AN: Once again, beta'd by the lovely Jessie Blackwood (thank you) and I had less mistakes this time too…..Got the dissertation done as well! For all you romantics out there, have a lovely Valentine's Day.

This is dedicated to Greg Fuller 1965 – 1998.

RESIGNED PART 16

"Doctor."

"Hello Jack."

The two men eyed one another with a degree of uncertainty, the events of a vanished year both behind and between them. The bitter East wind whipped up their coat tails as it swept across the deserted Plas. The Doctor stood in the reassuring doorway of his faithful time machine, one hand on the door as he fought to quash the feeling of discomfort that always came with his proximity to his immortal, former companion.

"You sent me message, about your Welshman?"

Jack's hands were in his pockets, for some reason he felt the need to appear relaxed, an unconscious effort to assure his friend and mentor that all was well, even though it wasn't.

"Yes, something has happened to him and this time I don't know how to fix it, I was hoping you could help."

The Doctor stepped forwards, closing the blue door at his back. He glanced around and smiled at the early morning sunlight.

"Its going to be a lovely day." He commented.

Jack took a moment to follow his gaze. "Yes, it is." He wondered if the Doctor were travelling alone now and hoped that he wasn't.

"So…er." Jack hesitated.

The Doctor collected himself and flashed an impish grin. "Well you'd best take me to him. I've come a long way. Had to drop Donna off at her Mum's house and pop in on Sarah Jane, do you know Sarah at all?"

Jack felt himself physically relax, and found himself smiling properly too. The Doctor's familiar banter was calming, a good indication that the relationship between them was on even ground, at least. "It's good to see you."

The Doctor paused, he met Jack's gaze with a smile. "It's good to see you too…..Oooh, does this mean I get to see your underground lair?"

"Lair? I'll have you know it's very homely down there." Jack responded with mock indignity. "So how is Miss Smith?"

"She's very well."

"I'm glad to hear it. I've yet to meet her, but we've been keeping an eye. That lady sure knows how to handle herself though."

The Doctor was glowing with pride. "She most certainly does and I am pleased to hear that you have her back."

"Always Doc, she's a companion and I am glad she adopted that kid, Luke." Jack led the way to the tourist office since the lift had the TARDIS sitting right on top of it. The Doctor strolled alongside him.

"So Torchwood, eh?"

Jack offered up a toothy grin. "I have a good team Doc, you'll like them. We try our best."

"So what happened to Mr Jones?"

"I'm not sure. Ianto was away on leave and then he just disappeared into thin air and just as mysteriously turned up on our doorstep a few weeks later. Trouble is he no longer remembers who he is and has no idea what happened to him. Our efforts to help him only seem to trigger painful seizures and my medic cannot determine the cause of any of it."

The Doctor listened intently, recalling what had happened to the Welshman during 'that year'. He wondered whether or not to tell Jack, but had decided against it, there was no reason to upset his friend over something that technically didn't happen at all.

"So he wasn't injured or ill then?"

Jack shook his head as he pulled a bunch of keys from his coat pocket and unlocked the rather unglamorous entrance to the Hub. The Doctor followed him into dingy, though spotlessly clean, tourism office. He gazed about as Jack locked up.

"Not like Canary Wharf then."

Jack grinned. "Nothing like. This place was built in the nineteenth century." He hit the button for the 'secret' door. "Trust me Doc, we don't operate along the same lines as Hartman's regime did and quite frankly I am never going to listen to a politician ever again."

Gwen and Tosh were both waiting eagerly by the cog door when Jack and the Doctor stepped through.

"Doc this is Gwen Cooper and To….."

"Toshiko Sato, we meet again." The Doctor shook her hand enthusiastically and Tosh was blushing furiously, surprised that the enigmatic Timelord remembered her. "And Gwen, well you look just like… Do you come from an old Cardiff family?"

Gwen just smiled in surprise as he grasped her hand.

"Well, yes."

The Doctor was smiling broadly as he turned to Jack. "I like them already, this little team of yours."

Jack's chest swelled with delight and pride.

A movement high above his head caught their attention. "Good lord is that a…..?"

"Yep, we have a pterodactyl too, though Ianto insists it's a pteranodon."

"And he'd be right too, she's a beauty, did she come through the Rift?" The Doctor continued to watch Myfanwy's path in awe as she flew overhead, cawing excitedly.

"Yeah, Ianto normally takes care of her, it was him that found her." Jack's heart suddenly sank. "Come on, I'll take you to him."

The Doctor followed with Gwen and Tosh trailing behind. The two girls stood together on the observation level and Jack and the Doctor stepped down into Owen's domain.

