[Writer gives evil laugh….]

Come to bed, don't make me sleep alone.
Couldn't hide the emptiness, you let it show.
Never wanted it to be so cold.
Just didn't drink enough to say you love me.

Evanescence - Lithium

The End of Time

It was breaking her heart. Watching him sit there. Night after night. Alright so it was a different setting every day. They moved around a lot, almost like Jack was running from someone, or something but it was always the same story. They would find a way to a new planet and then find a hotel or some sort of place to stay. Jack would give her a little information on the place and then they would wander around until he found a bar. She would sit near to him sipping water while he downed hyper-vodka's like oxygen.

Eventually he'd be so drunk he could hardly walk and get into an argument or chat up some odd creature that she then had to pull him away from. After helping him back to their room he would collapse into bed and she would sit next to him watching as he curled up sleep, or throw up, or cry.

She didn't know what to do. How was she supposed to snap him out of this, especially when she was struggling to come to terms with it all herself. There was no one to call, no one to pop around and help. Pip was trying but there wasn't much he could do, he was still only a monkey, after all. Just her, caring for a man who couldn't even acknowledge he had a problem.

He stared down the flute of his glass morosely and she rubbed one eye with the palm of her hand, stopping the tears in their tracks. She only knew one thing and that was that she'd keep helping him as best she could. Because she couldn't leave him like this. She loved him too much for that. And there was the other problem. Hitting her head-on like a raging bull, every time she heard those feelings in her mind. Guilt swarmed around her heart and she pinched herself, hard. Ianto had only been dead for… well it felt like years but she had no clue how fast time had gone, but still, she felt terrible for harbouring feelings for Jack when he was just getting over Ianto. Oh God! Ianto, what she wouldn't do to have him here right now. Just some advise. Something to say to Jack, something to help him, anything. Ianto would know what to do.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up. The Doctor looked down at her gravely. 'Come with me.'

She shook her head and looked over at Jack.

'What he needs now is space and you'll be in no state to do anything for him in a minute.'

She frowned and looked up at him. 'What are you talking about?'

'Just…trust me.'

She looked up at him, searching for answers but eventually nodded. He knew what he was doing. Pip leapt to the floor and scurried into the TARDIS and she bit her lip, slipping off the chair and through the small crowd of punters until she reached Jack. He didn't acknowledge her presence so she sighed and pulled him around to face her, wrapping her arms around his neck. He wouldn't even hold her back. She choked back her tears and kissed the spot of skin just behind his ear.

'I Love You.' She whispered. Then let her arms slide from his neck and turned to leave just as a young man in a smart uniform sat beside him. She joined the Doctor by the TARDIS but didn't turn back to face Jack. She had a feeling looking at him would force her to run back and refuse to leave.

The TARDIS was warm inside but it felt… different…sick maybe. She turned to face the Doctor as he shut the door and headed straight for the console. Wiping the tears from under her eyes and pulling herself together she followed him up the ramp.

'So, what were you talking about then?'

'I'm dying.'

She frowned as Pip disappeared off through the doors to the other rooms. 'Well you look fine to me!'

He flipped a few switches and looked up at her. 'I'm dying and I'm going to regenerate.'

She threw the Captain's hat and bow onto the seat and walked around shrugging her shoulders. 'Well, what am I supposed to do about it, I'm only a hitchhiker for God's sake.'

He walked out of the door so she chased after him. They were in a book shop! She smiled and took a step out of the TARDIS. Earth by the look of it. The Doctor grabbed a book from the shelf and spun around.

'Wait here, I'll be right back.' He was true to his word and returned a few moments later. The book in his hand. Carefully he placed it in a draw below the console and flipped a few more switches. 'I don't know what's going to happen to the TARDIS. Last time, she wasn't overly impressed. And that means you might be affected too, I'm sorry.'

She could see pain in his eyes as they scanned the console, refusing to meet hers.

'Right, three more trips then we'll see what we can do.'

'Where are we going? Wait, what are we doing?'

