Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

They worked quietly while Chloe slept; no one felt much like talking anyway. Even when Ianto's comb of the hacked data turned up Green's plan to sell the abductions as failed inoculations, he just shook his head dully. "Jack, they're going to take the kids from schools," he said, slumping back in his chair. "No word yet on exactly when." He paused and looked round. "Jack?"

"On a call with Colonel Oduya," Gwen said from the floor. She was double-checking all the connections on their transmitter platform; Ianto and Jack would be running tests after Chloe was out of the Hub. "The latest emergency meeting must be over."

Ianto nodded. "I'll check the hacks, see what else they're lying about. And I've got you a list of shops in town that open early. Boutiques, shoe shops, all that sort of thing."

Gwen smiled faintly. "Don't suppose any of them serve a good breakfast?"

"I'll find you something."

Just then Jack came back from his office, holding his phone and looking angry again. Gwen and Ianto straightened up. "Anything?"

"Cabinet agrees with Green, not enough certainty that this will work to make an effective threat," he snapped, stalking across the narrow space and dropping into an empty desk chair. "Oduya's more optimistic, he's going to feel out the 456, see if he can intimidate it. I get the feeling he might ignore Green and his lackeys and make the threat anyway, but he's not confident it'll work either. He'll call me the second anything changes."

"But it looks like we'll have to do it," finished Gwen. Jack scrubbed his face with his hands.

"It looks like we'll have to do it. But there's hope, Gwen, I'm not giving up."

"You wouldn't be Jack Harkness if you did."

Ianto checked his watch. "Chloe's sedative should be wearing off soon," he told Gwen, "and your first 'princess dress' shop will be opening in about half an hour."

Gwen nodded and stretched, working out the kinks in her back as she stood up. "I'll ring Rhys, have him bring you boys some breakfast. Only text me while we're out; don't call unless it's an emergency. I don't want her thinking about anything here."

They nodded. Jack took over running checks on the machine and Ianto went back to trudging silently through the computer-generated transcripts of everything their phone bugs had picked up at the Cabinet meeting. He was so sleepy, he almost missed what was strange about one line, and read it twice more before he was sure. "Jack, you need to see this."

Jack was busy smiling nicely and waving at Chloe, but as soon as they were out of sight he hurried over. "What?"

Ianto was pulling up the audio file. "Here."

"Colonel, I want a magic bullet as much as you do," a man was saying, "but the 456 can liquefy our brains any time they want. We can't risk it."

Jack shrugged. "So?"

"Here." Ianto tapped the transcript: liquefy our brains.

"Yeah, that's how Clem died– Oh." Jack got it. "We didn't tell them that. So... Rupesh."

"Rupesh," Ianto agreed. "You think he's a spy?"

"I think he's the perfect candidate. Too perfect," Jack said, hopping over the cables to the coat rack. He pulled on his coat and his teeth flashed dangerously. "Time to pay Dr Patanjali a little visit, make him an offer he's definitely going to forget."

Ianto resisted the urge to get up and straighten his lapels. "Retcon."

"Retcon. Two days should be enough, you think?"

"Better a week. Or a month. Sends a clearer message to whoever's behind this."

Jack grinned and headed for the storage cabinet. "I won't be long. Start running those checks on the transmitter and make sure we've got a clean copy of that sound wave. I want everything ready before any kid gets to school today."

Ianto nodded at his back, watching the coat swish as he walked away. "On it."

Shopping with Chloe, helping her try on dresses and gorging themselves on pancakes for breakfast, it was almost easy to forget why they were doing this, and Gwen was happy to ignore all that misery for a while. Chloe was throwing herself into their shopping spree, exclaiming over everything and constantly thanking Gwen, and asking, with less and less shyness, if they could get her hair done next or her nails, and maybe, just maybe, could she get those satin heels in the shop window?

Ianto had texted about eight o'clock to say the rounding up was scheduled to start at midday and Jack wasn't willing to wait longer than that; she was to have Chloe back at the Hub by quarter to. As subtly as she could, she moved them from shop to shop a little faster.

