Little Girl Lost, Found

When the buzzer sounded, Elena was deeply engrossed in her physics homework. She sighed and pushed the button to reply. "Da? What now?"

"The whole team is going out on this one." Elena was glad it was Ianto. When Jack contacted her he sounded like a large, angry dog and it took every ounce of her will to keep her from saying, "Does doggy need walkies?"

"Da, yes, I will turn on monitors," she replied. "I have homework. Will I have to do patrol or will you be back tonight?"

"Don't know." Ianto tended not to waste words unless there was a good bit of sarcasm to be shared. "If we aren't back in four hours, figure you'll have to patrol the main Hub twice before sunrise."

"And I will know the sun has risen how?" she asked.

"I believe sunrise and sunset times are available on what is commonly called the Internet." She snickered. Ianto was a man of few words unless there was good sarcasm to which he could subject his co-workers. Too bad he spent his off hours rolling around with Jack in positions Elena had never thought two men could achieve. She'd have enjoyed spending time with him. She was pretty sure Jack, at least, knew she was spying on them in her spare time. As the in-house security guard, she had access to every camera in the Hub from her own office. Ianto was smart enough to figure it out, but she suspected he was too infatuated by his renewed trust in the Big Boss to worry about it much. She'd seen some archived footage of him when he'd been discovered hiding his girlfriend-turned-killing-machine in the bowels of the building, and had to admit it was almost miraculous that he was alive, much less Jack's best beloved. In fact, she was fairly certain the young man didn't know how important he was to Jack, but it was obvious to all observers how important Jack was to Ianto.

She saw the intercom light blink out, and flicked the switches to turn on the internal monitors. She saw the team walk out in what she had determined was a regularly updated pecking order. Tonight, it was Jack followed by Toshiko followed by Gwen followed by Ianto, with a disgruntled looking Owen bringing up the rear. Owen usually looked disgruntled. It appeared that his disgruntlement had cost him a better space in the marching order.

She settled back down into her homework. She often wondered how she had come to have this job. She'd been starting university studies in St. Petersburg, dreaming of someday moving to the west. Then several months ago an American in a big coat walked up to her on the street and asked if she would like to continue her studies in Cardiff, of all places. She was fairly sure it had something to do with her father. She'd never met him but her mother had always claimed that he was a spy and in the Soviet space program. The mysterious stranger who had brought her to Wales and installed her in this underground apartment was not Russian, but he was obviously trained as a spy. Elena suspected this was one of those back scratching arrangements these strange westerners talked about sometimes.

Physics once again claimed her attention. She had been able to tell from body language that she'd better study while she was able. She could tell from Jack's stiff back, Toshiko's fingers plucking at her cuffs, Gwen walking so fast she kept bumping into the two in front of her, and Ianto's lowered head that this was going to be a difficult investigation. Owen always looked put-upon when called away from his comfort zone in the autopsy bay but even he had been walking like the world depended on his getting where he was going. Elena knew she would end up patrolling the Hub tonight, and possibly part of the next day. The fact that the entire team might not make it back someday never occurred to her. She'd been watching them since her arrival in Cardiff. These people were formidable.

The first few hours past silently. Every once in a while, the shadow of the pterodactyl crossed over the Hub but for the most part, nothing moved. Elena closed her physics book, yawned, and wandered out to the small kitchen in her apartment to find coffee. To her chagrin, the coffee container was empty. "Chërt!" she snarled. She'd forgotten to stock up and now she was required to remain in the building and couldn't run out to get more. Rolling her eyes, she decided to raid the main office stash. She'd deal with an annoyed Ianto later.

The Hub kitchen was usually well stocked with all the accoutrement of office food. Not only was there always a good supply of Ianto's secret blend of coffee beans, there were always fresh pastries, frozen entrees, big boxes of microwave popcorn, and some things she still couldn't identify. Tonight, however, it was obvious the rift alarm had caught everyone unawares, especially the young man Elena couldn't help but think of as a fussy genius. Not only was the popcorn shelf empty, but the sealed crock where the coffee beans were stored proved to be nearly empty as well. There was only one thing left for Elena to do. It was risky, because it was possible the team would return while she was still stealing from Ianto's secret stash and then not only would there be the awkward introductions to Gwen, Toshiko, and Owen, but there would be the explosive realization that she had long known about the location of the secret vault deep in the archives where Ianto stored additional coffee beans. She snorted as she realized she might even discover the supplier he went to. She might crack the Ianto Jones coffee code. She figured if she was unable to work for Torchwood once she finished her studies, she could open a coffee house in Moscow. Russia wouldn't be bad for someone with a good income. A nuclear physicist operating a coffee house made as much sense as many of the other things she'd thought of.

