[Here's a special treat to you all, just to say thank you for being such wonderful readers. That doesn't mean I'm leaving. I promised to do COE and I will do COE, in fact it's already written so even if you didn't want it you're going to get it. But for now you get possibly three of my favourite chapters that I've ever written…

I'd just like to point out that not only are these three chapters possibly my favourites, as I have already mentioned, but in this chapter Winter gives Jack a bit of a pep talk that I for one think is quite admirably spoken. *shrug* just thought you'd like to know.]

Call when you want,
but there's no one home,
and you're not gonna reach my telephone!
Out in the club,
and I'm sippin' that bub,
and you're not gonna reach my telephone!

Lady GaGa & Beyonce - Telephone

The Stolen Earth

'I don't care if nothing's showing up on the screen!' Winter yelled at Jack across the Hub. 'I'm telling you. I felt a tremor.'

He looked her up and down as if trying to work out if she'd been up in the Hub too long but suddenly the world started to shake.

'HA!' she cried, 'I told you soooo…aaahh' The tremor got worse and she overbalanced, tumbling into the small armoury safe room. Jack let out a bark like laugh and she got up, crawling across the room to stand next to him at the desk. 'Oh shut up. Now, what is it?'

His face grew concerned as he read off the screen. 'We're moving.'

'Yeah I can feel that, thank you Captain obvious, now what's going on.'

'No I mean, we're moving through space.'

She frowned. 'What? Cardiff?' He shook his head.

'The whole world.'

She tapped the keyboard and the CCTV was brought up. Everything outside was shaking and the sky was suddenly very dark.

'But it's eight in the morning.'

Jack nudged her over just as Ianto raced through the door.

'What's going on?' he asked, joining the congregation.

'The earth is apparently moving through space,' Winter replied.

'Oh, is that all. Anyone fancy a coffee?'

Winter shot him a grin and Jack turned to speak to him. 'Is Gwen here?'

Ianto nodded.

'Good, I have a feeling we'll be needing all hands…' he looked up at Pip who swung carelessly from the bar above the morgue, 'no matter how furry, on deck.' He gave Ianto a little pat on the back and disappeared into his office.

The door rolled open and Gwen stepped inside, Ianto began explaining the predicament and Winter looked up at the computer and frowned. The earth crashed to a stop and she was thrown into the desk, smacked her head on the side and fell unconscious.

TTT

'Winter?' She groaned and sat up rubbing her head.

'Have I been drinking?' She mumbled, 'I'll take a slice of melon please, or just the whole thing.'

She heard Gwen snort from behind her and opened her eyes blearily. Ianto helped her up and dusted her down. 'No you haven't. The planet was moving remember?'

'Oh yeah. You were gonna make coffee.'

Ianto smiled at her and the pair turned round to face the computers.

'Where's Jack?'

'Taking a look outside.' He replied.

She looked up at the computer as Gwen began typing. 'Wow.'

They stood staring at the screen in shock.

'Is that seriously the outside. Are we sure it's not a screensaver?'

Both older members of Torchwood looked at her incredulously and she shrugged. 'Well you never know.'

They were still staring at the screen when Jack ran back in.

'Are there seriously planets in the sky?' Gwen enquired.

He nodded breathlessly.

'Why bother travelling to Planets when they can come to us.' Winter joked.

Jack approached the other computer and Gwen sat down at her desk. 'What's the telly saying Yan?'

He flipped a switch to BBC 2 where a professor was explaining that the earth had moved over to Paul O'Grady on another channel, 'You know what, I look up and there's all these moons and things, have you seen them?'

Ianto leaned forwards a bit, smiling.

'I thought, what was I drinking last night furniture polish.'

Ianto burst out laughing, she joined in giggling and Jack looked over.

'You two! Time and a place!' Winter flicked the screen off and smirked.

'Sorry.' She said.

'Yeah, It's funny though.' Ianto chimed in.

