Things aren't the way they were before
You wouldn't even recognize me anymore
Not that you knew me back then
But it all comes back to me, in the end

Linkin Park- In the End

Greeks Baring Gifts: part 2

The woman nodded and threw her arms around a frozen Winter.

'Oh, my little Ethel! You've grown up so much.'

Winter shook her head stunned and, coming to her senses she pushed the woman back. Continuing to shake her head, her eyes wide, she began to back away slowly. When the woman moved forward she turned and ran.

She flew through the front office and sped through the hidden door. Her feet pounded as she chose to run down the stairs rather than take the lift. She tripped over her feet and went flying into a heap at the bottom, crying out as the guard of the sword pushed into her side painfully. Not stopping to assess for damage she hurtled into the main hub and collapsed by Toshiko's desk breathing heavily and unable to slow her racing heart.

Everyone around her stood still for a moment. Gwen looked up from her desk her eyebrows furrowed and Owen stopped wiping his hands off and just watched as her body shook uncontrollably. Jack rushed out of his office and paused, in the doorway, to assess the situation. In a few strides, he crossed the distance and knelt in front of her.

'Hey! Hey! What's the matter? What happened? I thought you were off for a walk.'

'She's hyperventilating,' Owen told them, hunting through his desk for a paper bag. 'We need to slow her breathing down before she passes out.'

Ianto entered the hub a look of confusion on his face. 'Jack, there's a woman outside demanding to see Ethel?'

Winter 's breath audibly sped up and she scratched at her chest, feeling like it was going to crush her lungs the tighter it got. Pip clutched her leg making chirping noises. Ianto strode over purposefully, knelt opposite Jack at her side and pushed his hands back. He slipped one hand across her cheek and into her hair, tipping her head up, and wrapped his other across her legs. 'Hey, look at me. Winter, look at me.'

Her eyes slid open and he rubbed his hand down her leg a few times. 'You're having another panic attack, okay? You're safe, but I need you to slow down. Slow it down. Breathe. Slow.'

Quietly, he sang "Lisa Lan" and moved his arm to her waist pulling her closer and running his hand down her back. Slowly her breath started to become less erratic and more jerky and her shoulders relaxed into the hug.

'What the hell is going on?' Owen asked.

Jack ignored him, studying Ianto and Winter. He had so many questions but for now, one would have to do. 'Nemo, who's Ethel?'

She took a few more deep breaths, leaning up against Ianto, and then pushed some of her hair behind her ear, still hiding her face. 'I think…I am.'

They looked at her in confusion and she sniffed, pulling back from Ianto and stroking a hand through Pip's fur.

'I think she's my mother.'

Owen's jaw dropped. Jack and Ianto's faces hardened. Ianto pulled Winter to her feet and dragged Owen away to the med bay to clean up the minor scuffs on her hands from falling in the stairwell.

'I always just assumed her mother was dead or...I don't know, gone.' Gwen said to Jack.

'It's no secret Nemo's never been much for parents, even other people's,' he replied. 'She doesn't like to talk about it. I guess it reminds her of what she never had. All you need to know is that Nemo's mother walked out on the family when she was four. Her father killed himself and that was how she ended up on the streets.'

Jack switched on the CCTV at Tosh's desk and flicked through until he found the woman, smoking and pacing outside near the fountain. Gwen bit her lip and they stood in silence for a moment.

'Are we just going to leave her out there?'

Jack grunted.

'Don't Gwen. Don't start feeling sorry for her. That's not the way this is going to go. The woman out there is no mother and...'

'..And I want to know why.'

Jack turned to find Winter staring at him with a determined look in her eyes. Ianto standing by her, Pip on her arm. 'I want to talk to her.'

'Are you sure?'

She nodded carefully, 'But would you come with me.'

She looked up at Jack with huge, begging eyes. There was no need for them. He nodded and looked over to Gwen.

'Would you mind watching the Hub? If Tosh comes back tell her why we're out. I think this would be better with us three.'

