Breaking Point

Torchwood Parallels

It had been a quiet day in the Torchwood hub, something that Jack Harkness was thankful for. After the mess with the planets moving a couple of weeks ago. It was the first quiet day since then, mostly because using the rift to tow the planet home let a few...interesting things in.

"There's a large, blue box appearing in the Plass," Ianto Jones informed Jack, who then rushed as fast as he could out the big, gear shaped door to go through the secret entrance at the back of the tourist office. He'd have simply gone through the lift with the perception filter on it, but the Doctor had a habit of parking the TARDIS right on it, so he knew that way was likely blocked.

When he got outside, he saw the blue box and headed toward it. He wondered what he'd find when he got there. Jack hoped that it was the version of the Doctor in the suit with the great hair. He wondered what happened after Sarah Jane, Martha, Mickey, and himself were dropped off. Rose's mother, Jackie needed to go back to the other universe, she had a new family there. She had proudly shown off pictures of her son and husband while they towed the Earth.

He wasn't running to see the Doctor this time, though. No, this time, he was running to see his little sister in flirt, and she had better be there.

The door to the TARDIS opened, and out stepped the Doctor, wearing that tight, blue suit. He saw Jack and said, "Hey Jackie-boy! I've got someone who wants to see ya."

Suddenly, his little partner in crime came out of the open door of the TARDIS. When she saw him, she gave him a tongue- filled grin and exclaimed, "Oh, Jack, I have missed you terribly!" She came over to him, almost at a run, with her arms open. When she got to him, she practically jumped into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her waist and swung her around. Now this was a greeting. They hadn't had a chance for a proper greeting the first time they had seen each other, what with the universe ending and the Doctor regenerating and him dying and all. He put Rose down and pulled back when he heard the Doctor chuckle from near the timeship.

"So, Rosie, long time no see. How long's it been?" he asked her.

"Two days since the crucible," she replied. "You?"

"A couple weeks."

A third figure came out of the TARDIS: the other Doctor. This one was wearing the brown suit and had the trenchcoat on. He wondered how this was working out. He himself was still giddy at the thought. That was a lot of sexy Time Lord.

The Doctor pulled the door of the big, blue box shut behind him, noticed Jack was there, and said, "Hey Jack." He seemed moody, well moodier than he usually was anyway.

Jack noticed one other member missing in the group. "Where's Donna?" he asked. Rose and the blue-suited Doctor's faces dropped. The one in the brown suit flinched. Oh dear god, what happened to the fiery red head.

He was spared asking by Rose herself, who told him, "Donna's fine, she's at home, but she doesn't remember any of us. Her mind couldn't..."

"Oh, sorry to hear about that."

"Yeah."

None of them knew what to say on the matter, nor did they particularly want to talk about it, so Rose changed the subject. "So, Jack, you got some free time?"

"Actually, it seems I do. Things are quiet today." He shifted uncomforatbly. "Look, Rose, there's something I need to tell you. I, um, I run Torchwood now, and-" He was cut off by Rose.

"I know, Jack, I know all about it. There was a parallel world that split from this one only a couple of years ago, and I ran into you there. Learned about you taking over Torchwood Three and running the place." She said reassuringly. "Besides, I worked for Torchwood in the universe I was trapped in, even ran this same branch for a couple of months when they needed someone to fill in, just until they could find someone who actually wanted to run the branch."