Sometimes I feel like something is gone here

Something is wrong here, I don't belong here

The conference room is positively stuffed with people. Movie people and Torchwood people sit side by side. It's easy to tell who's who. The movie people all shrink away from the humans with the power to do all sorts of unmentionable things to them. The Torchwood operatives, for their part, look like they're enjoying themselves quite a bit.

Sam and the Doctor stand side by side at the front of the room. Rose and Donna sit nearby. Rose shares a conspiratorial glance with Donna.

"Welcome to Sam Lively Productions," Sam begins jovially. "We're, er, happy to, glad you're here. To help."

"Be nice," Donna whispers from behind a sheet of paper.

Sam ignores this. "We are taking a huge risk, asking for help like this, but since it's been offered and there's no way to go back to being anonymous, we accept it."

"Thanks for that gracious endorsement," the Doctor says sardonically. "Quite moving, actually."

"We are behind schedule on our latest film," Sam continues, explaining to the Torchwood people what his staff is already very much aware of. "My detour lasted a lot longer than it was supposed to, and we need to catch up. To that end, and to protect us as much as we can during production, you have agreed to fill some slots in my production crew."

"What spots?" Derek asks instantly.

"You're still my assistant, Derek," Sam answers patiently.

"But what spots?" he persists.

"We're getting to that." Sam turns to Donna. "Do you have the list?"

"Why does she have the list?" Anne wants to know. "She's just a script editor. And a human."

You do not hit females, Sam chants to himself. No matter how much you want to. He's wanted to, off and on, since they were children together on Nocklyn. Anne is better than a sister that way.

"Donna," he stresses, "has the list because she stayed when the rest of you ran in fear. She kept Mason away until I returned and made sure things didn't fall into absolute chaos. Which is why she has the list, and will soon have a promotion and a pay rise."

Rose looks at Donna as this is said. Donna turns pink with pleasure and smiles.

"You deserve your own assistant after all you've done," Rose whispers to her.

"Okay. Dr. Smith will now bring you all up to speed." Sam waves a hand and the Doctor takes his place at this bizarre press conference.

"So. This is your staff." The Doctor puts his glasses on and scans the assembled group. "So how many of you lot are aliens?"

Silence.

"How many?"

Slowly, they raise their hands.

"That's not very many," Rose observes.

"We never gather in the same place at the same time," Sam says. "These are the ones who'll be working most closely with the movie. Apart from the crew and actors, of course. They're not coming in until tomorrow. That's the first read-through and rehearsal."

"Well. Let me just start again, then. Good morning! I'm Dr. John Smith. Torchwood. You can call me Doctor. This is Rose Tyler." He turns to Rose, who obligingly waves a hand. "We were called in by a friend. From the sound of it she was the only one of your people left in London after Sam disappeared."

Sam glares at his friends and relations. They all shift in their chairs.

"It's easy for Janet," Fiona says sulkily. "She can see the future."

"Jealous," Anne murmurs.

"Aren't you? She got all the psychic powers in your family, didn't she?"

"I don't need psychic powers. I can move objects with my mind."

"Shut up!" Donna says without thinking. "Can you really?"

"No demonstrations, thank you!" Sam says hastily. Anne can move objects with her mind, but not very well. It's the reason she came to stay with him on Earth instead of remaining home and teaching at one of the universities. Her talents simply never developed enough.

The Doctor clears his throat. "Janet contacted us and told us her suspicions. She was correct. We're going to be undercover here. If there is someone trying to harm you, or sabotage the production, we will find them." He pauses and looks around the room. "Assuming that's what you want."

"Of course it is," Clive snaps. "We need to know we can work in peace, without wondering what's going to happen next. All we need is another room pumped full of oxygen or something."

"Right." The Doctor turns to Donna. "Donna?"

"Dr. Smith." She hands him the list she's been holding.

"Just 'Doctor'," he corrects her.

The look she gives him is clear. 'Doctor' is not a proper name, and she's not going to call him that.

He gives up on that for now and shakes the sheet of paper in his hand.

"Are you sure everyone here can be trusted?" Clive asks nervously.

"We're Torchwood," Simon snaps.

"Exactly," Clive shoots back.

"You're asking us to trust humans," Derek adds. "We've kept our secret for years."

"Until you all got threatened and disappeared," Simon points out.

"We would have taken care of it!"

"You left!"

Donna thumps her coffee cup on the table. Everyone jumps.

