Fic: Hope's Last Breath Chapter 6/10
Title: Hope's Last Breath
Fandoms: Supernatural/Torchwood/The Avengers/Doctor Who
Pairings/Characters: Dean/Sam/Castiel, Jack/Ianto, Coulson/Clint, Tony/Bruce, Natasha/Pepper, Thor/Loki, Steve/Darcy, Balthazar/Gareth Jones, Bobby, Marion Jones (OFC), Andy/Tosh, Owen/Maria Hill, Nick Fury/Donna Noble, Rhys Williams/Kathy Swanson, Martha Jones, the Doctor
Summary: Greek Mythology says that when Pandora disobeyed the Gods and opened the box, all the world's evil was unleashed but hoped remained inside. Unfortunately, hate found Pandora's Box and destroyed it. Out of his depth, Nick Fury has no choice but to seek help from others who have knowledge of and experience with this kind of stuff. But without hope in the world, it's only a matter of time before humanity falls into chaos.
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural, the Avengers or Torchwood but I do own Gareth and Marion Jones
Beta: RoyalLadyEmma
Chapter 6
"This is Torchwood Three? It's a Tourist Office!" To say that Clint was less than impressed with the secret entrance to Torchwood would be a complete understatement; he had seen a lot of secret bases in his time, and this place wouldn't make the bottom of his top one hundred coolest lairs list. He looked around with disdain; the room was dinghy, cluttered with travel brochures, bus schedules, coupon books, and area maps. Clint shook his head; there was even a ridiculous beaded curtain straight out of the 1960's hanging in the back doorway.
Coulson gave a sharp nod. "Yes, it is. Please behave." He shot Clint a glare.
Clint merely grinned at his lover with a mischievous look dancing in his eyes. "I make no promises."
Coulson rolled his eyes; he knew that was the best he was going to get from his lover. Clint had a bad habit of doing what he wanted instead of listening to orders. "Just try not to piss anyone off enough that they wish to do you bodily harm," Coulson ordered. While his words sounded like a command, they were actually a plea; his mind's eye he could picture the now-faded scar on Clint's chest, a parting gift from a very angry former lover.
"Yes, Sir!" Clint gave Phil a little salute. "Now shall I do the honours or do I get to stare at your ass as you pick the lock?" Clint looked at his lover with a leer on his face.
Once again, Coulson found himself rolling his eyes as he pulled out his lock picking kit and despite his attempts to stop it, he couldn't help but let the tiny fond smile appear on his face as Clint let out a little whoop of joy. 'He's insane but I do love him,' Coulson thought fondly as he bent over to work on the hidden door's lock; he could feel Clint's heated gaze zeroing in on his behind and it gave him a happy little shiver up and down his spine.
*****
Martha could hardly believe what she was hearing from Jack and Ianto. "Hope is gone?" she repeated a second time; even though she'd seen all matter of things during her time with the Doctor, Martha was having trouble wrapping her mind around such an event.
Jack nodded his head, a serious look on his face and his arms instinctively tightened around Ianto as if he was afraid that if let the young Welshman go, he would disappear from his sight.
That confirmation was all Martha needed and she was immediately fumbling around in her purse for her phone, which had once again managed to work its way all the way to the bottom. A triumphant sound escaped her lips as her fingers brushed against the cool screen and as she pulled it free, several things happened at once.
The Hub alarms began blaring as the cog door rolled back to reveal Torchwood's uninvited guests just as a familiar grinding sound filled the air and a small wind picked up from out of nowhere. A startled cry escaped Tosh along with Bobby's heartfelt curse as their books and papers scattered everywhere.
Jack released his hold on Ianto and his lover shot to his feet with Jack right behind him as they and Martha exited Jack's office at a run just as a hastily half-dressed Sam and Dean came blazing out of their little hideaway, guns out and trained on the new arrivals.
The TARDIS finished appearing just as Jack and Ianto's feet hit the Hub floor and while Jack was itching to get into the TARDIS and see if the Doctor had a plan, he couldn't do so until he knew who had broken into his Hub. "Hands up and where I can see them!" he growled to the two men. In a comical second-take, he looked at the man dressed in a suit and gave him a cocky smirk before winking at Ianto. "Sorry but the role of sexy-man-in-a-suit has been filled."
Ianto felt his cheeks heat up, you would think after being with Jack for so long he would stop blushing so much. "Jack, that's Agent Phil Coulson of SHIELD, the man Bobby has been trying to get a hold of," Ianto whispered softly in Jack's ear.
