Chapter Nineteen: Miss(ing) Mary Margaret

Riding in the passenger seat of Jack Harkness' sedan, Smith felt uncomfortable being driven by a stranger like Jack, but it was the only ride he could get to the station as soon as he heard that Mary Margaret had been jailed for the possible murder of Kathryn Nolan. Smith felt extremely tense during the entire ride, which was plagued with awkward silence between him and Jack. Harkness realized how tense he was, especially considering how this was a close friend of his that was being accused of a heinous crime, and he decided to break the tension by changing the subject.

"You know, Henry's been telling me these wild theories about you being the Doctor." From the corner of his eye, Jack could see Smith slowly turning his head towards him. Jack turned his momentarily to see Smith giving him an odd look. "You know…from Verity Newman's book?"

Smith did not say a word; he returned his focus to the window, gazing out at the passing street corners.

Jack was resilient, continuing on the topic. "A few weeks ago, I mentioned how I was hoping to look for someone in Cardiff. Well, that someone is like this Doctor who Henry mentions about. He's a brilliant man with unlimited capabilities. He doesn't have all the answers, of course; but he knows enough to save countless people."

"But he's also dangerous, and anyone around him suffers death and destruction…at least according to Joan Redfern."

Jack nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that does follow him."

"And Henry believes that I'm such a person." Smith disdainfully said with a snicker. "It wouldn't surprise that he would paint me as this character, seeing how he believes his own mother is 'The Evil Queen.'"

"I'm certain Henry doesn't mean to do it in offense, John."

Smith shook his head. "I'm not offended by it… I've kinda grown fascinated by it lately. Just the other day, he actually stole a stethoscope from Dr. Whale's office to use on me and prove that I had two hearts just like the Doctor."

Jack laughed hysterically. "Well, that is somethin'!"

Smith wanted to laugh himself, but the thought of Mary Margaret brought him back to a downtrodden demeanor. "We should really focus on Mary Margaret."

Jack knew the fun was over when he saw the seriousness return to Smith's face; as much as the captain wanted to continue a discussion that could mean accomplishing a major goal for him, he respected the schoolteacher's wishes and allowed the awkward silence to seep back into the sedan for the remainder of the ride.

When Jack and Smith finally arrived at the station, they found Emma nowhere around, meaning that Mary Margaret was there alone in her jail cell. Smith was slightly disappointed in Emma for leaving Mary Margaret alone, thinking how much better it would have been to have a friend there with her, so she would not feel as isolated as she already did even before being locked up. Of course, reasoning soon took in as soon as Smith figured Emma was out somewhere in town to try and prove Mary Margaret's innocence.

However, once Jack and Smith reached her cell, both men were shocked to discover that the cell door was wide open with Mary Margaret absent from the cell itself. At first Smith believed Mary Margaret had been released, having been proved innocent of the crime; but the frantic look he noticed on Jack's face told otherwise.

"Oh, no! No, no, no, no!" Jack exclaimed as he rushed to the deputy's desk and picked up the phone.

Between Jack's frenetic behavior and Mary Margaret's absence from the jail cell, it did not take much for Smith to put two and two together. "No, no, no, no!" He repeated Harkness' exclamation with even more vigor. "Please don't tell me she did what I think she did!"

"Do you see her anywhere around?" Jack cynically inquired as he placed the receiver to his ear. "She's escaped, John. Plain and simple."

Smith gazed at the cell in shock and confusion. "How could she do such a thing?"

"She's been convicted of murder. The desperation got to her."

"No, I mean how could she have done it?" Smith indicated the distance between the jail cell and Jack's desk, which was where the keys to the cell lied. "She was pretty far from your desk, so unless she's capable of magnetic powers, there's no way she could've gotten them off there."

Jack quickly saw Smith's point; as he looked upon the indicated distance, he heard Emma's voice come over the receiver, saying "hello" and asking who it was. After holding the receiver near his ear for almost a minute, Jack finally hung it up and moved inside the jail cell, inspecting every inch of it. After finding no evidence of Mary Margaret's escape, Jack finally refocused on Smith and shrugged. "She must be Houdini, because I can't find a damn thing."

"We have to go look for her." Smith suggested.

"I have to let Emma know first."

"No! You can't!"

"Why not?"

"Because I want to give her a chance to change her mind when we do find her. I know Mary Margaret, Jack. She wouldn't try to leave town after being convicted of murder."

"Then where could she be?"

Smith did not respond; he only looked to Jack with desperately hopeful eyes.