Happy New Year! I hope you all had a lovely start. Also...Whattup?! We're so close to the end, I'm actually not prepared. Also I just realised the next one is actually the penultimate and I almost cried. Typical, aha. Thank you so, so, so much for all the lovely reviews so far, I love you all.

I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own literally anything except the story. How sad. All rights go to RTD for TW and Shane Brennan.

"Sooo" Eric started clearly becoming uncomfortable again with all the attention on him.

"Eric can I go ahead and schedule a talk with you if it's okay with Torchwood that is. Actually could I go ahead and schedule some for all of you?" Jack almost went to decline when Eric jumped back in.

"Nate I'm fine with you talking to me, in fact I think it'll do me some good and we've talked about some of the things beforehand but the others might not want you going into their lives. Even if it might help them. We're all different as you keep saying and you know different things work for different people. Can we please turn our attention to the suspects now. I want to get this over and done with. I want these families to have peace and for this over to be as quickly as possible now"

"Very well then love. Let's draw it all together then, shall we?"

Sam motioned for Nell to bring up all the information they had on screen. A picture of Danny appeared. Then a picture of Jon Dene next to another of Jack Desir (who they all cringed at especially the fact that one of these two was an alien) when another picture of the notes also were brought to the fore front.

"We know Danny was killed by Ecstasy but not why Linda was sent the notes. However we think they are the same guys who took Danny who have taken her"

"We know this. What I want to know is why the notes?"

"I think either to sidetrack us or to warn us and I'm leaning more towards a warning. They think we won't get there in time to save her. And they're violent. God knows what they're planning"

Eric had started to bolt back up to OPS to be near his computer but when he thought about it...he wanted to be back in action. Back with Jack and the team as a one-off. Callen and the rest wouldn't be happy with him though even if he was good in the field. Nate might try and argue his case but ultimately he needed Hetty to sign him off. And he wanted to which mattered more for him.

"I deserve to have this closure as well"

"Oh really, and what closure would that be Mr Beale"

"Hey Hetty. I guess molding the teams together and it seems like this is going back into my past somehow. I can feel it. Okay so one is actually an alien this time but I know just firsthand how much Linda is going through with the capture and the...well whatever is happening. I can go into the field Hetty, I swear it. I won't become any different. I need to be out there. Please Hetty"

"Mr Beale. I don't know about being the same person but even I can see where you're coming from and seeing as now you'll be talking to Nate about this sort of thing, I don't suppose I can say no especially as it's not my team you wouldn't be going into the fray with, am I correct?"

"Yes. Hetty, you won't regret this I promise. And whatever happens, thank you for letting me be part of NCIS even until now I've told lies and hurt the team, and you. Just thank you and I'm sorry"

"Yes well. I think you should go and get kitted out then, don't you?"

Then Eric did the thing he'd probably kick himself for the next few weeks if he came back from this - he hugged Hetty the tightest he could - and went to see Jack.

Hetty for her part had to take her glasses off for a quick minute and wipe her eyes. Eric was certainly a character and she was privileged to know him.

The L.A team had been putting their own gear together when he appeared. Deeks didn't know where to look either. Usually the man was in his shirts and shorts but here he'd made an effort to put long sleeves and trousers on before putting a body vest on. All of L.A stared as he went towards Torchwood all inwardly blanching. It was all starting to hit them. Everything Eric had said, everything they betted he had done while being there. How cold he seemed to be towards them right now.

Torchwood had taken it in their stride. Tosh, Owen, Gwen and Ianto had simply come up to him offering help with their own gear and gadgets unidentifiable while Jack had decided to nod and come towards him.

"Eric. I would ask if you're sure about this but from the eyes I can see whatever I say, you'd still do the same thing you're about to do now. Just...be careful. Don't race off and do heroics. This team clearly need you. I suppose we also do. I'm proud of you kid. Now we have a spare Torchwood ID card here somewhere. Ah! Thanks Ianto, here ya go. Welcome back. Let's go save the world"

LINE BREAK

It didn't take long to track them down thanks to the fact whoever these people were they had been actual morons in not turning off their GPS and leaving a trail of some stuff L.A did not want to know whatever it was behind them.

They hadn't wanted to ever see Eric with a gun either.

But there they were. And there they were. They could see the three shadows clearly despite the night thanks to the lighting of the moon. One looked to be on the edge of falling over from the spot they were occupying on the ground. That figure seemed to be Linda-Foster Jane and then the next they saw were the two suspects ready with their guns trained on her.

Callen was ready to re-group when he saw it in case they were about to have a victim dead instead of a victim alive but Torchwood were lead on this case and they knew it. Eric was ready with them as well. He made a motion to Jack to which Jack shook his head.

And before they knew it Eric had started to make his way towards the tent they were hiding in. Jack had thrown his hands up in the air as if the world had defied him. The team then rememebered that Eric had done things like this from before when they'd eavesdropped on a conversation that didn't seem so long ago now. Then they remembered before they went out that Jack hadn't wanted him to try any 'heroics'.

Oh God.

They weren't ready to lose another vital part of the team. Their friend. Not after Dom.

Eric had lifted his weapon and all of a sudden knocked on the opening of the tent headbutting the person who answered it. Okay good start. But then all of a sudden the second person had given Eric the slip, knocked the gun out of his hand and dragged him to where Linda was being kept.

