[Once again I'm not writing 'Adrift' as, 'Adrift'. This episode is mainly lots of Gwen wandering around and meeting people so wouldn't have moved my story along at all. Therefore you are treated to a little of what Winter was doing during 'Adrift' and a bit of Winter/Ianto. Don't worry about Sophia, all will become clear in the next few chapters.]

So, hold me close and say three words like you used to do
Dancing on the kitchen tiles
Yes you made my life worthwhile
So I told you with a smile
It's all about you

Mcfly – All About You

Adrift

Italy was hot. Even her sundress wasn't quite keeping her cool enough and she'd slapped on enough sun cream to fill the bay back home. The sky was a brilliant shade of blue and the little pot of ice-cream in her hand was possibly the best thing she'd ever tasted. A toddler with blonde hair that flowed down to her waist, babbled in little spurts of Italian on her lap and a gorgeous woman sat at the other side of the table.

'Oh she's a darling, it was such a surprise. Mark was worried I'd caught something when I started throwing up every morning but I work with a woman who was a midwife for forty years.' Sophia gazed down at her little child with wonder in her eyes.

Winter smiled softly and took another spoonful of the ice-cream. 'Speaking of Mark,' she grinned. 'You didn't tell me he was such a looker.'

Sophia let out a bell like laugh and the child on Winter's lap followed suite. 'He is isn't he? Honestly when I left Cardiff I wasn't sure if I was doing the right thing but as soon as I saw him smiling across the air port I knew that this was my place.'

Winter smirked. 'Really? I was under the impression you stayed because of the weather.'

Sophia grinned devilishly and pulled her sunglasses off her head. 'You got me, give me sun burn any day over rain.'

'Hey! It doesn't just rain!'

'Oh yes that's right you had snow a little while back.'

The two women burst out laughing. A low whistle brought their attention to a man standing a few feet away.

'Now this is a picture I would like to see more often.' Mark took a seat next to Sophia, pecking her on the lips before reaching out to stroke his daughters cheek. 'I hope my wife hasn't been too talkative, she has let you look around our beautiful city too, yes?' he said, smiling at Winter warmly.

Sophia smacked his arm playfully. 'I'll have you know we were having a lovely chat until you pushed in.'

He took Sophia's hand and kissed it softly before he turned back to Winter. 'Honestly, I wished you'd come sooner, it's been nothing but 'Winter this' and 'Winter that' and 'do you think she'll recognise me' for the past few weeks.'

Sophia rolled her eyes and relieved Winter of her daughter. 'That reminds me, your visit was quite quick, I mean most people don't just up and come to Italy with only two weeks notice. Was there something happening or…' Sophia's eyes were serious now and Winter sighed.

Mark excused himself with the little girl and the two women sat in silence for a moment.

'I'm changing.' Winter began, 'I guess I'm just growing up a bit but…'

'But?' Sophia reached across the table of the café and gave her a reassuring smile.

'I don't want to talk to the team about it because I have to see them every day, I guessed with you, we're friends, long distance friends, it wouldn't embarrass me so much.'

'What is it?'

'I'm frightened.'

'Of change.'

Winter nodded. 'I feel different, I don't feel like swinging around the place like I used to but that's all I've ever really done. I don't really know if I have any other skills, to be honest. I don't really feel like anyone will ever really understand I mean, I never went to school, not for long anyway, and I never had much of a stable home, I've never had any hobbies or talents. My adult role models aren't exactly normal I… I don't know how to… be.'

Sophia smiled, a spark in her eyes. 'That secret you feel like you're missing out on. The long passed down truth that will make your life as an adult to much smoother.'

'Yes?'

'Nobody has a damn clue what we're doing.'

Winter sat for a moment, stunned.

'I mean it. I work in an office where the people I work with leave all the teaspoons in the sink and then complain when there aren't any left. All adults are just overgrown children with bills and a drinking permit.'

'It doesn't feel that way.'

