Author's notes - Hi, if you're just now reading this story, welcome. I posted it a few months ago, and have decided to replace the first chapter with one that actually has chapter breaks. This was both the first story I had written in almost twenty years and the first one I posted on this site , so it's a little rough in both content and formatting.

Well, maybe more than a little rough. The first twenty-six chapters are very bulky. I started this story to see if I still enjoyed the process of writing, and while it follows a narrative, the first third was written as little more than separate character studies, without regard to how much it might bore the reader. Yes, I was attempting to weave an OC into the Doctor's life, but, really, that could have been done much more efficiently. At this point I was finding my sea legs and had no intention of letting The Emissary see the light of day.

So, let the reader beware. While it's difficult to critique your own work, I do think it gets better as it goes along. And, yes, you have my permission to skim.

Of course I don't own Doctor Who or any of its characters. The rating is a strong T due to language (Owen Harper), adult content (including a sexual assault) and some edited sex scenes. (There's a M version on teaspoon, but I did change a few things, most notably Martha's characterization; you can choose.) Torchwood plays a big role in this story, but I don't consider it a crossover. Jack first appears when he is traveling with the Doctor, and if you aren't familiar with Torchwood, most of it is explained.

Still reading? Really? I sincerely hope you enjoy it. Feedback is always welcome and I answer just about every review. Thanks!

"You think Mom's catching up, yet?" Susan asked her brother Matthew as the two hiked their way up Eagle Peak.

"I think she's still sitting on that rock, drinking water, admiring the wildflowers and pretending that she doesn't really need a break. I don't think she's used to the altitude anymore. Maybe we should wait for her." Matthew replied knowingly as he stepped over a small stream.

"Oh, come on, Matthew, she's not that bad. Besides, you took the pack."

Susan argued out of habit, hating that he was probably right. After living at sea level for almost a year, their mother wasn't used to the altitude. They weren't either, but it didn't seem to affect them quite as much.

"Then why'd you ask?" Arguing was a favorite past-time of theirs. It proved to everyone that although they were twins, they definitely did not share the same opinions. Looking up at the sky, he added, "Maybe we should turn around and find her. The sky is turning black."

"What d'ya mean? The weather's supposed to be great this morning."

Susan finished weakly, as she too looked at the sky. It was not merely turning black; it had turned the color of pitch, and she felt like the world was spinning backwards. The look of terror on her brother's face was the last thing she saw for a very long while.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Seven hours, Rose! Two to get down this god-forsaken mountain, one to find that chicken place you saw and three to get here!" Jack Harkness groused as he walked up the narrow trail.

"That's six, Jack. Got altitude sickness, or something? Besides, it was worth it. That wasn't just some chicken place; that was KFC. Finger-lickin' good, that was."

"It'll be over seven hours by the time we get back. Besides, I can think of better excuses for licking your fingers than eating grease." Grinning, he opted to ignore the comment about altitude sickness.

She gave him a playful push. "Captain! Best not let the Doctor hear that or you'll end up sleeping outside tonight. Besides, you did not lick my fingers. I did that all by myself, thank you."

Resisting the impulse to make yet another suggestive comment, he asked," And why did the TARDIS end up perched atop, what do the locals call this place again?"

"Bad Wolf Summit. And, I don't know. That's why the Doctor is tinkering with the TARDIS. Said something about her being pulled here and stuck, but he can't figure out how. Guess it must be something complicated, or he'd be looking for us by now." As she finished answering, her foot rolled over a loose stone and she went down in a heap.

"You okay, Rose?" he asked as he pulled her to her feet.

"Nothing injured 'cept my pride. It's weird, though. Did you feel that? Almost like everything was spinning for just a sec."

Worried, the Captain held her elbow more firmly. "Are you dizzy? Should have thought about altitude sickness before, but I didn't think. Need to rest for a while?"

"Nah, really, Jack, I'm fine. Just want to get back to the TARDIS, give the Doctor his chicken and take a long bath. Think I've got dust up my nose! It's really dry and windy up here!"

They continued quickly up the narrow trail, Jack walking behind Rose to make sure that she was alright. Sometimes, she was too stubborn for her own good. He knew her zeal to prove herself would get her in trouble one day.

They had crossed a small stream, and were about three-quarters the way to the summit when they saw two bodies lying across the trail. Running ahead of Jack, Rose reached a dark-haired teenage boy, who was wearing hiking boots, cargo pants, green t-shirt and a backpack. She was very relieved to see that he was breathing. Jack quickly reached the other, a similarly dressed teen-aged girl who had long, auburn hair, and found that she was also breathing. Neither had any obvious injuries, but both were unconscious.

"What's wrong with them? Altitude sickness?" Rose deferred to the former Time Agent's greater experience.

"I don't think so. It wouldn't have affected both of them at the same time. Besides, the locals must be acclimatized. I'd say lightning strike, but there's not a cloud in the sky. Could have been an animal. No injuries, though. I don't think we should take a chance moving them." He stared off into the bushes, his body tense and alert.

"I'll go get the Doctor. If they haven't regained consciousness by the time we get back, at least he'll be able to help carry them, yeah?"

He slowly nodded as he tried to guess which was safer: Rose running, alone, back to the Doctor and the TARDIS, or Rose staying with two unconscious kids waiting for him and the Doctor to return. He wished that he had taken his sonic blaster so he could give it to her. Teenagers did not simply fall unconscious on a hike. She took his nod as a yes, and started running up the path. Jack, for his part, found a very heavy stick, put his back against a large rock and began to wait.

