“There’s nothing here.” Jack said as he looked around the rooftop. They had followed Tosh’s directions to where the Rift had opened and found that it was an office building. Going to the top, where the signal was the strongest, Jack had hoped that it would be a simple clean-up operation but those hopes were dashed with all they were greeted with were gravel and air conditioner units. And if that hadn’t been disappointing, it finally started to fully rain and in a matter of seconds they were soaking wet.

“Thanks for stating the obvious.” Owen groused, not happy to be out in the rain getting wet when he could’ve been back at the Hub, or even at the pub, and more importantly dry. What he wanted right now was a few drinks and to go home, not to be slogging about on a rooftop looking for God knows what.

“Tosh?” Jack asked as he walked towards the edge of the roof and looked down to see if there were any indications as to where who/whatever came through had gone, but all he could see was the SUV.

“Checking.” Tosh replied as she wiped drops of rain from the screen of her display and then tapped around with the stylus. “There’s a faint trace of Rift energy thirty-seven kilometers northwest of here.”

“Can you track it?”

“Yes,” Tosh said as she continued to tap away. “but Jack there’s-”

“Then let’s go.” Jack said turning away from the edge and striding back towards the doorway.

“But Jack, I’m picking up-”

“In the car Tosh.” Owen said, falling behind Jack and heading towards the stairwell.

Tosh glared at them but followed Owen back inside and back towards the car. Climbing into the back, Tosh slipped behind the computer terminal and began typing away on the keyboard.

“You’re awfully busy.” Owen commented as Jack pulled away from the curb.

Tosh didn’t respond but continued typing away.

“Tosh?” Jack asked, glancing briefly in the rearview mirror.

Tosh glanced away from the screen briefly and said, “Next light turn left.” She then glanced back at the screen and resumed typing. Keying up a second screen her eyes went wide, “Jack-”

“I know.” Jack replied as he turned the wheel.

Tosh sighed, “Go straight for eight kilometers then turn right, but that’s not it. There’s a homing-”

“And?” Owen asked, shivering slightly. Even though the heating was on it was hardly doing anything. Reaching over he turned the dial while continuing, “What does that possibly have to do with whatever we’re looking for?”

“Well if you’d shut up I could tell you.” Tosh snapped, tired of being interrupted.

“There’s no need to get all bitchy about it.” Owen replied, turning so that he was facing Tosh. “Need any Midol?”

“Ladies.” Jack simply said. Neither Tosh nor Owen said anything else but glared at each other and the drive continued in silence with Tosh speaking up only to give Jack directions. As they drove Jack realized that the buildings were becoming all too familiar and he hoped that Tosh would tell him to continue out of the city.

However luck apparently wasn’t with him as Tosh told him to pull to the side of the street. A cold feeling settling in his gut, Jack killed the engine and opened the door, stepping out into the street.

“What’re we doing outside the pub?” Owen asked as Tosh and Jack got out. “I mean, I could use a drink-”

“We’re not here for one.” Jack snapped, cutting Owen off. Forcing himself to look away from the front of the pub, he stepped up to the sidewalk while asking, “Are you sure this is where it’s coming from?”

“Yes, but whatever was here is long gone; the trace is too weak to have been left recently.” Tosh said, holding up the device towards the door of the pub.

“Can you find it again?”

“Already tried and it’s gone, but I can lock onto the homing signal.”

Owen paused and raised an eyebrow, “What homing signal?”

“The homing signal that I’ve been trying to tell you about.” Tosh replied back, stopping right in front of the door.

“What homing signal?” Owen repeated.

“The frequency appeared just after we arrived on the roof and-” Owen never understood half the things Tosh said anyway, so he just tuned her out.

“Whatever, I’ll be inside.” he snapped. Owen shoved passed Tosh and made his way into the pub and out of the rain.

“Now’s no time for a-” Tosh said in an exasperated tone but Jack cut her off.

“He’s not getting a drink, Tosh.”

Less than a minute later Owen threw the door open. “Abbey’s gone.”

“Ianto’s?”

“There’s broken glass in there.”

“Bar fight?”

Owen shook his head as he walked back to the others. “I doubt it. Abbey wouldn’t leave the place a mess like that.”

“So whatever came through took her?”

“Wow, Tosh your genius never ceases to amaze me.” Owen snapped. Toshiko opened her mouth to reply, but decided to keep her thoughts to herself. She could tell that Owen was worried. There were not a lot of people in the world that Owen cared about, and Tosh knew Abbey was one of them.

“You said you could trace the homing signal?” Jack called from the SUV.

“It’d be easier if I was at the hub!” Tosh said as she and Owen went running back to the SUV. Owen was barely inside the SUV when Jack took off.

“Could you have waited?!” Owen exclaimed as he closed the door just before it smashed into a lamp post.

Jack ignored Owen, instead focusing on getting back to the Hub as quick as he could.

Ianto checked his watch for the twentieth time in four minutes and wondered where Jack and the others were; it was a simple locate and collect, what could be taking them so long?

