I know this hurts, it was meant to
Your secret's out and the best part is it isn't even a good one
And it's mind over you don't, don't matter

Fall Out Boy- Get Busy Living Or Get Busy Dying

They Keep Killing Suzie: part 2

Winter sat on the swing humming to herself. "Moonlight Serenade". She had caught Jack humming it a few times. The first time was the night he'd told her about his Doctor. The one with the amazing blue police box. He hadn't said much, a few tales and an assurance that if she was ever to see a police telephone box she would make the occupants wait until he could get there. She had gone along with it. Certain that she would never meet this friend of Jack's but she still wished she could because, sometimes, she looked at him and she wondered what he was like before. Before Torchwood, before he was immortal, when he was just a normal guy, well as normal as Jack could ever be anyway.

Toshiko came up from the med bay and sat at her desk which must have meant they were about to start. Winter's humming faltered and Pip lower himself from the rope to her shoulder in a comforting move. There was a gasp and then a long pause followed by Owen's call of, 'Nothing.'

Winter relaxed. So, it hadn't worked.

'What do we do now?' Tosh asked.

'Nothing we can do,' Jack yelled back. 'That's it, we're out of options.'

There was another pause followed by Tosh speaking into her computer. 'We've seen it before, like the glove works better if the knife is part of the process like closing a circuit.'

Oh great, what genius had thought up that idea. On the other hand… Winter slid down the closest pole and approached the bay. Suzie lay cold and white on the bench surrounded by Jack, Owen, Ianto and Gwen. She shivered slightly but forced herself forward.

'Small detail, the knife was used to kill people, she's already dead.'

Winter butted in, arms tightly crossed and glare fixed anywhere but the body. 'Then let's kill her again.'

Jack looked up in surprise at seeing her and looked like he was about to fight back but when he looked between Gwen and Winter he knew what it would come to. They filed into his office in a sombre procession, Jack took the safe box from the wall and produced the knife.

'Ianto?' Owen asked.

Winter turned to tell him to stop teasing but Ianto interrupted. 'Life knife.'

Jack nodded and gave them all a conspiratorial look. It almost made Winter laugh. Almost.

They re-entered the med bay and Winter cantered down the steps. Jack made a small slice on Suzie's skin before placing the knife on the side.

'Anything?' he asked Gwen.

Winter quietly took the knife from the side and held it by her side, tucked up, blade to her elbow.

'No there's just a sort of spark and then it's gone.'

He glanced over at Owen and ran a hand through his hair. He reached over for the knife but it was gone. 'What the hell?' He turned around both ways quickly a look of total confusion on his face.

'Right then, plan B,' Winter said and brought the knife up above her head and then slamming down, ramming it into Suzie's chest. She heard Gwen and Suzie gasp in union and felt Jack's arm slide around her waist pulling her back as his hand went to hers, gently but quickly prising them off the knife.

'Suzie! Suzie!' Jack tried to calm her down as she took in deep gasping breaths.

Winter went to stand by Ianto. The clash in Jack's voice and Suzie's made Winter want to scream for them both to shut up but suddenly Suzie stopped mumbling and turned to look at Jack.

'Jack, oh my god, there's a knife in my chest,' she wailed. 'Did you kill me?'

'You killed yourself, remember?' Jack replied

'What? Oh my god. I shot myself.'

'We've got to ask you about Pilgrim.'

'Wait a minute, didn't I kill you,' Suzie said breathlessly.

'Never mind that we need names and details.'

'Who's using the glove?'

Gwen whispered an apology but that just seemed to make Suzie angrier.

'Thirty seconds,' Ianto informed them.

'When you were in pilgrim you gave the amnesia pill to a man, Max, do you remember?' Jack yelled.

'What, you brought me all the way back just for Max!' she shouted at him.

Jack was getting angry. 'We need to find him. Who is he, what's his surname?'

'Jesus, he was just, some loser,' she replied.

'Yeah, we're losing her,' Owen yelled.

'Stay here damn you,' Gwen gritted her teeth in effort.

'Don't force it Gwen,' Jack told her.

'She's not getting away this time, stay here, no!' Gwen's body convulsed and she fell to the floor. Owen rushed over to check on her.

'I told you to stop!' Jack yelled.

Winter sighed and shook her head looked over to Suzie expecting a corpse. Her eyes widened in shock.

