Fic: The Sea After a Storm (1/?)
Title: The Sea After a Storm, Chapter 1
Rating: R (base rating)
Warnings: None really
Spoilers: Season Two thru Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2x01)
Pairings: Jack/Ianto
Disclaimer: Torchwood and all its wonderfulness belong to the Mighty Beeb and He Who Must Not Be Named. All ©’s to Chris Chibnall for dialogue borrowed from Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. No infringement, only worship intended!
Summary: In which Jack has returned and dispatched the blowfish…
Notes: And so we begin! This is my Season 2 Gap Filler - sequel to Vizzini’s Rule and To The Pain. Since it's been ages since I posted, if you'd like a quick refresher on the important points of To The Pain, you might want to read An Overdeveloped Sense of Vengeance - it leads right into Chapter One. Thanks to my amazing beta and wonderful friend
thrace_adamsfor all the help and support; any mistakes are mine!
The Sea After a Storm: Chapter One
"Hey, kids. Did you miss me?" Jack asked, his smile turning into a grin as he laughed quietly.
Ianto stared at him, unable to believe his eyes. Jack. Jack is here. He repeated the words in his head, trying to make them make sense.
The rest of the team seemed to be suffering from the same problem, each of them frozen in place, staring at their Captain.
"Can I… help… please… God, it hurts," a ragged voice cried weakly.
"Robert!" the woman in the other room called out as she hurried to him, dragging their daughter in her wake. "Robert, can you hear me?" she asked as she dropped to her knees by her husband.
"Didn’t get shot in the ear, love," he whispered and then laughed, the noise sounding wet and painful.
Gwen snapped into action, flicking the safety on her gun and tucking it in the back of her jeans as she started barking out questions and orders. "Owen, is he stable? Can we wait for the paramedics or should we get him to A&E on our own?"
Owen prepped a needle and spoke as he filled the syringe. "He’ll be just fine."
"Good," Gwen said with a relieved sigh. "Good work. Tosh, if you’ll call 999 and get the ambulance on the way? You can report the shooting but tell them Torchwood is on the scene and that we'll handle the body."
"Gotcha," Tosh said, pocketing her gun and the scanner and flipping open her mobile.
Ianto finally tore his eyes away from Jack and spoke up. "I’ll deal with the… er, blowfish, then, shall I?"
Gwen nodded gratefully. "That would be wonderful. Oh, and on the way back from the SUV could you…?" she trailed off and tapped her temple with her index finger.
"Of course. Perhaps you could make some tea?" he suggested. "I’m sure a nice cuppa would make everyone feel better."
"Right," she replied with a smile. She headed for the kitchen at the back of the house, passing Jack along the way with a muttered, "Excuse me."
Ianto looked over at Jack again. He really couldn’t help himself. To say the man was a sight for sore eyes was an understatement of epic proportions.
Jack looked lost, watching the bustle around him, outside of it all somehow. Ianto wondered what would happen if he simply launched himself at his Captain and snogged him senseless. We’re going to Retcon these nice people anyway, he thought, suppressing slightly hysterical laughter. Instead of giving in to his baser instincts, he turned to the body of the blowfish and bent down to lift it over his shoulders.
"Here, let me help," Jack said quietly.
Ianto glanced up and met concerned blue eyes. He swallowed hard. "Thank you, sir," he replied just as quietly.
Together they hefted the blowfish’s surprisingly heavy corpse and manoeuvred it out to the SUV. While Jack secured the body in the boot, Ianto sorted out three light doses of Retcon. Jack joined him by the open passenger-side door as he finished updating the log. Ianto didn’t realize how close Jack was until he turned and found himself nose to nose with his… Friend? Lover? Ex-lover? Boss, Ianto told himself firmly. That part is still true no matter what else happens.
Jack looked like he couldn’t decide if he wanted to shove Ianto into the SUV and ravage him or simply burst into tears. Ianto understood exactly how he felt. They stood there, eyes locked, both of them breathing hard. A sudden sense of déjà vu struck Ianto. It was just over a year ago that he’d found himself in exactly the same position, a breath away from Jack, unable to move, to look away, overcome with the desire to press his mouth against those perfect lips. Of course, a year ago they’d been lying together on a grimy warehouse floor with an unconscious pterodactyl as the only witness. This time… Ianto felt his heart beat faster and his breath hitch in his throat as he swayed forward slightly. There it was, underneath the rain and the fresh cut grass and the increasingly strong smell of dead fish, there it was. Jack, Ianto thought blissfully as he breathed in the scent that had haunted his dreams for the last hundred and twenty-nine days. Jack.
