Title: The Torchwood Vampire
By: Inara
Pairing: gen
Rating: PG
Note: I really wanted to do a vampire story, and a story for Tosh, so I thought I'd do both at once!
Summary: Something nasty is living in the sewers under Cardiff and it isn't just the Weevils.

***

Prologue — 1896

He hadn't known what to expect, but this wasn't it. He had felt the energy calling to him, dragging him from his comfortable home on a nightmare journey, with the only the prospect of drinking from it's powerful elixir keeping him going. Now, he was here, and all he felt was confusion. He could feel the energy everywhere, in the cobble stones that lined the street, the ramshackle houses, and the new official buildings that crowed round the dockside, but he couldn't absorb it, and did not know why. All he knew was that he was becoming progressively weaker, whilst being surrounded by everything he needed. When he thought back on the expectation of the journey, how his wish was going to be fulfilled he gave an ironic smile, now he knew how King Midas felt.

Although dusk was falling rapidly the docks were working to their full capacity, taking coal by the ship load from the mines in the valleys to ports all along the South coast, and as far afield as London and Belfast. It was a thriving place, with more languages than he could understand being spoken all at once, and people from every nationality working together, content just to do their job and make money to feed their families. Butetown was not a utopia, it was dirty, with a permanent cloud of coal dust hanging over the place, staining hands and faces a grimy black and causing hacking coughs amongst those who worked there any length of time, and for those who could no longer work, it was a place of destitution, where alcohol and opium were the only refuge from a life too hard to contemplate.
As he walked along the railway track, he looked over at the site of the new Roath Dock and saw the men labouring with picks and shovels trying to clear the thick black mud of the Bristol Channel — it was a thankless task, and one he was glad he didn't have to participate in. He knew that they looked at him strangely, the sailors and stevedores, with his well cut suit and fashionable boots he stood out from them like a rose amongst thorns. If only they knew how exotic he really was, he thought, then they would have a real reason to be wary.

Yawning, he realised how exhausted he was. If he didn't quench his thirst soon it would drive him mad. Even a short term solution would be preferable to the gnawing emptiness within him. At this time of day though there was no way he could do anything, it would just draw attention to himself, and that he did not want. All he had to do was hold it together until darkness fell, and then he would hunt.

So deep was he in thought that he didn't hear the train until it was almost too late. Throwing himself to one side, he lost his footing and rolled headlong down the bank towards the mudflats. Unable to do anything to arrest his fall, he tumbled out of control, wincing as pain shot through his shoulder as he fell. This was not good at all. Finally he can to a halt with a splash, face down in the putrid water. He tried to raise himself up to summon help, but he felt the last of his energy ebb away into the mud as surely as if he were bleeding to death from an invisible wound. If he were found now, he would be helpless, and that would not do. It took him all his time to raise his head, but when he did so he saw, almost in front of him, a small tunnel leading off into the earth. He could rest there until he recovered.
Dragging himself forward, his long elegant fingers clawing in the mud, he realised that he would have been better off had he remained at home. Next time, he would resist the Siren's lure.

Part 1
Present Day
It was a typical Monday morning at the Hub, everyone wondering where the weekend had gone and why they hadn't had a chance to enjoy it. Not to mention why Jack had asked that they be there at the ungodly hour of 4.30am.
'Anyone know why we're here at sparrow fart?' Owen demanded, stalking in and throwing his leather jacket over a chair. He looked like death warmed over, face pale, with dark circles under his eyes.
'Heavy weekend?' Asked Gwen, unable to stop the sarcasm from creeping in to her voice. What the hell had she ever seen in him?
'No, thanks for asking. I think I've got the flu. I feel really shitty.' Toshiko looked up from her laptop — he actually didn't look well, so it was probably more than just his usual Monday whinge.
'Are you sure you shouldn't be at home in bed?' she enquired solicitously, and got a glare for her pains.
'Oh yeah, like his majesty's going to put up with that one. Where is he by the way?'
'He's here,' Jack burst through the door with an enthusiastic flourish, Ianto following in his wake. 'Good morning boys and girls. Owen, you look like shit.'
'Yeah, thanks for that.' He suddenly found the table top extremely interesting.
'Ianto, magic up some of your coffee before everyone falls asleep again.'
'It's already percolating.' The younger man smiled. Not for the first time Gwen wondered how Ianto managed not only to make the most wonderful coffee in the known universe, but also look immaculately turned out and totally with it at any time of the day or night.
'Right,' Jack sat down at the head of the table. 'I guess you want to know why I asked you all to get here so early?' Four heads nodded in agreement. 'We're going on a Weevil hunt.'
'Why?' asked Owen almost immediately, 'Haven't we got enough already, or do you want to start a collection?' Jack gave him a withering look, which Owen ignored.
'I don't like to agree with Owen,' Gwen added, 'but unfortunately on this occasion I'm going to have to. Why do we want more Weevils?'
'If you'd be quiet for a minute and let me finish, I'll tell you. Tosh, did you get those plans I asked for?' she nodded, and at the touch of a button, the schematics of an extensive sewage system appeared on the main screen. 'If you're sitting comfortably, then I'll begin. As you know, the city council is undertaking a large scale renewal of the Victorian sewers that remain under Cardiff.'
'Yeah, Rhys reckons the traffic disruption is terrible.' Gwen chipped in, and then gave Jack a sheepish look for interrupting.
'Unfortunately for us, they've discovered a large network of unused tunnels under Butetown and the Millennium Centre and they are starting to crumble, so they need to be removed. It's being run in with the construction of phase two of the Centre — two birds with one stone so to speak. Some of the ground work has already started, but the main contract is due to start next week.'
'Bugger.' Owen muttered succinctly, as the penny dropped. 'Those tunnels are full of Weevils.'
'Exactly, and, as much as the city council drive me nuts, I'd rather not see any of their workers become Weevil food.'
'So, what do you want us to do?' Tosh voiced the question that they had all wanted to ask.
'We need to drive them out of the tunnels that the contractors will be in, and on to safer areas.' He gestured to the screen. 'There's a set of tunnels out towards Penarth that haven't been used for years, but are perfectly sound, and I doubt the council actually remembers that they've got them. Home sweet home for the Weevils.'
'And how exactly are we going to persuade them to move in?' Owen wasn't impressed. 'Get Laurence Llewellyn Bowen to convince them they need to relocate?' Jack and Ianto exchanged a conspiratorial grin, and Ianto walked out into the main area of the Hub, returning a moment later with a large plastic container full of a dubious looking green liquid.
'What the fuck is that?'
'That my friend, is Weevil pee.'
'Oh, yuck.' Gwen and Tosh pulled faces at each other.
'I'm not even going to ask how you got that.' Gwen added.
'I synthesised it.' Ianto responded coolly. 'It's the basis of the anti Weevil spray that we use already. Basically it tells them that the area is the territory of a dominant male Weevil and they shouldn't be there.' Owen nodded, impressed in spite of himself.
'Ok, I'll give you that one, but what are we going to do with it exactly?'
'We take to the tunnels, each with a spray full of the stuff, not forgetting the anti Weevil spray just in case things go belly up. We drive the Weevils ahead of us into the safe area, then spray where we've been to stop them returning.' Jack grinned. 'It's so simple even Owen can do it.'
'Funny, funny.' After a moment of laughter, Jack was suddenly serious again
'I don't need to remind any of you how dangerous Weevils are, and how they should be kept away from the public. We don't want any accidents or injuries. Tosh, I want you and Owen to take the section directly under Millennium Centre, Gwen and I will go in the opposite direction and take the tunnels under Butetown.'
'And what does Ianto get to do?' Owen growled. 'Sit on his arse until it's all over?' For a moment Jack just looked at Owen, until he dropped his gaze and muttered 'sorry' under his breath.
'Ianto will take the SUV and be ready to restrain any Weevil that gets above ground. He is our Weevil expert after all.'
'So, what do we call you then?' Gwen asked, with a smile on her face. 'Dr Weevil?'
'That is so funny I think my sides may split.' Ianto deadpanned.
'Ok everyone, less of the comedy routine. Get your protective overalls on and meet me back here in ten. Let's do some Good Weevil hunting.' He ducked as Gwen threw a biro at him.

