So no one guessed yet :D but I'm hoping you'll keep at it because it lets me know how I'm doing and it's nice to see you all taking part. So in this chapter you'll get a few more clues to play with…enjoy.

The house was pretty much in-tact. The fire brigade gave them helmets to borrow and Ianto supplied the gasmasks for them to wear as they picked through the blackened inside of the hallway and turned towards the living room. The television had exploded so it was off but Jack still wondered about turning to see what had once watched it. The sound of Gwen's gasp reminded him that he was the boss, he was more than that he was Winter's friend and he couldn't just ignore the things she'd seen. If she could see it then he could be strong enough to witness it as well. He turned to see two bodies in the armchairs facing the television. Both bodies were badly burnt and rather charred in some places but skin was still visible and the blood on their clothes had merely dried. He pulled a disgusted face, grateful for the gasmask blocking his look from the others. 'Right team.' Owen you deal with the bodies, Toshiko you try to find the source of our unknown chemical, Gwen talk to the police outside see what they have, Ianto I want to know how this fire started, accelerant, fireworks, point of origin, anything you can get me. Get to work.' They nodded and split up among the blackened walls of the once normal house.

Jack walked over to the fireplace and picked up a photo from the mantle. The couple were pictured at a restaurant in some hot country, eating a meal and holding their wine up to the camera, faces a little sunburnt but glad to be alive. He smiled in melancholy at the simplicity of the scene but it fell from his face when he looked back over at Owen studying the remains. No more holidays, no more early morning cups of tea, late night glasses of wine in front of the telly and arguments with the neighbours over trivial matters. It was difficult, being so hyper aware of the primitive aspects of the human race. To Jack, looking at many humans was like watching a vet at work. They looked after and cared for the animals but never could fully understand them, sometimes he had to do things that seemed bad at the time but were eventually for their own good. And sometimes, they just didn't survive.

He sighed and stepped back over to Owen, pulling off his gas mask. 'What can you tell me?' The doctor pulled his mask off too and looked up in his cynical manner.

'That tie Ianto's wearing is the same one from yesterday.' Jack rolled his eyes and put his hands on his hips.

'Anything to do with the case.' Owen smirked a little but took the hint.

'Male and female with significant burns…'

'Oh really?'

'Do you want to know or not?' Jack smiled a little but nodded for him to continue. 'Both have reached a state of rigor mortis so they were probably killed 3 to 4 hours ago. Both have broken jaws, I'll need an X-ray to tell you where and both have had their tongues removed.'

'Any idea how yet?'

'Nothing conclusive.' Owen took a blackened dinner knife from the coffee table and pointed inside the mouths. 'But I can tell you it wasn't with a sharp instrument. The cut is jagged, like it's been torn.'

'So someone literally ripped their tongues out?'

'That would be my preliminary guess but don't quote me on it.' Owen replied. Jack sighed and nodded.

'That's not easy for your everyday human. So couple tongue ripping with one of our alien unknowns and what do you get?'

'Apparently one of our, 'spooky doo's." Gwen announced as she re-entered the room. 'At least that's what Andy says.' She pulled a face at the grotesque scene and the stench of barbequed flesh, suddenly regretting leaving her mask outside, but continued her recount of the police report. 'Neighbours were alerted by a scream about an hour ago, most likely Winter. They called the police who arrived within ten minutes of the call because a police car on its usual route around the area caught sight of the smoke and called it in.' She took a breath and glanced out of the window. 'I've had a very brief chat with one of the neighbours but it's the same old story, no one saw anything, no one heard anything and no one can thing of a reason to kill them.' Jack fought the urge to roll his eyes and instead took a look at the bodies.

'All right you two. Get the ambulance crew to get these two into the SUV. There's not much we can do here.' Both team members left the room and Jack made his way through the room and up the staircase. Toshiko was bent over a double bed with a baton wired up to a sensor machine. Jack stopped when he heard the rustle of the old beams rubbing together he darted quickly into the room and wrapped an arm around Toshiko's waist, spinning her out of the way just in time before the foot of ceiling above her collapsed onto the space where she had been standing. She breathed out heavily and looked up a little embarrassed.

'Thanks.' He grinned without letting go of her waist.

'No problem.' She smiled a little and shimmied out of his grip causing him to smile slyly.