"That still doesn't explain how they gained access to my Hub or how they even found us in the first place!" Jack growled; he wanted answers and he wanted them now.
Coulson simply blinked at Jack; having dealt with Nick Fury's temper tantrums for years so he wasn't all that impressed with Jack's macho posturing. "I'm Agent Phil Coulson of SHIELD, that is how I knew of Torchwood and it wasn't that hard to track down your base when you have your name on your SUV. I mean, let's face it, you are the worst kept secret in Cardiff."
"Of course it also helps that Ianto's coffee is a legend in its own right and that he has his own many admirers," there was a twinkle in Clint's eye. "Something about how good he looks in a suit?" Clint couldn't help but add. He knew Phil rather liked the young man and that he'd actually been excited about coming to Cardiff. He himself was looking forward to working with the well-dressed Welshman, which he figured would be a lot, given that they'd be called on quite often to smooth over tensions created by their bosses.
Ianto blushed lightly and that caused Jack to bristle with indignation; 'Ianto is mine, damn it!' "Okay, first; things first the sexy Welshman is mine and if you want to stay healthy and among the living you would do well to remember that," Jack snapped sharply, pulling Ianto closer to his body.
Sam and Ianto shared identical eye rolls as they saw Dean shift his stance so that his body blocked Sam's bare torso to the newcomers. Crossing his arms across his chest he sent his own glare at the men. "Same goes for my Sammy."
At that moment, Clint knew, 'I am going to have so much fun messing with these two alpha males!' "While they are both very pretty to look at, my heart - and the rest of me - belongs to and wants only one person and that's my own kick-ass lover who, by the way, also makes a suit look damn good." The loving warmth he suddenly felt told him that Phil's eyes on him and that he'd said exactly the right thing. "But I'm sure Tony wouldn't mind the new eye-candy even if he does have Bruce."
Thankfully, literally seconds before Jack and Dean snapped and turned Clint's pretty face inside out Bobby chose to spoke up. "Coulson, I've been trying to get a hold of you for hours, you bastard."
The corners of Coulson's eyes crinkled as he smiled at Bobby. "Sorry about that but with everything going on in the world I've had a boss to keep calm and Avengers to control. I do have a good reason though, for breaking into your base."
Unimpressed by the man's charm, Jack continued to glower at Coulson and Clint as Dean snorted derisively. "I'm sorry to tell you this but you came all this way for nothing. We already have our hands full with our own world-ending crisis." The hunter pointed out with open hostility.
Before anyone could reply, a new voice cut through the rapidly building tension. "And that would be why they are here. The entire world has gone to hell so your problem and theirs is one and the same."
Jack immediately recognized the voice and a big grin spread across his face. Snagging Ianto's hand in his, he turned to face the Time Lord, only for that smile to quickly fade as he saw the pain in the Doctor's eyes. "Doc?" Jack's voice faltered.
It was a look that did not go unnoticed by Ianto; there was a haunted element to it he'd seen in Jack's eyes from time to time and he tightened his grip on Jack's hand. "Doctor, is Marion with you?" Ianto asked softly afraid of what the Doctor's answer was going to be.
The Doctor gave Ianto a sad gentle smile. "She's in the TARDIS, Ianto where she needs to stay; with hope gone my TARDIS is the only thing keeping Marion from fading away like all the others." He could see the next set of questions in Ianto's eyes and answered before he could voice them, "Yes, you can go see Marion and yes, you can bring Mica in so she will be safe as well."
Marion had explained earlier that her niece was like her, a future angel of hope and that because she was still amongst the living, she wouldn't fade away like the rest of the angels. However she would be extremely weak and her safety compromised, and if the balance between hope and hate wasn't restored soon, Mica wouldn't last long; at least inside the TARDIS she would be safe.
Ianto looked up at Jack his blue eyes pleading with his lover; smiling, Jack gently stroked Ianto's cheek before pressing a tender kiss to his Welshman's forehead. "Go on, take care of your family. I'm sure Bobby, Sam and Tosh can fill everyone in on what we know so far." Jack was torn; his brain, the leader of Torchwood was screaming that he needed to be a part of these discussions but that was overruled by the rest of him, led by his heart, as he realised Ianto needed him and that was all that mattered to the immortal. Surviving a year onboard the Valiant without Ianto had taught Jack that there were times when following his heart was the only option available.
