Previous part of A Siren's Song.

***

It's always about Jack, isn't it? Owen thought bitterly to himself as he tapped his pen against his workstation. She had to be after Jack, didn't she? Not Owen, no, never him, because he obviously wasn't as important as the all powerful Jack bloody Harkness. He'd like to shoot him. Actually, maybe after a bit of dinner, he would, right through the fucking eyes and see how mighty he looked dead for a bit... though he'd wake up a little later and probably tell him off, which wasn't as appealing, maybe he could make it look like an accident...

"Could you not do that?" Gwen snapped at Owen, ruining his daydreams. She was standing behind Toshiko, not doing much, but appearing to by adding helpful things to the analysis every now and then. She was a people person, not a computer person, or at least that was her excuse.

"Is tapping a pen against the rules?" Owen huffed, glaring at her challengingly.

"That tune is," Jack nodded at Owen's hand, which immediately stopped. It reminded him of a slightly annoying blonde man who once tried to take over the world with a few spheres. Even if they'd systematically taken down the Archangel network it appeared that beat was imprinted on some people's minds.

"You have no sense of rhythm, that's what it is. Can't hold a beat. Unlike Ianto over there, his hips really get into it." He raised his eyebrows suggestively at that, waiting for the laughter. None was forthcoming.

"Let's leave Ianto's hips out of this, shall we?" Toshiko asked absently as she kept her attention focussed on the bank of computer screens before her. "As you know, the Hub doesn't have background tests going for every known radiation twenty four hours a day, so I'm only reviewing the readings for those five minutes."

"And?" Owen prompted, finding a new beat to tap out, something a little more soulful that he could really get into.

"For one, she's cold-blooded." That shocked a few people to attention, even Owen, who's rather nice beat faltered.

"As in actual blood runs cold or-"

"Yes, Owen, I'm aware the term ‘cold-blooded' is inaccurate, I just thought it would be easier for the others to understand if-"

"Are you saying you dumbed it down for me?" Jack asked. "How kind of you."

"It's just a scientific thing, cold-blooded doesn't actually refer to a creature that is incapable of maintaining their body temperature, she's actually classed under ectotherm. Her heat is endothermic."

"That's the one where heat comes from outside, right?" Gwen asked shakily.

"Right." Toshiko hid her astonishment rather well.

"And here's me thinking GCSE science wasn't going to get me anywhere." She grinned at Jack, who grinned back.

Why look so smug? Owen thought to himself, it's a simple enough question. Endo, Greek for ‘inside'. Bloody easy, yet there she is looking all proud for her simple knowledge. I'd like to wipe that smug smile from her face...

"High chronon energy, thus confirming that that is a teleportation device, I'm not sure about the range yet, though I can try tracking the residue back to a location if it's local, though if it's anything like Jack's then it can only jump small distances anyway."

"Bit like a space hopper then?" Owen asked cheerfully, doing a little drum role with his pen and ending with it pointing at Jack.

"Nothing like," Jack replied tensely, having been reminded of a certain Jones saying something similar before, her narrowed his eyes at that pen and wished it death.

"And look." Toshiko tapped a few keys and the image magnified, focussing in on the girl's thighs.

"Tosh! I didn't know you were so forward!"

Toshiko frowned, but tried not to let Owen's words affect her. "See the discoloration, the slight green tint, it's made of keratin, found in fingernails and," she turned to face her colleagues, "scales."

"So she's a reptile lady?" Owen summed up.

"That would be my guess."

They all turned to Jack expectantly.

"What?" He asked.

"You did say you knew more about what's out there than us," Gwen replied smugly.

"You expect me to guess her race from the fact she's cold-blooded, has scales and a Time Agent wrist strap? That's like asking you to tell me what species a snake is from the way it looked at me." He suddenly got to his feet, strode over to Owen, yanked the pen from his hand and snapped it in two. "And would you bloody well stop that!"

"I liked that pen," Owen pouted. "Someone didn't have their coffee this morning."

"Well, coffee would be forthcoming if the usual provider wasn't singing to himself in the corner," Toshiko pointed out. They all turned to Ianto, who indeed was singing to himself, something in Welsh they couldn't understand, still sat with his feet in the none too clean water, staring up at the sculpture with almost awe in his blue eyes. He realised he was being spoken about and turned to face the four concerned faces, frowning now.

"I should see him home." Jack muttered, not at all comfortable with seeing him like that.

Ianto frowned at Jack's idea. He had a vague recollection of not trusting this man, of thinking the worse, of not wanting to be anywhere near him.

"He's no longer your biggest fan, Jack," Owen reminded him, grinning at the idea.

"Whatever she got from his mind forced a few memories out, we just need to remind him about what happened," Toshiko explained as she tapped away at her keyboard with incredible speed.

"What the whole Lisa murdering, psycho, Cyberwoman thingy?" Owen asked.

"We... no..." Toshiko smiled sheepishly. "Just show him the CCTV footage and hope it all comes back to him."

"That's the plan?" Owen asked sceptically. "God I love working for Torchwood."

"Well, can you think of anything better?" Toshiko asked hotly.

"All right," Owen raised his hands in defence, "keep your knickers on."

"It just worries me," Gwen spoke up, frowning at the still on the monitor of the strange alien ladies hands in Ianto's hair. She thought about calling her Ari, she had stated that was her name, but by naming her it made her real, gave her a personality, gave her feelings. "What information did she get from Ianto?"

"Well I'm thinking from the ‘now that is interesting' comment she just got a front row seat to Jack and Ianto's ‘alone' time," Owen laughed.

"Is it possible for you to keep it clean? Even for just a minute?" Jack asked, hopefully.

"Oi! You're one to talk." Owen grinned. "She's hot though, for a reptile lady, you've got to admit that." Jack rolled his eyes. "Ianto, you are one bloody lucky bugger."

"Somehow I don't think so," Jack said harshly, frowning at the medic that he assumed had more sense, but was unfortunately mistaken.

"Yeah, the poor guy has had a rough time of it," Gwen added, shooting a sympathetic look at Ianto.

"Do you mind?" He spoke up suddenly, shocking his co-workers into silence and regrettably halting their ‘let's pity him' moment. "I'm still capable of hearing, you know."

"I know... I just-" Gwen stumbled over what to say, embarrassed that she had unintentionally annoyed him while attempting to make things better.

"Let's just show him the tape," Owen suggested.

They all watched Ianto carefully as the footage played, at first he was frowning, the nature of his actions already being pretty unusual for him. Well he definitely wasn't one for singing and dancing. He watched with wonder at the way he moved, surely he shouldn't be allowed to do that, let alone know how, yet, somehow, it looked so natural on him.

"That still cracks me up every time."

"Shut up, Owen."

