Disclaimer: I own nothing
Author's Note: Sorry about the delays between chapters - have got lots of exams and lots of revision to do, but am trying to write this whenever I have come spare time.
Chapter Eleven
An hour later, the team were standing in the autopsy room. Lily stood at the bottom of the stairs, staring at Owen's pale and lifeless body - he was lying on the table, flat on his back, only a thin sheet covering his body, up to his waist, with the bullet wound in his chest visible.
Ianto had been the one to clean him up and prepare him for the autopsy Martha had to carry out, but none wanted it to happen - couldn't bear to watch their friend being cut up, but couldn't take themselves away.
Martha was standing by the table in her scrubs, a mask over her face, Tosh and Gwen at the top of the stairs leaning on the railings, Ianto stood at the bottom, beside Lily. Lily's face was stained with dried up tear tracks, and she hadn't changed out of the purple shirt she'd been wearing when Owen died. The front of her shirt was covering in his blood, from where she'd leant over him, trying to help.
Jack wasn't around, since he'd shut himself in the office when he got back, and Lily hadn't been brave enough to go in there with him.
Lily felt hollow and empty as she watched Martha adjust the microphone hanging in the air - Owen had been becoming a good friend, and she knew she could have saved him. She'd stood in front of Martha when Copley had the gun, for God's sake. If Owen hadn't stood in front of her, or if she'd just been quickly and yanked him out of the way, - if she'd insisted on standing in front of everyone. She couldn't help but feel responsible for his death - such a waste of a life and he was so talented and promising.
She took a deep, shaky breath as Martha spoke, and beside her, she heard Ianto's breaths - also deeper than they should be.
" The time is 21:30," announced Martha, " autopsy on Owen Harper, causasian male, aged 27. Torchwood Officer 565. Time of death witnessed at approximately 20.30. Autopsy begins. "
As Martha selected the largest knife from her tray and prepared to make the first cut, Lily closed her eyes and turned her back on the table, not being able to face it.
Her eyes snapped open when she heard a loud voice from above her, " Stop! "
She looked up to see Jack standing there, frantically pointing a finger at Martha, his expression tense, " Stop! Nobody touches him until I get back, is that clear? "
With that, he was gone, leaving them all confused.
" Jack! " Lily shouted, summoning up the enrgy to bound up to stairs, but by that time, the cog door's alarm blared and he was long gone.
" What the hell was that all about? " Gwen asked, looking around at everyone.
No-one had an answer, and Lily rolled her eyes, " I hate it when he does this - just goes running off without telling us what's going on. God, it's so frustrating. The next time he does this, just runs off and leaves me sitting around worrying about him, he can sleep on the bloody sofa. "
Her words were followed by silence and Lily shook her head, realising how stupid she must sound, and how daft it was in this serious situation. " I'm sorry," she said, folding her arms, " I'm just so ... we're all really upset about this, right? It's getting the better of me, I guess. "
She felt Ianto's comforting hand on her shoulder and he looked around at everyone, " Come on," he said, " let's all just sit down and relax. It's been a very tough day and we can't do anything until Jack gets back. "
Lily nodded as everyone started to filter out of the bay, she put her hand over Ianto's lightly, " I'll be with you in a minute," she said. Ianto nodded in acceptance, and left Lily to it - he'd come to think of her as a better friend and his previously intense attraction to Jack had simmered down to almost nothing now.
Once she was alone, Lily slowly wandered over to Owen's body and stood beside him. Feeling guilty and distraught, she reached out with one hand and brushed his dark hair back across his forehead and looked down at him. Now, all the smirking and teasing and smugness was gone, and the only thing etched across his face was peace. She sighed and leant down to plant a long gentle kiss on his forehead, closing her eyes and allowing a single tear to fall onto Owen's face as she did so.
" I'm sorry," she said, after straightening up, wiping away the tear she'd left behind.
Of course, there was no reply, so she turned on her heel and left, going to join the others. She found them sitting in completely silence, each staring at the floor or at the opposite walls, in the recreation room.
Ianto and Martha were sat side by side on the sofa, while Gwen and Tosh sat in each armchair. Lily closed the door behind her, but turned to stand in the window, chewing on her thumbnail as she watched for Jack.
She wasn't sure how long she'd been standing there, but all she wanted was Jack - firstly to find out what the hell he was doing, and secondly because she just wanted some comfort, and to comfort him.
She jumped slightly when the alarm sounded and the cog door wheeled open, leaving way for Jack to sweep into the hub, clutching a wooden box to his chest. He was hurrying towards his office, and Lily yanked open the door.
" Jack? " she called, following him to the office, the others also following along.
When she entered his office, Jack quickly moved towards her and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, before she demanded, " Where've you been? You just ran off on me! "
" And what have you got? " asked Gwen, pointing at the wooden box.
Jack leant over and reached into the box, taking out a metal glove. Lily looked at it curiously, and when she saw the looks on everyone else's faces, she knew it was bad news. She tried to rack her brains, and remembered Jack telling her about some of his adventures - she remembered him telling her about a resurrection glove in connection to an old worker named Suzie.
" Oh my God," Tosh breathed.
" You can't use it," Gwen said, " not after Suzie. " Lily nodded to herself - so she'd guessed right. This was the same as the glove Jack had told her about, which brought people back to life for a few minutes - or permanently in the case of Suzie.
" I'm using it," Jack said firmly, his jaw setting, " I'm bringing Owen back. "
Lily wanted Owen back alive, but was wary, and as she followed Jack to the autopsy bay, her mind whirred with all the different possibilities.
" What's going to happen? " Lily asked, following Jack down the stairs so fast she almost slipped down them.
" You're not really going to use that? " Gwen asked in disapproval, " Jack, we know now that the gloves are dangerous. At best it'll give us two minutes with him, at worst ... who knows what will happen? "
As much as Lily didn't like Gwen, she had to find herself agreeing.
" It's not up for discussion," Jack said simply.
Lily saw the hurt look in Jack's eyes, and instantly realised why he was doing this - she knew Jack inside out, and as he slipped the glove on, she moved over to him, laying a hand on his arm.
" I know why you're doing this," she said, quietly enough that the others couldn't hear, because they were filling Martha in on the details of the resurrection glove.
" I know you do," Jack said, looking straight at her, knowing her inside out too, " and I know you feel the same. "
" It's not your fault," Lily told him.
" Isn't it? " Jack countered, " I sent him in there. He's my employee. You're not responsible, baby, even if you think you are, but I am. I need to do this. I need to bring him back. "
" I know," Lily sighed - she felt the same way, even if she knew it was wrong, but she felt like they had to try for Owen - they owed it to him.
She stepped back and allowed Jack to hook Owen up to the monitor. Jack looked around at everyone, " Okay," he said, " if you've got anything you need to say to Owen, this is your chance. "
Jack leaned over and cradled Owen's head in his gloved hand, closing his eyes as he threw back his head in concentration, trying to make the connection. The electricity crackled, and Lily held her breath, hoping it would work, so they had chance to say a proper goodbye.
