Forewarning I'm rubbish at conversations.
Disclaimer:Everything belongs to its proper owners.
Chapter 1: Everything Changes
Jack: We don't just catch aliens. We scavenge the stuff they leave behind, find ways of using it. Arming the human race for the future. The twenty-first century is when it all changes. And you've got to be ready. -Everything Changes- S1E1
It was raining. Not the gentle kind of drizzle but the kind that drenches you to the bone and settles just beneath your skin. Hermione rubbed her arms cursing her own idiocy. She had lived in England her entire life and couldn't remember to bring along a jacket, honestly who forgot those kinds of things. The rain matched the somber affair of things though, she thought wryly, it seemed the sky had a sense of humor, because there she stood, looking down onto a dead body. Not her first mind you, but seeing death can never quite become less tragic. Shaking her head to rid herself of the gloomy thoughts she attempted to focus on Suzie and her glove. The woman took her place at the head of the body as Owen shot video with his new favorite toy. As she began to concentrate upon calling the man back from the dead Hermione knelt in further to protect their little team's actions from viewing.
As the dead man's eyes snapped open the rain stopped and Hermione's drifted closed. She watched as a woman wearing what seemed to be a very old nurse's uniform pointed a stick at a seemingly sleeping person and shout Rennervate. The boy instantly awoke much like the previously dead man as she felt her body move forward to hug him. Hermione felt as if an intruder had taken over her own skin, everything moved against her own will. Arms wrapped around a stranger as her mouth spoke names and words that made no sense to her. Who was Harry? Why did her insides quiver as she asked him if he was alright? Why had such a young man been in any danger to begin with? What was that stick? What did the phrase and hand movements mean? Questions swirled about increasing in pace. Everything seemed so vivid, so real. Like a dream she couldn't wake up from, she merely watched and rode along as some force other than her controlled everything.
Hermione blinked only to open her eyes to the soaked alley way and the now talking man. His red hair and pale skin reminded her so much of the other boy, the one she had not embraced. Had that been a dream? A trick of the glove? She attempted to return her attention to the frantic corpse and the line of questioning but couldn't bring herself to stop the swirling queries inside of her own mind. Jack had said that when she had awoken the first time she mentioned someone named Harry and a wand. Was that the same Harry? Was the slim piece of wood that the elder nurse held a wand? Her inner tirade stopped instantly when she felt the rain begin to fall again. John Tucker, she barely caught his name, lie dead on the pavement for a second and final time. Her mind seemed once again in a fog as she followed the motions. Her rain slicked hand quickly began to massage her now aching head; it was a slow building ache that made her vision momentarily darken. She caught the conversation about the last corpse screaming for an ambulance and looked up to see a pretty but shocked woman gasp and turn to run when Jack loudly asked her what she thought.
"Hermione, are you sure you are alright, you've been in a daze since we've gotten here," the question was asked by Toshiko. Bullocks, Tosh was right lovely when she wanted to be but now that they thought something was wrong Jack was going to be even more of a mother hen. Hermione made the decision to grit her teeth and refuse to show weakness then and there.
"Of course, just tired. I promise I'll be right as sunshine tomorrow. Jack could I get a lift back to my place?" he threw yet another concerned lock in her direction, quickly followed by one reeking of 'I told you so' before replying.
"Nope back to the base with you, I still want to make sure we don't have any memory issues. Can't have my favorite researcher forgetting all her valuable information can I?" It seemed all business but she could clearly read the personal concern underneath, not that far underneath mind you they all knew that Jack was the type to care quickly and completely about those around him. It was because of this she relented. There was simply no fighting Captain Jack Harkness when he had something on his mind. It was also because of this she chose not to mention her little episode during the questioning of one John Tucker.
-xxxxx-
Jack was off playing master spy. If Hermione hadn't known better she would have thought that he fancied her a bit, well honestly she still thought that but knew that he had particular reasons for making her look up the file of Gwen Cooper. She was pretty, that much for sure and was a successful police officer but Hermione couldn't for the life of herself figure out why he wanted the young copper on the team. Honestly though she probably would have said that about Ianto at first too but he was honestly too valuable to even dream the thought now. A few days had passed since the memory incident and Hermione was grateful that her mind seemed to still be her own, conveniently lacking any foreign memories or sharp head pains. Owen continued to study the trace remnants of whatever had been injected into her but only found a sedative with other currently unidentifiable agents in it.
It was Jacks unrelenting desire to have the welsh woman on their team that led her to her current situation. She sat snuggled up on the ever present plush sofa reading a book while the rest of her team worked diligently. Well at least while they tried to look serious and attentive while an unsuspecting victim walked in carrying several pizzas. Giggles permeated the serious atmosphere as Dr. Harper and Tosh couldn't carry the charade any longer. "I can't do this. I'm sorry. I'm rubbish, I give up." Owen spun in his chair to look at the new brunette.
