Fic: The Sea After a Storm (36/?)
Title: The Sea After a Storm, Chapter 36
Rating: R
Warnings: None really, just don't feel like changing the rating :)
Spoilers: Season Two thru To the Last Man (2x03)
Pairings: Jack/Ianto
Disclaimer: Torchwood and all its wonderfulness belong to the Mighty Beeb and He Who Must Not Be Named. All ©'s to Helen Raynor for situations borrowed from To the Last Man. No infringement, only worship intended!
Summary: In which the team confirms that Tommy's moment of glory is upon them...
Notes: Hello! Hello! Hello, my lovelies!! *hugs y'all* Here it is! The next chapter of The Sea After a Storm. I can't tell you how much I appreciate y'all keeping the faith for all this time. Pretty please leave a comment so I know you're still reading! *blows kisses* If you need to catch up a little, you can find all the previous chapters here. 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 Thirty-Six
Previously on The Sea After a Storm: Our intrepid heroes had unfrozen Tommy Brockless for his yearly checkup. Jack and Ianto plan to have a nice dinner after they've tucked Tommy back into the archives, but the rift has a different ideas...
Ianto glanced over at the sealed box for the hundredth time in the last five minutes. He sighed and finished up the filing he was doing in the secure archives. He closed the safe, twirled the lock, snatched the box off of Jack's desk and walked out to the Hub where he flopped onto the sofa.
"Anything?" Owen asked from where he was still sitting at Tosh's workstation.
Ianto shook his head. "You?"
"Some more spikes at the hospital, nothing huge but they're getting more frequent."
"That can't be good," Ianto observed.
Owen snorted. "My thoughts exactly. Figures this would happen on our watch."
"We don't know for sure. The box is still sealed so…" Ianto trailed off as he met Owen's eyes. He sighed and set the box on the coffee table, resigned. "Yeah, figures."
They sat in silence until the proximity alarm started to blare and the cog door rolled back to reveal Jack and Gwen. Jack was already stripping off his coat as he walked into the Hub.
"Ianto, the box?" he asked.
"Sealed, sir." Ianto handed it to Jack as he took the coat and followed Jack to his office. Ianto hung it up as Jack studied the box.
"Right. Well, that's… hell, I don't know if that's a good sign or not." Jack gave Ianto a rueful half-smile and sat on his desk. " They're demolishing the hospital which seems to be triggering the time shift - whether or not it was supposed to happen like this or not, it seems like it's starting now. I've called Toshiko and Tommy back in. This box better hold some serious answers when it finally does its thing."
Ianto stepped over to Jack and took the box from him, setting it on the desk. "What can I do?" he asked simply.
Jack reached up to cup his cheek for a moment, then he pulled back and stood up. "Take a look through the file again, or any files you think might be related - you know the archives better than any of us. And if you could keep an eye on that box for me and away from Tommy? I need to see what's in there before anyone else. I have a feeling that's why it was sealed in the first place. I… I don't think any of us are going to like the details."
Biting his lip as he glanced down at the box, Ianto thought about Tommy's life and Tommy's death, still awaiting him back in 1918. "Isn't there a way to, I don't know... keep him here after the shift is stopped? He's given up so much."
Jack was already shaking his head. "There's no way to do that, Ianto. Tommy's fate has already been written. We can't change that, no matter how much we'd like to."
"It's not fair," Ianto mumbled, knowing he sounded like a five-year-old but unable to stop himself.
"I know," Jack said soothingly. He pulled Ianto into a hug and then sighed when the cog door rolled back again. He stepped back and ran his hand through his hair. "I'm gonna go update the others and Tommy."
"And I'll stay here and… watch the box," Ianto said with a little smile.
