Title: Spirits save Us
By: Tiffany F
Pairings: Jack/Ianto
Rating: AO
Fandom: Torchwood
Disclaimer: Don't own, don't claim, no money made here.
Warning: WiP
Note: Borrowing some dialogue directly from the show. I think it's pretty obvious what is theirs and what is mine. :)
Summary: There's more to Jack and Ianto than meets the eye, and both have been with Torchwood for a very long time. They're both getting hungry and they find the perfect meal, if they can just lure her into their lair. Don't own, don't claim, no money made here.

***

Chapter 1

The Hub was theirs. They allowed others to come in, had to allow such trespass to keep the planet safe, but in the end, when the day was over, when the humans who worked for Torchwood went home to their scraps of lives, the Hub was theirs. Always there, always working, always watching; they were the heart of Torchwood three, hidden in History. Kept away from those in London who would want to try and kill them, they appeared only when a new team was brought through. Turnover was high in Torchwood, the rift not understood, so much that could go wrong. Sometimes, they just needed food.

The most recent team had been in place for five years. A broken team made up of people who were the top of their fields, but damaged in certain ways. Three humans who never seemed to question their boss, or the tea-boy. They both heard the whispers, wondering who the mysterious boss was, trying to figure him out. It amused them, so see such frustration. Frustration was tasty to them. They encouraged it, leaving out the barest of tid-bits, tiny things that would lead the team into searches that seemed to hold the answers they wanted, but ultimately died out, leaving them back where they started. Such a feast of emotions then. So tasty.

They knew there was death following one of their team, and started to plan for the future. Looking for one who would bring a new feel to the team, a new taste, new blood. They found her, or rather, she found them one wet night when the Torchwood team responded to a fresh body in an alley to test alien tech. He knew as soon as he saw her watching them that she was the one, the one who would walk right into their hands. It was all he could do not to smile and give the game away.

***

Chapter 2

"She's back."

"I told you she would be." Jack closed the door to his office and walked over to where his lover was sitting. "She saw enough at the hospital to know there's something very, very wrong here and she wants to know what it is."

Ianto opened another window on the computer. "Gwen Cooper. Nothing outstanding about her in any of our files or the local police force's records," he said. "I would ask if you're sure about her, but you haven't been wrong in about a hundred years or so."

"Oh, I'm sure," Jack said. "I'm just not sure exactly how strong she is. What do you say we put her to the test?"

"I like the sound of that." Ianto ran a hand up the inside of Jack's leg. "Let me get up to the tourist office and I'll make sure she comes your way. I think I'd like a small taste of her too."

"Let me know when she's on her way down. I'll let everyone know what's going on, tell them to keep as silent as they can for as long as they can," Jack said. He caught Ianto's hand and, lifting it to his mouth, nipped at the fingers that were trying to torment him. "They won't know everything, but I think they'll enjoy the joke."

Ianto smiled. "Do you think we can ever let them know everything, Jack? Could this be the team we trust enough to do that?"

"Dunno. Guess we'll just have to find out."
****

Ianto made his way quickly up to the tourist office they used as a cover, his little place that he liked to hide. The people who came in to obtain directions, maps, information all tasted so good, such a feast for him, and they were none the wiser. No one ever felt it when he fed from them, unless he wanted them to. Those people were never seen again.

He adjusted his tie, checking his appearance in the mirror and smiled. He still looked so innocent, so young. People trusted him so easily. Humans really were so naive at times. Ianto had just picked up his coffee when there was a knock on the door and he heard the older hinges creak as the front door opened. He waited a minute, sensing to see how many had walked into his domain and smiled when he found it was only one. A rich feast. Jack was right, again, insufferable as he was. This woman would be perfect for them. Ianto used his free hand to push the beads aside and ducked a little as he went through them, making sure his friendliest smile was firmly in place.

"Oh, hi, I'm sorry I'm late," Gwen said, sounding so sure of herself. "Someone ordered pizza."

"Who's it for?" Ianto asked.

"I think it's a," Gwen paused for a second, "Mr. Harkness."

No titles then. How had she learned Jack's last name? His lover must have been talking again, flashing that grin of his around and forgotten to mention it. Not that it really mattered, there was no record of either of them anywhere that anyone could find. Ianto willed the door shut, smirking a little at Gwen's jump, and leaned down to push the button that would open the secret door to the hall that led down into the Hub. Down to where Jack was waiting for Gwen. He picked up his coffee. "Well, don't keep him waiting," he said.

Ianto could almost see the moment of decision in Gwen's eyes as she turned and walked a little ways into the cold stone corridor that would lead her down into the hub. She turned back and looked at him, almost as if she was thinking about backing out. He couldn't have that. He mouthed 'go on' and smiled. Had Gwen been paying more attention, she might have questioned the smile. It was the one Ianto usually showed only to his meals. The smile that revealed his true nature. He watched the wall close behind Gwen and reached for the phone. "She's on her way down."
**

"Positions," Jack called. "Remember, this is serious. No one give it away."

"Yeah, yeah," Owen called back from his computer. He opened a book in front of him on the desk and started to compare something to the information on his screen. Tosh, as always, had something to work on, and Suzie had been working on a special project for months. Jack hid away up in the conference room, wanting to be able to watch Gwen without her seeing him. He could already smell her, before the lift doors opened, such a sweet and innocent smell to her. Jack wondered how she could still smell of such innocence when she worked for the police. One more thing to ask her about before the night was out. Before the final test. He watched her look around the Hub, watched as she seemed to mentally shake herself every time she saw something and finally pushed off the wall, heading to his office. Jack watched her watch him, carefully, so she wouldn't realize she was being watched and settled in at his desk to check a report that needed to go out. He could see her walking towards him, pizza boxes in hand - remarkable that - until she was just past Tosh and Owen started laughing. That set Tosh off and Gwen froze.

"I know you all can do better than that," Jack said. He stood up and moved to lean against the doorway to his office. "Owen, you really need to spend more time being serious."

"Yeah, yeah," Owen said. "Look, she's actually carrying pizza. Does that mean we get a midnight snack?"

"I think I should go," Gwen said, seeming to finally realize that she might have gotten in over her head.

Jack took the pizza boxes and handed them off to Owen. "No more of this ordering under Torchwood, understood?" he asked. "You're not going just yet."

"You can't do anything to me, I'm with the police. Gwen Cooper."

"Why are you here, Gwen Cooper?" Jack asked.

"That man, earlier today. What happened to him?"

"He's dead," Jack said.

"But he's not missing," Gwen protested.

Tosh broke in. "Not yet," she said. "We made some changes, planted a few witnesses. When he turns up in the bay, he won't have been missing all that long."

"You covered up a murder?" Gwen demanded.

"Yeah, it's my job," Tosh said.

"Who are you?"

"Torchwood," Jack smiled. "You saw the murder, Gwen Cooper. Do you want to come and meet the murderer?"
**

Ianto made his way down into the Hub, keeping to the background. Not that he really needed to, the team never seemed to notice him unless they needed him for some reason. At times it was frustrating, but mostly Ianto liked it. He was able to overhear things that helped both Jack and himself in their efforts to frustrate and control the team.

"Why are we even doing this?" Owen was asking as Ianto slipped into the room. "We should just retcon her and be done with it."

"Jack has to have a reason," Tosh replied. "I'm sure there's a perfectly logical reason behind letting her down here. We'll find out when he wants us to."

"Just like everything else," Owen said. "Oi, Tea-boy, where's the coffee?"

"On your desk, Owen," Ianto replied. "Does anyone need anything else before I head down into the archives?"

"We're fine, Ianto, thank you," Tosh said.

Ianto nodded and went down the stairs towards the archives almost silently. He could move silently when he wanted to, but it took energy and he hadn't eaten in a couple of days. Ianto stayed just out of sight, waiting for Jack to come back up with their latest acquisition.

"Everyone head home for the night," Jack said, sweeping back in not five minutes later. "See you all in the morning. Be careful out there." He watched the team leave, eyes picking out the alien tech they all smuggled out with them and smiled. Humans were so predictable. "Ianto."

"She still down in the cells?" Ianto asked, appearing around the bend.

"I'm going to take her to the Pub and give her the final test. Will you handle the hacking should it come to that?" Jack asked. "Somehow, with this one, I think it will."

"How long until we can feast, Jack?" Ianto asked.

"This one needs to be nurtured," Jack replied. "Suzie is almost ready though. I can almost taste the hate flowing off of her. Gwen will need at least a year, if not a little longer."