'Pulse, yeah she's fine we need to get her out of here,' Owen told Jack.

'It's the glove, I told you they get hooked,' Jack told him waving the glove at them.

'Yeah alright. Don't make a fuss, it's over now.'

'Erm,' Ianto looked around at them and Winter moved forward towards Suzie her mouth open. 'Excuse me, I'm still counting.'

'Well there's not much point Suzie's dead,' Owen snapped.

'Oh no she's not,' Winter breathed.

'According to the equipment she's just unconscious,' Ianto said.

Owen got up to checked himself.

'What the hell's going on?' Jack asked. Winter felt him brush past her to join Owen and Ianto as she reached out for the knife.

'He's right she's alive, look at her, she's bloody breathing!' Owen growled.

Winter yanked the knife from her chest cavity but the beeping noise continued in the back ground.

'She can't be!' Jack sounded confused and slightly frightened.

Winter dropped the knife where she stood and reached out again to prod Suzie's hand.

'She's still breathing, no stopping her,' Owen remarked. 'She won't die.'

'One minute thirty and counting,' Ianto said, looking around at Jack.

Winter made contact with Suzie and screamed when the older woman's hand shot out and grasped her wrist in a death grip. Jack leapt forward to calm Winter down and Owen tried to get the sleeping Suzie to let go.

Suzie's nails bit into Winter's skin so hard that when she was finally free she had small bloody smudges around her wrist. Jack attempted to hug her but she pulled back violently.

'No!' she yelled. 'I told you. I told you it was a bad idea. Why won't you listen to me? Why does no one ever listen to me?'

She stormed off to her bedroom and grabbed the first aid kit from under her bed. One stupid idea and now Suzie was alive and gripping downstairs.

TTT

After an hour Winter thought it might be safe to go back upstairs. She trailed noiselessly into the main hub and saw her sword propped up next to Jack's office so she bent down to pick it up.

'Long time no see Scrap.'

She span around the weapon clutch tightly in her hand to see Suzie sat at Toshiko's desk in a red wheel chair and a pair of dark blue scrubs.

'Don't call me that,' Winter hissed.

'Why not, you used to answer to it.'

'Not to you,' Winter stopped for a moment. 'Hang on, how did you even know that?' Suzie laughed menacingly.

'Ben told me.'

'Ben?'

'Oh, you won't remember him. He joined not long after you left but he heard all the stories.'

'Left where? What stories.? Stop talking in riddles.'

Suzie looked greatly amused and smiled joyfully at her. 'He runs your old gang in that god forsaken house. I told you, I did some looking up of your background. I found the house. Found him and he was quite willing to let me in on the stories of your past.'

Winter thought back to Gwen's first day as a member of Torchwood, when she'd seen the new gang. Felt them. 'What did he look like?'

'Big, blond, his father was a big smoker but he preferred using his son as the ash tray.'

So, the leader of the gang was the boy who had let her group attack her. She knew he realised who she was.

'Oh! Was that a hint of recognition. Well it looks like you're more stupid than I gave you credit for, how long did it take to drag yourself away after he'd finished with you.'

Winter glared at her forcefully. 'What the hell are you talking about?'

Suzie clapped her hands together gently and let out a loud laugh.

'What?' Winter yelled.

'You're a cancer on this place Scrap. You stumbled in and wrapped Jack around your finger. With the tea boy falling at your feet. You ruined everything. You took all the praise, the...'' She stopped and looked Winter up and down. 'You don't understand what it is to feel so empty, so dirty and violated. You waltzed in and it was, "oh the poor little street urchin." but you have no idea how awful the world can really be.'

Winter crossed her arms wrapping them around herself.

'But you will.'

'Shut up,' she whispered.

'Sorry, I couldn't find the blanket I think it was in the SUV you'll have to… Oh, hello Winter.' Tosh sounded much happier when she realised she wasn't alone with Suzie.

Suzie just winked at her and turned to face the screens. Winter took a shaky breath and entered Jack's office to calm down.

What had Suzie been talking about? It had sounded like a threat but what could she possibly have to threaten her with any more. Jack knew about Andrew now. The others didn't but Jack had been the one she was worried about. As for this Ben guy he'd already attacked her…well actually, now she thought about it. He hadn't. He'd stood there through the whole thing just smiling lasciviously at her. She took a deep breath and exited the room when she heard a yell from outside.

'Gwen behind you!'

