Weta

A/N This story has a bit of everything and a few surprises.

Once again, what seemed a simple idea has grown into a big story. What is it? Jack angst definitely. We have an alien attack, we have slashy sex in a not quite consenting situation, so that makes it sort of rape. We have mpreg, again only sort of (I never thought I'd ever write mpreg believe me, and really, technically I haven't). We have hurt and comfort, hidden secrets and unexpected consequences and we finally get to the bottom of that comment about Jack never getting pregnant again.

Was partially inspired by the DW episode with Agatha Christie and the giant wasp.

Can I make you laugh, cry and go ew yuck all at the same time? I'm trying really hard to do it.

I will post in chapters because I am addicted to watching my reader's stats over the month and it is much more satisfying if a story is drawn out. Yes very narcissistic of me.

An attack by an alien causes Jack great distress and forces him to reveal a great deal about his past. Early season 2.

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'It must definitely be in a vehicle.' Tosh's voice filled their headsets. 'It's moving at highway speed and its track is following the road. Keep on the motorway, it looks like it's heading out of town.'

Jack put his foot down and dodged right as they merged into the traffic. 'Any idea yet what it is?'

'No idea. It just appeared on the screens after that rift activity. Definitely alien though.'

'Any reports of sightings or damage?' Gwen asked.

'Nothing.'

'We don't want to take any chances.'

They followed the trace for the next hour. Blue lights flashing Jack drove like a maniac. Actually he didn't drive like a maniac, he drove typically Jack, which meant fast, fearless and with no regard for the personal safety of other road users, trying to catch up with the other vehicle but it had too much of a head start. 'I hope we've got enough fuel for this,' Owen muttered at one stage.

They dodged and weaved getting up to speeds of 160km/h, insane passing manoeuvres throwing them around. 'I think I might throw up,' Ianto said drolly from the back seat. Jack grinned loving it, his eyes bright and a wide smile on his face. 'Try it and wear it.' He swerved again. Ianto laughed.

'I could go and visit my granny in Bristol,' said Gwen.

'Approaching warp speed,' said Owen

They were closing on the trace, only a kilometre or so behind it when Tosh suddenly shouted, 'It's turned off. Take the next exit. It looks to be going west.' Jack roared up the exit ramp. 'Which way Tosh?'

'Right.'

They sped through a small village, scattering old ladies with their shopping.

'Right.'

The tyres squealed.

'Two hundred metres. Left. Left then right.'

'Was that left then left then right or…'

'Yes.'

'Okay.'

The vehicle barrelled around a corner and Jack hit the brakes. They were all flung forward into their belts as they came to a stop with the SUV's nose resting against a solid wooden rail gate. 'Shit.'

'It's a farm.'

'Fucking countryside.'

'It's stopped moving,' Tosh said. 'About three hundred metres from where you are.'

They all looked at each other. No one moved. Ianto sighed. 'I'll get out then shall I? I'll open the gate?'

Jack grinned. 'If you would, thank you Ianto.'

'Very good sir.'

'Can anyone see anything?'

'Grass.'

'Farm buildings.'

'A house.'

'No people.'

'No.'

'Cows. I can see lots of cows.'

Jack drove through the gate and stopped while Ianto closed it.

'I can smell lots of cow shit.'

'Jack,' that was Tosh in their ears. 'It's to your right and moving slowly, walking pace.' The only thing to their right was a large barn. The double doors were open and a small utility vehicle was parked there. Jack parked beside it and they got out guns drawn. Owen put his hand on the bonnet. 'It's hot. This is the vehicle.'

'Hello,' Jack called out.

The building was full of farm implements, piles of things like rope, old tools, car parts and hay. A man appeared out of door to the side. 'Oi. Who are you?' He saw the guns and recoiled. 'What the…' He lifted his hands in the air.

'We're with Torchwood,' Jack informed him, while the others kept scanning for signs of an alien. 'Have you just driven here from Cardiff?'

'What if I have?'

'It's about fifty metres from you to the north east,' Tosh told them. Owen and Gwen started moving towards that corner of the barn.

