A/N: Alex's outfit for this chapter can be found on my Tumblr, under the name 'darksideofparis'.

"Thanks, Alex!" Lacey beamed as she held her new bottle-cap earrings out in front of her. "They're gorgeous!"

Alex smiled and absently fingered her necklace. She had been meaning to find a time to give Lacey the earrings she'd gotten her in Rio and her visit was the perfect opportunity.

Marigold smiled from her place in a well-worn chair. She, Alex, and Lacey were currently in one of the sitting rooms of her house. This room was a cozy affair, completely contrasting with the elegance of the rest of the house. The majority of the house had even vacuum marks on the carpet and matching furniture. This room contained Marigold's sewing basket and the fireplace Lacey had once gotten her head stuck in when she looked up it one Christmas Eve, trying to see Santa coming down. Now, Marigold raised a teacup to her lips. "How long are you staying, dear?" she inquired.

Alex shrugged. "A few days, according to the Doctor. Amy and Rory are on their honeymoon."

"Where are they?" Lacey asked as she admired her new earrings in the mirror above the organ that Alex couldn't remember anyone ever playing.

"A honeymoon planet, or that's what the Doctor said. I'm not really sure how it works."

Marigold wrinkled her nose in confusion but decided to let it go. "I still can't believe you're twenty-one," she sighed. "Seems like just yesterday you were that little girl I took home with me from school."

Alex laughed. "Oh, elementary school. How I miss it."

"Yeah," Lacey snorted. "No gossiping girls, unless you count the talk of who got what new Barbie."

"No evil algebra teachers," Alex added.

"No freaking volleyball units in P.E."

"Though we did play prison dodgeball," Alex recalled.

Lacey shuddered. "Oh God, don't remind me. I still have nightmares of Trevor Hargis hitting me in the head with one of those things. The only bright spot in that class was when I sat out for two weeks when I got stiches in the back of the head from being hit with that ball."

Alex snickered, remembering the seven and a half stitches Lacey had sported in fourth grade. "It took forever for your beautiful blonde hair to grow back."

Lacey stuck her tongue out at her and turned back to the mirror. Alex leaned back against the couch and just as she was debating whether or not to eat another slice of the leftover birthday cake she'd brought along, Marigold's voice rang out. "Damn!" she muttered, examining her Blackberry with the same confounded expression one usually gave a calculus textbook.

"What's wrong?" Alex asked.

"It's this phone," Marigold explained. "I can't get my email on it."

Alex sighed and pushed herself up. Marigold, as great as she was, had zero technological ability. "Here, let me see it," she said, grabbing the phone before Marigold had a chance to say no.

Marigold looked up at her as Alex fiddled with the phone. "Well? What's wrong?"

"Christ, this is harder than it looks," Alex muttered, one hand absently reaching up to fiddle with the TARDIS charm on her necklace. She thought about the various ways to fix the phone. Too bad she couldn't just run the Doctor's sonic over it and fix it. . .

Right as she thought that, the topaz in her necklace lit up, emitting a very familiar buzzing. Suddenly, Marigold's email was fixed.

Alex jumped at the sound and probably would have dropped the Blackberry had Marigold not immediately grabbed it. There was silence in the room as each person tried to process what had just happened. Finally, Lacey spoke. "Alex, did your necklace just. . ."

"Yeah," Alex breathed. She ran her thumb over the jewels. No, it couldn't be. The Doctor would never give her such a thing.

Alex slowly walked over to stand in the middle of the room. She looked up at the ceiling fan, the lights and blades currently off. "I'm going to try something," she announced. Without another word, she lifted the charm up off her neck, holding it steady with one hand. She aimed it towards the ceiling fan, concentrating on turning it on. A second later, the necklace buzzed and lit up and a second after that, the lights came on and the blades started turning.

Marigold and Lacey's jaws dropped. "Oh my Lord," Marigold murmured.

Lacey grinned at Alex. "Wow, you really lucked out this year!"

Alex smiled slightly before lifting the charm so she could study it. "It's a sonic necklace," she breathed, her face lighting up into a grin at the thought that the Doctor had given her a sonic device.

But before she could get really excited about her amazing new birthday present, a bunch of sirens started ringing out and the topaz on her necklace began glowing brightly, as if in warning. "It's not storm sirens," Marigold said, getting up from her chair. Alex didn't hear her, instead choosing to rush out of the room, down the hallway, and out the front door.

Alex rushed down the porch steps, closely followed by Marigold and Lacey. She stared at the scene before her. A bunch of black cars were zooming up the driveway, sirens blazing. The second they stopped, a bunch of soldiers in black tactical outfits and red berets leapt out, all carrying loaded guns.

