A/N: Again, sorry for the delay. We're getting into high season at work and it does interfere in the amount of time I can use on writing. However, I will work on doing regular updates to the story, hopefully more often than I have been doing. Once again, reviews reviews reviews! As one of my favorite characters would say, "I cannot make bricks without straw."

Chapter 10

The Doctor, dressed in his new brown pinstriped suit and looking very much like his Time Lord brother, strode with feigned confidence behind Rose as they entered Torchwood Tower. Silently he listened as Rose informed the security guard in the lobby of her intentions – namely to take her companion up to her father's office – and then passed the desk with poise that showed she knew she had authority in the building. He followed her into the nearest lift and watched as she slid her identification card into the scanner and pressed the appropriate button that would take them to their destination.

The uncomfortable silence between them had started that morning. The Doctor hadn't had much sleep the night before, his thoughts never having left the realm of undressing Rose first with his eyes and then with his teeth. The moment he could, he took a cold shower, hoping that enacting the human phrase would help force his clearly rampant hormones into submission. When that didn't work, he resorted to a shower as hot as he could physically stand which helped ease his predicament… at least until he saw Rose in her pajamas. Unfortunately for him, his efforts to resolve his dilemma had ultimately resulted only in a lack of hot water for Rose when she took her own shower, concerning which she had verbally rebuked him. It didn't help him in the least that she had done so with nothing but a towel on, her hair still wet.

After that, the half-Gallifreyan avoided looking at Rose as much as possible, giving only short one or two worded responses to anything she said or asked, causing her some disconcertion despite his assurance that he was fine and that it wasn't due to anything she said. He felt guilty for concerning her – he could feel her worry practically radiating from her – but he didn't yet know how to solve the problem of controlling his newfound hormones. Wasn't thinking of sports supposed to help with that? He tried out the theory by thinking of cricket, finding immediately that said theory was nothing but a myth. Was his almost constant sexual arousal around Rose normal or all part of his bipolar disorder? Or worse, did he have an additional imbalance in his synapses that made him more susceptible to Rose's presence? He didn't think it had to do with his manic depression but, having little knowledge of human mental disorders, he couldn't rule out the possibility. If it was due to his bipolar disorder or an additional problem not previous noticed, there had to be a scientific solution that would suppress his hormones to levels he would be comfortable with. Was this a normal state of being for a male human and for his own biology and, if so, how did human males cope with it, nearly constantly thinking about sex? If this was normal, he could easily see how humans went from this state to being sexually promiscuous in the 51st century. Hell, in his opinion, that was only a hop, skip, and jump from his current state.

Rose, for her part, wondered about the Doctor's sudden reluctance to look at or speak to her. Was he lying about it not being because of something she said? Or was he going through a depressive episode thanks to his bipolar disorder? The medicine he'd been taking seemed to be doing a good job of balancing his mental state but Dr. Gentillini had warned them both that episodes were bound to occur and that they were still in the process of making sure that his initial prescription was at the right level for him. If his reluctance to pay any sort of attention to her was due to a depressive episode, there was little Rose could do except to keep an eye on him and make sure that he wasn't going to harm himself or others.

Mentally sighing in frustration, she led her best friend towards Pete's office. The moment they arrived, she knocked on the door and then entered without waiting for a response.

"Good to see you again, Doctor. I trust you had a good night's sleep," Pete said in a way of greeting.

"Rose has a comfortable couch," came the response as the half-Gallifreyan rubbed a hand over his head, hiding the truth of his night in that action.

The patriarch nodded slightly at his reply. "I have our people working overtime in establishing a proper history for you, especially since Rose told me that you got photographed by a member of the press. Most of it will take time but we have all the necessary identification papers ready. We only need to get your photo and fingerprints as well as your signature on some paperwork. Your new name, if you would please," he requested, pulling said papers out and placing them on the desk, facing the Doctor.

The half Time Lord sighed, walking up to the desk to do as he was requested. He regarded the papers carefully before picking up the pen offered and writing the three words that described his life starting from that point on. After he had signed on every line required, he took a breath. "I suppose it's official now. I'm Alexander Wilfred Smith." A sad look crossed his face. "I'm not myself anymore."

Rose gave him a sympathetic smile. "You'll always be the Doctor to me," she assured.

