We Could Be Heroes 5/30
Title: We Could Be Heroes 5/30
Pairings: Jack/Ianto, John/Nick, Gwen/Rhys
Characters: Jack, Ianto, Gwen, Rhys, John Hart and a cast of (probably!) thousands.
Spoilers: Set after Exit Wounds. Sequel to 'Will My Arms Be Strong Enough?'
Rating: Adult - it's going to get very dark in some places.
Warnings: Slash, language, angst, dark themes.
Summary: The results of Jack's research - and what's in that box?
Disclaimer: I'm a student. I don't own Torchwood.
The Master List (as it stands) is here: anduria-trianys.livejournal.com/27610.html#cutid1
Chapter 5
Back at the Hub…
Jack sat and simply stared at the computer screen, as he examined the profiles he had written up while reviewing some of the potential new candidates for the suddenly vacated positions at Torchwood. So far, he had managed to find three people who he would consider for the medical position, one of whom was a counsellor - with a medical degree as well - from Torchwood Two.
It seemed that, as eccentric as he was, old Archie from Glasgow did have some sense, although when he chose to display it was something that no one could predict. Although quite why the man seemed to want to offload someone so valuable, Jack didn’t know. He dimly wondered if something had happened in Scotland to sour their relationship.
He didn’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth, but, while this woman, Emily Potter, did seem like the perfect candidate for the job, he knew he had to be fair to the others, as well as to his own team. He wasn’t going to rush in and recruit someone without consulting them.
Instead, his eyes turned to the other two candidates, both of whom had been recommended to him by UNIT - or, more specifically, by Martha Jones. One was Declan Hamilton, a twenty-seven-year-old New Zealander, who had moved to work in London a year ago after the sudden death of his son and then a painful and messy divorce from his wife.
He studied the man’s picture; he looked very young with his cloud of bright blonde hair and baby blue eyes, but there was a sharpness to him that intrigued Jack. Also, his profile cited him as reliable, hard-working and sure-minded, qualities that Jack prized when he was hand-picking his team. There was definitely potential.
The second was a Welshman, Garrett Evans, who had worked in Newport for a time before unexpectedly resigning and going on to take a position as a doctor with the army. There were no details about why he had done this, but Jack would find out sooner or later…if he hired the guy.
He was twenty-five, small and elfin with round silver glasses, brown eyes and messy black hair that landed halfway down his neck. He was nothing like your average Torchwood employee, but his experience in combat situations could prove to be the difference between life and death.
So I have three possible doctors here…but no one to take on John’s job. Jack laughed softly to himself; there had actually been several people recommended to him, all of whom were well qualified - admittedly, some better than others - but he couldn’t see any of them taking John’s place…Tosh’s place…anyone’s place…
But he didn’t have long to think on that. Less than a minute passed before the alarm sounded. He turned on his chair to greet Gwen and Andie as they came into the Hub again.
“It’s all done,” said Andie quietly, hanging up her coat on the wall. “The flat’s been cleared out - everything’s been put into boxes.” She ran her fingers almost violently through her wet hair. “And I need to get into some dry clothes and maybe have a shower.”
Jack couldn’t help but chuckle. “Go ahead,” he agreed, “you look like you’ve been surfing in the middle of a rainstorm.” He winced as the young woman’s wet scarf was flung in his face as she disappeared down towards the showers and the lockers where the team kept spare clothes.
Gwen shook her head, chuckling softly. “You really know how to annoy her sometimes, don’t you?” she said as she came over.
“I can’t help that she’s volatile!” Jack squeaked. He was shivering as drops of water began dripping over his face; that scarf was wetter than it had looked.
“But that’s what you love about her, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, I guess it is. Where’s Ianto?”
“He’s showing Rhys the garage where you asked for John and Nick’s things to be stored.” She walked towards him, looking at him intently. “He was really strong back there, Jack. You would have been so proud of him.”
Jack nodded and stood up, making his way quickly over to the invisible lift. “I am proud of him, Gwen,” he agreed, giving her a smile. “I’m very proud of him.”
~*~
“Hi,” Ianto said as he turned around and saw Jack enter the garage. He had just helped to unload the last of the boxes and seen Rhys off and now he was sitting on an old desk chair.