'Well, I hate to say this but it might help if you took a step back for a while.'

'From work?'

'No, and yes.'

Winter looked confused and Sophia sighed. 'From certain people at work maybe.'

'Oh'

'I'm not saying back off from your friends but, look, you might have an easier time of it if you weren't spending so much time with people your pining after.'

'I'm not pining!'

Sophia gave her a pointed look and Winter looked away.

'You'll never get over them and find what you're looking for if you keep hanging around them darling. You need time for yourself, time step out of their shadows.'

'But what do I do? How do I keep doing what I do with nothing to add. I just feel like, like there are things that make people…special, equip for what they do.'

'Well, not knowing what you do I can't really give you an exact answer.'

'I can't tell you, you know that. You don't want to know anyway.'

'Would you have to kill me?' She smirked and winked when Winter rolled her eyes. 'Look, sometimes people, the majority of people in fact, don't have a special skill. They don't have that one amazing thing that makes everyone gasp. I know everything there is to know about sensitivity and access policy at the archive but the secret is that I don't.'

'I'm not following you.'

'I've read our literature at work about access, yes and I have common sense and I've read books and Italian and international documents on the subject but I totally forgot until about six days ago that if I know a record is about a person over eighteen I can close the record for eighty-four years rather than a hundred because who's going to live to a hundred and eighteen. Adults are constantly learning and making mistakes. The only difference is you have less people checking up on you but the people that are, are more serious. Is any of this helping or am I just babbling on about work again.'

Winter sipped from her glass of water and smiled. 'I think I see what you're getting at.'

'Look, your friends, your colleagues, they all know your past, roughly.'

Winter nodded.

'Then they all understand that this is a weird and confusing time for you made even more difficult by the pressure of a crazy secretive job.' Sophia leaned back to take in the sun. 'You take it one day at a time Winter, no one can ask you more than that.'

TTT

Winter looked over the Hub from her vantage point on the second floor. Jack was out with Owen and Gwen. Tosh had the flu and Pip was fast asleep after the long trip home. The whole building was silent. Which possibly explained her reaction when music suddenly drifted from every speaker, jumping a foot in the air she flicked her eyes around the hub trying to find the source. Wait a minute, she recognised this tune. The strings, the acoustic guitar, she hadn't heard this song in years.

In fact she'd only really heard it the whole way through once, when Jack had taken them all to a gathering for security professionals hosted by the Queen, only a week or so after Winter had joined up. There was a party afterwards so Jack had forced her into a dress and pushed her out into the crowd but she had stood up against the wall, downing every glass of wine or water that came near her and chatting blandly to anyone who came along because she hadn't told him, she couldn't dance.

Then this song had begun and she felt a tap on her shoulder. The one member of the team she had yet to really talk to stood at her side.

'May I have this dance?'

Back in the present moment Winter jumped again as she turned to see Ianto, his hand outstretched to her speaking the same line.

Yesterday you asked me something I thought you knew
So I told you with a smile it's all about you

She smiled and took his hand.

'Huh?' he noted, 'that was much easier than last time. If I recall correctly it took me dragging you up there before you'd dance with me.'

'I couldn't dance,' she grumbled. 'Still can't.'

'Don't be daft, what do you think you're doing now?' he replied.

'Swaying.'

He sighed and pulled her closer, slipping an arm around her waist and his hand into hers. She lay her head on his chest and closed her eyes listening to what she guessed would be described as 'their song'.

Then you whispered in my ear and you told me too
Said you made my life worthwhile it's all about you.

'What's all this for then?' she asked carefully. She felt him shrug and sighed. 'There must be a reason.'

'I just, missed you, that's all.' Winter looked up at him. Sophia would be rolling her eyes so hard right now. There she was in Italy talking about starting again, not bothering about men and love and yet as soon as she gets back she falls right back into Ianto's arms. She sighed and pulled back gently.

