Torchwood Four; Dublin, Ireland

General Trefor Williams reviewed the new information from Canada. With the RCMP still collecting information, and Rex trying to talk the United States into cooperating, the general was forced to rely on Internet searches for information. The reporters hadn't made a connection between Karoly Avent and Jacob Thompson yet nevertheless Charlaine Legare. One conspiracy theorist blogger concluded Jacob was rescued by aliens and had two more cases with similarities both involving adults in assisted living situations. Checking more reliable sources, he found the adult abductions were even more impressive as they'd disappeared from medical facilities with CCTV.

Pending all five cases, over two years, were related, the question was why the abductors were relocating individuals across borders. He could only guess that the ancients were trying to draw attention to the people or the Tourtellotte, if the company was targeting people connected to ancients. The US didn't have a direct connection to Torchwood. Even with Rex in London, the general doubted they would have cooperation. The RCMP had an established working relationship with Luc before he contacted Cardiff for help last year and reconnected with the Torchwood network. Four had an uneasy relationship with Ireland which could explain the zoo conflict and Jeannette. The theories didn't explain why the beings didn't drop the people off at Torchwood offices.

Jeannette into the doorway holding Charlaine's hand. "Trefor."

"Hey."

"Charlie has information." Jeannette led the girl into the room.

She wore one of Robert's translation devices. "The Goblin King is worried. Caden senses danger."

"Who's Caden?"

"The guardian."

"Do you know what's happening?"

Charlaine shook her head.

The general could only guess. As Caden was a Welsh name, he'd start with Wales. He knew Lacene was in the hub, but hadn't heard about anyone else. The person could be at the retreat or Nigeria. He had no way of knowing. Either Ianto or Azrael would know.

"Four, connect with Three, please."

A couple minutes later, it clicked. "Good afternoon," Ianto's voice came over the com.

"Jeannette and Charlaine are in the office with me. Is there someone in the office named Caden?"

"Why?" Ianto sounded confused.

The general explained what Charlaine told him.

"Caden is a puppy."

Charlaine nodded. "The guardian."

"Is this about Demeter?"

"No. Bad people. They want to hurt the Goblin King."

"Is Arawn the Goblin King?" Ianto asked.

"Hold on," Jeannette said removing Charlaine's translator. "Say the name again."

"Arawn the King of the Otherworld." Ianto repeated it Welsh.

Charlaine motioned for the translator and Jeannette returned it to her ear. "The Goblin King."

"Does that mean something?" the general asked.

"Unfortunately."


Torchwood Three; Cardiff, Wales

Gwen Cooper entered the kitchen where Bree and Lacene were reviewing cases. She had questions about Morpheus, the dream-sharing talismans and the unexpected shared dream with Jack. There weren't a lot of people that had experience with the brothers. Tremaine described Phantasos as trying to have a conversation with a Salvador Dali painting. Wathan wasn't the friendliest person. Until the recent situation, Gwen hadn't realized Lacene was approachable.

"Sorry to interrupt." From Bree's expression, Gwen suspected she disrupted a personal conversation. They had the look of two people working their way toward being a couple.

"We don't have anything," Bree said.

"Mind if I join you?"

Lacene motioned to a chair across from them.

Gwen claimed a chair. "I need to ask questions about the brothers." She took a moment. "Morpheus gave me dream-sharing talismans."

"Who did you share dreams with?"

"Jack. We used it as a type of therapy." Gwen folded her hands in front of her on the table. "We had an unexpected shared-dream. We were nowhere near the talismans."

"You used memories?"

"Yeah."

Lacene smiled. Rather than pleasant, it was disconcerting. "He showed you something you didn't want to see."

"Yeah." The unfortunately side-effect of the dream talismans was a clear memory of Jack having a one-off.

"Entering another person's dreams is a type of intimacy. It takes a special bond to handle it." Lacene paused. "How long did you use the talismans?"

"Months."

"He probably chose memories he was comfortable showing you." Lacene waited for confirmation. "Was the unexpected memory a secret?"

"No. I knew it happened. I didn't need the specifics."

"Sex?"

Gwen closed her eyes unfortunately making the image in her head clearer. She opened her eyes and focused on her hands.

"Jack was trying to tell you something. Something about the circumstances surrounding that event are important." Lacene paused. "I know there is a secret about Jack's current state of mind. I won't ask. But his personal demons are particularly strong right now." She gave is a moment. "When people are hurt or confused, they do things they wouldn't normally do."

Gwen nodded. When Jack met Brad he was feeling the weight of his mortality. He called partly intoxicated later that night and expressed his feelings. It was something he'd done more than once when extremely stressed or traumatized although not in years.

"An observation," Lacene said. "There are different types of love. If you were comfortable sharing his memories, you love him. The fact that he subjected you to him having sex and you're not mad at him says a lot."


Ianto Jones asked Rhys to watch Michael and headed for Jack's suite. The conversations with Demeter and Charlaine gave him an idea. If the ancients could only affect the world through people connected to them, they would need to use their people to manipulate events. Matt's ability suggested a connection to an ancient. Jack's returning memory allowed him to remember Demeter, but there could be more to it. The ancients were tied to reality rather than time or places. There could be something in Jack's memories about Bacchus' current situation.

Ianto tapped the com button. "Jack."

"Enter." He sounded restless.

Ianto passed through the doors into the suite. The mess suggested Jack was losing his patience with the suite. Having served in more than one military, he tended to be tidy.

"I want out of here."

Ianto shared the sentiment. "I had a visitor." He explained his theory on Demeter, Charlaine and Matt.

"What did Demeter look like?"

Ianto hesitated.

"It's important."

"Jestina."

Jack nodded. "Toshiko saw a woman that looked like Mary."

It took a moment for Ianto to place the name. "Demeter is playing head games."

"She's trying to tell us something." Jack looked down as he thought. "Maybe the memory problems weren't random."

"Could it involve John?"

Jack paused. "The first major episode involved John. He was upset about the men who shot the Weevil. He wants a habitat created on the Rift survivor's island." He nodded. "I asked him about Ni'Athal."

"What is it?"

"A seedy resort. John and I went there while we were still with the Time Agency."

When they were lovers, Ianto thought. "Does anything stand out?"

Jack paused. "Our last time there, we met Diony an androgynous humanoid. Gorgeous, uninhibited." He smiled.

"Anything other than sex?"

"The wine was incredible."

Sex and wine. "Bacchus, the missing ancient, is also known as Dionysus."

Jack laughed. "Bacchanalia."

Ianto rolled his eyes upward. "What does Diony have to do with the current situation?"

After several minutes, Jack met Ianto's eyes. "Nothing."