Torchwood 1944: The New Lords of Time

[The Meddler]

"I know what you mean, I've been having them too for the past 6 years. Ever since our trip to Italy. Only I see them from this woman's point of view, I.. I don't know what it means.. I guessed she was I at a past life. She.. she calls herself the Dreamweaver.."

Robert's haunted expression faded slightly into utter shock. "D... Dreamweaver?" He looked up at her, speechless for a moment. "That's... that's who you are, in my dreams..."

She took his hands and placed them over her heart, not caring that several were staring at them she pressed her lips to his.

"I won't ever let you go, Robin."

Wordlessly, he nodded. "I know," he said, letting her presence - her scent, the sound of her breathing and the feel of her heartbeat - sooth him. "I know."

He managed a smile. "Aren't I supposed to be the sensible one in this relationship?"

There was the sound of a clearing throat off to the side. Robert turned his head to see Captain Nelson, body turned in an attempt to give them a little privacy. "Ah," he said, "I hate to intrude..."

Robert laughed a short bark of a laugh. "No, no, don't worry about it."

"If the two of you want to head along home, I think we can handle the rest of the interrogation from here." He nodded his head towards the door. "Whatever you did, Miss Goodall, it seems to have worked. I think it'll just be a matter of transcribing what he tells us, now, and then I'll have a transcript over to the Institute in the morning."

He looked back at the door. "I assume that the two of you will want to be in on the raid, when we grab the rest of them?"

Robert looked up at his wife. "What do you think, dear? We could go get..." he checked his watch, which showed that it was after nine o'clock. "No, on second thought, we should probably let the terrors sleep." He thought for a second. "We could go over to the Botanic and have dinner. Have our own celebration - just the two of us - before we get the kids."

[Sisilaya Vulmecura]

"D... Dreamweaver?" He looked up at her, speechless for a moment. "That's... that's who you are, in my dreams..."

She looked shocked too, her hand slightly tightening on his. What was going on? She looked around her for a moment, spotting for something that looked to be there but shouldn't be there, a Sidhe wasn't playing games with them was there?

She then placed his hand over her heart, against the soft curve of her breast, whispering that she'd never let him go. He answered the same, and she gave him a quick kiss.

He managed a smile. "Aren't I supposed to be the sensible one in this relationship?"

"I'm not sure" she said with a smirk, "you're usually the one who's too drunk to drive in the evening."

Then, she heard someone clear their throat close to them and her head turned to see the captain there, she chuckled softly.

"Ah," he said, "I hate to intrude..."

Robert laughed a short bark of a laugh. "No, no, don't worry about it."

Celia just gave a small, guilty grin. After almost 10 years they still couldn't get enough of each other.

"If the two of you want to head along home, I think we can handle the rest of the interrogation from here." He nodded his head towards the door. "Whatever you did, Miss Goodall, it seems to have worked. I think it'll just be a matter of transcribing what he tells us, now, and then I'll have a transcript over to the Institute in the morning."

He looked back at the door. "I assume that the two of you will want to be in on the raid, when we grab the rest of them?"

Celia simply nodded at their gratitude for her interrogation. It hadn't been an inconvenience really, after all she had been wanting to get her hands on one of those filthy Geheimnisgruppe-Schutzstaffel for years now.

"We'd appreciate to be informed about a raid, yes."

Robert looked up at his wife. "What do you think, dear? We could go get..." he checked his watch, which showed that it was after nine o'clock. "No, on second thought, we should probably let the terrors sleep." He thought for a second. "We could go over to the Botanic and have dinner. Have our own celebration - just the two of us - before we get the kids."

"That sound like a wonderful plan, darling. We could get the children in the morning, Moira won't mind much. It's been a while since we had some alone time" She said with a smile, leaning in to kiss him, not giving a dang there were other people who could see them.

[The Meddler]

He managed a smile. "Aren't I supposed to be the sensible one in this relationship?"

"I'm not sure" she said with a smirk, "you're usually the one who's too drunk to drive in the evening."

Robert grinned a lopsided grin. "Only on your eyes, my love." A pause. "Or if there's a chance you'll be taking advantage of me."

