Chapter 31

The Hub – January 29, 2008

It had been thankfully quiet since the disastrous day the triad had returned to work. With both Tosh and Gwen on vacation for that first week, they had been able to power through most of the backlog of paperwork. Two weeks after Tosh and Gwen had returned, the police had located Ianto's car with John's dead body within. The police investigation concluded that John broke into the garage of the business that he had once owned and had committed suicide. The car had been unsalvageable because of the exhaust and John's decomposing corpse. Ianto had not been happy to go car shopping.

Owen's absence was a lingering ghost in the Hub. Tosh and Gwen had both brought up his absence, but the trio had been tight-lipped about his disappearance. They would respect his privacy, and if he wanted, he could tell them when he returned. Tosh had respected this decision, and Gwen brought it up at least twice a day.

Harry had been the one assigned to check on Owen because she was the only one if any idea what was going on with him. She was also able to cheat the commute by apparating back and forth from the U.N.I.T. hospital. Owen hadn't been happy to wake up in psych-ward, and he had taken that out on Harry and the staff. However, he needed to be there because he had attempted suicide eight separate times in the first week of his admission. For the first two weeks, every day Harry had visited Owen had been fluctuating significantly between emotions. By the third week, Owen had stabilized to the point that Harry and the hospital staff were no longer worried that Owen would kill himself. They kept him hospitalized until the last week of January; then, he was allowed to return home. Jack had wanted Owen to take some time off before returning to the Hub, but Owen had refused. The triad had talked about it, and they couldn't figure out whether it was because Owen didn't want to be home alone or just didn't want to listen to anything Jack had to say.

It had not been an easy reintegration of Owen back into the team. Owen still had mood swings, but the mood he seemed to default to was anger. He didn't want anything to do with the team. He just wanted to work uninterrupted and would snap at everyone. The triad was often the focus of Owen's rage, and it was understandable because they had decided to institutionalize him. Gwen and Tosh both got their fair share of ire. Tosh was more understanding of the situation and would put up with Owen's mood swings. Since becoming a protectorate, her confidence had grown, and she seemed more like herself than she had in months. On the other hand, Gwen would snap back at Owen; it had gotten bad enough that they had almost gotten into a fistfight in the bullpen.

The triad had not approached Owen about becoming a protectorate simply because they were waiting until Owen settled a bit more. Gwen was another issue altogether; in some ways, they felt obligated to include her, but none of them wanted her with in the Bond. Now that Tosh had bonded to the triad, they didn't want someone who was so hostile to two-thirds of the trio. They were pretty happy as they were now with just Tosh bonded to them, she was such a bright soul, and it was beautiful. Their bond with Tosh wasn't like theirs; there was no deep psychic connection; it was lighter, like a ladybug landing on your arm; you are aware that it is there, but there is no substantial feeling. The only time the bond drew their attention was powerful emotions, like fear or pain.

It was nearly February when they received a report of old music and people dancing in an old dance hall. While not utterly odd while living on the Rift, it was happening at an increasingly regular rate which was unusual. Bizarre temporal events were not uncommon, but they were usually only one-off events; having the same event happen in the same locating was highly unusual.

Jack had decided to take Tosh and Harry with him. Gwen was still on desk duty, Owen was too unstable for the field, and even though Ianto was going through field training, he still wasn't comfortable leaving the Hub. So, they loaded up into the SUV drove down to the dance hall. Jack had spoken to the caretaker on the phone, and he had provided the key code to the key lockbox. It had been abandoned for years mainly because the owner wasn't willing to do anything with it and wanted an outrageous price for it.

They pulled up to the abandoned hall, it was boarded up, and the walls were plastered with posters. Jack made his way up to the door to unlock it as the girls made their way up the steps. Both Jack and Harry were in their usual clothes, but Tosh was unusually dressed up.

"What the occasion?" Harry asked after Tosh finished talking on her phone.

"It's my grandfather's 88th birthday today. 88 is a joyous year for the Japanese, so after work, I'm off to London to watch grown men throw rice." Tosh explained.

"You can get that in the Balti after stop tap." Jack joked, causing Tosh to laugh.

"Okay, down to business. What have we got?" Jack asked as he opened the door.

"The Ritz Dance Hall. It's been derelict since 1989, but someone's complained about hearing music drifting out, music from the 1940s." Tosh said.

"Not only that, I talked to my contacts. The hall used to be a popular squatting place until about a month ago, and then there were reports of ghosts dancing. It was enough to scare off the local homeless population." Harry added.

Jack made his way up the stairs and silenced them. After a moment, they could faintly hear music drifting down from the floor above. Tosh and Harry moved to follow Jack up the stairs. At the top of the stairs, they entered the dance hall.

"Wow. Look at the chandelier. No neon lights back then. Just dashing young soldiers and pretty young ladies." Jack said with a smile as he grabbed Harry and began to dance. "And as they danced, the girls would look into their partners' eyes, smile softly and say…."

"Jack! Mind my laptop." Tosh admonished as Jack spun Harry, causing Tosh to move quickly out of their way.

