Author: Galadriel1010
Title: Serial Party Surprises
Word Count: 1000
Suitable for all

Written for the Torchwood fanfiction competition over on the Torchwood Forum. It had to include a Halloween Party, a Weevil Skeleton, a Chimera and the Torchwood Forum website. Hope you enjoy

Gwen wrapped her arms around Rhys's neck and pulled him closer as they danced. The music at the Halloween party was loud and she could barely hear herself think, "Do you want another drink?" She yelled, her fake fangs falling out onto his shoulder.

He nodded and followed her through to the drinks. She was dressed as a burlesque vampire, corseted and heavily made up, whilst he was a scarecrow. Rhys pulled her close and felt her giggle as his straw tickled her, then felt her still against him, "God, that's realistic isn't it?" She asked in disgust.

He swung round to follow her gaze and almost laughed when he saw the skeleton she was staring at, "Oh come on love, you've seen worse things at work I'm sure."

"Yeah but, oh God. Rhys it's real."

"Don't be daft." He scoffed, "Course it's not real. Is it?"

Chancing a glance around she slid over to it to study it and came away looking distinctly green. "It is Rhys, that's a real skeleton."

"It doesn't look human." He pointed out

"That's cos it's a weevil." She took a deep breath, "I've got to call Jack."

The captain arrived soon after with Ianto, looking disgruntled and still managing to charm everyone he met, "What is it Gwen?"

"It's a weevil, dead."

"If it's dead, why did you call me so urgently?"

"Because I wanted you to get here before it was tidied away."

"What do you mean tidied away?" Jack asked, frustrated. Ianto cleared his throat and pointed at the skeleton, "Oh, I see. You mean tidied away. Are you sure it's real?"

"As sure as I can be."

He nodded, "Ianto, get the medical kit. Gwen, do you think you can persuade people not to use this room?"

She sighed, "I'll have a word with Maggie, see if we can take it out to the garden." People were giving them strange looks, "Shall I just put retcon in the punch?"

"Good idea." He agreed, "I'm going to see if there's any more."

The immortal checked all the groundfloor rooms and found only tacky plastic skeletons and lots of drunk people. Making his way back to the first room he realised that it was surprisingly quiet. Fearing the worst, as he always did, he pulled his Webley and hid it in his coat. As he pushed the door empty he froze in horror and felt his heart stop, "Ianto?" His lover lay on the floor, blood pooling around his head and his face pale, "Oh God no, please Ianto…"

Tears slipped down his cheeks and he managed to stuble forwards a step, "Ianto?"

"Sir? What's wrong?" He swung round and stared in shock at the youjng Welshman standing in the corridor. Without thinking he ran forwards to pull him close and kiss him, reassuring himself that he was alive. Suddenly his brain kicked into action again and he froze, confusing his lover.

"If you're here… Who or what was that?" He turned slowly and approached the room again to find it empty. "I think we may have a problem."

"Jack, you're not making any sense." Ianto was watching him in concern, "What did you see."

Jack swallowed, "What I fear most." When he turned back Ianto's face was pale, "I think we've got anohter Chimera on the loose."

"I'll tell Gwen." The administrator replied on auto-pilot, hurrying off to find her.

Back at the Hub they gathered in the boardroom to study a map of the city with red dots indicating deaths, "Well that explains the unexplained deaths." Ianto pointed out, handing out the coffees, "By the way Jack, I've had a look at how that Weevil got there. Maggie gave me a website address, she got it off the Torchwood Forum website. I've checked it out and it seems to be harmless, just people who for some reason believe we're fictional, but there are a few on there who know the truth, one of them supplied the skeleton for the party."

"Can you do anything about them?"

"Already done it sir." He smiled, "But what do we do about the Chimera?"

"It seems to be in this area." Jack indicated it with the end of a biro

"Is there anywhere in that area that we'd call a 'suitable location'?" Gwen asked

"Conveniently there is one abandoned warehouse." Ianto said

"Really?"

"No, dozens of empty houses, disused sheds, derelict factories…"

"Ah, Butetown." Jack grinned, "My favourite, so how do we find it?"

Gwen's phone rang and she slipped out to answer it, returning with a dark expression, "How about we start with the body that's been found on the docks."

"Yeah." Jack stood up, "That would be a good place to start. Get that injection ready."

They studied the body with professional ease and detachment and covered it up, removing all evidence from the site, much to the police's chagrin. Ianto was just clearing up with the police in attendance when he saw it watching him; a metal figure. "Jack." He called, barely trusting his voice, "Jack, I've found it."

His boyfriend was there in an instant, looking in the same direction. In the moment Ianto blinked it changed into a different metal monster. Jack swallowed, "Ah, it's chosen something that we both fear, it's clever."

They took off in pursuit and it changed to its natural form. As they hared around the corner Jack felt Ianto dragged away from him and cried out in horror. "Ianto!"

"Jack!" The Chimera discovered that it had picked the wrong victim, however, when Jack launched at it with the injection. So of course it went for him instead, draining the life from him as its own life faded.

Jack gasped back to life, secure in Ianto's arms. He took a moment to steady himself and enjoy the embrace before he sat up properly to examine the body of the Chimera, "That was surprisingly easy." He gasped, pulling Ianto close to him again with a smile.