There was a sudden flicker of recognition when Ari appeared on screen. The girl from the club... the girl who had... eyes like poison.

"She's lost." Ianto muttered, the idea suddenly so strong, so painful. "Alone in a place she doesn't understand."

Jack frowned, not at all enjoying the pained look on his lover's face, yet what he spoke was true, she was most likely millions of light years from home, but what the hell did she want in Torchwood? They'd have to step up their security if she could just pop right in for tea, gather some information and then disappear again.

"Oh, this I didn't hear before, you offered her a drink?" Owen was laughing so hard he was holding onto his chair to stop himself slipping to the floor. "Well at least we know you've got manners."

"Owen, this is not helping," Jack admonished through gritted teeth.

"Sorry, sorry, but this is making me want to scan old CCTV footage to see what Ianto really gets up to when we're not here." His team-mates gave him disapproving looks. "Oh look, she's telling him off. I love her already."

Ianto was the only one not concentrating on Owen's odd commentary, he was too busy reliving the moment, remembering how it had felt to be in her presence. He had felt happy, so carefree, like a child again, yet... He had wanted to please her so much, wanted her to want him. It was laced with the feeling of the night before, with need, with lust. And as she spoke her last words, he felt a knot in his stomach begin to tighten, he felt almost nauseous, he had to look away suddenly, memories flooding him in a horrid wave of pain and fear and guilt. He gulped back the feeling, trying not to meet anyone's eyes.

"What has she done to him?" Gwen gasped, moving to Ianto's side in a heartbeat and cradling him to her chest. He resisted, not wanting the pity, but the embrace felt so comforting, so healing. But why wasn't it Jack?

"Her psychic abilities may be affected by the Rift," Toshiko said as she consulted her monitor's once more. "There are some strange readings there as she erases her from his memory, perhaps she hadn't accommodated for the extra interference, perhaps she pushed too hard, maybe she doesn't know how to use her ability yet, or maybe she just wanted to hurt him." The idea made her shiver.

"Well, I know one thing," Jack said as he stood, heading to Ianto's side to rest a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Whatever she is she doesn't belong here, and it's our job to sort this out."

"Another case for Team Torchwood," Owen said, though the humour was lacking. "I think I'll enjoy this one, ladies are my speciality."

***

"I thought it was anything with a pulse?" Gwen quipped.

"Ha, ha, very funny," Owen replied sardonically.

"Is this really appropriate?" Jack asked, his temper with his team rather short that day, but can you really blame him? They were acting like children, he couldn't remember a time when they annoyed him this much. He'd gotten over the fact that they'd never be as knowledgeable as him in the field, but he thought they'd at least learn something along the way. "We've got a world to save."

"I really don't think she's any real danger to the world, actually I think she could do us all good, a bit of singing never hurt anyone."

"She just invited herself into the Hub without raising any alarms, I think that warrants a danger to the world, don't you?" Gwen countered.

"If you don't mind, I think I need some coffee." Ianto excused himself, though instead of heading for the coffee machine that was only four steps to his right, he headed left to the stairs that lead down to the archives. He felt that perhaps if he lost himself down there for long enough they would have stopped taking pointless shots at each other and come to a decision. He also felt that they'd speak far more freely without him there and didn't want to render their gossip or pity restricted by his presence. Always thinking about others, that was Ianto.

"Okay, Tosh," Jack gathered some of his usual captain gusto and decided to take control, "can you get a trace on where she went?"

With a flurry of fingers Toshiko brought up a strange graph, a map of Cardiff and a box in the right hand corner with a set of numbers that were fluctuating wildly. Another whiz across the keyboard keys and a section of the map was highlighted, zoomed in and the numbers began to settle. After a few seconds and a few more magnified sections later, a blue point began to flash on the screen and an exact latitude and longitude appeared in the corner.

"She didn't jump far," Toshiko explained. "About 1.6 miles from here, it's the retail park on Ferry road, guess she wants to stay close."

"Okay, Tosh get a fix on her signal, I want to see exactly where she came from, Owen and Gwen, I'm sure I can trust you with this, I'd like you to go find our little house guest and bring her back for a little questioning, alive if you could." He shot a look at Owen then, who just shrugged. "Now. Please."

"God, I hate when he PMSs," Owen muttered as he grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair. "Coming sweetcheeks?"

"I think we've gone over this before, it's Gwen."

"Yeah, but after the relations we've had, I can call you anything I like." He added a playful wink that made Gwen roll her eyes.

Gwen hit him round the head as she gathered her coat, she sent an apologetic look to Jack, who didn't look in the mood for their banter, and pushed Owen in the direction of the cog door.

"Or how about new girl?" Owen asked as the klaxon sounded.

"I've been here over a year now," she pointed out.

"Yeah, but you're still the new girl."

Jack was glad to see the back of the pair, and had very little hope in them actually bringing the girl back for questioning, but hopefully they'd find out something useful, and getting them out of the Hub would always do them some good.

"Tosh, carry on with that tracking programme, I'm going to go talk to Ianto."

"Good luck," she added under her voice, aware that Ianto was not in the best mood that afternoon, and mostly seemed to be aiming his annoyance at Jack.

~*~

"Maybe I should drive..." Gwen suggested as she surveyed the backed up traffic ahead of them. Who knew Clarence road would be this busy at this time of the afternoon?

"I think I've already outlined the reasons why women shouldn't drive," Owen replied, smug as ever.

"Well if you'd paid attention to me, you would have taken the first left and we wouldn't be just sitting here."

"Oh that reptilian lady isn't going to go anywhere, what better things could she be doing than anticipating a visit from us?"

"You never fail to amaze me."

"It's a gift." Owen grinned.

"That it is," Gwen sighed, rolling her eyes once again. "So this place..."

"It's a new development of houses, another attempt to put as many people as possible in the smallest space possible." The car moved another gratifying inch.

"Why on earth would she jump there?" Gwen asked, bemused.

"Maybe she's just invested in a stylish new apartment with splendid views of the bay and good transport links into the city centre?"

"Have you ever considered advertising?"

"Now and then."

~*~

"Having fun?" Jack asked as he approached Ianto from behind.

"Immense amounts, sir." Ianto answered tensely. Jack placed his hand on Ianto's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"If it's any consideration, Owen would have made more of a prat of himself." Ianto didn't answer. Where Jack's hand rested against him felt like it burnt, even through the material of his shirt. He sighed but did not turn around. "It's all right, Ianto, she's strong, you couldn't have done-"

"I could have," Ianto cut in, his voice not loud or hash yet Jack got the message. He turned to face Jack, his eyes full of pain. "At Torchwood London they supplied all employees with basic psychic training. I should have been able to defend myself, sir. I should have been able to defend Torchwood."

"I doubt anything she got is going to bring down Torchwood."

