Title: The Queen's Magicians: Past Grief (4/4)
Author: Emma
Characters: Canonical Torchwood Three members… sort of.
Rating: Some chapters definitely not safe for work.
Disclaimer: Oh, please. If I owned them, would I let some of those idiots write the scripts? And if I were making any money off them, would I be where they could find me?
Summary: Jack is back, but trouble arrives in the form of one of his oldest enemies

Author's Note: the title comes from A Winter's Tale, Act 3 Scene 2: What's gone and what's past help Should be past grief.

Author's Note: I borrowed the name for a Grail from Michael Moorcock's The War Hound and the World's Pain, which I recommend to all of you.

Part One is here; Part Two is here; Part Three is here


“Jack! Over here!”

The shipping containers had been arranged into three double rows resembling streets. Jack and Ianto followed the sound of Owen’s voice to the far end of the second row. As they got closer they realized Owen had a bloody bandage around one of thighs.

“What the hell happened to you?” Ianto asked.

“Jack’s old boyfriend decided to shoot Tosh if she didn’t give him the cylinder we found, and then shot me so we wouldn’t chase him or something stupid like that.”Owen waved their concern away. “Tosh used the scanner thinking that Hart probably had left Gwen near where they found their cylinder. Residual energy trail ran out right about here.”

Ianto looked around. “We’ll have to search them all, then.”

“May not have enough time,” Owen said. “The bastard told us she had less than an hour.”

“Where is Tosh?” Jack asked.

“Right here.” Tosh rounded the corner. “I’ve been looking for some way to narrow the location, but… Ah. There she is.”

Jack followed her look to a small raven perched on top of one of the containers.

“She thinks it’s impossible for a wingless one to talk to her, so she’s been trying to ignore me” she explained. Closing her eyes, she focused her thoughts. “Yes, I am talking to you, and I won’t stop until you answer me, so you might as well get used to it.”

“I’ll fly away. Wingless ones can’t follow.”

“But large winged ones can. Have you not seen the one who flies at night? The one even eagles are afraid of? He is my friend.”

“He doesn’t scare me! I am big and brave!”

“If you are big and brave, isn’t it your duty to help smaller, helpless ones?”

“Oh, very well. What do you want?”

“Earlier on tonight. Two wingless ones were here. Did you see them?”

“Oh, yes. They made enough noise to wake the nestlings. The female found something in that stone tree over there and the male came up behind her and grabbed it. The female tried to fight but the male pressed their beaks together and the female one fell.”

“Did you see where the bigger one put the smaller one?”

“In one of the big nests over there, I think. I was too busy with the nestlings…”

Tosh’s eyes flew open and she pointed. “Check those ones at the end!”

All the containers were locked with old-fashioned padlocks. Jack waved the others away and shot the locks off one by one. He ran into the closest one. It was half-full of boxes, and it took him a minute or two to make sure Gwen wasn’t there. Nearly snarling in frustration, he headed outside. Owen and Tosh were already there. They shook their heads.

“Jack! Over here!”

They ran in the direction of Ianto’s voice. Inside the last container of the row they found Ianto holding an unresponsive Gwen. Owen knelt beside them, unmindful of his own injury. He took a deep breath and began to sweep his hands over her body, never quite touching it. The others could feel the energy building as Owen focused on Healing her.

“Check her mouth,” Jack told him.

Owen nodded. His right hand fluttered over Gwen's lips and they began to glow a ghostly green.

“He smears a paste of calebas curare and wax on his lips.” Jack said grimly.”He's built up immunity to it over the years.”

“The raven told me he kissed her and she fell,” Tosh said, her voice breaking. “Calebas... that's the most poisonous of the curare plants, isn't it?”

“Yes.”

Owen's hands came to rest over Gwen's stomach. “She won't survive a trip to the Hub.” He looked at Jack speculatively over his shoulder. “Ianto, let Jack take your place, would you? Stay right behind him, just in case. Tosh, I need you on my side.”

She gave an unsteady giggle. “Always.”

Ianto shuffled out of the way, still on his knees, and Jack took his place. 'What do you want me to do?” he asked Owen.

“Call her back.” He grinned at Jack's shocked stare. “A Gate swings both ways, Jack. Hadn't you realized it?”

Jack shook his head, but bent to put his arms around Gwen's body and lift her against him. He had never even considered that he could call a soul back to its body. He didn't even know where to start. “Owen, I don't think...”

Ianto put his hand on Jack's shoulder. “You can do it, Jack. Tell her to come home, that she belongs here with us, with Rhys and their baby.”

