A/N: SURPRISE! No, you're not seeing things. This really is an update that wasn't hopelessly deleyed. (grins sheepishly)

THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart, to you all for sticking around! It's been a long ride, made longer by… unnecessary halts. But hopefully also a good ride? It means the world to me that you're still sticking around!

Awkay, because I have a feeling that you'd very much like to get on with the story… Let's go! I really hope that you'll enjoy.

A Fixed Point

The Doctor's hearts admittedly faltered for several beats when the explosion like gunshot pierced through the air. The bullet whistled right past his cell phone, causing him to drop the item. His gaze moved swiftly, determined to identify the threat.

"Put the bloody gun down! He's not the enemy!" DI Gregory Lestrade's comfortingly familiar voice barked. "Who gave you the permission to carry a firearm?"

A wide grin, fueled by an intense amount of relief, took over the Doctor's face. All the adrenaline coursing through his system was making him feel a bit dizzy. "Blimey! Am I glad to see you!" he admitted in a breath. "What took you so long?"

"It wasn't exactly easy to explain this type of a threat to my bosses", Greg explained dryly. The man seemed exhausted and frustrated but also more than a little excited. The thrill of a chase can do miracles. "It was also tricky to explain why I needed such a big number of men with me."

"I can imagine", the Doctor mused.

Greg didn't didn't seem to hear. "I've got another, larger team in their base. It's joining a team from… Torchwood, wasn't it? They're currently taking over the situation. Several Dansheés have already been taken under custody."

The Doctor felt a flood of relief. "Good." Maybe he'd changed things enough and that fixed point wouldn't be so set in stone, after all. Maybe no one else would have to die today.

"What are you doing?" The police officer who interrogated him what felt like ages ago – Donovan, wasn't it? – looked at Greg with very open disbelief. "Sir, he's a suspect! We can't give him…"

"With all due respect…", the Doctor began, hoping that he'd sounded a little more sincere. "This is an… alien… thingy threatening to boil over. And I happen to be an alien that's on your side."

Greg winced, just a little, and Sally's eyebrow arched. She most certainly didn't seem convinced. "'Alien thingy'?"

The Doctor groaned with frustration. "You humans can be so…!" He sighed heavily. "Look… Feel free to arrest me when this is all over and done with but right now we have bring an end to this."

Sally seemed incredibly frustrated. Her left eyebrow was twitching violently. "End to what?"

"To a group of extra terrestrial terrorists trying to claim Earth theirs." Greg shrugged upon meeting Sally Donovan's incredulous look. "You don't know what I've seen today. I'm starting to get ready to believe in Santa Claus."

The Doctor opened his mouth, ready to comment, then snapped it closed. No time for that. "So…", he stated cheerily instead. "Let's move it, shall we?"

John didn't know how long he'd been staring at the bizarre wall, nearly mesmerized. Certain that he'd just heard Sherlock and Mary although he knew that it was impossible. Then he sensed that what he really should've been focusing on wasn't in front of him. His eyes narrowed and a low, threatening growl crawled out.

Yes, he was armed. But his not quite human instincts were taking over with a dizzying force. The transformation was fast in progress before he could even think about another option.

On the other side Sherlock stared, one part fascinated and one part terrified, how his blogger began to change right before his eyes. With an impressive amount of speed a thick, black fur shot out, taking over all of the smaller man. Next came the changes in bone structure. They seemed extremely painful and based on the howl that John emitted they did hurt. It seemed to take ages although no more than a few moments passed. And then the person on the other side of the wall was most definitely not his best friend.

The Dansheés were fast but John was faster. They spun around each other like furred hurricanes, emitting noises that would've chilled anyone's blood. The attacks were vicious and it was impossible to distinguish every move.

John did tell him that he had bad days, back in the day, but Sherlock could've never imagined that they were something like this.

There were wounds. Each drop of blood that appeared made Sherlock want to smash the wall with his own bare hands. But as it was all he could do was watch. It, however, seemed that John was more than able to stand his ground. At least for the time being.