"I was thinking more along the lines of, 'And how long before you head off to war?" Jack joked.

"Oh, was that how you got all the girls?" Harry teasingly.

"And boys." Jack bragged with a smile.

They continued around until they came back to the stairs that brought them to the main entrance. They continued around but couldn't find anything that would indicate Rift activity. Neither Tosh's scanner nor even Jack's Vortex Manipulator detected anything. Harry couldn't feel anything that would constitute magic, and the building wasn't nearly old enough to be acting up.

"Come on. There's nothing here but memories and dust." Jack said as he moved to leave.

Not even a few steps down the stairs, the music was back, and now people could be chattering indistinctly. Though oddly, Tosh's scanner didn't pick anything up. They turned around and headed back up the stairs towards the dance hall. As they went up the stairs, the music grew louder, and when they turned the corner, the dance hall was packed with people, and it looked like they had been transported back in time. The room had a live band playing and people dancing; many were men in dated uniforms. They moved into the room.

"They look so real," Tosh commented as they moved through the room.

Jack had a nostalgic smile on as they moved through the room. This time had always been one of his favourite eras, and it was the reason he had first chosen to come to Earth. He was lucky because it had set him on the path to meet his soulmates by first meeting the Doctor.

"They are not ghosts," Harry stated as she looked around the room.

Jack had out his Vortex Manipulator and was scanning the room.

"You're right. It's a simple temporal shift. And it's beautiful." Jack laughed as he took in the room.

"We should get out," Tosh stated and grabbed Jack's arm, pulling him towards the exit with Harry following.

They made their way downstairs, dodging people as they did.

"Do call again." The hall manager said as they exited.

"I would love to," Jack said as he walked out.

The first indication that something was very wrong was when they exited; it was night. As they walked farther onto the streets, they were not greeted with modern Cardiff but 1940s Cardiff. It was suddenly clear that it wasn't only the hall that had shifted in time. It was much worse than that.

"Where is the SUV? Has it been stolen?" Tosh asked in a panic as she looked around.

Jack was back on his manipulator while Harry looked around. She immediately spotted a poster advertising a 'Kiss the boys' goodbye dance" at the Ritz for January 29th, 1941.

"Jack, look at this," Harry said, pointing to the poster, drawing both Jack and Tosh's attention.

"No, we have," Jack answered Tosh, as he lost his nostalgic smile.

It was not a simple temporal shift, like a moment in the past superimposed over the present. The trio had made a temporal jump without any indicators or anomalies, which was very concerning.

The Hub – January 29, 2008

Owen has been napping on the couch; he had taken to sleeping at the Hub because he couldn't stand the silence at his flat. It didn't help that everything reminded him of Diane. The constant frustration with the situation made him angry, and he knew that he was acting like a complete terror, but he couldn't help himself. Harry has explained to him while he was in the UNIT psych-ward that something had cooped his soulbond, but that didn't make it hurt any less. What was worse was that he no longer felt anything for Katie, his dead soulmate. Owen could no longer remember their bond, nor the loss of it, and it made him feel so helplessly angry. He was working through it with his appointed UNIT psychologist, but the only emotion that he could feel was anger.

Owen woke to an alarm; he first thought it was his morning alarm, but then he remembered that he was at the Hub. Owen rolled over and saw Ianto standing at his station. He felt a shot of angry at the sight of Ianto but pushed it aside.

"What the hell is that?" Owen asked as he sat up.

"Tosh's Rift monitoring program. She set it to alert me if there were any further movements. The Rift's been opening more and more recently." Ianto answered.

Owen rubbed his eyes as he tried to wake.

"Yeah, well. I've noticed that. Doesn't take a genius." Owen snipped before getting up and making his way over the station.

"Tosh reckons the equations are forming some sort of pattern. I should call her. She may have readings on her end, and this is a bit over my head." Ianto said before tapping his earpiece to radio Tosh.

"Erm… why wasn't I told about this?" Owen asked, irritation clear in his voice.

"Well, you've been off, haven't you?" Ianto answered awkwardly.

Owen shot him an angry look.

"That wasn't exactly my fault, was it now," Owen stated indignantly.

"No, it wasn't." Ianto agreed, "The line is dead. All of them. Their phones are going to voicemail." He said as he turned back to the monitor, worried.

Ianto then tried to connect telepathically with his soulmates but could get nothing. In contrast to his soulmates, Ianto couldn't initiate the telepathic link; however, they would usually pick it up if he thought loudly at them.

Ianto then dialled Gwen, and it took several minutes for her to pick up.

"Gwen, can you get down to Sage Street?" Ianto asked, though his tone told that it was an order.

"Yup. What's up?" Gwen agreed, quickly surprising Ianto.

"We need to get a hold of Tosh. The Rift monitor sounded off. She's with Jack and Harry, but all of their phones are going stair to voicemail, and we can't access her files." Ianto explained.

"Okay, I'll get down there now," Gwen said with a hint of annoyance in her voice as she disconnected her phone.

While Ianto was on the phone, Owen had been at the Rift monitor typing away.

