TW fic - Once Upon A Stopwatch
Set after "They Keep Killing Suzie." Many thanks to kiss_me_cassie and certain Ladies Of The Hub.
***
Once Upon A Stopwatch
***
Ten minutes.
In the next ten minutes, Jack has to figure out how to make this the best stopwatch game possible. After the hideous day they've just endured, Ianto deserves something to make his eyes light up. Something to bring out that boyish smile.
But before Jack can do anything along those lines, he needs to get the rest of the staff out of there. He bounds up the stairs and into the main section of the Hub. "Sleep," he calls, clapping his hands together. "Everybody needs it."
Tosh starts to protest. "But Jack, I need to file a retroactive police report and--"
"And nothing that can't wait until morning. Or even afternoon." Jack bends over and retrieves Tosh's laptop case and presses it into her hands. "Go on. I don't want to see you until well after lunch. If at all."
"Jack," Tosh says weakly, but it's obvious that her exhaustion is going to win out over her workaholism. "Fine. I'll see you tomorrow." She pauses on her way out and gives Gwen a warm hug. "I'm glad you're all right."
"Thanks, Tosh." Gwen sighs and settles in the chair, leaning slightly against Owen. For his part, Owen can't take his eyes off her. His face is paper-white and his hands tremble slightly as he fixes the bandage on Gwen's arm.
Jack sets his lips together tightly. In his anxiety, Owen had blurted out the story as he tended to Gwen on the way back to Cardiff: how she'd turned up on his doorstep in the dead of night after the disaster in the Brecon Beacons, and the impulsive sex that had turned into a full-fledged affair. Just thinking about it floods Jack's mouth with bitterness. He'd thought so much better of Gwen. She could be so much more.
That line of thinking won't get his team out of the Hub. Jack gives himself a mental shake. "You two - get out of here before Gwen melts into the chair and we have to pry her off with a spatula."
He doesn't have to tell them twice. Owen helps Gwen to her feet with far too chivalrous a gesture. In return, she favors Owen with a smile that's so sweet it makes Jack's teeth hurt.
This isn't about Gwen, though. Not tonight. Tonight is about thanking Ianto for helping them through this hellish experience.
"Will you take Gwen home, then?" Jack asks. "Might want to give Rhys a call first, let him know you're going to need some tea and a cuddle."
It's cruel, Jack knows, but so is what Gwen has done to her boyfriend. Her pale eyes shimmer with tears for a moment as she glances up at him. She wants confirmation that he still believes in her, but that's something she will have to earn from him.
All he can manage is to walk over to her, lean over, and kiss her flushed cheek. "Get some sleep," he murmurs. He pats Owen's arm, nodding toward the door. "You too."
"Right," Owen says, his lean body hunched into a question mark as he shepherds Gwen out of the Hub. The lurching metallic groan of the elevator lets Jack know that the last of the team has gone.
With a few minutes to spare, Jack has been successful at initiating Phase One. He chuckles to himself as he sprints back to his office. Phase Two - now that's going to be something special.
Ianto is already in the office. He's put on jeans and a grey sweatshirt and he's sipping beer from a bottle. The stopwatch is in his other hand. He looks at its antique face and then up at Jack. "They're gone?"
"Tosh left a couple of minutes ago, and Gwen and Owen are on their way out." Jack slips his braces off and wriggles his shoulders. "Give them a few more minutes. Can't have one of them wandering back at the wrong moment."
Quirking his eyebrow, Ianto says, "I don't know about that. Tosh might enjoy a stopwatch game."
Ianto never ceases to surprise him. "Really?" Jack inquires archly. "We may have to invite her one of these days. But right now - it's just you and me."
"Agreed." Ianto leans back in the chair and closes his eyes. "How much longer, do you figure?"
"Patience," Jack chuckles. "It'll be worth it, I promise. Besides, we haven't placed our bets."