Jack gave Ianto's shoulder one last squeeze and then strode out of his office. As soon as he was alone, Ianto sat at Jack's computer and called up the archive database. He had a search going in a matter of moments, looking for any mentions of St. Teilo's Hospital anywhere in the vast stores of Torchwood's data. While the search whirled away on the computer, Ianto flipped through the file one more time trying to see connections that had thus far escaped him. He glanced at the box every few moments, wondering what information it might contain.
He was still reading through Gerald's notes when Jack called out, asking if the box had opened yet. Ianto hurried to the door to confirm it was still locked.
"Okay," Jack said, bellowing out orders as he climbed the stairs to his office. "We need to find out how fast the time-shift is happening. Get some idea when it’s going to complete. Tosh, Owen, go to the hospital, we need readings. Cover the place with rift monitors. Gwen, go through the files, see if there's anything we missed."
Ianto stepped aside to let Jack and Gwen pass by him into the office.
"You'll need to coordinate with Ianto. I've had him looking at Tommy's file while we we're downstairs," Jack continued in a lower voice now that he was only speaking to Gwen. "He's also searching the archives for anything that might be related."
Turning to join Jack and Gwen, Ianto paused for a moment, his attention caught by the look that passed between Tommy and Toshiko. When Tosh followed Owen out of the Hub without a word, Tommy's shoulders slumped and Ianto could hear his sigh from where he was standing. Ianto glanced down at the box in his hands, wondering again what lay in store for Tommy. He knew he couldn't do anything to change the past where Tommy's future was waiting, but he could help the man now. He stepped into Jack's office and set the box on the desk.
"Ah, Ianto, good. I need you and Gwen to - "
"Sorry, sir," Ianto interrupted as politely as he could. "I've marked a few places in the file where it appears Gerald was trying to identify the time period that was slipping into 1918, perhaps Gwen can make heads or tails of it," he said, offering her a quick smile. "The computer is still running the search but with no useful matches so far. If you don't object, I think my time might be better spent with Tommy."
Jack frowned and spun his chair around to peer out the window. He regarded the young soldier for a moment, his chin resting on his fingertips. When he turned to face Ianto again, his face was grave. He opened his mouth to reply but apparently decided against it, pressing his lips into a grim line. He gave Ianto a brief nod and then reached for the file.
Ianto threw Jack a quick smile of thanks as he left the office. He walked past Tommy, pausing only to clap the man on the shoulder lightly and incline his head towards the kitchen area. Tommy started at the contact but followed Ianto with no comment. He dropped into a chair while Ianto started fussing about with cups and the kettle.
"Tea or coffee?" Ianto asked politely as he dumped the dregs of the morning coffee in the sink. "Or perhaps something stronger?"
"Why do you suppose everyone thinks a nice cup of tea solves everything? It's dried leaves in hot water, not some magical potion," Tommy muttered.
"So… coffee then?" Ianto replied with a raised eyebrow.
Tommy flushed slightly and offered Ianto an embarrassed half-smile. "Nah, I think I need a cuppa."
They shared a quiet chuckle and then Ianto went about making a pot of tea. He ascertained that Tommy wasn't hungry while they waited and, after they had their mugs fixed to their liking, Ianto led Tommy back over to the sofa.
"I don't know which is worse, the waiting or the fact that the waiting may finally be over. I feel like I should be helping or something," Tommy said softly as he looked over at Jack and Gwen who were sitting at Jack's desk with their heads together over the file.
Ianto shook his head and took a sip of his tea. "Nonsense. It's Torchwood's job to figure it all out so you can play your part when it's time. Until then, you are simply our guest."
"For a little longer anyway." Tommy seemed to visibly shake off his impending destiny and turned to face Ianto, putting his back to Jack's office door. "So you know Toshiko pretty well, right?"
"Yes, I consider her one of my best friends," Ianto said.
"Do you think… I mean, is she happy? I want her to be happy but every year it seems like she's… in the same place, you know? And that's not necessarily a bad thing, but every year she's always full of plans and then… it seems like nothing ever comes to anything and I… I worry about her."
