A/N: Alright, here it is. My longest chapter in the history of my chapters, till now. It just kept on growing. Seeing as it is ten pages in Word, about 4800 words in total, I decided to split it in two parts. Oh, and I apologize in advance for the cliffhanger, it was unavoidable. But now, read on and don't forget to leave a review. They make the author happy. Very happy.

Chapter 5 - Please Forgive Me (Part 1)

Please forgive me
If I act a little strange
For I know not what I do
Feels like lightning running through my veins
Everytime I look at you
- Please Forgive Me - David Gray -

River and Shadow landed right in front of the Millennium Center in Cardiff.

"Of course. Night. What else? At least no one's around." Was Shadow's dry comment after she had taken a look around.

And at that moment Shadow's scanner beeped. She took it out, looked at it and then took a couple steps away from the spot in which they had arrived. River looked quizzically at her. Then Shadow's scanner beeped again. But this time Shadow grabbed River's hand again and dragged her across the square in front of the water tower.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" River demanded, quite angrily.

"They followed us."

"Oh. And why aren't we running somewhere else, instead of running to a place in plain sight?"

"Because, firstly, we aren't in plain sight. We're standing on a perception filter. And secondly, the problem will solve itself."

"How?"

"Watch and learn." Shadow pointed to the place in which they had arrived. And surely there appeared three men with guns drawn. And just as suddenly as they had appeared, they were gone again.

"What? How did that happen? And what was it?" River was puzzled. She had never seen anything like that. Well, she had seen people arrive like that, but never disappear again like that.

"Well, we're in Cardiff. There's this Rift running through the city. It's completely invisible and harmless to the people. But it sometimes burps out things from other planets, galaxies, I don't know. And sometimes it sucks things in. That's exactly what has happened here. The Rift has sucked them in and transported to God knows where."

"And your scanner told you that we were followed and that the Rift would suck them in?"

"It told me that we were followed. But it only told me about Rift activity in the nearer vicinity. I didn't know if it was positive or negative Rift activity." At River's baffled expression she elaborated. "Positive, it spits things out. Negative, sucks things in."

"Interesting. Isn't there anyone who monitors this activity? I mean, this Rift could spit out very dangerous stuff."

"Oh, there is. And we're standing right on their back entrance." And surely River looked at the ground. Shadow suppressed a slight chuckle. People were so predictable. "But we're in the wrong time. I've got to hand over the Extrapolator, first. Then we can go to the right time to visit the people who monitor the Rift. That alright?"

"Um...it looks as if I don't have anything else to do." River joked. "Where to now?"

"The city council. I have to deliver an Extrapolator to the mayor." Shadow started to walk into the direction of the city council, dragging River with her. Suddenly Shadow stopped dead in her tracks and dropped River's hand like she had burned herself and took a step away from her. "I'm sorry." Shadow mumbled, obviously embarrassed. "Well...yes." And she continued to walk, River following her.

They reached the city council and headed straight to the office of Margaret Blaine. The lackey in front of her office was busy with something on his computer. Shadow reckoned it was probably a game of solitaire. They disregarded the lackey and went straight to the office door; Shadow knocked and then dragged River in after her.

"Evening." Shadow acknowledged the woman sitting behind the desk.

"Ah...well, hello. How can I help you?" River thought that Shadow knew this woman, but now it seemed that this was the first time these two met. She decided to keep quiet and watch how the scene would unfold.

"You can't help me, but maybe I can help you." Shadow stepped forwards in front of the desk. The woman seemed unsure of what to do. "Margaret Blaine. Or like you're really called, Blon Fel-Fotch Passameer-Day Slitheen. I've got a deal for you that could get you off this godforsaken rock. Want to know more?" Shadow had the full attention now.

"Go on. I'm listening." Margaret, Blon, River didn't really know what to call the woman, and settled for Margaret in the end in her head. So, Margaret seemed distrusting. Well, who wouldn't be when two persons would waltz into your office and propose something like that?

"I've got a Tribophysical Waveform Macro-Kinetic Extrapolator. You know what an Extrapolator does, I presume?" Margaret nodded. "And I'm willing to...let's say, let it fall into your hands." Shadow grinned again. "What do you say?"

"Where's the catch?"

"There's no catch. Except that, if anyone ever asks where you got it from, you only say that it fell into your hands."

"And you would just give it to me? I doubt it. Where is it anyway?"

"Right here." Shadow laid the Extrapolator on the desk. "And before you ask, yes, it is fully charged. Ready to run. All you need would be a massive explosion."

"I knew there's something." Margaret seemed satisfied to have caught Shadow lying. "Where would I get this massive explosion? Have you one in your pocket?"

