OK! First long update absence! First off: Apologies. Many of them. The weekend happened, and I had a party all day Saturday, then Sunday I had to go on a hike because family came to visit, then Monday we had to drive my sister half an hour north for a birthday party, and were stuck there for three hours while we waited for the bloody thing to end, and then Tuesday was my birthday, so I was gone from the house all day. Wednesday I was in bed trying to pretend the sun didn't exist and that the world would indeed stop spinning at some point before noon, and now here we are! Ugh.


"Jack, where the hell is my equipment?!"

Jack sighed and walked out of his office, keys in hand.

"You locked it up?"

"The kid tried to remove my kneecaps with a scalpel. What else was I supposed to do?"

"Let him have another go."

Jack rolled his eyes and contemplated not unlocking any of the drawers, but then he realised it wouldn't do any of them good to piss off a hung-over Owen.

Jack could feel Owen's eyes on his back as he unlocked the drawers and righted the trays. When he finished, he turned around, arms crossed. Owen just stared at him, hands in the pockets of his white lab coast.

"What do you want me to say?"

"Nothing. Just next time—"

"Next time what? Come hold your hand? You're an adult, and I trusted that you could handle things on your own. Apparently I was wrong."

Owen scowled. "Well? Where's the kid?"

"Gwen?" Jack called over his shoulder.

"Coming! Oh, there's no need to bring the computer with you, silly."

"Aye-aye, Cap'n!"

Owen raised an eyebrow at Jack. "Are you sure he doesn't understand what he's saying?"

"Yes."

The kid appeared at the top of the stairs. He tilted his head to the side, smiling. Always so damn happy. He laughed and stomped his feet, hopping down the stairs; a jump and a satisfying sold thump of his feet on each stair. Gwen followed carefully behind, smiling slightly. When he reached the bottom, she playfully grabbed him by the waist and plopped him on the autopsy table. He squirmed uncomfortably; Gwen tickled him and he relaxed into high pitched shrieks.

"So, Jack, what do you want me to test?"

"Just draw a blood sample and do the usual non-invasive scans."

"Alright. Gwen, hold him still."

Owen readied the needle, and Gwen walked around the other side of the table. She rubbed the kid's back soothingly, saying "Just a little pinch." Owen glanced at Gwen before easing the needle into the small, pudgy arm. The tiny blonde's face pulled into a scowl, but he did not cry, or shout, or move. He was surprisingly cooperative.

"See? All done. That wasn't so bad, was it?"

The kid did not lift his scowl from Owen. "Go drop your pants and chase a doughnut."

Owen's jaw came unhinged. "Ja-aaack!" he whined.

Jack appeared at the railing, slipping into his coat. "What?"

"Make him stop!"

"You're being childish."

"My head's bloody pounding!"

"And whose fault is that?"

"Yours."

Jack levelled his eyes at Owen, glaring evenly. Owen glared right back, folding his arms across his chest.

"Call me when you're finished. I'm going out." And he turned to leave.

Gwen glanced at Owen and then ascended the stairs two at time. Jack paused in the open grate-doorway and turned around. "Yes?"

"I could come with you."

"No."

"Why not?"

"I need to do this alone."

"Do what alone?"

He sighed and faced towards the door again. "Call me when he's done. I'll come straight back."

"From where?!" she yelled, but Jack was gone. Gwen huffed in irritation and returned to watch Owen.


"So, Ianto, would you like to do something before your appointment?"

Ianto swallowed his mouthful of salad. "What time is it?"

"9:45. An hour before we need to leave. I brought—"

A loud, solid knock on the front door interrupted her. She shot a confused look at Ianto; he returned it. "I'm not expecting anyone," he offered.

Yesenia moved from the kitchen to the door. Another knock sounded just as she reached the handle and twisted it. She opened it barely halfway, peering around it with a mild, neutral expression. Ianto couldn't see who it was from his position at the table.

"May I help you?"

"Is Ianto here?"

Ianto froze. That sounded like Jack. . . . Against his better judgement, Ianto grabbed his crutches and braced them around his arms, making steady progress towards the door. Walking had become easier, as much as he didn't want to admit that the therapist had been right. He didn't mind the therapist; it was just that the man looked a little too concerned sometimes. It annoyed Ianto that everyone cared so much. Why didn't they just ignore him, like the other four people he had been with? He didn't need acknowledging. What was the point? If he were to drop dead right then and there, in front of Yesenia and Jack, the world would keep spinning and humanity would survive. Ianto was completely unimportant to life.

Yesenia turned to him, the confused look still on her face.

Ianto pushed the door open the rest of the way with the bottom of his left crutch.

"It's alright Yesenia. You can go home for today."

Yesenia looked from Ianto to Jack, and back to Ianto. Her eyes asked questions for her. "Yesenia, this is my boss, Captain Jack Harkness."

Jack amiably stuck out his hand with a tight smile. "Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Yesenia cautiously took his hand. "Estoy encantada. Pleased to meet you, Captain Harkness." Her gaze swung back to Ianto as she spoke. "I guess he can take you to your appointment?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll be leaving. You can keep the videos for tonight," she added with a nervous chuckle. Grabbed her coat, slipped it on, and walked past Jack, glancing over her shoulder as he stepped inside.

Jack closed the door an instant later and stood there, somewhat lost. Ianto sighed and made his way back to the table.

"I suppose you came here to apologise?" Ianto said before taking a small bite of a droopy lettuce leaf.

Jack breathed deeply and sat opposite Ianto. "Yes. I—"

"It's been over ten weeks, Jack! How long have you been in Cardiff since . . . since everything?! Someone had to hire Yesenia, and I doubt it was Owen!" Ianto growled quietly before standing, taking his plate into the kitchen. Jack followed, waiting patiently until Ianto turned around from the garbage.

