Disclaimer: Buffy and Torchwood universes are not mine. I'm just playing with them ^^

Thank you for all your wonderfull reviews! Every time I'm receiving one, my days became brighter and I smiled like an idiot ^^ Thank you for keeping reading this story. And a big thank you to my beta Ignotus.

Enjoy!

Chapter Five

A Weevil on the loose

The call had come from Chief Cadogan himself. An alien on the loose. Jack didn't ask how he knew it was an alien. He would deal with that later. According to the description, they had a Weevil to deal with. He grabbed his guns, Ianto and Owen doing the same, while Tosh and Gwen were trying to track down the Weevil on the CCTV cameras around the city. Tosh called him over.

"Jack, you should come see this!"

He left his office and knew immediately that something was wrong. Why was he even surprised? These days, everything seemed to go wrong anyway. Ever since that INC agency appeared in his town and befriended the cops. They were playing on his nerves. He was an easygoing man though. But they were messing with him and his team. Taking his corpses and short-circuiting the CCTV cameras. And what was with the name? INC? He didn't even know what the letters stood for! He had tried to find out who they were. However, what he discovered hadn't improved his mood. They were a really old agency –apparently older than Torchwood- which had been working a little less secretly for a couple years. He received orders to stay away from them and let them take the cases they wanted. Unfortunately, he was not the kind of man who let things go that easily.

"It's Andy, Jack. The victim's Andy!" Gwen told him, bringing Jack back to the matter at hand.

Better and better. The policeman already hated them. Now, they had to find a way to Retcon him. They would tell him he had been attack by a wild dog. That is, if he survived. They would think of that later. Now, finding the Weevil before it did anything else destructive was more important.

Owen and Ianto appeared, ready to go. He was about to say they were going when Tosh interrupted him.

"We have the video of the attack. You should watch it."

"Tosh, we don't have time for… Wow! Show that again!"

The first problem he saw was the policeman's companion. But that could be easily taken care of with Retcon. Beautiful invention that pill. Back to the video, Andy was walking with a little blonde woman, smiling. He said something that made her glare at him and she walked away. That was when the Weevil attacked him. Nothing abnormal there. Until the teeny-tiny girl sent the Weevil flying through the air like it weighed nothing.

"Ok, that's unusual."

"I know her!" Owen exclaimed, leaning towards the screen where Tosh had zoomed in on the girl's face.

They all looked at him.

"The picture isn't that clear but I'm sure she's my crazy new neighbor."

Tosh smiled and opened her mouth but Jack stopped her before the situation could escalate.

"Not now. We have a Weevil to catch. We'll deal with Superwoman after that."

"Jack, I…"

"You can go, Gwen. Tosh…"

"I'll send you the directions on the way."

They split up. Tosh stayed in the Hub, giving directions to the three boys hunting the Weevil while Gwen went to the hospital, hoping Andy's condition wasn't critical.

Buffy paced the length of the waiting room for what felt like the hundredth time. It seemed like hours had passed since they arrived. It was all her fault. She should have felt the thing. But she hadn't and now her friend was in the hospital. She hoped Torchwood would be able to stop the alien before it hurt someone else.

God, she hated waiting! There was blood all over her. Andy's blood. She groaned in frustration. She couldn't lose him. He was her first friend here. He was her only friend here!

"You can wait here."

"I don't want to wait!"

The Slayer groaned again. Fantastic! Just what she needed! The nurse left Gwen Cooper in the waiting room. The brunette turned towards her and Buffy saw her hand move to her gun:

"You!"

She couldn't believe her luck! Could this evening be any worse? What? No demons or vampires wanting to play with her? Maybe a little unannounced apocalypse?

"What are you?" she heard Cooper said.

Buffy made a face:

"I'm Californian."

"That's not what I mean! I saw what you did."

Buffy rolled her eyes and thought 'Please, kill me now'. She watched the other woman innocently:

"What did I do?"

Gwen looked around the room and snapped:

"You know what I'm talking about."

Buffy's cell rung and she blessed whoever was calling. It was Cadogan, wanting news on Andy. She explained the situation to him, watching as Gwen made her own call out of the corner of her eye. She heard her say the name Jack and she felt apathy take over. This evening was a complete nightmare. For weeks, she had stayed in hiding, leading an almost normal life. And it all went to Hell in less than an hour. Just one fucking hour!

Cadogan assured her he would talk to his men so there wouldn't be any investigation. He would leave that to Torchwood. After all, it seemed to be their shit. She hung up just as the nurse came back in. She recognized Buffy and talked to her, much to Gwen's irritation.

"He's going to be alright. He's sedated but he wants to see you."

"May I see him too?" Gwen asked.

"Just one visitor for tonight. I'm sorry." The nurse replied.

Buffy couldn't help but smile at the brunette's face. At least, she wasn't the only one to have a hellish night. When she entered the room, she saw Andy lying on the bed, white as a sheet. She closed the door behind her and walked towards the bed.

"How are you doing?" She asked, grimacing at the stupidity of her own question.

He tried to smile.

"They said I was lucky. None of the nerves were damaged. And now, I'll have a scar. I heard that girls like scars. It's manly."

"You're joking. That means you'll be alright."

She sat carefully on the edge of the bed, watching his heavily bandaged arm. She felt remorse washed over her. She should have felt it! She took his hand in hers.

"Gwen's outside."

He sighed. "I'm too tired for that."