"Ianto? Gwen said the tea’s ready," Tosh called from the front door. "We have to hurry, the ambulance is on its way."
Ianto jerked and stepped quickly away from Jack. He looked back as he hurried into the house to see that Jack hadn’t moved. He was still standing there, head bent, the picture of dejection. Part of Ianto yearned to take Jack in his arms and make him feel better, while another part, the less charitable part of him was experiencing a bit of schadenfreude at Jack’s obvious pain. You’re a horrible person, Ianto Jones, he thought to himself as he dosed the cups of tea Gwen had prepared.
"That should do it," he murmured. "I suggest we get the ambulance to take all three of them and when they pass out, it’ll be written off as shock. The police can explain the break in later, leaving out the blowfish, of course. Even if they do manage to remember something about their attacker, they’ll dismiss it as stress or an overactive imagination."
"Great. Thanks, Ianto. How… er, did he say anything?" she asked as she picked up the cups.
"No," Ianto said shortly. "And I didn’t ask."
Gwen looked like she wanted to say more but just nodded and took the tea to the distraught family. The women finished their cups of tea quickly and Owen had been able to slip the wounded man’s dose into the IV bag he had started before the ambulance and the police arrived. Gwen liaised with the police, giving them a highly edited version of the events which painted the wounded man as the hero of the night. Ianto smiled to himself as he listened. Gwen always felt so terrible whenever they had to resort to Retcon that she tended to go a bit overboard on the cover stories.
After they’d made sure that any traces of question-inducing evidence had been removed from the house, Gwen turned the scene over to SOCO and the team headed back to the SUV… and Jack.
Ianto realized as he stepped outside that Jack had never rejoined them in the house. He glanced around as he followed Tosh out the front door and spotted him over by the stolen Crossfire that the blowfish had been driving. Jack was on his mobile, talking animatedly with whomever was on the other end of the call. Ianto frowned and stepped closer, trying to overhear without interrupting.
"…back driver’s side tyre. Thanks, Skip. Yeah, I’d really rather get it back in one piece." Jack paused and smiled, but Ianto noticed it still didn’t quite meet his eyes. "Great. Great. And we’ll take it from there. Great. Thanks, Skip."
Jack flipped his phone closed and looked over at Ianto with a shrug. "Talked to one of the sergeants. He said the car was stolen by the blowfish? Well, you know, without saying blowfish." He waited for Ianto’s nod of confirmation and then continued. "I thought it would be nice if we could get it back to the owner without a blown out tyre, since I’m guessing we blew out the tyre?"
Ianto couldn’t get used to Jack's questioning, uncertain tone. He wondered again just where Jack had been and what had happened to him. Jack was looking at him expectantly and Ianto realized he hadn’t replied.
"Yes, yes, Owen’s handiwork," he said quickly. "That was nice of you, sir."
Jack just shrugged again and then cringed as Tosh’s angry cry rang out.
"Jack Harkness, you stole my bloody car?" she hollered.
"Not stole, borrowed," Jack said sheepishly. "I have a key so it can hardly be considered stealing."
Tosh didn’t seem to be impressed with his rationalization and stared at him, angrily tapping one very pointy boot. Jack didn’t miss the motion or its implication and flinched just a bit. Tosh huffed and then turned her back on Jack, striding over to the vehicle in question. She paused as she opened the door.
"Anyone who doesn’t want to ride with a rotting fish corpse is free to come with me," she offered and then dropped into the driver's seat, slamming her door behind her.
Owen glanced at the SUV and then at Tosh’s car. He tossed the keys at Ianto, who caught them just before they smacked him in the face. "I’m in," he called.
"Me, too," Gwen added. She was still avoiding even looking at Jack.
As she and Owen fought to get into Tosh’s small car, bickering about who had to sit in the backseat, Jack glanced over at Ianto.
"Well? Aren’t you going to join them?" he asked in clipped tones.
Ianto slowly shook his head. "No, I’ll take you back in the SUV."
Jack smiled hesitantly.
"It looks like Gwen won the front seat debate and the smell of dead fish is infinitely preferable to riding smashed up next to Owen," he finished.
The smile faded from Jack’s face to be replaced with an angry frown. Ianto realized that Jack had taken the joke the wrong way and was about to apologize, when Jack rasped out, "Well, let’s go, then," and stalked over to the SUV.
Ianto sighed. It was going to be a long night.
