About half an hour later, Gwen was standing with Jack and Ruby in the room adjacent to their office, putting up a picture of Carys as she spoke. "Carys Fletcher, born 13th November, 1987. School reports, personnel files from her temping agency, swimming badges. Reports of her mother's death in a car crash. And last years emails discussing the merits of Orlando Bloom and Heath Ledger."

Ruby stepped forward and slowly looked over everything while Jack glanced at Gwen. "Why have you done this?"

Gwen glanced between the two as she replied, "This isn't about meteorites or glasses. We have a trapped girl and we have to save her." Ruby turned to Gwen, giving the woman her full attention as she continued. "When I was with her in the cell, Carys told me she was losing. We have to find a way to keep her fighting. Remind her to hold on to who she is."

Jack studied Gwen face, silent, while Ruby smiled softly.

"Have I got something on me face?" Gwen asked after a moment.

Ruby laughed softly as Jack glanced at the paperwork, then back to Gwen. "No. No, no, it's…"

Ruby placed a hand on Gwen's arm and said, "It's brilliant. You are brilliant."

Gwen smiled in reply. "Thank you...So I think we should bring in her dad."

Ruby's eyebrows shot up in surprise, while Jack's smile fell. "You're kidding, right?"

"We've got to find something to connect with her," Gwen stated. "Make her fight back."

"Our priority is to contain the alien threat, not put civilians in a cell with it," Jack responded.

"We should be helping her," Gwen insisted.

"We are, Gwen," Ruby replied.

"By locking her up?" Gwen shot back.

"Gwen, there's no other way," Jack stated.

"If we don't, who will?" Gwen asked, glancing between the two.

Jack sighed, asking, "Are you always this awkward?"

Gwen opened her mouth to reply, when Tosh spoke over the speakers in the room. "You should take a look at this."

Ruby took Jack's hand and pulled him out of the room with her, Gwen sighing before following. "Whatcha got?" Ruby asked.

Tosh turned to face them and pointed to a graph on the screen. "This is the normal chemical composition of the air in that cell. And these.." She typed, and a red line popped up far above the regular line. "...are the readings from the last hour."

"Shit…" Ruby muttered, leaning forward, studying the readings.

"The alien's secreting an ultra-powerful blend of airborne pheromones," Tosh replied. "Sex Pheromones. Thousand times more potent than anything we'd normally experience."

Jack sighed, glancing at Ruby. "She's a walking aphrodisiac."

"No kidding," Ruby agreed, nodding.

"I did wonder why I…" Gwen paused, looking at them all. "Actually, I sort of snogged her."

"We know," all three of them replied, Ruby looked back at the readings.

"Now, still wanna put her father in the cell?" Jack asked.

"God, no. We can't let any man near…" Gwen started, before a look of recognition came across her and Tosh's faces. "Owen."

Tosh and Gwen instantly ran to the cell, Jack and Ruby staying in the main area. After a moment, Tosh called over the comms, "Jack, Carys is out of her cell."

Jack glanced at Ruby, the two at a screen seeing what Tosh and Gwen were, the woman nodding and moving to their desk as he responded, "We'll deal with it. And tell Owen Ruby says he needs to work on those abs a bit harder."

"Hey!" Ruby called, glancing back at Jack, who just replied with a cheeky grin.

She rolled her eyes before throwing him a gas mask.

Moments later, Ruby and Jack both saw Carys come out from another side of the cell quadrant, looking around for an exit. Jack, who was closest, approached her first, his gas mask on, hands on his hips. "No exit, sorry."

Carys darted to the side he wasn't covering, which was directly towards weapons Ruby used often. Jack followed, hearing Ruby run from where she was.

Carys tired the doors, which lead to nowhere, before turning, seeing Jack just on the other side of the table A table which was full of weapons. She grabbed one, Jack copying her movements.