That was one of the best parts of playing with the stopwatch: the wager. Last time he'd lost, Ianto had been forced to bring Jack breakfast every day for a week. A full American breakfast, laden with the kind of food that made Ianto want to set Weevils loose in the United States. "Eggs beaten up and cooked until they aren't at all liquid? What's the fucking POINT, Jack?" he'd argued, but Jack had made him prepare them all the same.
"I know who'll come first," Jack drawls. He pulls out a piece of paper, writes a name on it, and puts it on top of the weird coral on his desk. "How about you?"
"I'm sure," was Ianto's response. "So sure, in fact, that I wrote it down on a post-it note five minutes ago put it on your computer." He waves a languid hand toward the monitor, which has a jaunty yellow sticker on it.
Jack peers at the name. "Is that so?" he asks. "Really?"
"I'm very, very certain."
Now Jack is every bit as anxious as Ianto. "Then maybe we'd better put Phase Two into place."
"I've taken the liberty of coming up with a...plausible scenario," Ianto said mildly. "I can tell you about it, or it can be a surprise."
Jack loves surprises. He grins at Ianto and sees the answering smile. "Then it's in your hands. Just the way I like it."
"Very well, then. Sir." Ianto unfolds his long legs and walks across the room. He picks up a small silver object and presses the single button on its side. "I'm counting now."
"The suspense is probably going to kill me," Jack complains.
"Patience," Ianto responds in a passable imitation of Jack's accent.
The seconds tick by slowly, taunting Jack, who is as impatient as a child on Christmas morning. "Hurry up," he mumbles petulantly.
Ianto smiles at him. "It won't be much longer, Jack. And I bet you're going to win, after all."
Then it happens, with a flash of light and the sound of sirens going off in Jack's ears. He's waited for this and it's so fucking amazing that they can both think of the same thing at the same time, and it's going to happen right now, right...now...
"You're right, Ianto," Jack says with a smile. "You're going to win."
It's Owen who crashes through the door first, medical kit in hand, looking for all the world as if he'd just stuck his hair in a blender. "I got the call!" he cries out. "How the hell did the Weevil get loose?"
Tosh and Gwen bring up the rear, Gwen lagging slightly behind and struggling to catch her breath. "Jack! Ianto!" Tosh shouts. "Is anyone hurt?"
Jack can't stop laughing. Tears well up in his eyes as he doubles over, pounding his fist on the desk. Ianto chuckles softly and takes another sip of beer.
"Oh, I do not fucking believe this," Owen growls. "Not fucking AGAIN, Harkness."
"Jack, you didn't!" Tosh whines.
"What?" Gwen's voice is a study in confusion.
Tosh turns to her. "Once in a while, just to test their powers of stupidity, the Hub Hooligans decide to call a false alarm. See how fast we can get here, that's their game."
"This...this is fake?" Gwen shrieks. "I'm going to kill you, Jack. And as for you, Ianto Jones, your bony arse is MINE!"
Owen is already halfway out the door. "Stupid wankers. C'mon Tosh, Gwen, I've got the Torchwood credit card, let's get hammered."
The door to the Hub can't slam, but if it could, Owen would have rattled the walls with it.
Ianto shows Jack the stopwatch. "Eleven minutes, eighteen seconds. A little off their record, but it's been a tough day."
"I think we can cut them a little slack," Jack says through a yawn. He puts his hand on Ianto's shoulder and squeezes. "How do you feel?"
"Better, thank you. I always enjoy making Owen come first."
"You should watch what you say," Jack says as he makes his way toward the entrance to his bedroom. "People will think you're up to something sexual with that stopwatch of yours."
Ianto rolls his eyes. "Really, sir. There are plenty of things to do with a stopwatch. And hardly any of them involve sexual congress. Unless you want to fire up the monitors on Owen's apartment."
Owen, naked. What an unfortunate thought. Jack shudders a little as he climbs down the metal ladder. "I think I'll pass. G'night, Ianto."