" Owen," Jack said carefully, " Can you hear me? Owen, listen to me. come out here - come to me. "
" I'm getting no vital signs," Ianto said quietly, checking the monitor.
" Owen! " Jack said, louder, " you've got to come to me. " Suddenly, he looked around at everyone, " it's working! It's happening - he's coming! "
From the monitor, loud pulses sounded and the monitor started to beep loudly. Owen's eyes snapped opened and he let out a long and loud scream, making everyone stare in shock, but feel relieved he was back.
" Oh my God," Martha gasped, echoed Lily's thoughts exactly.
" What happened? " asked a panicked Owen, looking around with wide eyes, " where am I? Oh God, I've been shot. He shot me. "
Lily stepped forwards, " Owen, calm down, just listen to me. "
" Oh," Owen said, noticing Lily for the first time, " wotcher, spacegirl. "
Lily couldn't help but smile a little, " There isn't much time," she told him.
His eyes wandered down her body and stopped at her chest and stomach, noticing the ugly stains over her shirt, " What the hell happened to you? " he asked, " is that - " he winced, " is that my blood? "
Lily folded her arms over her chest, " Suppose I should have changed. Never mind that now. "
Owen's eyes rolled back in his head as he lost interest in Lily's clothes " Where am I? This isn't the hospital, this is the autopsy room. What am I doing here? " Seeing the glove on his cheek, Jack's hand buried inside, his eyes widened, " Jack! Oh, no. No! What's that? What's that? "
"The resurrection glove," Jack admitted, " we lost you, but I brought you back. "
" How long have I got? " Owen asked, much more calmly.
Ianto consulted his stopwatch, " We're at thirty seconds and counting. "
" Oh no. Jesus, really? " Owen sighed, moaning.
" Okay team," Jack said, looking around at them all, " say your goodbyes. Lily? "
Lily nodded, " Owen," she said quickly, aware that everyone wanted time to say goodbyes, and they'd all known him much longer than she had, so she couldn't hog the time, " one, thank you. Two, sorry. "
" Gwen," Jack said, though his eyes lingered on Lily.
When Gwen didn't say anything, Owen groaned in frustration, " Gwen, no offense, but I've got two minutes to live! "
" Tosh! " Jack cried, rushing everything along.
Tosh hurried to Owen's side and blurted out the words at full speed, " I'm gonna miss you. And - and I love you. Always have. "
Lily gave her friend a brief smile, trying to be comforting, and when she turned back to Jack and Owen, Owen was giving Jack the code for the alien morgue.
Then Owen sighed and clutched onto Jack's hand tightly, " There's nothing," he mumbled, " in death - nothing. Just darkness. "
" Two minutes," Ianto announced.
" Jack," Owen breathed, not wanting the other man to let go, not wanting to go, " Jack! "
" Be brave," Jack said, as Owen prepared himself.
The monitor started to beep as Jack called Owen's name, and it was clear that he was gone. The monitor flatlined - the only sound in the room - as Jack released Owen's head and put his head down on the table, still clutching the hand tightly.
The entire room was quiet and grieving, and Lily was the first one to make a move, coming to stand behind Jack and putting her hands on his shoulders lightly, trying to comfort him without having to speak.
" I'm really going to need that hand back. "
Jack's head shot up as he stared at Owen, and Lily stared too, her hands dropping to her side. She looked at Owen and found him looking back at she and Jack.
" Owen? " Jack asked in disbelief.
The entire room looked freaked out, and Lily tried to remember what the others had told her about Suzie - draining energy from the user of the glove.
" Two minutes, twenty," Ianto said, consulting the stopwatch.
Jack stood up and backed away, looking at the glove on his hand, and holding the hand up as proof, " I'm not using it," he said.
" But I'm still here," Owen pointed out.
" Oh, here we go again," Ianto sighed.
" Jack," Lily said, frowning at the glove, though she knew she should be thrilled that Owen was alive, " put the glove down. Get rid of it. "
Jack tossed the glove to the floor, and everyone turned to watch Owen sit up, panting. Lily knew something had to be amiss, but she wasn't sure what. Owen shrugged as he offered a solution to what everyone was thinking, " Maybe I cheated it somehow. Maybe ... I wasn't meant die, so I'm being kept alive. Ah, someone pass me my pants please," he looked down and stared at the pullet wound in his chest, " Woah! "
Jack winced a little, " I hate to say it, but you'll get used to it. "
As everyone looked at each other and tried to figure out what was going on, Lily looked down at her shirt, stained. She met Jack's eyes briefly, " I should go get changed," she said, " because this is disgusting, really. "
Jack couldn't help but smile despite the situation, and watched Lily walk away.
Lily changed into an orange t-shirt and then made her way back up the ladder. She walked through Jack's office and back into the main hub, where she found the others all standing around, talking.
" Latest news, " Martha informed Lily as she approached them, " Owen doesn't have a pulse. "
Lily looked at Owen with a frown, " You're dead," she said, " yet you're still here. You're absolutely positively dead, yet you're walking and talking like anyone else. Funny, that. I never met a dead person before - well, I've met people who are dead now, but not the living dead. Well, I met Jesus once - lovely bloke. I was there at the Ascension. Anyway ... I'm rambling. "
Owen rolled his eyes, " any idea what's happening to me? "
Lily shrugged, " I don't know, if you lot don't. Though you said with Suzie, the glove drained energy from the user, keeping her alive. " She looked at Jack, " how are you feeling? "
Jack held up his hands, " I'm fine," he insisted.
" Sure about that? " Lily asked.
" Yeah," Jack said simply, " I'm fine. "
Lily frowned, instantly worried about her boyfriend, " I want you checked out, just in case. "
Jack looked a little amused, " Remind me who's in charge around here? "
" It's not a joke, Jack," Lily said, looking at him, " for all we know, you're fine now, but in a few hours, you'll have been drained of all energy and your brain will shut down. Do you really want that? "
Jack looked like he was about to protest again, but Lily wasn't going to let him. She spoke over him, " Jack, come on, I just want to know that my boyfriend's alright. I know you'd do the same if it was anyone else. "
Jack gave in easily after that, and Tosh set up a piece of equipment strapped to Jack's arm, to scan him and find out how he was. While she did that, Lily turned her attention to Owen, who was buttoning his shirt over the bullet wound in his chest, a little away from everyone else.
She went to stand beside him, and frowned when she saw a bit of blood on his face. She reached for a cloth that he'd been dabbing at himself with earlier, and she reached out to rub it against his cheek, her fingers touching his skin a little.
" I can't believe I'm dead," he said, " what does it feel like? Am I all horrible and cold? "
Lily shrugged, " You feel colder than a normal human, but my body temperature is lower than human, so you just feel a bit colder than Time Lord. "
" What's going to happen to me now? " he asked her as she pulled away.