Idly wiping the coffee machine for the tenth time that evening, Ianto was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of footsteps approaching rapidly. Looking up he saw Owen burst into the Hub, followed closely by Jack and then a few seconds later Tosh. “What’s going on?” he asked, walking down the steps and towards them.

However they ignored him, save Tosh who cast him a small smile; however there was something behind the action that made his blood run cold.

Owen ran over to his workstation and grabbed his mobile, flipping it open and pressing speed dial. “C’mon Abbey…pick up.” He muttered while knowing that it was a hopeless gesture; if the glass on the floor had been any indicator, Abbey had put up one hell of a fight before whatever came through the Rift had taken her.

“Can you find it?” Jack asked Tosh as he looked at the screen over her shoulder.

Tosh’s fingers flew over the keyboard and her eyes flitted from screen to screen, her mind processing the information in front of her.

“Tosh.” Jack said when she didn’t answer him. But she continued to ignore him so he tried one more time, “Tosh!”

“Got you!” Tosh said, smiling as the computer gave a loud beep; oblivious to Jack’s out burst. “They’re at-”

She was cut off by a beeping sound and quickly Tosh scanned the numerous screens in front of her but none had gone off. Then she realized that the sound had come from behind her and turned to see that Owen, Ianto, and Gwen were all looking at Jack; who was looking at his wrist strap with a mixture of surprise and dread.

It beeped again and they all waited for Jack to activate it, but he didn’t. “Jack…” Tosh trailed off, knowing that the last time it had done that they had a nasty run in with one of his former colleagues.

Not saying anything, Jack pressed a button and a blue 3D hologram of someone familiar to all of them appeared. “You know it’s really rude not to answer when someone calls.”

“What the fuck is-” Owen started to say, confused at hell but Gwen elbowed him in the ribs to shut him up so they could hear the message.

“I can see why you dumped Eye-candy…” John paused and looked past the hologram’s line of sight before looking back and smirking, “she’s hot. But I'm more partial to blondes.”

Owen put two and two together and realized that John had been the one to come through the Rift and take Abbey. The mobile slipped from his hand and clattered to the floor the same time as Ianto dropped the mug he had been holding. Together they made a shattering sound that overshadowed John’s voice for a minute.

“-blah blah blah, all that bad-guy stuff…I think that you’ll know where to find me. And don’t forget, not everyone here has your unique…‘gift’. Borrowed time, Jack. Remember that.”

The image of John then disappeared and for a moment, no one moved. Then Jack, Owen, and Ianto jumped into action. “Tosh,” Jack hollered as he moved towards his office. “see if you can figure out where the transmission came from.”

The command was automatic, he said without even putting that much thought into it and guessed that Tosh would send them to the office building where John and Jack had ‘talked’ last time.

Owen rushed towards Autopsy, clattering down the steps and jumping down the last few because it was simply taking to much time to go down them all. Making a bee-line towards a cabinet he grabbed a field-kit and started filling it with every imaginable thing he could think that Abbey might need. “If that son of a bitch gives her even a scratch I’ll make him talk in a higher voice permanently.”

Once the kit could hold no more, Owen rushed back up to the main level of the Hub to see Jack come down the last of the steps and tucking something into the back of his trousers. Wondering what it was, Owen almost asked but swallowed the question because there was a ticking clock and none of them had any idea how long Abbey had.

“Got it.” Tosh said, her hands flying over the keyboard. “Transmitting coordinates to the SUV.”

“Good.” Jack said, moving towards the cog door. “Owen, Gwen, let’s go.”

It didn’t take them long to reach the surface, where Ianto had the SUV ready to go, and soon Jack was speeding to where John was; one look at the coordinates Tosh sent to the car told him all he needed to know.

And he hoped that they’d get there in time.

“Pretentious bastard!” Abbey shouted as she knelt on the roof of a large office building. Abbey hated heights. Given her current situation though, she was rather calm. She was sure most women who had been kidnapped by strangely dressed gorgeous men would be more… hysterical. She looked to John and glared when she shouted. A small stream of blood dripped from her forehead. She hit her head, tumbling to the ground in the pub. She was vaguely aware of the dull aching emanating from her forehead.

“Me? Pretentious? Have you met Jack?”

“What the hell does Jack have to do with anything?” He kept mentioning the man. She knew he had knowledge of Jack Harkness, and judging by his tone she assumed he had an intimate knowledge of Jack. She was aware of how he affected everyone’s lives.

“Everything.”

“Could you vague that up for me much?” She rolled her eyes and let out a loud sigh. Then everything clicked. “Oh fuck.”

“If you insist.” He knelt in front of her and smiled, playing absently with her hair.

“Roofs aren’t really my thing.” She watched his eyes, he had the same look she had seen so many times before in Ianto’s. “You took me thinking that Jack would come after me. Why?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“Not really. Please, enlighten me.”

John smirked and patted her cheek. “He’s in love with you.” His words were met by an uproar of laughter. Abbey threw her head back laughing so hard she almost fell over. John narrowed his eyes. “What’s so funny?”

“Jack Harkness? In love with…” She remembered suddenly, the picture of Miranda and Jack that was sitting on the shelf at the pub. “You think…oh fuck me.”

“Like I said, if you insist.”