'Did you have any passengers?' Jack asked the man.

'Not that I know of. Look what's this about?'

'Can we look in the back of your truck please?'

'What? Why?' He saw the look on Jack's face. 'Okay, all right.'

'Can't see anything,' Gwen said. 'Are you sure it's here?'

'No. It's moving, slowly, moving away from you.'

Owen sounded tetchy. 'Can't see anything Tosh. It would help if we had an idea of what we were looking for. You know, even what size.'

'Can't help you. Sorry.'

'It's probably the size of a tea cup.'

Ianto swung open the truck door, gun at the ready. Jack could tell instantly that there was no threat in there. 'What is supposed to be in here sir?' he asked the owner.

'Why, what do you mean? It's my new carpet. I'm doing up the house.'

Ianto grimaced. 'You might want to order some more.'

'Sir,' Jack said. 'We have reason to believe that you have inadvertently carried a fugitive from Cardiff. Can you please go to your house and lock yourself in. If there are any other people around take them with you. We'll be in to see you when we've apprehended it.' He waved his gun for emphasis.

'It?' the man asked.

'Just go!'

'Okay guys,' Jack told them when the man had gone. 'Whatever this thing is it is big enough and has teeth or claws enough to turn a roll of carpet into mattress stuffing. Watch out. Where the hell is it?'

'Every time someone gets close it seems to move away.'

'That's a good, sort of,' said Gwen. 'I mean, it seems to be scared of us, not want to hurt us.'

They split up. Jack went through the door the farmer had originally come out of. He found himself in a stable. Most of the stalls were disused and stacked with junk but in the one at the far end by the exterior door he could see a couple of ears flicking. A couple of steps closer and he confirmed it was a horse.

'Owen, you're nearly on it.'

'Where? Where?'

'No. It's moving. Jack. Coming right at you.'

He spun around, couldn't see anything other than the horse. Realised that it was tossing its head, it sensed something. His heart was thumping. 'Where Tosh? I can't see anything.' An invisible beast? The horse was going berserk, whinnying and trying to crash out of its stall. 'It's right with you Jack.' His hair stood on end. He spun three sixty and saw Owen and Ianto coming through the door, saw looks of horror on their faces and heard them shout. Too late he started to follow their gaze but before he could even lift his eyes something heavy was crashing down on top of him.

Owen and Ianto saw the creature drop out of the rafters, great insectoid jaws and armoured legs slashing at its prey. Jack screamed as the glossy brown creature attacked. As he went down great spiny legs raked at him as the jaws tried to latch on to his head. He could feel the flesh on his back tear open. Pain ripped through him. He tried to fight back, managed to twist around, tried to get his hands up to defend himself as the animal reared over him. It curled its body revealing an enormous long stinger at the end of its abdomen.

The ugly beast had its jaws around Jack's head as it slashed at his body with the stinger, shredding his clothing and the flesh underneath. Not a stinger Jack thought with a strange clear corner of his mind, an ovipositor. It made little difference when it was used as a weapon. The animal used it like a sword. There was no way he could get away.

Ianto nearly died himself as he heard Jack make a dreadful sound, his body thrashing, trying to escape even as his guts spilled out of his abdomen. It didn't matter that he knew Jack would be okay, at a primitive level the scene was one of pure horror.

Firing wildly Ianto and Owen raced across the floor as the creature stabbed deep into Jack's belly over and over again. Within moments it was over, the animal reduced to a twitching mess of limbs and yellow goo and Jack, dreadfully wounded, in a ghastly heap beside it.

'Jack!' Ianto dropped to his knees beside him. He fully expected him to be dead. The smell of open viscera and bowel contents was revolting. Literally blood and guts. But Jack was still alive. His eyes fixed on his. They were full of pain and fear. 'It's all right Jack, you'll be all right.' Instinct took over and Ianto tried to gather him into his arms until a hiss of pain stopped him. He tried to fight down panic and think what to do. He reached for his hand and held it tight. 'I don't want to hurt you. You'll be all right. We'll get you right.'

