Fic: The Sea After a Storm (57/?)
Title: The Sea After a Storm, Chapter 57
Rating: R
Warnings: Nothing really, just didn't feel like changing the rating
Spoilers: Season Two thru Adam (2x05)
Pairings: Jack/Ianto
Disclaimer: Torchwood and all its wonderfulness belong to the Mighty Beeb and He Who Must Not Be Named. All ©'s to Catherine Tregenna for situations and dialogue borrowed from Adam. No infringement, only worship intended!
Summary: The team deals with a confusing situation when Gwen forgets Rhys…
Notes: Sorry about missing a post - last week got away from me. I figured I'd post a day early to make up for it. :) Thanks again to everyone who's reading and commenting! You can find all the previous chapters of The Sea After a Storm here. This is a sequel to Vizzini’s Rule and To The Pain. Thanks again and forever to my amazing beta and wonderful friend thraceadams for all the help and support; any mistakes are mine!
The Sea After a Storm: Chapter Fifty-Seven
Previously on The Sea After a Storm: Adam has insinuated himself into team and no one seems to notice that he doesn't belong…yet…
Even though Gwen had been the last one in, she is the first to leave. Ianto contemplates heading home as well, but Jack seems to be in a good mood, so he stays at the Hub and plans to try to talk to him. He's just worked up his courage to approach the door to Jack's office when he hears Jack's mobile ring.
"Hey, Gwen, what's… what? Are you okay?" There is a long pause and then Jack jumps up from his chair. "We'll be right there! Adam!" he shouts as he grabs his coat and brushes past Ianto. "Adam, we need to get to Gwen's right now. There's been a break in."
"On it," Adam says. "Ianto - keys?"
"Yes, yes, of course," Ianto hurries to the key box, but Jack's voice stops him.
"No need, I've got my set. Come on. She's holding the guy at gunpoint."
Ianto is still staring after Jack when Tosh and Owen join him.
"What was all the shouting about?" Tosh asks.
"Someone broke into Gwen's flat."
"Oh, dear," Owen murmured, pushing his glasses up with one finger. "I hope she's all right."
"I'd worry more about her shooting the intruder," Ianto muses.
Tosh snorts in amusement.
"It doesn't seem appropriate to joke about shooting people," Owen says with a sniff.
"Yes, of course," Ianto says, sharing an eye roll with Tosh behind Owen's back. "Terribly sorry."
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Ianto tidies up the Hub while Owen and Tosh get back to work identifying the Class D artefacts Jack had given them that morning. Ianto has to hide his smile when Tosh mimics strangling Owen from behind as he prattles on about one of the items in his usual sanctimonious tones. He might stand a chance with Tosh if he would just loosen up, Ianto thinks. She's so fun and easygoing and he's just so uptight and… well, Oweney about everything. Another look at Tosh's annoyed expression has Ianto rethinking. Well, maybe he doesn’t stand a chance after all. It's not like anyone could compare to Adam.
Owen's mobile rings, halting his seemingly endless commentary on one of the artefacts.
"Doctor Owen Harper here. Oh, hello, Adam… she what? How odd. Yes, yes, of course. Bring her right back. Okay, goodbye." Owen snaps his phone closed. "Where was I?"
"Owen!" Tosh and Ianto's voices blend together as they both yell at their teammate.
"What?"
"What happened at Gwen's flat?" Tosh asks, clearly exasperated.
"Oh. It wasn't a break in. Gwen seems to have some kind of amnesia, she mistook Rhys for a burglar."
"Is that even possible?" Ianto asks.
"Apparently it is. Adam is bringing her back for an exam."
Owen seems to consider that the end of the matter, picking up the artefact he'd been classifying and resuming his work. Ianto and Tosh share an eye roll and get back to work as well.
When the cog door rolls back to let in Adam and Gwen, Ianto hurries to them, trying to think how best he can help, but just like Jack, Adam takes command of the situation.
"Owen!"
"All ready!" Owen calls back, his voice carrying up from the med bay.
"Okay, Gwen, Owen's gonna give you a look and see if he can find out what's happened," Adam says soothingly as he guides Gwen to the med bay stairs.