"Thanks," he answered, returning a self-deprecating smirk. "Still… might as well start getting used to it. So, in public, I suggest you call me Alex."

"If that's what you want."

"It is," he said firmly.

"Okay… Alex."

Pete smiled at the interaction before speaking again. "After you are done in the photo lab I want to go over career options. Rose didn't mention anything in her email on what you would like to do for a living. I could use you here at Torchwood, however." Seeing the uncertainty on the Doctor's face, he told him, "Think about it. We can discuss terms of employment when you get back."

The hybrid nodded slightly while Rose guided him out of the office. The two went back to the lift and rode it down to the third floor. There, Rose guided him into the photo lab where his picture was taken several times both on his own and with Rose – for personal photos, according to the photographer. His fingerprints were also taken. He couldn't help but notice how human his prints looked, giving him yet another reminder of his unique existence. He was finding that his hormone problem seemed to be subdued as long as he had something to keep himself occupied and Rose wasn't directly in eyesight.

The two waited patiently as the photos downloaded into a computer and Alex's identification card was made. The moment they were, the technician handed him a small envelope. "Your British citizenship identification card. At least you can move around without being arrested now. The rest of your paperwork will be given to you once we've finished creating your past."

"Thank you," the Doctor told her as he glanced over the identifications he'd been given before tucking them in with his psychic paper. "Wait… the rest of my paperwork?" She gave him a little shrug in response. "You humans and your love of bureaucracy." He glanced at Rose to see her reaction to his words before quickly turning away when he saw the smile on her face and noticed its effect on his psyche. Damn human hormones, he grumbled mentally, not seeing the worried expression on her face.

Having finished in the photo lab, Rose escorted him back to Pete's office. The moment they entered, she grabbed her stepfather's arm and pulled him to the side.

"Dad, I'm worried about the Doctor," she whispered.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know. He's hardly said a word to me all day and he won't even look at me for more than a few seconds," she informed him, concern obvious in her voice. "I think he might be having a depressive episode. Do you think you could keep an eye on him for a few hours? I really want to take care of something back home and I don't want him to find out just yet."

"Of course," he replied. "How long do you need?"

"Four… five hours? And if we could stay at the mansion for a few days?"

He smiled knowingly. "You taking me up on my offer finally?"

"Yeah," she admitted. "But it's a loan. I'm going to pay you back. And you can't tell the Doctor. It's a surprise."

"I'll keep him out of trouble for you," he assured, giving her a kiss on her cheek. "Take the rest of the day if you need it."

"Thanks," she replied, returning the kiss. She turned to the Doctor. "Listen. I just have a few things that need to be done but it's going to take several hours. You going to be okay hanging out with Dad for the day? Meet you at the mansion for dinner?"

"Pete and I have a lot to discuss so… sure," he answered, uncertainty in his eyes. Gaining a nod of encouragement from her, he watched as she left the room. Once the two men were alone, Pete offered Alex a seat, which he took with care.

"Now, about career options," the head of Torchwood stated as he sat down.

"You want me to work for Torchwood," the Doctor put in.

"Your knowledge and experience would be of great value to us. You'd be given a respectable salary with all medical expenses paid. Given that you're half-alien, you would need to have a Torchwood authorized physician regardless of what occupation you chose. Security reasons, you understand. Can't have you causing a national panic if anyone were to discover your… unique biology. The general public may be aware of the existence of extraterrestrials but that doesn't necessarily mean that they are comfortable with that fact or that they won't react in a negative manner."

"And if I refuse to be attended by your medical staff, if I chose someone outside of Torchwood for my medical needs?"

Pete gazed firmly into his eyes. "I'm sorry, Doctor. But you don't have any choice in the matter. Believe me, if it weren't for you being who you are, you wouldn't be allowed to leave this facility just yet."

"So all extraterrestrials are prisoners," the half Time Lord concluded with obvious displeasure.

