"Hello again, Gorgeous!" the unexpected visitor said as he walked towards Hermione. His American accent was even more pronounced by his playful and amused tone. While he spoke, his hands reached out to her and one of them gently directed away the wand that was still steadily pointed at his head.

"Anywhere but the face, Sweetheart!" he requested with a wink. "Well…maybe not anywhere!" he added with a deep chuckle while the other hand and arm snaked around her waist in a completely unnecessary gesture to steady her from her previous almost-stumble. When the witch did not complain or attempt to hex him, he allowed his other arm to wrap securely around her, as well - even though it was clear that she had already recovered from her initial surprise.

"Jack!" Hermione whispered breathily at the sight of attractive man who now held her close as she also remembered how eager she had been to renew their all-too-short acquaintance. "What in Merlin's name are you doing here?"

The self-proclaimed Captain just laughed as he gave her a squeeze. Then, he tugged her back over to the sofa with him as he explained. "I ran into the Doctor and the oh-so-sly River Song on one of the Egyptian planets. I forget exactly which one, though, since I tend to lose count after a couple of News. At any rate, while I recovered from my disappointment that a certain very attractive witch was not with them, the very first thing I did was confiscate a fez that our mutual alien friend had somehow acquired. His fashion sense is simply deplorable in his current body, you know. In fact, I really wish you could have seen him back when he wore leather." Much to Hermione's amusement, Jack then paused to make a sound of appreciation at the memory of the Doctor's former incarnation before he continued.

"Anyway, after saving the Doc from the fashion police, I had to stick around in order to help him out of a tight spot with some rather irritated mummies who did not appreciate having their sleep disturbed when somebody just had to stop to play the booby-trapped harp…the one that dropped us all down the trapdoor into the…Well, you've traveled long enough with him that you get the idea!" Jack paused in his story once again in order to flash his knee-weakening grin at her. Hermione felt herself grow warm at the look…and some parts of her even tingled…so much so that she was grateful that he continued to tell his story so that she had a chance to get those wayward parts under control before he noticed.

Jack sent yet another slow and sly grin her way to show her that he had definitely noticed the effect that he had on her, but he went on to finish his explanation anyway. "Afterwards, as a show of appreciation…and I suspect to get me out of their hair while they went on a real vacation…the Doctor told me exactly when you would be home and even gave me a boost." Here the handsome man paused again to tap at the leather band on his wrist…the one that Hermione suspected housed his time travel device, "in order to make sure that I got here at exactly the right time."

Hermione could not help but to smile at the apparent message of the narrative. Even though it had only been a few hours since she had seen the Doctor from her perspective, it sounded as if it had already been much longer than that for him. Well, that is time travel for you! she thought with an indulgent shake of her head as she realized that, regardless of how long it had been, the whole story sounded exactly like the kind of situation in which their Doctor would have been involved. Not only that, but it also seemed as if her alien friend approved of the idea of her and Jack together. Why else would he have sent the man directly to me? she wondered, and for the first time ever, she found that she was grateful for a friend's interference in her love life. With that acknowledgement, she then turned her focus back on the man next to her

"Well, I should be furious with you for showing up here unannounced," she scolded, but they both knew that her words held no heat. "You still have to tell me how you got past my security wards, too." She then dropped the harsh act in order to smile brightly at him, however. "Regardless of all that, though, I have to admit that I am happy to see you, Jack. I wasn't sure when we would get the chance again. What a strange coincidence that you happened to run into our friends!"

"I'm happy to be here, too!" he agreed amiably. "As for the wards…well…I am a man of many talents." He paused to waggle his eyebrow suggestively at her and it was clear to Hermione that the obvious innuendo was designed to make her laugh (even though it also reignited her tingling fire-down-below sensation again) before he continued. "However, I will tell you all about that later." He paused to grin goodnaturedly at her again. "About the Doc, though…With all of time and space to choose from, it's amazing how often I run across him in my travels – especially since I know that he does not do it on purpose – mainly because he is such a terrible driver in the first place. In fact, he once brought a good friend of ours back home a whole year late, you know. Her mother actually thought she had been kidnapped…or worse. The Doctor even got slapped for it." Jack sounded quite amused by the idea and Hermione snickered slightly at the thought of their alien friend being smacked by an angry mother. No wonder he had seemed to keep a wary eye on Molly the entire time he was at the Burrow!

