The Doctor pocketed the beanbag as he went past the SUV heading towards the park. Jack sighed but took off after the Doctor. The Doctor kept up a steady pace until he got to the park. Once there he took off at a run, expecting Jack to keep up. He felt free running even if it wasn't for his life. He rounded the corner seeing the man standing by the tree. He didn't slow down as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the beanbag.
"Doc," Jack warned him from behind seeing the movement. The Doctor pocketed the small bag again as he continued on his way. He didn't stop running until he reached the SUV again. He was breathing hard by the time he stopped and disappointed in himself. He should have been able to run faster and longer than a human without getting tired. He glared at Jack as he approached not nearly as tired as the Doctor appeared. The Doctor thought about just climbing into the backseat but he had to show that he was behaving in order to get released, so he reluctantly climbed into the passenger seat. He closed his eyes for just a moment, opening them to find that they were still on the road.
"Where are we?" He asked confused, rubbing his eyes.
"About twenty minutes outside of Cardiff," Jack answered. While the Doctor had slept Jack had made the decision that he couldn't put off going to Torchwood any longer. He had kept postponing the trip due to the fact that the Doctor was healing. He couldn't use it as an excuse anymore as the Doctor had been healthy enough to make the trip for several days now. The small team needed him to help with the overwhelming amount of work that was coming through the rift on a consistent basis. While he helped out over the phone or on the laptop the best he could, he needed to go down to help with the artifacts and make sure they were stored properly. His mind made up he made the short drive to Martha's flat to pick up the Doctor's medications and leave Martha a note before making his way to Cardiff. "Gwen, Ianto, and Mickey, have been overwhelmed with artifacts coming through the rift so the two of us are going to help out for the night. I thought I could give you a tour than we could catalog the items and store them down in the vault. I also need to sign off on paperwork."
"Are we staying the night?" The Doctor asked a little hesitantly as he sat up straighter in his seat.
"That is up to you. While I understand that you would feel more comfortable going back to London, if we stay the night we will have the place to ourselves," Jack informed the Doctor with a grin. The Doctor rolled his eyes looking out the window. While he knew that the Torchwood they were going to was different than Torchwood One, he still couldn't help but remember that bleak day. Countless people had been killed because they were playing with tears in the universes that they didn't understand. They had allowed the cybermen through then unleashed the Daleks on the unsuspecting Earth. In the end, he had walked out of Torchwood alone once more. While it had allowed him to meet Martha and then Donna. His hearts had still broke when he lost Rose. It was strange how now he barely even thought of her. He had moved on, he had Jack to love. Jack would never leave him or make him feel as though he was betraying him by regenerating. Reaching out he gently squeezed Jack's leg.
"I love you," he told him as he thought of all the times that Jack had been there for him over the years when he needed him the most.
"I love you too, sweethearts," Jack replied. He reached down taking the Doctor's hand quickly in his own and squeezing it before returning both hands to the wheel. Normally he was wreckless as he drove the familiar roads between London and Cardiff. With the Doctor in the passenger seat, though, he wasn't about to take any chances. They arrived safely at Torchwood and Jack led the way to the elevator entrance of the building. It was the more impressive of the ways to enter allowing the person to see the rift manipulator and computers all at once. The Doctor, though, recognized it as the TARDIS's favorite parking spot and began to mope before they even made it inside.
Still, he cheered up slightly as he was given a tour around the building. The manipulator was fascinating, even without his sonic to examine it properly. He made plans to hack the computer as soon as Jack's back was turned while they made their way through to the cells to see Janet. She wasn't happy with Jack for disappearing for so long but forgave him as he offered her a small treat. The morgue was even less interesting the autopsy bay and the Doctor took one look at the desk in Jack's office before hurrying back down to the open room of the rift manipulator.
"Doctor, I would like you to meet Ianto and Gwen. They have been running the hub while Mickey and I have been in London," Jack explained to the Doctor. The Doctor glanced over at the two people that he had only seen on the monitor before when he returned the Earth to her proper place in the universe. Gwen was smiling warmly at him while, while Ianto's look was unreadable.
"Hello," He smiled brightly before taking a seat at the computer.
"Would you like the password for that or were you just planning on hacking it?" Jack questioned. The Doctor tried to look guilty but failed as Jack stepped forward to input the password.
"The network here is impenetrable," Ianto told the Doctor proudly. The Doctor rolled his eyes.
"Twenty-first-century technology, I could hack it in, oh, five minutes. Two if I had my sonic," The Doctor informed Ianto smugly.
"You're forgetting this is Torchwood, Doc. We have access to more technology than what is available in the twenty-first century. I helped Tosh to build the firewalls that protect the manipulator," Jack explained to his lover.
"If you built the firewall, I could hack it in two minutes without my sonic," The Doctor replied cheekily. Jack laughed dropping a kiss on top of the Doctor's head. Ianto made a noise with his mouth, causing Jack to glare at him. He had already spoken to the young Welshman previously explaining to him the budding relationship he had with the Doctor. While he felt like a coward for having the conversation over the phone, he wasn't about to let Ianto think that their sexual relationship was going to continue upon his return to Cardiff. The Doctor was hesitant to open his hearts to Jack and Jack wasn't about to ruin their relationship because he followed his fifty-first-century upbringing. There it was perfectly normal to have two or three relationships at once. Even if the Doctor would claim to understand and make comments about Jack being Jack, he wasn't going to cause the Time Lord heartache because he could commit fully to him.
"Are you going to be alright working here if I go up to my office?" Jack asked the Doctor.
"Yep," The Doctor replied, popping the p at the end.
"Just yell or ask Gwen if you need anything," Jack told him motioning for Ianto to head to his office as well. The Doctor nodded as he happily began to explore what Torchwood had to offer. Jack started to head up the stairs after Ianto, when something hit him squarely in the back. Turning around he saw a beanbag sitting at the bottom of the stairs and an innocent looking Doctor typing away on the computer. Picking up the beanbag, Jack took it with him to his office. Two could play at that game, he just had to choose his moment to get the Doctor back.