"She wanted to know about the Rift Manipulator," Ianto said, feeling ashamed.

"Well, in the wrong hands..."

No, nothing could make that better, they'd seen what damage the Rift could do on its on, let alone in the hands of someone with evil intent. How much had she got? And what purpose did she have in mind? Unlike most aliens they came across she hadn't easily fitted herself in the two categories evil or just plain bewildered. She had a purpose - that much was clear - she was after something, and she wasn't above hurting people to get what she wanted. But she had the chance to kill Ianto, with that ease of mind control she probably could have suggested he put his head in the water for five minutes to see what would happen, but she didn't, she just left him confused.

"She also wanted to know about you, Jack." Ianto confessed shakily. "She wanted to know why you can't die." There was a pleading look in his cool blue eyes now. Surely if he cared he would answer his questions, he'd share things with him, with his team, not leaving all these loose ends and unanswered questions. They had a right to know, they would die for him, for Torchwood, but they could at least know what they were dying for.

Jack didn't have an answer he'd want to hear. Where would you start on a subject you yourself weren't too sure about? The Doctor had answered some of his questions but had left him with more to ask. The feeling that he was wrong, unnatural washed over him and he felt sick with unease. He had never wished for anything like this, he had been very happy with his con-man ways, very happy before he met the Doctor. But he knew that if it wasn't for that, he would never have met Ianto, and maybe, just maybe, that made up for that. If only he could say it.

"I'm sorry for what I said earlier," he changed the subject suddenly, the silence was becoming uncomfortable, and knowing that no answer was forthcoming and not being willing to pry he left it. He was sure Jack would tell him when he was ready, Ianto foolishly kidded himself.

"What bit?" Jack asked jokingly, trying to put a light spin on the situation. "The luck of the pizza girl or how I made you feel dirty?" The humour faulted at the end but he kept up his trade mark grin.

"I didn't mean that, I honestly don't think-"

"No, you meant it more than you ever will," Jack cut in, the knowledge feeling like ice sliding down his throat, chilling him deep inside. "I understand." He turned to leave, not sure what he meant to do, but sure that he didn't want to be round Ianto now. He was aware what he had meant, and even that conversation in the shower that morning had been enough to worry him. It wasn't easy watching people you care about grow out of your reach.

Three simple words wanted to burst from Ianto's lips, come spilling forth with all their desire and true meaning, yet he couldn't bring himself to even utter those words knowing that the feeling was not mutual.

~*~

"Nice to see a bit of sun now and then," Owen said as they climbed the flight of stairs in the second of three tower blocks. He held the PDA before him, scanning for chronon energy, then headed further up the stairs.

"Are we actually discussing the weather?" Gwen asked as she followed him up the stairs. "And why didn't we take the lift?"

"She could be on any floor, its not like we can stop a lift anywhere and just get off, is it?" He shook his head and muttered ‘bloody amateurs' under his breath.

"Do you have a problem with me, Owen? Because you can bloody well just say it."

"No problem, nothing at all." He brushed it off as if it meant nothing and concentrated further on the PDA readings. "Up." He reported, heading past the fourteenth floor and towards the fire exit that lead to the roof.

"It's Rhys, isn't it?" She said knowingly. "You can't stand that I'm getting married."

"I don't give two hoots what you do or don't do with your life." He stopped at the fire exit and consulted the PDA once more, then frowned. "Why is it roofs? Why do they always seem to have a roof fetish?" He pushed the fire exit door open with a fair amount of unnecessary force and it slammed against the concrete, causing a considerable dent.

"Well there goes the surprise attack," Gwen muttered.

Owen cheered up slightly when he spotted the alien; well any red-blooded man would upon stumbling across such a sight as a half naked rather pretty alien on a roof. She had heard the noise but made no effort to acknowledge them, instead she stayed perfectly calm where she lay on the beach towel she had somehow came to posses. There was a small smile on her full lips.

"Two hours? You guys don't waste your time."

"Oh, definitely our girl, mocking us already."

The smile grew at Owen's words and she turned to them, slipping her dark sunglasses down her nose to survey her two guests closely. The female looked slightly shocked when she met her eyes, as if unaware eyes came in that shade, but the male grinned back, happy to see her.

"Any reason for the visit?" Ari asked, slipping her sunglasses back on and lying back down to get comfortable. She pulled at her bra to readjust it.

"Ah, yes." Owen cleared his throat. "Good afternoon, ma'am, or strange reptilian lady, whatever you prefer. I am a representative of an organisation that polices, as such, what comes through the Rift, which I'm guessing you did, as a precaution you must accompany us back to our main base of operations to answer a few questions." He reeled off, still grinning at her.

"You rehearse that, don't you?" Ari laughed.

"He does, it's very sad, poor guy doesn't really have a life." Gwen quipped, shooting Owen a smug look.

"Oh, I know the type." Ari sympathised, sharing a smile with Gwen, which she succumbed to for a second before realising this was the enemy and tried to keep a straight face.

"Moving on," Owen interrupted their moment.

"Is there an alternative option?" Ari asked. "As I'm kind of busy here, I've heard you don't get much sun and I'm trying to savour it."

"Yep, a bullet in your head." Owen pulled his gun, deciding he wasn't in the mood for the women to gang up on him today. And Jack had said ‘alive' but hadn't mentioned anything about being injured.

"Some greeting you people give, is this the public relations sector or am I just special?" She didn't seem to notice or care really that he had a gun pointed at her.

"Okay, here's the thing, you broke into our secret base, you fucked with one or our employer's mind, that means we don't like you." Owen explained, keeping his gun locked on her forehead with a steady two-handed grip.

"You monitor the Rift?" She asked, curious now.

"Yes..." Owen answered, worried why she was so interested in that. Perhaps he shouldn't have mentioned that.

"I like it, it tastes sweet, makes everything so sweet."

"What is she going on about?" Gwen asked, eyeing the alien distrustfully.

"It does strange things too, it's like an amplifier, it's focussing energy, I can taste it." She licked her lips and grinned at Owen, a predatory grin. Unconsciously, Owen took a step back.

"She's loopy." Gwen pointed out.

"It's making me stronger, want to see?" Ari asked cheerfully, stretching out a hand for Owen.

"Look, you either come with us willingly or I shoot you and drag your corpse back for an autopsy, it's really an easy choice."

"I see the way you look at her," Ari said suddenly, throwing his concentration. She turned her gaze to Gwen. "I know what's going on in your head, you're so obvious, so primitive, it's wonderful." With a simple flick of her wrist she used her psychic energy to hoist Gwen into the air.

Gwen gasped for air as it felt like invisible fingers were pushing at her windpipe, her hands to went to her throat, trying to pry nothing off of her. She sent a pleading look to Owen.

