"I thought I told you to GET OUT!" The Tauronian returned several minutes later, brandishing a glowing bow and arrow. Immediately Jack positioned himself in front of the others, anticipacing The Tauronian's next move. He came to a slow, imposing halt a few feet away, in exactly the same way as he had done before. He looked at Jack, and then the rest of the group huddled behind him, and The Doctor, who was gripping Jack's shoulder, a look of anger and apprehension on his face.

"you don't have to do this" He whispered to Jack, but The Tauronian heard and smiled.

"Oh, but I do" He backed up a few paces and levelled the bow. He looked at Jack. "you're unwanted guests who have rather outstayed your welcome. Hopefully this will promt you out." With a sickening half smile on his face, he sent an arrow flying towards Jack's heart. It struck right on target and sent Jack to his knees, caught by The Doctor, who gently lowered him to the floor. Jack looked at the arrow and at The Tauronian and back at the arrow again. With a pale and clammy hand, he gripped the shaft, but before he could pull it out, the light left his eyes and he fell silent. The Doctor ran a hand through Jack's hair and sighed.

"I'm so sorry, Jack." He stood up and eyeballed The Tauronian, who had lowered the bow with a smug smirk on his face. "What are you smiling for? You havn't seen Jack's little party trick yet."

As if on que, a loud gasp, followed by a splutter came from behind and Jack heaved himself up off of the floor, using the TARDIS for support. He looked down at the arrow, which was still protruding from his chest. "Oh, um…ouch." He gripped the shaft and with one quick movement, yanked the arrow out with a horrible sounding squelch. It sprayed blood onto the floor and Jack again sank to his knees. "Not again!" he groaned, and collapsed forwards, hitting the floor with a low thud. The Tauronian had backed up several paces now, and was staring at Jack's unmoving body with a look of terror engraved o his face.

"What…what is he?"

"Human" The Doctor stood next to Jack, ready to help him up when he revived. "Just a little less…what's the word? Mortal."

Another loud gasp came from Jack and he sat up "Couldn't have put it better myself" Jack took The Doctor's hand. Standing up, He inspected his coat and looked up at The Tauronian. "You made a hole in my coat! I love this coat!"

"Stop playing with me! What are you?"

"The Doctor is right. I'm human, just an immortal one. Something happened a few years back. It changed me. Now I'm like this."

The Tauronian seemed to droop. He realised he couldn't be beaten. Earth was lost to the humans. "I…" He looked at The Doctor. "I'm sorry. I'm desperate, we're desperate."

The Doctor suddenly took pity on him. "Please, tell me your name. You know mine after all."

"You couldn't possibly pronounce it in your tounge"

"Try me"

"Okay. Its Clemaneaous" He looked at his huge feet almost nervously and then back up at The Doctor.

"Can I call you Clem for short?" Jack broke the uncomfortable silence. The Doctor elbowed him in the side. "Ouch! Your elows aren't half sharp!"

Clem smiled. "Humans, they're so funny sometimes. I can see why you like them, Doctor." He tuned to Jack. "Yes, call me Clem. I suppose it's easier to say in your tongue." He sighed.

"Where are the rest of you?" Jack ran a hand through his hair.

"They're all in emergency hibernation. They can stay like that for up to three or four lightyears if they have to." He paused. "I'm only here to keep the ship alive, to keep her working, searching for a new home."

The Doctor looked into Clem's eyes and saw the fear burning behind the bravado he had put on to mask it. He saw that he was speaking the truth. "But you can't take Earth. You just can't"

"We have no other choice!" Clem's shout echoed in the vast space, reverberating off the white walls.

"Keep searching" The Doctor stepped closer to Clem. "Not far from here there is another Earth like planet, inhabited by nothing but bacteria. The Humans know of it but it will be at least 3,500 years before they find a way to get to it."

Clem looked at The Doctor and was quiet for a few minutes. "You're not bluffing?"

"No, I'm telling the truth. I swear"

Clem smiled. "Doctor, I don't know how to thank you."

"I do, remove GUILT, reverse the damage."

"That will be hard, destroying a milenia of work!"

"Clem, please. They can't die like that, where's that strong and noble race I once knew?"

