[Right, explanations, I skipped 'A day in the death' not because I'm a lazy sod but because I think it mainly an episode for Owen. The entire thing would have been Winter being worried, Winter being angry, Pip and Jack worrying about Winter. Etc. the point being is that I think it would have been dull for you and bad for me because it would have ruined the episode. So I hope you'll understand why I've moved straight on to something borrowed. However, I'm really proud of this episode because it returns Winter's thoughts to the whole Jack/Ianto problem and there are scenes that I think would look really beautiful on screen. Anyway, that's enough of my blowing my own trumpet. I hope you enjoy it.]

Angels watching over me with smiles upon their face
Cause I have made it through this far in an unforgiving place
It feels sometimes this hill's too steep for a girl like me to climb
But I must knock those thoughts right down I'll do it in my own time

Upside Down- Paloma Faith

Something Borrowed: part 1

'I hate weddings,' Owen stated as he jogged up from the med bay.

Winter looked up from tying a mini bow tie around Pip's neck. 'Why?' to tell the truth she'd been quite looking forward to this day. A bit of a day off, where the team could have a laugh without the threat of the world coming to an end. Well, if she was the world she wouldn't choose Gwen Cooper's wedding day to end on. That woman could be bloody scary when she wasn't happy.

'I just do.'

Winter smirked. 'Well that's a logical argument Doctor Harper. Go on, why do you hate weddings.'

He looked mildly uncomfortable and looked at Pip, changing the subject. 'What the hell are you doing to that monkey?'

'It's a bow tie.'

'Yeah I can see that thanks. Why is he wearing it?'

Winter frowned. 'It's a wedding, you dress up, you look nice. At least, that's what Jack said. Anyway, I think it's cute.' She surveyed the monkey closely. It suited him. Matched the black of his fur perfectly and contrasted with his white chest.

'He looks like a penguin.'

Peregrine bared his teeth and Winter caught him just before he made to leap at Owen.

'He looks better than you do. When are you changing anyway?'

Owen looked affronted. 'I have changed!'

She stared at him incredulously. His blue t shirt and jeans weren't what she would have called, dressing up.

'What? I changed my top.'

'When?'

'This morning.'

She sighed and walked away to Jacks office. Maybe she was kidding herself. This was a Torchwood wedding. Gwen was pregnant with an alien, Ianto was out buying a wedding dress and Owen was dressing down. Pip sat on her shoulder and she brushed some stray hairs off her midnight blue dress. The floaty material almost felt as if it wasn't there so she found herself constantly patting her thighs to make sure she wasn't walking around with the skirt hitched up. She picked Jack's RAF hat off the coat stand and set it on her head.

She was going to enjoy this wedding. Aliens be dammed!

TTT

There always had to be a problem, didn't there. Owen circled the creature on the slab and pulled a large gooey black mass from a silver tray. 'Look what our friend was hiding.'

Jack and Ianto wrinkled their noses slightly at the offending object and Pip let out a disgusted sound.

'And that is?' Ianto asked.

'A proteus gland. The shape shifting organ of a nostrovite.'

'And what is that exactly?' Ianto replied, still staring at the slimy organ.

'Trouble.' Jack replied as Owen attempted to let the thing go. The mucus stuck to his fingers and it finally fell back into the dish with a squelching sound. 'Big trouble.' Jack headed up the stairs and into his office, Winter and Ianto right on his heel. 'A nostrovite is a shape shifting carnivore with a taste for human flesh, it's intelligent and sneaky and… damn it I should have seen this before.'

'We know now,' Winter reminded him. 'Forget about before.'

'That's the problem with shape shifters, you never know what you're looking at,' Owen responded.

'What's the big deal?' Ianto asked, 'It's dead.'

'Yeah this one is,' Owen replied.

Winter looked up sharply. 'This one?'

'Nostrovites mate for life, you know like Swans and penguins.'

'Except you don't find Nostrovites on greetings cards.'

Winter snorted at Jack's comment and headed over to the cupboard in the corner.

'Right and then the male nostrovite carries the fertilised eggs in a sac in its mouth and passes it onto a host with a bite.' Owen continued as Winter found what she was looking for. She rolled her eyes as she strapped the sword around her waist, certain that this wasn't quite the accessory Ianto had had in mind when he'd gotten her the dress.

'And where does the mother come in?' Ianto asked.

'Well', Owen replied. She tracks down the host and rips it open.'

Winter raised an eyebrow. 'Shaun of the dead style?'

Owen nodded.

'Nice, so I take it we're rushing off to save Gwen then.'

'Robin Hood style' he replied.

She smirked and headed out of the door. 'Animal or Kevin Costner.'

Ianto groaned. 'An American Robin Hood. Travesty.'

'Hey!' Jack complained as he pulled his coat on. 'What's wrong with American's?'

'Well, first there are the manners, then there's the cheesy on liners. Oh, and then there's the way they steal all the blankets, and the way they…' Jack placed a hand over his mouth.

'I think that's enough Ianto. There are monkeys present.'

