10.

Jack helped Ianto to sit up, leaning against the wall, and handed him a bottle of water. Then he settled against the wall next to him. Ianto took a sip and then started, "Debbie Turner. She worked at Torchwood One with me. Quiet and efficient … and really nice. When the ghost shifts started, she tried to warn everyone. The higher-ups didn't like that. They wanted the ghost shifts to be a success, proof of Torchwood's exceptional cunning in controlling death and life."

"Yvonne always was kind of overeager," Jack said.

Ianto chuckled and shook his head. "Debbie was warned and stopped talking about the ghost shifts – at least that's what I thought, until she approached me one day and talked to me about how the ghost shifts were wrong. I didn't take her seriously. I noticed that she talked to other staff members as well and it didn't take long for Yvonne to hear about it through the grapevine. She had no proof, of course. Everyone Debbie had talked to kept quiet, because she was practically part of the inventory after twenty-six years of working for Torchwood." Ianto sighed sadly. "Of course, Yvonne suspected that Debbie was behind the anti-ghost shift sentiment. She invited everyone in our team into her office, asked about Debbie's work and what she was thinking about the ghost shifts." He swallowed and his fingers started to peel away the label on the bottle. "I was so proud of my job. So proud of being part of something that mattered after being nothing but a … drifter for years and I didn't believe Debbie. I was so in awe of everything. I thought we were doing an important job and that no one at Torchwood would intend to do any harm."

"You betrayed her."

"I told Yvonne the truth. I said that I thought that Debbie was just confused. That it would help if the team working on the ghost shift project would make an official statement as to what they wanted to achieve and how it worked. I said that Debbie would have no problem with it anymore if she just knew what was going on. Nobody told us anything. They just kept telling us how wonderful the ghost shifts were. Shortly after my talk with Yvonne, Debbie was gone."

"What did they do?"

"They took care that she would never talk about the ghost shifts, or anything else for that matter, again." Ianto turned his head to look at Jack. "I looked for her. I found her in a clinic – St. Sophia's. Some colleagues visited her. Debbie was … somehow, they killed her personality, everything she was. They said she was just sitting there …" He sobbed. "... unable to talk or feel or … anything else. The doctors there said that her brain was slowly shutting down, that she would die within the next few months." He wiped at his eyes. "I didn't know what to do. I still couldn't believe that Torchwood would lie to us about the danger of the ghost shifts, but I was torn. Then the Cybermen happened. And then I had to get Lisa out and everyone was dead …"

"So, all you wanted to do was see Debbie and tell her that she was right? To apologize."

Ianto nodded.

Jack shook his head, unable to understand. "Why didn't you just say so?"

Ianto took a deep breath and sniffed. "Torchwood did that to her. And you are Torchwood."

xxx

"Took you long enough," Owen muttered when Jack left Ianto's cell and arrived at his position a few feet down the corridor.

"We talked," Jack answered. He put his hands on his hips. "I actually managed to shed some light. Check up on him and then come upstairs, I need you to look something up for me."

"Alright," Owen answered and picked up his bag with equipment. Jack shoved his hands in his pockets and turned to leave. Owen noticed his slumped shoulders and ducked head and said, "Jack." He turned back around to face Owen with a questioning look. Owen asked, "Are we keeping him or what?"

"I don't know. It's up to him now." His eyes met Owen's, a sharp edge in them. "Why? Still against it? 'Cause I think we both know that I won't send him back to that prison."

Owen nodded. "I didn't want to suggest anything like that. I think … we could do with an archivist."

Jack tilted his head curiously. "How come?"

"It's easy, really," Owen answered. He swallowed, feeling vulnerable opening up, even though this was Jack. The man who'd seen the worst of him. "When he fought you in the cell, reaching for your gun … I was almost at that point one time. At the beginning, after I started here … we chased a Weevil." He could see in Jack's eyes that he remembered the incident. Owen smiled bitterly. It had been a bad week for him, still struggling with his loss and the effect of the medication the therapist had prescribed him, so tired and overwhelmed by his new job. He remembered him and Jack splitting up and then, in a semi-dark alley, the Weevil had suddenly stood before him, all sharp teeth and vicious snarl. And Owen knew that they killed fast and effectively. And it didn't really matter, anyway. So he'd done nothing, just stared at it while it approached with its teeth bared. If it hadn't been for Jack … "My gun didn't misfire," Owen said softly.

Jack heaved a deep sigh. "I know."

"So when he grabbed that gun," Owen started again, "I kind of ..." He looked for the right words.

Jack suggested, "You looked into the abyss and the abyss looked into you?"

Owen chuckled nervously. "Something like that."