Clem said nothing, turned and slowly walked to the door and Jack and The Doctor followed. The rest of the group were apprehensive but also followed suit.

The rest of the ship was spotlessly clean, with long narrow corridors, lit by gentle subtle coloured lights in shades of orange, blue and purple. Doors lead off on each side, with strange squiggles and dots etched into them in carbon black. Every so often there was a window in the side walls, which gave an impressive view of Earth.

After several quiet, tense minutes of walking, Clem stopped and placed a palm on the scanner on the wall, and the door slid open silently. The group shuffled into an immense lab, complete with sinks and chemical glasswares, bunsen burners and an array of instruments the team had never seen before. Tosh was desperate to explore, but knew she had to keep with the others, and that half the things in this lab were dangerous enough to kill. She stood and took it all in with wide eyes.

"This" Clem waved his hand towards a large container, covered with biohazard symbols. "This is where the spores are developed" He pointed to another container, which was larger and deeper, "this is where adult parasites are developed further, researched on and bred." He moved across to a strange looking machine. It was tall, and had a round barrel at one end, and what looked like a lense at the other. "This is where we put completed infection shells and place them in atmospheres."

"The apocalype machine" The Doctor said it with a low, tense voice whch made Jack shudder. "I've seen that before."

"Yes, we found it half destroyed on a planetoid a good three or four millenia ago. We rebuilt it and got it working again, obviosuly modified for its new purpose."

"Not the right one" The Doctor stepped up and looked into the second container and sighed. He turned aod faced Clem. "Why did you infect me?"

"Experiment. To see if it would kill you. I see it provoked a regeneration. Not as handsome, but not bad."

"Get rid of it, now." The Doctor's voice had gone lower and angrier, and it took everyone by surprise.

"You will have to leave the lab. This will most likely kill me, but it will destroy GUILT. First, I will remove it from Earth, as you asked." Without waiting another moment, Clem opened the 'apocalypse machine' and removed three spore balls, which he very carefully placed in the spore development tank. Then he placed two green balls into the barrel, flicked a few switches, pulled a lever and the machine rumbled to life. Clem switched on a monitor, which was showing a stats graph of the air on Earth. Slowly, the red, showing GUILT levels began to decrease. Clem turned and stood to face the group. "It is done. Now leave the lab. This, this is likely to kill me. Once this happens you must leave the ship immediately, the rest of us will come out of hibernation and things will get a little…well…messy."

"Thankyou, Clem. For doing this." The Doctor took his hand, "You don't have to die for us"

"It's the only way" Clem smiled nervously. "You of all people should know that everybody lives, and everybody dies."

"Not like this" The Doctor suddenly felt a wave of emotions, sadness at the loss of a life, but elation at the fact Earth and the rest of the universe was going to be saved from GUILT by it.

"This is the most honourable thing. Now go, GO!"

The group left the lab, Tosh looking back in awe at the vast room, and The Doctor at the huge figure of Clem standing by the tanks, getting together bottles of chemicals and instruments. He tirned away once he got to he door and leapt through the opening just as Clem opened the tanks, and let a cloud of spores out. The door closed behind them with a soft click. From inside the lab, there came a hige crash, and the whoomph of igniting flame. The door slid open once more, and Clem stumbled out. He fell to his knees as the door slammed shut. "Get out" He choked. "Go, leave! It is done. Earth is safe" His breathing was ragged and broken. "Hurry!" He spluttered and choked, and his breaths became more strained.

"I won't leave you to die alone" The Doctor slid his hand into Clems. "Nobody deserves that. You did an honourable thing."

"I…I did horrible things to…you….i'm sorry….I…"

"Shhhh, it's alright, it's alright. Hush now, I'm with you." The Doctor looked into Clem's dying eyes, and saw fear. "I forgive you"

"Doctor, I….Thank you." Clem smiled. "I never told you….how much I….admired you."

"Shhh" The Doctor's eyes were filling with tears. "It's alright, just…rest now"

"I never knew…humans are better than….they say in the books. They are kind….and…noble…" Clem took in one more shuddering breath, and the life left his body, the light in his eyes dulled and he became silent. The Doctor gently slid his hand out from Clem's, and gently closed his open, vacant eyes. Then he stood up and faced the others. "We should heed his words, we're not welcome here anymore."