"What the hell?" Marigold cried, stepping forward next to Alex. She held up her hand in a warning gesture as the soldiers got closer. "Stop right there! What is the meaning of this? This is private property!"

As Marigold was ordering the soldiers to cease and desist, Alex watched as another car rolled up and a young Indian woman stepped out. She was rather pretty with long dark hair pulled back into a ponytail and blazing, almost calculating, eyes. She was dressed just like the soldiers, only with a black military coat instead of a tactical suit. She approached the group, hands behind her back, her heels clicking against the concrete driveway.

"Is this the residence of Marigold Aurora Abernathy?" she asked, her voice revealing she was British.

"Yes," Marigold confirmed, crossing her arms. "Now what in the world is going on here? Who are you?"

"My name is Colonel Tia Karim, representing the Unified Intelligence Taskforce. I'm sorry, Ms. Abernathy, but we've actually come looking for Alexandria Locke. This is the address we were given on where to find her."

UNIT, Alex thought, remembering what the Doctor had told her about the alien organization. "That's me," she said crisply, stepping forward. She crossed her arms, hoping her sonic necklace was hidden under the collar of her white t-shirt. She had the feeling she shouldn't let it be seen unless she really needed to use it. "What's this about?"

Colonel Karim looked at Lacey and Marigold. "I'm sorry, but if we could speak in private. . ." She moved a step closer, but Alex held up a hand to stop her.

"No, you tell me right here, right now why you're here," she ordered.

Colonel Karim sighed and stepped back. "I'm sorry, but it's my solemn duty to inform you that your friend, the Doctor, is dead."

"Oh my God," Marigold gasped. Lacey was silent, instead watching Alex for some sort of outburst.

Alex blinked, sure she had heard that last word wrong. No, that was impossible. It was the DOCTOR, for crying out loud! "No," she said, shaking her head. "No, he can't be. That's impossible."

Colonel Karim sighed again, as if she had expected this sort of reaction. "Last Sunday, at 1700 hours, the body of a Time Lord was returned to the Earth and scientists have checked the DNA results and it's definitely him."

Alex stayed silent, trying to keep the sudden flurry of emotions in her under control. Sadness, fear, anger, anxiety, nerves, there was too much too soon.

She was barely aware of the Colonel still talking. "I'm sorry for your loss, Miss Locke. Sorry for the whole wide world because . . . he's gone. The Doctor's gone. He's dead."

Stop saying that! Alex mentally screamed. She wanted to scream it out loud at the Colonel, who seemed way too calm about this. She wanted to break down sobbing because the man she loved was dead and she had never told him. She wanted to scream and cry and curse whatever had crossed that man because he was dead.

The horrible truth sunk into Alex's mind.

The Doctor was dead.

~Living the Life of Ally~

"How did this happen?" Alex demanded as she paced around the sitting room a few minutes later. She ran a hand through her hair, trying not to think about all the times the Doctor would twirl a lock around his fingers or how he would lightly whack the back of her head whenever she did something that annoyed or angered him.

Lacey sat on the arm of an easy chair next to Marigold, watching her best friend worriedly. In the span of a few minutes, Alex had gone from light and carefree to distraught and anxious. She looked on the verge of an emotional breakdown. Her simple white shirt, ripped jeans, rope bracelets, and bottle-cap earrings looked too light and innocent for the dark mood that had permeated the room upon UNIT's arrival.

Colonel Karim stood in the center of the room, her eyes following Alex's every movement. "The Doctor was found 10,000 light years away by a race called the Shansheeth. They sent us this." She reached into the pocket of her coat and pulled out a triangular shaped stone with funny markings on it. Alex ceased her pacing and cautiously reached out to take it.

"It's called an epitaph stone," the Colonel explained. "It's a recording device equivalent to a death notice. The Shansheeth are what you might call . . . intergalactic undertakers."

Alex frowned at her. "Never heard of them," she coldly retorted. Granted, she knew there were alien life-forms out there she'd never heard of, but intergalactic undertakers was stretching it.

Colonel Karim smiled sadly at her. "I can assure you, Miss Locke, they're quite real."

Alex ignored her, instead concentrating on the stone in her hands. "How exactly are we supposed to play this?" she demanded. "Not exactly going to fit in a VCR, now will it?"

"Alex, use your necklace," Lacey suggested. She flinched slightly when Alex looked over at her, eyes narrowed and cold, clearly trying to hide the turmoil of emotions she felt. For a moment, she thought Alex wasn't going to do it, but then she placed the epitaph stone down on the coffee table, raised her necklace charm, and aimed it at the stone.