Jack shared her mirth briefly before his handsome countenance darkened as he continued to explain his thoughts upon the matter. "At any rate, I have always suspected that it is the TARDIS who purposely makes sure that we cross paths every so often. I think that it is her way to make sure that our friend has some company…someone who actually understands…when he needs it the most. After all, he doesn't do well on his own, you know…and he is terrible at asking for help."

Hermione nodded solemnly. She had travelled with the Doctor long enough to know that a lot of deep sadness and pain – including the loneliness that she had caught a glimpse of earlier in the evening - hid beneath her friend's cheerfully exuberant exterior facade. There was a darkness inside that he tried to keep at bay with interesting companions and constant adventures…and one that would probably overwhelm him if he was left alone too long. Hermione had seen enough of war and death to understand that darkness…and she knew that River had, as well. In fact, Hermione suspected that it was one of the reasons that they had all bonded so quickly and thoroughly during their time together on the TARDIS.

When her thought-filled eyes looked up to meet Jack's, she had a sudden understanding of why she had apparently already forged a connection with him, as well - even though they had only met once before. She could relate to the man because he had experienced more than his fair share of that darkness, too. Somehow, she just knew that they would do well together…and she looked forward to learning more about the enigmatic man who had been willing to travel unshielded through time and space just to see her again.

Therefore, she simply threaded her fingers through his as she told him her honest thoughts about the matter at hand. His impossibly blue eyes brightened even further at their physical contact…and he obviously appreciated the apparent meaning of her message, as well. Consequently, he returned her warm and compassionate look with a heated one of his own.

"Well, Darlin," he drawled in a low tone that somehow made all of her lady parts stand at attention. "I certainly can't argue with any of that since I know that we have all had our share of trouble. I guess our only choice then is to make the most of the situation…and our time together…by learning everything we can about each other!"

Hermione laughed at the obvious emphasis even as she immediately dissuaded that notion. "Not tonight, Harkness!" she told him kindly, but seriously…and with quite a bit of regret, as well, as she purposely disregarded the desire that had continued to pool low in her belly ever since his arrival. The intensity in his eyes as he continued to gaze at her did not help the matter, either. It had been way too long since anyone had shown such an obvious interest in her…much less a man as good-looking and charismatic as Jack. However, she still gave a firm shake of her head anyways - partly for his benefit, but also to convince herself. "I have been awake for at least a couple of linear days now…you know how it is when you travel with the Doctor. Plus, I have just come from an extremely emotional family reunion, so I am completely exhausted - both physically and mentally. Therefore…unless you can promise to behave yourself in my bed tonight…you will get the sofa or the guest room."

Even though Hermione fully intended to stick to that resolve, she could not help the little smile that escaped her at the way Jack pouted in disappointment at her declaration. Consequently, she took pity on him…and gave herself something to look forward to, as well…when she murmured. "However…tomorrow…after I have had a bit of rest…well…that's a completely different story, you know." She then leaned in to seal the promise with a gentle kiss. As he returned the favor with an enthusiasm that was heated enough to curl her toes, she briefly wavered. Nevertheless, her exhaustion soon returned in full force and convinced her that they would have plenty of time for those kinds of activities later.

