A/N: Well, Guys and Dolls, this is a wrap! I hope you guys enjoyed this one – it was a bit of a trial to write, especially since it was started before I went to the UK – and I'm still grappling with it. This one should have been bagged and tagged right around Christmas. I really wanted to get this out before school got into full swing, because this class I'm taking is an absolute bear! Thank you, once again, my faithful subscribers and friends – you really make a girl feel all warm and fuzzy. So…here we go…

Torchwood: Doppelgangers

Chapter Six: Epilogue – Through the Looking Glass

Ten months after the events at The Beacons saw Ifan holding Meg's hand as she was under a local anesthetic. Their family was being delivered by C-Section; it was quadruplets. Two boys, two girls…and more than enough for the Jeffries Clan to handle. Meg's mother had flown in from Tampa, Florida complaining of the cold, Wales and the bleak countryside. She was also upset about the inconvenience of not being told of Meg and Ifan's relationship, let alone her pregnancy. She was about to say something else as she walked into Meg's room and froze: four perfect little faces wrapped in baby blankets stole her power of speech…for which both Meg and Ifan were beyond grateful.

Family, friends and a Captain from Torchwood helped them with the children as they grew.

Gwen and Rhys showed up from time to time for holidays with their own growing family. Edward Ianto, and later his sister Emily Toshiko, expressed an interest in Maths that Ifan was more than willing to help expand, even as his own brood expanded with their own studies and hobbies. Meg and Ambrose would comment from time to time that they felt they were trapped at a science/maths camp on the edge of Brecon Beacons. Ifan would tell them to roundly get stuffed, usually to the laughter of children and parents alike.

Jackson Devereaux and Commander Elspeth Courtney began dating shortly after the 'Incident'. He proposed to her while on holiday at the Inn. A near death experience helped to bring Lois Habiba and Mickey Smith together – they chose the Inn as the venue for the wedding and reception.

Kelly began staying at the Inn with Ambrose and bringing their children for weekends. Three more children were added to their own brood in the intervening years. They also decided to have their tenth and twentieth wedding anniversaries at the Inn.

Ifan continued working on his theories – and reverse engineering Jack's Vortex Manipulator. By the Quad's 4th birthday, he repaired the Vortex Manipulator. By their 12th, he had his first correctly operating temporal drive. By their 16th, all four had their bachelor's degrees and were working on their doctorates in Maths, Sciences and History. And one was working closely with Uncle Mickey on improving the computer mainframes to Torchwood and UNIT.

Meg and Jack had a LONG discussion concerning that…and finally Ifan was allowed to visit the Hub…officially. Within a year the Rift Manipulator was repaired and working better than before. Gwen had commented that Ianto and Toshiko would have been proud. Ifan simply blushed a bright red…and Jack smiled, thinking fondly of Ianto.

They heard from the crew of The War Bird as least once every year for decades…until one year they said the quest was complete – and the machines were no longer needed. Jack thanked them for that.

And in an unused storage room on Sub-Level Six that once housed a partially converted Cyberwoman, three fully functioning cloning units sat dormant…waiting…

Jack would go to the morgue in the bowels of Torchwood Cardiff from time to time…simply to check. Ianto's body sat perfectly preserved in a refrigeration unit – and two drawers down and one row to the right sat Steven's. How the hell Gwen managed to make this little miracle happen, he'd never know. But thanks to her…he would be eternally grateful. Jack allowed himself to slide down to the floor, putting one hand on Ianto's drawer door, the other on Steven's.

'Not yet,' he whispered softly as he patted them both.

~~TWTWTW~~

On the 30th anniversary of the 456 Incident Meg and Ifan were at the Inn, enjoying a quiet high summer day in the Great Room, watching the proceedings on the plasma screen TV sitting above the dark fireplace.

With Ifan's help, a perception filter had been fitted into Jack's Vortex Manipulator to make him look older so that he could take part in the memorial service for the dead. One of their children, Daniel, was with Jack at the proceedings. None of the cameras missed on opportunity to scan him; he was the spitting image of Ifan – and Ianto Jones – except his hair was lighter and his eyes were hazel.

Meg looked to her husband. For their children's 10th birthday, they exchanged rings in front of friends, family and a reverend. They both felt a church just would have been overkill.

'So,' she said softly, snuggling into Ifan's shoulder. 'Is Jack going to be a future son-in-law?'

Ifan chuckled, the sound vibrating through him. 'No. Daniel cares for him – but not in that way. He…he knows…well. We all know Jack will always be left behind…and besides, Daniel would only be a replacement. Besides…he is quite taken with Tom and Martha's Annalisa. Get ready for wedding bells and a gown fitting for you, old girl.' He yelped when Meg pinched him.

'If I have to wear a gown…doesn't that mean you have to wear a tuxedo?' she asked a few minutes later.

'Yes,' he said, sighing. He could where her mind was going. 'And no, that does not mean you get to have your wicked way with me in it afterwards. It's going to be let, after all.'

Meg pouted. 'Well, you're no fun,' she groused. 'I could buy you one.'

'We have four mouths to feed beside our own, my dear,' Ifan continued, a smile threatening to take over his face.

She sat silent for a moment, then looked at her husband again. 'Has Daniel bought her a ring?'

Ifan sighed again. His wife was most certainly a woman swift on the up-take. 'Yes,' he conceded. 'BUT,' he added swiftly stilling Meg's sudden Happy Shuffle on the settee. 'He's popping the question tonight. SO – NOTHING TO MARTHA UNTIL TOMORROW MORNING. Your son's orders.'

Meg mock pouted as she cuddled into Ifan's shoulder once again and was taken in by the continuing memorial coverage.

'Do you think he will use the machines one day?' Ifan asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

Now it was Meg's turn to sigh. 'He was going to try it today. Ianto first…Steven second. Out of respect for us, he'll wait 100 years after the last of our children pass,' Meg answered, remembering her conversation with Jack when Alain started helping with the mainframes. 'But yes, one day will see newer versions of us walking around again. And…as much as I hate Torchwood, I think in the end the Captain needs us. All of us…for as long as he can have us.'

'Did Gwen and Rhys agree?' Ifan asked.

'Yep. As did Mickey, Lois, Devereaux, Elspeth, Tom and Martha. Yeah…I think we'll be around for a while yet,' Meg said, sighing softly.

'Hey…what was that for?' Ifan asked, kissing Meg on her temple as he held her close.

'Oh…just thinking about Everest,' she answered, smiling slightly. 'I may be able to beat that bastard yet.'

One joy scatters one hundred griefs. – Chinese Proverb

FINIS

A/N: Thought this was the best place to end this – only because I wasn't looking to make this a CoE Fix-It. But…(gasp!)they MAY – big MAY be one in the works…not sure yet. Anywho – thanks for sticking it out with this one – and in the end, may we ALL beat our own bastards yet! D.