2

On his way home, a large "DETOUR" sign forces Ianto onto a secondary road.

Ianto drives along a winding road through parkland. He pulls up at a red light - no other traffic around. His attention is caught by an attractive young woman, sitting on a park bench not far from the intersection. She is being taunted by two young thugs. She attempts to ignore the youths by concentrating on the book on her lap.

"You wanna read to me?" One of them hisses to woman as his companion smirks. More insistent now he repeats "You wanna read to me?"

The other boy reaches over and snatches the novel from her grasp. Menacingly snarls "My friend asked you a question."

The woman picks up her bag in a reflex and holds it to her. She looks about for assistance, briefly catching Ianto's eye. The youths also look in Ianto's direction, staring him down. She is reaching for the book "Please..."

The boy returns the book to the woman, but before doing so rips out the last page from the novel and stuffs it in his shirt pocket. "Now you're gonna have to ask me how it ends."

One of the youths grabs the woman, dragging her toward the surrounding woods. "We're gonna tell you how it ends, baby."

"Help! Please help!"

As they drag her towards the undergrowth, Ianto, horrified, half gets out of the car - fearful of his own safety as much as the woman's. Ianto shouts to the youths, his voice cracking with fear. "Hey! Let her go!"

A huge truck suddenly appears behind Ianto's car, its horn blasting, the DRIVER hurling abuse. Ianto hesitates as the youths drag the woman into the bushes, conflicted over whether or not to help. The truck driver keeps his hand on the horn. Ianto retreats back into his car and reluctantly drives on with self-hatred at his cowardice.

Ianto's car safely out of sight, the youths promptly release the young woman. She calmly brushes herself off, no longer afraid. The young men, no longer angry, retrieve her bag. "Thanks."

The threesome walks back towards the roadway as if life-long friends. She is pondering the incident "He did nothing."

One of the youths shrugs, suddenly more couth "Physical violence paralyzes him. Always has."

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IANTO'S HOUSE

Beyond the pretty picket fence at the end of the property flows a busy highway.

Ianto is mowing the lawn. From his expression it would seem that he's still reflecting on his inaction in the park. He switches off the mower and leans on the handle.

He is distracted by the arrival of his wife, Lisa exiting the house. She wears a nurse's uniform and carries a curious metal device attached to a card board backing. She kisses Ianto affectionately on the cheek. "Hi, honey. Look at this. (proudly referring to the device)It's a "Chef's-Mate." Dicer, slicer and peeler in one. Never needs sharpening.

Dishwasher safe."

"Gee, that's great."

Looking over Ianto's shoulder, Lisa notices a small, uncut patch of grass missed by Ianto in one of his passes. Referring to the uncut grass, she says "You missed a section."

Lisa enters the house. Ianto restarts the lawnmower and obediently pushes it towards the offending patch of lawn. As the mower brushes up against the nonconforming blades of grass, Ianto pulls back abruptly. He checks the kitchen window for Lisa and wheels the mower away, leaving the patch

uncut.

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That evening Lisa is removing the cap of her nurse's uniform in the kitchen when Ianto enters. "How did it go today?"

Lisa replies matter-of-fact "A man tripped and fell on a chainsaw. We got three of his fingers back on."

Ianto retrieves a bucket of golf balls and a golf club from behind the door. She is disappointed at the sight of the golf equipment "I was hoping we could have a special evening."

"I won't be late."

Sensing something odd in his demeanor she asks "Did something happen today?"

Ianto turns to her too sharply, his guilt showing. "What could happen?"

Ianto exits.

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.

A half-constructed bridge, paved but unmarked, ends abruptly in mid-air - reinforcing steel protruding from the concrete.

Ianto stands at the end of the unfinished bridge with Andy, thirties, a well-filled physique. Andy drinks beer from a can while Ianto addresses a teed-up golf ball with a number three wood. The headlights of their two parked cars light the cement "fairway". Their target is a sign at the far end of the bridge proclaiming, "THE TORCHWOOD CAUSEWAY - Linking Torchwood Island With The Rest Of The World - Your Tax Dollars At Work" - an upturned plastic cone at the foot of the sign is the "hole."

