Hey, just wanted to thank those who are still interested and reading this story. You really have no idea how much it means to me that you take such an interest and as I've said before I really hope I don't disappoint.

clarklit05-will do :) and sorry to have confused you before. Hopefully it made sense more the ch 9

JoSchmo666- I'm glad to have caught your attention with my story. I hope I don't disappoint

Baebeeboo- srry about the cliffhangers I suppose im just evil like that ;) im glad you love this story and I appreciate the support much thanks

ladyclark of books- yes I did and the whole jack/gwen thing their doing with this series is becoming annoying, but let's face it torchwood is love lol ;P

Thanks to others who reviewed earlier chapters and those who didn't review, but still are fascinated by my endless cliffhangers ;). Ok I'm going to shut up now and here's the next bit and I hope you like. -PP

Chapter 10

Blood spilled from her mouth as the sharpened object plunged into her. She looked deep into the other woman's eyes and held the other's arms tightly as the woman mercilessly twisted the blade. It was getting dark, but she fought it. This wasn't finished yet.

Gwen looked down as she saw the life knife within her stomach just below her chest. Suzie didn't smile. She couldn't remove herself from Gwen's eyes. Gwen shivered as Suzie held her victim close. Her head seared with pain as more blood tricked down her face and dripped down her chin. She had dropped the dagger into the rift and there was nothing left to help her.

"Poor Gwen. Just like me you are. You sleep with Owen, take my place, but Jack chose you anyway didn't he," Suzie whispered.

Suzie ran her hand down Gwen's arm as her victim began to grow cold and pale. Gwen suppressed a whimper as everything in her mind began to collapse. Empires were falling, monuments were toppled, screams were heard and terror reined the hearts of everyone in the universe. As Gwen's mind began to expand her soul began to let go along with her will to stop any of this. She couldn't hold on to any of it any longer, but she had to or this was the end. The real and final end of everything.

"Goodbye Gwen. Safe journey," Suzie whispered.

Suzie pulled Gwen in and kissed her hard and longer then last time when she had just dumped her on the dock. Gwen found her balance again and moved her hand to her back pocket where she felt something solid that she had forgotten was there. It wasn't very large, but she had taken it from parallel Owen's workstation in case and now was her time to act.

Suzie pulled away staring at her. She twisted the knife again, but Gwen stood calmly, barely wincing at the pain because by now it had all become so numb to her.

"Goodbye Suzie," Gwen whispered.

Before Suzie could react Gwen slid the gun from her back pocket bringing it up under Suzie chin and ruthlessly pulled the trigger until the gun was emptied inside of her. Suzie fell to the ground. Gwen stared at the lifeless body breathing heavy with hatred, pity, and sadness. Suzie turned to dust before her very eyes scattering with time never to be seen, or heard from after that. Gwen fell to her knees, dropping the now useless gun and cried as she pulled the knife from her. Tears, sweat, and blood mixed on her face. She felt dirty, sickened and broken more now than ever before.

She looked over to see a dagger lying close to the whole she had made in time. She picked it up. Surely it should've fallen into one of the many time periods, but it didn't. She turned it over and read an inscription on it. She grinned as she did so.

"Made by Bad Wolf Corporation," it read.

Gwen thought of Rose immediately. She thought of the Doctor and how happy he would be to be reunited with his Rose. She thought of Tosh, Owen and Ianto. And then she finally thought of Jack and how she would miss everything about him. She was soaked in gore and it was a miracle she had lasted this long, but no longer. This was it.

She could almost hear Suzie whisper that Emily Dickinson poem she now despised, but it spoke truth.

"She died this is how she died…"

There was a sound. A sound like hope or maybe the sound of eternal peace. Yes, that had to be it. It could be nothing else.

"Gwen!"

Cold hands surrounded her head and she cried out in agony as she felt her mind explode with time. She couldn't see him, but knew whose hands they were the moment they touched her temples. She could feel herself being suppressed as she surrendered herself to the rift, space and the rest of time.

"Let her go," Jack growled.

