Stardust

Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood.

Pairings: Tosh/Mary, Owen/Gwen, Tosh/Owen (Mentions of Jack/Ianto, Owen/Diane, Tosh/Tommy)

Summary: What if Mary hadn't wanted to go home just yet? How would Tosh have changed?

Mary looked at Toshiko; she needed to go back, back to her planet. Toshiko could get her into Torchwood, her ship but something told her to wait. Toshiko's boss was not cooperating with her, if what she said was true, the boss couldn't be read telepathically. She would need to wait, bide her time on the backwater planet just a bit more. She couldn't risk getting caught after so much time.

Now she had to deal with Toshiko. Mary needed her, she couldn't go insane or reveal what she was before the time she needed to leave. So she walked to Toshiko's prostrate form and held her.

"Tosh, you need to listen to me. Listen to my voice, me." She stroked her hair. "You need to concentrate, Tosh." She tried to sooth. God humans were so weak and pathetic. "You're feeling overwhelmed but it gets better. I promise you, it does get better."

Toshiko was hardly responding to her but Mary kept taking to try and distract her. "Listen to me, Tosh. Just listen." It was working; Toshiko was listening.

"You're brilliant Toshiko. The fact that you managed to single out one voice in hundreds after such short time with the necklace proves it. Eventually it will all become static." Toshiko's breathing was steadying, good, this was working and she didn't need to kill her. "Practice at work, I know you didn't like what you heard but it will help."

She paused, she couldn't have her boss know. "Just don't do it with your boss, yet. Jack's hiding something and I don't know how he can do it but I don't want you hurt." She kissed her. Toshiko responded, desperate for a form of comfort.

"How do you do it, Mary? How can you listen to this and not feel sickened by us?"

"I've had decades to see you all. You're not all disgusting. Love, sex, music…All your creations came from up here." She traced a line from Tosh's jaw to her temple. "You've got to look at the good things." She whispered. "If I found you disgusting, all of you, I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't be with you."

She could have smiled at her performance. Humans would have said it was worthy of an Oscar. It worked thought, Tosh was looking and her imploringly.

"Help me," Toshiko begged.

"Of course, my beautiful Toshiko."

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Tosh breathed in slowly. Mary was asleep and she needed to think without feeling like someone could overhear. Mary ad insisted she sleep to clear her mind but she just couldn't. She couldn't get them out of her head. Most of all, she couldn't stop hearing Owen.

She had thought that enough time could get her closer to him. He would open up to her after what had happened to Katie, his fiancée. She had read the report. She had wanted to help and somewhere along the line she'd fallen in love. She'd fallen in love with a complete and utter bastard. Sometimes she could see the old Owen, the one whom Katie had fallen in love with.

Now she knew the truth. The old Owen was long gone. All that was in his place was a complete bastard. Al she'd wanted was a chance. One chance to see if they could be together. She'd done more for him than fucking Gwen Cooper and he still paid shit attention to her.

Until Mary all she had was failed dates and Tommy. God she wished Owen was the frozen one. Tommy liked her for who she was and he'd known her for two days.

Still, as much as she wanted to hate Owen, as much as she wanted him to hurt like she was hurting. Tosh still loved him. Tosh closed her eyes and listened to Mary's rhythmic breathing. Mary would help her. She promised.

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A.N: Please, review.