Ianto smiled and leaned up to kiss Jack. "I can't wait. Be careful out there."

***

Chapter 3

Ianto was a very confident hacker. He'd had the time to really hone his skills and was into Gwen Cooper's computer remotely before she got home from the pub. He spent some time looking around, finding out everything he could about her and finally came to the conclusion that, apart from the feast she offered, there really wasn't anything special about the woman. If she hadn't found her way to Torchwood, she would have had a long and boring life ahead of her with the local police. She didn't seem to be smart enough to work her way up into the higher ranks. Then again, when he found a locked file, maybe she did.

"She's on her way home," Jack said, shutting the door to the office behind him. He hung up his coat and walked over to stand behind Ianto at the computer. "What have you been finding?"

"Nothing much, until this," Ianto said. "She's hiding something secret deep in her computer and I'm curious to find out what it is."

Jack kissed the top of his lover's head. "Finish up with her and we'll go to the club and feed," he said. "What sort of energy do you want tonight?"

"I'm hungry, Jack" Ianto said. "I think I want a soul, not energy."

"Hmmm, sounds like a plan to me," Jack said. "Should we make them afraid before you feast, Ianto? Do you want to feel the fear before you tear out their soul?"

"Keep talking to me like that and this won't get finished," Ianto said. "Go on and find us someone, Jack. I'll wipe all traces of anything she writes about us tonight, get into this encrypted file and join you. Give me about an hour."

"I think I'll be able to find someone perfect for us by then," Jack grinned. He caught Ianto's mouth with his own fiercely for a moment and then leaned back. "I'll take them to the usual place, Ianto. See you there."

Ianto watched his lover leave the office again and smiled. Jack was the best one to go and act as the bait for a meal. He was such a natural flirt and usually had three or four people to choose from any time he went near the clubs. It would be interesting to see who Jack picked for them to feed on that night. Ianto turned back to the computer, watching for the moment that Gwen logged on, and started working to hack the file.

It wasn't hard and it kept him occupied while he was waiting for a new file to show up. Ianto grinned when he finally managed to get in and saw what Gwen Cooper had been hiding on her computer. Of all the tensions in the work place, Ianto and Jack both enjoyed sexual tension the most. Having Owen around meant there was usually a lot, but now they had a chance for even more. Gwen was living with a boyfriend, he'd learned that much in her files from the police station, but it seemed that she enjoyed the thrill of cheating on her boyfriend. The locked file was a diary of sorts, lists and details of what all she had been doing with her various lovers while her poor boyfriend was at home alone.

The typing program flashed to life and Ianto watched as Gwen tried to type out everything she'd learned that day, words growing odder and more tangled as the retcon Jack had dosed her with took over. Ianto couldn't help but grin when the words stopped and Gwen fell asleep. He quickly erased all traces of Torchwood and himself from her computer, kept a copy of the diary to show to Jack, and logged out. He had a meeting with his lover and Ianto was hungry.

***

Chapter 4

The usual place was a little out of town, a small house that they rented and kept just for the nights when they decided they wanted to feed. Ianto appeared in the back yard and went inside. "Well now, what do we have here?" he asked, leaning on the door frame.

"Your idea sounded good," Jack replied. He walked over to his lover and kissed him. "For you I found a rapist who was there to prey on younger girls. I caught him just before he picked up a sixteen-year-old who was there with some friends. I thought you might enjoy showing him how his victims felt before you dined. For me, this young man ran away from home and is planning to kill himself later tonight. I plan to give him a reason to live, Ianto."

"Sounds very good," Ianto said. "You always find the best treats, Jack." He walked into the room, enjoying the fear he could feel rolling off both the men. "You're not going to kill your boy?"

"Depends on him," Jack said. "He has no family and claims to have no friends who will miss him, but I don't think that's the full truth. If he wants to live after I'm done with him, then I'll let him, but it's all up to him."

Ianto grinned. "Then I think I'll take my meal upstairs for a bit of sport before I kill him," he said. "Meet you back at the Hub in the morning?"

"See you there," Jack said. "It's time to start priming Suzie."

"I can't wait," Ianto said. He picked up the rapist and carried him towards the stairs.
***

"You're here early."

Tosh jumped and rolled back from her station a little. "Jack, morning, I didn't hear you come in," she said. "I wanted to take another look at this program I'm trying to write. It's the one I told you about, trying to predict spikes of activity in the Rift."

"That's right, I remember you talking about that one," Jack said. "I've never seen anything to indicate that it's possible to predict what the Rift is going to do, but if you think it's possible then have at it."

"Jack, what happened to Gwen Cooper?" Tosh asked.

Ianto slipped a mug of coffee onto Tosh's station and moved to stand next to Jack. "Your coffee, Sir," he said softly.

"Thanks, Ianto," Jack grinned, taking the mug. "I retconed her, Tosh. I think she's smart enough to fight through the pill and come back so I want you to watch for her up top. Let's see if she's strong enough to join us down here or not."

"You're the oddest man, Jack Harkness," Tosh said. "I'll let you know if I see her."

"Thanks. Ianto, you had a file you wanted to show me?" Jack asked.

"Yes, Sir, it's one I ran across lat night," Ianto replied. "If you have time now, I could run you through the information."

"Sounds good, I'll be in my office, Tosh."

Tosh watched the pair of them leave, wondering how they both managed to get into the Hub without her hearing them. There were days when she thought that Jack slept in the Hub, but she didn't want to ask him about it. With the way his mind worked, he'd probably invite her to stay the night and then Ianto would be upset.

Ianto shut the door to the office behind them and smiled. "She's suspicious, Jack, can you feel it?"

"Yep," Jack grinned. "That's not one we get too often, I'd forgotten what an edge it has to it. So, what's in this file you wanted to show me?"

"I found it on Gwen Cooper's computer. Turns out she's sleeping her way through the police station," Ianto said. "I rather suspect it's how she got the job in the first place, but she keeps a diary on her computer talking about all the men she's slept with."

"Just men?"

"So far."

"She comes back, she'll be with Owen within the week," Jack said. "He's already tired of Suzie."

"Shame, that was tasty," Ianto said. "I meant to ask, Jack. What happened to your young man last night?"

"He died," Jack said. "Asked me to end it for him. He wasn't one I would have normally picked, but his despair had an edge to it. One I haven't encountered before."

Ianto leaned on the desk. "What was it?"

"Lust."

"Unusual combination."

"He got what he wanted," Jack said. "Just what he wanted. I made sure of that."

"Now for Suzie?" Ianto asked.

Jack grinned. "Tonight, if you're not too full," he replied. "Splitting her into two meals shouldn't hurt anything though."

"I can't wait."

***

Chapter 5

Ianto was trying to work on one of the lower levels, cleaning, but was distracted by the emotions radiating out of the autopsy bay. He finally gave up, put his mop and bucket away, and went to find Jack. "When are you going to take that spray away from Owen?" he asked, once he was shut in the office. "He lured two people back to his bed last night, Jack. He's a distraction."

"Can you tell if they were both women?" Jack asked with a grin.

"No, one each, both human," Ianto replied. "Turns out Owen's hiding a few secrets of his own."

Jack grinned. "We might have to change our plans a little with him then," he said. "Bet you we can make him sweet before too long, Ianto." He caught his lover's hand and pulled him down into his lap. "I wonder which side he took last night."

"Given the nature of that spray he's got, both humans would have been wild for him," Ianto said. He cuddled up against Jack's chest. "I wonder if he has restraints and toys at his flat, Jack? Should we try to find out? Do you think he'd let us in to play with him for a night?"

"I'm still waiting for them to find the files we planted detailing how the last team here died," Jack said. "I wonder what would happen if we put the true cause of death down on paper. Death by demon. Think they would believe it?"

"They're so desperate for information I think they'll believe anything we tell them," Ianto grinned. He nipped at Jack's neck. "The last team was so very tasty in the end. I kept waiting for London to figure out that we're here, to come in and kill us as they have so many other threats, and they never did. Not once in the years we worked for them, all the teams we ate. How did they miss us, Jack?"

"I don't think they did," Jack said. "I think London was planning to come get us once they were sure we could be contained and Canary Wharf happened first. Their fear of us kept us safe, and if people died well, working around the rift is dangerous. No one understands it."

Ianto looked back. "Too bad we can't tell them the truth about the rift," he said. "I wonder if they would believe us."

"A gateway to hell, probably not," Jack said. "Think about it, in this day and age with all the technology to prove things, how many people believe demons are real, Ianto."