And I would answer all your wishes
If you asked me to
But if you deny me one of your kisses
Don't know what I'd do.

'I missed you too.'

He let go of her waist and spun her around, pulling her back to him and she laughed as she crashed into his chest. They moved and twirled and jumped about singing at the top of their lungs. Chasing each other down to the fountain and pulling each other close, arms around waists and foreheads pressed close together.

So, hold me close and say three words like you used to do
Dancing on the kitchen tiles
Yes, you made my life worthwhile
So I told you with a smile

'It's all about you,' she sung along quietly as the song ended. She hadn't realised quite how close their lips really were. How she could feel his hot breath on her chin and his hands burning through her dress.

'Ianto,' she whispered.

The silence in the hub was deafening and she willed herself to pull away from him but all she could seem to do was hold him tighter.

'I know.'

The softest brush of pressure on her lips made her muscles freeze even though every nerve seemed to be alight. Once more and his tongue darted out, touching her lip. She unfroze and her hand moved to his neck, pulling him closer and capturing his bottom lip between hers. His mouth was warm, inviting, soft.

The cog door rolled open and just like that the moment was gone. She stumbled back and turned away to face the fountain, back to back with Ianto as Jack barrelled in with a large chunk of space junk in his hands.

'Welcome back, Sir.'

Winter stood panting softly and shaken. Her gut was twisting and her face burning. She couldn't stay here. She couldn't look at either of them. She had to move.

Without a word she walked, as fast as she could, out of the central hub and down to her room. Fumbling with the door she slammed it shut and hugged herself as tears threatened to fall. Then she stopped. Looking up at herself in the mirror she sniffed and forced herself upright. No, she had promised herself a new start, so that's what she was doing.

'One day at a time,' she whispered.

[Due to the shortness of this chapter, 'Fragments' will be up soon]

'Zaziness': No need to feel guilty, I'm aware you can't review every chapter, nobody has time to do that! Besides, you've reviewed now so that makes up for it. I know, 100 reviews! I know a lot of them are you lol, but still I never thought this story would be so popular, I'm so glad I continued writing it after series one. Originally she was going to go off to London and that was going to be the end of the story. Pip's fine, it's probably just a bug, everyone gets sick every now and then, even monkeys. Especially if they eat anything they get their hands on. Take that as a warning Petruchio. Don't worry, he's not dying. Speaking of Pip and Pet, I was walking past a accessory shop and spotter a pair of earrings with two little monkeys hanging on each. Reminded me so much of our little monkey friends that I went in a got them (and a matching necklace + bracelet). Suddenly this story and my reviewers are influencing my fashion sense. No, she didn't have a great childhood, but to be honest, being on the street her whole life, she was bound to know someone who had died. Winter's going through a stage, maybe it's life at Torchwood in general, maybe it's Owens death, but she's really beginning to grow up and I love that about her. Although, there will still be a little climbing every now and then. I kept it very ambiguous at the end because I wanted it from her point of view. Yes she did get her breath stolen, it was in the flask with the little boys but she was upset because the boy lost his whole family while she got to live and she knows what that feels like, it pains her to think that she was the cause of someone losing their family because of her. (although it really isn't her fault)

'Rachy Babes': If I ever do write that story I'm defiantly using that title! You, my friend, are a genius. I remember thinking that exact line when they came across the first victim, it just seemed so obvious that what she needed was some lip balm. Ah well, if the Torchwood writers don't spot it, it just gives me more to write about! I think I needed to show people how she got into climbing because she's beginning to stop really and it didn't make it into fragments so I just moved it forward a few chapters. I'm glad you liked it.

'The Small But Powerful One': Hmm, my hardest review reply, how to answer your questions without giving away the end, (to be honest I always read the last page of a book to see if I'll like it or not. You can always tell if the author gave up and copped out if the ending is crap) What I will tell you is that Winter will end up with someone. I've written it already and she's very happy. As for going off cannon. I can't really reply but I will say, Que Sera Sera.