She elbowed him lightly and joined Jack at the computer. 'Anything new?'

'Maybe.' He yelled up to Gwen on the balcony and then turned back to the computer. 'Someone's established an artificial atmospheric shell, keeping the air and holding in the heat.'

'Well that means whoever's done this wants the human race alive.' Ianto commented, 'that's a plus.'

Winter snorted. 'Oh yeah, they've pulled the planet off it's orbit and moved us God knows how far away from the sun that, need I remind you, the plants need to photosynthesise, so effectively trapping us with a limited supply of oxygen but we're warm and toasty so let's break out the welcome banners.'

Jack raised an eyebrow at her and she shrugged. 'I'm just saying, a change of address wasn't exactly in my plan for the day. Go on then enlighten me. What are we caught in the middle of? Literally this time.'

Ianto tapped the screen and a map of all the surrounding planets showed up. '27 planets including the Earth.' A red dot pulsated in the centre and Gwen pointed to it.

'No but what's that? That's not a planet.'

Jack pulled Winter in front of the desk and sat her down.

'You, watch that. Any change, yell.' She gave a mock salute and settled down to watch the beeping light. They had only just drifted away from her when suddenly more red dots began to spread out from the first, moving steadily towards the Earth.

'Erm Jack!'

'Yeah!' he yelled from his office.

'Something's changing.'

Everyone returned to stand behind her and they watched as the dots moved closer.

'Are those space ships.' Winter asked.

Jack leaned back and tapped his phone against his chest thoughtfully.

'Most likely.'

'Thirty thousand miles and closing, but who are they.'

He opened his mouth to answer but his phone made a bleeping sound. Winter laughed at the confused expression on his face. 'Yes Jack it's a mobile. It rings when some one wants to talk to you. Although why they would want to is a mystery to me.'

He ruffled her hair and answered the phone. 'Martha Jones, voice of a nightingale, tell me you put something in my drink.'

Winter turned back to the screen and watched as the ships got closer and closer to the Earth.

'I met a soldier in a bar, long story.'

Ianto looked up at him. 'When was that?'

Jack moved his mouth away from the phone and turned to Ianto. 'Strictly professional.'

'Fifteen thousand miles.' Gwen commented.

Oh wonderful, a count down.

'And accelerating, they're almost here.'

Jack opened his mouth to speak to Martha but a loud technical voice powered through the Comms.

'Exterminate. Exterminate. Exterminate.'

Jack stopped and looked up to the ceiling. Winter stared at Jack. Gwen and Ianto glanced at each other.

Jack opened his mouth in shock. 'No. Oh no.'

Winter got up from the chair and Pip jumped straight into her arms.

'What is it?' Gwen asked. 'Who are they? Do you know them Jack?'

Without a word Jack grabbed all three of them (well four if you counted Pip) and Winter felt him press a kiss to her forehead. She grasped Ianto's hand because this side of Jack, when he was frightened, meant nothing but destruction.

'There's nothing I can do. I'm sorry, we're dead.'

Winter stared wide-eyed at the screen as the red blur approached. The Hub was suddenly a blur of activity. Jack Gwen and Ianto raced around the room calling out different disasters. Winter looked down at Pip and then back up at the hub. Jack had said they were dead.

'Dalek,' she whispered to Pip, he looked up at her and nodded, 'that's what killed Jack.' She marched over to the armoury and pulled her sword from the side then started rifling through the drawers for anything that might be useful. Portable prison, singularity scalpel, tiny grenades that attached to any surface, knife, gun, she even eyed up a nasty looking mace but had to remind herself that even the pockets of her green jacket, stolen from the TARDIS, weren't bottomless.

The others didn't look twice at her. Gwen was staring into space, Ianto stood in a daze a tray in his hands and J…her trail of thought broke off as she listened to the comm system.

'This is the commander general of the united nations, calling the Dalek fleet. We surrender, repeat, we surrender.'

