tonjavmoore: (Civilian cuddle)
[personal profile] tonjavmoore
Title: When Everything Changed – A Torchwood/Dr. Who/Sarah Jane Adventures Crossover
Author: [personal profile] tonjavmoore
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Gwen/Rhys, Eleven and Amy Pond, and a lot of people from the Whoniverse at large
Rating: PG
Word Count: Total: 32,641; Chapter 11: 2,219
Spoilers: This assumes that you are familiar the five days of Children of Earth. Otherwise, you’ll be a bit lost. This is a timey-wimey fixit that takes up action partway through Day 3.
Disclaimer: Torchwood, Dr. Who, and Sarah Jane Adventures all belong to the BBC and RTD. Sadly.
Betas: Thanks to midlist_writer and welsh_scotsman on Live Journal. Also, to my friend Alexandria Cameron who put up with my squeals and tantrums when it just wouldn’t get out through my fingers the way I wanted it to.

Dedication: This is for my good friend and the best roommate anyone could have ever the pleasure of having, Susan Garrett. She was taken from us by cancer and the world is not as bright as it was before she left.

Summary: When the Shadow Architects find a paradox that is destroying the Universe, can the Eleventh Doctor find a way to restore Jack’s timeline to what it should have been?

I have disabled comments on Live Journal. Please comment at my Dreamwidth account. I love comments. They are cookies for my soul. You don’t have to have an account to comment there.

A/N: I had originally written the Rhi and Alice scene, and then decided it interfered with the pace of the story. However, since people have requested to know what went on, I've restored it. It was never beta'ed, so any mistakes are mine. That's why this chapter is a bit longer than any of the others.


Story starts here:
Chapter 1



Chapter 11

“All right, what’s next?” Amy asked when they were back in the TARDIS.

“Now, we’re about to put into motion a speeding train wreck of events to set time right,” the Doctor replied, fiddling with his switches again. “Hold on to your hat, Amy Pond. We’re starting with a phone call to appeal to the one soft spot in the scary woman’s armor.”

“How do you know she has a soft spot?”

“Because history shows that she does. It’s the only way to get her to let Torchwood do what needs to be done.” The Doctor turned a serious look on Amy. “Every living being has a soft spot. I know I do.”

“Really?”

The Doctor winked at her.




After the flurry of activity in getting the children settled, Alice Carter found herself sitting in a chair facing Rhiannon Davies and wondering what on earth they had in common besides the obvious. The other woman did not look uncomfortable or distant. She was very down-to-earth in her handling of multiple children wanting to play with the same things at the same time. When she caught Alice looking at her, she smiled. “Now that we’ve got a bit before the next fight breaks out, let’s introduce ourselves properly. I’m Rhiannon Davies, but you can call me Rhi. I only ever get called Rhiannon when I’m in trouble about something.”

Alice smiled back. “Alice Carter. Call me Alice.”

“All right, Alice,” she said. “So, what do you suppose Amy Pond meant when she said we have something in common? Aside from sitting in an invisible box car watching a gaggle of kiddies go spare in a confined space.”

“When you put it like that, it does seem rather crazy, doesn’t it?” Alice liked Rhi. “But then, we’re in a crazy situation.”

“Yeah. So who was that man? The one who came to get Amy?”

“I don’t really know. He said to call him the Doctor.” Alice wasn’t sure how much to reveal. She was well-versed in keeping secrets, but not so good with sharing them. Did this woman know anything about Torchwood?

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” Rhi told her. “I mean, you’ve got your lovely son there to protect. I’d have gathered up more kids if I’d the time. We have to keep them safe from those monsters. Those aliens. That’s what Amy said. The government is coming to take the kids and give them to aliens. Is that what he told you?”

It wasn’t often that Alice trusted someone, but there was something about Rhi that made her want to confide in her. She’d had no one to talk to about this. She had no idea what was going on except what the Doctor and Amy had told her. She didn’t have a clue as to Jack’s whereabouts. She was lost. Rhi was here and willing to listen.

“Yes,” she said softly, attempting to keep the tears out of her voice. “The government is trying to give children to the aliens. They tried to get us, too. They were watching the house and broke in. If it hadn’t been for the Doctor and Amy, we’d have been captured right there.”

“Oh, you poor thing.” Rhi reached across and patted Alice’s leg with a gentle reassurance natural to born nurturers. “But they got you out, right? Those people didn’t hurt you? Do you need me to make you a cuppa?”

“No, not now.” Alice sighed. “It’s just good to be able to say that without you looking at me like I’ve lost my mind.”

“Hey, you’re talking to me now. I’m sitting in this same place wondering what the hell has happened.” Rhi shook her head. “And Ianto’s in the thick of it. That’s my brother. They sent people to the house to get him, too – soldiers, they were, or at least wearing uniforms. They had guns out and all. Caught my husband Johnny starkers in bed, and that ticked him off something awful.”

“How did you cope?”

“I was scared for my kids all right, but they just left us alone when they didn’t find Ianto there. I think they were watching the house for a while. As though he’d turn up.” She snorted. “Growing up in an estate doesn’t make you stupid, you know. It just makes you sneakier.”

