It Was Time {Torchwood Fanfic}

Chapter Four

"I'm really sorry about this," Gwen looked at Anny through the cell with compassion, "I wish there was another alternative."  

"Jack's Doctor is coming, Gwen," Anny smiled, "Oh, you really are going to love him... He has saved you. He's a fixed point in time. You are very lucky."  

"What?" Gwen blinked, confused.   

"You can't be touched... Not until your time," Anny explained, "You are very lucky."  

"Oh," Gwen muttered. Upstairs, Jake and Ianto were watching the interaction between them.   

"What is she talking about, Jack?" Ianto inquired.   

"I had a doctor, Ianto," Jack stated, "He helped me and it looks like he's helped Gwen, now, too."  

"What is wrong with her, Jack?" Ianto asked, "Why do we have to keep her here? Is she inhabited by an alien."  

"Worse," Jack shook his head, "She's being stalked by one. I did a little bit of research on Anny. It appears that her full name is Anna-Marice Elizabeth Smith. Apparently, she's over a century old."  

"No," Ianto disbelieved, turning back to the screen, "She barely looks over twenty-one."  

"That's not all," Jack informed, "When she was younger, her brother - James - fell out of the bell tower of a chapel. According to one of the eye witnesses of the accident, when James fell, he was still alive momentarily when he hit the ground. The last thing he said was a warning to his friend, Edward, to not stay out late. A week later, Edward had gone out much to late and hadn't come home. His body was found the next morning. He'd 'tripped' over a root that he could not see it in the dark and had cracked his head open on a rock. He'd bled to death."  

"Oh my," Ianto comprehended.   

"I talked to a few of Riley and Anny's friends," Jack continued, "They almost all said that Anny used to tell Riley not to 'lean on the railing.' Each of them have also had warnings. It's like, she can predict how people will die."  

"So, is she killing them?" Ianto concluded.   

"The worst thing," Jack added, "Is that she is completely human, at least as far as our scanners can tell. I think it has to do with this 'Goddess of Misfortune' she was talking about."  

"Does Jack sleep a lot?" Anny asked Gwen, making the two boys turn towards the screen.   

"He did sleep for a few days, once," Gwen answered, "After he'd had this massive conflict with an alien."  

"He looks very tired," Anny mentioned, "And that other man... Ianto? He's in grave danger."  

"How so?" Gwen inquired. Ianto went pale.   

"Tell him to breathe," Anny instructed, "Take a deep breath."