" I don't know," she replied honestly, " we've got to make sure you're not a threat to anyone or anything else, which means we need to know what energy is keeping you alive. "
" Nothing! " Tosh called out, drawing Lily's attention, " there's no connection. It's not Jack. "
" See? " Jack asked as he strode over to her, " I told you I was fine. "
" Good," Lily muttered.
Ianot entered the area, carrying the glove on a tray. He handed it to Tosh, who was the first to examine it, " It's different from the other glove," he announced, " so maybe different gloves do different things. "
" Where do they come from? " Martha asked, which was a question on Lily's lips too.
" We fished the first one out of the harbour last year," announced Ianto.
" Yeah, but where does it come from originally? " asked Martha.
Jack simply shrugged, " No idea. Tosh, I want an analysis on the glove - see what you can find. Owen, I don't need to tell you that you're under quarantine. "
" You don't need to, yet you still do," Owen said, shaking his head.
Jack walked away from them all, and Lily automatically followed. Jack stopped at his office door and turned around to lean in the doorway as he looked down at Lily.
" How're you feeling? " Lily asked him softly, " this whole thing is really weird, right? "
Jack shrugged, " I guess. I'm used to coming back to life, and I know you can come back to life - though you've never actually done it - but humans shouldn't be able to. I don't know what's going on. "
" I'm sure we'll find out," Lily said, " I can't think of what's keeping him alive from the top of my head, but once there's been a few tests, and we've had chance to observe him, it should work out. The important thing is that everyone's safe right now. "
Jack smiled slightly as he looked at her, " How did I end up with such a level headed, clever girlfriend? "
" I know, I know," Lily shrugged, " it's a mystery. "
The phone in Jack's office rang, and he sighed at the sound. Before he turned into his office, he leaned in a stole a quick kiss from his girlfriend.
Lily watched him walk away and then turned back to the workstations - Martha and Owen were in the med bay, Gwen was on the phone as she paced up and down the catwalk, and Tosh was sat in front of her computer. Lily went to sit down beside Tosh.
" You alright? " she asked her friend.
Tosh shrugged and said nothing.
Lily smiled at her friend, " I know this is completely weird, but we'll get to the bottom of it. "
Tosh sighed and leant back in her chair, confiding, " I've loved him for ages - you know that. He died and I thought that was it, but now he's sort of alive again, and I've made an idiot of myself by telling him how I feel. "
Lily shook her head, " Owen's not so bad," she said, " I bet he won't even mention it - he can be suprisingly nice, when he wants to be. " She sighed, " he and him had a conversation earlier about ... you know ... what Martha told you, and he was dead sweet. Made me feel even worse when he died. "
There was a pause, before Tosh cleared her throat, wanting to talk to Lily about it, but not quite sure what to say. " Look," she said finally, " about what Martha told us ... I had no idea you'd suffered so much ... you're so brave. "
Lily waved a hand dismissively and said, " Bravery's got nothing to do with it. I just had to deal with it. When I escaped, Martha was so helpful in making me feel better about myself, and I definitley couldn't have gotten through without Jack. " She paused, and then started to open up more, " there were times when I thought Jack and I wouldn't make it, you know. "
" You did? " Tosh asked in suprise, " but the pair of you seem so perfect together! "
" And if we'd been marginally less suited, we'd have crumbled. It was ... God, it was so hard. The things that man did to me, that Jack had to watch. I thought Jack'd stop loving me, and he'd leave me when I'd been through that - like I wouldn't be worth anything, and I'd been ruined. As you know, Jack did nothing of the sort. It just shows you how things aren't always going to be what you think they are. "
Tosh nodded, " I guess. " She looked at Lily, trying to work her out, and asked, " are you trying to tell me that Owen and I might end up together, despite what I might be thinking? "
Lily shrugged with a little smirk, " Well, if that's the way you want to interpret it ... "
Tosh couldn't help but smile and watched as Lily turned her attention to the resurrection glove, running her hand over it. Then her smile turned into a frown as she looked at her friend.
" Lily? " she asked carefully, " you are alright now? I mean, you and Jack are the most solid couple I've ever seen, so that obviously worked out, but what about you? Are you alright? "
Lily appreciated the question and she nodded a little, trying not to look at Tosh, and tyring to remain lighthearted, " It was really hard at first, but I've been here four months. I'm adjusting. For the most part, I don't even think about it any more. There's the odd nightmare, and it gets scary, but Jack takes care of it. He's ... " she beamed, " he's my hero. "
Tosh smiled wordlessly.
The pair of them fell into a comfortable convsersation about nothing in particular, and were talking about what was on the televison that week, when Ianto approached them, handing them both a cup of coffee.
" Cheers," Lily said, taking it from him, " Tosh and I were just talking about that thing starting on tv Saturday night - you know the talent show? Are you gonna be watching it? It's all the magazines have been talking about. "
Ianto shrugged, " Talent shows aren't exactly my thing. I've already got plans for Saturday. "
" Really? " Lily asked, interested, teasing him a little " hot date? "
Ianto looked down, flushing in embarrassment, and then looking up again, " S-something like that," he said.
Lily laughed as she and Tosh exchanged looks. " Good for you," Lily nodded, thinking that Ianto deserved to be with someone, " who is she? Or he? " she added.
" She," Ianto confirmed.
When he said nothing else, Lily rolled her eyes. " Ah, come on, what are collegues for, if not gossiping? "
Ianto sighed, Lily's smile being infectious, as he knew she wouldn't give up, " I don't like to divulge my personal life at work," he said, " but I suppose as long as you two keep it to yourselves ... "
" We will," Tosh said, looking at Ianto with interest.
Ianto nodded then and hesitated before answering, " You know the pizza place we order from? "
Lily nodded - when they ordered, whoever was working at the pizza place delivered in the tourist office to Ianto.
" It's the girl who works there," he said, blushing again, " Her name's Catherine - Cate - and she's the one who usually delivers. She's quite pretty I suppose, and I ... well, we were talking, and she suggested going out for a drink. I was going to ask her anyway, but I was a bit ... "
" Shy," Lily finished for him.
Ianto nodded.
Lily smiled at him, " That's brilliant, Ianto. It'll be good for you to be with someone. "
Ianto raised his eyebrows, " You mean, not pining after Jack? "
Lily shook her head, embarrassed because it wa a little of the truth, " No," she said, caught out, " I didn't mean that - I just - "
Ianto cut her off, raising a hand, " I completely agree," he said, " I don't want Jack anymore, and I'm ready to move on. I want to be with someone else. Jack and I ... well ... I always knew it wasn't the real thing. I knew it never meant anything to him, because he was in love with someone else. So it's time I found someone suited to me. Cate could be good for me. "
Lily smiled and was about to reply when she heard a commotion coming from the medical bay. She hurried over to see Martha standing beside Owen and Jack - Jack must have crossed the hub without her even noticing.
Owen didn't seem to be in a good way, and Jack had his arms around him.
