Four days later Tosh asked Ianto, when he brought then their coffee, if he could find Jack and send him to the main lab. "What is it Tosh?" Jack asked as he strode into the main lab.
Henry answered him since Tosh was in the middle of a very tricky bit of coding, "You've got to do something about Magnus."
"What do you mean?" Jack asked, confused.
"She's in here every half hour." Henry complained, "I get that this means a lot to her I really do but we'd be done sooner if she'd stop interrupting us."
"He's right Jack." Tosh said, not stopping her rapid typing as she spoke, "We won't get this done if she keeps interrupting us. Ashley was nearly as bad until Kate took her riding."
"I'll deal with it." Jack promised, "I can't promise that she'll stop checking on your progress but I'll try and cut down the frequency"
"Tell Ianto to send her with the coffee." Henry suggested.
"Good idea." Tosh said "Then she can still check up on us but its not too often and she's doing something useful."
"Just don't let her make the coffee." Henry begged. Devoted tea drinker that Helen was, her opinion of coffee was very well know and had even once saved her life. Her distaste for the drink was coupled with a complete inability to actually make it.
"I won't." Jack promised and headed off to find Helen. He found Will first. "Hey Will, have you seen Helen?"
"Not recently." The young man told him.
"What are you working on?" Jack asked noticing the folder he was holding.
"Just some routine admin." Will said, "This is the head Sanctuary after all, the rebuilt Sanctuaries have only just reopened so we've been co-ordination the return of the residents and staff movements. Magnus had been handling it but then we had the call about the empaths and the whole thing with Druitt, so I took over."
"Perfect." Jack said, "Give me the paperwork then go find something else to do, something psychological based, whatever, just something."
Will looked baffled for a moment then understand dawned across his face. "Looking for a way to keep Magnus out of the main lab?"
"Yes, before Henry goes wolf and Tosh pulls her hair out." Jack said, "She's driving then crazy, checking up on them every half hour."
"That sounds like Magnus." Will agreed.
"You're a psychiatrist, how are Helen and Ashley holding up?"
Will thought for a moment, "I'd say that Ashley is holding up better than Magnus at the moment, probably because she never had her father in her life until this last year or so and even then, since he still had the parasite, it wasn't really him." He paused for a moment, "Immediately after it happened she seemed to be in shock, she got through the night though I'm not sure if she slept. But I think it really hit her the next morning and then she teleported to you. If we don't manage to save Druitt I think it will be difficult for her but she will adjust fairly quickly after spending a life time believing her father was dead."
"And Helen?" Jack asked knowing that she had to be taking everything worse.
"She's different." Will agreed. "Since she knew Druitt before the creature, she's always carried the guilt for not been able to help him and for not been able to kill him. Now she know that it wasn't fault, at least not completely, that guilt is going to be magnified. I think that if she looses him now, it will break her." Will said sadly, "She knows that the man she loved and possibly still loves, is alive inside him and that if the creature is removed he'll be healed. If they fail to remove it or he dies in the process she will never forgive herself for it and will likely spend the rest of her potentially very long life second guessing herself."
"That's what I was afraid you'd say." Jack said, "After what happened they'd both take his death harder because they wouldn't be able to think that he deserved it, even in the slightest, since we know that he's possessed."
"You know what the plan to remove the creature is then." Will said.
Jack nodded, "It's the only way, Helen has asked me to keep Ashley back during the procedure. Helen doesn't want her to know in about the details in advance."
"Are you sure that's the best course of action?" Will asked.
Jack shrugged, "It's Helen's call, she wants Ashley to be spared the worry before hand and the guilt of agreeing to it afterwards if they fail to bring him back."
Will nodded, "I understand." He handed the folder to Jack. "Just find me if you need any more paperwork for her." He told him, "There's always something laying around here needs taking care of."
"Sounds like Torchwood." Jack said with a grin and set off in search of Helen. After failing to find her in her office, either of the Libraries or any of the labs he finally found her in her bedroom.
To his surprise she wasn't in one of the chairs or even on the bed, instead she was curled on the floor next to her dressing table, the bottom draw was still open and she was cradling a small picture in her hands.
"John?" Jack asked as he sat down on the floor next to her.
Helen nodded, "I kept it on my dresser until I found out what he was doing, then I buried it in the back of a draw and tried to forget about it." She stroked her fingers over the image of a slightly younger looking John, though that could just have been because he had hair at the time. "I could never get rid of it. The same as he could never abandon the locket I gave him."
"This has been buried all these years?"
"No," Helen told him, "I had to uncover it when I moved here. Then I took it out when I decided to bring Ashley to term and again when she was born. After that I put it away." Helen smiled slightly, "But I think Ashley must have found it because it wasn't exactly where I left it."