She headed confidently into the archives. The odds, she reflected, favoured Ianto being the only person who would discover her if they came back while she was down here. And under the circumstances, he wouldn't be able to yell at her too much. And she could flatter him if she needed to. Even the most feminine golubóy could be manipulated by flattery and Ianto was far from feminine. (Not to mention that, unless the woman-machine she'd seen had been a magnificently costumed drag queen, Ianto was far from exclusively homosexual.)

The vault had a combination lock on it. Looking back, Elena couldn't remember ever seeing the combination. As if he knew she could see, Ianto had always shielded the number pad when entering the code. Her visual memory was good, though, and she had paid attention to the number of time numbers were punched. It was a six digit code. She smiled wickedly. There was an artefact Jack had loaned her to help with calculus and had never demanded back. One of its side benefits was its code-cracking function. She pulled it from her jeans pocket and set the controls.

It was a tough code, she had to grant Ianto that much. It had taken fifteen minutes to find it. But the vault opened at last. She could almost smell the coffee, although logically she knew it was hermetically sealed and no scent was escaping the distinctively marked bags. She couldn't stifle the laugh. How had Ianto Jones managed to get that much coffee sent from that far away? She reached for one of the five packages, realizing that paying this one back was going to take some creativity and possibly some serious favours .

She almost didn't see the file sitting on the floor of the vault. But once she'd removed the one package, the light hit the folder and the familiar Cyrillic lettering glared up at her. It was her name on the file.

She absently put the bag of coffee back on its shelf in the vault. Sinking to sit on the floor, she picked up the file and stared at it. She was afraid to open it. Once she was settled in the watchman's apartment and registered for her classes, she'd stopped wondering why she'd been brought here all the way from Russia to pursue her degree and periodically monitor the empty Hub. Suddenly faced with a file that might answer those dismissed questions, she was seized by a desire to know anything about herself and how she related to Torchwood and Cardiff. Her periodic urge to call her mother rose in her throat and she briefly considered ignoring the direct command that she never called home without clearing it first. She thought about dropping the file and running away, but knew she wouldn't do that. The opportunity this job and this situation offered her were far too precious to throw away without a lot more thought than this. Her mouth had gone dry and she realized it was hanging open.

A sound distracted her. It was the perimeter alarm. "Der'mó!" she hissed. She slammed the vault shut and raced up to the main Hub, unconsciously carrying the folder with her.

The monitor showed someone standing directly on the stone that housed the lift behind the perception filter. She squinted, trying to see who it was. It was a man, dressed even more anachronistically than the Big Boss ever dressed (even in play with Ianto) and he seemed to be looking for something. His eyes alit on something Elena couldn't see, he nodded, and he opened a wristband that she recognized as matching the one Jack always wore. He manipulated something on it, and the lift began to descend.

Elena raced around the Hub, looking for one of the emergency communication devices. She'd memorized their locations when she first arrived, but time had passed and panic had just set in so it took her several seconds to remember where the one near Toshiko's workstation was. She slammed her hand down on the emergency recall button, then scrambled back to the hall leading to the archive, where she knew a pistol was hidden for the use of anyone trapped down there. Still carrying the folder, she fumbled to take the safety off the gun just as Jack had taught her to, then she crouched and waited, watching on one of the monitors hidden in Ianto's private workspace just outside the archive.

The man arrived in the center of the Hub and looked around. He whistled loudly and shouted, "Anybody here?" When the only response was silence, he threw his head back and laughed. "Jack! Jack! You are such an idiot! I swear I taught you better than this!"

