Fic: The Sea After a Storm (75/?)
Title: The Sea After a Storm, Chapter 75
Rating: R
Warnings: Fall-out from major character death
Spoilers: Season Two thru Dead Man Walking (2x07)
Pairings: Jack/Ianto
Disclaimer: Torchwood, Doctor Who and all their wonderfulness belong to the Mighty Beeb and He Who Must Not Be Named. All ©'s to Matt Jones for situations and dialogue borrowed from Dead Man Walking. No infringement, only worship intended!
Summary: In which Jack comes up with a horrifying plan to deal with Owen's death...
Notes: Sorry this is a day late! 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 and beta work; any mistakes are mine!
The Sea After a Storm: Chapter Seventy-Five
Previously on The Sea After a Storm: The team shut down the Pharm and rescued Martha but the price was higher than any of them had anticipated...
Ianto looked down at Owen, laid out on the exam table, draped and prepped for autopsy, and clenched his fists. He glanced down at Tosh and Gwen who were huddled together on the step at his feet, none of them wanting to venture further into the medbay but none of them able to leave.
Martha pulled back the sheet to reveal Owen's face and chest, the bullet wound a dark mark on his pale skin. She turned on the mic hanging above the table and spoke, her voice clear and professional and sounding much too loud in the pained silence.
"The time is 2130. This is Dr. Martha Jones. Autopsy on Owen Harper, Caucasian, age 27, Torchwood Officer 565. Time of death witnessed at approximately 2020. Autopsy begins."
Has it really only been an hour? Ianto thought. He closed his eyes when Martha lifted a surgical knife from the instrument tray. An hour ago, Owen was alive and saving Martha's life and now she's about to -
"Stop!" Jack burst through the doorway to the medbay, almost stepping on Gwen. "Nobody touches him 'til I get back, is that clear?" He gave a Martha a hard look and then shared a glance with Ianto and then he was gone.
"Where's he going?" Gwen asked, looking up at Ianto.
He shrugged. "I have no idea."
Gwen hopped up and followed Jack, but the sound of the cog door sounded before she had gotten too far and Ianto knew it was a lost cause. Gwen apparently shared his sentiment, because she returned a moment later to sit next to Tosh on the cold step. For a long minute no one said anything. Martha was the first to move, stripping off her mask and other surgical kit. When she moved to cover Owen again, Tosh finally spoke, though the words sounded as if they'd been dragged out of her.
"No! Please," she added in a calmer voice. She moved to the railing next to Ianto and gripped the bar so tightly her knuckles turned white. "Just... leave him for a bit?" she asked, making it more of a request than a demand. She stared hungrily down at Owen's face.
Martha hesitated but, after a shared look with Ianto, nodded and left the sheet where it was. She climbed the stairs along the wall of the medbay and paused for a moment near Tosh.
"I'm... very sorry for your loss," she said softly to Tosh, including Gwen and Ianto in her gaze as well.
Tosh nodded jerkily, but didn't take her eyes off of Owen's body.
After another awkward pause, Martha left them and moved back into the Hub. Gwen turned beseeching eyes up at Ianto and nodded her head toward Tosh's back. He gave her a small, sad smile and moved to stand next to Tosh, careful not to touch her.
Gwen stood up behind them and said quietly, "If you need me...?"
Ianto shot her a quick glance. "Thanks."
Tosh didn't speak.
After a few minutes, Ianto closed his eyes again, unable to keep staring at Owen's lifeless form. It was several minutes later, when he was staring up at the ceiling of the medbay, idly noting places that needed a good cleaning, that Tosh finally broke the silence.
"We're going to try," she said in a voice that sounded angry more than anything else. "That's what he said. One date... see how it goes."
"Tosh -"
"No!" she said again in that same fierce tone. "We're going to try! I've loved him for years. Years! And we were going to try and now -" She broke off with a sob.
Ianto turned and pulled Tosh into his arms. She collapsed against him, sobbing as he held her close and let her rage against fate. Eventually, her tears subsided into soft hiccups and she moved away, wiping her face with her hands. Ianto handed her a clean handkerchief from his pocket which she accepted with thanks.
"I..." She glanced back down at Owen's body, her eyes filling again. "I'm gonna go splash some water on my face," she said, turning away from Owen so slowly it was as if she was breaking a physical tie.
"Can I make you a cup of tea or... anything?" Ianto asked as they walked up the few steps to the Hub.
Tosh shook her head and hurried down to the locker rooms.
Ianto sighed and scrubbed his face with his hands. He was so tired that nothing felt real any more - especially not Owen's death. He dropped onto the sofa and rested his head in his hands. He wasn't sure, but he thought he must've dozed for a few minutes at least. When he sat up and ran his hands through his hair, Tosh was back, working at her computer, looking like her usual composed self again. Gwen was in the chair opposite the sofa, staring down at the coffee table. He leant back on the cushions and laced his fingers together across his stomach and let out a deep sigh as Martha walked over to join him on the sofa. He gave her a half-smile in greeting as she sat down next to him.
