Fic: Hope's Last Breath Chapter 5/10
Title: Hope's Last Breath
Fandoms: Supernatural/Torchwood/The Avengers/Doctor Who
Pairings/Characters: Dean/Sam/Castiel, Jack/Ianto, Coulson/Clint, Tony/Bruce, Natasha/Pepper, Thor/Loki, Steve/Darcy, Balthazar/Gareth Jones, Bobby, Marion Jones (OFC), Andy/Tosh, Owen/Maria Hill, Nick Fury/Donna Noble, Rhys Williams/Kathy Swanson, Martha Jones, the Doctor
Summary: Greek Mythology says that when Pandora disobeyed the Gods and opened the box, all the world's evil was unleashed but hoped remained inside. Unfortunately, hate found Pandora's Box and destroyed it. Out of his depth, Nick Fury has no choice but to seek help from others who have knowledge of and experience with this kind of stuff. But without hope in the world, it's only a matter of time before humanity falls into chaos.
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural, the Avengers or Torchwood but I do own Gareth and Marion Jones
Beta: RoyalLadyEmma
Chapter 5
The TARDIS hummed her approval as Marion laid out her plan. "Hope can never truly be destroyed. As long as the smallest shred remains in someone's heart, then we still have a chance. Granted, it's a small chance but it's better than nothing." She looked back and forth between Donna and the Doctor, and then over their shoulders to include the TARDIS. "But to build up hope again is going to take time and finding the right symbols and what' worse, if they haven't already figured it out, the demons soon will. All the negative emotions enveloping the world are like candy for them."
Donna couldn't believe how well she was taking the news that demons, angels and everything else was real. 'Well I am travelling with an alien in a time machine and I've been to other worlds and gone backwards and forwards through time, so I guess that makes all this supernatural stuff easier to believe. I just hope my granddad and mum are okay.' Donna wished there was a way she could get in contact with her family and she prayed that they were safe.
The Doctor blinked with surprise and pleasure. "Wait a minute! Does this mean I get to meet the Winchesters? And two real live angels?" He was bouncing in place at the idea, his eyes were shining gleefully and he was wearing an ear-to-ear excited grin.
Donna couldn't hold back her smirk any longer as she drawled out, "And don't forget you'll also be meeting Marion's family; in fact, one could almost say..." her smirk grew quite wicked in nature. "That you'll be meeting the in-laws."
To Donna's great amusement both the Doctor and Marion had faint blushes on their faces before the Doctor scratched the side of his cheek. "Ah, well... it's not like that between me and Marion, no... we're just friends."
Marion nodded her head; she knew that the Doctor's hearts more than likely still belonged to Rose Tyler and probably always would. "He's right, Donna, we are just friends."
Donna wanted to bang their heads together, maybe knock some sense into them. She had a very strong feeling that they may be just friends for now but give it some time and the small embers between them could bloom into something more. 'Once we've saved the day again I think some matchmaking will be in order.' Throwing up her hands in defeat, the crafty redhead smiled innocently. "All right, if you say so."
Marion caught Donna's eye and smiled; she had a very good idea what her new friend was thinking. "We do."
Grinning back, Donna moved on to the most pressing item on their agenda. "Now on to the important part, are there any hot guys where we're going?" She wanted some eye-candy and it wouldn't hurt her feeling one little bit if she managed to snag a hottie for herself.
"Well, given how many admirers my brothers had when we were growing up, I guess people thought they were hot, and I know you'll find that Dean, Sam, the men of Torchwood and the Avengers males are very yummy to look at." Marion drifted into a short daze as she thought of the good-looking men they were about to be working with.
Donna's eyebrows rose even higher at the dreamy look in Marion's eyes. "Now things are starting to look up!" Reaching over, she linked arms with the angel and leaned in conspiratorially. "Now tell me all about these gorgeous men!"
"Oi! What about me? I'm not chopped liver, you know," the Doctor demanded with such a pout on his face that would have made Jack proud.
"Oi!" Donna mimicked him. "I've told you before, spaceman, I ain't mating with you!" The brash redhead reminded the Doctor yet again. Jumping to her feet, she pulled the angel up with her. "Now come along, Marion, it's been so long since I've had a good old-fashioned girl talk."