"Far fewer than used to, that's for sure," Ianto sighed. "I can remember when we couldn't move for religious symbols and now you're lucky to find one every five miles or so. That's something to consider though, do we know if Gwen Cooper is religious? I'd hate to go through all of this and end up being blocked by a stupid necklace again."

"I don't think she is, or if she is she's not a devout," Jack said. "Someone's on their way, up you get. Come in, Tosh."

"Jack, oh hi, Ianto. Jack, Gwen's up in the Plass looking around again. This is her fourth time here today," Tosh said. "Her partner is taking her away in their car, but she's definitely trying to find something. Did you take her up the lift last night?"

"Yep," Jack grinned. "This is interesting, Tosh, thanks. I guess I'll go lurk on the lift and see what happens. Ianto, how are the archives coming?"

"Slowly, Sir," Ianto said.

Tosh looked between them. "You don't have to pretend with me, guys," she said. "I think it's sweet." She left, shutting the door behind her before either of them could say anything.

Ianto glanced at his lover. "I'm getting fond of her, Jack," he said. "I don't think I could do it."

"I know what you mean, Ianto," Jack sighed.

***

Chapter 6

With Jack lurking on the invisible lift and Ianto hiding in the shadows, they were well set for nightfall when Gwen came back again and Suzie made her appearance almost right in front of Jack. The pair had been right, Suzie was insane with a lust for power and death that was ripe and called to them both. Jack took the bullet to the head with his usual death face, not showing that he was alive during the whole thing and waited for Ianto to make his move. They didn't want Suzie to kill Gwen before they had a chance with her.

Gwen tripped over a stone and fell over, landing on Jack, and screamed when Suzie's head snapped back and the mad woman fell dead on the pavement. Well, apparently dead. Ianto had developed a special type of bullet over the years, using some demonic energy, that appeared to kill the victim, but put them in a type of sleep until Jack or Ianto woke them up to feed. Ianto stepped out of the shadows, gun in his hand. "Are you all right, Sir?" he asked.

"Sure am," Jack replied with a grin, making Gwen scream again. "Hush now, Gwen Cooper. You've just had a very bad dream."

"No I didn't," Gwen insisted. "You were shot and you were dead. What happened to me? Why did I forget about Torchwood and everyone working there? What did you do to me?"

"We didn't do anything to you," Ianto said. "You've been ill, Gwen Cooper, and you've been hallucinating. When you wake up tomorrow, this will all seem a very bad dream."

"I haven't been ill," Gwen said. "You have aliens down under Cardiff. You cover up murders. You just killed one of your people."

Jack wiped off his forehead. "And I got shot in the head," he said. "Look closely, Gwen Cooper. Do I look like I've been shot?"

"No, but you were. It hit you in the head," Gwen said, trailing off at the end.

"All a dream, Gwen Cooper," Ianto said. "You stumbled into the middle of one of our cases and got sick. We've been watching you to make sure you didn't get hurt, but you're fine now. Just fine."

"Your fever broke and you're all better," Jack said with a grin. "The offer of a job still stands, Gwen. Do you want to come and learn about a bigger world than you've ever imagined?"

"I just, I don't know."

"It's your choice, but if you do come work for us, you can't tell anyone," Jack continued. "Not even your boyfriend. You'll have to lie to him, Gwen Cooper. Can you do that? Can you lie to the man you love about what you're doing when you're away from the house?"

"Yes," Gwen said.

Ianto handed Jack the gun and picked up Suzie's body. "I'll deal with the end of this case, Sir," he said. "See you for the paperwork?"

"I'll be right there," Jack said. He looked back at Gwen. "If you want to take the job, come back in the morning and tell us. I have to go help Ianto with the paperwork. Suzie was very crazy, Gwen Cooper. That's what can happen to you if you want to work for Torchwood. Be very sure you want to join us. Once you do, there's no leaving, except in a body bag."

***

Chapter 7

"You have such a flair for the dramatic," Ianto commented when Jack joined him down in the archives. "The only way to leave Torchwood is in a body bag, Jack?"

"It's true, you know," Jack grinned as he shrugged out of his coat. "I just didn't mention that we were the ones who would kill them. Now, I don't know about you, but I'm still full from last night. What do you think about putting Suzie on ice for a month or two?"

Ianto considered for a moment. "It certainly won't hurt the emotions we've been tempering with time and well placed artifacts," he said. "I'm hungry, but not frightfully so. I think putting her on ice would be a good move, yes."

Jack pulled Ianto over to him and kissed him softly. "I've been thinking about Tosh," he said. "About how we're starting to become fond of her and probably won't be able to feed."

"You want to let her go?" Ianto asked. He tilted his neck to the side to give Jack better access.

"What if we turned her completely?"

"I don't know if she could bring herself to kill, Jack," Ianto said. "She's got such a sweet and passive personality, do you think she would be able to survive the fall down the rift and be able to fight her way back up? Think about how many demons are waiting at the bottom for any human that accidentally falls in."

Jack looked up with a smirk. "They wouldn't touch her if we made sure she had our blood in her," he said. "That'd be the hardest part, Ianto, but it would let her live."

"Something to think about," Ianto said. "Let's get Suzie packed away and then I'll show you exactly what I am hungry for, Sir."
****

Jack waited until everyone was in the Hub the next morning, even if Ianto was lurking in the shadows where no one would notice him until they needed something, before he made the announcement. "Everyone, we have a new member working with us," Jack said. "Gwen Cooper is going to be joining the team and taking Suzie's place."

"Where is Suzie?" Tosh asked.

"I'm afraid that it turned out Suzie was responsible for that rash of murders we've been seeing in town," Jack replied. "She was killing them to learn more about the gauntlet she's been working with for the past few months. I dealt with her last night when I found her about to kill Gwen."

"Bloody mad," Owen muttered. "Figures."

"Knock it off, Owen," Jack said. "It's first case time already, something landed out in the woods that the locals say came from outer space. We're going to head out and see if it's something we need to be working instead of the police or military. Tosh, you fill Gwen in as we're driving. Ianto."

"Sir?" Ianto asked, appearing from the shadows. He didn't smirk when Gwen shrieked at the sudden appearance.

"You're in charge of the Hub," Jack said. "Stay close to the radio and computer in case we need something."

Ianto nodded. "Yes, Sir," he said.

***

Chapter 8

"A sex alien," Ianto said, staring at Jack. "You've got to be kidding me."

"It takes all types to make up the universe, Ianto, you know that," Jack said with a grin. "The problem is that this one kills. If it was just feeding off the orgasmic energy and letting the prey live, then that would be a different matter. I'm not leaving one out that kills it's prey."

Ianto nodded. "Competition," he said.

"That, and it's not nearly as choosy as we are," Jack said. "In fact, with it holding this young girl hostage, it seems to have a taste for attractive young men. It doesn't seem to care too much about location though. We've found victims in the restroom and a back alley. Well, remains of victims. They were sucked dry and were nothing but piles of ash."

"Gwen turned it loose," Ianto said. "Jack, you don't think we're missing something there, do you?"

"What do you mean, Ianto?"

"It's rare for humans to be able to throw the retcon, especially the stuff you gave her, and yet here she is, back with us," Ianto said. He leaned against the desk and looked down at his lover. "She noticed there was something unusual about the team the first time she saw you lot in the field and managed to get into a place to observe you without anyone else noticing until she was already there. Then today, first case she has with us, she turns a deadly sex alien loose on the city."

"Well, when you put it like that, you're right," Jack said. "There's samples of her blood in autopsy. When we go out hunting this young girl, you take one and start looking into things. If she's here for a reason, or if she's competition, then we need to take care of her."

Tosh tapped on the door. "Jack, I've got a location," she said.

"Let's go," Jack said standing up. "Tosh, you take over the computers and radio for me. I'm going to take Gwen and Owen this time around."

"Sure, be careful, Jack," Tosh said.

"Always am," Jack grinned.

Behind him, Ianto rolled his eyes with a sigh.
****

"Well, I guess we know that the alien needs opposite energy to feed," Jack said, watching the video monitor. "Owen, do not go into the cells no matter what. That's an order."

"What if the girl gets sick?" Owen asked.

"Then I'll go and get you her vitals," Jack snapped. "You are not going to be fodder to an alien, not now, not ever if I have any chance of stopping it. Tosh, what are you seeing?"

Tosh sighed. "Not a lot, the alien is mixing up any readings I could get," she said. "I think, at least until we can get Gwen out of there, that we're at a standstill."

"I give it five minutes," Jack said. "Ianto, is there any coffee?"