Tosh clambered down the ladder set in the steep walls of the manhole and wondered what the hell she was doing. With her computer skills she could be working for one of the top corporations, have a smart flat in London, drive a flash car. Instead she was clambering round the sewers of Cardiff looking for alien creatures that made Owen look friendly, carrying a spray pump bottle full of pee and wearing a pair of nylon overalls that had been made for someone with legs like Erin O'Connor.
'For Christ's sake get a move on!' Owen yelled from somewhere below her.
'All right, I'm coming.' She snapped back, trying not to slip on the damp rungs. Finally she touched the ground, and looked around for Owen. All she could see was the light from his torch bobbing along the dark tunnel ahead of her. 'You could have waited!'
'No. I couldn't. Let's get this over and done with.' He stalked ahead of her, the powerful beam of his Maglite playing on the crumbling brickwork that arched above their heads. At least the sewers weren't used anymore, so all she could smell was damp earth and the unmistakable whiff of Weevil. Mind you, it could have been worse, a lot worse. 'Keep behind me; I don't want to have to look out for you as well.'
She looked at his back and glared. She knew that he wasn't especially unpleasant to her, he was like it with everyone, but every time he snapped at her, she felt it as a personal insult. The real problem was, she knew, that she had never been able to cure herself of the crush she'd had on him ever since they had started to work together. She recognised that it wasn't logical, but when was love ever that? Instead she treasured the vain hope that one day he would see that she was the best thing that could happen to him, and reciprocate her affections. Until then she would take the brickbats that he threw at her, and try to hide her feeling under a veneer of calm acceptance. Sighing to herself she dutifully followed on, their footsteps echoing in the darkness, and wondering when they were going to see their first Weevil.
'At least there aren't any rats.' She said, as much to make conversation than anything else.
'Bloody Weevils probably ate them.'

From the shadows he watched them, wondering why they had ventured into a place they did not belong. Despite the darkness, his vision was perfect, and he could not help but watch the petite Asian woman as she struggled in the over sized garb that could not disguise her slim figure. Her dark almond eyes intrigued him, but he knew that now was not the right time to approach her.

For years after he had climbed into the pipe for refuge he had been unable to function at all. His strength had been sapped entirely and he only survived by drinking the blood of the rats that shared his home. The blood of vermin sustained him, but there was no-one with whom he could make a truly life giving connection, so he had lived on in the foul smelling darkness, hovering between light and shadow, until the creatures had come. He did not know what they were, these beasts with razor sharp teeth and the strength of ten men, but he had hunted and killed them. Through them, his strength had returned, increased even, and he now wanted to venture beyond the sewers, to experience this new world above him, and find someone with whom he could truly be as one.

'You know, this is weird.' Owen said finally, after they had walked for what felt like miles without seeing a single Weevil. 'I can smell the fucking things, but I haven't seen any sign of them.'
Tosh nodded, trying to keep her balance on the narrow ledge that ran along the side of the tunnel.
'Let's just hope they've gone of their own accord. Keep spraying the deterrent so they don't decide to come back.'
'If we don't find one soon we'll give it up as a bad job.' He grumbled, pacing on into the darkness.

Lack of Weevils was not a problem that Jack and Gwen were experiencing. Almost as soon as they had set off, Gwen realised that they had drawn the short straw. The tunnels under Bute Street were not as disused as they had hoped, and the stench of that, coupled with ripe Weevil was beyond awful. She was thankful she'd thought to slip a bottle of eucalyptus oil into her pocket, as at least rubbing that around her nose meant she could at least breathe without vomiting. Ahead of her, Jack stopped, holding up his hand.
'There,' he whispered, 'we've got another one.' She peered into the darkness, just able to make out movement in the shadows.
'That's the fifth we've seen,' she replied, 'are they holding a convention or something?'
'I sincerely hope not, but you never know.' Jack unhooked his spray from his belt, and coated the wall where they were standing. 'That should make sure he travels in the right direction.' Suddenly a roar split the darkness, turning Gwen's blood to ice.
'I don't think it agrees with you Jack!' She yelled, as the thing launched itself out of the darkness, its razor like teeth gleaming in the torchlight. Knowing the lethal reach of its claws Jack shouldered her aside, sending her crashing into the wall of the tunnel; for a moment she saw stars and sank to her knees. Grabbing the anti weevil spray from his belt, Jack let the irate creature have the full force of it in its face. It reared back, screaming in agony, but not before it raked its claws down the side of his neck. Jack tried to stifle a cry of pain as he felt warm blood run down onto his collar. For a moment the Weevil hesitated, terrified, unsure whether to go forward or back. Then it saw the ladder leading upwards and launched itself towards salvation and the daylight that filtered through the grating.
'Ianto,' Jack yelled into his Bluetooth 'We've got one coming your way. East Bute Street, near HSBC. He's not a happy Weevil.' Ianto's voice crackled in his headset.
'I'm on it.' Jack spun round and helped Gwen to her feet.
'I'm all right, don't worry about me.' Then she saw the wounds on his neck. 'Jack, you're bleeding.'
'It's ok, it'll heal. Let's get after this thing before it decided to maraud its way into Tesco's.'

Ianto flung the SUV round the corner into East Bute St just as the Weevil hauled itself out of the grating. Thankfully, it was still early and there weren't many people around. Seeing the Weevil was trying to make a break for it he put his foot hard on the accelerator and set off after it. When he was level with it, he screeched the vehicle to a halt, cutting off it's escape route, and clambered out, Weevil spray already in hand. Penned in by the SUV in front of it, and Ianto behind, the Weevil was clearly terrified, the fear reflected in its dark fathomless eyes. He was always surprised how a creature that in some ways seemed so primitive could at times be so human. He willed the creature to calm down, but it could not, or would not understand. Instead it continued to flail aggressively, a throaty growl rumbling in its throat.
Not wanting to get into an argument with it Ianto raised the deterrent spray and hit it in the face. He expected it to cower away, to be wary of him so he could restrain it, but this one was stronger than most, and the spray had just made it angry. Instead of running away, it launched itself at him, lunging at him with both teeth and claws. Ianto tried to fight it off, but it was so much stronger, and he knew that he was not going to win. He cried out in agony as the Weevil's teeth ripped into his shoulder, tearing at his flesh. He was going to die.

As soon as he emerged from the grating Jack knew something had gone terribly wrong. In an instant he saw Ianto in the Weevils grip, saw the beast sink his teeth into him, and Ianto fall to the floor. Not even thinking about what he was doing, Jack pulled his Webley from its holster and fired three bullets into the body of the Weevil. For a moment it seemed that not even bullets were going to stop it, but it finally fell to the floor, where it lay unmoving. He sprinted to where Ianto lay, curled up in a foetal position, his blood running across the pavement and into the gutter.

When Gwen climbed out of the manhole seconds later, the full horror of the scene hit her. There was blood everywhere, a dead Weevil laying on the ground, and Jack was kneeling beside Ianto's body, his hands slick with blood as he tried to staunch a gaping wound in his shoulder.
'Oh god, no.' Gwen breathed to herself, dashing over, her heart pounding. Speaking into her Bluetooth she shouted. 'Owen? Get back to the Hub, we need you. Ianto's been hurt!' she was rewarded with nothing but a hiss of static.

***

As she plodded through the sewers Tosh felt insulated from the world around her. Even her Bluetooth was silent. Cocooned in the darkness, protected even, and she wondered how easy it would be just to keep on walking and never go back. After a while, something in the air changed, and she became aware of a smell that was all too familiar from her pathology training, the sweet, sickly smell of rot.
'Do you smell that?' she asked Owen, whispering, but not sure why.
'Oh yeah,' Quiet wasn't in his vocabulary. 'The glorious aroma of decomp.' Shining his torch around, he made out what looked like a body lying in the tunnel ahead. 'Something interesting to look at, at last.'
'Owen.' She chided him gently.
'For gods sake Tosh, get a sense of humour.' He padded over to the body, which was laying on its side, facing away from them, and turned it over, none to gently. Almost immediately Tosh realised that it was the body of a Weevil, and that it had obviously been there for quite some time, given the fact that most of the soft tissue had turned into a writhing mass of maggots. She shuddered, thanking her lucky stars once again that she had decided that a career in the mortuary was not for her. Owen crouched down beside the body.
'Look at this.' He said curiously. She joined him, wrinkling her nose as the smell suddenly worsened. He pointed to the Weevils throat, where the collection of maggots seemed to be greater. 'It's had its throat ripped out.'
'What on earth could do that to a Weevil?' she gave him a look. 'Are you sure your fight club friends aren't still around?'
'No,' He snapped. 'They're not, alright?' She nodded, trying to pretend that she was convinced. 'I tell you something though,' he added, 'if whatever did this is still down here, I don't want to meet it.'

He watched them poring over the creatures body, wondering why they cared about the death of something so primitive. The woman was fascinating to him, the way she looked, the way she walked, her voice, everything. It had been such a long time since he had wanted to bond with anyone, but now, he wanted it more than anything. Not a quick thrill, he could get that at any time, but a deep and lasting connection. To find someone like that was rarer than diamonds, and he knew that he would have to be very careful if he did not want to scare her away. A unique approach, for a unique woman.

