A/N: READ PLEASE - IF YOU READ THIS BEFORE 2017 then you should know I've taken the original down for serious edits because I wasn't happy with the content or the standard of writing or how the story was deviating from my original plan in a way I wasn't comfortable with. If you'd like the original chapters I'm quite happy to give them to you (so long as they don't mysteriously appear online at a later date :) ), PM me.

IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST TIME READING THIS (and if you read this before 2017 and want to continue reading this now) - I'm doing a re-write. There, I said it. I will try and update whenever I can but my priorities lie with my BSc degree and TAT (my main HP series) at the moment, so expect sporadic and long waits between updates. As I say on my profile - I will eventually complete everything I start… That being said, this is my main stress relief fic so updates may be more regular - it depends. I also live in Cardiff now so I get to be inspired daily by its awesomeness… xD

Enjoy the story - where ever it may go (let's hope the characters don't draw me away from the plot again…) and have an excellent day!

Everyone has something they're scared of; something that makes them hide under the duvet refusing to put a toe out. Even if they're one of the people who claim not to be scared of anything; in reality they are, everyone is. Whether it's a phobia of the dark, or an irrational fear of something you know can't be real; it's still a fear.

Nightmares are your fear manifested into a vision in your head. All humans have a basic level of psychic ability linked inherently to their subconscious. An argument could be made that this same psychic ability can pinpoint that which is most likely to kill them and informs the psyche to be even more weary around those beings; as if to protect themselves from fate.

Fate. What a simple yet complex word, one with so many connotations and variants. Fate - despite what your subconscious futility tries to tell you - can't be persuaded.

It is only when you are faced with certain death that it becomes clear why you've made every single choice along the way; after all, life is just a path to get to death. You can't escape it, no matter how hard you try, no matter how much you have left to achieve. You will still die at precisely the same moment you were fated to.

Some people's lives are more dictated by fate than others, their lives more structured, planned out from the beginning; every choice an illusion. Every path leading back to that one central plot. These were the certainties. The guaranteed. The people around whom turning points happened.

It just so happened that Torchwood was one of these certainties; anchored around Jack but essentially the sure bet in an uncertain world. Until it wasn't. Until Torchwood disbanded upon the humongous loss at Thames House never to reunite. And so Fate, having so many options open to her, chose another pathway; henceforth erasing the present all the way back to the start of our story.

- 28th September 2010 -

Sun shined down through the trees, considerably brightening the path that lay beneath. A girl skipped along in the shade of the trees, light blonde hair flying out behind her, her skips weighed down by the large rucksack that clung to her shoulders. Smiling widely she turned right and opened the gate that lay before her.

"Mam! I'm home!" she yelled, running past the swing set and through the open back door.
A woman with same blonde hair peered over the back of the sofa at her.

"I can see that, love. How was school?"

The girl grimaced slightly, "Boring, made us do more fractions - they were so easy. How's Jamie?"

Her mam smiled, "Turns out he was faking it, so I sent him off to school at about 11. That's a shame about the fractions though; do you want me to have a word with your teacher and see if they can give you something harder to do?"

She shook her head, "No point. I asked her, and she said that this is all we need to know for the SAT's, so she's not going to teach us anymore."

"That's ridiculous. I'll give the school a ring tomorrow… "

"No, Mam, don't-"

"Yes, Eira, you're at that school to get an education, not to sit in a classroom bored stupid!"

Eira's eyes dropped to the floor.

Her Mam gave her arm a gentle squeeze.

"I'm sorry for shoutin', sweetheart, now come and give your Mam a hug and then go work on that never-ending homework of yours."

Eira pulled a face.

"Do it, and you can watch some Torchwood later…"

Eira smiled and flopped over the arm, so her head lay on her mothers' lap.

The evening passed quickly, her homework, SAT's past papers completed in half the time they were meant to take. Followed by three previously vetted episodes of Torchwood. Before she knew it, tea time was over, and bedtime was upon her.

She burrowed her head into the pillow, surrounded by the comforting smell of freshly washed sheets. Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to sink slightly into sleep.

Fingers of a gold light tentatively tested the air around her. It gradually increased in intensity until it was as if the bedsheets themselves were made of the glowing light.
The door gently opened. The golden light dissipated instantly.

Her Mam padded softly towards the bed, "Are you okay, sweetheart?"

She opened her eyes sleepily and nodded.