And then the sound of two gunshots, coming from right behind him, ripped Sherlock's attention to the space he occupied. He spun around as quickly as he could to discover that Irene had just taken down two Dansheés.

There was a grim look on the woman's face. "They've got a hunch of us, now. They know that Mary's in labour. We have to go."

Sherlock nodded sharply. "Take her away. Right now."

Mary's eyes narrowed while she hissed under a yet another contraction. "I'm… not leaving my… husband."

"So you'd rather risk having to give birth here? In the middle of this?" Sherlock gritted his teeth. "You wouldn't do that to John."

Hearing his name seemed to kill some of the reckless fight in Mary. She appeared borderline furious but seemed to accept what was inevitable. "Find him", the former assassin commanded. "You'll protect him?"

Sherlock nodded. He made a vow ages ago, after all. "Obviously."

It took all his willpower but he kept himself from turning back around until the women had left safely. He took a deep breath, then spun around to see what was going on with John. What he saw… wasn't what he'd expected.

John was back in his human form, Sherlock barely managed to register that stark naked. Still alive and standing but injured. There were visibly deep bleeding gashes on the man's arms and side, as well as bruises on his face. But he wasn't down and he'd put up a fight. One of the Dansheés was nowhere to be seen, another lay on the floor heavily unconscious and John had a gun firmly trained on the third. Never before had there been such dark flames in the soldier's eyes.

"You… killed my sister", John growled in a deep voice that threatened death. "I can smell her on you. You slaughtered her." For a little while tears were visible but the smaller man blinked them away quickly. "You can't… You can't even imagine how tempting it would be to pull the trigger and end you. Just like you ended her." John's jawline tightened immensely. "She screamed to a point where her throat was damaged. Did you know that? Screamed, begged, pleaded." This time the tears overflowed. The Brit didn't seem to notice. "I should kill you. You'd deserve as much for what you did to her. But Harry… She wouldn't want that." John gulped loudly, the hand holding the gun lowering. "She always wanted to see the best in people, no matter how deep she sunk. She got her heart smashed time and time again that way but she did. It was a big part of her problem."

Sherlock also swallowed thickly. It was fortunate that he didn't notice how badly his own eyes stung. A shiver crossed him. In that case you two have more in common than you realize, he mused.

Slowly, slowly John holstered the gun. That chilling flame didn't quite leave his eyes but lessened. "So… As much I'd want to… Killing you now would be spitting at her grave. That's the only reason you'll be leaving this room alive. Never, ever forget that." John lifted his chin and breathed hard, twice. "Thank Harriet Watson for the fact that you're still alive." With that the doctor left the room, leaving both the injured Dansheé and Sherlock staring at his retreating back with stun.

Ianto could still remember the little girl his sister once was. Happy. Kind. Carefee. Not the soldier that now reached for his face and swung a vicious fist, hard. "YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE MY BROTHER!"

Ianto inhaled, trying to hide and ignore how much the accusation hurt. "And I still am", he stated. "That's why I'm willing to do anything that's under my power to make sure that you make it through this alive."

Cadi's eyes narrowed. "I'd rather die…", she hissed. "… than see my own species being reduced to a target of scientific experiments. Something to be locked out of sight and tortured."

Ianto sighed. "Well, I'm sorry to hear that." He was grateful that she was too caught up by her emotions to realize that he was constantly sneaking closer. "Because I meant what I said. I'm willing to do anything to make sure that you make it through alive."

Cadi's eyes widened a fraction, filled with hurt and shock as realization dawned. One of her hands twitched but he'd been prepared from the start. He was faster. The tazer hit her neck before she could exhale his name.

When her unconscious weight slumped against him Ianto closed his eyes and bowed his eyes. Held on tight. "I'm sorry", he whispered. For this. For taking too long. "I'm so sorry."