She looked a little peeved but she nodded and Jack grabbed his coat from the rack. Winter placed Pip on Toshiko's desk. Owen put on his most menacing glare and they headed up on the pavement lift. Ianto motioned to where the woman was still pacing and chain smoking and, with a nod from Winter, they stepped off the paving and steadily walked towards the woman who turned and pulled her features into a smile.

'Ethel baby!' She walked forward a few steps but the three men around Winter glared in distaste at her, Jack and Owen crossed their arms dangerously. The woman stopped where she was and sized the men up. Finally she sniffed and turned back to Winter. 'How have you been?'

'Why do you care?' Winter asked, her brow furrowed.

'I'm your mother,' she said simply.

Owen snorted causing the woman to glare at him.

'I am, I found you. I saw you on the news and I knew it was you, even with those eyes it just had to be you and I travelled all the way here to look for you. I've been living here for months just looking. !'

'Bit late in the day to come over with a motherly urge isn't it?' Owen sneered at her.

She looked at him furiously and was about to retort but Winter raised a hand to Owen.

'Owen. Not now, please.'

He glanced at her and nodded once.

'He's right though. You left, why look now?'

'I had no choice, I knew you would be alright.'

'I was four! You couldn't possibly have known I would be alright.'

'But you were. Look at you. Your healthy,' she ran her eyes over her daughter's body, faulting when she saw the sword but ignoring it, 'you're beautiful and you have these… friends.'

She scanned the trio. One in a large coat with a calculating glare, one in a suit looking like he was ready to throw her daughter behind him and then the mouthy one who just looked like he wanted to punch her, 'You're happy.'

'That has nothing to do with you though. Anything could have happened between then and now.'

'Well, let's talk about it.'

'Sure, let's talk.'

Winter made no move to leave and her mother sighed exasperated.

'Not here Ethel, somewhere more…' she scrunched up her nose at the men and sniffed, 'Private.'

'Where she goes, we go.' Jack said simply.

Winter nodded in agreement. The woman looked angry for a moment and then nodded stiffly.

'So...'

'Why did you leave?' Winter cut across her mother. 'You said you had to, why was that?'

'It was complicated, let's leave it at that.'

'No, let's not. I'm clever, I can keep up. Start from the beginning and tell me everything.'

She sniffed again, 'must be a habit' Winter heard Owen murmur under his breath.

'Your father… was an abusive drunk.'

'What?'

Her mother nodded dramatically.

'I had to get out of there before he killed me.'

'So, you left your four year old toddler and young son behind with him.'

'He wasn't like that. He liked you, never touched you. Only reason I got pregnant again was so he wouldn't hit me.'

Winter sucked in a breath as that blow hit her. She had been unwanted protection. Just a means to an end. Jack made to stand up.

'I think we're done here.'

He put a hand on Winter's shoulder. 'It's been interesting meeting you Ms..?'

'Saunders.'

'Ms Saunders, but we'd appreciate it if you didn't call again.'

Ianto and Owen got up too but Winter was just staring into space. All of a sudden her mother moved quickly taking a piece of paper from her pocket and forcing it into her daughter's hands. Her long, acrylic, nails dug into Winter skin and she flinched back at the fast movement.

'Call me,' she begged.

Winter just got up and walked away followed closely by her body guards.

Owen broke off from the group murmuring something about finishing off with the body. Jack gave Ianto what a small signal to leave them be for a while, then he took Winter's hand and pulled her through the streets.

They ended up on the roof of the town hall staring out across the town. It was darker now, the clouds rolling across the sky, threatened rain. Jack had placed his coat over her shoulders. They stood in silence for a while until she closed her eyes and turned her head from him.

'Why is it,' she began. 'Why is it that some people are so, desirable, and then you get people like me, who no one wants? People just keep handing us around like a trading cards.'

Jack tilted his head and studied her for a moment before tipping her head up with two bent fingers under her chin. Her damp cheeks glinted in the low light.