The Doctor was checking the lubrication of the time rotor for the fifth time in six hours. There was plenty of grease, so to speak, and he was therefore becoming quite frustrated. The TARDIS simply refused to move, after having been pulled here abruptly from Vortex. It was as if she had got her parking brake stuck, although that still didn't explain how they had arrived here in the first place. He idly wondered if taking the mallet to the console would help, but decided that just might make the old girl more stubborn.

He finally gave up trying to find out what was wrong with his ship. The TARDIS had been stubborn before, and there was usually a good reason. He was thinking that it was best just to wait and find out why she was staying here, when he heard the sound of a key scraping in the lock. Crossing his arms, he prepared to give his companions a lecture about timeliness when Rose burst into the console room, gasping for air.

"Rose!" Grabbing her by the waist, he set her on the jump seat in one swift motion.

Taking a few deep breaths, she gasped out, "Jack needs help. Found h- hurt."

"The Captain's hurt?" he asked sharply as she continued to gasp for air.

Seeing her shake her head, he held her shoulders. "Rose, listen to me, take some slow breaths. Running at 7,000 feet's not good for you unless you're used to it. I'm going to get you some water, and after you can breathe again, you can tell me what's wrong."

Nodding, Rose watched him leave. Her head ached, and her stomach felt slightly queasy, but she was breathing more evenly by the time the Doctor returned with a glass of water.

"That better?" he asked as she drank the entire glass in one long gulp.

"Yeah," she agreed. "Although, why's the water taste all funny?"

"Added an electrolytic solution. It's very easy to get dehydrated running pell-mell up a hill at this altitude, Rose Tyler."

"I was running because Jack and I found two hikers unconscious on the trail. Don't know what's wrong with them, so he didn't want to try moving them. We were hoping you could land the TARDIS nearby. That is, if you've figured out how to get the TARDIS moving?"

"Genius, me," he stated smugly. "Still don't understand how we were pulled out of the Vortex, but I do know that the TARDIS isn't going anywhere right now simply because she's being stubborn. I've done everything I can think of short of whacking her with the mallet, and she still refuses to move."

"So, you going to whack her with the mallet now?"

"Nah, thought I'd just ask her politely." And with a flick of a switch, the TARDIS began to dematerialize.

Jack had been waiting for forty-seven minutes. Unfortunately, the two hikers showed no signs of regaining consciousness, but on the plus side, no wild animals appeared out of the bushes to attack them. He had run a scan over both of them with his wrist computer as soon as Rose had left, but still had no idea what injuries they had sustained. They weren't even dehydrated. It was a mystery he hoped the Doctor could solve.

Sighing, he leaned back against the rock to admire the wildflowers and the scraggly spruce trees. The early afternoon sun was hot and bright, so he moved into the cooler shadows after a few minutes. He glanced behind him at the bare mountain dominating the background. At least the TARDIS hadn't materialized on top of Pike's Peak. It would have taken much longer than six hours to walk to that chicken place. It still would have been worth it, though. Watching Rose lick her fingers like that would have been worth any amount of walking. He idly wondered what else Rose Tyler might enjoy licking.

As if the Doctor could hear Jack's lewd thoughts, the TARDIS began to rematerialize on a small patch of flat earth about ten feet from the hikers. Jumping to his feet, Jack waited for his travelling companions.

The Doctor's sonic screwdriver didn't reveal much more information about the kids' injuries than Jack's wrist computer had. However, it did indicate that there was no trauma to their spines or necks, so they carried the hikers into the TARDIS. A bedroom was found with two single beds, and the boy and girl were laid down.

Rose found three straight-back chairs and brought them into the room. "It's just frustrating, yeah? Not knowing what's wrong with them. You think they're boyfriend and girlfriend? They got family looking for them?" she mused, as she watched the girl's chest rise and fall. "When are we anyway?"

"May of 2005," the Doctor replied, as watched the children for signs of regaining consciousness.

"Oh my God!" Rose started. "That's the year I was missing. My mum's looking for me right now!"

"You can't call her right now, Rose. You know what'll happen."

Jack glanced questioningly at Rose. She had not told Jack of the painful meeting she had had with her father, or the Reapers that had appeared as a result.

"I know," she protested. "Was just thinking of their parents, that's all. They must be worried sick. Can we, I dunno, check and see if someone's looking for them?"

"Yeah, I can do that, at least," The Doctor answered. "Be more productive than the three of us just sitting here waiting for them to wake up. You coming with me, Captain?"

"No," he answered quietly. The Doctor stared at Jack for a few seconds. His newest companion was many things, but taciturn was not one of them. Seeing the Doctor staring, Jack continued, "If they wake up, Rose may need some help. I'll just stay and wait here."

"Suit yourself, then," the Doctor replied, leaving to tap into the local police network. If the former Time Agent wanted to talk about what was bothering him, he would do so in his own time.

Rose tried to engage Jack in idle chatter, but gave up after the third time he replied with an 'um'. She retrieved the copy of Oliver Twist that she had been reading in the TARDIS library, and lost herself in the world of Charles Dickens.

Jack, for his part, spent his time thinking about separated families and lost children. His thoughts focused on his brother, Gray, and all the times his mother had asked him if there was any word about his fate. After the attack on the settlement and Gray's disappearance, she had sent her eldest son out to ask every passing freighter if they had heard of survivors of the Boeshane massacre.

Four years later, He had promised his mother on her deathbed that he would not give up the search. And he hadn't really; but the trail had long grown cold, and at times it was easier to pretend that Gray's name was on the list of the dead, rather than the missing. Then, something like this would happen to make him remember. These kids were unconscious and alone, and even after six hours in the TARDIS, no one had come up the mountain searching. Who had failed them?

Jack had finally decided to look for the Doctor and ask him what he had found out when the boy raised his head slightly. "Where am I?" he asked groggily.

