Chapter 8.

Imagine it. Just a normal day at work. Well, a normal morning anyway. You started just as you normally do. For the past few years you've been sleeping on your sister's sofa now, being woken every morning by screaming and running children. You try to help out, you really do, but... well... you really don't mix well with children. They don't appreciate quietness and order, nor do they respect your best work suits. And sure, you try to interest them with your stopwatches, but these children just want to run about like wild chickens.

They treat you as worse as Torchwood.

But no, that was mean. At least Torchwood sometimes say thank you. Especially Jack.

After avoiding the ever-growing collection of children around the house, you contort your limbs into a suit, black pinstripes and maroon-red shirt. You smooth your hair, and the wrinkles in the material down as best you can, and you're ready to go. Catching the bus... in the rain... You duck and dive under any protection you can spot. Gwen borrowed your umbrella a while ago, and still hasn't given it back.

The bus is late again, and you stand there looking like a fool. You have obvious black rings under you eyes, and your suit hasn't been ironed for weeks now. You look like the epitome of the failed businessman. You knew that when you had to give your car away though, that used car salesman could smell your "poorness" a mile off. Your life had been hard over the years sometimes. Growing up on that estate was never easy, walking around with no shoes on, having to skip tea, breakfast and lunch most days. When you finally found a job in Torchwood One you were overjoyed. Sure, living in London would be difficult and very expensive, but that didn't matter, especially with what Torchwood was offering you. The money wasn't important though, you could finally get away from your family. And that was a good thing.

Torchwood wasn't exactly as it said in the job description. It was far shadier, with a lot more secret doors and protocols then you were expecting. And not even in an interesting way. Just in a Governmental way. You didn't really make any friends there, you just sat behind a desk making coffee and Excel spreadsheets...

But finally you met Lisa.

She was so kind to you, so... so beautiful. Her soul was good and honest, and you were completely fallen for her. She was the one that managed to blag you into the training rooms. Grabbing you by the hand and pulling you towards an array of guns spread across a table. Hugging you around the hips and running her fingers up your raised arm, towards the pointed gun in your hand.

Everything had changed though. The Cyberman attack... The petrol down to Cardiff cost you most of what you had left. Torchwood One wasn't gonna pay you anything anymore, and you knew you couldn't go back to a normal job, not after what had happened. You'd only heard the rumours of "the other Torchwoods" but you knew there had to be a chance. One in Wales you'd heard, so it had to be Cardiff. And sure enough, you found Jack. He was completely different to anyone you had ever met before. In your closed experience at Torchwood One, there'd never been a person like him. He opened you up to a whole different lifestyle.

But that didn't pay the bills. You found yourself back home again, sleeping on the sofa.

Jack paid everyone as much as he could, but Torchwood One was down, and you had no idea where any of the money came from. You could've asked for more, you knew you got the least anyway, explained your situation, but you wouldn't be able to stand the look in Jack's eyes. You didn't need to look like a victim.

You trusted Jack to look after you anyway, he looked after everyone in Torchwood. What was it John called all of the team, Jack's children. Except you weren't, none of the team were. Jack had a real child. His own, real, flesh and blood child... and a grandchild.

And that's when your day changed.