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"So…" Jack looked a little bewildered, "what am I going to do with you."
"You could give me the pill you gave all of those other people." The young woman was looking a little apprehensive
"It didn't work the last two times." Owen muttered. The young tourist glanced at him in surprise. Obviously he wasn't quiet enough.
"Okay, straight answers, how many times have we met?" She was now staring at jack with a hard expression.
"Three times, counting this one."
"And why is it that you've rufeed me twice, and failed both times?"
"Well…we keep running into each other, and that tends to counteract the uh…rufee."
"I see. Am I going to go home, and jump off a building because you've overdosed me on whatever it is you've been giving me?"
"Would you rather the alternative?" Jack's voice had hardened in annoyance. Owen was sure it was to avoid the answer to her last question.
"So, Dani, are you ready to visit the Hub, again?" Owen tried to divert the young woman's attention.
"When did I say you could use my…" The tourist broke off, then muttered "Oh yeah, I liked you." Owen smirked slightly, as she resumed her normal voice. "I take it the Hub is you're super secret government base. Why would you even take me there, twice?"
"We didn't have the choice, the first time." Jack grumbled.
"Oh yeah…I remember…the hidden door in the tourist office with the paper sticking out of it." Dani got up from her place on the ground. "You really should just give me whatever it is you're going to give me and send me on my way. It would be safer all the way around."
"Owen's going to check you over for anomalies." Jack demanded, "There's got to be something going on here, besides horrible luck. He might as well treat you for that concussion, while he's at it. Mafanwy's love taps can knock out lesser mortals."
"Fine, take me to your top secret base, see if I care. I will be VERY annoyed if I end up in a ditch somewhere, though."
"I think that tap rattled her brains a bit." Owen murmered to Ianto, with a smile.
The team was silent as they drove back to the Hub. Usually, they would talk about the mission, but the addition of their prisoner inhibited the conversation. The young tourist was squashed in between Gwen and Ianto. She sat with a slightly amused expression, and seemed content to simply watch the looks being cast around her. Jack, in particular, sent a number of glares and glances at various members of his team, which were often replied to with eye rolls. Finally, Jack noticed her expression.
"What are you smirking about?" He growled
"I was simply enjoying the conversation." She responded, smiling slightly.
"Nobody's spoken since we got in the car." Gwen mentioned.
"And yet so much has been said." She murmured quietly, and closed her eyes. "You know, you really shouldn't use different team members as minders every time, especially if you're worried about my corrupting them."
"I'm trying to find one that's immune." Jack replied, his lips twitching in an effort not to smile. He was determined to remain in a bad mood.
Ianto rolled his eyes.
The team had barely returned to the Hub when Gwen took the young woman's arm, and walked her to the lounge area. The rest of the team headed for the conference room. Tosh gave the girl a shy, encouraging smile, before sliding past to follow the team. Gwen headed for what passed for the kitchen, and in a few minutes she returned to the couch with two cups of tea.
"Sorry, it's worth my life to touch Ianto's coffee machine. You'll have to make due with tea."
"Tea's fine. Any reason for the special treatment now?" the young woman smiled, and took a sip.
"No, no," Gwen smiled brightly, "No, I just thought it would be nice to have a bit of a chat."
"Okay." The young woman continued to smile.
"So, what is your name?"
"Danielle, but most people call me Dani." Dani took another sip of her tea.
"Last name?"
"Pelletier" Dani replied.
"Where are you from, Dani?" Gwen settled more comfortably into the couch, and plastered an interested look on her face. She prided herself on her interrogation skills.
"Canada. A small town just outside of Victoria, BC." The girl politely blank face peeked Gwen's interest even more.
"I've heard it's beautiful there." Gwen decided to back off a little. This was supposed to be friendly conversation, not an interrogation.
"It is. It's called the Garden City for a reason. There are flowers everywhere. It's very English, and…quaint, I guess. It's also one giant tourist trap, so things can get just a little expensive." Dani held her fingers in a pinch. The young woman seemed to relax, as she talked about her home town.
"So, have you got any family?" Gwen pried slightly
"Yes, both my parents are still living, and I have two sisters." Dani continued to looked at Gwen with a slight smile.
"Names?"
"Parents are Gaspard, and Leanne. My sisters are Catherine, and Elizabeth."
"Danielle Pelletier. That's a very French name…" Gwen left the sentence hanging.
"My grandfather emigrated from Alsace, as a young man." The young woman had begun to look almost indulgent. "Do you have enough for your report yet? Anything else I can tell you?"
"I'm not…" Gwen stopped, blushing slightly, "Sorry, occupational hazard. I was a police officer when I was recruited to Torchwood. I still have a tendency to interrogate people."
"No problem. I don't have anything to hide." Dani grinned suddenly, "Besides, one of you has been in my hotel room, twice. And, I'm betting Captain Jack up there knows everything about me by now, including my favourite soup."
"Probably." Gwen grinned. "He does like to know who's hanging around his Torchwood."
"I'm not 'hanging around his Torchwood.' I'm just trying to have a decent vacation." Dani was indignant.
"It seems to amount to the same thing with you." Gwen's smiled to ease the sting of her words.
"Can I help it if he can't keep his secret organization, secret?" Dani shrugged.
"Rhys, my fiancé Rhys, calls this place 'Bloody Torchwood!' He's always waiting for me til all hours, or putting up with some crazy situation."
"More proof, how secret can it be if your family members know? How does he take it? All the craziness, I mean." Dani asked quietly
"Better than I deserve most times. He's an amazingly understanding man. Although at times I feel like my job is the entertainment in his boring day."
"He's must be some kind of paragon. My last boyfriend wouldn't wait for the station break. He'd spend the whole time flipping around the channels."
The two women grinned at each other.
By the time the rest of the team appeared from the conference room, the two women were curled up on the couch, chatting like old friends.
The young woman looked up, "So what's the verdict? Lethal injection?" The joke almost hid her anxiety.
"Don't tempt me." Jack glared at the young tourist. Behind him, Ianto rolled his eyes and smiled slightly at the girl. He then turned and headed for the coffee machine.
Jack continued. "We're giving you another amnesia pill, and this time, we're going to find some way to keep you away from here."
"Good luck." Owen muttered.
"I'm sorry but you've put your super secret base under one of the top tourist attractions in Cardiff, and I won't remember seeing it. I'll probably be back, tomorrow." the young woman said.
Jack grumbled.