Rose ran over to him and started to answer, "You're in the—"

"Hospital," Jack finished for her as he stood next to the boy's bed. The bedroom was metallic, white and utilitarian enough to make this seem plausible, and he did not want to attempt to explain the TARDIS to the boy as he was just regaining consciousness.

"You and a girl were found unconscious on the mountain. You've been out for a few hours now. My friend's just going to get the Doctor so he can take a look at you. I'm Captain Jack Harkness, and I helped to bring you here. You're safe; you don't have to try to talk right now, okay?" He finished with his most reassuring smile. Rose slipped out the door with a grateful look and went to find the Doctor.

The boy nodded slightly, but made no further effort to talk; it was obvious that he was weak and exhausted. The Doctor was in the room in less than a minute and sat down in a chair that he had pulled next to the bed.

"Now then, I'm the Doctor. Can you tell me your name?"

"Matthew Morgan," the boy replied listlessly.

"Fantastic, Matthew Morgan. And can you tell me the name of the young lady who was found with you?"

"That's my sister, Susan," he answered with slightly more energy in his voice.

"Nice name, Susan. So, Matthew, can you tell me why you and your sister were found unconscious on Bad Wolf Summit?"

The teen, feeling a bit confused, answered, "We were climbing Eagle Peak when the sky got dark all of a sudden. It was strange, like the bottom of a cave dark, and then the colors got all mixed up and it felt like we were spinning backwards, and I got really dizzy and sick feeling and then I woke up here. Are we at the Academy Hospital? It looks like we're in the basement or something."

When the Doctor didn't answer right away, Jack replied, "That's right. This is the basement level. No windows, I'm afraid. It's night outside anyway."

The Time Lord studied Matthew intently for a few seconds and then inexplicably grinned. "Okay, Matthew. It looks like you may have taken a fall on your head, so I'm going to ask you a few questions, and you just answer the best that you can. Sound alright? Good, then. First, tell me where you and your sister were hiking."

"Eagle Peak"

"Fantastic. Now, tell me what city Eagle Peak is near."

"Colorado Springs," Matthew answered, rolling his eyes. "On the Air Force Academy. See, I didn't hit my head that badly. Still know where I am, right Captain Harkness?"

"You're doing great answering the Doctor's questions, Matthew. Let's just be patient and see if he has a few more to ask you, and then I think Rose will be back with some water for you to drink."

"Just one more, actually, Matthew. What's today's date and year?"

"It's May twenty-third, 2010. Can I see my mom now?"

Jack looked quizzically at the Doctor, who had grown progressively tense at the boy's answers. The Captain did his best to reassure him. "You're mother's not here, Matthew. If you can give us your phone number, we can call her. I'm sure she's worried about you two."

"But she has to be here! She was on Eagle Peak with us! She was sitting on that rock that's about halfway up to the top. You couldn't have missed her! Where is she?"

Rose hesitated at the doorway, listening. Seeing her, the Doctor spun around and snapped his fingers. "Right, here's Rose with your water. You must be exhausted. You're sister is still sleeping. Now, why don't you have a sip, and take a nap. By the time you wake up, I'm sure this will be all sorted."

As Matthew sat up to drink the water, the Doctor gently placed his hands around the boy's face. Immediately, the teen slumped back to sleep. The Time Lord quickly crossed the room to the girl's side, and placed his hands on her face. She sighed and continued sleeping.

"What did you do to them?" the stunned Captain asked protectively.

The Doctor turned to stare at Jack, "I made sure they would sleep for a while longer. No harm done."

"What gives you the right to knock him out again?"

"Not now, Captain!" the Doctor ordered, as he strode purposefully out of the room. Rose looked apologetically at Jack, and followed the Doctor. Clenching his jaw, Jack finally decided to follow Rose. He wasn't going to let the Time Lord get away without explaining himself.

He found them in the console room. The Doctor was hitting the monitor and mumbling angrily to himself. Rose was demanding that he explain, but he was successfully ignoring her. Jack stepped in front of the monitor. He was damned if he was going to let the Doctor ignore him.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Move, Captain. I'm trying to give Rose a little Spock, but the TARDIS is having a hard time narrowing down the search field. Almost . . . There, I've got it."

"Got what? Doctor, what are you doing?" he again demanded.

Looking straight into Jack's eyes, he answered, "Finding Matthew's mother. She's still on the mountain, right where Matthew told us she would be."

"What! That's impossible. Rose and I walked up the same path, and it was empty. No one was on the trail until we came across those two," he argued.

Moving away from the monitor, the Doctor inexplicably asked, "Rose, when you were walking, did you feel or see anything odd?"

"Yeah, yeah, I did. It felt like everything was spinning, just for a second or two. We came on the hikers about ten minutes after, didn't we, Jack? Doctor, what was it, that spinning? Is that what hurt those kids?"

Dropping under the grating, he began to rummage around his storage boxes. His voice echoed. "They're not hurt, just in shock and extremely exhausted. Time storms will do that to you."

"That's impossible," Jack argued. "Time storms are a myth."

"Like Time Lords?" his friend countered, putting a headlamp on his head and throwing one to Jack. "Best hurry. The temperature outside drops quickly once the sun sets."

Before the Doctor could run out of the TARDIS, Rose interjected, "Can't we just materialize next to her, like we did with the other two?"

"Tried," the he answered shortly. "She's either being stubborn again, or the terrain's not level enough to materialize nearby. Rose, stay here and keep an eye on those kids. Come on, Captain!" With that he strode out of the TARDIS and down the dark path.