Ianto watches them go by, wondering for the thousandth time if he'll ever be any good at his job. He sighs and follows them to the med bay, waiting on the upper gallery, out of the way but ready in case anyone needs anything.
Owen's assessment reveals nothing that explains Gwen's memory loss, which only adds to everyone's confusion and concern. When Owen starts hypothesizing about possible neurologic deficits that wouldn't show up on a normal exam, Ianto turns to head down to the conference room where Tosh is still working on the artefacts, preferring to be doing something useful, but stops when his mobile rings. He fishes it out of his pocket and glances at the display. His heart speeds up a bit when he sees that it's Jack.
"Yes, sir?" he says by way of greeting.
"Anything from Owen?" Jack asks brusquely.
"No, sir, he hasn't found anything."
Jack sighs noisily in Ianto's ear. "Fine. I have an idea. I need you to patch into the webcam from the SUV. Display it on a monitor where Gwen can see it."
"Right away, sir," Ianto says, already moving to obey.
Once he has the feed set up properly at Gwen's workstation, the screen showing a sad-looking Rhys, sitting on the sofa in his bathrobe, Ianto tells Adam to bring Owen up. They settle Gwen in the chair and then give her some space at Adam's suggestion. Owen goes to help Tosh, Adam keeps an eye on Gwen whilst she watches Rhys talking about their first date, leaving Ianto with nothing to do but clean the coffee maker yet again.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
After Jack's scheme with the webcam, Gwen is at least reassured that Rhys isn't a physical threat to her. Even though she still can't remember him, she says that she trusts everyone else enough to admit that he really must be her fiancé after all. Adam asks Ianto to drive her home once she's ready.
"Of course," Ianto agrees readily. "Anything I can do to help."
"You're a good 'un, mate. Cheers," Adam says, giving Ianto's shoulder a squeeze.
Ianto gathers up the SUV keys and his coat, giving Gwen a little time to compose herself. She's still staring at the frozen frame of Rhys on the monitor at her desk when he comes to get her. As he gets close, he realises she's muttering, 'Rhys is my fiancé, Rhys is my fiancé' over and over to herself.
"Come on, then," he says kindly, patting her on the arm. "It'll come back to you."
She turns her big eyes up at him. "Do you really think so, Ianto?"
"Of course. It'll sort itself out, you'll see. There's no way you're not getting your happy ending with Rhys," he teases.
She gives him a wobbly smile and follows him out to the car.
The ride to her flat is quiet and uneventful. Ianto escorts her inside, leading the way so she'll know it's safe. He gives Rhys a sympathetic nod but his eyes are drawn immediately to Jack as he stands and crosses the room.
"Don't leave me, Jack," Gwen hisses as Jack is leaving, clinging to him in a moment of sheer panic.
Jack holds her off with some difficulty, shooting Rhys an apologetic glance. He looks down at Gwen and says, "You'll be okay."
Gwen doesn't look like she believes him, grabbing for Jack again as he moves away. He takes her hands and pushes her away as kindly as possible and continues walking out the door.
Ianto isn't sure what to do in the awkwardness of the moment, so he goes for comic relief, giving Gwen and wink and thumbs up before following Jack.
"What was that all about?" Jack asks as they walk to the SUV.
Ianto shrugs. "Temporary amnesia. Owen's checking possible causes. Oh…" he breaks off, reaching into his pocket for the keys, tossing them to Jack who catches them without missing a beat. Something about the action feels so familiar that for a moment Ianto almost aches from the unfamiliar sense of camaraderie, of belonging. Before he can make a fool of himself, Ianto's phone buzzes just as Jack looks away. He looks down, reading the text to the Captain.
"Weevil sighting by the sewer in Rockall Street." He looks up when there is no response. "Jack. Jack!"
Jack spins to face him again. "Can you see him?" he asks desperately.
Ianto looks at the empty street where Jack had been staring. "Who?" he asks, confused.
Jack looks again but apparently sees nothing this time. He tenses and climbs into the SUV, his face set in a mask. "I'll drop you off and check out the sighting."
