Fic: Vizzini's Rule (7/105)
Title: Vizzini's Rule, Chapter 7
Rating: PG-13 for this chapter
Warnings: Guns and UST
Spoilers: Cyberwoman (1x4) and Fragments (2x12)
Disclaimer: Torchwood and all its wonderfulness belong to Russell T. Davies and the Mighty Beeb. Just goofin' around!
Summary: The origin fic continues - in which Jack finds out if Ianto can handle a gun...
Notes: Comments are chocolate and kisses! (ooo, chocolate kisses...mmmmm...) :o)
Previous Chapters
Vizzini's Rule: Chapter Seven
The next morning, Ianto had just finished making the coffee when Jack popped out of his office, sniffing the air like a bloodhound. Ianto was starting to wonder if he ever went home.
“Ianto? You have officially become my favorite person in the whole world,” he called out as he headed for the kitchen area.
Ianto smiled and began to head upstairs.
“Question for you,” Jack continued, pausing for a moment to take his first sip of coffee. “Mmm… Okay, I know you were a researcher at Torchwood One and you’re Admin here, but just to be prepared - how are you with small firearms?”
Ianto was startled. “I had the basic training that any Torchwood employee got. Nothing extensive but I know which end is which.”
Jack grinned. “Well, that’s a start. Let’s see what you’ve got.” He walked to the staircase and looked over his shoulder. “Coming?” he asked.
Ianto quickly poured himself a mug of coffee and followed.
Jack led him several floors underground, past the cells and the archives and the lower archives. The shooting range was impressive, housed in what looked like an abandoned train tunnel. There were targets arranged at varying distances as far back as Ianto could see and a set of booths with sniper equipment set up behind the firing line. Ianto saw a table with a variety of handguns already laid out.
He looked up suspiciously as he took the safety glasses and miked earmuffs from Jack, “You knew I needed more training? Why did you ask?”
Grinning while he put on his own safety gear, Jack said, “I’d have wanted to see you in action no matter what you said. Now, let’s start with this one.” Jack picked up a tidy little .22 and slid the clip home. He made sure the safety was on and then handed the gun to Ianto.
Ianto looked carefully at the gun. It wasn’t too dissimilar from the gun he’d been trained on in London. He flicked the safety off and took aim at the target. He fired off a few rounds and then lowered the gun. He was pleased to see that at least half the bullets hit somewhere on the paper.
“Not bad,” Jack said as he walked behind Ianto. “But I think we can do better.”
Ianto felt Jack stand right up against his back. His voice was slightly tinny through the earmuff microphone, but that familiar note of intimacy was unmistakable. Ianto fought the tremble that started in the pit of his stomach when Jack brushed against him. Jack was critiquing his firing style, Ianto realized and struggled to pay attention.
“…from the front. If you turn sideways,” he said, putting his hands on Ianto’s hips and turning him gently, “you’ll find you present a smaller target. Plus it allows you to line up your shots using your body as a guide.” He kept his left hand on Ianto’s hip and brought his right hand up to Ianto’s shoulder. “Turn your head,” he murmured.
Ianto looked down the tunnel, now able to see Jack out of the corner of his eye. He found it very distracting. Jack ran his finger from Ianto’s shoulder, down his arm to the gun he was now clenching in his hand. “You see how you can use the line of your arm to line up the shot?”
Ianto nodded.
“Now raise the gun…good, nice and slow.” Jack chuckled, leaning into him, his breath brushing against Ianto’s neck. “At least I don’t have to correct any bad action movie moves like holding the gun with two hands or throwing the bullets at people.”
Ianto laughed as well and then almost swallowed his tongue as Jack’s left hand moved up and reached across his chest, while his right hand dropped back to Ianto’s hip.
“Now breathe in.” He tightened his arm around Ianto. “Focus on the target. On the exhale, fire.”
Ianto squeezed the trigger. He was shocked to see the bullet hit the target. He’d been sure that the sensation of having Jack wrapped around him and the fact that all the blood in his body was rushing away from his brain would have guaranteed a miss.
Jack laughed, hugging Ianto to him. “There you go.” He lowered his voice and murmured, “I think you’re ready for something bigger.”
He let out a shaky breath as Jack pulled away from him and returned to the table. Ianto followed after a moment and reached for the .38 Jack was holding out to him.
“Now this one has more of a kick to it,” Jack pointed out, positioning himself behind Ianto again. He kicked gently at the inside of Ianto’s ankles. “Spread your legs a little bit more. That’s it.” He leaned in, pressing against Ianto. “Gives you better balance.” He surged forward suddenly and tried to knock Ianto over. Luckily, Ianto had assumed Jack would try something like that and was able to keep standing by reaching back to grab the side of Jack’s thigh. Jack chuckled again and murmured, “Good.”
