who_in_whoville

timelord1

kelkat9

onabearskinrug

"I don't know why I have to be in this silly push-chair," Jane said, whinging. “I’m perfectly able to walk.”

"I'm sorry Miss, them's the rules." The tall man hunched over the chair as he pushed Jane down the long, hospital green corridor to the lift.

"Can I push her?" John asked.

"Sure, no rule against tha'. But I still have ta escort ya ta the discharge desk."

John took over the transport duties, and the orderly walked alongside the quiet pair. Checking Jane out didn't take long, and John signed the paperwork as the one responsible for her post-hospitalisation medical care.

"Take care miss, an' I 'ope things go well for ya," said the kind orderly, wheeling the push-chair away, off to pick up the next patient.

John immediately took Jane's hand in his, and pulled her out the door, anxious to take her away from the memories of the past thirty-six hours.

She stopped him the moment they were outside of the hospital. "Hold on just a minute mister! Why won't you tell me what happened to Niles?" Jane asked,  hotly, her hands on her hips.

John was taken aback by her feisty attitude. “You just worry about yourself right now, love,” he answered.

"I can worry about more than one person at once, John. As if I wouldn’t worry about my friends . . . I want you to take me up to see Niles and Bess before we go? Please?" she asked. "Take me now," she said firmly, crossing her arms and raising a single eyebrow.

John sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “You know, I don't even know if we'll be allowed in the critical care ward. We aren't family." John was afraid if Jane even caught a hint as to why Niles was in a coma, she would feel responsible, and her recovery would be threatened.

"You're sure making a lot of excuses, John." She frowned and saw a look on his face that she guessed meant 'guilty as charged.' “Please tell me why you really don't want me to see him or Bess. I've been asking all morning and every time the subject comes up, you try and change the subject!"

John sighed. Yet again, it was as if Jane could read his thoughts. That was exactly what he had been doing: directing conversation away from Niles’s health crisis. Honesty would be best, he finally decided. "Jane, he's in a coma because something happened while Daniel was being subdued."

"What? What happened?" she screeched loudly, no longer angry.

"Jack doesn't know what happened," John answered quietly, nervous. "Another man who was there is missing."

"And . . . and Daniel?" Jane was now fearful, but she needed to know.

"He's gone missing as well."

Jane looked nervously to the left and then the right, hugging herself. "He's going to come after us, isn't he? He's going to want revenge," whispered Jane.  "John, what are we going to do? What are we going to do?!" she asked him again, holding onto his upper arms with a death grip.

John leaned down and looked her in the eyes possessively. "I'm taking you away from here. I’m going to hide you, keep you safe. He will never hurt you Jane, I promise you.”

Jane swallowed hard, but saw something in John’s eyes that burned like fire. She knew he was in earnest. She felt completely safe.

"John, before we go, I need to see Bess. I have to. Please? She's just upstairs. Please?" Jane begged John.

He couldn't ignore the pleading in her eyes, so he relented. "Alright, but we are only staying a few minutes, understand love? Just five minutes! It's for our safety."

Jane nodded nervously.  “Where are we going to go?” she asked, whispering. "He knows where I live, and it wouldn't be too difficult for him to discover your address. A hotel? A hostel? What your home in Scotland, up in Inverness?” Jane asked.

“Oh I wish we could go there,” he shook his head passionately, “but we can't love, not yet.” He gently touched her face. “I can hardly wait to take you home.” He smiled and then became serious again. “I have some ideas where we’ll be safe, and I'll tell you about them once we get going. I don't want to risk being overheard. That devil of man has ears everywhere it seems, and I'm sure by now he knows you were taken to hospital." John held the door open and ushered Jane back inside Royal Hope, but this time through the main entrance, not the door used by discharged patients.

The statue of Hippocrates outside of the main entrance shifted its gaze.

oOo

Jack slipped his arms under Bess's shoulders and hauled her back into the chair. Her eyes sprang open and she gasped.

