fic: Behind the Curtain 2/2 [PG] TW/HL/Multi xover
~*~
Tosh remembered a comforting arm around her. There was nothing and no-one there now; no Jack, no Gwen, no Ianto, no pain. No pain. Her fingers trembled as she carefully felt for the gaping hole in her belly that her life had poured out from. It had disappeared. She opened her eyes, fumbling around her for something, anything to tell her where she was, but she recognised nothing. The room was in semi-darkness, the air still, the sound of her scrabbling against the unyielding floor muted as if the room were soundproofed, although she was aware of the reassuring hum that she associated with computers; the sound of cooling fans and electricity, things she understood. Somewhere she heard a dull thud, then light bloomed, and she closed her eyes against it. Then there was an arm around her, but not one that she recognised.
“You’re safe now, I’ve got you.” The woman’s voice was soft, unthreatening.
“How... where...?” Tosh found to her disgust that her voice didn’t seem to be working properly, and then there were soft fingers against her throat and a feeling of warmth spreading out from the point of contact on her skin.
“That should be a little better, now. As for where you are, you’re in our computer core. No idea why you came through here.”
“Came through? Is this the afterlife? Am I dead?” Tosh was pleased to note that her voice was stronger, though she could feel the edges of hysteria pressing against her mind.
“If it is it’s like no afterlife I’ve ever heard of, and it does take some getting used to. And as for whether you’re dead, the answer to that is not anymore. If you want to discuss the metaphysical aspects of that, I’d suggest taking it up with Darius or Zhaan; they're our resident Holy guys.” Gentle fingers moved to where Tosh still had a hand pressed to her bloody shirt, brushed the skin on the back of her hand and moved away. “Gunshot?” She asked. Tosh nodded in reply. “That’s what got me, too. Seems like we have something in common.” A dim clatter reached them through the open door, the woman turned to face the door, listening, before turning back to Tosh and smiling. Tosh couldn’t help but smile back. “The cavalry is on its way, along with half the extra horses by the sounds of it. Let’s get you up off that floor.” There was a bit of a scramble, mostly due to Tosh’s too stiff joints, but eventually she found herself ensconced in a chair.
“Thank you... you never told me your name...”
“Tara Maclay. You?”
“Toshiko Sato.” Tosh felt she should say something else but she found herself distracted by the blue eyes that met her own, full of questions, full of life. The silence stretched between them, only to be broken by a resounding crash from the next room, and the sound of a voice cursing creatively. Tosh looked over her shoulder to the door, and Tara snorted elegantly as a slightly dishevelled figure stumbled into the room. He caught himself on the door frame, straightening as his eyes lit on the two occupants of the room.
“Ladies, please forgive my precipitous entrance, but it appears that someone neglected to switch on the lights out there.” Tosh wanted to giggle, she could almost see him wanting to sweep a non-existent hat off his head and bow to them. Tara did giggle.
“Fitz, you are incorrigible.”
“But you love me anyway, don’t you, Tara my sweet?”
“How could I not?” Tara smiled fondly at him and Tosh found herself thinking that this was a man who could possibly out-flirt and out-charm Jack Harkness, or at least give him a good run for his money. She couldn’t help but smile, though it felt a little wistful as she remembered the last time she had seen Jack.
“And are you going to introduce me to your beautiful companion?”
“Fitz!”
“Please?” Tosh could hear the hint of exasperation in Tara’s sigh, she’d heard the same sort of sound from herself too many times to count.
“Toshiko Sato, meet Hugh Fitzcairn; one of the Banes of my life.”
“You wound me!”
“Get over it.” Tara took a step back as the man approached Tosh’s chair. She found herself watching him as he drew nearer, and was vaguely puzzled by the fact that she seemed unable to pin an exact age on him; another thing he shared with Jack. When he took her hand she jumped a little, not expecting the contact, and she almost yelped when he leaned over and kissed it, though she didn’t try to remove it from his gentle clasp. She could hear Tara muttering in the background about leopards and old dogs but it didn’t make a lot of sense, and most of her attention was on him.
“Toshiko Sato; a name as beautiful and exotic as you are, dear lady. Hugh Fitzcairn at your service; I am honoured to meet you.” He relinquished her hand, only to bow and murmur a few words in formal Japanese. Tosh stuttered a surprised reply, staring as he moved away to have a quiet conversation with Tara. Tosh closed her eyes for a moment, trying to find the logic, the pattern in what had to be one of the craziest days of her life. She wondered if Fitz had died too and that thought jogged her memory painfully.
“Tara, you said I wasn’t dead anymore. That you’d died too. Is there... has there been anyone else who has ‘come through’ today?”
“Anyone in particular?” Tara asked carefully, placing a gentle hand on Tosh’s shoulder. Fitz crouched in front of her, his eyes clouded with what appeared to be concern.
“Owen. Owen Harper.” Fitz stood up, a hint of a smile on his face. He touched his ear in a gesture that Tosh found so familiar.
“Richie? I think you’d best head on over to the admin building. Why? Isn’t ‘because I said so’ a good enough reason anymore? Just take it from me, dear boy, that it would be very much worth your while. Oh and bring your new friend...” Fitz turned round with a grin. “Company is on its way. Shall we head somewhere a little more comfortable? I’m sure you could do with a drink Ms Sato.”
“A drink would be lovely, thank you.” Tosh found herself confronted by two outstretched hands; one belonging to Tara, the other to Fitz. She glanced from one to the other for a moment, and then reached out to take both. Gently, she was led out of the room to meet the ‘company’ and hopefully get some more answers.