Jack nodded and put a hand on Owens shoulder. "I know the feeling." He turned to leave.

"That doesn't mean that I trust him."

"I know."

xxx

"Debbie Turner," Owen said half an hour later, reading from a file on his computer screen. "She was found unresponsive near the St. Sophia's clinic. They took her in, tried to get her to talk and take part in life again but she refused to. Her brain shut down for some reason and nobody knew why. There was no physical reason for it. They assumed she has a trauma. The police investigated, but came up with loose ends. Her case is cold."

Jack, who was standing behind Owen with crossed arms, sighed deeply. "So … he was telling the truth."

"Looks that way," Owen said.

Gwen, standing next to Jack, shuddered. "Could Torchwood One just do that? Just … switch you off?"

"Yes," Jack answered, "there are chemicals that can do that. Torchwood has always been about exploiting such things, especially Torchwood One. 'If it's alien, it's ours.' That's what they said. Yvonne told me once that they'd found an alternative to Retcon. I would have never imagined that it was something like this."

Tosh leaned back in her chair and played with her glasses thoughtfully. "What are we going to do now?" Everyone looked at her. "About Ianto, I mean."

Owen answered, "Well, whatever Ianto thinks, Debbie is not dead."

Jack's eyes widened in surprise. "What?"

"I called the clinic. They say that Debbie's okay. Not fine, but okay."

Tosh stood up and joined them at Owen's desk. "So Ianto could still see her. Tell her that she was right."

"What for?" Owen asked. "She's catatonic."

"That doesn't mean she can't hear someone talking to her. She might just be unable to respond," Tosh replied.

Everyone looked at Jack, awaiting his decision. While Owen's stare was neutral, Gwen and Tosh looked at him with similarly pleading eyes. He was a lost cause and closed his eyes in defeat. "Fine. Someone will have to go with-"

Gwen said eagerly, "I'll do it!"

Jack took a deep breath. "Apparently, we have a volunteer." Worried, he looked at her. "Can you drive? After the last few days ..."

She nodded. "No problem. While we were looking for a way to get you out, we took turns. We all got some sleep."

Jack looked at Owen who nodded in confirmation. "Fine," Jack said. "Where is that clinic?"

"South of London," Owen answered.

"Fine. Gwen, you get twelve hours at the most. Three hours 'til London, three hours back, that gives Ianto about six hours to talk to Debbie. That should be enough."

She nodded with a wide smile. "We'll head out right away, stop for breakfast somewhere, then we'll be at the clinic when visiting hours start." She grabbed her jacket off her chair and leaned up to plant a kiss on Jack's cheek. "Thank you," she whispered. With that, she hurried towards the cells.

Tosh placed another, rather shy kiss on Jack's other cheek. "Yes, thank you." She returned to her workstation.

Owen rolled his eyes. "Don't even think about asking me for a kiss."

Jack shrugged. "Can't blame a guy for hoping."

"You're gross." Owen glanced at Tosh. "They've got you wrapped around their little fingers, those two."

Jack laughed. "And don't they know how to use that to their advantage."

xxx

When Gwen arrived at Ianto's cell, she noticed that Owen had removed the IV. Ianto was sitting leaning against the wall with a waterbottle in one hand and his eyes closed.

"Ianto," Gwen said softly when she entered the cell through the open door.

He opened his eyes. "Yes?"

Gwen sat on the edge of his bed. "We looked Debbie up, she's still alive."

Ianto stared at her in disbelief. "She's alive? But ..." He seemed to make an effort to calm down and asked, "Can I see her?"

Gwen nodded with a grin. "Yes … I can drive you to London right away. Jack said it's okay."

She saw a smile light up Ianto's whole face and he looked younger than ever. Then his smile lessened and he seemed uncomfortable. "But … why?"

He pulled on the sneakers the team had provided him with. Gwen got up and reached down a hand to pull Ianto upright. "Because if you give him a chance, Jack can be a really good guy. It's all about trust. You trusted him with Debbie, now he trusts you."

"But he's sending a babysitter anyway?" Ianto asked and there was a twinkle in his eyes that made Gwen think he could be quite a humorous person. He just needed time.

"Don't think of me as your babysitter."

He looked up at her questioningly. She smiled. "Think of me as a friend, alright?" She held her breath while Ianto seemed to mull that over.

Finally, he smiled. "A friend … right." He squeezed her hand.

Gwen smiled at him. "Let's go."

xxx

Jack's phone rang while he was watching Ianto and Gwen get into Gwen's car via the CCTV. Distracted by the footage, he answered, "Harkness?"

