Three Years Later

I snatched my handgun and sprinted through the Hub, following Jack close behind. He and I ran out of the Hub and as I looked over my shoulder, I saw Ianto following us and holding the Weevil net. We rounded the corner and stopped dead; the Weevil was straight ahead of us, staring through us with beady, black eyes. I froze, holding the Weevil spray. Jack inched closer, holding his gun at the ready. The Weevil glared at us and then snarled, preparing to lunge. Suddenly, I felt a row of sharp, yellow teeth sink into my left shoulder and I screamed. Ianto wrenched the Weevil off of me, taking a huge chunk of my shoulder with it, and emptied his gun into its head, spraying its blood everywhere. I tried not to scream as I took off my shirt and wadded it up into a ball, then pressed it firmly to the gaping hole in my shoulder as they took care of the first Weevil. I could taste bile in the back of my throat, but I forced it down, the blood still dripping down my arm.

I was taking harsh, shallow, breaths when it happened again: a flash of random images came together in my mind and eyes, and I felt like I was there. A memory. And not of the Doctor, or Rose, or the Master, or Puella, or Yen, or even of Torchwood: a memory of things that happened before all that happened. But they never stayed. They always disappeared, fading away like wind. This time was faster with a ton of images, some that I've seen, and some new ones: a little girl with pigtails, a boy in a red shirt, the scent of chemicals and fire, lights so bright that they blinded me for a moment, someone's hand around my shoulder, and feeling happier than anything else. But someone calling my name brought me back. "Blue! Blue! Are you okay?" I looked over at Jack and mumbled, "That's actually kinda a big question to ask right now," glancing at my bloody shoulder. Ianto took my right shoulder and helped me get back to the building. Gwen was in the lobby, and looked up when we came back in. Her dark eyes went rounder, and she cried, "Blue! Are you okay?"

"Is that everybody's favorite question right now?" I snapped. Immediately I realized how rude that sounded and bit my lip. "Sorry. Kinda in a lot of pain right now." She nodded. Ianto helped me to the med bay, where Owen was washing some of his supplies. He looked up, and snapped, "What the fuck happened to you?" I gritted my teeth, trying not to make a smart remark. He sat me down in a chair and Ianto left. He tore off the shirt I had placed over the wound, grimaced and went over to one of the cupboards to grab two objects from it: a rag and a bottle of rubbing alcohol. The doctor stuffed the rag in my mouth and got a bottle of cotton balls and put some of the alcohol on them. I braced myself for agony as he cleaned out the wound. The burning sensation crawled everywhere, and I yelled, but it was muffled by the rag. As he yanked the rag out of my mouth and began to stitch the hole up, he said, "Can't believe this was only your second mission." I nodded grimly. "Yeah. Jack prolly won't let me go on a mission again for months."

"That's a good thing."

"Is it?"

"Yeah, so I won't have to stay around in this fucking lab and bollocks myself. D'you have any idea the kind of shit I've got to deal with?"

"Uh… sorta."

"I've got to deal with the fuckin' Weevils, Blowfish, fuckin' tourists, Myfanwy, every shitty thing in this hellhole."

"Oh." He finished stitching the wound and started to bandage it. I couldn't think of anything else to say until he finished bandaging it. "Thanks," I mumbled, and I left to go to the lobby.

As I was walking down the hall, Tosh ran up to me. "Blue! I heard about what happened!" I looked at her and nodded. "And this was only my second mission." I whispered. She nodded sympathetically. "I don't want to go back to having a desk job." I said.

"I don't blame you." she said. "I'll try to talk some sense into him the next time I see him, alright?" Tosh said with a small smile and warm eyes. I weakly returned her smile and saw Ianto approaching with a sympathetic look in his eyes. I instantly knew something was wrong. "Erm, Blue - "

"What the hell is it? Can't I just fucking rest for one fucking minute?"

Tosh tried to contain her laughter and she ended up with a little chortle. "You've been spending too much time with Owen." she muttered. Owen scowled at her and told her to "Fuck off," before turning back and cleaning his supplies. I instantly realized my language and blushed. Owen had been my go-to-guy ever since I got here. I mean, Tosh, Gwen, Ianto, and Jack were nice enough, but Owen really seemed to get it. And it would help that he would stay silent and listen while he did his work and I ranted to him, occasionally cussing someone out and growling. Not a lot of people wanted to even be around Owen in normal-day circumstances, nevertheless voluntarily hang out with him. The team didn't seem to mind, and it might just've been me, but Tosh seemed to have the hots for him. I'd gotten quite good at reading people in my time at Torchwood. Ianto cleared his throat and barely smiled, glancing down at the clipboard in his hands. "Sorry, Yan. What d'you need?"

"Jack wants to see you."

"Fuck."

