"What took you so long? I was worried! I thought your plane crashed or you got some disease or a kangaroo ate you"

Mickey's lips twitched. "Have some faith in me; I'm not stupid enough to get eaten"

"Hmph! I take it you want the information"

"Yes please"

"I am sending it to you as you and Ms Sarah Jane speak sir" Mr Smith's courteous tones could be heard.

The documents appeared and Mickey instantly opened them, he growled as he read Project AR12, the plan to capture and examine Alex Rose in her new body. They hired Dean Wicks, Alex Rose's adoptive brother. Mickey was disgusted that someone could betray their family like that. But it was Project Conscription that had him worried; it was a short, nasty little plan where all the survivors of Canary Wharf were to be captured and forced to work once again for Torchwood One. It was an incredibly short list and almost at the top was Ianto Jones's name.

"Ah shit" Mickey said. "We got a problem"

"What sort?" Sarah Jane asked.

"Well...who's worth protecting more? Alex Rose or one of Jack's men"

"Alex Rose" Sarah Jane said instantly. "We have to protect the Doctor's daughter"

"She's Rose's daughter as well" Mickey murmured. "What if I was to tell you that Jack's man is Alex Rose's boyfriend?"

Sarah Jane groaned. "This isn't a soap opera!"

"Look I got this idea...but it's going to take a lot of work and it'll mean allowing them capturing not just Ianto but Alex Rose"

"WHAT?"

DWDWDWDWDWDWDW

Nico passed a hot cup of tea to Carly who accepted it with shaky hands; she took a long sip of it and sighed as she rested her head on the cushion of her chair.

"Carly, I can't help if you don't speak to me" Nico said gently.

"It's just...all...so insane..." Carly took a deep breath. "You remember that I had an imaginary friend, Alex Rose?"

"The alien girl" Nico recalled.

"It's...well...it's like she's trying to take me over. I remember these things that aren't my memories, they're hers...but my head burns and I pass out and I forget all about them" Nico frowned softly but took her cup out of her hands, after placing it on the table he took her hands into his. "My reflection changes sometimes, I look into the mirror or the ocean and I see her...not me, her...when I was in Japan, the ATMOS was playing up but I knew exactly what to do to disable it to save two little girls...i never even seen an ATMOS before! Then this teenage boy told me he can't wait for me to wake up so he can meet the real me-"

"Sweetheart, that's just boys being boys" Nico interrupted.

"But when I was in India and elderly wise woman said the exact same thing" Carly argued. "She said I was talking to time...she said I was the daughter of a storm and a wolf"

"Translation got a bit garbled up?"

Carly shook her head. There was a brief silence when Nico suddenly undid her hair, it flowed around her face like golden rivers, and he tucked a chunk behind her ear and cupped her face. "You're not going insane, I promise you that" he whispered. "It's just the grief and loneliness messing with your mind" he leaned closer. "You're beautiful inside and out"

And then he kissed her.

It was such a gentle, loving and tender kiss. Something she hadn't had in such a long time since both Sean and Jake were rough and passionate lovers. She gave him access to her mouth and then her neck, she moaned slightly of the loving memory of so long ago.

"Oh...Ianto..."

Nico froze, Carly's eyes shot open and the pair pulled apart. Carly pressed her hands to her mouth in shock.

"Ianto again?" Nico said in a cold furious voice.

"I don't know who he is" Carly said defensively.

"Yet his name had always come up!"

"You know what; I'm not getting into this old argument. We're not even married anymore, you had no right to kiss me, it's taking advantage and I never thought you would ever go that low"

Nico had the decency to look ashamed. "You're right" he said quietly. "I'll go"

"Yes, please do"

Carly refused to say anything to him as she turned her head away not even looking at him as he left her for the very last time.

DWDWDWDWDWDWDWDW

"I'm surprised to hear from you Mr Smith, we were under the impression you were dead" the cold, professional yet smug voice said, it made Mickey want to hurl. "Well I suppose miscalculations can be made"

"Yes sir"

"And I suppose you want in with Project AR12? Since you're in the location"

"Yes sir I believe I can be assistance to Mr Wicks"

"Well then, since you have proven your loyalty to the queen and country then I shall allow you to come back to London. Now then Dean Wicks will be landing in your local airport in two days time with the weevil, I would like you to greet him, be on stand by in case something goes wrong and then help carry Dr Tyler on and off the plane without causing suspicion. Can you do that?"

"Yes sir"

"Then I shall see you in London shortly. Good day Mr Smith"

"Good day sir"

The phone line went dead and Mickey sighed in relief, he just got himself re-hired by one of the most disgusting branches of Torchwood. These were the people who viewed aliens as nothing but experiments and business, sooner or later they'll breed aliens just for a slave trade and that idea made him sick to the stomach.

He re-dialled Sarah Jane's number. "Stage one went smoothly, prepare yourself for a random visit from me, Ianto and Alex Rose in the next couple months. I will get them out of their alive or my name is not Mickey Smith"

"If this all goes wrong or you die, I shall have the Doctor take me back in time so I can slap you"