Understanding the unspoken communication going on, Tosh smiled at her two closest friends. "Of course we can! Ianto, you need to be with your family. Bobby, Sam and I can handle this."
Ianto favoured the three of them with a soft smile; he knew that he could trust them with getting the information Coulson possessed as well as bringing him and Clint up to speed on what they knew. Ianto was so grateful that he could focus solely on his family.
Emerging from whatever little corner they'd managed to find, Balthazar and Gareth stared at the scene before them. Balthazar knew exactly what was going through his lover's mind; he gently rested a hand Gareth's tense shoulder. "Go with Ianto and Jack to see Marion, I'll go collect Mica and the others," the angel whispered in his hunter ear.
Gareth's eyes expressed all the gratitude he couldn't voice and he enveloped his angel in a warm hug. Despite their rocky start, Balthazar had proved to Gareth more than once that he had a softer side, one that he only let Gareth see and it warmed the hunter's heart to be so privileged. "Thank you," he whispered softly and placed a surprisingly tender kiss on his angel's mouth.
Such sweetly emotional displays in public were not their usual thing and it sent a warm feeling throughout Balthazar’s heart. "I'd do anything for you, my love. Your happiness is all that matters to me." The angel whispered what he knew to be the honest truth. 'I never thought I could love a mortal so much, but now I understand how Castiel could have chosen Dean and Sam over everything else.' Balthazar was a little ashamed of the way he'd acted when Castiel chose to side with two mortals over his brothers and sisters. Then came the fateful day when he'd met Gareth Jones and now nothing became more important than his lover.
Castiel came to stand next to Balthazar; he couldn't help but notice how different his brother was whenever he was around Gareth. 'He's found something to believe in other than our father's word, just like I did when I found my place with Dean and Sam. Their hearts are my new home.' Castiel rested a hand on Balthazar's shoulder. "It pleases me to see you so happy," he murmured softly so that only his fellow angel could hear him.
Balthazar gave a small nod, "I never understood how you could have given up everything, including heaven, for two mortals, but that all changed once I was assigned to look after the Jones family and I met Gareth. He was the most hotheaded and annoying man I had ever had the pleasure of meeting and I knew immediately that he would become my Dean and Sam. I would go against all of heaven if it meant keeping him safe and happy."
Castiel knew exactly what Balthazar meant; he had defied heaven and gone against his brothers and sisters in order to help the Winchester's avoid their own destiny, in order to keep them safe. A strange feeling entered his stomach as he watched one of the new arrivals wink at Sam. 'I have the strangest urge to rip that man apart.' He found it very curious that he was experiencing such a powerful human emotion.
Balthazar shook his head, a knowing grin on his face as he watched Castiel's eyes narrow as Clint continued his harmless game of flirting with Sam. 'Jealousy is a strong and powerful mistress who sneaks up on you when you least expect it. Welcome to the club, my brother.' With a wide grin on his face, Balthazar slapped Castiel on his back. "Just try not to kill the mortal, okay? We may need him." With a cheery wink to his fellow angel Balthazar began whistling a merry tune as he headed for the medical bay to collect Mica and the rest of his new little family. It was time for a long overdue family reunion.
Castiel watched Balthazar go with one thought running through his mind, 'I will never understand him.' Shaking his head and deciding to put his brother's strangeness out of his mind for the moment, Castiel wandered over to join Sam and Dean and immediately noticed that it was only Sam, Bobby, Tosh and Kathy who were actually paying attention to what Coulson was saying. After listening for a few minutes himself, he realised that what Coulson knew was pretty much what they already knew.
Bored by the lack of new information, Dean wandered over to get one of the beers that Rhys had had the foresight to bring. As he surveyed the varied selection of food and drinks, he grinned; an end of the world party wouldn't be the same without alcohol.
"So you noticed the increased demon action?" Bobby had a thoughtful look on his face as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I take it you're not informing everyone else about this newest disaster, so what's so special about us?" Bobby had a feeling there was something important Coulson was leaving out.
Phil wasn't at all surprised that Bobby picked up on what he was hiding. "While the Avengers are coming together as a team and let's face it, no one can deny their successes in their solo careers, but they have no idea how to handle the supernatural. We want to hire you to teach them."
Dean had just taken a long swallow of if his beer and upon hearing Coulson's words he promptly choked on it, sending liquid spewing from his nose and mouth. He continued to cough violently while those around him jumped back in horror and disgust. Finally able to catch his breath, he gasped out, "I'm sorry, could you repeat that? Because I'm sure you just said that you wanted us to teach the Avengers how to fight demons and all the other things that go bump in the night?" For a moment, Dean was sure his hearing was playing tricks on him.