Tosh giggled again and scurried off, as Owen looked like he was about to sock her. "In his office." Ianto continued. I nodded and flashed a smile at Owen, who returned it sympathetically and continued tidying the med bay. I started marching to Jack's office, but Ianto stopped me, glancing down at my torso. "You might want to put a shirt on. Jack's not happy, but… that won't make a difference."

I looked down at myself and found that I was only wearing a bra. It finally hit me that I'd taken off my shirt and was shirtless the entire time since. I didn't blush, nor minded much. During my three years here I'd seen more of both Ianto and Jack then I'd ever wanted to see, and the Hub was like home to me. Sometimes Tosh or Gwen let me go to their houses to stay the night but most nights I slept in the Hub like Jack did - unless he went home with Ianto, or some random guy, girl, unspecified, or alien that he'd happened to meet and was willing to have a shag. I thanked Ianto and I went into my room to grab a shirt. After about two seconds of looking I grabbed a black t-shirt, put it on, and walked down the hall to Jack's office. I opened the office door, and I was just about to say something as I walked in, but then Jack said, "Oh, sidebangs! Sexy!" noticing my new hairstyle.

"Oi!" I yelled, then blushed. I prided myself on being the most American of the group, but three years of living in England was taking its toll. I sat down. "I'm sorry about what happened, and I get that I'm probably gonna get stuck doing desk jobs again." I grumbled. Jack's face was red, and he seemed to try to calm himself before speaking. "What the hell were you doing out there?" he finally demanded. His harsh tone cut me like a knife, as I looked up to him, and I cleared my throat, preparing to answer before he cut me off. "You could've died out there, and who was that on? Me. I've got to deal with your shit every time you get hurt!"

I've only gotten hurt once. I didn't say that and kept silent.

"I'm responsible for you and everything you do, so you need to keep yourself safe, or I'll keep you in a desk job. Permanently."

I felt my face getting warm. Jack took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair, putting his face in his hands. "Okay. There's something else I needed to talk to you about."

"What?"

"Those...flashbacks that you've been having. They've been happening a lot, right?"

"I guess."

"What've you been seeing?"

"Well, fragments of what I assume are my memories before the Master. And… well, the stuff that happened in the penitentiary."

Jack analyzed me with his steely blue eyes and paused. I squirmed under his gaze and twiddled my thumbs. I'd told him and the team about everything that had happened in the penitentiary and what the Master had said about my memory being in two places. I had also told him about the supposed 'special features' I had, but since there didn't seem to be anything remarkable about me, I'd started to doubt that I had any. "What did you call me in for? Y'know, other than to chew me out."

Jack shook his head and waved his hand. "Nothing. It's not important. You're back in a desk job until that shoulder's better."

The Doctor and Rose sprinted hand-in-handed through the Dalek Base Camp, nimbly dodging extermination rays and rubble from the explosions littering debris around them. They ducked into a service lift and crouched low, mashing the button to go down and laughing all the time. When they got to the main floor of the Dalek Base Camp, they crawled out of the lift and looked around cautiously before walking down the only corridor in front of them. "Well, this is quite the chase!" the Doctor said. Rose linked her fingers with his and smiled up at him. "Yeah. I like it."

"So do I."

A pause, and then Rose spoke again. "How d'you think Blue is doing?" she asked quietly. The Doctor blew out a breath through puffed out cheeks and used his free hand to run it through his hair, ending up scratching the back of his neck and tugging on his ear. "I dunno. I trust Jack. He'll keep her safe."

"EX-TER-MINATE! THE DOC-TOR IS DE-TEC-TED! HE WILL BE EX-TER-MINATED! EX-TER-MINATE! EX-TER-MINATE!" The two heard the Dalek's screams long before it entered the corridor. They turned round quickly and sprinted down the corridor they came from, frantically looking for a way out. Finding none but the service lift, which some Dalek must be guarding, they turned and held each other's hands tighter. There was no way out of this. This was planned. It was a trap. Clever, clever Daleks. The Doctor admonished himself silently, cursing himself for putting Rose in this sort of danger. Forget him, he needed a way to get Rose out. He turned to her and looked her straight in her deep, brown eyes with sorrow. "I need you to get in the lift." he said darkly.

"What?"

"Get in the lift. There's not a big chance you'll survive, but there is a chance."

"And what about you?"

He pressed the TARDIS key into her hand, avoiding an answer. "Once you're safe, go to the TARDIS. Tell her to take you home. She'll know what to do."

"What about you?" Rose repeated.

"Don't worry about me. Tell Jackie what's happened, and then be a normal human."

"I - I can't. Not without you. My Doctor." Rose smiled dreamily, reaching up a hand and softly stroking his face. His face flickered with the slightest hint of a smile but then it was gone, and he took her hand down, the greatest pain shining in his eyes. "You need to listen to me. You need to do what I say. This once, Rose, just this once, you need to listen to me."

"No."

"What?"

"No. If those Daleks are gonna kill my Doctor, they'll have to kill me too."

