Four years after Children of Earth:

He stood in the doorway, not knowing which way to turn. It has been like this a lot. It seemed that he never knew which way to go. Left or right, straight or back up the stairs to his office. He was so tired, and the thing in his pocket was bugging him. It must be dealt with. He turned left and headed towards the bay.

It was another rainy night, like the one when he lost Liam. The car accident had changed his life forever. Sean didn't remember it. The doctors said he was lucky to be alive. He didn't feel lucky. He didn't feel anything, just emptiness where Liam once was. As a psychiatrist, Sean knew that the loss would lessen in time. He wished he could remember what had happened. His doctor told him it would get better. The only thing Sean knew was that meant it would get worse, first. It had been four and a half years since the death of his husband. By now, the doctor in him was saying, that he should have been able to remember something.

The movement of his feet coupled with the thoughts in his head led him to the pier. Before long he was looking out on to the endless water of Cardiff Bay. The night always made the water look dangerous and fearful. It allowed him to explore his mind within his darker thoughts. As he looked into the dark, he tried to gain access to his lost memories. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled and cleared his mind. Nothing came to him. He tried again. This time, just random images and flashes came to him, so he gave up. He sighed in frustration.

The wind blew saltwater in to his face; he took this as a sign. Pulling the ring out of his pocket, he held it in his hand. He looked at the water and said out loud, "Goodbye Liam. I will always love you." With that done, he threw the ring into the water. Only then did he realize he was not alone. A man dressed in a military coat was looking at him. Sean turned and walked away.

The man with the military coat watched Sean leave and went back to staring at the water. He stood like a statue through the night until the sun caressed the water of the bay.

Returning to an empty apartment was never an easy thing. Sleeping alone was never harder than it was lately. It seemed all things were coming at him at once. If it hadn't been for his practice, Sean would have been committed. If it hadn't have been for his parents, he would not have a practice. Those were the facts. And he lived with that.

As he turned the light off in his bedroom and prepared himself for another sleepless night, the image of the man in the military coat, flashed before his eyes. He sighed and prepared himself for the nightmares.

9:00am

Jack moved slowly through the city. He had even changed his clothes and dressed like the natives so he wouldn't seem so god-like. His age had started to show more recently. Some of the natives were picking up on it. It showed in the fear behind their eyes. After so much had happened in the last five years, who could fault them? He didn't blame them for shying away. He was a dangerous man now. And the world was a very different place. Everyone looked a little shy and fearful. They had reverted into themselves. In the end some how he knew he was to blame.

He also didn't want to run into old friends unannounced. Gwen was one of those. He knew that she had resurrected Torchwood Three and had added Rhys and PC Andy to the ranks. Martha was there as well. Oh and Mickey. How could he forget the Tin Dog? He chuckled a little out loud. That made an old grandma to stare at him.

"Sorry madam, I was receiving some shameful comments from my wife." He pointed to the blue tooth in his ear. She nodded and smiled a little. Pausing she went to say something, but Jack beat her to the punch line.

If an old lady still had blush in her cheeks, it was because Jack had reignited the fire. He leaned in and whispered something to the grandma; she snickered and went "Oh My word!" Giggling, she took her leave of the dashing young man with the sky blue eyes. She turned around every few feet to shake her finger at him.

If there was one thing that made Jack feel human again, it was making someone blush! With a lighter heart he walked down the avenue in search of something to do and a laptop, he needed information.

12:00pm

Sean overslept and felt sick again when he woke. Nightmares always did that. He told his patients after the event four years ago that they would feel ill from time to time. It was the stress and the uncertainty of any future at all for the human race. He would prescribe something at the government's request and tell them to come back in two weeks. There was no way to help them all. Many took their own lives.

He looked at his own scars. They were from six months prior to the beginning of the end of the world, as the doomsayers told it. He killed his partner of less then a year in a drunken driving accident. He was driving and he was drinking. Three weeks in a coma and his partner's parents were two shakes away from suing him and pressing charges. He woke into a real horror story. His parents change it all and made it disappear. He couldn't remember any of it. The police and hospital report both said he was very intoxicated. They even had a toxicology report. The problem was he hadn't had one drinking that night. Liam was so drunk, Sean remembered, that he took the keys.

Somehow the loss of Liam and the negativity of his friends and family made him think of taking his own life. He was put into a private facility. It was swept under the table, and he had somehow kept his practice. His parents were angry. No one came to see him except his Da. They thought (close friends and family) that by trying to take his own life, he was admitting his guilt. No, he still didn't believe he did it. He just couldn't bear another moment without Liam. Was that so hard to understand?

The shower didn't help; the hot water was down again. Everything was falling apart. He was aware of the pre dystopia that he was living in. The governments anywhere couldn't keep things in order. Curfews were common all over the place, even in The United Kingdom. Parliament and the government body were not to be trusted. The only logical step was to turn to the Monarchy. The Queen, God bless her, was back at the top again. She at least didn't lie to the people the way the politicians had.

He shook his wet head like a dog, allowing the brown curls to form as they dried. He checked his pale face in the mirror and noticed his eyes were bloodshot. The drops the doctor gave him would lessen it. But crying oneself to sleep never really helped lessen the puffiness. He looked thin again; his round face was drawn tight to his cheekbones and chin. He could hear Liam telling him that he needed to gain weight if he was to look halfway presentable. "Sean your family is going to think I'm starving you. Eat honey." He would gently push the food to his mouth and Sean would try to please his partner by taking it. Soft gentle kisses would follow and they would make love on the kitchen table. Of course they devoured the food afterwards. Laughing, Sean would always clean his plate afterwards.

"You're not even here to remind me to eat. Damn it Liam! I couldn't have killed you. Could I have? This is so unfair. I'll never get over this. I really am in hell!" He fell to the floor and sobbed until it was far past his last appointment. He went to the bedroom and fell on the bed. There was no reason to get up now.

Later on that day, Jack sat in a café with a coffee that was not as good as Ianto's and a laptop he purchased that was already set to go. He removed the thought of Ianto quickly for the pain in his chest was trying to return. He still wondered why the cashier looked at him strangely when he tried to pass the Torin sliver tesh coin. He guessed that they still only took earth currency. The assignment was to track down a doctor. Not a Time Lord Doctor, just a doctor. A psychiatrist. He worked for about a half hour into the task at hand, of course stopping off to look at some rather outrageous porn.

"I've been all over but I never seen that before." He said out loud which caused a few Uni girls to giggle. He winked, earning a blush and went back to the job in front of him.

"Hello, what have we here? Wait, I know you." He kept his voice just a little lower. "Your rates seem fair and you are local. I'll give you a try, Dr. Sean Knowlens." And with that he slammed the top down and exited the place. He didn't realize that all eyes were on him.

"Torchwood hot line, if you know of a strange Alien or Alien object or if something just doesn't seem fit, please leave or name, number and a brief message and we'll bring the situation under control. Thank you and have a good day." (beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep)

"Hello Torchwood, I was just at My Café and a man came in. He was really quite fetching, but he was talking to himself and he seemed to be looking for something rather intently. You can see him on camera; I think the number is 2221. I know it is probably nothing, but something about his eyes seemed Alien and oh yeah, he had the most potent smell that was ever to grace a nose. Makes the soul feel stimulated. Thanks. My name is Christina, number 67681120. Thanks again. " She hung up her cell and crossed the street, out of site.

End Chapter One TBC