There was a scuffle on the screen and everyone relaxed when Jack came out on top. They stayed watching the screen and not talking until Tosh mentioned that she recognised the buildings she was seeing on the screen and they weren't far away. She left to "help with the prisoner" but Winter knew she just wanted to be away from Suzie. She looked down at her hands and saw they were shaking and sweaty.

'Something bothering you Scrap?'

Winter ignored the name and tried to keep her voice steady at she asked her question.

'What did you mean before, about Ben? What have you done?'

Suzie smiled as they heard the door alarm sound. 'Don't worry about it Scrap. Why worry about the inevitable? Remember, I've been dead for months, it's not so bad really.'

Jack ran up the front steps with Gwen and Tosh in tow.

'Ianto and Owen are escorting Max to the cells. Thanks Suzie, would have been difficult without you.'

Suzie nodded and pulled her earpiece off. Winter just turned around and backed off to the tunnels.

TTT

The water cascaded over her but it did nothing to release the tension in her body. It just made her wet. She got out and changed into a pair of jeans, boots, a top and a thick jumper, and then headed up to the hub. No one was around so she gave Pip orders to stay, took her sword and left. There was no way in hell, that after almost twenty years of living on the street she was going to be afraid to leave her own home because of something Suzie Costello insinuated.

She took a different route though, just in case. This route led her past the staff cars and around the bay before returning to the visitor centre all within an hour tops.

A noise startled her as she neared the Cars. She ducked down and noticed Gwen wheeling Suzie towards her car. What the hell was she doing? Stealthily, Winter approached the car and waited for Gwen to help Suzie inside and pack the wheel chair into the back. As she slipped into the driver seat Winter flung the door open and dived inside, closing it behind her.

'Where the hell are you sneaking off too?'

Gwen screamed and turned to face the intruder.

'Drive! Please Gwen.' Suzie begged.

Gwen nodded and drove out onto the road. There was no way Winter was diving back out of the car so she buckled up and continued her questioning.

'Does Jack know she's out of the Hub?'

'He probably does now.'

'Oh wonderful! Okay, turn back right now, he's going to be so pissed.'

'I can't do that I promised to take Suzie to see her Dad, I'm sorry.'

They were silent for a long while with Winter just hoping that Gwen stick to the plan and take her straight back to the hub afterwards.

'Bit more colour in your cheeks,' Gwen mentioned to Suzie.

Winter couldn't see but It sounded as if Suzie was smiling. 'It's all thanks to you. That night, my last night on earth, or so I thought. Before I shot myself I shot Jack right through the head, I killed him, stone dead and then he just stood up and lived. Am I right? Did that happen? Gwen.'

'Yes it did.'

'So he can survive a bullet through the head?'

'Yep.'

'How?'

Winter leaned forward, 'Why would we tell you?'

But Gwen had other ideas she ignored Winter and carried on talking, 'I don't know, he won't explain it properly. He said something happened to him a while back, he said he can't die, not ever.'

'Gwen!' Winter yelled.

'Button it Scrap,' Suzie hissed. Then she turned back to her conversation. 'And he makes judgments about whether I'm allowed to live. It's all very easy for Captain Jack isn't it. Do you ever wonder?'

'What?'

'Who is he?'

'All the time.'

'He's your boss that's who he is. And I thought he was your friend too,' Winter complained. 'But here you are just spilling his secrets to a prisoner as if he no one.'

Gwen turned around and gave her a bleary frown, 'Suzie's right Winter would you just shut up, I've got a splitting headache.'

Winter spent the rest of the journey in silence and when they got to the hospital she unbuckled slowly. She hated hospitals. As she put her hand on the headrest to help herself out she felt cold metal around her wrist. She looked up to see Gwen give her and apologetic look, 'I'm sorry but you'll only phone Jack, tell him where we are, and if he doesn't know then I'd rather give Suzie as much time as she can get.'

Gwen swung Winter's legs back into the car and locked the doors as Winter yelled at her to come back. This was ridiculous. She should have stayed at the hub.

TTT

When they got back Winter got another shock. Gwen was no longer pushing Suzie around. Suzie helped Gwen into the side and Winter could see the blood congealing at the back of her head.

'What the fuck did you do to her!' Winter yelled.

Suzie climbed through the back door and un-strapped the sword from Winter, chucking it by Gwen's feet. She didn't speak, just got into the driver's side and started the car. As soon as they were on the road she pulled out Gwen's phone.