"Not prisoners. Guests. However, until we can be absolutely sure they can be trusted, they are not allowed free reign," came the blunt response. "Before you start judging us, I can assure you that any and all alien life forms we encounter are well-treated. We always see to their needs and make sure that they are in the best of health. We try our best to communicate with them. Sometimes, that takes us time, depending on their grasp of the English language and our ability to figure out theirs. Once we have a dialog going, if any guest wants to leave Earth, they are allowed to. If they mean harm to us, they are incarcerated accordingly and officially become prisoners. And if they are friendly and want to stay on Earth, they have to play by our rules. That includes you, Doctor. Be grateful that I'm being exceedingly generous in our handling of you. You don't have the right to any of what we are providing. However, you did earn it and we are grateful for what you have done for this world. You have the added benefit of being humanoid in appearance which means that, while Torchwood's medical services are not optional, working for us is since you will be able to interact with the outside world without drawing undue attention to yourself."

"What if I wasn't humanoid in appearance?" Alex posed. "Would I be forced to work for you?"

"Torchwood isn't a non-profit or charitable organization. Any non-humanoids who wish to stay must earn their keep one way or another," Pete informed him. Seeing the rebuking expression on the half-alien's face, he continued. "We don't force them, Doctor. They can either stay on Earth and earn their keep or they can leave."

"I'll be the judge of that," the Doctor murmured to himself. Raising his voice to be heard, he asked, "Do you have a 'guest' in your facility now? Other than me, that is."

"Not in this facility but we do have a guest."

"Before I make any kind of decision concerning Torchwood, I want to see them."

"I'll arrange…"

"Immediately," the Doctor interrupted firmly.

Pete looked into his eyes and noted the seriousness there. He remembered that look before, the one that said the alien would not accept any arguments against him. That look hadn't worked on him then any more than it did now. "Why immediately?"

"Because I don't want to see some showpiece for dignitaries. I want to see their true living conditions. No forewarning of any kind. And if I don't like what I see, it will stop."

Pete looked at him, considering his behavior and his request. While Rose had relayed her belief concerning the Doctor's current state of mind, none of what he said or his attitude fit with a person in a depressive state. Just the opposite, in fact. Alex seemed to be exactly as Pete expected him to be, namely talkative and intense.

"It'll take about an hour to get there," the Director informed him. "We should at least inform Rose that you won't be available for three hours or so."

Alex's eyebrows went up and the tension in his body seemed to lessen with Pete's words. "Good. Good. Three hours is good. Distance, that's what I need. Getting away from Rose could help."

Pete blinked at his response, concern clear on his face. "Is there something going on between you and Rose?"

"What?" the hybrid answered too quickly. "No. No. Nothing's wrong. Couldn't be better." He took a breath. "It's just… you know. Women. Sometimes you just need some space from them. And Rose has been very… attentive… very very attentive… lately."

The patriarch smiled at his words. "One day out of the medical ward and into the regular world and she's all ready getting on your nerves, eh?"

"That's… one way of putting it, yeah."

"Rose can be a bit trying," Pete admitted to the Doctor's obvious discomfort. "She's a lot like her mother that way. The important thing is to make sure that you take things firmly in hand when you're around her."

Alex groaned slightly, trying to ignore where his mind took him with Pete's words. "I'll keep that in mind," he murmured, avoiding his gaze.

"We should leave for the estate now in order to miss the traffic. Otherwise this little trip could take all afternoon," Pete suggested as he stood from the desk and walked towards the door.

"Yes," the half-Gallifreyan agreed whole-heartedly. "This trip to see your 'guest.'" He raised an eyebrow as he followed Pete out the door. "You are being extremely cooperative."

"Why shouldn't I be? Besides, you are the one who wants proof of our treatment of extraterrestrial life. If that's what it's going to take to convince you working for Torchwood is a good career option, then so be it."

Pete led Alex out of the office, stopping briefly to tell his secretary where he and Alex would be and to instruct him to relay that information to Rose. He then proceeded to the lift, Alex in tow, to go down to the parking garage. It was only a few minutes later that the two men left for their destination, Alex's keen eyes watching their surroundings from the passenger's seat of Pete's Mercedes-Benz.

"So… Doctor…" Pete started after a long while.

"Alex," the hybrid corrected. "I'm really trying to get used to my new name."

The visibly older man gave a gentle smile at his statement. "What's going on between you and Rose?"

Alex frowned at the question, his attention shifting from the passing city streets to Pete. "That's the second time you've asked. What makes you think something's going on?"

