Here's chapter 1!

This is set pre-Children of Earth. Harry's timeline has been moved up to match with Torchwood's and he's currently six years old.

Enjoy!

CHAPTER 1

"Anything on the monitor, Tosh?" Jack asked, coming up behind her.

Toshiko blushed a bit as she closed out of her solitaire game. "Not really. There is an odd anomaly I've been picking up for a while, though."

"Really?" He leaned in closer to see what she was bringing up on her screen. "What is it?"

"There's this spot over in Surrey." She pointed to it on a map. "At first it was just little blips—figured it wasn't really anything—but they're getting stronger and closer together." She turned to look at her boss, who was staring at the spot on the screen intently. "I first picked it up a couple of months ago, but it is really small. Do you think it's something to worry about?"

Jack stood up straight again and looked directly at his employee. "Well, I think we've had a couple of quiet days now and we could use some field work. Can't hurt to check it out. Besides, it's pretty close—only a two and a half hour drive. Ianto and I will check it out. You can stay here with Owen. Is Gwen still out with Rhys?" Tosh smiled slightly and nodded. Jack nodded back quickly and grinned as he walked off towards the archives to tell Ianto. They were finally going to get some alone time.

They'd been driving for two hours now, talking about nothing in particular and just enjoying each other's company. "So, left?"

"Yes, Sir," Ianto answered. "I can focus in on it now. We're getting close."

Jack flashed his lover a grin. "Any guesses what it'll be?"

"No, not a clue. Do you think it'll be something big? I was under the impression that you just wanted out of the office to avoid paperwork and that I was here just so you could have someone to flirt with in the car."

Jack chuckled a bit, "Yeah, that's pretty much it. Still, it could be something."

"Alright, what do you think it'll be, then?"

"'Dunno." Jack grinned mischievously as he caught sight of the yellow light up ahead. He applied the breaks and turned in his seat to look at Ianto. He reached out to touch his lover's hair and leaned in for a kiss.

"Jack," Ianto warned, "the light's just turned."

"Oh, you've just gotta' ruin all my fun."

"So, whatever it is, it's in the tackiest and most dull neighborhood in all of existence," Jack said, pointing out the obvious. "Good hiding place."

Ianto nodded and glanced down at the readings on his tablet. "A few of the blips are in surrounding areas, but almost all of them are located on this one spot." He looked up and back down, tracking their position in accordance with the map. "Here, just to the right."

Jack slowed down and looked out the window at the house, just like every other on the street. "Number four, huh? Must be some alien artifact that a kid picked up." He pulled the car to the side of the road and shifted it into park. "Shall we take a look?"

Ianto nodded and unbuckled his seatbelt before pushing the door open and stepping out onto the sidewalk. Jack took the keys from the ignition and circled around the vehicle. Shoving the keys roughly into the pocket of his greatcoat, he grabbed his lover by the shoulders and pulled him in for a deep kiss. A high-pitched shriek interrupted them and they broke apart, Ianto blushing and looking awkward and Jack smiling widely, as they turned to face the woman who'd made the sound.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" she asked rudely. She was a thin, horsey woman with a long neck, and was wearing a housedress.

Ianto coughed self-consciously and Jack said, "Cap'n Jack Harkness. We're from the government." He laughed inwardly at the lie. "Two cases of radiation sickness have been reported around this location and we just need to take a look around. Very routine."

She eyed Ianto suspiciously before turning her threatening gaze to Jack's unusual attire. "We don't need your kind around here. Try to teach children proper family values and all you get is roadblocks, bad examples on every street corner." She was mumbling under her breath now.

"We apologize, ma'am," Ianto said. Jack gave him an odd look. "We didn't mean to upset your 'proper family values.'" He was using a sarcastic tone now, making Jack crack a smile. The woman sniffed. "We just need to take a look around if you don't mind. Just a few scans and we can be out of your way. Have you seen any unusual objects lately? Something old, or maybe science-fiction-y looking?"

She shook her head. "I haven't heard anything about any radiation. Did one of your experiments go wrong again?"

"No, ma'am," Jack jumped in. "Personally, I don't believe a word of the reports, but we have to check it out anyway. It's the job."

The woman huffed and turned on her heel to go back into her house. Ianto pulled a portable rift monitor out of the back seat of the car.

Jack leaned up against the car and watched Ianto work. "I'm not picking anything up," Ianto announced after a few minutes. "If it's an object, then it's either gone now, or it only lets off signals at certain times or in reaction to certain stimulus. We'll have to find it or wait for it to activate again."

Jack was roused from his fantasies about Ianto's fine arse by the statement. "Well, I guess we'd better get looking, then. Any clues as to what we're looking for?"

Ianto shook his head. "There's nothing, Sir."

Jack pushed himself up off the car and stepped over to Ianto. "Well then, I guess we'll just have to hope it's something we'll know when we see. Care for a walk?" He offered his arm and Ianto took it as they strolled off down the street. They didn't see the small boy who'd just stood up from his place by the flowerbed behind the house, dusted himself off, and was moving around towards the front to continue his weeding there.

