A/N:

As always, thank you for the reviews/fave/alert listings on this… and again, I've noticed a few new favourite author/author alert listings… I suppose the latter is the best way to keep track of me since I've got so darned many crossovers, but I really, really want to say thank you for the fave author/author alerts. I appreciate everybody reading this, including those who don't review because sometimes you just don't have anything to say, but I would be lying if I tried to say that those "favourite authors" didn't make me smile. Thank you.

And last but not least, another huge thank you to Kitsa for helping me walk through a lot of this.

Chapter Twenty One:
Day Four Part Two

"The world is not dangerous because of those who do harm but because of those who look at it without doing anything"

Albert Einstein

Ianto Jones stepped out of the shower just as Luke Smith opened the bathroom door. He pulled a towel hastily around his waist. The teenager didn't seem the least bit uncomfortable with having walked in on him, except to offer up a mild apology for startling him.

"I found a clean shirt in the attic… not sure where she got it from, but Mum says it's not alien or anything," he went on, handing it over.

Ianto grimaced at the thought of an alien dress shirt…but it appeared to be made of perfectly ordinary cotton, and was probably just something Sarah Jane had picked up along her travels. He thanked Luke for his thoughtfulness. He was glad when the boy departed. Even after living with Jack and his mother… he felt another stab of guilt. He should be there, with him, with the rest of them…

"Ianto," that time it was Sarah Jane at the door. Something in her tone, however, stopped him from being overly irritated. "Ianto, you've got a telephone call. It's Jack."

His heart dropped through the cellar floor. He re-wrapped the towel around his waist and opened the door enough to take the cordless receiver from her, mumbling his thanks. "Hello?" he spoke into the phone; his voice sounded ragged even to his own ears. Jack would never have risked a phone call unless something had happened, something important. Something bad. He shouldn't have run away… "Jack?" he said, when there was only silence on the other end.

"Yeah. I'm here. Ianto… please… don't talk, just listen, just give me two minutes," he asked. "I know you may never forgive me for what I did in nineteen sixty five. I'm not asking you to. I just want you to know that no matter what happens today, I love you. I will always love you. I won't ever forget you."

With each word that came over the line, he felt himself growing heavier. Colder. More afraid. "What are you planning, Jack? What's happened, what are you going to do?"

"I tried," his tone was plaintive. "I called Frobisher and I tried to reason with him. Hell, I even tried threatening him. I told him we could fix this, we could work together, that he didn't have to give in to the demands of interplanetary terrorists. But he wouldn't listen. He…he just wouldn't listen to me."

Ianto felt his jaw go slack. They were really going to do it…the Prime Minister, the leaders of the other nations of the world… they were all… "When?" he asked.

"Tomorrow. They're going to hand over ten percent of the earth's children to the 456 tomorrow."

He sat down on the edge of the tub to keep himself from falling down. Remy… Cade's kids… Gavin's… "Jack…"

"I'm going to stop them, Ianto. I'm going to fix the mistake I made back in nineteen sixty five. I won't let them take any more children. Not one more."

"That wasn't your fault, Jack. Nineteen sixty five—"

"It was my fault. You're right. I should have stood up them. Instead…instead I helped them. I gave them those kids and now they're back for more."

"Jack—" but arguing with him would only waste time he knew they didn't have. "What do you want me to do?"

"Meet with Harry. Fill him in. New information is already on the way, everything we've got. If… if we fail today…if I can't stop them, it'll be up to you. I—I'm sorry."

"You won't fail, Jack. You never fail."

"Yes I do. I have to go, they're waiting—"

"Jack! Wait," he cried, needing him to hang on the line just a few more seconds. "I love you. I love you with all my heart, Jack, so you come back to me. No matter what else you do, you come back to me."

There was a brief pause on the other end, a ragged intake of breath. "I will. I promise."

Ianto sat a long moment after he hung up. The call had probably been traced… that meant… it meant that whatever Jack was up to, it didn't matter that they could find him…Sarah Jane… the kids…

He dialled his mother's phone…no answer. With trembling fingers, he punched in the numbers for Gavin's and Trea's house.

"Hello—"

"Gavin," he breathed his brother's name with a sigh of relief.

"Ianto—where the devil are you? Where's Nerys?"

"Never mind that—"

"Never mind? We're going out of our minds here! That Mickey fellow scared the wits out of Mam just before him and Nerys took off—"

"Gavin, shut up!" He snapped. "Something's happening—

"No kidding—"

"Gavin! Listen! Right now, in London, there's a representative from another planet, an alien—"

"Have you gone daft?"

"They've been here before Gav. They've been here before and the British Government handed over twelve children to them. It happened in nineteen sixty five. The children went missing from Holly Tree Lodge in Scotland—look it up if you don't believe me. Now they're back, the aliens are back and they want more kids—millions more."

There was only stunned silence on the end of the line before his brother finally was able to find the words to ask how he knew all that.

"I work for Torchwood. This is what we do. We deal with things like this. Only this time…this time the government shut us out, went so far as to try and assassinate us to keep us away from what they're doing."

