Torchwood/Dr Who - fic - The Torchwood Girls, Part 10, Jack, Joan Redfern, OCs, Rose, PG
Title - The Torchwood Girls, Part 10 (final version)
Author - laurab1
Characters/Pairings - Jack, Joan Redfern, OCs, Rose
Rating - PG
Length - approx 1550 words
Spoilers - TW: general series, DW: to 3.11-13
Summary - Torchwood carry on, as does the war.
Disclaimer: alas, not all of these people are mine
Feedback is loved and appreciated :) Enjoy!
Previous parts:
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9
The Torchwood Girls
by Laura
Part 10
In Cardiff, as the war hovers away in the background, and the losses climb ever higher, when Joan and the women aren't dealing with whatever the Rift spits out at them, the conversation often turns to politics.
"Anyone else been on a suffragette rally?" Penelope asks, one day, after they've dispatched some alien mothers and children back to their own planet.
"I have," Jennifer and Amy both say.
Eleanor goes one better: "I actually shook Mrs Pankhurst's hand at one."
"I have not had time attend such a meeting," Joan says sadly.
"I wonder whether it's all done any good," Penelope asks.
"Jack assures me that the right to vote will be our eventual reward, once the war is over," Joan tells them.
"He'd know," Amy states.
"Indeed he would," Joan replies.
***
One day, in January 1915, Penelope is writing about the last alien they encountered, when a noise distracts her. Suddenly, there's a golden flash, right in the middle of the Hub.
"That does not usually happen," Joan remarks, as the team watch the Rift... misbehave.
Seconds later, a bird-like creature, about the size of a magpie, flies through the flash. The thing looks terrified, and it crashes straight into Joan's office doors, knocking itself out, landing on the hard floor of the Hub. Penelope rushes over to it.
Crouching down, checking the creature over, she announces, "It's still breathing. Just stunned itself."
"What is it, Penny?" Amy asks, sitting down beside her. "Looks like a cross between a lizard and a bird."
"That's exactly what it is, Amy," Joan adds, joining them. "I remember pictures, from books in the school library. It's the very first bird. We have an archaeopteryx, ladies."
Penelope gently runs a hand over the bird's feathers, wondering if they can keep this creature. It's beautiful, in a strange way. Joan then addresses her again: "Penelope, could you look after our new friend until she wakes up, please?"
"Of course."
***
As expected, it's not very long before the archaeopteryx has a name, and the Hub has a pet. Poppy flies around inside quite happily, a real sight to see. Eleanor has experience of hawking, so she trains Poppy to fly, and come back to her hand. When the bird has mastered that, Eleanor takes her outside to fly.
At night, and very early in the morning, naturally.
Can't risk the public seeing something they shouldn't.
***
Number Three haven't seen any battle action for months; Jack and his men have been getting jumpy, and a little bored. And then, in March 1915, Neuve Chapelle happens. A British planned offensive, the first of the war, it's noisy as hell.
Men are still freely volunteering, so the British Army has grown significantly in numbers, with new troops recently arrived in France. The photographs taken by Jack's squadron show the poor defence of the nearby German lines.
There still aren't enough troops, though, and the action is only a relative success. The British break into the German lines, but not through them. There are delays in securely relaying the information in the photographs to commanders.
And the dreadful weather doesn't help, either.
Both sides lose around 12,000 men. Jack doesn't need a news report to tell him that, like everything else in this war, he's already read it in a history book.
***
In April, Amy proposes taking the women to a local Fabian Society meeting, having been involved with it when she was a student at the London School of Economics.
"There'll be women like us at the meeting," she tells her team-mates, as they sit in the board room, one afternoon. "Women who want to make a difference." She gives them a basic history and description of the society. Founded in 1884, intellectual movement concerned with the research, discussion, and publication of socialist ideas. Then there's the 'permeating' ideas into the circles of those with power. "We have this motto, 'the inevitability of gradualism'," Amy explains.
"Let us attend this meeting, girls," Joan says. "If we say something, influence someone, perhaps the loss of life in this war may be lessened."
***
Late summer, Jack has a week's leave, and goes home.
It's early morning when he arrives at the Hub, so he has to sit at his desk, and wait for his... harem to arrive. He then spends several minutes indulging in a fantasy of himself as a sultan. Okay, it's about half an hour. And it's a extremely pleasant half an hour.