Pete smiled at his answer. "Doctor, I might not be as old as you, from what Rose told me, but I've been around enough to know when someone is lying to me. For one, whenever she's around you hardly say a word but when she's away you're quite verbal. And given that she thinks you're suffering from a depressive episode – a supposition to which I disagree based on your behavior – I'm guessing your silence around her is something that's been happening since you were released from the medical ward. So… what's going on?"

"Nothing," came the terse response.

"And would this nothing have anything to do with the fact that my daughter is a beautiful woman to whom you are attracted?"

Alex scrunched his nose slightly. "Is it really that obvious?" Gaining a chuckle for a response, he pressed on. "How do you put up with it? I mean, is this normal? As a Time Lord, I had some control over this sort of thing but now… I can't stop thinking about her and I'm having great difficulty controlling the urge to… Well, what I want to do can't really be spoken about in polite company much less to the father of the person with whom I wish to enact my thoughts."

Pete's grin widened at the half Time Lord's expense. "Yes, it's normal. At least for human males."

"Then how do you cope with it? I mean, you aren't going around with Jackie… enacting your thoughts all the time." He paused, giving Pete a worried glance. "Are you?"

"That depends on your definition of going around and enacting," came the teasing response.

The Doctor groaned in frustration. "That really isn't helpful."

"What would you do if you were still fully Time Lord?" Pete asked after a thoughtful moment.

"I'd just suppress the urge, push it aside. I can't seem to do that with this body. It's like the scent of her pheromones is having a direct and immediate effect on my libido. It's extremely distracting."

"I find that it helps if you think of something else. I find focusing on my work to be a good deterrent."

"Already tried that. Didn't work. At least, not long enough."

"Then, you're just going to have to find what works for you. But I would suggest talking to Rose about this since she's indirectly involved. I imagine you being only half human is bringing some unusual complications on the matter that she might be able to help you with."

"I don't want to talk to Rose about this just yet. It's a bit awkward. I'll just have to think on it, come up with a viable solution." He gave Pete a questioning glance. "There is a viable solution, yes?"

"Always," came the confident answer.

"Good. That's good." The Doctor nodded, clearly already thinking on the problem.

The rest of the journey was fairly silent until they finally arrived at their destination, which appeared to be a large, abandoned six-story building situated by the Thames River. Pete parked several yards from the building before leading his passenger into the structure. After entering what appeared to be a small abandoned office, Pete went to a wall and, opening a hidden panel, entered a series of numbers which opened a concealed door. On the other side of the door was a lift which required a palm scan and yet another set of numbers to activate it. The lift went up one floor, depositing the two men into a cavernous modern laboratory.

"Nice," Alex commented as he looked around. "Very clever. No one would ever guess you had this here. So, where's your guest?"

Without responding, Pete guided him over to an elegant looking woman of medium height dressed in a white lab coat. She had strawberry blond hair which was neatly done up in a loose bun and blue eyes which were focused on an electronic data pad similar to the one the Doctor had held as a patient of Torchwood. She made a few notes using a stylus on the pad before realizing that someone was standing beside her, waiting for her attention. Turning, her eyes widened with revelation at the identity of the person.

"Director Tyler! What a surprise to see you! I'm afraid we still haven't had any progress communicating with our guest other than simple gestures," she immediately began, clearing intent on updating him.

"I'm not here for a status report, Hanna," Pete told her gently. "I've come to introduce someone to Aderyn." He turned slightly, gesturing to the Doctor. "This is Dr. Alexander Smith. Alex, may I introduce Dr. Hanna Kingston, our head of Xenobiology."

Dr. Kingston extended her hand towards the newcomer. "A pleasure to meet you, Dr. Smith. What's your field of expertise?"

"Oh, basically everything," the Doctor answered, shaking her hand. Seeing the frown of confusion on her features, he rethought his choice of response. "I have a great interest in all sciences. Now, who's Aderyn?"

Hanna glanced at her boss to verify authorization to reply to Alex's query.

"Full disclosure for Dr. Smith, Hanna. Trying to convince him to join our team and he's a little anxious about how we treat guests," Pete told her. "I'll leave him in your capable hands. When you are done, I'll be in the break room." He gave the Doctor a nod before striding away, pulling out his cell phone as he did so.