" What's going on? " Lily asked, rushing down the stairs to the medical bay.
" He just collapsed," Martha replied as Owen struggled in Jack's hold, as if he was trying to fight something off.
" Owen! " Jack called sharply, tightening his grip, " Owen, what happened? "
" I was in the darkness," Owen said, eyes wide as he shook his head, " There was something ... something. "
" What did you see? " Lily asked gently.
" I don't know," Owen said, shuddering, " It was waiting for me. Waiting in the darkness. " He sniffed, and Jack rubbed his back, trying to comfort his friend. When Owen had calmed down, Martha started to run scans on him, Lily watching carefully. When they were over, Jack called a meeting in the boardroom
Jack sat at the head of the table, with Lily on one side, Gwen on the other, and everyone else further down the table. Martha was stood at the bottom, adressing everyone.
" Owen's body is undergoing some kind of transformation," she told them, " his cells are changing, but Lily and I can't identify what the energy is. It's growing all the time, and right now, he's about 40% something else."
" But I don't feel any different," Owen replied.
Lily took over, " Look, we need to find out where this energy is coming from. From the analysis of the glove, it's ont anywhere local. Owen said he went somewhere when he collapsed, so the energy could be coming from there. "
" Like what? " Jack asked, " parallel universe? Different dimension? "
" Hey, I'm still here," Owen complained.
Jack nodded in acknowledgement, " Sorry," he said, " you said there was something in the darkness. Waiting for you. "
" Yeah," Owen said, " I felt it - I didn't see it. "
" Where do you think you went? " Jack pressed.
" I don't know," Owen said, shaking his head.
There was nothing more to say, and Jack called the meeting to an ending. As everyone headed back to the workstations, Jack started giving the orders.
" Martha, keep checking Owen's energy levels," said Jack, " Ianto, check the internal readings for any anomalies. " As the rest of the team went about their work, Jack headed to his office, and Lily followed.
They went into the office and Jack sat down in his chair, leaving Lily to sit on the edge of the desk.
Jack sighed, " I've got paperwork to do," he said, " downside of the job. "
Lily shrugged, " Yeah, so there's a few downsides, but what about the upsides? I mean, you get to be the boss, and order everyone else around. Not to mention having a glamorous assistant to sit on your desk.
Jack smirked, " Assistant? " he asked before shaking his head, " I think we both know that you're much more than that. "
Lily grinned and leaned down, as if she was about to kiss him, watching him lean in to her, but then moed her mouth to his ear and said, " You've got work to do. "
Jack groaned when she pulled away, but reached for a pen to do his paperwork. Lily sat there for a while, watching his hand move across the paper, his neat handwriting left behind, and it wasn't long before she got bored, and took the pen from Jack's hand, before taking his hand.
Jack looked at her with a smirk, " While this is lovely, it does rather distract me from working. "
Lily wasn't bothered, " So what? "
Jack relented easily, holding her hand tighter and bringing his other hand to play with her fingers, " Fine then. There was something I wanted to ask you actually - earlier, when we used the glove on Owen and we all started saying our goodbyes ... you said thank you and you said sorry. I know you said sorry because you feel you could have stopped him dying, but why did you thank him? "
Lily tried not to answer, but Jack could always tell when she was lying - the downside of someone who knew her inside out.
She ran her thumb across the back of his hand as she said, " Owen and I were talking, a few hours before we all went to the Pharm. I was a bit freaked out, and he gave me a hug and he was just really nice to me. "
Jack's eyes narrowed in suspicion, " What were you worried about? " he asked.
" Nothing," Lily said, not wanting to have to bring it up.
" Right," Jack said in a deadpan, " you were freaked out about nothing, and then Owen gave you a hug - which is quite out of character for him. "
Lily shrugged, " He's got a soft side, but he just doesn't like to show it. "
" What were you upset about? " Jack asked, softer this time, as he squeezed her hand in reassurance. He was looking straight at her, and Lily knew she had to tell him.
She looked down at her lap as she told him quietly, " They all know. Owen and the others - they found out about what happened while you were away. The Year That Never Was. "
Jack immediately frowned, " What do they know? " he asked.
" Everything. "
" How do they know? " Jack asked, anger seeping into his voice - he and Lily hadn't told anyone, because Lily didn't want to be made to feel awkward around her collegues, and Jack didn't want everyone gossiping about his girlfriend. She'd been through enough.
Lily didn't reply, not wanting to make a big fuss, or get Martha into trouble.
Jack dropped her hand, " Well someone told them," he said sternly, " and it wasn't me and it wasn't your dad. The only other people who know are you, Martha, Lucy Saxon and Martha's family. Lucy Saxon's in prison, the team haven't met Martha's family, and I doubt you told them. Which means - "
" Fine! " Lily said, " just don't make a big deal out of it. "
Jack stood up and started to move around the desk, his voice raised as his fierce protectiveness towards Lily grew and turned into anger at Martha. " How dare she? " he demanded, " what right had she to tell everyone? If we wanted them to know, you'd have told them yourself! You don't want everyone knowing all the awful little things that man did to you! I don't want you go have to go through that! "
" Jack," Lily said, sighing as she pushed herself off the desk, " I told you, I don't want you to make a big deal out of it. It's all in the past. "
" That's the point! " Jack said angrily, laying a hand on the doorknob, " we want to move on, and to put it aside, but how can we when everyone knows about it? Everyone thinks about it, and talks about it. Baby, I don't want that for you. You'd think Martha could be more discrete - I'm going to have a word with her. "
He yanked open the office door and Lily strode across the office towards him, shouting his name. That made him stop, and he turned back to face her.
" Shut the door," Lily said firmly. Jack hesitated and Lily rolled her eyes, " Jack - shut the door! "
When he did it, Lily nodded and then walked closer to him, stopping in front of him, and putting her hands on his chest, sliding them to his braces, and holding onto his braces as she looked at him - he was standing there, looking furious as he tried to calm himself down.
" Listen to me," Lily said, using what she thought was her most soothing voice, " I really really appreciate your concern, and I think you're so brilliant. But there's no point making a big deal out of it - we've got other things to do. You know what those lot are like, they probably nagged at Martha until she felt like she had to say something. Don't say anything to her about it. "
" But - " Jack started.
Lily shook her head, " Shhh, kitten. The point is, they all know, but they're not treating me any differently, so there's no harm done. It's better for them - they're not curious, and now they understand why we're so cautious with each other sometimes. I spoke to Owen, and he was so nice about it - he promised that it didn't change things. I spoke to Tosh - no-one's bothered, Jack. They know, but they're not going to keep bringing it up. They know it's over, and it should stay that way. "
Jack had calmed down a bit now, and he looked down at Lily carefully, before nodding. " I'm sorry," he said, " I suppose I tend to fly off the handle when it comes to protecting you. "
Lily shook her head, " Don't apologise for it - it's lovely that you care so much. I was telling Tosh earlier, that I couldn't have made it through everything without you. You're my hero. "
Jack smiled and kissed the top of her head, " I love you," he said.
