Rose resisted the urge to turn her car around.

It didn't matter how hard this was going to be; it still needed to be done.

She was going to meet Captain Jack Harkness.

It had been nearly seven years since she started working at Torchwood, and it was only now that she'd found his file. Only now that whispers of Torchwood Three even came to her ears.

She'd known about Torchwood Two of course. That was in Glasgow, and almost as important as the London branch. But Torchwood Three had never been mentioned.

When she first heard about it, very much intrigued and even a little affronted that nobody had ever bothered to mention it to her, she'd gone to her desk and brought up the files. It had been set up quietly in Cardiff a few years ago, mainly to monitor the rift which the city was built on, and continued to encounter all sorts of alien activity. She wondered if there'd been one in her own world with the same aim. The team was small - only five of them. She didn't bother to look at most of them; just went straight for the leader.

And there he was.

He looked exactly the same. And she knew she had to meet him.

They'd all tried to stop her, reminding her that it wasn't the same Jack and that he wouldn't even know her, but she didn't really think any of them had the right to comment on this. Mickey had become Ricky almost without hesitation; her mum and Pete had taken the roles of their parallel world counterparts with surprising ease. Jack might not know her, but he'd still essentially be Jack.

It was only now that she was actually entering Cardiff that the reality was beginning to hit her.

She'd said goodbye to the Doctor all those years ago; it had taken a long time to get past the initial grief and heartbreak, but she'd done it. She'd even dated a few people since then, and although nothing had ever come of it, she'd proved to herself that she'd moved on. She no longer spent her life mourning. But now she was going to see a man who was the exact image of someone she'd only known because of her time with the Doctor; someone who'd been there for them both; someone who'd died for them. And yet it wouldn't really be him. The potential emotional fallout, she was beginning to realise, was huge.

It didn't matter.

She had to see him. Logic wasn't important; reasons weren't important.

She just had to do it. It was as simple as that.

Pete had been sympathetic enough to organise for her visit to be an official one, to avoid as much potential awkwardness as possible. That way, she could tell Jack the truth if it seemed appropriate; if not, she could simply depart, taking with her a report on the running of Torchwood Three, and leave it at that.

Apparently someone was going to meet her on the Plass and take her into the Hub. She made her way to the docks and began to pace back and forth across the paving slabs, getting more and more agitated as the minutes ticked by.

"Miss Tyler?" came a soft Welsh lilt, and Rose span around. And breathed in sharply, eyes blinking furiously.

She was expecting a familiar face, but not this one.

"Is something wrong?" the woman asked, frowning and coming closer to lay a comforting hand on her arm.

"No... I mean... yes... I mean..." Rose paused, confused. "You just look a lot like someone I knew, that's all. Her name was Gwyneth... she died..." Her voice trailed off and she tried to pull herself together, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry."

"That's okay. Are you Rose Tyler?" Rose nodded. "I'm Gwen Cooper. If you'll just follow me I'll take you inside."

She followed Gwen across the Plass and along the docks, then into a building fronted with wooden panelling. She was somewhat surprised to find herself in an office which looked a lot like a tourist information centre. She supposed it made sense though. In a place as public as this, a cover story would be vital.

Sitting behind the desk was a dark haired man in a suit and tie; despite her preoccupation, she couldn't help thinking he looked a bit out of place, too smart for his surroundings.

"Ianto Jones," introduced Gwen. "He makes the best coffee in the world."

"I try my best." He smiled, looking slightly nervous. Rose smiled back, trying to mask her own anxiety.

"Nice to meet you." Ianto nodded in response, and moved something underneath the desk. One of the leaflet stands seemed to open up before her, revealing a dark passageway.

Well, here goes, she thought, and followed Gwen into the Hub.