Alex and Hanna watched Pete's departure for a moment before turning their attentions to each other.

"So, you're joining Torchwood," Hanna started.

"Not if I don't like what I see here. Aderyn?" he pressed gently.

"Yes!" the female scientist said, clearly excited as she walked towards the lift, Alex following. "We've reserved the top four floors for her. Took a lot of remodeling to accommodate her needs. And we've spent the last six months trying to communicate with her but her language is definitely difficult to understand, though she seems to have caught a good grasp at understanding some simple English phrases."

"You don't have translation software?"

"You have translation software?" she questioned eagerly as they stepped into the lift. "Where did you work last? We could definitely use some help in that area."

Alex cringed internally at his faux pas. He didn't know how to respond, especially as he remembered that the translation software used on Earth in the other universe was developed by him at the behest of UNIT. "I was under the impression that Torchwood had such software," he responded, not answering her suppositions.

"Oh," Hanna responded, obviously taking his answer to negate her assumptions and being disappointed with such. "Unfortunately, no. We've been trying to come up with a starter database in the hopes of creating software to assist with translations but it's an ongoing process that will likely take at least another decade, especially with so few guests staying on Earth. What position did Director Tyler say you'd be taking?"

"He didn't actually. We're sort of vetting each other first. I've never been especially certain about any government agency and he's still a little apprehensive about me and how I will react." He turned to her with a hint of a smile and noted her questioning expression. "I've got a bit of a reputation for causing justifiable trouble."

"I've never heard trouble being called justifiable until just now," Hanna commented with her own grin. "I think I like you, Dr. Smith."

The lift stopped at the appropriate level and the two walked into a corridor. Hanna guided Alex to the left towards a large metallic door. She allowed her visitor to step through first before following and closing the door behind her.

The Doctor immediately realized that Hanna had led him into a pressurization chamber. "We're going into a different environment," he concluded.

"Only slightly. Our guest was finding London's atmosphere to be a bit uncomfortable so we made a more habitable area for her. It's sort of like a rainforest in there only a little heavier," she explained as she went to a computer panel on a wall and pressed a few buttons. "I'm raising the atmospheric pressure slightly to prevent you from becoming ill. You'll need to wait a few minutes to adapt before you go in." She gave a little smile. "I've visited Aderyn enough that I've gotten used to the change."

"I can handle the change," Alex assured her.

"A lot of people think that when they first go in there. But the minute they get out, they're dizzy and nauseous, sometimes to the point of being out of commission with illness for a couple of days."

"And I've been in situations similar to this before. Let's go."

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Hanna told him as she opened the secondary door.

The second she did, the air around them filled with a heavy, almost stifling mist. The Doctor could easily see how someone might have trouble adapting to the environment without preparation. However, centuries of traveling to different worlds had long ago readied him for different atmospheres. It didn't hurt in the least that he'd had a biology well-equipped for such climatic changes. As a hybrid, he knew he still had the adaptive abilities he'd had before, only to a lesser degree. As long as the atmosphere was fairly Earth-like and not too hot or cold, he knew he could handle almost anything.

"Doing okay?" Hanna questioned.

"It's a bit heavy but nothing to be concerned about." He walked through the door and into a tropical world filled with trees and flowers. Pulling out his glasses, he perched them on his nose, smiling broadly as he looked around. "Now this is impressive," he practically cooed. "You built an entire ecosystem in a building smack dab in the middle of London." He laughed with obvious joy. "Aww, this is brilliant! No wonder you had to reserve four whole floors for this. I'm seeing room for only three floors from where I'm standing so I am assuming the floor below us is strictly for maintaining this environment. You'd need at least a story to maintain the roots of these trees and prevent them from damaging the structure of the building. Not to mention ensuring the proper amount of nutrients to sustain life. Speaking of which, where can I find Aderyn in this jungle?"

"She often responds to our attempts at communication. Let me just put the CD on."

"CD?" Alex questioned with a slight frown. Turning, he found Hanna had already gone to do as she said. A minute later, the sound of chirping filled the air, increasing the metacrisis' confusion. A moment after that, Hanna returned, a smile on her face. "That's bird song," he commented to her.

"Yes, it is," she answered, mischievously mysterious.