Joan's the first one in. It's perfectly clear on her face how much he's been missed; within seconds they're embracing, and Jack's kissing the top of her head.
"Captain," she says, when he finally releases her.
"Colonel, actually, Joan," he informs her. "Equivalent Army rank."
"Enchanted, Colonel Harkness," Joan replies, and mock salutes him.
Jack just grins, then takes her hand and kisses the back of it. "Likewise, ma'am." Joan rolls her eyes at him, making him grin even more. "Now, I see we have an addition to the team?"
"Our flying friend?"
"Yeah."
"That would be Poppy the archaeopteryx, Jack. She came through the Rift back in January."
"A dinosaur? Well, kinda."
"A dinosaur."
"Cool. Very cool indeed." Jack smiles again. "Has she been tamed?"
"Eleanor did that. It seems she does know what to do with live birds that she's not killing."
"Joan..." he warns, not liking her tone.
"Don't you agree, Jack?" she counters.
"Of course I do, Joan," Jack replies, gently taking her by the shoulders, "far more than any of you can possibly know. But Eleanor is an excellent shot, that's one of the reasons I hired her. Just like your anti-gun attitude is among the reasons I hired you. All right?"
She nods, and Jack lets Joan go. "You wanna tell me what's been going on, then?"
"Can I sit down first, please?"
"Sure." Jack takes a seat opposite Joan.
"Well, Jack," she begins, "we no longer have the scapesono -"
He's about to ask why, when the rest of the women arrive.
"Jack!" the other four exclaim.
There's more embracing and more kissing of hands. Jack then asks, "You lot missed me as well, then? 'Cause your CO and I just did that, too."
"And only that, Jack," Joan says, noticing the grin on his lips.
"What?" he protests.
"You know exactly what, Jack," Eleanor states. "How long are you here for?"
"Just a few days, I'm afraid. Then it's back to saving the world in another way. Joan had just started telling me that a certain musical instrument is no longer in our possession. How did that happen?"
"It went home with a Metazonican boy," Penelope explains, and tells the rest of the story.
There's more conversation, but no-one asks about the war, and neither does Jack offer anything. He does, however, consciously engage his telepathic and empathic abilities, to make sure his girls are as okay as they can possibly be. Something he'd done for Rose, many a time, once he'd explained the ability.
"You get telepathy, Rose, yeah?" Jack asked, as they were sat at the TARDIS' kitchen table, drinking tea. "The Doctor, and this pretty lady of his, who's always in our heads."
"Yeah," she replied. "That's how he knows he's the last of the Time Lords. He can't... sense them, in his head."
"That... absence makes a hell of a noise, sweetheart," Jack whispered. "I just wish he'd tell us a little more than that, the damn stubborn idiot. His mind might hush a little, if he did. He is gonna teach me some shielding skills, though. Just gotta be a little less mentally traumatised, first."
Rose laughed, despite herself and took his hand in hers, briefly squeezing it. "He's still a bloke, even if he is an alien. You gonna tell me 'bout this empathy, then?"
"Okay." Jack moved to the chair next to Rose, and eased his hand out of her grip. "Telepathy's mainly about thoughts," he said, and put his fingers on her temples, pressing gently. "The nerves that run from here are the vital ones, where telepathy's concerned. As for empathy," he continued, pulling one hand away, "that's more about feelings, emotions." Jack placed that hand over Rose's heart. "About what's going on in there. Well, metaphorically, anyway."
She looked at his hand, and back at him. Jack watched her consider what he'd said. "You can read my... heart, rather than just my mind? Is that it?" she asked.
"Yeah, pretty much."
"What am I feeling, right now?"
Jack thought about her question for one second, Rose's emotions were so strong. He moved his hand back to her face. Cupping it, he leaned in, placing a single, very soft kiss on her lips. "That, sweetheart," he said, moving back.
"You sure?" Her eyes were glinting.
Jack grinned. "I was trying to be good!" he protested.
"I don't think I want good, Jack." The hint of wickedness was still there.
"I know you don't, Rose," he acknowledged. "Let's see how we go, huh?"
"All right, Captain." she replied.
