Welcome To Torchwood!

Chapter 2

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Rose stood still as she looked round the impressive base that the Torchwood gang had set up in Cardiff. She glanced at Gwen, who although, she was sure, had seen it before, was still impressed at its… greatness. Rose glanced at Jack, who couldn't help be a little proud, and smiled. Then she glanced at the Doctor beside her, who was still holding her hand, and grinned at his face. It was a mix of boredom and there was a very small spark of interest, and maybe a bit more of curiosity. He seemed unimpressed at the technology, and having lived inside the TARDIS for even a day, Rose couldn't say she blamed him. Still, it was pretty intense.

"Torchwood, you say?" the Doctor asked Jack again, barely taking a second glance around.

"Yep," Jack replied, eager for once in his life to show people around. Toshiko, Owen and Ianto blinked and exchanged glances. They hadn't seen Jack this excited and alive since… well, never.

"Believe this belongs to you," Jack was saying as he swung over a railing and held up the Doctor's hand in the interesting looking high-tech jar.

Rose gave a little gasp. "Doctor," she whispered. "Is that the hand you lost from fighting the… Sycorax?"

Owen looked sharply at her. "You know about the Sycorax?" he asked with incredulity.

"She was there," the Doctor and Jack responded as one, almost absently.

Rose laughed at her friends. "Yeah, I was there… what's your name?"

"Harper. Owen Harper."

"Very bad James Bond impersonation."

Owen raised an eyebrow at her and turned back to the Doctor. Tosh could hear him muttering, "One tries."

"Rose here delayed everything until I could save the world, much to my delight," the Doctor told the others, tugging Rose over and planting a kiss on the top of her head. Rose laughed and pulled away from him, walking over to Toshiko and Ianto.

"Hullo," she said, all business-like. "I'm Rose Tyler," she continued, holding out her hand to them both. Toshiko reached for her hand first.

"Toshiko," she replied with a smile. Lowering her voice she asked, "Who's your wise friend?"

"Which one?" Rose asked back, grinning and eyes twinkling.

Tosh gave a little laugh and stepped back; Ianto stepped forward and took Rose's hand, shaking it firmly.

"Ianto, at your service," he said quietly.

"Pleasure to meet both of you," Rose answered with a gentle grin.

The Doctor turned from where he had been staring at his hand and nodded to Owen, Ianto and Toshiko. He paused and frowned slightly, taking a double glance at Toshiko. "Do I know you?" he asked her.

"Don't believe so," Toshiko answered back. "I would have remembered you." She frowned thoughtfully. "You do however remind me of a man I met once…" She shook her head. "You look nothing like him of course."

"Who was this man?" the Doctor asked her gently, having a hunch.

"Don't know," Toshiko told him. "If he told me his name I couldn't remember." She smiled. "He chased a pig through a hospital. Craziest thing I've seen yet."

Rose stepped forward, intrigued. "Did he have big ears?"

"Yes," Toshiko responded slowly.

"And a big nose?"

"Yes."

"I know who it is," Rose replied grinning, looking at the Doctor.

"How do you know?" Toshiko stared.

"Oi!" the Doctor said back. "I liked my ears and my nose!"

Owen glanced up. "You still have them, so no need to lose your shirt over it."

To the surprise of the whole Torchwood gang, Jack, Rose and the Doctor burst out laughing.

"He… thought – " Rose couldn't continue and pointed a finger at Owen before doubling over in another laughing fit.

Jack just wouldn't stop laughing. The Doctor kept on chortling away as Jack slapped his hand to his forehead. "That was classic – " the Doctor began before he was off again. Jack, who could have been more understanding, just looked at the startled crew before starting to laugh again. Harder.

"Excuse me," Gwen said with a serious expression on her face that half contained annoyance. "We're trying to figure out something here. Captain Jack," she called.

Jack looked up and made some movements with his lips but no sound came out. He stumbled to a chair and took a seat, flinging his head back and roaring with laughter.

Owen, Toshiko and Ianto stared at him, puzzled. "What's up with him?" they asked the Doctor, who was the only one who could respond.

"I'm a Time Lord," the Doctor managed as he wiped rare tears from his eyes. "And they both know it," he continued, gesturing to Rose and Jack. "Which means that it's conceivable to them that I can regenerate. Actually, now that I think about it, it isn't that funny, unless you know about them… and it's obvious that least one of you doesn't." He looked pointedly at Owen, who shrugged.

"So you're an alien?" Gwen spoke up from behind them.

"Yep," he replied turning around to face her. "My job is to save this planet… well, any and every planet. It's very taxing – you should try it some time."

Gwen glanced at Jack to see if this 'Doctor' was being serious. Jack had now finished his laughing spree and was staring solemnly at the Doctor, almost as if he was hanging onto every word he said. Gwen glanced again at Jack and realized with surprise that Jack respected this man – or alien, or whatever he was.

"Coming back to the more serious discussion," the Doctor continued with a grin at Rose. "Yeah – Toshiko, was it? – Yes, you saw me chasing the pig." His voice and grin faded as he recalled that day. "He was scared, and they shot him." He came back to the present, and grinned once again at the others. "Hullo. I'm the Doctor." He grinned manically. "And this…" he turned round and eyed the Paradactols flying above, his hand in a jar, the empty and discarded pizza boxes on the tables, the empty Chinese cartons and the massive control centre with the hi-tech plasma monitors. "This… this is Torchwood."

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Twice in a day, don't think it was that bad!

I enjoyed doing Jack and the Doctorish smugness.