Marion fought back the urge to as giggle Donna began dragging her away; it was clear that Donna was more than a match for the Doctor. 'I need to make sure I hang out on the TARDIS more this is too fun to miss.' As she hurried off down the hall, Marion was sure she heard the Doctor mutter something that sent her into gales of laughter,
"I can do girl talk, you know, it's just nobody ever asked me!"
The TARDIS was simply overjoyed. Once again she was filled with laughter despite all the bad things that were going on in the world, and the best part of all was that she was going to see her beloved Jack again. 'And I finally get to meet Jack's Ianto.'
*****
Dean was bored; he done everything there was to do in the Hub. He'd eaten lunch, drunk a gallon of Ianto's divine coffee, teased Tosh and visited the Weevils. He'd given Myfanwy her chocolate treats, snuck into Ianto's archives and snuck a peek at Owen's enormous porn collection. He was out of things to do and when Dean was bored, he tended to get himself into trouble. Normally he wasn't one to wait around to do something especially when there were demons and monsters out there he could be dealing with. But given that the world was without hope and that there were demons everywhere, this time he couldn't run in guns blazing, nope this time they need a plan.
However, simply knowing what needed to be done still didn't help his boredom and things only got worse when Dean realised that no one had any time to commiserate with him. Sam was busy working with Ianto, scouring the Archives for anything that might give them an edge; Tosh and Bobby were trying to figure out a way of dealing with the demons in between attempts to get in contact with the Avengers; and Castiel and Balthazar had taken off foe London to escort Martha Jones to the Hub.
"I'm bored!" Owen whined again loudly; he was standing at the railing above the medical bay, looking down enviously at the family below. Mica was stable and didn't need him any longer, so Rhiannon had kicked him out of his workspace and even though he really wanted to go back down and get his laptop so he could go watch porn in the conference room, he didn't dare cross Gareth who was in there with them. "How long does it take to make a plan to find the Avengers and bring back hope?"
"If you're that bored you do have some paperwork that needs to get done," Ianto reminded Owen with an eyebrow raised.
The doctor waved his hand and made a face. "I'm not that bored, Tea-Boy. I guess I could play some videogames."
Hearing those magic words, Dean's head shot up and an eager grin appeared on his face. "Dude, you have games? Then what are we waiting for?"
Ianto and Sam shared another eye roll, one that clearly said 'children!', as they watched the two man-boys thunder off to play with their toys. "Well, at least now they're be out of our hair for a while," Sam joked, although Ianto thought he was being fairly serious. Tosh added her own eye roll as she noticed Andy try to oh-so-casually slip away to join Dean and Owen.
Movement out of the corner of her eye caught the computer genius' attention. "You may want to keep an eye on Jack; I don't think Owen and Dean are the only ones on edge," Tosh whispered to Ianto as she nodded towards the upstairs office window.
Ianto's eyes softened as he gazed at Jack pacing back and forth like a caged animal. "He feels useless and helpless, he's not accustomed to being on the sidelines when the world is in danger." Struck by a sudden thought, Ianto quickly tidied his desk and handed Bobby the latest printout detailing demon activity. "Do you think you can survive without me for a minute or two?" Ianto asked him softly.
"Go deal with your captain. We'll be okay for a while now that the children are occupied." Bobby raised his voice for the last part of his sentence. He loved Dean like a son but the boy was more of a 'take-action-now!' kind of guy being forced into research mode just wasn't his thing. Plus, with Tosh, Sam and Ianto helping him, things were going to go much easier and much quicker.
"I heard that, old man!" Dean shot back from his spot in front of Owen's computer where he sat hunched over with his eyes glued to the screen as he directed the action in front of him.
"You were supposed to!" Bobby shot back. "Just play your game!"
Grumbling something the others couldn't hear under his breath, Dean turned his attention back to his game just in time to avoid being decapitated by a mutant alien who'd materialised right in front of his avatar. As Owen and Andy cheered and slapped Dean on the back, congratulating him on his fast action, Bobby rolled his eyes focused on something new that Tosh had found.
