Sorry it took so long to upload this. I had some brief writer's block, but I trudged through it. :)

Also, for those Rose fans out there, I feel it only fair to warn you that she is not a crucial character in this story. I'm not terribly fond of her personally, I don't enjoy writing her, so I wouldn't expect to see much of her. Apologies.

Whatever they had been talking about, it looked like it had relieved the tension between Pete Tyler and Morgan Gates. As the two stepped out of the van, Pete listened fervently to the cowboy-booted man, all suspicion and distrust vanished.

James got out of the car three vehicles behind, catching them in the middle of an apparently important conversation.

"I would advise immediate action, Mr. Tyler," Morgan said. "We can hold our own on our side, but we will need your support to take control of the situation."

Pete nodded and then gestured towards the doors to the headquarters of Torchwood. Morgan followed him inside.

James followed as well, only taking a few seconds to catch up (long legs had their advantages).

Morgan glanced back at him as he approached, stopped in the middle of his sentence and offered James his hand. "We haven't been formally introduced. I'm Morgan Gates."

James took the hand and shook it. "James Smith."

"Doctor?"

"Yes."

"Fantastic," Morgan said with a grin. "A good one, by the looks of it. Not a lot of people have the smarts it takes to make a sonic device. In fact... no one in this era has the smarts to make one."

James furrowed his brows, looked at Pete, and gestured with his thumb to Morgan. "Who is this?"

"He's a Time Agent currently working for Torchwood in the other universe," Pete replied.

James looked Morgan up and down. Something wasn't sitting right with him, although he couldn't put his finger on it. It might have been just that Morgan's smile reminded him eerily of a shark. "Who's your boss?"

"I don't work for Jack Harkness, if that's what you're asking. We're in separate departments," Morgan answered coolly.

James arched a brow at him.

Morgan smiled patiently. "He's busy with another case. This one's been assigned to me."

"He's here for our help," Pete said.

"We've discovered multiple, hm, fractures, let's call them, in our universe. Most of them have been small and for the most part manageable, but there have been a few larger ones."

"What kind of fractures?" James asked.

"We're not entirely sure, but they've caused damage on a molecular level. The reports indicate that any matter within range of the fracture simply disintegrates."

"They suspect that these... events, will start happening over here," Pete said.

"We believe we've developed a system to identify them before they appear," Morgan continued. "And with your superior technology, I think we can find a solution to destroying them before they can cause any damage over here."

"When did these fractures start appearing?" James asked, folding his arms in front of his chest.

"A little over a week ago."

"Do you know what's causing them?"

Morgan shook his head and was about to say more when a Torchwood agent caught up to the three of them just as they'd reached Pete's office. The young man turned to Pete. "Mr. Tyler, your wife and daughter are here."

Pete nodded and the agent dismissed himself.

"Lunch?" James asked.

"Probably," Pete replied.

Just then the two blondes came around the corner, white plastic bags in their hands. "Hello, boys," Jackie said as she walked up (quite clumsily in the ridiculously high pumps she was wearing) and kissed Pete on the cheek. She did the same to James. "Tony's with a sitter, so we have a few hours to ourselves."

Rose followed behind her, glanced briefly at Morgan and then turned her attention to James, smiling sweetly. "Morning. How's business?"

James smiled at her. "Booming."

"Good to hear," she said and then looked at Morgan again. "Who're you?"

James smiled to himself. Normally, she wouldn't really have cared, but she was clever and she knew when something didn't belong.

Morgan smiled brightly at her. "Morgan. Morgan Gates," he said, offering his hand, which she shook. "Pleasure to meet you, Miss Tyler."

Rose nodded and smiled, but she looked slightly uncomfortable. "You work for Pete?"

"Oh, no. I'm just a visitor here on business. Don't mind me," he said, stepping away from the group. "Mr. Tyler, do you mind at all if I head off to your labs? I'd like to get started on our project."

Pete nodded.

James watched Morgan walk off, wondering why Pete had allowed him to wander the building unattended. He was probably being paranoid due to the strange circumstances of Morgan Gates' arrival, but something just didn't feel right and he couldn't let go of it.

"James?" Rose asked.

He looked at her. "Yes?"

"You alrigh'?"

He nodded, looked down at the bag in her hand. "Thai?"

She nodded the affirmative. "We weren't sure what you'd like, so we got jus' about everything on the menu to be safe. Do you even like Thai food?"