"That sounds like Ashley." Jack agreed, she was just the type of girl to go investigating her mother's drawers when Helen wasn't looking. "Do you think she recognised him?"
Helen shook her head, "She didn't, at least not right away though the picture did probably help her put everything together." Helen looked thoughtful for a moment, "I never did show you my photograph of the Five did I?" Jack shook his head and Helen reached into the draw to pull out a second larger framed photo. "This was taken at the same time as the others."
In the photograph Helen was seated in the middle, dressed in her finest dress, her hair curling over her shoulders and clearly a lighter colour than it was at present, even the black and white image showed that. Standing around her were the male members of the Five, also all clearly dressed in their finest clothes. John stood to her left, his arm going across her back to rest on her right shoulder, possessive and tender love showing in every line of his body. To her right stood James Watson and next to him was Tesla, managing to look as arrogant and condescending as he always did. On John's other side was the final member of the Five, Nigel Griffin. The invisible man had been the first of them to die, but also the first of them to have a family even though his line had ended just weeks after the death of James Watson when Clara died.
"I wish they knew." Helen said, stroking her fingers over the faces of Nigel and James. "I wish they knew they weren't wrong about John, that he was and still is a good man. That what he did wasn't his fault. I can't loose him again Jack."
"I will do everything in my power to see that you don't have to." Jack told her, "He knew this was happening. He came to me months ago, when you were in Cardiff, and asked me to promise that I would kill him if he lost control again."
"Why didn't he tell me?" Helen wondered.
"Probably for the same reason he didn't a hundred and twenty years ago, perhaps he wanted to spare you the worry, or possibly the creature wouldn't allow him to."
"Perhaps." Helen agreed then she noticed the folder in Jack's hands. "What have you got there?"
"Something for you actually." Jack told her. "Will said that he'd been handling the paperwork since this all started but then something came up, a resident really needed to talk to him and this needed to be done urgently so I said I'd get it to you and ask if you could do it."
"Henry and Tosh asked you to distract me." Helen had no problem in guessing the real reason that Jack had come seeking her bearing paperwork. She knew that she was annoying and distracting the tech pair but she hadn't been able to stop herself.
"Henry did say that you could still stop by if you brought their coffee." Jack offered.
Helen sighed, "I know I was irritating them by looking over their shoulder, I couldn't help it. I need to know that they're making progress."
"They are." Jack assured her, "And they'll make more without been interrupted, so we're going to do your paperwork and leave them to it."
"Ianto warned me about you and paperwork Jack." Helen said, "Is it true you once labelled your rubbish bin as your in-box?"
"Only for paperwork from the government or UNIT." Jack pointed out, "Not for anything important."
"Jack your definition of important differs quite alarmingly from the rest of the planet's." Helen told him but she rose to her feet and after a moments consideration closed the drawer and placed the two pictures clearly on her dresser.
For the next four days Helen didn't sleep, over the years she had trained herself to need less and less sleep, it meant that when the need arose she could go for days without sleep. Truthfully there was no need at the moment for her to be missing sleep. But equally true was the fact that she couldn't sleep, everything in her life revolved around the outcome of the next few day.
Undoubtedly her life would change but the question keeping Helen from her rest was whether that change would be good or bad. She would either loose John completely to death or she would get back the man she had fallen in love with and who still loved her. The man who she might be able to allow herself to love once again.
Helen wasn't the only one not sleeping, Owen couldn't and Jack needed even less than Helen did. Both did what they would to help. In Owen's case that was helping to run the Sanctuary while Jack was allowed to do some of the simpler coding for the containment unit. Ianto too was permitted to help, spelling Tosh and Henry while they ate. That way there was someone working on the unit twenty-four hours a day.
As promised the containment unit took seven days to complete, another day was needed to sort the shield that would prevent the parasite from escaping and to link in the removal device. The last part at least meant the Helen had something to do.
As did Ashley, finally. With Will and Gwen having no luck tracking Druitt in cyberspace it was left to Ashley and Kate to track him the old fashioned way. Ashley used every contact her mother had made in her a hundred and fifty plus years while Kate had the underworld contacts she'd built up over her time as a freelance operative. Jack also made himself useful and called in a few favours he was owed.
Eventually they tracked Druitt down. "He's in Egypt. Jack told Helen, the two of them along with Ashley, Kate and Ianto were gathered in Helen's office.
"Why would he be in Egypt?" Helen wondered, "How did you find him?"
"An old friend of mine retired there." Jack said, "I put out word of who I was looking for, apparently Druitt had been making himself known in certain circles, circles that I would know and your would not. He's leading me to himself."
"But why?" Helen wondered.
