Nora and Miranda entered the pub, holding hands. Miranda craned her neck, looking for the rest of the Torchwood team, finally spotting them at a large table by the pub window. She waved and then looked at Nora, the two women exchanging a broad smile. She dragged Nora towards the table and made the introductions, Nora shaking hands with each of the team in turn. Ianto had arranged this little pub night out and Miranda couldn't help but smile at it all.
"Ah, another Torchwood widow!" Rhys said with a laugh as he gave a blushing Nora a kiss on the cheek. He patted the empty seat next to him. "C'mon, take a load off."
Miranda helped Nora out of her coat and got a grin from Ianto. She winked at him, taking the seat next to Nora.
"Everyone be nice to Nora or her father will make our lives a living hell," she said jokingly.
"Your life, maybe, Will," Jack said with a laugh.
"I've got the first round. Usuals everyone?" Fish said brightly and everyone around the table nodded. "Nora? What's your poison?"
"Just a beer thank you… Joe was it?"
"Fish. They all call me Fish. I can't get them to stop. It's her fault," Fish added, pointing a finger at Miranda. "No beer for you!"
Everyone at the table chuckled at the slight inside jokes. Miranda almost never drank and Fish was merely tolerant of the team's use of his old school nickname. The Australian rose from the table and headed for the bar. When he returned, he distributed the drinks.
"What happened to that little animal? What did you call it? A niffler?" Nora asked.
"You mean Dewi?" Jack asked.
"You named it Dewi?" Nora giggled.
"Him," Miranda said a little indignant.
"Do I even want to know how you figured out an alien creature is male?" Nora said with a laugh.
"We've sort of adopted him," Gwen said with a smile. "He's taken quite a liking to Miranda."
"He sleeps in a bed under my desk," Miranda said with a laugh.
"The thing is a bloody menace! He leaves feathers everywhere," Ianto lamented. "He scares the pterodactyl!"
"Just needs a bit of training up, mate. He's quite intelligent," Fish said, "even uses a litter pan."
Nora barked out a laugh and the Torchwood team plus two settled into comfortable small talk and, as usual, Jack had to tell one of his barely believable stories.
"You know, none of us know whether to take you seriously when you say those things," Fish said with a laugh.
"When you've lived as long as Will and I have, you don't make any more up," Jack said with a shrug and Miranda shot him a death glare. She saw Jack jerk slightly. Ianto had kicked him under the table. The Torchwood team were used to jokes and banter surrounding Jack and Miranda's immortality and their respective long lives. Nora was only just adjusting and Jack was being woefully obtuse. Miranda was about to make a chastising remark at Jack when she felt a tight pressure forming between her temples, the presence of another immortal.
"Mandy? Everything all right?" Ianto was looking at her curiously. The look on her face was eerily familiar.
"Excuse me… I just need to step outside for some air," she quickly grabbed her coat, hoping to make her exit before her friends realised something was wrong.
The pub's door opened. A lanky man wearing a long trench coat entered the pub, his mouth twisted into an evil grin. Adaf Terfel… Miranda moved around the table to stand between him and her friends.
"Ah, my Chink harlot!" he said sweetly.
The sound of wooden chairs scraping the floor echoed in the pub as the entire Torchwood team rose to Miranda's defence. Jack had stood up so fast, his chair had toppled over. Even Nora had angrily jumped up. Terfel's voice had carried and the racial slur was drawing stares from the rest of the pub.
"Not here, Terfel," Miranda said but Terfel didn't move.
"Oh I think here is good. I told you I'd be back for you… for some special time together," he took two brisk steps towards Miranda.
The team drew their guns, aiming directly at Terfel. The rest of the pub emptied not without a few screams. Miranda could see Kiernan talking on his mobile. Getting the police to stay away no doubt. Gratefully, she saw that Rhys had pushed Nora behind him.
"Not here, Terfel. Outside, down the square. Now!"
Terfel still wouldn't move. He leaned into Miranda's personal space. He put his mouth close to her ear and sniffed deeply. "Ah, you still smell like a whore."
She managed to suppress the shudder of revulsion. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rhys use his arms to keep Nora at bay. Fish, on the other hand, had no one restraining him. He shoved Terfel back from Miranda and then managed to land a solid punch to Terfel's jaw, sending the immortal man sprawling.
"Get the fuck away from her!" Fish shouted.
Terfel immediately started to laugh as he spat blood onto the pub floor.
Miranda saw the situation was rapidly spiraling out of hand. Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Jack was stepping forwards towards Terfel. She fisted her hand into the back of Jack's waistcoat, yanking him backwards.
"Fish! Jack! Stop!" she pleaded, pushing both men away.
Miranda locked eyes with Nora who was still standing behind Rhys. I'm sorry… I'm so sorry… Miranda fought the urge to embrace her. She tried to pour everything she felt for Nora into the look. It wasn't enough.
"I love you, Nora. Always."
Without even giving Nora a chance to respond, Miranda grabbed a fistful of Terfel's coat, hauled him to his feet and dragged him from the pub.
Right then, Ianto saw him. He hadn't noticed Kiernan Davies until this minute. Ianto could tell the man was rushed to get outside but he stopped and turned towards them to speak.