"You with me Bess? You with me?" Jack looked into her eyes, scrutinising for signs of distress.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm okay. Wow. That . . . that was different." Bess shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut for a moment.

Jack put his hands on her shoulders, once again kneeling before her. "Tell me what you saw Bess."

"Uh, um . . . Niles and Pippin were leaning up against a tree waiting for Daniel . . . and it was taking too long for him to wake up after the Retcon shot. When he finally did wake up, Niles knew something went wrong. Wait, no, not wrong. Something else happened. Niles . . . Niles saw Pippin die."

Bess's eyes went wide. "Jack, someone killed Pippin! He wasn't taken, he was . . . executed! There was this green light and then, oh my gawd, the flesh melted right off of him, he just disappeared and . . . and all that was left was a skeleton, and then that simply dissolved. And then I felt Niles get shot in the back of the head. He fell to the ground, but after that, I couldn't see anything anymore, but I could hear everything. It was like I was in Niles's head listening in.

“Daniel spoke, but Jack, he isn't Daniel anymore! It’s like he’s been possessed by a demon or a ghost. And Priscilla and Jim the Lift Man and . . . and Eve Woods from work, I recognised all of their voices, but they called each other odd names: Sister, Daughter, Brother, Husband, Father, Wife, Mother and Son.” Bess was speaking rapidly now, spitting out the words. "And . . . and they . . . they know about Jane! They know Jane is Rose, but they were arguing about the Doctor. Priscilla thinks John is him, but Daniel and Jim disagreed with her. And then . . . then, Eve suggested someone else. Oh! No! They think you are Rose's husband! They think you are the Time Lord, Jack!”

"Well isn't that just . . . swell." Jack smiled dimly and shook his head. "The Family is here. Bess, we have to get John and Jane away from here right now! I need to find out if Jane has checked out."

Jack fled the room for the nurse's station, and Bess put the fob watches in the pocket of her trousers.

oOo

"Sweetheart, I need to find out if my friend Jane Smith has been released." Jack leaned against the counter, anxiously drumming his fingers. "She was in the women's trauma unit."

"Certainly Mr. Harkness." The nurse picked up the telephone. "Hello Mrs. Johnson. Has Miss Jane Smith been discharged? She is one of Dr. Lambert’s patients." There was a short pause. "Who took her home?" There was another pause. "Thank you."

"Yes, she was discharged around 1320, after the police interviewed her. Her fiancé John Smith took responsibility for her care.”

"Where is he taking her? Did she say?" Jack asked, hopeful.

"She didn't. Shall I find out?"

"No, that's okay. I'll just call John myself." Jack swore under his breath and hit the counter angrily. "Sorry doll, not your fault." He pushed his hands into his pockets, and his great coat swept behind him as he turned and walked away.

"Oh wait! I almost forgot!" the nurse called after Jack as he took off down the corridor. "Dr. Weissman needs to speak with you. He's in his office."

"Thanks, doll," replied Jack with just a fraction of his trademark charm. He headed to find Dr. Solomon Weissman, who in reality was with Torchwood. Several physicians and nurses at this hospital were either Torchwood approved or employees. Dr. Weissman, and the nurse to whom he had just spoken were two such affiliates.

Jack rapped twice on the frame of the door that was ajar. "You wanted to see me, Sol?"

"Harkness, why do you always bring me problems?" joked the older man with false seriousness and a distinctive Eastern European accent. "So the patch on the back of Eddington's head was definitely the result of technology which I have not previously seen. I consulted the Torchwood Medical Science committee and we concur that it is highly likely that whatever harmed the boy was extraterrestrial in origin."

"Any way to pull him out of the coma?" asked Jack.

"No way that I know of. However, there is more. His mind is perfectly healthy. His brain has sustained no injury. Completely unharmed. X-ray shows no tumour, no mass, no skull fracture or haemorrhaging."

