Should have been, could have been

A/N: For those of you who haven't seen Torchwood, Jack and his team (they show up during Journey's end) keep an eye on the rift in Cardiff and fight any harmful alien, especially Weevils, slightly telepathic creatures that eat human flesh. I personally love the show. Martha shows up in the second season too, by the way.

Chapter 1: An unannounced guest

Jack's PoV

After locking up a stray Weevil in his cell, we eat the pizza Ianto has ordered. We all enjoy our food while Tosh keeps an eye on the data regarding the rift. The rift has been acting up for two months now and we all feel something bad is going on, even though we don't know exactly what. We don't mention it, don't talk about it to each other but the subject weights heavily on our minds, the proverbial pink elephant in the room.

That's when the alarm bells go off. There's an intruder!

We all storm towards the mysterious character, armed and ready to shoot until she turns around and I realize who suddenly has decided to pay a visit, as unlikely, improbable and unbelievable as it is. Then again, this sounds rather ironic coming from a man who has become a fixed point in time.

She is as shocked to see me as I am to see her and I realize she has probably believed I was killed by the Daleks on platform 9 all this time.

"Hold your fire guys, she's my friend! " I yell before facing her.

''Jack…how on earth did you survive?' She asks as she hugs me.

"It's a long story for another time but how….Doc said you were trapped in another universe with Micky?"

The look on her face changes from happy to fearful.

"Oh god, it's true…. Mickey, Jake and I already feared this would happen. I'm back in my own universe!

But Jack, where am I exactly?"

''The Torchwood headquarters in Cardiff. We're a few miles away from the rift and a few feet below the Roald Dahl Plass.''

" Jack, listen, there's a hole in the universe. Information from this universe is somehow leaking into the one I was stuck in, through cracks in time and space. I've been investigating strange energy levels in the top floor of the other universe's Henriks at the Cardiff there and all of a sudden it's like I'm walking though some sort of tunnel and ending up here.''

She saying this as quickly as she can without seemingly taking a breath and every second that passes, she looks paler and paler.

"Rose, are you alright?''

''I feel fine, just a bit dizzy. This is bad Jack, I shouldn't be able to simply walk into another universe when the TARDIS nearly dies when landing there. Warn the Doctor, tell him we….''

She collapses and I catch her before she falls.

"Owen, help her, now!"

"Jack, what on earth is going on? Who is she? Who's that Doctor you have to warn? " Gwen stares at me, confused.

"Yeah and what's a TARDIS and why is she talking about other universes?" Tosh ads. Figures Tosh would be the one who asks about machinery, although I would hardly dub the TARDIS that.

"Jack, she's stable!'' Owen interrupts Gwen's and Tosh's cross examination and I run towards him.

"Jack, are you sure she's human?''

I raise an eyebrow in question.

"Yeah, why?''

''Hate to break it to you but no or at least, not anymore.'' He shoves the scans he made of Rose towards me. Apparently today is filled with the impossible.

Rose has a binary vascular system.

Two hearts.

Something tells me the Doctor doesn't know this yet.

"Walking though that tunnel she mentioned, most likely would have gotten her killed. The only reason she has survived this, is because of her second heart," Owen interrupts my thoughts.

''It looks like the heart of a newborn baby, so I assume she just ….grew it, I guess."

When I hear this I run to the place Rose has shown up from out of the blue, hoping that the tunnel passes as a two-way-street. After all, if Rose decides to talk a walk through that 'tunnel', Micky Smith is sure to follow and I doubt he'll be as lucky as Rose, considering he didn't look into a time vortex. I'm not the Doctor but that would be my first and only explanation for the fact that Rose didn't have a human physiology anymore. Deciding that warning Mickey is more important than giving my other friends an explanation, I nervously go to the spot where Rose entered this universe.

I take a few steps, have a tunnel-like vision for a moment and all of a sudden I'm in a room with a giant window on the third floor, judging by the view at least, while I stare into the blinking eyes of Micky Smith.

"Jack?''

"Well, if it isn't Micky Mouse."

That's all the conformation he needs and he rolls his eyes before hugging me with a smile.

"Hello to you too Captain Cheesecake.''

"It's Beefcake to you."

Micky rolls his eyes again and lets go of me.

''Ok, what's going on here?''

I look at the other people in the room. There's a guy with short blond hair who eyes me and Micky curiously and an older couple. I recognize the woman from pictures and I realize with a start it must be Rose's mother.

''Micky, is everyone here trustworthy?''

''Yeah and all of them know Jackie, Rose and I are from another universe and have met our old travel companion.''

I nod and raise my voice.

"Everyone, I'm Captain Jack Harkness, Rose's friend from Torchwood 3, Cardiff, from Rose's old universe.''

