Chapter Eleven: O Captain, My Captain!

John Smith felt like a long morning stroll through town was just what he needed to take his mind off the fact that Valentine's Day was coming. He was not certain why being alone on the love-fest holiday bugged him so much, considering that he never was one to keep company. The strangest part was that he had never felt lonelier than he did that day and the days that followed. It was a feeling that he wished would go away, but it had not, even after walking a few miles.

After a while, he started waiting for the right distraction to take his focus off the thoughts of loneliness running through his mind. And, just as that right moment, it came in the form of a black sports sedan that had pulled right in beside Smith. He glanced over to the vehicle as the driver side window came down, revealing the devilishly handsome man. From what Smith could tell while standing just a foot away, the male driver wore some type of World War II garb.

"Hey there." The man said to Smith. "I'm real sorry to bug ya, but do you know someplace where I can get some fish and chips? It's going to be a long drive from here to the airport, and I don't wanna keep myself famished during a very important trip."

Smith chuckled. "An American with a taste for fish and chips? Never thought it possible." He pointed in the direction opposite of where the stranger was heading. "There's a diner a few blocks behind you that sells not only the best tea in the bloody world."

The driver looked around his shoulder and shook his head in aggravation, grinning foolishly. "Ah, damn. Knew I was headin' in the wrong direction."

"I can show you there." The driver began to raise his hand in protest, but Smith quickly rebutted. "And it's no bother. I think I need a good cup of tea to take my mind off of…something right now."

Seeing the look of frustration on Smith's face as he uttered the word "something" told the driver that there really was something he wanted to forget. With a nod, the stranger beckoned, "Hop in." Smith walked around the sedan from the back and climbed in through the front side passenger door, buckling his seatbelt as he settled in. "So what's your name?"

"John Smith. Yours?"

The driver smiled as he extended his hand. "Captain Jack Harkness."

Smith and Captain Harkness walked into Granny's Diner just as Ruby had passed by with a pitcher of coffee, nearly bumping into Jack. "Oops. I'm sorry. Excuse…" She looked up and took one look at Jack, and she practically melted. "…me?"

Jack flashed a stunning smile that almost caused Ruby to become faint. "Why, hello. Table for two?"

"Don't mind if I do." Ruby whispered.

Smith stifled a laugh. "Uh, I believe he means a table for the two of us, Ruby."

She barely heard Smith correcting her with her eyes still focused on Jack's. "Oh…right. Um…"

"We're just kidding, Ruby." Smith admitted, finally letting himself go with laughter. "C'mon, Jack."

The two men walked around Ruby, who just could not stop staring at Jack the entire time he was there. Only when she heard her grandmother clearing her throat at her did she return to her waitressing duties, going to the table that Mary Margaret was sitting and pouring her some coffee as she conversed with David.

Jack and Smith sat near the back of the diner. Removing his coat and draping it over the chair he sat in, Jack glanced around the diner and realized how much it reminded him of a classic 1950s diner. "Excellent era." He saw the quizzical look on Smith's face with his compliment. "This diner, I mean. It's got that quaint period to it."

Smith nodded understandingly. "Ah, I see. Well, Granny does tend to stick with the old school to give it that comfort effect."

While the two men communicated, Ruby approached with her half-emptied pitcher and inquired, "Can I get you boys anything?"

"The usual for me." Smith requested with a smile, while noticing that Ruby was looking at Jack when she asked.

"I'll take coffee with your best pastries." Jack answered.

"We've got some Danishes that'll put an awesome taste…right in your mouth."

The extremely sultry way Ruby made the offer to Jack turned a few heads in the diner, especially her grandmother's. Again, Granny cleared her throat, quickly reminding her granddaughter where she was. The whole thing made Jack chuckle with amusement as he told the flirty waitress, "Danishes will be great. Thank you."

Ruby left their table to get the gentlemen's orders, allowing them to resume their conversation. "You'll have to excuse Ruby," Smith told Jack. "She tends to be a little 'too happy' with any handsome customers she meets."

Jack grinned. "No kidding."

"So where are you flying to, Jack? If you don't mind me asking, that is."

"Headin' back to Cardiff for a while. There's something that's come up here in the States, and I need to check around my old stomping grounds in order to take care of it."

While Jack was explaining himself, Smith spotted Emma passing by; she briefly looked his way at the same time, and they shared a short, silent greeting in the form of smiles. As Emma sat at the same table as Mary Margaret, Smith returned his attention to Jack, catching to the tail end of his explanation.

"So…you're looking for something in Cardiff?"

"More like someone." Jack clarified. "It could just be a wild goose chase, as it usually is…but sometimes I get real lucky in finding him."

"Him?"

Before Jack could have answered, the both of them suddenly heard a baby crying and turned to see young mother Ashley Boyd enter with her daughter, Alexandra. They watched her hand the crying baby over to Granny's care before sitting down with Emma and Mary Margaret. Seeing the three women together, Jack smiled. "Not every day when you find three gorgeous women sitting together like that, eh?"

Smith raised a questioning eyebrow, finding it hard to believe how fast the "captain," a title that Smith had not yet inquired as to how he earned, changed the subject of their conversation. To make matters worse, Ruby arrived at their table as if on cue with Jack's comment, gently setting down a small plate of Danishes with a cup of coffee for Jack and almost roughly slamming down a small cup of cold tea for Smith. Before Smith could have a chance to complain about the cold tea to Ruby, she was already standing near Emma, Ashley, and Mary Margaret's table and offering a "Girl's Night Out" for the otherwise unoccupied women in celebration of Valentine's Day.

"I think I'll stay in Storybrooke for a while." Jack abruptly declared.

Smith, caught off-guard from his declaration (and his cup of cold tea), shook his head and uttered, "What?"

"I'm in no hurry." Jack said, sipping his warm cup of coffee.

"But I thought you said that your trip was 'very important?'"

"Yeah, well…change of plans, I guess." Jack again smiled – he never seemed to stop smiling since Smith first met him – and took a bite from one of the Danishes Ruby had gotten for him. Captain Harkness expressed his satisfaction of the pastry with a loud moan. "Oh, she was right. This taste is awesome."

Smith tried not to seem too disdainful in front of a man who was nevertheless the most enigmatic stranger he had ever encountered. Nonetheless, Smith felt like he had met him somewhere before; then again, most of his feelings have been betraying him as of late.