TTT

The car ride was a pain in the neck. Every few seconds Owen looked up from the singularity scalpel and asked. 'How much further.'

And every time Ianto replied, 'Little while yet.'

Winter sat back and frowned at the passing cars as they honked their horns at the SUV. Honestly, they had blue flashing lights and a bloody great big black SUV anyone with half a brain could see they were important. Besides Ianto was one of the most careful drivers she'd ever met. On the other hand Owen and Jack were the other contenders and they were shockingly inconsiderate drivers.

'How much further.'

Winter rolled her eyes.

'Two minutes.'

Oh! That reply was a new response.

'What I don't understand is that if people are going to make such a big deal about getting married why come out into the middle of no where, where no one can find you to do it.' Owen grumbled.

Winter laughed.

'That to me suggests inner conflict.'

'It's because the happy couple want everything to be perfect,' Ianto retorted.

'An alien egg in your belly and its mother coming to rip you open. Yeah perfect,' Owen replied.

Winter smirked and looked out of the window. 'I think I'll just get hitched in the hub.' The car was silent and she turned to find Jack and Owen staring at her and Ianto looking at her from the mirror. 'What?'

'Who are you marrying?' Ianto asked, she blushed and shrugged.

'Oh, I don't know, anyone that'll have me I guess.'

The car lurched forward causing another blare of horns. Jack frowned at her.

'You're not marrying the first guy that comes along and asks you.' He ordered, shaking his finger at her. 'I won't allow it. He has to be vetted by me before he comes within three meters of you.'

She frowned. 'Then how's he supposed to ask me out in the first place?'

'Exactly,' Jack replied turning back to face the road.

'Fine, I'll just stay sad and lonely all my life shall I.'

Jack frowned sadly but Ianto had pulled up at the destination and she was already out of the car and into the venue. She approached the front desk and caught the attention of the girl behind it. 'Gwen and Rhys Williams?'

The girl nodded and gave her directions around the corner. She smiled and set off towards the hall. Unfortunately it seemed Jack was already there because Rhys appeared to be shouting. She sighed and sat on a bench outside. Pip put a hand on her arm and looked up at her face.

'My first wedding Pip. And it's an utter disaster.'

He reached out and touched her cheek, she smiled and put two fingers over the tiny hand.

'You know what? Maybe I'll just marry you.'

He pulled a 'not likely' face and she laughed, swinging him up onto her shoulder before entering the hall. Jack, Gwen and Rhys had disappeared and the guests were milling around. She stood in the crowd watching as everyone helped themselves to champagne and chatted amongst themselves.

'Oh! Sorry.' She span around as a tanned woman in a black dress walked into her.

The woman smiled. 'No matter.' And turned on her heel, walking back across the room.

Winter shivered, there was something about the smile. Pip seemed unconcerned though, in fact he'd been quiet for a while now. She looked up to her shoulder and started. He was gone!

'Pip?' she called, racing through the room between the chatting friends and relatives. 'Pip?' there was no reply and he was no where to be seen. This was not a good time for him to go missing. She frowned and headed for the food trays, if she knew him half as well as she thought than food would be the first thing he would head for at an event like this. 'Sorry.' She called getting the waiter's attention, 'this sounds daft but you haven't seen a monkey around anywhere have you.'

The waiter raised his eyebrows and shook his head. There was a sudden up-roar from the opposite corner of the venue. Her face lit up. 'No worries!' she ran towards the noise and laughed when she noticed the naughty monkey sitting on a newly uncovered silver dish, with a contented look on his face.

'Sorry,' she picked him up off the plate and put him back on her shoulder. 'The little monster needs a leash some times.' The guests stared at her like she was crazy. 'Hi, by the way, I'm Winter, I work with Gwen.'

An older, roundish lady in a turquoise suit looked her up and down disdainfully. 'Well I've never heard of you.' She told Winter.

'Well who are you?' Winter countered.

The woman seemed to suck in a deep breath and raise herself up. 'I'm Rhys' mother.'

Winter grinned. 'Oh, well congratulations, he's lovely. Sorry I should be off, my co-workers are around here somewhere.'

'Is that a sword!' the woman yelped.

Winter glanced down at her belt and fought the urge to roll her eyes. 'I do believe it is, I can see where Rhys gets his phenomenal observation skills. Now I'd love to stay and chat but I really should be off.' She left the small crowd gawking at one another and trotted out of the main room heading up the stairs, bedrooms were first on her check list. If Jack was talking to Gwen that would be the best place. Suddenly a woman in red hurtled around the corner screaming her head off. Winter pulled herself out of the way and watched as Ianto headed down after her.

'What are you waiting for?' he asked.

She shrugged and grinned following him after the girl. They weren't quite quick enough though. The woman stormed into the room screaming bloody murder. Ianto sighed and pressed a hand to him comm. 'Jack, I'm afraid the situation is uncontained.'

She couldn't hear the reply but he turned and motioned for her to follow.

'Where are we off to?'

'SUV,' he replied, 'we're going to jam the phone lines.'

