Chapter Thirteen

After taking a minute to process what just happened, Trace grabbed her bags (there were three – one across her shoulder, two smaller ones in her hands) and got out of there before her aunt could decide to do anything else. With a sigh, the teen started wandering through Cardiff.

While walking, Trace started thinking of everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours and it was almost too much. Her shoulder and side were still throbbing from the stupid weevil. She couldn't believe it had barely been an hour ago. Unable and unwilling to continue remembering, she allowed her mind to go blank as she moved aimlessly through the streets.

After awhile, the girl was pulled from her blissfully oblivious state when she recognized where she was heading: the Roald Dahl Plass and Torchwood. Trace came to a stop on the corner across from the water tower, debating what to do when something inside of her snapped.

Filled with uncontrollable rage, and wanting to take it out on the most deserving person, the teen took off towards the tourist shop front. When she reached the door, the girl threw it open, making an unsuspecting Ianto jump behind the counter.

"Where is he?" Trace practically growled at the Welshman. Ianto, nervous because he'd seen Jack's rage and didn't want to get in the man's daughter's way, simply pushed the button and revealed the secret entrance to the Hub.

Seeing the wall move made the girl stop in wonder for a few seconds. However, she soon recovered, dropped her bags, and ran down the stairs and through the cog door.

As soon as she was inside the Hub, Trace's eyes zeroed in on the form of one Jack Harkness. The Captain's back was to the girl, as he was looking down into the autopsy bay watching Owen pretend to work. However, the teen's entrance was not missed by Tosh and Gwen, who stopped what they were doing and stared.

A moment later, in a cold, low voice, Trace said, "You!" Jack stiffened at the sound of his daughter's voice and whirled around, surprise and confusion on his face.

Suddenly the teenager shouted, "IT"S ALL YOUR FAULT!" and lunged at the Captain, her fists swinging.

She landed a few good punches to his cheek and chest before the immortal finally came out of his shock and grabbed her wrists, restraining her. However, that did not deter the girl as she continued to struggle against him.

Trace, her face steadily turning red, continued screaming. "It's ALL your fault! All your DAMN fault! Bastard! It's YOUR fault!"

Out of nowhere, she kneed her father where it hurts, causing him to release her wrists. While he was bent over, the teen managed to get another good punch to his jaw.

The entire team was watching the scene go down. Tosh and Gwen by the desks wide-eyed; Owen grimacing at the top of the stairs to the autopsy bay; Ianto by the cog door with the girl's bags.

Before Trace could get him again, Jack quickly regained composure and once again grabbed her wrists. By now, hot, angry tears were pouring down her cheeks as she continued to struggle in the man's vice-like grip all while shouting how it's his fault.

The Captain realized that he was in unfamiliar territory and looked desperately to his team for help. Owen, looking a cross between amused and actually concerned, shrugged his shoulders as if to say, "Can't help you here." Gwen didn't meet the man's eyes as her own were stuck on the form of the teenager fighting him. Tosh just sadly shook her head.

Jack finally looked to Ianto and noted the bags with confusion before turning his gaze back to the Welshman's face. Ianto maintained eye contact and nodded his head in an encouraging way.

Sighing inwardly, Harkness studied his child. He took in her red, tear-streaked face, her squinted, unseeing eyes. He noticed her voice becoming hoarse and how violently her body was trembling. He also realized that her wounds from earlier, which had just begun to scab over, had blood seeping slowly out.

Staring in despair, the Captain was taken by surprise when Trace suddenly shouted "I HATE YOU!" before pulling out of his grip.

When she turned to leave, Jack couldn't take it anymore. He did the only thing he could think of: he grabbed her arm and pulled her into a tight hug, refusing to let her go. The immortal could feel his daughter fighting relentlessly to get out of the embrace, and in response he pulled her closer, tightening his arms further.

He listened to her hoarse demands to let her go and put his hand on the back of her head, gently moving it under his chin.

After another few minutes of struggling, he finally felt the girl go still, though whether she had given up or fallen to exhaustion the Captain did not know. Jack pulled away just enough so he could look her in her red-rimmed blue eyes when she spoke again.

Trace tiredly said, "It's your…fault. It's your f-fault she…kicked me out," before weakly trying to pull away.