"You're saying Aderyn is a…"

Before he could finish his sentence, a large creature flew over his head, landing a few meters away. The Doctor gazed upon the being with wonder while she returned the favor, tilting her head with obvious interest. She was at least four feet in height with bright silvery-blue feathers covering her entire muscular body and black eyes which blinked with curiosity. While most of her body was avian in nature, there were some differences, such as elongated legs and the development of arms and bird-like hands, that showed how her species had evolved from simple birds into an intelligent advanced people.

"You are beautiful," Alex complimented slowly, admiring the bipedal being in front of him.

Upon hearing the Doctor's words, she gave a low sonorous chirp as she bowed her head.

Alex grinned broadly at her actions. "You're welcome," he told her. The grin slowly dissipated as a thoughtful look came to his features. "Wait a minute." He turned to Hanna. "Aderyn is Welsh for 'bird'."

"We had to call her something," Hanna responded with a shrug.

"You named a bird-person 'bird'? How would you like it if someone constantly called you 'ape'? Personally, I'd find that extremely insulting, along with that bird song you're playing."

A frown graced the female scientist's face. "What's wrong with bird song? We're trying to communicate with her."

"By using the sounds of a primitive animal. That's like someone trying to talk to you with chimpanzee grunts. No wonder you haven't been getting anywhere with her. You're irritating the hell out of her."

"She responds to the bird song," came a contradiction.

"And when do you play it? Whenever you come in here, yes? Hearing it tells her that someone is in the habitat with her. And being an efficient person you very likely take care of ensuring she receives food and water at the same time. She doesn't understand the bird song. She understands the correlation of bird song equals company and possibly a meal. Think about it. If the bird song was really a form of communication for her, you would at least be able to hold simple conversations with her by now. You know, like saying 'Hello. How are you?' Instead, you're still on gesture communications while she's been trying to talk to you every time she opens her beak."

"I think you are being overly judgmental based on limited information, Dr. Smith," Hanna responded with a glare.

"You're the one making irrational assumptions based on the fact that she has feathers. Have you even tried to used her own song to communicate? Isolated the sounds in relation to the situation and test them back to her? It's called the scientific method. You should try it some time."

The latter crossed her arms over her chest. "I've been trying every method that I know, including the one you just mentioned, for the last six months. Things like this take time. And I certainly don't appreciate an outsider attempting to tear holes in my work without cause. You think you can do better?"

"Oh, I know I…"

A loud elongated squawk filled the air, causing Hanna to cover her ears and the Doctor to grimace slightly. A second series of angry sounding chirps followed as the two recovered from the event, both looking at Aderyn with surprise.

"I never heard her do that before," Hanna whispered.

"That's because she likely has never been this upset before," Alex responded softly. "She wants us to stop arguing and for you to shut off the bird song so that she can think clearly."

She turned to do as requested but stopped a moment later, a stunned look in her eyes. "You understand her," she stated in awe.

"Yeah," he confirmed with a nod.

"But… how?"

He glanced at her somberly. "Please, just turn off the song. For her sake."

As Hanna went to obey, the Doctor stood in front of Torchwood's guest. "I'm sorry I upset you," he told her gently, speaking in her language. "I tend to forget to get permission before coming to the defense of someone. Are you all right?"

The creature tilted her head, obviously thinking about his words. She then bowed her head slightly, obviously accepting his apology and assuring him of her well-being.

Hanna returned from her task and joined the Doctor, looking into the bird-person's eyes. "I'm sorry about the bird song. I was just trying to communicate."

Aderyn spoke for a moment, causing the Doctor to laugh slightly. "She accepts your apology. She thinks that humans are very kind but also a bit thick and she forgives you for that fault."

"You're just making that up," the scientist berated. "How do you understand her language anyway? No one in the world knows extraterrestrial languages like me." Her eyes widened with realization as she came to the only logical conclusion. "Oh, my gawd, you're not human, are you."

"Not entirely," he admitted, hoping that his instincts concerning this woman were correct and that she wouldn't try to use him as a lab specimen. Besides which, he had a feeling such an act wouldn't go over well with her boss, namely Pete Tyler, thanks to his relationship with Rose. "As for how I know her language, I can speak every language. And I wasn't making anything up. She really said that but she meant it in a friendly manner." He grinned genuinely. "She really likes you, despite the bird song."

