Chapter 3: The Darkest Hour

His knuckles alternated between turning white and regaining their normal colour as he tightened and loosened his grip on the steering wheel. When he'd received the report from the field that the Doctor and Rose had been sighted entering the bed and breakfast, his first reaction was shock and anger. Of course the bastard was involved. Never failed, that.

And, now, he was going to confront him before the Time Lord left the hostel. Find out what he knew and then, if necessary, confine him until he left well enough alone. He could handle this on his own. Rather, Torchwood could handle this. They didn't need the Doctor's particular brand of help. Never had, never would.

"Jack, why don't you let me talk to him first?" Gwen asked, interrupting his thoughts. She'd insisted on coming along with him. Well, more like she'd opened the passenger side door and climbed in, daring him to object. Which he had, but she hadn't listened. She was rather good at that.

"No. This one's mine," he growled. He shouldn't take it out on her, he knew, but just knowing that he was going to see that bastard again was enough to bring out the worst in him.

"Fine, this one's yours, but you're not going up there alone." He could feel her steely gaze trained upon him, but he refused to acknowledge it. She could do as she wished. He knew that she'd try to stop him if he even attempted to kill the Time Lord, but he'd have to live with that.

Just as he'd had to live with the abandonment.

He pulled up in front of the bed and breakfast, shifting the car into park. Anger still burned within him and he truly couldn't tell what he'd do or say when he saw the Doctor. "See you in hell," he murmured, not caring if Gwen heard him or not, as he opened the door.

The walk to the front door seemed to take forever, though it was all his imagination. His hands clenched into fists as he reached the entrance and he pounded on the door, not truly caring how the wood rattled in its frame.

The door started to open, but he didn't give it enough time to open fully before he forced his way in. He had a moment to register the Doctor's astonished expression before he'd shoved the other man against the wall. "You fucking bastard," he snarled.

"Jack!" the Doctor exclaimed, his astonishment fading to confusion. "You're alive!"

He allowed himself a moment to wonder at his words before he replied, "No thanks to you."

"Jack, let him go." Gwen, he identified absently.

"Oh, no. I'm not letting him go anywhere. He has some questions that he needs to answer first." He didn't turn toward her when he responded to Gwen. Instead, he kept his burning gaze on the Time Lord. "The Doctor. You just specialise in coming in and cocking everything up, don't you? You just come in, try to take over, butting in where you're not welcomed…"

"The vampires," the Doctor said.

He smiled, but it wasn't a pleasant expression. "The vampires," he confirmed. "We're handling it. We don't need you. I want you out of my town."

"I can't do that."

"Yes, you can," he corrected. "Just get Rose and I'll take you-"

"I said I can't do that!" the Doctor shouted and, in one deceptively simple movement, the other man managed to free himself from his grip. "Jack, they've got Rose."

Rose.

Oh, no. Hell no. No, no, no.

"You never could take care of her," he growled, his hand curling into a fist. The fucking bastard! Some Time Lord, he'd just let the vampires take her. Just let her, obviously, get turned. He was going to kill him.

"Oh-ho! And you always could?" the Doctor asked through gritted teeth.

The sharpness of that remark cut through him and he swung...

Only to be met by Gwen's hand. She was strong, he had to give her that. Then again, she'd have to be to handle some of the criminals she'd dealt with while she was still with homicide.

Gwen glared at him, her hand clenched around his fist, blocking his view of the Doctor. "That's enough! Out of both of you! I don't give a damn about whatever history there is between you – it doesn't fucking matter! What matters is stopping the vampires before more innocent lives are taken." She turned her deadly look upon the Doctor as well before returning her attention to him, nodding toward the sitting room. "So sit down, shut it, and let's pool our resources!"

He opened his mouth to protest, but she squeezed her hand around his fist and pointed a warning finger at him. "Don't."

She continued, "I'm going to let go of your fist, Jack. Don't try anything, got it?" She waited for his answering nod before she looked expectantly at the Doctor who, surprisingly, echoed his gesture.

Gwen let him go and he rubbed his hand ruefully. He should've known better. He wasn't here to kill the Time Lord. Well, he was, but that could wait. Gwen was right. And if Rose was in danger, it was only right that he let the Doctor take part in some small measure. Once she was safe, though, all bets were off.

He let her lead them into the sitting room, but he made certain that he took the best chair. Namely, the only one that offered him a full view of the entire room and the Doctor. "Why don't you tell us what you know about the vampires?"

