[Well hello everyone! I'm a happy bunny. Do you know why? Well not only did I finish an English essay in two hours and half my history essay in one but I spent the entire day listening to the Dr Who soundtrack and am, therefore, in a very Dr who-ish mood. Luckily for you this has sparked off a new rush of activity in my head and I have done two more episodes of season two and I haven't felt like it was a slog! This means more updates for you…. That is unless I suddenly change my mind and something awful happens at 'The End of Days!']

[*Roll title music*]

Well I woke up today
And the world was a restless place
It could have been that way for me

And I started to walk
Pretty soon I will run
And I'll come running back to you

Song for Ten – Murray Gold

End of Days: part 1

'This is Owen Harper, leave a message if you have to.'

Winter growled and hung up as, for the tenth time, Owen's phone went straight to voicemail. It had been hectic since midnight when those spaceships had appeared over the Taj Mahul but with Civil War soldiers and Romans stationed around the country, the Hub was now a cacophony of alarms.

Jack was pacing behind her as she and Ianto worked at Toshiko's computer. Both Gwen and Tosh had been contacted but Owen was still a no show. Ianto picked up a book from the side as Owen strolled in, Gwen close behind.

'Where the hell have you been?' Winter asked.

'At home, resting. And yes, I got the messages, thanks.'

Gwen sat down at her desk and Jack gave Owen a disapproving look before disappearing into his office. Obviously he didn't think there was time to be fighting with Owen about his tardiness. Owen threw his jacket onto his chair and made a bee line for the severed hand of Jack's. It was bubbling away like never before.

"And I heard but did not understand and I said master, what is the end of all these things and he said, go Daniel, for the things are closed up and sealed until the end of time.' Daniel twelve, verse ten,' Ianto said, snapping the book closed.

'Sounds a little close for comfort.' Gwen replied looking up at him.

'Sounds like rubbish,' Winter replied, 'it's not the end of days, it's the rift gone crazy. They just want to find an excuse for what they don't understand.'

Ianto shrugged at her and Owen headed back up to them.

'That machines on the blink,' he said, motioning to the hand and sitting down at his desk. His gaze fell on Winter and he cocked his head, 'and I thought you were leaving.'

Ianto spun around to face her, 'You're leaving?'

She smiled sheepishly, 'Not for long, a week or something. I'm going back to London, see if I can find out anything about my family. Jack's given me some time off but I told him I'd stay until this is sorted.'

Ianto nodded and flicked the bible open again, 'That is, if it's sorted,' Owen replied.

Ianto and Winter glared at him.

'Sorry mate, don't let me stop your portents of doom. Or have you finished?'

Ianto put the bible down onto Winter's lap and retrieved another book from the side, 'Nope, plenty more where that came from. Abandon the great devourer, who will lead the world into shadow.'

Jack left his office and re-entered the main hub, 'Yeah thanks Ianto, I could do without the superstition. You people love any story that denies the randomness of existence.'

Winter coughed, drawing attention to herself, 'You people?' she asked incredulously.

'Thanks, that makes me feel a lot better,' Ianto told Jack.

'Okay, I've been fielding calls all night, the government, UNIT, the CIA, half the western world and a good proportion of the eastern are all asking the same question. Is this anything to do with us.' Jack looked worried as he addressed the troops.

'And is it?' Gwen asked him.

Winter pulled the bible off her lap and got up, 'It started not long after we opened the rift. It's things that shouldn't be in this time or place appearing out of nowhere. Now I don't know about you but to me that sounds a lot like us…Although…'

Jack watched her as she paced towards him, 'Although what?'

She held his gaze as she approached him on the grating floor, 'When we went into the Brecon Beacons you told us that the rift didn't stretch out that far but it was possible it was growing.'

'Yeah?'

'Well then, how come things are appearing in India. If it's only just reaching towards Brecon then I doubt it managed to get half way across the world in less than a year.'

Jack nodded, 'Good point. Conference room, everyone. We have some discussing to do.'