"You didn't mishear me, that is indeed what I said." Coulson smiled at the long-suffering sigh that escaped Dean's lips; it seemed the hunter still didn't like playing well with others. 'But then again it wasn't uncommon for a hunter to distrust anyone who wasn't a fellow hunter.'
"Man, I knew I should have just pulled the covers up over my head and stayed in bed today," Dean muttered under his breath and Sam had to agree with his brother; sometimes in their line of work it just didn't pay to get out of bed.
"But..." a soft voice spoke up hesitantly and Tosh blushed as she found herself the subject of everyone's attention. Andy placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and gave her a tender squeeze and that seemed to give Tosh the courage to speak her mind. “While I agree that fighting the demons is important, our main goal should be to figuring out a way to restore hope to the world.”
“Ahh, wonderful point, my dear Toshiko, it’s so nice to see you again.” The Doctor grinned from his spot next to the TARDIS, Donna beside him, because as much as the Time Lord would like to be in the TARDIS making sure that Marion was safe, Donna hadn’t given him much choice as she'd literally dragged him out by the ear stating that this was family time.
Andy felt a strong ting of jealousy as his girlfriend blushed prettily at this strange man dressed in an ill-fitting blue suit and red trainers of all things! Taking a move out of Dean and Jack’s playbook, Andy scowled as he moved to block Tosh from the Doctor’s gaze.
The Doctor immediately noticed the alpha male stance the former Cardiff PC had taken and grinned. ‘I thought I could only get a reaction like that out of Jack when I flirt with his Ianto. This might be fun!’ It was a secret thrill of the Doctor's to rile up typical alpha males; it was so much fun to see them get all growly, macho and twitchy as he flirted with their mates.
Donna rolled her eyes as she nudged the Doctor none-too-gently in the ribs. “Marion has given us an idea that includes the use of your Avengers, who he’s totally fanboy over, by the way.” Donna found it highly amusing to see the Doctor acting like a child on a sugar high when it came to the Avengers and she was delighted to see that she'd made the nine-hundred-year-old Time Lord blush like a schoolgirl.
“Could someone explain to me how a bunch of superheroes are going to help restore hope?” Dean asked; it was clear that even though he didn't know exactly what the plan was, he didn’t have much faith in it.
The Doctor grinned. “Ahh, see whenever the world needed it the most, the Avengers have shown that hope can survive and triumphant even in the most hopeless of situations. With you teaching and training them for what's to come and all of us working together we can figure out a way to restore hope.” At Dean’s disbelieving look the Doctor sighed, “Look, right now it’s the best we’ve got. Marion and the remaining angels of hope don’t have much time left.”
‘Son of a bitch! He’s using Marion against me.’ Marion was family; even if she was an angel, she was still family and Dean would do anything for family. “Fine, I’ll freaking teach the spandex-lovers," Dean grumbled under his breath. "But I don’t have to like it.”
Sam’s forehead crinkled. “But we can’t all go. How are we gonna decide who’s going and who's staying?” Sam knew he couldn’t let Dean go to SHIELD without him and Castiel; who knew what kind of trouble he would get into without him. No, he definitely needed his brother and his angel to keep an eye on him.
Luckily Bobby decided to take command. “If we’re teaching anyone to hunt I want all the help we can get, so besides Dean, Sam and myself, I also think we should take Gareth and Ianto with us and we all know that wherever the Jones boys go the good captain and that pain-in-my-arse Balthazar will be following.”
Owen snorted. “I’m coming as well. SHIELD doctors may be good but I doubt they’ve seen a quarter of the things I have and we’ll need brains to figure all this out and no one is smarter than Tosh.”
As much as it pained him to agree with the medic, Andy knew Owen was right bristling he couldn’t help but bristle at the idea of his girlfriend being surrounded by tons of handsome men and gorgeous women, 'With their tight outfits and muscles and bulges and things.'
Tosh laid a gentle hand on Andy’s arm and smiled sweetly up at him. “There’s no need to worry, my heart belongs to you.”
Now normally sickeningly sweet moments like this made Dean want to gag but he could understand why Andy was worried, he would never say it out loud but he was going to keep a very close eye on his Sam and Castiel while they were amongst the Avengers. ‘There is no way I’m losing my Sammy or Castiel to some pretty-boy who plays Halloween dress-up for a living!’