"No. But I've got something else in my pocket." Shadow pulled out some blue prints. "These are for the construction of a nuclear power plant in the middle of Cardiff."

"That would help the people, but wouldn't get me off this rock." Margaret interrupted.

"Let me finish." Shadow snorted slightly. "The power plant is faulty. If you neutralize everyone that could stop the construction and subsequent commissioning of the reactor, you will get your massive explosion. In fact, it will be so massive that planet Earth will be literally blown to pieces. That massive enough?"

River contemplated for a moment, if she had been wrong in thinking Shadow to be one of the good guys. She was talking about blowing up planet Earth as if that was a daily occurrence for her. But then she decided that she wasn't wrong about Shadow, she could've killed those guards back at Stormcage, but she didn't. And Shadow had probably some plan that would not end in the destruction of Earth.

"And I just stand on the Extrapolator and surf out of the galaxy?"

"Yep." Shadow popped the 'P'.

"And all I have to give you in return, is the promise that I don't tell anyone, under any circumstances, who gave me the Extrapolator?"

"Exactly. Do we have a deal?" Shadow extended her hand across the table.

"We have a deal." Margaret took the offered hand and they shook them.

"Congratulations to your Tribophysical Waveform Macro-Kinetic Extrapolator and goodbye." Shadow turned around and River trailed after her. At the door they were stopped by Margaret.

"I give you my word, I won't tell anyone, but...who are you?"

"Shadow."

And River and she left the building. Outside they looked at each other.

"That went exceptionally well. Would've expected a bit more of a challenge. Well, I told you we'd visit the people who monitor the Rift. And I've got to return the Vortex Manipulator anyway. Fancy a glance?" Shadow's mischievous, challenging grin was back.

"Sure. Why not?"

Shadow pushed some buttons on her wrist device and then offered her arm to River. She laid her hand onto the Vortex Manipulator like Shadow had done earlier. Then Shadow laid her own hand onto it and they were gone again.

They arrived in front of the Millennium Center again.

"You know, we could've walked?" Was River's comment, after she had taken in the surroundings.

"Yeah, but only if we had walked very, very slowly." River frowned at Shadow. "We might be in the same city, but we are about 5 years later. Come on, we don't want to be late." And Shadow dragged River after her again.

When they stood on top of the perception filter again, Shadow pushed another button on the Vortex Manipulator on her wrist and River gripped Shadow's arm in surprise, because the earth beneath their feet was lowering itself into the ground.

When they were beneath the surface, River couldn't believe her eyes. There was a cavernous room beneath the square. It was unbelievable.

"Welcome to Torchwood." Shadow at her side only announced.

At that moment they heard a screech from above. River flinched and looked up. There was a pterodactyl. Shadow followed her line of sight. "That's Myfanwy." River disbelievingly looked at her.

"This is Earth, right?" River asked. Shadow nodded. "And which century is this?"

"The 21st. Why?" Shadow asked innocently.

"That's a bloody pterodactyl. A dinosaur, they're extinct."

"A, the Rift, remember? And B, that's not 'a bloody pterodactyl', that's Myfanwy." Shadow gave River a stern look.

"I can only agree. That's Myfanwy. Our pet dinosaur." Said a man at the bottom.

"Jack." On Shadow's face appeared a big smile.

"And I see you got yourself a girl. Impressive. Maybe I'm..."

"No, you're not." Interrupted Shadow.

"You don't even know what I was going to say."

"Whatever it is, you're not doing it. And anyway, I have not gotten myself a girl. At least not in the sense as you mean it." They hopped down from the platform.

"Captain Jack Harkness." Introduced Jack himself to River with a big smile on his face.

"Captain." Warned Shadow.

"Don't worry, I know his trick. The pheromones don't work, Captain." Shadow and Jack looked questioningly at River. "I can smell them, don't know why, but I can. 51st century, right?"

"Yes." Jack looked at Shadow. "I only know two people in the entire universe, well, three actually, but, you know...anyway, I only know two people who can smell the pheromones and are immune against them. One is you, Shadow, and the other one, your dad, who is always up and around somewhere, somewhen."

"Now you know one more." Shadow countered.

"Anyhow, let's go into my office and catch up. And then we can give your new friend the grand tour." And they walked up to Jack's office. As soon as they had reached it and all taken their seats, Ianto came in and brought them something to drink and left as silently as he had come in.

Shadow took a sip from the mug in front of her. "Perfect. How does he do it?"

"We all wonder." Jack smiled fondly. "Now, how did your little excursion go?"

