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Peja's Wonderful World of Makebelieve Import
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Published:
2020-11-05
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379
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1/1
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7
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A History of London

Summary:

This takes place at the very, very beginning of Torchwood S1E1, "Everything Changes".

Work Text:

'London never changes,' Jack thinks, as he walks in the torrential downpour, Owen, Toshiko, and Suzie at his side. He sees the body in the distance, surrounded by worklights, then glances over to the nearby street corner. He smiles, thinking about the moment he'd met Alice's mother all those years ago - on that same corner - as she misstepped from the curb and almost tumbled into traffic. That's a ghost Jack feels often, just out of his reach.

He leads his team to the body, then looks around. The constable that was standing just off to the side of the Torchwood SUV is missing, but Jack knows she's close. He looks up into the carpark, spotting her a couple of floors up, nodding to her.

Thinking back, he lets the historical landscapes of London flow from his mind, trying to remember what was there before the carpark. Movies... There was a cinema there back in the 40s, taken out by the Luftwaffe during the early days of World War II. He'd taken Clark there, but doesn't remember what movie was playing. He just remembers sitting in a secluded section of the back, Clark's fingers darting out, touching during the darkest parts of the film, and a kiss stolen as the reels were changed on the projector. He'd lost Clark later that night, taken from him by a German bomb before they could even spend a full night together.

Glancing back, he has to dig deep into his memory, but there's something... "Collette..." he says quietly, a muted, painful smile passing quickly on his face. He'd lost her in the great London fire of 1666, though she'd already been showing signs of the plague. Still, it'd doubly hurt when he lost her, since she'd just confided to him that she was carrying his child. Her loss haunted him every time he saw a newborn, and he'd promised himself to never get that close to another person ever again.

London, the eternal city. It never changes.

He turns his attention back to the situation at hand, the passing thought of Collette and her pregnancy flashing through his mind. As he opens his mouth, a drop of rain dances on his lip, bringing a familiar taste to mind. He smiles, then says, "Estrogen..."