Captain Nelson interrupted them about then, explaining that he and his interrogators could take if from here, and offering to notify them when they were planning to raid the SS-G's hideout.

"We'd appreciate to be informed about a raid, yes."

"Oh, yes. Particularly if you can do it before Christmas."

Then he suggested dinner out.

"That sound like a wonderful plan, darling. We could get the children in the morning, Moira won't mind much. It's been a while since we had some alone time" She said with a smile, leaning in to kiss him, not giving a dang there were other people who could see them.

Robert kissed her back with no small enthusiasm, then smiled against her lips at Captain Nelson's next words.

"Well, move along then you two. A dungeon is no place for romance."

Smiling, he took Celia's hand and walked with her towards the stairs. "Shows what he knows," he commented as the door closed behind them. "Remember that time we had to stake out Trim Castle? Around day three?"

---

The woman on the stage was singing a lovely rendition of "I Dream Of You". Lovely enough to put the house band - which normally sounded quite good - to shame.

There had been a wait list at the Botanic, but they hadn't had to wait long. They had once cleared him of suspicions of being a member of the Irish Republican Army, and so he always assumed they had a reserved table. (The did have to shut down his side business dealing alien narcotics, but he seemed to consider that a small price to pay.) The food and the service were excellent as always, even with the wartime shortages.

But none of that was on Robert's mind right now. All he was thinking about was the woman in his arms as they slowly waltzed around the dance floor, and trying to make sure he didn't step on her feet. He was actually a much better dancer than he thought he was, but dancing in public always made him self-conscious.

As the song ended, he kissed Celia before joining in the applause. "Dreamweaver," he said, musingly. "That seems appropriate." He kissed her again. "You are everything I've ever dreamed of."

(OOC: I figure we can let them have a post or two of mushy happiness before things go badly wrong. Don't you?)

[Sisilaya Vulmecura]

They had talked about that particular night at Trim Castle on their way to the restaurant. She had laughed heartily, after their get together in Italy they hadn't been able to keep their hands off each other for the first few months and had shared their passion in places that would make the modern housewife blush. Yet again, she wasn't the housewife type.

They were met by lovely music as soon as they entered the restaurant, the chill of the late evening taken away by the warmth of the hearths. She hummed along softly with the tune, she had worked at an evening club for a while in her beginning years of Torchwood doing the exact same this woman was doing. The memory put a smile on her face. It was one of the reasons she still had such good connections and how she had met Doctor Frobenius in the first place. He had been enamoured by her on stage.

But now she had her own man and children who took up her spare time and she didn't mind it one bit. Luckily they didn't have to wait long for a table (Roberts connections too came in luck often). She enjoyed the food thoroughly.

And then they were dancing, her arms on the man before her whom she had married and bore children to. And once again she was reminded why she had done so. And even though he was self concious, her eyes were only on him as she smiled, that warm feeling bubbling up in her.

When the song ended he kissed her and she murmured a soft "Thank you" against his lips.

"Dreamweaver," he said, musingly. "That seems appropriate." He kissed her again. "You are everything I've ever dreamed of."

She laughed softly, happily. Something she did not do often.

"And your meddling into my job affairs in the end made my dreams come true, my Meddler.[/i]

Twisting her fingers into the hairs at the nape of his neck she pulled him down into a deeper kiss.

[[OOC: D'awwww]]

[The Meddler]

"And your meddling into my job affairs in the end made my dreams come true, my Meddler."

That name (title?) sent an icy chill down his back. But then she kissed him back, and the chill melted into the familiar warm ache that was an effervescent mixture of love and desire. Lost in the moment, he barely noticed when the next song - Long Ago - started. Waltzing forgotten, he managed a slow sway to the music that slowly became more suggestive than was really proper in public.

"Could I persuade you," he whispered, nipping at her earlobe, "to go home with me and continue our dance in private..?"

And then he saw Captain Nelson, face tightly controlled, walking towards them. "Robert. Celia," he said, voice tight with strain. "You need to come with me. Now."

---

He hadn't said a word until they, and the MPs he'd brought for an escort, were safely in his car. "There's..." he started, then licked his lips and started again, "There's no good way to say this. Moira Blake's home was attacked, less than half an hour ago. She's severly wounded, and may not live out the night. Your children..."