Alice couldn’t help but chuckle. “You look like the sneaky type.”

Rhi grinned. “That’s my cover. I don’t look sneaky. I just am. Johnny, too. So’s Ianto. He’s the sneakiest of us all, really.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Well, there’s his job for one thing. He told me he works at a tourist office down on the Plas. A civil servant, he said. Only he wears flash clothes and drives a flash car. How many civil servants make that kind of money? And he carries a gun all the time now. He doesn’t think I know about it, but I do.”

“Wait.” Alice had seized on the pertinent phrase. “On the Plas?” She leaned forward. “Was he there when the bomb exploded?”

“Yeah! I was worried sick, but I saw him after. He was there. And so were the people he works with. He said… um… he said Gwen was alive, but that… his boss… oh, yeah, Jack. He wasn’t sure about Jack, but he would be all right. Ianto told me that he just had to find him.”

Jack. The Plas. Torchwood. “He mentioned a Jack?”

“Yep. That’s the one he’s… well, seeing. His boss. My friend saw them at a restaurant. Said they were completely into each other. Wait – do you know Jack?”

A whirlwind of thoughts was going through Alice’s mind. Her mother: “Jack Harkness will sleep with anything, male, female or otherwise.” Jack, refusing coffee with a smile: “I have my own coffeemaker now, and he spoils me.” Jack, angry: “I can do relationships, Alice! I’m in one! With someone who knows what I am and stays. Unlike your mother who found out about me and bolted!” And last month, after Steven’s school muddled up his paperwork: “Give it to me. I’ll put my assistant on it. He can handle anything. Even me.” She took a deep breath. “Rhi, does your brother work for Captain Jack Harkness?”

“Yeah. Yeah, that’s his name. Why?”

It was funny. Really, it was. “I think I’ve found what we have in common. My… brother. “Alice knew she couldn’t call him her father. He looked younger than she did. “He’s Jack Harkness.”

“You’re having me on.”

“I’m not.”

They sat in silence for a moment. Rhi leaned back in her chair and grinned. “Well, then, I guess that makes us sort of related. Doesn’t it?”




Jack wondered what time it was. Ianto would probably know, but he was asleep with his head in Jack’s lap. Ianto had an uncanny sense of time passing. Jack stroked his now healed cheek lightly so as not to disturb him. Jack never needed much sleep, but he liked to stay anyway, just holding his Ianto. Mihn tesaoro. He smiled, remembering Ianto’s whispers in the night. And I’m your Cariad. Your beloved. It was true. Actions spoke louder than words; they were a couple. It was time for him to put aside his irrational fears and use that word in public

At least they were together, providing a much needed piece of sanity in a world gone mad. Jack wondered how long they intended to keep them locked up this way. Until the government had handed over every last child to the 456?

They were both concerned about their families. Jack had long ago told Ianto about his daughter Alice and his grandson Steven. He knew that Ianto was fretting over his niece and nephew. There was nothing they could do that would help them.

The sound of the bolt being drawn woke Ianto instantly, and he and Jack were both on their feet when the door opened. It was the woman – Johnson, Ianto had informed him yesterday – standing there with her soldiers. This time, however, none of them had weapons out. “Is the Prime Minister actually going to hand over children to a bunch of aliens?” she demanded.

It was not what Jack had expected. “Yes, he is. That’s what we were trying to stop. You blew up our headquarters and attacked my team. We were still trying to stop this. The proof is on the laptops you seized. You can find the government negotiating with the alien representative.”

She closed her eyes for a minute. Jack and Ianto waited. It was a lot to take in.

When she opened her eyes, she said, “Come with me, both of you.”

“What about my people?”

Johnson turned to the soldiers with her. “Let the others out and bring them along.” She looked at Jack with cold eyes. “If they try anything, they’ll be dealt with.”

“They won’t.”

Martha and Mickey had been out directly across from them. As their door opened, Jack was almost amused to see Mickey doing the same thing with Martha as he had done with Ianto. It must be instinctual. Jack said, “Stand down, kids. The situation seems to have changed.”

The same thing happened when they reached Gwen and Rhys’ cell. Again Jack warned them to stand down. He gestured at the door where Clem had been placed. Johnson shook her head. “He’s sedated. He was pounding on the door with his hands and head. It was not in my plans to lose a hostage.”

They were led into a communications center. Jack could see the equipment taken from Hub 2 piled on a table in a corner. “I’ve been listening to your conversations,” Johnson said. “They’ve been consistent with each other. This morning I received this call. The voice is Bridget Spears. I’ve had orders relayed through her before. Play the relevant section again, Harris.”

The woman’s voice was cool and collected. “These orders are directly from the Prime Minister. The buses for the children are being loaded now. When they are full, the buses will go to transfer points where the alien ships will take the children back to their own planet. Once the transfer is complete and the children are gone, we will announce to the general public that their children have been victims of accidents and will not be returning to them. In this way we hope to minimize the unrest. You are to bring Captain Harkness and the rest of his team to Whitehall. They will be turned over to security here.”

Johnson turned to them. Instead of the cold chill they’d come to expect, there was a hint of desperation. “I have a niece. Is there anything you can do to stop this?”