Ianto winds up and swings, making a healthy contact with the ball. The ball arches away into the night sky. From a new angle we see the ball take a huge hop on the outside lane of the abandoned freeway and continue down the asphalt beyond the sign.

Andy tosses Ianto another off-white ball from a bucket of badly scarred golf balls. Ianto sets the ball up on the makeshift tee area and launches himself into his second shot. With a slight fade, the second ball carries even further than the first.

"Whose nuts were those?" Andy asks with amusement.

Ianto hands Andy their sole golf club without comment. Andy tees up a ball of his own He uses orange golf balls. "I'm thinking of getting out, Andy."

With mild interest only, Andy asks "Yeah? Outta what?"

"Outta my job, outta Torchwood, off this island... out!"

Andy takes a practice swing.

"Outta your job? What the hell's wrong with your job? You gotta great job. You gotta desk job. I'd kill for a desk job."

Andy addresses the ball and swings - a sweeping hook shot that bounces off the freeway and into the water hazard. He is annoyed by the errant tee shot.

"Sonofabitch." still looking in the direction of his ball he adds "Try stocking vending machines for a living. My biggest decision of the day is whether the Almond Joys look better next to the Snickers or the Baby Ruths."

Ianto selects another "M" ball from the bucket and tosses it to Andy. "Haven't you ever gotten itchy feet?"

Overcompensating with his second shot, Andy slices the ball in the other direction. A lucky bounce keeps it on the "green." The ball rolls in the direction of the upturned cone. sceptical, picking up his beer he asks "Where is there to go?"

Ianto gulps his beer as he prepares his answer, unable to disguise his Reverence "Fiji."

Andy considers Ianto's suggestion as he sips his beer. Impressed he huffs "Fiji? Where the hell is Fiji exactly? Near Florida? You can't drive there, can you?"

"See here, this is us" Ianto picks up a golf ball to demonstrate. He points to a dimple on his make-shift globe. Sliding his finger around the other side of the ball "All the way round here, Fiji. You can't get any further away before you start coming back."

Tossing the world in his hand, warming to his subject he finishes with "Ya know, there are still islands in Fiji where no human has ever set foot."

Still dubious, Andy asks "So when are you leaving?"

It's not that simple. Takes money, planning. You can't just up and go." Ianto sighs, heading off Andy's skepticism "Oh, I'm going to do it, don't worry about that. I've just got to move slow. Pick my moment. Bonus time's just around the corner. Soon as I finish the..."

"Nursery?"

"Spare room - I can start thinking about selling up...and I'll be gone. Up and away on that big steel bird." Ianto says as if to convince himself "I'm going, don't you worry about that. She is never gonna have a baby, she barely tolerates me. Sometimes I wonder why we are even together."

Andy nods even though the concept of taking flight is beyond his imagination. "I never knew anybody who wanted to leave Torchwood."

An awkward moment. Ianto, once again, not so sure of himself.

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A DIMLY-LIT ROOM SOMEWHERE.

A man looks up sharply. He stares into camera. Saxon, late fifties - a vitality in his eyes that belies his years. A news anchor-style earpiece disappears down the neck of his suit.

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Ianto and Andy wander along the empty bridge, retrieving the golf balls.

Andy goes to say something to the disconsolate Ianto, but is momentarily distracted. He raises his hand to his ear. Ianto places another of the balls in the bucket. "Ianto, you know, I did think about moving away one time."

Interest piqued Ianto responds "Yeah, what happened?"

"I figured, what's the point? I knew I'd just be taking my problems with me. Once the kids came along, it made me look at Torchwood with new eyes." He sighed, gazing out at the lights of Torchwood "I realized, what the hell could be better than this? (putting a hand on Ianto's shoulder) I'm telling you. What you really need is someone to carry on the "Jones" name."