It was at least an hour and a half later—a little after five pm-and they'd found nothing. Jack dug into his fries hungrily and watched Ianto across the small table. "So, you want to head back to the hub, or find a hotel room? It might show up tomorrow."

"Whatever it is," the younger man added. "We should just head back. Tosh was probably right and it's nothing at all. Unless you had something else in mind for the hotel room."

Jack grinned but shook his head. "Nah, you're probably right. I like the way you think, though."

The light began to fade from the sky as the pair finished up their meal and the mid-November chill blew through the air. They paid and headed back out to where they'd parked the car down the street. They'd gotten two blocks when Jack heard his com activate.

"Jack?" Tosh started.

"Yeah, Toshiko, what's up?" he acknowledged.

"It's the blip. It's active again."

Ianto pulled out the scanner and checked the readings. "She's right, Jack."

"Thanks, Tosh!" Jack said as the two broke into a run down the street. They continued at a run all the way back to the house they'd begun their search at. An expensive-looking car was now parked in the drive and lights shone through the windows. It sounded like an argument was happening inside.

"Emotion-activated tech?" Ianto asked.

Jack shrugged and motioned towards the door. "How close can you pin-point the origin of the disturbance?"

"Pretty close. We need to get inside."

Jack nodded and strode purposefully towards the door. Lifting up the gold knocker, he banged it three times. They heard muffled voices inside and a shouted "Boy!"

The boy who opened the door couldn't have been any older than seven but was three times the normal size. Blond hair was plastered flat across the top of his round head. "Er… Could we speak to your parents" Ianto asked. The boy shrugged, turned, and waddled back inside.

The woman they'd met before quickly appeared. "You!" she exclaimed.

"Us!" Jack replied. "We've been searching all afternoon and our scanners just lit up. There really is something causing radiation and it's somewhere in your house. If you just let us in, we can find it, and you'll never have to see us again."

The woman looked conflicted and kept looking over her shoulder anxiously. "Is it really dangerous?" she asked.

"Oh yes. Very."

"Well, alright then, but be quick!" she hissed.

"Petunia? Who is it at the door?" a man yelled from somewhere in the house.

"It's two men from the government. They say there's radiation."

"What?"

Jack and Ianto had already pushed past her and into the house by the time they heard the man get up and start moving. He must have been huge, because he was making a hell of a lot of noise.

Jack leaned over Ianto's shoulder as he moved forward, following the signals from the monitor. They moved slowly, making sure not to miss anything. They took it one small step at a time. At that pace, they hadn't got too far before the man—Jack was right, he was enormous—stomped into the front hallway.

"Who are you?" he demanded angrily. "Get out of my house!"

"Vernon-" the woman started.

Jack cut her off, turning to confront the man so Ianto could continue his work. "I'm afraid we can't leave, Sir. There's something inside of your home that's letting off high levels of radiation. We just picked it up and if we can get it safely out now, you will most likely come to no harm, but if we wait, your entire family could be exposed to lethal amounts. Just let us do our job and we'll be out of your way shortly."

The man looked as though he were likely to explode. His face had turned a dark purple. Jack caught him glancing briefly at a closet door under the stairs.

"Ianto?" Jack said.

"Yes, Sir?"

"Check the closet under the stairs."

"Sir?"

"Just do it."

In a rage, the man roared and tried to launch himself at the two men. Jack pulled his gun from its holster and pointed it at the man's face. Vernon Dursley wisely stopped.

Ianto walked to the stairs and tried the knob. "Locked."

"Is there a chance that whatever it is is behind that door?"

"Yes, Sir, there's a chance."

"Then break it down."

The large man looked as though he might protest, but Jack audibly cocked the gun and Mr. Dursley stayed where he was.

Careful to protect the equipment he was holding, Ianto threw his shoulder against the door. The thin wood broke instantly under the pressure and he pulled the now broken door open. They all heard a small whimper and Jack turned his head slightly to keep one eye on the owners of the house while he talked to Ianto. "Ianto, what was that?"

"I'm nearly positive that the source is in here, Sir."

"What was that sound, Ianto?"

"You're not going to like it, Sir."

"Tell me."

"It's a child, Sir."

Jack reacted immediately. His face became hard as he gestured with his gun. "Both of you, into the other room. Now!"

With a gun pointed at them, they had no choice. They moved through the door and into a sitting room where their son already was. "Sit," Jack ordered. They did. "You are going to stay here until we tell you otherwise. Understood?" Wide-eyed with fear, the family nodded. Jack backed out of the room and closed the door before hurrying back to Ianto.

"What's creating the blip?"

"I'm not sure. The energy is barely showing up, now." Ianto had set the monitor off to the side and had entered the small cupboard. He was kneeling on the floor, now, beside a small bed. A tiny boy with black hair was curled up in the farthest corner.

Jack nodded and stowed his gun back in its holster. "A child?" he questioned. He got closer, coming right up behind Ianto, who nodded and pointed. "Hey, Kido," Jack started. "It's gonna' be okay. Are you hurt? What's your name?"