Elena held her breath, clutching the file to her breast. The hand holding the pistol shook and she silently prayed the to God her good Communist mother had assured her did not exist. Whoever this man was, he frightened her. He walked around the main room like he owned it, and he was familiar with the layout and equipment. He sat down at Toshiko's workstation and brought up the interior monitors on her screen. Elena gasped when she realized there was a camera in the room where she was hiding. Moving as quietly as she could, she reached for it and did her best to aim it towards the empty desk while she huddled near the wall beside the camera. Her action came not a moment too soon. Just as the camera steadied from her moving it, the man said, "Ah, so this is where you hide your eye candy when he's here, then? Hmm...I wonder where that lovely bit of ass has gotten himself off to. Surely he didn't take you home to meet the folks yet, has he Jack?"

For some reason, hearing the man speak of Ianto that way made Elena feel a little better. It reduced him to an absurdity in her mind. She almost laughed out loud. But then she saw that the man was walking in the direction of the archive. She looked around wildly, finding a makeshift hole to hide in behind a tall cylindrical cardboard box and between one normal storage box and a wardrobe storage box on the other. She had just settled in when the man came sauntering into Ianto's office.

"Oh, I'm sure you're in here somewhere," he said, looking under the desk and then starting to pick through the papers on top of it. "Surely Jack isn't foolish enough to KEEP the tea boy in the field. Is he?" He picked up a sheaf of papers and started shuffling through them, stopping once in a while to read something. "Well, I'll be a Unigarlan Maggype's uncle!" he muttered. "You really are letting him do things that might tear his pretty suits. And not involve you tearing them for him."

He wandered into the archive area, pushing aside the occasional box, but not really looking for anything. Elena held her breath, silently praying that he wouldn't try to move the large boxes she was huddled behind. Her luck seemed to be holding as he walked past her hiding place, looking behind a box further down the row. The box he moved, however, had been untouched for a long time and dust stirred up by moving it made Elena want to sneeze. She grabbed at her nose to stop the sneeze and the file fell from her grasp. She froze instantly, horrified.

The man stopped and swung towards the sound. "Where are you?" he asked, his voice deepening with menace. Elena remained frozen.

He strode towards the source of the sound. Elena took a deep, calming breath. The Big Boss had taught her as well as he could in the time he'd been able to spare for her. He had farmed part of her job-related training out to Ianto, and the rest to a wonderful older woman who lived in a big house somewhere in the suburbs. Elena had enjoyed her time with the woman, but the relationship between her and Jack had been strained and the snarls the two exchanged started to give Elena a headache. But one thing the woman had taught her was grace under fire. She would not let this intruder see her fear. She kicked the box out from in front of her and stood, pointing her pistol at the approaching man.

"Whoa!" the man cried. "Where did YOU come from?"

"I ask the questions!" she hissed at him, "I work here. Who are you?"

He tilted his head to one side, then with a sly smile, said, "Ah, détka, and what do you do here?"

Taken briefly aback by his use of her native language, she hid her surprise by spitting on the ground. She was pretty sure Ianto would be upset about it but she was going for immediate effect here. "Zhópa! Svóloch! What is it you want here? How did you get in?" She was pretty sure her voice was starting to shake but she covered it up by further cursing and calling him names.

He sighed and mellowed his tone. "Look, sweetheart, my name's John. What's your name?"

"John who?" Elena barked, doing what she considered a reasonable imitation of Jack. "You have not said why you are here. You have not said how you got in. You must talk, Mister John."

He replied softly. "John Hart. I'm an old friend of Captain Harkness." He was walking quietly toward her.

She belatedly recognized him from some surveillance footage she'd watched when she returned from a stay with the woman in the suburbs. He had, she recalled, appeared here just before she came to Cardiff, and was somehow connected to the Big Boss, but both Jack and Ianto had implied that he would never be back. But now that she thought of it, Ianto hadn't sounded particularly convinced when he told her that.

While those thoughts had been running through her head, John moved a little closer to her. She realized after a moment that he was trying to sneak up on her. "No, you stay right there!" she said sharply. "I have called the others. They will be here soon. You will talk to them."

"Fine," he said, his smile charming. "But do tell me who you are and how you got here. There was no one like you last time I was here. Believe me, lovely girl, I'd have noticed you."

Elena rolled her eyes. "I was not here then. I am security guard."