He smiled slightly. 'I'm setting things right.' With that cryptic message he walked from the door. She watched him rush in and straight out again with confusion and regret fighting away for her expression.

How could she be sure Jack was alright? How could she have just left him there? What was the Doctor doing? And what was going to happen to her?

The last time he left the box she followed him. Not the whole way, just stood in the door and watched as the young Rose Tyler ran past. The exchange between them was quick but she smiled without thinking about it. She was still smiling as the Doctor began to make his way back to her, but it fell from her face as she watched him fall to the floor in pain. Without a second thought she ran out towards him and helped him crawl back inside. He pushed her away slightly and she held onto the metal bars.

'What do I do?' she said, panicked and running a hand through her tangled hair.

'Nothing,' he moaned before letting out a whimpered cry, 'I don't want to go.'

She pressed a hand to her mouth and clenched her jaw. With a magnificent burst of light he straightened up. She shielded her view and clenched her eyes shut. The TARDIS seemed to explode around her from the golden energy. She watched slivers of silver and gold weave through the air like tiny lengths of ribbon. The metallic energy burst caused the console to spark and the windows to blow. She fell to the floor and clutched her head in her hands. The noise was deafening and sporadic bursts of pain rushed through her entire body, from her eyelids to her little toes. The world was exploding in fire. She shook with fear as the flames licked closer and closer to her. She couldn't deal with fire! Please anything but flame!

One of the coral pillars collapsed a few feet away from her and she flinched away crawling around the console trying to find somewhere safe. A scream joined the cacophony of noise and a new man was suddenly standing before her. Still tall but with darker hair and a younger face. He looked strange in the old Doctor's clothes but that was the least of her worries. Her breathing was racing, she was hyperventilating. The flames were just too much.

'Legs!' he exclaimed, 'I've still got legs.'

She could hear his new voice, preoccupied with a new body but couldn't speak, her vision was swimming, there was too much air rushing in and out of her lungs.

'Arms! Hands! Oh! Fingers, lots of fingers! Ears yes, eyes, two, nose hmm I've had worse. Blimey hair! I'm a girl! No! I'm not a girl and I'm still not ginger! There's something else!'

Winter closed her eyes and cried out as another wave of pain hit her.

'I'm, I'm, I'm HA! Crashing!'

She felt something drag her sideways and lift her onto the seat and somehow they must have found some straps, she felt the cold buckles burn against her boiling skin and felt them press into her as she was thrown around.

'Yes, right! Good! You stay there.'

The noise around her was disappearing but her body was burning. Melting, rasping… dying.

[So you thought is was over… SERIOUSLY? You honestly think I'd leave you hanging like that. Not say goodbye or thanking you or anything. Aww you guys are so sweet. Does it make you feel any better if I tell you I've already written up until the weeping angels in fact I've been planning this particular story line right from the beginning of the second series of Torchwood.]

'Zaziness': Well, not really… *evil grin* … If you look back over the chapters it's very obvious that other than her mother Winter hasn't actually killed anyone. Not only do you not see her mother dying but it was sort of an accident so it hardly counts. The idea behind this was to push her so far that she basically murders five men and then realises the consequences of not having Jack or Torchwood to protect her or back her up in her choices. I think it turned out rather well :) you're going to be even more jealous soon :) I'm pretty certain that the Doctor wasn't actually in the building. My original idea was that because of her link to the TARDIS she could project herself to the console room. That's why she stops breathing when she 'goes under'. However in the end I decided to leave it ambiguous because sometime there are questions in Doctor Who that are better off left as questions.

'sashaxh': I'm sorry but Ianto had to die. Not because I don't like him (I'm in love with the guy!) but because otherwise no one would have been in the right state of mind to do what they needed to do. In order for Jack to kill his grandson and Nemo to Kill the men, they both had to be grieving, almost at their wits end. Jack will be back… but not in the way many people think.

'Rachy Babes': Well, glad you liked it! Hopefully you'll like this just as much.

'sonotalady': hmmmm I think the only thing to say to you is…read the authors note at the bottom after reading this chapter. (*secretive laugh*)