Author's Note: Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry! Etc. It's been ages hasn't it? I got completely sidetracked by life outside of the computer (that's right, I GOT A JOB! *mini party*) Glanced at the last date I updated and realised it's been a while. So have a new chapter! If you're good, and if I remember (which is less likely unfortunately), I'll put up another one in a couple of days as a present for being patient and because I'm in a good mood and the weather's finally warming up! Enjoy. Love Kal x

A Chance in a Million

Chapter Eight

After Gwen's broken communication through his vortex manipulator, Jack had lay on his bunk for several minutes, mulling over his thoughts. He couldn't help but reply Gwen's stammered voice over in his mind. The voice of a true friend. It had been a couple of months since he had left Earth but much more than that since he had really spent time with his friends. With Gwen. Hell even with Rhys. The Welshman was a dick at times but he clearly loved Gwen unconditionally and that was more than enough for Jack. The man had a good heart and Jack wouldn't mind taking him out for a pint one day.

His thoughts always returned to the fact he'd only been away a couple of months. Was two months enough? Would he be able to handle going back to Earth? Jack sat up on his bed and swung his legs over the side, holding his vortex manipulator in his hands and staring down at it. The device had a layer of dust over some of the buttons and he carefully cleaned it off with his index finger. Once upon a time he would have cared for the device like it was his child. But he hadn't needed it on board the ship and it became more of an accessory, a habit. It was like wearing a watch that didn't work because not wearing it felt like something was missing. He took it off sometimes, trying to separate himself from his old life. But he never let it out of his sight and couldn't leave his room without it on.

There was laughter in the hallway, growing in sound as the source passed outside his door and then continued further on. Jack sighed and rubbed his hands over his face, shielding the vortex manipulator in his fist so it didn't scratch his skin. He missed having friends. He liked to believe that he didn't really need anyone, they needed him and it was his love for them which caused him to stay. But it wasn't the truth. The truth was that when the Doctor and Rose picked him up for the first time, he was taken with the friendship between them and wanted to be part of them. He had friend in the army, sure. He had friends, companions, fuck buddy's... but nothing like the Doctor and Rose seemed to have. And he wanted that. So he had gone with them. He had been hurt when they had abandoned him and only forgave them when the Doctor explained why he did it. Jack could understand it then.

Even as he relived the twentieth century, he found the need for companionship. He let himself be integrated into Torchwood, fall in love, make friends then watch them die, leaving him to carry on. Captain Jack Harkness (the real one), Estelle, Lucia...

Ianto.

He didn't have any friends on the ship. It was his own fault, he knew that. He thought it was because he had been through too much hurt to let another being, human or otherwise, into his life again. But after hearing Gwen's voice, he realised it was because he missed his old friends; his family. He missed Torchwood and what it offered him. A home, stability, people who cared deeply about him. He bit his lip.

For the first time since Stephen's death, Jack wanted to return to Earth.

"Andy, it's coming up on your right," Gwen's voice was firm in his earpiece as he drove the Torchwood van through the streets of Cardiff.

"Thank you, Gwen, but I can see that for myself," Andy replied.

Jamie, sat in the passenger seat, sniggered, covering her mouth with her hand so Gwen wouldn't hear her. The GPS-esq device which tracked alien objects, alive or otherwise, was stuck on the dashboard with a large glob of blu-tac. Very professional were Torchwood Cardiff. They were watching the same alert that Gwen was, only on a smaller screen. Therefore Gwen's directions were pointless. Jamie believed that Gwen just liked to be involved. At almost full term, it was all she could do to persuade Rhys to allow her to sit in the office five days a week. There was no way she was coming out on missions with them.

An alert had come through fifteen minutes earlier, swiftly followed by police reports of a large dog like creature trying to attack children in a local primary school. The report had come via the phone line. In recent weeks, the police were much more forthcoming with information on instances they knew were out of their league. When Gwen had asked how they knew it wasn't just a rapid dog on the loose, they had responded by pointing out that dogs, rapid or otherwise, did not have giant bat wings on their back.