They'd settled in a beauty parlour that had had every morning appointment cancelled by customers staying home with their children, and they were more than happy to indulge a sick little girl instead. Gwen had thrown so much money around in the last three hours that when Chloe asked her to please join, they had awfully pretty sparkly nail polish, she shrugged and settled into the next chair. "You having a good morning, then?"

Chloe beamed and nodded. "It's perfect." She caressed the skirt of her new dress with her free had; white satin with a glittery layer of chiffon floating over it. The neckline was cut low, meant for an older girl, but the ladies in the dress shop had worked some magic with the lacing and made it fit, though the hem dragged a little. Chloe hadn't minded, saying that the perfect shoes they'd just gotten would make her tall enough, though she'd had trouble walking in them and wobbled a bit on her way. "Can I have proper makeup too?"

The lady quietly filing Chloe's nails caught Gwen's eye and nodded, and Gwen smiled widely. "Of course. You'll be pretty as a picture."

"What sort of look would you like, dearie?" the woman asked. She dried her hands and reached for a pile of magazines, flipped through one for a moment and laid it out on Chloe's lap. "Have a look, see what catches your eye."

Chloe dove in, turning the pages back and forth with her free hand and folding the corners of several, comparing and deciding. Gwen waved over another of the staff and slipped her five pounds. "Do you mind? I'm dying for a coffee."

Her phone buzzed. Another text from Ianto: Machine works & is ready to go. No word from Oduya. FYI Rupesh was a spy, Jack has retconned him. Thanks for breakfast :)

Rupesh! Gwen scowled. She'd started clearing Owen's desk for him. Who had the nerve–

"Gwen?"

She smiled brightly and shook her head. "Nothing, sweetheart, just someone being funny. How are those nails looking?"

Chloe eyed her a second longer but shrugged it off. Carefully she held out her right hand and spread her fingers for inspection: Five perfect ovals painted a smooth white. "What do you think?"

"Gorgeous! Will you be getting your toes done too?"

"I don't know." Chloe stretched her feet out from under the hem of her dress and frowned thoughtfully at it. "Will you see it when I have the shoes on? The toe hole is really small."

Gwen shook her head. "It doesn't matter if I see it, it's about how you feel. Do you want painted toes?"

She nodded.

"Then painted toes it is. Oh, thank you," she said to the woman (Sophia, by her nametag) who had returned with a coffee. "You're a lifesaver."

"Happy to, it's so quiet right now. And how's our lovely lady?" Sophia asked, pulling over another stool. "Have you picked your look for the day?"

Chloe used the flat of her hand to push the magazine over without touching it with her new nails. Sophia nodded at them. "Those'll be dry now. Oh, this is stunning," she said, holding up the page next to Chloe's face. "Perfect look for you. Shall we get started?" Chloe nodded and Sophia pulled over a rolling tray full of makeup. "So, who's the lucky boy?"

Gwen was breathing in her coffee, happy to let Sophia and her co-workers take over for a while, and didn't pay attention until Chloe mumbled, very quietly, "No one, really."

"Oh, come on, there has to be someone," Sophia said, nudging her playfully. "No one you fancy?"

Chloe squirmed. "Well..." She snuck a lightning-fast glance at Gwen, who was facing away from her; Gwen only caught it in one of the mirrors. "Maybe."

"I knew it!" Sophia said. "Tell me everything. Is he handsome?"

Chloe nodded shyly.

"Smart?"

She nodded.

"Kind?"

Chloe fidgeted and blushed, but her smile reached her ears. In a tiny voice she confided, "He's the nicest person I ever met."

Gwen slipped outside the next chance she got.

"And the Prime Minister is going ahead with it?" Martha exclaimed from the screen. "That fucker."

"Careful, I'd consider that a compliment," Jack said, but his usual spark was lacking. Martha was too angry to notice.

"And UNIT is complicit in this. I can't believe it. Millions of kids. That job offer of yours is sounding better by the second."

Jack shook his head, grim. "We're no better than them today."