''She's there?''

''Yes ma'm, she's safe. However, she shouldn't be able to take a walk to another universe and I want to stress how dangerous this is.

Everyone, do not follow her. I repeat: do not follow her!''

''Why?''

''Because any normal human being will end up dead. Including you, Micky. The only reason Rose simply fainted instead of died is because she somehow has grown a second heart.''

Micky's mouth drops and Rose's mother, who has just taken a sip of water, spits it out.

''Wait, she actually got superior Timelord biology?''

If I had wanted proof that everyone here knew the Doctor, I had it now.

"I guess so. Anyway, she should be glad because that second heart saved her. How did you figure out what's going on? Rose mentioned information from my universe appeared here.''

The blond guy steps forward and introduces himself as Jake.

"Timelords in general and the Doctor in particular, should not exist here. The same goes for Daleks. Now, all of a sudden, Rose, Mickey and I have lectures about them. Also, Bad Wolf was mentioned.''

I nod, grateful for the information. I knew that originally , the Rose of this universe was a dog, not the blond girl currently on Owen's operation table. Therefore, not just the Doctor and the TARDIS but also Bad Wolf shouldn't exist here. This was worse than I thought.

''So, what's next?'' this question comes from the man that holds hands with Rose's tracksuit loving mother. I remember the Doctor told me that Rose's father lives in this universe and I smile at him.

"I'd say: keep an eye on the strange readings and energy levels that show up here. The rift, a weak point in time and space, has been acting weird for months now and my team is keeping an eye on it as well. Micky, is your phone sonicked?''

He nods.

''Good. You've got my phone number, right? We'll stay in touch and since I'm the only one who can travel between universes, only feeling a little queasy instead of ending up dead, I'll play messager. In the mean time, I'll call Martha Jones, former companion and actual doctor because somehow I've got the feeling this is going to turn ugly.

And of course, I'll call the only man who might have a clue about what the hell is going on here. Rose will be awake again and call any other former companion who might be helpful and right on time, she'll have a reunion with the love of her life.

We all save the day and Rose can make the Doc's hearts skip a beat when she tells him she has two of them as well now and then, they finally sha…er….do what they should have done ages ago.''

I quickly rephrase my sentence, realizing that Rose's parents are in the room and Mickey and Jake snort.

''Sounds like a plan,'' Rose's father says before we all shake hands and I go back to my own universe to explain the situation and answer Gwen's, Ianto's, Owen's and Tosh's questions.

The Doctor's PoV

''What's going on old girl?'' I ask the TARDIS. For reasons unknown she really wants to go to Cardiff.

Right on that moment, Jack's face appears on the screens and a part of me wonders if I've summoned him somehow while thinking of Cardiff.

I greet my old friend curiously. Apparently either he or one of his team members' is more skilled than I thought, being able to make Jack's face appear on the TARDIS computer screens.

On that moment, Donna joins me in the console room as well.

''Hey spacema…Hello, who are you?''

"Hello Doc and hello gorgeous, I'm Captain Jack Harkness.''

Donna blushes before introducing herself in a slightly breathy voice and I resist the urge to face palm.

"Jack, what do you want, other than hitting on Donna…and me?''

His face turns serious.

"There's hole in the universe. In my office."

"What?!"

"I took a walk and all of a sudden I'm aboveground in an office in an alternative Torchwood in an alternative universe.''

''What?!''

"It's a good thing I'm immortal because otherwise, that trip would have killed me.''

"What?!''

''Dear spaceman, can you say anything else other than 'what'?''

I ignore Donna and stare at Jack like I've seen a ghost.

"Jack did you see any zeppelins in the sky of that alternative universe?''

''Now you mention it, yes.''

I freeze.

"Oh and by the way, a woman from that universe showed up here in my office. The only reason she survived is because she's got two hearts.''

"What?!''

''Here we go again," Donna mutters as she stares at Jack.

"She fainted but she is fine now. I've talked to her, she seems friendly and I've got the feeling you….are going to absolutely love her.''

My flirty friend looks at me with a grin I'm not sure I trust and I can't help but wonder why he puts so much emphasis on the idea that I would love her while he knows damn well what I feel for Ro….I push the thought of her away, knowing I cannot focus on the issues at hand if I think about her. I briefly wonder if it is her, the woman from the other universe who has shown up at Jack's underground office but I know the chances are so small, my hope is unrealistic.

Donna and Jack have realized I zoomed out again while thinking about my….about Rose and give me sympathetic looks. I force myself to smile and look at Jack.

''This is bad Jack, really bad. Donna and I will come to Cardiff right now. Thanks for warning me. ''

''Ok, see you in a moment!'