Ianto took another drink of his tea, using the time to word his response carefully. "Tosh is very dedicated to her job. I know for certain that the work we do here, helping people like you who find themselves in impossible situations, I know it's satisfying and makes her happy. But, unfortunately as you've seen, the nature of Torchwood makes it… well, it's very easy to let the everyday things slide."
"But you shouldn't," Tommy said earnestly. "Those little, everyday things - for me anyway, things like having breakfast with my father, skiving off school to go poking around Boggart Hole Clough with my friends or spending the evening with a girl I fancied - those kind of memories get me through when… when everything goes to hell."
Ianto's reply was cut off by Gwen bursting out of Jack's office and hurrying to her workstation as she hailed Owen on the comm. Tommy's hand clenched around his mug. Neither Ianto nor Tommy made any pretence of not eavesdropping, both of them listening intently as Gwen directed Owen to a specific place in the hospital to confirm some of Gerald's notes. They could tell from Gwen's response to Owen's findings - one word: a quiet, breathy "shit" - that the time of the shift was definitely upon them.
Tommy seemed to collapse in on himself a bit, slumping forward over his mug. Ianto gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze and tried to think of something to say. He glanced over at Jack's office and frowned. There was a strange, golden glow near Jack's desk that flared and then disappeared. Ianto gave Tommy a quick smile.
"I think we'll have some answers very soon," he said encouragingly. He hopped up and hurried into Jack's office. Sure enough, the temporal seal had broken and Jack was skimming the contents that had been locked inside in 1918. "Instructions?" he asked, trying to sound optimistic.
Jack looked up from the letter after a second. "Yeah, for Tommy."
Ianto let out a sigh. Just like Owen said, figures this would happen on our watch. He wondered just what was in the letter when Jack froze and looked up at him again. Ianto felt his stomach drop at the expression on Jack's face.
"And Toshiko," Jack added quietly.
TBC in Chapter Thirty-Seven
. This entry was originally posted at http://buttononthetop.dreamwidth.org/94682.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
Rating: R
Warnings: None really, just don't feel like changing the rating :)
Spoilers: Season Two thru To the Last Man (2x03)
Pairings: Jack/Ianto
Disclaimer: Torchwood and all its wonderfulness belong to the Mighty Beeb and He Who Must Not Be Named. All ©'s to Helen Raynor for situations borrowed from To the Last Man. No infringement, only worship intended!
Summary: In which the team confirms that Tommy's moment of glory is upon them...
Notes: Hello! Hello! Hello, my lovelies!! *hugs y'all* Here it is! The next chapter of The Sea After a Storm. I can't tell you how much I appreciate y'all keeping the faith for all this time. Pretty please leave a comment so I know you're still reading! *blows kisses* If you need to catch up a little, you can find all the previous chapters here. 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 Thirty-Six
Previously on The Sea After a Storm: Our intrepid heroes had unfrozen Tommy Brockless for his yearly checkup. Jack and Ianto plan to have a nice dinner after they've tucked Tommy back into the archives, but the rift has a different ideas...
Ianto glanced over at the sealed box for the hundredth time in the last five minutes. He sighed and finished up the filing he was doing in the secure archives. He closed the safe, twirled the lock, snatched the box off of Jack's desk and walked out to the Hub where he flopped onto the sofa.
"Anything?" Owen asked from where he was still sitting at Tosh's workstation.
Ianto shook his head. "You?"
"Some more spikes at the hospital, nothing huge but they're getting more frequent."
"That can't be good," Ianto observed.
Owen snorted. "My thoughts exactly. Figures this would happen on our watch."
"We don't know for sure. The box is still sealed so…" Ianto trailed off as he met Owen's eyes. He sighed and set the box on the coffee table, resigned. "Yeah, figures."
They sat in silence until the proximity alarm started to blare and the cog door rolled back to reveal Jack and Gwen. Jack was already stripping off his coat as he walked into the Hub.
