The Lighthouse (2/?)
Title: The Lighthouse (2/?)
Characters: Jack Harkness, Trish Bowen (OFC), Eleri Jones (OFC)
Pairing: None as yet
Rating: Open
Spoilers: None whatsoever
Disclaimer: The original characters are not mine; they belong to the BBC, but I've transferred them to another universe and now they're mine. Ha ha!
Summary: Jack meets a couple of the locals and proves he's a knight in shining armour.
“Ianto is going to kill me. No, scratch that, my Mam and Ianto are going to kill me.”
Trish Bowen thumped the heel of her hand against the petrol gauge, hoping that the indicator would miraculously lift away from the E and the car would start again. Unfortunately for such hopes, that didn’t happen and the car remained stubbornly inert. She had been so sure she would be able to drive over Nantarian to pick up her present for Sue and get back without having to buy any more petrol but then she had decided to chance the coast road because it would get her back faster because of the road works on the New Road and that had added another six miles to her journey.
She glanced into the back of the car. At least Eleri was still happily playing with her toy unicorn in the baby seat and wasn’t really bothered by the storm outside. Trish, on the other hand, was seriously bothered by it. She’d driven as far as the bridge - or where it was normally - only to find that it was already underwater. She had been reversing back up the road when she had run out of petrol.
She was so damn screwed. There was no way she could take Eleri and walk. If she was lunatic enough to chance going across the footbridge further upstream - assuming that it wasn't under water as well - it was still two miles to Porthseren. It was twice that distance if she backtracked to the New Road. There was also no way that she was going to leave Eleri alone in the car while she went for help. The only place close by was the old lighthouse and while the gossip was that some mad American had bought the place and was doing it up, the builders hadn’t been around for while now and they wouldn’t have been there this late anyway.
She groped for her phone. Ianto was on duty at the lifeboat station tonight, which is why he has asked Trish to keep an eye on Eleri. She’d done it before and Eleri knew her and was less likely to play up when it came to putting her to bed. Trish hadn’t meant to be so irresponsible as to leave Ianto’s house but she hadn’t had time to collect Sue’s present and it was her birthday tomorrow. The journey was one she had done dozens of times before without a problem, but as soon as she did it when she shouldn’t really have it came back to bite her on the bum. Knowing how Ianto was about his daughter, she was dreading this phone call. She’d have preferred to call her mother but Lori Bowen was off at her salsa class and wouldn’t have her phone on her.
“Damn karma,” Trish groaned as she saw there was no phone signal. “It’ll get you every time.”
Whether or not someone was listening, Trish couldn’t help but give a squeak of surprise when light suddenly flashed into being further along the road. She knew a moment of sheer superstitious awe when she realised that it was the lighthouse come back to life. A couple of seconds later and she realised that someone must have rigged up the original lantern of the lighthouse to light up, although this was a steady blaze and not the sweeping beam that would have originally shone out. Right at that moment, there was someone up at the lighthouse.
OOO
Jack had just finished his coffee and was considering what he was going to make for dinner when he was startled by a frantic knocking on the door. He walked into the hallway and stared at the heavy wooden door for a moment, wondering who on Earth could be visiting him at this hour in such Godawful weather, then he shook his head and grinned as he realised that there was only one way to find out. He got to the door and opened it with a flourish just as the person started another sequence of knocks.
“Oof!” Jack said as he got a fist smack into his chest.
He had two visitors, it turned out. A young teenage girl was staring up at him in horrified surprise, and what Jack had initially had thought was a bundle of clothing turned out to be a small child wrapped up in a blanket to protect her from the rain that was still pouring down.
“Er… can I help you?” Jack asked a little uncertainly.
The girl seemed to gather her wits about her. “I’m really sorry to be bothering you, sir, but my car ran out of petrol just up the road from you and I can’t get a signal on my mobile and I really need to let Ianto know that Eleri is all right or he’ll go completely spare! Can I use your phone?”
“Uh, yeah, sure,” Jack said in bemusement, giving ground and letting them come inside. “Is Ianto your brother or something?”
“Oh no!” The girl looked horrified before blushing furiously. “He’s Eleri’s Dad. He’s just a friend.”
Jack swallowed a smile at the slightly wistful note in her voice. “Come on into the kitchen. That’s where the phone is at the moment. My name’s Jack, by the way.”
“Oh, I’m sorry!” the girl said with another blush. She shifted Eleri in her grip and extended a hand. “Trish Bowen, sir. Sorry to barge in like this,”
Jack chuckled, amused by the fact that the girl obviously had no idea who he was. “No problem, and call me Jack. Now let’s see about you making that phone call.” He gave Eleri a wary look. “Um, can I get you some juice or milk or something?”
Trish gave him a grateful look. “Some warm milk for Eleri would be lovely,” she said. She switched her attention to where Eleri was gazing around in thoughtful silence. “You want some milk, Eleri?”
Eleri considered this for a moment before she nodded. Jack thought she was one of the prettiest little girls he had seen in a long time, with café au lait skin, black hair that curled around her face and pensive blue eyes. She gave Jack a considering look before burying her face on Trish's shoulder. Charmed, Jack went into the kitchen and got some milk out of the fridge. He poured it into one of the plastic beakers that had been part of a picnic set, then put it into the microwave and set it going for a minute. When he took it out again, he paused before going to the cupboard again and taking down the honey. Dipping a spoon into the jar, he then stirred it in the milk as he moved back to where Trish was trying to use the phone without putting Eleri down.
