Jack stood outside the hotel staring up at the top floor of the building, his breath visible, ghostlike in the illumination of the security lights. He was worried about his friend. He'd never seen the Doctor this passive, this willing to have someone take charge of him. Something was definitely wrong. Being caught in a rainstorm wasn't enough to explain his condition.

He sighed and shook his head. He needed to get back to the Hub. He decided to leave the SUV behind. The Doctor was right, it was just as fast on foot and there were a couple of things he wanted to check out on the way. He could always fetch it in the morning.

Walking across the Plass he found himself giving the TARDIS a wide berth. The perception filter was working in overdrive, only his experience with it allowed him to realize what was happening. He had entered the Plass intending to stop by the TARDIS and see if he could find any hint as to what was wrong with the Doctor. Instead, he had forgotten she was there and altered his course to avoid the area entirely. Only concern for his friend, allowed him to remember his original plan, before he left the Plass entirely.

He turned towards the ship and approached slowly. About twenty feet away from the TARDIS, he stopped, loath to go further. He could feel her pushing him back as he stood staring at her, fighting to keep his eyes on her. She was dark, silent and brooding. His hope, that the TARDIS would provide some clue as to what was going on, was destroyed.

He gave a short laugh and shook his head. What did he think she was going to do? Have a chat with him? She might be the key to what was going on, but this was definitely a fool's errand none the less.

Frustrated, he turned away from the ship feeling the pressure from her ease as he left. He continued on to the spot where the Doctor had thought he had seen something. He scanned the area, trying to see if anything was out of place, not as it should be, searching for something so elusive he didn't even know what it was. Nothing. Everything was exactly as it should be. Still, it would be prudent to watch this location for a while. He trusted the Doctor's instincts, even if the Doctor didn't.

When he arrived back at the Hub, he saw Ianto busy at work at his terminal. Jack poured himself a cup of coffee and walked over to join him.

"Well, he's settled in now," Jack reported as he sat down on the edge of Ianto's desk. "I really wish he was closer though. Why is it we couldn't get him into the four star?"
"They're having a convention and our usual suite was already occupied by that ambassador," Ianto replied, still intent on his monitor.

"The one who hasn't figured out yet that his girlfriend isn't from Swansea, but is actually from thousands of light-years further away?"

"Yes Sir, Unit and MI5 both want to keep tabs on the situation and arranged for him to be booked into the suite."

"We are monitoring it also, aren't we? I'm a bit concerned his girlfriend is still with him. Atterians aren't known for their long term relationships. I wonder what she's up to."

Ianto looked up at Jack, concerned. "Yes, we still have reciprocity. We don't touch their gear and they won't touch ours. Though after what you did tonight, they may pull everything of ours that they know about."

Jack looked down at the floor and rubbed his forehead. "I knew there was a risk of that, but I had to do it. He would have destroyed them all otherwise. This way I at least saved them their equipment. See if you can spin it that way with them."

"Don't worry sir, I'll take care of it. Returning their equipment intact will help."

"By the way we have a few interlopers." Jack placed the various surveillance devices on Ianto's desk and separated several of them out. "Do you know whose these belong to?"

Ianto studied them, picking each one up in turn. "I would have to check to be sure, but it looks like CIA and of course where you find CIA…"

"You have KGB." Jack shook his head. "The cold war is long over and they're still playing their spy vs. spy games. Anyone else?"

"The rest are going to be a problem, they're Israeli made, but not their good stuff. It's what they sell to foreign governments, so it could be anyone."

Jack frowned. "I don't like the idea he is in a room that's been compromised. Well, at least it's clear now, though we are going to have to keep a better eye on it. Are any of our feeds still working in that suite?"

"No sir, not in the suite itself. But there are some in the room next to his and the one below that are sensitive enough to pick up any sound in his rooms."

"Good, good work there. Anything happening?" he asked.

"No sir, he apparently just went to bed. Do you want me to keep monitoring?"

"Not actively, just set an alarm to go off if the sound level gets above sixty decibels." Jack hoped that would be sensitive enough. He didn't want to be answering an alarm every time the Doctor rolled over. That his friend hadn't used the sonic to disable the sensors in the adjoining rooms troubled him. That was very sloppy and not like the Doctor at all.

"Is he that dangerous?" Ianto asked.

"No, not to us at least. He loves humans, even when we're irritating the heck out of him. It's his safety I'm worried about now. Something's happened and his defenses are down." Jack bit his lip, trying to keep the Doctor safe, when he didn't want it, was going to be difficult.