They all marched up and took places around the room as Tosh explained her working.

'I've run a profile on every reported temporal anomaly and tracked any physical or temporal pattern.'

They looked up at the screen and watched as the rift splayed out from Cardiff. Gwen summed up everybody's thinking in a single swear word.

'Nemo's right,' Jack told them, 'the crack in time is us, it traces back to this city, this hub. What you're seeing around the word are ripples and aftershocks. The rift is splintering,' he turned to Owen, 'because of you.'

Winter glanced away, because she knew he was right but Owen had only been trying to help, for once.

'What?' Owen glanced around the table looking for support.

'You opened the rift without knowing what you were doing. You've caused the temporal cracks to widen, time is seeping through.'

Owen wasn't going to sit back and take all the blame for the situation. He seemed uncomfortable as he fought back, 'If it wasn't for me you three would still be in the 1940's. So, are we going to sit around crying into our latte's or are we going to do something about it?'

Jack seemed to have all the confidence as he gave them orders to return anyone out of time to the hub but Ianto gave Winter a look as they left the conference room that said he was worried. Not just about time, but about Jack too.

TTT

The police station was fraught with activity. Winter had no idea why she'd been brought along as Jack and Gwen followed PC Andy down the cell bay. She heard yelling from inside the last cell and Jack watched the CCTV from inside with Gwen. It looked like there was a Roman soldier in the cell, Winter almost giggled, several years ago that would have been really strange, but now, now it was perfectly normal.

'He's dressed as a bloody roman soldier!' PC Andy told them.

Jack smirked, 'He's not dressed as a roman soldier, he is a roman soldier and he's speaking in Latin, which is why this one's here.' He pointed at Winter and then pushed her towards the cells, 'Go gett'em Nemo.'

She rolled her eyes and approached the bay pulling gown the flap on the door. The shouting got louder and he rattled the door as he yelled threats and abuse at her. She looked up at him with her wide violet eyes and he paused. Speaking softly in Latin she tried her best to explain what had happened and that they were here to help him get home if he would just come with them quietly. He seemed to consider his options.

'Then I am expected to walk to my death.'

'Not death,' she replied, 'no one's going to kill you. We're trying to get you back home, but these people are as confused with you as you are with them so we want you to come with us because we're...less confused.'

He spent a few seconds just staring back at her, it was quite unnerving, but finally he nodded and backed away from the door. She smiled and opened the door with the keys she'd nicked from PC Andy's belt.

The soldier immediately stepped back and gasped and murmured a few words before he fell to his knees before her. She laughed awkwardly.

'What's he doing?' Gwen asked.

'Um,' Winter blushed a little and stuck her hands in her pockets, 'he seems to be under the impression that I'm...'

'That you're what?' Jack asked, his eyes bright.

She asked the Roman a quick question then turned back to her companions. 'The goddess Diana.'

Jack stared at her blankly for just a moment then burst out laughing and pulled the Roman to his feet, addressing him directly, 'You too, huh?'

The solder couldn't understand him but smiled back and followed Jack quite calmly.

'You actually had a conversation with him?' PC Andy asked Winter, not even commenting when she handed his stolen keys back.

She smiled and shrugged. Jack filled out the paperwork for the soldier's release. Winter smiled at the soldier and asked for him to stay put as she retrieved his belongings from behind the desk. A noise caught her attention from down at the cells and she peeked into an empty one. Sitting against the wall however was… 'Andy!'

'Yeah?' her head shot up as she realised the Roman soldier, Jack, Gwen and PC Andy, who had answered, were all staring at her. She shook her head.

'Nothing, just acknowledging your presence.'

Jack gave her a look but continued filling out the form.

'Where's the monkey?' PC Andy asked.

'Hmm? Pip? He's back with Ianto.'

'Who?'

'Ianto, Ianto Jones, he's,' she sighed, 'he works with us, sorry but I need to pop outside.' She tried to go alone but the soldier refused to move from her sight so she let him accompany her to the front of the building. She took a deep breath of fresh air as she exited the large building. Her stomach rumbled. She couldn't remember the last time she ate. She hadn't been drinking much either. Possibly, these combined facts were the reason she had thought she had seen her brother in the cell. She turned to re-enter the building.