Hurrying, Jack grabbed his coat off the rack before following the Doctor. Going down the mountain in the dark was much more difficult than climbing up in the daylight. The trail was partially overgrown and full of switchbacks. Worse, the headlamps did not provide much illumination, but at least they did allow hands-free movement.

More than once, he stopped himself from falling down a particularly steep slope by grabbing onto a spruce tree. He was glad for his long woolen coat; he knew most of his body would be scratched without it. Plus, the wind was now howling down the mountain, and the temperature had dropped to freezing since he and Rose had entered the TARDIS.

The Doctor, of course, did not seem to have any problem on the trail. It was almost as if he could see as well in the dark as he could in the daylight, Jack thought sourly. Maybe he could at that; there were still many things the former Time Agent did not know about the Doctor, even after traveling with him for several months. However, he was determined to get some answers from the Time Lord about the supposed time storm, so he strove to keep pace.

"So, Doc, what made you decide all of this was the result of a time storm?" As he spoke, he narrowly avoided slipping on a few loose rocks.

"Don't call me Doc, Captain," he replied irately as he nimbly jumped across a small stream. After a few steps he finally replied. "First, there's no one looking for those kids, nothing on the police frequencies to indicate that two teenagers are missing or had recently run away. Thought that was a little odd, but decided there could be a perfectly logical explanation. Then, that boy, Matthew, wakes up an' starts describing the darkness, an' the kaleidoscope of colors an' the spinning, and I realized it had to be a time storm. Plus, he thinks it's May of 2010. Kind of a giveaway, there."

"So, you're saying they were just, what, plucked out of time and sent back five years? That's why no one's looking for them?"

"Bit more than that. Did you notice how easily Matthew related to you? Called you captain without question?"

"I just assumed he was still groggy and not really thinking straight. Plus, I'm an adult and he probably hasn't been taught to question adults."

"True, but he also mentioned that he was on the Air Force Academy."

"So?"

"Well, as this is ancient history to you, Captain, I'll forgive your ignorance. But the United States Air Force Academy is in Topeka, Kansas, and has been there since its establishment in 1954."

"And?" Jack prompted. He felt that he was missing something very obvious, but he was trying very hard not to fall down. The trail had started to get fairly steep. If he remembered the previous trip, they should be making their way to the spot Matthew described in a few minutes, and Jack wanted to make sure he didn't miss it in the dark. Plus, something was making the most eerie howling sound nearby, and the noise was distracting.

"And, I don't think they were just pulled through time. I think they were somehow pulled here from a parallel world." He turned around to peer intently at the ex Time Agent. "And if you are going to say 'impossible', Captain. This time I would agree with you."

Jack was silent. He had no response to the Doctor's revelation. He didn't doubt the hypothesis, although he held out a small shard of hope that maybe the boy had been delirious when answering all of those questions. Delirious sounded better than lost in a way Jack could not stomach. Lost-no home, no hope of return. So like Gray that it hurt him to think about it. And he had left the mother of these children to the whims of the mountain. He had failed utterly, just as he had failed his brother.

Guilt pushed him onward to the point that he had outpaced even the Doctor. After ten minutes, he could make out the outline of the large rock that marked the halfway point of the hiking trail. Approaching cautiously, he saw a figure lying nearby. Kneeling down on the cold, dusty trail, he put his fingers on her neck to try to find a pulse. As he gazed down, the headlamp illuminated her face.

"Doctor, she's been exposed to some sort of radiation! The right side of her face is covered in blisters."

"Let me take a look," he commanded, as he reached Jack's side. For an instant, the Doctor's headlamp shone on his companion's face, and he was surprised to see his level of fear and anxiety. The Captain was taking this situation personally, and he made a mental note to find out why later.

Now, however, he intently studied the woman on the ground before him. Like her children, she was attired in clothes typical for hiking, pants with zip-off legs, a bright t-shirt, hiking boots, and a lightweight jacket that was tied around her waist. Her right arm and right side of her face were covered in small blisters, and her lips were cracked.

"She's been exposed to radiation, alright. But it's the ultraviolet spectrum. She's sunburned, Jack. And dehydrated from the looks of things, which won't help the hypothermia, but we got to her in time. Now give me your coat."

Wordlessly, he gave the Doctor his coat, and they both gently wrapped the unconscious woman in it. He started to shiver almost immediately; the wind pushing against him went easily through his thin, white t-shirt. Noticing his companion's discomfort, the Time Lord removed his leather jacket and handed it to him.

"Don't feel the cold like a human, me." Jack was about to protest when the Doctor added, "Can't help her if you get hypothermia, too, Captain. That's an order."

Putting on the jacket, he gave his friend a look of gratitude, then he said suggestively, "I could enjoy a little clothes swapping with you, Doc."

Grinning, the Doctor replied, "Control yourself. Besides, think we're going to be busy for a while." He was relieved to see that Jack was starting to act a little more normally. It wasn't the best line in the world, but at least he was joking, and had lost the look of desperation in his eyes.

"Now what?"

Jack hoped the Doctor had some sort of plan. It was a long walk in the dark, and would be longer still carrying an unconscious woman. With her petite frame and flaming red hair, Jack thought she looked like a pixie, but even pixies weighed something. Getting her back to the TARDIS was going to be difficult.

"Now,"he answered quietly, slowly pulling his sonic screwdriver from his pocket, "I'm going to chase off an annoying cat that has been shadowing us for the last fifteen minutes, assuming of course, that it doesn't pounce on us before I can turn around. If she wakes up, have her drink from the flask inside my coat pocket. It'll help with the dehydration."

Great, he thought as the Doctor spun around and took off parallel to the trail. No sonic blaster again. I'm really going to have to find something to keep with me at all times. It was impossible to find a big stick in the dark.