"He set me off." Tosh pointed an accusing finger at the still snickering man. Hermione smiled to herself and giggled quietly, those two just needed to be together.
Suzie gave up on her own right with a huff as she threw her welding mask down "Well that lasted no point two seconds."
Hermione herself felt the need to chime into the good natured ribbing "Hm. She's actually carrying pizza." She gently set her book down, an old rusty tome, and stood to join the others.
Jack ever the dramatic one exasperatedly chided her "Come on! She was going to say, "Here's your pizza." And I was going to say, "How much?". And she says, "Oh whatever, 20 quid." And I say, "Oo, I don't have any money." I was working on a punch line. I hadn't got there, but it would've been good." Hermione had to give it to him, he was a charmer. Especially when he shot that smile at the ladies, however the commentary and playfulness only served to annoy PC Gwen Cooper.
"Here's your pizza. I think I'd better go." Gwen spat angrily turning even as the handsome Captain retorted.
"I think we've gone past that stage." Hermione could only agree and nodded along.
"You must have been freezing out there. How long were you walking 'round? Three hours?" The welder asked smirking. Hermione checked her wrist watch and felt sorry for the new woman.
"Be nice Suzie, it was only two hours and forty three minutes," Even as she stated it Owen and Suzie gave her that look, the same look they always gave her when they thought she was being an 'insufferable know it all'.
"You could see me?" The police officer seemed genuinely uncomfortable with the concept and started to shift nervously.
Before letting Suzie answer Hermione piped in "We have security cameras covering the bay area, we weren't specifically watching you. You just happened to be within our view." She was feeling a steadily increasing pity for the woman who was thrown into such a new world. It reminded her all too much of when that nameless man introduced her to the aliens, only she had no one to be gentle with her. The only people around were cold and to the point just like Suzie, and Hermione knew better than anyone that Gwen didn't need that right now.
Before letting the information sink in too far Jack intervened. "And before we go any further, who the hell goes around ordering pizza under the name of Torchwood?" She could only let a smile twitch her lips; leave it to him to notice the tiny detail.
"Uh, yeah. That would be me. Sorry, I'm a twat." Owen stated in typical Owen behavior, humor with a touch of sharpness that accentuated his features only too well. As the others continued their conversation over logistics and the murdered porter Hermione made her way over to the chastised doctor.
"Told you not to do it" He looked at her with a small smile as she verbally chided him.
"Oh and like you helped, everyone was working all diligently and being all technological when she came in and here's you sitting on a couch reading a book. How is that supposed to show how sci-fi-ie we are?" It was a joke and she knew just as well but that didn't stop her from giving him a seriously strange look at his made up word.
"Sci-fi-ie?" she questioned only to receive a shrug of indifference in response. "I'll have you know I was researching."
"Hey I like my new word, and you can research on the computer. That's what they are there for anyways. You have your own desk with one on it, even though you never seem to use it." Owen huffed in retort.
"Books are better." Hermione stated as if it were the simplest and truest thing in the world, which to her it might as well have been.
"Fine Ms. Bookworm" It was said while he was laughing, and either way she never would have taken offense.
"Proud of it."
-xxxxx-
Hermione was researching again. She had to find out what alien got her and it was driving her insane not knowing. She was prided as a walking encyclopedia of all things extraterrestrial, her days locked in an office doing nothing but committing information to memory saw to that. She shifted on the sofa and wished not for the first time that Jack would let her take the books to the privacy of her own home, if only just so she could sink into her favorite arm chair while reading. Jack was giving out orders again, giving each person a task, and yet when he got to her all he said was go home. She huffed in frustration and began to pack her things together grumbling under her breath about how she was fine and not an invalid. Honestly one little accident and you're treated like glass forever. Being the last to leave through the giant steal door she turned and waved as Jack took Gwen up the invisible lift.
Images flashed across her mind as pain exploded throughout her head. She was standing in a bright red telephone box while a seemingly automated voice asked her name. It was as if she had no control once again as her mouth spoke without her willing it to. She watched with skeptical eyes as the red booth slid seamlessly down into the pavement unnoticed by those around it. The box rode further and further down into the ground until finally halting and opening its scarlet doors to reveal an extraordinarily busy room filled with people and beings of races she didn't know about. Her body reacted beyond her will and walked out purposefully waving to people and creatures as she strode by.