Ianto appeared next to him, mug in hand. "Of course, Sir," he said. "Is there anything I could do to help?"

"Not right now, Ianto, thank you," Jack said with a fond smile.

"Sir."

"You were right, Jack, the girl just freaked out and threw Gwen out of the cell," Owen said. "I'm going to make sure Gwen's okay."

"Stay out of the cells, Owen," Jack said. "Tosh, give it ten more minutes and then get me some other readings. I want to know what we have to do to get that alien out and neutralized. I'll be in my office."
****

"Not even a week," Ianto commented, reviewing the video footage. "I wondered, for a moment, if the alien hadn't moved over to Gwen when I saw this."

"That's Owen for you," Jack said. "I feel bad for Tosh. She could do so much better than him."

"Yes, she could," Ianto agreed. "At least you got the alien in the end. Messy, but you got it."

Jack sighed. "I sort of feel bad for it, really," he said. "It was just obeying it's nature. That's something we can relate to, really."

"Speaking of nature, Jack, Gwen isn't fully human," Ianto said.

"She's not?"

"No, it took rift energy to show it, but she's got angel in her background," Ianto said. "No more than two generations back, I think the traits are coming out more fully in her than they have in any of her family before this. Could be because of the rift."

"Or it could be because of us," Jack said. "So much for feeding."

"I think, and this is just me, that we should set up an accident around the rift for her," Ianto said. "Something that isn't obviously us killing her."

"The demons waiting at the base of the rift would tear her apart and that would be that," Jack said. "It's something to think about, Ianto. We'd have to wait a bit before we did it, I don't want anything too obvious happening to her immediately. There's also the boyfriend to consider."

Ianto grinned. "Which one?"

"True," Jack said. "Maybe we can get a few meals from her partners."

"I'll look into it, Jack," Ianto said. "Seeing as you won't let me out of the Hub."

Jack smirked. "Not with our pet in the lower archives, Ianto," he said. "Not yet."

***

Chapter 9

Ianto brought Jack his coffee a couple of mornings later and pressed in for a kiss. "Do you feel it in the air, Jack?" he asked.

"I'd forgotten how tempting sexual tension combined with infidelity could be," Jack replied, wrapping an arm around Ianto. "Where are they?"

"Upper archives, the area I've sorted, same place Owen used to take Suzie," Ianto said. "I can't decide which would be better, to leave them at it and feast on the new emotions in the air, or let it leak to Gwen that Owen's picked up right where he left off with the woman that Gwen replaced. Which would create more food for us."

"Decisions, decisions," Jack said. "I don't know which would be better, honestly. I will admit that I'm tempted to try and make contact with Gwen's boyfriend, Rhys, and see what sort of a man he is. It's possible that we might be able to do something there, now that Gwen is lost to us."

"Oohh, I like the sound of that," Ianto said. "Start slowly working on him while we think of the accident we want to prepare for Gwen. I can't believe we missed the angel taint in her blood like we did." He kissed his lover again and moved to sit on the other side of the desk. "It's embarrassing, one of us should have caught it."

Jack settled back in his chair and stretched. "I say we let the two of them carry on for a couple of weeks," he said. "I feel full. How long has it been since those bloody feathered freaks came to Earth and bred with humans, Ianto?"

"Generations, if not longer," Ianto said. "I haven't picked up a trace of them in hundreds of years, but that just means there were none in our area. It's still something we should have been more alert to. I hate that we aren't going to be able to make a feast out of Gwen, Jack. There are so many lovely emotions we could season there." He paused at the knock on the door. "I didn't realize Tosh was here."

"I didn't either," Jack said. "Come in."

Tosh opened the door and smiled. "Morning, Ianto," she said. "Jack, I think I've picked up something we need to take a look at. There's some unusual alien activity down at the train station."

"All right, let's see what we've got," Jack grinned. "Ianto, will you track down Gwen and Owen for me?"

"Of course, Sir," Ianto said.
****

"Jack, is it just me or is Owen giving you off looks?" Ianto asked when the team was back.

"He's been doing that since he made the alien artifact work," Jack replied with a sigh. "It makes me wonder what he saw."

"Could be he saw you," Ianto said. "Think about it, we don't always leave the city to feed. We've been in that section of town a lot over the years because people suddenly vanishing doesn't raise as many questions."

Jack nodded and looked out towards the main part of the Hub. "I think, Ianto, that one of us needs to bug Owen so we can hear what he's telling others."

"I'll do it, Jack. He never noticed when I'm around, not unless he wants coffee or to have the trash taken out," Ianto said. "It's annoying, but handy."

"Soon, Ianto. Soon."

***

Chapter 10

Ianto made a round with coffee and managed to bug Owen without the man being aware of what had happened. Ianto couldn't help the small smirk that he was careful to hide as he made his way down into the lower archives. Their pet needed feeding. Jack watched everything from one of the upper walkways and turned on his earpiece, having tuned it to the frequency he and Ianto used on their bugs. He wasn't sure if Owen was going to risk talking in the Hub or not, but the bug had a good radius on it and Jack would be able to hear everything no matter where Owen went in Cardiff.

"Gwen, you want to go grab lunch?" Owen was asking when Jack tuned in.

"Yeah, sure," Gwen replied, obviously surprised. "What's wrong, Owen? You've been pale ever since we got back from Splott."

Owen took a deep breath. "I saw more than I told you about, Gwen," he said. "I don't want to talk about it here, but I need to tell someone. Tosh would listen, but you've been through this too. You understand what it is to see something happening in the past and want to be able to stop it, but you're helpless. Frozen there like a ghost yourself, watching the horrors in front of you."

"All right, come on, let's get some chips and we can talk out in the park where no one can hear us," Gwen said.

Jack bit back a laugh at that. If only they knew the truth. He still didn't know what Owen had seen, but the word horror caught his fancy. It sounded like it might be possible Owen witnessed one of the rare times Jack fed in his demonic form. There was nothing to tie him back to his human form, nothing that would clue the team in that the monster they saw in the past was their flirty, happy boss. Jack rubbed his hands together. Adding Gwen to the team, even if they couldn't feed from her, was adding so much lovely emotion to the Hub and the team that he didn't think that he or Ianto would be truly hungry for close to a month. It was delicious.

"Okay, so you know I saw that poor girl raped and murdered," Owen said, his voice coming back in clear. The background noises had died out, meaning he and Gwen were probably in the park. "That was bad enough, and if I saw something like that today, I'd kill the bastard myself."

"I think we all would, Owen," Gwen said. "I thought that was all you saw. A rape and murder is enough to make anyone broody and sour, but you said you saw more?"

"I don't know how to describe it," Owen said. "There were these glowing eyes in the background, Gwen. Off in the darkness and they were fixed right on me, like they could see me and were about to attack. I couldn't see a face, but there was a clawed hand. Like something out of a movie, and it was holding the body of a girl. Probably in her teens, like the other victim, but she was obviously dead. Her neck had been ripped out and her dress was saturated with blood. I think whatever was feeding on her was distracted by the other people and was debating killing them or not."

Owen's words were enough to remind Jack of that night. It had been him there, and he had fed well that night, three victims rather than one, although the rapist and murder got away from him. More the pity because he would have been a treat to bring home for Ianto. The murdered girl was tasty enough, but not filling. The couple that came along and found the body first, they were delicious. Ianto had agreed.

"What do you think it was, Owen?" Gwen asked. "You've been doing this longer than me. Do you think it's something that came through the rift and is still here?"

"I don't know, Gwen. If Ii was going off Earth-based creatures only, I'd pick demon, only because of those eyes and that hand," Owen replied. "I've been debating mentioning this to Jack, seeing if maybe there's something he knows about that he hasn't told us. Torchwood watches over a lot of things, it's possible he knows and they've been watching that thing."

"You should ask him," Gwen said. "If nothing else, it sounds like it's something we need to be on the watch for. It feeds on humans, then it's something we need to find and kill."

Jack did laugh at that. Stupid humans thinking they could kill Jack and Ianto. Gwen would have the best chance, given her bloodline, but she would have to learn how to tap into that power and then control it. There were too many humans who burned up when they first came into their angelic powers. With the way things were going, Gwen wouldn't be one of those. Jack started towards the lower archives. When they had the rest of the tech in hand, preventing time travel for good, it was time to let their pet come out to play. Gwen would be the first target.

***

Chapter 11

"What did Owen want?" Ianto asked later that night when the pair was alone in the Hub.

