Author's Note: sequel to Swan Song, fourth and final full blown out fic of the Tyler Twin/Within Temptation series. Will cover Children of Earth and End of Time.

My first thought when I woke up on that fateful day was that it was too hot. Which was strange for me since I my body temperature was always cooler than an average human, not that Ianto has any complaints. I could almost feel the sun shining on me and I groaned knowing it was going to be one of those days where everything was perfect apart from the fact everyone's bored out of their minds. I shifted away from the hot water bottle of my darling lover and opened my eyes to squint at the very white curtains where the sun was shining through, remind me to tell Ianto to get thicker bedroom curtains.

I staggered out of bed and into the bathroom, dunking my head into the sinking and turning the cold water tap on. I really hate mornings. One thing that remained in my out of control personality. Sighing blissfully I turned the tap off and stood up to look in the mirror, this was the worst part of every morning, not because I look hideous or anything but because I look different.

You see I'm not normal despite my appearance. My mother, oh she was very normal till the age of nineteen where she fell head over heels with my father, ran off with him and had me and my annoying twin of a brother. Sounds normal right, teenager eloping and reproducing, but the father was not a normal man.

My father is a time travelling alien. No joke. Ever heard of the Doctor? The lonely man, the Oncoming Storm, the god of chaos, blah, blah, blah. Well whether you heard about him or not, it doesn't matter, what matters is that he is not normal and neither are his kids. We're Galifreyan, well half, my mother is human. We have two hearts, advance minds and the ability to regenerate. Regenerating means escaping death, which I had to do last year when the world was stolen and daleks went on the loose.

Well it was last year for people like Ianto and JJ, but for me; it was six....maybe seven years. That's time travel for you, it messes everything up, technically you can say I'm twenty two but in reality I'm probably thirty something. Those god knows how long years ago, I was short, brown messy hair with outrages coloured streak in, amber gold wolf eyes and big pouty lips. My mother's daughter with Dad's hair. Now, I look in the mirror and I have Dad's dark brown eyes and freckles, I hate those freckles they bug me since I used to have flawless skin. My hair was blonde and quite long though I shove it in a ponytail, I can't be asked doing anything special.

For a very long time I was someone completely different. If my own twin walked past me I wouldn't have blinked an eye. The result was I had two very conflicting personalities, one that I call Alex Rose who was there before regeneration and another called Carly Wicks, post regeneration. The multiple personality disorder thing, isn't a problem, Dad would have it worse if it was, since he has regenerated nine times now. It's just a bit disorientating first because usually everything you liked before, you don't. Sometimes you lose your temper faster, or you magically have the patience that you never had before. It's very frustrating really.

Dad gave me a very long talk about it after I got released from hospital, memory fully intact, thank you Donna Noble. I won't go into details but it ended with a promise saying if I had any questions I just had to ring and he'll be there.

Pah! And I'm queen of England. It's not that I don't trust him now or anything, it's just that Dad is so unreliable with time and domestics that I'm better asking my father figure Jack Harkness...who probably knows zilch.

Hello Twin. Could you quieten the thoughts, you're buzzing loudly.

I grinned as my twin brother's thought echoed through my mind. Most would find this a violation of privacy; I find it as a reassurance, so does JJ. After I regenerated our link had been cut and JJ was left in a void of emptiness. I didn't feel much but Carly had always felt that something was missing, something she couldn't put her finger on. So every morning JJ likes to give me a mental buzz to make sure I'm still here. That this isn't all just one very nice dream.

Hello back atcha babe, no promises on the quietening. I'm constantly thinking you know that. See you soon at work.

I laughed out loud at the mental groan JJ had sent through before the block came in place. I felt two warm arms went round my waist as Ianto's reflection appeared behind mine and I thank god for my alien biology as Ianto began to nuzzle against my neck. Otherwise I would probably be out of breath with sheer excitement. One thing that would never change, no matter what brand new spanking body I get, is my love and lust for Ianto Jones. He was my opposite, very calm, very patient, very quiet and very tender. So of course he knew how to handle me.

"Good morning" he mumbled.

"Good morning, I don't suppose there's coffee ready is there?" I asked hopefully.

His lips twitched against my neck before he pulled away. "There will be after your shower; I don't suppose you could give me my shirt back so I can put it in the wash?"

I slipped past him and stepped in the shower, closing the doors before unbuttoning the shirt. I have never liked sleeping in full nude, as Carly Wicks it was merely because I lived with so many people and didn't want any of them to see my body. As Alex Rose it was due to very private and delicate reasons that Ianto respects, he only ever sees my body when the lights are off and we're under the bed sheets. And usually afterwards he would give me his shirt and button it up for me, so I fall asleep with the smell of him surrounding me. Complete bliss and better than lavender insomniacs usually use to help them sleep.

After chucking the shirt over for Ianto and turning the shower on, I had a nice shower to start my day and came out fully dressed to find breakfast waiting for me. Coffee and bacon sandwiches. Yum. This summer day was quite warm so I opted to throw on my demin jacket over my jeans and t-shirt, my taste in clothes had changed from random trendy stuff to just plain boring I am ashamed to admit. Ianto was in full suit, I don't know how he or my father can cope but they do. Magicians the lot of them. Taking my hand, we left to go to work, opting to walk on this nice sunny day. If there's incident and we're worn out from running and shooting and saving lives, we will regret this decision late at night and probably sleep on the sofa while keeping one eye open for my perverted godfather.