"Ianto, the box?" he asked.
"Sealed, sir." Ianto handed it to Jack as he took the coat and followed Jack to his office. Ianto hung it up as Jack studied the box.
"Right. Well, that's… hell, I don't know if that's a good sign or not." Jack gave Ianto a rueful half-smile and sat on his desk. " They're demolishing the hospital which seems to be triggering the time shift - whether or not it was supposed to happen like this or not, it seems like it's starting now. I've called Toshiko and Tommy back in. This box better hold some serious answers when it finally does its thing."
Ianto stepped over to Jack and took the box from him, setting it on the desk. "What can I do?" he asked simply.
Jack reached up to cup his cheek for a moment, then he pulled back and stood up. "Take a look through the file again, or any files you think might be related - you know the archives better than any of us. And if you could keep an eye on that box for me and away from Tommy? I need to see what's in there before anyone else. I have a feeling that's why it was sealed in the first place. I… I don't think any of us are going to like the details."
Biting his lip as he glanced down at the box, Ianto thought about Tommy's life and Tommy's death, still awaiting him back in 1918. "Isn't there a way to, I don't know... keep him here after the shift is stopped? He's given up so much."
Jack was already shaking his head. "There's no way to do that, Ianto. Tommy's fate has already been written. We can't change that, no matter how much we'd like to."
"It's not fair," Ianto mumbled, knowing he sounded like a five-year-old but unable to stop himself.
"I know," Jack said soothingly. He pulled Ianto into a hug and then sighed when the cog door rolled back again. He stepped back and ran his hand through his hair. "I'm gonna go update the others and Tommy."
"And I'll stay here and… watch the box," Ianto said with a little smile.
Jack gave Ianto's shoulder one last squeeze and then strode out of his office. As soon as he was alone, Ianto sat at Jack's computer and called up the archive database. He had a search going in a matter of moments, looking for any mentions of St. Teilo's Hospital anywhere in the vast stores of Torchwood's data. While the search whirled away on the computer, Ianto flipped through the file one more time trying to see connections that had thus far escaped him. He glanced at the box every few moments, wondering what information it might contain.
He was still reading through Gerald's notes when Jack called out, asking if the box had opened yet. Ianto hurried to the door to confirm it was still locked.
"Okay," Jack said, bellowing out orders as he climbed the stairs to his office. "We need to find out how fast the time-shift is happening. Get some idea when it’s going to complete. Tosh, Owen, go to the hospital, we need readings. Cover the place with rift monitors. Gwen, go through the files, see if there's anything we missed."
Ianto stepped aside to let Jack and Gwen pass by him into the office.
"You'll need to coordinate with Ianto. I've had him looking at Tommy's file while we we're downstairs," Jack continued in a lower voice now that he was only speaking to Gwen. "He's also searching the archives for anything that might be related."
Turning to join Jack and Gwen, Ianto paused for a moment, his attention caught by the look that passed between Tommy and Toshiko. When Tosh followed Owen out of the Hub without a word, Tommy's shoulders slumped and Ianto could hear his sigh from where he was standing. Ianto glanced down at the box in his hands, wondering again what lay in store for Tommy. He knew he couldn't do anything to change the past where Tommy's future was waiting, but he could help the man now. He stepped into Jack's office and set the box on the desk.
"Ah, Ianto, good. I need you and Gwen to - "
"Sorry, sir," Ianto interrupted as politely as he could. "I've marked a few places in the file where it appears Gerald was trying to identify the time period that was slipping into 1918, perhaps Gwen can make heads or tails of it," he said, offering her a quick smile. "The computer is still running the search but with no useful matches so far. If you don't object, I think my time might be better spent with Tommy."
Jack frowned and spun his chair around to peer out the window. He regarded the young soldier for a moment, his chin resting on his fingertips. When he turned to face Ianto again, his face was grave. He opened his mouth to reply but apparently decided against it, pressing his lips into a grim line. He gave Ianto a brief nod and then reached for the file.