The necklace buzzed and a second later, a hologram of one of the Shansheeth appeared. Alex raised her eyebrows upon seeing it. The Shansheeth looked like giant ostriches with big wings on their backs, covered in purple cloth.

"I bring condolences from the Claw Shansheeth of the 15th Funeral Fleet on this terrible day," it said. "The Shansheeth had journeyed to the wastelands of the Crimson Heart whereupon we found the body of the last Time Lord. Witnesses say that he perished saving the lives of 500 children from the Scarlet Monstrosity."

Alex sniffled a little bit. That certainly sounded like the Doctor.

"The Doctor's home world is long since lost, but legends talk of his love for the Earth. Therefore, the Shansheeth will return the Doctor to the Earth and the human race. Oh, weep for him, peoples of the Earth. Mourn his loss, for the universe feels darker tonight." And with that, the hologram ended and went off.

Alex lowered her necklace, her eyes fixed on the ground. She stood still as the Colonel began talking again. "UNIT will take charge of the funeral in conjunction with the Shansheeth. We'll be using UNIT Base 5, situated inside Mount Snowdon. We can arrange transport and accommodation for you."

"Thank you," Alex said, her voice back to the one Lacey recognized from high school; distant, cold, unemotional. Hiding behind several thick walls so no one would see how fragile and human she really was.

"Then you'll come?"

Alex raised her head, exposing her brilliant hazel eyes. In an instant, they switched from innocent light green to the Doctor's dark green. "Oh absolutely," she promised, a newfound determination in her voice. "Nothing will make me miss this."

~Living the Life of Ally~

Several hours later, Lacey climbed the steps to the second floor of her house. After UNIT left, Alex had disappeared. She had simply gone up the steps and no one had seen her since. She hadn't come down for dinner and her food had been sent back mostly untouched. Lacey and Marigold were getting really worried. They both knew the Doctor had been the center of Alex's universe for the last several months. Now that he was gone . . . there was no telling how she would react.

Lacey shook her head to keep the dark thoughts from settling in. For God's sake, Alex wasn't suicidal. Far from it.

Lacey approached Alex's door and knocked lightly. No answer. She grabbed the knob and turned it. To her surprise, it was unlocked. She stepped inside, shutting the door behind her.

The room was dark, the only light coming from the glow of the full moon through the open window. Alex's suitcase lay near the bed, the top partially unzipped. A bunch of makeup was sitting on the desk next to Alex's old books. It appeared to Lacey like some of the makeup had been thrown around in frustration, as a glob of mascara was decorating part of the wall while a small pile of blush was on the floor next to the window. Finally, on the bed, was a curled-up Alex. Her back was to the door, and she was crying softly into a pillow.

Lacey felt her heart rip at the sight of her friend's pain. "Alex," she breathed, cringing as her friend's sobs grew louder. Without a second thought, she crawled up onto the bed next to her friend, placing a hand on her back.

Alex's sobs grew louder. "Why, Lace?" she mumbled into the pillow. "Why did this have to happen? Why?"

Lacey didn't know what to say so she started rubbing Alex's back the same way Marigold used to do to her at night to get her to fall asleep after she had a nightmare. After a few moments, Alex's sobbing declined into quiet sniffles.

Suddenly, Alex sat up, startling Lacey. "Oh God," Alex breathed, furiously wiping the wetness from her cheeks until her skin was red. "Amy and Rory."

Lacey's brow furrowed. "What about them?"

Alex turned to give her a condescending look. "They're on a honeymoon planet. Now that the Doctor's. . ." She trailed off, unable to say the word. ". . .well, there's no way of getting to them."

"Not necessarily," Lacey argued. "What was that thing you told me River Song had? Um . . . a vortex module?"

"Vortex manipulator," Alex corrected. "And yes, I could do that, but I have no idea where River is when she isn't fawning all over the Doctor." That was a lie since Alex knew River was in prison, but she had no idea where her prison was or how to get to it. Also, she didn't want Lacey to panic. She would, especially if Alex told her that River was in prison for killing a man, quite possibly the Doctor, and for attempting to kill someone else.

Alex bit her lip to keep from crying anymore. Amy and Rory were stuck on a planet somewhere, blissfully unaware of the Doctor's death, and would probably live their lives thinking he had forgotten them or that the TARDIS had landed wrong. Then, another thought occurred to her. "I wonder if anyone else knows," she mused.

"What?" Lacey frowned.