Jack decided to be honest with her. “I don’t know. If you get us to Thames House, we can try to think of something. That’s where the negotiations have been taking place.”

The soldier behind them spoke up. “Agent Johnson, I have three boys at home. How can I be sure they aren’t being taken?”

Another one said, “My little girl – is she safe?”

Jack shook his head. “No child is safe from this. The government hasn’t seen that the threat of the ‘deadly virus’ to kill everyone on Earth is nonsense. You don’t destroy a breeding ground unless it no longer serves it purpose. For some reason they need children. They aren’t going to take out the ones that make them.”

“Besides that,” Ianto said, “if they release a virus they can’t be sure it will be deadly. Viruses mutate very quickly here. It couldn’t kill everyone. The more you think about it, the less sense it makes.”

“This debate is all very interesting,” Johnson said in a tone that indicated it definitely wasn’t, “but it doesn’t answer the question of what we do to stop this happening now.”

Jack thought fast. He hadn’t anticipated this sudden turn of events. “First, we need to get the children under cover. Their transmat beams or whatever they call them don’t work through metal. I had to take the children out to the middle of a road. She said transfer points. Is there any way to find out where they are?”

Ianto shook his head. “It would take too long to hack into the system.”

Johnson spoke up. “Spears said buses. Towns. We can split up and head for the nearest towns. Divert the buses here to the hangars.”

“Martha and Mickey, will you go with them?” Jack looked at Johnson. “Is that all right?”

“Right now, I’d take the devil himself to get this done. Richards, get their weapons.” With a nod, the man trotted to a door.

“What do we do?” Gwen asked.

“Rhys, you’ll be most useful at directing those buses when they get here. Gwen, I want you to patch into the broadcast networks and start sending out warnings.”

“Got it.” She ran to the table to get one of the laptops. Jack knew she needed the backup programs from the server. He hoped she could find the right one.

He turned to Johnson. “Do you have a helicopter and a pilot?” Jack said. “We need to get to Thames House.”

“Yes, we do.”

“Ianto, with me. Let’s see what we can do.”
 
Chapter 12
 
 

(no subject)

Date: 2010-09-21 09:50 pm (UTC)
milady_dragon: Dragon Myfanwy (Default)
From: [personal profile] milady_dragon
Wait...Jack and Ianto are going to Thames House anyway? Oh lord, I get the feeling this is going to be a bad thing...has the Doctor finally miscalculated in some way? I'm biting my nails here!

The conversation between Alice and Rhiannon was great. I'm glad you added it back in. Just seeing them figure it out was totally worth the little break it did make.

Brilliant as usual!

(no subject)

Date: 2010-09-21 10:05 pm (UTC)
zazajb: (gareth John hugs conv)
From: [personal profile] zazajb
Really enjoying this - the Alice/Rhi conversation was great so I'm really pleased you kept it in! Thames House? Eek..! :D xxx

(no subject)

Date: 2010-09-21 10:55 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
Thames House again! I hope all goes well.

(no subject)

Date: 2010-09-21 11:14 pm (UTC)
badly_knitted: (Jack & Ianto)
From: [personal profile] badly_knitted
Hold on, I thought the idea was to keep Jack & Ianto away from thames house a nd let the aliens take the children *is confused* What's tha Doctor up to now? I hope he isn't making a mess of things again!

So glad you re-instated the conversation between Rhi and Alice, I like the thought of them becoming friends =)

(no subject)

Date: 2010-09-22 05:51 am (UTC)
missthingsplace: (Default)
From: [personal profile] missthingsplace
Oh i love the talk between Rhi and Alice ... shame she had to lie and say Jack was her brother.

(no subject)

Date: 2010-09-22 07:14 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] mirashine.livejournal.com
Don't go Ianto!

I really like how Alice and Rhi found out what they had in common.

Really need to read the next chapter :)

(no subject)

Date: 2010-09-22 07:53 am (UTC)
cjharknessgirl: (Default)
From: [personal profile] cjharknessgirl
I loved the conversation between Rhi and Alice and how they figured out what they have in common.

I'm glad Johnson is on their side now, but eep Ianto's going into Thames House? *hides under a pillow*

(no subject)

Date: 2010-09-22 08:13 am (UTC)
ext_422268: (Default)
From: [identity profile] ravenja1170.livejournal.com
I'm glad you let the conversation in, it was lovely :) Jack has told Ianto about Alice - that made me smile broadly :D
And now I'm biting my nails as to what will happen at Thames House ...

(no subject)

Date: 2010-09-22 02:16 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
thames house-thud, my heart just fell on the floor- hope the doctor knows what he is doing.

(no subject)

Date: 2010-09-23 07:52 pm (UTC)
From: (Anonymous)
wow, just read it in one go, have a slight sense of oh no not Thames House again, hope there is a better ending. Love the interaction between Rhi and Alice. Can't wait for next chapter.

(no subject)

Date: 2010-10-07 06:42 pm (UTC)
From: [personal profile] hab318princess
really enjoyed the talk between Alice and Rhi (and Alice's memories too)

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