"You think so?"

"Trust me." Andy picks up the last ball at the mouth of the upturned cone. The ball is white. Checking the ball Andy huffs "You win."

They approach Ianto's car. Ianto opens the trunk to deposit their humble golfing equipment. Inside are the remains of the fallen light fixture. Referring to the light Ianto asks "You really think it could've dropped off an airliner?"

"Sure. It's halogen. Shame it didn't hit you - you could've sued." Andy is unimpressed quickly changing the subject "You coming for a drink?"

"I can't tonight."

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From the POV of the lighthouse's lantern room, we observe Ianto sitting on the beach staring out to sea.

Closer on Ianto. He has a portable tape recorder slung over his shoulder and points a corded microphone at the surf. We watch Ianto's impassive face as he makes the recording of the lapping waves. The lamp from the lighthouse occasionally falls upon Ianto.

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As always, the flashback appears to play on a television screen.

The sky is black with storm clouds. Gale force winds lash rain into the faces of seven year old and his father, Ifan. As Ifan stands up to get his hearings, a freak gust of wind catches the sail. The boom whips across the stern and strikes Ifan flush in the head, knocking his overboard.

Ianto, wearing the sole lifejacket, desperately reaches for his father. He momentarily has hold of his father's hand when Ifan is abruptly dragged beneath the surface. Ianto is crying out "Daddy!...Daddy!..."

His cries go unanswered. Seven-year-old Ianto finds himself alone - the storm abruptly passed, the wind suddenly dropped, the water stilled.

The frightened Ianto examines the ring he holds in his open hand - his father's ring - wrenched from his finger in Ianto's fight to keep him afloat.

.

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A close up of Ianto from Ifan's ring that Ianto now wears. Then, from the lighthouse POV, we observe Ianto get to his feet and walk towards the dark water. He stands at the water's edge shouting at the surf "I'm sorry, Dad! I'm sorry!"

As if in reply, a tongue of lightning flashes across the distant skyline, followed by a growl of thunder.

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A LIVING ROOM SOMEWHERE.

Two old women, seventies, sit beside each other on a sofa looking directly into camera as they talk. playing amateur psychiatrist "It left him with more than his obvious fear of the water."

"He was never the same curious little boy again."

"Half the women I know named their children after him."

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Ianto is forced to leg it through a sudden rain shower to his car.

From Ianto's point-of-view, the shower appears quite normal. However, viewed from a distance, we see that the shower is extremely localized, encircling only him, as if a small cloud is directly above his head, tracking his progress.

As Ianto crosses the parking lot, the shower crosses with him. Sensing something amiss, Ianto dances back and forth across the street, intrigued by the curious phenomenon. He hums a few bars of "Singin' In The Rain."

The rain becomes heavier, covering a wider area. Ianto runs the remaining distance to his car.

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.

The drenched Ianto enters his house to find Lisa, in the unfinished nursery, comparing wallpaper samples. Lisa wears a robe, a glimpse of red negligee beneath. "Where have you been?"

Wringing out his jacket Ianto replies "I've been thinking…"

Rolling her eyes, she groans "Oh, God."

Ignoring the reception he continues "…I figure we could scrape together eight thousand."

She is exasperated "Every time you and Andy…"

"We could bum around the world for a year on that."

"And then what, Ianto? We'd be back to where we were five years ago. You're talking like a teenager."

"Maybe I feel like a teenager." He countered.

"We're mortgaged to the eyeballs, Ianto." She waved her arm around the room "There's the car payments. Are we just going to walk away from our financial obligations?"

Ianto, still dripping on the floor, holds Lisa by the arms. He talks excitedly to her the way we imagine he did when they were courting. "It'd be an adventure."

"I thought we were going to try for a baby. Isn't that enough of an adventure?"

"That can wait. You don't seem that keen half the time" he snorts "I want to get away. See some of the world. Explore."