She wanted more than anything to smack him but her arms were restrained behind her back. “Well if you’re hoping for Jack to come rescue me you might as well just kill me now.”

“That’s a real optimistic outlook on life. Jack really picked a winner with you.”

“I’d rather throw myself off this roof than have Jack Harkness-”

At that moment, as if it were some divine plan, the door burst open and sure enough Captain Jack Harkness rushed through. “Back away John,” he shouted.

“Son of a bitch,” Abbey muttered rolling her eyes.

John stood quickly, smile plastered on his face. “We were just about to get to the good part.” John moved quickly and stood behind Abbey. He grabbed a handful of her hair and pulled her head back, pressing the barrel of the gun in his hand to her head.

“I said back away,” Jack shouted. He cocked the gun and raised it, ready to shoot.

“I just want to talk to you.” John took the gun away from Abbey’s head. “Sign of good faith.” He took a step away, allowing Owen to rush over next to Abbey.

He untied her quickly, and brushed her hair out of her face. “Are you okay?”

She took his hands and smiled, hoping it would calm him. Abbey had never seen Owen so worried before. “I’m fine Owen, really.”

She looked up as the John and Jack started a shouting match that could have woken the whole of Cardiff. They were arguing about her, from what she could understand.

“You had no right to bring her into this,” Jack shouted.

Anger rose inside of Abbey. She knew that she would have convinced him to let her go, or at least untie her, if she had time to explain what it was that John thought he saw in the picture. She was not given that opportunity. Jack had to burst in, guns blazing and ruin the whole thing. She was not some helpless damsel in distress and the more Jack treated her like one the angrier she became.

“Damn you Jack Harkness!”

He stopped yelling instantly and turned to face her. “What?”

“I was fine on my own! I told you before I don’t need to coming to my rescue! I can take care of myself.” She stormed over to him and as she got closer he backed away until he hit the edge of the roof. “You should have just stayed out of it,” she shouted before shoving him back. Abbey pressed her hands against his chest and pushed back, causing Jack to fall backwards and tumble off the roof.

“Oh my god,” Gwen shouted. “Jack!” She ran towards the roof and looked down at Jack’s body splayed out on the ground blood beginning to pool. Gwen looked back up at Abbey, who was staring at her as if she grew another head. “Umm…”

“Gwen,” Ianto chimed in. “Gwen, she knows.”

“Oh…” Gwen straightened her clothes and turned her attention towards John. “What are you doing here?”

“Well I wanted to talk to Jack, but now I guess I’ll just have to wait.”

Jack inhaled sharply as he came back to life and coughed, doubling over as he did.

“Oh don’t be so dramatic.” Abbey muttered, rolling her eyes.

“Some things never change.” He thought as he opened his eyes and staring at the night sky. Blinking rapidly, he tried to focus his eyes and wade through the cobwebs that were in his mind.

That’s why it took him awhile to register that Abbey was standing over him while the rest were dealing with John. Closing his eyes, he groaned softly; the fall had hurt like a son of a bitch, and it wasn’t helping any that the one person he really didn’t want to deal with was currently right next to him. “Do you mind?” he asked, gently pinching the bridge of his nose in order to stave off the dull ache that was forming.

“Actually, I do.” Abbey said, prodding him somewhat hard with her boot. “Honestly, Jack, you’re such a baby.” She stood in front of him with her arms crossed over her chest, looking down at his formerly dead body. She smirked, “Something things never change.” There were dozens of entries in Miranda’s journal about Jack whining when he’d get the slightest cut, or had a hangover.

Jack just scowled at her and slowly got up. Standing, he made his way towards the others while wondering how he was going to deal with John this time. It was obvious that he was in some kind of trouble, the faded bruises and healing cuts were a testament to that, but what Jack wanted to know was why John kidnapped Abbey and used her…although he had a good idea as to why.

John chuckled as Jack made his way towards him, “Long time no-oof!” John exclaimed as Jack knocked the wind out of him. Doubling over, he tried to regain his breath but before he could John had grabbed the lapels of his coat and dragged him away from the others.

“Give me one good reason, John. Give me one good reason and I’ll-”

“You’ll what?” John broke in, sneering. “Kill me? Somehow I don’t think that you’re quite capable of it.”

“Oh really? Why don’t you keep pushing me and we’ll both find out.” Jack growled, tightening his grip on John’s coat and pulling it closer to him.

“Someone’s a bit touchy.”

“Well I have every right to be; you just killed me.”

“But you came back, no harm done.” John glanced down at Jack’s hands and raised an eyebrow, “Although I can’t say the same for my jacket. Do you know how hard it is to find this kind of clothing? Very, I’ll tell you; so would you mind-” John cut off as Jack started to lift him up by the lapels and it suddenly became very uncomfortable to talk.

Jack really wanted to kill (or at least maim) John; the man had been a never-ending source of trouble since the first day the pair had met. But at the same time he knew that he couldn’t, not with Abby there. It was one thing for her to push him off of the roof of an office building but it was entirely another to see him kill someone.

Still scowling, Jack lowered John back towards the ground and relaxed his grip but not letting go; he still didn’t trust the man.