"Then why's he in a coma, Sol?" Jack asked, confused.

"I simply don't know." The man stroked his white beard thoughtfully. "And furthermore, I have no idea how to bring him out of this completely illogical coma. I performed an EEG this morning, and it indicates he is aware of his surroundings, he hears us, he just can't communicate."

"Sol, what if I told you know a telepath?" Jack said, leaning on the man's desk with both hands.

"My friend, why didn't you tell me this before?!"" the man said jumping up from behind his desk. "How soon can this person be here?"

"She's already here. It's Niles's girlfriend, Bess. Sol, Torchwood brass can not know. They would haul her in and test her without mercy. You know how they are. And she has only recently come to realise her abilities. She is very unskilled. I know I can trust you, right?" Jack winked at the man.

"It you want it kept secret, a secret it shall remain. Anything for the man who saved me out of that death camp. I assure you, her secret will be safe, Harkness," he said, nodding gravely. "I'm first and foremost a physician, who just happens to be employed by Torchwood."

Dr. Weissman stood up from his executive leather chair to follow Jack to Niles's room.

oOo

"Good afternoon. My fiancée and I are here to visit Niles Eddington. We understand he has been in an accident of some sort." John played dumb, knowing that there were most likely visiting restrictions in place, put there by the hospital, or Torchwood, or both.

The grey haired woman behind the counter scanned through admissions roster. "Are you family?" she asked curtly.

"Yes," Jane answered immediately. "I'm his adopted sister, and this is my husband, well, will be in one week. Close enough. What is his room number?" she asked confidently, smiling.

"Room 924, ninth floor. Lift is just around the corner." The woman pointed to her right.

Jane looped her arm through John's and squeezed. She looked over at him, and he had an eyebrow raised, questioning. "Adopted sister?" he asked with a small smile once they were in the lift.

"Close enough. I guess I could have said adopted sister-in-law, but since Bess and he aren't married, that would've been too much of a stretch."

"Very Iris-like," John said with a bright grin.

"Thank you. I will take that as a compliment," she replied, smiling proudly, the first happy and carefree smile since Saturday afternoon. The lift doors opened, and they emerged into the quiet hallway.

"I really hope Niles is going to be okay," Jane said to John.

With confidence, they made their way to Niles's room, quietly chatting about things which had nothing to do with memory loss, comas or stalkers.

John quietly knocked on the door. "It's Jane and John."

Jane heard quiet sniffing, and sadly looked at John.

"Come in," Bess called quietly.

Jane went straight to Bess and pulled her into a crushing hug. "I'm so sorry, Bess. I am so, so sorry."

"Any improvement, Bess?" John asked, trying to move the conversation away from the subject of blame.

"No improvement, but he is stable. Hi Jane, John," said Jack nodding in greeting from the doorway. "Jane Smith, John Smith - no relation, by the way, well yet - meet Dr. Solomon Weissman. He's Torchwood."

John shook the physician's hand.

"I understand, young lady, that you had quite a close call yesterday. I am very happy to hear you came through unscathed. I have five daughters and six granddaughters of my own," said the kind man.

"Thank you Dr. Weissman," replied Jane, blushing a bit knowing that this grandfatherly man knew about the details of her capture, of which she had now been fully informed. She still had no clear memories of her captivity, but was beginning to remember, in reverse order, the horrifying events of the past day and a half.

"Now my dear, I understand you have experienced some memory loss. I don't believe it is permanent. I have consulted with your lovely Dr. Lambert and from what she has told me, I agree that the monster who kidnapped you administered a very strong sleeping aid in a dangerously high dose. You are lucky that you came out of it."

"Uh, Jane, you should know. Dr. Lambert is a Torchwood approved physician as well." Jack said a bit sheepishly.

"Is everyone in London bloody Torchwood?" asked John, his voice high with alarm.

"Only the best people," said Jack, cheekily.