Ianto smiled at the sound of Dean and Bobby's good-natured bickering as he climbed the steps up to Jack's office. Jack's pacing came to an abrupt stop when he saw the young man come through his door, with three long strides, he was across the room and eagerly reaching out for Ianto. He pulled his lover into his arms once he was close enough, his eyes filled with love and gratitude; he knew how busy they were downstairs and for Ianto to put aside his work just for him meant everything to Jack. "I hate being helpless," Jack murmured against Ianto's neck as he tucked his head into Ianto's shoulder. "I just wish we could be a normal couple I could take you away from all this if we were."
"I know," Ianto tightened his grip around his lover, feeling Jack trembling in his arms. "Maybe when this is all over we can take a few days off, just to get away." Ianto suggested as he softly stroked Jack's back.
"That would be wonderful," Jack murmured as he let Ianto comfort and support him; as the immortal allowed himself to relax against his Welshman's strong body, he knew that as long as he had Ianto in his life, he could survive anything.
*****
Dean focused on his for game as long as he could but his eyes kept straying to the scene in Jack's office, of Jack and Ianto curled up and taking comfort from one another and finally he had enough. "Here, kick his ass," Dean muttered as he shoved his controller into Andy's hands before shooting to his feet and stalking over to Sam.
Shrugging his shoulders, Andy made himself comfortable as he grinned at Owen. "You're going down, mate!"
Owen returned Andy's grin. "You wish! I hope Tosh still likes you once you lose to me again."
Tosh and Kathy shared an eye roll as they listened to the familiar sounds of Andy and Owen bickering again. "Boys," they both muttered under their breath.
Sam smiled ruefully at the two women but his eyes were only for his lover who was rapidly approaching him with a very familiar glint in his eyes. Unable to stop his silly welcoming smile from forming, Sam quickly saved his work on the computer and marked his place in the books he was reading. He knew from past experience that Dean wouldn't wait for him to put his book down.
Sam had just closed the cover of the last book when Dean reached his side and caught Sam's hand in his. "Come on," Dean ordered somewhat gruffly as he yanked Sam to his feet.
Bobby just shook his head in fond amusement as Sam allowed Dean to drag him off; he had seen the jealousy in Dean's eyes as he'd watched Jack and Ianto's little moment and he had a pretty good idea what Dean wanted from Sam. 'And I can't fault them for needing a moment alone; in this line of work you need to snag it when the chance comes.'
Sam was quiet as Dean led him away from the main part of the Hub into a one of the downstairs corridors; he knew Dean would tell him what was on his mind once they were well out of earshot of the others.
"This should be far enough." Dean came to a sudden halt and Sam blinked as he found himself pinned to the wall and tightly held there by Dean's body. He searched his lover's eyes, seeing the hint of insecurity hidden in their depths, behind the love and lust that were radiating from them. He smiled reassuringly and stroked his hand along Dean's face.
Sam didn't have to wait for long to find out what his lover was up to when Dean began kissing him passionately, pouring all his emotions into the kiss. Letting his eyes flutter closed, Sam returned the kiss, curling his hand around the back of Dean's neck and deepening their connection. For one long, blessed moment they weren't hunters on another quest to save the world, they were just two lovers enjoying a private moment together and as they gave and received pleasure from one another, the rest of the world faded away.
*****
Martha Jones had seen a lot of amazing things during her travels with the Doctor, and she'd been exposed to some of the most terrifying things that came right out of people’s nightmares on during her time with UNIT and Torchwood but nothing was more amazing and terrifying than meeting real live honest-to-god angels.
Balthazar grinned appreciatively at the pretty young woman. 'Oh damn! If I didn't know Gareth would have my head as well as my balls, I would be all over her like a rash!' Balthazar had always enjoyed gazing on a pretty form but given that his lover was more than a little trigger happy he knew it wouldn't be in his best interests to flirt with anyone. He'd been used as Gareth's living target before and even though the make-up sex afterwards had been amazing, he didn't want to do it again. 'In fact, I'm certain that Gareth loves his gun more than he loves me and that's just not right.'
"Balthazar, why are you pouting?" Castiel asked quietly, tilting his head as he noticed the pout now gracing his brother's face. 'He's most likely thinking about Gareth.' Castiel had no idea right he was.
"I'm not pouting," Balthazar mumbled as he crossed his arms over his chest and sulked.