Ruby got into eye-sight just as Carys picked up a mace and swung it at him, Jack ducking and taunting, "Yeah? You want a little rough and tumble? Well, let's make it a fair fight." He picked up a wooden sword and blocked her next swing, following her as she tried to back out of the area. Jack swung then, hitting the wall beside her head, leaving Carys to swing at his leg, making Jack fall with a grunt.

Carys turned around to see Ruby right on the other side. "Not so fast," Ruby said.

Cary quickly swung, Ruby backing up so the girl missed. As Ruby backed away, Carys darted to her other side, Jack following behind her, now shoulder to shoulder with Ruby.

He moved to swing again, but Carys launched a chair at the two, Jack dropping his weapon to push Ruby behind him and out of the way.

Carys, out of breath, said, "You won't stop me."

She darted for the exit, but Jack and Ruby took a shortcut, covering the exit for the base. Carys glanced around before grabbing a large jar with a hand in it. Jack reacted violently, yelling, "Put it down! That's worthless to anyone but us."

He pulled out his gun then, Ruby slightly behind Jack as they turned with Carys, the woman moving closer to the exit. "Down now, or I'll shoot!"

"Says he will but the eyes say he won't," Carys replied, moving into the lift. "I'm going. Don't stop me." Jack and Ruby followed close, watching as she grunted, her whole demeanor shifting as she panted, crying, "Please, help me" just as the doors shut.

Without a second thought, Jack and Ruby darted for the stairs, taking them two at a time up to the main entrance.

They got there just as Carys did, Ruby holding the gun now, Jack watching very closely. Ianto looked between the three, asking, "Need me to do any attacking, sir?"

"Appreciate the offer," Jack replied, hands ready, glancing at Ruby before looking back to Carys. "Just open the door."

Ianto pressed a button behind his desk, the front door opening behind Carys. Jack then moved to Ruby's side, hands out, Ruby still holding the gun on the girl. Carys glanced at the doorway, before looking back to the two. "Now give me the jar," Jack said slowly.

Carys threw the jar behind the desk, it shattering with a crash, before turning and running out.

Jack instantly vaulted over the desk. "No!"

Ruby though, ran after Carys, gun still in hand. The two were out the door as Gwen and Tosh came up. Ianto pointed to the door and they ran, trying to follow Ruby but...lost sight of her as soon as they got to the street.

Jack cradled the hand, breathing heavily as he glanced at Ianto. "Get the spare."

Ianto nodded and moved to the closet, grabbing a spare jar that would work for now.

A few minutes later, once the hand was in the jar, Gwen and Tosh came back. Jack looked between them before asking, "Where's Ruby?"

"We lost her," Gwen stated, breathing heavily.

"We think she's still following Carys, but…" Tosh shrugged.

Cursing softly, Jack rubbed his forehead.

Ruby ran after Carys, the girl eventually stopping and turning around. "Leave me alone!"

Ruby shook her head. "Not a chance."

The girl studied the woman, before asking, "Why?

Ruby stood straighter, lowering the gun. "You know why. Exactly like I know why you're not Carys right now."

The alien growled, snarling at Ruby. "'Your kind! Always meddling in things they shouldn't!"

"You're on a planet killing people against the laws set by the Shadow Proclamation!" Ruby replied. "So don't start that with me."

Carys, or the alien Ruby supposed, growled and grabbed the gun, ripping it out of Ruby's hands before she could react. The woman tried to get it back, but as she lunged forward, the alien swung the gun directly into Ruby's head, knocking the woman unconscious.

Jack put the hand jar back in its spot, letting out a sigh as he stepped back. "After all I said, a severed hand is more important to you than Carys' life," Gwen snarked, watching Jack.

Jack glanced at Gwen before moving to Tosh. "Any sign of Ruby?"

Tosh shook her head, flipping through different CCTVs. "No...nothing."

He sighed in response, patting Tosh's shoulder before turning back to Gwen. "You want to prove yourself? Find her. Get your old pals in the police to do something useful for once."

"Find Carys? Or Ruby?" Gwen asked, folding her arms. She couldn't believe Jack was worried about Ruby, who could clearly take care of herself, rather than Carys, a woman who was losing a fight in her own body.