Ianto threw Jack a quick smile of thanks as he left the office. He walked past Tommy, pausing only to clap the man on the shoulder lightly and incline his head towards the kitchen area. Tommy started at the contact but followed Ianto with no comment. He dropped into a chair while Ianto started fussing about with cups and the kettle.
"Tea or coffee?" Ianto asked politely as he dumped the dregs of the morning coffee in the sink. "Or perhaps something stronger?"
"Why do you suppose everyone thinks a nice cup of tea solves everything? It's dried leaves in hot water, not some magical potion," Tommy muttered.
"So… coffee then?" Ianto replied with a raised eyebrow.
Tommy flushed slightly and offered Ianto an embarrassed half-smile. "Nah, I think I need a cuppa."
They shared a quiet chuckle and then Ianto went about making a pot of tea. He ascertained that Tommy wasn't hungry while they waited and, after they had their mugs fixed to their liking, Ianto led Tommy back over to the sofa.
"I don't know which is worse, the waiting or the fact that the waiting may finally be over. I feel like I should be helping or something," Tommy said softly as he looked over at Jack and Gwen who were sitting at Jack's desk with their heads together over the file.
Ianto shook his head and took a sip of his tea. "Nonsense. It's Torchwood's job to figure it all out so you can play your part when it's time. Until then, you are simply our guest."
"For a little longer anyway." Tommy seemed to visibly shake off his impending destiny and turned to face Ianto, putting his back to Jack's office door. "So you know Toshiko pretty well, right?"
"Yes, I consider her one of my best friends," Ianto said.
"Do you think… I mean, is she happy? I want her to be happy but every year it seems like she's… in the same place, you know? And that's not necessarily a bad thing, but every year she's always full of plans and then… it seems like nothing ever comes to anything and I… I worry about her."
Ianto took another drink of his tea, using the time to word his response carefully. "Tosh is very dedicated to her job. I know for certain that the work we do here, helping people like you who find themselves in impossible situations, I know it's satisfying and makes her happy. But, unfortunately as you've seen, the nature of Torchwood makes it… well, it's very easy to let the everyday things slide."
"But you shouldn't," Tommy said earnestly. "Those little, everyday things - for me anyway, things like having breakfast with my father, skiving off school to go poking around Boggart Hole Clough with my friends or spending the evening with a girl I fancied - those kind of memories get me through when… when everything goes to hell."
Ianto's reply was cut off by Gwen bursting out of Jack's office and hurrying to her workstation as she hailed Owen on the comm. Tommy's hand clenched around his mug. Neither Ianto nor Tommy made any pretence of not eavesdropping, both of them listening intently as Gwen directed Owen to a specific place in the hospital to confirm some of Gerald's notes. They could tell from Gwen's response to Owen's findings - one word: a quiet, breathy "shit" - that the time of the shift was definitely upon them.
Tommy seemed to collapse in on himself a bit, slumping forward over his mug. Ianto gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze and tried to think of something to say. He glanced over at Jack's office and frowned. There was a strange, golden glow near Jack's desk that flared and then disappeared. Ianto gave Tommy a quick smile.
"I think we'll have some answers very soon," he said encouragingly. He hopped up and hurried into Jack's office. Sure enough, the temporal seal had broken and Jack was skimming the contents that had been locked inside in 1918. "Instructions?" he asked, trying to sound optimistic.
Jack looked up from the letter after a second. "Yeah, for Tommy."
Ianto let out a sigh. Just like Owen said, figures this would happen on our watch. He wondered just what was in the letter when Jack froze and looked up at him again. Ianto felt his stomach drop at the expression on Jack's face.
"And Toshiko," Jack added quietly.
TBC in Chapter Thirty-Seven
. This entry was originally posted at http://buttononthetop.dreamwidth.org/94682.html. Please comment there using OpenID.