Martha raised an eyebrow in amusement; she had seen Jack sulk like that once when Ianto had denied him an afternoon quickie. She decided then and there that she rather liked her escorts.
"I hate to break it to you but you are sulking," Castiel stated calmly as he fought the urge to roll his eyes like Dean taught him to, and instead he focused his attention on Martha. "Are you ready to go, Miss Jones?" he asked politely.
Martha studied Castiel with open curiosity. "Are you by any chance related to Ianto Jones? You have his courtesy and his mannerisms." Martha adored the young Welshman from his sweet button nose right down to his tiptoes.
Balthazar couldn't contain his snort of laughter or the open leer that crossed his face as he answered, "Actually you could say that it's me who’s related to Ianto; I'm sleeping with his brother, Gareth."
To her credit Martha merely blinked at the news before blurting out the question that suddenly popped on to the tip of her tongue, "Are you related to Jack in any way?"
At Balthazar's affronted look Castiel couldn't help but burst into gales of laughter.
Balthazar's pout returned in full force as he turned wounded eyes onto his brother. "That hurt, Castiel, really hurt! I have much better moves than Captain Jack Harkness ever could hope to have." The pout faded as quickly as it had appeared and he clapped his hands together. "All right enough of this! Let's get going, I've been away from Gareth far too long."
'Yes, he defiantly reminds me of Jack, I wonder if the Universe can handle the two of them?' Martha wondered to herself as she looped her arm through Castiel's and in the blink of an eye her flat faded away and the Hub appeared before her. Well actually, they materialised in Jack's office, and a warm feeling filled her heart as she enjoyed the sight of Jack seated in his chair with Ianto curled on his lap like a big cat.
Jack grinned brightly as Martha appeared in the Hub between Castiel and Balthazar. "Once again a nightingale appears in the Hub. I'd get up to greet you but with this gorgeous Welshman on my lap you could understand why I don't want to move." As if to prove his point, he tightened his grip on Ianto, keeping his young man on his lap.
"We leave the lovely Miss Jones in your capable hands, Ianto. I have a hunter to grope." Balthazar gave a cheery wink and then to the amusement of the others bounced out of Jack's office.
Castiel gave a small nod to the others. "I too shall take my leave; I should inform Sam and Dean that I have returned." It had been far too long since he had a moment alone with his two lovers and he had a feeling that it was going to get much harder to steal a single second with them.
With a wicked gleam in his eyes, Jack informed Castiel, "I saw Dean drag Sam off a little while ago and they haven't been seen since."
"Check out the lower level corridor," Ianto added helpfully. He and Jack visited the area often simply because it had limited CCTV coverage.
Castiel nodded a second time at them before taking his leave, right now all he wanted was a chance to be alone with his lovers.
Once the angel was out of sight Martha gave all her attention to the couple before her. "So what do you need from me?" She noticed that Jack was slowly stroking the length of Ianto's back, and she wondered which one of them found the caress more comforting.
"We need the Doctor, Martha. You've seen what's going on with the world and we need his help." Jack's voice was serious and his eyes were hard.
"Tell me everything you know and I'll get in contact with the Doctor." Martha pulled out the second chair and sat down; something told her that this was going to be a long talk.
******
Despite the fact that the cold from the floor was beginning to seep into his bare skin, Sam was far too content to move and from the happy sigh coming from Dean he knew he felt the same. "The only thing that could make this better is if Castiel was here," Sam murmured as he relaxed against Dean.
"I am here now." Both Dean and Sam jumped at the unexpected voice.
"Damn it, Cas! We are so getting you a freaking bell!" Dean hated how Castiel always managed to sneak up on him and Sam.
Castiel tilted his head to the side, looking like a curious puppy. "I do not understand, Sam just said he wished that I was here, so here I am."
Sam smiled softly at Castiel and reached out for the final member of their little trio. "Yes, I did. Don't pay any attention to Dean; he missed you just as much as I did."
Sam had them all beat when it came to the use of the puppy-dog eyes trick and Castiel found himself instantly caving into Sam's soft request and he accepted his lover's offered hand. 'Saving the world can wait for a moment or two,' Castiel thought as he allowed himself to be pulled down into Sam's soft kiss.