"Either," Jack snapped, glaring at Gwen before moving to his office.

Gwen flinched slightly, watching Jack go. A moment later, Ianto was at her side. "He gets like this when Ruby is possibly in danger. It's worse when she is in danger."

"Ruby can protect herself though," Gwen replied.

"Doesn't stop him from worrying," Ianto stated. He handed her a mug, before glancing at Jack. "They're close. Extremely close."

Gwen sighed, looking away from Jack. "I'll...get looking. For either of them."

Ianto nodded and glanced at Tosh, who nodded in response. "I'll keep an eye on Jack," she stated.

Ianto sighed in relief. "Then I'll keep an eye out for Ruby."

The three nodded and split, moving to their own sections.

Almost an hour later, Jack, Gwen, and Tosh were gathered around the med bay, watching Owen explain the results from his observations. He was explaining that the gasses, and alien, would slowly affect Carys more and more, till she couldn't breathe, till her heart rate was extremely high, and...until she exploded. Owen, of course, explained this by recreating the entire thing on a rat.

Just as the rat exploded in the container and Owen commented, "Rat Jam," a voice behind the three piped up.

"Now I can't have jam for a month."

The three instantly turned around, seeing Ianto helping Ruby onto a chair, a bandage pressed against her forehead.

Jack shot forward, kneeling in front of her. "Are you alright? Are you hurt? Do you need-"

"I'm fine," she interrupted, smiling softly. "Just a bump."

Jack replaced Ianto's hand on the bandage, keeping it on her head. "Seems like more than a bump."

"She...surprised me while my guard was down," Ruby explained. "Took the gun, and...knocked me out."

"I'll get the med kit," Ianto stated, before disappearing back to his office.

Tosh sighed in relief. "We were worried sick."

"I know, I'm sorry," Ruby replied. "But I'll be fine." She looked at Owen, who was trying to nudge Jack away, but Jack wouldn't move. Laughing, Ruby said, "Let him look, Jack."

Jack pouted but took his hand away, Owen looking over the wound. "Blood's stopped, but we need to check for a concussion."

Ruby waved her hand as Ianto came back, giving Owen the kit. Owen set to work instantly of bandaging it properly. "We can do that later. First...Carys is going to explode."

"Yep," Owen replied.

Jack nodded, glancing back at the tank with the exploded remains of the rat. "'I'm losing', that's what she said to me," Gwen stated.

Owen sighed before stating, "Right now...it's a struggle between where Carys ends and the alien begins."

Jack and Gwen had just come out of Carys's ex's apartment, finding him a pile of dust. Ruby was driving, bot to no specific destination.

"So what's our next move?" Jack asked from the passenger seat. Ruby had insisted she drive, and after a five-minute fight, she won.

"Stop the entire city of Cardiff from shagging?" Owen asked.

"Hmm. Put bromide in the water supply," Gwen commented.

"No, too hit and miss," Jack responded.

"Yeah, and the water company wasn't really happy last time we did that," Ruby stated.

Gwen's jaw dropped, and she looked between Jack and Ruby, but before she could speak, Tosh piped up, "It could have used any body in Cardiff. Why her?"

"I just assumed it was random," Gwen replied.

Ruby shook her head. "No...I think it was the chemical imbalance in Carys's body from her personal life. Made her vulnerable…"

"And it's mining Carys's life to get what it needs," Jack added.

"So what else do we know about her to give us a lead?" Owen asked.

Owen and Tosh looked to Gwen, but before Gwen could say anything, Ruby gasped. "Where does she work?"

"She's a temp," Gwen supplied. "A receptionist."

"But where's she working at the moment?" Jack pushed.

Tosh instantly started typing. "Pulling up her employment files...Conway Clinic."

"You're joking," Owen stated.

"What's the problem?" Jack asked in reply.

"It's a bloody fertility clinic," Owen responded. "Sperm donors. An unlimited supply of orgasmic energy without all the build up."

"Perfect hit," Jack muttered as Ruby slammed her foot on the gas.