"Enough, thank you," she says.

"Who are you to give us orders?" Clive asks furiously. "You're human!"

"I may be human," Donna says, carefully enunciating every word, "but I am the only one who was left when you all ran away."

"We didn't run away."

"Looked that way to me."

"Clive," Sam says. "It's done. They know and they're our best way to find out who's behind this."

"We can help you," Rose says. "We know what we're doing."

"How do we know we can trust you?"

"Everyone here has the highest security clearance," Rose assures him. "Okay?"

Clive sighs heavily and leans back in his chair. "Whatever."

"We're lucky that Torchwood is willing to help us," Donna says. "They could have told us to go whistle."

"Or worse." Ian speaks for the first time, watching the movie people with narrowed eyes.

"Are you threatening me?" Clive demands.

"Do I need to threaten you?"

"Drop it, Clive," Sam says. "Donna?"

"Yes." Donna clears her throat. "This movie is the studio's biggest so far. Biggest budget, largest cast. That works in your favor because we can have you all over the studio, looking for anything suspicious."

"And why is the script editor suddenly in charge of this?" Clive wants to know.

Sam clenches his fists and counts to ten. "Clive, by rights I ought to boot you out of here right now. You left. That means I no longer trust you. Feel free to earn my trust back. Until that time Donna is helping me."

"Uh, Sam?" Derek raises his hand.

"You are still my personal assistant, Derek," Sam says heavily. "All right? Anything else? Can we continue or should I just shut down the place right now?"

"Oh, I think they got the message," the Doctor says cheerfully. "Nice to know office in-fighting isn't restricted to Torchwood. Okay. Torchwood people, listen up. We'll be infiltrating this production in the guise of movie people. I have your assignments made out already. First - Mark from Accounting? Rose, who's Mark from Accounting?"

Mark from Accounting raises his hand. "That's me. We spoke at this morning's meeting. You said you needed me."

"Yes. Mark from Accounting. Mark. Marvelous Mark." The Doctor scans his list. "You are going to be in charge of payroll for this movie. That's all the information on your job that Donna gave me. She'll help you later."

Donna waves at Mark. He sinks back down in his seat, looking utterly lost.

"Travis!" The Doctor fixes a look upon Travis. "You're in charge of security on set. Make sure everyone there belongs there. "

"Yes, sir."

"Jackson, you're with Travis. Make sure it doesn't go to his head. He's allowed one weapon."

The Doctor swiftly plants the rest of his people throughout the studio - wardrobe, food, promotions, security. For the most part, no one has complaints about what they're doing.

Except one.

"Wardrobe?" Simon repeats after the Doctor. "No, I don't think so."

"What? You and Maria from personnel. Riley's in makeup next door to you. You'll be working together."

"In costumes? I'm a man."

Fiona throws him a smile. "You certainly are."

This disarms Simon more effectively than anything the Doctor could have said. Blinking, he sits back in his chair.

"You'll be fine, Simon," Riley says briskly.

"Oh, shut it."

"Shouldn't I be in personnel?" Maria asks hesitantly. "Since that's what I do?"

"You have a beautiful sense of style," Donna tells her warmly. "I think you'll be great in costuming. Where did you find that jacket?"

"Oh, I made it."

"See?"

Maria flushes pink and nods.

"Is anyone acting in the movie?" a handsome young man with dark hair asks.

"Yes. Howards and Doran will be playing extras."

"Who's that?" Rose whispers to Donna, nodding at the dark-haired man.

"Paul Caulfield."

"Is he famous?"

"A bit. Clive's nephew by marriage. All looks, no brains."

Rose sighs. "Shame."

"Really is."

"Sam and Clive will do what they always do," the Doctor continues. He's obviously enjoying himself far too much. "Rose and Donna will be in the offices, keeping an eye on the internal stuff. Jake, you and Ian will be part of the crew. Either of you know how to operate a camera?"

Jake and Ian glance at each other, than at the Doctor.

"Are you kidding?" Jake asks.

"Yes, I'm kidding. About the camera work. You will be on the crew."

"What about you?" Clive asks.

"Oh, me. I'll be hovering, of course."

"Of course?"

"I'll be keeping an eye on everything." The Doctor sets down his list and smiles. "Just like I always do."

oOoOo

Sam is in his office, trying to get through several weeks of mail. He doesn't look up as Donna enters.