Fandoms: Supernatural/Torchwood/The Avengers/Doctor Who
Pairings/Characters: Dean/Sam/Castiel, Jack/Ianto, Coulson/Clint, Tony/Bruce, Natasha/Pepper, Thor/Loki, Steve/Darcy, Balthazar/Gareth Jones, Bobby, Marion Jones (OFC), Andy/Tosh, Owen/Maria Hill, Nick Fury/Donna Noble, Rhys Williams/Kathy Swanson, Martha Jones, the Doctor
Summary: Greek Mythology says that when Pandora disobeyed the Gods and opened the box, all the world's evil was unleashed but hoped remained inside. Unfortunately, hate found Pandora's Box and destroyed it. Out of his depth, Nick Fury has no choice but to seek help from others who have knowledge of and experience with this kind of stuff. But without hope in the world, it's only a matter of time before humanity falls into chaos.
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural, the Avengers or Torchwood but I do own Gareth and Marion Jones
Beta: RoyalLadyEmma
Chapter 5
The TARDIS hummed her approval as Marion laid out her plan. "Hope can never truly be destroyed. As long as the smallest shred remains in someone's heart, then we still have a chance. Granted, it's a small chance but it's better than nothing." She looked back and forth between Donna and the Doctor, and then over their shoulders to include the TARDIS. "But to build up hope again is going to take time and finding the right symbols and what' worse, if they haven't already figured it out, the demons soon will. All the negative emotions enveloping the world are like candy for them."
Donna couldn't believe how well she was taking the news that demons, angels and everything else was real. 'Well I am travelling with an alien in a time machine and I've been to other worlds and gone backwards and forwards through time, so I guess that makes all this supernatural stuff easier to believe. I just hope my granddad and mum are okay.' Donna wished there was a way she could get in contact with her family and she prayed that they were safe.
The Doctor blinked with surprise and pleasure. "Wait a minute! Does this mean I get to meet the Winchesters? And two real live angels?" He was bouncing in place at the idea, his eyes were shining gleefully and he was wearing an ear-to-ear excited grin.
Donna couldn't hold back her smirk any longer as she drawled out, "And don't forget you'll also be meeting Marion's family; in fact, one could almost say..." her smirk grew quite wicked in nature. "That you'll be meeting the in-laws."
To Donna's great amusement both the Doctor and Marion had faint blushes on their faces before the Doctor scratched the side of his cheek. "Ah, well... it's not like that between me and Marion, no... we're just friends."
Marion nodded her head; she knew that the Doctor's hearts more than likely still belonged to Rose Tyler and probably always would. "He's right, Donna, we are just friends."
Donna wanted to bang their heads together, maybe knock some sense into them. She had a very strong feeling that they may be just friends for now but give it some time and the small embers between them could bloom into something more. 'Once we've saved the day again I think some matchmaking will be in order.' Throwing up her hands in defeat, the crafty redhead smiled innocently. "All right, if you say so."
Marion caught Donna's eye and smiled; she had a very good idea what her new friend was thinking. "We do."
Grinning back, Donna moved on to the most pressing item on their agenda. "Now on to the important part, are there any hot guys where we're going?" She wanted some eye-candy and it wouldn't hurt her feeling one little bit if she managed to snag a hottie for herself.
"Well, given how many admirers my brothers had when we were growing up, I guess people thought they were hot, and I know you'll find that Dean, Sam, the men of Torchwood and the Avengers males are very yummy to look at." Marion drifted into a short daze as she thought of the good-looking men they were about to be working with.
Donna's eyebrows rose even higher at the dreamy look in Marion's eyes. "Now things are starting to look up!" Reaching over, she linked arms with the angel and leaned in conspiratorially. "Now tell me all about these gorgeous men!"
"Oi! What about me? I'm not chopped liver, you know," the Doctor demanded with such a pout on his face that would have made Jack proud.
"Oi!" Donna mimicked him. "I've told you before, spaceman, I ain't mating with you!" The brash redhead reminded the Doctor yet again. Jumping to her feet, she pulled the angel up with her. "Now come along, Marion, it's been so long since I've had a good old-fashioned girl talk."
