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The images flashing behind Abigail's eyes were unearthly and impossible to interpret. Streaks of red and gold appeared then disappeared, buildings glistening in warm light. There was a void that appeared too, a vortex filled with everything in the universe; it contained every thought, every emotion, every moment in time, it was wonderful and terrifying at the same time. But what was more terrifying was the shadow that appeared, the man with no face. He only appeared as an outline in her dreams, but his presence, or lack thereof, filled Abigail with such grief, and such loneliness, it was unbearable.

As the perplexing images started to fade, new, more familiar ones took their place. But, were they familiar? Abigail blinked a couple times as the room around her came into focus. It was as if she was trying to translate her surroundings like a strange language she had never seen before. The stark white ceiling of the rented flat she resided in finally came into focus. She sat up in her own bed, unaware of what time or day it was. Suddenly, that mornings events came flooding back into her memory as if a dam had burst in her mind. Abigail shook her head, trying to dismiss the ridiculousness of her imaginings.

She stood up slowly and walked over to the mirror that hung just above her dresser. Her brow furrowed as she reached up and felt the still tender wound on her forehead. She looked essentially the same as when she had left the house that morning, minus the disheveled hair and dirt smudges on her clothing. Her forehead and face had been cleaned and bandaged, but by whom? As Abigail tried to reassemble the pieces of the puzzle she heard a voice from out in the living room.

"Well keep trying." The masculine sounding voice said "Yes, I know. But I still think he's our best bet, Skoren will at least respect him if nothing else, right now he doesn't even trust us."

There was a pause as Abigail exited her room. As she turned the corner of the hallway Captain Jack's figure came into view. He was talking to someone on the phone and had his back turned toward Abigail as he was looking out the one, large, window that graced the room. "Right," he said, "that's my next step. I'll be in touch." With that he hung up the phone.

"Is this a typical day for you then?" Abigail asked, her lips dry and voice scratchy.

Jack turned around and flashed a tired, cockeyed smile. "Pretty much," he smirked, "but I admit it's not everyday I meet someone quite like you Abigail James…a girl who doesn't bat an eyelash at an alien from another planet nearly twice her size, but faints at the sight of blood?"

Abigail laughed lightly at herself, suddenly it occurred to Abigail that they were in her apartment, she knew they were, but she hadn't realized the significance of that until this moment. "How did we get here? I've never met you before in my life, how did you know where I live?"

"Well," Jack said, his chest puffing up slightly, "for a guy like me, who deals with deadly aliens and thwarts the end of the world on a daily basis, finding out someone's full name and address isn't exactly rocket science."

"I suppose not." Abigail said still not entirely impressed, or convinced.

Another awkward silence lingered between the two briefly. "Right," Abigail said, hoisting herself off the wall she had been supporting herself on, "I'm making myself a cup of tea, you sound American, but I'm betting you can still appreciate a good cup of tea, can I make you one?"

"Honestly, I'm more of a black coffee sort of guy. " Jack replied.

Abigail paused trying to remember the last time she had coffee in the house. "Well, I'll see what I can do" she replied chasing the ghost of a memory of serving coffee to a bloke she had been seeing a few months back.

Captain Jack circled around Abigail's chaotic living room. As he did he picked up one old book after another, turning each over in his hands, reading a few lines, then setting it down and moving on to the next.

"So," Abigail called from the kitchen, "are you going to tell me what that thing was, or do I really have to ask?"

"Oh that?" Jack retorted lightheartedly, "I thought maybe you had forgotten about that."

"Of course! A gigantic, scaly, talking lizard holds me hostage and you think I'm not going to have questions!"

"Well there's a first time for everything."

"Seriously though," Abigail rounded the corner, "what was that?"

Jack sighed, "I guess I'm not going to be able to skip over this am I?"

"Not a chance."

"Well then, that was Skoren."

"Yes I heard you call it that. What is a Skoren?"

"No, he's not a Skoren, that's his name, Skoren. He comes from…well …another planet. I'm going to try to keep this as simple as possible. So, try not to ask for too many unpronounceable names of places and species. Okay?"

"Okay." Abigail nodded trying not to look phased by anything this early in the conversation.

"So, Skoren. He crashed here not too long ago, and his ship is badly damaged. Now, me and my team, we've been trying to track him down, but this hasn't been particularly easy given the recent events, you can understand why we've been a little…distracted."

"Right," Abigail said, "other planets in the sky, invaders from outerspace, understandable. But who are you, and who is your team?"

"Well, I didn't lie about my name if that's what you're implying. Captain Jack Harkness is my real name, and I work for Torchwood."

"Torchwood?"

"We deal with….things….beings…." Jack was searching for a delicate way to say this and when he found none he simply proceeded as honestly as possible, "We deal with aliens and alien threats from other worlds."

"Ah. I see." Abigail said, still maintaining a calm exterior. "So what was that thing doing? It said it needed fuel, so why not just give it to him and send him on his merry way?"

"Because the fuel he needs is not something I'm willing to give."

"Well what is it?"

"His ship is alive," Jack was getting quite animated now, "it doesn't need fuel like cars or boats or trains need fuel, it needs food, and the only thing that is compatible on this planet is humans, nothing else will work."

Abigail's mouth opened slightly in shock. "I see" she repeated quietly.

The kettle in the kitchen started to whistle signaling it was done. "I'm just going to get that, be right back."

Abigail exited the room and Jack went back to touring the mess. Suddenly he stopped. He could still hear Abigail clamoring about in the other room. He suddenly turned internally frantic; he knew he needed to act fast. Suddenly his phone rang, not taking his eyes off the object, he answered, "Hello?"

"We've found him; I have coordinates for you if you're ready to go."

"Oh I'm ready!" Jack replied in a tone more excited than the voice on the other end of the line anticipated, this couldn't have worked out more perfectly, "Send me them ASAP …. and let him know I'm coming, and I'm bringing my plus one."

"Sir?" the voice was confused.

"Just do it!" Jack said authoritatively.

In the next moment Abigail re-entered the room, just as Jack was hanging up the phone. "Abi, you may want to change into something a little more practical for alien hunting, you're coming with me."

The blonde's eyes widened momentarily as she considered declining the offer. But, despite the fright that flashed in them, there was something else. She set the cups she had prepared down on the counter and went back into her bedroom to remove the dirtied, yellow waitress uniform and ugly orthopedic shoes.

As Jack turned back around to face the object that had gotten him so excited, he understood what the something else he had seen in Abigail's eyes was. He scooped it up quickly and housed it safely in the deep pockets of his coat.

Jack could barely stand still he was so excited, so instead, he paced around the room like someone on the verge of a scientific breakthrough who had indulged in way too much caffeine. As Abigail emerged from her room dressed much more appropriately, she looked at Jack and wore a million questions on her face. Instead of answering any of them Jack just took her hand and bolted out the door; and Abigail followed him, just as the whisper in her head told her to.