"Hey, I've got into Tosh's files, all her reports," Owen called over to Ianto as he made his way back to the bullpen.

Ianto came up behind him as new windows popped up on the screen.

"See there?" Owen pointed to a window,

"December the 24th, that's when Diane flew through the Rift. I had to let her go." Owen chocked out.

Ianto was silent. He didn't want to touch that statement, knowing that Owen still loved Diane even if it was an implanted emotion.

"If Tosh knows a way of opening the Rift, maybe we can get Diane back," Owen stated so calmly that it scared Ianto.

"Jack would never allow it. Opening the rift could devastate the city." Ianto stated firmly but was alarmed as Owen only spared him a look before moving off towards another console. Ianto followed closely behind.

The Ritz Dance Hall- January 29th, 1941

Tosh had her cell out, trying to find a signal.

"It's no use; it's dead," Tosh said, agitated as she stuffed her phone back into her purse. "I can't get through to the Hub."

Jack laid a hand on her shoulder to reassure her. In the meantime, Harry had out a crystal in her hand. Jack gave her a look, but she shook her head in the negative she hadn't been able to get through magically. They both knew something was wrong because Ianto was muted in their soulbond, and they could no longer touch his mind.

"Let's go back inside. That's where we were when we crossed." Jack said as he guided the anxious Tosh back into the dance hall with Harry following behind.

"We really are in 1941. What if we can't get back?" Tosh asked, looking worriedly at Jack.

"Flotsam and jetsam slip through all the time. We'll get back." Jack reassured her.

Harry met Jack's eyes as they quickly had a telepathic exchange.

"It's not as easy as you are making it out to be, is it?" Harry questioned.

"It might not be, but I'm hoping that it was a temporal shift. The shifts have frequently been happening, so I hope we will be taken back with the next. However, if it turns out to be a jump, we will be stuck until we find a way back." Jack explained.

"What is the likelihood that we would be able to get back if it is a jump?"

"Are options are limited. Using the Rift would be too dangerous without proper temporal coordinates, and the Team back in the present have no way to calculate them. I haven't been able to fix my vortex manipulator with 21st-century tech, so that is out. Torchwood is the only group that might have the tech to send us back…." Jack went through the options before Harry cut him off.

"Torchwood is not an option. My past self is still being held and experimented on by One. I refuse to go back." Harry vehemently opposed.

"I said that it was an option, not that it was a good one. I wasn't exactly in the best situation with Torchwood at this time either." Jack felt Harry's questioning, but it wasn't the time to go into his troubled past with Torchwood. "The only viable option would be to wait it out. Go somewhere remote until we sync back up with our timeline."

"That's all well and good for us, but Tosh would be in her 90s if she lived that long."

"I know, but it might be our only choice. Tosh is aware that working for Torchwood isn't a safe job. We would just have to make sure that she has a good life."

The exchange between the two only lasted a second before Jack turned his attention back to Tosh to try and reassure the nervous tech. Jack didn't need her to have a breakdown.

Jack plastered on a smile. "Look on the bright side. It gives you one hell of an excuse not to go to your party."

"I have a life there, and they can't help us back in the Hub because I have the latest readings in here." Tosh shot back angrily, drawing the attention of the crowd.

"People are staring at us," Tosh whispered nervously at the attention.

"We need to blend in and stop with the whit," Harry said.

Jack took out his earpiece, Tosh removed her jacket, but Harry was in a bind because her bodysuit, leather jacket, and boots stood out like a sore thumb.

"That easy for you to say. I'm the only Asian here." Tosh said as she folded her coat.

"Don't worry. I'll be at your side the whole time." Harry reassured her. "However, I need to slip out to change into something else. I stand out too much."

"I think that there was a storeroom in the back; you two head there. I'm going to mingle." Jack said.

With that, Jack slipped away as the women moved towards the back.

The Ritz Dance Hall January 29th, 2008

Gwen was annoyed as she pulled up to the dance hall. She couldn't believe that she had to take orders from the tea boy, but she couldn't afford another suspension. Jack had made it clear that Gwen was on thin ice, and for now, Gwen would behave. She didn't know what that freak had done, but her Jack had completely changed when she showed up. Even the tea boy and prude had changed; they were all buddy-buddy with the freak. Owen at least wasn't taken in by the aberration, but I was annoyed that he was so wrapped up in Diane. Gwen liked it better when she was sleeping with him. Well, at least Gwen still had her sweet and loving Rhys, he would always love her, and Gwen had stolen enough Retcon to make sure of that. She was thankful that her theft had been attributed to Suzie's.

She shook herself from her train of thought as she got out of her car and walked towards the SUV.

"The SUV is here," Gwen radioed back to the Hub before turning towards the decrepit dance hall. "They must be here somewhere."

Gwen took out her flashlight as she made her way through the building, finding nothing out of the ordinary.

"Jack! Tosh! Harry!" Gwen called as she walked into the main dance hall. As she turned around to walk back out, she heard soft Jazz music.

"Jack!" She called again.