He sat down, pulling the woman onto his lap, careful not to brush against her right side, draping his wool coat over the both of them. It was the best he could do to keep her from the freezing ground, but he really hoped the Doctor would return soon to help him with his burden. How much time did it take to scare off a cat, anyway?

Ten minutes later, the Doctor was conspicuous by his absence. Every noise made Jack tense, wondering if he was going to need that big stick after all. Animals were still howling, although not as close, but there were also strange sounds coming from the trees across the path. The headlamp was growing dim, and he tried vainly to relax as his body continued to pump adrenaline into his system.

His attention abruptly returned to the figure on his lap when he heard her whisper a hoarse, "Where?"

"It's going to be okay," he answered as he realized that she was now shivering and awake. "Rescue's coming. We just have to wait. You have the beginning stages of hypothermia; I'm trying to keep you warm."

"My kids?" she questioned, her voice still raspy.

"They're safe, I promise, and worried about you. Here, drink this; it will help with the dehydration." Jack carefully tipped the bottle into her mouth.

She painfully swallowed a few sips, and then greedily finished the rest of the lukewarm beverage. Her throat was parched, and the liquid washed down the dust that threatened to choke her. Her head ached, as if she had a fever, and her face felt swollen and hot. She wondered idly if she had been stung repeatedly by a nest of irritated wasps. If she had, then her arm had been stung as well. Or maybe she had fallen and gotten brush burns over her face and arm? It bothered her somewhat that she couldn't remember how she had gotten here. But, it was a relief to know that her children were safe.

Looking up, she gazed into the face of her rescuer, and quickly looked down as the light of the headlamp he wore brought spots to her eyes. Worn out, she let her eyelids droop. She was so cold, and yet flushed at the same time. Her body was shivering. Maybe it was just a late flu? The man had said that her children were safe, and, really, that was all that mattered. Maybe she would nap until help came.

Damn, Jack thought as he lightly shook the woman lying on top of him; she's unconscious again. At least he had gotten her to drink. Still no sign of the Doctor, and now it was starting to snow. Of course, the snow wasn't just small, fluffy flurries; no, they had to be large, icy needles, which whipped by the roaring wind, stung his cheek. His backside was also fairly frigid. Denim made a poor insulator, and the cold of the ground was quickly seeping into his skin.

He tried to keep alert, but the snow and dimming light made it impossible to see much more than a few feet ahead of him. Time easily stretched in the uncomfortable darkness. Surely the Doctor should be back by now? Perhaps he should just relax. There was nothing he could do but wait, and the rock he was leaning against was quite comfortable.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Wake up! You stupid, bloody ape! I need your help! Come on, Captain, wake up!"

Jack slowly opened his eyes. He had been dreaming the Doctor was yelling at him. Seeing the Doctor's face in front of his, he slowly realized that his dream had changed to reality. How could he have been so stupid as to fall asleep in the middle of a snowstorm?

A rush of adrenaline temporarily cleared the fog from his brain, and he groaned as his body protested his movement to a sitting position. "She's okay; I didn't lose her?" he asked panicking as he no longer felt the weight of the woman's body on top of his.

"Right now she's better than you," the Time Lord said gruffly. "I helped her to some trees that are better sheltered from the storm. She's conscious and coherent. You did a good job, Jack."

She's going to be fine," he added in a softer tone, as he noticed that his companion was still slightly panicked. "Sorry 'bout the cold. Getting rid of that cat took longer than anticipated." Offering Jack his left hand, the Doctor easily pulled him upright.

"How long were you gone?"

He tried and failed to take a few halting steps. His legs were tingling painfully, full of pins and needles, and he was going to have to wait a moment before the circulation returned completely.

"Too long," the Doctor responded, looking into the snowstorm. "'Bout an hour and a' half. The cat was hungry and had two infant cubs. She wasn't going to let much scare her away from prey. In the end, I had to put them down. Shame, that." At this, the Doctor winced slightly, and turned to face the Captain. "About ready?"

Jack wrongfully decided that he was ready to walk, and took a step towards the Doctor. His legs started to buckle and he instinctively grabbed his friend's right arm to keep himself upright. The Time Lord hissed in pain as soon as Jack touched him, but kept himself steady as he was used as a brace.

"Jesus, Doc, what's wrong with your arm? Your jumper's shredded!"

"Cat fight," he grinned. Seeing his friend's look of disbelief, he added, "I'm fine, Captain. I'm controlling the bleeding, and as long as we get back to the TARDIS soon, it shouldn't be a problem. Starting to worry about you, though. Are you going to be able to walk out of here?"

He was shivering, still felt weak in the knees, and wasn't sure his brain was processing information correctly. Did the Doctor just say he was controlling the bleeding? And the woman was awake? How long had he been out of it, anyway?

He knew the only possible answer to the question, however, so he put as much swagger as he could into his voice when he replied. "Sure, walking's no problem."

"Fantastic. Follow me, and we'll go pick up our hiking companion."

He headed towards some aspen trees about twenty feet away. Jack found that he was able to follow relatively easily once the circulation had finally returned to his body. He was cold and wet, but moving would help. He was also glad to see that the Doctor's headlamp was still bright; his own headlamp was just a feeble glow at this point.

The woman met them on the trail a few feet from the stand of trees. The Captain's first impression of a red headed pixie was enhanced by the sight of her in his greatcoat. The coat trailed the ground by a few inches, making her seem even shorter than she was. She might have looked like a kid playing dress-up, except for the blisters on her face reflected in the lamplight.

Not stopping to bother with introductions, the woman simply started walking up the path, putting herself between the two men. Although Jack was curious to learn her name, the weather was actually deteriorating, and he was relieved that he did not have to stop and be friendly.