"The bomb—Cardiff Bay—"

"That was meant for us…but that doesn't matter, not any more. Gavin, listen. They're going to give in. The government. They are going to hand over millions of children to an alien species."

"What—why—?"

"I don't know. Nobody does and it doesn't matter. I just need you to listen to me. Don't let anyone near your kids, near Remy, near Cade's kids. Keep them home from school. Don't let them out of your sight and do not let anybody take them away from you, no matter what. The same goes for whoever's listening in on the wire—I know you're there, but if you've got children or grandchildren, you need to listen to me. The government is going to give into the demands of these aliens and hand over millions of children unless we find some way to stop them. So forget the official secrets act and tell every parent you know. If we give into them this time, there's no telling when they'll be back or how many more they'll ask for the next time. We will never be safe if we don't stop them now."

"Ianto—"

"I have to go, Gavin. Hopefully I'll see you again when this is all over. If not… just… give Mam a kiss for me. Tell her I love her." He hung up before his brother could say another word, hoping he'd made the right decision to call.

They had to have a tap on Gav's phone…Cade's, Dafydd's, his mother's… but maybe, just maybe, someone who was listening had kids of their own, and maybe they were just as scared of losing them he was of losing his nieces, nephews…his daughter… because if they gave in this time, the 456 would be back. They would never leave the earth in peace.

By the time he got downstairs, he discovered that Harry Sullivan had arrived—but not alone.

……………………………………………………………..

Jack took what he hoped was not his last look around at the faces of the men and women gathered around him. His team. His friends. A couple of people he'd only just met… Jethro Gibbs. Clem MacDonald. Both of them were brave men, each in their own way. Each and every one of them there were amongst the bravest, noblest people he knew. He only hoped he could make up for what he'd done, fully deserve their respect and the faith they were still willing to place in him.

"I don't know what's going to happen today," he told them, "but I do know that we will not give in. We will stand up and we will find a way and we will stop them, no matter what it takes." He let his gaze fall to Ianto's sister. To Clem. To Wendy. To each of the others gathered there, watching him. "Even one more child is one child too many. I have no doubt that lives are going to be lost before this is all over, but no more children will be taken from this world." He slid his thumb over the ring on his finger… "Let's go," he said.

"Harkness," said Gibbs, calling him over as the rest of the group started to move out. "Just in case I don't get the chance later—it's been an honour. I had some doubts at first," he admitted. "But from what I can see you've got a hell of team here. You can tell a lot a bout a man by the kind of people who are willing to follow him into a fight."

Jack flashed a wry grin, "I could say the same to you," he glanced towards Abby and Tim.

Gibbs followed his gaze, smiled. "McGee—kiss your girl already and let's go!" he wasn't half as irritated at the younger man as he sounded.

Tim blushed. "Abbs…"

"Just come back to me in one piece, Timothy," she told him. "That's an order."

"Yes, Ma'am," he pressed a kiss to her lips, no longer caring that Gibbs was watching them. Him.

Martha closed the distance between herself and Jack, Gibbs.

"Martha…" the Captain began.

"Don't worry, I'll look out for him, for you," she teased in Gibbs' direction. "Wouldn't want the Americans getting mad at you for getting one of their people killed over here."

Jack flashed over one of those smiles of his and went to find Wendy; she'd just pulled Bobby aside, so he gave them a couple of seconds before going over.

"I know," said Bobby, before his girlfriend could speak. " 'Be careful', remember that you can take a bullet but I can't," his tone was playful, mostly to cover up how scared he was. For her, for him…for all of them.

She favoured him with a soft smile. "I was going to tell you that I love you, but that'll do too." She pressed a kiss to his lips. "And be careful."

"I will. You too."

"Always."

"Wendy…" Jack called over, then. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," she gave Bobby's hand a last quick squeeze before following after the Captain. The warehouse was almost deserted.

Gwen looked to Rhys. "You too, you have to go," she told him.

"You're sure you're not just trying to get rid of me, get me out of harm's way—afraid I can't hack it?" he wanted to know.

"Don't be silly," she told him, pressing a kiss to her husband's lips, unable to keep her hands from trembling.

"Gwen…"

"I love you too. Now go on—keep Nerys safe," she added. "I'm counting on you. We all are."

A few feet away, Mickey pressed his laptop into Ianto's sister's hands. On it was every second of footage they'd recorded so far, every scrap of information they had on the 456. The software was still running, still recording everything going on in secret, behind closed doors. Everything that was said, everything the Prime Minister and his aids did to cover their own asses while hanging everybody else out to dry—everything they would need to ruin Greene's career and the careers of everyone connected to him should it come down to it.

Nerys clutched the laptop to her chest. "Why can't I stay here with you?" she asked Mickey.

"Because it's too dangerous," he told her the truth.

"It's not going to be any less dangerous out there."

"No, it won't, but it won't take them long to find this place now. When they do, there are going to be troops and guns and it's not going to be safe. Out there you have a chance. More than that, you have a job to do."