"It's a terrible choice to make, Jack, I don't envy you at all, but one willing sacrifice for millions isn't the same as giving in without a fight – and covering it up! God, I wish the Doctor was here."

Jack perked up. "Can't you reach him?"

"I tried, he's not answering. Something big must be happening. We're on our own." She took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders. "How can I help?"

He sighed and nodded to Ianto. "Unless you can come up with a miracle there's not much left. We just need you to double-check our calculations for the transmitter."

"Sending them through now," said Ianto, hitting Enter. "And thank you."

"No problem, I wish there was more I could do. How's the little girl?"

"Enjoying my credit card with Gwen," Jack replied. "Seems to be holding up okay." Martha nodded.

"Good. I don't suppose I can help with that, but let me know. I'll call right away if I find any problems. How much time have we got?"

Ianto checked his watch. "Two hours, seventeen minutes."

Martha's jaw tightened. "I'll be in touch before then. Thanks, Ianto."

The screen went blank. Jack sighed. "We really are out of things to do," he said, leaning on his elbows. "I need to keep busy, Ianto. I need to do something."

Ianto took a moment, studied him. "You're worried about Alice and Stephen."

The way he tensed up answered that. Ianto laced his fingers together and picked his words carefully. "She can drop off the grid on a moment's notice. It sounds like she can protect herself."

"She can, Lucia and I taught her plenty, but it doesn't matter." Jack rubbed his face, digging his fingers hard into his forehead as he dropped heavily into a chair. "She's my child, Ianto. You never stop worrying."

He nodded, though he knew he didn't understand, not completely. Not yet. Idly, he wondered what it would be like. "Do you regret it?" he asked quietly, after a moment. "Having children."

"I do right now," Jack muttered, but he sighed. "No. No, not one of them. They all grew up to be amazing people. And I'm biased," he chuckled faintly, "but they did. God, it all goes by so fast."

Ianto reached over took his hand, ran his thumb over the warm skin of Jack's knuckles, watching his eyes cloud over with memories older than he was. Maybe he was remembering teaching Alice to walk, or the day she was born. Maybe one of the other, nameless children, long dead. God, what would that be like? How many funerals had he stood at? Ianto squeezed his hand and Jack blinked, looked up, and wrapped his other hand over them both. He offered a small smile.

"I don't talk about my kids because it hurts too much," he said. "And it's too strange, impossible for anyone to really imagine. The Doctor's the only one who understands. I don't do it to hurt you."

"I know," said Ianto. "I know, Jack, but I'll listen anyway. I want to know you."

Jack sighed. He pulled their hands to his chest and kissed Ianto's wrist, and reached out and cupped his cheek. "Me too," he said. "I'm just not good at it."

Ianto leaned into the touch and kissed his palm."We can start slow. Little things–"

His phone rang.

Ianto closed his eyes and took a moment to violently hate the thing. Jack's hand fell away. Ianto grimaced, checked the screen and immediately put it to his ear. "Gwen?"

"I need a favour from you, Ianto, a big favour."

He frowned and straightened up. "I'm putting you on speaker. What kind of favour?"

"It's Chloe. She's fine, don't worry – she's not backing out or panicking or anything."

"So what's the problem?" Jack asked, leaning in.

"Not a problem, exactly." Gwen sighed, sounding frustrated. "It... Ianto, she fancies you."

He blinked. "Pardon?"

"It's a silly crush, probably just that you're the first man who's paid attention to her in ages. Normally she'd get over it, but now she's gone and dressed herself up like a bride and–" Gwen took a steadying breath. "Just... indulge her a little."

"Um..." Ianto looked up at Jack, feeling like the rug had been pulled from under him. "How?"

"I don't know! Tell her she look lovely. Like a princess or something, she likes that. Princesses and ball gowns and happily ever afters. And don't let her see you two together; leave her little fantasy intact."

"Of course, Gwen, don't worry about it," Jack assured her. "Whatever makes her happy."

Ianto grabbed his sleeve and covered the mic. "I can't," he hissed.

"Trust me, Ianto, you've got the perfect ass to be Prince Charming." Jack tugged the phone free and said, "Gwen, we'll handle it. Just keep doing what you're doing, okay? Call if you need anything."