Hanna laughed gently. "Well, that's a relief. You can speak every language?"

"Yeah."

"In the universe?"

"Yup."

"But… that must number in the hundreds of trillions! Earth alone has over two hundred thousand languages."

Alex shrugged. "Highly advanced brain," he told her as if that explained everything.

"May I use you?" Hanna asked abruptly.

"Sorry?"

"As a translator," she clarified. "I've been trying to talk to her for months now and having you translate would be a major breakthrough."

Alex sniffed, considering the request. "All right. But only if she agrees to a conversation and only after I've spoken privately with her."

Hanna nodded rapidly. "Whatever you want, Dr. Smith. I'm just happy to finally get the opportunity." She turned to leave as she spoke.

"No need to leave," the Doctor told her, noting her actions. "You won't understand us speaking to each other anyway." Sitting on his knees to gain a more comfortable position, he invited Aderyn to do the same. He then took a deep breath, formulating the next sounds that would come from his mouth before whistling rapidly, sounding very much like the creature in front of him. After only a few seconds of shared back and forth between the two of them, however, Aderyn shrieked and jumped back away from the Doctor, shaking slightly and chirping loudly and incessantly.

"What is it? What's wrong?" he questioned in English, stunned by her actions. He paused, a pained expression forming on his features. Slowly, his eyes wide, he began to hyperventilate. "We're not going to send you away. Why are you so scared? No… no, not scared. Terrified! You're terrified!" Tears gradually escaped his eyes as he curled into himself, his hyperventilation increasing.

"Dr. Smith?" Hanna questioned, worried about his sudden emotional state. "Dr. Smith, what's wrong?" She quickly turned to Torchwood's guest. "Aderyn, what are you doing to him?"

"Not… her fault. Can't… breathe," Alex breathed out tightly. "Need air."

"Can you take pure oxygen?" she asked hurriedly. "Will it help?" Seeing him nod quickly, she ran to retrieve a canister and put a mask over his nose and mouth. As he breathed deeply of the rich air, his eyes met Aderyn's, who had obviously shifted from fear to great concern, though the anxiety she had shown still showed in the grey color of her feathers.

"Not your fault," the Doctor told her, his voice muffled by the mask. Gently pushing Hanna's hand away – and thus the oxygen mask – he whistled to the creature, repeating his assurance to her in her own language as his breathing calmed.

Noting that he seemed to be breathing at a slower pace, Hanna put the oxygen tank just behind them. "Are you okay?" Gaining a nod in response, she pressed on. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure," came the cautious answer. "This is really fairly new to me but, just based on what I felt, I'd say that her fear coupled with both of our mental abilities caused an emotional overload in my brain. Not her fault. It's not like she deliberately projected her fear onto me. However, it is very disconcerting. I'm going to have to find a way to block unwanted emotion."

"Aderyn's empathic?" came the stunned supposition.

"Apparently. Strongly so. I'm a little empathic myself. New at it too." Noting the frown of puzzlement on her face, he added, "It's complicated."

"You asked her about going home, didn't you," Hanna stated knowingly. "She always reacts this way to that suggestion. Don't know why she's so afraid of the prospect."

"It's not just simple fear. It's terror. Add that to a language barrier that I just broke for you… I get the impression that every time you asked her if she wanted to go home, she believed you were telling her of your intention of sending her home against her will."

"She doesn't want to go home? Why not? Most guests we have want to go home, especially the non-humanoids. That's why she's the only guest we have at the moment. Well, other than you apparently."

"I'm not a guest; I'm a resident. And I don't know why she doesn't want to go home," Alex responded. "I didn't get that far. The minute I suggested it, she panicked and begged us not to send her away."

Hanna turned to the frightened female. "We won't send you away if you don't want to go. I promise. But why are you afraid?"

Aderyn started to chirp very animatedly.

"Whoa! Slow down!" Alex beseeched. "Give me a chance to translate what you're saying for Hanna's sake. Just… relax. Take your time."

She breathed for a short moment, giving Hanna the opportunity to sit beside the Doctor. Then, apparently having calmed herself, she began, speaking slowly enough to allow the half-Galilfreyan to translate her words into English.