Marion fought back the urge to as giggle Donna began dragging her away; it was clear that Donna was more than a match for the Doctor. 'I need to make sure I hang out on the TARDIS more this is too fun to miss.' As she hurried off down the hall, Marion was sure she heard the Doctor mutter something that sent her into gales of laughter,
"I can do girl talk, you know, it's just nobody ever asked me!"
The TARDIS was simply overjoyed. Once again she was filled with laughter despite all the bad things that were going on in the world, and the best part of all was that she was going to see her beloved Jack again. 'And I finally get to meet Jack's Ianto.'
*****
Dean was bored; he done everything there was to do in the Hub. He'd eaten lunch, drunk a gallon of Ianto's divine coffee, teased Tosh and visited the Weevils. He'd given Myfanwy her chocolate treats, snuck into Ianto's archives and snuck a peek at Owen's enormous porn collection. He was out of things to do and when Dean was bored, he tended to get himself into trouble. Normally he wasn't one to wait around to do something especially when there were demons and monsters out there he could be dealing with. But given that the world was without hope and that there were demons everywhere, this time he couldn't run in guns blazing, nope this time they need a plan.
However, simply knowing what needed to be done still didn't help his boredom and things only got worse when Dean realised that no one had any time to commiserate with him. Sam was busy working with Ianto, scouring the Archives for anything that might give them an edge; Tosh and Bobby were trying to figure out a way of dealing with the demons in between attempts to get in contact with the Avengers; and Castiel and Balthazar had taken off foe London to escort Martha Jones to the Hub.
"I'm bored!" Owen whined again loudly; he was standing at the railing above the medical bay, looking down enviously at the family below. Mica was stable and didn't need him any longer, so Rhiannon had kicked him out of his workspace and even though he really wanted to go back down and get his laptop so he could go watch porn in the conference room, he didn't dare cross Gareth who was in there with them. "How long does it take to make a plan to find the Avengers and bring back hope?"
"If you're that bored you do have some paperwork that needs to get done," Ianto reminded Owen with an eyebrow raised.
The doctor waved his hand and made a face. "I'm not that bored, Tea-Boy. I guess I could play some videogames."
Hearing those magic words, Dean's head shot up and an eager grin appeared on his face. "Dude, you have games? Then what are we waiting for?"
Ianto and Sam shared another eye roll, one that clearly said 'children!', as they watched the two man-boys thunder off to play with their toys. "Well, at least now they're be out of our hair for a while," Sam joked, although Ianto thought he was being fairly serious. Tosh added her own eye roll as she noticed Andy try to oh-so-casually slip away to join Dean and Owen.
Movement out of the corner of her eye caught the computer genius' attention. "You may want to keep an eye on Jack; I don't think Owen and Dean are the only ones on edge," Tosh whispered to Ianto as she nodded towards the upstairs office window.
Ianto's eyes softened as he gazed at Jack pacing back and forth like a caged animal. "He feels useless and helpless, he's not accustomed to being on the sidelines when the world is in danger." Struck by a sudden thought, Ianto quickly tidied his desk and handed Bobby the latest printout detailing demon activity. "Do you think you can survive without me for a minute or two?" Ianto asked him softly.
"Go deal with your captain. We'll be okay for a while now that the children are occupied." Bobby raised his voice for the last part of his sentence. He loved Dean like a son but the boy was more of a 'take-action-now!' kind of guy being forced into research mode just wasn't his thing. Plus, with Tosh, Sam and Ianto helping him, things were going to go much easier and much quicker.
"I heard that, old man!" Dean shot back from his spot in front of Owen's computer where he sat hunched over with his eyes glued to the screen as he directed the action in front of him.
"You were supposed to!" Bobby shot back. "Just play your game!"
Grumbling something the others couldn't hear under his breath, Dean turned his attention back to his game just in time to avoid being decapitated by a mutant alien who'd materialised right in front of his avatar. As Owen and Andy cheered and slapped Dean on the back, congratulating him on his fast action, Bobby rolled his eyes focused on something new that Tosh had found.