After a moment, Ruby said, "Are we not talking about how Owen knows where a sperm bank is?"

"Hey!" Owen yelled as the rest of the team laughed.

In no time, there were there, going through the rooms and finding dust piles until Owen found Carys.

His gun was trained on her as the rest of the team came piling in, guns drawn (except Gwen), all five of them surrounding her. "Nowhere to run," Jack stated.

Carys looked at all of them Ruby's face particularly hard. "Al the sex….all we see, all we think," Carys said. "So much beauty and so much fear. We want it but were so afraid of it...Ah!"

Carys cried out, falling to the floor in pain, Gwen rushing to her side. "The strain on her body's too much," Owen said. "Any second now, she's rat jam."

"One more and I'll be strong," Carys begged Gwen. "Each time, it works less. Each time, the feeling's weaker. One more. Make me feel alive. Make me feel human."

"I can't," Gwen muttered.

Jack put away his gun and stepped forward. "I can."

"Jack," Ruby responded, everyone shocked at his response.

Jack knelt down and glanced at Ruby as he said, "I've got a surplus of alive. I'm giving it away." He turned to Carys then, Gwen stepping back. "You really want to feel something?" Before the girl could reply, he leaned forward and kissed her, deeply and strongly.

Ruby looked away as a slight gold came over Carys, the rest of the team lowering their guns. "What's he doing?" Owen asked, glancing at the others. Tosh just shook her head, Ruby clenching her jaw in reply.

Jack pulled away and smirked. "That was just the kiss. Imagine the buzz you get from the rest."

Carys smiled before passing out, Jack laying her down and standing as Gwen rushed back over. "That wasn't exactly the reaction I anticipated," he replied, glancing at Ruby, who didn't meet his eyes.

"Her body won't last much longer," Owen commented.

Gwen shifted, taking off her purse and holding Carys's head. "Use me. Leave Carys," Gwen said. "Take my body as host. Just let her live."

"Gwen?" Jack asked.

"I'm stronger than she is," Gwen replied. "I'll last longer. You might be able to save me, I don't know…"

Jack paused, and before he could speak, Ruby nodded. "Okay."

Jack and the rest of the team looked at Ruby, shocked. "You can't let her," Tosh cried.

Jack watched Ruby for a moment as she put her gun away, her neutral expression not giving anything away. But he trusted Ruby. So, sighing, he said, "Like she said, she's responsible for this." He took a step back, Gwen shifting over Carys.

"Come on, then. Do it. Leave her," she said, taking a step back from Carys.

A moment later. Carys's eyes shot open and she gasped, a pink gas flying out of her mouth and into the air. It hovered for a moment, before moving towards Gwen. The woman took a deep breath and shut her eyes, when Ruby dropped a stone out of her pocket, the portable cell Jack had taken from Owen activating and trapping the alien.

All the team gasped in shock, even Jack, not knowing Ruby had grabbed it. Ruby took a deep breath, watching the gas hit the cell walls, letting out a moaning sound.

"How long can it survive in there?" Owen asked.

"It was pretty weak. Why?" Tosh replied.

"Bit worried how long that battery'll last for," he stated.

"Don't, Owen," Ruby responded, glancing at them before looking back to the gas. "It's dying already…"

Slowly, the gas disappeared, turning to dust and falling onto the floor, just as the battery on the portable cell died.

Jack and Gwen exchanged a look before looking at Ruby, who was kneeling and running her hands through the dust. "You travel halfway across the universe for the greatest sex. You still end up dying alone," Jack said.

Ruby paused at his statement, but gathered a sample of the dust, standing. Gwen looked to her, taking shaky breaths. "Thank you."

"Don't worry about it," Ruby replied, before nodding to Carys. "Help her."

Gwen nodded and rushed towards the girl with Owen, the doctor checking her over as Gwen helped her sit up.

Jack looked from them to Ruby, only to see her gone. He sighed, Tosh noticing. "Everything alright?" she asked.

"...she's mad at me," Jack answered.