"Jack, we have to go. I promised Jane she could see Bess and Niles before we left, but we really do need to get out of here." John ran his hand through his hair nervously.

"What do you mean, leave?" asked Jack.

"With Daniel out there on the loose,” John motioned widely with his arm, "I am not going to risk Jane's safety. I'm getting her out of London." John turned to Bess. "Bess, I know it isn't Niles fault, but the fact remains that Daniel got away. I will not let him get his hands on my Jane." He faced Jack once again.

"I'll get the two of you into a safe house." Jack offered almost desperately.

"Hasn't Torchwood done enough, Harkness? It's time I take care of my fiancée. I should have followed my instincts in the first place. I'm taking her to Scotland," John said definitively.

Jack panicked. His home in Inverness didn't exist. It was a creation of the TARDIS, an elaborate false memory. "Buddy . . . John . . .! Think about it! That's the first place Daniel will look! He will get his hands on your employment records at Prescott and find your permanent address, and he'll go straight there." Jack pulled a small notebook out of his pocket, and scribbled some directions on a sheet of paper. "Go here instead. It's still in Scotland. It's gorgeous. You will be more than safe. There are a few caretakers on site, but otherwise you'll be all alone. I'll come up and join you as soon as I can."

"Jack . . ." John drawled his name in irritation. "Do you think I would be so stupid as to actually take her to my home? Of course Daniel would go there first! I've got some other places in mind. Very remote, very private and very safe."

Bess had been quiet since Jane had released her from her hug. Jane turned and noticed that her friend was staring at her. "Go where Jack has suggested. You'll be safe. Get married there. Jack can make the arrangements for the Banns to be transferred to the church in the village. He will be able to pull strings and have the dates moved up. Is tomorrow too soon? Clerical errors have been known to happen," she said with a raised eyebrow.

"Bess?" asked Jack. It was only then that he noticed Bess was holding the closed fob watches.

Dr. Weissman had been studying the woman the entire time, fully aware of what was happening. From the research he had been forced to conduct by the Nazis before he finally refused and was sent to a camp, he knew that Bess Cooper was a telepath of the highest order.

Bess's eyes cleared of their glassy gaze and she focused on the here and now. "John and Jane, you have to agree to Jack's plan. Go to Torchwood House. The country will do you good, Jane . . . Fresh air, the wind, open sky is what you need. John, you'll be free to be outside under the stars at night. Jane, you'll be able to remember in a safe place without the worry of Daniel. John, you can write. You owe me a few chapters. You're behind," she said with a small smile.

"Bess?" asked Jack again.

"And Dr. Weissman, it's time for Niles to wake up. He'll be fine," her voice became soft. "He will be fine for now." She straightened her back. "Jack, I want to work for Torchwood. I need to know how to control this . . . whatever it is I can do now."

Jack smiled. "Well alright. I'll see what I can do, Bess."

Bess turned back to her friends. "John, you need to leave right now. They're looking for Jane."

"Who's they?" John asked, alarmed.

Bess felt a flush, immediately realising her mistake. "Daniel. I'm sure he has friends. Look how he's enlisted help all along," she said covering her mistake. "Jack, take them to John’s car. His Aston Martin is certainly faster than anything you have."

John couldn't help but smile smugly at Bess's compliment.

"Don't worry about clothing, darling. We'll will take care of whatever you need," said Bess with authority to Jane. "Now goodbye Jane. We'll see you tonight," Bess said cryptically, and then hugged Jane fiercely and kissed her on the cheek. "Now scoot!"

John pulled Jane out of the room by the hand, and Jack looked at Bess with amazement. "Niles is a lucky man," he winked at her, and Bess winked right back at him. "Hey, did you say see you tonight?"