Fandoms: Supernatural/Torchwood/The Avengers/Doctor Who
Pairings/Characters: Dean/Sam/Castiel, Jack/Ianto, Coulson/Clint, Tony/Bruce, Natasha/Pepper, Thor/Loki, Steve/Darcy, Balthazar/Gareth Jones, Bobby, Marion Jones (OFC), Andy/Tosh, Owen/Maria Hill, Nick Fury/Donna Noble, Rhys Williams/Kathy Swanson, Martha Jones, the Doctor
Summary: Greek Mythology says that when Pandora disobeyed the Gods and opened the box, all the world's evil was unleashed but hoped remained inside. Unfortunately, hate found Pandora's Box and destroyed it. Out of his depth, Nick Fury has no choice but to seek help from others who have knowledge of and experience with this kind of stuff. But without hope in the world, it's only a matter of time before humanity falls into chaos.
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural, the Avengers or Torchwood but I do own Gareth and Marion Jones
Beta: RoyalLadyEmma
Chapter 6
"This is Torchwood Three? It's a Tourist Office!" To say that Clint was less than impressed with the secret entrance to Torchwood would be a complete understatement; he had seen a lot of secret bases in his time, and this place wouldn't make the bottom of his top one hundred coolest lairs list. He looked around with disdain; the room was dinghy, cluttered with travel brochures, bus schedules, coupon books, and area maps. Clint shook his head; there was even a ridiculous beaded curtain straight out of the 1960's hanging in the back doorway.
Coulson gave a sharp nod. "Yes, it is. Please behave." He shot Clint a glare.
Clint merely grinned at his lover with a mischievous look dancing in his eyes. "I make no promises."
Coulson rolled his eyes; he knew that was the best he was going to get from his lover. Clint had a bad habit of doing what he wanted instead of listening to orders. "Just try not to piss anyone off enough that they wish to do you bodily harm," Coulson ordered. While his words sounded like a command, they were actually a plea; his mind's eye he could picture the now-faded scar on Clint's chest, a parting gift from a very angry former lover.
"Yes, Sir!" Clint gave Phil a little salute. "Now shall I do the honours or do I get to stare at your ass as you pick the lock?" Clint looked at his lover with a leer on his face.
Once again, Coulson found himself rolling his eyes as he pulled out his lock picking kit and despite his attempts to stop it, he couldn't help but let the tiny fond smile appear on his face as Clint let out a little whoop of joy. 'He's insane but I do love him,' Coulson thought fondly as he bent over to work on the hidden door's lock; he could feel Clint's heated gaze zeroing in on his behind and it gave him a happy little shiver up and down his spine.
*****
Martha could hardly believe what she was hearing from Jack and Ianto. "Hope is gone?" she repeated a second time; even though she'd seen all matter of things during her time with the Doctor, Martha was having trouble wrapping her mind around such an event.
Jack nodded his head, a serious look on his face and his arms instinctively tightened around Ianto as if he was afraid that if let the young Welshman go, he would disappear from his sight.
That confirmation was all Martha needed and she was immediately fumbling around in her purse for her phone, which had once again managed to work its way all the way to the bottom. A triumphant sound escaped her lips as her fingers brushed against the cool screen and as she pulled it free, several things happened at once.
The Hub alarms began blaring as the cog door rolled back to reveal Torchwood's uninvited guests just as a familiar grinding sound filled the air and a small wind picked up from out of nowhere. A startled cry escaped Tosh along with Bobby's heartfelt curse as their books and papers scattered everywhere.
Jack released his hold on Ianto and his lover shot to his feet with Jack right behind him as they and Martha exited Jack's office at a run just as a hastily half-dressed Sam and Dean came blazing out of their little hideaway, guns out and trained on the new arrivals.
The TARDIS finished appearing just as Jack and Ianto's feet hit the Hub floor and while Jack was itching to get into the TARDIS and see if the Doctor had a plan, he couldn't do so until he knew who had broken into his Hub. "Hands up and where I can see them!" he growled to the two men. In a comical second-take, he looked at the man dressed in a suit and gave him a cocky smirk before winking at Ianto. "Sorry but the role of sexy-man-in-a-suit has been filled."
Ianto felt his cheeks heat up, you would think after being with Jack for so long he would stop blushing so much. "Jack, that's Agent Phil Coulson of SHIELD, the man Bobby has been trying to get a hold of," Ianto whispered softly in Jack's ear.