Four days will be far too short a time to spend with these brilliant women, but that's all Jack's got. He can only hope for an opportunity to save the world in his regular way, while he's here.
Continue to Part 11
Author - laurab1
Characters/Pairings - Jack, Joan Redfern, OCs, Rose
Rating - PG
Length - approx 1550 words
Spoilers - TW: general series, DW: to 3.11-13
Summary - Torchwood carry on, as does the war.
Disclaimer: alas, not all of these people are mine
Feedback is loved and appreciated :) Enjoy!
Previous parts:
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9
The Torchwood Girls
by Laura
Part 10
In Cardiff, as the war hovers away in the background, and the losses climb ever higher, when Joan and the women aren't dealing with whatever the Rift spits out at them, the conversation often turns to politics.
"Anyone else been on a suffragette rally?" Penelope asks, one day, after they've dispatched some alien mothers and children back to their own planet.
"I have," Jennifer and Amy both say.
Eleanor goes one better: "I actually shook Mrs Pankhurst's hand at one."
"I have not had time attend such a meeting," Joan says sadly.
"I wonder whether it's all done any good," Penelope asks.
"Jack assures me that the right to vote will be our eventual reward, once the war is over," Joan tells them.
"He'd know," Amy states.
"Indeed he would," Joan replies.
***
One day, in January 1915, Penelope is writing about the last alien they encountered, when a noise distracts her. Suddenly, there's a golden flash, right in the middle of the Hub.
"That does not usually happen," Joan remarks, as the team watch the Rift... misbehave.
Seconds later, a bird-like creature, about the size of a magpie, flies through the flash. The thing looks terrified, and it crashes straight into Joan's office doors, knocking itself out, landing on the hard floor of the Hub. Penelope rushes over to it.
Crouching down, checking the creature over, she announces, "It's still breathing. Just stunned itself."
"What is it, Penny?" Amy asks, sitting down beside her. "Looks like a cross between a lizard and a bird."
"That's exactly what it is, Amy," Joan adds, joining them. "I remember pictures, from books in the school library. It's the very first bird. We have an archaeopteryx, ladies."
Penelope gently runs a hand over the bird's feathers, wondering if they can keep this creature. It's beautiful, in a strange way. Joan then addresses her again: "Penelope, could you look after our new friend until she wakes up, please?"
"Of course."
***
As expected, it's not very long before the archaeopteryx has a name, and the Hub has a pet. Poppy flies around inside quite happily, a real sight to see. Eleanor has experience of hawking, so she trains Poppy to fly, and come back to her hand. When the bird has mastered that, Eleanor takes her outside to fly.
At night, and very early in the morning, naturally.
Can't risk the public seeing something they shouldn't.
***
Number Three haven't seen any battle action for months; Jack and his men have been getting jumpy, and a little bored. And then, in March 1915, Neuve Chapelle happens. A British planned offensive, the first of the war, it's noisy as hell.
Men are still freely volunteering, so the British Army has grown significantly in numbers, with new troops recently arrived in France. The photographs taken by Jack's squadron show the poor defence of the nearby German lines.
There still aren't enough troops, though, and the action is only a relative success. The British break into the German lines, but not through them. There are delays in securely relaying the information in the photographs to commanders.
And the dreadful weather doesn't help, either.
Both sides lose around 12,000 men. Jack doesn't need a news report to tell him that, like everything else in this war, he's already read it in a history book.
***
In April, Amy proposes taking the women to a local Fabian Society meeting, having been involved with it when she was a student at the London School of Economics.
"There'll be women like us at the meeting," she tells her team-mates, as they sit in the board room, one afternoon. "Women who want to make a difference." She gives them a basic history and description of the society. Founded in 1884, intellectual movement concerned with the research, discussion, and publication of socialist ideas. Then there's the 'permeating' ideas into the circles of those with power. "We have this motto, 'the inevitability of gradualism'," Amy explains.
"Let us attend this meeting, girls," Joan says. "If we say something, influence someone, perhaps the loss of life in this war may be lessened."
***
Late summer, Jack has a week's leave, and goes home.
It's early morning when he arrives at the Hub, so he has to sit at his desk, and wait for his... harem to arrive. He then spends several minutes indulging in a fantasy of himself as a sultan. Okay, it's about half an hour. And it's a extremely pleasant half an hour.