He couldn't breathe. Something was pressing down on his chest, and he couldn't breathe. He needed to get free, and then it would be alright. He struggled, trying to push whatever it was away, but he couldn't move. In the distance, he heard a voice, familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.
'Ianto, stop fighting me. You need to calm down so I can stop the bleeding.' Pain radiated from his shoulder making it feel as though his body was on fire, and he struggled to open his eyes. Suddenly the world rushed back into focus, although it seemed as if he were looking at it down the wrong end of a telescope.
'Jack?' He croaked, his voice not responding. He felt someone take his hand and squeeze it reassuringly.
'I'm here.'
'I'm, glad. It hurts.'
'You've been attacked by a Weevil, and are losing a lot of blood. You need to stay still until we get back to the Hub.' A feeling of calm washed through him, and he took a deep breath, letting it flood through his body and numb the pain. In the far distance he heard a voice, Jack? Calling to him. 'Stay with me Ianto, stay with me.' But he didn't have the energy to do anything but drift away.
In the driver's seat, Gwen tried to see what was happening behind her, without veering all over the road, which wasn't easy at the speed she was doing. What did speed limits matter anyway, at a time like this?
'What's going on Jack?' In the back of the vehicle, Jack cradled Ianto's inert body, trying to stop him being shaken by the motion of the vehicle, whilst keeping up a constant pressure on the wound in his shoulder. There was blood everywhere, and from what Jack could see the Weevils teeth had ripped into the flesh of his shoulder, and the whole area was a mess of blood, tissue and ripped fabric. It did not look good.
'I think he's going into shock.' Ianto's face was grey, and clammy, and, as Jack held him, he began to shake. 'Step on it Gwen, or we're going to lose him.'
'Don't say that.' She sniffed back tears, crying now wasn't going to help anyone. Instead, floored the accelerator, sending the SUV squealing around the one way system. Jack held Ianto close, saying a silent prayer to a god he wasn't sure he believed in.

They had decided that enough was enough. It was clear that their Weevil hunt was a washout, and, as Owen eloquently put it, they didn't want to run into 'the fucker that ate Weevils for breakfast' at least until they were properly armed. Trudging back towards the manhole cover, Tosh was suddenly aware of a hissing in her ears, realising almost immediately that it was her Bluetooth. Unfortunately the signal was awful, and she could barely make anything out.
'Gwen? I keep losing you, speak up.'
'............can't get..........need Owen........'
'Say again?' When Tosh finally made out what she was saying, she turned to Owen, her dark eyes wide and frightened in the beam of his torch. 'Ianto's been attacked by a Weevil, and it looks bad. We need to get back to the Hub now.'

Jack laid Ianto gently onto a trolley in the infirmary area. Their medical facilities were small, with only a couple of beds, but the technology they had access to was state of the art. He had decided years ago that the type of injuries sustained as a member of Torchwood couldn't easily be explained away as the result of a drunken brawl in St Mellons or a car accident in Barry, and not using the local hospital tended to avoid awkward questions. It didn't work every time, particularly when the one injured was Owen, but it was getting there.
Ianto mumbled to himself, and Jack stroked his hair, trying to calm him. As he did so, he was surprised to see that his own hands were shaking. Thankfully, he had managed to stop the bleeding, but he was concerned that any unnecessary movement would start it up again. When Ianto opened his eyes, Jack felt his stomach churn with relief. Ianto looked up at him, eyes unfocused. 'Lisa?'
There were footsteps behind him, and Gwen burst into the room.
'I managed to get Tosh, they're on their way.'
'It better be soon.' Gwen moved over to him, and put her hand on his arm.
'He will be all right Jack.' He didn't reply, and when she looked at him, she saw that his eyes were bright with tears.

Owen crashed through the Hub, Tosh following in his wake. As he walked he took off the overalls and shrugged into his normal white coat.
'Right,' he demanded, striding into the infirmary, 'What the bloody hell's going on?' Jack spun round, his fragile grip on his emotions finally snapping. Grabbing Owen by the arms he shoved him backwards, sending him crashing into the counter top.
'Where were you?' he demanded, his face inches away from Owen's. 'We needed you.'
'Jack,' Gwen cautioned, but he ignored her. Her eyes met Tosh's, and they both moved forward in case they had to pull them apart. Gwen expected Owen to retaliate, and was surprised when he calmly stepped out of Jack's grip, and said gently:
'You have to leave him with me now Jack, you've done everything you can, now I've got to do my job.' He looked over at Gwen, and a look of understanding passed between them.
'Come on Jack,' she said, taking her hand in his, 'Let Owen look after him.' After a moments hesitation Jack nodded, and Gwen led him out of the infirmary.
'Do you need any help?' Tosh asked, knowing what the answer would be.
'Think I'm not capable of dealing with a Weevil bite?' It hadn't taken him long to get back to his normal self. Then he relented slightly. 'I work better on my own Tosh. You know I don't play well with others.' She nodded.
'You'll tell us, if there's any change?' He gave her a look and she scurried away. One day, she thought, she was going to have a discussion with him about the way he talked to her, but not today. Owen walked over to Ianto, pulling on his latex gloves.
'Ok mate, let's have a look at you.'

The waiting seemed to go on forever. Jack couldn't sit still, and paced backwards and forwards, idly picking up bits and bobs from the desks, then dropping them back. When he started to fiddle with her lap top Tosh wanted to snap at him, but instead said:
'Why don't you sit down Jack? You know Owen will let us know what's happening.'
'I'm fine.' She looked over at Gwen, who was sitting with her knees drawn up on the sofa. Gwen shook her head almost imperceptibly. She sighed and left him to his pacing.
Half an hour later, they finally heard footsteps coming up the stairs from the infirmary. Jack stopped in his tracks, and both Gwen and Tosh moved to stand next to him, and he took each of their hands in his.
'He'll be fine.' Owen said bluntly, as he saw the apprehension on their faces. 'It'll hurt like fuck for a few weeks, but he'll get over it.'
'Oh, thank god.' Gwen breathed. 'Can we see him?'
'Yeah, but only for a minute. He's been sedated anyway.' Tosh and Gwen hurried down to the infirmary, but as Jack went to follow, Owen caught his eye.
'How bad is it really?' asked Jack.
'It ain't good, but he'll live. He's got extensive muscle damage, and is going to need a lot of physio if he's going to get back full use of his arm. I'm more worried about infection, Weevils aren't exactly sanitary — so I've got him on an intravenous drip of antibiotics. I've also had to give him some blood.' That was one thing that Owen had insisted on from the beginning, that they kept a stock of blood products of the right group for each of the team, just in case. 'He's been lucky. This time.'
'You did good Owen.'
'Yeah, well....' He turned away, embarrassed. 'Go and see him Jack. I need some air.'

In the infirmary, Ianto slept peacefully, his breathing strong and regular. The wound in his shoulder was heavily bandaged, and the drip was still in his arm, slowly giving him the antibiotics he needed to help him fight the infection. Jack sat in a chair next to the bed, his fingers interlaced with Ianto's. The room had been quiet for so long, that when Ianto spoke, Jack jumped.
'Jack?' he whispered faintly.
'I'm here.'
'Stay with me.' Jack leaned over and kissed him softly on the mouth.
'Always.'

The spring afternoon slipped slowly into dusk as Tosh left the Hub. She felt exhausted, but on edge at the same time, unable to settle. It had been the worst day that she had experienced in a while, but at least they knew now that Ianto would make a full recovery, although it would be a long process. When the day had finally ended, Gwen had dashed off to cook dinner for Rhys, before he could get there first, and not for the first time she had envied the other woman her life away from Torchwood. She knew that they had had their ups and downs, one of the biggest downs being Owen, but it seemed that things had been smoothed over. She wished, not for the first time, that there was someone waiting at home for her. It wasn't as though she'd never had relationships; they just hadn't been particularly successful. Recently, she'd dated a professor from Bristol university, but after a couple of less than exciting trips to various museums, she'd begun to feel he'd have been more interested in her if she'd been mummified a few thousand years ago. Socially, she often felt awkward, not sure of what to say, which made her seem cold and aloof when in her heart she was anything but. Then of course there was the Owen thing, but she really had to get over that.....Wandering along Mermaid Quay, she had been so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she hadn't really been looking where she was going, and almost had the breath knocked out if her when she collided with a man coming in the opposite direction.
'I'm so sorry,' she apologised, flustered. 'I wasn't looking where I was going.'
'That's ok,' the stranger smiled, gesturing with the book in his hand, 'Neither was I.' he had a lovely voice, she noted in passing, well spoken, but not over the top, and a hint of an accent that she couldn't quite place. Then again, she though, the rest of him wasn't bad either. He was about six feet tall, athletically built, with hair so dark that it was almost black, and cornflower blue eyes hidden behind round framed glasses. He was also reading a Tale of Two Cities, which sent him up another notch in her estimation. 'You've read this?' he asked, noticing her interest.
'Oh yes, it's one of my favourite books.' She took a breath, aware that she talked to fast when she was nervous. A gust of wind blew across the bay and she shuddered. 'I better go.'
'Look,' he hesitated, 'I'm sorry if this is a bit forward, but, would you like to have a drink with me? I've not been in Cardiff long, and otherwise it's just another night in with Mr Dickens.' There were a million reasons that she should say no, but, at that moment she could not think of a single one of them.
'That would be great.' She smiled

It turned out that his name was Richard, he was thirty six and an architect. He had moved to Cardiff temporarily, working on Phase 2 of the Millennium Centre and was still staying at the Holiday Inn Express whilst he was looking for a flat. Having already rented out his place in London he was feeling more than a little dispossessed. Tosh told him her usual cover story — that she worked in IT at the Sennedd, but she found that they had a mutual interest in theatre and literature which meant she didn't have to fall back on talking about work anyway. Sitting on the sofa in bar Terra Nova, glass of chardonnay in one hand, chatting about everything she could think of, Tosh couldn't remember the last time she'd had such an enjoyable evening.