"Owen, meet the Doctor, Doc, this is Dr Owen Harper, my medic."

Owen eyed the stranger with mild suspicion but stuck out his hand anyway. The Doctor shook the proffered hand and nodded a greeting. He turned his gaze to Ianto, who was asleep on the autopsy table, under a blanket, Owen's bank of monitors positioned by his head.

"This is Ianto." Owen gestured. "I presume Jack has filled you in on the details?"

Jack was shaking his head as he went to Ianto's side. "No, I thought I'd leave that with you." He gently petted Ianto's hair.

Owen picked up his charts and watched as the Doctor stepped up to the bedside and took a long look at his patient.

"How long has he been like this?"

Owen shrugged. "We're not sure, but it could be as long as 5 weeks or as little as 48 hours, that's all we have to go on." He offered his notes and the Doctor took them. Jack, meanwhile turned his attention to Gwen and Tosh.

"Tosh do we have anything on the predictor for today?"

"Yes, this afternoon, looks like it could be quite a big spike too, but I don't have a location fix yet."

"Ok, keep an eye on it. Gwen, could you please bring some tea to the briefing room?"

Both women nodded and left the area.

"Thank you." Jack called as they departed.

The Doctor was intent on the charts in his hands as Owen stood by, ready to answer any queries. Jack stood there holding his breath, waiting for one of them to speak, but he was startled by a moan from Ianto. Three sets of eyes settled on the prone patient and Jack gently resumed carding his fingers through Ianto's lank hair.

"Ssshh, it's okay Ianto." He said gently.

Wide blue eyes blinked up at him and confusion masked Ianto's pale face.

"Jack?"

"Hey there."

Owen was immediately attentive.

"How's the pain, Ianto?"

Ianto turned his head to face the medic on the other side of him. "Not so bad as it was, thank you." Came the quiet reply.

"You're welcome mate. We've brought in another Doctor to take a look at you, is that alright?"

Ianto nodded. "Yes." He closed his eyes briefly. "May I have a drink of water?"

Jack smiled. "Yes, I'll just go and fetch it." He turned to the others. "Looks like I shall be bringing your tea down here Doctor."

The Doctor was intent on the charts in his hands. "That would be lovely Jack."

Ianto wanted to sit up, but he felt washed out, so he lay there gazing at the white tiled ceiling high above, not really listening to the voices around him. He didn't want to listen, didn't want to think, didn't want to remember. He closed his eyes again and contented himself with just relaxing and letting others do the worrying for him, he was just too tired. He dozed in a haze of cotton wool and it took him sometime to realise that someone was gently shaking his arm and speaking to him.

"….Hey, I brought some water. Do you think you can sit up?"

Ianto blinked at Jack, whose face was close to his. Ianto could smell spices and the scent made him relax in a way he could not understand. It didn't matter, he smiled faintly anyway.

"I think I need a hand." He replied quietly. Suddenly there were many hands on him, gently easing him upright until he was able to recline against a stack of pillows and bedding.

Ianto looked at the three men who had helped him up.

"Thanks."

Jack helped with the glass of water and Ianto sipped at it through a straw. When he'd had enough he thanked Jack again. He was aware of the three sets of eyes watching him.

"Ianto, this is my friend, the Doctor, he's going to take a look at you, is that ok?" Jack was sitting on a stool at his left side and just nodded, looking at the new arrival, who seemed familiar to him. He watched as the man put down Owen's medical charts and focussed his sharp gaze on Ianto himself.

"Hello Ianto. I'm not going to ask you too many questions, because I suspect stimulating your memory is what has brought on the pain. However having read Dr Harper's notes I'd like your permission to have a look inside your head, if that's alright."

Ianto tensed visibly. "You want to cut open my head?" His hands fisted into the sheets, making his knuckles go as white as the fabric covering him. He saw Owen glancing worriedly at his monitors.

The Doctor was smiling at him, kindly. "No, no." He pointed to his own head. "No I can see into your mind, if you'll …. Well it's bit like reading a book, but I need your willingness to open the cover."

Ianto looked from this Doctor to Jack, who offered up a reassuring grin. "It's alright Ianto, it doesn't hurt. I trust him."

Ianto was reluctant and watched as Jack's hand covered one of his own and gave a gentle squeeze. "We're just trying to help, but he can't do it without your consent."

"Look mate, I'll be here, making sure you're safe."

Ianto looked at Owen, surprised by the words and then wondering why he should be. After some minutes he finally relented and nodded his head.

"Alright. Do it."