"I love you, Eira,"

"Love you too, Mammy," Eira said, reaching up for a hug.

After a moment the pair split. Her mam kissed her once upon the forehead before backing up to the door.

"Night night, don't let the bed bugs bite," she whispered with a smile before gently pulling the door to.

Eira smiled before once again closing her eyes and drifting into sleep.

Instantaneously the gold webbing snapped back into place. Increasing in size, it filled the room.

Then, all of a sudden it was gone, taking Eira with it.

- 17th March 1998 -

Jack observed the Bay, his arms resting on the railing before him. The rift had been unusually quiet lately - his work had been pretty dull as a result. Alex had him entering old employee files into the computer. It was tedious work but brought back good memories of friends long passed.
A tremendous clap of thunder reverberated off the nearby buildings. A bright golden light pulsed about ten metres above the bay that left an imprint on the back of his eyelids, before blinking out of existence.

He started, something was falling uncontrolled towards the water. Hesitantly, he reached for the torch he kept in his pocket, his other hand sliding the strap off his gun holster.

The object tumbled over and over, Jack peered closer, pointing his torch at it. The shape looked almost like…

The pier lights finally illuminated it enough to make out what it was, just before it hit the water.

A human girl. Not older than 10, in flannel pyjamas. Her hair was eerily pale around her terrified face in the artificial light.

Jack cursed, flipping the catch back over the top of his gun and shoving the torch between his teeth. He almost tore his coat in his frantic attempt to get it off. It was heavy enough when dry (that was part of the reason he liked it so much), he didn't want to think about its weight when it was wet.

His shoes and socks were easy to slip off, as was his holster and the contents of his pockets. He hurriedly threw them down before dropping his coat on top of the lot. His dive into the water wasn't pretty, but it got the job done.

With powerful strokes, he pulled himself towards her. He ignored the freezing temperature of the water and how a small girl wouldn't do too well in it.

Jack prayed he was going in the right direction. It was difficult to tell when he was actually in the water.

Thankfully he saw splashing up ahead.

He pushed himself faster. Those weren't controlled splashes, those were 'Help, I'm struggling' splashes.

His first contact was with one of her flailing arms. He pulled her towards him, turning her, so she was facing him.

Her eyes were wide, and her breath came in short gasps. Her hair was clinging desperately to the sides of her head. He hugged her to him, treading water until her breathing slowed

"It's going to be okay. My names Jack, what's yours?"

She stared at him.

He wondered if maybe she was an alien after all.

"Come on, swim with me," he suggested, letting go of her and swimming a few strokes.

She nodded and copied; she was a good swimmer when she wasn't having a panic attack.
Jack was thankful the tide was in - had it not been, the mudflats would've stopped her fall instead of the water.

The girl pulled herself out of the water with little effort, wincing a little when she was upright. By the time Jack had hauled himself out of the water, she was shivering badly.

He picked up his coat and handed it to her wordlessly.

"Thank you," she said quietly, a slight welsh lilt colouring her words, "Where am I?"

Jack, who had begun to have suspicions on what was going on when that golden light had first appeared, sighed internally.

"Tiger Bay, where were you?" he asked, pulling his dry socks on his wet feet. His shoes soon followed. It was only when he looked down he realised that he didn't have anywhere to put the dry contents of his pockets.

"Home… Mam had just said goodnight," she whispered, clutching his coat tighter around herself.

"Where's home?"

"Harlech, sir,"

"Not 'sir', just Jack," he said, distracted by the flashing phone in his hand. He had three voicemails - all of them from Torchwood. "What's your name?"

"Eira."

"Nice to meet you, Eira. How old are you?"

"8…"

"Come with me, and I'll see if we can get you home,"

He shivered slightly, before holding out his hand for the girl to take, if his suspicions were correct then it had been the rift that had brought her here then that would be what the missed calls were about.

Confirming his suspicions, Alex's car screeched to a halt at the end of the pier.

The dark-haired man hurried out of the car, jogging to where Jack was standing.

"Why weren't you answering yer phone, Jack? There's been a massive spike in rift energy over the Bay..." he said, glancing down at Jacks sodden clothes and the girl who was equally damp attached to his arm. "Who's the wee lass?"

She looked to Jack for confirmation before speaking, "Eira, sir."

Alex looked at Jack knowingly, "Where did she come from?"

"The Rift."