"The Doctor's other friends. He told me about some of them. Ben, Polly, Ace, Tegan, Martha, Mickey, Sarah Jane, and someone named Jack Harkness." She'd had to pry information about this last person out of the Doctor. As it turned out, Jack was the friend that ran Torchwood Three in Cardiff. The Doctor had also revealed that he was immortal, accidentally made that way when Rose Tyler took in the heart of the TARDIS to save him from the Daleks. Jack had been killed by the Daleks and Rose had brought him back to life . . . a little too well, as it turned out.

"I wonder if they know," Alex murmured.

"Well, they're the Doctor's friends," Lacey surmised. "UNIT had to have told them, right?"

Alex didn't answer, her brain starting to digest some things that the active part of her mind hadn't noticed during her grieving. Colonel Karim seemed too calm about the Doctor's death. Granted, she probably didn't know him personally, but it was still a little weird. There was also no mention of contacting the Doctor's former companions and no mention of Amy and Rory. If Alex was known to UNIT, Amy and Rory should also be on their radar but . . . no mention.

Also, Alex wasn't sure if the Doctor was dead or not. She knew that psychologists would call that the first step in a five-stage grieving process, but she just had the feeling that that wasn't it. Ever since she met the Doctor, Alex had reacted crazily around him. Her heart would speed up when she got closer to him, her back would tingle whenever he reached for her, etc. If that was how she reacted when the Doctor was alive, how would she react when the Doctor died? Alex envisioned a tremor of pain running through her body, spontaneously bursting into tears, something that would let her know even without being beside him that he was dead.

But she hadn't felt any of those things. What if he wasn't dead? What if he was still alive?

Reenergized by these thoughts, Alex immediately voiced them to Lacey. She could tell that Lacey was rather reluctant to agree with her, but Alex didn't care. The slim possibility that the Doctor was alive was enough to restore her to the state she had been in this morning.

"He has to be alive, Lacey," she said. "He just has to be. Because . . . I love him."

Lacey's eyes widened. Alex had said she loved a lot of guys, but Lacey had never really believed it. Not until the Doctor came along. Looking into her friend's eyes now, Lacey could see just how much Alex meant it. "Oh, Alex," she breathed.

Alex nodded, some tears pooling in her eyes. "I realized it just after he gave me this necklace. I love him so much, Lacey. I love him so much it feels like my heart is going to break out of my chest. I love him so much that it hurts, it physically hurts whenever I hear about one of his old liaisons. The thought of him being with someone else just makes my skin crawl." A few tears escaped Alex's eyes and ran down her cheeks. Alex was too caught up in her emotions to wipe them away. "I've never felt this way before, and I won't deny that it scares me. I'm scared that if I tell him, he'll push me away because I'm human and he's not. I'm also scared that he doesn't have feelings for me, even though he acts like he does all the time. He's always paying attention to me, catering to my every whim, and when I get really upset, he tries his hardest to make me smile and laugh again."

Alex took a deep breath, shuddering slightly. "Even if he doesn't love me . . . I'll still want to stay with him. I love all the traveling that we do, making a difference somewhere, seeing things I've never thought possible. And the thing is . . . I don't think I can live without him. I don't want to live without him." Alex titled her head back and looked up at the ceiling. "God, that alien has got me absolutely devoted to him. Who would've thought?"

Lacey smiled. "That's good, Alex. I've never seen you so happy until the Doctor came into your life. Up until that point, you've been so guarded, so distant. You don't want anyone getting close to you because if they do, they can hurt you, just like Carla. But the Doctor isn't like that. I know he's not. And if he is alive . . . you should go after him with all your heart."

Alex smiled. She knew her situation with the Doctor wasn't as easy as Lacey thought. Still, she knew she had to find the Doctor. But where to start? She was going to the funeral, that much was a given. But she couldn't wait the couple days it would take UNIT to arrive. Therefore, she had to get started. Now.

Alex thought for a moment until an idea occurred to her. She jumped off the bed and dove down to the floor to dig through her suitcase. She pulled out her laptop and scrambled back up on the bed. Alex hastily typed in her password (she had changed it from basketball to TARDIS) and once she was on her desktop, she opened an internet browser and typed a word in Google search.

Lacey peered over her shoulder and frowned. "Torchwood?" she said, staring at the word.

"Friends of the Doctor," Alex explained. "I want to see if they know about his death."

Right then, the search results popped up. Much to the girls' shock, there was not one reference to Torchwood.

Alex frowned. "That cannot be right."

"Try it again," Lacey suggested.

Alex did this, but still nothing. It was like Torchwood didn't even exist.

"I don't understand it," Alex said, shaking her head. "The Doctor told me that Torchwood One was behind the Battle of Canary Wharf."