"Not sure. Haven't had any since I regenerated," James said, then grinned at her. "I guess we'll find out together."

She smiled.

The four of them went into Pete's office and sat down at a table off to the left in the corner, put there specifically for when Jackie and Rose brought lunch or dinner, which they did quite often. James assumed it was because Jackie was trying to make up for lost time with Pete, which was perfectly understandable and he wouldn't have minded it, but he felt awkward nonetheless. He wasn't accustomed to sitting down with family and having a meal. He had done it once or twice before, but he hadn't done it with "family" in a long time.

He was mostly quiet, listening to the fairly dull conversations while the back of his mind digested everything he currently knew about Morgan Gates. Something kept nagging at him, but he was unable to come up with what it might be.

He broke out of his subconscious reverie when Rose put a hand on his arm. He looked at it, then at her. "Sorry?"

Rose gave him a scrutinizing look. "Are you alrigh'?"

"Yep, dandy, fine, good. You? How are you? What were we talking about? My mind wandered off for a minute, there."

"Nothing, really," Pete said.

Jackie elbowed him. "I was telling you about my day!"

"Right... nothing, really."

James smiled.

Jackie glared at him, but the love in it was visible and Pete only smiled. She turned to James. "Oh, James, I watered that piece of coral for you. It was looking a little dry."

"For the hundredth time, Mum, it's not coral!" Rose groaned. "And it doesn't need to be watered."

"It's fine, Rose. She can water it if she wants. It doesn't hurt it any," James said, taking a bite of noodles.

"Well, if it doesn't need water, then what does it need?" Jackie asked.

"It's really complicated, Jackie," James said. "I don't think you would understand if I told you. Talking to it might help, though."

"How long did you say it would take to grow?" Rose asked.

"Twenty years," James replied.

"You know, James, I'm surprised you're as open as you are about the TARDS-to-be," Pete mused. "Aren't you worried I'll try and take it?"

James dropped his chop sticks and leaned back against his chair, jaw tight, leveling his gaze to Pete's.

"What are you talking about?" Rose asked, sitting up as tension built in the room.

James pulled out the sonic screwdriver and showed it to Rose.

"Is that a sonic?" Rose asked, eyes alight with interest.

He nodded and put it back in his pocket. "We had an argument about it earlier."

"Why are you two always fighting?" Jackie asked, looking between them, clearly upset.

James sighed. He didn't want to go over this again. All it would do would spark an argument with Pete and he wasn't in the mood.

"Doesn't matter," James said, then stood up. "I, uh... have to get back to work."

Rose frowned at him. "O-okay. Mind if I tag along... to your office?"

He shook his head. "By all means."

She stood up and the two of them left, James' hands stuffed into his pockets.

Rose looked at him. "James."

"Hm?" he asked distractedly. "I'm sorry. Did you say something?"

"Are you sure you're alrigh'?" she asked him earnestly.

"Of course I am. Why do you keep asking that?"

"Well, you've been acting... strange, lately."

"Strange how?"

"Distracted. Quiet. That's the big one, really. Quiet. You're never quiet."

The Doctor was never quiet. The thought popped into his mind unbidden and it took some effort to keep it from spilling out of his mouth. He banished the thought from his mind, trying to focus on listening to her.

"You're not as... cheerful, I suppose," she said.

He frowned. "I'm just... preoccupied. I'm fine, though," he assured her. "There's been a lot on my mind."

"It's not my Dad, is it?"

He waved his hand as thought to shoo away the very idea. "No, no, it's not him. Really, Rose. Don't worry. I'm fine."

"But-"

"I'm fine," he said- too harsh- and winced. He hadn't meant to sound snappy.

Rose nodded, deciding against prying any further. "So, um... how's the research coming?"

He sighed. "It's not."

"No way to speed it up, then?" she asked in disappointment.

"If there is, I haven't figured it out yet."

"You'd think a time machine would have a fast-forward button or something."

James smiled.

She smiled, too. She grabbed his arm and hugged it. He squeezed her arm.

They parted ways at his office.

"I 'ave some things I need to do today," Rose said. "I'll see you later tonigh', yeah?"

He nodded, kissed her and then watched her walk off. When she had turned the corner, he went into his office.

Morgan Gates stood there.

He jumped, taking a quick inhale of surprise.

Morgan laughed. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you," he said, then looked down at a few papers he was holding. "These are some complicated algorithms."