Once everything was calmed down, Jack went back to sitting behind his desk, Lily sitting in front of him. They'd not been alone long when the door opened and Martha rushed in, clutching a small hand held monitor.
Lily's eyes flew to Jack, and she willed him to remain calm and not mention anything, which he did.
" Have you seen Owen? " asked Martha frantically.
" I think he was with Tosh," Lily shrugged, " why, what's going on? "
Martha looked worried, and the worry came across to Jack and Lily, " The energy in him just went off the scale. "
Lily jumped up off the desk, and the three of them were hurrying into the main hub.
" Owen? " Lily shouted as they hurried to the workstations, where only Gwen and Tosh sat, " Owen! Get the hell over here! "
" Nothing like a good bedside manner," Jack said, smirking a little.
Lily shrugged, " No time to be nice. Owen! "
" He said he needed the toilet," Tosh told them.
Lily frowned, " I don't think so. Owen's dead, which means his digestive system has shut down. He can't eat or drink, so he certainly doesn't need to use the toilet. "
" Well, I don't think he's coming," Jack said, irritated.
Gwen, meanwhile, had been checking the computers. " He's not in the hub," Gwen told them.
" So he's out there? " asked Martha, looking towards the cog door.
Lily sighed, " We should get looking for him," she said, walking over to her desk, where she saw Jack's military coat thrown across her chair - it was so lovely and warm that she sometimes walked around with the coat wrapped around her.
As she went to get the coat, she heard Jack say, " It's Owen - it's not like he's dangerous. "
" Isn't he? " Martha asked, " Owen's just had a surge of energy that we can't understand. The cells in his body are being transformed into something else. He's about 50% human and 50% something else. We need to stop thinking of him as Owen. "
" Easier said than done," Lily said, holding out Jack's coat for him, while he slipped into it, " we'd better get going. "
Jack started towards the door quickly, but turned back to look at Lily, " Baby, I'm sorry, but would you mind staying here? I need someone to look after the place and be in charge here. "
" Yeah, and finish your paperwork," Lily scoffed, " just go find Owen. "
When he was gone, Lily took his paperwork and sat behind her down desk with it - there was something very oddd about being in Jack's office. Although he was the boss, he'd never shown his authority over her, and he always told her he didn't want to be the boss of her, but it still felt wrong to be in his office, and work in the office.
She was sitting behind the desk for a while, sucking on the end of her pen and frowning at the paperwork, when she heard the phone in Jack's office ring. She ran over to answer it, before the person could hang up, and she caught it just in time
" Torchwood," she said quickly.
" Am I speaking to the person in charge? " asked the male voice on the other end.
Lily shrugged and replied, " Yes, you are. "
" Right then," came the other voice, " I'm Sergeant Powell from the Cardiff Police. I have two men here claiming to be Torchwood employees. A "captain" Jack Harkness and a "Doctor" Owen Harper. "
" Oh God," Lily sighed, running her free hand through her hair, " what have they done now? "
" Can you confirm these men are Torchwood employees, ma'am? " asked the sergeant.
" Yes, I can," Lily sighed, " do they needing bailing out? "
" No ma'am," the officer replied, " they were arrested for fighting in a bar, but we're releasing them on caution. As of now, they're free to go. "
" Right, thank you," Lily said, before hanging up. She then snatched up the reciever again and called Jack's mobile. The moment he answered, she spoke, " You got arrested? "
" Oh. Hi. "
" Arrested for fighting in a bar? " Lily asked, this time sounding amused, " why can you not go anywhere without causing chaos? "
" I found Owen, didn't I? " Jack replied.
Lily sighed, " Everything's alright then? "
" Yeah, we're coming back now," said Jack.
" Good," Lily said, before hanging up, feeling both exasperated and amused at the situation, and glad that they'd gotten Owen back. She went into the hub to find Martha, Tosh, Gwen and Ianto standing around Tosh's computer, each looking puzzled.
" What's going on? " she asked, wanting to be in on the action, and to know what progress they were making - or if this wasn't work, she wanted to be in on the gossip.
Tosh looked at the screen and then told Lily, " I checked out some of the CCTV footage earlier. Just look what I found out. "
Lily watched as Tosh played it, and the others had already watched it, but watched it again. Lily was shocked when she saw Owen in the lab, his eyes just pools of darkness, as he spoke in an alien language.
" Is this for real? " Lily asked, staring at the screen.
" What the hell is it? " Gwen asked, " what's happening to him? "
" Looks like this is whatever's taking over Owen," she said, " something's taking over, and it's doing it pretty fast. "
" Shall I get the translator out? " Ianto asked, as everyone seemed to accept Lily's authority.
Lily shook her head, " No need, remember? It translates to "I shall walk the Earth and my hunger will know no bounds." Thing is, I'm sure I've heard those words before, and I've got a really bad feeling about this. "
" You don't know the half of it," Jack called from the doorway.
Lily raised her eyebrows, " That was quick," she said, momentarily forgetting the alien in Owen, " don't tell me you picked up another handful of speeding fines on the way home? "
" Never mind that," Jack said as he and Owen walked forwards, " what about this? Owen and I were chased by a dozen or so weevils on the way to the SUV. And they were all scared of Owen - just answered to him. "
Lily looked at Owen curiously and then looked back at Jack, " Well we've got CCTV of Owen - sorry about this, Owen," she added to him, " - speaking in an alien language. "
" Exactly as he did to the weevils probably," Jack nodded.
Jack, Owen and Martha went down to the cells, while Lily decided to stay upstairs, trying to work out where she'd heard the words before. She nodded when she thought of it, and told the only other person nearby - Gwen.
Gwen got onto running it through google to find out if it had any truth, and the results were quite interesting.
When Jack, Owen and Martha came back up a few minutes later, and Jack told everyone that the weevil had backed away as soon as Owen stepped up to the glass, Lily told Jack she wanted a team meeting.
" You'll be taking my job away from me soon," Jack quipped as they all sat around the table, this time Lily standing at the head, Gwen standing beside her - the two women might not really see eye to eye, but they'd reached a grudging agreement, and they knew they'd have to agree to disagree.
" So," Lily said, leaning across the table and taking charge in a way that reminded Martha of the Doctor, " we've got something very odd on our hands. Owen appears to be King of the Weevils or something, now. Not good, whichever way you look at it, but I think Owen's not completely unique. "
" Cheers," Owen muttered.
Lily shrugged and then continued, " "I shall walk the Earth and my hunger shall know no bounds." I knew I'd heard the words before, from an old legend, but I just couldn't remember the details. Gwen and I researched it - in the legends, the man who spoke those words was Death himself. "
This was met my confusion and disbelief from the rest of the team.
" There's no such thing," Martha said.
Lily scoffed, " You of all people should know that anything could exist. "
" Yeah, but I'm dead, not Death," Owen said.