Upon leaving the room John was trembling so badly that it was a small miracle he didn't simply fall down. The soldier in him, however, remained firm. He didn't pause until there was a familiar woman blocking his path.

Anthea gave his naked form a lingering look, one delicate eyebrow arched. There was a small, satisfied smirk on her face when she focused on his eyes. It wasn't until then he realized that she was offering him a pile of clothes. "Courtesy to Ianto Jones." Seeing his surprise she shrugged. "Mycroft Holmes isn't my only employee." She gave him another long glance. "Normally I wouldn't rush you but we've still got our hands a bit full."

Feeling a hint of heat on his cheeks John obeyed hastily, pulling on the all black attire. It fit perfectly. He wasted a thought on wondering how in the world his size had been guessed so accurately.

"Oh yes, and I thought you'd like to know… Mary made it out of the building safely. As far as I could tell there wasn't a scratch on her."

"Thanks", John managed. Relief made his knees go weak. Or maybe it was the injuries. In any case he was glad that he had something else to focus on than the fact that he just confronted his sister's killer. "And Sherlock?"

Anthea's smile changed to a softer one. "What? You honestly imagine that he'd be more than a couple of steps away?"

As though on cue just then Sherlock emerged from the shadows. A sharp pair of eyes examined John, without a doubt cataloguing every single wound. "Are you alright?"

John nodded, unable to restrain a grin. "Yes, of course. 'Can't wait for this to be over, though." He then frowned, pleased that he couldn't pinpoint any obvious injuries on his friend. But then again this was Sherlock, a man who could most likely hide ten broken bones if he wanted to. "You?"

Sherlock's expression became dry. "I'm not the one who has several deep, bleeding wounds that are most likely infected", the man pointed out. For once the great detective wasn't able to quite hide his sentiment. There was such an amount of worry in his eyes that it would've melted even the stoniest of hearts.

John would've wanted to say anything, preferably something reassuring and profound. But as it was Anthea interrupted him. "We have to go", she announced, moving her hand away from her ear piece. There was new tension on her face. "We have… a situation."

'A situation', as it turned out, was quite an interesting way of describing what was going on in the massive room where everyone seemed to end up.

Most of the Dansheés had, apparently, been taken under custody already. The few there were left had gathered into the room, their guns ready and held high up. Opposing them were Greg's men and the group that John had activated. They wore Torchwood uniforms but who knew who they really worked for. Most of them were John's kind. Some were Dansheés. The rest were humans. Every single one of them was determined to take care of this threat together. Despite the differences in their DNA they stood there together, firm and united.

Had everything been a little less hazardous it might've been touching.

The Doctor, who'd been standing beside the united troupes, looked to side upon hearing steps. He grinned, if not a little tensely, at the sight of familiar faces. "Good to see you." He then frowned at John's injuries but didn't say a word.

John and Sherlock returned the greeting with stiff nods, after which they all focused on the grim situation at hand.

"Put… down… the guns!" Greg commanded. Sounding like it wasn't his first attempt. "We can finish this peacefully but I need you to put down the guns."

"Oh? So you can take us to secret laboratories? Hide us out of sight like the last time? Deny our existence?" Everyone looked towards the room's main entrance to see Cadi who'd been handcuffed securely. Ianto stood behind her and it was hard to tell which sibling appeared more solemn. "Well… If we have to die today… We won't fade away silently. Not this time." She nodded towards the room's ceiling. "See that camera, up there?"

They all did. The shadows didn't quite manage to disguise it. Especially when there was a red light blinking.

"It's recording everything that happens in this room", Cadi informed them. "And broadcasting it to the entire world. As from today everyone will know about Dansheés. They'll know that we refuse to be pushed down any longer."

"So it's to destroy or be destroyed?" The Doctor's eyes flashed, both compassion and rage rising. "You know better than imagining that those are the only two options left. That attitude… It already destroyed your home planet. Don't make the same mistake again." He gritted his teeth. "Humans… They failed you once. But they deserve a second chance, just like you do."