Lacey's eyes widened. "Alex! That battle killed so many people, including Ross's step-cousin! What was her name? It was some flower name. Daisy? Violet? Lily? No, wait! It was Ro—"

"Anyway," Alex interrupted, ignoring Lacey.

Lacey blushed. "Sorry. But why would you want to deal with the people responsible for such destruction?"

"That was Torchwood One, Lace," Alex explained. "It was shut down after the battle. Torchwood Three is completely different. It was built in the Doctor's name."

Lacey nodded, understanding this. "Okay, but how are we going to find them? It doesn't look like they like to be advertised."

"We can't jump on a plane to Cardiff," Alex said, thinking it over. She reached up to fiddle with her necklace. Then, an idea came to her. She looked down at her necklace, then at the computer, then back to her necklace. She grinned, jumped up, and carried her computer over to the desk. "Lacey, I think I'm a genius!" she declared, brushing cosmic paraphernalia to the edge of the desk.

"'Think' isn't the word I'd use," Lacey chuckled, crawling off the bed to join her friend. "What are you up to?"

"This necklace is sonic. I've seen the Doctor work on computers with the sonic screwdriver. A sonic necklace should be no different."

Lacey frowned. "Sorry. Not following."

Alex sighed. "My guess is that Torchwood somehow erased any mention of themselves from the internet. But an alien organization like Torchwood has to have sophisticated equipment. All I have to do is access it."

"You're going to do that through the internet?"

Alex smiled and lifted her TARDIS charm up to the computer screen. "It's like web-cam, Lacey," she said as she buzzed the device over the screen. Hundreds of symbols ran down the screen, windows opening and closing at rapid-fire speed. A moment later, a string of symbols appeared across the screen, followed by ACCESS GRANTED. "All you have to do is get the address."

A moment later, the screen shifted to show an image inside some kind of base. Sophisticated, futuristic equipment was spread out around a room made up of gray stone and metal. Desks were cluttered with papers and old coffee mugs. However, no people could be seen anywhere.

"Doesn't look like anyone's home," Lacey commented.

But then a bunch of alarms inside Torchwood started blaring, red lights shining as an electronic voice blared, "INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT! COMPUTERS HACKED!"

Then a male voice joined the chaos. "Tosh! Turn these alarms off and figure out what's going on! I want to know who hacked our systems and why!"

Alex turned to give Lacey a mischievous smirk. "Wanna bet?"

~Living the Life of Ally~

Was a nice, easy, peaceful day really too much to ask? It certainly appeared to be, in Jack Harkness's opinion.

He and the team had just captured another Weevil after two days of running down alleys after it and, in some cases, being chased down alleys by the Weevil. But they had finally subdued the Weevil and put it in one of their cells. He and his team had just sat down for a celebratory Chinese take-out dinner. Jack had been looking forward to hanging out and relaxing with his team and later trying out something new with Ianto in bed – thank you Cosmo – but now, they just had to have a computer hacker.

Jack had been in the midst of recounting some experience in the 20th century that involved a flamingo, a Sontaran, a partially constructed vortex manipulator, and him being naked for some reason, when the alarms started going off. "INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT! COMPUTERS HACKED!"

"Oh, come on," Owen groaned.

Jack jumped to his feet, his chair toppling to the floor. As he marched out the door, he called over his shoulder, "Tosh! Turn these alarms off and figure out what's going on! I want to know who hacked our systems and why!"

Tosh, their computer expert, hastened to get on it. She rushed out the door after Jack and hurried to one of the workstations where a bank of computers sat. A few quick keystrokes and the alarms were off, the red lights disappearing as well.

"Oh, good," Gwen sighed as she came in, removing her hands from her ears. "I can hear again."

"We really need to rethink our security system," Ianto muttered just behind her.

"Think I've gone deaf!" Owen shouted, coming in with a hand clutched to his ear. "I'm falling apart in my old age."

Jack attempted to crack a smile, but it didn't work. Owen had been left in a living undead state for several months now and so far, there didn't seem to be any way of getting him out of it. The poor guy was unable to eat, drink, enjoy sex, or hear his heartbeat. Worst and most frightening of all, he couldn't heal from wounds. Lucky for them, other than a few papercuts and a bruise on his knee from chasing an alien, Owen was uninjured. Thank God or whatever deity was out there that Gray hadn't managed to harm him on his revenge tirade two months back.

"What's up, Tosh?" Jack asked, turning his focus back onto the matter at hand.