"Yes of course I did. You, Niles, and I - us. The three of us will be joining them tonight. We have to keep an eye on them, now don't we?" she lifted the watches slightly and shook them. "Now go and make arrangements for a helicopter to transport us. I'm going to get Niles out of this silly coma. Like those aliens could ever stop me, I'm brilliant!" Bess said with confidence. "And Jack, do what you have to do to make that wedding happen, even if you have to fake it. It's almost time for the Doctor and Rose to wake up. John and Jane deserve this glimmer of happiness for the storm comes.”

Jack nodded as a chill ran up his spine. Somehow he knew Bess was right. A storm was coming. He hurried out to catch up with John and Jane.

oOo

John pushed the limits of his Aston Martin through the countryside, as he drove north to Scotland. Both were unusually quiet, deep in thought.

Jane pondered the idea of being married as soon as tomorrow. It was both terrifying and wonderful. Her life was about to change radically.

John couldn't stop thinking about how he was going to protect Jane. He felt both powerful and inadequate. Her life was in his hands.

"John?" "Jane?" They both spoke simultaneously after fifteen minutes of silence, and then laughed quietly at the coincidence.

"What happened back there? With Bess?" Jane asked quietly.

"I don't really know. I'm starting to get the feeling that Torchwood isn't some secret spy agency."

"What do you mean?" asked Jane, turning to face him almost fully.

"When I was with Jack and the other bloke that rescued you, they wouldn't let me get out of the car. Locked me in. And I heard these ungodly hisses, clicks and screeches from inside of this lorry that they shoved Daniel inside. When he came out, he looked like he had seen something . . . terrifying. I think there was something alien in there, love."

"Alien? Like from space? Like in your stories?" she asked calmly.

"Yeah, like in our stories," he corrected her, and she smiled at him fondly.

"Bess has acted oddly on a few occasions. The night of our . . ." Jane blushed and then steeled herself. "The night of our infamous chat," Jane said, looking over at John, he smiled and waggled his eyebrows at her. "Stop it," she said playfully as she lightly slapped his arm. "That night, she said something really strange. I can't remember what it was exactly. But the way she said it, it was almost like she had seen the future. It was weird. And then the next day was when she stopped talking to me."

"She told you that she was under pressure from work, and despondent about Niles, right? But you think she didn't want to see you for a different reason, don't you?" asked John.

Jane nodded. "I'm starting to think so, yeah. On another occasion, she asked me if I was singing, but I wasn't. Sounds like nothing really, but the way she asked it? She seemed worried or something." Jane gasped and slapped the side of her head. "Why didn't I see it before! The night that she broke up with Niles? When we went to the pub and she danced on the table, she read Niles's mind John! You should have seen the look on his face! He knew she was looking in his head, John! And there was no way she should have known what she knew! She knew about the mistake on the marriage certificate even before you did, and that Niles knew about it, and had lied! And then she said she knew that he had been lying about his reasons for not marrying! No wonder she was so furious!"

"She's telepathic," John said quietly, squinting his eyes deep in thought. "Did you see those two things that looked like fob watches that she was holding? Maybe there's something about those watches? Maybe Torchwood has advanced technology?"

"There is more on heaven and earth . . .?” Jane quoted a modified version of Hamlet to John’s delight. "Blimey.”

"Blimey, indeed," said John. They both laughed nervously and Jane fiddled with her ponytail. "Would you look at this place." John slowed down as he drove into the crushed rock courtyard.

It was nearing midnight, but the size of the large stone house was clearly discernible even in the pitch black of the countryside. There were a few windows illuminated, but the majority of the home was dark.

They got out of the car. Since they had no luggage, they walked straight to the door and knocked. With a groan, the massive, ancient wooden door swung open on its iron hinges.

"Hiya, buddy. We beat you and that hot car of yours by a few hours. Had the advantage of a helicopter. Couldn't risk requisitioning a helicopter for the two of you, though. Hope you had a nice drive. Welcome to Torchwood house." Jack ushered them in.

Jane's mouth gaped open as she spun around, looking at the massive entryway. "This place is amazing. What is it?"