They were still sitting in silence when the alarm blared and the cog door rolled back to reveal Jack carrying a small wooden box.
"Jack?" Gwen called when he ran by them without saying a word.
They all surged to their feet. Jack was standing at his desk with his back to the door when they joined him in his office.
"Jack? What have you got?" Gwen asked.
There was a long pause and then Jack turned and showed them - it was a metal glove, almost identical to the glove they'd had to destroy after it almost killed Gwen trying to keeping Suzie alive. This one was for the other hand.
"Oh, my God," Tosh said, looking askance at the glove.
Ianto just stared at Jack in complete disbelief.
"You can't use it," Gwen protested. "Not after Suzie."
Jack, apparently, didn't agree. "I'm using the glove. I'm bringing Owen back."
Jack pushed past them again, heading for the medbay this time with Gwen hot on his heels, remonstrating.
"Who's Suzie?" Martha asked Tosh and Ianto.
Ianto answered as they followed Jack and Gwen. "She was a team member. She… er… died and was later brought back to life by the use of a glove similar to that one," he explained briefly.
"So he can actually do it? Jack can actually raise the dead?" Martha looked shocked and a little angry.
Tosh and Ianto exchanged a look. "Maybe," Tosh said.
"Are you really going to use that after what happened last time?" Gwen was asking as they reached the steps down to the medbay. "Jack, the gloves are dangerous. At best it'll give us two minutes. At worst… who knows what will happen!"
"It's not up for discussion."
"I thought the glove didn't work for you." Gwen tried a different tack.
Martha looked between them, Jack standing by Owen's body, Gwen haranguing him from the walkway above. She was clearly concerned about the arguing between team members.
"Different glove, different circumstances," Jack said tersely. "This time it has to work for me. I'm not going to give it any choice."
Ianto turned on the monitoring equipment that read the vitals of whomever was lying on the table. It registered the flatline of Owen's dead body immediately. Ianto slipped his watch from his pocket and let his thumb hover over the button on the top.
"Okay?" Jack asked him, getting a nod in return. "If you've got anything you need to say to Owen, now is your chance." Jack pulled on the glove.
TBC...
. This entry was originally posted at http://buttononthetop.dreamwidth.org/110216.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
Rating: R
Warnings: Fall-out from major character death
Spoilers: Season Two thru Dead Man Walking (2x07)
Pairings: Jack/Ianto
Disclaimer: Torchwood, Doctor Who and all their wonderfulness belong to the Mighty Beeb and He Who Must Not Be Named. All ©'s to Matt Jones for situations and dialogue borrowed from Dead Man Walking. No infringement, only worship intended!
Summary: In which Jack comes up with a horrifying plan to deal with Owen's death...
Notes: Sorry this is a day late! 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 and beta work; any mistakes are mine!
The Sea After a Storm: Chapter Seventy-Five
Previously on The Sea After a Storm: The team shut down the Pharm and rescued Martha but the price was higher than any of them had anticipated...
Ianto looked down at Owen, laid out on the exam table, draped and prepped for autopsy, and clenched his fists. He glanced down at Tosh and Gwen who were huddled together on the step at his feet, none of them wanting to venture further into the medbay but none of them able to leave.
Martha pulled back the sheet to reveal Owen's face and chest, the bullet wound a dark mark on his pale skin. She turned on the mic hanging above the table and spoke, her voice clear and professional and sounding much too loud in the pained silence.
"The time is 2130. This is Dr. Martha Jones. Autopsy on Owen Harper, Caucasian, age 27, Torchwood Officer 565. Time of death witnessed at approximately 2020. Autopsy begins."
Has it really only been an hour? Ianto thought. He closed his eyes when Martha lifted a surgical knife from the instrument tray. An hour ago, Owen was alive and saving Martha's life and now she's about to -
"Stop!" Jack burst through the doorway to the medbay, almost stepping on Gwen. "Nobody touches him 'til I get back, is that clear?" He gave a Martha a hard look and then shared a glance with Ianto and then he was gone.
"Where's he going?" Gwen asked, looking up at Ianto.
He shrugged. "I have no idea."
Gwen hopped up and followed Jack, but the sound of the cog door sounded before she had gotten too far and Ianto knew it was a lost cause. Gwen apparently shared his sentiment, because she returned a moment later to sit next to Tosh on the cold step. For a long minute no one said anything. Martha was the first to move, stripping off her mask and other surgical kit. When she moved to cover Owen again, Tosh finally spoke, though the words sounded as if they'd been dragged out of her.