Ianto doesn't say anything when he turns out the office lights, but Jack can hear his soft laughter echoing through the Hub until the door closes one last time.
***
Once Upon A Stopwatch
***
Ten minutes.
In the next ten minutes, Jack has to figure out how to make this the best stopwatch game possible. After the hideous day they've just endured, Ianto deserves something to make his eyes light up. Something to bring out that boyish smile.
But before Jack can do anything along those lines, he needs to get the rest of the staff out of there. He bounds up the stairs and into the main section of the Hub. "Sleep," he calls, clapping his hands together. "Everybody needs it."
Tosh starts to protest. "But Jack, I need to file a retroactive police report and--"
"And nothing that can't wait until morning. Or even afternoon." Jack bends over and retrieves Tosh's laptop case and presses it into her hands. "Go on. I don't want to see you until well after lunch. If at all."
"Jack," Tosh says weakly, but it's obvious that her exhaustion is going to win out over her workaholism. "Fine. I'll see you tomorrow." She pauses on her way out and gives Gwen a warm hug. "I'm glad you're all right."
"Thanks, Tosh." Gwen sighs and settles in the chair, leaning slightly against Owen. For his part, Owen can't take his eyes off her. His face is paper-white and his hands tremble slightly as he fixes the bandage on Gwen's arm.
Jack sets his lips together tightly. In his anxiety, Owen had blurted out the story as he tended to Gwen on the way back to Cardiff: how she'd turned up on his doorstep in the dead of night after the disaster in the Brecon Beacons, and the impulsive sex that had turned into a full-fledged affair. Just thinking about it floods Jack's mouth with bitterness. He'd thought so much better of Gwen. She could be so much more.
That line of thinking won't get his team out of the Hub. Jack gives himself a mental shake. "You two - get out of here before Gwen melts into the chair and we have to pry her off with a spatula."
He doesn't have to tell them twice. Owen helps Gwen to her feet with far too chivalrous a gesture. In return, she favors Owen with a smile that's so sweet it makes Jack's teeth hurt.
This isn't about Gwen, though. Not tonight. Tonight is about thanking Ianto for helping them through this hellish experience.
"Will you take Gwen home, then?" Jack asks. "Might want to give Rhys a call first, let him know you're going to need some tea and a cuddle."
It's cruel, Jack knows, but so is what Gwen has done to her boyfriend. Her pale eyes shimmer with tears for a moment as she glances up at him. She wants confirmation that he still believes in her, but that's something she will have to earn from him.
All he can manage is to walk over to her, lean over, and kiss her flushed cheek. "Get some sleep," he murmurs. He pats Owen's arm, nodding toward the door. "You too."
"Right," Owen says, his lean body hunched into a question mark as he shepherds Gwen out of the Hub. The lurching metallic groan of the elevator lets Jack know that the last of the team has gone.
With a few minutes to spare, Jack has been successful at initiating Phase One. He chuckles to himself as he sprints back to his office. Phase Two - now that's going to be something special.
Ianto is already in the office. He's put on jeans and a grey sweatshirt and he's sipping beer from a bottle. The stopwatch is in his other hand. He looks at its antique face and then up at Jack. "They're gone?"
"Tosh left a couple of minutes ago, and Gwen and Owen are on their way out." Jack slips his braces off and wriggles his shoulders. "Give them a few more minutes. Can't have one of them wandering back at the wrong moment."
Quirking his eyebrow, Ianto says, "I don't know about that. Tosh might enjoy a stopwatch game."
Ianto never ceases to surprise him. "Really?" Jack inquires archly. "We may have to invite her one of these days. But right now - it's just you and me."
"Agreed." Ianto leans back in the chair and closes his eyes. "How much longer, do you figure?"
"Patience," Jack chuckles. "It'll be worth it, I promise. Besides, we haven't placed our bets."
