note: So this story is dedicated to all the nice people who read my first fanfic "Come what may". I read it again two days ago and there was one chapter I wished I had written. The one where Jack and Eleanor have a heart to heart about who she really is.

For those who have not read it, Eleanor is a alien from a planet called Venuvia. She came to Earth and to Torchwood to help Jack face an upcoming foe. This is all I can say without giving away the plot. For this story it is important that you understand her ability. She can sense other people's emotions.

I've just seen that these stories have been reviewed 52 times. It has certainly exceeded my expectations and I would like to thank each and everyone of you for reading, reviewing and adding me to story/author alert. I put alot of heart and soul into these stories and I am so happy that people seem to enjoy them. Thank you for giving me and sharing my creative inspiration. You all rock.


Altercations with the future

Jack watched Eleanor and Ianto chat enthusiastically from his office. He watched her and he watched him. Observing their behavior. A twinge of jealousy shot through Jack as he thought about how quickly Eleanor had befriended him. With seemingly no effort she had brought Ianto out of his shell, making him laugh at her silly jokes, linking arms with him as they walked and making him smile that smile. The smile he showed when he was happy. Truly happy. The smile that he had so often brought out in him. And now there was someone else doing the exact same thing. Ianto was a difficult man to get to know, always shy and reserved and it took Jack a long time to get close to him. Ianto had somehow resisted his charms, something that not a lot of people could, and that was just one of the many reasons that made Ianto so appealing. But once he had fought his way through his defenses, he had discovered a realm so wonderful he could dwell in for ages. A world so astonishing and so full of Ianto-ness he could not wait to curl up in bed beside him and just talk or watch him sleep. Then this girl comes in and completely takes him over, just by walking in and smiling. And in a heartbeat she had accomplished what Jack had to fight so hard for. True, Eleanor was a likeable person. Someone who is always cheerful, positive, funny and she always has a sense of goodness about her. It wasn't hard to imagine that the team was taken by her. But something about the relationship between her and Ianto made him feel a bit uneasy.

Jack had kept some distance between him and Eleanor. He had to, he was the boss. He could not afford to let his guard down as the consequences could be disastrous. But somehow this cheerful young girl was slowly and steadily melting him. He found himself liking her, trusting her and even longing for her presence. And that just after two weeks. Something about her felt so right, so natural and so very familiar. He couldn't quite place her but somewhere he felt he knew her. Like a long lost friend that suddenly found his way back into your life. But the questions still burned fiercely in his mind and Jack had made a decision. That afternoon, he was going to confront her, one way or another.

The Rift was exceptionally busy that day. Four weevil sightings in the afternoon and multiple minor, thus not really important, rift activity. The team was exhausted, sore and emotionally spent. Ianto lay miserably on the stretcher with his arm plastered up. A weevil had carelessly thrown him against a brick wall, knocking him out instantaneously. He had hit the beast with a rod in an attempt to get him off a cornered Toshiko. A broken wrist, bruised ribs, bump on the head and a splitting headache were the result of the weevil's rage. Jack sat beside him, sipping his chamomile tea and occasionally caressing Ianto's sleeping form.

A pained expression graced the Captain's face as he heard Ianto whimper and groan in his sleep.

Footsteps behind the pair startled Jack out of his trance.

"Hey Eleanor, have you come to visit the hero of the hour?" Jack cheerfully said.

Eleanor grimaced as she watched Ianto sleep. Her eyes glided over the bruises, plaster and the shivering body. She frowned and an angry expression replaced the once loving and smiling face.

"How could you let this happen, Captain?" she asked.

"What do you mean, Eleanor?"

"This, Captain! Ianto's hurt! He shouldn't be. You're suppose to keep your team safe. And now Ianto's lying hurt in this horrible sterile bed and the rest of the team are on the edge of exhaustion. What kind of a leader are you if you can't even keep them safe?"

Her voice had lost the kind and caring tone she used to speak with. She stood there in front of a gob smacked Jack, and spoke surprisingly authoritative and angry.

Jack turned to face her and in a soft and calm voice he responded. "There was little I could do Eleanor. I understand you are upset but everyone in here knows the risks we take by just walking out that door. I, for one, am proud that Ianto handles himself so well in the field. If you can't seem to get over that, then maybe you should question whether or not you are cut out for this job.

"I was trained to be a warrior, Captain. I know what battle entails, but it still is your job to take care of them"

Eleanor knelt beside the bed and caressed the bruised face of her friend. A single tear tenderly fell from her big brown eyes and she let it fall, sobbing when it settled on her chin. "If you would just stop thinking about yourself for a minute you would realize that they have a lot more to lose than you"

"Why do you care so much?" Jack asked suspiciously.

"What do you mean? He's my friend. Of course I care" she retorted angrily.

"You've only known him for a two weeks and yet you're crying by his bedside over minor injuries. What are you not telling me Eleanor?"

"Doesn't matter Captain"

"I beg to differ" Jack hissed. "Are you seeing him?"

Eleanor gave Jack a disgusted look. "No, of course not. It's nothing like that. Unlike you I don't need to sleep with everyone I seem care about"

Jack tilted his head sideways and his jaw slightly dropped open. "How dare you talk to me like that?" he said, voice a bit higher than before. "For starters, I AM your boss. You don't get to talk to me like that. Second, how dare you even suggest that I don't care about my team. You don't know me or them. And you certainly don't get to care more about them than I do. How DARE you suggest that Ianto's safety means nothing to me. That HE means nothing to me"

"I'm sorry Captain, you are right. I was out of line. Like you said, I'm upset"

Eleanor looked apologetic at Jack but the man was too furious to even register.