Joan's the first one in. It's perfectly clear on her face how much he's been missed; within seconds they're embracing, and Jack's kissing the top of her head.
"Captain," she says, when he finally releases her.
"Colonel, actually, Joan," he informs her. "Equivalent Army rank."
"Enchanted, Colonel Harkness," Joan replies, and mock salutes him.
Jack just grins, then takes her hand and kisses the back of it. "Likewise, ma'am." Joan rolls her eyes at him, making him grin even more. "Now, I see we have an addition to the team?"
"Our flying friend?"
"Yeah."
"That would be Poppy the archaeopteryx, Jack. She came through the Rift back in January."
"A dinosaur? Well, kinda."
"A dinosaur."
"Cool. Very cool indeed." Jack smiles again. "Has she been tamed?"
"Eleanor did that. It seems she does know what to do with live birds that she's not killing."
"Joan..." he warns, not liking her tone.
"Don't you agree, Jack?" she counters.
"Of course I do, Joan," Jack replies, gently taking her by the shoulders, "far more than any of you can possibly know. But Eleanor is an excellent shot, that's one of the reasons I hired her. Just like your anti-gun attitude is among the reasons I hired you. All right?"
She nods, and Jack lets Joan go. "You wanna tell me what's been going on, then?"
"Can I sit down first, please?"
"Sure." Jack takes a seat opposite Joan.
"Well, Jack," she begins, "we no longer have the scapesono -"
He's about to ask why, when the rest of the women arrive.
"Jack!" the other four exclaim.
There's more embracing and more kissing of hands. Jack then asks, "You lot missed me as well, then? 'Cause your CO and I just did that, too."
"And only that, Jack," Joan says, noticing the grin on his lips.
"What?" he protests.
"You know exactly what, Jack," Eleanor states. "How long are you here for?"
"Just a few days, I'm afraid. Then it's back to saving the world in another way. Joan had just started telling me that a certain musical instrument is no longer in our possession. How did that happen?"
"It went home with a Metazonican boy," Penelope explains, and tells the rest of the story.
There's more conversation, but no-one asks about the war, and neither does Jack offer anything. He does, however, consciously engage his telepathic and empathic abilities, to make sure his girls are as okay as they can possibly be. Something he'd done for Rose, many a time, once he'd explained the ability.
"You get telepathy, Rose, yeah?" Jack asked, as they were sat at the TARDIS' kitchen table, drinking tea. "The Doctor, and this pretty lady of his, who's always in our heads."
"Yeah," she replied. "That's how he knows he's the last of the Time Lords. He can't... sense them, in his head."
"That... absence makes a hell of a noise, sweetheart," Jack whispered. "I just wish he'd tell us a little more than that, the damn stubborn idiot. His mind might hush a little, if he did. He is gonna teach me some shielding skills, though. Just gotta be a little less mentally traumatised, first."
Rose laughed, despite herself and took his hand in hers, briefly squeezing it. "He's still a bloke, even if he is an alien. You gonna tell me 'bout this empathy, then?"
"Okay." Jack moved to the chair next to Rose, and eased his hand out of her grip. "Telepathy's mainly about thoughts," he said, and put his fingers on her temples, pressing gently. "The nerves that run from here are the vital ones, where telepathy's concerned. As for empathy," he continued, pulling one hand away, "that's more about feelings, emotions." Jack placed that hand over Rose's heart. "About what's going on in there. Well, metaphorically, anyway."
She looked at his hand, and back at him. Jack watched her consider what he'd said. "You can read my... heart, rather than just my mind? Is that it?" she asked.
"Yeah, pretty much."
"What am I feeling, right now?"
Jack thought about her question for one second, Rose's emotions were so strong. He moved his hand back to her face. Cupping it, he leaned in, placing a single, very soft kiss on her lips. "That, sweetheart," he said, moving back.
"You sure?" Her eyes were glinting.
Jack grinned. "I was trying to be good!" he protested.
"I don't think I want good, Jack." The hint of wickedness was still there.
"I know you don't, Rose," he acknowledged. "Let's see how we go, huh?"
"All right, Captain." she replied.
Four days will be far too short a time to spend with these brilliant women, but that's all Jack's got. He can only hope for an opportunity to save the world in his regular way, while he's here.
Continue to Part 11