"Oh, just some old historical building that Torchwood owns," he replied cryptically, still unsure whether or not the Doctor and Rose had met Queen Victoria in their own timeline. "It's used for meetings, conferences, as a safe house from time to time. Come on, let me give you the grand tour."

Jack led the pair through the dark hallways, up and down the grand staircases, into the library with its impressive glass ceiling, and through the dining room, the modernised kitchen and finally to the telescope room.

John drew in a breath. "It's . . . it's beautiful!" he gasped. "May I?" he asked Jack, hoping to look through the impressive piece of equipment.

"I don't think it works," he said, "but knock yourself out."

John looked through the eyepiece and pulled away scowling. "Must not be calibrated correctly, it's fuzzy. Oh well," he shrugged and pushed his hands into his pockets.

"You guys hungry or just tired? There's some takeout left. Someone will go into the village tomorrow and buy groceries. The caretakers don't keep much in the way of supplies, since it's usually just the three of them and the wolves."

"Wolves?" asked Jane, nervously.

"Yeah, they live out on the Moors, of course. You'll hear 'em tonight I'm sure. If you get scared, you could always snuggle up with John here. I'm sure he'll chase away any nightmares," Jack said, winking.

Jane blushed, and John grinned, rocking on his toes.

"She will do no such thing, Jack Harkness!" Bess said, coming into the room with a smile. "Tonight is the night before your wedding, darling. Traditionally, you shouldn't even be in the same room with your fiancé right now. Come with me. You need to go to bed, Jane. It won't do for you to have bags under your eyes in your wedding photos. Goodnight boys," she called over her shoulder, ushering Jane out of the room without further ado.

"Hey, wait a minute! You can't just take her away like that without explanation! What do you mean tonight is the night before our wedding?" asked John.

"Oh, didn't Jack tell you? He was able to procure a special license. Apparently one of Jack’s friends knows the Archbishop of Canterbury."

"So you're telling me we are getting married tomorrow? Here in Scotland?" John asked, alarmed.

"Yep. Isn't that fantastic?" Jack slapped John on the back, and then draped his arms over both John's and Jane's shoulders, standing between his two friends.

"But the rings, and . . . and clothing! What about Jane's dress? What about a tuxedo? I can't get married in dungarees!"

"John, I would marry you in a bin bag! Now stop worrying about all of that! It doesn't matter! We're going to be married!" Jane slipped out from under Jack's arm and embraced John, kissing him sweetly on the cheek.

"Now John, why are you even worrying about those things? I told you we'd take care of everything!" said Bess, rolling her eyes. "Now say goodnight to Jane properly, and then she is off to bed. That's our cue, Jack. Give those two a moment."

Bess and Jack left the two alone in the beautiful room.

"Oh John, I am so . . . so happy I can hardly stand it!" Jane jumped up and down like a school girl until John stopped her by pulling her into his arms and bringing his lips down to hers passionately. He kissed her soundly, letting his hands skim her curves, and cup her buttocks, pulling her against him firmly.

They broke the kiss, both gasping for air. He leaned his forehead against hers. "Only one more cold shower for me, Jane. Kiss me again. Kiss me like you aren't going to stop. I can survive a few hours without you."

Jane complied, pulling him over to the sofa against the wall. They sat down next to each other, and kissed again, hard and passionate, sloppy and grabby. Hands roamed, and hair was mussed. There were groans and there was panting. And finally, John pushed Jane away. "Time for you to go, my love. Sleep well, tomorrow we won't have to stop."

Jane's eyes were still closed after their toe-curling kiss. She leaned into his ear and whispered. "I love you John David Smith."

"And I love you my Jane Donna Smith, soon to be Mrs. Smith." They both giggled and parted for the night.

oOo

After a cold shower John came down and met Jack in the dining room. He was tired, but his mind was racing, full of questions. At one end of the massive formal dining table, they shared warmed over sausages and chips from a pub in the village.