After blinking once Hermione was suddenly within the dingy underground of the hub again. The pain within her head was so intense she slowly slid to the floor as she tried to compose herself and calm her shaky breathing. After what seemed to be hours but was in reality only a few moments the pain slowly faded away leaving no trace of ever being there to begin with. Hermione looked around carefully and after making sure that no one had been around to witness her moment she continued on her way home vowing to discuss the matter over with the team leader in the morning.
-xxxxx-
She found him watching the city again. He always did seem to fancy high places, but standing out on a ledge hundreds of feet in the air only seemed to trigger her fear of heights. Hermione was quite content to stand well towards the inside of the rooftop as she shouted against the wind. "Jack what's wrong?" he carelessly strode towards her as if he wasn't in a near death position. "And don't try to fool me either; you only come up here when something is wrong." She gently sat down on the chilly concrete and patted the roof next to her.
"You know Granger sometimes you are to observant for your own good."
"Well Jack that's why you hired me isn't it?" he only laughed at her in return.
"I retconed Gwen last night. She was so willing to believe despite what she said and she was beginning to trust me." He was always so distraught whenever he had to erase someone's memories, he always seemed so many years older after he had done so.
"So you made me research her and tell you all about her because you wanted her to join the team only to erase all of her memories?" Hermione wanted to be angry at him but couldn't find it in herself; he always had a reason for what he did.
"If she can find us again she deserves the spot. Call it a test if you will. Now what were you doing looking for me anyways?" The quick change of subject surprised her. She suddenly found herself unable to tell him about her lapses, he always seemed so stressed and busy. Who was she to add to it? No, this was something she could handle herself, something she needed to.
"Ianto wanted to know how many he needed to order take out for" It was a lie. He knew it, she knew he knew it and yet he let it go. It was a trait she admired him so much for.
She most definitely couldn't add her problems onto the mass of mysteries and disharmony that was her Captains life.
-xxxxx-
It was raining as Hermione walked slowly along the streets. She had waited until it was too late for even Ianto to be in the hub before coming by. The need to research ate at her bones, the want to know what had happened to her numbing her mind to any other thoughts. Though she hated to admit it to Owen sometimes the computers were better and that was precisely why she was making her late night journey. She had to know how to make the flashes and the pain stopped, and she had to do it in any way possible.
As she turned the corner into the Millennium Center she spotted two figures talking by the lift. Two women, average size and height, only one was holding an object. It wasn't until she got closer that she could recognize the women for who they were. Suzie Costello had a gun pointed at one Gwen Cooper. Hermione continued towards the two quieter than before, fearful of startling the wielder of the weapon. It wasn't until the gun went off and the very limp form of Jack fell to the ground did Hermione break into a run.
"Jack!" Hermione was screaming his name as she ran, oblivious to the continued conversation between the two women. Tears were streaming down her face as she saw the bullet wound in his handsome forehead. Captain Jack Harkness, her savior was lying dead on the street before her. Her feet ground to a halt the second he stood up. "Jack?" the name was only a questioning whisper now as she watched the blood sink back into the quickly closing wound. He was talking to Suzie, demanding the gun back with such confidence that it, among other reason happenings, astounded her. Suddenly she was running again, this time towards a different body as Suzie dropped to the ground from a gunshot caused by her own hand.
While the two had never truly been friends they had been co workers and Hermione only allowed herself a moment of compassion for the woman who had shot Jack in cold blood. Jack was standing perfectly still looking sadly down at her body and seeming completely healed. Gwen was speaking now, saying how she remembered everything before she collapsed to the ground. Hermione was at her side in seconds, offering a comforting arm around the shocked woman while trying to deal with the miracle that had happened not minutes before.
-xxxxx-
She stopped him that night after he put the body into storage. "You died." He nodded back in the affirmative. "I watched you die, and then you didn't die. You were alive again." He gave her a gentle smile in return as she spoke quietly and calmly.
"And you didn't tell anyone." It was true, aside from discussing with Gwen about how the others shouldn't know she hadn't spoken a word.
"It's not my secret to tell," She seemed to know a lot about secrets lately, "So you can't die?"
"Nope" It was simple and to the point, she smiled in return. "I can already hear the wheels turning inside your head wondering how." He did know her well; he took a deep resigning breath before starting. "Something happened to me a while back. A long story and far away, but I was killed, and then I was brought back to life. And ever since then I can't die."
"But, how?" Hermione hung onto his every word. Enraptured in the mystery that was Jack. He in return fed her the knowledge she craved.
"I don't know, but someday I'll find The Doctor and he can explain it but until then I can't die." He seemed so broken when he spoke of a doctor and it was only then that she knew of who he meant.
"You don't want just any doctor do you? You want THE Doctor, and I'll help you find him."