AN: ScreenwriterKitteh here. This is a sort of prologue to demonstrate the Torchwood AU, for now, the crossover will come in a chapter or two.

The bullet, somehow, had missed anything major. She had needed a blood transfusion by the time they got her to the care of the EMTs – that was before they had known he was alive. He had barely gotten out in time as the lockdown began – just an instant longer, and he would have been gone. He was still Dead Owen, of course, but at least he was walking, talking Dead Owen – and as he held Tosh's hand, just then, and she smiled wearily up at him from the hospital bed, he could almost forget about the whole "being dead" thing altogether.

Tosh smiled up at Owen, blinking back tears – happy tears. When the bullet had hit, she had been sure that was it – that her life was over. Images had rushed through her mind – Owen dying a second time, alongside thousands or millions of others, in the nuclear meltdown which would inevitably take place, if she couldn't survive long enough to help him to stop it. A messenger or phone call or simple, impersonal letter sent to her mother while all her possessions were packed up and stored away like Suzie's had been. Someone – Ianto, maybe – typing in her data, logging her out for the last time, seeing the video she had put in place, the messages to Jack and Owen. Instead, here she was, with Owen's hand in hers, and the words finally said in person.

"I love you," she whispered again.

"Oh, come off it," Captain John Hart muttered, speaking mostly to himself. He was leaning against the wall in the back of the room, arms crossed over his chest, watching Owen and Tosh. His eyes moved to Gwen and Rhys, standing in one another's arms as Gwen buried her head in her husband's chest. He snorted slightly, and looked at Jack and Ianto – not nearly so obvious as the other pairs, but Jack had his arm around Ianto's waist, and Ianto was leaning against him a little. Obvious, maybe, but just not so much as the others. "All the happy couples together," he drawled. "Where does that leave me, then? Don't even think of sending me home," he added, knowing full well that might be Jack's intention. "I'm too much of a wanted man there. Wouldn't survive two minutes."

Jack looked over at him with an even gaze which betrayed little of his thoughts. "Right here, I think," he said finally. He held out one hand. "Vortex manipulator?"

John chuckled. "Want to make sure I don't run off, is that it?" he raised an eyebrow, then handed over the mechanism. "There you go. Gonna lock me up for my crimes?"

Jack paused, watching him. On the one hand – yes, the man had just extended his life by about two thousand rather unpleasant years, after blowing up much of the city. Before that, he had attempted to kill every member of his team – himself included. On the other hand, he had just found out that the entire thing had not, in fact, been John's choice at all, but that of Jack's own brother – because Jack had let go of his hand. As much Jack's own fault as anything else, really. And the John he'd seen more recently hadn't been half bad. He still fancied Jack, which could get in the way of things if they weren't careful – he certainly didn't need rivalries within the Hub, of all things. But it also seemed to inspire a ridiculous amount of loyalty in the man. It brought out his better side, at the very least. "I think we might be able to use another man on the team, actually," Jack said finally. Ianto looked at him sharply, and Jack gave him a small reassuring squeeze which also hid from anyone else watching the fact that his hand was creeping a little closer to Ianto's arse.

Both of John's eyebrows went up, now. "Try to kill all of you, get offered a job, is that how it works, now?"

"No!" Gwen said quickly. "No, that's not what he means – of course not."

"It was what I meant," Jack corrected.

"No!" Gwen and Owen's protests were simultaneous.

"He's a madman-" Gwen said.

"Nearly killed me in a nuclear meltdown-"

"Blew up the city-"

"Hell, could have killed everyone in about a-"

"Cut off all communications-"

"Was with that psycho who nearly killed Tosh-"

Rhys was looking back and forth between the two, eyes wide as he had only half an idea what was going on. Tosh was torn between quieting her now-boyfriend and supporting him. John simply watched – at first. As Gwen and Owen grew louder, he finally lost patience. "Look here!" he hollered. "I didn't exactly have much of a choice in it, did I?"

"Calm down," Jack sighed. He looked back at his team. "He was forced to," he pointed out – John didn't miss the way he avoided saying who had done the forcing. Jack, it seemed, would take quite some time to get over that shock entirely. "Whatever the real name is, John Hart fits fairly well, I'd say. I'm making the offer."

"It's not his real name?" Rhys demanded, frowning at the one bit of the conversation he could grab hold of.

"Doesn't matter," Jack shook his head, not even glancing at Rhys, his attention still on John. "Are you in or not?"

"I'm in," John agreed quickly. "Definitely in. I don't suppose Eye Candy there is included in the deal?"

"No," Jack snapped as Ianto flushed red.

"How about you, then?"

"No," he repeated.

"Considering how often aliens wind up fucked instead of fought – and I don't mean fucked over – I've got a feeling you'll find someone soon enough," Owen said dryly.

"Twice," Tosh said hotly.

"Three times," Gwen corrected with a glance at Owen. "Though she wasn't an alien." It was actually four times, in all, but none of them remembered Adam.

Owen went red. "That's over," he said flatly. He looked down at Tosh. "You know that's over, right?"

Toshiko nodded, squeezing his hand.

Jack chuckled. "I think you get the idea," he told John, "and we do have a job to do, what with-"

"Not now, Jack," Gwen protested. "I know we have a job, and all, but can we put that aside, for now? Just for the day, maybe."

"We need to keep an eye on the rift, and we need to make sure we have the right stories put out explaining the weevils," Jack said.

"I can brief the police on the weevils," Gwen said. "They can put out whatever message we need."

"If we had a laptop, Owen and I could keep an eye on the rift from here," Tosh added.

Not one to love working, Owen started to protest. Then he glanced at Tosh, remembering her devotion to her work. He closed his mouth again, then nodded.

"Alright," Jack nodded finally. "Gwen, Rhys – how about you two get a spare laptop from the Hub, bring it back here – then I think we can take the day off." He glanced at Ianto. "Maybe tomorrow, too, if things are particularly quiet."

"Now you've jinxed it all," Gwen complained. "Come on, Rhys," she added, smiling at her husband. "Just one more thing, and then we're home."

"Mind getting a bite to eat, too?" Owen asked quickly, seeing a chance to at least somewhat better his situation. "I'm starving."

"We'll stop for sandwiches or something, then," she agreed. "Let's go." She took Rhys' hand, pulling him towards the door.

"Slow down, Gwen," he chuckled. "The world's not ending anymore."

"Wait a moment," Ianto said quietly – he was frowning at Owen.

Owen's eyes were already wide – he had realized what was wrong with his question nearly as soon as he had spoken. The rest of the heads in the room turned towards him.

"I thought you couldn't eat?" Tosh was the one to ask the question, finally.

"I – yeah," Owen said slowly. "Yeah, I couldn't."

"But you're hungry now?" Gwen repeated.

"Yeah."

"He hasn't been hungry since he died," Ianto muttered. "So if he's hungry now-"

Jack nodded. "Change of plan," he said sharply. "We all need to get back to the Hub – Tosh, you too, if we can manage it. No pushing yourself," he added firmly. "We don't need you risking it – not for this. I hope," he added. Despite his words, he was already motioning to a nurse.

"I'm stable, and they've got me on enough painkillers to keep a dying elephant on its feet for a week," Tosh said dryly. "I'm coming."