The Doctor leaned back into his chair, seemingly unconcerned by his hostile audience. Well, he was the only truly hostile one. "An interrogation? Oh, I love interrogations. Where's the bright white light? The hard wood chair? The two-way mirror? Or, oh! The questions about name, rank, and serial number? Oh, wait, that's just in prisoner of war movies."

The other man's expression shifted from nonchalance to focusing his full attention upon him. He'd forgotten how disconcerting that could be. "Let me tell you how this is going to work, Jack. I'm going to be very, very calm about this. Do you understand? You're going to tell me everything you know about the vampires. Starting with how you know about them, what government – and I use that term loosely - agency you represent, and whether or not you're going to help me find Rose."

Gwen had apparently decided to trust the Doctor, despite everything. Despite, even, Torchwood's primary goal to protect the United Kingdom from the Time Lord's interference. Then again, that particular credo had never been number one on his priority list either. He wanted the Doctor for himself. After all, the bastard had left him behind and, now, he'd lost Rose. That was enough for him.

"My name's Gwen Cooper. You apparently already know Jack. We're agents from the Torchwood Institute. The vampire case was brought to our attention as it falls under our jurisdiction. We want to stop them, study them. Kill them, if necessary. But their preying upon the populace of Cardiff must stop," Gwen said.

"Study them?" the Doctor scoffed. "Study them! You can't study them. They just want to kill, to feed. And you'd essentially be baring your necks to them."

Same old, same old. Damn him, anyway. "Oh, there you go again. The Doctor, lording himself over the human race. Flaunting your knowledge over the rest of us. Well guess what, Doc, you're not always here. You leave messes behind. And that's what we're here to fix."

The Doctor seemed taken aback. "Well, yes. I have been negligent in the past, but that's not what's important. What's important is that the vampires have got Rose, and nothing on this planet can stop me from saving her."

"Which," Gwen said, emphasising the word as she looked between the two of them, "is why sharing information is important. So, vampires. All we know are the legends. Can't go out in the sunlight, can be killed by a wooden stake to the heart, they can fly or turn into bats, and garlic, crosses and bibles keep them at bay."

"Some of that's correct. Though any type of material would do. Silver stakes, iron or wooden ones--anything to destroy the heart, the cardiovascular system. Severing the neck and removing the head also works. That will kill a vampire. Sunlight causes them to burst into flames. Garlic is a vampire allergen. They can fly, turn into a gaseous state, and turn into bat-like creatures. But the most important fact is that faith, any type of faith, keeps them away." The Time Lord stood, pacing about the room as he described what he knew. He paused, turning toward them. "Remember that. Any type of faith. Religious or otherwise as long as you believe in it strongly enough."

That matched both the legends and the stories that he'd heard when he was a novice at the Time Agency Academy. However, everything that he knew indicated that there was no way of reversing the change. Once one was bitten, one became a vampire, or died. "Is there a way to save Rose?"

The Doctor sighed, leaning against the wall. "A vampire only truly becomes a vampire on the first full moon after they've been bitten. Which means we have three days."

"Three days to do what?" Gwen asked. "Pray for a miracle?"

He had to grudgingly admit to himself that the Doctor's arrival generally was the miracle.

"No," the Doctor corrected. "To find the vampires, stop them, and rescue Rose. And, to do that, we need to start with information. Lots and lots of information."

The Time Lord folded his arms before himself and grinned. "So, why don't you tell me everything else you know?"

This wasn't how it was supposed to go.

Jack Harkness had died. He'd heard him die. And yet impossibly, unbelievably, he was sitting in front of him.

The former Time Agent should be dead. Had to be dead. What could've...

Rose. No, not Rose. Bad Wolf.

Oh. He remembered her saying something about bringing life. That must've been what she'd meant. And of course she would've saved Jack. She loved him. Just as he had. But Jack was supposed to be dead. He knew that fact. Could see the eddies and currents of time around him.

He was an anomaly. An impossibility. Rose, as Bad Wolf, had brought him back to life but she hadn't dealt with the hole in Time that it'd left behind. She'd merely bandaged the problem, but it was still there.

Jack was supposed to be another name to follow with Adric, Katarina, Sarah Kingdom, and Roz. Another companion who'd given his life for a greater cause. However, he was alive.

And he couldn't find it within himself to correct the error.

He'd only been half-listening to Gwen's speech, relegating a minor portion of his mind to organising and characterising the information while the majority dealt with the anomaly of Jack's existence. It was obvious now of why Jack was angry with him.

The haze of an oncoming regeneration had made him miss what must've happened. He'd saved Rose's life, losing his in the process, but he'd also left Jack behind. A man who shouldn't exist, but did.

