Author's Notes - Thanks to padmay97 and dwatlaskrhtcm for their reviews of the last chapter. There's a little more action in this chapter as the Doctor, Jack and Melissa return to Cardiff and the new Torchwood team.


It was sprinkling in Cardiff when the TARDIS arrived, and Melissa, Jack and the Doctor hurried to the tourist entrance, hoping the deluge would hold off for a few minutes. They'd decided to jump to noon since they were hungry and had eaten something resembling breakfast a few hours before.

Gwen was waiting impatiently as Jack opened the door. Immediately, she threw her arms around him giving him an enthusiastic hug. "We've missed you, Jack! You wouldn't believe how much Ianto's been moping around."

Not sure if that was a pointed reminder that he'd been neglecting the Welshman, Jack smiled and quickly introduced the Doctor. "Gwen, I'd like you to meet the Doctor. I know you saw him on the subwave a week ago, but that's not the same as meeting face to face."

"It's very nice to meet you." She addressed the Doctor sincerely before glancing curiously at Melissa, who was standing slightly behind both men.

Between Martha's continued mistrust and Ianto's moving description of the eulogy she'd given for her children, Gwen wasn't really sure what to expect from the woman who was glancing distractedly around the Hub. Plus, Mickey had informed them that she was in actuality Jack's wife, and that was simply too bizarre to comprehend.

"I was so sorry to hear of your loss, Ms. Morgan.

"Thank you."

There were so many memories of the Hub, many of them conflicting, that it took her a moment to process all of them. As Gwen briefed Jack on recent Rift activity and the Doctor inserted himself into their conversation, Melissa slipped away to wander casually around the base. As she left, the Doctor shared a long look with the Captain, and then went in search of Martha.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Martha Jones."

Her gloved hands covered in viscous alien intestines, Martha reluctantly looked up from the autopsy she was performing. Flushing at the timber of compassion and disappointment she heard in his voice, she slowly took off her gloves.

"I suppose this is where you tell me no second chances?"

Giving her a poignant smile, he replied, "Oh, I believe in multiple chances now. Harriet Jones taught me the value of that."

Feeling cornered, she lashed out. "She gave her life to teach you that."

"Yes she did," he agreed sadly.

When he made no attempt to defend himself, she deflated. "I guess this is about Melissa." Putting her hand up, she argued, "Now, I know I shouldn't have pretended to believe her, but you were dying, and I didn't know what else to do. I am sorry she was injured."

Giving her a half-shrug, he took a few steps closer before commenting almost dismissively. "Emma is the most stubborn woman I have ever known. You couldn't have stopped her."

Bemused, his former companion opened her mouth to question him, but closed it abruptly when he put his hands on her shoulder. The intensity of his gaze froze her like a mouse in the grip of a hawk.

"Martha Jones. You walked the Earth for me. You faced the Master. You had the strength to leave me for your own good. You are one of the bravest humans I know. But, when you found another watch, you kept that knowledge to yourself. Oh, Martha, what did I do to make you so afraid?"

Sobbing, she let him put his arms around her in a gesture of comfort. After a good cry, she felt well enough to talk.

"I wake up almost every night screaming, Doctor. I dream of all the unspeakable things that happened in that year. It was like I didn't walk the Earth; I walked in hell. I saw the Toclafane kill anyone unable to work in the most gruesome ways, and it didn't matter to them if they were old, sick or even children. And then I saw the brutality that human beings inflict upon each other. People being killed over scraps of food, women being raped because no one had the courage to stop their attackers. Doctor, I saw it all."

"And then," she continued in a rush, "I found the watch. I know how lonely you are, how much you miss your people. And, I'm sorry, but I was afraid it wouldn't matter to you if she was worse than the Master. I was afraid you'd destroy yourself trying to fix her, too."

When Martha finally stopped talking, it felt like a weight had lifted from her chest. She'd been the one to take care of her family after the Valiant. She'd been the one who had to be strong. So, she'd repressed her fears as best she could and pretended like the Year hadn't happened. But it had, and it was liberating to finally admit how much it had affected her.

Remorse and guilt lined the Doctor's features, and he suddenly looked tired and worn out. "I'm so sorry, Martha. I did some terrible things while we were together, and I never even stuck around long enough to see how you were coping. That's an old fault of mine. I am very good at running away, but I've vowed to change that, and I hope one day you can forgive me."

His expression was so sincere and forlorn that she forgave him on the spot. "Come here, you. I think we both could both use a hug right now." As they hugged, she spoke earnestly, feeling for the first time since the Valiant that she had achieved some sort of catharsis. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I know how much you care, about everyone. I've just been really upset about a lot of things."