Tosh remembered a comforting arm around her. There was nothing and no-one there now; no Jack, no Gwen, no Ianto, no pain. No pain. Her fingers trembled as she carefully felt for the gaping hole in her belly that her life had poured out from. It had disappeared. She opened her eyes, fumbling around her for something, anything to tell her where she was, but she recognised nothing. The room was in semi-darkness, the air still, the sound of her scrabbling against the unyielding floor muted as if the room were soundproofed, although she was aware of the reassuring hum that she associated with computers; the sound of cooling fans and electricity, things she understood. Somewhere she heard a dull thud, then light bloomed, and she closed her eyes against it. Then there was an arm around her, but not one that she recognised.
“You’re safe now, I’ve got you.” The woman’s voice was soft, unthreatening.
“How... where...?” Tosh found to her disgust that her voice didn’t seem to be working properly, and then there were soft fingers against her throat and a feeling of warmth spreading out from the point of contact on her skin.
“That should be a little better, now. As for where you are, you’re in our computer core. No idea why you came through here.”
“Came through? Is this the afterlife? Am I dead?” Tosh was pleased to note that her voice was stronger, though she could feel the edges of hysteria pressing against her mind.
“If it is it’s like no afterlife I’ve ever heard of, and it does take some getting used to. And as for whether you’re dead, the answer to that is not anymore. If you want to discuss the metaphysical aspects of that, I’d suggest taking it up with Darius or Zhaan; they're our resident Holy guys.” Gentle fingers moved to where Tosh still had a hand pressed to her bloody shirt, brushed the skin on the back of her hand and moved away. “Gunshot?” She asked. Tosh nodded in reply. “That’s what got me, too. Seems like we have something in common.” A dim clatter reached them through the open door, the woman turned to face the door, listening, before turning back to Tosh and smiling. Tosh couldn’t help but smile back. “The cavalry is on its way, along with half the extra horses by the sounds of it. Let’s get you up off that floor.” There was a bit of a scramble, mostly due to Tosh’s too stiff joints, but eventually she found herself ensconced in a chair.
“Thank you... you never told me your name...”
“Tara Maclay. You?”
“Toshiko Sato.” Tosh felt she should say something else but she found herself distracted by the blue eyes that met her own, full of questions, full of life. The silence stretched between them, only to be broken by a resounding crash from the next room, and the sound of a voice cursing creatively. Tosh looked over her shoulder to the door, and Tara snorted elegantly as a slightly dishevelled figure stumbled into the room. He caught himself on the door frame, straightening as his eyes lit on the two occupants of the room.
“Ladies, please forgive my precipitous entrance, but it appears that someone neglected to switch on the lights out there.” Tosh wanted to giggle, she could almost see him wanting to sweep a non-existent hat off his head and bow to them. Tara did giggle.
“Fitz, you are incorrigible.”
“But you love me anyway, don’t you, Tara my sweet?”
“How could I not?” Tara smiled fondly at him and Tosh found herself thinking that this was a man who could possibly out-flirt and out-charm Jack Harkness, or at least give him a good run for his money. She couldn’t help but smile, though it felt a little wistful as she remembered the last time she had seen Jack.
“And are you going to introduce me to your beautiful companion?”
“Fitz!”
“Please?” Tosh could hear the hint of exasperation in Tara’s sigh, she’d heard the same sort of sound from herself too many times to count.
“Toshiko Sato, meet Hugh Fitzcairn; one of the Banes of my life.”
“You wound me!”
“Get over it.” Tara took a step back as the man approached Tosh’s chair. She found herself watching him as he drew nearer, and was vaguely puzzled by the fact that she seemed unable to pin an exact age on him; another thing he shared with Jack. When he took her hand she jumped a little, not expecting the contact, and she almost yelped when he leaned over and kissed it, though she didn’t try to remove it from his gentle clasp. She could hear Tara muttering in the background about leopards and old dogs but it didn’t make a lot of sense, and most of her attention was on him.
“Toshiko Sato; a name as beautiful and exotic as you are, dear lady. Hugh Fitzcairn at your service; I am honoured to meet you.” He relinquished her hand, only to bow and murmur a few words in formal Japanese. Tosh stuttered a surprised reply, staring as he moved away to have a quiet conversation with Tara. Tosh closed her eyes for a moment, trying to find the logic, the pattern in what had to be one of the craziest days of her life. She wondered if Fitz had died too and that thought jogged her memory painfully.
“Tara, you said I wasn’t dead anymore. That you’d died too. Is there... has there been anyone else who has ‘come through’ today?”
“Anyone in particular?” Tara asked carefully, placing a gentle hand on Tosh’s shoulder. Fitz crouched in front of her, his eyes clouded with what appeared to be concern.
“Owen. Owen Harper.” Fitz stood up, a hint of a smile on his face. He touched his ear in a gesture that Tosh found so familiar.
“Richie? I think you’d best head on over to the admin building. Why? Isn’t ‘because I said so’ a good enough reason anymore? Just take it from me, dear boy, that it would be very much worth your while. Oh and bring your new friend...” Fitz turned round with a grin. “Company is on its way. Shall we head somewhere a little more comfortable? I’m sure you could do with a drink Ms Sato.”
“A drink would be lovely, thank you.” Tosh found herself confronted by two outstretched hands; one belonging to Tara, the other to Fitz. She glanced from one to the other for a moment, and then reached out to take both. Gently, she was led out of the room to meet the ‘company’ and hopefully get some more answers.