Lily looked at him, " Really? " She was sort of enjoying taking charge of a situation as she continued, " let me explain. I found wood carvings depicting Death. They date back to the 15th century to a parish named St James, back in the time of the plague. "
Gwen took over when Lily glanced at her, " When they heard about the plague, the people of the parish built a wall around the town. However, that didn't prevent a small girl from dying. The legend says that the priest performed a miracle and brought the girl back to life, but she didn't come back alone. "
" She brought Death with her," Lily finished, " and he walked amongst them. "
Tosh looked a little skeptical as she adressed Lily, " Look," she said, " I know you're usually right about these things, and I wouldn't doubt you, but can we go on a load of old legends? "
Lily shrugged, " I just think there's too many similarities, and we can't rule out a link. I mean, look at the way it's adding up. Jack, darling, where did you find the glove? I don't suppose it was at a church named St Mary's? "
Jack nodded, " Yep. "
Lily nodded, as if she knew exactly where everything was pointing, and consulted the notes she and Gwen had taken from the internet, " St Mary's was the church of the priest. Which makes St James parish the town that later became Cardiff city. "
" What happened when Death walked amongst the townspeople? " asked Owen, as everyone started to take notice of the legends a bit more.
Lil hesitated to answer, and Gwen spoke instead, " People died. 12 people died. Death needed 13 souls before it had a permanent hold on Earth. "
" Then why did it stop at 12? " Jack asked.
" Good question," Lily said, " we don't know. All we could find was the word "Faith". Now, I don't know about you lot, but I think it all speaks for itself. Just look at the parallels between this case, and what we've done to Owen. "
There was a pause as everyone considered this, and Martha was the first to break it, " Owen is changing," she said, " who knows what the energy is - maybe it's making him a host - a gateway? "
Owen nodded, thinking it through, " I've been thinking there's something in the darkness, waiting for me to finally pass over, but I've got it wrong. It's the other way around. It's trying to get here through me. "
He sighed and looked at Martha, who was holding the scanner, " What's the reading now? "
" About 80%," the UNIT medic answered honestly.
Lily frowned - this wasn't good - they didn't know what was going to happen when it reached 100%, and she wasn't sure what they could do about it. She didn't want anything to happen to Owen, but if he was a risk, they had to do something about it.
" What happens when it completes? " Owen asked, voicing Lily's concerns, " You know, we fight monsters - what happens when we turn out to be the monsters. When I am the monster? "
Jack answered simply, " Even if we have to fight with you, you're already dead. "
" And what do we do with the dead? " Owen asked, making everyone realise how serious this was, and what they might have to do to end it, even if none of them liked the thought of it.
Jack didn't answer, not wanting to have to confirm their option.
" Come on, what do we do? " Owen asked, agitated, " we embalm the dead! If we inject a formaldehyde solution into my veins, it'll petrify my neural pathways and freeze dry my brain. It's the only way to be sure. "
There was a long pause, during which everyone knew that they were going to have to freeze Owen. Jack stood up and left the room, and then the others did too, until only Gwen, Owen and Lily were left in the room. Jack and Martha went to prepare the solution, while Tosh and Ianto prepared the equipment.
Lily gave Gwen a half hearted smile, " Good work," she told her.
Gwen nodded wordlessly, and in unison, the two women turned to look at Owen. Owen saw them both looking at him and raised his hands in surrender, " I'm fine," he told them, " really - it's better this way. "
Gwen sobbed a little and flew into his arms, hugging him fiercely, and though Owen hugged her in return, he had no tears to cry, and very little emotion to show. Gwen sniffed when they broke apart and left the room on her own.
Lily sighed as she looked at Owen and then she glanced at the door, " C'mon," she said, " I don't want to get all emotional too - been there, done that. "
Owen nodded, and they walked out of the office together. Lily could tell that Owen wasn't completely happy, even if he seemed to accept it. As they walked out of the conference room and strolled over to the medical bay, Lily looked at Owen's profile and saw him bracing himself. She took her hand in his firmly, and he held hers just as tightly.
" I'm fine," he said, as though trying to convince himself.
" Good," Lily said, " you know we wouldn't do this if there was any other choice. "
Owen nodded, " Yeah. But really, I'm ready for this. I can't eat, can't drink, and can't shag. My life isn't the same now. I'm probably better off like this. "
Lily said nothing, just remained at his side, trying to show support on behalf of the whole team, since she couldn't stand to see anyone upset, when there was something she could do to help.
They descended the steps to the medical bay hand in hand, walking at the same pace.
When they stopped at the bottom, the rest of the team were looking straight at Owen, except Jack, whose eyes were fixed on the joined hands of his girlfriend and Owen with a frown.
Lily gave her friend's hand a final squeeze before they broke the contact, and Owen took a step closer towards the chair awaiting him.
" Owen's at 95%," Martha announced.
Owen nodded in acceptance, " Then let's not waste any time saying goodbye. Let's just do it. "
Soon, Owen was sitting down, strapped into the chair, and the first injection was about to take place. As Martha reached for the needle on the tray, the resurrection glove was suddenly sitting there, and moved when Martha tried to touch the needle, startling everyone
Martha tried to get to the needle again, but the glove wasn't letting her anywhere near.
" I don't think I like where this is going," Jack said.
Lily shook her head as Martha tried to go for the needle again, and was about to argue that Martha should lave them alone, when the glove flew off the tray and straight towards Martha. Martha screamed and fell backwards onto the floor as she grabbed the glove and struggled with it, to keep it off her face.
Owen was struggling to get from his restraints, and Jack hurried to help Martha get the glove away from her, while everyone else was on awares, looking around.
Jack suceeded in yanking the glove away from Martha's face, and he ripped it away and hurled it to the other end of the room, where it hit the floor and then started crawling back towards Martha. Martha ran from the room, and Lily tried to standing in front of the glove's path, but Jack grabbed her roughly and pushed her out of the way as the glove flew for her.
Lily stumbled as she grabbed hold of the autopsty table for support. The others started to spread out to where Martha was, while Owen was still strapped in.
Jack yelled at Owen not to move, and everyone was fearing for what could happen next.
" Where is it? " Lily asked desperately, looking around.
Tosh pointed to a cabinet, " I thnk it might have gone over there," she said.
Jack touched Martha's arm gently and asked if she was alright, to which she responded that she was, though everyone was still worried about her, but increasingly worried as they couldn't see the glove anywhere.
In the silence, a sudden metal clinking was evident, and Lily's head whipped around as she tried to look for the glove, though she still couldn't see it. Everyone was very quiet and still as Gwen pointed out the glove and they watched it. Martha made the first move, peering over the edge of the railings.
This proved to be a huge mistake as the glove suddenly jumped up and clamped onto her face, leaving her screaming out desperately, as she fell backwards. Lily darted up the stairs, to where Gwen and Tosh were already kneeling beside Martha.
Lily joined them, holding Martha down, worried, as she tried to hold her as she struggled against the glove. Jack leant over Martha and tried to pry the glove away, but it was much stronger than him.