"So what are you suggesting? Turning against our own? Giving up the fight over our new home?" the woman sneered. She took a step closer, ignoring how both fronts tightened their hold on all the weapons at hand. "After everything we've lost… After everything we've been put through… We'd join them and give up the fight like my brother and his allies did?"

"You still don't get it, do you?" The Doctor chuckled breathlessly. "They're not betraying anyone or giving up. They've learned the most important lesson of all." There was a small smile on the Doctor's lips. Sad, proud, relieved and a touch manic all at once. "In this world… a species doesn't survive entirely on its own. I've seen a lot of them fall because they've refused to get that one… simple… thing. Including my own."

"It's time to stop punishing this world over something that happened decades ago", Ianto pointed out. His eyes were suddenly every bit as old as he really was. He might've sounded kind and gentle without the gun in his firm, steady hold. "Join us. Prove that we can be better than those who came before us. And you may stand a chance."

That grim suggestion echoed in the air while the two fronts, a newfound still shaky union and a small pack that was stubbornly trying to keep standing on its own despite the world threatening to crush it, stared at one another.

In the end Cadi's response came. Her eyes seemed threatening despite the fact that her wrists were cuffed. "You may be my brother", she growled under her breath. "But you threaten me… and you threaten all of us."

Clicks of guns could be heard. Some from her allies they could see. Several of them from the shadows. And all of a sudden they had no idea just how many of them they were up against. The tension from before intensified, because suffocating. It was resolved by the perhaps most unexpected thing of all.

All of a sudden hesitant steps entered the room. Their gazes whipping to side they saw a tiny girl who couldn't be older than six. Her incredibly blue eyes were full of nearly animalistic terror as they peered from underneath a disheveled bush of dark brown hair. "Mommy?"

Cadi's eyes filled with a similar fear. At that very moment she was no longer the stone hard, emotionless leader of her miniature army. "Ianna, get away from here! Right now!"

But all the little girl saw was the guns. Pointed at her mother. Clearly she had no intention of running away. "Mommy!" she cried out again, even more desperately this time. Then she was already running.

And the fixed point was seconds away from being sealed.

The Doctor watched, every single muscle in his body tensing up and ache swelling in both of his hearts, how the events began to play out. All too aware that there was fairly little he could do to stop it. Entirely too throughoutly aware of the consequences.

Ianto held his sister while she howled out, a furious amount of terror shining in her eyes. Ianto knew that even a single movement from Cadi would've led to bullets flying. What he didn't notice was that someone else was also about to move.

Seeing John's leg twitch the Doctor couldn't hold himself back any longer. Couldn't just stand by and let it happen. "Wait!"

His scream, a desperate plea, was met by the sharp sound of a gunshot. Everything in the room froze, including the Doctor himself. For a second, perhaps two, he had the time to wonder why everyone was looking at him with bizarre, shocked expressions. That was until he looked down to see a small yet deadly steady trail of blood running down his chest. His eyes widened, just a little bit, as a very unpleasant spinning took over his head. "Ah…"

A flash later he was already on his way down. He honestly couldn't help it. His knees simply buckled, as though all strength had been stolen from him.

His line of vision began to fail him. But still he was able to distinguish how John began to move, the steel hard determination of a soldier on his face. Sherlock's hand reached out fiercely but it wasn't enough to stop his friend.

Wait…!

Someone obviously took John's intentions the wrong way, especially when the soldier had forgotten to drop his gun. The last thing the Doctor heard before all his senses shut down was another gunshot, followed by a cacophony of screams and shouts. The fixed point clicked to a place.

The Doctor sunk in the dark with a single tear rolling down his cheek.

TBC

A/N: Oh gosh…! (gasps) So… Were the events altered enough? Or did the fixed point indeed click to a place? Will all the good guys make it through this alive?

Thoughts? Such that you'd like to share. There's a box down below calling out to those.

Until next time, ya guys! I really hope that you'll all join in then. Only about three more chapters to go!

Take care!