Jack's eyes were full of tears. He tried to say something by couldn't get it out. Gwen appeared. She'd gone back to the truck for the first aid kit and was throwing it open, pulling out dressings. She and Ianto worked, trying to cover the wounds, stop the bleeding. Jack moaned as they applied pressure. There was so much blood. 'Owen,' Ianto called desperately. 'We could do with some help here.' Jack's pulse was jumpy and weak under his fingers. His skin was a nasty grey colour.

Jack was going into shock. His body knew that it didn't want to die and it used all the defence mechanisms it had trying to save him. His peripheral circulation shut down trying to increase blood flow to vital organs. Blood was shunted from non vital areas like limbs and stomach to heart, lungs and brain. It made him feel terribly sick. Abruptly he vomited. 'Roll him over,' Gwen shouted grabbing him by his shoulder and pulling. 'Don't let him choke.'

When it was over they lowered him back onto this back, Jack's hand still desperately grasping at Ianto's. His breathing was erratic, painful and the pool of blood seemed to be getting bigger.

'Owen!' Ianto shouted. 'Leave that fucking thing and come and help him.' How could Owen be more interested in a dead alien than in helping Jack?

'Yan mate,' Owen said gently, he felt for the pulse at Jack's throat. 'He's going to die. He's only got minutes at the most. The quicker it happens the less it will hurt him. Leave him alone.'

But Jack held on. He was stubborn, he'd always been stubborn. Under all the pain part of Jack's brain was still functioning. He knew he was better to die. That he would revive and after the initial shock he would be all right. But his body didn't know that. His body always tried to live. Hoards of hormones flooded his body sending clotting components, repair tools and extra nutrients to injury sites. His body did everything it could do to survive.

He felt so sick. It hurt. It really hurt! Then quietly it didn't. Some part of his mind shut out the pain, he knew he hurt, could hear himself moan, but couldn't actually feel it anymore. He was floating slightly. He was very cold.

Ianto held Jack's hand, trying to give him some comfort. 'How long's it been?' he asked.

'Nearly half an hour,' Gwen said.

Owen felt Jack's pulse again, took his blood pressure and looked at the inside of his eye lids. 'He's holding on, I don't know what with.'

Jack gave another terrible moan. His eyes were open but he wasn't seeing them anymore.

Biting his lip Ianto looked at the others. Gwen and Owen both nodded. Rising up on his knees he leaned over Jack. He kissed his forehead then carefully pinched Jack's nose and placed his other hand over his mouth. He held them there. As Jack's weakened body started to thrash Owen put his hands over Ianto's and they held on tight. Ianto was nearly blinded by tears.

Eventually the body under them went limp. Gwen felt for a pulse. They waited.

'He's gone.'

Ianto lurched away and was sick.

Ianto gathered Jack's dead body into his arms, cradling him against his chest, feeling his head loll back over his arm. Jack was dead. He looked dead. Ianto had seen dead people before and Jack looked dead. Ianto had also seen Jack like this before and always it seemed to take just that bit too long before suddenly the limp body wasn't dead anymore. Jack was back, there was something there, something not dead. This would happen some considerable moments before he came back to life. He watched the wounds on Jack's face disappear, saw Owen fascinated lift the dressing from his abdomen and watch it repair itself. Ianto couldn't bring himself to look at that. Then the body jerked in his arms and Jack gave a great painful gasp. His eyes opened, he looked confused, then he recognised who was holding him and smiled. He blinked, still breathing hard and sat up. He grabbed Ianto's hand, a private gesture and gripped it. 'Well,' he said brightly to the others. 'That was unpleasant.' Quietly so that they couldn't hear him, 'I was having a really good day,' into Ianto's neck.

Owen did hear him. 'I am having a good day,' he said, 'a new alien to play with and I got to see your abdominal cavity regenerate. You really need to let me study what happens and see if we can work out how sometime.'

'No,' Jack said. 'I really don't.' He shuddered.

'You,' said Owen Harper, 'are amazing.'