" Do something," Lily hissed as Jack looked at her, helplessly.
Jack nodded and using all the strength he could find, he tore the glove from Martha's face and struggled with it before throwing it it across the room, where it landed on the tray of supplies and twitched.
The glove jumped to the ground at the same time that Owen got free from the chair, and and he pinned the glove to the floor with his foot.
" You've got to destroy it," Lily said, frowning.
" Gun! " Owen said, holding out his hand.
Jack was knelt over Martha, but everyone else was turned towards Owen and the glove. Jack hesitated about shooting it, but when Lily held out her hand for his gun and nodded at him, he accepted it, and allowed her to take it from his waistband. Lily tossed the gun to Owen, who caught it and shot the glove.
Lily nodded in relief when the glove exploded in a flash of white light.
" Oh my God," Gwen muttered.
Lily turned to see Martha huddled on the floor, her hands at her face. " Martha? " Lily asked, kneeling beside her, " Martha? "
" What's happened? " Gwen asked.
" Artificial ageing," Lily supplied, looking at Martha in horror - she'd been made to look very old, and was now weary and frail, and it reminded Lily of when the Master had done a similar thing to the Doctor.
" Caused by the glove," Jack added, before turning to face Owen, " Owen, come and help me with her. " When Owen didn't answer, Jack snapped, " Owen! "
" Um ... Jack? " Ianto said, nodding in Owen's direction.
Everyone followed his direction and the only sound in the room was the monitor beeping. Owen dropped the gun as he turned around to face then - the scan was up at 100%. Lily's eyes widened as she realised something very bad was about to happen, and they had too many problems to deal with.
Owen's eyes turned to the strange pools of darkness, and Lily stepped down a few of the stairs, though everyone else was backing away.
In a distorted voice that wasn't his own, Owen said , and Lily knew it was Death talking from inside Owen, " I will walk the Earth and my huger will know no bounds. "
That was followed by Owen gasping for breath and letting out a scream as he threw his head back and a thick black gas escaped from his mouth. Lily stared as it rose up, growing bigger and bigger in a shapeless form.
" Everyone ... get ... back," Lily said quietly, looking over her shoulder at everyone else, since they had no idea what was going to happen. The gas started forwards and moved to the team, it was heading for the centre of them, and Lily threw her arms out, trying to cover everyone.
The black gas of Death shot forwards and Lily braced herself as it hit her. She gasped sharply and felt her knees almost give way as it surged through her. She staggered forwards and put a hand on the railings as she started to feel weak - she didn't know what it would do to humans, but she was sure she could handle it.
She could hear Jack's voice behind her, but she couldn't really make it out, and her eyes started to close as she knelt down on the floor, trying to push the gas away.
Lily had strong mental barriers, but this thing was even stronger, and she gave way.
The next thing she knew, her eyes opened slowly, and she was strapped into the SUV, slumped in her seat. She frowned and sat up, to find that only she and Jack were there.
" Are you alright? "
" What the hell happened? " Lily said, shaking her head as she unbuckled her seatbelt.
" You passed out," Jack told her, " and we're at the hospital now - we thought we'd best bring Martha in. Owen's stable, but I'm not sure he's safe. "
" And the thing? " Lily asked, frowning, " the ... Death? "
Jack shook his head, " It's gone. It's out there somewhere. "
" Just what we need," Lily sighed as she threw open the car door and the pair of tem started towards the hospital. They strode down the corridors until they found Martha lying on a bed in one of the cubicles, the rest of the team gathered around her.
Martha was examining her face in a small compact mirror, shaking her head.
" How do you know her? " asked the doctor who'd walked in with them, " I take it you're not all family. "
" Neighbours," Lily lied, drawing everyone's attention to her, as her collegues gave her smiles.
" We look in on her," Gwen added, " do her shopping, collect her pension, that sort of thing, you know? "
The doctor looked skeptical and she asked, " What, all six of you are the next door neighbours? "
Jack shrugged, " We live in a very big house and we all get on well Now, how is she? "
The doctor hesitated before replying, " Her red blood cell count is through the floor, and she's massively dehydrated, which has placed considerable strain on her heart. "
" You've got to help her," Lily said, worried about her friend and not sure what she could do herself.
" We are," the woman said, clutching her clipboard to her chest, " but you've all got to accept - she's what, 80? "
" Just do what you can," Jack said, before the doctor left. When she was gone, Lily sighed and went to sit with beside Martha, trying to comfort her.
" It'll be alright," she said, " we've gotten through all sorts, yeah? You can fight this. I promise we'll fix it. "
Martha sighed, " It must be Death," she said weakly, " because it's taken my life. "
" We will reverse this," promised Jack before looking at Lily, " Baby? The last time, when Cardiff was a town. It killed 12 people - why didn't it get to 13? "
" I don't know," Lily told him, rolling her eyes, " we've been through this. All we know is "faith". "
Jack nodded and then looked at Ianto, " We need answers," he said, " I don't care how you get them - google it if you have to. "
" I'm on to it," Ianto said, leaving the cubicle.
" Owen, back at the hub," Jack ordered, " you're not safe. "
" I'm fine," Owen argued back, " whatever it was, I'm free of it, I promise you. I'm useful here. When it came through me, I felt it, and I know what it wants - it's hungry. "
Owen moved over to the window, and Lily watched him carefully. There was a silence as no-one knew quite what to do, and Lily had just taken her eyes away from the window, when Gwen asked, " Where do we go to look for it? "
Lily put her hands on her hips, " Let's think about it," she said, " if you were Death, and you needed souls, where would you target? Old people's homes? "
" The hospital," Owen said, noticing some of the black gas outside the window.
" Right now? " asked Gwen, " but why would it follow us? "
" The near dead," Jack said, " perfect place for Death to feed on. "
Lily immediately yanked the curtain back, and she, Jack, Tosh, Owen and Gwen left Martha's cubicle, walking down the corridor. Lily told Jack he needed to make sure everyone get out, but he was already on to it.
" This is Captain Jack Harkness," he said briskly, " Torchwood. You need to evacuate St Helen's hospital immediately. "
Lily smiled a little - she loved the way Jack's voice got so authoritive sometimes, and she loved that he was so strong and in charge. When he said something, people just did it.
Lily tore her eyes from Jack, when she noticed he was looking at her, and she looked at the people gathered in reception, " Ladies and gentlemen! " she called, " lovely to meet you all. I just need to ask you one thing - would you all mind getting out of the hospital right now? Thank you very much - emergency, you understand. "
She continued walking away and Jack started giving orders to the team, ordering Tosh, Owen and Gwen to search half the hospital, while he and Lily took the other half.
As they ran up the stairs, Jack touched his ear pice and shouted, " Ianto? I need information! "
" I'm hearing of multiple code four's in intensive care," he said.
" What floor is that? " asked Jack.
" Sixth," Ianto said.