'The unknown chemical seems to be strongest here. I've got vapours coming off the bits of blanket on the floor but there really isn't much left to test. Levels seem to be low now so the masks aren't really necessary.' As if in demonstration she pulled her gas mask off and hung it on her wrist. 'But when the fire was raging I'm guess the whole room was doused in the chemical and that would mean at least half the smoke Winter was breathing in was the unknown.' Jack nodded.

'But why wasn't Pip affected.'

'There may not be a huge difference between humans and monkeys but there IS a difference and add that to the fact that we have no clue where Peregrine originated from,' she shrugged, 'for all we know he could just be immune.' Jack nodded.

'Take some samples of the bedding and then get downstairs. I don't want us in this house longer than we have to be.' She nodded and bent down, taking a plastic tub from her pocket and placing several burnt pieces of bedding inside. Jack headed back down the stairs and glanced into the living room. He noted the bodies were gone and smiled at the speed his team were working. Heading back out into the fresh air he came upon Ianto.

'The firemen say that the most damage was in the spare bedroom so they think that's where it started. But they say a second, smaller fire was lit in the main bedroom.'

'So the guy comes in, he kills two people, he goes upstairs and lights the fire and then had second thoughts, pours our unknown over the master bedroom then sets a second fire and disappears.' Ianto nodded.

'They say the main frame of the house is ok but there's serious structural damage, but they don't think it was set by someone who knows what they're doing.' He fidgeted, ' Also one of them slipped me this.' He held out a small piece of paper and Jack looked down at it. On the paper was written a phone number and a winking face. Jack laughed but Ianto blushed and held himself a little stiffly.

'Looks like I'm not the only one with an eye on you.' he reached out and tucked it into Ianto's suit pocket. Ianto rolled his eyes and took it out again, crushing it and throwing it over his shoulder. Jack chuckled and reached over to kiss him before heading back towards the SUV. Tosh passed them as they turned to look up at the house. 'So the real question is, why was this seemingly normal couple the target of a possible alien attack.' Ianto opened his mouth to answer but turned at the sound of a beep in Jack's ear. Jack put his hand up to his comm and pressed the button.

'Nemo? That you?' he heard heavy breathing down the line and whimpers. 'Nemo?'

'Jack…the lights. They keep flickering…something's here Jack…something's coming for me…' He gave Ianto a worried glance and motioned towards the SUV. The younger man jumped into the passenger seat and Jack leapt into the driver's side, leaving his seatbelt unbuckled he floored the accelerator and sped off towards the plaza.

'It's alright Nemo we're on our way back just keep talking to me alright. Is Pip there?'

'I don't know the lights I can't see I just … flashes…flashes of…oh god oh…please…please don't hurt me …' she was getting desperate now and Jack had the feeling that she wasn't talking to him anymore, which meant… he gripped the steering wheel tightly and swept through a red light, ignoring the horns of the traffic around him. 'Please….please…..pl….oh… don't hurt me…god don't…..no…' as he pulled into the garage he heard a terrified, raw screech. He hurtled out of the car forgetting the keys and the others and barged into the main hub. Pip bolted back and forward on the coffee table as if unsure of what to do. Jack scanned the room and his eyes fell on what they searched for. Winter was backed up to the wall glass wall of his office. Her hands over her mouth in a silent scream and her eyes fixed on the space in front of her.

'Nemo! Nemo!' he called as he jumped up onto the platform. She didn't move, just stood shivering and shaking, her eyes transfixed in terror. Jack heard the sound of the others rush in behind him but he held out a hand for them to keep back and quiet. 'Nemo?' he questioned, his quiet voice suddenly sounding out of place as it shattered the silence. He stepped a little closer and then into the place she was staring at. She started, her hands hovering over her mouth, though it was now closed and then she slid back against the wall.

'Winter!' Ianto called, jumping up the stairs. Jack stroked the hair out of her face.

'She just fainted.' He assured them. Winter's eyes fluttered a little and he swept her into his arms walking towards the corridor that lead off to her bedroom.

'Shouldn't we talk to her, find out what's happened?' Gwen asked. Jack sighed and turned around.

'We just found her losing her mind over thin air.' Jack told them sternly. 'You don't think she's going to be embarrassed enough without you lot pouring over her like a mental patient.' He turned and jerked his head towards Pip who followed him out of the room.

So, any more guesses?

Also '1984' is writing a pre 'What's in a name' story and would like any ideas of things you guys would like to see. So if there's something you'd like, just put it in your review or send me a message and if I'm not already working on it I'll send your ideas onto her so she can give them a go :) thank you!