The Bay Shines Brightest At Night - Day Four Challenge Fic
(SITTIN' ON) THE DOCK OF THE BAY
- written by Otis Redding and Steve Cropper
Sittin' in the mornin' sun
I'll be sittin' when the evenin' come
Watching the ships roll in
And then I watch 'em roll away again, yeah
I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay
Watching the tide roll away
Ooo, I'm just sittin' on the dock of the bay
Wastin' time
I left my home in Georgia
Headed for the 'Frisco bay
'Cause I've had nothing to live for
And look like nothin's gonna come my way
So I'm just gonna sit on the dock of the bay
Watching the tide roll away
Ooo, I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay
Wastin' time
Look like nothing's gonna change
Everything still remains the same
I can't do what ten people tell me to do
So I guess I'll remain the same, yes
Sittin' here resting my bones
And this loneliness won't leave me alone
It's two thousand miles I roamed
Just to make this dock my home
Now, I'm just gonna sit at the dock of the bay
Watching the tide roll away
Oooo-wee, sittin' on the dock of the bay
Wastin' time
Jack stared out across the bay. The sun was beginning to set and they had gained a reprieve from the troubles the rift had spat out at them. He had told Gwen, Owen and Tosh to go home but Ianto had shook his head he had some more archiving work to do. This is why Jack was so shocked when he saw his young archivist, moments after the Captain had ascended to the roof, walking out of the tourist office and heading towards the bay. He watched him sit down, legs dangling over the edge as he slid under the bars a little and he looked out among the rolling waves. The Captain watched for a while but eventually turned and made his way down off the rooftop.
As he approached the younger man, Jack heard the welsh vowels speak out, though Ianto did not turn to face him.
“Hey, Jack.”
The words in itself had stunned the Captain, still not having been able to talk the Welshman into using his name during work. Taking a seat beside him, Jack simply watched Ianto for a while before gazing out into the bay. The sn had finally set and the twinkles of the stars could be seen glimmering upon the surface of the calm waters.
“The bay shines brightest at night…”
Jack was startled by the sound of Ianto’s voice but he remained silent, hoping that the younger man would feel free to speak and so the Captain waited, just listening, to the sound of the quiet waves as they rolled out to sea.
“After Canary Wharf, I thought my only option for Lisa was to come and get a job here, returning to Cardiff instead of going to Glasgow just made sense, but when I think about it, here is more my home than London ever was. I had nothing left to live for in London, Lisa was already dead, I know that now. There was nothing…”
Ianto took in a deep breath, never drawing his gaze away from the bay.
“I come here a lot you know, you have you rooftops, I have my bay. People sailing away out to sea, starting new adventures, people coming into dock, back to their families. Love, Jack, Love and happiness seem to shine of the water. Anywhere you walk along it there are families laughing and playing, couples just being together. Not once, in the time I’ve been here, have I seen a single argument out here by the bay. It’s like…some kind of magic spell, that allows the bay to sooth all hearts. Can you feel it, Jack?”
Ianto finally turned his gaze to the Captain, his blue eyes still glimmering with the reflection of the stars in the water. Jack simply nodded as he turned to face the Welshman, his Welshman and he slowly drew him in for a tender kiss.
“Yes, yes I do feel it.”