'Is that what you think I'm going to do? Just hand you off to someone else as soon as I get the chance?'

'I don't know. I feel like I don't know anything anymore.'

'Well, I won't. I promise. You can stay with me for as long as you want to. You can stay with me forever if you want.'

She smiled, 'Or until I get killed, you mean.'

He frowned, 'Well, that well and truly ruined the moment.'

She giggled, 'What moment? This isn't a moment. It's... a jiffy.'

'A jiffy?'

'A thousandth of a second. In your life anyway. One day you'll be old and travelling space again with your Doctor or some hot and badass partner and you'll be telling your kids all about your life and the adventures you've had and we'll be footnotes. I'll be a footnote.'

He looked out across Cardiff and sighed. 'You really think that's my future?'

She smiled and nodded.

'You know, a man once told me that every person dies twice. Once when they die and the second time when the last person speaks of them.' He looked over at her and dipped his head down so it was closer to hers. 'I think I'll be speaking of you until the end of time.'

Her heart fluttered a little and she gave him a sheepish smile. 'Ok, now we might be having a moment.'

He threw his head back and laughed and she bumped his shoulder with hers. They sat on the roof smiling softly at the world going by for a few moments until Jack felt like he could ask. 'So…'

She smiled and almost laughed. 'Four.'

'Four?'

'Panic attacks. I suppose technically it's five now. I mean, this is since meeting you. I used to have them sometimes before but I didn't know what they were. Remember that party in London after I joined.'

He nodded. 'Ianto teaching you to dance. That's not a sight I'll forget willingly.'

'The week after that you wanted me to start gun training and I was really nervous. The whole thing just got a bit much. Worrying I'd be bad or I'd make a fool of myself or I'd kill someone by mistake or I'd shoot myself by mistake…'

'You didn't think about talking to me about that?'

'I barely knew you Jack. You were still a big attractive mystery that I was desperate to impress. Plus, a badass team and a little girl afraid of conflict. Yeah I wasn't going to give anyone that to throw at me. So, I hid in the archive and sort of flipped out for a little bit. Only Ianto was stealing a cigarette break down there.'

'You're kidding?'

'Huh?'

'He smokes.'

'Oops. Um, only when he's really stressed out. Sorry, I kind of figured everyone knew. I should have known he'd be sneakier than that. Point is he found me and calmed me down and told me what it was and well…I'm better.'

'The other three?'

'Around the time we met Gwen, I thought you were going to find out about Andy, I thought someone knew and I'd have to go.' She paused for a moment, eyes downcast. 'Then, just after the countryside, a weevil startled me down in the cells and set me off. The last one was a few weeks ago I was walking to the market with Yan and some guy on a stag party grabbed at me and I sort of flashed back to being in that room, the smell and...'

Jack had shot her a furious look.

'Don't worry, you should have seen Ianto go. Properly took him down. I've never seen him move so fast. Then he dragged him off the floor and marched him straight up to a policeman. If I hadn't been sitting on a bench trying not to pass out, I'm pretty sure I would have jumped him.'

Jack laughed a little and shook his head. 'All this time I'm just… I suppose I just figured that other than the nightmares you were fine. You always seem to be taking everything in your stride.'

She swelled with pride and they resorted to silence once more as they surveyed the city below them until they were interrupted by Jack's phone ringing. When he flipped it shut again she handed him his coat.

'I take it we're off then.'

'Owen,' he replied. 'Apparently, there's something we should see.'

TTT

'How long does it go back?' Jack asked as he examined the hundreds of profiles, all with hearts removed.

'Judging by the carbon dating on the skeleton, from about 1812/1813 to the present time,' Owen replied pulling up the dates.

'So our guy down there is the oldest?'

'Looks that way.'

Jack sighed and looked over to the weapons room, 'Call in Gwen and Tosh. I've got an idea what the 'stapler' is.'