He loved watching her; the expressive way that her hands moved when she talked, the way her face lit up with an inner light when she described something that she really loved. It was like being in the presence of an exotic flower that had been wilting under glass, but was flourishing in the sunlight. So intent in his observations, he didn't realise that she'd stopped speaking and was looking at him. Damn. He hadn't wanted to do anything to alarm her.
'I'm so sorry,' he said, 'I was wondering if I could get away with asking you something, and I wasn't quite sure how to start.' A shadow passed over her face, and he wondered what he had said that was wrong.
Tosh sighed. She'd done it again, rattled on about her favourite subjects and as Owen had said on more than one occasion, bored someone to death. Richard was just so easy to talk to, and it had been such a long time since she'd made that kind of connection with anyone.
'I talk too much,' she said softly.
'No, Toshiko, don't think that. I was only wondering how I could get away with asking you if you'd like to go to the theatre with me on Saturday without you wondering why I'd got two tickets. I didn't want you to think that I was on the rebound.'
'So, why have you got the two tickets then?' She asked dutifully.
'Now I'm going to just look a cheapskate. They're complimentaries because I'm working there at the moment. It's a good show though, honest.' He really did have a nice smile, she thought, wondering if she was getting slightly tipsy.
'What's on?'
'Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake. It's the one where all the swans are played by male dancers.'
'I knew that was coming up, but I forgot it was this week. Work's been a bit hectic recently. I'd love to come with you, though, I saw it a couple of months ago on Artsworld and thought it was amazing.' Not to mention that the guy playing the Swan had looked very sexy indeed in his tight leather trousers. Finishing her glass of wine, she noticed the time. 'I really need to get home.' A small buzz went through her as she saw disappointment in his eyes, and she said, without thinking about it: 'Come back to my place for coffee, it's not far.' There, it was done.
'I'd love to,' he gave her the smile again, and helped her on with her coat. 'I'm really glad that I bumped into you.' So am I, she thought. Or it would have been another meal alone and in bed with a book by 10pm.

Rhys snuggled up to Gwen on the sofa, and nuzzled her neck. She giggled, kissing the tip of his nose.
'That was a fantastic curry love, you should cook more often.'
'Oh yeah?' she grinned, 'since when do you let me anywhere near the kitchen? I only managed it this time because you were late home.' Rhys sighed theatrically.
'I was doing my Claire Rayner bit, wasn't I?'
'Shirely in the typing pool fallen out with her boyfriend again?'
'Worse. You remember Russ Ellis who I went to school with?'
'Course I do, we went to his wedding you plank. I thought he'd moved to London?'
'Yeah, well he's back. Split up with his wife, and living in Newport. Don't know which one is worse.' She gave him a playful slap on the arm. 'I thought we could ask him over for a meal sometime. I reckon he's a bit lonely.'
'Course we can.' She thought for a moment, 'He's quite a quiet bloke isn't he?' Rhys nodded,
'Never one for going out on the raz on a Saturday was Russ.'
'Goodness knows how he survived with you lot then. No, I was just thinking whether I should invite Tosh from work as well. She's....well, let's just say that she doesn't have a lot of luck with men.'
'Ok, set it up then.' He slid his hand up under her shirt and caressed her breasts. 'Now, where was I...?'

She didn't realise it could be like this. His touch on her skin sent waves of fire through her body, and she moved against him, wanting more, and yet not wanting it to be over. Her lips sought his, nipping at them playfully, as he ran his hands across her slim frame, relishing every curve of her.
'Toshiko,' he breathed, his breath stirring her hair.
'Don't stop,' she grabbed him, her finger nails reddening his flesh as she brought him to her. 'Richard...'
She felt his lips on her neck, and she shuddered with pleasure. It had been so long since anyone had made her feel this way. When his teeth punctured the delicate skin of her neck she gave a small gasp of pleasure, moving her body against his. He drank deeply of her, and the edges of her vision began to fade. Black velvet encircled her, and she fell into his arms. It was done.

***

Gwen wandered into the Hub, a spring in her step. She felt more calm and settled than she had done in a long time; she and Rhys had spent the rest of the evening either talking or making love, and she felt that after the turbulence of the last few months everything was back on track. Besides, sex was good for the soul.
'Morning,' she called to Jack, who was peering disconsolately at the Rift Manipulator. He turned round, looking vaguely disappointed. 'Don't look so pleased to see me.'
'Sorry Gwen, I thought you were Toshiko. I'm getting some weird readings from this thing and I want her to take a look.'
'I'm sure she won't be long. How's Ianto?'
'He's fine,' Ianto replied. Gwen saw that he was sitting on the sofa, wearing jeans and a baggy grey sweatshirt and looking as pale as a ghost. It was obvious from the way he was sitting that he was in a lot of pain.
'What are you doing out of bed?' she scolded, realising belatedly how much she sounded like her mother.
'Don't think I haven't told him.' Jack and Ianto exchanged a glance that spoke volumes.
'I just can't be down there on my own whilst you're all up here working.'
'Ianto, you're hurt, you need to take some time.' She sat down next to him, and gave him a gentle hug. 'No-one is going to think anything less of you, if you just go home.' He looked at her, his eyes bleak.
'That's just it Gwen, I don't want to go home. Everything I need is here.' He looked over at Jack again, and Gwen felt the electricity crackle between them.
'Feeling small green and prickly here,' She grinned. 'I think I'll just get the coffee.'

Jack eyed his mug warily as if it was some alien life form about to attack him. 'Gwen Cooper, next time you volunteer to make coffee, remind me that I've got a pressing engagement elsewhere.'
'Ungrateful sod.' She smiled, 'I'm a woman of many talents.'
'Yeah, but making coffee isn't one of them. Ianto, I think you're job is safe.'
'Good to hear, Sir.' Ianto took a sip from his own mug and tried not to wince. 'Great, thanks Gwen.'
'It's alright, you don't have to pretend. Rhys always says you can creosote the fence with my coffee anyway.' She looked at her watch. 'Wonder where the others are?'
As if on cue, Owen strode into the Hub, throwing his leather jacket over the back of his chair, and reaching for his coffee in one fluid movement.
'Jesus, that tastes like shit.'
'Thank you Gwen for getting me a coffee instead of me having to get it myself.' She responded sweetly. 'Get out of bed the wrong side did we?'
'I haven't been in it long.' He looked over at Jack.
'Owen stayed on last night, until he was sure Ianto would be ok.' Jack filled in. Gwen immediately felt a pang of remorse for having judged him too harshly, noticing how tired he looked, with huge dark circles under his eyes 'Sorry, I didn't think.'
'You never do.' Then he caught sight of Ianto, who had been trying his best to look invisible. 'You. Downstairs. Now.'
'But....'
'Don't argue Ianto. I'll tell you when you can get out of bed, and that isn't now.'
'Owen Harper, I love it when you're dominant.' Jack laughed. Owen gave him a glare that would have turned a lesser mortal to stone — but had no effect on Jack whatsoever. Ianto struggled to his feet, trying not to show how much it hurt.
'I'm alright.'
'Yeah, you look it.' Owen gave him a fierce look, but the hand he put on Ianto's back to guide him was surprisingly gentle. 'Come on tea boy, back to bed. Doctor's orders' Jack gave a small smile.
'What?' Gwen asked curiously.
'Nothing. Just a turn of phrase, that's all.' He turned to the computer screen. 'Right let's see what's going on in the big wide world.' There was the sound of running feet, and Tosh dashed in, looking anything but her normal well turned out self.
'I'm so sorry I'm late, I over slept.' She grabbed her hairbrush from her bag, and tried to bring her hair under control. 'I'm not usually like this.'
'Calm down Tosh,' Jack couldn't help smile. 'It's not as if you make a habit of it.'
'I know, but I just don't like to be disorganised. How's Ianto doing?'
'Up and about earlier, but Owen's made him go back to the infirmary. I have a feeling that it might be a case of unstoppable force meets immovable object, particularly when the immovable object is feeling better.' He turned back to the screen. 'That's odd,' before either Tosh or Gwen could speak he dashed off into his office. Gwen looked over at the other woman. Apart from being uncharacteristically tousled, there was a look in Tosh's eyes that she had only seen once before, one that she thought probably mirrored her own that morning. It was the look of having been shagged rigid the night before.
'What's his name then?' she asked, grinning as Tosh blushed.
'I don't know what you mean.' It wasn't convincing.
'Come on Tosh, I know that look. Put it this way, if I asked you to come round for a meal with us and an old friend of Rhys's sort of a blind date, would you agree?' Tosh shook her head, a vague smile playing on her lips.
'I suppose you could say that I'm taken.'
'Now you've got to tell me, who is he?' Absently rubbing her neck, Tosh's smile grew broader.
'His name's Richard, and he's an architect from London. He's moved down here to work on the new bits of the Millennium Centre. Oh Gwen, I had such a wonderful time last night, we just really connected.' Gwen loved the way Tosh's eyes sparkled; it had been a long time since she'd seen her look genuinely happy
'I'm really pleased Tosh. You need someone special in your life.'
'Aren't I special enough?' Neither had noticed Jack wander back down the steps.
'Honestly Jack, can't we have a girlie chat in peace?'
'It's....' Jack was about to say something when Owen walked back in. 'How's he doing?'
'Better. No sign of infection and his readings are all ok. I've given him some painkillers and told him to rest this morning. If he's still ok at lunch time, he can get up.'
'Great. Ok, now that you're all here, there are some things that we need to look at. Firstly, Tosh the Rift Manipulator is acting up, can you check it out for me?' She nodded, a faraway look in her eyes. Jack frowned, but said nothing. 'Here's one for you to talk to your friends in the police about Gwen. The harbour police fished a body out of the Bay this morning, missing its head and hands. Been in there a couple of days apparently. Not something we would normally get involved with, but reports suggest that the body may have been decapitated to disguise the fact it had its throat ripped out. Might be something to do with us, might not.'
'Shit.' Owen interrupted.
'You've got something to add?'
'Yeah, when Tosh and me were in the sewers we found a Weevil with its throat ripped out. What with all that with Ianto, I forgot about it.'
'Ok, so maybe it is something to do with us after all. Gwen, see what you can find out. Owen, I think we need to have a closer look at the Weevil, so it's another trip down the sewers for you and me.'
'Oh, bloody great.' He complained. 'How come these two get to stay here, and we get the dirty jobs?'
'Must be your natural charm,' Gwen smiled a trifle maliciously. She looked at Tosh willing her to share the joke, but her mind seemed to be elsewhere. 'Enjoy.'