"I still can't decide if this is a great idea or one that will get us all dissected in a secret lab somewhere."

Donna sits down across from his desk. "I'll let you know when I decide," she says lightly.

Sam finally looks up. Donna feels a twinge of guilt for doing this to him. He's been up for three nights now, plotting with Dr. Smith. Dr. Smith looks the same, just as he always does, but Sam looks tired. Donna fights the urge to smooth back his hair. That would not be professional.

"It has to work, Donna. We're in big trouble otherwise."

"Well, if we can get everyone here to cooperate, we may come out okay."

"That's the thing, isn't it? Getting everyone here to cooperate." Sam abandons his mail and leans back, studying her. "How long have you worked for me, Donna?"

"Seven months now."

"You like it?"

"I do," she says, wondering where he's headed with this.

"Even now? Even with all of this?"

"All of what?" Donna is cautious now, because there's so much wrapped up in what she likes about her job and she doesn't understand the strange look in his eyes.

"Even with aliens and time travel and intergalactic conspiracies?"

"Well, it wasn't that much different from the movies we work on. Not much of a stretch, yeah?"

"I was born on a different galaxy," Sam says slowly. "On a different planet. I speak a language that you couldn't begin to reproduce with your vocal cords. I ate different foods. My family connections are amazingly complicated."

She nods. "I've noticed that last part. I didn't realize how close you all were until today."

He grimaces. "Not something we advertise. A lot of things we don't advertise."

"So someone really wants to kill you. Any idea why?"

He scowls. "A few people, would, I imagine. I'm not very popular at home right now. If we can make this work things will be a lot smoother for us all."

"I have all your notes on the script." Donna places a thick notebook on his desk. "I took it when Derek and the others left. I didn't think it should be lying around."

He stares at the cover. "Thanks."

"I made a few more notes in there myself," she adds, standing up. "Once I knew that Torchwood would be here. It may make things easier."

"Donna."

She turns at the door to look back at him.

"Thank you."

She smiles. "You're welcome, Sam."

He sits very still after she leaves. If he's wrong he and his people will all be in grave danger. If he succeeds, he will have greater freedom than before, and the chance to live out his life here without fear of reprisals. He would never endanger his people, his family, his home. No one on the council could understand that. They operated solely on fear. But now...if he can find out who's behind all of this, he can finally quit the Time Agency.

No one ever talks about that - the fact that few agents leave the Time Agency on their own. Alive, at any rate. If he can do that he'll really be free.

He picks up his phone. "Derek? Come in here, please."

oOoOo

Rose sits in Donna's office, trying hard to follow the plot of the movie the studio is preparing to make.

"So there's an alien invasion," she says.

"Yes," Donna says, pointing to the script. "Huge special effects there. Sam won't let any of you lot over there, but it will be big."

"And the people of Earth fight the aliens," Rose continues. "Lots of battles, lots of dying. Humans finally win."

"Of course. Movies don't do well if the aliens win. People don't like that."

"And then a big victory scene at the end."

"It'll have lots of balloons and music," Donna confirms.

"Sounds...great." Rose lets the script fall to the desk. "So. You're working with aliens. How does that feel?"

Donna shrugs. "They're still all annoying and full of themselves. Don't see that much of a difference."

"Seriously?"

"They were all pretty private," Donna says. "So now I know what they were hiding, but they're still not showing me the secret handshake or anything."

"How is Sam?" Rose can't help asking. "He still the same?"

Donna smiles, probably without realizing that she's smiling. "Sam is good. A bit more friendly now, now that I know, I mean."

"He's very grateful that you stayed after everyone else had gone."

"Yes. Grateful." Donna sighs and frowns at the wall.

"He gave you a promotion and a pay rise."

Donna nods. "And that's brilliant, really. Finally a successful job." But she sounds a bit forlorn.

"Everything okay?" Rose touches Donna's arm.

Donna shrugs. "So I have a crush on my alien boss. Big deal, yeah? Not like an alien and a human would ever get together. Too many differences."

Rose hums.

"I mean, for one thing, the biology'd be all wrong. And the in-laws! Talk about to different worlds!"

Rose coughs.

"And he's never shown any interest in me," Donna finishes up.

Rose knows that she is treading on dangerous ground here. She's often interfered in something only to regret it later.

"It's not like he would, is it?" she asks, interfering anyway. "He's your boss. He's in charge of everything. He needs to be professional."

"It's not personal. It's not seeing me."