Ianto smiled at the sound of Dean and Bobby's good-natured bickering as he climbed the steps up to Jack's office. Jack's pacing came to an abrupt stop when he saw the young man come through his door, with three long strides, he was across the room and eagerly reaching out for Ianto. He pulled his lover into his arms once he was close enough, his eyes filled with love and gratitude; he knew how busy they were downstairs and for Ianto to put aside his work just for him meant everything to Jack. "I hate being helpless," Jack murmured against Ianto's neck as he tucked his head into Ianto's shoulder. "I just wish we could be a normal couple I could take you away from all this if we were."
"I know," Ianto tightened his grip around his lover, feeling Jack trembling in his arms. "Maybe when this is all over we can take a few days off, just to get away." Ianto suggested as he softly stroked Jack's back.
"That would be wonderful," Jack murmured as he let Ianto comfort and support him; as the immortal allowed himself to relax against his Welshman's strong body, he knew that as long as he had Ianto in his life, he could survive anything.
*****
Dean focused on his for game as long as he could but his eyes kept straying to the scene in Jack's office, of Jack and Ianto curled up and taking comfort from one another and finally he had enough. "Here, kick his ass," Dean muttered as he shoved his controller into Andy's hands before shooting to his feet and stalking over to Sam.
Shrugging his shoulders, Andy made himself comfortable as he grinned at Owen. "You're going down, mate!"
Owen returned Andy's grin. "You wish! I hope Tosh still likes you once you lose to me again."
Tosh and Kathy shared an eye roll as they listened to the familiar sounds of Andy and Owen bickering again. "Boys," they both muttered under their breath.
Sam smiled ruefully at the two women but his eyes were only for his lover who was rapidly approaching him with a very familiar glint in his eyes. Unable to stop his silly welcoming smile from forming, Sam quickly saved his work on the computer and marked his place in the books he was reading. He knew from past experience that Dean wouldn't wait for him to put his book down.
Sam had just closed the cover of the last book when Dean reached his side and caught Sam's hand in his. "Come on," Dean ordered somewhat gruffly as he yanked Sam to his feet.
Bobby just shook his head in fond amusement as Sam allowed Dean to drag him off; he had seen the jealousy in Dean's eyes as he'd watched Jack and Ianto's little moment and he had a pretty good idea what Dean wanted from Sam. 'And I can't fault them for needing a moment alone; in this line of work you need to snag it when the chance comes.'
Sam was quiet as Dean led him away from the main part of the Hub into a one of the downstairs corridors; he knew Dean would tell him what was on his mind once they were well out of earshot of the others.
"This should be far enough." Dean came to a sudden halt and Sam blinked as he found himself pinned to the wall and tightly held there by Dean's body. He searched his lover's eyes, seeing the hint of insecurity hidden in their depths, behind the love and lust that were radiating from them. He smiled reassuringly and stroked his hand along Dean's face.
Sam didn't have to wait for long to find out what his lover was up to when Dean began kissing him passionately, pouring all his emotions into the kiss. Letting his eyes flutter closed, Sam returned the kiss, curling his hand around the back of Dean's neck and deepening their connection. For one long, blessed moment they weren't hunters on another quest to save the world, they were just two lovers enjoying a private moment together and as they gave and received pleasure from one another, the rest of the world faded away.
*****
Martha Jones had seen a lot of amazing things during her travels with the Doctor, and she'd been exposed to some of the most terrifying things that came right out of people’s nightmares on during her time with UNIT and Torchwood but nothing was more amazing and terrifying than meeting real live honest-to-god angels.
Balthazar grinned appreciatively at the pretty young woman. 'Oh damn! If I didn't know Gareth would have my head as well as my balls, I would be all over her like a rash!' Balthazar had always enjoyed gazing on a pretty form but given that his lover was more than a little trigger happy he knew it wouldn't be in his best interests to flirt with anyone. He'd been used as Gareth's living target before and even though the make-up sex afterwards had been amazing, he didn't want to do it again. 'In fact, I'm certain that Gareth loves his gun more than he loves me and that's just not right.'
"Balthazar, why are you pouting?" Castiel asked quietly, tilting his head as he noticed the pout now gracing his brother's face. 'He's most likely thinking about Gareth.' Castiel had no idea right he was.
"I'm not pouting," Balthazar mumbled as he crossed his arms over his chest and sulked.