After all, somehow she already knew that after she tied up all of her loose ends and put her life in London in stasis for the time being, she would not be the only one who joined the Doctor (and probably River, too) aboard the TARDIS for more adventures when they arrived back in a week to collect her. After all, it was clear to her that the Doctor had already anticipated that Jack would join them. In fact, with his special Time Lord abilities, he had probably already seen it in their timelines – even though she knew that he would never admit that he had actually peeked at them in the first place. Nevertheless, that particular thought was quite exciting and Hermione realized that…without a doubt…she looked forward to such a new intriguing development in her already exceptional existence! Consequently, she smiled confidently at the man again as she led him to her bedroom. Once there, despite his disappointment, he proceeded to prove just how much he already understood her as he carefully tucked her under the covers and then contented himself with simply holding her close throughout the night as he made sure that she got the rest that she clearly needed.

However, he certainly did not complain when the kiss with which she awakened him the next morning was far from chaste…or about anything else that occurred between the two of them for the entire week that followed. In fact, he soon felt so comfortable with the witch who led such an equally unusual lifestyle as his own that, before he even knew what had happened, he found that he had somehow confessed his biggest secret to her.

"I can't die, you know," he had whispered to her in the dark before he had even realized what he had said.

The knowledge of his apparent immortality...and how it had occurred…saddened Hermione because she knew that it was obviously what had caused the darkness and loneliness that she had already seen within him. However, to his extreme surprise, his situation did not seem to shock or frighten the witch at all! In truth, she had seen and experienced too many strange things in the magical world and through her journeys with the Doctor for her to be judgmental because of something over which he had no control. She had never been that kind of person, anyway.

"At least it wasn't Horcruxes," was therefore her only response as she simply drew him near again and helped to reassure him…with another bout of energetic lovemaking…that his condition did not change anything that was developing between them.

They continued to grow closer during that week while Jack reacquainted himself with the 21st century…and Hermione ironically prepared to leave it behind. The man also thoroughly charmed her friends and family when he met them. He even helped her to explain the extremely complex situation when she finally admitted to them all that she had spent almost the last entire linear year of her life aboard a time and space ship with an ancient alien – even though they had mistakenly thought that she had only been gone a few days.

Fortunately, the continued presence of the Williams family in the Burrow helped tremendously to ease the concerns that the Potters and Weasleys expressed at the unexpected and alarming news. When the magical side of the family learned of the unusual familial relationship between the muggle side and the Doctor…and the knowledge that not only had Hermione and Jack traveled with him, but that Rory and Amy still occasionally joined him for adventures, as well…they lifted all of their objections. After all, they only wanted Hermione to be happy…and it was clear that even though her travels with the Doctor were sometimes dangerous, they had also been better for her than anything that either magical or muggle Britain had ever been able to offer her on their own. Therefore, after Hermione promised to come back and visit often, even Harry and Ron found that they could happily support her decision for a new life – no matter how unorthodox of a life it seemed to be.

Consequently, when the TARDIS reappeared – right on time at the end of the week – in the middle of Hermione's lounge, Jack and Hermione boarded together with light hearts. The ship's cheerful welcoming hum, River's smug expression, and the Doctor's knowing gaze proved what Hermione and Jack had suspected all along. They did not have time to discuss it, however, because the Doctor's first attempt to take them to a relaxing vacation planet instead ended with them landing on a planet with a corrupt government where, of course, they were immediately separated and incarcerated.

"What do you think it is like to live a normal life?" the witch consequently mused aloud to her immortal boyfriend once they, along with their ancient alien and the assassin-turned-space archaeologist friends, all managed to escape and reunite on their sentient ship…but not before they had led the other unlawfully imprisoned residents of the planet into an uprising, as well.

"Who knows, Darlin'? Normal is such a relative term, don't you think?" Jack answered cheerfully as he pulled her close and kissed her with intent. "Therefore, it's impossible for it to apply to awesome people like us!"

Hermione found that she could only laugh in agreement before she returned his kiss with enthusiasm. Then, before she dragged him off to their shared bedroom, she took a moment to agree to the Doctor's suggestion that they all go pick up the Ponds before their next adventure. After all, she knew that when it came to living a not-so-normal life, it was definitely a case of the more the merrier!