She sighed, audibly relieved. "Thank you," she said. "This is so hard."

"We'll get through it," Jack promised. "See you soon."

Ianto watched numbly as he ended the call. "Jack, what the hell am I supposed to do?"

"Seriously? You've got the looks, just turn up the charm. It's just for a few hours. Less."

"Not what I meant. She's thirteen."

Jack sobered. "I know," he said gently, "but for now you've got to forget about that."

"Is that advice from a father?"

He froze, and for a second Ianto thought he'd gone too far. Then: "If it were one of my girls, that young and with hours to live? I wouldn't care how old you are long as you make her happy."

Ianto let out a long, long breath, and rested his head in his hands. "All right. All right, I'll... be her boyfriend. 'Prince', something like that." He shook his head. Jack squeezed his shoulder.

But what to do, exactly? He'd sat through a few Disney movies while babysitting Mica and remembered Rhiannon watching Cinderella over and over when they were kids. What would Chloe want? He couldn't exactly rent a castle or jewelled crowns, and the only magic-like things around the Hub were too dangerous. Gwen had already gotten her a dress and shoes and whatever other pretty things little girls liked (fairy godmother Gwen; on any other day he'd chuckle at that), but what else? Lisa had never wanted any of that.

But... there was one time Lisa had said she'd felt like a princess. It was an offhand comment, half joking; they'd been caught in a light rain on the way back from work the day after watching Singing in the Rain together, their sixth date. She'd stolen the umbrella and twirled around to make him laugh and chase her, and when he'd caught up she pulled him along, waltzing through Jubilee Park until they were laughing themselves silly. He couldn't recreate something that spontaneous, but...

"Do you know where the Christmas lights are?"

Jack looked at him, puzzled. "Yeah. What are you thinking?"

"Magic."

Wedding fairies, he'd called them once. It was close enough. Twenty minutes, a box of Christmas lights and a bit of judicious rearranging later and the greenhouse looked like a garden; all the lab equipment was tucked away behind the taller plants and they'd cleared just enough floor space to dance, if one ignored the stains on the concrete. Without the main lamps they were faint marks anyway, and the twinkling lights strung in and above the greenery made the place glow. Jack had dusted off Tosh's desk speakers and Ianto was nearly done downloading and setting up an playlist when Jack ducked in to say, "They're upstairs. You ready?"

No. Not in the slightest, this was the most awkward, most wrong thing he'd ever agreed to and was approaching panic: They were preparing a girl to die, prettying up the slaughterhouse to ease their consciences– But it was too late, had been since they'd texted Gwen to come back ASAP; there was certainly no stopping now. So he nodded tightly and breathed out, and in, and shook himself.

Jack slowed down, stepped over and pulled him into a hug. "Don't think about it," he said. "Just put it out of your head for now. Trust me, it's the only way."

He breathed in deep, breathed in Jack, and tried to focus on all the things he'd been rehearsing in his head: You look amazing, Chloe. Would you care to dance, my lady? That was as far as he'd gotten: generic compliments and superficial chivalry. But what else could he say? Couldn't ask about her family; she was an orphan, and her friends – she'd volunteered for all this to save them. Couldn't ask about life at the orphanage for the same reason, couldn't ask about places she'd like to go because she never would. Everything led back to the same thought: She was about to die.

The door siren sounded. Jack pulled back and straightened Ianto's collar. "You'll be fine. You've got the flowers?"

Ianto nodded absently at the half-hidden table with the speakers and the child-size bouquet of red roses tucked beside it. Jack nudged his cheek. "Smile. Act like the girl of your dreams is about to walk in here in a white dress."

"Lisa never planned to wear white," he blurted out– and oh God, he hadn't wanted to say that, why had he, where had that come from? Jack looked a little surprised too, and Ianto rushed to add, "And I don't think you'd look right in a dress."