"Would you like me to hold her for a bit?" Jack offered as he took pity on her. "I have two nieces," he continued when she gave him a doubtful look. "It's been a while since they've been this little but I think I can remember how to do it."
Trish gave him a grateful smile and coaxed Eleri into letting Jack take her. She was a little fretful at first but she accepted the cup that Jack offered her and took a cautious sip. Her eyes brightened as she caught the sweetness of the honey and she relaxed against him as she continued to drink. Satisfied that she wasn't going to struggle or get upset, Trish turned back to the phone, a expression of trepidation crossing her face.
"Going to get yelled at?" Jack asked in sympathy.
Trish pulled a face. "Majorly," she said glumly.
"I don't want to sound nosy, but what's the problem?" Jack asked curiously. He didn't think it was a major thing for someone to run out of petrol, even if it was at an inconvenient time.
Trish gave him a somewhat shaky smile. "I'm babysitting Eleri for Ianto and normally I'd be in the house. My best friend's 18th birthday is tomorrow and I hadn't been able to get her present, so I thought I'd just pop over to Geoff's place and pick it up. Trouble is I didn't pay enough attention to the petrol gauge. Um, gas gauge?" she added, remembering he was American.
Jack laughed. "Don't let the accent fool you. I was born in Scotland and while I lived most of my younger years in the States I came back to the UK in my late twenties and I've been living here ever since. I know all about petrol gauges and the way they suddenly register 'empty' at the most inconvenient times. I got stranded in the middle of nowhere once and sparked a manhunt. Now that was embarrassing!"
Trish smiled a little more genuinely and relaxed. "I know I shouldn't have done it; not while I was taking care of Eleri, but I've done that trip a thousand times before without any problems and I expected it to be just the same this time." She sighed. "Ianto is going to be so disappointed in me."
For just a moment her lips trembled and Jack's heart went out to her. It had been a lifetime since he'd been that young and small things like a friend's present had been that important but he could dimly remember it. As she squared her shoulders and started to dial the number, an idea struck him.
"Hang on, don't ring him just yet," he ordered her. "Your car's OK, isn't it?" he continued when she obeyed him. "It's just the petrol that's an issue, right?" When she nodded, he grinned. "One upshot of that little embarrassment is that I always have a can with a couple of gallons in the boot. What say I drive you back to your car and we fill it up? That ought to get you back home and no-one need be the wiser."
"You'd do that?" Trish demanded with wide eyes. She gave a high-decibel squeal when he nodded and would probably have given him an impetuous hug if he hadn't been holding Eleri. "Oh, thank you, sir!"
"Jack," Jack demanded.
Trish blushed and gave him a sweet smile. "Jack," she agreed.
"Right, you take Eleri and I'll go and get the car," Jack instructed. "No need for you to stand outside in the rain."
He shrugged on his coat and went to get the car. The sleek black Range Rover was a bit of a beast and he kept meaning to change it since it was awkward to drive on some of the narrow roads in the area but there was something immensely reassuring about its bulk. It had taken Jack a while to feel secure while driving after the accident and he was positively obsessed with being the one to drive, unable to relinquish control to anyone else any more. He had been a positive nightmare while he had been recovering and had been unable to drive. Now he was back in the driver's seat and a lot more relaxed as a result, although he lacked the lust for speed he had had previously. Trish scrambled into the passenger seat, then paused as she realized that there was nowhere for Eleri to sit safely.
"I'll drive extra slowly," Jack assured her and did just that, easing the Range Rover down the newly paved entrance road and onto the coast road. He didn't think that anyone else would be out on such a wild night but he was still cautious until another car parked at the side of the road showed up in his headlights.
"That's my car," Trish said with relief.
"Right, out you get and into the car," Jack instructed. "It looks like we've tried Eleri's patience as far as it will go."
Eleri was starting to grizzle and Trish got out obediently and dashed for her car, letting them both in. She concentrated on getting Eleri settled in the car seat in the back while Jack went to get to petrol can and emptied it into the tank. The wind was still high but the rain had eased a little, so it wasn't as horrendous as it had been. He stood back as Trish tried the engine and after a couple of coughs the little car grumbled back to life. Trish wound down the window and gave him another grateful smile.
"Thank you so much, Jack. You have saved my bacon tonight!"
"No problem," Jack assured her. "Now get back home and remember this the next time you think you can get away with something. Murphy is always watching for moments like this!"
Trish laughed and nodded before winding the window back up. Jack stood back and watched her reverse up the road carefully before she reached one of the numerous indentations set into these narrow country roads where cars would pass one another. She did a text book three-point turn and then drove off into the night. Jack got back into his own car and made his way back to the house. He stayed outside for several minutes, ignoring the needling of the wind-driven drizzle as he listened to the roar of the wind through the trees and the fainter thunder of the waves on the shore. This was what he needed: the honesty of the elements and the gentle interactions with ordinary people. One day he assumed he would feel the pull of the stage again, but for now this was enough.
He walked back inside the house, savouring the welcoming warmth that he was immediately wrapped in. Shrugging out of his coat, he hung it up and then turned to make for the living room, only to pause as he caught sight of a lump of lilac material on the floor. Going over to it, he saw that it was a cloth toy in the shape of an unicorn. Picking it up, he realized that Eleri must have dropped it and neither he nor Trish had noticed in the rush to get them back on the road. No wonder the child had been grizzling: she had been missing her toy.
Jack grinned ruefully. "Looks like I'm going to be getting to know the locals a little bit sooner than I had intended," he mused as he put the unicorn safely on the side table and then continued on to the living room to see what was on Sky Arts or Dave.
OOO