A/N: Agh, I'm ill. Still not ill enough to warrant time off school, IMHO, but ill enough for it to be aggravating. This chapter follows our lovely Jack, and stars no OCs whatsoever. However, supporting actresses are PhoneCall!Gwen and PhoneCall!Martha, so I hope you enjoy their little parts. I'm aiming for about 15 chapters, which would mean a chapter for every song off of the Blink-182 album that inspired this fic. The self-titled one. You'll notice I've started to rename the chapters according to what song goes best with it. Anyways, enough from me: this is dedicated to EVERYONE who reviews this, ever. I love the reactions I'm getting. ENJOY. My head is killing me.


He found himself back on a roof of a skyscraper. Admittedly, this time it was in London, and he was not looking over the spectacular view of the Plass, but he always found serenity when he was high above the normal, work-a-day people below.

Captain Jack Harkness was deeply unsettled – particularly as his rooftop hideaway was not providing the usually dosage of calm to his system. He felt as though someone had dumped him in cold water, so the heavy wool of his greatcoat absorbed gallons of the stuff and kept him shivering long after he'd climbed out of it. He had not slept in days; how could he, with images of Ianto and Stephen racing round his brain? Stephen, his beautiful grandson, with blood pouring from his eyes and nose and ears, shaking and writhing as he headed towards death.

He never got to tell Stephen that he wasn't his uncle, after all. Though, perhaps, Jack mused, he knows now. Wherever the dead go when they're at peace. He prayed for Stephen's sake it was not just the darkness he was so used to.

And now Ianto was missing. Well, his remains. The man he loved had departed this world – Jack checked his watch – 87 hours and 29 minutes ago. But something urgent tugged at his gut, telling him that something was wrong here. And not just because Ianto had been body-snatched by a strange woman (Agent Catharine, he reminded himself) about whom he could find no information.

When Ianto died, he felt something inside him die out, like an extinguished flame. But for some reason, now it didn't feel so cold, as if the ashes were reigniting. That made Jack both nervous and hopeful.

Gwen had returned to Cardiff to survey the damage to the Hub and see what could be done, whether it could be recovered or rebuilt. Jack had no doubt she wouldn't be calling for a while – Rhys was likely to keep her busy with baby preparation and carting stuff back from the shell of the Hub to keep in storage. Jack had an emergency bunker just a few miles out of Cardiff set up for situations of dire need – only he had hoped they'd never need it.

He felt like he was at the bottom of that deep, dark grave Grey had put him in, dying over and over again. Missing Ianto had left an abyss where his heart used to be.

I need you so bad, Jack thought desperately. I need to find you. If there's any chance you're alive, any chance at all, I'll take it.

A vibration in his pocket awoke him from his dark thoughts. He eyed the caller ID bemusedly. Gwen.

"Talk to me, Gwen."

"Jack. Before you ask, no, I've not been able to survey all the damage to the Hub, so I'm not sure if we can salvage it yet, but I've got something to tell you."

"Shoot," Jack replied, not liking the anxiety in her voice.

"Jack, when I first got back to Cardiff and I looked at the wreckage of the Tourist Office, Ianto's coffee machine was there, completely unharmed. I put it into storage with some other odd bits and pieces, and when I went back this morning to check on everything and put some more stuff in with it…well…"

A sinking feeling seized Jack's insides, and he barked, "Spit it out, Gwen!"

"Jack, don't snap at me. I called to tell you the coffee machine is missing from the storage unit. Someone's been in our stuff."

Jack swore, raising his spare hand to his temple and rubbing his forehead. He focused on keeping his breathing even – the only thing he had left of Ianto was gone. Fuck. Fu---

"---but I found something you might be interested in."

Jack raised his head, "What?"

"I can't be sure, but I think I found blood. Only a bit, but I think it is."

"Gwen, blood is blood. Red, smells of rust, you know the deal."

"This particular blood is green, Jack. Our visitor is not human."

The colour drained from Jack's face, "Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can. Take a sample of the blood and keep it on your person at all times. It looks like our perp slipped up."

"See you soon, Jack. Rhys…sends his condolences."

Jack flipped the phone shut, lips white.

What would an alien want with Ianto's coffee machine? The green blood narrowed the species down significantly, but still wasn't enough, and running a blood diagnostic would be extremely difficult without the Hub's hive of alien technology. Although, he supposed, he could always ring in a favour…

Flipping his phone back open again, Jack dialed one number for someone on his speed dial. Someone infallible in times of a crisis.

A husky female voice answered, "Hello?"

"Is that the song of a nightingale I hear?"

"Jack? What are you doing calling me after all that's been on?"

"I need a favour. You heard about the Hub?"

"No, what about it?"

"Destroyed. Moved what we could save to emergency storage, including an unscathed coffee maker---" Jack broke off, voice cracking.

"Jack? Jack, what's wrong?"

"Ianto. Ianto died."

There was a pause Jack felt went on forever, and he heard the tiny noises of a woman crying. Then

"I know."

This caught Jack off guard. Then he happened to remember that despite how much he loved her as a person, Martha was still UNIT. She would no doubt know all he knew about the past week. He swiped away some stray tears that had crept out, and said, "Well, I guess I could have predicted that."

"Jack, I'm so sorry."

"Martha, I know. Me too. Now his body's been snatched and I need to get it back before I get the hell off this damn planet. It feels off."

"The planet or the situation?"

"Both. The coffee machine was stolen from the emergency storage and the thief left some blood. Green blood. Without the Hub I can't run the proper blood work and I won't be able to find out what an alien would want with Ianto's coffee machine."

Jack listened as Martha wiped her face, and tapped at a keyboard, and smiled as she replied, "Well…this goes against everything UNIT stands for, but I'll give you a hand. God knows you need them. You're so lucky you've got Survivors of the End of the World Club benefits."

"Martha Jones, I do love you. Can you make it down to Cardiff? Gwen and I will meet you in the Plass by the Hub wreckage, tomorrow at midday."

"Sure thing, Jack. And listen --- I really am gutted." She sniffed, and it sounded more like a sob. Jack's throat tightened.

"I know."

He hung up.

Taking one last look at the London skyline from his place among the clouds, Jack turned and made his way towards the stairs. Back to Cardiff…

…without him.