"Oh, you know me, bluffed to get a ride near the orbit, almost got shot before I teleported onto the surface, wandered around aimlessly, almost got killed again, met her." Shadow jerked her head into River's direction. "She then helped me to get to where I needed to go, got the Extrapolator, which was hers, by the way, then they locked us in the storage room, we improvised some Molotov Cocktails, smoked our way out with them and it ended as always."

"Running." Jack chuckled. "He won't be able to deny he's the father, when you're going to tell him."

"The curse of the family." Shadow took off the Vortex Manipulator and threw it over to Jack, who caught it and put it on his wrist. "Thanks again."

"No problem. And how went things with Margaret the Slitheen?"

"Surprisingly well. Although I almost had to spell it out for her. At least she knew what an Extrapolator does. And now the time lines are intact. All I have to still do is to write myself a letter. You wouldn't be so kind to deliver it, Jack?"

"If you leave me the time travel function, I would do almost anything."

"Good. I'll send the letter to you as soon as I'm back home."

"But to get to the important things at hand, I still don't know the name of your new friend." Jack said.

"Oh, right. Our new friend is called River Song."

"Guard?"

"Prisoner."

"What for?"

"Murder."

"Bad girl." Jack smiled flirtatiously at Shadow, which she completely ignored.

"Hello. I'm in the room, remember? And I'm not some piece of cattle about to be auctioned off." River spoke up. She couldn't believe that these two would talk about that, without asking her.

"Sorry, we can get a bit carried away. No, we haven't forgotten you. And you're definitely not a piece of cattle. But I'm forgetting, do you have any questions?" Shadow apologized and Jack had at least the decency to look a bit sorry.

"As a matter of fact, I do. We're five years later and Earth is not blown to pieces. If your goal was that the Earth doesn't get blown to pieces, then why did you give that Slitheen the Extrapolator and tell her how to blow Earth to pieces?" River asked.

"Firstly, Slitheen is not a race, but a family. Common mistake. Secondly, I had to do it because of the time lines."

"The timelines?" River didn't quite understand what exactly that was supposed to mean. "But what does that have to do with a nuclear power plant? Or am I missing something here?"

"Alright, I'll try to explain it as simple as I can." Shadow thought for moment and then drew a breath. "I'm not from this time. The same goes for Jack here." Shadow frowned briefly. "No wait. I am from this time, but I'm not. I'm not even from Earth, but I am. It's very complicated. Anyway, I had to hand over the Extrapolator, because, in my time line, Margaret had already been stopped. So the actual event might have been in flux in her time line, but it was a fixed point in mine. Therefore I had to preserve the time lines."

"Do you know what would've happened, if you hadn't?"

"Nope. But I don't want to find out. At least I wouldn't exist and Jack would probably not be here. But Jack has a whole other time line context. You see? It's all very complicated. By the way, does Jack give you the heebie-jeebies?" Shadow asked interested.

"What are heebie-jeebies? But I'm not sure what to think of him. He definitely makes me feel a bit weird. Why?" River inquired, surprised that Shadow noticed.

"Because he is a fixed point in time. He can't die. Well, he can die, but he resurrects." Shadow explained. Then looked over at Jack. "Jack...?" She drew out the word.

"Yes...?" Jack answered her in the same tone.

"You don't think...I mean...she couldn't be, could she?"

"Ask her first." Jack looked at River, as did Shadow. Shadow seemed not quite sure how to say it.

"Oh, spit it out already!" River grew impatient.

"You're human, aren't you? Completely, utterly, plain human?" Shadow raised her eyebrows and looked questioningly at her.

River didn't know how she should answer that question. If she were to tell the truth, Shadow would probably shocked. But if she lied, Shadow would probably find out sooner or later. And at the speed with which Shadow's mind worked it would be sooner than later. So River settled for a half-lie.

"Somehow."

"Somehow?" Shadow muttered, then jumped up and started to pace the room, continuously muttering under her breath. "What's that supposed to mean? Only time sensitive races notice Jack as odd. Well, not odd, wrong. They notice him as wrong. Other races don't get the heebie-jeebies from Jack, they fall for him. But what's so special about you, if you aren't time sensitive? Could you have been exposed to Artron energy?"

"What are heebie-jeebies?" River interjected.

"Let her think." Jack stopped her before she could say anything else.

"So many possibilities, so many. What to do? What to do?" Shadow stopped and looked around. "The med bay. Hm...that could work. Jack, do you have a med bay here?"

"No, but we have a morgue that usually poses as med bay."

"Well, could you bring us there?"

"Of course." Jack rose from behind his desk and walked over to the door. "But don't expect much. We're definitely underequipped and the few alien gadgets aren't ready for use. Ah, see for yourself. Come on." River and Shadow followed Jack. River didn't understand what was going on. Why was Shadow making such a fuss about her being 'somehow' human?