Jack, bewildered, could only reply with a "What?"

The teen replied hoarsely, "Thanks to…your little chat…with Clarice, she…decided that I'm…no longer…her respon…sibility and…kicked me…out of the…house with no…where else to…go."

The Captain felt like his heart had been stomped on by the look on his daughter's face and the resignation in her voice. All he could do was try to apologize. "Trace, I'm so, so sorry. I had no idea that Clarice would do such a-"

But the man was cut off when Trace somehow found the strength to continue her tirade. "How dare you. How DARE you!" she started shouting, forcing the words out of her raw throat.

"How DARE you try to apologize! It's all YOUR fault! You don't THINK! Did you not REALIZE what you'd done? That you've RUINED my LIFE? And you think an APOLOGY will make it all BETTER? NO! Keep your DAMN apologies! I HATE YOU!"

The girl started struggling against Jack again; only she was pulling harder, making the blood from her wounds come faster as she continued screaming at him.

Owen realized that Trace had pretty much reached hysteria. She needed to calm down and those wounds needed caring to, whether or not she was a super-fast healer. It seemed that she had been through a lot that day, and needed time to rest.

Figuring that Jack, whose face had fallen completely by now and looked completely crushed, would agree with him, the medic quickly descended the steps to the autopsy bay and grabbed a sedative.

He ran back up, his actions unnoticed. With a sigh, Owen silently approached the girl from behind. Jack caught his eye, and the immortal's gaze travelled to the syringe in his hand. The Captain's sad eyes found the medic's again and he gave a slight nod.

Trace's body felt like it was made of lead. Her head was pounding, her throat raw, her eyes were burning and her shoulder and side were killing her. She could vaguely feel hot, angry tears leaking from her eyes, warm, sticky blood, and Harkness' arms around her.

She was exhausted but she had to keep going. She couldn't let that man off the hook; she had to get out of his embrace so she could hit him again. He had to suffer, to feel that pain. She wanted to see him completely broken.

Trace vaguely felt something pierce her skin. She felt odd. Her body suddenly felt heavier than ever before; it was harder to speak; her already blurry vision was blurring further. She managed a final, "I hate-" before giving in to the blackness surrounding her.

Jack watched the needle go in his daughter's skin. Her movements slowed; her words slurred; finally, the teen collapsed in his arms.

The Captain sunk to the floor and carefully maneuvered the girl so he was sort of cradling her. Owen knelt in front of the man and felt Trace's pulse.

"Heart rate's slowing, should return to normal soon," the medic said as he moved to look at her bleeding wounds. "I'll have to clean these up and bandage them properly, even if she'll be completely healed come tomorrow. You alright, Jack?"

Startled at hearing his name, Harkness brought his eyes up to meet Owen's gaze. The medic wanted to move away at the look in the man's eyes. Jack slowly looked back down at his daughter, only sixteen years old – a baby to the immortal, and whispered, "It's my fault."

Tosh refused to move from her desk, not wanting to see any damage done up-close. Gwen had moved a couple of steps forward, but something was holding her back. Ianto, however, had placed the bags gently on the floor and cautiously moved closer to the three on the floor. The Welshman had been close enough to hear his Captain's words.

"No, it's not."

Both Jack and Owen looked up at the man. The former looked away and simply whispered, "Yes, it is."

Ianto stayed where he was, but softly said, "No, Jack. You had no way of knowing what would happen after meeting her aunt."

"She hates me."

The "tea-boy" sighed, and once again tried to soothe his boss. "No, Jack. She's a teenager. All teenagers tell their parents they hate them. She's just hurt and upset," he paused, "Think about it: she's been hurt physically and mentally, she's been kicked out of her aunt's home, and she comes here. Yes, she tried to beat you to a bloody pulp, but she came here. Consciously or not, Trace Peterson chose to come here, to you, Jack. Don't let her down too by letting her words get to you. She needs the Captain Jack Harkness we all know."

"You forgot 'and love,'" came Jack's quiet reply.

Owen snorted, "Yeah, you wish." Jack looked up at his team and gave them a smile. It was nowhere near his usual grin, but it was a start.

"Okay," the Captain took a deep breath, "I'm a bit out of my depth here, so I need suggestions. What's our plan?"