"You!" John couldn't hold back the boisterous laugh. "You are the SECURITY GUARD?" Without making any obvious moves, John had gotten his hand on Elena's pistol, replaced the safety, and had his arm tightly wound around her, pinning her arms to her sides. "You could use some additional training, little lady," he said softly, his lips lightly brushing her hair.

Elena brought the heel of her very sensible shoes down on John's instep. He didn't let go of her but did shout. "God DAMNIT, that HURT!"

The sound of the safety coming off Jack's sidearm brought John's complaint to a sudden stop. The American was standing at the door to the archives, pointing his weapon unwaveringly at John. "Let her go," he said. "I asked you to leave. You left. I told you not to come back. You came back. What part of this sequence of events do you think has pissed me off?"

John took his hands away from Elena who turned to him and kicked him in the knee. While John was shouting in pain, Jack laughed. "It's okay, Elena," he said. "One kick is all he really warrants. Why don't you go back to your office and let me handle this?"

She flashed defiant eyes at Jack. "I need to know how he got in. It is my job to be sure no one does this. And I will stay here to learn."

The snicker from behind Jack's back didn't sound like Ianto. Elena pushed around Jack to find Owen standing there. In horror, she pushed herself back to face Jack. "Why did you bring HIM? I thought no one else was to know."

"Yeah, well, you didn't give me any specifics to work with and for all I knew you needed a doctor."

"Oh, yes, you think as I hide in a corner I should talk on TELEPHONE and tell you what I need and let murderer know where I am?" She snorted, and spat again.

"Jack, has it occurred to you that you might want to ask again what I'm doing here?" John interrupted. "It may have something to do with this lovely Russian lady you've imported to watch the shop for you. I had a message from Tasia. Seems she's worried about what you've done to her child."

Jack's grip on his pistol seemed to waver slightly. "John, please, just go away."

John responded by grabbing Elena and turning her to face him straight on. "Oho, I see the resemblance!" he said. "This is the famous little Elena, isn't it?"

Instead of replying, Jack grabbed Elena from John's grasp and thrust her behind him. Owen, almost instinctively, took hold of her arm and tugged her towards the exit. "Come on, darling," he said. "We can sort out who's who later. Let's just get you and me out of the line of fire. These two can be a little rough."

She followed reluctantly, stopping once she'd come to a monitor and tuned it to Ianto's office where Jack and John were eyeing one another carefully. She wasn't at all sure what she'd missed in the few seconds it had taken her to get here, but she was startled by what she heard now.

"Please, John, leave her be." Jack was pleading.

"And why should I do that? She's mine, isn't she? You were the one who thought Tasia retiring was a gift from the heavens. I wanted to raise her in the Agency."

"And that was the most damn foolish idea we'd ever contemplated," Jack retorted. "Drag a newborn around on Agency business? How would we have gotten anything done? We're about to steal some ancient Sumerian statuette from the Met and suddenly she needs her nappy changed? Yeah, THAT would have been a good plan."

John grinned, his face looking slightly evil. "And you knew who'd end up changing her, didn't you?"

"Dammit, John, just go! I brought her here because I wanted to have her someplace I could protect her. From all the people hunting you. From all the people who hated us. From all the people who hated Tasia." Jack put his gun back in its holder and crossed his arms. "I wanted to see her grow up. Do you have any idea what her IQ is? Did you check on her studies, on her grades, on her teachers' comments? No, you forgot all about her, didn't you? Until just this moment, when you realized you could take her away from me or use her as leverage against me."

Elena had to process the words more slowly than they were spoken. She sank into a chair, staring at the screen. She felt a hand on her shoulder.

"You didn't know who you are, did you?" Owen asked. "And that's okay because it makes two of us, but I'm getting suspicious. Do you mind if I check your DNA? It won't hurt, I promise."

Still trying to understand what the two men in Ianto's office were fighting about, Elena shook her head and opened her mouth obediently for the swab. Owen took it down to his equipment, leaving her to watch the argument continue.

John was laughing. "I didn't check in on her? Good Lord, man, I called Tasia every time I could. I sent presents. I sent books and last year I sent her a computer because Tasia said she needed it. When did you ever contact Tasia?"

