Meanwhile in Cardiff 1

Jack glared at the paperwork, hoping that would make it go away. It was childish but he deserved to be able to act like a child every now and again, especially if Yvonne Hartman was rearing her ugly head. He groaned and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms and placing his legs on the desk. It was common for him to do this when he needed time to relax.

A couple had been killed by a rogue Weevil and now he was forced to finish off the paperwork to appease Torchwood One's notorious needs. It didn't help that Suzie was either out on her regular Tuesday night doing who knows what or working on that damn glove and the new boy, Owen, had to be sent home because of his outrageous hangover.

His mind couldn't focus. He was still curious about what had happened in London. What Tosh had said was a clear indication that the Doctor had been there. His fingers wrapped around the necklace absentmindedly. It always provided him comfort when he was feeling insecure. He never let anyone near it, certainly not Emily Holroyd or Alice Guppy.

A gentle knock on his door caught his attention. The only person who would actually knock was Tosh. Suzie would storm in shouting off a thousand things that needed to be done while Owen would just walk in for the hell of it.

"What is it, Tosh?" Jack asked without looking at her. Tosh took that as an invitation and shuffled inside.

"I did a search for that woman." Tosh explained. "I found her. She's in Leadworth…about twelve years younger than when I met her yesterday."

"Hm, how could that be?" Jack asked rhetorically, spinning in his chair.

"Well, she is a companion of the Doctor. Maybe he picked her up from a later time period and they've been travelling together since." Tosh speculated and Jack growled. If he had his way, Yvonne Hartman would never have told his team about the Doctor and of how he was the enemy.

Jack noted how Tosh shifted and narrowed his eyes.

"You know her, don't you, Toshiko?" Jack asked and noticed how Tosh had jumped. She definitely knew Amy personally.

"I only met her once…with the Doctor. Way before I joined Torchwood." She explained. This caught Jack's attention. He pushed his feet away from the desk and planted them on the ground before gesturing for the woman to sit. Tosh politely obliged and sat on the chair opposite his desk.

"I was just a kid." Tosh whispered, looking like she was in a place far, far away. It was the look Jack often found staring back at him in reflective surfaces. "They saved me from a monster- an alien. Amy was so nice. She told me about how she had met the Doctor when she was a kid as well."

"That sounds like her, typical Red." Jack grinned, rubbing the necklace fondly. Tosh's eyes widened and he cursed himself for letting that slip.

"Do you know them, Jack?"

Jack sighed and nodded. "They're my friends. I'm only working for Torchwood until they come back for me."

Tosh smiled sadly. "You're going to leave us."

"Yeah, I am….sorry." He found he actually was sorry. He would miss the little team he had worked to make but the Doctor, Amy and Rose were going to come back for him and he could finally allow himself to be happy again.

"It's okay, I understand. Once you step inside that TARDIS, it's hard to leave." She smiled fondly. "I won't tell anyone. I promise."

Jack smiled. "Thank you, Tosh."

Tosh nodded and leaned in. "Tell me more about them?"

"You want to share experiences?" he laughed and smiled when Tosh nodded slowly. "Sure, I guess I can do that."

So the two sat there, the paperwork long forgotten, sharing their experiences with the Doctor. Jack truly smiled for the first time in a very long time. He had found a true friend in the quiet, hardworking Toshiko Sato, a person willing to keep his association with the Doctor a secret and someone who had met the Doctor herself. It made the wait for the Doctor's return less slow and painful.

Jack sat there, laughing and smiling, while the necklace around his neck twinkled.

A/N: I owe you all an apology. I left for long than I intended, because life got in the way, but that's not excuse for neglecting a note to explain the extended hiatus. However, I would like to thank a particular guest for kicking my butt into gear. I wish I had a username to add, but if you ever see this, thank you very much.

The forest arc has been retconned from the story. The chapters were lost years ago when my old laptop died, and I lost my drive for that particular plot, so I've unfortunately jettisoned it. But don't worry, Rory and Amy are still having their reunion, and it's rapidly approaching.

If anyone is still here after all this time, thank you for coming back.