Everything you think you know baby,

Is wrong.
And everything you think you had baby,

Is gone.

Garbage - It's All Over But The Crying

Day 3

'Oh! I know where we're going,' Ianto murmured as Lucy guided them through buildings.

They pulled up outside one of the larger warehouses and Ianto hopped out pulling a pair of bar cutters from the back of the car. He snapped open the chains on the warehouse door as everyone piled out of the car and lead them inside. 'Well, This is us. This is Torchwood. This is home.'

Winter screwed up her face and turned to Lucy. 'Are you sure?'

Lucy just winked and headed over to the corner from which she produced some lighter fluid and wood. 'Of course I am.'

Rhys and Lucy got started making the fire and Ianto helped, a now clothed, Jack move an old sofa into the centre of the room.

'Well this is homey.' Winter sighed to Gwen.

Gwen let out unimpressed laugh and shimmied off to stand by the sofa where Rhys had set up a barrel and was attempting to light the wood. Suddenly it all took flame and Rhys and Lucy leapt back laughing.

'Whoa! Almost lost my eyebrows! Still, I'm good for something, see? Old Boy scout!' Rhys laughed.

Gwen rubbed her hands together and muttered. 'I'm freezing.'

Rhys ignored the comment. 'Is anyone gonna see us in here? You know with all this fire lighting stuff?'

Lucy snorted. 'Nah, it's been abandoned for ages, my old London group used to camp out here in the summer.'

'It used to be a Torchwood holding facility, Torchwood one,' Ianto added.

'Been rusting away for years.' Jack agreed.

Gwen was fidgeting in the background. 'So what do we do? Just sit here?'

'Worse than that,' Jack replied, 'do I have to stay in these clothes? I mean, come on. Tracksuit bottoms. Not a good look.'

'Oh I don't know, looks pretty good from here,' Lucy commented.

Winter frowned at her. 'Stop it,' she ordered.

Lucy put her hands up and wandered away to the side of the warehouse, examining the floor.

'Jack, they're arriving today.' Gwen told him, 'That alien voice-thing said today and we're stuck in the back end of beyond.'

Jack slapped the space on the sofa in between him and Ianto and then looked over at Winter and waved her over. She sighed and approached them, she took Ianto's hand letting him pull her down onto his knees and wrapping her arms around his neck. Carefully she curled up laying against his chest, listening to his heart beat.

'Yeah but we're together. The old team. We're down, but not out, yeah?' Jack smiled as Gwen sat down. 'We've survived worse than this.'

'Yeah,' Gwen muttered.

'Besides, I don't know how much fighting you should do, in your condition.'

Winter snapped her eyes shut in dread. Did Jack have to be so stupid?

Rhys' angry voice rang in her ears. 'What does that mean? He knows you're pregnant? You told him before me, didn't you?'

Winter felt the movement as Gwen got up to talk to her husband. 'Rhys, he happened to be there, and it happened really, really fast.'

'Last to know! Last to bloody know! Well, thank you very much!'

'Don't be stupid, man. Hey, don't be so...' Gwen's voice got a little louder as she spoke to Jack, 'Couldn't you just keep it shut?'

There was silence and Winter opened her eyes a crack to see Ianto staring into space blankly.

'All together. The old team,' he murmured sarcastically. She couldn't help but chuckle against his chest, feeling his arms tighten around her.

'Well. I'm happy to see you all,' she commented.

Jack smirked and Ianto looked down at her as she yawned. 'Sleep,' he told her. 'Don't know when you'll need to be wide awake.'

Jack nodded and got up. She would have fought back but caught a glimpse of Pip high on a bar near the ceiling fast asleep. They were right, she hadn't slept in ages and the fire was pretty warm.

'Stay with me,' she mumbled.

Ianto shifted and stretched his legs out on the sofa, she held on tight and let his heartbeat sooth her into a deep slumber.

TTT

Winter groaned and picked herself off the floor wearily. Checking her watch she realized it had been only an hour and a half before she'd fallen off the sofa. Ianto was gone and she couldn't see herself getting back to sleep so instead she stretched herself out and wandered over to a table where everyone was laying out everything in their pockets.

'Nemo,' Jack yelled over. 'What have you got?'

'The beginnings of a splitting headache,' she replied and dug in her pockets, while Jack counted the items already there.

'So, we've got... Guns, okay, and a pen knife. Laptop, now dead. Credit cards and a phone, which they can trace. Lemsip. Book of stamps. Pair of contact lenses. And fifteen quid. What about you.'

She pulled her pockets out, 'Erm, half a tarantula, key to the lock up with my stuff in it in Cardiff, a torch, an electromagnetic locking device and my sword. Sorry I didn't really grab much from the hub.'