"Rose, you know I can't - "

"I'm not gonna argue with you."

Rose grabbed his hand, a determined look on her lovely face, and they faced forward, where the Dalek would be rounding the corner any second. And so it did. But it wasn't a Dalek. The "Dalek" was none other than Captain Jack Harkness, in Dalek armor designed much like Davros', so that his torso was free to do what he liked but his legs and waist were covered by the machine and it maneuvered wherever he liked it to and made him sound like a Dalek. "What?" the Doctor demanded with narrowed eyes and an incredulous face. Jack's face broke out into a grin. "Doctor! And who's that? My little flower girl?"

He leapt from the chair and sprinted toward them, wrapping his arms around Rose and lifting her into the air, swinging her around, and then he set her down. With the Doctor, however, he planted a long, wet kiss on his lips, trying to sneak in a bit of tongue before the Doctor pulled away, objecting loudly and wiping his lips. "Jack!" he sputtered. The man only shrugged and winked at Rose. "One of these days, he'll kiss me back, you know." he said. Rose laughed and rolled her eyes. The Doctor looked down the corridor anxiously. "So… there's no Dalek?"

"Nope. Well, there was."

"And?"

"It died."

The Doctor grinned boyishly. "Right! Let's get back to the TARDIS, then!"

Rose tossed him the TARDIS key, but Jack intercepted it before the Doctor could catch it. Jack smirked and squeezed into the tiny service lift, the Doctor and Rose following suit. On the slow ascent to the main level, he attempted at conversation. "It's quite cramped in here."

The Doctor nodded and looked up.

"T'is, innit?"

"Quite close quarters."

"Erm… no."

"One of these days, Doctor. Not while Rose is around, perhaps. But I'll find a way to get you alone."

"Oi!"

"Sorry, Rosie."

"Whatever, Jack." Rose laughed. She found it hard to get mad at Jack. He laughed alongside, and the Doctor spoke again. "How's the team?"

"What? Oh, Torchwood? We're doing good. Pretty busy lately, but we were prepared for all the Rift activity."

"How? The Rift is unpredictable!"

"Not quite, Doctor. We've been able to construct a device that can predict Rift activity. Sometimes it doesn't pick up some things, and sometimes it's off, but we do the best we can, and we're damn good at it."

"Don't swear. How's Ianto?"

"Oh, Ianto? He's amazing. Simply fantastic." Jack winked. The Doctor grimaced.

"Toshiko and Owen?"

"Same as ever. Smart and gorgeous, and bull-headed and bloody stupid."

"Gwen?"

"She's fine. Rhys and her are engaged now."

"Good for them. You must give them my congrats."

"Will do, Doc. They'll be thrilled."

"How's Blue?"

"She's doing great." Jack lied. He avoided telling the Doctor about the Weevil incident. The Doctor was one of the two most important men in the Universe to Jack and he didn't want to let him down. Of course, he didn't want to let Ianto down by being late to their "dentist" appointment. Which is why he reached inside the Doctor's coat and snatched his screwdriver, using it to speed up the lift. "Oi!" the Doctor shouted as the lift skyrocketed, screeching to a halt at the main level of the Camp. They crammed out of the lift and sprinted through the debris that resulted in the Daleks trying to exterminate the Doctor and Rose. The trio arrived at the TARDIS and hurriedly shoved the key into the lock, scrambling inside and laughing. "Looks like Team TARDIS is back together again!" Jack chortled. Rose laughed harder, along with the Doctor, who recalled their first adventures together, which were the best times of the Doctor's ninth regeneration's life. The Doctor straightened and danced to the console, setting a course for Cardiff, London, Earth, the Milky Way Galaxy. When the TARDIS landed, Ianto, Tosh, Gwen, Owen, and Blue were waiting for them on the docks outside the Tourist Centre. The Doctor introduced himself and gave big, friendly hugs to each of them, followed by Rose, who seemed to catch the eye of Owen. Not a very comforting eye. She squirmed under his gaze and relaxed when Jack got to him, trying to shake his hand and give him a kiss until Owen cussed him out and shot him in the forehead. No one was fazed, they only glanced at his body and continued with their discussions until Jack gasped to life. He stood and brushed himself off, babying his precious blue coat and glaring playfully at Owen, who was holstering his gun. "What the hell was that for?"

"You tried to fucking kiss me."

They heard the Doctor mumbling something about not cursing but they ignored him as he started talking with Tosh about science that no one else fully understood. Jack laughed. "Having a bad day?"

"Well it's no help to you, Captain Sunshine."

"I'll bet you're just worried about Blue."

"I fucking am not."

"Yes, you are. Just admit it."

"Fuck off, Harkness."

"Aw, come off it, huh?" Jack chuckled. Owen snarled at him and turned on his heel to chat quietly with Blue. She seemed anxious, nervously glancing at the Doctor, Rose, and the TARDIS and clenching her sweaty fists.