Jack smiled and came over to stand beside him. “There was a lot of stuff, I gather.”
“An awful lot; I knew that Nick liked shopping, but I didn’t realise he liked it that much. It took us twenty minutes to get all his books packed!” Ianto laughed softly, but then turned serious. “Jack?”
“Yes?”
Ianto thought for a second before speaking. “I know you wanted to get your research done so we can get some new staff as quickly as possible, but -”
“You want to know if that was the only reason why I didn’t come with you.” This time, Jack’s smile was almost wistful. “No. It wasn’t.” He hesitated and ran his hands inside the pockets of his coat before bringing them up to rest on Ianto’s shoulders. “There were several reasons why I didn’t come with you. One of them was because…I felt that you deserved the chance to say goodbye to Nick properly - something that I wasn’t sure I could do with John. And the others…”
His voice turned reflective. “We were so complicated, him and me; I loved him and hated him in equal measure. I won’t deny that we shared some amazing times, or that he was a good friend and a worthy partner. But he frightened me too. He had too much power…too much for someone so young. He was wild.”
“Do…do you still have feelings for him?”
The question was innocent and there was no hint of jealousy to be found, but it still made Jack feel uncomfortable. He thought long and hard before he finally answered.
“Yes,” he admitted. “I do still have some lingering feelings for John. He was a very important part of my life at one time - like he said, we were partners in every way.” A small laugh escaped him; what had at the time grated on his nerves now seemed easy to smile about. “But what I feel…”
Jack shook his head. He didn’t think it was something that could be put into words easily. He was a man of actions, not a man of words. So, instead, he squeezed Ianto’s shoulder comfortingly, smiling as his young lover turned around and pressed his lips to his chin, showing him that he understood what wasn’t being said.
Ianto slipped his hands into his pockets as he stood up and gazed around the large garage. He could feel Jack’s hands on his shoulders, massaging the knots out comfortingly, even though his grip was a little strong; he offered support and at the same time, he held onto Ianto as if he was the only thing keeping him standing at this present time. The young man felt a sense of apprehension at this - he was deeply worried about what would happen to Jack when he died - but kept it to himself. Now was not the time to mention such things.
As his hands moved around his pocket, his fingers brushed over something solid, but soft. Feeling a slight frown of confusion run over his face, he removed his hand and revealed the small green box he had found on the floor of the bedroom earlier that day. Slowly, he stroked the lid, his fingers tracing the barely perceptible patterns in the fabric.
“What’s that?” Jack’s attention had been caught by the appearance of the new object and he was now leaning over Ianto’s shoulder.
“I don’t know. I found it on the floor just as we were about to leave.” Ianto looked up. “I think it fell off John’s bookshelf. It must have been hidden behind the books - I guess he didn’t want Nick to find it…but I don’t know why.” He turned the box over. “Should I open it?”
Jack thought for a moment, curiosity eventually winning out. “Yes,” he said. “It might be something important.”
Ianto nodded. “Yeah, it might,” he agreed and gently lifted the lid, almost as if he was afraid of what he would find. But when he actually looked, his heart gave an enormous jump and he felt his throat go dry. Slowly, he removed the object from the box and rested it in the palm of his hand.
It was a ring. At first glance, it appeared that it was made from a simple silver metal, but when he turned it in the light, Ianto could see that there were light flickers of colour - greens, purples, and blues - inside the metal, if metal was what it was.
Jack’s eyes widened when he saw it. “Oh my God,” he breathed. “He…it can’t be!” He took the ring in his hand and turned it around, the expression of shock growing more and more pronounced by the second. “But…when did he…?”
“What?” Ianto waited until his lover’s voice had trailed off before he spoke. “What is it, Jack?”
Jack blinked in surprise, almost as if he’d forgotten that Ianto was even there. “This metal is called Iridinite, Ianto,” he said, nodding towards the ring. “It was named for the iridescent colours you can see in it and was first mined in the fifty-fifth century.” He smiled slightly. “No one knew why it looks the way it does, but its beauty and strength meant that it quickly became the most popular metal for custom-made partnership rings.”
Ianto stumbled in shock. “You mean -”
“Yes.” Jack placed the ring back in the box and gently closed the lid. “John was going to ask Nick to marry him.”
***
Next Time: A team meeting in which the remaining members of Torchwood Three review the potential new recruits.