"I want you to leave" Jack ordered.

"What?" responded Eleanor.

"You heard me Eleanor. Get out of my sight"

Angrily, she stomped away from the medical bay.


Two hours later, Ianto had slept off the medicine and was walking around cheerfully in the hub. "Guys, I've made coffee but I can't carry it so if you want some, you better hurry to the kitchen"

Within the minute the little kitchen was filled with the Torchwood-employees sipping their liquid treasure and talking amongst themselves about their daily hassles. Eleanor and Jack however placed themselves in opposite corners and didn't even seem to acknowledge the other's presence.

Ianto glanced back and forwards between the two and frowned. "Did I miss something?"

Gwen and Tosh locked eyes and suddenly hurried out of the kitchen. "Sorry, I just remembered that I left the program on" Tosh hastily said. "I'll help you with that" Gwen proclaimed.

Owen stared out in front of him, took a giant gulp and muttered: "I'm going to go anywhere but here"

Jack and Eleanor exchanged glances and simultaneously mumbled "nothing".

"Right, so there is no reason why the other just bolted out here huh. I am going to leave now but the next time I see you two you better have worked things out" said Ianto firmly. "I hate childish behavior and I've got a feeling that you two are just being stubborn. Jack, I will see you tonight"

Ianto left, leaving his two miserable co-workers behind.

Eleanor cleared her throat. "I'm sorry Captain. I should not have spoken like that. I know you do care about the team, especially Ianto. I was upset and acted stupid"

"I guess I may have overreacted as well" Jack softly whispered.

"Are we cool?" questioned Eleanor, looking hopeful.

"Yeah" Jack responded, granting Eleanor that heartbreaking smile. Eleanor squealed and hugged her captain, who in return kissed the top of her head.

Eleanor savored the last taste of the coffee and quickly washed the cup. She felt Jack's worry subside but his suspicions about her increased. The Captain's emotions were strong and overpowering. A sudden fear and pressing need to break away grew inside her, not wanting the captain to ask her that question that was burning on his lips.

For a moment she thought she was in the clear but Jack's hesitating voice stopped her from walking out of the kitchen. "Wait, tell me … who are you really?"

"I'm whoever you need me to be Captain"

"Eleanor, stop the riddles. I know you are here to help us defeat an oncoming big bad but you never explained us how, what and why. Why is it that everyone seems to trust you like that? Even me, and believe you me I do not trust people easily"

Eleanor sighed. She tried to steady her trembling hands by rubbing them furiously on her jeans. She sat down on her chair and stared intensively at the table "You might not believe me"

"Eleanor, trust me I have seen a lot more than you can imagine. Try me, you might be surprised"

Jack sat down next to hear and rubbed her back. "Go on"

"You may have figured out that I am not only from another planet, but also from another time. I'm from the future, Captain. Your future"

"My future?" asked a shocked Jack.

"Yeah. Ever since I was a child I was treated differently because they suspected that I was the chosen one. The chosen one to end the war of all wars. The war that will destroy the universe. So they hid me, isolated me. They trained me into a warrior. I was trapped in my own room, reliving the training day and night. Trapped in my own reality. Not being able to think about something else than the big fight. I cried out for help, for anyone to come and rescue me. And then he came"

Eleanor paused. She drew deep breaths but still daren't look at Jack.

"He?" asked Jack nervously. His heart started pounding heavily beneath his chest. He was close to the truth but now that he was getting his answers, he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

"Him, Captain. The lone wanderer. The traveler midst the stars. The oncoming storm. Him, Captain. Does it ring any bells?"

Eleanor sharply looked up and saw shock in her Captain's eyes, mixed in with a little fear.

"Eleanor, you know the doctor?"

"Yes, he vowed to keep me safe and to give me a life. He took me away and offered me the stars. He showed me places, good and bad, and he passed on his infinite wisdom. But after a while he told me that I needed to be somewhere stable. Surrounded with people that love me and to be a normal teenager. He took me to the one person he trusted more than life. He took me to you Captain"

Jack's trembling hands shook the cup he was holding, spilling coffee over the edge. Slowly he took one big gulp and let the hotness burn his throat. "Me? So in the future, you work for me?"

"Not only that. Can't you see Captain? I'm yours Captain! I was brought to you; lost, alone and forgotten. And you took me in and raised me as your own. Every time you could, you read me stories and tucked me in, even when I was old enough. You held me as I cried and shared my happiness when I laughed. Every night you sang me songs. Even when you were amongst the stars, you still managed to get hold of me before I went to bed. I'm your daughter Captain, albeit not by blood but I am definitely yours"

Jack rested his head on his hands and pondered for a second. "That's … wow"

"I know, and that's why I wanted to wait to tell you. Until you got to know me and maybe even figure it out for yourself. But you're just too damned stubborn" Eleanor responded.

Jack chuckled lightheartedly. "What about Ianto? How does he fit into this picture"

Eleanor's lips curled up to a cautious smile. "Ianto helps. Growing up in the hub is not easy. Sometimes you had to go away. For months. And whenever you weren't there, Ianto did everything you did. He's like my big brother"

Jack returned Eleanor's smile and nodded. "That sounds like him"

"Yeah. He even scared the shit out of my first boyfriend. Threatened to send a weevil after him if he tried anything"

Jack laughed loudly and clapped his hands. "Brilliant"

"You actually punched him when he cheated on me Captain"

"I did? Well, he must've deserved it" Jack responded, still laughing.

"He did" Eleanor responded, enjoying Jack's laugh.

"Did I do good Eleanor?"

"You were wonderful Captain"