He put a hand in his coat pocket and felt the foil packets that he had put there earlier. Pulling them out, he placed them on the Welshman's desk next to the surveillance equipment. "Here, he won't be needing these. But we might," Jack suggested with a grin.

"Are you sure? I thought with the way you ran out of here, when we were..."

"I'm sure, he's not interested. Never has been. He had a family once. Lost them in a war. Maybe his species mates for life and that was it."

"So he's definitely not human?"

"No, he's not," admitted Jack.

"Then he's the same Doctor that was mentioned in the Torchwood charter isn't he?"

"Say again?" Jack asked, hoping he'd heard wrong.

"He's the Doctor who's the reason Torchwood was founded? The one who was present when 10 Downing Street was blown up and when Torchwood London fell," Ianto persisted.

"Yes, he is that Doctor," responded Jack reluctantly.

"Then we should be taking him prisoner, shouldn't we?"

"No, we shouldn't, he's my friend and I trust him," came Jack's curt reply.

"Sir, I should point out John Hart was once your friend also, but he turned out to be definitely a threat. You might not be very objective in this matter. There had to be a reason he was mentioned in the charter."

Jack shook his head and sighed. "John Hart was totally different. I never trusted him, I just didn't distrust him enough. The Doctor is almost the exact opposite of John Hart." Jack stopped, wanting to tell Ianto that the Doctor made him want to be a better person, had caused him to give up his previous criminal activities. But no, that would make his judgment when it came to the Doctor all the more suspect. He decided to stick to the facts.

"He's saved the empire from the 'alien horde' more times in one year than Torchwood has in its entire existence," Jack continued. "I've seen the reports from the Torchwood incident. Queen Victoria knighted and banished him in the same day. She was an old woman who was frightened by his knowledge and cavalier manner, in spite of him having saved her life. His being in the charter was revenge on her part for having been scared. His name never should have been there."

"So he is just a guest then?"

"Yes, he's a guest and a friend. And I want him treated as such, understand?"

Ianto blanched under Jack's stare. "Yes sir, I understand." He looked down at his monitor. "Sir, there's some activity in his room."

"Put it on the speaker," directed Jack as he hopped off the desk and positioned himself behind Ianto so he had a view of the monitor. His right hand slide slowly down the Welshman's back, letting him know all was still right between them.

Then came the sounds of someone thrashing in a bed, soft but desperate cries in a language neither man understood, breathing that was ragged, distressed. Jack bit his lip, fighting the urge to run back to the hotel. He closed his eyes and forced himself to analyze what he was hearing. Nightmare, it was just a nightmare, he told himself, the Doctor wouldn't thank him for disturbing his sleep. He was about to tell Ianto to turn it off when a sound that could best be described as half howl, half tormented moan filled the room. Jack's heart nearly shattered as it diminished to a grief stricken whimper. He reached over and switched off the speaker.

Ianto's face was filled with concern as he looked up at Jack and asked. "You're going to go to him, aren't you?"

"No… no… I'm not. Nightmares are not unusual for him and he would be embarrassed if I were to wake him because of one." Jack studied the monitor. The sound level had never gone above fifty-five decibels, it was the emotional intensity in his cries that had made them seem louder than they actually were.

"Are you sure he's alright? It seemed so…"

"I know, if it gets worse I'll go, but for now he'll be fine. Any chance you can rig the alarm to go off at the sound of the water turning on?"

"That's not a problem, but may I ask why?"

"I just want to know when he gets up in the morning. Meet him for breakfast and make sure he eats."

"I'll take care of it, sir"

"Ouch," thought Jack. The formality was back again, along with the jealousy. Time to assure Ianto that there was nothing to worry about.

Jack picked up one of the foil packets that had a gold and red design on it as Ianto programmed the alarm. Jack sat on the desk edge again and looked down at his lover "You've been holding out on me," Jack declared, tapping the brightly colored square on the side of his index finger. "You never told me you had these."

Ianto blushed. "I was saving them for a special occasion," he replied.

"Well, I think you're pretty special. Does that count?" Jack asked hopefully as he leaned back giving the Welshman a smile that was both suggestive and predatory.

Ianto scrunched up his face, acting as if it was very difficult decision. "I think it might be."

"Great, meet you in my room in ten minutes," said Jack as he hopped off the desk and left for his quarters.

Ianto stared after him, a satisfied smile on his face. He considered the display on the monitor and decided to continue recording. In the morning, when Jack was at breakfast, he planned on putting the translation program to work. Whatever the alien was saying could prove to be interesting, if not important.