Letting her go, he gave her an encouraging smile. "Martha Jones, you really are brilliant, you know. And it's quite alright to ask for some help every now and then. I hear you've elected to join Jack's team here in Cardiff. If you ever want to talk, I'll be around."

"Not sure Jack still wants me," she admitted ruefully.

"Yes, I heard you bore the brunt of the Captain's temper. He's calmed considerably since then, you know."

"Are they really married?"

"Yep," he answered simply, having no intention of explaining the complicated relationship the three of them shared.

Seeing the troubled look on her face, he became concerned. "What's wrong, Martha?"

Self-consciously, she admitted, "It's just during that year, she told me someone she loved was being tortured on the Valiant, and I never made the connection. I let her die then, and she almost died a week ago because I never even considered she was putting herself in danger. How's Jack going to forgive me for that?"

"You told him about the watch when you could have stayed silent. He hasn't forgotten that."

"I hope you're right."

Giving the Doctor another hug, she excused herself to finish the autopsy, although she agreed to meet them upstairs for lunch as soon as she was finished.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Wandering around the Hub, Melissa avoided the autopsy bay. She didn't think she was ready to speak to Martha, and she didn't want to be reminded of Owen's absence. For a while, she walked through the cells, but the presence of so many Weevils only depressed her. Walking deep into the tunnels, she found Joy's nursery, only here it was a room filled with old moldy boxes of rotting paper. The stench and painful memories were enough to make her retreat to the archives. For a moment she was confused; her old desk was exactly where it should be. Then, she noticed Mickey Smith sitting behind it, a pile of artifacts in front of him.

He seemed as startled as she was, nervously standing as soon as he caught sight of her. "Sorry, meant to go upstairs and say hello, but I got distracted by a couple of things." Self-consciously, he added, "How you doing today, then?"

Mickey had become much more accustomed to death and grieving while working for the Torchwood in Pete's World than he had ever expected or wished to be, but he couldn't imagine how difficult it must be to lose your children. And Melissa made him nervous. He wasn't leery of her like Martha, but she was a Time Lord, and he was rather in awe of her.

"It's good to have something do to," she replied, answering his question only tangentially. "I thought Jack said you were the new computer expert?"

"I am," he answered more confidently, gratified that Captain Flash had called him an expert in anything. "But Toshiko Sato set up the system so that it almost runs itself. I've been doing a little tweaking in the last week, but the computer systems are in remarkable shape considering how long this Torchwood's been without a technician. I also worked field ops for five years, and I've been able to identify a few mystery items in the archives."

"Ianto's going to appreciate that," she remarked conversationally. "He hates to label anything as unknown." Glancing around, she mentioned, "Where is Mr. Jones, by the way? I didn't see him upstairs."

"He's in a meeting at UNIT headquarters today. They're coming up with a schedule to dig up and destroy those nukes that are part of the Osterhagen Key."

Her eyes narrowed in anger, and Mickey was forcibly reminded just why Time Lords made him nervous. He was very glad that anger wasn't aimed at him.

"What gave UNIT the right to make that decision for the entire planet?"

"They won't now, will they? The Doctor's ordered them to dismantle it, and for once they're listening to him the first time."

She smiled at Mickey's loyalty; he had certainly matured since their first meeting. Changing the subject, she asked, "We arrived at noon. Has anyone had lunch yet?"

"No. You think the boss will spring for something besides pizza?" Putting the detonator away that he had been studying, Mickey walked congenially with her upstairs.

Her stomach churned as she reached the main level of the Hub and saw who was standing across from Jack and the Doctor. She almost turned around to slink to the archives, but Mickey saw her hesitation and whispered encouragingly.

"Might as well get this over with. Whatever you may think, she's a good doctor and Torchwood needs her."

Steeling herself, she gave him a tight nod, and slowly walked to the trio, her manner as cool as she could make it.

"Melissa." Martha greeted her awkwardly as the Time Lord came to stand possessively between the two men.

"Martha," she acknowledged reluctantly. Then, turning her attention to Jack, she tried her best to ignore Torchwood's new medic. "I thought I could work in the archives for a few hours. There are some artifacts down there that should be locked in your safe."

"Sure," Jack replied easily. "Why don't you start after lunch? I thought all of us could go out. The Rift monitor will alert us if anything needs our attention."

"I'm not hungry," she answered flatly. Without giving anyone time to argue, she turned her heel and marched resolutely back the way she came.