Jack nodded. Bending his head, he pressed his lips to Gwen's forehead, then her lips. He repeated Ianto's words in his mind over and over again. Come home, Gwennie, come home, who'll take care of Rhys and Aine if you're not here, you belong back here with us, we're waiting for you, Rhys is waiting for you... He felt her spirit yearning for something only she could see, but his words seemed to reach her. She turned back towards him. Jack? Rhys, Aine, Andy, Ianto, Tosh, Owen... home. Home.

Suddenly the body in his arms convulsed as Gwen tried to fill her lungs. Owen pulled her up to a sitting position and rubbed her back as she gasped for air. Slowly, one breath at a time, she settled down until she was leaning comfortably against both men.

“I am going... to kill.... him.” She gasped between breaths. “He's... dead... meat.”

They all burst into slightly hysterical laughter, feeling weak with relief. “I'll hold your coat,” Owen promised. “But first, we need to take you to the Hub. We've lost the race, anyway. Hart has all three cylinders.”

“About that.” Tosh said. “I did give him the cylinder, but...” she opened her hand to show a tightly rolled piece of parchment. “I kept the contents.”

Owen let go of Gwen to throw his arms around her. “That's my Tosh!”

“Back to the Hub, then.” Jack said, pulling Gwen up in his arms. “ With the third parchment missing, he's going to have to come find us.”

They returned to the SUVs as fast as they could. Jack slid into the driver's seat of one. “Owen, back seat with Gwen. Ianto, you and Tosh follow. Keep the comms open.”

They were half-way to the Hub when he heard Tosh speaking to Ianto. “This thing is gibberish.”

“Perhaps it's coded.”

“It's coded, all right. In the simplest code imaginable. I didn't even need to use the computer. And what I got was a jumble of words.”

Tosh's words set off a bomb in Jack's mind as he realised that he had been misreading the situation all along. “Damn. Damn!” He snarled. “It's the Hub. And we handed it to him!”

“Jack?” Ianto asked. “What's wrong?”

“It was never about the grimoire. The Hub is shielded from psychic as well as physical intrusion. John wanted access to the Hub. Morphers are kept out by certain magics unless they are invited...”

“Like vampires?” Gwen blurted out as she struggled to sit up.

“Similar mechanism.”

“What would he want from the Hub?” Owen asked. “I mean, secured Archives and all that, but...”

“No. John wouldn't play for low stakes... Ynys Afalau.” He stomped on the accelerator. “He wants to get to the Isle!”

Ianto laughed. “Jack? Don't worry. He's not getting anywhere near the tunnels.”

“He's the best damn morpher in the business, Ianto. Once inside, he can pretty much go anywhere.”

“Not this time. You'll see.”

They zoomed into the parking lot. Jack barely got the SUV parked and he was out and running, Ianto at his heels. They burst into the Hub, weapons drawn. Jack looked around frantically... only to skid to a stop at the sight of John standing in the middle of the main work area, while Janet the weevil amused herself by poking him with the point of a wicked-looking spear.

“When you were away, we sometimes needed to leave the Hub unattended. Owen suggested we see if Janet would be willing to help out. Did you know that magic does not affect them? Yes, of course you would. It seems she likes to be helpful.”

By the end of Ianto's little speech Jack was bent over with laughter. “Well, John?”

“Call off your guard dog? You win, all right?” Hart looked past them. “There you are, Gorgeous. I'm relieved they managed to get to you in time.”

Gwen ambled up to him. Something in her eyes must have gotten through, because he tried to back up, only to find himself on the business end of Janet's spear. He took a deep breath and gave her a resigned grin.

“Go ahead. Get it out of your system.”

Gwen examined him. “Nah. I'm going to save it all for the next time I see you. If you show your snout in Cardiff again, we're going to play, you and I.” She started to turn away, then pivoted and plowed her fist into his stomach. As he bent over, her other fist caught him under the jaw. “That is for nearly making me miss my own wedding.” She walked past him to flop on the couch. “Ianto, get him out of here.”

“You heard the lady.”

“I'm going, Eye-Candy. I've learned when to cut and run. Jack...” he shook his head. “Never mind.” He started to fade, then his eyes turned vicious. “I suppose I should tell you. I've found the cure.” Then he was gone.

“The cure?” Owen asked. “The cure to what?”

“To a Dark magician there's only one Cure, Owen. The Cure for the World's Pain.” Jack looked at all of them in turn. “John thinks he's found the Holy Grail.”