"Put her down or I'll shoot you!" He cocked the gun and let his finger rest on the trigger, his hands steady as he sighted down the barrel at her forehead.

"Well, this is interesting. I couldn't do this before." Ari mused, smiling as she watched Gwen struggle to gasp precious oxygen into her constricted throat.

"Oh my god, oh my god." She was kicking and clawing at the thin air, trying to hold onto something that wasn't there as Ari tightened her hold on her, pushing more, her fingers curling in the action as she imagined squeezing the life out of her.

"Put her down!" Owen yelled, not sure why, but finding he couldn't bring himself to pull the trigger. For some reason he just couldn't shoot her. Yelling seemed like a good enough substitute at the time.

"How far will you go for her?" She asked as she slowly began to push Gwen further towards the edge of the building. "How much do you care for your raven haired beauty?"

"You let her down this instant or I'll-"

"Hanging over the edge!" Gwen pointed out, after noticing Ari's eyes light up at the thought of ‘putting her down' with a hundred and fifty foot drop until she hit the ground.

"Okay, put her down on the roof, carefully or I'll-" He stopped mid-sentence in surprise as Ari calmly pulled Gwen back, letting her fall unceremoniously to the ground, coughing and panting in an attempt to catch her breath.

"I had you fooled, didn't I?" Ari grinned. "That was so sweet, the concern, the anguish, the fear. Shame it isn't real, hey?"

"Okay, you're coming with us this minute." Owen tried to take control of the situation but felt suddenly inferior, unsure of his place in the run of things.

"I don't think so, I've got a few things to do first you see, but tell Jack I said hi, I'll be seeing him soon." Before they had time to react she used the wrist strap to jump to another location, disappearing from view in a fraction of a second.

"Tosh," Owen touched his ear to bring his comm to life, "get a trace on her again, I'm not letting her get away."

"On it."

~*~

Toshiko could sense the urgency in his voice so made no quip about them losing her in the first place. She had already devised a programme that would lock onto the particular time signature that her wrist strap gave out, she watched her do two short bounces, probably an attempt to confuse them, before coming to rest by Cardiff Queen Street rail station.

"Cardiff Queen Street rail station," she reported. "I don't know for how long though. Do we know the life span of these wrist straps? How long before they run down or need charging?"

"I think that's a question for Jack, but thanks Tosh." Owen disconnected the comm before he could hear her sigh. She wasn't aware that she felt so frustrated by his lack of interest as this.

She was just about to call for Jack before one of the ongoing background scans through every line of communication across the globe flagged up something interesting. It was programmed to bring up a report every hour of anything that looked like it could benefit from Torchwood help but anything that was deemed major was flashed up immediately.

She buzzed her comm into life.

"Jack, you better see this."

***

"That was embarrassing," Gwen said cheerfully as they piled back into the SUV.

"Kind of feel bad for Tea Boy now." Owen grimaced at the thought of empathy, then realised he was in no where near as bad a state as Ianto had been after an encounter with reptile lady and silently congratulated himself on his mind of steel.

"She must have really pushed hard to have upset his mind like that," Gwen mused. Apart from the rough ache in her neck she felt no worse than usual, then again, she hadn't had the full force of her power peeling open her mind like a ripe orange. She had an inkling that Owen may have got more than a taster of her abilities, his inability to shoot her was rather uncharacteristic of him. Well, he was the one in the group known for shooting first and not really giving a fuck about questions.

"Or he's just really weak," Owen offered as he put the car in gear. "What else would you expect from a man whose greatest achievement is his Italian coffee?" He stomped on the accelerator and the SUV shot forward.

"Fuck, Owen!" Gwen yelled, gripping the dashboard with white knuckled hands.

"Later, right now we have a reptile lady to conquer."

~~~

"So what's so interesting you had to drag me away from my duties?" Jack asked, sounding tired and run down under the usual friendly, but always slightly flirtatious tone. Toshiko sighed but made no move to question his behaviour, she knew for a fact that the most he was doing was reading the cartoons in the paper. He said he was keeping up on current affairs, but they were all aware that the adventures of Garfield the cat made him feel better after a round of Jack ego bashing. Which is actually a competitive sport, with Owen in the lead at the moment.

"Something flashed up on the hourly report that I thought you should see." She brought up the report with a simple click. "Two men were brought into the Cardiff Royal Infirmary last night."

"And this is interesting because?"

"At first they thought they were dead," Toshiko began, "though it appeared they were in suspended animation, as such. The doctor's are baffled. These two men aren't breathing, no respiratory signs at all, yet this doesn't seem to be affecting them. They're alive. They're bodies are being sustained somehow, though their ageing process has been severely increased. These men have aged nearly four years in fifteen hours."

"Great advocates for testing ageing cream on then."

Once again there was no laughter, he was beginning to think people didn't like his jokes, but that was a ridiculous idea.

"I think we should investigate this one."

~~~

"I'm sure doing sixty in a residential area is frowned upon." Gwen attempted to sound blasé but her annoyance at being slammed into multiple plastic parts of a car on several separate occasions was beginning to get on her nerves. At this rate she'd have a concussion before she even got to the grand finale.

"And you'd rather she got away again?" From the way Owen was hunched over the steering wheel, eyes glued to the road, voice deep and curt, Gwen was guessing he was not a happy little bunny. This made her grin, until a sharp corner made her head connect with the passenger side window for the seventh time.

"She didn't do anything to you," Gwen answered as she rubbed the side of her head. She reminded herself to take control of the SUV as often as possible in the future.

"It's the principal of the thing." He replied, knuckles white now with the force he was gripping the steering wheel. Once again Gwen grinned. Even though she had every right to be pissed off, well nobody likes to be held over the side of a tower bock, it seemed that Owen's pride had taken a worse beating, how interesting.

"She used her mind tricks on you, didn't she?" Gwen asked smugly.

"No," Owen answered abruptly.

"Are you sure?" She pried.

"Of course."

She was definitely annoying the hell out of him, which she quite enjoyed, getting one up on Owen was always an enjoyable experience. So was giving in to him, though that wasn't something someone with a fiancée should really be thinking about.

"Not even a little?"

"Look, I think that's the train station and-"

"Are you avoiding the question?" Now this was just getting better and better.

"We should probably check in with Tosh, make sure she's still-"

Gwen burst out laughing, so hard she had to cover her mouth and blink tears from her eyes. She was sure people who had just been hanging over tall buildings didn't really find anything this funny for a while but she couldn't quite shake the laughter. Maybe she was getting too used to all the strange goings on in Torchwood, or maybe the reptile lady had gotten too far into her head already.

"All right, fine!" Owen snapped, exasperated. "I couldn't shoot her, she wouldn't let me." He looked like he was going to sulk about that, as if shooting was his favourite game and an evil parental figure had taken that away from him. Gwen sobered up somewhat.