Jack grinned and winked. "Just you watch me." Then, with a quick glance round to make sure their guest couldn't see, kissed Ianto on the lips and brushed his fingers across the front of his trousers, just light enough to make him catch his breath. "You can do this," he said – and dashed out. His voice echoed back as he went: "Wow, Chloe, you look amazing..."

Well, that was one line stolen. Ianto peered through the foliage: Gwen was holding Chloe's hand tightly as they went the long way round the Hub, keeping the machine out of sight, blurred by the foggy glass of the greenhouse. Jack was talking fast as he walked them up the stairs, half truths about how "Ianto was shy about it so be nice to him, okay?" and "keeps talking about you, you're really going to stun him with that dress".

She was thirteen, she was thirteen–

Don't think about it.

He took one more deep breath and started the music: a soft classical melody started drifting out of the speakers.

The girl who appeared at the door of the greenhouse was exactly as young as he remembered. Her hair was pinned up in long loose curls and the dress was undoubtedly bridal, trying to show off curves she didn't have yet. Her face was made up to look older, bright red lipstick and dark shadowed eyes. Not old enough to make pretending any easier. Ianto put on the best smile he could and hoped it wouldn't crack.

Her eyes went wide, huge, as she came under the lights of the greenhouse, and when Ianto stepped into view in his tidiest black suit and the bow tie Jack had scrounged from somewhere, she gasped in delight. Behind her, Jack and Gwen hovered in the doorway.

Ianto kept his face on and took her hand, bowed and kissed it like a gentleman. "You look lovely."

She blushed and giggled, glancing back and grinning at Gwen. Ianto took the moment to slip the roses out from behind his back and offer them to her. "I hope you like them."

"Oh my god, they're real! Gwen, look!"

Gwen edged in, catching Ianto's eye with a look of amused sympathy, and beamed down at Chloe. "They are gorgeous, aren't they? Shall I put them in water for you?"

Chloe nodded and put them in Gwen's hand, and whirled back round to Ianto to hug him round the middle. "Thank you!"

With a slightly terrified look towards Gwen and Jack, Ianto very lightly put his arms round her back. She was awfully small and had a hug like a vice. "You're welcome," he said. "I'm glad you like them."

Over her head, Jack nodded silently, mouthed "you've got this", and he and Gwen backed away, closing the door behind them.

Ianto let the hug drag on; it seemed the easiest thing to do. Her grip relaxed a bit, arms wrapped around him more loosely as she leaned her cheek against his chest, eyes closed and smiling, hanging on to the moment. And bit by bit, Ianto relaxed. He let his arms stop hovering a millimetre off her skin and hugged her back properly. It wasn't quite so frightening; she was just a child. A person.

The first song faded out and the second began; a waltz, nice and slow. Feeling steadier, Ianto extracted himself and stepped back to offer a hand. "May I have this dance?"

Chloe smiled and bobbed a curtsey. "You may," she said primly. She didn't know where to put her hands, and they ended up bumping palm and elbow as he reached round and she tried to reach his shoulder. "Sorry," said Ianto, looping round to settle his hand on her back. "I should warn you," he admitted, "I never learned how to dance."

She giggled. "Me neither."

There was nowhere near enough space in the greenhouse to dance properly, so Ianto just swayed them side to side, but it seemed to work well enough. Chloe was smiling – up at him, then quickly down, then up again, shyly but wide, fit to burst. "They never let me do this at the hospital."

"Oh?" Seemed an odd thing to try in a place like that. "I'm sure they had a good reason."

"No, they were just busy."

"Oh." Not good, Ianto, say something. "I suppose if you'd had practice I'd be making a fool of myself right now."

"I only tried once. Have you seen Enchanted?" He shook his head. "There's this ball scene where Giselle and Robert are dancing and there's this really pretty sad song called So Close and I saved up for the CD and played it all the time, and I tried to do the steps the way they did but it didn't really work." She shrugged. "There were lots of lifts and no one would do the boy's part for me."

Ianto listened to the music for a moment. It was subdued, but there were sweeping moments here and there. Good enough. "How long did it take you to save up?"