"Jack, I have to know. I think I deserve to know. Does your job have anything to do with . . . things not of Earth? You know, from," he waved his hand blithely, "other planets?" John took a bite of his food, followed by a swig of ale.

Jack made a series of sounds that were a mixture of choking, guffawing and a pshaww thrown in for good measure. "Aliens Doc? Really?" He swallowed hard, pasted on his brightest smile and laughed too heartily to be sincere.

"Yes Jack, aliens." John set his fork down properly, leaned back in his chair and folded his hands casually in his lap.

"Well, let's see. How much can I tell you? Torchwood is a secret organisation after all," he laughed nervously as he stalled. He had shuffling in the hallway and the door opened, and in came his diversion. "Niles! What are you doing up?" asked Jack.

"I have a bit of a headache, and am sort of tired, but that's all," replied Niles, nonchalantly. "I heard Jane and Bess in the hallway, so I decided to come down and say hello to John."

John stared at the pyjama-clad man, his jaw slack. He finally spoke. "What are you doing out of bed, let alone out of the hospital? A few hours ago you were in a coma . . ."

"I came out of it," he replied casually.

Niles sat down like it was an everyday thing that one was shot in the back of the head by an alien ray gun, placed in a coma, and brought out of it by ones slightly psychic girlfriend. "Mmm, that smells good. Did you leave enough for me?" asked Niles with a smile.

"Jack? Do you care to explain to me what is going on?" John asked, heated.

"Can't John, sorry."

John crossed his arms and harrumphed. "Can you tell me at least how you managed to obtain a special license for Jane and me? On a Sunday?"

"You expect me to give up all of my secrets?" Jack flashed a cheeky grin and shoved a chip into his mouth. He didn't tell John that the certificate was a fake. It wasn't like they weren't already married, he told himself. He hated lying to his friend, but Bess had been right. John and Jane needed a bit of happiness before they faced what was to come.

"Hey, how about we finish that poker game that was so rudely interrupted?" suggested Jack. "Who knows the next time you'll get to be out with us boys John. Only one more night as a bachelor, you know."

"Sure," said John.

Jack left the room to find the caretakers to round out the game, John cleared the remnants of supper, and Niles gathered the remaining bottles of ale.

"There's a poker table in the game room down the hall." Niles motioned with his head and John followed him out.

The men played poker for an hour, but all were tired, both emotionally and physically, from the events of the past days, and retired to their rooms. Everyone slept soundly, John included.

oOo

Bess and Jane sat quietly in the sitting room attached to Jane's chambers. It appeared that at one time, the room had belonged go the mistress of the estate, given the feminine touches here and there. The clothing that Bess had gathered for Jane was hanging in the wardrobe. The vehicle that had been hired for Jane's hen party had been found, and the police had left the personal belongings with Mrs. Butterfield, who was always ready to cooperate with the authorities. Of course, the moment that Bess came home, the ever vigilant Mrs. Butterfield had heralded her, and tried to garner as much information as she could.

Bess related the story to a very amused Jane. "So Mrs. Butterfield yelled out of her window the minute I stepped out of Jack's car, 'Are you alright dearie? Some lovely policemen came by with all of these shopping bags. Who does all of this belong to? My, my, what sort of shopping trip were you on?'" Bess mimicked the woman's creaky voice to perfection, and Jane laughed hysterically.

"I bet she peeked," said Jane, taking a sip of her champagne.

"I know she peeked! The tissue was rumpled! Probably got the shock of her life when she saw that outfit that Betty bought for you!" Bess snorted, and then laughed hysterically at the snort, almost falling on Jane.

"I'm going to miss you when we move to Scotland," Jane said quietly, suddenly serious.

"I'm going to miss having you around. Can you believe we were only flat mates for a month? I feel like I've known you forever Jane darling." Bess's eyes were glistening with unshed tears.

"Well it's not like I'm moving to China," Jane said with unconvincing false cheer.