"How powerful is she?" She asked, worried by the thought.

"Probably nothing to worry about, I mean, lifting you up is nothing, you weight the same as a bag of sugar." There was a playful glint of a memory in his eyes and Gwen had a sudden image of Owen holding her up by her thighs as he- she stopped it right there with a sharp shake of her head.

"Yeah, all of her power must have gone to getting you to not shoot a gun," she quipped. She knew he hadn't planted that memory in her head yet she still felt better for annoying him for it anyway.

"Tosh," he brought his comm to life, "is she still at the station?"

"I've patched the track on her energy signature to your PDA, you'll be able to keep an eye on her yourself now."

"Thanks Tosh," Owen actually smiled. "You're a genius."

"I try my best."

Gwen tried to hide her frown but found it tricky, seeing just how quickly a few words from Tosh had changed his mood.

"Jack and I are heading to the Cardiff Royal Infirmary to check something out. Ianto's still going to be in the Hub keeping an eye on everything in case you need help, okay?"

"Why are you heading there?" Owen asked.

"Something came up, and we can't spend all day chasing up a house guest that forgot to thank us for the hospitality."

"What about Ianto?" Gwen cut in, worried once again. "Do you think he's okay enough to be left alone?"

"He's fine, Jack spoke to him."

For some reason that idea reassured her, a few good words from Jack always seemed to make things better, except on the odd occasion when his fondness for forgetting people had emotions got in the way.

"She's still at the station, she's been there a while, either she's waiting for you or she's found something more interesting to entertain herself with."

"Let's hope we don't get in the way of something then."

~*~

There was something always displeasing to Jack about entering hospitals of the twenty-first century. They always seemed to lack some vital ingredient that had made them more tolerable through the centuries. Though the invention of penicillin had really been a boost. Nurses in their plain blue uniforms bustled about, unaware of their presence. Doctors strode past with conceited, smug looks as groups of students followed them in awe. The place was missing a touch of humanity, something that out of the whole damn universe only this one planet possessed, and more and more of it these days was being lost to daytime television.

"I can't help but think we're being ignored," Jack stated with a hint of sullen annoyance.

"Well you can't expect them to greet every off looking couple that comes this way with a parade and a cake," Toshiko answered, hoisting her shoulder bag higher and making a b-line for the reception desk.

"A cupcake perhaps? Or just a cookie? Cookie's are always good."

"Perhaps they're right, the way to a mans heart is through his stomach."

"Oh no, I've seen something's do that, and it is not pretty."

Toshiko shivered and tried not to think about foot long claws raking their way through human flesh as she approached the nurse on duty. "Hi, we're here to see Simon Beasley." It was always easier to play relative then pull out the Torchwood card like the others enjoyed doing.

The nurse was a stern looking woman, who didn't seem to believe Toshiko one bit, yet with a bitter look she pursed her lips and typed the name into the patient register. "Nobody is allowed to see him at this point." She reported.

"I'm his cousin, I just want to know if he's okay."

"Oh?" She raised a curious eyebrow at that. "On what side of the family?"

"Ma'am, this is official police business," Jack butted in, though attempting to hide a smile at Toshiko's failings.

"I'll need to see some ID." She pursed her lips further until they were just two thin, pale lines.

"We're with Torchwood."

"And why is that supposed to change a thing?"

It was Toshiko's turn to suppress a smile at the sight of Jack's crestfallen face. How could that not have worked? It worked everywhere else.

"Linda, don't you know what Torchwood is." A younger less severe looking nurse joined her colleague behind the desk. She turned to give Jack an apologetic look but was caught short by the grin that was returned and ended up giggling. Toshiko rolled her eyes, then stopped herself mid-gesture, reminded too much of Owen for her own comfort. "It's room 12B on the right, just go on through."

"Thank you, miss." Jack gave her a full-blown, toothy smile, the one that had gained him covers back in the day, and took Toshiko's arm to lead her down the hall. "I just love friendly people, don't you?"

"Oh, quite." Toshiko murmured.

There were two police officers on the door, a murmured Torchwood got them through easily enough, Jack's faith in his establishment fully restored once again.

Simon Beasley was young, early twenties, and had made the mistake of bleaching his hair blonde. He lay perfectly still on the white hospital bed, not even the comforting beep of machinery echoed through the silent room. Toshiko held her breath as she edged closer to him, watching his perfectly still chest, his slightly parted lips, for a sign of life, but there was none.

"How can this be?" She whispered, afraid to raise her voice in case it disrupted the fragile stillness of the moment. "It's not medically possible."

At once she had a scanner out and was slowly running it over the man's chest, eyes wide as it showed mixed readings. His heart did not beat, his lungs did not draw breath, yet everything was fine. No sign of decay or damage, except other functions were going into overtime to compensate. Cells were dying and being replaced quicker than normal, causing him to age faster. And also, all the brain's functions had ceased to exist, it was like scanning a corpse. It was as if something else had control of his body and was just using it for... she couldn't think of anything explainable at all.

"His body is functioning, but it's not his doing." She said, hoping Jack could make better sense of this than her. "His brain is completely shut down, though there's no sign of lack of oxygen damage, other functions are working, ageing especially, a faster rate than normal. I just don't understand this. It's as if something is using his body for something, is drawing something out of him."

Jack sighed, thinking back to a world of wonders where such things were a norm, where parasites fed like this, and realised they were in trouble. Toshiko's eyes widened as she noticed her boss's look, knowing that this was worse than she first thought.

"Life," Jack answered. "It's taking his life."

~*~

Ianto sat still, watching Toshiko's bank of computer screens going about their daily scans, and waited for something to happen. Neither party had called back yet and the loneliness of Torchwood was beginning to sink into him. Unlike before when he had been so blissfully unaware of his surroundings down to the alien, Ari's, doing, now he could feel the acres of archives and storerooms snaking out beneath him, stretching their arms wide as if wanting to touch and infect the whole world. He could sense that no friendly life forms resided there and it sent a chill through him. He almost missed that blissful euphoria that she had so easily awoken in him.

Perhaps it had much to do with the recent events he had endured. The invasion of Torchwood One had been hellish enough, but to lose Lisa, and to have finally realised that all his efforts were in vain, that had been a blow. For a few wonderful minutes that morning she had been alive to him again, something real he could run home to, wrap himself in. And now it left that gaping chasm within him once more, the knowledge that all of that was a lie, it chilled him to the core. Yet, what a power. To have conjured those memories in him, to have brought someone so dear to him back to life, even if it was just for a few minutes. For a second he wanted her to do it again. It had been so right, so wonderful, so peaceful. He missed that.