'Do me a favour Scrap, keep your mouth shut, the adults need to have a chat.'

Someone must have picked up because she then started speaking to someone else, 'Did you like the poem Jack?'

Jack! It was Jack.

'Jack!' she yelled, 'Jack! Gwen's hurt!'

Suzie pulled up quickly and rifled around in the glove box, 'Oh Scrap, Scrap, Scrap why do you have to be such a pain in the head.'

She pulled out a bottle of weevil spray and turned it on the back seat. The chemicals felt like they were burning Winter's skin but when she looked in the mirror she looked exactly the same. She gritted her teeth and writhed in pain. She felt the car start moving again and heard the continued mumble of a conversation that soon ended. She opened her eyes a smidge to try and see where they were but all she could see was light. So, it was morning then.

The car stopped and she felt her arm being released from the headrest and re-cuffed behind her back and someone was dragging her out of the car. She stumbled along with them. Her mind was spinning and it was too bright to see. Her face still burned. All in all, she was in a pretty tight spot.

'I think,' Suzie whispered in her ear. 'I think if we'd met under different circumstances, I would have liked you Scrap. Then again, maybe not. His precious little fish. Well, how about a swim.'

And that was when the water hit.

Normally she could just about deal with swimming. Kick pull, kick pull, not exactly rocket science but with her hands behind her back, in her soaked jeans and thick jumper, with the grogginess and disorientation from the weevil spray, she just couldn't do it. She kicked but it seemed to drag her further under. Her eyes opened at the last second as if nothing could affect her anymore. She was dead anyway. She saw flashes above the surface, several of them the way they lit the water was beautiful. She closed her eyes and drifted.

TTT

It was an odd feeling, dying. At first it was peaceful, almost natural, and then it was like you were freezing, and your body was being pulled every which way but you're powerless to move. There's no pain but it feels like someone's punching you in the chest. Like you're being compressed and then finally it's like someone kisses you. Wait. What?

Winter took a large gulp of air and coughed up all the water that had lodged in her throat. Someone rolled her over so she wouldn't choke on it and then rolled her back and held her close against them. She would have struggled but she had no energy. She was totally drained and freezing to boot. Someone had removed her jumper and her shoes, wait, and her jeans. When did that happen?

Whoever was holding her was warm. She buried her face against their chest and breathed in the scent. It was musky, manly, bit of coffee with a hint of something, oh so Jack. She smiled sleepily, if Jack was there, she was safe.

'Welcome back to the land of the living,' he joked.

She scrunched his shirt in her hands and held on for dear life. He swung her up into his arms and had a quick chat with both Owen and the police, who had turned up at some point, before heading back to Gwen near the SUV. He didn't let go. Even in the car he sat in the back with her on his lap stroking her hair, when she shivered in the wet top, he wrapped her up in his coat.

Back at the Hub Owen took Gwen to the med bay first. Jack sat Winter on the edge of the car seat. Her legs dangling through the door, and leant against the door.

'I think I owe you an apology,' he said.

She looked at him sharply.

'No. I do. You kept telling me Suzie was bad news but, I just couldn't believe it. I went along with this plan without thinking it through and it almost killed you both.'

'It was Gwen's plan in the first place,' Winter croaked, her voice was hoarse from all the salt and god knows what else that she had consumed.

'Now,' he warned. 'Don't get started on her. She's had a tough day, being almost shot in the head and all.'

Winter made an amused noise and lifted her hand to her face.

'You alright?'

'It's starting to burn again.'

'What is? I heard you yelling on the phone but she didn't tell me what she did. What happened back there?'

'I was a bit too chatty. She pulled over and sprayed me with the weevil stuff.'

Jack leapt up, 'She did what!'

'It's fine. It burned like hell for a while but I think the sea water neutralised it for a time. Now it's all gone from my face the burnings coming back. I'll just live in the sea for a while,' she tried to joke but he still looked concerned.

'Come on, let's get you to Owen.'

They continued out into the main hub and Winter leant on Jack as he looked Gwen over, checking for damage. Then he called Owen over to take a look at her.

'So, what have you done this time?' he asked, snapping on a pair of white gloves.

'I was drowned,' she answered and then, when Jack nudged her, she mumbled, 'and weevil sprayed.'

As expected Owen burst out laughing.

…

'Bloody marvellous you are.'

…