"To talk with me about a monster he saw when he saw the time echoes," Jack said. He flipped the two pieces in his hand and sighed. "Of course he had to be witness to one of the rare nights I was out there feeding in my demonic form. Remember it, Ianto? We fed on the couple that found the body, but we were never able to find the guy that raped and murdered that poor girl."

Ianto thought back over years of kills and hunts. "I do, yes," he finally said. "What did you tell Owen when he asked you about it?"

"I asked him for all the details he could remember, what the demon looked like," Jack said. "Yep, he pegged it as a demon. I told him that the locals in that area had some horror stories about a demon that comes out twice a year to feed on virgins under the full moon and that was probably what he'd witnessed. Owen wanted to know why Torchwood hadn't hunted down the demon and killed it."

"Ohh, demon hunter now, is he?" Ianto asked with a smirk. "I wonder what he would do if he were faced with one of us in demonic form, or one of our extended family here on Earth."

"Faint, probably," Jack replied. "He said something about researching demons and ways to kill them, so we need to be sure that he doesn't find anything helpful, Ianto."

"More trouble than he's worth some days," Ianto sighed. "I'm sure he's already started looking, Jack."

"Which is why his internet is down for the night," Jack said. "I've got a tracker on him, Owen is in one of the pubs and has been drinking steadily for the past two hours. We'll need to go fetch him here pretty soon, take him home for the night."

Ianto smiled. "It'll be nice to get a look at the inside of his flat," he said. "See what, if anything, we can use in the future."
****

"Well, I wouldn't mind a look at those home movies of his, Jack," Ianto said, locking the door behind them. He'd been busy on the computers while Jack was taking care of Owen. "It makes me wonder exactly who or what he's been filming."

"You can sneak back over in a day or two if you want," Jack said. "I'll keep an eye on everything in the Hub."

Ianto glanced over at him. "It's almost time to turn him loose, isn't it?"

Jack grinned. "One more molt and he'll be ready to fly," he said. "I think that Gwen will be the most surprised. After all, everyone seems to think that dragons only eat virgins. Too bad we can't let him kill and eat her, I don't want to risk him getting ill."

"No, clearing up the mess would be a task and a half," Ianto said. "We'll have to be sure he doesn't bite anyone."

"Good thing he has talons," Jack said.

***

Chapter 12

"Jack, could I speak with you for a moment?" Gwen asked a couple of days later.

"Come on in and shut the door," Jack replied. "What's on your mind, Gwen?"

"Owen's worried there's a demon loose in Cardiff and I wasn't sure if he'd talked with you about it or not," Gwen said. She sat down and smoothed her skirt over her legs. "I think it's something worth looking into."

Jack leaned back in his chair and studied her for a long minute. Part of him couldn't believe she was trying to seduce him, but the rest of him wanted to just laugh at how pathetic her attempt was. He wasn't sure if she'd done something similar to get all the other men into her bed or not, but her technique really needed work. "Do you really believe in demons, Gwen?" he asked.

"A few days ago I didn't believe in aliens," she replied. "If nothing else, Torchwood has shown me I need to keep an open mind."

To go with her open legs, Jack was sure. He almost felt bad for her boyfriend. "All right, so say there is a demon running around Cardiff preying on young girls," he said. "Yes, Owen told me what he saw when he was seeing into the past. How would you go about catching it?"

Ianto tapped lightly on the door and slipped in with a mug of coffee for Jack. "Do you need lunch, Sir?" he asked.

"That'd be nice, Ianto, thank you," Jack replied with a smile. "Ianto, wait a minute. You grew up here, have you ever heard anything about a demon in Splott preying on young girls?"

"There is one tale, Sir, yes," Ianto said. "The demon is, in fact, the tormented soul of a man wrongly sentenced to die for raping the priest's daughter. The devil turned him into a demon to get revenge on those that murdered him. He doesn't come out often, just once a month, and only feeds if there's a girl that cheated on her lover, or has been unfaithful to one that loves her."

"He'll never go hungry then," Jack said, eyebrow quirking up a little. "How does he kill?"

"It varies depending on who you ask for details, Sir, but I've heard that he has talons that he can use to rip open his victim," Ianto said. "Other people say he has a pet that he allows first attack to, and then he drinks the blood that remains."

"What sort of pet?" Gwen asked, eyes huge.

"Some say dog, some say wolf," Ianto replied. "Some even say dragon. It's all a myth, of course. There's no such thing as demons or dragons."

Jack choked on his coffee. Ianto slapped him between the shoulder blades a few times and left without saying anything else. Jack cleared his throat. "Sorry about that, Gwen," he said. "There are days when I'm still surprised what Ianto says. The thing about demons is that they're generally not in a physical form that we could use a weapon on, even if there was one here."

"You don't believe us?" Gwen asked.

"I've been here a long time, Gwen, and I've never once seen anything to indicate there's a demon, or any other sort of monster, running around Cardiff killing young girls," Jack said. "You find me some firm proof, then we can talk about it. Otherwise, it's time to get back to work. Your reports won't write themselves."

"All right, Jack," Gwen said.
****

"There's no such thing as demons or dragons?" Jack asked late that night when they were alone in the Hub.

"I couldn't resist," Ianto replied with a smirk. "Did you like the part about it feeding on unfaithful lovers?"

Jack started laughing. "I could see Gwen planning to never go outside at night again," he said. "I wanted to yell 'BOO', Ianto. She also tried to seduce me today."

"She's slowing down the," Ianto said. "Maybe she thought Owen was the better first catch."

"The easiest, certainly," Jack said. "I thought it was pathetic, Ianto."

Ianto moved in and caught Jack's mouth with his own. "I know you belong to me, Jack," he growled.

"Always," Jack replied.

***

Chapter 13

"How close, Ianto?" Jack asked softly, looking in the window.

"Tomorrow," Ianto replied with a smile. "Time to turn him loose in the lower levels, Jack, and see what happens. Anyone that comes snooping around my archives is going to find themselves in a world of hurt."

Jack grinned. "It seems a shame to keep him locked up like this," he said. "We should turn him loose every so often so he can hunt down the unfaithful."

"If that's the case, he can start here," Ianto said. "Seems to me that we have two people that he'll find very tasty."

"We've got him protected, right? There's no way that bullets or anything up in the Hub can hurt him?" Jack asked. "We've been taking care of him for so long, I don't want his first hunt to be his last."

"He's fully protected," Ianto said. "You and I are the only ones that can stop him and get him back down into the archives. I suppose we could turn him loose and let him hunt on his own rather than directing him."

"Too risky. He'll get out and then we'd really have a mess on our hands," Jack said. "No one down below knows we stole a dragon's egg and I really don't want word getting back to them."

Ianto nodded. "They'd be jealous," he said. "No one down there has managed to hatch out, let along raise a dragon in centuries. The royal family might try to come and take him back."

"I suppose it could be a better life for him down there," Jack said. "Given how long they've all been trying to hatch a dragon, he'd be rare."

"I'd rather not risk it," Ianto said. "He's finishing up his last molt tonight. I'll turn him loose in the morning before the team arrives and we'll see what happens."

Jack pulled Ianto into a hug. "Either way, tomorrow should be a feast," he said, leaning in for a kiss.
****

"Jack, there's something moving in the lower levels," Tosh called mid-morning the next day. "It's something large and putting off a lot of heat."

"What is it?" Jack asked. He came out of his office and headed towards Tosh's work station. "Do we have cameras in the area?"

"No, it's down in the older archives, the ones that Ianto hasn't managed to get to yet," Tosh said. "But look at this heat signature. It's huge."

Owen and Gwen joined them. "That looks like a dragon," Owen said, leaning in. "Tosh, can you get us a better heat-based image?"

"I can try," Tosh said. "A dragon?"

Gwen went pale, but only Jack noticed. "Dragons aren't real," she said.

"Apparently they are," Owen said.

"Where's Ianto?" Jack asked, looking around. "Ianto!"

"I haven't seen him all morning," Gwen commented.

"Tosh, he's not down in the archives, is he?" Jack asked.

"I don't know, Jack."

Jack growled. "I'm going to go find him," he said. "Tosh, you work out what that thing is. I want a plan by the time I'm back."

"Jack, wait, you can't go down there," Gwen called, hurrying after him. "You don't know what it is. Ianto could already be dead."

"I'm not leaving Ianto down there, Gwen," Jack said. "Stay up here and help the others. I'll call when I find Ianto." He shook off her hand and headed down into the archives, trying not to laugh. The day was off to a good start.

***

Chapter 14

"She really thought she could stop you?" Ianto asked from where he was leaning up against a wall down in the lower archives.

