So just to clarify this is fairly AU, acknowledging up to House of the Dead but no further, so if there are plotholes around this please bare with me! Reviews always appreciated

"Shit" Gwen murmured into the phone, "Ok don't panic. Come over to the house love, we'll talk".

She hung up and sank to the sofa with a sigh. She should've known this day would come. Jack Harkness would always have returned to Earth at some point, but the way time works with him she'd always assumed she'd be long dead by the time he showed up. This was going to get very complicated very quickly, she knew. A lot had been kept from Jack over the past years, for good reason, but knowing the man as well as she did she could imagine quite vividly how he was going to react if he found out. Her first priority was making sure the woman on her way to her house was alright. Her second was working out how the hell they were going to handle this.

She had maybe 10 minutes until the young woman arrived, and she used it to reflect on her life since Jack was last a part of it. Rebuilding Torchwood had been difficult, and honestly, she wouldn't have even considered it if it hadn't been for the…unexpected events that came her way after Jack had left. But she didn't regret it for a second. They had gained and lost some incredible team members over the last 20 years, but the message and heart of Torchwood had always remained. She and Rhys had balanced raising Anwen, and her brother Lloyd, creating a wonderful life in a house in the Cardiff suburbs. Rhys had carried on with Harwoods as they moved into automated haulage, technology changing over the years much to Rhys' reluctance. He was area manager now, overseeing the transportation of goods all across the country from the Cardiff depot. And she had got to continue doing what she loved, saving the city, saving the planet over and over again.

But now, being the wrong side of 50, with two grown up kids and a little bit more of an arse these days than she would like to admit, she didn't really have as much to do with the team as she used to, at least not on the front line of things. But she couldn't step away completely, especially now Anwen had followed in her mother's footsteps.

Oh, Rhys had an absolute field day with that one, Gwen remembered wryly. His daughter was not going to put her life in danger the way his wife had all these years, over his dead body. She thought back to the day Anwen had broken the news to her father.

"No bloody way! I won't allow it, not my little girl".

"Dad, I'm 21 years old! I will do what I want, and what I want is to make a difference to the world! Look at Mam, she's kept this going all these years, her and Uncle…"

"Don't paint it like some fairy-tale, love" Rhys threw his hands up, "look at how many times she's been hurt over the years, the people they've lost, the number of times we've sat here wondering if she's even coming home".

"I'm joining Torchwood. I don't need your permission, but I'd like your blessing. I already convinced Mam, if not Torchwood I'll be going to UNIT in London so the choice is yours"

And at that threat Rhys had relented. That had been 6 months ago, and even Rhys had to admit joining Torchwood had been the making of the young woman. She was the spitting image of her mother with all her stubbornness, all of her heart, everything that made her a fantastic agent. The team was flourishing and Anwen was no doubt a welcome addition to it, her determination outweighing any protestations Rhys could come up with. It hadn't helped Rhys' case, of course, that her best friend, the girl she had practically grown up with, was already a fully fledged member of Torchwood herself.

"Gwen?" the girl in question burst through the front door, breathless.

"In here, Evie"

The young woman came rushing in and sank next to Gwen on the sofa, resting her head on the back of it with wide eyes.

"what happened?" Gwen asked gently

"I was chasing down that hoix and he was just…. there" she gasped, "I turned round and he was just there, introduced himself like it was nothing"

"You have to remember love, he has no clue you exist" Gwen held her hand comfortingly, "did he get a good look at you? I mean you're the absolute spit of both your parents so I'm sure he'd have questions".

She shook her head, "I had sunglasses on, and as soon as I could move again, I took off running"

Gwen nodded, considering "How are you? I know it must have been a shock"

"I honestly dunno" she stuttered, "I mean I know the stories, I know where I come from and everything, I just never expected to actually see him. Just assumed he wouldn't be a part of my life and now he's suddenly so...real. Oh God I must've looked such an idiot. He looked exactly like the pictures, Gwen, he hadn't changed a bit"

"Yeah he's like that, jammy bastard" Gwen rolled her eyes, "I wonder what's brought him back"

"What are we going to do?"

Gwen stood up with a groan, pulling the young woman to her feet.

"Well I need to get to the hub. Jack's bound to go there at some point, and we need to prepare them all. But what about you? You can stay here and let me deal with it, he's never been here to know where to look. We can pretend this whole thing never happened, if that's what you want. This is completely your decision".

"No. I'm coming with you" she said resolutely, "I can't think about what I want to do until I've spoken to…. Oh God how is he going to react finding out my…. Jack is back?"

"I honestly don't know" Gwen murmured, picturing the very same thing herself, "Let's hurry, having Jack Harkness arrive there unannounced really wouldn't go well".