Antar, six months after Fandom

[izzyalienqueen]

Isabel stumbled as the ground shifted under her feet. Michael looked back at her, tilting his head in a way that she recognized as a question. Are you okay? She smiled tightly and nodded, not willing to do anything that would indicate she wasn't ready to be out on a mission like this so soon after they got her away from Kivar.

They continued on, the shaking of the ground becoming more pronounced as time passed. Then it didn't matter because they were under attack and all that was important was not getting hit.

A sharp cry of pain caught her attention and Isabel turned, immediately starting towards where Michael was lying on the ground. She'd taken two steps when the ground heaved once more and a light flashed. Stumbling, Isabel fell forward. And then it all went black.



The rift alarm grabbed everyone's attention immediately -- it 'd been incredibly quiet for weeks.

It didn't take long for Tosh to track the source, and pull up the CCTV.

When Jack saw the small heap of blonde girl curled limply on the ground, he hit the button, switching off the feed. "That's it. Everyone go home. You've got the night off."

It took five minutes of fast talking, and he had to physically push Ianto through the door, but they were finally all gone. "Right," he muttered. "Let's see what the hell you're doing coming through the rift."

She was easy to find, and he crouched next to her, studying her carefully. She was definitely out for the count, but when he brushed the hair off her face, she flinched.

He spent a long time staring down at her. This was his younger self's weak spot, his Achilles heel, and it was going to bite him one day. Already had, at least once. It would be incredibly easy to end that problem, here and now. But she stirred, turning towards him with a noise that was part whimper and part sigh, and the moment was gone in a flood of memories not his own.

"It's alright, Isabel," he said. "You're safe." Who knew if she could hear him, but when he carefully picked her up, she didn't flinch.

It didn't take long to get her back to the Hub. He set her on the couch, checked her for injuries and, finding nothing more serious than scrapes and bruises, draped a blanket over her.

Coffee, the latest printouts on the lack of rift activity, and a chair dragged over where he could see her, and he propped his feet on the couch and made himself comfortable. If she didn't wake up soon, he'd call Owen back, but if he could keep the others out of it, he'd be a happy Captain.



[NFB yadda, yadda, yadda...]

Comments

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Isabel came awake with a gasp, clutching at the blanket and looking around frantically, beginning to panic when she didn't recognize where she was.

[torchwood-jack.livejournal.com]

He recognised the signs of panic, and pushed off the chair to crouch next to the couch. "It's okay, Isabel. You're safe." He pitched his voice slightly higher, aiming to sound as much like her Jack as possible. "You're safe," he repeated.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Her gaze focused on Jack and she scrambled backwards, certain she was back in Kivar's cell and this was another elaborate head game. "No. You're not real. No way."

[torchwood-jack.livejournal.com]

"I get that a lot, but I promise, I am real. Here." He held out his hand, keeping his voice low and soothing. "See for yourself."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Isabel's fists clenched and she held them tightly at her side, refusing to give in to the temptation to reach out and take his hand. "No. You're just Kivar, trying to find a way to screw with my head."

[torchwood-jack.livejournal.com]

"Nope, no Kivar here." As soon as he said the name, he knew who Kivar was, and what he was to the girl in front of him. His face showed nothing but warm concern, the sudden spike of anger buried deep. "Just me, Jack Harkness. Granted, not your Jack, not quite, but close." He wiggled his fingers and shifted closer, ready to grab her if she tried to bolt. "You can trust me, you know you can."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"Not my Jack?" Still tense, she studied him, realizing that he was older then the Jack she remembered when she let herself think of happier time in Fandom. If Kivar wanted to torment her, there were better choices. "Then who? How?" Too tired and confused, she never thought of the Captain.

[torchwood-jack.livejournal.com]

"Oh, Isabel," he said softly. "You don't remember me? Captain Jack Harkness, at your service. I know you've only met me once, but most people think I'm unforgettable." The hand he was holding out to her never wavered.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Captain Jack? It still didn't make sense, but right now the lure of friendly face was too strong. Hesitantly she reached out to take his hand. "How? Where the hell am I? Why are you here?"

[torchwood-jack.livejournal.com]

He closed his fingers tightly around hers. "You fell through a rift in space and time. It runs through the middle of Cardiff. Where you are is in my office, and I'm here because it's my office."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"I fell through a rift in space and time. And landed in Cardiff," Isabel repeated, her voice just a little hysterical. "Where the older version of one of my best friends just happens to have his office?" She looked around suddenly, searching. "Where's Michael?"

[torchwood-jack.livejournal.com]

"You're the only one who came through." He tugged on her hand, trying to draw her attention to him. "And my office is here because of the rift. Look, you're shocky, you're hurt, but you're safe. If you'll trust me, I'll look after you."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

You're the only one who came through. The words echoed in her head and she pulled her hand away, pushing to her feet as she searched for a door. "I have to get back. I can't leave them there. Michael was hurt. Tell me how to get back."

[torchwood-jack.livejournal.com]

He whirled to his feet and stood in front of her, arms held wide, blocking her path. "There is no way back. It's a one way trip."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Isabel tried to push past him. "You're lying. There has to be a way. They're going to die if they stay there."

[torchwood-jack.livejournal.com]

"There's not." He grabbed her shoulders, holding her still. "Isabel, listen to me. It's a one in a million chance that you came through, even longer odds that you came through safe. No one knows how the rift works. But you're here, and I'm not letting you leave."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

She shook her head, trying hard to deny a truth that was slowly sinking in. "What do I do now?" she whispered.

[torchwood-jack.livejournal.com]

"Now you come and sit down." He propelled her gently towards the couch. "You let me check you out, make sure you're not hurt worse than you seem. You trust me to look after you, and when you're ready, I'll take you back to school."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Isabel let herself be pushed. If she couldn't go back, if she couldn't save them...She bit her lip, pushing the grief away. "School?"

[torchwood-jack.livejournal.com]

"Or anywhere else you want to go," he promised gently. He swept a hand over his hair, watching her carefully, studying how she moved, looking for clues to what had been done to her.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"There's no where else," Isabel shrugged helplessly. She couldn't go home. How could she face her parents after they left like that? At least at school there'd be people that understood. Aeryn would...That train of thought stopped abruptly. It had been months, Aeryn, Parker, Jack...they'd all be gone now.

[torchwood-jack.livejournal.com]

That was something he understood all too well. "We'll figure something out. Isabel, you said Kivar had you." He didn't want to push her, but he had to know. "What did he do to you?" he asked, crouching down again so he could see her face.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Lost in thought, it took her a moment to realize what he was asking. "No, not that. They got me out in time. Besides, that was weeks ago. It doesn't matter now."

[torchwood-jack.livejournal.com]

"Okay." He pushed to his feet. "Couple of options. Shower, get out of those clothes, and let me check you out. Or do it in reverse."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Considering her skin felt like it was crawling on her, and a hot shower was a luxury she seldom got in the Royalist camp, it didn't take Isabel long to decide. "Shower please."