"Well," the Doctor commented to the air, "that could have gone better."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Clearing a spot on the untidy desk, the Doctor placed a Styrofoam container of fish and chips and a large Coke in front of Melissa. "It's ten o'clock. Most everyone's gone home. You've been sulking in here long enough; you need to eat something."

She tried arguing with him. "Do you know how dangerous some of this stuff is? They had a Sontaran hyperbaric grenade labeled as unknown and thrown into a drawer. Jack's lucky it hasn't taken out the entire Hub."

Looking around at the Rift detritus spread across her desk, he was almost distracted, but managed to stay focused. "Nice try, but you're taking a break. I'll help you finish up after you eat." Then, dangling the carrot, he added, "Plus, if you clean your plate, I'll give you the slice of chocolate cheesecake Jack picked up for you."

She tried to stare daggers at him, but he had such a cheery grin on his face and his eyes were schooled into such a puppy dog expression that she couldn't even pretend to be annoyed for very long. And she was hungry. Foregoing lunch and dinner had not been the smartest thing she'd done recently.

Picking up the plastic fork, she started to break apart the large piece of fish, eating silently until the white container was almost empty. "I wasn't sulking."

"No?"

"I know Torchwood needs a doctor, and I know Martha is the best choice because of her experience, but I just can't face her yet." Violently, she stabbed a hole into the Styrofoam with the fork.

Coming around the desk, the Doctor carefully took the fork out of her hand. "You're going to need that for dessert," he told her calmly before trying to make her see reason.

"Martha made a mistake by not telling me about the watch, but we'll never know if opening it earlier would have made a difference for Susan and Matthew. They could have died during the Dalek invasion anyway, or they could have died in some other manner. And I know you want to blame Martha, but it's really me you should hold responsible. I did some pretty frightening things when she and I travelled together, and then the Master kidnapped her family, blew up her flat and tried his hardest to have her killed during that year she walked the Earth for me. You can't blame her for being scared of releasing another Time Lord."

Martha momentarily forgotten, her eyes flashed dangerously. "Don't you dare compare yourself with that bastard! Not ever again! You and he are nowhere near the same! And I don't care what you say, I'm glad that he's dead!"

Gingerly, he crouched beside her, their faces inches apart. "I won't. I'm sorry. If I had known what he'd done, I would have never forgiven him; I promise. Just give Martha a chance."

"Fine."

Abruptly, her emotions flip-flopped. She was gazing deeply into his eyes, so warm and familiar even if they were brown this time. And he was so handsome this go round, how could she have not noticed that? His suit hugged his rear and that tie begged to be taken off. She wanted to run her fingers through his hair and try to tame its unruliness.

Unconsciously, she had raised her hand to do just that, and she could feel his entire body tense as she touched him. Bringing her mouth to his, she perceived some moments later that they were both kneeling on the floor. Slowly, she unbuttoned his suit jacket, and her hands explored his chest through the thin fabric of his shirt. They had been apart so long, and her body ached for his touch.

But he wasn't making any explorations of his own. In fact, he had pulled away, putting several feet between them. She could feel his desire, smell the tangy scent of his pheromones flooding the room, and confused, she tried to draw him back to her.

"It's not real, Emma." His voice was ragged, husky, as if he barely had control of himself, and it made her want him that much more.

"You want me."

"Definitely." Then, taking a deep breath, he managed to regain control of himself. "But not like this. Jack's with Ianto. He returned from London a few minutes before I came down here. You're experiencing the backwash."

"Oh."

Embarrassment inflamed her cheeks as she realized that he was correct. Now that she knew what was happening, she could sense Jack's excitement and grasped what it was doing to her. Her body still uncomfortably aroused, she wanted nothing more than to get away from the Doctor, who was looking at her with too much compassion in his eyes.

Sensing her mortification, he quickly tried to reassure her. "It won't happen every time. The farther away you are, the less impact it will have, and you still don't have the mental defenses you should."

"Of course," she agreed briskly, not wanting to give any hint of how disappointed she was. Standing up, she looked at him awkwardly. "I think I need a walk. You mind finishing up here?"

"Not at all." He could still feel her arousal and her shame, and on another level, disappointment. Hoping that she did not realize how clearly she was broadcasting to him, he gave her a friendly smile as she practically ran up the stairs.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Melissa walked the streets of Cardiff the rest of the night and most of the morning. Careful to avoid the areas frequented by Weevils, she wandered far and wide, passing both the house she had lived in with Jack, Susan and Matthew for not quite a year, and the house Jack had purchased the day she had confronted the Master.