"When he was in Cardiff we talked." Jack admitted, "He feared that the control he had gained because of Tesla's torture was slipping, he wanted my word that I would kill him if he became The Ripper again, so he couldn't hurt either of you." He looked between Helen and Ashley.
"And you gave him your word?" Helen knew that Jack would consider him promise as binding as John would, both were quite old fashioned in that regard.
"Not in the way he thought." Jack assured them, "I gave my word that I would do whatever it takes to stop him."
"And Druitt assumed that would mean that you'd kill him." Ianto put in, "But is could mean doing everything you can to help catch him."
"Exactly," Jack said, "He wants to be found but only by me."
"So how will we do this?" Helen asked, "I suspect you have more experience at this sort of thing."
"The important thing is that he thinks you aren't involved, if anything this has to look like a Torchwood `operation." Jack was thoughtful, "He knows I wouldn't go alone, so I'll take Ianto. Ashley and Kate come as well. We draw Druitt out and then Ashley shots him with the dart gun."
"What if something happens and it doesn't knock him out?" Kate asked, she had no desire to be anywhere near a pissed off Jack the Ripper, after all the parasite had tried to drop the lift she was in from the top of the Sanctuary, it was only thanks to the Big Guy that she wasn't a pancake.
"That is where this comes in." Ianto reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a standard issue Torchwood stun gun. "Torchwood, guaranteed to knock out anyone and anything, at least for a while."
"So why aren't we using that?" Kate asked "Instead of dart gun."
"Because it's electrical based." Helen told her, "John's body has already suffered several electric shocks over the past week, I don't want to add more unless we have no other choice." With Ashley present she did not want to mention that the only way they had to remove the parasite involved stopping John's heart again. With that in mind the additional jolt of the stun gun was defiantly something to be avoided. "So if we want this to look like a Torchwood operation how would we do it."
Jack and Ianto looked at each other, "We have to fly." Ianto said, "And it has to be from the UK, so Ashley will teleport us back to Cardiff, from there we take a privet jet to Egypt. I'll set up some accommodation in advance, we can't have any contact with Sanctuary personnel."
"Let me call Martha." Jack said, "See if I can't get a UNIT plane for us." Jack pulled out his phone and hit a speed dial. "Hey Martha it's Jack, how's Cardiff." He paused to listen, "Good listen I need another favour." Pause, "Yes I know that's all I ever call you about, I'll get you a gift." Pause. "I need a plane from Cardiff to Egypt." Pause, "Yes I know I'm not in Cardiff at the moment, but I will be soon."
He turned to the others, "How soon can we be ready?"
The two girls looked at Helen. "Give me two hours to make sure you'll have everything and you know how the tranquilliser-gun works."
"We'll be back in Cardiff in two hours, outside the Hub. I'll brief you then." Pause. "Good, thank you Martha. I owe you one. See you in two hours." He snapped his phone shut.
"She'll meet us in two hours to escort us to a UNIT jet which will take us to Egypt." Jack told them. Meanwhile Ianto had whipped out his PDA, it was modified to allow him to access the Torchwood mainframe. He booked them into a good hotel, having no idea how long they would be there, though hopefully it wouldn't be too long, he booked two rooms. Then he hacked into the computer system and changed the date on the booking for the girls room to several months ago.
He looked up to see the other four watching him, "All set?" Jack asked.
"Of course." Ianto said. "I booked us two rooms then I hacked in and changed the date on the booking for Ashley and Kate's room. Ours is under your name Jack but I put the other room under false names, you are a pair of university friends."
"Never went to college." Ashley said, "I didn't like studying at the best of times and Mom seemed to think I could get into enough trouble without help. Besides she's been often enough for the both of us anyway."
"Ashley."
"Mom, you went to Oxford twice."
"The first time they refused to grant me my degree because I was a woman." Helen said, "And there had been several advances in medicine since then."
"Anyway." Jack interrupted the mother daughter argument, "We have someone waiting for us in less then two hours, so I suggest you grab whatever it is you need and lets get ready to go. And Ashley?" Jack called after her as she followed Kate out. "Find something to cover your head, your pale skin will stand out enough but if your father catches sight of a blond he'll know you're following him. He'll run before you can catch up with him."
"Take one of my scarves." Helen said, "But make sure you take it from the back of my wardrobe, John's seen the ones near the front, I wore them while I was looking for you."
"It might be a good idea for Kate to wear one as well." Ianto suggested, "It will help them to blend in."
Kate looked less than happy but shrugged, she could live with it for a while but she wouldn't like it. The two girls headed off to pack and raid Helen's wardrobe. Jack and Ianto didn't have much to pack but they would need to brief their team before they left. Ianto decided to leave that task to Jack since he supposed to be the boss, plus his packing skills left a lot to be desired.
