It had been a long week for the Torchwood team. They had battled some inventive aliens and everyone had a few bites and bruises for their efforts. And the Cardiff weather had not been cooperative.
Jack hadn't been feeling well since a particularly vicious alien attack earlier in the week—he hadn't been able to eat or drink anything but Ianto's coffee was beginning to lose his normally rosy color. As usual, he shrugged it off, attributing it to being over-worked and the skirmish with the alien. Nevertheless, he was in a better mood when the sun finally emerged on Friday.
The alarms went off, signaling rift activity. Jack bounded down the steps from his office, swiping his coat off the landing while calling to Tosh for details.
"Nothing too serious—just a minor spike. We should probably check it out, though," Tosh confirmed. Really, they were all looking for an excuse to escape the Hub and take in a bit of the clear weather.
"Okay, guys, let's move it!" Jack removed the SUV key from his pocket and tossed it to Ianto. "Ianto, you're driving. I call shotgun," he declared with a grin.
Ianto smirked back, replying with his customary "yes, sir."
Like a family of ducks, everyone followed Jack through the Hub. The team stopped when their leader stepped into the sunlight. Sensing he was on his own and hearing Gwen gasp, he stopped and surveyed the area, expecting a Weevil. Finding nothing, he turned toward them expectantly. "What, guys? We've got rift activity..." Jack drifted off as the entire team stared at him.
Gwen was the first to speak. "Jack. You're glowing."
"That doesn't quite describe it," Owen piped in.
"I believe the technical term is 'luminescent,'" offered Tosh, always the scientist.
"No, that's still not—" Owen began, but stopped as Ianto approached Jack.
Ianto cupped the older man's face in his hand, tilting it toward the light. "Jack," he whispered. "You're sparkling." Sure enough, Jack shone as if there millions of minute diamonds embedded in his skin.
"Yep, that's it!" Owen confirmed from behind them.