Andy and Jamie had run for the van.

The van skidded across the tarmac of the school playground. Children of varying ages were lined up neatly at the far end peering over each other's shoulders and around teachers to see what was happening. A police car was already parked up and two officers were talking to someone who Andy assumed was the headmaster. He put the van into neutral, yanked on the handbrake, ignoring it's protest as it was forced into place and turned off the engine. Jamie was already out and walking toward the police officers, searching for information.

Inside the building they found the power was out.

"Bloody brilliant," Andy grumbled, pulling a small torch out of his pocket and twisting the top so a powerful beam shone down the corridor in front of them.

They were the only two in the building. Well... the only two humans anyway. A growl echoed from further down the corridor and off to one side. Andy looked at Jamie who was carrying a tranquiliser gun. They were both carrying normal guns on holster on their belts, just in case tranquilisers didn't work. Gwen still liked the aliens to be taken back to the base, to be analysed as best they could until something with more medical experience could be found to help them out. They followed the noise as silently as they could. Only their trainers making soft noises on the linoleum floor. They reached the end of the corridor and peered round it. They couldn't see anything.

"We should've split up," whispered Jamie, her voice so light Andy wasn't sure she had spoken at first. "Tried to corner it."

"We've only got one tranq gun," Andy murmured back.

"No, there's another one. But it's alien in origin. In the archives in the basement. But only Ianto can work it," Jamie took a step around the corner, facing down the second corridor. It seemed the growls were coming from one of the classrooms roughly halfway down.

"Fat lot of good he's been lately," Andy responded, following Jamie down the second corridor. The ex-policeman couldn't remember the last time he saw Ianto putting doing his best at the job. His fellow Welshman showed up for work, sure, and made coffee and gave orders and even came on retrieval missions with them. But his mind was always elsewhere. He always looked more tired after time off than he did before. And then there was the storm out Gwen had told them about that morning. Just when they needed his expertise and help. Gwen had rung Ianto at home but he hadn't answered the phone. So they were on their own.

"I'll go first," Jamie said, indicating with her head. "If the tranq gun doesn't work, I'll expect back-up of the bullet variety."

"You're on," Andy followed closely behind as she made her way slowly down the corridor.

It took some time, but since no one seemed to want his help, which he counted as a good thing right now, he had a lot of time. Jack had begun to send out signals with his vortex manipulator. Signals designed to pick up communication channels linked to one particular organisation. It was certainly not easy. He tried to pick up on the old Bluetooth frequency which had linked their ear pieces but that was long gone. Then he tried for an Internet signal linked to the Hub. But that was also dead. It was a long shot as he knew Gwen hadn't rebuilt the old Hub, but she might have found some equipment which channelled the same signals. Apparently not. After some thought, Jack began a search through the universe for unique signals. Signals which would connect to the Rift in Cardiff and hopefully to the new Torchwood Hub. Whatever or wherever that might be.

Time passed and Jack didn't move. He stayed still on his bed, holding his vortex manipulator in his hands. His butt had fallen asleep from the firmness of the bed but still he didn't move. He just stared at the small device. Waiting.

Suddenly a light came on his vortex manipulator. Jack swallowed. It had connected him to a number and was waiting for confirmation of whether he wanted to complete the connection or not. The signel was weak, probably not much stronger than Gwen's original attempt. But the vortex manipulator believed the number was linked to Torchwood. He didn't know how old it was or even if anyone would be there to pick up. His finger hovered over the button which would connect to the phone. Then he closed his eyes and pressed it. There was a moment of silence, then a small click and finally a monotonous sound rung from the vortex manipulator. The phone on the other end was ringing.

Jack counted the rings. One.... two.... three.... four.... if it got to ten he was going to hang up he decided.... five.... six.... seven.... eig....

"Hello?" Came an achingly familiar voice. A voice he never thought he would hear again other than in his dreams. A voice which called for him to return home. Not to Earth. But in the arms of the man he loved. Home.

".....Ianto?" Jack whispered.