"That still doesn't explain how they gained access to my Hub or how they even found us in the first place!" Jack growled; he wanted answers and he wanted them now.
Coulson simply blinked at Jack; having dealt with Nick Fury's temper tantrums for years so he wasn't all that impressed with Jack's macho posturing. "I'm Agent Phil Coulson of SHIELD, that is how I knew of Torchwood and it wasn't that hard to track down your base when you have your name on your SUV. I mean, let's face it, you are the worst kept secret in Cardiff."
"Of course it also helps that Ianto's coffee is a legend in its own right and that he has his own many admirers," there was a twinkle in Clint's eye. "Something about how good he looks in a suit?" Clint couldn't help but add. He knew Phil rather liked the young man and that he'd actually been excited about coming to Cardiff. He himself was looking forward to working with the well-dressed Welshman, which he figured would be a lot, given that they'd be called on quite often to smooth over tensions created by their bosses.
Ianto blushed lightly and that caused Jack to bristle with indignation; 'Ianto is mine, damn it!' "Okay, first; things first the sexy Welshman is mine and if you want to stay healthy and among the living you would do well to remember that," Jack snapped sharply, pulling Ianto closer to his body.
Sam and Ianto shared identical eye rolls as they saw Dean shift his stance so that his body blocked Sam's bare torso to the newcomers. Crossing his arms across his chest he sent his own glare at the men. "Same goes for my Sammy."
At that moment, Clint knew, 'I am going to have so much fun messing with these two alpha males!' "While they are both very pretty to look at, my heart - and the rest of me - belongs to and wants only one person and that's my own kick-ass lover who, by the way, also makes a suit look damn good." The loving warmth he suddenly felt told him that Phil's eyes on him and that he'd said exactly the right thing. "But I'm sure Tony wouldn't mind the new eye-candy even if he does have Bruce."
Thankfully, literally seconds before Jack and Dean snapped and turned Clint's pretty face inside out Bobby chose to spoke up. "Coulson, I've been trying to get a hold of you for hours, you bastard."
The corners of Coulson's eyes crinkled as he smiled at Bobby. "Sorry about that but with everything going on in the world I've had a boss to keep calm and Avengers to control. I do have a good reason though, for breaking into your base."
Unimpressed by the man's charm, Jack continued to glower at Coulson and Clint as Dean snorted derisively. "I'm sorry to tell you this but you came all this way for nothing. We already have our hands full with our own world-ending crisis." The hunter pointed out with open hostility.
Before anyone could reply, a new voice cut through the rapidly building tension. "And that would be why they are here. The entire world has gone to hell so your problem and theirs is one and the same."
Jack immediately recognized the voice and a big grin spread across his face. Snagging Ianto's hand in his, he turned to face the Time Lord, only for that smile to quickly fade as he saw the pain in the Doctor's eyes. "Doc?" Jack's voice faltered.
It was a look that did not go unnoticed by Ianto; there was a haunted element to it he'd seen in Jack's eyes from time to time and he tightened his grip on Jack's hand. "Doctor, is Marion with you?" Ianto asked softly afraid of what the Doctor's answer was going to be.
The Doctor gave Ianto a sad gentle smile. "She's in the TARDIS, Ianto where she needs to stay; with hope gone my TARDIS is the only thing keeping Marion from fading away like all the others." He could see the next set of questions in Ianto's eyes and answered before he could voice them, "Yes, you can go see Marion and yes, you can bring Mica in so she will be safe as well."
Marion had explained earlier that her niece was like her, a future angel of hope and that because she was still amongst the living, she wouldn't fade away like the rest of the angels. However she would be extremely weak and her safety compromised, and if the balance between hope and hate wasn't restored soon, Mica wouldn't last long; at least inside the TARDIS she would be safe.
Ianto looked up at Jack his blue eyes pleading with his lover; smiling, Jack gently stroked Ianto's cheek before pressing a tender kiss to his Welshman's forehead. "Go on, take care of your family. I'm sure Bobby, Sam and Tosh can fill everyone in on what we know so far." Jack was torn; his brain, the leader of Torchwood was screaming that he needed to be a part of these discussions but that was overruled by the rest of him, led by his heart, as he realised Ianto needed him and that was all that mattered to the immortal. Surviving a year onboard the Valiant without Ianto had taught Jack that there were times when following his heart was the only option available.
Understanding the unspoken communication going on, Tosh smiled at her two closest friends. "Of course we can! Ianto, you need to be with your family. Bobby, Sam and I can handle this."
