Next chapter up so soon, aren't you lucky little monkeys!

'Sonotalady': It was Rachy Babes idea to not use John for target practice. As much as I love him, the John in this universe can be a bit of a dick, therefore I'm all for firing things at him :D

I think you need a Doctor

"What did you do?" Jacky asked as Fawks sat on the metal table.

"Jumped off the top of a bus shelter." Winter told them.

"So between the human, and the winged demon whose bones are very solid, the demon gets hurt." Jack laughed.

"Your bloody idea, Jack," Fawks growled as Jacky pulled a bandage tight around her foot. There was no point putting it in a cast, it would heal in a few days.

"Did you get one?" Fawks threw the bundle of leather over to him.

"Brilliant." Jack smiled.

"What are you going to do with it?"

"I'm working on that part." Winter rolled her eyes,

"Does no one in this universe think ahead?" Everyone paused for a minute, then at the exact same time everyone said.

"Ianto." Causing Winter to laugh.

"Stay off it," Jacky warned, pointing an accusatory finger at Fawks. The demon merely rolled her eyes at the doctor.

"I'll be fine." She sighed, jumping down and letting out a yelp, Jack pushed her back.

"Stay." He demanded.

"No." Fawks replied simply. Limping heavily up the stairs, Jack looked at Winter hopelessly. She sighed and followed Fawks up the stairs, wrapping her arm around her waist and taking some of the weight. "I'm fine, Win." Fawks replied.

"Really?" Winter nudged her ankle with her toes, and Fawks yelped again. "Exactly." She led her to the sofa and pushed her down.

"Hey," Fawks pouted as Winter turned to go, she reached out and grabbed her waist, pulling her back onto the sofa, Winter turned to look down at her, and Fawks pulled her closer.

"What?" Winter smiled.

"Aren't you going to stay and…" She pulled Winter lower. "..look after me?" She raised an eyebrow with a smirk, leaning up to kiss her. Their lips were about to meet when someone cleared their throat. Winter turned and blushed, Ianto was looking down at his tray of coffee. She got up and took a step back, looking down at the floor and taking a mug before looking back at Fawks, who looked annoyed and took the other before crossing her injured foot over her leg. "Bloody Torchwood."

TTT

'So that's going to get me home?' Jack took a step back as he entered his office two days after the bus incident. Winter was sat in the middle of his desk, in her hands was a timer, the old sort with sand. He recognised it as the one that normally stood on his desk and relaxed when he saw the care she was taking as she turned it over in her hands.

'Hopefully, when I get it working.' She nodded, keeping her eyes on the timer. He was about to leave her to it when he noticed something fall and hit the device, the wet mark it left was wiped away by her quick fingers but he had caught it. 'What are you doing in here?' He asked quietly.

'Hiding.' She replied, truthfully.

'From what?' her silence spoke volumes and he glanced out of the window at Fawks and Ianto who were chatting animatedly. 'Which one?' She looked up at him surprised and followed his gaze. She couldn't speak, the words got caught into her throat and threatened to escape only as a choked sob. Jack was unsure of what to do, he didn't know her, maybe he should just leave her to it. Instead he took the timer from her hands and leant on the desk, wrapping his arms around her uncomfortably. She moved closer, gripping his shirt and squeezing her eyes shut, taking calming breaths.

'I thought I could do this… when he died I was ok, it hurt but I could handle it, I'd already lost him once. But seeing him here, alive an… and knowing I have to leave him again. He doesn't even remember me, every time he looks at me there's just… nothing. All my memories, they all mean nothing. He watched the blood slowly drain from my body once and every time I looked at him afterwards I could see this protective look, he forced me to eat and drink, he stuck by me after my overdose, he painted my room and bought me fairy lights for the ceiling, he …' She sighed and wiped her eyes furiously. 'I can't tell her, I love her, I do but it's different. I just, I want MY Ianto back. It's not fair.' Jack took her hand silently and pulled her out of the office. Fawks watched him drag her down the corridor but chose not to follow. They passed the cells and the shooting range and headed out into the garage.

'Come on.' He opened the SUV door for her and she slipped inside, letting him drive her into central Cardiff. She diligently followed him up the stairs of a large building and he led her to the edge. She sat on the side and he dropped his coat over her shoulders. The sun was rising and he took her hand again. 'Everyone has people they've loved and lost, people they would die to bring back. But the world doesn't work like that. You look at him and you don't see the man you lost, that's because it's not him.'

'But it is him.'

'Only in history, this is Ianto if he never met you.' Jack almost slapped himself as she slumped over.

'Alive, happy, I should never have got involved.' He took her arms in his hands and turned her to face him.