Thirty minutes into the climb, he noticed a large figure lying unmoving on the trail in front of them. Had there been another time storm? Coming closer, he realized that whatever it was, it was not human. The angle of the limbs was all wrong, though it was huge. The body stretched over six feet, and it had to weigh at least 250, if not 300 pounds.

"What the hell was that?" he exclaimed as he passed by the creature.

"Mountain lion," the pixie woman answered as she paused to catch her breath.

The Doctor turned and retraced his steps. He stopped, looking regretfully at the dead mountain lion. "Told you I got into a cat fight. Come on, no time to be gawking." And with that said, he started back up the path.

Sometime after encountering the dead cat, the climb became a haze of monotony for all of them. Jack no longer noticed the Doctor or the woman directly in front of him. He merely focused on putting one foot in front of the other as he tried very hard not to slip and make and ass of himself. The woman, for her part, would slow whenever she noticed that the Captain was not keeping up. This made the Doctor check his own pace as soon as he noticed that his two charges were no longer directly behind them.

It was excruciatingly slow going, but eventually, they could make out the faint glow of the TARDIS in the distance. Putting his key into the lock, he paused and asked Jack to return his leather jacket. Too numb in both body and spirit to even ask why, the Captain mutely returned the jacket and the Time Lord eased into it. Opening the door, he ushered them to the warmth inside.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jack was the first inside and immediately noticed that Rose was not alone in the console room. The two kids were by her side, looking anxiously past him. Rose grinned at him, and then she too, looked past him to peer anxiously at the two people entering the TARDIS.

"Mom!" the kids shouted as they ran to wrap her into a tight hug.

Rose didn't run, but she was by the Doctor's side almost as quickly, embracing him tightly. "'Was worried about you! Seems like it's been forever. We poked our heads outside a little while ago and saw all the snow. Everyone alright?"

Jack quickly realized that everyone was not alright. Oh, the Doctor was acting normally, full of grins and assurances for Rose, but his body was tense, and he was carefully ensuring that she didn't touch his right arm. His leather jacket covered the shredded jumper, and it was apparent that he had wanted it back for that very reason. He obviously did not need it for the warmth.

Their newest passenger was also far from normal. She was leaning against one of the coral struts and had yet to acknowledge her children beyond accepting their embrace. In fact, it looked to Jack like she had suddenly gone into shock after maintaining her equilibrium on the brutal walk they had just endured. Wishing that he had thought to warn her of the whole 'bigger on the inside' aspect of the TARDIS, he quickly decided on a course of action.

"Come on, Rose, don't I get a hug? After all, I'm freezing, can't keep from shaking, and soaked to the bone." He whined playfully, knowing that she would be next to him in a second.

"Any excuse for a hug," she said happily as she put her arms around him. "Oh God, Jack, you're freezing! How can I help?"

He smiled softly at her, "Much as I'm tempted to answer 'share your body heat', I think some coffee would be in order, if you don't mind. I think I need to help the Doctor with our newest guest."

"Sure. It looks like she'll need a trip to the infirmary. Maybe I should take Matthew and Susan with me, so they won't be in the way. What do you think, Doctor?" Rose asked as she started to walk towards the interior of the ship.

"That would be a help, thanks," he replied as he approached the threesome. The woman had yet to respond to her kids' questions, and her children were becoming quite upset.

"Okay, you heard Rose, you two. The Captain and I are going to get your mother sorted, and you are going with Rose to the kitchen. I think we could all use something warm to drink and eat." He spoke more gently than normal, knowing that they would not want to leave their mother so soon after being reunited with her.

"Is she going to be okay?" Susan asked, as Matthew blurted, "Are you really an ET?"

He grinned. "She'll be fine; talk about the other later. I'm the Doctor and this is Captain Jack Harkness. By the way, Susan, nice to meet you. Now the faster you're gone, the faster we can help."

Reluctantly, the two let go of their mother and followed Rose down the corridors. As she was leaving, Rose looked severely at the Doctor. "You're getting blood on your jacket, you know."

Ignoring Rose's comment, he carefully approached the woman as Jack watched a few feet away. "Melissa, it's okay. You're safe. Your children are safe. You're in a ship. It's called the TARDIS; stands for Time and Relative Dimension in Space. It's bigger on the inside. You're safe." Laying his hand on her uninjured arm, he added, "I'm the Doctor. Do you remember? We found you outside."

As the Doctor said his name, she slowly gazed up at him. Her eyes were haunted but unfocused. When he made eye contact, she began whispering that she was sorry over and over again. Realizing that this was more than just shock at experiencing the TARDIS, Jack stood beside the Doctor to offer what help he could. Just as he was wondering if the TARDIS had sedatives on board, Melissa looked up again and gasped out with a wretched sob, "I tried to save them. I did. It's all my fault!"

Something in her tone sent chills up the Doctor's spine. Involuntarily, he took a step away from her, so it was left to his companion to comfort the now sobbing woman. In his arms, she quieted almost immediately; then, she abruptly pushed away from him. She slowly looked around as if seeing the TARDIS for the first time.

"Hi," she started uncertainly, "Uh, you're the captain who's coat I borrowed, aren't you? And you're the doctor who found me. You're bleeding. Does this, um, place have a first aid kit?"

Jack looked closely at the Doctor's jacket and realized that Rose had been correct earlier. The right cuff was now shiny with blood. "Oh, the TARDIS has something much better than a simple first aid kit. There's an entire infirmary just down the hall and to the right. We can get something for your face and arm there, too. Coming, Doc?" Jack put his hand on Melissa's back and led her through the ship.

