A small building sat on the edge of town. To the unobservant eye it was a relic from the 19th century, when in fact the building had been created to look like it was from that era. The school teacher, Jacques Harkness, had always felt like he was born out of place. The 51st century was a time of exploration and he longed to travel through time to places long forgotten. Since he had missed out on his chance to relive them, when the time agency had turned him down, he instead brought the past to himself.
It wasn't enough though. Even as he sat in the one room building working, he felt the itch to run. Sighing he looked out over the students. The community was small enough that all ages of children were taught in this school. In fact his own three sons were quietly taking their test. His daughter though had just started school this year and she was coloring contently with another student her age, as the others scrambled to get their test done in time. He smiled, it was his wife and children who kept him grounded and he couldn't leave them. He looked at the time as the wind began to howl outside.
*Great just what we needed,* he thought to himself. A rainstorm was the last thing he wanted. The day had promised to be sunny as he walked to work this morning and if the rain was moving in, he was going to be soaked by the time he made it home. Standing he went and opened the shades to see how far off the storm was. The sun shone brightly in the sky and the trees stood tall, not bending in the wind. In fact their was no sign of a storm. The howling of the wind ended with a loud thrum and his blood ran cold. He knew that sound, only one thing in the entire universe made that sound.
"Children quickly, out the back door," He called out to them as he rushed to the front. The children were confused as they gathered their belongings to leave. He opened the front door a crack and peered out, praying he was wrong. He swore to himself though when he saw it. The shed that sat where no shed had been before. The Time Lord was here.
-DW-
"Where do you think the door goes?" Jack asked curiously as the Doctor continued to scan the wall. He had made no progress yet in even confirming that there was a door. As far as the sonic was concerned this was just another wall and the door that was on the phone didn't exist. Yet he didn't think Jack was tricking him. He had seen a similar door in the past, he couldn't remember where though. His mind was so thick with information and he needed a second one. He ran his hand angrily through his hair.
"I don't know, the door doesn't exist." He informed Jack. He leaned back on the desk and picked up the new cup of tea taking a long drink. The tea did little to clear his head but he felt better after.
"Why don't we knock?" Martha asked as she observed them. She had shown up shortly after the Time Lord when she realized that he was on his way. She wasn't going to let him stop on Earth without getting the opportunity to see him, even for a minute.
"Knock?" The Doctor almost laughed at the idea.
"Yes knock," Martha responded.
"It couldn't hurt," Jack commented as he walked over to the wall. He placed his hand near the x and knocked three times. He raised his hand to knock a fourth time but the Doctor caught his wrist before he could. Fear filled the Doctors eyes and he shook his head slowly at Jack. The fear quickly faded and it went to the dark eyes he had before. Jack raised his hand and knocked three times again.
Nothing happened though. The wall remained a wall and the door remained closed. Whether or not anyone on the other side could hear them was unclear. Were the people on the other side aware of the door and just waiting for them to make contact. Or did they too walk past a blank wall everyday as they went about their lives, unaware a door was there. It was an interesting question and one Jack wanted answers to. The secrets of Torchwood were kept a secret for a reason.
"What has happened to you Doctor," Jack asked in concern.
"I wonder," The Doctor said to himself as he pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth. He ran into the TARDIS and Jack worried for a moment that he was going to leave. The engines didn't start up though and when Jack leaned over to see inside, he could see the Doctor working away at the monitor. Jack leaned against the wall, letting his head thump against it. He jumped and scrambled back when the sound of knocking came from the other side of the wall. Someone had heard them.