming back to life once again, and Ianto's shock is written all over his face. It doesn't stop him from sitting back down and holding Jack's hand immediately.
Jack smiles. "Thank you." And the look he gives Ianto is so full of love that you can't help but squeal a little. Then Jack pulls Ianto into a kiss, a real one. Owen clears his throat, deciding to ruin your fun.
"Right. Time to move, people. Let's clean up this mess." He looks uncomfortable. Both him and Tosh are in shock, but Owen's also nervous. It was his fault after all. He was the one who deleted the equation, accidentally or not, and he doesn't want to face Jack.
You don't say anything, and start cleaning up. You remember this is when Jack's leaves with the Doctor. At least this is when it should. It's kind of a few days earlier, but maybe things will change now.
Jack walks in about ten minutes later. He's wearing his usual attire, except for the coat. Tosh runs over to him, and he hugs her. You smile at him. He comes and hugs you.
"Good to have you back." You say.
"It's good to be back." He replies. Since everyone in the room is silent, you know Tosh and Ianto will hear you, even if you whisper, so instead you think, Not for long.
At that moment, Owen comes in, carrying a kit. When he sees Jack, he drops it. Jack pulls away and walks over to where Owen is.
"I—" Owen starts.
Jack just pulls him into a hug as well. "I forgive you." He holds Owen as he cries.
Later, Tosh and Owen are getting coffee for everyone, since Ianto's coffee machine was broken in the wreckage, and you and Ianto stay with Jack, in the man's office. At first, Ianto was about to go with the rest, but stopped him. You don't know if the Doctor's coming, but you have a feeling he will, and you don't want Jack to go without having said goodbye to Ianto.
"What's happened to the Rift?" Ianto asks.
"It closed up when Abaddon was destroyed. But it's gonna be more volatile than ever."
"No more days off." You joke.
"How's your boyfriend?" Jack asks you.
"Alive. Has no idea he died." You answer.
You all stay quiet, until Ianto speaks. "The visions we had. We all saw people we loved. What did you see?"
"Nothing. I saw nothing." Jack says. You don't know if he's lying or not.
"What would have tempted you? What visions would have convinced you to open the rift?" Ianto asks. He's curious, trying to understand Jack a little more.
Jack looks straight into Ianto's eyes, and answers, "The right kind of Doctor."
You can't help it but play dumb. "Doctor who?" You crack a smile at that.
Jack smiles a little. "Oh, you know. Just the Doctor." Then you leave his office, walking back to the main part of the Hub.
After a while, Jack and Ianto walk out of the office. They probably were having a private conversation. Jack immediately asks, "Where are they with those coffees?"
You shrug. "Dunno."
Then the Doctor's hand starts glowing. You're a bit surprised, but that's all.
Jack practically runs over to the jar, and Ianto follows him, a bit worried. Jack's face lights up and he smiles when he hears the TARDIS sound, and you can't help but grin as well, and start fangirling.
"That's the TARDIS!" You can't help but exclaim.
"Yeah." Jack looks over at Ianto and his smile fades. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, but I have to go. I've been waiting for—"
"For centuries. I know." Ianto nodded with understanding. "Go." Jack smiles, and kisses Ianto, and hugs you before he heads off.
"Say hi to the Doctor from me!" You shout after him.
"Do you know him?" Ianto asks you when Jack's out of sight. "The Doctor."
"Not in person." You turn to him. "You want us to watch a Doctor Who marathon sometimes? Rift permitting."
Ianto hesitates before saying. "Sure."
Then the cogwheel turns and Owen and Tosh come in with the coffees. They look around.
"Where's Jack?" Owen asks.
"Gone." You answer. "But he'll be back."
"What do you mean, gone?" Tosh wonders.
"The Doctor came. Jack had to go." Ianto says.
"Yep. But he'll be back." You repeat. If Ianto doesn't believe you, Owen and Tosh think you're insane. "Oh, come on, team! We can handle a few months without him, right?"
"Months?" Owen's eyes widen.
"Timelines and all that. Plus, the Doctor isn't exactly an expert when it comes to driving the TARDIS." You explain.
"What the hell is a TARDIS?" Owen asks, a bit mad. Okay, definitely mad.
"Don't know if I should tell you."
"Well, since Jack's gone, that makes me the leader." Owen's about to say something, probably order you to answer his question about the TARDIS, but Ianto decides to come in and say one of his witty comments.
"God help us." Owen rolls his eyes at Ianto and you and Tosh chuckle.
"He's too busy writing about the Winchesters." When they all stare at you in confusion, you roll your eyes. "That's it. As soon as we've got some free time, I'm showing you Supernatural. And I won't take a no for an answer."
And while Jack's absence is going to be a great disadvantage, you're sure you can manage to, at least, stay alive until Jack comes back—not counting the Year That Never Was. Torchwood's still here, and you've got work to do. After all, the 21st century is when everything changes, and Torchwood's got to be ready.