"All of you have to stay here. If you go out there, you'll distract her." Kiernan looked at Jack and Ianto and tried to keep the accusation out of his voice and failed, "Terfel almost killed her the last time because she was trying to get his focus away from the two of you."
He paused a moment to glance out the pub window, judging which direction the two immortals had gone so that he could follow.
"He knows her weakness is the people she loves. He'll use you all against her… especially you," he continued, focusing his gaze on Nora. "I'm sorry I can't explain more. I have to get out there. I have to observe."
With that, Kiernan, too, rushed from the building. Jack recovered his wits first, storming across the pub and slamming out of the back door. Ianto assumed he was headed for a rooftop somewhere. Fish bolted after Jack and Ianto had to give him points for courage.
Nora was next. She pushed her way passed Rhys and Gwen. It was Ianto who managed to seize her by the arms before she'd reached the pub door.
"Let go of me!" she hissed.
"Nora, don't. Kiernan's right. You'll distract her. She has to stay focused on staying alive, not on protecting us."
"He's going to kill her isn't he!" she shouted through tears.
Ianto held onto Nora, not letting her go. He'd experienced it already, standing back watching, helplessly, as Miranda fought for her life. That day in the cemetery, he'd been certain Miranda would die. When she'd crawled across the cemetery gate's threshold and collapsed, Ianto had thought she was finished. It had taken all his willpower to not interfere although, at the time, he'd been occupied with holding Jack at bay. He couldn't believe a piece of filth like Terfel had obeyed the rules of the Game and hadn't crossed onto the cemetery grounds to finish Miranda off or, more simply, dragged his prey off holy ground for the kill. Ianto's heart was heavy with guilt that his and Jack's presence had endangered her.
Nora sank down to the floor, crying. Gwen and Rhys were talking back and forth animatedly, Rhys confused and Gwen trying to catch him up. Ianto waved at them and they tended to Nora while he went to get Nora a glass of water from behind the bar.
When he returned, Nora was sitting between Gwen and Rhys as the couple tried to comfort the poor woman. He handed the glass of water to Nora who took it wordlessly. She looked to be in shock.
"My Gwenie, I worry about her. Every day she goes to work with Torchwood and I don't know if she's going to be coming home," Rhys said, as he rubbed the woman's back soothingly. "Don't you fret! Gwen says Miranda's brilliant in a fight."
Gwen stood up, leaving Nora in the comforting hands of her husband. Her and Ianto moved away a respectable distance, out of earshot.
"That day with the escape pod? When you came back to the Hub and she was dead? It's the same man isn't it?" she asked quietly.
"Yes, his name is Adaf Terfel," Ianto said softly, not wanting them to be overheard.
"Who was that other kid?" she asked.
"His name is Kiernan Davies. Mandy says there's a secret society called The Watchers, that observes the Game. He's her Watcher."
"We've seen him before, remember? That first pub night? After the plants?"
Ianto didn't remember seeing Kiernan in the pub that night but he had seen the man before. After Miranda had first joined the team, Kiernan had cornered him at the dry cleaner's with a plea to warn Miranda about the very man she was now fighting. It felt like so long ago. "He follows Mandy everywhere."
"I don't know if I can just wait here…" Gwen said, hugging her chest, shivering as if cold.
Ianto shook his head. "We shouldn't stay here, Gwen. We should leave. Terfel is dangerous."
"How can we just leave?" she whispered.
"The Watchers, they saw Terfel murder two prostitutes. If Mandy…" he broke off and took a deep breath, "…if this ends badly, he could come back here for us for the sheer sport of it."
Gwen cast a nervous look at Nora and Rhys. "I'll take Rhys home."
"Leave out the back. I'll stay with Nora."
"You know where she lives?"
Ianto nodded. "Jack had me do the background check."
Gwen nodded and after collecting Rhys, left Ianto standing in the middle of the empty pub. Ianto walked over to Nora. He laid a gentle hand on Nora's shoulder.
"Nora? We need to leave."
She shook her head. "No, I'm going to wait for her. She'll be back soon."
Ianto wondered if she was saying that to try to convince herself.
"Nora, if this ends badly, we can't stay here. The man she's fighting is dangerous. He's a killer. He could come back here, come after us." Come after you…
Nora shook her head.
"Please, Nora," Ianto pleaded. "She loves you. I have to keep you safe. Nora. Please."
With tears in her eyes, Nora stood up and allowed Ianto to lead her from the pub through the back door. The two of them stepped into the back alleyway, the sound of swords ringing through the night.
Nora walked out of the alley, transfixed by the sound.
"Do you think she's winning?" she asked, her voice a bare whisper.
"She's survived a long time, Nora," Ianto said, though he was wondering the same thing. "C'mon, my car is this way."
Ianto took Nora's arm, steering her towards where his car was parked when suddenly the high pitched scream of a woman cut through the night.
"Miranda! NO!" Nora screamed. She ripped her arm from Ianto's grasp and bolted down the street towards the fighting.
"Nora! No! Come back!" Ianto shouted, darting after her.