Hey all, hope you had a merry Christmas and a fantastic new year. Okay the whole point of posting the first part of this story when I did was cos this part was meant to go up on Christmas Eve (when it's set)...but then RL got in the way so only getting to it now :( But if you could just pretend it's Christmas Eve while reading this, that'd be fab...oh and this one's set towards end of 'Last of the Time Lords' just after the Master's 'burial' and assumes that it's Christmas Eve in London (where Martha's family have already been dropped off). Anyway, enjoy!!

"Look I've already sorted it with mum and dad, so just make sure you're there alright? I've gotta go!" Martha snapped her phone shut not caring that her sister would throttle her for it later as she walked back into the control room. "Right, Christmas lunch is all sorted for tomorrow, have we landed in Cardiff?"

The Doctor looked up from the monitor guiltily. "No...well yes but not the right time yet. Just a quick stop I needed to make first," he rambled, clamping his mouth shut as he realised he was doing it.

Martha raised a brow with a smile. "We're not so low on fuel that you had to land at the first Cardiff you could get your hands on are we?" she asked teasingly.

"What? No," he replied rather insulted by the thought. "Just a quick errand I need to run. If Jack decides to resurface while I'm gone...just keep him occupied," he told her as he pulled on his coat.

She frowned at him. "You don't want us to come along?"

"Na, shouldn't be long," he answered, making his way to the door.

"But what if there's trouble?"

He sighed, turning back to face her from the now open door. "Then just this once, I'll trust someone else to take care of it," he replied. "Now stay here alright? No wandering off, and that goes double for the Captain!" he told her, pointing a stern finger at her before dashing out the door, snapping it shut behind him leaving Martha standing staring at it, the frown stuck on her face.

Which is exactly how Jack found her twenty minutes later. He walked up beside her, turned to the door, then looked back at her. Leaning in so his lips were mere millimeters away from her ear he whispered, "It's a door."

She turned to glare at him, jumping when she realised how close he was.

Jack couldn't help but chuckle, wondering if she was really blushing or if he was only imagining it. "So where's Doc hiding?" he asked, noting the oddly quiet underbelly of the control room.

"Gone out," she replied, turning her attention back to the door as she fought to ignore the tingles running down her spine at his proximity. "Thought you were sleeping," she added, glancing over her shoulder at him.

"Na, just taking a shower," he replied, frowning at the door himself now.

She raised both brows. "You were gone for over an hour!"

"How many times did you get killed today?" he asked, giving her a quizzical look. He smiled as she looked at her feet. "Exactly. I think I deserved an extra long one. That and half the time was playing hide and seek with the Tardis."

"Hide and seek---"

"She took it upon herself to let me see the bathroom in the distance then change it's location just before I got to it," he replied, glaring at the controls at what could only be described as the Tardis purring could be heard. "So where's the Doctor gone anyway? I thought we were heading back to Cardiff once he'd..." Jack trailed off, the actions the Master had done still too close to home for him to accept the Doctor going to the trouble of giving him a proper burial.

"Oh, we're in Cardiff," Martha replied.

Jack looked at her before racing to the door. "Why didn't you say?" he asked, suddenly excited about seeing his old team, one member more so than the others.

"Well 'cause apparently we're not in the right Cardiff," she replied running after him to look over his shoulder. "Looks old. When do you reckon it is?"

"1869," Jack replied, his face grave.

She glared at him. "Where's the sign?"

"What sign?"

"The one saying the year. Don't think I believe for a second that you can tell what year it is just by looking."

Jack would have smiled if it had been almost any other time. "Not by looking, by smelling," he replied, a trace of a smile tugging at his lips at her disbelieving look. "Oh believe me, when you land a couple hundred years short of where you planned, you tend to remember what that first year smelt like."

"Sorry...I forgot," she replied, looking at her feet once again.

He gave her a small smile. "It's okay. The question is why're we here?"

"Don't know. The Doctor just said he had an errand to run or something."

"An errand? Who has errands in 1869? And what if there's trouble?" he replied.

Martha smiled. "That's exactly what I said!"

"And?"

"And what?" she asked frowning.

Jack sighed. "What did he say?"

"Oh right. He just said that just this once he'll trust someone else to take care of it and to stay here and no wandering off."

A deep frown crossed the Captain's face. "He doesn't trust anyone when it comes to..." trailing off, he slapped his hand to his forehead before dashing out into the snow.

"What is it?" she asked, making to follow him.

He quickly turned to face her. "I forgot too. Stay here and no wandering off!" he told her before dashing off.

Martha scowled at the retreating figure before finally turning back into the Tardis and slamming the door shut behind her, ignoring the indignant beeps from the Tardis. "Bet they never told Rose not to go wandering off," she grumbled as she flopped into a chair.

Meanwhile down a completely ordinary alley, the Doctor sat on a box hidden slightly out of view by slightly larger boxes. Well, when he said completely it was more like mostly ordinary because most of the things in the alley you'd expect to see in an alley. But of course there was one very obvious thing that you wouldn't expect to see in this particular alley. But then if you weren't expecting to see it, you wouldn't. The Doctor smiled. You could miss a lot by not expecting the unexpected.