Bess nodded, unable to speak, knowing the truth was so much further from that. "I think we had better call it a night." Bess looked at her wristwatch. "It's almost one. Your nightgown is hanging in the wardrobe. I'm just down the hall. And no sneaking out to see John, understand?!" she said, wagging a serious finger at Jane.

"Understood. Too tired to attempt any shenanigans, anyway," Jane said, trying to halt a yawn.

"Sleep in. I know I'm going to. The chapel is booked for three in the afternoon, so we will have plenty of time to prepare."

"I still can't believe it's happening tomorrow. I'm a bit overwhelmed to say the least," Jane said quietly.

"Goodnight darling, sleep tight." Bess kissed her friend on the cheek and made her way back to her room.

oOo

Jane was in a dark, damp, cold basement. The blonde woman with Jane's own face was chained to a group of terrified men and women. On the other side of the room, a man sat hunched like an animal in an iron cage. The blonde woman spoke to the man, tried to learn why he was in the cage. The others begged her to stop trying to talk to the man. Jane couldn't hear their conversation, but the man in the cage was become agitated. He said something to the blonde woman that clearly scared her. The moon was about to stream into the cellar, and the blonde woman rallied the prisoners to pull with all their might to break the chain that bound them. Their straining efforts were successful and the chain broke. The poor, tortured man turned into a wolf right before her eyes, his screams turning into howls. Someone kicked in the door. It was John.

Jane screamed, woke up and found herself sitting up in bed, drenched in sweat. The door to her room flew open and John grabbed her, pulling her close.

"Just a dream, it as just a nightmare, love. It's all over, and I'm here."

Jane nodded, yawned and he eased back down onto her pillows. "What time is it?" she asked quietly.

"Half nine. You slept in."

Jane's eyes sprang open, she sat up, and smiled, no longer tired. "Wedding day. Wedding day!" she said, grinning, her hands clasped together in front of her face in anticipation. "Go away! You aren't supposed to see me!" she said suddenly.

"You're going to stand by that old tradition? After all we've been through?" he said, right before he nuzzled his nose into her neck, his soft hair tickling as his lips found her bare shoulder where her gown had slipped a little bit.

"Yes I am! John, we have made it this far, we can wait a few more hours.

"I'm not suggesting anything as serious as that," he said with a waggle of his eyebrows. "How about a little kiss? Just one?" he had pulled away and was staring at her with big, brown eyes, and a pouty lower lip.

Jane kissed his cheek quickly.

"You're a cruel, cruel woman Jane, and you will pay dearly for that kiss on the cheek," he said with a wicked grin.

"I hope so," replied Jane, easily falling into the teasing banter of well-acquainted lovers, even though they had not taken that final step. "See you at the church." Jane bit her lower lip and dipped her head.

John cupped her cheek and kissed her sweetly on the lips. "See you at the church." The bed moved slightly as he stood up. He slowly left her room, walking backwards, not taking his eyes off of her until the door was closed behind him.

Jane grinned, squealed and kicked her feet like a child.

oOo

"Jack Harkness has arranged for John Smith and Jane Smith to be taken to Scotland. Harkness, Bess Cooper and Niles Eddington have flown in a loud, rotary wing aircraft northward," Son reported to Father.

"Then we must travel north as well. We will fly. No more driving. It is inefficient and dangerous," stated Mother.

"How did Eddington come out the brain sleep early, Brother of Mine?" asked Sister.

"Perhaps the Time Lord used one of his tricks," replied Brother. “Is it not clear now? Jack Harkness is the Time Lord! I can clearly smell time in this room!" Brother sniffed deeply.

"Yes, time was here. But so was John Smith! I still contend that John Smith is the Time Lord," argued Sister, with confidence.

"To the ship, Family of Mine. We have ground to cover and a Time Lord to hunt." Father led the others out of the hospital room, following the faint trail of the scent of time until it disappeared in the corridor.