All of NCIS and Torchwood ran towards him dodging the things one of their suspects was throwing their way then when they had come close to him started to fight with his fists. He'd just managed to throw Deeks out the way when Sam came up from behind having grabbed Kensi's taser in the scuffle and aimed at him feeling the anger within him. God he hoped this one wasn't the alien. And if it was then that he didn't have any invulnerability to tasers.

Kensi had clapped him on the back taking her taser back then when it seemed the man was getting back up, made the fully rational decision to taser him again.

And then the first man came back up from the knock on the head Eric had given him. This wasn't how they wanted their rescue to go.

The man got the jump on Gwen, then Ianto then Tosh no matter how hard they pulled their fists to the man's face. Callen then tried to aim for his legs which happened to be a mistake when his hands got stuck to the man's leg and managed to throw him back to the ground a few times over until Callen himself was ready to call it quits. Deeks had tried to team up with Kensi but both upon seeing Callen get hurt backed away slowly with Sam to figure out a new plan. They went closer to Jack and Owen as well.

"Jack, we need something new"

"Yeah I can see that"

"This isn't a time for your weird charm. Can we please just save our friends?"

And it was then at that point they noticed both men had their guns trained on the team. They had them surrounded and none could get to their guns that had been thrown off them in order to fight with their fists. They were well and truly screwed. Only Owen's voice could be heard when they started to usher them into their 'base'.

"BLOODY TORCHWOOD. BLOODY 'ELL HARKNESS!"

For the first time, the undercover team agreed with them.

When everyone had come to, they surveyed their surroundings. Eric was still sitting limply near the victim. The guns were still trained on them even though the men were taking a stance outside as if they were waiting for more teams to come bustling through. God they really were morons.

When Eric came to in the next fifteen minutes, his head hurt but then saw that the faces of his friends hurt more. Jack looked like he was ready to commit Eric's murder. He chanced a glance at Callen who looked away the minute they were eye to eye.

"I thought we could trust you Eric. That you wouldn't do the stupidest thing like I don't know, get us all involved with your messes?!" Kensi almost screamed.

"Yeah Eric, I actually agree for once. This is what you did all the time at Torchwood, isn't it? Just hurt people. Get them killed. Well I won't stand for it. We're getting out of here. Whether we can forgive you for putting this person's life at risk as well is another matter" Deeks added in which hurt both more than they could say.

Callen finally spoke up as well with Sam making sure to check him over. "I'll admit I didn't know how to take all your confessions but here we are. An innocent life on the line. And here you are. The cause of it. Your time in Torchwood, how cold were you really? How much did you take. How high and mighty did you feel knowing that possibly even the aliens lives you took were not of great importance. You managed to with your heroics knock almost all of us out at the same time. We could have died. Would you even have cared or just dumped our bodies, said goodnight, told Hetty you were off and went back to your old team without a care in the world because that's who you are now. Someone cold. Someone who I don't want to know"

"Know what you mean G. I don't think I could be associated who thinks they're saving the world but saving themselves"

"Someone heartless" Kensi finally finished up. All of Torchwood gritted their teeth keeping eyes on their exits and on the guns they'd aquired from where they'd been sitting. They'd heard all this before but didn't know if their old friend had. They had to figure out which was the alien as well. Either way they had their guns set to stun for it and then if they needed it, to kill.

Eric had had some trouble listening in having some unwanted memories crop up from the last time he was in a situation like this. He knew where they were coming from though and he had told them that the shock would wear off though dammit all if it didn't sting. In fact he noted he moved closer towards Owen. Owen of all things! He decided he'd carry on as best he could. As if they weren't ready to flee at the sight of him. They had Linda here and the suspects outside. If they could work together for the short amount of time then they could all get away scott free and have it out later.

"I'm thinking maybe we try going outside and facing them. Do you know which one's the alien or if there's an alien device somewhere?"

No such answer came.

"Fine, I'll go myself then" At which point Jack had pulled him back down glaring at him.

"You will do no such thing. Didn't I tell you not to do this sort of thing again. Now I know you got bad memories and you want out but we need to do it rationally. I know you had good intentions, I can see that Eric but if you think I'm not mad about it then you're wrong. Now I saw Mr Stubborn over here being tossed around when you grabbed one's leg. Who? And you can cuss Eric out later. Now who?"

"Jack Desir. He's definitely the one and as for any alien devices, I don't know. How would I know?"

"What you mean, that thing in the corner which so blindingly says 'don't touch'. Sure no alien stuff here" Came Tosh's voice.

Eric wondered over towards it. Then stopped instantly.

"It-t-t looks like the thing they used on me. I don't know how long she thinks she's been here for but thankfully she's only been missing for a few months. Do we have any tweezers or something to cut the wire? There's only one and I'm betting it's the one we use"

None spoke again.

"Okay I know you aren't happy with me right now but as Jack said you can yell at me later but if we could I don't know HELP?"

"Fine. Use my hair clip" Kensi tossed it over towards him as he diligently cut the wire forcing Linda to 'wake'. She looked as dazed as she most likely felt. Eric rose into action whispering as much as he could.

"You're with NCIS and Torchwood, it's okay. You're safe with us I promise you. We won't let you come into harm now you're in our hands. We're still in a position of capture so don't make any sudden movements or anything. I've dealt with this sort of thing before. You're in good hands. How long did they hold you for, d'yknow?"

Linda couldn't do much except hold up her fingers. She lifted one up then nodded once Eric had asked if it had been a month. Eric had breathed a sign of relief when it hadn't been anymore than that and seemed to have all of her memories intact from the get go.

Now...

How to get out of here?