"Not too long but they didn't have them in the shop the first two times I went to get it so I had to ask them to order it from Lon– doooon!" she shrieked as Ianto suddenly swung her up by the waist, slowly turning them round and round. It wasn't in time with the beat anymore, but he managed to set her down on her feet mostly smoothly, and she was delighted.

"That was great!"

He smiled for her and offered his hand again. "My lady?"

This time they got the arms right the first time. Chloe started swaying, and when the music felt right she stepped out and twirled, sometimes with her eyes closed, sometimes watching him and blushing. Ianto let her lead, smiled at the right times, listened as she chattered about her music and her friends and how she'd always been the fastest at sliding down the playground fireman's poles and how she wanted to be a fireman someday. He asked the right questions to keep her going and found answers when she wanted to know about him, glossed over almost all the details and told the same old story about his father being a tailor.

And maybe he became too comfortable, showed some hint of disinterest or asked a question too mechanically – and maybe not, maybe he was perfect, but he didn't notice when she went quiet, swaying close enough to look him in the bowtie instead of the eye. "I know you're just doing this to be nice to me."

He jolted, almost lost the beat. "Chloe–"

"But it's really nice of you anyway. " She rested her forehead on his chest, curling up, the sadness getting to her. "Thank you."

Ianto hugged her gently, still swaying to the violins singing for her from the foliage. "Least I could do," he said into her hair. "I'm sorry."

"I'm going to be a hero," she said, muffled by his jacket. Her small shoulders were shuddering as she tried to stamp down the start of tears. "That's almost as good as a fireman, r-right?"

"Firewoman." Ianto pulled back a bit and tilted her chin up. A few tears had welled up enough to spill through her makeup. He carefully wiped them off with a handkerchief. "And my princess."

A little smile fluttered over her face. Ianto tucked the cloth into his pocket and held out a hand.

"Now," he said softly, "I believe we still have another dance."

Chloe cuddled up to him again, head on his chest and one hand in his, and they swayed to the music, not saying a word.

Ten minutes later, or maybe it was hours, Gwen knocked quietly on the door. "It's time, sweetheart."

Jack held his phone tight, willing it to ring, willing Colonel Oduya to call back and say he was wrong, it worked, the 456 were cowed. He'd gone in, against orders, and threatened them with nothing but Jack's word and Martha's analysis to say they could do it, and he'd been laughed at. "It said we would fail, and– God, the sound it made. If you have a working weapon, Captain Harkness, you have to use it now."

The working weapon was a little girl in virginal white gripping Ianto's hand like a lifeline as they came down the stairs, Gwen at her back, breathing hard and eyes darting every which way like a caged bird. She was shaking and sniffling, but she kept walking. "Meredith and Angie, they'll be okay, right? They're gonna be okay–?"

"Yes," Gwen promised, squeezing her hand, "they will, all your friends will be fine; you're saving them. You're saving their lives right now."

They rounded the fountain to the machine, big circular platform with tape marking the safe zone, cold metal with the light of the water reflecting on it. Chloe froze, gripping the arms of both her protectors. "That's it?"

Jack nodded slowly. "All you have to do is stand in the middle."

"Will i– will it hurt?" she squeaked.

Gwen stepped round to a desk and brought back the needle of morphine they'd prepared, a lethally strong mix blended with some alien chemicals from Owen's research that would make it kick in pretty much instantly. "This will keep you from feeling anything at all. Hold out your arm?"

Used to taking needles, she offered her fist without looking, ignoring the tapping for veins and numb to the prick as it broke her skin. "Ianto?"

"I'm right here."

She looked up at him, big eyes wet and terrified. "Will you think about me? A–after?"

He took hold of both her shoulders and leaned in. "I could never forget you," he swore. "You're the bravest person I've ever known."

She burst into tears – ugly, messy, snotty and heartwrenching. Ianto hugged her tight and kissed her forehead, offering his handkerchief and walking them forward, past the computers wired up to control it, over the cables and to the platform, murmuring promises the whole time. Gwen followed, and as Chloe stepped up, she knelt down and arranged the train of her skirt, swirling it round her feet like a magazine pose. "You're so beautiful, darling," she said, and leaned in to kiss her cheek. "Bless you."