Pairings: Jack/Ianto, John/Nick, Gwen/Rhys
Characters: Jack, Ianto, Gwen, Rhys, John Hart and a cast of (probably!) thousands.
Spoilers: Set after Exit Wounds. Sequel to 'Will My Arms Be Strong Enough?'
Rating: Adult - it's going to get very dark in some places.
Warnings: Slash, language, angst, dark themes.
Summary: The results of Jack's research - and what's in that box?
Disclaimer: I'm a student. I don't own Torchwood.
The Master List (as it stands) is here: anduria-trianys.livejournal.com/27610.html#cutid1
Chapter 5
Back at the Hub…
Jack sat and simply stared at the computer screen, as he examined the profiles he had written up while reviewing some of the potential new candidates for the suddenly vacated positions at Torchwood. So far, he had managed to find three people who he would consider for the medical position, one of whom was a counsellor - with a medical degree as well - from Torchwood Two.
It seemed that, as eccentric as he was, old Archie from Glasgow did have some sense, although when he chose to display it was something that no one could predict. Although quite why the man seemed to want to offload someone so valuable, Jack didn’t know. He dimly wondered if something had happened in Scotland to sour their relationship.
He didn’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth, but, while this woman, Emily Potter, did seem like the perfect candidate for the job, he knew he had to be fair to the others, as well as to his own team. He wasn’t going to rush in and recruit someone without consulting them.
Instead, his eyes turned to the other two candidates, both of whom had been recommended to him by UNIT - or, more specifically, by Martha Jones. One was Declan Hamilton, a twenty-seven-year-old New Zealander, who had moved to work in London a year ago after the sudden death of his son and then a painful and messy divorce from his wife.
He studied the man’s picture; he looked very young with his cloud of bright blonde hair and baby blue eyes, but there was a sharpness to him that intrigued Jack. Also, his profile cited him as reliable, hard-working and sure-minded, qualities that Jack prized when he was hand-picking his team. There was definitely potential.
The second was a Welshman, Garrett Evans, who had worked in Newport for a time before unexpectedly resigning and going on to take a position as a doctor with the army. There were no details about why he had done this, but Jack would find out sooner or later…if he hired the guy.
He was twenty-five, small and elfin with round silver glasses, brown eyes and messy black hair that landed halfway down his neck. He was nothing like your average Torchwood employee, but his experience in combat situations could prove to be the difference between life and death.
So I have three possible doctors here…but no one to take on John’s job. Jack laughed softly to himself; there had actually been several people recommended to him, all of whom were well qualified - admittedly, some better than others - but he couldn’t see any of them taking John’s place…Tosh’s place…anyone’s place…
But he didn’t have long to think on that. Less than a minute passed before the alarm sounded. He turned on his chair to greet Gwen and Andie as they came into the Hub again.
“It’s all done,” said Andie quietly, hanging up her coat on the wall. “The flat’s been cleared out - everything’s been put into boxes.” She ran her fingers almost violently through her wet hair. “And I need to get into some dry clothes and maybe have a shower.”
Jack couldn’t help but chuckle. “Go ahead,” he agreed, “you look like you’ve been surfing in the middle of a rainstorm.” He winced as the young woman’s wet scarf was flung in his face as she disappeared down towards the showers and the lockers where the team kept spare clothes.
Gwen shook her head, chuckling softly. “You really know how to annoy her sometimes, don’t you?” she said as she came over.
“I can’t help that she’s volatile!” Jack squeaked. He was shivering as drops of water began dripping over his face; that scarf was wetter than it had looked.
“But that’s what you love about her, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, I guess it is. Where’s Ianto?”
“He’s showing Rhys the garage where you asked for John and Nick’s things to be stored.” She walked towards him, looking at him intently. “He was really strong back there, Jack. You would have been so proud of him.”
Jack nodded and stood up, making his way quickly over to the invisible lift. “I am proud of him, Gwen,” he agreed, giving her a smile. “I’m very proud of him.”
~*~
“Hi,” Ianto said as he turned around and saw Jack enter the garage. He had just helped to unload the last of the boxes and seen Rhys off and now he was sitting on an old desk chair.
Jack smiled and came over to stand beside him. “There was a lot of stuff, I gather.”