"Something's hacked our systems," Tosh explained, typing away at the computer. "Some weird kind of technology. It basically used the internet to get our IP address and then undid the firewalls surrounding the mainframe."

Gwen frowned. "Well, have they taken anything? Have they hacked our files?"

Tosh continued to type for a moment before shaking her head, looking a little surprised. "Actually. . . No, they haven't. They just wanted to—"

"Get into your computer!" a new voice called out. "Sorry about that, but it's not like you lot have a phone number."

The team whirled around, Gwen automatically grabbing her gun and aiming it out in front of her. Across the room on a computer screen was the live image of a young woman who looked to be in her late teens to early twenties. She had long light brown hair with blonde highlights, making the hair look almost blonde. Her eyes were a sparkling hazel. She was in a dark room somewhere, the light of her computer showing that she had on a white shirt and what looked like a necklace, though only the metal chain was visible.

Jack approached the screen, the others following behind him. "Who are you?" Jack demanded, crossing his arms. "And how did you hack into our computers?"

"I didn't damage anything, did I?" the girl asked. To Jack's surprise, she actually looked worried. "I just got this thing and I'm still figuring out how to use it." She fingered the charm on the end of her necklace, which was still out of camera range.

The whole Torchwood team raised their eyebrows. A hacker actually worrying if she damaged any of their files or systems? That was a first.

"No," Tosh assured her. For some reason, she didn't feel like this girl was a threat. She actually seemed . . . nice. "Just broke past our firewall."

The girl let out a relieved sigh. "Oh, good! I know Torchwood needs those systems."

Jack studied the girl. She seemed alright and certainly didn't act like she was dangerous. But that still didn't explain how she was able to hack into their systems or why she did it. "Now that your mind's settled of that, who are you?"

"Sorry, Jack," the girl smiled, making Jack nearly jump. She knew him? Because he certainly didn't. He would have remembered a pretty girl like her. "I'm Alexandria Locke, but everyone calls me Alex."

Jack's jaw almost dropped. This was Alexandria Locke?! The girl who made the Daleks so frightened because of her fixed point status? The girl that was apparently on close relations with the Doctor because of the nickname Ally? Beside him, Gwen and Ianto looked shocked as well. Jack had told them about the Daleks' freak-out over this Alexandria, and then told Owen and Tosh when they came back from an undercover mission in Amsterdam.

He was so shocked that he almost missed Alexandria . . . er, Alex talking again. "Again, sorry about hacking in and all, but there was no other way to reach you guys. You aren't exactly well-known according to Google. Let me guess. Government circumstances?"

Owen shrugged. "You could say that," he admitted. He had to admit, he kind of liked this Alex. Any girl who could make the Daleks go crazy was good in his book.

Jack leaned back and studied Alex. Now that they knew who she was, he knew she wasn't a threat. She was involved in the Doctor's future, quite intimately based on her nickname, so he knew she couldn't possibly be out to do any harm. "So, Alex," he smiled, "to what do we owe the pleasure? You know you didn't have to hack into our systems. I'd have been more than happy to fly you out to Cardiff, maybe grab a drink?"

Tosh, Gwen, and Owen all groaned and rolled their eyes while Ianto sighed a little. They were all used to Jack's constant flirting and Ianto knew Jack would never actually cheat on him, but it was still kind of annoying.

But instead of acting like other girls in the past and flirting back, Alex only laughed. "Oh God, the Doctor wasn't kidding when he said you were a perpetual flirt!"

"That's him down to a tee!" Gwen snickered.

Jack merely rolled his eyes in good humor. "Ah, the Doctor. I take it you're traveling with him then. So how is it? Seen any Daleks? Ran for your life? Any fun trips where you don't, because those are good too."

Suddenly, Alex's face faltered. She looked a little hesitant to answer him. "Um . . . that's actually why I hacked in. I need to talk to you . . . about the Doctor."

Jack's smile faded as he saw how upset Alex looked. Peering closer, he could see that her eyes were bloodshot, and the skin underneath was red and a little puffy from tears. Something was wrong. "What's wrong?" he demanded. "Did something happen to the Doc? What? Tell me!"

Alex bit down on her lip, an action Jack would normally comment on, saying it was distracting him, but he didn't this time. She looked scared, confused, sad, and worried. "Um . . . has UNIT contacted you?"

Jack's brow furrowed. Torchwood and UNIT weren't exactly on cordial terms. They only worked together out of duress, spending the rest of the time pretending the other didn't exist. "Why would UNIT contact us?" he questioned.