"She told me you were probably already dead," Jack replied. He held out his hand towards the dragon. "Hello there, beautiful. Tosh has him up on sensors, Ianto, but no camera footage."

Ianto grinned. "It's a good thing he's large enough to block us out on those same sensors then," he said. "I've been talking with him and he can scent the lust in the air. There's only one target he wants, Jack, and then he wants to go back to the underworld."

"It's too cold here, isn't it?" Jack asked. "We knew it was possible, but I hate to see him go. How do you want to play this out?"

"I say that we both lie down on the floor and pretend to be unconscious," Ianto replied. "Our boy will be able to go up and hunt, they won't be able to stop him, the threat will be eliminated and everyone will be happy."

"Except the royal family when they find out what we've done," Jack said.

"There's going to be a fully grown dragon suddenly flying around hell. I think they'll be distracted for a good long while," Ianto said. "I just hate to sacrifice this suit."

Jack stroked the dragon's snout one last time. "Go hunt, my beauty," he said. "The door is there. Go home and live a good life."

The dragon snorted and headed off down the corridor, wings tucked in tightly against his body. Jack and Ianto both quickly stretched out on the ground and stayed still, neither talking or moving. They could both sense the emotions from up in the Hub, the fear growing sharper and sharper as the dragon moved into the upper archives. Once it was on camera, they knew that there would be a spike in the emotions that would only get bolder until the dragon either attacked or went through the gateway in the middle of the Hub.

It was Tosh's voice that let them know it was all over. "Jack? Ianto? Are you alive?" she called. "Blast it, the scanner keeps shorting out. Jack? Ianto?"

"Down here, Tosh," Jack called, making his voice sound weaker than normal. "What happened?"

"Oh, Jack, it was horrible," Tosh said, kneeling down next to him. "Where's Ianto?"

"He was right next to me," Jack said. He pushed up into a sitting position and rubbed his head. "I don't remember what happened after I rounded that corner."

"You must have hit your head," Tosh said. "You're lucky to be alive. It was a dragon, Jack. It was huge and tried to attack Gwen."

"Tried to attack?" Jack asked.

Ianto appeared from the darkness. "There's nothing else down there," he said. "Are you all right, Sir?"

"Shaky," Jack said. "Tosh, what do you mean tried to attack?"

"Gwen managed to get into the lift and shut the doors," Tosh said. "The dragon went mad, clawing at the metal and nothing Owen or I did seemed to hurt it. It finally turned and flew around the Hub once before vanishing into the rift. It's gone, but there's a lot of damage up there."

Jack winced at Ianto's mental curse. "All right, let's go see what the damage is," he said. "Ianto, help me up?"

"Of course, Sir," Ianto said. He pulled Jack to his feet, his eyes dark and angry. Jack nodded.

"Go on back up, Tosh. I need to get my legs under me and we'll follow you," Jack said. "Could you let Owen know that we're both okay?"

"He's going to want to check you over anyway," Tosh said. "I'll tell him you hit your head, Jack. Ianto, take care of him."

Ianto leaned in and rested his head on Jack's shoulder with a sigh. "I think that we need a more direct plan, Sir," he said.

"I think you're right, Ianto," Jack said. "Let's see what you can do with the cameras in the shooting range. I'm sure I can create an accident down there while she's having her weekly lesson with me."

"If that doesn't work, I'm pushing her into the rift," Ianto said. "We can't let a threat like that linger, Jack."

"I know, Ianto. I know," Jack said. "Come on, we need to go play hurt and scared for the others. I don't know if Tosh believed me or not. She's got a deeper well to her than I thought."

"I maintain she'd make a good convert," Ianto said.

"I'm starting to agree with you."

***

Chapter 15

"How did a dragon get into the Hub?" Gwen was demanding when Jack and Ianto came up from the archives. "Jack, you're hurt."

"I'll be okay," Jack said. "Just let me sleep for a couple of days and I'll be back on my feet."

Owen appeared. "Come on, Jack, let me check you over," he said. "You've got one of the hardest heads I think I've ever run into, but this was a bloody huge dragon. I want to be sure it didn't do you any damage."

"He," Ianto said softly.

"What?"

"It was a male dragon," Ianto said. "You could tell by the coloring."

"What are you talking about, Ianto?" Tosh asked softly.

Ianto helped Jack into a chair and took a step back to let Owen in closer. "In the legend we were talking about the other day, the one about the demon and his pet, it tells how to tell a male from a female," he said. "The dragon that got in here was male."

"It tried to kill us," Gwen exclaimed. "I don't think its sex matters any!"

"Gwen, shut up a second," Owen said. "I can't hear anything and I need to be sure Jack's heartbeat is back to normal." The Hub fell quiet except for the usual drips and rustlings that filled the air. "Okay, you can keep arguing. Jack's heart is fine."

"I could have told you that," Jack grumbled. "Ianto, male vs. female. You seem to know the legend the best. Fill us in."

"I told you that the demon's origins are those of a wronged man," Ianto said. "He's not seen often, just when he comes out to feed, but his pet. I went back and reviewed the legend in the original Welsh and found it more detailed than the one I read in translation. A female dragon would be lighter in color and not as interested in female prey. She would still hunt at the command of her master, but there would be more of a battle of wills. The female also never strays from the side of the male demon and the legend speculates that they are lovers."

"You need an ice pack and someone to watch you overnight, but you're fine," Owen broke in. "So we had a male dragon get in here, Ianto?"

Ianto nodded. "His darker color, at least as far as I could tell before he hit me, was a firm indication that he's a male," he said. "Also that he was here alone. The male dragon is more independent, more likely to hunt away from his master. He still goes for those that are unfaithful to the one that loves them, but the reasons are different."

"So why did he try and eat Gwen?" Tosh asked.

"Who knows," Gwen replied quickly. "I'm just glad I was able to get into the lift as quickly as I was. I want to know how the hell that thing got in here in the first place."

"Ianto?" Jack said.

"The dragon can materialize near his target," Ianto said. "It's possible the Hub layout confused him and he appeared in the archives first. After getting past both Jack and me, he came up here for his hunt."

Jack sighed. "Well, we need to figure out if he's going to be back or not," he said. "We've got a month, right?"

"Approximately, Sir," Ianto said.

"Bring in the legend tomorrow, Ianto. Let's see if there's any clues to keeping him out of places," Jack said. "Head home, everyone. Get some sleep and we'll look at this tomorrow with fresh eyes."

"Who's going to stay with you?" Gwen asked. "I could do it."

"I will," Ianto replied. "I'm sure you want to see your boyfriend after such a trying day, Gwen."

Jack bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing at how insulted Gwen looked.

***

Chapter 16

"You are a wonderful actor, Jack," Ianto commented once they were alone. "What would you have done if Owen realized you were faking?"

"Played it off as being indestructible," Jack replied with a small sigh. "I wasn't expecting them to be that concerned about me. I had thought that they'd be more concerned about Gwen after her near brush with flaming death."

"There's something protecting her, Jack. Something that isn't her blood powers," Ianto said. "I'm hungry."

Jack grinned. "Want to hit the clubs?" he asked. "I'm sure we can find a couple of young men that wouldn't mind spending the night with us and the sexual energy would be filling."

"Sounds like a plan," Ianto replied with a grin. "Just so you're aware, Jack, I do have an old book down in the archives. I wrote down the legend I've been talking about with the others, so it will look like an original source. It's been fun to be able to practice my old hand again."

"You're ready for anything aren't you?" Jack asked, pulling Ianto in for a kiss. "Come on, let's go see what the clubs have to offer tonight."
****

Around two in the morning, the pair met up in the park. Jack looked up at the moon. "Can you sense them, Ianto?" he asked softly.

"Another incursion into our world," Ianto replied. He leaned against Jack with a sigh. "How old do you think their latest victim is?"

"Eight to twelve," Jack said. "There's a faint scent of her on the wind if you focus. She's been playing with them for close to a year now, Ianto. The time for her crossing is close to hand. I think we should encourage it."

"Anything to get them back where they belong," Ianto said. "Fairies make my nose itch."

Jack kissed Ianto's nose softly. "I know exactly what you mean," he said. "We're not meant to live on the same plane as them, no matter how often they come here for new blood to keep their line alive. I wonder what Gwen will make of them, Ianto."

"Are we going to let her near this?"

"I don't see why not. She'll try to stop them. You know what happens to anyone that gets in their way."