Ianto favoured the three of them with a soft smile; he knew that he could trust them with getting the information Coulson possessed as well as bringing him and Clint up to speed on what they knew. Ianto was so grateful that he could focus solely on his family.
Emerging from whatever little corner they'd managed to find, Balthazar and Gareth stared at the scene before them. Balthazar knew exactly what was going through his lover's mind; he gently rested a hand Gareth's tense shoulder. "Go with Ianto and Jack to see Marion, I'll go collect Mica and the others," the angel whispered in his hunter ear.
Gareth's eyes expressed all the gratitude he couldn't voice and he enveloped his angel in a warm hug. Despite their rocky start, Balthazar had proved to Gareth more than once that he had a softer side, one that he only let Gareth see and it warmed the hunter's heart to be so privileged. "Thank you," he whispered softly and placed a surprisingly tender kiss on his angel's mouth.
Such sweetly emotional displays in public were not their usual thing and it sent a warm feeling throughout Balthazar’s heart. "I'd do anything for you, my love. Your happiness is all that matters to me." The angel whispered what he knew to be the honest truth. 'I never thought I could love a mortal so much, but now I understand how Castiel could have chosen Dean and Sam over everything else.' Balthazar was a little ashamed of the way he'd acted when Castiel chose to side with two mortals over his brothers and sisters. Then came the fateful day when he'd met Gareth Jones and now nothing became more important than his lover.
Castiel came to stand next to Balthazar; he couldn't help but notice how different his brother was whenever he was around Gareth. 'He's found something to believe in other than our father's word, just like I did when I found my place with Dean and Sam. Their hearts are my new home.' Castiel rested a hand on Balthazar's shoulder. "It pleases me to see you so happy," he murmured softly so that only his fellow angel could hear him.
Balthazar gave a small nod, "I never understood how you could have given up everything, including heaven, for two mortals, but that all changed once I was assigned to look after the Jones family and I met Gareth. He was the most hotheaded and annoying man I had ever had the pleasure of meeting and I knew immediately that he would become my Dean and Sam. I would go against all of heaven if it meant keeping him safe and happy."
Castiel knew exactly what Balthazar meant; he had defied heaven and gone against his brothers and sisters in order to help the Winchester's avoid their own destiny, in order to keep them safe. A strange feeling entered his stomach as he watched one of the new arrivals wink at Sam. 'I have the strangest urge to rip that man apart.' He found it very curious that he was experiencing such a powerful human emotion.
Balthazar shook his head, a knowing grin on his face as he watched Castiel's eyes narrow as Clint continued his harmless game of flirting with Sam. 'Jealousy is a strong and powerful mistress who sneaks up on you when you least expect it. Welcome to the club, my brother.' With a wide grin on his face, Balthazar slapped Castiel on his back. "Just try not to kill the mortal, okay? We may need him." With a cheery wink to his fellow angel Balthazar began whistling a merry tune as he headed for the medical bay to collect Mica and the rest of his new little family. It was time for a long overdue family reunion.
Castiel watched Balthazar go with one thought running through his mind, 'I will never understand him.' Shaking his head and deciding to put his brother's strangeness out of his mind for the moment, Castiel wandered over to join Sam and Dean and immediately noticed that it was only Sam, Bobby, Tosh and Kathy who were actually paying attention to what Coulson was saying. After listening for a few minutes himself, he realised that what Coulson knew was pretty much what they already knew.
Bored by the lack of new information, Dean wandered over to get one of the beers that Rhys had had the foresight to bring. As he surveyed the varied selection of food and drinks, he grinned; an end of the world party wouldn't be the same without alcohol.
"So you noticed the increased demon action?" Bobby had a thoughtful look on his face as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I take it you're not informing everyone else about this newest disaster, so what's so special about us?" Bobby had a feeling there was something important Coulson was leaving out.
Phil wasn't at all surprised that Bobby picked up on what he was hiding. "While the Avengers are coming together as a team and let's face it, no one can deny their successes in their solo careers, but they have no idea how to handle the supernatural. We want to hire you to teach them."
Dean had just taken a long swallow of if his beer and upon hearing Coulson's words he promptly choked on it, sending liquid spewing from his nose and mouth. He continued to cough violently while those around him jumped back in horror and disgust. Finally able to catch his breath, he gasped out, "I'm sorry, could you repeat that? Because I'm sure you just said that you wanted us to teach the Avengers how to fight demons and all the other things that go bump in the night?" For a moment, Dean was sure his hearing was playing tricks on him.