"This is Leo. Jack, I hate pointing this out to you, but Ianto is on the run again."

Jack leaned back in his chair and relaxed. With a smile, he answered, "No, he has an agent with him."

"Where is he going?"

"None of your business," Jack answered. "He's under the supervision of one of my agents, that's all you need to know."

"Am I to understand then that you decided to keep him?"

Jack rubbed his lower lip and looked at the CCTV. Gwen's car was gone now. Jack fought down a spark of worry, that nagging little voice in his head that always mistrusted everyone. What if Ianto had played him again? What if … he cleared his throat and answered firmly, "Yes."

"I'm glad to hear that. Give me a call when Ianto's ready to have that chip removed."

"I will," Jack promised. "And, Leo … it was rough for a while and I didn't know what to do with him, but … I think you were right, again. Thank you."

"I didn't want him to die here. So I have to thank you, Jack." Leo hung up.

Jack sighed deeply and tried to work on a file, but he kept getting distracted. Yes, they seemed to have mended some fences with Ianto, but there was still a lot to be done. Jack didn't think that one visit with Debbie, as much good as it would do Ianto, would take care of his problems. He remembered how broken Owen had been in the beginning and how he'd slowly come to terms with everything by getting the chance to save lives that, in his mind, were amends for Katie's death even though that hadn't been Owen's fault at all. As much as the invasion and the death of almost all his colleagues weren't Ianto's fault, he would still somehow see it that way, because human nature was twisted like that. He pulled up Ianto's file on his computer, checking if he had been trained for field work in some way. He wasn't going to let him out as a full field agent, of course – not yet, the trust was still too fragile – but it would be good to know.

xxx

St. Sophia's was situated in a quiet part of South London. The big marble sign at the iron entrance gate introduced it as a 'home' and the big garden with its neat pathways and the cream-coloured walls of the mansion housing the clinic itself made sure that everyone felt welcome. A guard at the gate let them through with a smile after handing them two visitor passes. Gwen couldn't even imagine what kind of money one had to pay to get treatment here and she wondered briefly how Debbie could afford to live here, considering she didn't have any relatives paying for her. But then again, she knew from her own experience that working for Torchwood came with perks – a very good health plan was part of it.

She parked the car in the small parking lot and got out to breathe in the crisp air. The sun was shining, making St. Sophia's even more beautiful. If it hadn't been for the bars in front of the upper windows, this could have just as well have been a wellness resort. Ianto looked at the building with dread. Gwen gave him an encouraging smile.

The reception of the clinic was a tastefully furnished room with a desk for the receptionist and a seating area for visitors. A red, plush carpet dampened the sound of their steps. Ianto stopped suddenly and asked, "What am I supposed to say to her?"

"I think it'll come to you when you see her, Ianto," Gwen answered and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. She led him to the desk. The nurse behind it was on the phone and signaled for them to wait a moment. Gwen looked at Ianto searchingly. "This means a lot to you, doesn't it?"

"It was practically me who put her here, so yes," Ianto answered, "it means a lot. I just don't know if I can do it. I don't know if I can see her … the way she is now. Maybe she won't even be able to hear me."

"I'll be with you," Gwen said, "and I'm sure she'll hear on some level. Maybe she won't react, but she will hear you."

The nurse rang off and turned to them with a smile. "Yes?"

Ianto seemed almost startled by the sudden attention he was receiving, so Gwen took over. "We'd like to see Debbie Turner, please. Where can we find her?"

The nurse turned to her computer and typed something. Her face darkened. "Oh, I'm incredibly sorry. It says in her file that Ms. Turner died an hour ago."

Gwen glanced at Ianto who had gone deathly pale. "What?" he asked.

The nurse frowned at him in concern. "Are you okay? Do you need to sit down?" Ianto just shook his head and turned away. The nurse looked at Gwen. "I'm sorry. Are you family?"

"No," Gwen answered, "just friends." She smiled at the nurse and led Ianto over to one of the couches. "I'm so sorry," she whispered as soon as they'd sat down.

Ianto stared at the floor. "I killed her."

"No, you didn't. Ianto ..." Gwen leaned closer and said firmly, "The people who did this to her killed her."

"I betrayed her," Ianto said and buried his head in his trembling hands. "She was the only one looking out for me on my first day on the job and I betrayed her."

"You couldn't have known they would do this ..." Gwen could see that her words were having no effect when Ianto just wrapped his arms around his middle and leaned forward as far as he could without falling over. He was trembling, his breathing fast and ragged. He didn't cry, though. Not one single tear fell. Feeling helpless, Gwen tried to embrace him as well as she could and shed a few tears in his stead.