Jack thanked him and ended the communication, and then hooked his hand under Lily's arm, steering her towards the staircase, where they continued to run, " What's a code four? " he asked Lily.
" Heart attack," she said instantly.
" We need to do a body count," Jack said, " and pray it doesn't reach twelve. "
Lily threw open the door to intensive care and grimaced when she looked around the room to see several still bodies lying the beds, monitors flatlining all around the room.
Lily sighed desperately and looked around the room, realising that everyone in the room was dead. As she passed an elderly woman with the skin barely stretched over her bones, she touched her comm, " Owen, Tosh, Gwen, there's fatalities on floor six. Six of them. "
" And I'm hearing of a death during a routine operation," Tosh replied.
"Then that's seven," Lily said, glancing at Jack, who was watching her carefully, " six until we get to 13. Only six to go. "
Jack looked at Lily with a serious expression, and she knew he was thinking something she wouldn't like, " Oh," he said with realization.
" What? " Lily asked.
Jack frowned, " Baby, there's six of us. "
" Oh," Lily said, frowning, " not good. "
" Jack, Lily, it was last seen on the 6th floor," Owen's voice came through the comms, " so did it go up or down from there? "
" If it's still hungry, and most of the upper floors are evacuated, then I suppose it's going down. "
" We're on eight," Owen replied, " we'll make our way down. "
" And Jack? " Tosh called, " we still have no idea what to do if we find it. "
Jack looked at Lily, who shook her head, and then he called for Ianto, needing to know what the welshman had found out. Ianto's reply was, " I've searched for the phrase "I shall walk the Earth and my hunger will know no bounds" but I just keeping getting directed to Weight Watchers. Lily, any idea where we could find out more? "
Lily paused and then answered, " I first heard it as a legend, but as far as I know, it's in a medical journal - the History of Medicine. Try looking under Tavistock or Welkin. "
" Got you," Ianto said.
Lily ended the connection, and walked through the door that Jack was holding open for her. The pair of them strolled down the corridor, only focusing on the work, since there was no time for anything personal, however much Jack might want to grab his girlfriend and hug her rather than search for Death.
Lily's earpiece buzzed again, and she pressed a hand to it, listening to it before looking at Jack, not happy. " I'm getting reports of 12 people dead. Legend says when Death took 13 people, it would be unstoppable, and roam the earth forever. It only needs to kill one more. "
" Then we're running out of time," Jack said, touching his comm too, " Ianto, anything? "
" Yeah," he said, " back in 1479, the priest discovered that Death needed 13 souls to wander the Earth for eternity. He stopped Death at 12, and it was Faith. "
" I know! " Jack replied angrily, making Lily roll her eyes at him.
" No," Ianto said, trying to make him listen, " the little girl who was brought back to life - her name was Faith. She stopped it, but it doesn't say how. "
Lily frowned as she tried to think about it, and she soon came to a conclusion - she had no idea if they should do it, but she could think of no other way to defeat Death. " Come on," she said, turning towards the stairs, " If Owen heard that, then he's probably going to do exactly what I'm thinking of. "
" What's going on? " asked Jack, following after her quickly.
Lily looked over her shoulder as she said, " Faith had nothing to lose, right? She was already dead. Just like Owen. So she let Death consume her. "
" You think Owen'll do that? " Jack asked, " but then what will happen to him? "
" I don't know, Jack! " Lily replied with a sigh, " all I know is, Owen said he was ready to go, and I really think he might do this. We need to get down there. "
Once they were there, they saw Owen on the ground floor, alone, with Death. Tosh and Gwen were outside, locked out presumably by Owen, as they pounded on the glass, and everyone else had been evacuated.
As they slowed down and slowly approached Owen and Death, Lily saw Death reach a bony hand towards Owen and grab him. The two figures began to struggle with each other, and Owen grabbed on to Death, refusing to let go, taunting him, and keeping hold firmly.
Lily watched with anticipation, nodding, pleased as she saw Death beginning to wither away, the black smog disappearing. It lingered for a moment, but then it disappeared.
Owen fell to his knees, and Lily approached immediately, followed by Jack.
Lily reached down to lay a hand on Owen's shoulder, and after a moment, Owen drew himself up to his feel, leaving Lily to drop her hand from him, offering him a comforting smile.
The door beeped, from where Owen had shut out Gwen and Tosh, and they were now available to come back in. They both ran in, worried for Owen, and hugged him at the same time. A weak Owen could do nothing to protest, and allowed them both to hug him tightly.
Lily smiled when an arm slid around her waist from behind, and she leant her head back against Jack, and relaxed in his arms as he kissed her forehead lovingly.
She let her eyes drift closed as she watched Owen, Gwen and Tosh happily celebrating that Owen was safe, though Lily wasn't sure how long he'd be around for now, she was happy for him to be safe, and for them to carry on.
Her eyes snapped open and she jumped a little when Jack barked, " Ianto? How's the patient? "
" Jesus, Jack," Lily said, rolling her eyes as she pulled away from him, " right in my ear! "
He gave her an apologetic look and stepped away, touching his ear piece. A couple of seconds later, he announced to everyone, " Martha's fine! "
Lily smiled a little and took Jack hand, fitting her fingers perfectly between his, as she headed for the door, " C'mon everyone," she said, " let's go home. "
" Back to the hub, you mean," Owen grumbled, " back to work. "
" No," Lily said with a smile, looking over her shoulder at him, " it's my home. "
They met Ianto and Martha at the SUV and there were more hugs all around, everyone pleased that today had worked out, even if there had been deaths they hadn't managed to prevent.
" So what happens to me now? " Owen asked as they drove back to the hub.
When no-one answered, he looked at Lily, " Spacegirl? You've usually got some answers. "
Lily shrugged, a little smile crossing her face as she looked at him, " I don't know. I ... I honestly just don't know. You've soaked up tons of energy, and it'll fade away, but god knows how long that'll take. You might have another 60 years left in you yet. "
"Or 60 minutes," Owen said, frowning
Lily reached out and poked his arm, " Don't be so pessimistic," she said.
" And do I still have a job? " he asked, looking at the front mirror, to try and catch Jack's eye.
Jack took his eye from the wheel and looked in the mirror, meeting Owen's eye, " That depends. Do you still want the job? I mean ... it's dangerous work ... we don't know what's going on with you. "
" When has danger ever stood in the way before? " Owen asked, shaking his head, " Look, people died because you brought me back. We owe them, you and me. Put me to work, and we'll see if we can set things straight. "
There was a pause, during which everyone looked at Jack, waiting for an answer. Jack smirked, turning around to look at Owen, " Yeah. Of course you've still got a job. "
As Owen sat back, pleased, and Jack turned around to concentrate on driving, Lily smiled to herself - she knew Jack had never thought of not giving Owen his job. She knew him well enough that he wasn't going to sack Owen, and she saw him glancing at her in the mirror, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking.
When she met his eye, he winked at her.
She smiled.