"No! Please," she added in a calmer voice. She moved to the railing next to Ianto and gripped the bar so tightly her knuckles turned white. "Just... leave him for a bit?" she asked, making it more of a request than a demand. She stared hungrily down at Owen's face.
Martha hesitated but, after a shared look with Ianto, nodded and left the sheet where it was. She climbed the stairs along the wall of the medbay and paused for a moment near Tosh.
"I'm... very sorry for your loss," she said softly to Tosh, including Gwen and Ianto in her gaze as well.
Tosh nodded jerkily, but didn't take her eyes off of Owen's body.
After another awkward pause, Martha left them and moved back into the Hub. Gwen turned beseeching eyes up at Ianto and nodded her head toward Tosh's back. He gave her a small, sad smile and moved to stand next to Tosh, careful not to touch her.
Gwen stood up behind them and said quietly, "If you need me...?"
Ianto shot her a quick glance. "Thanks."
Tosh didn't speak.
After a few minutes, Ianto closed his eyes again, unable to keep staring at Owen's lifeless form. It was several minutes later, when he was staring up at the ceiling of the medbay, idly noting places that needed a good cleaning, that Tosh finally broke the silence.
"We're going to try," she said in a voice that sounded angry more than anything else. "That's what he said. One date... see how it goes."
"Tosh -"
"No!" she said again in that same fierce tone. "We're going to try! I've loved him for years. Years! And we were going to try and now -" She broke off with a sob.
Ianto turned and pulled Tosh into his arms. She collapsed against him, sobbing as he held her close and let her rage against fate. Eventually, her tears subsided into soft hiccups and she moved away, wiping her face with her hands. Ianto handed her a clean handkerchief from his pocket which she accepted with thanks.
"I..." She glanced back down at Owen's body, her eyes filling again. "I'm gonna go splash some water on my face," she said, turning away from Owen so slowly it was as if she was breaking a physical tie.
"Can I make you a cup of tea or... anything?" Ianto asked as they walked up the few steps to the Hub.
Tosh shook her head and hurried down to the locker rooms.
Ianto sighed and scrubbed his face with his hands. He was so tired that nothing felt real any more - especially not Owen's death. He dropped onto the sofa and rested his head in his hands. He wasn't sure, but he thought he must've dozed for a few minutes at least. When he sat up and ran his hands through his hair, Tosh was back, working at her computer, looking like her usual composed self again. Gwen was in the chair opposite the sofa, staring down at the coffee table. He leant back on the cushions and laced his fingers together across his stomach and let out a deep sigh as Martha walked over to join him on the sofa. He gave her a half-smile in greeting as she sat down next to him.
They were still sitting in silence when the alarm blared and the cog door rolled back to reveal Jack carrying a small wooden box.
"Jack?" Gwen called when he ran by them without saying a word.
They all surged to their feet. Jack was standing at his desk with his back to the door when they joined him in his office.
"Jack? What have you got?" Gwen asked.
There was a long pause and then Jack turned and showed them - it was a metal glove, almost identical to the glove they'd had to destroy after it almost killed Gwen trying to keeping Suzie alive. This one was for the other hand.
"Oh, my God," Tosh said, looking askance at the glove.
Ianto just stared at Jack in complete disbelief.
"You can't use it," Gwen protested. "Not after Suzie."
Jack, apparently, didn't agree. "I'm using the glove. I'm bringing Owen back."
Jack pushed past them again, heading for the medbay this time with Gwen hot on his heels, remonstrating.
"Who's Suzie?" Martha asked Tosh and Ianto.
Ianto answered as they followed Jack and Gwen. "She was a team member. She… er… died and was later brought back to life by the use of a glove similar to that one," he explained briefly.
"So he can actually do it? Jack can actually raise the dead?" Martha looked shocked and a little angry.
Tosh and Ianto exchanged a look. "Maybe," Tosh said.
"Are you really going to use that after what happened last time?" Gwen was asking as they reached the steps down to the medbay. "Jack, the gloves are dangerous. At best it'll give us two minutes. At worst… who knows what will happen!"
"It's not up for discussion."
"I thought the glove didn't work for you." Gwen tried a different tack.
Martha looked between them, Jack standing by Owen's body, Gwen haranguing him from the walkway above. She was clearly concerned about the arguing between team members.
"Different glove, different circumstances," Jack said tersely. "This time it has to work for me. I'm not going to give it any choice."
Ianto turned on the monitoring equipment that read the vitals of whomever was lying on the table. It registered the flatline of Owen's dead body immediately. Ianto slipped his watch from his pocket and let his thumb hover over the button on the top.
"Okay?" Jack asked him, getting a nod in return. "If you've got anything you need to say to Owen, now is your chance." Jack pulled on the glove.
TBC...
. This entry was originally posted at http://buttononthetop.dreamwidth.org/110216.html. Please comment there using OpenID.