Ianto gathers his courage, holding on to the sense of partnership he felt just moments ago. "I could come with you," he offers quietly. "It's been a while since we went hunting together."
When Jack glances at him, Ianto isn't sure he even sees him. "I'll be fine on my own," he says in a hard voice.
The SUV tyres chirp angrily as Jack pulls away from the kerb and Ianto sits quietly on the way back to the Hub, trying to figure out why Jack's rejection hurts so much.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Jack drops Ianto off on the Plass, speeding away before Ianto can even close the door. He hears it slam home with a hollow thunk as Jack drives away, the sound echoing the feeling in his chest. For a few moments he'd felt part of something in way that's been missing in his life since the Cybermen attacked Torchwood One. And then, just as suddenly, it's gone and he's alone again.
Once back in the Hub, Ianto wanders down to the conference room where Tosh and Owen are still hard at work. He stops at the doorway, leaning against the wall rather than joining them. He wonders if this isolation will ever end, wonders how to make them see him as part of the team. Except for Adam, he thinks with a slight smile. Thank God for Adam, if it wasn't for him, I'd probably have quit by now and God knows where I'd be.
He shakes off his negative thoughts and forces himself to pay attention to the discussion Tosh and Owen are having about an intricately carved wooden box. He narrows his eyes. There's something about that box that looks familiar to him.
"I think Jack brought it in," he says, finally entering the conversation.
Tosh glances over at him. "No, I'm sure Adam found it on an excavation a few months back."
Ianto ponders that for a second and then smiles. "I'll have a look in the diary," he says. "I like to log the interesting stuff."
"You write about artefacts in your diary?" Tosh asks with a teasing smile.
"Among other things," he replies, giving her a saucy wink. He hears her laugh as he heads down the corridor. He whistles softly as he hurries up the stairs to the Hub. Maybe all I need to do is make more of an effort and things will get start to get better, he thinks. Adam's always suggesting it, I should really listen to him.
TBC in Chapter Fifty-Eight
. This entry was originally posted at http://buttononthetop.dreamwidth.org/103087.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
Rating: R
Warnings: Nothing really, just didn't feel like changing the rating
Spoilers: Season Two thru Adam (2x05)
Pairings: Jack/Ianto
Disclaimer: Torchwood and all its wonderfulness belong to the Mighty Beeb and He Who Must Not Be Named. All ©'s to Catherine Tregenna for situations and dialogue borrowed from Adam. No infringement, only worship intended!
Summary: The team deals with a confusing situation when Gwen forgets Rhys…
Notes: Sorry about missing a post - last week got away from me. I figured I'd post a day early to make up for it. :) Thanks again to everyone who's reading and commenting! You can find all the previous chapters of The Sea After a Storm here. This is a sequel to Vizzini’s Rule and To The Pain. Thanks again and forever to my amazing beta and wonderful friend thraceadams for all the help and support; any mistakes are mine!
The Sea After a Storm: Chapter Fifty-Seven
Previously on The Sea After a Storm: Adam has insinuated himself into team and no one seems to notice that he doesn't belong…yet…
Even though Gwen had been the last one in, she is the first to leave. Ianto contemplates heading home as well, but Jack seems to be in a good mood, so he stays at the Hub and plans to try to talk to him. He's just worked up his courage to approach the door to Jack's office when he hears Jack's mobile ring.
"Hey, Gwen, what's… what? Are you okay?" There is a long pause and then Jack jumps up from his chair. "We'll be right there! Adam!" he shouts as he grabs his coat and brushes past Ianto. "Adam, we need to get to Gwen's right now. There's been a break in."
"On it," Adam says. "Ianto - keys?"
"Yes, yes, of course," Ianto hurries to the key box, but Jack's voice stops him.
"No need, I've got my set. Come on. She's holding the guy at gunpoint."
Ianto is still staring after Jack when Tosh and Owen join him.
"What was all the shouting about?" Tosh asks.
"Someone broke into Gwen's flat."
"Oh, dear," Owen murmured, pushing his glasses up with one finger. "I hope she's all right."