"I just worry about this mysterious whatever that's protecting her," Ianto said. "I want to know what it is, Jack. I don't like being in the dark about anything, and something this important, I don't like it that much more."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Jack said. "I think maybe it's time for us to take a look at those videos of her and Owen at the Hub. See how much clothing he got her out of and if she's hiding jewelry or a tattoo of some sort. Either would be enough to lend protection to her."

Ianto grumbled under his breath. "There's too much about her that I don't like, Jack," he said. "I'm tempted to just trip her into the Rift and have done with it," he said. "I want her out of my Hub before this taint grows there. I almost burned myself putting coffee down on her desk yesterday. She's polluting our home."

Jack nodded. "We'll give the fairies fair shot at her and if that doesn't work, I'll toss her down the Rift myself," he said. "I can convince her that I'm finally giving in and have been won over by her flirtations."

"Given how clumsy they are, it makes me wonder how anyone ever falls into bed with her," Ianto said.

"Maybe it's the mystery whatever," Jack said. "Let's find out if her boyfriend works, Ianto. When their flat is empty, go search it. I think it's time we start looking into this a little closer."

"You're right, Jack," Ianto said. He looked back up at the moon. "She believes she has less than a month before the dragon comes back. I say we make the most of it."

***

Chapter 17

"Meeting time guys," Jack said the next morning. "There's a couple of things we need to go over."

"Where's the coffee? Owen asked, looking around.

"Ianto's out checking on something for me," Jack replied. "You can last an hour without coffee, Owen. Come on, all of you in the meeting room now." He picked up the book Ianto had left for him before heading over to Gwen's flat and tailed his team into the meeting room. "First thing up is the legend about the demon and the dragon. I took a look at it, but the Welsh used it old enough that I know I'm not getting all the references. I've made a phone call to the historical group up at the castle and they're going to take a look at this for us, be sure that we're not missing a key somewhere."

Tosh looked over. "I thought Ianto read it."

"He did, but he agrees that we have to be sure that his translation is correct. There's a man up at the castle that's made a study of Cardiff, its legends and is very interested in hearing about this one," Jack said. "I'll be meeting with him later in the day. Tosh, I'd like you to come along for that meeting, please. It's time to get you out in the field a little more. Now then, the other thing is a little more disturbing."

"More disturbing than a dragon trying to eat one of our team?" Owen asked.

"I've seen this before," Jack said. "It's been years, but it's not something you forget when everyone around you is suddenly murdered in under ten seconds and the only sign of the killers is rose petals stuffed in the victims' mouths."

"How many people?" Gwen asked.

"A whole squad of soldiers," Jack replied. He didn't mention that he'd been stalking prey on that train. They really didn't need to know that. "When I looked into it a little more, I found out that the whole squad was responsible for the death of a young girl. A girl that was protected by the fairies."

Gwen snorted and started laughing. "Fairies, Jack?" she asked.

"Yes, Gwen, fairies," Jack said sternly. "Every so often they make an incursion into our world and select a young human, usually a girl although I've read two instances of boys being taken, to undergo the change and take them into the otherworld. The largest sign you can get is weather pattern shift, and Ianto spotted it last night when he was checking the news before heading home."

"Tea-boy actually has a home?" Owen said. "I thought he lived here."

"Actually I have a coffin in the archives and I hang myself in there every night," Ianto said, appearing in the doorway. "There's a steam-press attachment so my suit doesn't wrinkle. Coffee, Sir?"

Jack grinned. "Thanks, Ianto. What did you find out?"

"She's seen them," Ianto said.

"Damn," Jack sighed. "Okay, I'll go talk with her in a bit. Maybe I can get over there on my way home from the castle. Anyway, the fairies have selected their next chosen one and they're going to take her within three days."

"They're going to take a child?" Gwen said. "We have to stop them."

"You can't stop them," Ianto said. "The only reason Jack survived his last encounter with them is that he wasn't involved in the death of their chosen one of that age. Anyone that gets in their way, tries to stop them, or hurts their chosen one is killed. Violently. Brutally. Your screams will echo through all time."

"Ianto," Jack said softly.

"So the rumors say, anyway," Ianto said. He put a mug down in front of Gwen and flinched. "Do you need anything else, Sir?"

"Keep an eye on the weather patterns," Jack said. "We need to at least work out where the chosen one is. Hopefully she hasn't worked out that she can command them. I'd like to keep the deaths to a minimum this time around, if at all possible."

"That's it?" Gwen asked. "You're just going to let them take a young child away from everything?"

"I thought you didn't believe in them, Gwen," Tosh said softly.

"Believe or no, we can't let them take a child," Gwen said. "There could be another explanation for the deaths and missing kids."

"Fairies are a type of alien, I suppose," Jack said. He leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "They used to live here, back in the days when magic was a little stronger in the land and they could survive. When magic started dying, they took one step to the left and found another realm, a place where they could live out their almost immortal lifetimes. There was only one problem. Limited gene pool."

"I'll just go check the computer then, Sir," Ianto said. "Call if you need me."

Jack nodded. "Thanks, Ianto," he said. "We're not the only part of the world they take children from, but they like our children the best because there's residual magic in the land here. Your genetics are closer to those of the fairies than kids in, say, America. Now that's not to say there aren't throw-backs every so often, and those children are almost always taken into the land of the fairies. Legend says they're treated well, honored, and make the best marriages when they're of age. Yeah, they eventually turn into fairies themselves, but there's always a deeper reason the children are selected. My guess is that this one is an outcast everywhere. At home, at school, feels unloved and unwanted. The fairies have come to her as friends and will take her away with them soon."

"So what are we going to do, Jack?" Gwen demanded.

"Try to keep them from killing anyone before they take the child," Jack said with a shrug.

***

Chapter 18

"Demons, dragons and fairies all at the same time, Jack," Tosh commented as they drove to their meeting. "Why a sudden slew of supernatural beings?"

"I'll be honest, Tosh, I don't know how I feel about this whole demon and dragon connection," Jack admitted. "The dragon is real, yeah, I'll give you that but it's like I told both Owen and Gwen. I've lived here a long time, longer than they think, and I've never run across anything about a demon before. I don't wonder if there's something we're missing."

Tosh glanced over. "What do you think it is?" she asked.

"I dunno. The Rift is still such a mystery to us that it's possible the dragon came through there and went back again when he was stopped from eating Gwen," Jack said.

"I'm not fond of her, Jack," Tosh said. "I know it's horrible of me to even say something like that but today, when you were telling us about the fairies, how could she want to save a kid that's just trying to be happy? The fairies don't hurt them, do they?"

"Legend says that the chosen ones are treated as royalty when they arrive and remain in the nobility until they die," Jack said. "They do transform into a type of fairy, but their lifespan isn't nearly as long as those born to a pure line. You've been there, Tosh. If you were offered a chance at a different life, even if it meant giving up your humanity and life here, would you take it?"

She was quiet for a moment. "I might," Tosh finally said. "I mean, I have my family, but my contact with them is so limited right now because of Unit and my work here. Would I be able to see them, even just glimpses, as the years passed?"

"It's hard to say. You might."

"It's hard being on the outside," Tosh said. She looked at the castle. "I feel so guilty for even thinking this, Jack, but I wanted the dragon to get Gwen. He wasn't interested in Owen or me, didn't even look at us. It went right for Gwen and, once she was sealed away, he left. He was beautiful, too."

"I wish I could have seen him in person," Jack said. "He wasn't too keen on Ianto and me. Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Tosh said.

Jack led the way to an office and knocked on the door, holding it open for Tosh to go in first. "Mr. Hartwicke?" he asked. "I'm Captain Jack Harkness, and this is Toshiko Sato. I called about an old legend."

The elderly man looked up with a smile. "Yes, yes, come in. Come in," he said. "I've run across vague references to demons in the past, but nothing nearly as detailed as you seem to have found. You brought the book with you?"

"Sure did." Jack flipped it open to the section Ianto had written and handed it over. "One of my people is a bit of a scholar and was able to read it, but he's concerned he might have mistranslated some of the older words. I just want to be sure that we're reading this correctly."

"Fascinating. I've never seen this book before. Where did you come by it?"

"It was in our archives," Jack said. "I'm not sure about the origin, before my time, but we're always finding old and odd stuff like this. You're welcome to add it to your collection here, if you'd like. You'll get more use from it than we will."

"Oh, I couldn't."

"Sure you can," Jack grinned. "It belongs in a library, not our musty old archives."

Mr. Hartwicke looked up with a smile. "Thank you, dear boy," he said. "Now, from what I can tell, this is very close to what you read to me on the phone. Very, very close indeed. The tenses are odd, but that's to be expected in an older book. Yes, I would say that this is talking about a demon hunting in pair with a dragon, yes. Fascinating."