It hadn't taken her that long to get over her embarrassment. She was bonded to the Doctor as much as she was to Jack, and experiencing the sexual nature of that bond was only natural. And, she wasn't disappointed in the least that for all their teasing, neither one of them had made overtures to her in that direction. She had gone through too much lately to be remotely interested in something as trivial as sex.

No, that wasn't why she was doing a walkabout, she lied to herself. She was thinking and working on her mental defenses while getting some much needed exercise. Plus, she didn't feel as if she belonged in Cardiff. Jack didn't remember their time together, and she had all but shoved him in Ianto's direction. She had no home to retreat to in this reality, and while she knew she could stay in the TARDIS, she couldn't bring herself to think of the ship as more than temporary lodging. For all its size, the TARDIS could feel remarkably claustrophobic to her at times. Besides, what was she supposed to do? Crawl in bed with the Doctor? Start decorating her room? Maybe she should get a flat, but, frankly, the thought of living alone depressed her.

Walking aimlessly, she morosely watched all the people running about doing the day to day things that made up their ordinary, day to day lives. Finally, she gave herself a good mental kick in the rear. It didn't do her any good to wallow in self pity. She had people who cared about her, and the chance to make a new life for herself, even if she wished she didn't have to. Pushing aside those thoughts, she walked quickly in the direction of the Hub. It wouldn't do for the Doctor or Jack to think she was sulking.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

However, returning to the Hub, she found it almost empty. Mickey was the only one there. "They"ve gone to see what came through the Rift," he told her, anticipating her question.

"Where?"

"Three different locations. Jack and Ianto are on Queen Street; Gwen and Martha are at the National Assembly; and the Doctor was going to the stadium."

"Was going?"

"Yeah," Mickey admitted, somewhat self-consciously. "He refused to wear an earpiece. Not that I disagree. Had enough of that fighting Cybermen, but I can't communicate with him without it. Gwen just sent in a picture of the object they found. Was hoping he'd recognize it."

"Let me see."

As she studied the picture, a tense knot formed in her stomach. Grabbing the comms, she contacted Gwen.

"Gwen, this egg shaped object you and Martha found, how big is it?"

"The size of a backpack."

"Does it look like it might be made of thick glass, and does the purple stuff move around some?"

"Yeah, although it's turning more blue than purple now."

"Okay," she said much too calmly. "That thing's a bomb, well, not actually a bomb, but when it cracks it's going to explode spectacularly. Don't touch it, just evacuate the building. Make sure everyone's well away. I'm not sure if it can bring the building down, but it's best to be on the safe side. Contact Mickey when the building's clear."

"The Assembly's in session," Gwen remarked as she motioned for Martha to back away from the large glass object.

"Tell them it's a terrorist device. That should get them moving."

Without waiting for a reply, she contacted Jack.

"Jack, have you and Ianto found anything yet?"

"No, we were just about to go into the shopping centre. Why?"

"You're looking for a stranch egg. Gwen and Martha found one at the National Assembly, and it's already turning blue."

"Shit. What's the humidity level today?"

"Too high," she answered curtly. "But if it was outside, I think it would have hatched by now."

"Okay," he answered, as he and Ianto strode into the shopping centre. "We've checked everywhere else. Ianto will start the evacuation while I look for the egg. Do you think the stranch can survive?"

"I hope not, although with its exoskeleton anything is possible. Look, Jack, I've got to warn the Doctor."

But even as she said it, she and Mickey felt a rumbling that shook the Hub.

"That came from the stadium!" Jack was torn between finding the second egg and rushing to see if the Doctor was injured.

Hearing indecision in his voice, Melissa calmly reassured him. "He's fine, Jack. We need to focus on containing the two other eggs. The blasts are bigger than I anticipated. The acidity in the atmosphere must be higher than normal."

Mickey suddenly cut in. "What about the explosive containment boxes in the archives? They should be big enough."

"And, they're airtight! Mickey, you're a genius!" Jack was effusive in his praise over the comms, and then suddenly, he was standing in front of them.

"What are you waiting for? Go get the containment boxes!"

Running downstairs, Melissa and Mickey picked up the boxes, depositing them at Jack's feet. Picking them up, he was gone with a flash. Melissa started pacing, suddenly edgy, and then she raced to the secure armory. Finding what she needed, she ran back to Mickey's computer station.

"I need your keys."

"What?"

"Your car keys, Mickey! I need them. Something's wrong at the stadium."

"Hadn't been back long enough to buy a car."

