My Doctor

It was just another day in Torchwood for Jack. Reports to be written, documents to be signed, Rifts to supervise...

Until that phone call came.

Jack had been tempted to ignore the incoming call in favor of tasting Ianto's wonderful coffee, but thought better of it. Hey, it might've been UNIT calling to tell them that they had another alien invasion on their hands.

It wasn't UNIT, and no, there was no alien invasion occurring. It was Sherlock Holmes.

"Sherlock! To what pleasure do I owe this call?" Jack grinned in genuine surprise.

"Sorry, this isn't a social call." Sherlock responded grimly. "It's actually quite an emergency and I didn't know who else to call."

Jack's eyebrows furrowed concernedly and he leaned his hip on his desk. "What happened, Sherlock?" he asked.

"I was on a non-police related case which brought me and John to the countryside. It's a missing persons case and..." Sherlock took a deep breath. "John's gone."

"John's gone?" Jack parroted, beginning to pace his office now. "Are you sure he's not just out on a long walk, or something?"

"For two days?" Sherlock retorted. "I've already contacted authorities in the nearest village, they said people disappear from this place all the time. But, they told me that they'd contact me if they found him."

"I see." Jack sighed, collapsing into his seat. "Sorry to hear that."

"I don't know what to do, Jack." Sherlock admitted suddenly. "I don't know what the Hell to do."

Jack knew how strange the whole situation must be for Sherlock. Sherlock was always the first to have an answer for everything, he was a man of action. But now his mind was a jumbled mess of panicked thoughts and horrible what-ifs.

"It'll be fine, Sherlock. I'm sure the good doctor can take care of himself. You yourself told me that he was ex-military. I'm sure he knows a thing or two about self-defense, should the need arise."

"You don't understand, Jack!" Sherlock expelled impatiently. "If my deductions are correct, which, they usually are. Then there is something very dangerous out here. John wouldn't come all the way out here if he didn't think that I'd be in some sort of danger!"

"Okay, calm down Sherlock." Jack murmured quietly.

"I can't calm down, Jack!" Sherlock snapped. "Seventeen people have disappeared in the same twenty-mile radius, counting John, that's eighteen. None of those people have turned up yet. They can't just disappear without someone deliberately making them!" Sherlock sucked in a deep breath after his agitated rant.

"Sherlock, calm down, breathe...!" Jack sighed.

"You have to help me find him, Jack." Sherlock continued, ignoring him.

"Sherlock, call the police, get them to send out search parties, maybe Dr. Watson just got lost?" Jack reasoned futiley. "Just because he's not there, doesn't mean he's dead."

"Let's not have a misunderstanding here, Jack." Sherlock hissed back at him. "He's not like your Torchwood, he's not trained to fight aliens. And he's definitely not your Doctor, he's my doctor. He's not an eccentric genius, in fact, he's a bit stupid. There's nothing extraordinary about him, he's as normal as a person gets. He obviously doesn't own a time-traveling blue box, he's no energetic madman, he hasn't saved the world but he's saved me. And he definitely doesn't have regenerative abilities so I can't even be sure that he's still alive."

"He's somewhere out there, Jack, with something that caused seventeen people to disappear from the face of the Earth. I'm assuming the other victims are all dead, but I'm not about to let John die."

Jack was silent for a moment, thoughtful, then he sighed in defeat. "Where are you, Sherlock?"

"Brecon Beacons." was Sherlock's meek response.

Jack nodded determinedly, searching for the missing persons cases in question. "I'll call my team together."

There was a shocked silence on the other end of the line for a moment. "Thank you." Sherlock responded tiredly, clearly exhausted from searching for John single-handedly. Then he hung up.

"Everybody alright?" Jack called out after they had apprehended the group of cannibals. "Tosh? Ianto?"

"All the better for seeing you, Sir." Ianto responded and Tosh waved back at him, exhausted from the ordeal.

Then, Jack's phone buzzed. Successfully helped John escape unnoticed during your gallant rescue. He's fine, though shaken up and worse for wear. Getting him cleaned up and put on the first train back to London. Thanks. -SH

Jack smiled in both relief and satisfaction.

The End