Bilis Manger held her head in his hands. Her eyes burned a livid blue and yellow and she couldn't see Jack standing on the rift with Rose, the Doctor and Tosh in the TARDIS looking out.

"Why would I do that," Bilis answered as calmly as ever, "After her mind has absorbed all time and space your world will cease along with you and your Doctor."

Jack grinned his "this is unbelievable smile" and looked at Bilis, "What is it you want?"

"Like Abbadon I was cast out before time. I can travel from place to place, but can never truly be a part of it. Now with Gwen's mind I can control it and my lord Abbadon and I will be reunited once more."

He squeezed her temples and bit more and she screamed in pain. Rose made forward, but the Doctor pulled her back. The rift was coming in fast and swirled into a vortex pouring its entire contents into Gwen's head. Bilis laughed as he felt the power in her mind with his fingers. Jack jumped on him pulling him off of her. He had lost her once and he wasn't about to lose her again.

The police box doors slammed shut and Rose and Tosh looked helplessly at the Doctor.

"What are we going to do?" Tosh yelled.

"We can...no…yes…no, but that would be…maybe…"

"Maybe?" Rose encouraged.

"Maybe…"

"What about the heart of the TARDIS," Rose asked.

"Maybe…"

"What about Gwen? What's going to happen to her?" Tosh asked.

"Maybe…"

"Doctor!"

"Doctor!"

"Yes!"

The Doctor began to pull at knobs readying his TARDIS. He then took out a key and unlocked a panel where the heart of the TARDIS was said to have lied.

"Where's Jack?" he suddenly asked confusion written over his face.

"Brewing up a nice cuppa tea," Tosh answered sarcastically, "Where do you think. He's on the rift!"

"She doesn't do well under pressure does she?" The Doctor inquired.

"No, apparently not," Rose answered.

Jack punched Bilis who disappeared before he fell and came up behind Jack who was ready and kicked. Bilis disappeared again and stood from a far watching as Gwen collapsed from loss of blood and mind.

"Gwen no!" he yelled running to her, but Bilis beat him to it knocking him out of the way.

"Jack, stop him! I have a plan," The Doctor yelled jumping from the TARDIS.

Jack was more than obedient and immediately made for him. Rose followed the Doctor and lifted Gwen up from her position feeling for a pulse. Rose breathed as she found one, but there was still so little time.

"She's alive," Rose said smiling with relief.

"Of course she is otherwise we'd be dead," said the Doctor, "Now when I give you the signal, signal Tosh to open the latch."

He put his hands to her temples and focused looking straight into her trancelike eyes. He closed his own and he entered her mind with his power. Within seconds Tosh saw the swirling vortex around her head suddenly flow out and return to the rift. She smiled with relief as it began to flow through space once more. The lights in Gwen's eyes were dimming and she was coming back though weakened and dying.

Bilis who had been so focused on Jack failed to see the Doctor's actions and finally had enough. He found the life knife lying on the rift covered originally with Gwen's blood and punctured Jack's heart with it. Jack fell onto the rift energy as blood splurged out. Bilis twisted it and pulled it back out. He wiped the knife and made his way to the Doctor, Rose and Gwen.

The Doctor's eyes immediately shot open and Gwen's mouth open releasing the last of a rainbow colored rift energy.

"Rose!"

"Tosh now!"

"Jack," Gwen whispered weakly.

"Gwen, direct the last of the energy to Bilis." The Doctor ordered.

Bilis came up behind Rose and pushed her out of the way. The Doctor stood and punched him. Tosh opened the latch, shielding her eyed as the remaining rift energy began to flow to it. Gwen controlled it and sent it spiraling towards Bilis. After holding on to him though the remaining energy was attracted to the time vortex of the TARDIS and directed its attention to their pulling Bilis along with it.

Her head hurt like hell. The bleeding from it had stopped, but her stomach was still wounded and she bleeding more then ever. She was pretty sure she wasn't going to make it. Not this time.

"Under the jurisdiction of Gallifrey I ban you from all space and time to wander the swirls of the heart of the TARDIS in fragments. You are stripped on your powers to jump across eras and teleport at will."