Frustrated, she searched Gwen's desk, but her keys were missing. Desperate, she ran into Jack's office, going through his desk until she found his set of keys. Hoping he drove the same car as she remembered, she raced into the parking garage. The Jag was just where it should be. Spinning the tires, she sped towards the stadium.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Doctor picked his way through the rubble, brushing dust off his coat, sincerely thankful that the stadium had been empty when the bomb had gone off. He wondered if it had been sent through the Rift accidently or by design as he tried to find remnants of the device. Reaching the epicenter of the explosion, he looked down, and immediately took several steps back. Not a bomb, then.

The stranch looked to be momentarily stunned, or no doubt it would have attacked already. The long tail of the scorpion-like creature was already starting to move, and the Doctor knew he didn't have time to find a piece of concrete big enough to smash it to pieces. Warily, he turned to run.

Stuck in traffic, Melissa impatiently listened to the team's chatter. Jack had disposed of the egg at the National Assembly by containing it and then teleporting the container to a very remote region of Snowdonia National Park. When it exploded, the container held, and he popped back to the Hub to place the entire thing into a cell, just in case. A minute later Ianto called in that he had found the third egg inside the Capitol Shopping Centre. He reported that it was dark blue, and she realized with a sick lurch that it was seconds from hatching, or in this case, exploding. Jack must have understood that as well because as soon as Ianto made his statement, the Captain teleported in, snatched up the egg without bothering to box it up, and then disappeared.

She felt the impact of his death less than a minute later. Shaking in the car, she fought back the bile that threatened to erupt from her stomach. She really hated it when he did that. When it happened again four minutes and sixteen seconds later, she had trouble controlling her anxiety. The stranch must have survived.

She was forced to abandon the car several blocks away from the stadium. The explosion had created a traffic nightmare as people fled the area and emergency services vehicles tried to reach the disaster. Running flat out, she saw that the portion of the stadium closest to the river had collapsed entirely.

He's fine, she told herself firmly as she brazenly pushed past the first responders by invoking Torchwood's name. Jack perished once again as she was entering the stadium, and this time she couldn't hold back her reaction. She retched violently before forcing herself to calm. Then, she picked her way carefully through the debris in search of the Doctor.

She was a hundred feet away when she saw him go down. He had been standing on a huge mound of concrete rubble, aiming his sonic screwdriver down at the stranch, when the pile unexpectedly began to shift. Thrown onto his back, he slid clumsily down the heap, no doubt accumulating some magnificent bruises as he rolled away from the mass of tumbling fragments.

Regrettably, his path took him very close to the creature, which used the chaos as an opportunity to attack. Shooting venom out of its tail, the stranch hit the Doctor on his right side. Even as Melissa ran towards him, she could see the blue liquid burn through the Doctor's clothes to sear his skin and sink into muscle and bone.

"Doc, roll left!"

Obeying instinctively, the Doctor did just that. The stranch's tail missed him by inches, and the alien readied itself for another spray. Melissa fired her weapon, but the intense pain of the Doctor's wounds distracted her enough that she missed. The weapon's discharge made the alien wary, however, and as it retreated, she dragged the Doctor out of the way, silently apologizing for aggravating his injuries.

"You okay?" Hidden behind another pile of rubble, she slowed her respirations as she looked at him worriedly.

"I'm fine." He was lying on his left side, his face pinched in agony, but the assurance had automatically popped out of his mouth.

"Liar."

"Why bother asking, then?"

She ignored his question as she examined his right side. A three inch piece of jagged collarbone was visible through his dissolved flesh and clothing. However, the wound looked to be stable. She had feared that the caustic substance would have burned right through to the other side.

After a few moments' silence while they both strained to hear the stranch's movements, he stated flatly. "You're holding a demat gun in your hand."

"I'm well aware of that, Doc. And you can destroy it just as soon as I'm finished with it, although it's no worse than Jack's sonic blaster."

"Why do you think I destroyed Villengard?"

She didn't have a chance to answer because at that moment, Ianto Jones ran into their view, attracting the attention of the creature.

"Ianto, stay back!"

Jumping up from their hiding spot, Melissa ran towards him, hoping to get another shot at the stranch before it could do more damage. The alien was exceedingly agile, however, and leapt out of range before she could do more than aim. Attracted by the Welshman's higher body temperature, the stranch spewed its venom towards Melissa as it continued its pursuit of Ianto. She managed to avoid most of the spray, but a few droplets brushed her left hand and the demat gun. As the venom stung her skin, she dropped the now useless weapon.

Seeing the shiny black, armor-plated alien skittering towards him, Ianto coolly waited for it to come within range of his weapon. Taking careful aim, he fired at the insectoid even as it released a burst of venom in his direction. The bullet tore through the alien's abdomen, causing an explosion that spurted guts into the air.