The child let out another whimper and seemed to get even smaller. The monitor beeped and Ianto grabbed it from the floor. He quickly spun it around to face the child. "Jack, I'm not sure, but…I think he's the one letting off rift energy."

"How is that possible?"

"I don't know."

"How sure are you about this?"

"Not positive, but it's right where he is. He could have swallowed something, I suppose."

Jack gulped and nodded. "Okay, we need to get him out of there." Jack leaned forward and stretched out a hand to touch the boy's shoulder but the child let out a strangled cry and flinched away. "Hey, hey now. It's alright. We don't want to hurt you. We just need you to come out."

The child shook his head violently and shrunk back into his corner even further. The monitor flared again.

"Is everything okay?" Tosh crackled through the com. "The readings keep spiking."

Ianto reached up and tapped his ear. "Hi Tosh, it's Ianto. There's nothing you can do from there. We should be back some time tonight."

"Is everything okay?"

Jack reached up to tap his ear as well. "We may be bringing back a child."

"Wha-?"

"We don't have time to talk about it right now. It'll be about three hours. Make sure Owen's ready."

"Alright."

Jack turned to Ianto, who looked like he'd gone blank from shock. "Ianto." No response. "Ianto Jones, we need to get that kid out of there." Jack grasped Ianto's shoulder and gave it a shake to reinforce his point.

Ianto came out of it all at once, "Right. Yes." He scooted farther into the cupboard and started to speak to the child in Welsh. "Plentyn, nid ydym eisiau brifo chi. Mae popeth yn mynd i fod yn iawn. Nid oes rhaid i chi boeni, un bach. Dewch yma. Bydd yn iawn. Yr wyf yn addo, bydd yn ddiogel. Dewch gyda ni ac ni fydd neb byth yn brifo chi eto. Mae angen i chi ddod allan."**

Jack watched, amazed, as his lover slowly scooted closer to the child until, at the end of what he was saying, he was able to wrap his arms around the small body. The boy let out a yell when Ianto touched him, but only struggled a little as he was pulled gently out of the closet. Ianto fell to a sitting position on the floor and hugged the small boy in his lap. "Shh…shh…It's alright now," he murmured as he rocked side to side.

Jack couldn't help but smile as he kneeled down beside them. The boy winced when Jack turned his face up towards him. Captain Harkness took in the thin face, black hair, a flash of green eyes, and a thin, oddly-shaped scar on the child's forehead. He also noticed the faint traces of an old bruise around the child's jaw.

As gently as he could, Jack pulled the kid's much-too-large shirt up over his head. The boy cried out in what sounded horribly like pain and winced away from them, but Ianto held onto him tightly. The removal of the shirt revealed more bruises than they ever could have guessed. Ianto let out a strangled sob at the sight and Jack let out a gusty breath.

"Come on, Ianto, we're getting him out of here." Jack helped Ianto to stand up with the child and pointed towards the door. "Can you get him into the car, please? I need to make a call." Ianto nodded and obeyed, once more murmuring in Welsh to the boy.

Jack pulled his cell phone from his pocket and scrolled through his contacts to find Gwen's number. It rang three times before she answered, sounding breathless and cheerful.

"Enjoy your time with Rhys?" Jack asked.

"Oh, yes," she responded.

"Good, because it's over." He could picture her glare in the brief moment of silence. "I need you to be at the hub in two hours. We've got a case of child abuse to deal with. We're going to need to find out who this kid is and then sort out all the messy details."

"How do we get a case of child abuse?"

"The kid's excreting rift energy."

"What?"

"Uh-huh. Just be there before we get back." Jack hung up and shoved the phone back into his pocket. He then took several deep breaths before walking out the front door. He went around to the back of the car and opened it up, searching for a garbage bag. Locating one, he pulled it out and then went to Ianto. "I'll be a few minutes. Is he okay? There's a blanket under the seat."

Ianto nodded shakily. "He's not okay now, but I think there's a chance that he will be."

"That'll have to do."

Jack strode back into the house, shoveled everything from the closet into the bag, picked up the rift monitor, and took it all back out to the car. He shoved it in the back and went to confront the Dursleys. Angrily, Jack opened the door to the sitting room and, gun in hand, he looked back and forth between the two adults, glancing only occasionally at the scared boy. "How anyone could ever do that is beyond me. Don't worry. You won't all die of radiation poisoning. We're taking the child and all his things and we're leaving. Your family will be watched and if you make any attempts to leave the area, there will be serious consequences." Jack turned and walked out of the room. The terrified family made no attempts to stop him.

Hope you all enjoyed that! I'll try to update reasonably quickly, but I do have school and stuff. Unfortunately, my teachers don't accept fanfiction in place of the essays they assign. It's a shame, really. Reviews are highly motivational. They force me to think about the story which makes me want to write more. Feel free to leave some!

-MP

**Child, we do not want to hurt you. Everything is going to be okay. You don't have to worry, little one. Come here. It'll be alright. I promise, it will be safe. Come with us and no one will ever hurt you again. We need you to come out.