"What?"

Donna rolls her eyes. "I'm just a worker. I was human, so he never bothered much with me before. I always did my job and that made him happy."

"Donna, you've saved the studio! If there was ever a chance for him to notice you properly, this is it."

The trouble is, now that the chance for that is here, Donna's not sure she wants it. It was one thing when she was working for a famous man. It's another when that famous man is not from Earth.

oOoOo

"Are you done hovering?"

It's almost the end of the day, and Rose has found the Doctor sitting on the floor of Clive's office, reading through some files.

"I'm done," he confirms. "Well, almost done. Just about. Close to being done."

"Not at all, then," Rose concludes, and walks over to sit on the floor beside him. "What is all this?"

"Production notes." He shows her one of the files.

"This is just notes on special effects."

"Exactly. Fascinating stuff."

Rose leans back to get a good look at him. "Is this about finding out who's behind Sam's problems, or is it about making a movie?"

"Rose. It's about making a movie, of course!" His grin is infectious.

She bumps her shoulder against his. "'Course it is. Everyone's gone home."

He looks around. "Have they? It's only half past five."

"I guess all the hard work starts tomorrow. Sam's still here. And a few of the others. I'm still not sure who's really important around here," she confesses.

"Oh, we can figure that out," he says easily. "Are you ready to leave?"

"I am. Are you?"

He looks around. "Yeah. I just need to make sure our security passes are finished."

Rose holds up a security pass. It's got his picture on it, and John Smith, special consultant, written underneath the studio's movie camera logo.

"Oh, that's very nice. Where's yours?"

Rose shows him her own pass.

"They are pretty nice," she agrees, admiring her photo. "Too bad we can't get these at Torchwood."

"Yeah, shame we have to be all secretive," the Doctor says, shoving his into a pocket. "Everyone have one of these?"

"All of our people do. And I convinced Sam that his staff should have new ones made as well."

He smiles at her. "Brilliant. And..."

She smiles back, leaning in so close that their heads touch. "And...Travis made sure every pass has a locator chip inside."

"Brilliant," he says again.

"It is," Rose confirms. "No one will be able to leave the lot without our knowing about it."

"And Sam's not aware of what we did?" the Doctor asks. He's not feeling guilty about deceiving Sam this way - the only way to make sure that everything is working is to make sure that no one knows their security pass is broadcasting their location.

"No. Just us and Travis. And Travis won't say anything." Rose tucks her own pass into her jacket pocket and leans against the Doctor.

"Well?" he asks.

"Well what?"

"Well, what is it? What's bothering you?"

"I'm just hoping this will work." Rose tilts her head up to look at him, her hair falling along his shoulder. "That we're not wasting all this time and money for nothing."

He frowns and puts his arm around her. "This is the best chance we have. If someone out there doesn't want Sam to keep making movies, the movie studio is the most likely place to stop him."

They sit silently for a few minutes. Except for the lack of a constant humming, they could almost have been sitting in the TARDIS again, spending a quiet evening (relative time) together between adventures.

"It's exciting, though, isn't it?" Rose finally says. "We get to see a movie be made."

"Well, it's not the most exciting thing we've ever done." The Doctor feels oddly hurt by her words.

"Are you kidding? We love these kinds of films! And I already met a couple of the actors. The girl who was eaten by that giant Martian bug in the movie watched at Mum's the night we baby-sat Tony, remember her? She said it was nice to meet me!"

"Yes, it's a movie. But we've met Elvis."

"Oh, and one of the lead actors is related to Sam somehow. He was on Eastenders for a year."

The Doctor rolls his eyes. "I've taken you to the end of the world, Rose."

"He told me that tv was fun but movies are better for making yourself known," Rose continues, as if he hadn't spoken at all.

"Planet full of flying dinosaurs? Remember? Beat that."

"And Clive's nephew is making a movie with Johnny Depp next year. All about pirates."

The Doctor has had enough. He can tell by the sound of her voice that she's having him on, but he's not going to let it go. He gets to his feet, bringing Rose up to stand with him.

"Let's get one thing straight right now," he says sternly. "You are not to fraternize with any of the actors here."

She smiles slowly up at him, eyebrow raised challengingly. "How are you gonna stop me?"

"Oh, I'll stop you," he assures her, sliding his arms around her waist. "I have ways."

Rose lifts her arms around his neck. "You certainly do," she agrees breathlessly, just before he kisses her senseless.