"Do you really think this will work?" Helen asked.
"The capture or the removal and containment?" Jack asked, "The second part I have no doubt about, not with Toshiko on the job, and as for the first; he's waiting for me Helen. He expects me to turn up and kill him."
"I want him back Jack. I need him back."
Jack walked around Helen's desk and pulled her up out of her chair and into his arms. "Do you still love him?" He'd seen the footage from outside main lab, heard Druitt's deceleration of love.
"Two weeks ago I would have said that at best I loved him as a friend." Helen said as she leant against Jack's chest, enjoying the support and the knowledge that he wouldn't judge her no matter what she said.
"And now?" Jack prompted when she didn't continue.
"I don't know." Helen admitted, "When we were locked in that cell together it was almost like when we were young, even though we knew we might die there was no awkwardness between us like there was when we were looking for Ashley. We sat beside one another and talked, not just about the thing trying to kill us but about other things too. He asked how Ashley was, how the rebuilding of the Sanctuaries was going."
Helen smiled then her voice sounded sad again, "Before he took the parasite back he told me he still loved me. 'For all eternity', he said those very words to me the night he asked me to marry him and for a moment I was that girl again, so young and in love." Helen took a deep breath, "I think I still love him Jack, oh God, I know I do. I still love him."
"Then I will bring him back to Helen." Jack told her confidently, "I have lost so many that I love, I would not want you to feel that pain."
Helen took a moment to compose herself then stepped out of Jack's embrace, "I know you will Jack, I can never repay you for this."
"You already have Helen, in ways you cannot understand." Jack told her thinking of all the years he had lived and the comfort of having another person who had lived them as well. He knew he faced literally eternity and that Helen probably wouldn't, not since she didn't have his ability to come back from the dead but at least for the time being he had someone else who had lived longer than a human should. And she and the other members of the Five had offered him something close to a family at a time when he had needed it most. She and James had been there when he returned from both the Wars.
"Now I need to brief my team." Jack told her, "They'll be answering to you until I get back, use then however you like." He gave smirked and she giggled, "But try to get Tosh to at least take a nap, she's exhausted from working on this."
"I'll take good care of them." Helen promised.
"I know you will." Jack told her, "We'll meet in the main Entrance Hall, have everything we might need sent there."
Helen nodded and Jack left to find his team. He encountered Gwen in one of the Halls and together they found Tosh and Owen still in the main lab. "Ianto and I are heading out in two hours with Ashley and Kate to capture Druitt. We want to keep the team small since Druitt has to believe that this is either just me or at the most a Torchwood operation. When they were in Cardiff he asked me to kill him if he ever lost control. He's expecting me to turn up, waiting for it."
"So you're going to use that." Owen guessed, "Let him see you and then have one of the others dart him while his attention is on you."
"Are you sure you don't want one of us to go with you?" Gwen asked.
"No." Jack said firmly, "Druitt knows that I wouldn't bring a large team with me on something like this. It's a personal mission so I can just about justify Ianto but he knows I would leave the rest of you in Cardiff to monitor the Rift."
"Alright Jack." Gwen agreed, seeing that he would not be dissuaded on this.
"You're under Helen's command until I return." Jack continued, "Help out where you can."
"'Be a good house guest', Jack?"Owen said sarcastically.
"Yes and if you could get Tosh and Henry to sleep, in an actual bed." Jack added looking over at Tosh who was fighting to keep her eyes open while she listened to his instructions and Henry, who had fallen asleep in the table top with his head pillowed on his arms.
"We will Jack." Owen promised as he moved to Tosh's side and lifted her to her feet, supporting her with one arm around her shoulder. "Come on Tosh, bed time."
"You did good Toshiko." Jack said as Owen guided her past him and out of the main lab, hopefully towards her bed. Meanwhile Gwen had shaken Henry awake and suggested that he get some sleep.
"No I need to be here." The half asleep werewolf insisted, "In case the equipment needs a last minute modification or calibration.
"Henry." Jack place both his hands on the other man's shoulders, "That won't be for at least seven or eight hours, use them to get some rest. You're no use to anyone if you're too tired to see the screens properly."
"You're probably right man." Henry agreed "I'll just get a few hours."
"Oh and Gwen, if you can get Helen to take a nap as well it would be a good idea but don't try to force her."
"Good luck with that." Henry muttered. As he headed out of the main lab followed by Gwen who looked worried that the half asleep werewolf was going to walk into a wall or fall back down the stairs as soon as he'd climbed them.
AN: Next time they catch up with Druitt, hope you enjoyed this and please leave me a review (are all the people who read Survival Instinct reading this too?)