Ianto had to sit down. Gwen was quietly crying on the sofa. Winter put Pip on the coffee table and he snuggled up to Gwen, trying to cheer her up.

Jack barely acknowledged her presence as she sat down next to him in the door way of the Med bay.

'No,' she said simply.

Jack looked up at her, a blank look in his eyes. The look of a man resigned to defeat.

'We just lost our friends Jack. We're tired and lost.'

A pang of hurt shot through his eyes.

'But the one thing Tosh said she wanted, Jack. To have died impressively, saving the earth. We're not going to just sit here and wait to be killed. At least, I'm not and I have less chance of doing something stupid with you around.'

Jack looked at her, a slight spark kindling behind his eyes.

'Come on,' she pulled him up from the floor as a crackling sound came from one of the computers.

'This message is of the utmost importance.'

Gwen got up from the sofa, Pip jumped onto Winter's shoulder as the face of an older woman appeared on the screen.

'We haven't much time. Can anyone hear me?'

'Someone's trying to get in touch.' Gwen said.

'The whole worlds crying out. Just leave it.'

Winter rounded on the Captain and opened her mouth only to be out done by the woman on the screen.

'Captain Jack Harkness! Shame on you!'

Jack's eyes widened and he jumped.

'Now stand to attention sir!'

'What who is that?'

'No idea.' Winter told him, 'But I like her.'

The woman held up an ID and smiled grimly at them.

'Harriet Jones, former Prime Minister.'

'Yeah. I know who you are.' Jack told her, he moved Winter to the side a little in order to talk to Harriet. Pip tugged lightly on her hair, she pressed a finger to her lips and looked back to the conversation. More people seemed to be joining now, not just them and the ex PM, a woman and a boy. Jack was grinning.

'The fourth contact seems to be having some trouble getting through. 'I'll just boost the signal.'

Martha Jones appeared in the fourth square and Jack burst out laughing.

'Martha where are you?'

'I guess project indigo was more clever than we thought. One second I was in Manhattan, the next second, maybe Indigo tapped into my mind because I ended up in the one place I wanted to be.'

Martha's mother sat down beside her. 'You came home, at the end of the world, you came back to me.'

Martha smiled at her mother and turned back to the screen. 'But all of a sudden it was like the laptop turned itself on.'

Harriet Jones introduced herself again. 'I thought it was about time we all met, given the current crisis. Torchwood, this is Sarah Jane Smith.'

Jack started gushing like a fan boy. Winter elbowed him aside and popped her head out in front of him. 'Hey Sarah! These are my friends, this is Ianto and Gwen and this idiot is Jack.'

'Hey.'

Winter smirked and Sarah Jane smiled.

'You did say you'd stay in touch.'

'Sorry, It probably shouldn't have taken an invasion for me to pick up the phone huh.'

'I suppose I'm just as bad. I've been staying away from you lot, too many guns.'

Winter smirked at Jacks slightly embarrassed look.

'All the same,' Jack replied, 'Might I say, looking good man.'

'Really? Oh!'

Winter rolled her eyes. 'Not now Captain.' Both she and Harriet said.

He looked between them grinning. Harriet introduced Martha and then it was down to business. She explained the sub wave network and Martha produced the Osterhagen key. Whatever that was. The very mention of it seemed to anger Harriet, when Jack kept asking she snapped.

'Forget about the key! And that's an order.'

'Oh, touchy.'

Jack elbowed Winter and she shut her mouth, resisting the urge to zip it shut. She listened carefully as Harriet asked for ideas on how to reach the Doctor, If Martha couldn't get through, they couldn't get through. This was a Toshiko moment if ever there was one.

'Wait a minute, that's it.' She looked up at Jack. 'We boost the signal like Tosh used to with our phone signal, we transmit that telephone number through Torchwood itself, using the rift.'