Robert tensed, wrapping an arm around his wife's shoulders as he felt hollow dread gnaw at his stomach.

"Your children are missing. The Geheimnisgruppe-Schutzstaffel took them. They left demands."

It was like a dream, like a nightmare. He reached out with numb fingers to take the piece of paper, expecting at any moment to wake up.

"Torchwood," it began.

"If you wish to ensure the continued health of your children, you will deliver two things to us. We require all of your files on the 'Blue Box' and 'the Doctor'. We also require detailed schematics of the mechanisms you use to contact 'the Doctor' - we are aware of his involvement in your Ironclad project last year.

"We are not unreasonable. We will contact your office at 11 p.m. to inform you how to deliver your files. We will then contact you again in 1 week to inform you how to deliver the schematics.

"If you refuse, we will be forced to send you pieces of your children as a motivational tool. Please be reasonable."

[Sisilaya Vulmecura]

Swaying in his arms had seemed just fine to her, the steps forgotten and just enjoying the presence of the man that had his arms wrapped around her. Their hips came closer then was proper really.

"Could I persuade you," he whispered, nipping at her earlobe, "to go home with me and continue our dance in private..?"

God this man still knew exactly how to press her buttons. She was about to tell him to take her wherever he pleased really, when the Captain came up to them, his face tightly controlled. She immediately knew something was wrong and followed Nelson out without a word.

_____________________________________________


"There's..." he started, then licked his lips and started again, "There's no good way to say this. Moira Blake's home was attacked, less than half an hour ago. She's severely wounded, and may not live out the night. Your children..."

Her eyes widened slowly, her pupils dilating as her hands fisted in the material of her skirt. She felt Roberts arm come around her, but her skin remained cold all the same. It's like she felt what was coming.

"Your children are missing. The Geheimnisgruppe-Schutzstaffel took them. They left demands."

Robert had taken the piece of paper before she could, and with him she read it. Her expression turned from shock slowly to rage as she read on. Her clenched fists trembled in her skirt. How dare they, how dare they target them all. A cold shudder ran over her back at Moira's fate, her anger rising more. Then her eyes read over the last sentence.

"If you refuse, we will be forced to send you pieces of your children as a motivational tool. Please be reasonable."

Her breath shuddered as she sucked it in.

She was going to murder them all

"Get the files, tonight. And the man we have in the cells, I want him executed before morning. I'm done messing with these people. They will be dead before next week, all of them."

The symbols on Roberts ring started glowing faintly blue.

[The Meddler]

"Get the files, tonight. And the man we have in the cells, I want him executed before morning. I'm done messing with these people. They will be dead before next week, all of them."

Captain Nelson started to say something, then stopped at the look in their eyes. "Are you sure you don't want him as a bargaining chip?"

"Quite sure," Robert answered flatly. "If they were concerned with him, he would have been mentioned in their demands."

The symbols on Roberts ring started glowing faintly blue.

---

December 22, 1944
10:27 p.m.
The offices of the Torchwood Institute, Belfast

The Blue Box files sat in a box on the desk like a toad. Robert glared at it, nursing a mug of bitter black coffee and trying to think only of the next steps for getting the twins back. For just a second, his hands shook as he instead imagined what they must be going through right now, and he had to fight the urge to scream in frustration and throw his mug at the wall.

::I can help,:: a voice from the ring seemed to say.

::Nae, its too early,:: a second voice from the ring, female, seemed to say.

He'd been hearing the voices ever since he'd gotten in the car, and he was beginning to be concerned that he was cracking up. In an effort to distract himself, he rested his free hand on his wife's knee. "We'll get them back, Celia," he said, the sound of a man whistling past a graveyard.

::I can help. They're my children, too.::

He shuddered. I'll die, he thought.

::No, you won't. You'll be part of me.::

Robert looked at Captain Nelson. "Isn't there some way we can track them when they call?"

::Yes.::

"We've got men at the switch board. They'll be able to tell us where the call came from."