TBC in Chapter Two
Rating: R (base rating)
Warnings: None really
Spoilers: Season Two thru Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang (2x01)
Pairings: Jack/Ianto
Disclaimer: Torchwood and all its wonderfulness belong to the Mighty Beeb and He Who Must Not Be Named. All ©’s to Chris Chibnall for dialogue borrowed from Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. No infringement, only worship intended!
Summary: In which Jack has returned and dispatched the blowfish…
Notes: And so we begin! This is my Season 2 Gap Filler - sequel to Vizzini’s Rule and To The Pain. Since it's been ages since I posted, if you'd like a quick refresher on the important points of To The Pain, you might want to read An Overdeveloped Sense of Vengeance - it leads right into Chapter One. Thanks to my amazing beta and wonderful friend
thrace_adamsfor all the help and support; any mistakes are mine!
The Sea After a Storm: Chapter One
"Hey, kids. Did you miss me?" Jack asked, his smile turning into a grin as he laughed quietly.
Ianto stared at him, unable to believe his eyes. Jack. Jack is here. He repeated the words in his head, trying to make them make sense.
The rest of the team seemed to be suffering from the same problem, each of them frozen in place, staring at their Captain.
"Can I… help… please… God, it hurts," a ragged voice cried weakly.
"Robert!" the woman in the other room called out as she hurried to him, dragging their daughter in her wake. "Robert, can you hear me?" she asked as she dropped to her knees by her husband.
"Didn’t get shot in the ear, love," he whispered and then laughed, the noise sounding wet and painful.
Gwen snapped into action, flicking the safety on her gun and tucking it in the back of her jeans as she started barking out questions and orders. "Owen, is he stable? Can we wait for the paramedics or should we get him to A&E on our own?"
Owen prepped a needle and spoke as he filled the syringe. "He’ll be just fine."
"Good," Gwen said with a relieved sigh. "Good work. Tosh, if you’ll call 999 and get the ambulance on the way? You can report the shooting but tell them Torchwood is on the scene and that we'll handle the body."
"Gotcha," Tosh said, pocketing her gun and the scanner and flipping open her mobile.
Ianto finally tore his eyes away from Jack and spoke up. "I’ll deal with the… er, blowfish, then, shall I?"
Gwen nodded gratefully. "That would be wonderful. Oh, and on the way back from the SUV could you…?" she trailed off and tapped her temple with her index finger.
"Of course. Perhaps you could make some tea?" he suggested. "I’m sure a nice cuppa would make everyone feel better."
"Right," she replied with a smile. She headed for the kitchen at the back of the house, passing Jack along the way with a muttered, "Excuse me."
Ianto looked over at Jack again. He really couldn’t help himself. To say the man was a sight for sore eyes was an understatement of epic proportions.
Jack looked lost, watching the bustle around him, outside of it all somehow. Ianto wondered what would happen if he simply launched himself at his Captain and snogged him senseless. We’re going to Retcon these nice people anyway, he thought, suppressing slightly hysterical laughter. Instead of giving in to his baser instincts, he turned to the body of the blowfish and bent down to lift it over his shoulders.
"Here, let me help," Jack said quietly.
Ianto glanced up and met concerned blue eyes. He swallowed hard. "Thank you, sir," he replied just as quietly.
Together they hefted the blowfish’s surprisingly heavy corpse and manoeuvred it out to the SUV. While Jack secured the body in the boot, Ianto sorted out three light doses of Retcon. Jack joined him by the open passenger-side door as he finished updating the log. Ianto didn’t realize how close Jack was until he turned and found himself nose to nose with his… Friend? Lover? Ex-lover? Boss, Ianto told himself firmly. That part is still true no matter what else happens.
Jack looked like he couldn’t decide if he wanted to shove Ianto into the SUV and ravage him or simply burst into tears. Ianto understood exactly how he felt. They stood there, eyes locked, both of them breathing hard. A sudden sense of déjà vu struck Ianto. It was just over a year ago that he’d found himself in exactly the same position, a breath away from Jack, unable to move, to look away, overcome with the desire to press his mouth against those perfect lips. Of course, a year ago they’d been lying together on a grimy warehouse floor with an unconscious pterodactyl as the only witness. This time… Ianto felt his heart beat faster and his breath hitch in his throat as he swayed forward slightly. There it was, underneath the rain and the fresh cut grass and the increasingly strong smell of dead fish, there it was. Jack, Ianto thought blissfully as he breathed in the scent that had haunted his dreams for the last hundred and twenty-nine days. Jack.