'And we've got Mr Smith,' Luke said, 'he can link up with any telephone exchange on the earth. He can get the whole world to call the same number all at the same time. Billions of phones calling out all at once.'

Jack laughed. 'Huh! Brilliant! Who's the kid?'

'That's my son!' Sarah Jane told him.

Winter pursed her lips and frowned. 'You never call me brilliant.'

'I'd never have time to do anything else.' Jack winked, ruffling her hair. She ducked away from him and Ianto took the chance to shuffle in front of the screen.

'Sorry, hello. Um if we start transmitting then the sub wave network is going to become visible, I mean, to the Daleks.'

'Yes.' Harriet replied, 'And they'll trace it back to me but my life doesn't matter, not if it saves the earth.'

Winter stopped smiling. This woman, who she barely knew, was willing to give up her life to save the whole planet.

Jack saluted but Harriet brushed it off, 'now, enough of words, let's begin.'

Jack set to work boosting the signal. Ianto chucked her some cables and she attached them to the rift manipulator. Pip ran over to the coffee table and put his hands over his ears.

She stepped back as Jack pulled a lever to her right and rays of light shot up around the fountain. He pulled her back a little further and they watched as the rays became rings and the rings ascended to the sky. Sparks flew around the Hub and Gwen winced as the hub seemed to explode around her. Jack and Winter joined her at the computer and they waited.

'Harriet, a source has locked onto your location.' Gwen told her, 'they've found you.'

Jack looked up from the computer stopped. Everyone knew what this meant. The last moments of Harriet Jones were brave ones and as the power of the sub wave network transferred to Torchwood, Winter felt an unexplainable sense of pride towards the woman.

The machines stopped sparking. Everything went silent. The sub wave network now only showed three connections. Had it worked? Winter watched the screen as the others continued typing away. Without one fuzzy connection the Doctor's face appeared in the corner. Winter grinned.

'Oh thank god!'

Jack came up behind her and laughed before leaning into the screen. 'Where the hell have you been? Doctor it's the Daleks!'

Gwen peeked over Winter's shoulders. 'Oh! He's a bit nice, I thought he'd be older.'

Winter sniggered.

'He's not that young.' Ianto commented.

Jack furrowed his brow at the pair of them but there was a sudden burst of talking from everyone on the screen.

'Oh!' Donna said, 'Who's he?' she pointed at the screen and they watched the Doctor roll his eyes.

'That's Captain Jack and, don't just don't.'

Ianto shifted a bit and Winter smiled at the ego swell that seemed to run through the Captain.

'It's like an out of space Facebook.' Donna commented.

The signal from the Doctor suddenly disappeared and a new voice floated across the air waves.

'Your voice is different. And yet, its arrogance is unchanged.'

Winter looked around but only Sarah Jane seemed to recognise the voice.

'Welcome to my new Empire, Doctor. It is only fitting that you should bear witness to the resurrection, and the triumph, of Davros. Lord and Creator of the Dalek Race! Have you nothing to say?'

Winter didn't know who this was but she knew she wouldn't like him. She looked up at Jack trying to work out if he knew anything but through the blare of Dalek voices she heard one clearly

'Subwave Network rerouted. New location - Torchwood!'

'Then exterminate them, at once! Exterminate Torchwood!'

Ianto and Gwen jumped to action tracing the Dalek activity coming towards them. Jack raced into his office and over to the armoury.

'Gwen, Dalek saucer heading for the Bay. They've found us.' Ianto told them.

Winter looked around her. They'd be here soon. Ianto helped Jack on with his coat. Well if he was going out she was going with him. There was no way she was letting him out of her sight after he'd given up earlier. He hung up on Martha and Winter approached him

'I've gotta go, I've gotta find the Doctor. I'll come back, I'm coming back.' He told them.

Winter shook her head.

'Don't you say goodbye to me Harkness, I'm going with you.'

He looked down at her. 'No.'

She smiled. 'Yeah you keep saying that and look where it always gets me?'

