Jack swore that he would see stars for the rest of the week! He had awoken about half an hour ago, to see that everyone was still unconscious. He noticed that he, Ianto and Sable were in what looked like tubes made of glass that had a flame motif running around the bottom. They three of them were in tubes, along with another three glass tubes, formed a circle; he gasped as he realised that on the floor was a star, and on each point of the star was a glass tube. This was where the star and the circle met, and he could feel the panic rising.

He looked around the room, but couldn't see Mel anywhere! He could see Jenny and Ben sitting back to back, keeping one another up right; and fleetingly realised that Martha and Gwen weren't there with them. 'But she must be here! They needed her! She knows the secret to the riddle and where the key is, so she must be here,' he thought frantically. He could feel the panic rising, as he cast his eyes about the room.

He froze as Ianto stirred, muttering her name under his breath. Jack frowned and thought that he really aught to have a word Ianto about that. Ianto opened his eyes just as the panelled doors were flung open. Jack and Ianto both watched as Mel was dragged into the room by the Shadow Hunters; they both cringed as they scratched her arms to shreds. She was thrown into the central tube, bouncing off the wall due to the force she had been pushed with.

She slid down the tube, and they both noticed that she was unconscious. They realised that the Shadow Hunters had put her in a white summer dress. The white dress made the bleeding scratches on her legs, arms, shoulders, neck, and face stand out even more. Jack looked over to where Sable was in his tube, but he looked ok; also unconscious and whimpered in pain as he breathed, but otherwise fine.

Ianto was looking round also he noticed. Ianto didn't want to look at Mel, as he hated seeing her like that. It took him a moment to figure out that this was where the circle and star joined perfectly. He looked around at the six tubes, and realised that one element was missing; he, Jack, and Sable were in three of the tubes, two different types of dust were suspended in two tubes, and the last one to Jack's right (he being to Jack's left) was empty.

He frowned at that as he remembered that she had said that they had had three of the elements and had had to pick up the final three which had all been in the Hub along with the key. But there it was an empty tube, which meant that there was an element missing. He jumped and his head snapped round when Mel said, "Well done Yan! He's not here yet, but he will be. He always shows up for this type of things, like a bad smell because you can never get rid of him and he always turns up when you don't need him instead of when you do!"

Just as she said that, Jack's head snapped up and round because the familiar whirring grinding noise of the TARDIS materialising. And low and behold, the TARDIS door opened and the Doctor stepped straight into the tube. Mel snapped her fingers and to Jack's amazement the doors of the old girl closed. She smiled as she heard the Doctor mumbling and then call her name.

"He's the bad smell you were talking about? And how did you close the door by clicking your fingers?" Jack asked in an amused, amazed voice.

"A bad smell? Me? I'm offended, Mel. And why exactly am I like a bad smell?"

"Because you linger for too long, sir. And you're always there when not needed and never there when you are needed," Ianto murmured, as he watched Mel. She was sitting with her back supported by the tube and her eyes closed, but he could sense she was awake. 'Did I get that right? Is he really like that?'

'Pretty much, Yan. And he is a lot like that. And you mustn't get too close because ultimately you get hurt. Jack can tell you it's true! But for all the heartache and trouble, he's worth every minute and all of it! You can say the same about most great men, including Jack Harkness himself. '

'It's about to start isn't it?'

"So what did you do this time Jack?" asked the Doctor. And he smiled as Jack began spluttering about this not having anything to do with it. "Really Jack, you work for Torchwood, you positively invite and ask for trouble!"

"Really Doctor! Anyway this is all my fault, not Jack's. He just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. And it's about to begin, so get ready for the fun to start." Ianto really wanted to rush to her in order to help her up, but he couldn't as the glass tube that they were being held in weren't glass but some type of force field.

She had just stood up when the head Shadow Hunter, his sister and a third Shadow Hunter. They approached Mel, ignoring the others, and the head Shadow Hunter said, "It is time Phoenix. Become the key, and unlock the balance!"

"I will open the balance, but I wish to ask for a last request." Ianto shuddered and felt the tears well as she said that. It was as if she was preparing to die and he couldn't lose her.

hi guys sorry it's been sooo long since i last updated, but i'm nearly finished. the next chapter will be bigger than the others i think as a sorry and i should be able to put it up tomorrow. Anyway i want to wish a belated Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!