Not that Jack would touch me. He would kill anyone for thinking such a thought; after all he pretty much raised me from nappies. Ianto however, that's another story, Jack would have no problem sleeping with Ianto if he could. Jack's long-term girlfriend, who broke up with him, got back together on a trial bases that was messed up because she was time travelling with my father, was my godmother Donna Noble. She 'died' last Christmas saving my life by donating her memory storage. She's still breathing, in a brand new body and no memory of her life before. She goes by the name River Song and lives in the 51st century, Jack won't admit it but I reckon she was an old flame of his long before he met Donna Noble. Definitely after being Donna, I think his future self would seek her out on those cold lonely nights.

As we walked past, something strange happened, which wasn't unusual, in Cardiff strange was the norm. But this was stranger than strange. This was completely abnormal because while Cardiff has seen homicidal aliens, sex gas, time travellers, death rays, never before had all the children stopped.

That's right.

All the children just froze. Not a single muscle even twitched. They just stood there, in the middle of the road, on the pavement, in awkward positions, mouths half open as if they were spoken.

It was like someone pressed a pause button on life itself.

Ianto was waving a hand in front of a girl's face. "Hello? Miss, are you all right? Can you hear me? Hello?"

"Yan, what the hell is going on?" I asked.

"I don't know" Ianto frowned. "They all just stopped..."

And then they suddenly started moving again. We exchanged knowing looks and began to walk as fast as we could towards work.

Because we're Torchwood, defenders of Earth.

I guess I should explain that one. Torchwood is a top secret government sector that deals with alien problems. We're independent of the government though, take orders from no one but ourselves unlike UNIT a more militarily like group take takes orders from the UN, my friend Dr Martha Jones works for them, I find her increasingly soldier like though and it's rather sad to see someone so nice become so...cold. Jack is the Head of Torchwood Two, the nice branch, the one that will listen to the aliens' side as well before dealing with things. We experiment only with alien technology that fell through the rift and the odd weevil. Torchwood one, however will kidnap you, experiment you, rape you, beat you, lock you up and then if they're nice enough kill you. You can tell I have problems with Torchwood One; I rather not talk about it right now though. Anyway, the children were most likely under the possession of aliens who were rather telepathic though I hadn't felt anything and I'm rather telepathic too.

Then again I'm an adult and these aliens probably could only communicate to children. Who knows why?

Entering the underground, very grey, very dingy and probably smelly if it wasn't for Ianto's constant cleaning, Hub, we found it strangely empty. Which wasn't surprising, Ianto was usually the first one in, Tosh next with Gwen and JJ not long after, Owen would come in rather late and I was never for the one to always be here. Like my father I had a severe case of wander lust. It's a wonder that Ianto managed to put up with me. Then again he was frustratingly patient with everything. While it wasn't surprising that the Hub was empty, it was surprising since Jack lives here and would normally whine for Ianto's coffee the moment we step through the threshold.

We found a note on my desk that simply read:

Yan

I've gone to sort out alien problem down in the hospital. Make me coffee for my return and make sure AR doesn't cause the world to end.

Jack x

I swear he has no faith in me at all. Completely unjust since the worst I have ever done was blow part of my school up during a rebellious stage and even then JJ was helping me. Jack has caused the world to almost end so many times that even Dad can't keep count. Sheer nerve I tell you.

"Sometimes I feel like an underpaid slave here" Ianto said scrunching the note up.

"If you're pay check is anything like mine then you're a very overpaid slave" I said laughingly.

"You don't clean up after Mwyfanny" Ianto muttered darkly causing me to laugh louder.

I kissed him firmly on the cheek. "Despite Owen's attitude towards you, you're a very appreciated member of the team. Now go make me more coffee while I look into this children thing"

Ianto left muttering darkly though I know he enjoys making coffee, he worships the damn thing far too much if you ask me. I only started turning my computer on when the cog door rolled open and I could hear Owen's loud complaining, unusual for the idiot of a medical doctor to be awake so early.

"Honestly, I could have killed one of those brats if I hadn't pressed on the brakes in time. What the hell are they thinking? Is it some new fad, to try and get killed and annoy all adults? I swear if it happens again I shall strangle the brat that dares stand in the middle of the road"

"Owen, do us all a favour and shut up" Gwen Cooper, my brother's girlfriend, said tiredly. "Some of us haven't had our morning coffee and wouldn't mind strangling you"

"Yes Owen, please be quiet" Tosh said quietly. "There was obviously something unnatural about this and we need to start researching it immediately"

"I believe Alex is ahead of you there, Tosh" JJ said.

I met JJ's eye. He was the splitting image of our father, brown messy hair, dark eyes, skinny twig like body and boyish grin. Unlike our father, JJ wore jeans and t-shirts and used a little less hair gel. We grinned at each other.

"Hello Little Brother" I said cheerfully.

"Hello Alex"