With that cryptic message he ran over to the object, grabbed it and set off up to boardroom. Owen rubbed his hands over his face and Winter rubbed his back with one hand, 'Have you had any sleep in the last 24 hours?'

He shook his head and she sighed tugging him to his feet and leading him down the corridor to her room. Once inside she pushed him down onto the bed.

'I know I'm irresistible but don't you think this is a bit quick sweetheart?'

She shook her head unamused. 'Is that what you said to Gwen?' she asked dryly.

He looked up shocked and his face grew hard. 'How did you know about that?'

'With the way you two have been carrying on I'm surprised everyone hasn't noticed. Don't worry, I don't like it but it's your lives you're ruining. As long as it doesn't interfere with mine then your secret is safe with me.'

He nodded uncomfortably.

'Look I'll go call the other two in,' she told him, 'Have a quick nap. People make mistakes when their tired.' She walked out of the door and then poked her head around it as a thought occurred to her. 'And don't go through my drawers.'

He smirked at her and the door swung shut with a bang.

TTT

Gwen was only too happy to come in, it seemed a bit odd to Winter but then again if she had been having an affair she would probably feel uncomfortable hanging around with her boyfriend either.

Ianto joined Winter half way through a conversation with Toshiko. He waited for her to put the phone down and tidied the wrappers from Owen's desk, 'How are you feeling?'

'Hmm? Why?'

'Well, meeting your mother, your real name…'

'It's not my real name,' she replied bluntly. 'Winter is my real name, Nemo is my real name,' she paused. 'Scrap is my real name…' she trailed off and Ianto didn't question.

The door opened and Gwen greeted them before slipping over to her desk to start her computer up. Winter turned and looked up at the monitors on Toshiko's desk.

'Jack!'

He rushed out of the conference room and lent on the railing.

'What is it?'

'Tosh is walking across the plaza.'

'Good.'

'No not good!'

'Why?'

She looked up at him, 'There's someone with her, a lady… I don't know her. They're walking together. I think Tosh is bringing her in!'

Jack furrowed his brow and then his eyes widened as if he'd had an epiphany.

'Get Owen, Gwen I want you in the med bay, Ianto behind the arch Winter think up, but hidden.'

He disappeared back into the conference room, Winter grabbed Tosh's phone and rang her room. A groggy voice grunted down the line and she explained the situation. He was silent and she laughed a little when she figured he was probably nodding and she placed the phone down.

'May I?' Ianto asked and motioned to the long pole above the med bay.

She smiled at him and he put his hands around her waist, hoisting her up and watching her grasp the pole and swing herself up onto a rope. He retrieved her Quiver and bow from Jack's office and watched as Pip appeared from the man hole and placed himself half way between them to take the object. Once they were safely over her shoulder and Pip was clinging to her hair, she disappeared into one of the crevices in the wall, below the metal grating of the balcony. Ianto disappeared behind the archway and she held her breath as the door rolled open.

Tosh and her friend walked through the door at different paces, Toshiko was obviously in a rush to get out as soon as she could but the friend was taking her time examining every little detail. She suddenly started sprouting poetry and Winter had to laugh. That was a new reaction to seeing the hub. Toshiko headed straight for the armoury and Winter realised she was after the 'stapler'.

'So where is it lover?'

Lover!? Winter's eyes widened and she leant over to get a better look at them both. Suddenly, Jack appeared from his hiding place and Winter took this as her signal.

'This what you're looking for?' he asked.

'Jack!' Tosh jumped and watched him warily.

'Friend of mine, let's call him Vincent, that was his name after all. Regular guy, girlfriend, likes his sport, likes a beer, starts acting a little strange, a little distracted.'

Winter carefully pulled herself up one of the poles and swung around so she was right behind Toshiko only fifteen above her.

'Suddenly, he disappears for a couple of months, he comes back and we've got to start calling him Vanessa. Since then I've always been a little nervous when a friend behaves out of character.'