"You said you've run across some vague references?" Tosh asked softly.

"When you're close to the water, you get a lot of legends from the port," Hartwicke replied. He sat down and leaned back in his chair. "Most of the demon legends I've seen come from sailors. Men that were naturally superstitious because of the nature of their work. Finding any legend about a demon in Cardiff itself isn't something I've run across before, but the base idea, I have seen that before."

"Can you tell us about it?" Jack asked.

"The man that was wrongly killed for a crime he didn't commit, that I've seen before." Hartwicke opened another book and handed it across to Jack. "Here, I pulled this out for you to look at. You can see that he was left hanging in the tree, at least in this version of the legend, and because he was denied a proper burial, his soul remained behind on our world rather than venturing on to the afterlife. Over time, the spirit grew darker and progressively evil as he saw those that accused him growing healthy and rich. The end result is a demon, but the location is different than what you have here. I suppose one could have come from the other easily enough and we'll never know the exact location involved. In that version, the demon hunts down virginal girls, like the one he was accused of attacking, and kills them. Their bodies are never found."

Jack nodded and handed the book to Tosh. "It seems like there are always unexplained bodies turning up here and there," he said. "I've helped investigate a few in my time here, and it's a little worrying how little physical evidence is left behind. I could see the killer not being human."

"Cardiff seems to be a center for things that are hard to explain," Hartwicke said. "I've never understood it, but I read the paper with a bit of a filter every morning."

"I can imagine," Jack said. "This dragon is really what we're interested in. Do you have any idea where it could have come from, or what it's purpose is?"

"Not off the top of my head, but dragon legends are a little harder to unravel," Hartwicke said. "Give me a week or two and I'll see what I can find for you."

"That would be a help," Jack said with a smile. "Thanks for everything, Mr. Hartwicke. We really appreciate it."

"Whatever I can do," Hartwicke said.

***

Chapter 19

"Where have you two been?" Gwen demanded when Jack and Tosh got back to the Hub. "Three schoolgirls were attacked by something in a tornado in the schoolyard."

"Ianto?" Jack asked, looking around for his lover.

"They had been tormenting a classmate," Ianto replied, appearing out of nowhere like he usually did. "A girl named Jasmine Pierce, described by her teacher as lonely and always picked on. Additionally a man admitted to attempting to kidnap her, Sir. He died in a locked cell, his mouth full of rose petals."

Jack sighed. "Estelle told me what she told you," he said. "Although she's still convinced."

"I doubt we will change her mind," Ianto said. "What do you need us to do now, Sir?"

"Gwen, you and Owen head over and talk with Jasmine and her parents," Jack said. "See if you can get Jasmine alone and ask her about her new friends in the forest. My best guess is they showed up about a year ago, maybe only six months, but they haven't been here longer than that. Ianto, you go back to the computers and pull up the old cases with any reference to fairies in them. Tosh, can you work out a way to track weather patterns so we'll know where the fairies are manifesting?"

"Sure," Tosh said with a smile. "I'll have it done before I go home tonight."

"That's it?" Gwen asked. "We should be protecting this girl, Jack, not questioning her like a suspect."

Jack turned and glared at Gwen. "You always have the choice of leaving, Gwen Cooper," he said. "You'll have to be careful how you talk to her because, should the fairies take offense, or if they think you're hurting this girl, they'll come for you. You keep telling me you're the only one with a heart around here. Go prove it. Owen, you keep your eyes open."

"Yeah, yeah," Owen grumbled. "Come on, Gwen, you're going to have to leave at some point."

Jack watched, hiding his amusement, as Owen dragged Gwen out of the Hub and down into the garage. "Tosh, I've got some digging to do down in the archives, see if I can find something I had years ago, last time I ran into the fairies."

"I'll hold down the fort," Tosh said with a knowing smile.

"I don't believe this will work, Sir," Ianto said, following Jack down into the archives. "I mean, the dragon couldn't touch her, why would the fairies be able to?"

"At this point, Ianto, anything is worth a try," Jack said with a sigh. "I doubt it'll work either, but I want to try. Right now I want to throw her in the path of everything we can possibly hit her with to try and work out this mystery protection she seems to have. I don't like it, and I really want her gone."

"Well, I do have some good news," Ianto said. "Her boyfriend is completely clueless and not the least bit religious, as far as I can tell. So, unless some of Gwen's blood has poisoned him, he's fair game to us."

Jack grinned. "I wonder how long we could play with him before Gwen realizes something is wrong," he said. "Think we could get her to blame it on the demon hunting her for her infidelity?"

"It could be risky, Sir," Ianto said. He stopped and pulled Jack into the shadows, pushing up against him. "Then again, it's been a while since I've had a willing toy. Would you let me try?"

"Keep doing that and I'll agree to anything," Jack said. He grabbed Ianto's head and pulled him into a rough kiss. "I started sounding Tosh out on transforming."

"She say yes?"

"Almost," Jack said. "I think, give her one more betrayal, she'll be ours, Ianto."

Ianto smirked. "Then we'll just have to let her find out about Owen and Gwen then, won't we?"

"I love it when you're evil," Jack said.

***

Chapter 20

"Owen, where's Gwen?" Jack asked when he got back up to the main part of the Hub and found the doctor had returned alone.

"Said something about needing to get home quick, something had happened to her boyfriend," Owen replied. "The girl wouldn't tell us anything and the parents aren't her parents. It's the mum that's blood relation, the guy is a boyfriend and doesn't seem to care that much about the girl. He forgot to pick her up, that's when she was almost kidnapped."

Jack sighed. "Sounds to me like this guy is doing his best to get himself and his girlfriend killed," he said. "What do you think, Owen. I know you wouldn't have been able to examine the girl, but do you think she was physically healthy?"

"Thin for her age, but her mum says she doesn't eat much," Owen said. "The news of the attempted kidnapping and the bullying threw the mum badly. I don't think that Jasmine has been talking about her troubles at home, but then again, she seemed like a difficult child anyway."

"Losing a parent, maybe a favored parent can do that," Ianto said, appearing out of nowhere. "Here's the information you asked for, Sir."

"Thanks, Ianto," Jack said with a smile. "Tosh, how's that program doing?"

"I'm up and running. There's been two unusual weather storms since I turned it on," Tosh said. "One over Estelle's house, Jack, and one near Gwen's flat."

"Ianto, call and see if Estelle answers," Jack said. "I'll head over and check on Gwen. Call me and let me know if I need to go to Estelle's place."

"Of course, Sir."

Jack headed down to the garage, for appearances, and took the SUV out with him. He didn't like driving, would rather teleport, but it would cause too many awkward questions with the team. He parked down the road from Gwen's flat and headed towards the open door. He seriously doubted that she was home during the attack, but even demons could hope. "Gwen?" he called, pushing the door open a little more. "Gwen, it's Jack."

"Look at this," Gwen yelled, appearing in a doorway. "This is all your fault, Jack."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Gwen. What happened?" Jack stepped into the front room and stopped. It was all he could do not to smile when he saw the destruction in front of him, everything covered in rose petals. "I told you to be careful how you talked to Jasmine, Gwen. The fairies are very protective of their chosen one. I think you're lucky this is all they did."

"What the hell am I going to tell Rhys?"

"Someone broke in and vandalized the flat," Jack replied. He activated his earpiece. "What's up?"

"There's no answer at Estelle's, Jack," Ianto said. "I fear the worst, given how she believed the fairies were good."

Jack sighed. "Okay, I'll head over there and check," he said. "Let Tosh and Owen know that the fairies came in and trashed Gwen's flat, will you? No injuries, but rose petals everywhere."

"Quite a shame, Sir," Ianto said.

"Yeah. I'll be back in a bit," Jack said.

"Be careful, Sir," Ianto said. "You've had encounters with them before. It's possible they remember you."

"Yep, it's possible, but they should remember everything," Jack said. He turned off the earpiece and looked back at Gwen. "I think Owen will probably be along to help you clean up. I have to go check on an old friend."

"This is all because of you," Gwen said.

"Nope, it's all on you, Gwen Cooper," Jack said softly. "Because you think you know more than you do. You think that you can't be touched by anything, so you don't listen to me when I try to tell you something. This is the result, Gwen. Think about what might have happened if your boyfriend had been home. The fairies sent you a warning this time. Don't think for a second that they won't hurt someone you care for because he's not directly involved."

***

Next part of Spirits save Us.