Though he smiled, the thought didn't scare him like it should have. He knew, deep down, that it was a terrible idea to succumb to the powers of the things that fell through the rift but he was enamoured with this particular visitor's gift anyway. She had given him back such a large piece of his life, just by erasing a few memories, it would be such a pleasure to live life like that. He knew it was wrong, but he couldn't shake the idea, and the smile only grew.

He could feel that euphoric feeling riding on the back of that smile and let it wash him away until he was grinning once more. Fear struck him, like a dull memory, that she was close, that she would use him as easily as she had done before, but that gave away with a gentle push, only to be replaced with excitement at the prospect of seeing her once again.

~*~

"You're sure she's here?" Gwen asked for what seemed like the hundredth time as they circled the train station once again.

"Yes," Owen hissed, eyes turned on the PDA he was cleverly concealing with a newspaper. It made him look like he was terribly engrossed in the days news, so engrossed in fact that he couldn't even look up long enough to miss small children, signposts and the occasional bin. "I do know how to use one of these things, all right?"

"It's just, we've walked around this whole station twice now and there's been no sign of aliens or women wondering around in their underwear."

"Do you think you can do better, is that it?" He snapped. "Here, have a go," He shoved the newspaper covered PDA into her hands and make to walk away. But as he turned he caught sight of familiar green eyes and froze.

"Owen, you're being a complete-"

Owen waved his hand at Gwen to shut her up, not daring to look away from the so smug eyes. He moved towards her, slowly, like one does with a vicious animal. She locked gazes with him, her smile widening. She had been waiting for them.

"Where'd she get the coat from?" Gwen asked as she peered at the alien through the early afternoon rush, which wasn't that much apart from a bunch of children in blue jumpers blocking everything from the waist down. But it was clear that she'd decided to cover her dignity this time at least behind a large grey raincoat.

"We can arrest her if she's a thief right?" Owen asked hopefully.

"Breaking and entering and theft, she's becoming a right petty criminal."

They shared a smile as they moved towards her, battling their way through the horde of children. She nodded in their direction then turned and caught some man's arm that just happened to be passing right that moment. He turned to her with an angry look, ready to berate her, but the look changed suddenly to one of lust when he met those so green eyes.

"She's taunting us," Owen hissed, fighting to control the urge to pick the children up and move them out of his way.

Ari pulled the man closer, whispered in his ear, and the smile became predatory as she allowed herself to be led away, as if she was indeed as innocent as that.

"That's some power," Gwen muttered, almost respectfully.

"No, that's just a man who hasn't got laid recently."

They changed direction to follow her out of the station and through the car park, the man led her, or was more likely led by her, to a set of bins that resided just behind the Café Nero's, a suitable place to hide for a little while. They didn't bother to creep, she was leading them there too, and it was only fair to play along. But when they reached the mouth of the junction, where dark shadows from the station to the right cast plenty of hiding places, did they stop and stare in wonder. She was allowing the man to kiss her neck, both hands lost under the coat, which, now parted, revealing that she had only stolen that coat and nothing else, even her feet were still bare. She didn't react to his touches, but he didn't seem to mind, and only smiled politely at the pair of Torchwood employees that were frozen to the spot before her. The man began to get rougher, his hands greedily searching all the flesh he could, as if she was fighting to be touched. Probably just another game. His hands were at his belt buckle and Gwen and Owen both turned away, disgusted at the flash of blinding white skin. It ran through both of their minds then that they should probably intervene, this was a dangerous alien, after all, though what harm was there in letting a desperate man get laid every now and then?

"Wait, wait," she purred in her low alto, "a kiss first before we get to the main attraction."

"Yes." He growled.

They both turned, unsure why, but suddenly they were very interested to see what a kiss from her would be like.

She kissed him like he was breath itself, drank him in, every drop, and she gave herself to him, in the embrace, the way her fingers clung to his shoulders, the way her body writhed with his. As if she could bring him in that one moment. Then they parted. She was gasping for breath like a drowning man, and he slid to the floor, suddenly so still.

"Keep up." She whispered, sporting a very smug grin, before she winked out of existence once more.

"God fucking damn it!" Owen yelled, he banged a hand into the bin in his anger and then began cursing in pain too.

"I couldn't do anything!" Gwen gasped as she ran to the fallen man. "Owen! He's not fucking breathing."

"Let me look." Owen barged her out of the way to kneel by the man, feeling desperately for a pulse and finding none, and then leaning close to listen for signs of breathing and once again finding none. "He's dead."

"No," Gwen gasped, shaking now. "I couldn't move, I couldn't help."

"Feels nice, doesn't it?" Owen growled.

He went to let go of the man's wrist, where he had checked for a pulse for the fourth time, when suddenly warm fingers curled themselves around his wrist. Owen stumbled and fell onto his arse. The man sat up, eyes wide and brilliant blue, his grip tightening all the while.

"Okay, maybe he's not dead then."

***

"I hate it when you misdiagnose these things."

Owen had frozen in the solid blue stare of the seemingly dead man, so much so that not even the thought of retrieving his gun rivalled his instinct to stay perfectly still. After a few beats of absolute nothingness, where Gwen had tentatively removed her gun only to find it would be utterly useless to shoot a man who wasn't doing anything, she finally decided to end it. With careful hands she pried the man's fingers apart, freeing Owen's wrist. He hadn't done much more than sit up and stare, which led Gwen to think he was just a mere puppet for Ari's amusement, just another trick to delay them in their chase.

"He's not breathing," he hissed, afraid to raise his voice in case the man decided that was reason enough to do something a little more violent than stare.

"Well it's not hindering him."

"I don't get it," Owen confessed as he shakily got to his feet. The man didn't move from his sitting position, head inclined slightly to the left where Owen had been seconds previously, hand outstretched and reaching for him. "He's not breathing."

"I think we've established this, Owen. We should probably call Jack, inform him of her new trick, perhaps this will shed some light on to who she is, where she's from and what the hell she's doing in Cardiff."

"Okay..."

He's in shock, poor thing, Gwen thought as she ushered him out of the alleyway, he's not used to getting things wrong.

~*~

Toshiko stared at the young man's closed eyes, tracing the pale blonde lashes, and wondered what could have done something like this. She had conducted all the tests she could think of with the limited equipment she had with her, and the results concluded that everything else was relatively normal. Even without oxygenated blood being pumped around his body his main biologically functions were getting on, as happy as Larry, whoever this happy fellow may be. Life seemed so small to her in those seconds. How easily it could be ended. She'd seen enough death in her career already, but seeing this man she felt even more fragile, even more like the tiny human being she was in the great schemes of things. A stain on the perpetual universe's doormat.

She touched his wrist, hoping somehow that the illusion of life had returned to him in the seconds she had wasted thinking up metaphors for her in relation to the universe, but all was still. Well, until...