Martha raised an eyebrow in amusement; she had seen Jack sulk like that once when Ianto had denied him an afternoon quickie. She decided then and there that she rather liked her escorts.
"I hate to break it to you but you are sulking," Castiel stated calmly as he fought the urge to roll his eyes like Dean taught him to, and instead he focused his attention on Martha. "Are you ready to go, Miss Jones?" he asked politely.
Martha studied Castiel with open curiosity. "Are you by any chance related to Ianto Jones? You have his courtesy and his mannerisms." Martha adored the young Welshman from his sweet button nose right down to his tiptoes.
Balthazar couldn't contain his snort of laughter or the open leer that crossed his face as he answered, "Actually you could say that it's me who’s related to Ianto; I'm sleeping with his brother, Gareth."
To her credit Martha merely blinked at the news before blurting out the question that suddenly popped on to the tip of her tongue, "Are you related to Jack in any way?"
At Balthazar's affronted look Castiel couldn't help but burst into gales of laughter.
Balthazar's pout returned in full force as he turned wounded eyes onto his brother. "That hurt, Castiel, really hurt! I have much better moves than Captain Jack Harkness ever could hope to have." The pout faded as quickly as it had appeared and he clapped his hands together. "All right enough of this! Let's get going, I've been away from Gareth far too long."
'Yes, he defiantly reminds me of Jack, I wonder if the Universe can handle the two of them?' Martha wondered to herself as she looped her arm through Castiel's and in the blink of an eye her flat faded away and the Hub appeared before her. Well actually, they materialised in Jack's office, and a warm feeling filled her heart as she enjoyed the sight of Jack seated in his chair with Ianto curled on his lap like a big cat.
Jack grinned brightly as Martha appeared in the Hub between Castiel and Balthazar. "Once again a nightingale appears in the Hub. I'd get up to greet you but with this gorgeous Welshman on my lap you could understand why I don't want to move." As if to prove his point, he tightened his grip on Ianto, keeping his young man on his lap.
"We leave the lovely Miss Jones in your capable hands, Ianto. I have a hunter to grope." Balthazar gave a cheery wink and then to the amusement of the others bounced out of Jack's office.
Castiel gave a small nod to the others. "I too shall take my leave; I should inform Sam and Dean that I have returned." It had been far too long since he had a moment alone with his two lovers and he had a feeling that it was going to get much harder to steal a single second with them.
With a wicked gleam in his eyes, Jack informed Castiel, "I saw Dean drag Sam off a little while ago and they haven't been seen since."
"Check out the lower level corridor," Ianto added helpfully. He and Jack visited the area often simply because it had limited CCTV coverage.
Castiel nodded a second time at them before taking his leave, right now all he wanted was a chance to be alone with his lovers.
Once the angel was out of sight Martha gave all her attention to the couple before her. "So what do you need from me?" She noticed that Jack was slowly stroking the length of Ianto's back, and she wondered which one of them found the caress more comforting.
"We need the Doctor, Martha. You've seen what's going on with the world and we need his help." Jack's voice was serious and his eyes were hard.
"Tell me everything you know and I'll get in contact with the Doctor." Martha pulled out the second chair and sat down; something told her that this was going to be a long talk.
******
Despite the fact that the cold from the floor was beginning to seep into his bare skin, Sam was far too content to move and from the happy sigh coming from Dean he knew he felt the same. "The only thing that could make this better is if Castiel was here," Sam murmured as he relaxed against Dean.
"I am here now." Both Dean and Sam jumped at the unexpected voice.
"Damn it, Cas! We are so getting you a freaking bell!" Dean hated how Castiel always managed to sneak up on him and Sam.
Castiel tilted his head to the side, looking like a curious puppy. "I do not understand, Sam just said he wished that I was here, so here I am."
Sam smiled softly at Castiel and reached out for the final member of their little trio. "Yes, I did. Don't pay any attention to Dean; he missed you just as much as I did."
Sam had them all beat when it came to the use of the puppy-dog eyes trick and Castiel found himself instantly caving into Sam's soft request and he accepted his lover's offered hand. 'Saving the world can wait for a moment or two,' Castiel thought as he allowed himself to be pulled down into Sam's soft kiss.