Another weight for his already encumbered soul.

He firmly reminded himself that it had been a characteristic of his previous regeneration to dwell in his guilt. He was a new man, a new new Doctor.

Oh, Rose.

Enough. He directed his attention to Gwen. "I'll need to see your files and the pictures of the crime scenes."

"They're back at the Hub," Jack replied in her stead, standing. "We'll have to go back there."

"Before we go, is Torchwood the 'security services' that took Evelyn and her niece into 'protective custody'?" he asked, feeling slightly guilty for not inquiring earlier.

Gwen nodded. "Yes. We're studying Victoria Smythe in the hopes of being able to prevent the spread of vampirism. We might be able to come up with a cure. Evelyn is merely in our custody for observation. We don't know if she's been bitten."

He shook his head. Finding a cure was impossible. Time Lords had tried, but he wouldn't dash all of their hopes. It was possible that they, with their far more simplistic science, might find an avenue that his people hadn't considered. Sometimes the simplest solution was the best. "Evelyn wasn't bitten."

Jack arched an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

He opened his mouth to reply in the affirmative, but he recalled that Evelyn had been wearing her customary heavy orange cardigan. The cardigan had covered her neck. "No."

"Back to the Hub, then," Gwen said, looking at him sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Doctor."

He smiled faintly in acknowledgement. There was nothing that he could say in response. That only increased his urgent need of finding the vampires and rescuing Rose. If Evelyn had been turned, that was his only recourse. He had to save them both.

The journey to the Hub was spent in silence. He'd faced vampires several times in his past incarnations. However, the one that was foremost in his mind was the last time that one of his companions had been turned. He'd managed to both track the vampires' movements through the air – at least until they'd resorted to sub-orbital hops – and create a concentrated garlic pill for protection. The protection was finite, of course, but it'd helped.

He should still have that information in the TARDIS. The TARDIS! Oh, of course. The forty-eight hours were almost up. He could return to his ship at any time. And, once there, he'd be able to do far more than he could at the moment. Provided that Jack and Gwen were willing to let him go.

Something told him that there was more to this Torchwood Institute than appearances said. Especially given that it seemed that this particular agency not only held the name of the same estate where he'd encountered Queen Victoria but it performed the same or similar tasks to UNIT. Admittedly, UNIT had been devastated in the Slitheen attack - most of their alien experts had been killed – however, the fact remained.

Torchwood seemed to be essentially UNIT, only something purely British.

Surprisingly enough, this Hub was apparently located near Millennium Centre. He caught a glimpse of the familiar and comforting blue shape of his ship just before they went into a well-concealed underground parking garage.

"Doctor, stick with us at all times," Jack said, turning around once he'd parked the car. He was surprised to see genuine concern in the other man's eyes. "The Hub can be a dangerous place."

For some reason, he suspected that the danger was his alone. Just what was Torchwood's purpose? "Jack, what does Torchwood do?"

"It finds and adapts alien tech for the use of the British government. And protects the United Kingdom's shores from alien or unexplained phenomena," Gwen summarised.

He frowned. He wanted to object to the idea of adapting alien technology for human use, especially since most humans would be unable to use it wisely. He bit his tongue. There'd be time enough for objections later. After he used their information and resources to save Rose.

I'm coming, Rose.

After agreeing to remain close to his escorts, he followed them into the so-called Hub. Alien technology, holographic projections, and other anachronistic details filled the two-story room. Torchwood was apparently situated directly underneath the Millennium Centre fountain as its unmistakable base projected from the first floor of the Hub up to the roof. However, he couldn't gawp for long as both Jack and Gwen were headed for one of the offices on the second level.

"Jack!" a rather harried looking individual ran up to them. "Thank God you're back. That woman – the older one? She's been givin' us hell. Keeps demanding to see her niece or else someone in charge, preferably both, and as soon as possible."

He chuckled quietly. Yes, that definitely sounded like Evelyn.

Jack sighed. "I'll deal with her shortly, Chris. Until then, initiate Project Twilight."

The newly identified Chris nodded, surprised. "Of course." A moment later, the man was gone.

"Project Twilight?" he asked.

"You'll see," Jack replied, a small smile playing across his lips.

Why didn't that reassure him?

Jack had noted the curious looks cast their way as they crossed the Hub, but his people were too professional to ask any questions. That was good. Excellent even, since that meant he wouldn't have to tell any lies. Despite everything that had happened between them, the distance and the anger, he still wanted to protect the Doctor. From Torchwood and even from himself.