Lisa gives a derisive laugh. "You want to be an explorer? You don't even have a passport, Ianto. I bet you don't even know how to get one."

The words sting. Ianto turns away. Seeing the pain she's caused, she changes tack.

"This'll pass. Everybody thinks like this now and then." Lisa crones making an attempt at seduction "Come to bed."

"I think I'm going to stay up for a while."

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AN OFFICE BUILDING SOMEWHERE - RECEPTION.

In the reception area of an office building, two uniformed guards drink coffee. "How can they have a child?"

"It's not gonna be his, you idiot."

"Why not?"

"You think she'd go through with it?"

"Sure she would."

Reassessing his own opinion "Guess I always thought they'd adopt."

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.

There is something peculiar about the way the sun rises over Torchwood Island - the light appears in an arc that's slightly too perfect and well-defined.

In front of his bedroom window, Ianto, wearing his new sweats, performs an exercise routine of his own invention. He counts off the exercises to himself - cheating as he does so. He counts five leg-lifts for every two he completes. "…Five... (two leg-lifts later) Then...fifteen...two more makes twenty."

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A BEDROOM SOMEWHERE.

A middle-aged married couple in identical matching sweats repeat the same eccentric exercises in perfect sync, as if they were in a class led by Ianto.

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Ianto climbs into the car and switches on the radio. He drives down the street.

The radio cheerfully announces "Another glorious morning in Torchwood, folks. Don't forget to buckle up…"

Ianto mutters to himself as is his custom.

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.

Ianto emerges from the parking lot and as usual stops at the newspaper stand. He picks up a glossy magazine and flips through the cosmetic ads, surreptitiously tearing a pair of EYES from one of the pages. He returns the magazine to the rack. As usual, the newspaper vendor fails to intervene. Ianto begins his daily pilgrimage to work through the rush hour pedestrian traffic.

As he enters the street leading to his office, he glimpses a homeless man reflected in the window of a parked car. Ianto, spellbound by the man, suddenly wheels around to face him. The Homeless Man, late-fifties, more well-groomed and well-fed than the average vagrant, has a serene smile on his face.

The Homeless Man places his hand ever so gently on Ianto's cheek. Ianto makes no effort to withdraw. He is transfixed by the man's eyes. He appears to recognize him.

Almost to himself, Ianto is mouthing the word "Dad..."

Suddenly an elegant woman walking a small dog and a business executive carrying a briefcase, walking in opposite directions along the sidewalk, grab the Homeless Man. One under each arm, lifting the Homeless Man off the ground, they start to whisk the bewildered derelict down the street.

Ianto is calling out "Stop! Stop!"

Ianto begins to give chase. However, the shopper and the businessman are surprisingly fleet-footed. Even more surprising as Ianto embarks on the pursuit is the behavior of the pedestrians and commuters. They appear to part for the fleeing trio, then close ranks in front of him. Is it accidental, or are the pedestrians working together, running interference?

Ianto is shouting at the pedestrians "Outta the way! Outta the way!"

They are escaping.

Ianto finally breaks through the pack, bowling over several of the pedestrians in the process. Just as he gets within reach of the shopper and the businessman, a bus suddenly screeches to a halt beside the abductors, doors already open. The Woman Shopper and the Executive bundle the Homeless Man onto the bus. Ianto lurches after them, but he is met by the bus doors, closing sharply in his face.

"Hey, stop! Stop the bus!" Ianto thumps against the doors, but the bus driver ignores his cries and the bus roars away. The other passengers in the bus, apparently oblivious to the incident, keeps staring straight ahead.

Ianto continues to give chase when a taxi appears out of nowhere and cuts in front of him, blocking his path. When he recovers, the bus has disappeared. The mysterious crowd of pedestrians has also dissolved as if it never existed.

Retracing his steps, head reeling, wondering if he could have imagined the whole incident, Ianto discovers that the Woman Shopper has left her dog behind. The dog wanders aimlessly on the pavement, its leash trailing behind it.