"Mickey… I—I love you."

"I love you too," he told he. "Now go on," he urged, wondering if he was ever going to see her again, wondering if they were really going to be able to pull this off because at the moment, the odds didn't look good…

.

Half way around the world Las Vegas, Nevada, Greg Sanders and Nick Stokes had just received electronic copies of footage that would, when they got around to opening their email, shock and horrify them… shock horrify the whole world, should they decide to share it. Because even if they did back down, if the Prime Minister, the Home Office and whoever else it was who was behind the effort to block Torchwood, even if they finally backed down and let them do their jobs, certain truths needed to be made public. It wasn't just the British government who was culpable. The United States and every other government that had agreed to sit back and let someone else do the talking, someone else make the deals—they were all responsible.

Sara sat back in her chair looking around the now nearly empty Hub 2. It was just her, Gwen, Mickey and Clem, waiting.

………………………………………………………..

Ianto snuggled his daughter to his chest and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'm sorry, Little One," he whispered to her. "I know it seems like I got here, and here I am sending you off again," he fought to maintain control of his emotions, of his fear that he would never see her again, never see Jason… Jack. Even before he told Sarah Jane about calling his brother, the plans had already been made to get the kids and Ella some place safer because her house was about to be a part of the front line.

"I love you," he whispered to Seren. "Your Papa and I both love you so much…" swallowing back the tears, he kissed her and handed her over to Ella and knelt down to Jason's level. "We love you too," he told him, as he wrapped his arms tight around the boy's shoulders. "We both love you so very, very much." He pressed a kiss to Jason's forehead. "I promise, we'll all be together again soon."

Jason held on tight a moment more before releasing him; there were tears in his eyes. "I love you to," he said. He looked like he was about to say more, but Ella's hand on his shoulder stilled him.

"I will look after them," K-9 assured Ianto in a mechanical voice that the Welshman always found disconcertingly antiquated sounding and not at all like the sort of voice that should be coming from a well-armed super computer on wheels, even if somebody had decided that it ought to look like a boxy metal dog. The voice sounded like something created the sound effects department an under budgeted nineteen seventies science fiction film.

Just the same, he reached over and patted the mechanical creature's head. "I know you will, K-9. Sarah Jane's right, you're a good dog."

"The best dog," she told him, reaching down and giving him a pat herself. Then she gave Luke another hug and kiss on the cheek. "Be careful," she told him. "And do as the Brigadier says," she cast an affectionate glance towards the older, white-haired gentleman into whose care she was entrusting her family, Ianto's family. If anybody could keep them safe, it was Sir Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart. "Thank you, again," she told him.

"Nonsense. It's the least I could do. Come along now boys," he gestured Luke and Jason towards his car.

Before she followed the children, Ella leant in and kissed her son in law on the cheek. "I know we've had disagreements in the past, Ianto. But I am so very glad my son has you. I'm glad you have each other."

"Thank you," he whispered; Harry Sullivan helped him load their gear into the boot; there wasn't much, just a few bags.

He came around to where the retired Brigadier was standing and extended his hand. "Sir Alistair, thank you."

"You just do what you need to do, Mr Jones, you and that Captain Harkness of yours," he said. "Rest assured that your children will be safe with me. Harry," he shook the hand of the other man as well. "Give those idiots down at Whitehall a good what for," he instructed. "As soon as I get everybody safe and sound, I'm going to start making calls and find out what in the devil UNIT has been doing through this whole affair," he promised them; by time he was done he intended to make certain that several people were out of jobs and facing criminal charges. He too had a copy of the proceedings of the first two days and he wasn't pleased by what he'd seen. What he hadn't seen.

He leant in and kissed Sarah Jane on the cheek. "Take care of yourself, my dear," he gave her that worried look he always gave her when he knew she was about to go off and do something dangerous.

"I will. I've got Harry and Ianto too look after me," she assured him.

Moments after the Brigadier pulled away, Bobby and Abby slipped into her back garden.

Abby snagged Ianto immediately into a fierce hug. "I was so worried about you!" she told him.

"I know, I'm sorry. Just please tell me Jack hasn't gone off to do something foolish."

"I think that depends on how you define 'foolish'," said Bobby.

"Let's get back inside," Sarah Jane suggested in a sensible tone. She had the feeling this wasn't going to be a short conversation; she wanted to know just exactly what Jack was planning herself.

"Bobby, Abby, this is my good friend Commodore Harry Sullivan," she introduced them as they went. "Harry and I used to travel with the Doctor together. But more importantly, Harry is a Deputy Director for MI-5. Now…let's get set up in the attic," she looked at Abby in particular, "because there is one more 'person' I think you very much need to meet."

………………………………………………………………

Up until four days ago, Lois Habiba had been nothing more significant that a junior PA, a temp hired on to assist the Home Office during a computer update. Today, she was a revolutionary.

"Yeah, you and whose army?" Rick Yates challenged her, his tone scathing, incredulous.

Lois held her chin up just a little higher and met his gaze dead on when she told him exactly whose side she was on:

"Torchwood."