That was one of the best parts of playing with the stopwatch: the wager. Last time he'd lost, Ianto had been forced to bring Jack breakfast every day for a week. A full American breakfast, laden with the kind of food that made Ianto want to set Weevils loose in the United States. "Eggs beaten up and cooked until they aren't at all liquid? What's the fucking POINT, Jack?" he'd argued, but Jack had made him prepare them all the same.
"I know who'll come first," Jack drawls. He pulls out a piece of paper, writes a name on it, and puts it on top of the weird coral on his desk. "How about you?"
"I'm sure," was Ianto's response. "So sure, in fact, that I wrote it down on a post-it note five minutes ago put it on your computer." He waves a languid hand toward the monitor, which has a jaunty yellow sticker on it.
Jack peers at the name. "Is that so?" he asks. "Really?"
"I'm very, very certain."
Now Jack is every bit as anxious as Ianto. "Then maybe we'd better put Phase Two into place."
"I've taken the liberty of coming up with a...plausible scenario," Ianto said mildly. "I can tell you about it, or it can be a surprise."
Jack loves surprises. He grins at Ianto and sees the answering smile. "Then it's in your hands. Just the way I like it."
"Very well, then. Sir." Ianto unfolds his long legs and walks across the room. He picks up a small silver object and presses the single button on its side. "I'm counting now."
"The suspense is probably going to kill me," Jack complains.
"Patience," Ianto responds in a passable imitation of Jack's accent.
The seconds tick by slowly, taunting Jack, who is as impatient as a child on Christmas morning. "Hurry up," he mumbles petulantly.
Ianto smiles at him. "It won't be much longer, Jack. And I bet you're going to win, after all."
Then it happens, with a flash of light and the sound of sirens going off in Jack's ears. He's waited for this and it's so fucking amazing that they can both think of the same thing at the same time, and it's going to happen right now, right...now...
"You're right, Ianto," Jack says with a smile. "You're going to win."
It's Owen who crashes through the door first, medical kit in hand, looking for all the world as if he'd just stuck his hair in a blender. "I got the call!" he cries out. "How the hell did the Weevil get loose?"
Tosh and Gwen bring up the rear, Gwen lagging slightly behind and struggling to catch her breath. "Jack! Ianto!" Tosh shouts. "Is anyone hurt?"
Jack can't stop laughing. Tears well up in his eyes as he doubles over, pounding his fist on the desk. Ianto chuckles softly and takes another sip of beer.
"Oh, I do not fucking believe this," Owen growls. "Not fucking AGAIN, Harkness."
"Jack, you didn't!" Tosh whines.
"What?" Gwen's voice is a study in confusion.
Tosh turns to her. "Once in a while, just to test their powers of stupidity, the Hub Hooligans decide to call a false alarm. See how fast we can get here, that's their game."
"This...this is fake?" Gwen shrieks. "I'm going to kill you, Jack. And as for you, Ianto Jones, your bony arse is MINE!"
Owen is already halfway out the door. "Stupid wankers. C'mon Tosh, Gwen, I've got the Torchwood credit card, let's get hammered."
The door to the Hub can't slam, but if it could, Owen would have rattled the walls with it.
Ianto shows Jack the stopwatch. "Eleven minutes, eighteen seconds. A little off their record, but it's been a tough day."
"I think we can cut them a little slack," Jack says through a yawn. He puts his hand on Ianto's shoulder and squeezes. "How do you feel?"
"Better, thank you. I always enjoy making Owen come first."
"You should watch what you say," Jack says as he makes his way toward the entrance to his bedroom. "People will think you're up to something sexual with that stopwatch of yours."
Ianto rolls his eyes. "Really, sir. There are plenty of things to do with a stopwatch. And hardly any of them involve sexual congress. Unless you want to fire up the monitors on Owen's apartment."
Owen, naked. What an unfortunate thought. Jack shudders a little as he climbs down the metal ladder. "I think I'll pass. G'night, Ianto."
Ianto doesn't say anything when he turns out the office lights, but Jack can hear his soft laughter echoing through the Hub until the door closes one last time.