"I'll let her know."

He watched her for a while before asking:

"What was that thing?"

She breathed deeply before answering. "An alien."

He closed his eyes. "You're saying that an alien tried to eat me?"

"I think. That's not my area of expertise."

He opened his eyes, curious: "Then what is?"

"Vampires, demons and all that supernatural stuff."

"You know, it's mean to joke with an injured man."

Her face became serious. She let go of the mask she was used to wearing. He saw it, the oldness in her eyes, the tiredness in her stiffened shoulders. The sudden change surprised him and frightened him a little. He didn't know the woman beside him. Unconsciously, he let go of her hand.

"Who are you?"

His gesture hurt her but she seemed to resign herself. She stood up.

"Not here. If you want to know the truth, I'll tell you everything. But it will be a one-way ticket. Think about it. Are you really ready for this? It's a violent and dark world. People die every day. I'm sorry Andy. Sleep well and think about it. I'll come back tomorrow."

She was avoiding his eyes, like she was afraid of what she would find in them. Once again, he wondered who she really was. He always knew she was hiding things from him. But it was hard to take when you were caught in the secrets. She reminded him of Gwen. But unlike her, Buffy seemed ready to be honest with him. He watched her head to the door and realized he couldn't let her leave like that. He called to her when her hand was on the handle. She turned back and he said:

"Thank you for saving my life tonight. I'll see you tomorrow."

Her eyes shined as she smiled: "You're welcome."

She saw them immediately when she stepped into the hall. Torchwood had arrived. And just for her. Great! She pinched her nose. She was tired and cranky. The evening had been emotionally draining, and she was covered in half-dried blood. It was like wearing solid clothing. All she wanted was a shower and to curl up in bed for the next couple of years. Gwen pointed at her without even trying to be discreet. Buffy ignored them, walking toward the nurses office. She flashed her badge.

"I'm Buffy Summers, from the INC. If something, anything, happens to that policeman, call me. Here my number."

The nurse nodded.

"INC, huh?"

She turned to came face to face with Boss-Man. She held back a whimper. God, the man had the most amazing blue eyes she had ever seen. And that smirk! Bad, bad Buffy! They were the enemies here.

"Torchwood, huh?" She replied.

Something flashed in his eyes. For the first time, she saw his clothes. They were wrinkled and dirty. A bruise was starting to form on Suit-Man's jaw. Oh my God, why were they that hot? Back to the point Buffy. They had been fighting.

"Did you catch it?"

"Yes. It won't be a problem anymore. It didn't hurt anyone."

"Except Andy."

"He's alive thanks to you. You pulled a really neat trick for someone your size."

She glared. That was it! She was little, so what? It was a sore point for her. Her hands went to her hips, she raised her head and snapped:

"Don't you know that all good things come in small packages?"

Rude-Guy chuckled. Gwen seemed annoyed. Suit-Man quickly hid a smile. Boss-Man smirked.

"There's no way you're going to leave me alone, is there?" She said.

"Nope."

"I'm tired and cranky. I've got blood all over me. And one of my friends is lying in a hospital bed. I want answers too. I want to know what kind of alien that was, what it was doing in Cardiff and how to kill it. So, here's the deal. You could leave me under the surveillance of Rude-Guy, after all we live in the same building. And tomorrow, you could all come to my place for a nice little chat over some coffee. Or tea if you prefer. What do you say?"

"Rude-Guy?" Jack asked, raising one eyebrow.

"Owen? Rude? That's surprising."

Buffy smiled at Suit-Man's sarcastic reply.

"Hey, tired girl waiting here!" She exclaimed, returning attention to herself.

"Owen, keep an eye on her. By the way, I'm captain Jack Harkness."

He held out his hand and she took it.

"Buffy Summers."

She didn't bother to lighten her grip. After all, they had seen her with the alien and knew she was strong. In fact, she made him wince, letting him know that she was stronger than him. Maybe showing that she could be a threat wasn't the best idea but it was comforting to her.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow. You know where I live."

"I can't wait," the captain replied.

She left without watching if Harper was following her. He was arguing with his boss, not happy to play baby-sitter. Impatient, she yelled over her shoulder.

"Come on Rude-Guy! A girl needs her beauty sleep."

Jack watched Owen run after the little blonde. That had been interesting. It had been a long time since he came into contact with someone as interesting as her. She was honest, funny, strong and quite hot. She hadn't backed away, and almost crushed his hand when she shook it. And the little nickname she had given to Owen! His face was priceless.

He turned towards Gwen.

"Go home."

"But…"

"Home, Gwen. There's nothing you can do. You too Tosh," he added.

Tosh's voice resonated in their earpiece: "Good night everyone."

The brunette looked toward Andy's room, conflicted. Jack sighed.

"He's probably fast asleep right now. Go home."

"Alright!" She relented. "See you tomorrow."

Then, he turned towards Ianto.

"You should go home too."

"I've still got work to finish at the Hub, Sir."

"You can do it tomorrow."

"I know, Sir."

"Everyone has called it a night and there won't be anyone there but me."

"I know, Sir."

"I just wanted to make sure you know that you can go home. I would hate you to accuse me of exploiting you."

Their eyes met and Ianto's lips twitched:

"I would never say something like that, Sir."

"Good."

Jack's hand brushed against Ianto's rear on their way out and the younger man didn't try to hide his smile this time.

¤ ¤ tbc ¤ ¤