He didn't want to be in the darkness, he wanted to be with her. Now that she bore his mark, he could feel what she felt, experience her joy and her sorrow, and draw strength from her very being, but it did not prevent him from wanting her in his arms, her body next to his. He closed his eyes and let the warmth flood through him, careful not to take too much, but almost unable to stop himself. It was so good to finally be part of someone again.

Sitting at her computer, reading through the latest data on the Rift Manipulator Tosh shuddered, and hoped she wasn't going down with Owen's lurgy. Alright, she'd had a late night with Richard, and probably a bit too much to drink, but she shouldn't be feeling this lethargic. Smiling to herself she remembered the way his hands had caressed her body, the feel of his tongue on her nipples....then felt herself blush. Mind on the job Toshiko, mind on the job.
'Thanks for that Andy,' Gwen finished off her phone call. 'I owe you a drink, alright?' it still felt odd, not being a police officer anymore, particularly as she had wanted it for so long. Now she was on the outside, and she knew that as much as she liked to keep in touch with old friends, they were wary of her, as if she couldn't quite be trusted. It hurt, but perhaps they were right to keep her at arms length. If it ever came to a conflict of loyalty, she knew that she would support Torchwood every time.
'Right, it looks as though the Police are treating the murder as an escalation in a war between two rival Eastern European gangs. Two weeks ago they found a container at Pembroke Docks full of young girls who had been trafficked from Latvia and were being sold into the sex trade.' Gwen sighed. 'God, Tosh, some of them were only thirteen. Andy reckons whoever our headless man is, that he was the one that made the tip off. Tosh, are you listening?'
'What? Oh yes, sorry.' She ran her fingers through her hair and tried to bring her mind back into focus.
'Are you alright?'
'I think I might be coming down with something.' Tosh admitted. Gwen looked closely at her, noticing how pale she looked; grabbing a bottle of water and a packet of aspirin from her desk she wandered over to her.
'Here, take these.' She put her hand on Tosh's forehead. 'I reckon you've got a temperature.'
'Bloody Owen and his germs.' She knocked back two tablets with a swig of water. 'I really don't want this now.'
'You seeing Richard again tonight then?' Tosh hesitated for a moment, not altogether easy about revealing details of her private life. Still, it was great to be 'one of the girls' for once, instead of always being on the outside.
'I hope so. I really don't want to pass this on to him though.' She looked at the screen again, as something in her mind clicked into place. 'Got it!' she stood up and hurried over to the Rift Manipulator. Gwen smiled, and left her to it, knowing that once Tosh was on one of her techie quests there was no stopping (or understanding) her.

The rush of energy hit him like a tsunami, unexpected and overwhelming. It felt like electricity coursing through his veins, splitting his skin, and bathing him in raw power. He never expected this, and did not know how she was managing to channel a power that he had only dreamed of touching. All he knew was that he had to have more. Closing his eyes, he drank from her.

Concentrating on the Rift Manipulator, Tosh felt a wave of nausea flood through her. Next time any one of her colleagues turned up under the weather she was going to show them the door immediately. She tried to ignore it, and get on with work, but her vision began to blur, and all at once she felt her energy drain away as if someone had pulled a plug. Unable to do anything, she let static fill her vision, and she fell to the floor.

He cried out as the link was broken; his mind felt as if it were being ripped apart by shards of glass, and he sank to his knees, a cry of anguish ripping from his throat. If this was death then it had been worth it for one taste of the power of the Rift.

Another day of decomposing hadn't made the body of the Weevil smell any sweeter. Owen crouched over the corpse, as Jack shone the torch down, giving him plenty of light; visibility didn't make the task any more pleasant.
'So, what have you got?' Jack asked, an edge of impatience in his voice.
'Teeth marks.' Owen replied succinctly. 'See here?' he gestured to the now clean wound in the Weevils throat. On the floor of the tunnel maggots wriggled in frenzy having been unceremoniously removed from their rotting feast. 'I reckon something with pronounced canines.'
'Another Weevil?'
'You wish. Nope, different jaw structure. My guess is that whatever it is, it looks human.'
'Great, so we may have a humanoid alien on the loose that is strong enough to rip the throat out of a Weevil? Any signs that this might have been a group effort?' Owen shook his head.
'If I had to give an opinion I'd say it was a single attacker.' He stood up. 'You want to take this thing back to the Hub?' Jack shook his head.
'I doubt if it could tell us any more, and besides, the last one we found stunk out the place for a week.'
'Yeah, Gwen sprayed so much perfume around it smelled like a tarts handbag. If you ask me...' A strange, animal sound from up ahead startled him. 'What the fuck?'
'May be a Weevil,' Jack responded briefly, drawing the Webley. He shone the beam of his torch ahead into the tunnel, but all he saw was darkness and damp brickwork.
'Sounded different.'
'Could be what we're looking for.' The two men exchanged glances.
'Should have brought the BBG's.' Owen whispered.
'What?' asked Jack, a little slow on the uptake.
'Bloody Big Guns.'
'Well there's no time to go back and get them, so we better make do with what we have.' Jack brandished the Webley. 'This way.'
'Maybe I could just throw the decomposing Weevil at it.' Owen muttered, hurrying to catch up.

'God, you really gave me a scare,' Gwen handed Tosh a glass of water, as the latter sat on her chair, trying to regain her equilibrium.
'Sorry,' she gave a wan smile. 'Next time I faint I'll try and warn you first.'
'You really should go home you know, no point in making yourself worse. Besides, you need to be fit for when Richard comes over. Can't have hot sex if you're sneezing all over him.'
'I really need to look at the Rift Manipulator again,' Tosh could hear in her own voice how half hearted she sounded. 'With Ianto out of action, if I'm not here as well, things are going to be pretty stretched.'
Gwen was suddenly serious.
'Listen Tosh, don't let this place become your life. I nearly did and look what happened. Go home, relax and get better. It won't fall apart just because you take time off sick.'
'Thanks Gwen,' Tosh gave her arm a squeeze. 'Will you explain it to Jack?'
'Course I will silly.' She glanced round at the Hub. 'Looks like I've got the place to myself.'

He fought his way back through the fog, gaining strength from her. He had been foolish to draw so much through her, he could have harmed her and he would never want to do that. She was too precious to him. Climbing to his feet, he could still feel her presence, but held back, being aware that she was there with him was enough for now.
Then he heard it — the sound of footsteps in the darkness — they were coming for him. He had been hunted before, whole villages had ranged against him, but he had beaten off his attackers as if they were flies around a corpse. Now though, the world was different, and he did not want to draw unwanted attention to himself. This time, he would run, but it would not always be the case.

They heard a breath in the darkness, but saw nothing but blackness and shadow. Then, something, he wasn't sure what, slammed into Jack, almost sending him crashing to the floor. Jack gave a yell, and tried to aim the Webley but the thing was moving to fast; Owen swung the torch around, but whatever it was had disappeared in a rush of air.
'What the fuck was that?'
'I don't know, but I think that before we go look for it, we need those BBG's you were talking about.'