Gwen backed out of the clear zone, reaching blindly for Jack's hand. He took it, tugged her closer and steadied himself, feeling his eyes prickle and burn. Gwen's tears were welling in both eyes. "We're monsters," she whispered.

Jack gripped her hand and thought about Stephen, about David and Mica and all the others, everyone everywhere. Thought about Alice, all the parents. And all he could see was this little girl with red hair and panic on her face, clinging to the only person left to save her, and he wasn't letting go.

"Ianto." It was after noon. Green would be rounding up kids already. It had to be now. "Ianto."

He gently pried Chloe's hands free, held them in his and leaned in till their foreheads touched. "Princess," he said. Chloe's eyes were fixed on him, raw animal terror, and from under his arm he untucked the bouquet of roses they'd bought for her earlier, slightly squashed and swiped from Gwen's desk as they passed. "I hope you like them."

He pressed them into Chloe's grip, something for her to cling to as his hands slid away. He glanced over his shoulder, and Jack nodded.

Ianto looked at Chloe. Terrified child, dressed up and moments from being murdered, staring at Ianto as he became the villain in her fairytale.

But Ianto – he had the stuff of princes in him, and as Jack watched he figured out the last piece of the puzzle. He leaned in and kissed her, properly and holding nothing back, her first and last kiss and the only one that mattered.

When he pulled back she was staring at him with joy, wonder–

And Jack hit the button.

Chloe went stiff, frozen in that last moment. Electricity crackled; Ianto wasn't in the clear. Gwen leapt in and yanked him back, and he stumbled, too busy staring as the shrill noise built up like a siren, and Chloe opened her mouth and screamed.

The resonance pierced like a knife. Chloe started to tremble on the platform, rattling and shaking the petals from her roses. They drifted to the floor as the stems broke in her hands, blindly scrabbling for grip. "God, is she conscious?" breathed Gwen. Jack shook his head.

"I don't know."

On the muted news, footage broke in of children in some private school, all looking up with mouths wide open. "It's working."

Chloe's nose bled, red lines dripping onto her mouth, her collar, then out of her ears. Ianto stood frozen at the edge of the clear zone, frayed and cracking. "God, what have we done?" he whispered, horrified. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."

Chloe started rattling, blurring into streaks of red and white with TORCHWOOD stamped in huge letters behind her. God, her eyes were bleeding, and she was still screaming, louder and louder, too loud, so loud her throat must be shredding, and it tore at all of them, heartbreaking–

And she dropped. The noise cut off. She hit the floor with a wet smack.

Gwen hurried to her side, checking her vitals as if there was any hope she'd survived that, but Ianto... Ianto just sort of collapsed. He sank to his knees, staring blankly, and breathed, "What have we done?"

The computers were flashing, readouts and data Jack couldn't care less about; he pulled the plug and crouched by Ianto, slow and careful, feeling him shudder under his touch. He wrapped both arms around him and tugged, tucking Ianto against his chest and murmuring, "Shhh, it's over now. She feels nothing."

He felt Ianto shake his head and shushed him again, stroking his hair. Ahead, Gwen was cradling Chloe's limp body, laying her out and smoothing red hair back into place. She dabbed at the blood on Chloe's face with the handkerchief, mopping up some and leaving streaks with the rest. She folded it, found a clean patch, and wiped again, slowly and neatly, careful of her makeup. She folded Chloe's hands on her belly and tucked the last surviving ragged rose under her hands, peaceful and beautiful next to the bloodstain spreading through white satin.

"I understand now," Ianto said quietly, thick and muffled by Jack's shirt. He shifted and looked up, eyes red. "Why you don't talk about your children."

Jack kissed his head and let himself cry.

Time was still in the Hub: No sunlight, no sounds to hint at change from day to night, only Myfanwy flying in for her evening meal, and she kept her distance from this strange mess. Ianto was grateful. It could have been hours they sat there, or days, all three of them numb and curling against each other, but when a phone rang and shattered the silence, it was 12:53pm.