::There are more efficient ways.::

The flooded through him suddenly, as clear as if he had a book in front of him. "I've got an idea," he said, distantly. Giving his wife's knee a squeeze, he sprang to his feet.

Five minutes later, there was a heap of... stuff on the desk. Two radios. The other two office phones. A draftsman's board. Tools. Extra wire, stripped from lamps. A map of Belfast and the surrounding area. Three minutes after that, he was disassembling and repurposing everything, muttering to himself like he was asking himself questions.

By twelve minutes to eleven, he had completed the thing he was working on. The phone line ran into the draftsman's board, which was now studded with vacuum tubes and covered with copper wire. His shoelaces had been converted to belts and pulleys, designed to drag a pen across the map tacked to the board. And finally, a second phone line ran from the board to the desk phone.

::Ugh. Crude.::

"It'll work," he said, half-hopefully, sinking back into a chair, "It'll work long enough."

[Sisilaya Vulmecura]

Celia's mood had been foul, the lack of sleep through the entire night had not helped a bit with it either. But she couldn't sleep while this feeling that her children were in danger kept looming over her. It made the hairs on her neck stand up.

She saw the way Robert glared at those box files and saw the same feelings she felt mirrored in his eyes. The only comfort they had right now was each other. His hand on her knee did little though to make her feel better, but at least she knew he was there.

"We'll get them back, Celia."

Her lips thinned.

The question is if they'll be alive when we do She thought grimly but instead just nodded, no need to make this worse on her husband.

Robert looked at Captain Nelson. "Isn't there some way we can track them when they call?"

"We've got men at the switch board. They'll be able to tell us where the call came from."

"This is the Geheimnisgruppe-Schutzstaffel we're talking about. If we have technology to divert such trackings, they most likely do as well." She said grimly, unmoving. For the first time in her dealings with the Geheimnisgruppe-Schutzstaffel, she didn't know what to do. Her children were at stake here, she couldn't risk this at the cost of their heads.

Then, suddenly, Robert apparently had an idea and after squeezing her knee one last time he sprang to his feet and started working like a mad man with a goal.

Her headache flared at the sudden familiarity of what he was doing, shaking her head slightly.

What was going on? She rubbed the bridge of her nose, willing the headache to go away.

It took a few minutes, but what Robert had placed before them was something that made her stare blankly. What exactly was it? How the hell had he come up with something like this? Was her husband cracking under the pressure. She got up and got beside him, gently placing her hand around his hip.

"Robert.. what exactly is it?[/i]" She asked carefully.

[The Meddler]

"Robert.. what exactly is it?" She asked carefully.

Robert blinked at it, as if he were seeing it for the first time. "I'm not certain, love," he said, carefully. "It just came to me. In a dream." He saw the concern in her eyes, and the look that Captain Nelson gave him. "I'm not... I'm not cracking up. It'll work."

He glared hard at the device. "It'll work," he almost snarled at it.

::It will,:: the voice echoed from the ring. ::I want them back, too. It'll work.::

"It will pinpoint on the map exactly where the call is coming from," he said, hesitantly. "That's why I chose an area map, in case they're not in Belfast proper."

He stared at the object. "And if they aren't calling from their base of operations, we'll still be one step closer to finding them."

Numbly, he sat and stared at the ring on his hand, drinking more coffee. Then, as Captain Nelson paged through a file, he gripped his wife's hand desperatly. "It'll work, Celia," he whispered, fiercely. "It will. I don't know how, or why, but it will." He swallowed hard. "But I think I am cracking up. I swear, it was my ring that told me how to build it."

The device started whirring, and the pen began to move. The phone rang.

[Sisilaya Vulmecura]

Just then, she saw Robert finally taking a look at what he had exactly build, and she blinked in confusion. What exactly was going on with her husband?

"I'm not certain, love," he said, carefully. "It just came to me. In a dream." He saw the concern in her eyes, and the look that Captain Nelson gave him. "I'm not... I'm not cracking up. It'll work."

He glared hard at the device. "It'll work," he almost snarled at it.

She pulled Robert closer, pulling him for a kiss on the cheek to calm him down rage wouldn't help them now, they had to keep their head cool if they wanted their kids back.