'No. There are so many different variables when coming to a parallel universe. You never get it quite right. Just because you aren't in this universe doesn't mean that's why Ianto survived. He survived because I made him. One decision from me that changed this universe compared to yours.' She relaxed and leant on his shoulder as they watched the sun come up. 'Can I ask you a question?' she smiled.

'You just did.' He smirked but she nodded, 'go ahead, I'm open to your inquisition.' His eyebrows raised and she nudged him with a shoulder. 'Ask the damn question Harkness.'

'What are we like in the other universe?' She frowned.

'Um, I'm exactly like I am now and you're pretty much the same.' He shook his head.

'No I mean, us. In Fawks' kitchen you said you had to get back to Ja. I'm guessing you were going to say Jack.' Winter blushed, 'besides you know way too much about me to be just anyone.' She bit her lip and nodded.

'I know what you mean.'

'And?' She sighed and leant back slightly.

'It's complicated, timing wise. I first met you when I was living on the street but you first met me years after that but in 1941.' He frowned. 'Told you. Complicated. Basically you hired me and we grew close, you told me all about the Doctor and Rose and things from your past. We were best friends for years and then I got sent back in time by mistake and I met earlier you, you in 1941 during the London blitz, about a month before the Doctor and Rose turned up. I left and then we had the whole problem with the children.' Jack nodded trying to keep up. 'After Ianto died it was just you, Gwen and I. You went travelling around the world, left me with Gwen but it wasn't far enough for you so you decided to leave the planet. I kind of forced you to take me with you.' Jack laughed and she leant forward. 'I ended up travelling with the Doctor and we went back to 1941, I kind of ran away from him to find you.'

'Did you find me?' Winter blushed a deep crimson and he laughed, 'I'll take that as a yes.'

'Anyway,' Winter replied, ignoring the comment, 'then I got sent here by a weeping angel.' This part of the story Jack had heard from Fawks so he nodded and turned back to the sunrise.

'Thank you, for telling me everything. I know you said you didn't want to talk about it before but I had to know. Are you happy with him?' She sighed and leant forwards.

'We're not together.' He turned sharply. 'He's still travelling, He didn't come with the doctor and I, I've been wanting to go back to him but he was so upset about Ianto, I couldn't just waltz in and expect him to love me.'

'It sounds like he already does.' She shrugged. He sighed watched as Winter stood up.

'Now it's your turn to come with me.' He frowned but nodded. They left the roof and headed back to the SUV, both were totally silent as she drove them into the hospital car park. She led him down corridors and passed the nurses and doctors without a glance. She headed straight for the desk and nodded to the lady behind the counter. 'Ethel Saunders please.' The lady typed the name into the computer and looked up sadly.

'Yes dear, shall I send the doctors in?' Winter nodded solemnly and lead Jack past the desk.

'You asked me who I was hiding from but you never asked why.' He watched as she stopped outside a room and took a deep breath, 'I wanted someone to come with me but I didn't know who to bring.' She pushed the door open and let Jack inside. His face hardened and he looked between the girl lying in the hospital bed and the one at his side. The sleeping girl was older but he could still be certain, they were the same person. Winter took a seat by the bed and held the girls hand. 'She lived on the streets, like me. Her brother was a drug addict, died in a drug house fire, like mine. Only she wasn't pulled out of the wreckage in time. She's in a coma. Tried to save him harder than I did. I found her yesterday when I went for that walk, I'd been searching on the Hub server for most of the day. The Doctors say that she's not going to wake up, but there aren't any family to switch off the machine. I told them I was, I think they believed me because I look so similar to her…' Jack understood. He didn't know why but something about Winter made sense, he didn't know her, but he understood her.

He held her other hand as the doctors entered and nodded to them. They switched everything off quietly and considerately and the girl's forced breathing ceased. Winter dropped her hand and squeezed Jack's instead, he watched her as she took more calming breath of air and then turned to leave the room.

They walked out of the hospital hand in hand and sat in the SUV as the city began to wake. 'I know I need to leave. And believe me I want to, because when it comes down to it…' she paused and glanced over at Jack, 'Being here gets more painful every day. But I don't want her to know.' Jack nodded, 'nothing, not about the sadness, not about that me in the hospital, it's not her fault and she's so happy to see me. I love her, I do. But I can't be here any longer than I have to.'

Sorry for that downer folks but as Rachy Babes knows I always knew that if Winter wasn't at Torchwood she'd either be in a coma or already dead. Torchwood's just such a huge part of her life she wouldn't seem right without it. Anyway… Next time: Fawks tries a hand at something a bit new and Ianto save the day.