Jack nodded understandingly. She felt around her back pockets and something crackled.

'Oh and…' pulling it out her eyes widened and she blushed bright red, turning to look over at Lucy as she held out the unopened condom wrapper.

'What?' Lucy shrugged, 'No glove no love.'

Winter closed her eyes mortified and elbowed a smirking Ianto in the side as she threw it down on the table anyway.

'Hey, if the world really does end at least we can make it a party,' Jack added, with a smirk.

'If it was the end of the world why bother with condoms.' Winter mumbled, wrestling the half tarantula from Pip. She looked up to see Jack and Ianto staring at her with strange expressions. 'What?'

'25p and some bloody alien thing turning up today,' Gwen added, clearly wanting to change the subject. She threw the money onto the table, startling them all back to the task at hand.

'We've still got some of the Torchwood software though, Ianto told them. 'We've lost the Hub, but the software still exists on the server. Trouble is we're gonna need some more equipment, not to mention electricity.'

'And how are we gonna manage that, hidden away like criminals.'

Lucy coughed. 'I'm guessing that's where Nemo and I come in.'

They looked at her confused.

'Well, we were criminals.' She shrugged.

'And,' Gwen added, catching on. 'I trained with the police, I know every trick in the book! I've seen the lot! Come on, boys. You're gonna learn some tricks!'

Nemo grinned and followed on as they walked from the hub. Lucy lead them through the streets expertly. 'That,' she said, pointing to a cash point. 'Is the single most used cash point in the area.'

Winter grinned. 'I need a credit card.'

Gwen nodded and dragged Ianto down the street. They came back ten minutes later with a card.

'One, zero, six, six,' Ianto told her.

She smiled and wandered over to the cash point popping the card in and entering the pin. She withdrew fifty pounds and then ran the electromagnetic lock across the bottom of the money slot then walked back over to her friends. 'Now we leave it and see what happens when we come back.'

Lucy chose to hang about and watch so Gwen and Rhys, Jack, Ianto and Winter all split up. Winter slipped down into Oxford Street and wandered along the road, snatching peoples wallets and purses as she went, hoping they contained names so she could send them back when they were done.

Eventually she joined Lucy back at the cash point along with, Rhys and Gwen.

'Go on then,' Rhys asked. 'what did you do.'

She smiled and skipped over to the cash point taking out the card again and asking to withdraw another fifty pounds. The draw wouldn't open so she ran the device back over it and slammed her fist on the metal. The slot opened and hundreds of notes from people who had attempted to use the rigged machine fell into her hand. She tucked the money in her waistband and headed back across the road. Rhys eyes were bursting out of their sockets. 'Bloody hell, how much have you got there!'

She produced the money from her pick pocketing spree and added it to the wad of cash.

'Enough to by a pretty good TV' she smiled. 'Or three.'

Lucy laughed and they headed back to the hub, mark two.

TTT

Jack had got the power working and they were hooked up to the Torchwood system again. Gwen stood in the centre of the warehouse biting her nails. Ever since she'd talked to the girl from the home office and given her the contacts Gwen had been jittery. Winter didn't see the point in worrying. Either she would go for it, or she wouldn't and either way they still had to work out what to do after that.

Pip had joined her on the sofa and she closed her eyes and listened as Jack and Ianto spoke.

'Frobisher's the key to this. He's just a civil servant, he's nothing. What makes him start authorizing executions?' Jack asked.

'What did it feel like? I mean, getting blown up.'

'It wasn't the best of days.'

'No, but... did you feel it? Or did everything just go black?'

'I felt it.'

'Shit.'

'Yeah.'

'D'you ever think that, one day, your luck'll run out? That you won't come back.'

'I'm a fixed point in time and space. That's what the Doctor says. I think that means it's forever.'

'So... one day, you'll see me die of old age and just keep going.'

'Yeah.'

Winter tuned them out. That wasn't a conversation she wanted to hear. She pulled a stolen mobile from her pocket and dialled a memorized number.

'Hello?' Winter asked, when the call went through but no one answered.

'Hel…Hello?' she smiled.

'Hey, Takara, It's Nemo.'

'No one!' the little girl squealed. 'Frank says you're in London! Are you coming back? He says he doesn't know but you must know! You know don't you?'

She smiled slightly. The truth was that she hadn't a clue. She'd have to live somewhere but where? Now that the hub was gone. She could move into Andrew house but that didn't seem right. After spending the last years of her life chasing after aliens the thought of chasing after small kids and packing them off to school or work seemed…dull.

'Hello! No One! Are you there?'

Winter shook her head and replied. 'Yeah, I'm here. I don't know when I'll be back treasure. Just…you know what Frank told you.'

'Yes.'