Ianto resisted the urge to lean back into the welcoming warmth of Jack’s body. He quickly removed his hand from Jack’s leg and tried to concentrate on the loaded gun in his hand and not the distracting body behind him.
“Alright then,” Jack said, “Let’s see what you can do with this bad boy.”
Ianto rolled his eyes heavenward and prayed for strength.
After Jack was satisfied that Ianto could handle any weapon thrown at him, he dismissed him. Ianto fled to the quiet solitude of the Tourist Office and tried very hard not to think about Captain Jack Harkness for the rest of the day.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Ianto soon fell into a comfortable pattern at Torchwood Three. He arrived at the Hub well before the others, except Jack who appeared to actually live there. Ianto refused to think about how that might complicate his plans for Lisa until he had to. He went immediately down to the Hub to start the first pot of coffee, unload the clean dishes from the night before, and get the kitchen area set for the day. He made a quick sweep of the main work areas and the conference rooms to clean up any trash. At some point in the proceedings, Jack would emerge from his office and head straight for the coffee. The others would come in at varying times and if there were no pressing items, Ianto would return to the Tourist Office to watch the front entrance, both physically and through the CCTV, and work on the cataloging that Jack had given him.
The rest of the team soon came to appreciate Ianto as a worthy addition, even Owen. Ianto had found his place in the world and, other than saving Lisa, the only thing he wanted was for it to last.
After Jack had processed his paperwork, well really after Ianto had processed his own paperwork, he found several doors open to him which had previously been closed. His second meeting at the bank had been much more productive. He walked away with a sizeable loan and was also able to finance a car with no difficulties. After the car purchase, he invested in some new suits. Feeling at home in the tailor’s shop, he ended up spending quite a bundle on several perfectly made suits and custom fitted shirts. He told himself it was important to look professional, ignoring the little voice in his head that mocked him for dressing to please Jack.
The main reason Ianto bought the car was to transport pieces of Lisa’s life support system to the Hub. In his relatively free time in the Tourist Office, Ianto had scoured the blue prints of the Hub and found the perfect location for Lisa. It was an out-of-the-way storage room that had power and a large lockable door. As soon as he settled on that room, he started to slowly dismantle and rebuild the life support system in the bowels of Torchwood Three. Lisa directed him on which pieces to take first. He would sneak them out of his car whenever the rest of the team went out on assignment and he knew the Hub was empty. It only took a week to get all the non-essential pieces moved and set up. It would have been easier if Jack didn’t live at the Hub but Ianto was careful to work under his radar.
Luckily, Lisa didn’t have to suffer for long without the bulk of her support system. Shortly after Ianto had finished setting up what he could, a call came in from the Prime Minister requesting Torchwood’s presence in London. Ianto set up a suite of rooms for them at Claridge’s since Jack insisted on the best if he was going to be forced to meet with the PM. As soon as the team had left, Ianto sped home and managed to fit Lisa and the rest of the equipment in his new Audi.
On the way to the Hub, Ianto compulsively checked the monitor which displayed the SUV tracker to make sure the coast was clear. He maneuvered Lisa and the ventilator onto the invisible lift and had her wait while he carried the remaining pieces of the life support system through the Tourist Office. Once he was in the Hub, he lowered the lift and moved Lisa to the storeroom. They worked all night to get the life support system functioning properly. Lisa immediately felt better when they had it up and running with the proper power levels for the first time. She cried when she realized breathing was no longer accompanied by searing pain.
Smiling through his own tears, Ianto said, “This is it, love. We did it and we’re going to find some help soon, I promise.” He lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her with a tenderness that almost broke her heart.
“Thank you,” Lisa whispered. “Thank you, Ianto.”
TBC in Chapter Eight
Rating: PG-13 for this chapter
Warnings: Guns and UST
Spoilers: Cyberwoman (1x4) and Fragments (2x12)
Disclaimer: Torchwood and all its wonderfulness belong to Russell T. Davies and the Mighty Beeb. Just goofin' around!
Summary: The origin fic continues - in which Jack finds out if Ianto can handle a gun...
Notes: Comments are chocolate and kisses! (ooo, chocolate kisses...mmmmm...) :o)
Previous Chapters
Vizzini's Rule: Chapter Seven
The next morning, Ianto had just finished making the coffee when Jack popped out of his office, sniffing the air like a bloodhound. Ianto was starting to wonder if he ever went home.
“Ianto? You have officially become my favorite person in the whole world,” he called out as he headed for the kitchen area.
Ianto smiled and began to head upstairs.