She nodded and helped him pull the jamming device out to the front of the boot. He flicked a few switches and kept his eyes on the machine as lights flashed up. 'You don't really think you'll marry the first guy that comes along do you?' he asked, conversationally.

She blinked in surprise. 'Honestly I hadn't really thought about it. I guess I always just assumed I'd be dead before I got the chance.'

Ianto opened her mouth to answer but was cut short by the sound of gunfire. Without a word Winter raced around the corner and into the gardens in time to see the lady she had bumped into pelt across the lawn. Well, that was one reason to feel uncomfortable around someone; they turn out to be a crazy alien wanting to rip your friends apart.

She joined the chase but came out behind the hedges with nothing but a wide expanse of pristine lawn before her. Jack and Tosh ran in out of breath.

'She's gone,' Winter informed them. 'And no it's me not a shape shifter.'

'How do we know that?' Toshiko asked.

Winter looked up at Jack. 'February 14th.'

He raised his eyebrows and shook his head. 'It's her,' he told Tosh. 'Damn that thing's fast.'

'But it won't have gone far.' Tosh commented.

'Not without what it came for.' Jack agreed, he put a hand on Winter's back and guided her back through the hedges. 'Come on.'

TTT

Well this certainly hadn't been what Winter had been expecting from this wedding. Gwen steadily approaching the Nostrovite as it held her mother hostage. Jack squirmed where he stood, unsure of what to do. Everyone watched attentively as Gwen kept up a steady stream of calming words. Winter flinched back when the alien flung Gwen's mother away from her and headed for Gwen but flashes blinked out from underneath Gwen's bouquet and three loud shots rang out.

The Nostrovite fled and Gwen lowered the flowers to reveal the gun she had hidden beneath them. Winter stared open mouthed and broke the silence. 'That…was awesome!'

Jack and Owen raced past her and Gwen went to hug her mother. She picked up Ianto's limp hand and high fived it before heading over to Jack who had returned to Gwen and her parents.

'Gwen told me about you.' Gwen's father told them, 'and I didn't believe her.'

Winter smiled. 'No one ever does, what can you do?' Pip jumped from her shoulder onto Gwen's and nuzzled into her face. She smiled slightly and let out a slight laugh. Winter walked over and pulled him from her side, 'come on you old softie.'

'Hate to cut the happiness short,' Jack broke in, 'but it'll be back. Owen, get Gwen ready I want that thing dealt with now.'

Owen, Gwen and Rhys set off back into the house and Winter stood with Gwen's parents while Jack spoke with Ianto.

'So you catch Aliens then?'

Winter turned around with a start at Gwen's father's question. 'Erm, yes. And we do some other stuff.' She finished lamely.

'Caught any good ones?' he asked.

She pulled a face. 'Yeah I guess, space whale, giant mosquito like things.'

He nodded. 'Is it safe?'

Winter looked around at the mayhem and shrugged. 'We're good at what we do. Gwen's good at what we do.'

Her father seemed to understand this as he stayed quiet after that. Winter excused herself and approached Jack and Ianto. 'What's the plan then ladies.' She looked up at them both.

Jack raised his eyebrow but answered the question. 'Swoop in and rescue the damsel of course.'

Ianto rolled his eyes and they both followed Jack to the car where he pulled several large objects out of the back. With ease and precision he snapped the pieces together and turned to face them.

'Is that a gun?' She asked, staring at the giant piece of metal.

He grinned and cocked it. 'Lock and load.'

['Zaziness': don't worry I'll make sure she's nicer to Owen. I think it made her angry that he was so willing to basically 'die' after all they went through when they thought he was dead. I'd be pretty angry too even if he was doing it for the right reasons. I loved the idea of her in a total mess. It seemed a really good time to bring in a change of wardrobe and hair for her because sometime I wonder if people forget what she looks like. She acts like she's 17/18 but I have to remind people that as of 'out of time' she's 22 years old. I forget myself sometimes. Lol. One of these days I'm going to write a bit more of winter and the doctor from when they meet. He's so much fun to write. Peregrine and Petruchio. We should have playdates! Ha! I never thought I'd hear myself say that. I'm going to write that now, just them causing mischief around the universe. It'll be like the K-9 adventures, my own spin off series lol. Chapters always vary in length because I don't like to stop in a place that doesn't feel right. Don't worry this one should be back to normal length.

'Rachy Babes': I'm reading your story 'wanted' at the moment. My school has blocked half of my story and a few chapters of yours under the reasoning that they contain 'personal weapons' LOL! It means I'm going pretty slowly because I read one chapter at school and then one at home etc. anyway, I'm really enjoying it and I'd recommend it to people here (READ RACHY BABES' STORY PEOPLE!) anyway, I know I'll leave my character in safe hands when they make an appearance with you so don't fret about using them :D Pip with hand grenades would make an awesome picture. If anyone on here had DeviantArt I'd love to see it as a picture :) I hope you like this next chapter…

'sonotalady': He'll be fine, it's short because the last chapter was long because I felt like you needed a good long chapter. Don't worry they should return to normal length now.