'Well, let's make it a secret. Can you do that treasure?'

'Yes,' the little girl suddenly gasped. 'Oh! I've got to go Rosie's making chocolate pudding and she said I could help! Bye!' She hung up and Winter smiled. The world was coming to an end and little Takara was making chocolate pudding.

'Oi! The beans are ready.'

Winter got up at Rhys call and wrinkled her nose. She hated baked beans. Not that she'd complain it would look a bit ungrateful but she did ask for a small plate.

'So.' Jack played with his food and looked up at her. 'Treasure?' she blushed and looked down at the food.

'Little girl at Andrew house. Her names Takara.'

Lucy almost dropped her plate. 'She spoke to you!'

Winter frowned and looked at her nodding.

'Takara, she actually spoke to you. As in words came out of her mouth.'

'Yes,' Winter replied confused.

'She hasn't spoken to anyone but her sister. You go in a room and she's jabbering away in Japanese and then she sees you and it's like she becomes a statue!'

Winter shrugged. 'Maybe she isn't confident in English?'

'Oh and I guess you speak Japanese now do you.'

'Ee,' Winter nodded. She saw Jack smirk at her out of the corner of her eye.

'God, you just keep going don't you. Well, I guess it makes sense. She's kind of obsessed with you. Rosemary's the resident story teller and other than me and a couple of guys she's the only one who really, clearly remembers you. She used to tell Takara about you as a bed time story.'

Winter's mouth dropped open and she noted that both Jack and Ianto were now ignoring their food and watching with interest. 'A bed time story?' she squeaked. 'Why am I a bed time story?'

Lucy shrugged. 'Come on, strong female lead with a tragic background story, swept away into a life of fighting crime and saving the world. I mean, we used to embellish that bit a lot. Never thought it was actually real. Plus, we taught them all to play the old games and stuff, "Sundown" was her favourite. Hey, you should tell her some time, she'd probably die of admiration.'

Winter couldn't think want to say. She'd gone blank, staring at the wall by the door. She'd never thought of her life in that way before. She'd just been living it.

'What's "sundown"?' Ianto asked smiling.

Winter blushed.

'Oh, it's brilliant,' Lucy continued. 'It was this whole game where we all picked sides and then there was this whole story. Normally it was Narnia but there were variations. There's the evil Witch or wizard come to wreak havoc and they've taken the castle with Lucy and Edmund inside holding the fort.' Lucy grinned as she remembered the games they played. 'Susan and Peter have to fight their way through with battles and diplomacy and stuff and it depends who they meet, how far they get. Eventually the goal is to gather troops, defeat the other army and get home by sundown. It's so much fun and really exciting when you're a kid, plus we did a Robin Hood version and an ancient Rome and the Celts version. There was this one time when I was Mrs Beaver and I hid in the park for hours before you guys actually realised I wasn't home. Andy had to come and drag me out of the river because I got too into my dam building.'

Jack laughed. 'Go on then, who's who. I bet you were Lucy, always in with the action. I could see you leading a resistance.'

Winter's face fell slightly and she put aside the rest of her food.

'No actually,' she replied quietly, 'I was Susan. Andy was Peter. We were a team. He always used to save me from the wolves. He used to save everyone he could. It's how he always won. "never leave a man behind" he said.' She paused and sighed pushed away from the makeshift circle. They watched as she headed out of the warehouse. Pip leapt onto her shoulder and the pair wandered out across the deserted landscape.

Back in the hub Lucy shut her mouth sadly. 'Oh god. I totally forgot. I'm such a prat.'

'Forgot what?' Ianto asked but Jack shook his head.

'She told us not to tell anyone, sorry.'

Lucy frowned. 'She may have told you, but she didn't tell me. She's an idiot. She goes around thinking that the less people know the better off she'll be but she's wrong. You're her friends and you should know. Look, you know she had a brother right, you know he died. He got into drugs and died in a drug house fire. She watched it burn down, tried to get to him but she couldn't. I was there, the people inside were all screaming for help and God it was awful. I've never heard anything like it. I had nightmares for years. I saw them dragging her out of there, proper state. I don't think she ever forgave herself for running past all those people trying to find Andy. But, they were a team.'

Jack hung his head and got up from the seat heading outside. Nemo deserved to know that the others knew.

He found her sitting on a dilapidated train bridge not far away and sat down. His new identical outfit stolen by Winter from an M&S and an antiques shop, complete with trench coat made him feel much more like Jack as he settled down next to her and watched Pip play on the grassy verge.

