Um, more just after Tosh's death. This is once again longer than I intented and longer than the other chapters. I kind of started it and couldn't stop. I know there's been a few chapters on this part of the story, but now Brynn's older, I'm trying to make it drag out a bit more. There is actually another story on FanFiction that goes with chapters 19 and 20. It's called The Journal Of Brynn-Ffion Cooper. Read it and tell me what you think. It's basically Brynn's thoughts on Tosh and her mum and stuff. And read this chapter and tell me what you think!

Enjoy!

"I love you Tosh." Brynn whispered as she cried.

She was alone in her small bedroom. Pictures and photographs covered the walls, so you could barely see the rich purple paint underneath. There were ones of her and Torchwood, her and Tosh before she came to live with her dad, her and her friends. Also, there was the picture of her with her mum the day she had been born. But today she couldn't look at them, they all held too many memories.

"Brynn Honey? Are you okay?" Owen stuck his head round the door.

He knew she wanted to be alone, but all the same he wanted to be there to help his daughter through her pain. She nodded.

"I'm fine dad. I'm okay." She managed a weak smile.

"As long as you're sure."

"I'm sure."

He left it at that, slowly walking away. Brynn could hear his soft footsteps as they entered the living room. Part of her felt like she needed him. She needed him to hold her, to comfort her and tell her that it would be okay. But the other half of her wanted to show him that she could be independent, and that she could get through this alone. She hated growing up. It just seemed to get harder and harder. She also hated getting older. Childhood naivety disappeared so quickly. Maybe then she could pretend that this had never happened.

--

"Mickey Smith."

"Captain Jack Harkness. What do you want?"

"I need you. Or at least, Torchwood does."

"Why? What happened?"

"One of our recruits…" Jack took a deep breath keep his voice level, "One of my recruits was killed. Toshiko Sato. So… so there's a vacancy here in Cardiff. Unless you want to fill it?"

"I- how?"

"She was killed by an alien that came through the Rift. She wasn't prepared, it was too late for her."

"I'll take it. Thank-you Jack. When do you need me?"

"Let's say a week?"

"A week it is then. Goodbye and, I'm sorry for what happened."

"Thank-you Mickey. Bye."

Jack hung up the phone. Well that was Tosh's position filled. He trusted Mickey, and while he may not have been the technological genius that Toshiko had been, he was still a good hacker, and always managed to get the relevant and much-needed information. With a bit of Torchwood training he would be almost perfect.

--

"So, have you found anyone to take Tosh's position yet?" There were tears in Gwen's eyes as she said the sentence.

"Yes as a matter of fact I have. His name is Mickey Smith, the boyfriend and tin dog of a certain Rose Tyler. I know him quite well. He's coming next week."

"Good."

"No it isn't." Jack aid softly.

"Tosh should be here. This is the second time she's been killed for me. And I don't think I can take it this bloody time."

"You have to Gwen, you have to stand with Torchwood, strong, united."

"But I can't. I've tried and now I'm going to fail."

"You don't have a choice. You signed up for this. Now you have to face it."

--

Owen stood in his kitchen, both hands leaning on the worktop. There were tears shining in his eyes, but he was Owen, they weren't going to fall, not when Brynn could appear at any time. The kitchen was quite bare, a couple of random photos stuck to the cream cupboards with sellotape, along with everything that you'd expect to find. He'd never been much cop at decorating, it just wasn't his scene at all. He'd painted Brynn's bedroom for her, a couple of years before. But that didn't count, not to him anyway. The rest of the flat was a dull mix of beige and cream, which, to Owen, were the same. He wasn't interested in décor. He blinked, an image of Tosh forming in his mind yet again. How could she be gone? Surely not someone as strong, as bloody brilliant, as her. There was never going to be someone as right for the job at Torchwood. It didn't matter what Jack said. He could stick it up his arse, there would never be anyone good enough to replace Toshiko Sato at Torchwood. He wouldn't let there be.

--

Ianto was sitting in the living room of his older sister Bethan's comfortable apartment. He had a mug of tea in his unusually soft hands. The only time he ever drank tea was when he was at his sister's.

"Ianto, are you even listening to me?"

Ianto looked up, his train of thought having been momentarily derailed.

"Yes. No. oh, I don't know. Sorry."

She frowned, "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I've said, I'm fine."

She raised her eyebrows, "Go home Ianto, have a bath, listen to music or something, then go to bed. You look bloody shattered. It's obvious you don't want to be here."

"That's not true!" He protested weakly.

"I'm sure." She gently pulled him up and led him to her front door, "Come on. If you don't sleep sometime you'll never turn up for work tomorrow."

"Okay. Bye Bethan, I love you."

"I love you too sweetheart." She hugged him tight, standing on tiptoes.

Although she was the eldest, she was a midget, as kids, Ianto had often teased her for it. But she'd always been a brilliant big sister, and she always would be.

Ianto looked back as the door closed and then headed towards his Mondeo. He unlocked it and climbed in with a melodramatic sigh. It had been one of the worst times at Torchwood that he could remember. Almost as bad as Gwen's suicide. But that was the thing about Torchwood, all of them knew it was going to ultimately result in their deaths, but none of them would ever quit. They couldn't. they'd seen so many wonderful things, amazing things. Things that no other human being, apart from them, would ever see. And it almost, almost, made up for the horrors of the job. And the tragedies, and all the rest of the shit they had no choice but to endure.

