Sorry it took so long,,,,, my computer decided it would be fun to crash as soon as i finished the chapter and decided to delte everything!! But, don't worry, here we go.. finnaly.

Chapter 17

Rachel had left Leo and Alan, the three went their separate ways after they had found Eleanor Edwards, Carl's girl.

Rachel could see Cardiff, she carried on walking. Trying to remember a time when her body didn't hurt. John would make her better. She just had to get there first.

Forgetting about the Hub, she just wanted to go home, to John. She made her way up the stairs to his flat. opening the door with the spare key under the mat. She made her way into the familiar apartment, the smell of John reaching her nose, but another smell too. An unfamiliar one of cheap perfume and peroxide.

Rachel walked in, past the kitchen to the bedroom, John and Jessica in her bed. Kissing. Naked.

"Oh," Rachel muttered, her mind blank. John heard her and turned to her.

"Rachel! Oh…" He turned to Jess. "Rachel.. I,"

Rachel shook her head, turned around and exited the flat. Not hearing john shouting after her. Rachel knew every kind of pain imaginable, she thought she had lived through them all, but this. This hurt more than anything in the world. She couldn't think clearly, just blurs of memory flashing through her memory. Drake's voice echoing through her head.

You're a worthless creature! No one is coming for you, no one wants you!

Rachel's mind was spiralling down, down, down.

Her feet taking her anywhere away from the pain, she tried to avoid it but it was constant, a knife running through her heart. She was stopped by a wall, she looked up, her feet had taken her to a quiet alley, she leaned against the dirty wall, slid down into the corner. And let her misery take over, violent sobs racking through her.

She wasn't aware of how long she'd been there, only that she had ran out of tears and only dry sobs were left. Also, the sun made a brief appearance, before black clouds released their welsh downpour.

You're quiet she thought to the demon.

Yeah, we're hurting more than we were at hollow. Aren't we?

Yeah, a lot more.

What are we going to do? Is it ever going to stop?

I don't think so. We're not supposed to get a happy ending.

Why not?

Because we're not a princess, we're the big bad wolf.

Rachel tried to calm herself down, digging her fingers into the brick behind her, she took two deep breaths. Then ignoring her still broken ribs, she stood up. She searched in her rucksack, that was still on her back, and pulled out her mask. Placing it over her eyes, she took another deep breath. Getting steadily more drenched by the rain, she walked out of the alley.

We need lots and lots of alcohol.

I agree completely.

"We need to find her, she looked hurt," John exclaimed.

"Of course she looked hurt!!" Gwen growled at john, "She had come home from god knows what, to find the love of her life shagging someone else!"

"Kids!" Jack yelled silencing them both. He too, was furious with john, but that wasn't the priority right now, Rachel was.

"I know its not the best timing, but we've got a weevil alert."

"I'll get it," Owen volunteered.

"I'll come with you," Ianto said. Leaving through the cog door.

"Do you reckon we'll find her?" Owen asked Ianto in the SUV.

"Only if she wants to be found," Ianto said. "There!" Ianto had spotted the weevil, running from the SUV into a parking lot. Owen and Ianto left the SUV and ran in the same direction of the weevil. It turned to face them and started towards them but stopped, let out a whimper and back away.

"What the hell?" They both turned to see what had scared the weevil to see a huge creature, black smoke seemed to emanate from it, it let out a roar.

"Shit," Owen muttered.

"Rift?" Ianto asked.

"well, it's not from Cardiff." Jack's voice called from over the comms.

"Whatever you do, do not let that thing touch you," Jack ordered. "We're on our way,"

But the creature had already seen them, it was humanoid in shape, black smoke seemed to be what it was made out of, and where it's eyes would have been were two black gems. It started towards Owen and Ianto, gliding effortlessly over the floor.

"How do you fight smoke?" Ianto muttered.

"Just run," Owen said. Retreating from the advancing figure.

But the creature picked up its pace. Now flying over the ground. It reached out a black claw, reaching for Ianto, there was a squeal of tyres.

Jack saw the creature reaching for Ianto.

"No!" There was a gunshot above Ianto and Owen, the over hanging light was shot out, Owen grabbed Ianto out the way, behind a parked car. Covering their heads from the falling glass. The creature stopped confused. Looking for the source of the noise. It saw the rest of the Torchwood team, and headed for them. But the light above them was shot out as well.

"Jack, what the hell is going on?" Owen asked over the comms.

As the others took, cover from the falling glass as well.

"I don't know," He answered.

The creature now very confused looked around again, all the lights getting shot out until finally there was only one left, in the middle of the lot.

Under the light stood Rachel, a bottle of Russian Vodka in one hand, her gun in the other.

She leaned down and put the bottle on the floor, then stood straight.

"Come on then, beastie,"

It started towards her but as it did, she holstered her gun and drew her sword instead. With one swing she plunged it through the middle of the creature. There was a groan and then a tar like substance blew everywhere. Covering Rachel and the Torchwood team.

There was a collective "Ugh," and then Rachel, bent forward, picking up the tar covered bottle. She looked at it a moment and sighed. Then she looked around in the tar for something. As the Torchwood team made their way to her, wiping the muck from their faces. She found what she was looking for, standing up with the two black gems that the creature had for eyes. She put them in her pocket.

"Rachel," Jack said quietly. Rachel didn't respond.

"Rachel, hunny?" Gwen asked. Still no response.

"Fawks." John called, Rachel looked up at him. Her gold eyes empty and hollow. She couldn't keep his gaze for more than a second before she looked down.

"Need shower." She muttered. Her voice hoarse.

"Come on," Gwen said, going to her and taking her hand.

Tosh and Gwen took Rachel back to the hub in Gwen's car, as the rest took the SUV back.

They had travelled to the hub in complete silence, once they arrived and made it through the cog door, Rachel was nearly knocked down by Llywelyn, the now fully grown fire lion. Rachel hugged the huge lion. Giving him a kiss on his nose.

"How…How long have I been gone?" She asked them.

"Nearly 3 and half months," Tosh answered.

Rachel nodded. "Shower," She muttered again.

She made her way down to the showers. She almost smiled at the thought of being clean. Her clothes discarded, she walked under the stream of warm water. Letting the hot water wash away all the Muck and dirt and blood of three months of torture. She winced as it cleaned the wounds that hadn't healed properly yet, her foot where the spike had gone through, the hole in her side where she had been cheeky to Drake and almost got herself killed. Her hair had grown out of its usually short crop, locks of it flicking in front of her eyes. She got out of the shower and brushed her teeth, looking at herself in the full size mirror. She was desperately thin, well, she'd always been thin but now she looked like a skeleton with skin.

"Anorexic, much," She muttered.

Her skin pale due to lack of sunlight and in contrast her scars red compared to her skin. Nasty bruises ranging from every colour imaginable scattered her body.

Shoddy stitching still in her side, Alan was good but he wasn't a doctor.

You've got to go to Owen, he can help.

They will ask questions, not ready to talk about it. I just want to forget.

The rest of the team, were in the main hub talking quietly when Rachel came back out. There was a gasp from a couple of them as they saw her. Her eyes blod shot and empty, her cheeks hollow and she was incredibly thin. A long pink scar running down her face across her eye, finishing at her cheek. She was limping, ever so slight and she kept her hand protectively on her gun. She was wearing sweat pants and a hoodie that covered her arms and stomach. So nothing else could be seen. John took a step towards her, his hands out.

"Rachel…"

"Don't," She muttered, "Just, don't"

She turned to the others, "So, what I miss?"

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