Alex bit down on her lip even more, making Owen worry that she might break the skin. "I guess I have to tell you then. I really didn't want to be the bearer of bad news, but UNIT came to my friend's house earlier today to see me. They told me that the Doctor is. . ." She trailed off, tears brimming in her eyes which she pushed down. ". . .he's dead. The Doctor's dead."

Silence. Her words played over and over again in Jack's mind. The Doctor's dead, the Doctor's dead, the Doctor's dead, the Doctor's dead. It was a never-ending loop.

How could this be possible? Jack knew he could regenerate and suspected he probably had regenerated since the last time he saw him at a bar on some star while on vacation. But dead? He shook his head. "No, that's impossible," he argued.

"That's exactly what I said," Alex revealed.

Jack ran a hand through his hair and began to pace. None of this made sense. The Doctor couldn't be dead. He was the Doctor – nothing could get in his way for very long. What if this girl was lying? He whirled back around, glaring a little at Alex. "How do I know you're telling the truth?" he wondered.

Alex narrowed her eyes at him, making the other Torchwood members shiver a little. Her gaze like that was really frightening. "Why would I make something like that up?"

"How did you get into our systems?" Jack countered. "Only the Doctor would be capable of doing that."

Alex sighed and lifted her necklace, revealing a TARDIS charm on the end of it. "Sonic necklace," she retorted, dangling it close to the camera. "The Doctor gave it to me as a birthday present. And aside from using it to hack in, I also used it to play the epitaph stone UNIT gave me from the Shansheeth. The Shansheeth, a race of intergalactic undertakers, found the Doctor's body and they're bringing him back to UNIT as we speak. Pardon me if I thought one of the Doctor's friends ought to know that he's dead."

Jack winced. Okay, he had been a bit mean. He couldn't really argue with a sonic necklace, though that did bring up questions of why the Doctor would give her such a thing. If Jack expected a companion to get a sonic device, his money would have been on Rose. "Okay, sorry."

"Are the Shansheeth real?" Gwen wondered. "I've never heard of them."

"Tosh, check our database," Jack ordered.

"On it," Tosh confirmed, tapping away at the keys.

As Tosh searched the database, Alex related everything UNIT had told her about the Doctor's death. "The Shansheeth said he perished while saving five hundred children from the Scarlet Monstrosity."

Tosh smiled sadly. "Sounds like him," she murmured, remembering when she briefly met the Doctor when the Slitheen crashed a spaceship into Big Ben. The Doctor had been very concerned about the pig the aliens had wired up to look like an alien. It was no surprise that he would sacrifice his life to save five hundred children.

"Anyway," Alex went on, "I got a bit suspicious. The colonel who came didn't seem all that concerned about the Doctor's death. She seemed too calm. She also didn't mention the two other people traveling with me and the Doctor. If UNIT knows of me, they should know of Amy and Rory."

Jack nodded along with her. He knew that UNIT would have more files on Alex than any other companion because of her fixed-point status and future with the Doctor, but there had to be some files on other companions. Alex was right. It was suspicious.

"Here we are," Tosh called out. She adjusted her glasses, squinted, and peered at the screen. "The Shansheeth are real, alright. They're intergalactic undertakers, roaming battlefields throughout the universe to bring deceased heroes home."

Alex sighed. "That's what the Shansheeth on the epitaph stone said."

"Worth a try," Gwen shrugged.

"I still don't understand why they haven't contacted us," Ianto remarked. He looked over at Jack. "Mainly you, Jack. They know you and the Doctor are friends."

Jack nodded, his mind trying to process all this new information. Alex was right. There was something strange going on here. As far as they knew, only Alex had been informed of the Doctor's death. Why? Was UNIT hiding something? Did they not want Torchwood members sniffing around their top-secret base?

One thing was for sure; Jack wanted to find out what was going on.

Sensing his thoughts, Alex said, "Colonel Karim said they were holding the funeral in their base at Mount Snowdon. I think you should come."

Jack nodded, his mind made up. "Got it. If the Doc's in trouble, I want to be there to help him out. Nothing's making me miss this—"

But he was cut off as another bunch of alarms began blaring.

Owen groaned and clapped his hands over his ears. "Did you do something?" he asked Alex, eyeing her necklace suspiciously.

Alex was about to object, but Tosh cut her off. "No, it's not her," she revealed. "There's a big spike in Rift activity." Her eyes widened as she examined the screen. "Jack, there's Weevils by the dozen! Maybe hundreds! The readings are too big!"

Jack swore violently. Really? This had to happen now? When the Doctor's funeral was taking place in the next few days?

Alex bit her lip. "Go," she called to Jack.

Jack looked up to stare at her questioningly. "What?"