"What gives you the authority?" Bilis questioned his eyes wide.

"I don't need any. I'm a time lord. The highest authority ends with me."

Bilis tried as he might, but he no longer could control the time that had surrounded him. He grinned as something occurred to him.

"At least I won't be going alone," and he laughed just before he disappeared into the heart of the TARDIS.

Gwen could feel he was right. She had felt this sort of pain before when she was tied to that machine in the Hub with Suzie who had first opened her eyes. It was so familiar. It was as though she had experienced one hundred times and then she realized she did. She grabbed her stomach and pulled herself to him who wasn't lying very far. Her hands were shaking, covered in her own blood and darkness was overwhelming her more than ever, but her will to get to Jack was too strong.

Jack lay there clutching his heart covered in even more blood. Light energy was pouring out of him entering the TARDIS.

"What is it? What's going on?" Gwen questioned.

"Jack's dying. For good this time. His immortality came from the heart of the TARDIS and by opening it and Jack's spirit a free wanderer, it's taking it back."

"Tosh shut the latch," Rose yelled, but the Doctor interrupted.

"If you do Gwen will die," said the Doctor.

"What?" Rose turned.

Gwen let out another puff of rift energy and then looked down at herself. Her stomach was slowly healing as the extra energy was being pulled back into the TARDIS. She took Jack's hand in hers which was shaking just as badly. He was alive barely and looking right at her in that Jack like way. It was the same look he gave her when he first met her and now as he was dying it was the last.

"Jack has a future," Gwen said as another puff of rift energy was waiting to be released, but she held it in hoping to build it up.

She turned to the Doctor and Rose looking sadly at them, "I saw it. The Face of Boe. He's meant to live. He might hate me for it afterwards, but he's meant to live."

Rose made to go forward to Gwen, but the Doctor stopped her pulling her back towards the TARDIS.

"Gwen? Gwen, no!" Rose yelled as she realized what she was about to do.

The Doctor pulled a yelling Rose shutting the doors behind him.

"Where's Jack and Gwen?" Tosh asked.

"You can't let her do that," Rose yelled.

"What?" Tosh asked now worried.

"There has to be another way," Rose yelled.

"Gwen has the same energy that Jack's immortality does running though her, but the contents are being released slowly back into the TARDIS while healing her while Jack's original energy is evapoarating from him. It's her choice and as much as I would like to save them both I can't Rose," the Doctor cried shutting the latch and locking it. He was just as upset about this as she was and Rose could see it in his eyes. He took her by the shoulders and looked at her softly and tenderly.

"This is her choice. Not mine. As much as I would like to have it both ways it's impossible. One cannot live without the other dying."

Rose stared at the floor. She knew the Doctor was right, but either way ended in heartbreak. She had known Jack for a long time. He was her best friend, almost like a brother and she loved him more than anyone else. And Gwen. She was sweet, kind, compassionate and was willing to risk her life for love just as much as Rose was.

A tear slid down Rose's eye and she hugged the Doctor. He hugged her just as tightly as she sobbed into his suit. Tosh sat by the console not liking any of this, but accepting it because there was nothing else she could do. They would just have to wait until the doors of the police box opened revealing which of the living was carrying the dead.
Gwen held Jack in her arms stroking his hair and caressing his hand. It was hard to believe after seeing all that this man had been through he would really die this time and because of her. But she wouldn't let that happen. Sweat shown just above his brow and Gwen held back another puff of rift energy as she felt it building more and more within her.

"Jack," she whispered.

He opened his eyes ever so slightly and looked at her adoringly.

"Hey you," he whispered back smiling.

"Jack, only one of us is going to walk out of this alive," she started.

"Well then you'll have to promise me something," he started, but she shushed him.

"No. I won't be able to keep it, but before I do this I just need you to know I…"

Another ripple of energy and she grasped her stomach. It was becoming impatient now and Jack was getting weaker.

Jack's eyes fluttered closed and Gwen couldn't delay it any longer. A tear trickled down as she whispered something in his ear and leaned over his face. She closed her eyes, taking one final breath and pressed her lips to his…