James looked around confusedly and then at Morgan again. "W-what are you doing here? I thought you went down to the-"

"I did. I got bored. Apparently Mr. Tyler doesn't bother with IQ tests, so I came up here to have a look at your work," he said, then held up a paper covered in the squiggles and writings of a genius mind. "Very impressive."

"I was going for a stick-man there," James said. "Didn't turn out quite right."

Morgan chuckled, put the papers back on the stack he'd gotten them from and then leaned against James' desk. "How long did it take you to make that screwdriver?"

James scowled at him, crossed the room to his desk and began clearing it of clutter.

Morgan stared at him thoughtfully. "I think your Donna is showing."

James froze. The room suddenly felt hot, closing in around him suffocatingly. He turned, looking around at him with fresh alarm. "What did you say?"

Morgan grinned.

There were only a handful of people who knew what and who he was, all of whom he trusted would never tell a soul about him, so how could he possibly know?

"Meta-crisis, I believe its called?" Morgan remarked, "You're one of a kind."

James glanced at the door, counting the steps and time it would take to get out of the room. He wasn't sure what exactly was happening, but he wanted to be prepared for the worst.

"Relax, Doctor Smith. I'm not here to cause trouble."

"Who are you?"

"I already told you," he said, then made a face. "Although, I may have taken a few liberties."

"Such as?"

"Such as working for Torchwood. And the fractures, but that's all, really."

"The fractures were a lie?"

"Not entirely. They're real, but not remotely as dangerous as I may have made them out to be. They're just a distraction from the real reason I'm here."

James' jaw tightened and he stood rigidly. "Which is?"

"I'm looking for the Doctor."

James blinked at him. "Um... I think you have the wrong universe."

Morgan stared at him, his face void of emotion. "I'm aware."

"Then what are you doing here?"

"He's gone."

"He's a time-traveler. That's bound to happen," James said tensely.

"No, not gone as in missing. He's dead gone."

Again, James blinked. "What?"

"Dead. Departed. No longer living. Word's spreading that he was murdered."

It took a moment for the words to sink in, but once they did, the dropped into the pit of his stomach. He felt paralyzed. That wasn't right. He was lying. He had to be lying. He tried to fight off the confusion and get his thoughts together, but he couldn't think.

"Well, that's what they say, anyway," Morgan reiterated.

James looked at him. "You don't think he's dead?"

Morgan shrugged. "Possibly. Only one way to tell. That's the reason I'm here."

There was a moment's pause, as though Morgan were waiting for James to connect the dots. When he didn't speak, he continued.

"I'm here for you."

James' brow raised and he pointed a finger at his chest. "Me?"

Morgan nodded.

James licked his suddenly dry lips. "Why?"

"You're part Time Lord. Time Lord's can sense other Time Lords, can they not? I'd wager that you might even have a strong psychic link to him."

James was about to answer, but stopped himself. "Even if I did, I wouldn't be able to reach him from this universe."

"I'm aware."

James' brow rose even higher at that. "You want to take me to the other universe?"

"Precisely."

James could hardly believe his ears. "I'm not going there."

"No one's making you," Morgan replied calmly. "But I would suggest you consider it."

"Why? If the Doctor is dead, then there's nothing I can do and if he isn't, then he hasn't shown up for a reason. Either way, it would be pointless to bother."

"And under different circumstances I would agree with you."

"But?" Why was he even having this conversation?

"But this isn't just about the Doctor. It's about his friends."

James started at that. "Are they alright?"

"For now, yes, although I don't know how much longer that will last. The organization that allegedly killed the Doctor are going to target them now. Take out anyone who might oppose them. They've already attempted to kill the Doctor's more recent companions. Its only a matter of time before they get to them."

"They haven't yet?"

"They're under protection, but as I said, that won't last long."

James absently ran a hand through his hair, trying to let his brain sort through the information. A thought suddenly occurred to him and he looked out the door in rising alarm. "Rose..."

"She's safe here for the time being," Morgan said. "But if I can get to you, they can get to you and I doubt they would be very happy to find out the Doctor had a duplicate."

"Who are they?"

"They're dangerous," Morgan said.

"How am I supposed to help?"

"The Doctor knows how to fight these things. If he's alive, we alert him of the situation and help him handle it."

"And if he isn't?"

"We handle it anyway."

James walked over to a wall and leaned against it, still mussing with his hair. He looked up at Morgan. "Why should I believe anything you're telling me?"