--

The Next Day

"Brynn-Ffion, are you paying attention?" The teacher snapped, hand on hip, thin lips pursed.

"No." Brynn muttered, clicking her pen.

This did it, the teacher's face turned scarlet with rage. Brynn had spent her entire school day being 'cheeky and insolent'. She had tested her teacher's patience for long enough.

"Brynn-Ffion Harper, get outside this classroom now! Stand outside the door and wait for me!"

"Cooper." She said as she stood up, chucking her pen down so hard it bounced and laded on the floor two feet away from her solitary desk.

"What was that?"

"My last name is Cooper." She repeated, louder this time.

"I don't care, you disobedient little girl! You have pushed this far enough!"

Brynn stormed out of the classroom, long black hair swishing behind her. According to Jack, she'd inherited her mum's quick temper and her dad's cheek, sarcasm and wit. It was not a good combination.

"Brynn? What's she done?" Jack asked.

He was on the phone to Brynn's headmistress, who was less than pleased with her.

"What hasn't she? I'm phoning you to say that she is officially excluded, and her exclusion begins at the end of the school day this afternoon. And why can't I just speak to her father? It would make this so much easier."

"Because Dr Owen Harper isn't here. Like I said." Owen was with Gwen on a Weevil hunt.

He was in an irritable mood, and Jack knew it was his way of grieving for Tosh. But, even so, if he had been there, Jack wouldn't have let him speak to the headmistress, that would have ended in disaster.

"Well, do you know of any reason why Brynn-Ffion is acting up. She isn't normally like this, she's such a pleasant girl most of the time."

"She-" Jack swallowed, did he finish this sentence?

"Yes?"

"She lost someone a few days ago. Someone she was very close to. She's still coming to terms with her death."

"oh, I'm sorry. In that case, we won't exclude Brynn-Ffion. But a couple of days of authorised absence will be allowed."

"Thank-you." Jack said gratefully, he really didn't want to see Brynn excluded.

--

"Anything happen while I was away? Someone called me on my mobile, but I wasn't really in a position to answer it, we had it cornered."

"if I'm right, it was Brynn's school."
"Why?" Owen looked genuinely puzzled.

"She's been playing up. The bloody headmistress-"

"-God, she's a bitch and a half." Owen interrupted darkly.

"The headmistress wanted to exclude her, but I explained the situation, kind of. Anyway, she has authorised absence for two days." He finished.

"For the best."

"How did the Weevil hunt go?"

"Good. Gwen's taking it down to the Vaults now."

Jack gave a half-hearted smile, "Thank-you."

--

Gwen stood by the reinforced glass of the cell she had just put the newly caught Weevil in.

"It must be the same for you as it is for me," She murmured, "Victims of the Rift."

She received a low grunt in reply. The Weevil turned and surveyed her, eyeing her pale neck.

"And we can't get home. I've left a family behind, how about you?"

The Weevil turned away, uninterested now, it could sense no way of getting to Gwen. It's fists were clenched. She watched it for a moment as it explored the four corners of the small, gloomy cell. Gwen didn't like keeping Weevils in the Vaults, she preferred it when they could go back to the sewers, but it hadn't been possible this time. The creature had killed a human, and Jack had a policy of locking up all creatures that killed humans. If he was in one of his strange 'Jack' moods, he would sometimes lock up a Weevil if it had gone for a dog or something, but thankfully, days like that were rare.

--

That evening, Owen cooked macaroni cheese, Brynn's favourite. He knew she was deeply upset about Tosh, and he knew he needed to love her, care for her and show her that he was there. The stuff all dad's were supposed to do, but Owen wasn't too good at. Becoming a dad had been such a shock for him, and he wasn't the best at the whole father thing. His dad had walked out on his mum, him and his siblings when he was nine. Greg hadn't cared that much, he had been old enough to know that his dad was an arsehole; Jan had been too young to understand why daddy wasn't there any more, but she had gotten used to it pretty quickly. Owen, however, had been at the age where he had worshipped his dad. He had missed him so much, and when he had realised that he was never coming back, he had grown to hate him. His dad had been a crap father, and he'd taught Owen nothing to help him now. He was on his own, in at the deep end. He could have asked Gwen, but her daughter had grown up in an environment with two loving parents, and no death. It had been easy.

"Are you alright Brynn?"

Brynn scowled, "Why does everyone keep asking me that? I'm fine!"

"Calm down." Owen warned quietly.

"No! I hate you, I hate Jack, I hate Gwen, I hate Yan and I really really really hate Tosh!"

She stood up, knocking her plate onto the floor in the process. Yellow sauce spread over the pale cream lino. She didn't pay any attention, just stormed up to her room. Owen could hear her chucking things at the walls, but he didn't follow. Instead he picked up the plate of food, put the leftovers in the bin and put the plate in the dishwasher. He continued to eat his in silence. All that he could hear were more objects hitting the wall and Brynn's frustrated screams. He had unintentionally managed to muck that one up.

--