"It will pinpoint on the map exactly where the call is coming from," he said, hesitantly. "That's why I chose an area map, in case they're not in Belfast proper."

He stared at the object. "And if they aren't calling from their base of operations, we'll still be one step closer to finding them."

Her eyes turned to the set up before her, if what he said was true and this actually worked, it would give them a great advantaged. Maybe there was something to Roberts rambling she didn't immediately feel the urge to confide in. Her eyes lingered on the ring again. For years now she had watched that ring. During the day, it was like she was forced to forget about it, but at night when Robert was asleep she sometimes woke up to find it faintly glowing, and she could hear voices coming from it. Yet, she had never felt any hostility from it, the thought didn't even come to her to try and take the ring from him.

Her thoughts were broken by Robert gripping her hand, tightly.

"It'll work, Celia," he whispered, fiercely. "It will. I don't know how, or why, but it will." He swallowed hard. "But I think I am cracking up. I swear, it was my ring that told me how to build it."

"Hush, my love" She said, and took his hand with the ring. "If the entity in this ring told you how to make this, then we owe them greatly if it does actually work." With that, she opened the palm of his hand and kissed the platinum band gently. A strangely intimate moment in this situation.

And at that exact moment, the device started whirring and the pen began to move. The phone rang.

[The Meddler]

"Hush, my love" She said, and took his hand with the ring. "If the entity in this ring told you how to make this, then we owe them greatly if it does actually work." With that, she opened the palm of his hand and kissed the platinum band gently. A strangely intimate moment in this situation.

Despite the tension he felt, both from his children having been kidnapped and from the ring speaking to him, he thrilled at the touch of her lips on his hand. He ran his fingers over her lips, drifted them lightly over her chin, and smiled. It was a weak smile, but a smile nonetheless.

It'll kill me, he thought.

::I'll set you free,:: the ring seemed to respond.

And then the phone ring. Robert practically lept to it, and forced himself to wait for the second ring. Captain Nelson stabbed a button on the recorder also spliced into the phone line, and nodded.

"Hello?" he asked, trying to keep his voice controlled.

"Daddy?" He heard Kenneth's voice, shaking with suppressed terror, obviously trying to be brave. "Gaine's scared, daddy." His hands shook as he listened to his son start to cry.

"Mr. Goodall," a man's voice said. It wasn't a question.

"Yes."

"Your children are, as yet, unharmed."

In the background, he could hear the twins wailing. A curt voice ordered them to 'shut up' in German.

"If you hurt them, I'll-"

"You will bring the files we demanded to the Devil's Punchbowl. You will come alone, and you will leave the files by the side of the road. You will deliver them by midnight, or I will send you your son's thumb. Do you understand?"

"...Yes," he grated out.

"If my courier is interfered with, I will send you your daughter's left ear. Do you understand?"

"...Yes."

The phone clicked, and a dial tone was heard. Robert's knuckles went white as he gripped the handset, and it took an effort of will to set it back in the cradle rather than smash it against the desk.

It'll kill me, he thought.

I'd die for her, he thought. I'd die for them. Can you help them?

::You won't die,:: the ring answered, ::You'll be set free. And yes, we can help them.::

He made a decision. "Captain Nelson, would you mind putting the files in my car?"

Nelson nodded, seeming to understand that Robert wanted a moment with his wife, and left the room.

"Celia..." he started to say, but his voice broke. Tears streamed down his face as he seized her, crushing her against him. "I love you, Celia. No matter what happens to me, I love you. And I'll do whatever it takes to bring them back to you."

Then, before he could lose his nerve, he pushed Celia away from him. Gripping his left fist in his right hand, he brought the ring up to his lips. He whispered a word out of his dreams, a word that meant nothing to him and yet seemed to contain the whole world.

"Sisilaya."

And then he began to scream in agony as the witchlight erupted off the ring, seeming to burn into his body through his eyesockets and ears and nostrils and mouth before causing his entire body to explode in to crackling white and gold flame.

[Sisilaya Vulmecura]

The small smile Robert gave her as she kissed his hand and the ring gave her hope, she saw the man again who she fell in love with. She closed her eyes as his fingers touched her face, caressing the skin gently. She took a deep breath, she needed moments like these to keep her sane at the moment.