Ianto straightened his back as Jack swung pleading eyes on him. "I'm so sorry Ianto. I didn't want to leave—"

Jack paused for an infinitesimal moment, before he ripped his eyes away from Ianto, swinging his head around and raking a hand through his hair.

"Then why did you?!"

"Because I couldn't face any of you!"

"And why the hell not! It's not like we were planning to leave the country! I was in that hospital for seven weeks, Jack. Not one visitor. And here you were! Sulking around Cardiff and contracting nurses! Why didn't you come, or call?"

Jack audibly swallowed, his shoulders falling.

"I couldn't," he whispered.

He sounded so broken. Ianto momentarily abandoned his anger and touched Jack's hand. Jack looked up with moist eyes. "It was the only way to keep you safe."

Ianto remained silent. Was this why Jack had stayed away? He thought Ianto wouldn't be safe? "Jack."

"Yes?"

"Why did you think we wouldn't be safe?"

"Because the whole thing is my fault. I started Torchwood, I hired you, I got you dragged into this mess."

"Jack—"

"No, Ianto. I'm sorry it all happened. I'm sorry you got hurt, and I'm sorry I can't do anything about it."

"Oh, Jack." Ianto wrapped his arms around Jack; Jack's head fell onto his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry," Jack said into his hair, his breath hitching.

Ianto stayed silent for a few moments, feeling Jack shudder.

"I forgive you."


Owen stood in front of the metal table, intensely scrutinising the scan results displayed against the wall. He had allowed Gwen to remove the child from the operating theatre, and Owen could still hear his giggles as Gwen showed him who knew what on some children's game site. However, Owen attempted to ignore it and instead focused on the three dimensional computer-generated image in front of him. The kid was definitely alien, no doubt about it.

But not entirely so. The puzzling thing, aside from an extra organ, was that he seemed to have human blood in him. Owen wondered again where the kid had come from. Jack said he found him on top of the Golden Gate Bridge, but were had the foul-mouthed, blonde annoyance come from before then?

His wandering deductions were interrupted by the vault door sliding back, and Gwen exclaiming.

"Ianto!"

Owen heard her stomp down the stairs, and a small chuckle from Ianto.

"I'm sorry I didn't call. . . ."

"It's alright."

"So shines a good deed in a weary world," the kid offered from wherever it was he sat. Owen decided he'd rather come out under his own will, and not at the request of Jack. he slowly, grudgingly ascended the stairs and stood at the entrance to the circular room.

Ianto was, rather unsurprisingly, on elbow crutches. Owen hadn't expected anything else. Admittedly, he hadn't expected Ianto to come back this soon. If at all.

"I thought I said to call when you were finished." Jack addressed him from across the room. The captain flicked his eyes to the blonde kid smiling at the flashing computer screen, and then snapped them back to Owen. Owen held up his hands in a "whatever" gesture.

"We only finished a few minutes ago."

"Okay, and what are the results?"

Owen turned back. "Come have a look." And walked down the stairs. Thank goodness he wouldn't have to interact with more than one person.

Jack followed with a sigh, allowing Gwen to chat with Ianto. A chair scraped across the floor behind Jack; something tugged on the back of his trouser leg. The kid looked up at him with adorable blue eyes, a not-quite-frown on his plump lips. He looked slightly frustrated with something.

"How may I help you?"

He responded by another tug.

"What is it?" Jack said, a little impatient. He wanted to see what the scans had revealed.

The little hand did not release its grip. The kid started the walk back towards the computer, attempting to pull Jack with him. Jack reached down and gently pried the soft fingers from the fabric. Was he . . . staling Jack?

"Gwen, a little help here?"

Gwen issued a small, startled gasp and scooped the kid into her arms. "Don't be a bother, sweetie. Let Jack do his work." Gwen met Jack's eyes, almost reprimanding him. What did she expect? That alien child liked seeing him in pain! Was he supposed to be kind to it?

Jack shook his head and came to stand at the railing of the med bay. Owen stood to one side of the blue-ish computer projection with a pointer. In the relatively short time Jack had been gone, Owen had managed to create a rather detailed three-dimensional model of the child. The image was broken down into a skeletal structure, the nervous system, muscles, and organs.

"Wait, is that two hearts?"

"Surprising, right? That's not what's weird about him. Well, it's not the weirdest thing." Owen held a phial of blood by its lid; he tossed it to Jack. Jack easily caught it and slowly turned the bottled dark red substance. Owen had labelled it "The Rude One."

"His blood."

"I can see that."

Owen rolled his eyes and came to stand next to Jack. He put his elbows on the railing, his back to the med bay. "It's half human, half something else."

"I'm not surprised," Jack muttered to himself.

"What was that?"

"Don't worry about it."

"So do you know what he is?"

"Maybe."

Owen vaguely nodded and crossed his arms over his chest again. Gwen was seated on the computer chair, the kid comfortably in her lap. She had a small, grease-splotched bag of chips in one hand and was sharing it with the kid. He would reach his small hand in, extract a chip, and look at Gwen with the obvious question: Can I eat this? And of course, Gwen would smile and nod every time. Jack couldn't help remarking how good Gwen was with kids.

"We'll have to get you some proper food later."

His lip turned downwards in a pout and he grasped the edge of the bag, peering in. Gwen lightly pulled it away and placed it on the desk next to her. "It's not good for you, love."

Jack mirrored Owen's stance. Ianto had made a seat for himself on the couch, his crutches leaning against the side of the ancient piece of furniture. One hand rested on his thigh, massaging it. Guilt bit at Jack for a moment, but a popping sound made him jerk his head back to Gwen.

She was looking at Jack with the most perplexed expression. The kid wasn't in her lap.

"Jack? What the hell just happened?"