"Sorry but...I don't blame her," Tosh replied, shrugging before leaving the room.

A few hours later, Jack and Gwen were back at the base. They had taken Carys home after Owen gave the okay, Tosh stating her and Ruby were taking care of the Clinic issue. They had finished after Jack and Gwen, arriving at the base by taxi.

Ruby, Jack noticed instantly, was avoiding Jack. She hadn't said a word to him and was working in her tinkering space, working on the portable cell. Since then, Tosh, Owen, and Ianto had gone home, but Gwen was still there.

"Still here?" Gwen looked over to see Jack, letting him continue. "Everybody else is off doing...whatever it is they do when they're not here."

"How long have you been there?" Gwen replied, When he shrugged she said, "I wanted to finish off."

After a moment, he stepped forward and said, "Do one thing for me. Don't let the job consume you. You have a life. Perspective. We need that."

Gwen put down the papers she was cleaning, turning to him with her hands on her hips. "Who are you, Jack?"

"I'm sorry?" he replied.

"You can't die. You tell me the twenty-first century is when it all changes, that we have to be prepared," Gwen continued.

"So you do," he stated, moving towards her.

"But how can you know?" she insisted.

"You think knowing the answers would make you feel better?" he asked in response.

"Who are you? Who's Ruby?... What are you two doing here?" Gwen asked.

Jack sighed before stating, "Go home, Gwen Cooper. Eat lasagne, kiss your boyfriend, be normal."

"But-"

"For us," Jack said, before turning around and leaving the room.

Gwen did leave not long after that, waving goodbye to Ruby, who waved back. As the doors to the lift closed, Ruby went back to her tinkering, enjoying the silence.

She didn't look up as she felt Jack watching her, she just asked, "Can I help you?"

Jack sighed and moved forward more. "Why are you mad?"

Ruby set down the pebble, turning towards him fully. "You really don't know?"

"If I knew, I wouldn't be asking," he responded.

"You just...risked your life, kissing her," Ruby stated.

"It saved her though," Jack replied.

"At what cost?!" she yelled, throwing up her hands. "We don't know anything about your condition. I'm doing all I can with all I know, but that's not a lot, Jack. I don't know what happened when you did that, or what the consequences will be."

"And? I'm still alive," he stated, holding out his arms.

"That's not-" Ruby took a deep breath, closing her eyes. When she opened them, she just shook her head. "Nevermind."

"No, tell me," Jack insisted, moving closer towards her.

"No! You're not understanding me, so I'm not going to bother," Ruby replied.

"Well I'm bothering," he responded, taking another step closer. As he did Ruby dropped the portable cell stone, making the cell appear around him. "Ruby!" he cried, as she moved around him to grab her jacket.

"It'll die in ten minutes," she stated, moving towards the door. "I'll...be back."

"Ruby!" Jack yelled as she walked out, sighing as the gate shut. "What the hell…"

Ruby wrapped her arms around her knees, sitting on top of a fairly large office building, watching the sun slowly rise over the horizon. She had been gone all night, and frankly didn't want to go back to the base at the moment.

She was just...scared, so terrified at what he had done. What if Jack died and that was it? No more coming back? Ruby honestly did all she could to understand what had happened to him, why he never died. But she...didn't know. She had no idea why it happened, how it worked, none of it. So she didn't know if he would die and just...not come back. And that idea terrified her to no end.

But he couldn't know that, couldn't understand that. He never really had. And...might never.

Closing her eyes and burying her head into her knees, she took a shaky breath, trying not to cry. Because while it was hard not to...it was even harder hiding it from Jack.

A/N: And the last part of this episode! I loved this episode, but I'm looking forward to future episodes even more. ;)

What do you all think of the end? Was Ruby's reaction too much or did she react the right way, almost in a way you'd expect? Let me know in the comments!

And now for...reviews!

Purplestan- "So Ruby knows the doctor? Or knows of him? Or maybe just knows about Tardises in general." Maybe one, maybe two, or maybe all three! ;) we'll just have to wait and see...