18...x
Too everyone else two and a half months had passed. To Rachel it didn't really matter, it could have been years or it could still be that one day.
The image of John and Jessica in her bed, passed through her head, usually followed by one of Drake's nightmarish eyes.
Rachel shook the memories of both him and the Hollow from her head. Returning back to the incredibly dull admin that she was typing up. She had probably done more paper work in the last 2 months than in her entire life. There was something comforting about the rhythmic beat of the keyboard. It was when the beat stopped and there was nothing to concentrate on that things turned awry. Memories of things she wanted to forget seemed to flood through any silent moment she encountered.
"Rachel," Jack called. He was surprised to see the young girl still here so late, even Ianto had gone home. Then again, from what Jack had figured out, Rachel didn't have a home to go to.
"What?" She asked turning to him and giving him a false smile. It quickly faded.
"Go home," Jack ordered. Rachel squirmed slightly, home was currently anywhere that sheltered her from the wind and rain. Last night had been among the branches of a tree starting to lose its leaves for autumn.
"Just finish this," She muttered. Gesturing to the screen.
"No, go home. Now," he said as gentle as possible.
The word home hit her hard, his flat had been home. With the extravagant artwork hung on walls, the black silken sheets that hugged your skin, a comfy couch and cosy fire place.
"I've nowhere to go," She said quietly.
Pity overwhelmed Jack, his youngest and probably most vulnerable (Though she would never show it) employee. Lost and most definitely broken. Rachel had come back from the UNIT centre broken, but it hadn't been Rachel's fault. Jack had no doubt in his mind that Rachel had put as much fight into being herself in the UNIT base than she was trying to persuade her work colleagues that she was fine. But like the latter, she had failed.
No one knew what had happened to her those 3 months she'd been gone. All they had been told was that she had been sent to a UNIT base that specialised in rehabilitating aliens to earth life. Jack guessed that judging from the state Rachel was in when she came back and the state she still was in, that the UNIT base wasn't what it was set out to be.
"What happened to you, Rachel?" Jack asked. All of the team had asked and all had been greeted by the same answer, Rachel simply ignored the question.
"Talk to me, Rachel. Please." Jack begged.
"Nothing. I'm fine," She deadpanned.
"You're an awful, liar." Jack countered.
"I know," She almost smiled. "There see I'm done now," She said, nodding to the computer.
She stood slowly, wincing. Then composed herself and headed towards the door.
"Where you staying," Jack called.
"I'm thinking probably that really comfy tree, I was in last night." She waved as she left.
Jack watched her leave, she'd picked up some habits that she didn't have before. She had acquired an iPod and always had one earphone in, her hand was always on her gun, ready to draw at any moment. Jack hadn't seen her relax once since she had come back, and it didn't look as if she slept at all. She was first in, in the morning and last out at night.
Rachel made her way to the park,
"Hello Bert," She muttered to the alcohol smelling man on the park bench.
"Evenin' Miss Fawks," He replied.
"I got something for you," She said handing over an apple. He smiled up at her,
"It's fresh and everything," Rachel said. "You know what they say, an apple a day…"
"Keeps them bloody aliens away, does it?" He chuckled.
"Maybe, night Bert." She said climbing into one of the larger trees.
John looked around his half empty apartment, Rachel had taken her stuff the third day she had come back, and at all costs she was avoiding him and Jessica.
They had reports on the second day Rachel had come home that a base specialising in the rehabilitation of aliens had been blown up. And that the whole operation had been cancelled. This put Jessica out of a job, and Jack, under UNIT's persistence, had hired Jessica as an administrator.
John, had never felt worse about his situation, normally he wouldn't but there was something about Rachel. There always had been. His head told him to get over it, she wasn't going to come back to him, and in the meantime he had a blonde in his bed. His heart and conscience (which he thought had given up years ago) were telling him he had made one of the biggest mistakes of his life and should go to her on hands and knees and beg for her to come back. The latter was never going to happen, john was far too proud.
Rachel woke with a strangled yell and a gasp as she fell the 6 foot from the lowest branch of the tree she was in.
"Ow," She muttered under her breath, standing up and rubbing her hip where she'd landed. The sun was almost up, looking at her vortex manipulator it read, 6:34. The bitter cold autumn air nipping at her skin. She started walking to the Plass.
Using the invisible lift to get into the hub. Jack was waiting for her at the bottom.
Not this again.
Why don't you just tell him.
Because, I'm fine.
You're obviously not.
She landed at the bottom, and stepped off.
"Morning," She said.
"Rachel, talk to me, my office. Now." He commanded, walking up to his office. Reluctantly, Rachel followed him, this was the fifth time this had happened. Jack would take Rachel up to his office and try and find out what happened. So far it had not worked and Rachel didn't on plan on telling him this time either.
Rachel sat down opposite Jack,
"I'm not telling you, I'm fine jack." Rachel lied.
"Tell me one thing then, just one." Rachel looked up at him.
"Did you blow up the UNIT base?" He asked.
"Yes." Rachel said bluntly.
"Why?"
"Because, it had to be done."
"You killed hundreds of people." Jack said.
"You think I don't know that? I feel awful about it, I wasn't exactly thinking straight when I did it but… what I did will benefit loads more people. Trust me." Rachel said, standing up and leaving but as she was going jack called.
"The UNIT base, it wasn't UNIT was it?"
"No," She replied as she left.
The door alarms went off as Rachel Gwen and Ianto walked in.
"OWEN!" Ianto called. Jack turned in horror as Rachel and Ianto helped Gwen through the hub. Gwen had a knife running through her thigh.
"I'm so sorry, Gwen. God. I am so so sorry." Rachel was muttering to her as she helped Gwen into the medical bay.
Owen was at their side in a moment.
"It's alright, love." Gwen was trying to reassure Rachel.
"What happened?" Jack asked as Owen got to work on Gwen.
"It was my fault," Rachel mumbled.
"What. Happened?" he demanded,
"Big thing, had big knife." Gwen said, yelling out as Owen yanked said knife, from her leg.
"We weren't paying attention to what was happening," Ianto explained.
Rachel looked at them. Ianto and Gwen were paying attention, Rachel hadn't been. The thing had gone towards her and she froze. Gwen had pushed her out the way before it got away.
"I got scared," Rachel muttered. "It wasn't their fault, it was mine."
"What happened to it?"
"It got away," Rachel said, ashamed.
"On the upside," Gwen said as Owen bandaged her leg. "We've got the big knife,"
"I really am Sorry Gwen." Rachel apologised again.
"It's alright." she repeated.
Rachel looked at the knife that was on the side, a strange bronze colour was under the crimson of the blood, the hilt a curved shape.
Is it just me, or does that look familiar. the demon whispered in her head. Searching through past memories. It found the one it was looking for, Rachel winced as she realised what it was.
Drake's knife. But that's impossible, he's dead. The place went up in smoke.
That's what got us so scared, your subconscious remembered the knife.
Rachel walked into the medical bay, her hand shaking as she took the knife, washing off Gwen's blood, memories flashing through her head.
"I've seen this before…" she muttered.
"Impossible…" She whispered.
Only one way to find out.
If it's the same I won't be able to heal up.
Anxiously she took the knife, the point touching her finger tip, and cut slightly. A drop of blood dripped from her finger. She waited, but her finger didn't heal over.
Oh, bollocks.
"What is it?" Tosh asked.
"Bad," Rachel said. She had a horrible feeling that Drake. Being the monster he was, hadn't reached the explosive end Rachel had intended for him.