The ship seemed to agree. The soft pastel tones had changed to a pulsing red, and further down the hallway doors began banging open, and angry shouts in a foreign tounge sounded down towards them. The team loked at eachother and ran back towards the TARDIS at top speed. They got to the doors of the blue ship just as a group of four more tauronians thindered into the room. One of them raised a crossbow-like weapon and fired a bolt. It caught Jack just as he was opening the door and sent him crumpling to the floor. He was dragged in by Gwen and Owen as The Doctor started the TARDIS up, and the ship dematerialised from the room, leaving four very confused Tauronians staring at the place it had just been.

The TARDIS landed with a bump back in the bay, and at the same moment Ianto woke up with a jolt. "AH! What…what happened?"

"Ianto?" Jack scrambled over to him, and took Ianto's hand in his. "Ianto, you're back!"

"No, I'm a ghost come back to haunt you!"

"Oh, Ianto!" Jack took him into a strong hug, struggling to hold back the emotions raving through him.

"Hey, Doctor, look!" Tosh and Gwen stood by the door, looking out at the bay. The Doctor joined them and couldn't help but smile. The bay was glistening with early morning frost, and the air was crisp and fresh. The Doctor looked at the team, and Jack, who was helping Ianto to his feet, and smiled. Earth was going to be okay, everything was going to be okay.

Two weeks had passed, and life at Torchwood was starting to get back to normal. People were beginning to recover from early stages of GUILT, and some further cases were being treated with the soloution they had come up with at the hub. Cleanup operations had started everywhere to make sure all contamination had been removed, and no new cases had been reported. Life was slowly, but surely returning to normality. Jack and The Doctor stood on a frosty bay, watching as the first snow of the season began to fall in slow, swirling movements.

"This is beautiful" The Doctor held out a hand and a white flake landed delicately into his palm, and melted almost immediately. He turned and looked at the TARDIS, which was standing tall and beautiful as the snow gently began to settle on it's ledges and window panes. He turned to Jack. "Jack, these past few weeks, they've shown me how much I've missed you. How much I love you." He hugged Jack and took his hand. "One last trip?"

Jack's heart leapt at the offer. He looked at the TARDIS, and the beautiful timelord, and then at the water tower, and back at the TARDIS. He felt torn, he desperately wanted to go with The Doctor, but couldn't leave the team, not now. He sighed. "Doctor, I'd love to, I really, really would, but that team of mine, they need me. Now more than ever."

"I understand" The Doctor sighed. "Well, I guess this is goodbye." He took Jack into a warm, comforting hug which Jack didn't want to end, and it did all to quickly.

"Hey, you'll visit, right? I'm not having you running off and disapearing again!"

"Hey! I wasn't planning to!" He feigned an innocent face, big puppy eyes and all.

Jack snorted. "You're so cute when you do that face!" HE hugged The Doctor one last time. "Easter? We should do easter."

"Easter it is!" The Doctor reached into the inner pocket of his jacket, and pulled out a small silver key. "You should have this." He gently dropped the key into Jack's palm. "Look after it."

Jack clenched his fist around it, and put it in his pocked. "Thank you."

"I'd better get going, places to go, people to see!" He looked up at the sky and smiled. "The universe to explore!" He looked at Jack and smiled warmly. "I love you, Jack."

"I'll miss you" Jack smliled. "Love you." Jack gave The Doctor one last hug, and The Doctor reached up and pressed his lips against Jacks in a warm, loving kiss that sent a wave of emotions rushing through Jack. All too soon it was over and they looked into eachother's eyes. The Doctor nodded, smiled and walked over to the TARDIS. He stopped by the door.

"Miss you already!"

"Be careful!" Jack waved as The Doctor laughed, waved back and shut the door. Jack stood, back straight and in a proper army salute as the sound of the TARDIS' gears and engines echoed round the bay and the blue box began to dematerialise. Soon, Jack stood alone, staring at the empty spot where the TARDIS had been. He sighed, and as the snow began to fall in thick flakes, made his way back to the hub, back to normality.