"When she called to tell me you'd sent her a computer!" Jack stopped suddenly. He lowered his voice. "She seemed to think you were closing in and going to take her away. I couldn't let you do that."

"So you took her first." John grunted. "Dear Goddess, you are an old-fashioned bastard! Can't let daddy have the child, now, can we?"

Elena found herself staring slack-jawed at John. THIS MAN was her father? THIS MAN was the spy who had left her mother with a baby to raise alone? She was so unnerved that she almost failed to hear the rest of the team returning to the Hub. Owen had most likely warned them because they came in quietly and didn't disturb Elena. She could hear whispering behind her and felt Ianto come up behind her although he didn't say a word. She could sense the tension coming off him in torrents and she knew he understood the argument she was watching so much better than she did. She resisted the urge to ask him.

"No, you son of a bitch, that is NOT what I was thinking!" Jack roared in reply. "I was thinking that if you took her off on your little adventures she'd turn into a criminal and I wasn't having that. People can change. I changed. Tasia changed. You didn't change. I couldn't let you drag Elena into your squalid, manipulative, nasty little world."

John dropped the gun with a clatter and slapped Jack. This, more than anything else she had seen and heard that evening, shocked Elena. It wasn't a punch, a wrestle, or a kick. It was a full-face slap. It was so unexpected, she cried out wordlessly. Ianto grabbed her shoulder and turned her away from the screen. "Go with Gwen," he ordered. "She'll keep you company until we sort this out." He turned visibly pleading eyes on Gwen who came forward and took Elena's hand.

"Come on, Elena, let's get you some tea and sit you down to relax."

Suddenly reminded of how this entire event had begun, Elena turned to Ianto. "I was out of coffee," she said. "And you are almost out of coffee. And I found a file. I did not read it, I promise."

She was mildly surprised when the man smiled. "I figured it was only a matter of time before you figured out how to get in there. I'll explain later if Jack doesn't. Don't worry, Elena. Jack isn't letting anyone take you anywhere you don't want to go."

She stumbled along after Gwen, who took her into Jack's office. She reached for his monitor, but Gwen put out her hand. "Don't, don't do that just yet," Gwen insisted. "I want you to calm down first. This sounds explosive. Your name is Elena, yes?"

Elena nodded. "Rostokova. Elena Rostokova. My mother is Natasia Rostokova. I guess that man John is my father."

"Have you any idea how Jack fits in this?" Gwen asked.

Elena shook her head. "He came and gave me the job to watch the office when everyone else is out, and he put me in university and helps with homework and says someday I shall be a famous nuclear physicist. He told me never to steal Ianto's coffee, but I do and I think Ianto knows and is laughing at me."

Owen spoke from the office door. "I can explain this, but I think it's really more Jack's job to do it. Do we want to break up that fight? I mean, they're almost up to bitch-slapping and hair pulling."

Gwen opened her mouth, then closed it thoughtfully. "Owen, do you remember the first time I saw you all? Before I was recruited, do you remember?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, so?" Then he grinned slowly. "I believe you have the idea, Gwen," he agreed. "Think that social worker heart of yours can do anything about it?"

She giggled and nodded. "Oh, yes, I think I can handle this. I've done more than my share of domestic disputes. You'll keep an eye on her, will you?" Owen shrugged and Gwen left. Owen switched on the monitor and sniffed. "This should be entertaining," he said.

On the monitor, they saw Gwen storming into Ianto's office, followed by the proper inhabitant who was carrying a well supplied tea tray. Elena turned to Owen and was going to ask what that was for, but he waved her to silence, grinning.

"All right, you two!" Gwen roared. "Step away from each other and settle down."

Both men turned to stare at her. Looking over her shoulder, John said, "Oh, look, the little caretaker brought the tea boy. With tea. How quaint!"

"Shut up, John," Jack snapped but Gwen interrupted.

"Shut it! Just shut it and back off, Jack. You too, John fucking Hart. You two are tearing one another apart and that's your damn business. If it didn't involve an innocent third party I'd let you go at it and good riddance to the two of you. But there's that girl to consider and if you think for one moment I'm going to let you two destroy each other and leave her with a step father who'd rather be feeding Jack coffee, you have another thing to consider."