From the vantage point Winter could see Gwen in the med bay and Owen who had taken the long way around through the tunnels and out near Ianto's hiding spot.

'I'm sorry, we haven't been introduced, Jack Harkness. My guess is that you're not from around these parts.'

Winter stifled a giggle and she spotted Owen rolling his eyes as Jack continued.

'Now this, this huh, it's incredible. You know what it is?'

'It's a transporter,' Tosh replied, 'Mary was a political prisoner she was exiled here, look Jack…'

'You got half of it right,' Jack told her, moving away towards Winter's spot in the roofing. She held her breath trying not to draw any attention to herself.

'Mary, it is Mary isn't it? You wanna tell her the really interesting bit? No? Chatty isn't she, I don't know how you got a word in edgeways Tosh. It's a two man transporter, or whatever you people may be, you may be squids for all I know. A two squid transporter, room for one prisoner and one guard. You wanna tell us what happened to the guard Mary?'

'I killed him,' She replied calmly. 'But I was disturbed.'

Gently Winter edged slowly down towards the cog door as it rolled closed. Pip descended and jumped onto the railings and bared his teeth. The whole team now surrounded the woman, there was no way she was getting away.

'Then another came, a soldier, he tried to shoot me. So, I plunged my new human hand into his chest and plucked out his heart.'

'And that's what you've been doing ever since,' Owen stated, disgusted.

'This form has to be fed,' she replied nonchalantly.

'All the punctures, all about the size of a fist, all those people, you killed all those people.'

He was obviously still sleepy because he was letting his walls down. She turned and marched towards him followed by Toshiko like a little puppy.

'I fled before any more soldiers came, I had so much to explore.'

Winter dropped to the floor and jumped the railings, coming to stand next to Jack, eyeing up her opponent before she could make a move on Owen.

'And how I loved this body. So soft, so wicked, the power such a body has in this world. Within a few years the forest had gone. The transporter was safely buried under the spread of the city. I didn't care. I wasn't exactly in a hurry to get home.'

Jack interrupted her, still gripping the transporter.

'And you've been killing ever since.'

'I knew there might be a time when my situation here became complicated but I was safe, as long as I knew where the transporter was.'

'Then the machine was uncovered.' Jack replied.

'As soon as the air touched its surface I could feel it, but of course you got there first.'

This was ridiculous they were all just standing around listening to this monologue of the alien's life. They knew she was deadly, they had her surrounded. Why didn't they do anything? She reached for her sword but Jack kicked her gently, she looked up at him and he shook his head.

Suddenly Toshiko screamed out to Owen and in a blur, the woman disappeared. Winter rushed forwards but the woman grabbed her by the throat, pulling the sword from her belt and threw her back against the fountain. When Winter looked up the woman had reappeared behind Toshiko with the sword at her throat.

Water cascaded down on Winter, soaking her clothes. Pip, who had jumped down to her when she fell, scampered away from the wet floor. She pulled herself off the floor spluttering a bit as Jack yelled at the woman.

'I can't, Mary!' Toshiko whimpered.

'You!' The woman, Mary, motioned to Owen and then to Gwen, 'I'll exchange Toshiko for that one.'

Everyone glanced at Gwen and Owen looked in panic back at Mary and Tosh.

'Just put the knife down!' he replied.

'Did you hear him, he didn't want to did he.'

'Please don't'

Winter glared at Mary, she was ripping the team apart. Toshiko was family and Mary was turning her on them using her insecurities.

'Listen to how they think of you. That's who you've been working with for all these years.'

'It's not true Tosh don't listen,' Owen stammered slightly.

Winter shook her hair out and clenched her fists, 'What about me?' she asked.

Mary turned to sneer at her, 'What, you can hold Gwen and Owen against her fine, but in case you haven't realised there are three more of us here. Ianto has nothing but respect for Tosh, Jack loves her, I know that and I love her too.'