She squeaked as he wrapped his warm fingers around her wrist, not even a tight hold, but the gesture was enough to keep her still.

"Tosh, move." Jack's voice was firm and commanding as he trained his Webley, his most favoured extension of his body, at the young boy.

"No, Jack, it's okay." Her voice was surprisingly steady after the initial shock, but she recognised the gesture as need and wrapped her own fingers around his wrist in return. "Why don't you check on the other guy?" She didn't turn to the imposing figure behind her, in his out of date coat, gun in a two handed stance, looking almost comically out of place in such a calm situation. "I'll stay here and take more readings."

Jack was reluctant, the expression, the tone, it was all too familiar. That far away calmness, as if nothing could touch them. He lowered his gun but kept the safety off. He wasn't sure where he stood now, especially since his team seemed to keep pushing him away. But with a sigh of resignation, he turned to the door to leave her in peace, the least he could do.

"What's it like?" Tosh found herself muttering in the absence of her Captain's presence. The boy didn't reply, his face as placid and unmoving as ever, yet she felt some sort of recognition from him. "Are you still aware? Can you hear me?" She found herself chuckling humourlessly to herself at the thought, what sort of cliché had she walked into? He didn't respond; she really didn't expect him to. "Are you trapped?"

"None of them are trapped."

Tosh spun around fast, shocked at the sudden intrusion. She faced those startling green eyes and felt like she was an old friend, so very welcomed, so pleased to see her.

"You're not surprised to see me, that's okay. Your little errand boy didn't fare too well either." She moved closer, silently, with a grace that made her almost appear to glide. Tosh found herself glued to the woman's feet, slender, very pale making the blue green of veins so prominent. Why didn't she have any shoes on?

"You hurt him." It wasn't as volatile as she had hoped, instead, in her presence, it came out as a mere statement, edged with a tint of remorse.

"It wasn't intentional, I assure you." And for some odd reason that smile made her feel weak.

"And Simon?" Tosh pried, her grip tightening on his wrist unintentionally.

"I need him." Her answer was short and sharp. "Only for a little while, only until I finish this one task, I'll return him, good as new, I promise."

"He's ageing so quickly," she replied, voice low and lost.

"An annoying side effect, I'm afraid." She touched Tosh then, just a gentle, friendly touch, but it was enough to gain her full attention. "They don't appreciate you, Tosh." Her hand moved to her cheek, softly caressing the smooth skin there. "All this knowledge and it's wasted on them."

"Oh, no, you're wrong, I-" She flustered in her usual way, looking away from those poisonous eyes. Even though she knew not to trust a single word she said the seed of doubt was planted firmly in her mind and she began to process over and over again every incident where she was overlooked, where her skill was abused, where Owen ignored her.

"Come now, sweetheart." Ari continued soothingly, her fingers beginning to trace light patterns on Tosh's cheek. "Even that Owen man doesn't seem to notice you exist, and you are such a pretty specimen of human. So beautiful."

"Stop." She struggled to say the word, feeling the edges of her conciseness blur into a warm, weightless euphoria. She could feel an uncountable bliss beginning to wash over her, drag her under, and she fought it as hard as she could, aware what she could do to her, what she was doing to her. She focussed on the time she'd been tricked before. How she hadn't said sweet things, how she'd been so blunt, and so selfish, yet... the same thing, the same doubt. Did any of her other team-mates really care for her?

[I]They pity you. They exclude you; they've got you doing bloody admin.[/I]

"And you've obviously fallen for sharp tongued women before." She watched the alien grin at the thought, tried to anchor herself in that fact, she was alien, she had hurt her friend, she had hurt these men, she was hostile. "Ah, but Tosh, have I hurt them?" She asked in a mocking tone.

"Ianto," she muttered, feeling that heaviness becoming nearly overpowering. "The pain of his loss, of... of..."

"I didn't mean to bring that up," she actually looked apologetic. "I must admit, this Rift plays tricks on things." She cupped both of Tosh's cheeks, drawing her into her line of sight, watched those wondrous dark eyes and felt her mind stray from the plan.

"Pain so constant..." She mused, eyes locked firmly with Ari's. "There isn't an inch that doesn't hurt." She grimaced at the thought, collapsing into Ari's embrace, curling into her stolen warmth, feeling the prick of tears in her eyes. As the man's wrist slipped from her fingers she lost her anchor to the real world and sunk into her oblivion. "Please, make it stop."

"I erased that pain from him, Tosh." Ari continued; ignoring the tears and her pleads to stop. "I felt it, and I took it away."

"You're lying," she gasped.

"I can do it for you too, I can do anything for you, my beautiful Toshiko, anything."

"And what do you want in return?" She controlled herself enough to ask the intelligent question, nobody is selfless, especially someone like the alien who had somehow ended up comforting her. She pulled away at the thought, ashamed that she had fallen into that trick so easily once again. She wasn't going to help her, she was going to talk her way out of this and call Jack, he'd know what to do, he'd save her.

"I want to go home, Tosh."

It was all too familiar.

"I don't know how to do that, I've never even looked into something as dangerous as that."

"Lies, Tosh, lies." She shook her head, disappointed. "And I can't stand lies." There was a flicker of annoyance that made Tosh flinch. "You know the equation, Owen opened the Rift with the Rift Manipulator but it wasn't stable because he didn't have all the equation, that's all I want. The complete equation, the ability to go home."

"I can't do that," she gasped, tears beginning to spread down her cheeks. "I want to help, I do. But not after last time." She was aware, in some deep chasm of her mind, that she didn't really want to help, and once again it was just one of the aliens many party tricks, but she couldn't seem to stop. She felt almost responsible for her being trapped on this planet, so alone, millions of light years away from home, from anything she knew. The least she could do was help.

"You're hazy about it as it is," Ari sighed, tightening her grip on Tosh's cheeks momentarily before letting her hands fall to her sides. "You're fighting it and you're not even sure." She pulled away, smoothing down the non-existent creases in the grey raincoat she had managed to acquire.

"No!" Tosh found herself reaching out for the woman, not even sure where the sudden desire had come from. Without the alien gaze she felt more in control of her own actions, yet this behaviour contradicted that thought. She got to her feet, almost throwing herself at the woman, wrapping her arms around her waist and smothering her lips with her own. Her kiss was frantic, desperate, completely engulfing, unlike that of their errand boy. Ari enjoyed it, she was a creature of pleasure, it was the usual reaction, yet still she pried the human from her. "You can't go," Tosh pleaded, eyes once again lost to that strange gaze, "you can't leave him like this." She indicated the man behind them who only appeared to be in a light sleep, hand still out stretched as if longing for some form of hope.

"No." Ari sighed once again, as if letting something go, and the man's hand fell to his side, his body relaxing further into the bed. "It isn't done yet, not ready. I have to wait for your Captain."