"I'd worry more about her shooting the intruder," Ianto muses.
Tosh snorts in amusement.
"It doesn't seem appropriate to joke about shooting people," Owen says with a sniff.
"Yes, of course," Ianto says, sharing an eye roll with Tosh behind Owen's back. "Terribly sorry."
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Ianto tidies up the Hub while Owen and Tosh get back to work identifying the Class D artefacts Jack had given them that morning. Ianto has to hide his smile when Tosh mimics strangling Owen from behind as he prattles on about one of the items in his usual sanctimonious tones. He might stand a chance with Tosh if he would just loosen up, Ianto thinks. She's so fun and easygoing and he's just so uptight and… well, Oweney about everything. Another look at Tosh's annoyed expression has Ianto rethinking. Well, maybe he doesn’t stand a chance after all. It's not like anyone could compare to Adam.
Owen's mobile rings, halting his seemingly endless commentary on one of the artefacts.
"Doctor Owen Harper here. Oh, hello, Adam… she what? How odd. Yes, yes, of course. Bring her right back. Okay, goodbye." Owen snaps his phone closed. "Where was I?"
"Owen!" Tosh and Ianto's voices blend together as they both yell at their teammate.
"What?"
"What happened at Gwen's flat?" Tosh asks, clearly exasperated.
"Oh. It wasn't a break in. Gwen seems to have some kind of amnesia, she mistook Rhys for a burglar."
"Is that even possible?" Ianto asks.
"Apparently it is. Adam is bringing her back for an exam."
Owen seems to consider that the end of the matter, picking up the artefact he'd been classifying and resuming his work. Ianto and Tosh share an eye roll and get back to work as well.
When the cog door rolls back to let in Adam and Gwen, Ianto hurries to them, trying to think how best he can help, but just like Jack, Adam takes command of the situation.
"Owen!"
"All ready!" Owen calls back, his voice carrying up from the med bay.
"Okay, Gwen, Owen's gonna give you a look and see if he can find out what's happened," Adam says soothingly as he guides Gwen to the med bay stairs.
Ianto watches them go by, wondering for the thousandth time if he'll ever be any good at his job. He sighs and follows them to the med bay, waiting on the upper gallery, out of the way but ready in case anyone needs anything.
Owen's assessment reveals nothing that explains Gwen's memory loss, which only adds to everyone's confusion and concern. When Owen starts hypothesizing about possible neurologic deficits that wouldn't show up on a normal exam, Ianto turns to head down to the conference room where Tosh is still working on the artefacts, preferring to be doing something useful, but stops when his mobile rings. He fishes it out of his pocket and glances at the display. His heart speeds up a bit when he sees that it's Jack.
"Yes, sir?" he says by way of greeting.
"Anything from Owen?" Jack asks brusquely.
"No, sir, he hasn't found anything."
Jack sighs noisily in Ianto's ear. "Fine. I have an idea. I need you to patch into the webcam from the SUV. Display it on a monitor where Gwen can see it."
"Right away, sir," Ianto says, already moving to obey.
Once he has the feed set up properly at Gwen's workstation, the screen showing a sad-looking Rhys, sitting on the sofa in his bathrobe, Ianto tells Adam to bring Owen up. They settle Gwen in the chair and then give her some space at Adam's suggestion. Owen goes to help Tosh, Adam keeps an eye on Gwen whilst she watches Rhys talking about their first date, leaving Ianto with nothing to do but clean the coffee maker yet again.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
After Jack's scheme with the webcam, Gwen is at least reassured that Rhys isn't a physical threat to her. Even though she still can't remember him, she says that she trusts everyone else enough to admit that he really must be her fiancé after all. Adam asks Ianto to drive her home once she's ready.
"Of course," Ianto agrees readily. "Anything I can do to help."
"You're a good 'un, mate. Cheers," Adam says, giving Ianto's shoulder a squeeze.
Ianto gathers up the SUV keys and his coat, giving Gwen a little time to compose herself. She's still staring at the frozen frame of Rhys on the monitor at her desk when he comes to get her. As he gets close, he realises she's muttering, 'Rhys is my fiancé, Rhys is my fiancé' over and over to herself.