Ianto choked and the teacups rattled, but he regained is composure a moment later. Jack was not as quick. Still sputtering, he backed away from both John and Gwen. John, for his part, leaned a hip against the desk and sneered at all three of them.

"I assume we four all know, then, what we're talking about?" John's voice was sarcastic but that wasn't unusual.

"You, then," she turned to John. "What is it you want of that girl in there? Do you want her to follow you through the Rift, conning people and using people and stealing?"

He pursed his lips. "Well, when you put it that way, yeah. She's my daughter. She deserves to learn the family business."

Jack opened his mouth to shout a response but Ianto was faster. "Tea, sir? Anyone?" Jack choked, torn between an angry outcry and a laugh.

Gwen swung to face Jack. "And you? Is this the family business you want for her?"

In Jack's office, Elena could be silent no longer. To Owen she said, "Does this mean I have two fathers?"

Owen shook his head but said nothing, simply indicating that she continue watching.

Back in Ianto's office, Gwen was waiting impatiently for Jack's reply. For his part, Jack was silent, looking thoughtful.

"No, this isn't a family business," he said at last. "I want what's best for her. And she can get a better education here, she can lead a better life here. Tasia did her best, and she was thrilled to have a child to keep her company when she first retired from the Agency, but Elena was never really her child. She knew that eventually either John or I would show up to take her, and she was okay with that. I wish we'd done it earlier, but neither of us had lives suited having a child. And John still doesn't. But I do. I have a place for her, and I've been missing being part of her life. And I want her with me."

"And I DON'T?" John leaped towards Jack but Gwen surprised them both by pushing him back and into the chair.

"How old is Elena now? Nineteen? Twenty?" At Jack's nod, she said, "Twenty, then. Don't you think she's old enough to know the truth, to make her own choice? Maybe she'll want to stay with her adopted mother, would that be all right?" Jack shrugged, and John looked at the floor. "Right, then.Her choice is one of you, or on her own, is that it? Jack? Would you have to retcon her if she chose to leave?"

The pain that crossed his face showed his conflict. Before either he or John could say anything, Elena burst into the room, with Owen and Tosh behind her trying to stop her.

"You!" She pointed to John. "You are my father? You never came to see me, to talk to me, you just talk to my mother. And she isn't even my mother?" She turned to Jack. "And you? You are...what? You are not my other father! Tell me! Who are you and who am I? Tell the truth, Jack!"

John laughed. "Elena, sweetheart, I think you need to sit down more than I do." He stood and pushed the wheeled chair towards her. She ignored it, and continued to stare belligerently at Jack.

Jack sighed. "Elena. Honey, you are never going to believe the truth so can we just declare me your uncle or something?"

Unexpectedly, Elena laughed. "Jack, I see what happens here. I see aliens. I see technology that does not exist. I see amazing things. Do you think I cannot believe that a man is my mother?"

It was Toshiko who reacted first. "Mother? Jack? You're a MOTHER?"

"In so many ways," John interjected.

"Everyone stop. Just stop!" Owen barked. "Or I'll help Gwen kill you both. Now, Jack, I know you've always said you had been pregnant, but I didn't realize you had carried to term. How did it work?"

"Can we get back to the here and now?" Gwen asked. "Elena, what do you want to do right now? You obviously can't decide everything right away but for the immediate future, do you have something you want from either of your parents?"

Elena sank down into the chair. "Right now? I want to finish my studies. If this means I live here, then I live here. But someday, maybe, I would like to travel. Maybe like Jack did when he was younger. Like you," she indicated John. "Like you do now. But no funny stuff. No crime. If I want crime I can go back to St. Petersburg and work for criminals there."

At Jack's satisfied smirk, John snarled. "You haven't won this one," he snarled. "I'll be back once she's done with her studies and then we'll see which parent she prefers." He grabbed Elena, kissed her cheek, patted it, and gently said, "You're my girl, my precious, beautiful girl. I'll be back for you." And he strode out of the room without a backwards glance.

Elena stared after him, then turned to stare at Jack.

Ianto put the tea tray down. Under his breath he said to Gwen, "This isn't going to get any better, is it?"

Gwen snickered. "This is going to be fun. And not in the good way."