"You didn't mishear me, that is indeed what I said." Coulson smiled at the long-suffering sigh that escaped Dean's lips; it seemed the hunter still didn't like playing well with others. 'But then again it wasn't uncommon for a hunter to distrust anyone who wasn't a fellow hunter.'
"Man, I knew I should have just pulled the covers up over my head and stayed in bed today," Dean muttered under his breath and Sam had to agree with his brother; sometimes in their line of work it just didn't pay to get out of bed.
"But..." a soft voice spoke up hesitantly and Tosh blushed as she found herself the subject of everyone's attention. Andy placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and gave her a tender squeeze and that seemed to give Tosh the courage to speak her mind. “While I agree that fighting the demons is important, our main goal should be to figuring out a way to restore hope to the world.”
“Ahh, wonderful point, my dear Toshiko, it’s so nice to see you again.” The Doctor grinned from his spot next to the TARDIS, Donna beside him, because as much as the Time Lord would like to be in the TARDIS making sure that Marion was safe, Donna hadn’t given him much choice as she'd literally dragged him out by the ear stating that this was family time.
Andy felt a strong ting of jealousy as his girlfriend blushed prettily at this strange man dressed in an ill-fitting blue suit and red trainers of all things! Taking a move out of Dean and Jack’s playbook, Andy scowled as he moved to block Tosh from the Doctor’s gaze.
The Doctor immediately noticed the alpha male stance the former Cardiff PC had taken and grinned. ‘I thought I could only get a reaction like that out of Jack when I flirt with his Ianto. This might be fun!’ It was a secret thrill of the Doctor's to rile up typical alpha males; it was so much fun to see them get all growly, macho and twitchy as he flirted with their mates.
Donna rolled her eyes as she nudged the Doctor none-too-gently in the ribs. “Marion has given us an idea that includes the use of your Avengers, who he’s totally fanboy over, by the way.” Donna found it highly amusing to see the Doctor acting like a child on a sugar high when it came to the Avengers and she was delighted to see that she'd made the nine-hundred-year-old Time Lord blush like a schoolgirl.
“Could someone explain to me how a bunch of superheroes are going to help restore hope?” Dean asked; it was clear that even though he didn't know exactly what the plan was, he didn’t have much faith in it.
The Doctor grinned. “Ahh, see whenever the world needed it the most, the Avengers have shown that hope can survive and triumphant even in the most hopeless of situations. With you teaching and training them for what's to come and all of us working together we can figure out a way to restore hope.” At Dean’s disbelieving look the Doctor sighed, “Look, right now it’s the best we’ve got. Marion and the remaining angels of hope don’t have much time left.”
‘Son of a bitch! He’s using Marion against me.’ Marion was family; even if she was an angel, she was still family and Dean would do anything for family. “Fine, I’ll freaking teach the spandex-lovers," Dean grumbled under his breath. "But I don’t have to like it.”
Sam’s forehead crinkled. “But we can’t all go. How are we gonna decide who’s going and who's staying?” Sam knew he couldn’t let Dean go to SHIELD without him and Castiel; who knew what kind of trouble he would get into without him. No, he definitely needed his brother and his angel to keep an eye on him.
Luckily Bobby decided to take command. “If we’re teaching anyone to hunt I want all the help we can get, so besides Dean, Sam and myself, I also think we should take Gareth and Ianto with us and we all know that wherever the Jones boys go the good captain and that pain-in-my-arse Balthazar will be following.”
Owen snorted. “I’m coming as well. SHIELD doctors may be good but I doubt they’ve seen a quarter of the things I have and we’ll need brains to figure all this out and no one is smarter than Tosh.”
As much as it pained him to agree with the medic, Andy knew Owen was right bristling he couldn’t help but bristle at the idea of his girlfriend being surrounded by tons of handsome men and gorgeous women, 'With their tight outfits and muscles and bulges and things.'
Tosh laid a gentle hand on Andy’s arm and smiled sweetly up at him. “There’s no need to worry, my heart belongs to you.”
Now normally sickeningly sweet moments like this made Dean want to gag but he could understand why Andy was worried, he would never say it out loud but he was going to keep a very close eye on his Sam and Castiel while they were amongst the Avengers. ‘There is no way I’m losing my Sammy or Castiel to some pretty-boy who plays Halloween dress-up for a living!’