And then all rational thought failed him as the door opened. There she was, wide eyed at the seemingly simple scene that lay before her. She took a cautious step out the door, making an imprint in the snow before stepping back and staring at it, a small smile tracing her lips that melted the Doctor's hearts before she slowly stepped out, the smile now a look of awe.

The Doctor couldn't help wrinkling his nose just a little as his old self joined her. "Ready for this?"

With a witty repartie like that, he couldn't help but wonder how he'd pulled off getting her to stay with him as long as he had.

"Here we go. History!"

Especially considering how oblivious he was, he thought as he noticed the smile she gave him then. Could she really have felt that way about him even back then? Deciding not to think too long on it, he made to follow them before something caught his eye and he turned. "What are you doing here?"

"Could ask you the same thing," Jack replied before frowning. "How can you see me? I'm wearing the key!"

The Doctor just shook his head as he smiled back at him. "So'm I and you don't see you not seeing me." He sighed as Jack continued to stare at him with a puzzled expression. "We're both looking out for the unexpected Jack. Although...how'd you know to come down this alley?"

"Didn't, I just heard the Tardis and—-"

"Thought you'd try hitch a ride?" the Doctor asked, raising a brow.

Jack narrowed his eyes slightly. "Like big ears would have let me," he replied.

"Oy! They weren't that big! And besides, I did let you!" he replied indignantly, the mention of his old self reminding him why he was here as he turned to follow the pair.

"Only because your favourite lady fell head over heals for my charms," Jack replied as he followed.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "She was not head over heals for you!"

"But she did fall for my charms. Admit it, even you were tempted," Jack replied with an evil grin.

"In your dreams," the Doctor replied.

Jack smiled. "Only the good ones."

"Jack!"

"Comes out slightly louder than that in them."

The Doctor just glared at him before returning his gaze to the pair in front of them, where the Doctor was buying a newspaper.

"I got the flight a bit wrong," he told Rose as they walked along the road.

"I don't care," she replied, still smiling as she looked at everything around her, trying to take it all in.

"It's not 1860 it's 1869," the Doctor continued.

"I don't care," she said again, still not in the least bit worried.

"And it's not Naples---"

"I don't care," she cut him off, hoping he'd get the point she was trying to make.

"It's Cardiff," he finished.

Her smile froze on her face as she paused, realising he'd been trying to make a point too. "Right," she replied slowly , thinking this over for a minute before following him once more.

Jack couldn't help but laugh as he stood beside the Doctor. "So you were aiming for 1860 Naples, and landed in 1869 Cardiff??" he gasped through his laughter.

"Shut it," the Doctor replied, turning to head back to his own Tardis.

"Seriously, this from the guy who was telling me he's got the sports car of time travel," Jack continued, following him.

The Doctor turned to face him. "Where exactly were you aiming for when you landed here again? Oh that's right, 21st century London!" he replied, smiling at Jack's frown. "Now do you need me to point out that I at least landed in the right decade, let alone century, or would you like to keep teasing?"

"Point taken," Jack replied begrudgingly.

"Good," the Doctor smiled before walking off again.

"So why didn't you try find me?" he asked, thinking about how he'd landed a couple of miles from where they stood.

"What do you want me to say Jack? That I didn't care about you? That I didn't leave you on the game station just to find you in Cardiff?" He paused, eyeing the old Time Agent before an evil grin spread across his face. "Or maybe that I was really lucky and was too preoccupied with one Miss Tyler?"

The Doctor gave Jack a sad smile at the look of interest that had suddenly crossed his face, which suddenly turned to a glare as a thought crossed Jack's mind, visible on his face before he raised a brow at the Doctor, supressing a laugh with great difficulty.

"And don't even suggest that it was Jackie, Jack, it's just too easy." The Doctor turned to face Jack fully. He knew they'd talked about some of the issues between them, but the trust between them was far from regained. Sighing, he knew now wasn't the time for teasing, even if he thought Jack's ego might need it. "Truth is Jack, I didn't even know you existed yet. Well, I say I didn't know...more like hoped that thread of possibility wasn't too near in my future," he added with a wink. "And then about ooh a week later there was Rose, dragging your path across mine and my life hasn't been innuendo free since! Did you hear what Martha said she'd do with my banana if I mentioned it one more time? Just because I mentioned she might be low in potassium."

"That's not innuendo Doc that's just---"

"How would you take it if Ianto said that to you?" the Doctor asked, raising a brow.

After a moment in thought Jack cleared his throat, trying with all his might to push the thought out. "That's different."

"It's innuendo," the Doctor replied before continuing walking.

"Wait how did you know---"

"How many times do I have to tell you lot? I'm brilliant!"

"Do you know what I think we need?" Jack asked, deciding not to question the Doctor further. "A holiday! Go to some nice beach paradise planet, laze about for a few days, fix the Tardis and be back before those papers finally hit my office floor," he said before the Doctor could answer; glad to see the gleam that shone in the Doctor's eye in response.

And now that you've read, PLEASE review, means a lot...oh and those that have read Marsian Colds might have a bit of an idea what happens next ;) Oh and thanks to my fantastic Beta Becks :) Hehe BB, I like that ;)