If she had eaten over the last forty-eight hours or so she would have, most likely, thrown it up then and there. The Roman solder seemed agitated and worried as he looked at her pale face with confusion but she couldn't move to comfort him. Hanging in mid-air in front of her was a figure. Charred bones and flesh with stark white teeth. As she watched it contorted and gained muscle and flesh. She stepped back and bile rose in her throat as her brother was fashioned out of the remains.

'Scrap!' he croaked, 'you have to do it Scrap! You have to open the rift! I'm stuck Scrap, I'm stuck like this. I'll never move on! Please, open the rift. I can't take it any longer!'

He burned before her eyes and she held out to grab the one thing within reach. The Roman soldier. He stiffened at the contact from, what he presumed was, a deity but began shouting for assistance. There was a loud bang and she felt warm hands on her face but all she could see was the image of her brother burned into the back of her retinas. The world around her quickly faded as she passed clean out.

[Oooo! Only one more to go everyone… please remember to review like this lovely lot did.]

[Sonotalady: Glad you liked it. I normally like History too. Just not our current syllabus. Urgh.

Rachy Babes: AH! I remember reading To Kill A Mockingbird. I liked it a lot more after watching the film, it's black and white but it's done really well. I always wanted to have Atticus as my dad :) ahh how our ideals change (now I want the Doctor (obviously, doesn't everyone?)) I'm glad I'm keeping you from your revision as a wise person once told me: 'The more you study the more you know, the more you know the more you forget, the more you forget the less you know. So why study?' [I think it was my biology teacher :)

Zaziness: *laughs* I don't mind :) you reviewed eventually and that's good enough for me. Urgh and I totally understand, Exams are the Bain of my life. I have 5 A level exams this January :( I'm going to spend most of the Christmas holidays with my head stuck in very boring books. I feel your pain. I find that Muse is sort of, music for all occasions, I mean I listen to loads of stuff but they're one of the only bands I can play whatever the mood I'm in. Thanks for reviewing before you moved on, and in testament to that I'm going to answer your reviews in sequential order, this is no.1 (and I love the Pip moments too. I'll let you in on a little secret. Pip wasn't around until my friend mentioned she wanted a pet monkey and I wondered what it would be like. He just fit so well into the story I left him in. now, my friend isn't a massive TORCHWOOD fan but she loves Pip so I tell her about all the stuff he gets up to. In the end it was like he actually lived with me. So one day I'm in the kitchen making lunch and a bottle falls off the side and smashes, (probably just put in a bad place) and I, without thinking, just say. 'oh Peregrine! Look what you've done now!' my mum walks in and stares at me like I'm a cyberman, she hasn't a clue who Pip is so she just thought I was shouting at thin air. I really get too attached to my characters lol)

Zaziness: (review response 2) Glad you liked it. I just though. what's the best way that Winter could trick Jack's birthday out of him. First thing that pops into my mind… 'Oh of course, she can go back in time', lol, only a Dr Who fan would think of that. :) ahh wibbly wobbly, timey wimey, stuff, can't live with it, can't live without it. Much like Pip really *shouts at Pip to get off her school coat* god he's eating the badges, hold on, I need to get them back….

Zaziness: (and review response 3) I just figured, I'm sure that after meeting such an odd person, who says she knows him from the future, he would keep it just out of curiosity. I wondered for a bit whether he should have klept it and then talked about it, because obviously his ship blows up in Dr Who, but I figured he could have just stashed it somewhere. *shrug*. I know what you mean, I'd give anything for a few more TORCHWOOD episodes with the whole team or a few Dr Who episodes with 10 and Rose :( ah well, we can always dream. Well, your guilt card was well played my friend however the secret will only be revealed in the next chapter. Sorry but I spent a long time on this and I'm going to make you work for it!]