Then, the phone rang and they sprang apart immediately, her taking her place beside the map as Robert went for the phone. She had a look at the map, hoping, hoping the device Robert built actually worked. She was amazed that as soon as Robert started talking, the device started whirring.

She closed her eyes, she could hear Kenneth's voice faintly from where she was standing. From the look on Roberts face she knew he was scared. Robert gave a few short, grated answers and she kept herself busy on the map before her before she would have a nerve breakdown. These were her children, her children.

The pencil hooked up to the device spotted down before Robert hung down the phone. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise as she heard her husband place down the phone in the cradle. When she looked up ta him she saw the tension on his face.

"It.. it pointed down on Bangor, Corrstown actually. It's further up the bay from Belfast. I think they're in a hurry to leave by water if anything goes wrong."

Robert asked the Captain to put the files in the car, her eyes were still on the map, it pinpointed at where her children were. They were so close and yet so far away. Then, Robert suddenly twisted her around and nearly crushed him to her chest. She gasped as the air was pushed from her lungs as she was held tightly to Roberts chest, his scent invading her nostrils.

"Celia..." he started to say, but his voice broke. Tears streamed down his face as he seized her, crushing her against him. "I love you, Celia. No matter what happens to me, I love you. And I'll do whatever it takes to bring them back to you."

"Robert.. what are you saying..? She whispered, taking his face in her hands so he was forced to look at her. She had never seen him weep like this, the apology in his eyes. Like he.. like he was saying goodbye. "Robert..!" She said, loud this time.

But he had already pushed her away, his lack of warmth suddenly leaving her feel cold again. His lips came up to the ring, that ring that had just helped them locate their children. His lips moved against the ring in whisper and she hadn't realised she had started to cry till she felt the tears rolling down her cheeks.

Then, his screams filled the room as the ring started to emanate a witchlight that consumed through all the orifices in his head. Her eyes widened in alarm.

"ROBERT!"

She wanted to run to him, but was stopped by his entire body exploding in white and gold flames. She fell to her knees, her mind in panic as she clutched at her hair. She was losing her children and husband in one night and she could do nothing but look on as her husband was engulfed by flames.

[The Meddler]

The pain was unbearable.

His whole body felt as if it were coming apart, unravelling in some indescribable way. And his mind... his mind was swelling, stretching, filling with alien thoughts and memories. He could feel them clawing at his personality, trying to take over from who he was.

Distantly, through eyes filled with fire, he could see the fear on Celia's face. He wanted to reach out to her one last time, but all he could do was writhe and scream as the flames consumed him.

Finally, the pain grew too great. He could fight it no longer.

---

Captain Nelson had heard the screaming distantly as he loaded the box in the car, and had come running. He didn't know what was going on - one of his closest friends was burning like magnesium, and his wife was looking on helplessly - but he had to try and help.

He stripped off his overcoat and pushed past Celia, knocking Robert to the ground and trying to smother the flames.

"What happened?" he realized he was shouting. "For the love of God, what happened?"

---

The pain seemed to have left him, now that he was no longer fighting it. He drifted in the memories, realizing how right they felt, how easily they fitted into his mind without erasing or destroying it.

The voice from the ring - my voice - had been right. This wasn't death. This was transformation.

The events of a life that was both alien and familiar played past him. His Looming that had never happened. His birth in Tara. His Aunts and Uncle, caring for him and his Creche Cousins. The mad rush of his Initiation. His presentation for the first time at the Court of Auberon. The Academy. The rebellion. Meeting the man that turned out to be Xandavier for the first time, and falling madly in love.

Wait, what? he suddenly thought. Those aren't mine...

No, said another voice, also confused. They're mine.

---

Captain Nelson had never seen anything like this. The flames gave off light, but no heat, and burned only Robert. But still he tried to smother them, despairing as the man continued to burn.

At least the screaming had stopped. That was a small mercy.

And then it started again, as Robert seemed to go into a seizure. The Captain tried to restrain him, then pulled back in shock and horror as the man seemed to vanish.