The world was slightly fuzzy round the edges due to the painkillers, but he knew that if he spent another minute in the infirmary he'd go mad with boredom. It wasn't as though he didn't like the odd day lazing around with a book, far from it, but when that day was enforced, and the only book you could find was a dog eared copy of The Da Vinci Code with pizza stuck to the pages, it became less fun by the minute. Gingerly he climbed out of bed and reached for his clothes, the world spun slightly, but soon righted itself much to his relief. Every movement jarred his shoulder, but the painkillers had reduced the fire to a dull ache that he could live with. Now, he needed to get back to work.
Gwen was at her workstation reading through the latest updates from the police computer when she heard him come up the stairs.
'Owen will yell at you, you know,' she smiled. Ianto gave her a rueful grin back.
'Remind me to put my ear plugs in.' he looked round. 'Where is everyone?'
'Jack and Owen have gone to look at a dead Weevil, and Tosh has gone home sick.'
'Sick? I don't think that she's ever had time off sick since I've known her.'
'None of us are indestructible.' She looked at him pointedly. 'I guess that there's no point in me telling you to go back to bed is there?' He shook his head. 'At least sit down, and I'll tell you what's been happening.'
He sat on the sofa, listening to Gwen tell him about the body pulled out of the Bay, her thoughts on people trafficking, and a bit of gossip about Tosh's new boyfriend. It all seemed so normal, another day on the job, but all he could think about was the Weevil's teeth ripping into his neck, and the feeling that he was about to die. It wasn't death that scared him, it was the thought he'd had about just giving up, surrendering, letting go of all his pain. It would have been so easy........
'Ianto?'
'Sorry, my mind wandered off.' He was about to say something else, when Jack and Owen clattered through the Hub.
'What did you find?' asked Gwen.
'I think we can definitely say there's something down there, and it isn't a Weevil,' Jack answered, 'Unfortunately, we lost it.' Glancing around, he added: 'Where's Tosh?'
'Gone home sick. She's not well at all Jack, I'm worried about her.'
'Probably the time of the month,' Owen interjected scathingly.
'Owen, for goodness sake, she actually passed out.' He had the grace to look suitably chastised, and then turned his attention to Ianto.
'Well?'
'Not really, but I'll survive.' Ianto gave half a smile. Gwen noticed Jack give him a worried look, but keep silent, not wanting to appear to be fussing. She hoped that one day, the gentle dance that Jack and Ianto were involved in would lead to happiness for both of them, and end a loneliness that seemed to eat into both their souls.
'So,' she asked, 'where do we go from here?'
'You get to go on a field trip with Owen,' Gwen pulled a face. 'Owen, it must be your lucky day, because you need to look at another dead body. I want you to go up to the morgue and check out the body pulled from the Bay. I'm more convinced than ever that it's something we need to be worried about, but I want to make sure. At the same time Gwen, find out how the investigation is progressing, the stuff they don't put in the official report.'
'What about you?'
'I want to check the archives, make sure we've got plans of the entire sewer system. If we're going hunting, then I want to know every twist and turn of the place. Don't want something nasty jumping out from a tunnel we didn't know existed.'

Tosho lay on her bed, still fully dressed, unable to summon the energy to take off her clothes and climb between the sheets. Her fingers strayed to the side of her neck, and she wondered why it was so sore, when there was no sign of anything there. With a sigh she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. Things would be better later on.

'Where are you off to?' Jack asked, as Ianto made to follow him down to the archive. 'You're meant to be taking things easy.'
'I know where every single plan is kept,' Ianto faced him defiantly; 'I catalogued them myself. You could look on your own, but it would be quicker with me there.' Standing in front of him, Jack put a hand on Ianto's shoulder, and looked into his eyes.
'Ianto, you have nothing to prove, do you understand?' he nodded, an unfathomable expression on his face. 'You shouldn't even be at work.' As he looked at Jack, seeing how concerned he was Ianto felt tears well into his eyes. 'What's wrong?' he shook his head, unable to get the words out; Jack put his arms around him, gently drawing him close as the tears streamed down his face.
'I wanted to die,' Ianto choked, 'Back there, when the Weevil attacked me, for a minute I wanted to die. It would be so much easier than living every day alone.'
'You're not alone,' Jack breathed into Ianto's hair. 'I'm here for you, always.' Ianto nodded, and allowed himself to relax into Jack's embrace. 'Always.'

In the Incident Room Gwen perched on the edge of Andy's desk and played with his paper clips, as he talked on the phone. Putting down the receiver, he turned to her and slapped her wrist.
'How many more times to I have to tell you not to fiddle around with my stuff? Now when I want to use them they'll all be joined together.' Gwen grinned back, enjoying the old argument.
'See, I know you miss me. Who else have you got to nag at now?'
'I reckon I'll survive. So, what brings the mighty Torchwood back down onto planet Earth anyway?' Gwen searched his face for signs of malice, but he was still the same good natured Andy. Sighing, she cursed her own paranoia.
'The body in the Bay, I wondered how it was all going?'
'Funny you should ask that. We just got an ID on him. Apparently the guy had some unique scarring as a result of a car accident a few years ago — he's not Easter European at all, unless you can count London. Names Richard Hawkins, he's an architect working on the new bit of the Millennium Centre.' He turned round to grab a report from his desk, and when he turned back, Gwen had gone. 'Bye then.'

She walked down the corridor, already talking into her Bluetooth.
'Jack, its Gwen. I think we've got a problem.'

***

'Are you sure?' Jack demanded, as Gwen brought him up to speed on what she'd learned from Andy.
'No,' she responded, trying to talk unobtrusively into her Bluetooth headset so that passers by didn't think she was talking to herself. 'I'm not sure. In fact I could be completely wrong, but it's a bit of a coincidence don't you think?' His sigh reverberated around her head.
'I guess so, particularly after the last time. Damn it, why can't Tosh be more careful?'
'Careful Jack, we don't know for sure. Perhaps it would be better if I went round for a chat with her?'
'Yeah, you can be the soul of tact and diplomacy. I'd ditch Owen on the way though.'
'Don't worry, I will. He's got all the tact of a nuclear missile.'
'You talking about me by any chance?' Owen wandered up beside her.
'How did you guess?' She turned her attention back to Jack.
'Give me all the details you have, and I'll see what I can find out. It's ironic, Tosh could probably have the information at her fingertips before we'd finished talking. I'll keep you up to speed. Owen?'
'I'm here.'
'What have you found out?'
'The body is that of a male somewhere between thirty and forty, athletic build, minus of course the head and hands. The boys in blue have been able to identify him as he had more metal work in his legs than Steve Austen, some of which was pretty unique and stamped with a serial number — they traced his records through it. Not bad for a load of provincial plods.'
'What about the throat wound?' Jack demanded impatiently.
'Definite evidence of teeth marks, if you know what you're looking for.'
'At least that proves we were right to take an interest. Ok, Gwen you go and check on Tosh, make sure she's ok, and then head back here. Owen....'
'I'm going with Gwen.'
'What?' she spun round to face him. 'Oh no you're not. I don't want you having a go at her about this.'
'And what if this thing is with her? What are you going to do, hit it with your handbag?' She faced him, unwilling to back down.
'You know, he has a point.' Jacks voice in her ear was calm and considered. 'Owen, make sure everything is alright at Tosh's place, and then leave Gwen to do the girly chat thing. Believe me, you don't want to get involved with that anyway. When you've finished get back here asap.'
Gwen turned to Owen, who gave her a smirk. 'Ok, come on, but I warn you, one sarky comment and I'll smack you. If this is something to do with Tosh, she's going to be devastated.' Owen nodded, suddenly serious.
'I do know that. For God's sake, Gwen what do you think I am? She thought it best not to answer.

He wanted to go to her, but he knew that it would be some hours yet before he could leave the safety of the sewers. Something within him felt different, not just because of the connection which in itself gave him strength, but something more. It made him feel......invincible. Walking through the tunnels, he could see his way as if it were daylight rather than darkness, and, as he drew near the grating that separated him from the sunlit world outside he felt none of his usual sense of foreboding. He was drawn to the golden light that played on the earth floor like a moth towards a lethal flame. He wanted to be out there, in her world, and although he knew in his heart that it was impossible, he felt compelled to try. A step forward, then another, and the light was shining in on him, then...nothing. The breeze cooled his skin, whilst the light played across his face. He could not remember the last time he had felt the sun on him, it must be centuries now. Drawing a deep breath, he pushed the grating aside and stepped out onto the waste ground near the Docks. He waited, every muscle in his body tense, but there wasn't a hint of burning flesh or scorching hair. He did not know what miracle had happened, but he was finally free of his daylight prison. Now nothing could keep her from him.