"Ianto? Gwen said the tea’s ready," Tosh called from the front door. "We have to hurry, the ambulance is on its way."
Ianto jerked and stepped quickly away from Jack. He looked back as he hurried into the house to see that Jack hadn’t moved. He was still standing there, head bent, the picture of dejection. Part of Ianto yearned to take Jack in his arms and make him feel better, while another part, the less charitable part of him was experiencing a bit of schadenfreude at Jack’s obvious pain. You’re a horrible person, Ianto Jones, he thought to himself as he dosed the cups of tea Gwen had prepared.
"That should do it," he murmured. "I suggest we get the ambulance to take all three of them and when they pass out, it’ll be written off as shock. The police can explain the break in later, leaving out the blowfish, of course. Even if they do manage to remember something about their attacker, they’ll dismiss it as stress or an overactive imagination."
"Great. Thanks, Ianto. How… er, did he say anything?" she asked as she picked up the cups.
"No," Ianto said shortly. "And I didn’t ask."
Gwen looked like she wanted to say more but just nodded and took the tea to the distraught family. The women finished their cups of tea quickly and Owen had been able to slip the wounded man’s dose into the IV bag he had started before the ambulance and the police arrived. Gwen liaised with the police, giving them a highly edited version of the events which painted the wounded man as the hero of the night. Ianto smiled to himself as he listened. Gwen always felt so terrible whenever they had to resort to Retcon that she tended to go a bit overboard on the cover stories.
After they’d made sure that any traces of question-inducing evidence had been removed from the house, Gwen turned the scene over to SOCO and the team headed back to the SUV… and Jack.
Ianto realized as he stepped outside that Jack had never rejoined them in the house. He glanced around as he followed Tosh out the front door and spotted him over by the stolen Crossfire that the blowfish had been driving. Jack was on his mobile, talking animatedly with whomever was on the other end of the call. Ianto frowned and stepped closer, trying to overhear without interrupting.
"…back driver’s side tyre. Thanks, Skip. Yeah, I’d really rather get it back in one piece." Jack paused and smiled, but Ianto noticed it still didn’t quite meet his eyes. "Great. Great. And we’ll take it from there. Great. Thanks, Skip."
Jack flipped his phone closed and looked over at Ianto with a shrug. "Talked to one of the sergeants. He said the car was stolen by the blowfish? Well, you know, without saying blowfish." He waited for Ianto’s nod of confirmation and then continued. "I thought it would be nice if we could get it back to the owner without a blown out tyre, since I’m guessing we blew out the tyre?"
Ianto couldn’t get used to Jack's questioning, uncertain tone. He wondered again just where Jack had been and what had happened to him. Jack was looking at him expectantly and Ianto realized he hadn’t replied.
"Yes, yes, Owen’s handiwork," he said quickly. "That was nice of you, sir."
Jack just shrugged again and then cringed as Tosh’s angry cry rang out.
"Jack Harkness, you stole my bloody car?" she hollered.
"Not stole, borrowed," Jack said sheepishly. "I have a key so it can hardly be considered stealing."
Tosh didn’t seem to be impressed with his rationalization and stared at him, angrily tapping one very pointy boot. Jack didn’t miss the motion or its implication and flinched just a bit. Tosh huffed and then turned her back on Jack, striding over to the vehicle in question. She paused as she opened the door.
"Anyone who doesn’t want to ride with a rotting fish corpse is free to come with me," she offered and then dropped into the driver's seat, slamming her door behind her.
Owen glanced at the SUV and then at Tosh’s car. He tossed the keys at Ianto, who caught them just before they smacked him in the face. "I’m in," he called.
"Me, too," Gwen added. She was still avoiding even looking at Jack.
As she and Owen fought to get into Tosh’s small car, bickering about who had to sit in the backseat, Jack glanced over at Ianto.
"Well? Aren’t you going to join them?" he asked in clipped tones.
Ianto slowly shook his head. "No, I’ll take you back in the SUV."
Jack smiled hesitantly.
"It looks like Gwen won the front seat debate and the smell of dead fish is infinitely preferable to riding smashed up next to Owen," he finished.
The smile faded from Jack’s face to be replaced with an angry frown. Ianto realized that Jack had taken the joke the wrong way and was about to apologize, when Jack rasped out, "Well, let’s go, then," and stalked over to the SUV.
Ianto sighed. It was going to be a long night.
TBC in Chapter Two