The infirmary was a shiny metallic room with a wall of drawers and a single bed. In the far corner, there was also a sink, what looked like a TV monitor and a old metal chair. Usually, this was the Doctor's domain, as he would sprint around flinging open drawers, pulling out instruments, and healing whatever scrapes his companions had picked up due to their frequent bouts of running. However, Jack noticed that the Doctor was not currently up to much sprinting. He was standing stiffly against the wall near the door, his jaw was clenched, an intense look of concentration on his face. Blood was also trickling down his hand to drip slowly on the floor.

Jack began rummaging through some of the larger drawers, when Melissa interrupted him, "Captain," she said commandingly, "you're cold, soaked and still shivering. Go find some dry clothes to change into and get back in here."

"Doctor," she continued as she shucked off Jack's coat, "sit. I'm going to take that jacket off, and see how bad you're arm is." Looking back at Jack, she ordered, "Now move, Captain!"

Speeding towards his own room, Jack's mind raced. Okay, so maybe the lady was crazy, but she seemed to know how to order people around. Hopefully, she knew a thing or two about first aid. The Doc didn't seem to be doing so well since he had gotten back to the TARDIS; maybe the cold had been suppressing his circulation enough to slow the bleeding—then again, maybe not. He really didn't know enough about the Time Lord's biology to make a guess at this point. The only thing he could do was change quickly, hopefully stop shivering, and make a beeline back to the infirmary.

The Doctor had not said a word since sitting stiffly in the infirmary's chair. Melissa carefully pulled the black leather jacket off of his frame, and gasped involuntarily as she saw the shredded jumper and several long slash marks on the lower half of his right arm. One was so deep that she could see the bone beneath. Blood was flowing freely from that gouge, but was barely trickling from the other three cuts.

"I need scissors," she said, while assessing the wounds. He merely pointed with his left hand to a drawer in the middle of the wall. Grabbing a sharp pair of scissors from the drawer, she began to cut off the torn sleeve of the jumper. "It needs to be cleaned before it can be stitched. Do you have anything I can clean it with?"

"Water," the Doctor answered through clenched teeth.

"Just water?" she asked disbelieving. A small nod was all the answer she received, so she went to the sink and filled a large bowl with warm water. Grabbing a washcloth she had seen in the drawer with the scissors, she began to squeeze the water into the wounds. The Doctor's left hand clenched the arm of the chair to the point that Melissa thought the metal would break, but that was the only indication of pain that he gave.

As she washed the deepest gouge, Melissa noticed that blood was no longer seeping out of any of the cuts. Seeing the pale wounds, open and clean, unnerved her. Surely this person, who had a box that was much, much bigger on the inside, was no ordinary man. Still, he had saved her life, and he needed her help now. It didn't really matter if he was different; she owed him. Hoping her Red Cross training would be enough, she put the washcloth in the bowl and asked, "Is there anything to stitch the wounds closed with?"

"No stitches," he answered slowly, his eyes now tightly shut. His left hand gripped the arm of the chair so tightly that it bent.

"Okay, then what?"

"Top row, third from the door. Tube of blue gel and some large plasters." He ground the words out, his eyes squeezing even tighter.

She flung open the correct drawer just as Jack entered the room dressed in a dark orange velour track suit. He took one look at the Doctor's arm and softly exclaimed, "Jesus." Grabbing the gel out of Melissa's hands he announced, "Triplexian wound dressing, perfect." Then, he liberally squirted the gel into the Doctor's gashes. Finishing, he turned to Melissa and said, "Okay, find me something to stitch these closed."

"He said no stitches," she countered, handing him the plasters.

"Well, this is going to be fun. Like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. I just hope these are strong enough to keep everything closed."

Working efficiently, he finished binding the wounds in less than five minutes. Looking up, he saw that the Doctor's eyes were still shut tightly, although his hand was no longer warping the chair. He rested his hand on the Time Lord's shoulder, "Doctor? That's the best I can do. Are you sure you don't need stitches?"

Blowing out a long breath, the Doctor relaxed his entire body as he opened his eyes to look down at his arm. "Fantastic. That should do fine, although you can wrap the arm. Need something to keep the plasters from coming off when I change." Jack agreed and found a wide roll of gauze to wrap the Doctor's forearm.

Grinning as if nothing had happened, he watched his friend work. "By the way, Captain, I don't think orange is your color.

"If you don't like it, I could take it off."

"Still haven't bought me that drink." The Doctor grinned back; his companion seemed to be back to his old self.

They both turned around as Melissa snorted behind them. She had been using the wet washcloth to wipe the blood off the leather jacket, but couldn't help laughing at the two men as they joked with each other. She blushed slightly when she looked up to find them regarding her intently.

"Melissa Morgan, thank you kindly for the first aid. I don't think I've properly introduced you to Captain Jack Harkness. I'm afraid the Captain was sleeping on the job when I arrived."

"Hey, it was cold, snowing, and I did loan her my coat!"

"For which I am truly grateful, Captain." She was grateful, even if she was confused, befuddled and definitely out of her depth.

The former Time Agent gently took her hand and raised it to his lips. "Please call me Jack." Looking intently at her raised arm, he asked, "Is Triplexian wound dressing effective on weeping blisters, Doc?"

Jumping up, the Doctor peered intently at the sunburn on Melissa's arm and face. Before she quite knew what was happening, she found herself seated in the chair the Doctor had just vacated.

"Looks like the wool of the coat rubbed the blisters raw in spots. The gel should work well for that, and stop some of the stinging. Use it on her face, too, Jack. We don't want any scarring."

The gel was blissfully cool on her throbbing face, and smelled faintly of aloe. The Doctor was patched up; Captain Harkness was no longer shivering; and she was no longer in pain. It was past time, she thought, to ask some questions.