Time froze.

Melissa looked warily at the scene before her. The droplets of blue venom and green innards that had been racing towards Ianto looked like a Jackson Pollack painting rendered in three dimensions. Taking the utmost care not to touch any of the splatter, she approached the Welshman, putting her uninjured hand on his shoulder and willing him to perceive the moment as she did.

"This is different," he remarked wryly as he looked around in bewilderment. Seeing the droplets suspended in midair, however, he was reminded of Tosh's timelock, and suddenly it made more sense.

"I take it having that hit me would be detrimental to my health."

"Yes," Melissa grunted as she marched him slowly and carefully away from danger.

There were at the edge of the projectiles' paths when she sensed Jack's death yet again. It jolted her consciousness, wrenching her and Ianto back into the normal flow of time. Pushing him down, she landed on top, trying to shield him from the worst of the venom. She rested against him until he calmly mentioned that she might like to move.

It took a moment. She was worn out from what she had done, and would have liked to have stayed horizontal. Suppressing a grimace, she stood carefully, trying to ignore her latest injury. Her right calf was going to need an extended session with the tissue regenerator once the Doctor's injuries were healed. Looking down at Ianto, who didn't seem to be hurt, she offered him her right hand. Studying her, he finally took it, pulling himself up.

"You okay? None of it touched you, did it?" Even as she asked, she was turning away from Ianto to check on the Doctor. It wasn't like him to stay on the sidelines.

Watching her limp awkwardly towards a pile of rubble, he answered evenly. "Not even a pinprick on my suit. You, however, look like you were mauled."

She waved off his concern. "Nothing the tissue regenerator can't fix. Can you call Martha and tell her the Doctor's been injured? And try to contact Jack. He may need help wherever he is."

He obeyed her orders without as much as a second thought. There was a confidence and authority in her voice that reminded him of the Captain at his very best. He did, however, mention to Martha that she had been injured as well. He didn't think Jack would appreciate his wife going into shock and dying on her first Torchwood mission, especially when he couldn't seem to reach him on the comms to tell him she had been injured in the first place.

The Doctor was propped up against a large pile of rubble, his eyes closed. As she approached, he opened his eyes and gave her a weary smile. There was something about him that seemed wrong, however, and she hobbled to him all the faster.

"Honey, I forgot to duck," he joked weakly, and immediately, she pulled his coat aside to reveal a much smaller hole in his chest that she had missed on first examination.

"Reagan almost died," she remarked sharply, clearly not amused. "Why didn't you tell me you had collapsed a lung?"

"The other one works perfectly fine. Besides, the respiratory bypass—"

"Is not meant to be used for long periods of time," she finished for him, glaring severely.

He ignored her reprimand. "Well, you were a bit distracted by the stranch."

She couldn't refute that. Her anger turned into anxiety as she watched his face turn a sickly shade of gray. "Are you strong enough to heal it?"

"Not entirely sure," he admitted sheepishly.

They had been ignoring the elephant in the room since she had opened the watch and saved his life, not wanting to alarm Jack. The blood transfusion had been brilliant, but it had sapped his remaining regenerations as his body patterned his healthy cells after hers. They were both out of second chances, and neither had completely recovered from the ordeal; the Doctor's collapse a few days ago had proven that.

"Then stay with me," she urged as his eyes started to close. "Martha's on her way, and we'll have you in the TARDIS soon. The tissue regenerator can take care of everything once she gets a chest tube inserted."

"I don't have a tissue regenerator that sophisticated." Hanging onto consciousness by a thread, he focused on her voice to keep him occupied.

"But Torchwood does."

"That's right, you modified that Trass Model III for Jack, didn't you? Then, I suppose you'll be wanting to use my screwdriver."

His voice trailed off as he finished the sentence, and alarmed, she slipped into his mind.

He was standing near the TARDIS console, although it was an older version-gleaming white and precisely angled. Manically running around, pushing buttons and twisting dials, he didn't notice her at first, but when he did, his face lit up.

"Hello! A bit busy at the moment, but I'm always glad to see you, Em."

Easily comprehending the metaphor of his current mindscape, she placed herself opposite him to help him pilot the TARDIS.

"It's not six, but I've been told it's better with two."

"Always!" He agreed enthusiastically, and she was heartened to observe that his breathing was easing as she waited impatiently for Martha.

She could hear in the background Ianto attempting to call Jack for the fifth time, and for the fifth time, he didn't answer. She didn't bother to tell him that Jack was still dead. Dying four times in rapid succession must have slowed his recovery time by quite a bit. She could only hope that the stranch was truly dead, or civilians were bound to get hurt.