"I can't make you believe me," Morgan stated.

"Can you prove it?" James pressed.

Morgan stared evenly at him. "No."

"Then why should I listen to anything you say? Why shouldn't I tell Pete what you're really up to? Why should I not walk out this door right now and call security?"

"The same reason you haven't yet," Morgan replied calmly. "Part of you believes me and if you ignore it and don't come with me and your friends die, you'd never be able to live with yourself."

James growled in frustration. He was right about that. Though part of him was mistrusting of Morgan, part of him did believe him and if he was telling the truth, he couldn't turn his back on his friends. Besides, Rose might be in danger and he couldn't let anything happen to her.

He sighed and locked gazes with Morgan. "I'd have to go back?"

Morgan nodded.

"Through the portal you came through?"

He nodded again.

"Why didn't you tell Pete any of this?"

Morgan frowned at him. "Oh, come now. All of the Doctor's friends are in danger. What do you think Mr. Tyler would do if I had told him? Either he would've put you, Rose, Mrs. Tyler and his son in intense protective custody to keep you safe, or he would've wanted to come along, something I cannot allow to happen."

"Why is that?"

"I'm attempting to keep a low profile, which is hard enough when you open a portal to another dimension. I can manage bringing back one other person with me, but two or more would be risky, if not deadly. Not to mention the effects it might have on the portal itself."

James stared at him thoughtfully. "Why are you even doing this?"

"What?"

"Trying to save my friends?"

Morgan smiled. "It's not just me, you know. The Doctor makes allies everywhere he goes, whether he's aware of it or not, and they strive to aid him whenever they can. Now is their chance."

James groaned. "You make it sound like a religious movement."

Morgan laughed at that. "He's not God. They know that. He's just a good man doing the right thing and for that reason people want to help him. It makes them feel important; gives them hope."

James nodded in understanding. He'd seen what the human race could do with hope and it had been breath-taking. It warmed his heart to know that people cared about what he had done as the Doctor, and were willing to help. He just hoped that there would be no blood-shed. Too many people had died helping the Doctor.

"Are you agreeing to go with me?" Morgan asked.

James let out a long breath, putting his hands once again into his pockets and nodded.

Morgan smiled brightly and James couldn't help but grimace. He had an unnerving smile. His eyes had the same affect and he tried not to look at them.

"Wonderful. I'll see to the arrangements. We'll need to leave just before the portal closes. I don't want people following after us; that would arouse too much attention on the other side. It's going to be difficult enough with just the two of us," Morgan said, looking down at the floor in contemplation. He then waved a hand. "We'll worry about that after we've done it. Will you need anything?"

James hesitated, not having actually thought about how long this might take, or how he would get back, for that matter. "Um..."

Morgan made a dismissive gesture. "No matter. I'm sure we'll have everything you need over there. Except perhaps that sonic, if you wanted to bring that along. It's up to you, of course."

"How long-"

"Hopefully no more than a week," Morgan interrupted distractedly, heading for the door with long, hurried strides.

James watched him as he threw open the door, peered out into the hall and then turned back to him again. "We have, what, twenty-two hours to kill?"

"I think so," James replied.

Morgan frowned. "Ugh. That's going to be boring. Ah, well. I'm sure I can find something entertaining to do until that time."

James furrowed his brows at him. "Morgan..."

"Yes, Doctor Smith?"

"James."

"Yes?"

"Did you travel with him?"

Morgan stared at him.

"The Doctor."

"No... why?"

"You act like him."

Morgan blinked in surprise. "Do I?"

James nodded.

"Interesting. More interesting; you don't."

He frowned. "I know."

"Why so... sullen?"

James expression became hard. "That's none of your business."

Morgan looked surprised at the reaction and held up his hands in a gesture of defeat. "I meant no harm. I was simply curious. As I recall, the Doctor tends to portray a more... jovial nature. Like Santa Claus."

James' face changed into a slight glower. "I'm not the Doctor."

Morgan smiled. "No. You're something else entirely."

He couldn't keep the puzzled look off of his face as Morgan turned and left him in his office, feeling confused, angry and off-balance. He felt like some sort of battle had just taken place, and he had lost terribly. That was happening a lot lately. He rubbed his face, feeling thoroughly disgruntled and slightly vulnerable all of a sudden.

Sighing (he had caught himself sighing a lot lately) he turned to the stacks of papers and books and started busily distracting himself. He still had twenty-two hours to kill.