"Come on, then," he says kindly, patting her on the arm. "It'll come back to you."
She turns her big eyes up at him. "Do you really think so, Ianto?"
"Of course. It'll sort itself out, you'll see. There's no way you're not getting your happy ending with Rhys," he teases.
She gives him a wobbly smile and follows him out to the car.
The ride to her flat is quiet and uneventful. Ianto escorts her inside, leading the way so she'll know it's safe. He gives Rhys a sympathetic nod but his eyes are drawn immediately to Jack as he stands and crosses the room.
"Don't leave me, Jack," Gwen hisses as Jack is leaving, clinging to him in a moment of sheer panic.
Jack holds her off with some difficulty, shooting Rhys an apologetic glance. He looks down at Gwen and says, "You'll be okay."
Gwen doesn't look like she believes him, grabbing for Jack again as he moves away. He takes her hands and pushes her away as kindly as possible and continues walking out the door.
Ianto isn't sure what to do in the awkwardness of the moment, so he goes for comic relief, giving Gwen and wink and thumbs up before following Jack.
"What was that all about?" Jack asks as they walk to the SUV.
Ianto shrugs. "Temporary amnesia. Owen's checking possible causes. Oh…" he breaks off, reaching into his pocket for the keys, tossing them to Jack who catches them without missing a beat. Something about the action feels so familiar that for a moment Ianto almost aches from the unfamiliar sense of camaraderie, of belonging. Before he can make a fool of himself, Ianto's phone buzzes just as Jack looks away. He looks down, reading the text to the Captain.
"Weevil sighting by the sewer in Rockall Street." He looks up when there is no response. "Jack. Jack!"
Jack spins to face him again. "Can you see him?" he asks desperately.
Ianto looks at the empty street where Jack had been staring. "Who?" he asks, confused.
Jack looks again but apparently sees nothing this time. He tenses and climbs into the SUV, his face set in a mask. "I'll drop you off and check out the sighting."
Ianto gathers his courage, holding on to the sense of partnership he felt just moments ago. "I could come with you," he offers quietly. "It's been a while since we went hunting together."
When Jack glances at him, Ianto isn't sure he even sees him. "I'll be fine on my own," he says in a hard voice.
The SUV tyres chirp angrily as Jack pulls away from the kerb and Ianto sits quietly on the way back to the Hub, trying to figure out why Jack's rejection hurts so much.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Jack drops Ianto off on the Plass, speeding away before Ianto can even close the door. He hears it slam home with a hollow thunk as Jack drives away, the sound echoing the feeling in his chest. For a few moments he'd felt part of something in way that's been missing in his life since the Cybermen attacked Torchwood One. And then, just as suddenly, it's gone and he's alone again.
Once back in the Hub, Ianto wanders down to the conference room where Tosh and Owen are still hard at work. He stops at the doorway, leaning against the wall rather than joining them. He wonders if this isolation will ever end, wonders how to make them see him as part of the team. Except for Adam, he thinks with a slight smile. Thank God for Adam, if it wasn't for him, I'd probably have quit by now and God knows where I'd be.
He shakes off his negative thoughts and forces himself to pay attention to the discussion Tosh and Owen are having about an intricately carved wooden box. He narrows his eyes. There's something about that box that looks familiar to him.
"I think Jack brought it in," he says, finally entering the conversation.
Tosh glances over at him. "No, I'm sure Adam found it on an excavation a few months back."
Ianto ponders that for a second and then smiles. "I'll have a look in the diary," he says. "I like to log the interesting stuff."
"You write about artefacts in your diary?" Tosh asks with a teasing smile.
"Among other things," he replies, giving her a saucy wink. He hears her laugh as he heads down the corridor. He whistles softly as he hurries up the stairs to the Hub. Maybe all I need to do is make more of an effort and things will get start to get better, he thinks. Adam's always suggesting it, I should really listen to him.
TBC in Chapter Fifty-Eight
. This entry was originally posted at http://buttononthetop.dreamwidth.org/103087.html. Please comment there using OpenID.