Antar, six months after Fandom

[izzyalienqueen]

Isabel stumbled as the ground shifted under her feet. Michael looked back at her, tilting his head in a way that she recognized as a question. Are you okay? She smiled tightly and nodded, not willing to do anything that would indicate she wasn't ready to be out on a mission like this so soon after they got her away from Kivar.

They continued on, the shaking of the ground becoming more pronounced as time passed. Then it didn't matter because they were under attack and all that was important was not getting hit.

A sharp cry of pain caught her attention and Isabel turned, immediately starting towards where Michael was lying on the ground. She'd taken two steps when the ground heaved once more and a light flashed. Stumbling, Isabel fell forward. And then it all went black.



The rift alarm grabbed everyone's attention immediately -- it 'd been incredibly quiet for weeks.

It didn't take long for Tosh to track the source, and pull up the CCTV.

When Jack saw the small heap of blonde girl curled limply on the ground, he hit the button, switching off the feed. "That's it. Everyone go home. You've got the night off."

It took five minutes of fast talking, and he had to physically push Ianto through the door, but they were finally all gone. "Right," he muttered. "Let's see what the hell you're doing coming through the rift."

She was easy to find, and he crouched next to her, studying her carefully. She was definitely out for the count, but when he brushed the hair off her face, she flinched.

He spent a long time staring down at her. This was his younger self's weak spot, his Achilles heel, and it was going to bite him one day. Already had, at least once. It would be incredibly easy to end that problem, here and now. But she stirred, turning towards him with a noise that was part whimper and part sigh, and the moment was gone in a flood of memories not his own.

"It's alright, Isabel," he said. "You're safe." Who knew if she could hear him, but when he carefully picked her up, she didn't flinch.

It didn't take long to get her back to the Hub. He set her on the couch, checked her for injuries and, finding nothing more serious than scrapes and bruises, draped a blanket over her.

Coffee, the latest printouts on the lack of rift activity, and a chair dragged over where he could see her, and he propped his feet on the couch and made himself comfortable. If she didn't wake up soon, he'd call Owen back, but if he could keep the others out of it, he'd be a happy Captain.



[NFB yadda, yadda, yadda...]

Comments

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"I fell through a rift in space and time. And landed in Cardiff," Isabel repeated, her voice just a little hysterical. "Where the older version of one of my best friends just happens to have his office?" She looked around suddenly, searching. "Where's Michael?"

[torchwood-jack.livejournal.com]

"You're the only one who came through." He tugged on her hand, trying to draw her attention to him. "And my office is here because of the rift. Look, you're shocky, you're hurt, but you're safe. If you'll trust me, I'll look after you."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

You're the only one who came through. The words echoed in her head and she pulled her hand away, pushing to her feet as she searched for a door. "I have to get back. I can't leave them there. Michael was hurt. Tell me how to get back."

[torchwood-jack.livejournal.com]

He whirled to his feet and stood in front of her, arms held wide, blocking her path. "There is no way back. It's a one way trip."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Isabel tried to push past him. "You're lying. There has to be a way. They're going to die if they stay there."

[torchwood-jack.livejournal.com]

"There's not." He grabbed her shoulders, holding her still. "Isabel, listen to me. It's a one in a million chance that you came through, even longer odds that you came through safe. No one knows how the rift works. But you're here, and I'm not letting you leave."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

She shook her head, trying hard to deny a truth that was slowly sinking in. "What do I do now?" she whispered.

[torchwood-jack.livejournal.com]

"Now you come and sit down." He propelled her gently towards the couch. "You let me check you out, make sure you're not hurt worse than you seem. You trust me to look after you, and when you're ready, I'll take you back to school."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Isabel let herself be pushed. If she couldn't go back, if she couldn't save them...She bit her lip, pushing the grief away. "School?"

[torchwood-jack.livejournal.com]

"Or anywhere else you want to go," he promised gently. He swept a hand over his hair, watching her carefully, studying how she moved, looking for clues to what had been done to her.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"There's no where else," Isabel shrugged helplessly. She couldn't go home. How could she face her parents after they left like that? At least at school there'd be people that understood. Aeryn would...That train of thought stopped abruptly. It had been months, Aeryn, Parker, Jack...they'd all be gone now.

[torchwood-jack.livejournal.com]

That was something he understood all too well. "We'll figure something out. Isabel, you said Kivar had you." He didn't want to push her, but he had to know. "What did he do to you?" he asked, crouching down again so he could see her face.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Lost in thought, it took her a moment to realize what he was asking. "No, not that. They got me out in time. Besides, that was weeks ago. It doesn't matter now."

[torchwood-jack.livejournal.com]

"Okay." He pushed to his feet. "Couple of options. Shower, get out of those clothes, and let me check you out. Or do it in reverse."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Considering her skin felt like it was crawling on her, and a hot shower was a luxury she seldom got in the Royalist camp, it didn't take Isabel long to decide. "Shower please."

[torchwood-jack.livejournal.com]

"Done. Come with me," he said and led her through the complex to the showers. "Towels there," he pointed, "and I'll be back in a minute with clean clothes. Will you be okay on your own?"

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"I'll be fine," she nodded, reaching for the hem of her shirt before looking at him pointedly.

[torchwood-jack.livejournal.com]

" Easy." He held up his hands. "My intentions are perfectly innocent," he assured her. "And I'm going to have to see at least some of you eventually."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

"I know," Isabel said. "But first things first."

He nodded, and she watched him leave waiting until the door was closed to turn on the water. It was hot almost instantly and she stripped out of her clothes, stepping under the spray with a sigh.

[torchwood-jack.livejournal.com]

A quick rummage turned up a pair of Gwen's jeans, and a thick sweater of his. Somehow, he thought she'd appreciate the weight of it.

It left him in the unusual position of cooling his heels, leaning on the door next to the showers while he waited for her to finish. He debated calling Jack - or Parker - and decided no. He'd told her she could have as long as she liked. He wasn't going to go back on that.

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

The hot shower had helped her feel clean. But it also made her aware of the number of bumps, bruises and scrapes she'd experienced during that last fight and her passage through the rift. After what seemed like way too short a time, Isabel forced herself to turn the water off, dry off and get dressed in the clothes she found just inside the door of the room.

Passing a hand over her hair to dry it, she stepped out of the bathroom, and into the hall.

[torchwood-jack.livejournal.com]

"Better?" He held out his hand. "One more stop, and then you can sleep."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Isabel took his hand and let him guide her, too tired to argue.

[torchwood-jack.livejournal.com]

Her passivity was worrying, because it didn't match anything in the memories, but it was useful. He led her into the lab and directed her into a chair. "You need to lose the sweater. You can hold it in front of you, though. I'll be quick."

[izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com]

Numbed by grief and exhaustion it took her a minute to realize what Jack was asking. And what doing so meant he would see. "No," Isabel said, wrapping her arms around herself. "I'm fine. Just some bumps and bruises. They'll heal."