He could still see the outline of Robert's body under the coat, but there had been no feel of the man. As if he was not there any more.

And then the flames winked out.

For a moment, there was silence. Then Robert sat up, pulling the overcoat off his face with one hand and massaging the bridge of his nose with the other.

"Rod and Eye," he groaned. His voice sounded the same, except for a very faint sing-song quality to his accent. "I'll say it again: never again."

"At least ye had some expectation," he said, this time in an Irish accent. "I didnae e'en expect this."

With those words he doubled over, clutching his head. A groan of pain escaped him. Then he looked up, and smiled a broad, slightly forced smile. "Dreamweaver? No, no, still Celia." He glanced at her abdomen for a second, then back at her face. "Probably just as well, I don't know what would happen if you deArched while pregnant."

He gripped the side of the desk and used it to pull himself to his feet, moving like his joints were rubbery. "That takes a lot out of you," he complained. "But that's not important."

He looked at Celia. His brown eyes seemed to glow from within, and swirling golden flames danced in his pupils. "Let's get our children back, shall we?"

[Sisilaya Vulmecura]

She had known instantly that the fire that engulfed him was something that couldn't not be extinguished by human hands. She had seen it before, created by the Sidhe when she was on the run from the Hunt for the first time.

So when Captain Nelson tackled him to the ground trying to extinguish the fire she did nothing to help him but get closer to Robert who was now covered by the coat. She placed her hand on the Captain's shoulder. "We cannot extinguish this type of fire" She said as she choked back sob. She had no idea what was going on, but she had this strong feeling that she just lost the husband she loved and married.

Both her and the Captain held him down as he started going into a seizure. "Help me get his jaw open!" She said quickly and dug in his pocket, knowing the fire wouldn't burn her from experience where she pulled out his slim snuff box and forced it between his teeth so he wouldn't bite his own tongue off in the seizure.

And then, the flames winked out.

She got up slowly and stepped back as Robert got up by himself, the coat slipping from him. At first she sighed with relieved, nothing seemed to have changed.

Till his hand moved from the bridge of his nose and she saw his eyes, her own widening. Celia was born with the sight, it was why Torchwood had hired her (or more saved her) in the first place.

"Robert.."

His name left her lips on a murmur as she got up to her feet, the heels under her feet unstable for a moment. Then, then she heard him talk Irish and again that headache struck her. And he doubled over again then, his demeanour chaotic. Or was that her? Was that her having no idea exactly what the hell was going on?

"Dreamweaver? No, no, still Celia." He glanced at her abdomen for a second, then back at her face. "Probably just as well, I don't know what would happen if you deArched while pregnant."

"De.. arch?" She repeated slowly. She shook her head slowly. No, no this wasn't happening.

He looked at Celia. His brown eyes seemed to glow from within, and swirling golden flames danced in his pupils. "Let's get our children back, shall we?"

She took another step back, her face white as a sheet. She had been crying, her mascara staining her cheeks. Her breath came in shuddered gasps, no this couldn't be real. This.. was this her husband? Then, then it clicked and her lips parted, a slight look of terror in her eyes.

"It's you isn't it? You're.. you're the Meddler." She said slowly, her voice wavering.

No, these had been dreams, dreams.

[The Meddler]

He gritted his teeth, feeling another throbbing wave of pain that threatened to burst his skull. And then he looked at Celia with his strange, burning eyes. She had been crying, and he wanted to go to her, tell her it was all right. But the controlled look of terror in her eyes held him back.

"It's you isn't it? You're.. you're the Meddler." She said slowly, her voice wavering.

"I am," he said. "I... always have been." He paused, looking at his left hand and its lone ring - a slim gold band. "Huh. I didn't expect that."

Then he looked back at Celia. "I am the Meddler, Dreamweaver..." he shook his head. "Celia." He took a step towards her, extending his hand, revealing a palm and fingers covered with a spider's web of fine silver lines. "I am still your husband, Celia. Robert Goodall is not dead."

There was a sound of an automatic pistol cocking, and Captain Nelson stepped in front of Celia. "I don't know what you are," he said, pointing the pistol at the Meddler, "but you've already killed my friend. Whatever you are, you won't kill his wife as well."