'This is weird,' Ianto sat at the computer screen looking at CCTV footage from the various cameras mounted around Mermaid Quay, awkwardly operating the keyboard with one hand.
'Define weird,' Jack bounded down the steps from his office, clutching a file of papers which represented the life of Richard Hawkins, including his credit history, medical records and a copy of his year 10 school report that said he would do better if he paid more attention to the subject being taught, and less to drawing pictures in his exercise book. It made his choice of architecture as a career seem more than a little ironic.
'I thought I'd do some checking, see if I could find out where Tosh actually met the guy. I've accessed all the footage from yesterday from the time she left the Hub.' He gestured to the screen. Jack watched as Tosh wandered along the boardwalk, mind clearly on other things. 'She looks lonely.'
'She is.' Jack responded softly. As they continued to watch, they saw her seemingly bump into something, and then her mouth begin to move as if she were talking. The only problem was, there was no sign of anyone she could have been talking to.
'I said it was weird.'
'It's not just weird, it may be lethal. I think we may have found ourselves a vampire.'

He sat on the edge of her bed, watching the delicate rise and fall of her chest as she slept. With sensitive fingers he traced the outline of her lips, feeling her breath soft on his skin, and kissed her tenderly. She stirred under his touch.
'Richard?' she breathed, disorientated.
'Ssh...I'm here.' She closed her eyes again, surrendering to sleep. As he watched, he was torn between the pleasure of simply being with her, and the desire to taste her again. In the end, he could not hold out against his instincts; as he passed his hand over her neck, two small bloody puncture wounds appeared. He hated how they marred her flawless skin, but he could not resist their lure. His incisor teeth lengthened, and he slowly lowered his mouth to the marks, savouring every moment.
In her sleep Tosh moaned, but then quietened, feeling only the vaguest scratch of his teeth on her neck as took her blood into his mouth.

'You are bloody joking?' Snorted Owen, as Gwen drove them towards Tosh's home. She looked over at him.
'Joking about what?' Gwen interjected, only hearing half of the conversation.
'Do I sound like I'm joking?' Jack's voice was terse to the point of rudeness. 'I can't raise Tosh, so get over there and make sure she's ok.' He disconnected with a snap.
'Joking about what?' Gwen asked again, impatiently.
'Jack reckons our little Tosh has managed to find herself a vampire.'
'Bloody hell!' Gwen looked at him, startled, and then yanked the wheel round, narrowly missing a bicycle that had dared to use the same piece of road that she wanted. 'Mind you, I don't know why I'm surprised, I mean after fairies and demons, why shouldn't vampires exist? The day this job stops surprising me is probably they day I should quit.'
'You and me both. Anyway, apparently Tosh isn't answering her phone, so we better get over there.' Gwen nodded and gunned the engine. Maybe Jack would send her on a rally driving course so she could perfect her headlong charge through the traffic, it was getting to be a habit.

Gwen brought the car to a halt outside Tosh's flat, and turned to Owen.
'Remember, if she's ok, then you wait outside until I've talked to her. I don't want you upsetting her.'
He flipped her a mock Nazi salute.
'Whatever you say, Herr General. Now can we get a move on or do you want to sit here yacking?' She decided not to dignify his comment with a reply, just clambered out of the car and set off along the path. Tosh's flat was the ground floor of a larger house, and the main entrance was around the side of the building. Gwen raised her hand to knock on the door, but noticed that it wasn't fully closed.
'Door's open,' she whispered. Owen pushed her aside, none to gently.
'Behind me, now.' For once, she didn't argue, letting him take the lead. Owen slowly pushed open the door and moved cautiously inside. The place seemed deserted and all he could hear was the sound of his own breathing; glancing through the kitchen, he noticed that the door to Tosh's bedroom was closed. He exchanged a glance with Gwen and hissed: 'If she's in there doing the wild thing with an ordinary bloke, I'm going to feel a right twat.'
'Take the risk.' She whispered back. Carefully, he twisted the doorknob and eased the door open. As the tableau in front of him unfolded he heard Gwen's sharp intake of breath behind him. Tosh lay on her bed, seemingly asleep, whilst a tall, dark haired man wearing jeans and a casual top crouched over her, his hair brushing her face. As Owen watched, unable to tear himself away, the man raised his head and looked over at them, blood slowly trickling from his extended incisors into small rivulets on his lips.
'Get away from her you bastard!'
He looked over at them, the strangers who had invaded his private moment, and cursed under his breath. He had seen the look so many times before; they may not have had flaming torches, but their intent smouldered in their eyes.
'You don't understand.' His voice was melodious, and, coupled with his looks, Gwen could understand how Tosh had fallen for him. 'I'm not trying to hurt her.'
'Like hell you're not.' Owen strode towards him purposefully. Richard sighed, and with a fluid movement so quick it was almost undetectable, stood up from the bed and tossed Owen aside like a broken toy. Owen hit the wall with a dull thud, and sank to the floor. He stood, and looked at Gwen, who felt her heart begin to pound. She swallowed decisively.
'I can't let you leave.'
'You....really....have...no....choice.' His words seemed to flow over her like melting chocolate......She shut her eyes for a moment to collect her thoughts, and when she opened them again, he had gone.
'Shit.'
'Seconded.' Owen struggled to his feet, shaking his head to clear it. Gwen held out her hand to help him up, and he took it gratefully. 'Jack,' He spoke into his headset, 'He was here, but he got away.'
'Don't beat yourself up about it. It's going to take more than that to stop him. What about Tosh?'
'Give me a minute.' He checked her pulse, and was relieved to find it, weak and irregular, but thankfully still there. Blood trickled down her neck from the bite marks, making two small red stains on her pillow. Gwen took a tissue out of her pocket and gently cleaned the wounds. 'She's alive. I'm bringing her back to the Hub. Then, I want to go and get the bastard.' As he spoke, Gwen shook Tosh, trying to wake her.
'Come on sleepy head, time to go.' There was no response. 'Toshiko? Come on sweetie, wakey wakey.' She shook her again, harder this time. Again, nothing. 'Owen, she won't wake up.' Without saying anything, he scooped Toshiko's recumbent body up into his arms. Gwen tried to help, but he snapped:
'I've got her, alright?'

For the second time in two days they waited in the Hub, keeping vigil as a friend fought for survival. Gwen wrapped her arms tight around her body, trying not to let Jack or Ianto see that she was trembling. Ianto sat at a workstation, silently going through information on the screen, whilst Jack stood behind him, tension radiating from every muscle. Taking a controlled breath to steady herself, Gwen walked over to join them. 'So, what have you found out?'
'That there are far too many sites out there about vampires, and that some people who inhabit cyber space are very, very strange.' Ianto responded without taking his eyes from the screen. 'There's no way of sorting fact from fiction.'
'Ok,' Jack put his hand on Ianto's shoulder, 'We need to clarify what we know about this thing. I'll start — he can't be seen on camera.'
'He can come and go in daylight, which is totally wrong.' Jack gave her a look, 'If of course you believe all the Hollywood stuff.' She clarified quickly.
'He's got some kind of hold over Tosh,' Ianto added, 'Like he's draining her energy as well as her blood.' They were quiet for a moment.
'She will be all right,' Gwen said softly, to convince herself as much as them. Jack silently took her hand and gave it a squeeze.
'So, is it an alien?' Asked Ianto.
'Well, there are a lot of species out there that feed on blood, but no, I think this one is home grown.

Owen hurried up the stairs from the infirmary in a rush of déjà vu, catching the end of their conversation.
'Right, she's stable on a saline drip, and her vitals are good. Thankfully I don't think she's lost that much blood. I've put a dressing on the wounds in her neck. '
'Will she wake up?' Gwen asked, her voice shaking.
'I honestly don't know. I didn't take Vampire Bites 101 at medical school so I'm making it up as I go along. Oh yeah, and don't forget to add 'bloody strong' to your list.'
'And hypnosis,' Gwen remembered with a shudder.
'I want this thing dead.' Owen stated flatly. He looked over at Jack, who gave him an almost imperceptible nod. Together they marched over to the armoury. 'What have you got?'
Jack pulled out a couple of vicious looking machine pistols, and handed one to Owen, who hefted it experimentally.
'Looks like an ordinary Sig Sauer,' Jack explained, 'But it's been modified.' He threw a box of bullets onto the nearest table 'Graphite bullets, guaranteed lethal to vampires.' He grabbed another similar box out of the armoury. 'Wooden bullets, same effect.'
'Why have we got all of these?' Gwen asked.
'For Torchwood, read the Boy Scouts — Be Prepared. The armoury had weapons that will kill things that we don't even know exist.'
'No silver bullets though?' Owen gave her a withering look.
'That's werewolves, stupid.' Still searching in the armoury, Jack found what he was looking for tucked away at the back. He handed Owen a wooden stake, the end sharpened to a lethal point
'For the non technical approach.'
'Right, let's get on with it.'
Jack turned to Gwen and Ianto. 'You two stay here, take care of Tosh.' Gwen opened her mouth to speak, but he got in first: 'If the worst happens, you are our last line of defence.' He nodded to the armoury: 'There are weapons and more bullets in there, make sure you're well prepared. Owen, let's go.'