Besides, he could see what losing Rose had done to him. This Doctor was only a smidgeon better than the previous incarnation at hiding his anguish, but for those who knew him or had known him, it was as plain as day.

The Doctor still loved her; that much was obvious. And, knowing him, he probably hadn't said anything to her of his feelings, trusting that she already knew. Clever, stupid bastard.

However, he kept his thoughts to himself as he slid the manila folder across his desk toward the Time Lord. "That's everything we have. Crime scene photos, reports, and eye-witness accounts. From what we've been able to gather, the vampires aren't picky as to whom they attack. Nothing links their victims beyond their being alone at the time of their attack. For those attacks that occurred inside homes, we believe that victims invited their attackers inside. I'm not sure how much of that is fact or not, but the common belief is that a vampire cannot enter a home without invitation."

The Doctor nodded as he idly flipped through the contents of the folder. "That's true. Though implicit invitations work as well. Vampires are master manipulators, able to influence the subconscious mind through hypnotism. A strong will is necessary to defeat that particular ability."

He filed that information away in his mind. "The attacks have been all across the city, nothing common there. Though, if Rose was attacked at the same location as Victoria Smythe, that's the first case where we've had two vampire bites in the same place. If permission to enter a home is given once, is that permission permanent?"

The Doctor nodded, looking as if he were kicking himself for not realising that fact at the time. Knowing him, he was already wallowing in guilt. "Yes, until the house changes owners."

"Stop it, Doctor," he said, not unkindly. "Rose's attack wasn't your fault. How were you to have known?"

The Time Lord shook his head in denial. "The clues were right in front of me."

"So what? So you missed the clues. Happens to the best of us. But don't worry, we'll save her. Promise." He truly hoped that his words weren't as hollow as he felt they might be. He stole a quick glance at his watch, happy to see that night had already fallen outside. With Project Twilight initiated, hopefully they'd get a nibble soon. Otherwise, he wondered how they'd be able to find the vampire nest without losing any more innocent lives.

The Doctor visibly brightened for a moment, as if a new thought had occurred to him. "I might be able to track the vampires using the sensors on the TARDIS. If not, I can at least call up the details on the concentrated garlic pills that I've used before to protect myself and my companions. It should help, at least."

It was tempting, yes, but he didn't want to let the Doctor out of his sight. Not because of Torchwood, but because he was afraid of what risks he might take to get Rose back. "We can go to the TARDIS shortly, but first I'd like you to remember as much as you can about those garlic pills. We might be able to synthesize something here."

"Jack..."

He held up his hand to quell the Doctor's inevitable protest. "Please. I want to protect my people."

"Okay," the Time Lord allowed, before he leaned forward upon the desk. "What's Project Twilight?"

He felt uncomfortably like his office had turned into an interrogation room. He deliberately ignored the question. "If we get results, I'll tell you whatever you'd like to know. Now, Gwen, if you could take the Doctor down to Toshiko? See if there's someone she can spare to make his garlic pills?"

Gwen nodded. "Sure. Right this way, Doctor."

Though he didn't look happy about the dismissal, the Time Lord followed Gwen out of the room.

Now he had to deal with Evelyn and see if he could calm her down. Something warned him, however, that it wouldn't be that easy. Just another headache in a sea of them. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

He wasn't certain how long he was lost in his thoughts when the sharp ring of his telephone startled him out of his reverie. He fumbled for the receiver as the ring seemed to gain in urgency. "Yeah?" he asked once he'd picked up the phone.

"Sir, we've got a nibble," the voice of one of his field agents replied. "Twilight has been successful."

A fierce grin crossed his face at the revelation. "Bring 'em in, then."

"Roger," the field agent replied and hung up the phone.

Discarding his initial plan of seeing to Evelyn Smythe, he judged the latest news worthy enough to reveal Twilight's purpose to the Doctor. Sure, the Time Lord might object on principle, but the results were what mattered. Especially if it meant finding Rose.

He pushed away from the desk and stood, intending to follow after Gwen and the Doctor, when a sudden commotion outside caught his attention. Quickly crossing the room, he stepped into the main Hub. And paused in shock.

Someone had apparently collapsed on the ground level. The body was surrounded by people, but what glimpse he had between the shifting agents revealed what looked suspiciously like a pin-striped suit.

He darted down the stairs to the centre of the uproar. "Move it!" he ordered, unrepentantly shoving his way through the obstruction.

Gwen looked up at him from the floor, crouched next to the unconscious form of the Doctor. "He just said 'Bad Wolf' and collapsed. Jack, what's wrong?"

Dread pooled in the pit of his stomach as he slowly shook his head. "I don't know."

To be continued...