"And I'm right here."

***

"Oh, such impeccable timing, Captain." Ari congratulated as she turned to the intruder. He stood in the doorway, Webley firmly in a two handed grip pointing right between her eyes, not a waver, in his grip or in his eye.

"I try my best," he replied mockingly, that grin that he was famous for gracing that perfect bone structure of his.

"Funny how the mention of your name brings you running."

"Funny how you keep stalking my staff."

"Jack, don't." Toshiko intercepted, moving to stand before the alien without a thought. "We should help her."

"Help her?" Jack questioned. "Have you forgotten about what she did to Ianto?"

"She took his pain away, Jack!" Toshiko stated. "Can't you see? She could wipe all our pain and fear, everything, she could help us."

"Tosh, this is lovely, I know, but I'm perfectly capable of holding my own." Ari stepped forward, gently pushing Toshiko to the side, a slight frown on her full lips knowing that that piece of bravado was not of her doing. "She's wonderful, isn't she?" She addressed Jack. "Such a heart there."

"Enough of this," Jack snapped. "I want to know who you are, where you came from, and what the hell you're doing in Cardiff."

"Aritrabil Dranacal, Xial, and I've missed you Jack."

There was a stunned pause as both members of Torchwood took in what the alien had just said. Had she really just implied she knew Jack? Toshiko looked between the pair and felt her frown deepening, there was not a glimmer of recollection in Jack's eyes, and she was sure he prided himself on his ability to remember all his conquests, and impart the stories with detailed description to his team.

"Xial?" Jack echoed. "Sounds familiar."

Ari found herself wondering why he missed the big picture then. She watched his features closely, waiting for the spark to ignite and for him to remember those few months all those moons ago, but there was only slight confusion veiled by a pretty grin and a flirtatious nature. Surely he hadn't forgotten, had he? Though something seemed to suggest that wasn't as foreign a concept as first thought.

"I believe you've been there before," Ari replied. "Or at least, a good friend of yours has." She grinned at him and shook her wrist to emphasise the worn leather strap that graced it.

"You stole that?" There was a tone of hurt to his voice, as if she had robbed him personally, though it was hidden under accusation and anger rather well that only somebody who knew him well enough would notice the betrayal.

"Stole isn't quite the right word, I'd say borrowed, really."

"I don't think now is the time to really be quibbling over vocabulary." Jack gritted his teeth and tried to deliver the line with his usual panache but found that the alien was just too annoying for it to work, and perhaps hitting on subjects that were too annoying to discuss.

"We can argue about something else if you like," she offered, helpful grin and all.

"How about we take this back to the Hub?" It was more an angry demand than a suggestion but that didn't seem to bother the alien lady.

"You lot do have an obsession with that underground base of yours, don't you?" She said, casually laying a possessive arm over Toshiko's shoulders. She noted Jack's eyes darken at the gesture and offered her most winning smile in return. "Does it have a chocolate fountain?"

"No, but it has a regular fountain," Jack added, his voice sharp.

"What good is a secret underground base without a chocolate fountain?" Ari tutted and shook her head in disappointment. Toshiko found herself grinning and nodding along at the suggestion, wondering what good they really were for the human race if they didn't have a chocolate fountain. "The human race has a lot to learn about secret organisations."

"And I guess every organisation in your race is kited out with a full extravagant set of kitchen appliances courtesy of Argos?" His voice once again betrayed him, and his once so secure grip shuddered as his anger coursed through him. Who was she? And why did she appear to know him? His future, perhaps? He thought fleetingly, though deemed it unlikely when he looked into those eyes. There was something familiar about them, welcoming, safe, something he just couldn't put his finger on. How could he forget a girl like that?

"We've got a coffee machine," Toshiko added happily, breaking the tense silence.

"That's wonderful, sweetheart," Ari patted Toshiko's shoulder, not even turning to look at her, too engrossed with those dark blue eyes she remembered so well, that could no longer lie like they used to. Toshiko beamed at the praise and sent a smug look Jack's way.

"What have you done to her?" Jack hissed, unable to meet those calm, far-away eyes of his colleague.

"Nothing she's not enjoying." She turned to look at the woman so easily enthralled by her presence and frowned. "Human's are terribly suggestible," she mused, her fingers playing lightly with the hairs at the base of Toshiko's neck. Toshiko sighed and leant back into the touch, the tears nothing more than damp tracks down her cheeks now. "Definitely." She wasn't sure if she enjoyed the ease with which they succumbed to her mere presence or if she missed the chase.

"You step away from her this minute." He sighted down the barrel of his gun, ready to blow a sizeable chunk out of her if she so much as harmed a hair on Toshiko's head. Then again, he had this niggling urge not to shoot, but pushed as hard against the idea as he could, knowing it was nothing but trouble.

At the request, as such, Ari pulled Toshiko closer, leaning into her neck and surrounding herself with the musky scent of human, of pheromones and sweat and passion. Toshiko sighed at the gesture, tilting her head to allow the alien better access.

"Humans smell so raw," Ari muttered, her lips pressed against Toshiko's flesh. "So full of pheromones, ruled by instinct, so young and naive." Her eyes were all for Jack though, she would never miss an opportunity to see anger and confusion in those eyes of his.

"Don't make me shoot you."

"You don't trust your aim enough to try." Ari brushed the threat off as easily as she moved Toshiko's hair to get better access to her vulnerable flesh. She grinned when she sensed the unease from the Captain, people questioning his talent was not something he was used to.

But she had planted that seed of doubt within him and with just a gentle push on her side she helped cement the idea.

Did he really trust himself enough not to hit Tosh?

His once steady grip began to shake.

"And with that, dear Captain, I bid you farewell."

As she dissolved into the surrounding air Jack lunged, hoping to grab her and stop her, but only succeeded in catching Toshiko before she collapsed onto a heap on the floor. She took a great heaving breath, like a drowning man clutching at life, and returned to her senses almost at once.

"Oh god, Jack, god. I couldn't stop her. When she touched me, I couldn't stop her. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She gushed, clutching her boss so tightly and trying to stop herself from bursting into tears. How had she been so vulnerable? How had she let the alien play her so easily?

"It's all right, it's all right." Though his comforting words and reassuring touch were distant as his mind was still fixed on the alien who had so easily played him too. Did she really know him or was it a trick like what she had done to Tosh? Toshiko sensed that his attention was not on her and pulled back slightly to truly see his face, and found herself frowning.

"Who is she, Jack?"

The question was so simple, yet how could you really answer something like that, especially if the only recollection now was a sense of familiarity. He had lived a lot of years, seen a lot of places, met a lot of people, done a lot of things, though he recalled them all with ease. Except, there was those two years...

"I don't know."

***