He knew they would be coming for him. It had been a risk, killing the architect and taking his identity, but he had hoped that removing the head and hands would delay identification. The world had moved on faster than he had thought. In hindsight, he should have looked further afield for his victims, but time had been of the essence, and if he had done so, he would not have found her. Striding through the sewers, he wondered whether he should run, leave the city, find another place, but he could not, the lure of the Rift held him like an insect in amber. The tunnels under the city were endless, and he knew every twist and turn. He would stay there, hidden again, until it was safe to emerge, time was no enemy to him. He would wait.

Owen hurried to catch up with Jack who was striding out across the Plas, coat billowing in the strengthening breeze. Dusk was falling, the lengthening shadows chasing across the darkening sky, driving both tourists and workers towards bars and restaurants. There was a bite to the breeze that felt as if rain wasn't far away.
'Jack, where the hell are we going? There are miles of sewers under this bloody city — trying to find a vampire in one is virgin in a brothel stuff.'
'Use you're head, Owen. He's going to think that we know where he's going — we've seen him down there — so he'll avoid that area. Problem is, he will want to get underground as soon as he can, without calling attention to himself, so he'll need an entrance nearby. My guess is he knows every tunnel like the back of his hand.'
'Yeah, and?'
'There's one in Ship Lane that leads directly to an old Victorian tunnel system. It's so far off the map it's practically invisible.'
'So how come you know about it then?' Jack pulled a device out of his coat pocket. To Owen it looked like a larger version of the Blackberry.
'Blueprints of every sewer system in Cardiff, downloaded to this. Ianto dug them out of the archives.' Owen snorted.
'He has his uses I suppose.' Thankfully, Ship Lane was more or less deserted, so they didn't have to field any awkward questions as to why they were uprooting an ancient manhole cover, and scrambling inside. Once Owen had replaced the cover above them, Jack snapped on his Maglite.
'This way.' Owen nodded, swallowing his anxiety. The tunnels were old and narrow, with crumbling brickwork and walls slick with algae, under their feet the earth was damp and the smell of decay was everywhere. Jack kept one hand on his Sig Sauer, just in case.

Gwen sat by Tosh's bedside, listening to her breathing, a Sig Sauer resting incongruously on her knees. Over the other side of the room Ianto continued to trawl through the computer, having decided that to effectively defend the place, they should all be together in the same place. Gazing at the screen as images flashed before his eyes, he shifted in his seat, stifling a groan as pain shot through his shoulder.
'Ianto?'
'I'm fine. Don't fuss.'
'When was the last time you took any painkillers?' He groaned again, inwardly this time.
'I can't concentrate properly when I'm on them.' Trying not to sound petulant, but failing miserably. Gwen gave him what they team had begun to recognise as one of her 'mother' looks, and Ianto sighed.
'I give in. Just don't look at me like that.' He shook a couple of pills out onto the worktop, and swallowed them with a swig of water. Gwen walked over to him, still clutching the gun in her hand.
'Go and sit with Tosh for a while, you look knackered.' He nodded, too tired really to argue.
'Just don't shoot me, alright?' She grinned.
'That's what they all say. What have you got?'
Bit of a waste of time. I'm thousands of entries in and I haven't got past Anne Rice yet.'

When he heard footsteps in the tunnel he thought he must be dreaming. They could not have found him here. Retreating into the darkness he slipped like a shadow into one of the connecting tunnels, knowing that he could escape from them. He hadn't gone far when his path was blocked by a pile of fallen masonry. The tunnel ahead was blocked — there was nowhere for him to go.
'Going somewhere?' He turned round slowly. He remembered them both from when he had glimpsed them before, and from her thoughts, where they were always apparent.
'Dr Owen Harper and Captain Jack Harkness. I was wondering when we would finally meet.'

Jack had thought he knew what to expect from the vampire, something out of a Hammer film, or maybe Nosferatu. What he hadn't bargained for was the man in front of him — he looked so, well, normal, and hot with it. He reminded himself that the man in front of him was a killer, pure and simple, and brought the Sig up.
'That's not necessary,'
'You murdered Richard Hawkins just to take his identity, God knows how many you've killed over the years, and you're slowly destroying someone close to me. So yeah, I think it's necessary.' He saw the vampires eyes flick to Owen who stood behind him.
'Drop your gun Captain Harkness.' The words washed over him, but Jack shrugged them off.
'Your tricks don't work on me.'
'Lets see how well they work on Dr Harper. Dr Harper, kill him.' Jack felt Owen move, and spun round, just as Owen levelled the gun at him. Without stopping to think Jack landed Owen a punch on the jaw that sent him crashing to the floor.
'Sorry about that Owen. You'll thank me in the morning.' He turned back, 'Now, it's just us.' With lightning speed the vampire launched himself at Jack, knocking him to the ground before he even had chance to get off a shot. Jack found himself pinned to the floor with ease, unable to extract himself from the strength of the grip. He watched in fascination as the vampire's incisors extended, and felt his breath on his skin as he leaned over him, his face only inches away.
'That was easier than I thought.' Summoning every ounce of strength Jack pushed, sending the creature that he could not help think of as Richard Hawkins, stumbling backwards.
'Don't write me off just...' before he had time to finish the sentence, he was on him again, driving him back, fingers tearing at his throat. Jack crashed back against the tunnel wall, the breath knocked out of him. The Sig flew from his grasp and clattered to the ground.
'Oh look, you've lost your toy.' Richard put his hands around Jack's throat, and began to squeeze. Jack gasped for breath, darkness beginning to creep into his vision. He tried to throw him off, but with no success. He reached behind into his coat, feeling the knotted wood of the stake under his fingers.
'Guess what?' Jack rasped, struggling for air. 'I don't need toys.' Using the last remnants of his strength, he brought the stake round, driving it up under Richards ribs with as much force as he could muster. The vampire looked down, a vague look of surprise on his face, as, around the wound, his skin began to dry and crumble; it spread quickly and soon there was nothing left but dust on the floor.

Ianto shot to his feet as Tosh let out a gasp for air, and then fell back onto the bed. Gwen dropped the gun, and rushed over, as Ianto checked her pulse.
'Shit, Gwen she's not breathing!'
'Right,' Gwen took a moment, remembering the various first aid courses she's been on with the Police. 'Ianto, tip her head back. You do mouth to mouth, I'll do chest compressions. Ready?' Ianto nodded, trying to stop his heart hammering. He took a breath, then leaned over, putting his mouth gently over Tosh's, breathing air into her lungs. After Gwen had done her bit, he checked again.
'Still no pulse.'
'Ok,' Gwen's voice shook, 'Let's do it again.' Another breath, and this time, when he pulled away he thought he heard a faint sound. Then, Tosh took a shuddering gasp of air, and began to cough. Gwen threw her arms round Ianto and hugged him tightly. He winced, but hugged her back, as Tosh opened her eyes and looked at them, confused.
'What's going on?'

Epilogue.
Tosh stood on the boardwalk, gazing out across the Bay, knowing that the last time she had done this was the evening that she'd met Richard for the first time. The irony wasn't lost on her. At the moment, with the events of the past couple of days still raw, she didn't really know how she felt, physically, the wounds in her neck were healing fast, although her ribs were black and blue from Gwen's CPR, a pain she was more than happy to put up with, given the alternative. In her heart though, she felt nothing, just a numbness that she hoped would last until she developed yet another layer of scar tissue to insulate her from the world.
The morning was bright, and everywhere had a freshly washed look after the previous nights rain. By her feet, two seagulls yelled and fought each other over a pile of discarded chips, and, by the Pierhead building, the carousel was being unveiled for another day. Just another day by the Bay. At least she didn't have to go back to work — Jack had decided that they all needed a break, so had given them the rest of the day off. Gwen had gone home to Rhys, and Jack and Ianto were probably putting arnica on one another's bruises or something.
She felt the hairs on the back of her neck begin to prickle. 'If you've got something to say Owen, then say it. Otherwise leave me alone.' She turned to face him, wincing at the rainbow coloured bruise on his chin.
'You got to admit Tosh, you're really crap at picking blokes.'
'Oh yes?' she countered, 'and you're record with women is fantastic I presume? You drove a wedge between Gwen and Rhys, and Diane flew back through the Rift rather than spend time with you. So, please don't lecture me on relationships.'
'At least they weren't trying to get to Torchwood through me.'
'And neither was Richard.' Her eyes blazed. 'No matter what he was Owen, he did not try to get to Torchwood through me, he didn't even know about it. Richard chose me for who I am, not what I know — me, do you understand that? He chose me. He could have picked anyone, but he chose me. I wish it had ended differently, but I can't change that. So don't come over here and lecture me Owen, particularly as you are far from perfect.' He took a step backwards.
'Bloody hell Tosh, don't get your knickers in a knot.' He looked round at the cafes that were beginning to set up. 'Do you want a coffee?' She nodded, rubbing the dressing on her neck. Suddenly she felt very thirsty.

The End

***

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