"You heard me. Go. It's obvious that you need to fight those Weevils, whatever they are. I'm going to the funeral, and I can investigate. Who knows? Maybe it's better this way. UNIT might not be willing to talk to Torchwood members."

Jack had to admit that her logic made sense. There was a reason UNIT hadn't contacted Torchwood and if he just went in there demanding answers, he probably wouldn't get any. "Okay," he said, resigned. "But you better call and tell me what happens."

Alex nodded and made the sign of a cross over her heart. "Cross my heart and hope to die," she promised.

A/N: *squeals excitedly* We got Torchwood in this chapter! Yay! I told you Jack would be in here! Just to recap, in case you got confused about the AU Torchwood here, Gray did go on his rampage, but they saved Owen from the nuclear meltdown and they also got to Tosh in time to treat her for her gunshot wound. Gray is still in cryogenic storage, and may or may not remain in there permanently. I may decide to bring him back out for a little fun. :} Also, for Torchwood, 'The Stolen Earth' and 'Journey's End' episodes took place after Gray's rampage and during that time, Tosh and Owen were in Amsterdam on an undercover assignment. And, the 456 haven't happened yet, so Ianto is still alive! I'll also say I am doing the 456 adventure with Alex. :)

Also, we found out that Ross IS related to Rose! They're step-cousins. Ross's step-father is related to the Tyler family, so Ross got the Tyler name. Ross is definitely a lot like Rose, isn't he? He's so sweet and caring and, like Rose, I love him to death! :)

Some notes on reviews. . .

evilpinklollipop - I know! I want them to be together too! It will happen, but I won't say when. :)

SopherGopher'sAwesomeSister - She loves him! Yeah, I was smiling away when I wrote that. :) No, the necklace is sonic, though I have considered putting a tracking device in it. It seems like something the Doctor would do, just to keep an eye on her in case she wanders off and ends up in danger. :) Lol, yeah, I know that. My cat is spoiled rotten and constantly demands to be petted. He's my baby though. :) Lol, again. Yes, what were the Ponds thinking? Just imagine what the Doctor might've done had he caught them doing more on the console. . . :)

rycbar15 - Yeah, that's true, but like I said, I'll consider it. :) Yes, he is an idiot. And I'm glad you love the story! It means a lot. :)

mayfire21 - Yes, she finally admitted it, and we saw more of those feelings here. When will the Doctor admit his? :)

jesterlover - I know, but I still wanted to say it. And, you're welcome! :)

ElysiumPhoenix - Yes! Only took 67 chapters. :) I know, I am SO jealous of Alex's necklace. I want one so bad. It doesn't even have to be sonic, though that would be nice. :) Yep, we got more of the Bristol crew here, but only Marigold and Lacey. I think we'll see the rest of the Bristol crew in the next story, but I'm not 100% sure. Hope you liked the chapter! :)

Mad mind flip - Yep, he is good at presents. Wish I had a boyfriend like him. :) Thank you! :)

Gwilwillith - Thank you! And yes, they are! :)

ShadowTeir - Yes, they are dense. *sigh* But, glad you liked the chapter! :)

TheUltimateGuest - Yep, the Ponds got caught! I had to write that in because, one, it was funny beyond belief, and two, it was a good way to ease into 'Death of the Doctor' and later into 'A Christmas Carol'. Yes, he must be head-over-heels in love with her. Too bad we haven't seen him realize what Alex realized. :( We were back in Bristol for this chapter! I love Bristol and I really want to put it in again in the sequel. :)

Timey-Wimey Somn-Like Lass - Yes, she finally admitted it! *jumps up and down with reader* Glad you liked the sonic necklace! Anyone can have a sonic screwdriver or a sonic lipstick. :) Lol, I love presents too, even though I mostly end up asking for gift-cards. I'm not much of a hugger, I'm a bit more reserved, but I always make sure that my gratitude and thanks is known, primarily through smiling. :)

TheGirlWhoWaited - Glad you like Alex's gift! No, Alex didn't know it was sonic, not until this chapter anyways. And, as you can see, the next episode is the Sarah-Jane Adventures episode 'Death of the Doctor'. 'A Christmas Carol' will be after this. :)

Neko 97 - Sorry, since the Time Lord Victorious episode took place during the 10th Doctor's reign and this is 11, it won't be in here. :( However, LizzeXX has some OC stories that cover that episode. You could try them. I have an OC planned who travels with 10 and would be in 'The Waters of Mars' but she's way down the road. :) Glad you liked the fluff at the end of 'Cold Blood'. Not a bad way to end that episode, considering Rory's 'death' and all. :)