'That's all false, you don't really love her, but with me,' Mary snapped and turned away to face Tosh, 'whatever I've done it doesn't change the way I feel about you. We have a connection Toshiko something real.'

'Okay!'

Winter turned to stare at Jack in confusion.

'You want the transporter, we want Toshiko. I think that's a fair swap.

'Don't make me hurt her,' Mary warned.

'I'll give you the transporter.'

She looked at the device longingly and pushed Toshiko away before grabbing it, dropping Winter's sword. Tosh ran past Ianto and leant against the wall sobbing heavily.

'You smell … different to them.' Mary told Jack.

Winter smirked and shivered as a breeze passed over her wet skin.

'That's nothing, it's when you compare teeth with a British guy, that's when it's really scary.'

'What are you?'

'I don't know.'

'And you would have put me in a cage.'

A loud clanging noise came from the devise, and Mary looked down at it warily, 'What's happening?'

'Oh that I reprogrammed it for you, it's set to enable.'

With those words she exploded into light and disappeared and Jack relaxed, 'Sort-of now'

'What did she..? Has she gone home?' Toshiko asked, stepping forward.

'I reset the co-ordinates.'

'Where to?'

'The centre of the sun. Shouldn't be hot, I mean we sent her there at night and everything.'

Winter hung her head.

'You killed her.'

'Yes.'

Jack turned to leave but he stopped when in front of Winter. She hadn't quite realised how cold she was until he placed a hot hand on her face and slid it down to her hand and pulled her away in the direction of her room. Once there he found her a towel and pushed her gently towards the showers, 'Warm up, I need to talk to Toshiko.'

She nodded and sighed as the door swung shut.

TTT

When she finally got upstairs the first person she came across was Ianto. He handed her her sword ceremonially and she smiled before slipping it into its scabbard. She followed him to the kitchen. Winter leaned against the cupboards with a dishcloth, drying the mugs he passed her.

'I had a chat with Tosh,' he said quietly.

She turned her head intrigued and he continued.

'Thought I might be able to help a bit, you know, what with Lisa.'

'Do you think it helped?' she asked, not wanting to interrupt him in full flow, just to give him a prod into opening up a bit.

'I'm not sure. I mean, she didn't react badly,' he paused while rubbing some suds of Jacks stripy blue mug. 'I think it helped me.'

He passed her the last teaspoon and lent against the sides, still not facing her. 'It felt good having someone who understood. I mean the situation was scarily similar, both people we loved, trying to attack the team and Jack killed them both.'

Winter sighed and slipped the spoon into the draw, shutting it with her leg. 'I know this won't sound right to you but you have to forgive Jack sometime. You asked him, while he was pointing that gun at you, if he had ever loved someone that much and he didn't reply. Well, I think you know the answer. If you look into his eyes you can see that pain, that anguish you felt when you lost someone, I know you've seen that look too.'

Ianto nodded glumly still not facing her.

'The decision he made in both cases was for what he believed was the good of the rest of the world. I have no idea if he was right or not in Lisa's case but I know that if there's one way to survive this job it's to trust in Jack.' She paused and looked to her right. 'Unless he's heading towards you with whisky.'

Ianto looked around and spotted the same thing she had. Jack closing in on the kitchen with bottle of whisky in one hand and three glasses in the other.

Jack entered the room and handed Winter one of the glasses. She saw the glint in his eyes as he filled the glass and his gaze flickered towards the other man in the room. She sighed, accepted her drink and left them to it.

That night she was sat in her bedroom when there was a quiet tapping at the door. She opened the door and Pip scampered through to her bed.

'The date went well then,' she joked dryly before lying back on the bed and flipping her phone open. She needed to talk to Owen anyway, tell him to lay off Tosh in the morning and find out if the embarrassment of everyone knowing his secret would stop the affair now. As the dial tone rang she realised how nosy she was. Finally there was a click as the phone was picked up and she heard heavy breathing, 'Owen, it's Winter.'

…

'I don't care if it's the Queen, you can wait until morning.'

…