AN – there are so many other things I should be doing in stead of starting another fic, but oh well…

None of the Torchwood or Doctor Who characters are mine, I am just playing with them for a while, but I take full responsibility for the actions of Jay Hunter.

Jack and Ianto sat in the SUV in silence. It was a pleasant, comfortable silence that neither of them was in a rush to end. They were sitting at the edge of a disused industrial estate and waiting.

The rift predictor had been showing unusual patterns, but from what they could make out the rift was due to open here-ish about now-ish. Neither of them liked the vagueness of the prediction, but more than that they worried why their normally so reliable equipment was giving out such a strange reading. And so, here they were, sitting and waiting.

Gwen's voice came over the comms.

"Anything yet boys?"

"No." replied Jack. "Still waiting. Anything changed your end?"

"Nope. Let you know if it does."

Gwen had been back at work for a couple of weeks now. She loved her baby boy and loved being a mother, but after three months at home had started to get restless. Rhys on the other hand had never been as content as he had been on his fortnight of paternity leave and so they had easily reached a decision. Rhys gave up his job with Harwoods and became a stay-at-home Dad, and Gwen returned to work at Torchwood. There was a condition though. Gwen was on "light duties". To Rhys this meant that she never left the Hub; did admin, made the tea. To Gwen this meant what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him. But on this occasion she had stayed behind. The readings were too unusual, too different; there was no way of knowing what, if anything, would come through, and so she stayed at the Hub.

Despite the uncertainty Ianto was relaxed. In fact, he was happy. It was nice to spend time alone with Jack even if was in the middle of nowhere in the SUV. After Jack had come back they had recruited two new members to the team. David and Cathleen had been survivors of an attack on a remote farming village. But they had proved themselves more than just survivors, they were fighters. Whilst others had been slow to respond, not believing that the impossible could be attacking them, David and Cathleen had apparently responded instantly, intelligently, and with force.

Unfortunately very few of the other villagers, including their families, had survived and wracked with survivor guilt and the loss of everyone they loved, the pair had turned to Jack for support. Jack had recognised something in them both. Saw and understood their loss; saw their anger, hurt and desire for revenge, and understood what could be nurtured from that.

Right now they were out overseeing a high school archaeological dig. The school thought it was digging up a minor and irrelevant Roman site. Torchwood however, knew what was really buried there. They would be alright as long as they didn't go too deep. And that's what David and Cathleen, currently posing as student documentary filmmakers, were making sure wouldn't happen.

Ianto had forgotten what a busy Hub felt like. He liked it most of the time. It felt good to have a buzz in the air; noise, banter, arguing, jokes, celebrations. But it made moments like this precious. He and Jack had fallen back into their old habits almost immediately after the older man's return, but habits were easy. Trust was harder.

The Jack that had returned was a new Jack, a different Jack. This Jack talked to them, talked to him. Told him about his previous time in a world where fighting, sex and death were a way of life; where bitterness, anger, hatred and revenge flowed as easily as love. Told him how he had tried to change when he left the Time Agency, how he had tried even harder when he took over Torchwood. But that how Jay's return had brought all that back; brought old Jack back. Told him how Jay's determination to get what she wanted – Ianto – brought it all into sharp focus again.

Jack told Ianto about the threats, the fights, everything he did to stop Jay acting on her feelings. Told him about how his fear of Ianto ever reciprocating had led him to make the worst mistake of his long, long life. That split second decision to leap in one direction, not the other. The decision to go Gwen. Faithful, loyal Gwen who would never leave him, not really, instead of Ianto who had options, had independence and, he had thought, could be so easily lost.

Jack had broken down at that point and begged forgiveness. He sobbed in Ianto's lap while the younger man stroked his hair. But Ianto never uttered those words he needed to hear. He couldn't. Jack had doubted him; doubted his love, his loyalty. He hadn't trusted him.

So, now that's what it came down to. They were together because they loved each other and had stayed together because of that love; neither of them could bear to be without the other. And Jack worked tirelessly to build Ianto's trust in him again. He told him where he was going every time he left his side, he gave him constant reassurances of his love, he stopped flirting, or even glancing at anyone else.

Although the last one hadn't lasted long. After just a couple of weeks of watching Jack studiously ignore every pretty specimen they encountered or passed in the street, or seeing him fumble for mundane conversations with people, Gwen and Ianto had both snapped and begged him to return to normal. It was just too weird to see Jack not flirt.

And so, here they were, eight months later. Together, in love, and Ianto learning to re-trust a man who had already given him so much. So, yes, Ianto was happy.

Ianto's PDA bleeped in his hand. At the same time Gwen's voice came through their comms.

"Boys, I think something is happening. Rift seems to be opening about half a mile in front of you, other side of the industrial park."

The same info was displayed on Ianto's PDA and Jack threw the SUV into gear and it roared forward. Jack could sense the tingling in the air as time and space bent around itself, tearing itself, ready to spill out god knows what.

Jack grinned to himself. Oh, he did like this bit. He risked a glance at Ianto, who looked back at him, a matching grin on his face. It was moments like this that Jack knew everything would be fine between the two of them. They had a bond, they had this, they had each other.

The SUV bounced across the bumps, potholes and clumps of weeds in the un-maintained road, heading on the bearing suggested by the PDA's readout.

"Should be able to see it right in front of us any moment Jack." said Ianto.

Jack swore. What was actually right in front of them was a line of concrete barricades.

"On foot from here Ianto." Jack called opening his door before the vehicle had even come to a complete stand still. He could see the air some way ahead of them already beginning to sparkle and fracture. Ianto joined him out of the car and they both leapt the concrete barrier, drawing their guns as they did so. The rift could spit out a bunny rabbit from next week, it could spit out nothing, or it could spit out a creature hell bent on destruction. They couldn't leave it to chance.

Suddenly a figure emerged from the rift. One humanoid, wait, maybe actually human, running backwards out of the rift in front of them, guns drawn, firing back into the rift. Ianto and Jack's running faltered as they gave each other a startled glance. It couldn't be? Could it?

Turning back and continuing to run towards the shooting figure Ianto's eyes widened as a huge creature bounded out of the rift. It was a large…well, what was it? It was covered in thick, grey fur, flecked with black. It was the size of a large bear, but looked more wolf-like in nature. It leapt at the still firing figure, easily seven or eight foot from snout to its extended rear legs.

Still firing the figure crashed to the ground as the creature landed squarely against them. But the creature was dead, the bullets having finally won out. The figure now lay on their back, trapped beneath the weight of the large creature. The animal's head lolled over one of the figure's shoulders meaning only the person's head and other shoulder were exposed.

But there was not mistaking it now. Jack and Ianto slowed to a jog as they neared the pair, the immediate danger over, and leaned over the head of the person on the ground.

Tipping her head back so she could look up at them both, a big grin spread across Jay Hunter's face.

"Hello boys."

AN - Okay, rubbish cliffy because you knew it was going to be her, but now she's back, we can start the story…

Hope you liked it so far, and that some of questions from the last part were answered. Reviews and comments loved as always.