Chapter Four

"Tosh!" Owen's voice was full of panic over the radio. Gwen let out a pitiful whimper as Toshiko pressed her hands against the gaping wound.

"Go." Whimpered Gwen as she tried to push her away, while trying to stay focused.

Suddenly, a young blonde woman stepped over to the two other women, she knelt down and offered a sad smile. "Go, I'll take care of your teammate."

"I—"

"My name is Rose Tyler, I'm a friend of Jack's, now go help you're other team member."

Tosh didn't hesitate; she stood up and quickly moved around, trying to find a way to save Owen from an equally horrible end. A loud banging resonated through the room, causing each woman to look at one another. "I'll go check it out!" Tosh offered, hurrying off, not wanting to watch her friend die. Because she knew it, she'd seen injuries like that before, Gwen wouldn't survive that kind of wound—few ever did.

"What's that banging?" Martha questioned, standing in her cell.

"Never mind that, I've got an idea." Whispered John from his cell. A moment later the room was filled with the awful sound from earlier. "Time to call the Weevils home."

Tosh stepped into the morgue, cocking her gun she looked at drawer six, before slowly opening it and pull it out. She was stunned to see Jack lying there, his eyes wide open. "Tosh?"

"Oh God Jack!" she sobbed as she reached out to help get him out of the drawer. "How!?"

Cardiff 1901

"We found you in a twenty-foot hole! Now do you want to explain what you're doing here, when you're supposed to be working for us!?" The woman questioned Jack.

"I've crossed my own time line, that's why you have to freeze me; I can give you exact dates and times of when to set the stasis chamber to defrost. Please."

Standing up, Jack looked at her, his eyes welling with tears as he threw his arms around her. "I've missed you." He whimpered as he pressed a kiss to her neck.

Tosh grinned as she held on tight for all it was worth. "We've been so worried." She sobbed. "What happened? How--"

Jack shook his head. "It's not important sweetheart, let's go find everyone else!"

"A man—you brother I think—locked Ianto, Martha and John in the cell, I think—well actually only two of them… I get the feeling that John isn't ours."

"Not anymore!" Jack ran as fast as he could through the halls of Torchwood, Tosh right behind him.

"Jack—"

"Tosh—"

"I killed him Jack, there was no other way, I'm so sorry." She was trying not to sob as Jack just looked at her. He didn't reply, didn't say a word, instead he nodded slowly. "Go back upstairs and—I'll be up with the others shortly."

o0o

"Oi! You left my son alone, out here! What the hell is wrong with you two?!" The Doctor growled as they made their way back down to the hub.

"Well you didn't think we could just take 'im with us!" Mickey argued.

"What if I hadn't come along, what if Donna hadn' found him, then what!? An' where is Rose?"

o0o

"Tosh!? I need you're help here love."

Tosh looked down at her PDA. "Owen—I can't—it's too late Owen, get out of there, save yourself." She felt horror well up inside, he had to get out, he had to.

"The door was on an automatic locking system—I'm stuck in here. Tosh what's wrong?" Owen asked quietly as he stood at his command center, the lights still red. The door had shut when she'd tried to switch everything into his area. The computer had detected it, and now he was stuck in here.

"Nothing, I'm fine." She whimpered, her mind still on Gwen who was probably dying in a stranger's arms while she raced back upstairs and Jack ran to rescue the others.

"Don't lie to me beau'iful."

"Owen, I'm sorry, it's too far gone." She whimpered, unsure if she was talking about him or Gwen.

"Righ', what's going to 'appen to me?"

"Massive radiation doses, I don't think you really need to be told."

Smiling sadly, Owen shook his head. "No, s'pose not. Tosh—"

"Owen, please—"

"There are so many things I should have said when I had the chance."

"You're the best friend I ever had."

"When Katie died—God, Tosh if you had just come a year or two earlier, but Katie—she left me aching so bad."

"I know Owen, I always knew."

"I would love to sit here and say that it was going to work between us, that we could have lived happily ever after."

Tosh tried not to whimper as she followed Jack walked back into the hub to see Rose gently humming to the broken figure of Gwen. Her skin had gone pale; she was shivering in Rose's arms. She heard Owen mutter something over the line—he was going to die—they were going to lose two of their own, two people she'd really come to care about. "Owen, it didn't matter, I loved you, always have an' always will."

o0o

"JACK!" cried Ianto as his lover ran into the room. Jack made quick of his wrist control, the doors swung open, allowing Martha, John and Ianto to step out before they all swung closed again. Ianto was in Jack's arms in two strides.

Jack whimpered as he pulled his lover close. "I—" He shook his head, what did you say after all he'd been through.

Ianto pulled away, and without a moment's hesitation he pressed his lips to Jack's, tasting the dirt, blood and pain in his lips. When he pulled away he was aware all eyes were on him. "You're safe now."

"Jack—Grey is in the hub—" John began.

Jack studied him and nodded. "It's been taken care of."

"I—" John shook his head.

Nodding, Jack stepped forward and pulled John into a hug. "Thank you." He whispered.

John just nodded, feeling the ache in his chest. "I'm so sorry."

o0o

"Tosh—look, I've only got seconds here before everything goes critica', I'm so sorry I didn't tell you right out. I owe you so much; you've been covering my ass from the moment I got 'ere."

"I had to pretend I was a medic, cover you because you were drunk."

"What was it? Space pig?"

"Never did get you that date. Didn't notice until it was too late. I'm sorry Tosh."

"Me too." She whimpered looking at her computer screen, watching the entire thing go critical.

"It's all right Tosh, it's starting. It really is—"

"Owen—"

"Toshiko Sato, I love you."

A moment later his life sign was gone. She lay on the ground, sobbing as the cog door opened, meanwhile Jack, Ianto, John, and Martha all stepped up. "GWEN!" cried Ianto, Martha and Jack all at the same time.

"ROSE!" The Doctor cried, spotting her for the first time.

"Oh thank God!" she sobbed as she ran, all but jumping into his arms.

"NO!" screamed Jack as he pulled her into his arms. "Help! Help her!" he cried, rocking her as she began whimper in his arms.

"The nuclear terminal—" The Doctor whispered, finally taking his eyes off Rose, but keeping a firm grip around her.

"I couldn't stop it—he's gone—I'm so sorry." Tosh whispered as she slowly stepped up to watch Jack rock Gwen's dead body in his arms.

Jack shook his head. "I—" He just shook his head.

They all stood watching, as Ianto, Tosh and Jack surrounded the dead body of Gwen Williams, grieving. He felt his own eyes watering, in all the time he'd spent with Jack during that one year, it never truly registered just how attached to his team he was. Deciding to give his friends a little space, the Doctor reached out and gently pointed the others towards the exit, the team didn't need witnesses to their grief. They would stay in the Tardis for now, until they all were able to sit down and talk. As long as it took, for once the Doctor realized this was the most important thing, taking care of the family that had all but created itself around him.