“An awful lot; I knew that Nick liked shopping, but I didn’t realise he liked it that much. It took us twenty minutes to get all his books packed!” Ianto laughed softly, but then turned serious. “Jack?”
“Yes?”
Ianto thought for a second before speaking. “I know you wanted to get your research done so we can get some new staff as quickly as possible, but -”
“You want to know if that was the only reason why I didn’t come with you.” This time, Jack’s smile was almost wistful. “No. It wasn’t.” He hesitated and ran his hands inside the pockets of his coat before bringing them up to rest on Ianto’s shoulders. “There were several reasons why I didn’t come with you. One of them was because…I felt that you deserved the chance to say goodbye to Nick properly - something that I wasn’t sure I could do with John. And the others…”
His voice turned reflective. “We were so complicated, him and me; I loved him and hated him in equal measure. I won’t deny that we shared some amazing times, or that he was a good friend and a worthy partner. But he frightened me too. He had too much power…too much for someone so young. He was wild.”
“Do…do you still have feelings for him?”
The question was innocent and there was no hint of jealousy to be found, but it still made Jack feel uncomfortable. He thought long and hard before he finally answered.
“Yes,” he admitted. “I do still have some lingering feelings for John. He was a very important part of my life at one time - like he said, we were partners in every way.” A small laugh escaped him; what had at the time grated on his nerves now seemed easy to smile about. “But what I feel…”
Jack shook his head. He didn’t think it was something that could be put into words easily. He was a man of actions, not a man of words. So, instead, he squeezed Ianto’s shoulder comfortingly, smiling as his young lover turned around and pressed his lips to his chin, showing him that he understood what wasn’t being said.
Ianto slipped his hands into his pockets as he stood up and gazed around the large garage. He could feel Jack’s hands on his shoulders, massaging the knots out comfortingly, even though his grip was a little strong; he offered support and at the same time, he held onto Ianto as if he was the only thing keeping him standing at this present time. The young man felt a sense of apprehension at this - he was deeply worried about what would happen to Jack when he died - but kept it to himself. Now was not the time to mention such things.
As his hands moved around his pocket, his fingers brushed over something solid, but soft. Feeling a slight frown of confusion run over his face, he removed his hand and revealed the small green box he had found on the floor of the bedroom earlier that day. Slowly, he stroked the lid, his fingers tracing the barely perceptible patterns in the fabric.
“What’s that?” Jack’s attention had been caught by the appearance of the new object and he was now leaning over Ianto’s shoulder.
“I don’t know. I found it on the floor just as we were about to leave.” Ianto looked up. “I think it fell off John’s bookshelf. It must have been hidden behind the books - I guess he didn’t want Nick to find it…but I don’t know why.” He turned the box over. “Should I open it?”
Jack thought for a moment, curiosity eventually winning out. “Yes,” he said. “It might be something important.”
Ianto nodded. “Yeah, it might,” he agreed and gently lifted the lid, almost as if he was afraid of what he would find. But when he actually looked, his heart gave an enormous jump and he felt his throat go dry. Slowly, he removed the object from the box and rested it in the palm of his hand.
It was a ring. At first glance, it appeared that it was made from a simple silver metal, but when he turned it in the light, Ianto could see that there were light flickers of colour - greens, purples, and blues - inside the metal, if metal was what it was.
Jack’s eyes widened when he saw it. “Oh my God,” he breathed. “He…it can’t be!” He took the ring in his hand and turned it around, the expression of shock growing more and more pronounced by the second. “But…when did he…?”
“What?” Ianto waited until his lover’s voice had trailed off before he spoke. “What is it, Jack?”
Jack blinked in surprise, almost as if he’d forgotten that Ianto was even there. “This metal is called Iridinite, Ianto,” he said, nodding towards the ring. “It was named for the iridescent colours you can see in it and was first mined in the fifty-fifth century.” He smiled slightly. “No one knew why it looks the way it does, but its beauty and strength meant that it quickly became the most popular metal for custom-made partnership rings.”
Ianto stumbled in shock. “You mean -”
“Yes.” Jack placed the ring back in the box and gently closed the lid. “John was going to ask Nick to marry him.”
***
Next Time: A team meeting in which the remaining members of Torchwood Three review the potential new recruits.