"Doctor, you told me my children would be here, but I haven't seen them."

At this, both men frowned. It was disconcerting to see the same of look of concern on both their faces. Jack started to open his mouth, but looking at the Doctor promptly shut it. Taking the lead, the Time Lord asked, "How much do you remember of the hike back here?"

"Well," she said slowly, trying to put her thoughts in order. "I remember you carrying me to some trees. You told me that you were the Doctor, no name attached, and you and the captain were here to rescue me. You said that we were going to have to hike up for a while, and that the captain had hypothermia. You went and got him. Um, we all went up the mountain. We saw a dead mountain lion. We walked forever; then, I saw a strange blue box, and, uh, that's all I remember until I woke up in Captain Harkness' arms." As she finished speaking, she flushed, remembering coming to her senses in the arms of a man who was drop-dead gorgeous.

"Okay, first, the strange blue box is called the TARDIS. Stands for time and relative dimension in space. It's bigger on the inside, and it's my ship. You seemed fine until you entered, and then you became non-responsive. Your children were embracing you, but you didn't move. My friend Rose took them to the kitchen so Jack and I could help you without them watching. They should still be there fixing us all something warm to eat."

"Your ship defies common sense," she blurted, feeling a little dazed.

"The TARDIS is the most magnificent ship in the universe, and she's one of a kind. Besides, you primitive apes have a lot to learn about common sense," the Doctor answered with a grin.

"So, are you human?" Melissa wasn't sure why she felt the need to ask that question. After seeing how his body had responded to such a grave injury, she already knew the answer.

"Not human. Is that a problem for you?"

"You look human," she commented stupidly.

"Get that often," he agreed, looking very somber.

"Uh, no problem, I mean, with the whole not human thing," Melissa stammered. "Are you human?" she asked, looking at Jack, still gorgeous in his absurd orange sweats.

"Very. Of course, I'm from the fifty-first century."

"Uh, so this ship travels in time?" she squeaked.

"Time and space," agreed Jack. "We overthrow dictators, eat chips, run for our lives, and always stop to rescue damsels in distress."

She didn't open her mouth until she thought the trembling in her voice would be less noticeable. "Oh, I should thank you both again, if I haven't yet. For rescuing me. I don't know what happened. Um, it's a lot to take in. Can I see my kids now?"

The Doctor helped her out of the chair. "Your children should be down the hall to the left. You can't miss the kitchen. Jack and I will catch up in a few minutes." Seeing that she was slightly nervous, he grinned, "It is a lot to take in at once. You're doing fantastic, Melissa Morgan." Nodding, she headed towards the kitchen.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As soon as she had left the room, Jack asked the Doctor, "So what do you think of the memory loss?"

The Time Lord stood, arms folded, critcally studying his companion. "Flashback, shock, time lash, brain tumor-I don't know and don't particularly care at the moment, Captain." Gone was the grin of a few seconds ago. In its place was a look of steel that Jack had seen on the alien's face only a few times before.

"What kind of stupid stunt was that? You almost got yourself killed, you dumb ape!" The Doctor thundered as he pushed Jack down into the well-used chair and began to scan him with the sonic screwdriver.

"Your core body temperature dropped t degrees in less than two hours. I'm surprised your heart didn't go into arrhythmia, never mind the hypothermia. I'm not a mind reader, Captain! I don't know what genetic modifications you've had. So tell me the next time before I get you killed!"

Jack opened his mouth and closed it like a drowning fish. He felt like he was behind the curve once again, and it was putting him into a bad mood. "What the hell are you talking about, Doc? As far as I know, I don't have any modifications apart from standard Time Agency inoculations."

"Your body's been genetically altered to adapt to extreme heat, Captain. Usually not a problem, unless you decide to go out into a blizzard and give away your coat. Deliberately pausing so he could control his emotions, the Doctor finally asked, "I take it this was done without your knowledge?"

"Well, it could have been done during those two years and I just don't remember it."

"Where and when did you say you were born?" The Doctor doubted this had anything to do with the Time Agency.

"I didn't," he responded curtly. He did not want to slog through his own ancient history with anyone.

"Captain."

"I was born on Boeshane, 5043." Jack hoped he had said it with enough indifference that his friend would not press.

"Lived in the capital city, did you?" the Doctor asked casually.

"Peninsula," he countered, although he momentarily considered lying. He did not want to have this conversation.

Nodding, the Doctor commented offhandedly, "You were probably modified at birth to adapt to that climate. No harm done, just remember to wear the proper gear next time you play in the snow."

"Will do," he replied with the same air of nonchalance. "I think I'll go into the kitchen and get something to eat. You coming?"

"Go ahead. I'm going to finish getting the blood out of my jacket and find a new jumper first. Tell Rose that I'll be there in a bit."

As the Doctor left the infirmary to find a new jumper, his mind was troubled. Jack had been born on Boeshane, a tiny excuse of a planet that he had never considered visiting in all of his long lives. A botched terraform job had left it only marginally inhabitable, and at that point in its history it was subject to raids from a truly nasty race whose only pleasure in life seemed to be torture.

Although the capital boasted the latest amenities of fifty-first century technology, the peninsula had been left to fend for itself, resulting in the development of a traditional clan structure. Members of the clans were fiercely loyal to their way of life, and left the planet only under extreme circumstances. Jack's previous profession and liberal moral code in light of his background indicated a significant childhood trauma. It would also explain his overt empathy with this family, injured and torn from their home. With the mystery of Jack's uncharacteristic behavior solved, the Doctor strode quickly down the corridors to retrieve new clothing. He was anxious to get back to the kitchen; he had a suspicion that his life was about to get uncomfortably domestic.