Looking up from the TARDIS console, the Doctor saw the worried frown on her face. "He'll be fine. You know, it's strange, but I know he's dead, almost like a counterweight is missing on a pulley."

Still working to keep his oxygen levels up and his left lung properly inflated, she spoke without looking up. "I'm not sure I appreciate being compared to a pulley, Doc."

"I'll have to come up with a better analogy, then," he responded, unperturbed.

As the mental TARDIS hit a few bumps, they worked frantically to keep it on course. It was becoming more difficult to steer the ship, and they were both weakening rapidly. Thankfully, Martha and Gwen had finally made it through the bedlam. After a terse exchange with Melissa, Dr. Jones covered the chest wound and performed a needle aspiration. Immediately, the turbulence lessened significantly.

Leaning against the console, the Doctor smiled tiredly. "I'll be fine now. Martha can take care of me. You should take care of yourself. The way you were walking, I thought you'd been hamstrung."

"I'll survive, but I can take a hint. I'm glad you're going to be alright, Doc."

Not wanting her to leave like that, he stopped her departure by softly calling her name. His tone was such a perfect mixture of desire and reverence that she was momentarily stunned. For the moment, he had her undivided attention.

"Thank you, for everything."

She didn't know how to respond. He meant literally everything. She had felt the depth of his love as the words had formed in his mind. She had also felt the crushing guilt, regret and despair that lurked in his shadowed recesses, and she wanted nothing more than to blaze so brightly that they would be banished for good.

"Beloved, I—"

They both startled when she used a term of endearment she hadn't voiced since their daughter's death, and his surge of elation brought a smile to her face.

"You never could get your timing right," she remarked affectionately.

"That's not what I remember," he replied, his expression smug.

"You'll have to remind me later. Right now, I'm biting my tongue while Martha lectures me on your physiology. She does know I have a respiratory bypass, too, doesn't she?"

"Dr. Jones tends to be very assertive in a crisis." The look on his face let her know that he'd like to be doing much more interesting things with her than discussing his former companion.

"Really? I hadn't noticed." She relied on sarcasm as she forced herself to ignore her burgeoning desire.

Before things could escalate, she bid him a hasty farewell. Alone with her thoughts once again, she spoke to Gwen, asking her to assure the first responders that the threat was over so they could begin the rescue and recovery. Gwen didn't take her orders quite as easily as Ianto had, but in the end she did what Melissa suggested because it was the logical thing to do.

Martha insisted that the Doctor ride in an ambulance back to the Hub. While Torchwood's medic was occupied with the Doctor, Melissa tried to insist that she was well enough to walk back to pick up the Jag, but Ianto vetoed that idea. Disgruntled, she reluctantly hitched a ride in the front of the ambulance.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It took a while to get the Doctor settled in the TARDIS infirmary. Martha inserted a chest tube to vent the last of the air that had escaped into the Doctor's chest cavity, but he refused to be put on oxygen, and in the end, she acquiesced. Lying on his back, he tried to rest while Melissa adapted the tissue regenerator, but he kept raising his head to reassure himself that she was alright. When he did that for the fourteenth time, Martha threatened to put him on a ventilator if he didn't keep still. Chastised, he dropped his head and let his eyes close.

By the time she had modified the medical equipment, the Doctor was sleeping, and Martha was perched protectively in the battered chair near the bed. Stifling a sigh, Melissa left the TARDIS to see if Mickey could pinpoint Jack's location. He had been dead an awful long time.

Mickey couldn't help her, but it didn't matter because she felt Jack's resurrection a few minutes later. With a flash, he was standing in the middle of the Hub, wearing a smile on his face, his wrist strap and nothing else.

"Whoa, Captain Underpants, you could at least teleport to your office if you're going to travel in the buff." Mickey had seen more than he cared to see, and quickly turned away, busying himself at Tosh's old workstation.

The grin on Jack's face widened until he noticed that no one else was around. Instantly serious, he directed his question at Melissa. "Where is everyone?"

"Gwen's liaising with the police. Ianto went to pick up your car, and Martha's in the TARDIS taking care of the Doctor."

"The Doctor was hurt? How bad is it?" As he spoke, he strode purposefully to his bedroom, opening the hatch and jumping down to find some clothes.

Hobbling to the opening, she called down. "He's going to be fine. He got hit by some stranch venom and it caused a pneumothorax on his right side. A chest tube's taking care of it, and I modified your tissue regenerator to heal bone and nerves as well as skin and muscle. It's going to take a few hours, but he'll be as good as new."