He grimaced at her and held out his arm,'Fine, come on then.'

She smiled and grabbed his arm. Pip leapt onto her shoulder and she nodded stoutly. If he wanted to come then he knew what he was getting himself into.

Gwen smiled at them both. 'Don't worry about us! Just go!'

'We'll be fine!' Ianto agreed.

'You'd better be.' Jack told them.

Her limbs seemed to turn to jelly as they travelled through space. She scrunched up her hand in Jacks coat and found herself lying on the floor as Jack shot the top off of what she assumed was a Dalek. It wasn't until she got up that she realised the Doctor was on the ground.

'Get him into the Tardis, quick. Move!' Jack yelled. He ushered everyone inside the ship and a blonde woman and Donna lay the Doctor on the floor.

'What do we do? There must be some medicine, or something.' Donna was panicking.

Winter looked to Jack, he was the only one who ever seemed to have a clue. He sighed and looked down at his fallen friend. 'Just step back. Rose! Do as I say, and get back! He's dying and you know what happens next.'

So this was Rose, she was standing next to the great Rose Tyler, she looked older than the pictures. Winter shook those thoughts from her mind focussing on the situation and pulled Pip into her arms. Jack beckoned her forwards and she moved as he pulled Rose away from the Doctor and wrapped an arm around Donna. Pip escaped onto the coral structures and Winter stumbled around to the other side of the console. Looking down into the wire and metal she felt a tugging in her heart. A gut feeling. Flicking a few switches she watched the doors shut and lock then. A pain like she'd been kicked in the stomach forced her onto the ground and she looked at her reflection in what seemed to be a bike mirror and gasped at the gold swirling in her eyes.

'What?' she whispered and sat down on the floor back to the console as she felt a flood of worry and fright, accost her body. With no prompting, and no idea why, she put a hand to the terrified ship and hummed softly, the songs in her mind. The beautiful refrains that seemed to swell and float like bubbles.

But bubbles, have to burst.

'The Small But Powerful One': Don't worry, you're supposed to be confused. No one knows what's going on with her at the moment. But I will tell you that she's not like Jack, she can die, there's just a twist that will become more apparent later on. Thank you so much for your review it really means a lot to me that people keep coming back for more.

'Aviarianna O Lorien': I'm really sorry about your sister. I recently lost my Nana and I know that isn't quite the same but my thoughts are with you. I'm glad you like the story, it's always good to find little distractions to help you get back to enjoying things. Definatly watch the old series, I'd recommend the first half of season two because it's so funny, just maybe miss out exit wounds, no need to depress yourself again. *moodily kicks the script for exit wounds* not fair, why did Tosh and Owen have to go.

'Rachy Babes': YEY! I'm so happy you loved it. I was a bit worried that it was a bit of an anti-climax because there wasn't sooo much action. No don't worry this won't be ending for a while yet. If you still have those questions feel free to ask them, I'll let you know which ones will be answered soon and which ones I can answer now. I always love getting questioned. (Except by the police, that would probably not be good)

'sonotalady': No sorry. I started out to write a version where everyone lived but it just, it didn't work, not for how I was writing anyway. I even considered killing Winter off as a shock end to everyone but that wold have been awful! In the end I settled on Jack forcing her out, to protect her. that meant keeping the storylines as similar as possible. I would love to keep Tosh and Owen alive but then I think the rest of the series (COE and these two eps) would have been too different. But don't worry, they aren't forgotten. In fact they play a really important role in helping out in these chapters. I do still have one or two companion pieces to write that will most certainly incolve the pair of them, for example how Winter got the Sword ect. I must admit I never thought about comparing her to Tonks before but now you mention it I think you're right. (there's another person who should never have died). I must admit I've been saving that particular song just for this ep. It seemed to fit so perfectly that we would be thinking there was no justice when people like Tosh and Owen have to die and no one but their team realises. Thank you for the praise but I think Muse did all the work.