'It's all laughing and joking in there,' she told him, her voice darker then normal, 'but something's coming Jack. Fawks felt it when she was here and now I can feel it.' She pressed a hand to her heart. 'In here. Darkness creeping up on me again.' She shook her head. 'And it's not fair, because I was so happy. I had the hub and I had friends, Andrew house was finished, Sophia was happy and suddenly…' She paused. 'It feels like I'm grasping at sand. I was terrified running away on my own. I don't like being alone Jack. I don't want to be alone again.'

She brushed away a few tears. 'My life's not a storybook. It's mine. You're mine.'

TTT

Jack left Winter on the hill but an hour later Ianto yelled at her from the roof of their building. He was pointing towards the city centre and she turned just in time to see a glare of fire shoot down from the sky. She shielded her eyes and caught Pip who flew into her arms she watched it descended and decided that maybe now wasn't the best time to be sulking outside. She turned on her heel and raced back into the hub meeting Rhys, Lucy and Ianto inside.

'What the hell was that.'

'Maybe it was them?' Ianto supplied, he shrugged. 'We won't know until Gwen's source pulls through.'

'Right then, what now?' Lucy asked.

'Have we got any food in?' Gwen called from the door.

Rhys grinned and went to meet her while Ianto, Lucy and Winter stood watching the old man who walked in after her.

'Yeah, anything in particular?' Ianto asked.

'Not really.'

Ianto nodded and busied himself with the food while Lucy leaned over to Winter. 'Do you know him?'

She shook her head confused.

'Right, good because he looks crazy.'

'She's talking about me,' the old man told Gwen, pointing at Lucy. Lucy blushed and hurried off outside. Winter sighed and watched Ianto hand the man some food.

'Everyone this is Clem.' Gwen introduced. She took some coffee from Ianto and sat it down next to him. 'There you go.'

'Save some for the rest of us, mate!' Rhys joked.

Clem looked up at Rhys and then turned to Gwen. 'He's your husband?'

'Yes. Yes, my beloved.' She replied smiling.

'Nice house, isn't it?'

Winter snorted. 'Well, we do our best! It's got shower facilities. Just stand under the skylight.'

Clem seemed to find this funny as well and he laughed as he replied. 'I've stayed in worse.' He looked Ianto up and down with an odd expression on his face. 'And who's the queer?'

Ianto looked affronted and yelled. 'Oi!' from Winter's side.

She looked up at him and smiled hugging him. 'He's not queer, he's keeping his options open.'

Ianto huffed and muttered, 'It's not 1965 anymore.'

Winter smiled and shushed him as Clem murmured. 'He's queer. I can smell it.'

TTT

It was dark in London. The skyline was lit up and the cold bit into her skin. Pip had given up and gone inside. Lois, the woman Gwen had befriended from the home office, was using the lenses but Winter didn't want to stay and watch. What she had told Jack was true, she had an awful, twisting feeling in her stomach. Similar to when she'd found the piece of Jack's burnt skin on her trouser leg. She couldn't sit in there and do nothing, she couldn't watch the screen and hope something would happen. The cold distracted her. She had to be proactive, had to do something, anything to help. She turned around and surveyed the area. Someone was approaching.

Taking off into the night she scampered up a ladder and onto the roof of the warehouse peering over to see who it was. A government spy? Another street kid? No, Jack. She sighed in relief and trotted down into the main hub area where Gwen stood in between Jack and a frightened Clem as Rhys, Lucy and Ianto stared at them in confusion. Gwen spoke calmly but questioning. 'You were there? In 1965.'

'He was the man!' Clem shook timidly.

'No, no, this is what he does, you see, he fights them. He fights aliens, isn't that right, Jack?' Gwen explained.

Winter walked steadily forwards looking to Jack for answers, he would never, never give away children. He was the good guys, he saved her. the old man was wrong.

'No,' Jack replied.

'Then what were you doing there?' Gwen asked.

'I gave them the kids. 1965, I gave them 12 children.'

Winter's eyes widened in shock.

'What for?' The confusion in Gwen's voice was undeniable.

'As a gift,' Jack stated.

Ah, Man. I know what's coming next and I'm not massively keen on re-writing it right now. Time for a break I think.

'sonotalady': I think you'll be fine it's not THAT hard to keep up and if you get stuck you can always ask me. Muse tend to do very epic songs that just fit the whole Torchwood theme. Try as I might to slip away from them they just keep coming back and shoving their songs in my face. Not that I'm complaining.

'Rachy Babes': I can't believe people really thought I would kill him. Tut tut. I'm glad everyone loves Lucy because she's really there as the 'everyman' character. Almost what I think some of us would have been like (hence the line 'I Love My Life') all my plans work, well I say all most…well, I say most, rarely. But sometimes they work.

'The Small But Powerful One': Glad you liked the chapter. If Ianto's wall outside the site of the Torchwood visitor's centre entrance says anything. It says that there weren't many people that like that ending.