"You can come down, you know."

"I can't," she answered reluctantly, wishing that she had been just a little faster at the stadium.

Suspicious, he quickly donned his clothes and climbed the ladder. He saw the damage to her calf as he ascended, and then noticed her left hand as his gaze travelled upwards. "Med bay, now."

He let her limp behind him, but when they reached the stairs, he picked her up, and she could feel the tension and anger emanating from him. Without a word, he put her face down on the table and began to clean the raw, jagged wound on her leg. It took most of her control not to scream as he washed out dirt that had become imbedded deep inside the wound. Finished, he bandaged it carefully before letting her sit up. As he did the same to her injured hand, she studied his expression, wishing she knew what he was thinking. Only when he had wrapped her hand did he finally look at her.

"I know you have a problem with Martha, but she is Torchwood's medic, and if you can't accept treatment from her, then you don't belong on the team."

"Martha was busy saving the Doctor's life. And as soon as the tissue regenerator finishes rebuilding his collarbone, lung and rib, I plan on using it. I'm a Time Lord. You know that means I can function with an injury much longer than a human can. It's not that important."

"It's important to me!"

Mickey decided it was time to do some work in the archives, not wanting to eavesdrop. Ianto, however, stood motionless by the workstations. Trying to better understand their relationship, he listened silently.

Somewhat contrite, she tried to reassure him. "Look, I'm sorry, Jack. I'll try to be more careful next time."

Her words, however, had no effect on the Captain. Although he stopped shouting, he was bitingly derisive. "Sweetheart, I don't think that's a promise you can keep. You've got as much of a hero complex as the Doctor, and unlike him, you don't have any regenerations left."

"A hero complex? I'm not the one who died four times today! And Mickey might think it's just one of your jokes to teleport here in the nude, but I know you weren't wearing any clothes because you must have gotten enough stranch venom on them to dissolve them completely. So you have no right to get angry at me for not being careful!"

When Jack realized what she had said, his anger instantly evaporated. Instead, he looked appalled. "You can sense when I die?"

Glumly, she nodded; she hadn't meant to reveal that aspect of the bond to him yet.

Chagrinned now at his own behavior, he brought his hand to her face, lovingly caressing her cheek. "I'm so sorry, Melissa. I didn't have a choice."

"Neither did I," she responded quietly, leaning into his touch.

Ianto watched unobserved as they kissed tenderly. He had only seen such a devoted, vulnerable expression on Jack's face a few times, and he couldn't help but feel a smidgen of jealousy. After all, the Captain had admitted that she was his first, great love, and there was no way to compete with that. And yet, Jack had made it very clear the previous night that there was no need to. Maybe it was easy for an alien and an immortal man from the future to take such open relationships in stride, but it was going to take more time for him to adjust completely. Walking quietly to the archives, he intended to ask Mickey if he had identified any more unlabeled artifacts.

Breaking their kiss, Jack peered worriedly into her vivid green eyes. "Does it hurt you when I die?"

"It's not the most pleasant of sensations," she reluctantly admitted.

He hugged her forcefully, grieved at causing her more pain. She gripped him just as tightly, and he could feel her entire body trembling. He didn't need to be in her mind to know what was wrong.

"I'm fine; the Doctor's going to recover; and the stranch are dead. Not a horrible result for your first full day at Torchwood. Ask Gwen what happened to her the first day on the job."

She grinned at that. Owen had enjoyed entertaining her with that tale in the alternate. Although, she suspected he had embellished it. No one could be that clumsy.

Seeing her smile, he helped her off the table. "Let's go see how the Doctor is doing. If he's conscious, he's probably driven Martha crazy with that gob of his by now. You know how much he likes to talk."

His observations put some very stimulating images in her mind, and her cheeks flushed. When Jack caught the expression on her face, he chuckled knowingly. "I take it you've been driven crazy by that mouth of his before."

"Not this mouth," she answered pedantically, and then gave him a sly smile. "Although, I confess I'm getting curious."

He grinned back at her. "Sweetheart, I've been curious for years. If you find out, I want to hear all the details."

"Jack," she drawled, in perfect imitation of the way the Doctor called the Captain's name when he was particularly exasperated with him.

"What?" he asked in mock surprise. "Or does a Time Lady not kiss and tell?"

"Jack, do not call me a Time Lady! I'm a Time Lord, end of discussion."

"Did you just tell me you're no lady?"

Shaking her head, she stifled her laughter. "You're incorrigible, you know."

"Yes, I am," he said proudly. "And you love it."

"Yes," she agreed warmly, "I do."