Gwen shook herself and moved away, reaching up to the desk for Jack's phone and leaving a cold draught in her wake. "Martha?" she answered. "What's happened?"

She was quiet for a moment, listening, then sighed in relief. "Thank God. He saw it die?" Then, colder: "Did it suffer?"

Jack's shirt scratched lightly against Ianto's cheek as he turned to look at Gwen. Ianto didn't; he could imagine her face. It was exactly like his.

"Good. Yes, everything here work–" She sucked in a breath. "Went to plan."

Through a crack in the cocoon of Jack's arms, Ianto saw Gwen glance at him, then walk quickly into Jack's office. Her voice faded out.

Ianto's eyes felt like boiled sandpaper. His left leg was numb and he shifted to free it, felt the pins and needles shooting through. Chloe's body was just in front them and he rested his head against Jack, watching her not breathe, not smile, not laugh. Twenty-four hours ago he hadn't known her name. Jack's fingers were carding through his hair, four points of warmth in the cold. They should fetch a stretcher soon, and a body bag.

"She wanted to be a fireman."

Jack's fingers stilled, then moved again, softer. "My son Malcolm did too. Never got around to it."

Ianto blinked, looked at Jack; he was staring into the distance, fragile and sad, but a hint of a smile in the corner of his mouth. A happy memory, then. Ianto squeezed his hand, thanking him and comfort in one. Maybe someday, eventually, he'd be able to smile for Chloe.

At some point Gwen came back, footsteps hurried and holding out Jack's phone. "I think it's your daughter."

Jack snatched it, jostling Ianto. "Alice?" Ianto caught himself and sat up, feeling every ache in his body, and waited as Jack listened, and finally sighed in relief. "It's okay, it's over; that was us fighting back. Are you both okay?"

He took Jack's hand and thought about Rhiannon. She'd have had the fright of her life, with David and Mica, but they were safe now. He should call her, tell her that. They'd have to be brought back and retconned too, the sooner the better.

"Me too," said Jack. "Call me when you get home. Do you want me to come by?"

Gwen had fetched a sheet and spread it out over Chloe's body, and was slumped in a chair at her desk and staring at her fingers, nails painted in sparkling gold, looking ready to cry again. They probably had nail polish remover around somewhere, or there was the chemist's just beyond the Plass. Ianto made a mental note to get some for her.

"I'd like that. Thank you. Tell Stephen I'll see him soon."

UNIT would want a written report of everything that had happened, that would take a few hours, and they needed to open an investigation into Rupesh and find out who sent him. Screening new recruits would have to be stepped up. And the SUV still needed repairs, and someone had to take down the those lights in the greenhouse–

"Ianto," said Gwen. He blinked up at her. "It can wait."

She knew him so well. Ianto nodded numbly, aware of Jack watching him now too, and let out a deep breath, bracing himself to stand. He could do this.

"Look, I've got to go," Jack told Alice. "Someone here needs me." He listened for a moment, and smiled softly. "I love you too."

He hung up and pulled Ianto in for a kiss on the temple, and reached out for Gwen's hand. "It's been a long day," he said in his boss voice. "I think we all need some time off." He squeezed Ianto's shoulder gently and stood up. "Go home," he told them, offering a hand to pull Ianto to his feet. "Get some rest."

Gwen shook her head and stayed in her chair. "You go," she said, looking down at the body. "Take Ianto home, eat something, and Ianto, make sure he sleeps too. I'm staying with Chloe."

Jack hesitated, looking between them. Ianto tried hard not to show how badly he needed Jack nearby to fall asleep tonight. "You sure–?"

"I want to stay with Chloe."

Slowly, Jack nodded. He stepped in to hug her, and kissed her forehead. "Take care of yourself. Call Rhys. We'll be back in the morning."

In the quiet, Ianto stood alone, looking down at the sheet. Quietly, he asked the world, "Do you think we can ever be forgiven?"

Gwen closed her eyes.

It was a long, long time before Jack answered. "I think," he said, "we have to live with it either way."

Above them, Myfanwy soared.