It started off as a normal day. They got up, got dressed, had breakfast and then set off to work hand in hand. Ianto Jones and Melody Winters back home from their holiday in Paris. They entered the Hub to find the others playing basketball, Ianto couldn't help but notice that Owen was wearing his glasses (something he rarely does) and Tosh was dressed rather daringly (something she never does).
And then they saw him, a man in a leather jacket, blonde hair that covered his ears and piercing blue eyes.
"Who's this?" Melody asked
"What you don't remember me?" the blonde man asked "Melly I'm hurt"
"Who are you?" Ianto asked
"You too Yan? Now this really hurts" the blonde puts his hands on their shoulders and suddenly flashes of memories came speeding across their mind.
In this world you tried,
Leaving me alone behind.
There's
no other way,
I pray to the gods let him stay.
The memories
cease the pain inside,
Now I know why.
"Adam!" Melody squeals throwing her arms round him "good to see you again"
"Adam" Ianto says grinning holding his hand out for a shake "see you haven't destroyed the Hub in my absence"
"Oh thee of little faith" Jack grumbles as everyone laughs and greets Ianto and Melody.
It was about two in the afternoon when Jack found Gwen curled up in the cells whimpering. He reached out and touched her on the shoulder, she flinched slightly.
"Gwen, Gwen love what is it?" he asks softly
"Jack, oh Jack" she cries "I can remember my parents"
"That's good isn't it?"
"But I can't remember Rose!"
He holds her to him and comforts her, re-telling her stories about Rose but nothing works, she can't remember her sister, just her name. and then he begins to remember things that he doesn't want to remember.
Gray.
All of my memories keep you near.
In silent moments,
Imagine
you'd be here.
All of my memories keep you near,
In silent
whispers, silent tears
Both Jack and Gwen seemed to be distressed. Owen was acting weird, unsure of himself, nervous, like a polite little geek. Tosh was acting…confident, sexy, showing how beautiful and smart she is.
Melody doesn't remember Ianto.
She goes home to her flat to find pictures of them together, to find his stuff mingled with hers and she goes berserk. She runs to the Hub and spends the night with Jack and Gwen, who keep trying to help her remember him.
Nothing works.
Ianto ends up crying in Gwen's arms.
"You weren't there when Lisa died" he says "I loved Lisa, and she was turned into a monster, I fell for Melody and now she can't remember me"
Made me promise I'd try,
To find my way back in this
life.
Hope there is a way,
To give me a sign you're
okay.
Reminds me again it's worth it all,
So I can go home.
Ianto sits there flipping through his diary that he has kept since he joined Torchwood Three; he has every detail written down…but nothing about Adam. He tries to confront Adam about it, but then his mind is filled with horrifying images of him killing girls with his bare hands.
Jack finds him in a corner rocking and spends the whole night trying to convince Ianto that the whole thing isn't real.
The lost memories of Gray, the lost memories of Gwen's parents, Gwen forgetting her sister, Melody forgetting Ianto, Ianto thinking that he's a serial killer and Tosh and Owen are acting so different.
All points to Adam.
So he locks Adam up, he hypnotizes the team into remembering the whole life and he can hear them.
"Woke up somewhere…wandered round and round…never stopped…then I found this park…a little blonde girl…she was called Rose" Gwen mutters
"Dad left when I was eight…never saw him again…Mum tried her best…but I wasn't good enough" Owen says
"Was good at everything…made everything work…maths, science, technology…but never friends, never made any" Tosh whispered
"Mum and Dad always argued…friends were good, looked after me when I needed them…photography loved it…collage was better than school…" Melody murmured
"Lisa, oh Lisa…our first kiss, our first date….she was so beautiful and smart" Ianto mumbled
All of my memories keep you near.
In silent moments,
Imagine
you'd be here.
All of my memories keep you near.
In silent
whispers, silent tears
"Rose always got into trouble…always had to bail her out…wouldn't have had it any other way…she always got the boys though, Jimmy, Mickey, the Doctor…I was never attractive enough, never perfect enough compared to her" Gwen said "but it didn't matter, because she was my sister and I loved her"
Jack reached out and stroked her hair "of course you do and I chose you. I love you Gwen" he whispers in her ear "Rose never got a look in with you round" he slipped the retcon in her mouth and she swallowed. He gently laid her head on the table and kissed her forehead.
"I was sixteen when she kicked me out…she said 'I love you because you're my son but that doesn't mean I have to like you'…I became cold, twisted, bitter…who would like me now?"
"We do" Jack hisses "you're a brother to me Owen Harper, you're sarcastic and annoying but we wouldn't have had it anyway" he slips the retcon into his mouth and Owen swallows. Jack laid his head down on the table, ruffling Owen's hair fondly.
"Never had a flat warming…had no one to invite…" Tosh sobbed "I was a no one, who would see anything special in me?"
"I did!" Jack declares he forces the retcon down her; she struggled slightly but gave in after and while. He kissed her on the forehead and laid her head down on the table.
"The police force…couple of lousy dates…then Torchwood…such horror, such wonderful things…then Ianto, oh Ianto, sweet, kind, special…what does he see in me?"
"Amazing things" Jack murmured stroking her hair, coxing her into taking the retcon "you're amazing, the best" he laid her head down on the table.
"Then I found Melody….so different from Lisa, smart in her own way, sarcastic, always joking, beautiful…what does she see in me?"
"Sweetness" Jack said softly "kindness, reliability, love" he slipped the retcon in Ianto's mouth and hugged the man's head before laying it down on the table.
He studied them all, his team, his friends, his family and he felt fury for someone messing with their heads.
Together in all these memories,
I see your smile.
All of
the memories I hold dear.
Darling you know I'll love you,
Till
the end of time.
He stormed off and screamed at Adam, yelled at him. Adam almost conned him, showed him memories of his father and brother, but then he realised…if Gwen could give up memories of her parents, then he could give up these memories.
He took the retcon and fell to the floor into a deep sleep.
All of my memories keep you near
In silent moments,
Imagine
you'd here.
All of my memories keep you near,
In silent
whispers, silent tears.
They woke up with two days missing in their memories, two days worth of CCTV missing, two days of whatever rift activity missing and god knows what happened. Jack suggested that it might have been something embarrassing that they all wanted to forget, like the time the hallucinogen was released in the Hub and the whole team went insane.
But then Ianto pointed out that Jack left a letter to himself explaining this and he didn't this time.
Melody said that she couldn't give a crap about the missing memories and wanted to go home and sleep. So she and Ianto went.
Tosh found a beautiful bouquet of lilies on her desk with a note saying 'apologies from Owen'. Owen denied everything and stormed of in search of a drink. Tosh looked heartbroken and followed Owen out.
Jack felt Gwen wrap her arms round him and he looked down to see her smile. "best thing about this memory gap" she said "is that it means we got two extra days off from Ianto's nagging about the vow renewal"
Jack laughed and held Gwen closer.
All of my memories...
Authors note: the song used is Memories by Within Temptation (one of my favourites actually). Next chapter might be Reset, will Owen die? Or will I kill someone else off? The only way you're going to find out is if you review.