Chapter 5

When I woke up, I was alone. Standing up, I noticed the figures behind the one-way mirror. It was hard to see, but there were dark spots behind the reflective surface. They were watching me, but I pretended to not notice them.

I pulled a sweatshirt over my T-shirt, and walked through the open door. I followed the now memorized path to the hub.

"Hi!" I said walking toward everyone, skipping slightly.

"Morning! I see you slept well," Owen's face was more cheerful than I had seen him before.

I nodded and looked up at Jack. He was talking to Gwen about the weevil attacks that had apparently started becoming more and more common.

Ianto was in the small kitchen making coffee for everyone. When he came out, I noticed he had six cups instead of five. He handed one cup to each member, then handed one to me.

"It's hot chocolate," he had remarked when seeing my skeptical expression. "I figured you'd like that better than coffee, even though I do make a good cup." The welsh man smiled at me.

"Thank you Ianto," I had responded, gratefully taking the steaming mug. I smiled at the man before walking away.

I sat down on the couch, and drank the warm drink from the cup in my hands. I felt a tap on my shoulder, so I looked up. I found Jack standing there, holding out his hand. I took his outstretched hand.

"Come on, I have something to show you." A small glimmer of excitement crossed his eyes as he walked me up to his office.

The captain grabbed a box from his desk, and opened it. He held the contents in one hand and walked towards me. He placed his hand on the side of my face and put something into my ear.

I turned to look in the glass door to see what he had put in my ear. It was an earpiece, quite similar to his, only the small light on the end on it was purple, rather than blue. A grin spread across my face.

"I suppose if you're going to be a member of Torchwood, you're going to need communication." His face was professional, yet I could see a smile hiding behind his serious expression. "Now you can communicate with any of us whenever you need to."

I was shown how it worked before we exited the office. "Jack?" I stopped walking and looked at the tall man who was next to me.

He also stopped and looked at me. He noticed my odd expression. "What's wrong, Jess?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to say thanks." I saw how he was slightly confused, so I continued. "I thought that since I am dead, no one would care. "

"You are not dead!" Jack seemed to be extremely upset by my saying this.

"Of course I am. I died. Twice." I was saddened by the fact that he had not even acknowledged my previous statement.

I was then pulled furiously down the steps to the autopsy bay, where the captain grabbed a stethoscope from Owen's tools. He held the diaphragm to my chest and handed me the earpieces, and I stuck them in my ears once I removed my communication unit.

I heard my heart beating at a normal pace. Jack looked at me once again. "You see? That heartbeat means life." The man's voice was much softer now. "And Jess, there is no need to thank us."

The way Jack looked at me made me wonder if he had ever had children. It was that look that parents give their kids when they try to make them feel like everything will be ok. I didn't know much about him, but I felt like he cared about me. That was all I needed.

The two Torchwood women came up to me. "We're going to take you out to get some new clothes." Gwen had laughed a little when I looked down at my outfit and asked what was wrong with it.

I agreed to going with them. We walked to the SUV and entered it. I slid awkwardly into the large back seat while the others took the front.

"Gwen, Toshiko, how did you find me when I died, the first time?" I had just realized that I didn't even know why I had died.

"We were alerted, don't you remember what happened?" Tosh questioned.

"No, I don't remember anything at all. What did happen?"

"You were bitten. There was an alien parasite implanted in you. No one knew about it until we were called there." Gwen had responded.

"If I was bitten, where is the mark?" I queried.

The two women took turns explaining that it must have healed, but that I had been infected through my upper left forearm. I traced the spot and imagined the mark that must have once blemished it. I also thought of my family finding me dead, with nothing more than a bite.

We shopped for a few hours before returning to the hub with our arms filled with bags. Ianto met us at the tourism office door, and raised an eyebrow at the load we each carried.

"Would you like some help with that?" His Welsh voice chuckled slightly as he kindly offered his assistance.

Toshiko thanked him, but turned down his offer, saying we would be alright. The man opened the cogged door, and we each scuttled through its opening.

I went to my room after thanking Tosh and Gwen for taking me out for the day. I hung each item my bags contained on the wire hangers in the closet. My eyes darted between the chair in the corner of my room, and the bed that stood before me. I decided on the chair, where I sat for what seemed like hours, staring at the ivory colored clock on the wall.

I didn't know what I was doing. I couldn't just stay here forever. It was never dull, but I could never remain in a place that was so wrong. I couldn't live in a secret special ops base, hidden under Cardiff. I knew they thought the same thing. What should I do?

There's Chapter 5! I hope you liked it! Again, not my best, but it has some importance I guess. Ok, Bye! Please review!