“Question for you,” Jack continued, pausing for a moment to take his first sip of coffee. “Mmm… Okay, I know you were a researcher at Torchwood One and you’re Admin here, but just to be prepared - how are you with small firearms?”
Ianto was startled. “I had the basic training that any Torchwood employee got. Nothing extensive but I know which end is which.”
Jack grinned. “Well, that’s a start. Let’s see what you’ve got.” He walked to the staircase and looked over his shoulder. “Coming?” he asked.
Ianto quickly poured himself a mug of coffee and followed.
Jack led him several floors underground, past the cells and the archives and the lower archives. The shooting range was impressive, housed in what looked like an abandoned train tunnel. There were targets arranged at varying distances as far back as Ianto could see and a set of booths with sniper equipment set up behind the firing line. Ianto saw a table with a variety of handguns already laid out.
He looked up suspiciously as he took the safety glasses and miked earmuffs from Jack, “You knew I needed more training? Why did you ask?”
Grinning while he put on his own safety gear, Jack said, “I’d have wanted to see you in action no matter what you said. Now, let’s start with this one.” Jack picked up a tidy little .22 and slid the clip home. He made sure the safety was on and then handed the gun to Ianto.
Ianto looked carefully at the gun. It wasn’t too dissimilar from the gun he’d been trained on in London. He flicked the safety off and took aim at the target. He fired off a few rounds and then lowered the gun. He was pleased to see that at least half the bullets hit somewhere on the paper.
“Not bad,” Jack said as he walked behind Ianto. “But I think we can do better.”
Ianto felt Jack stand right up against his back. His voice was slightly tinny through the earmuff microphone, but that familiar note of intimacy was unmistakable. Ianto fought the tremble that started in the pit of his stomach when Jack brushed against him. Jack was critiquing his firing style, Ianto realized and struggled to pay attention.
“…from the front. If you turn sideways,” he said, putting his hands on Ianto’s hips and turning him gently, “you’ll find you present a smaller target. Plus it allows you to line up your shots using your body as a guide.” He kept his left hand on Ianto’s hip and brought his right hand up to Ianto’s shoulder. “Turn your head,” he murmured.
Ianto looked down the tunnel, now able to see Jack out of the corner of his eye. He found it very distracting. Jack ran his finger from Ianto’s shoulder, down his arm to the gun he was now clenching in his hand. “You see how you can use the line of your arm to line up the shot?”
Ianto nodded.
“Now raise the gun…good, nice and slow.” Jack chuckled, leaning into him, his breath brushing against Ianto’s neck. “At least I don’t have to correct any bad action movie moves like holding the gun with two hands or throwing the bullets at people.”
Ianto laughed as well and then almost swallowed his tongue as Jack’s left hand moved up and reached across his chest, while his right hand dropped back to Ianto’s hip.
“Now breathe in.” He tightened his arm around Ianto. “Focus on the target. On the exhale, fire.”
Ianto squeezed the trigger. He was shocked to see the bullet hit the target. He’d been sure that the sensation of having Jack wrapped around him and the fact that all the blood in his body was rushing away from his brain would have guaranteed a miss.
Jack laughed, hugging Ianto to him. “There you go.” He lowered his voice and murmured, “I think you’re ready for something bigger.”
He let out a shaky breath as Jack pulled away from him and returned to the table. Ianto followed after a moment and reached for the .38 Jack was holding out to him.
“Now this one has more of a kick to it,” Jack pointed out, positioning himself behind Ianto again. He kicked gently at the inside of Ianto’s ankles. “Spread your legs a little bit more. That’s it.” He leaned in, pressing against Ianto. “Gives you better balance.” He surged forward suddenly and tried to knock Ianto over. Luckily, Ianto had assumed Jack would try something like that and was able to keep standing by reaching back to grab the side of Jack’s thigh. Jack chuckled again and murmured, “Good.”
Ianto resisted the urge to lean back into the welcoming warmth of Jack’s body. He quickly removed his hand from Jack’s leg and tried to concentrate on the loaded gun in his hand and not the distracting body behind him.
“Alright then,” Jack said, “Let’s see what you can do with this bad boy.”
Ianto rolled his eyes heavenward and prayed for strength.
After Jack was satisfied that Ianto could handle any weapon thrown at him, he dismissed him. Ianto fled to the quiet solitude of the Tourist Office and tried very hard not to think about Captain Jack Harkness for the rest of the day.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Ianto soon fell into a comfortable pattern at Torchwood Three. He arrived at the Hub well before the others, except Jack who appeared to actually live there. Ianto refused to think about how that might complicate his plans for Lisa until he had to. He went immediately down to the Hub to start the first pot of coffee, unload the clean dishes from the night before, and get the kitchen area set for the day. He made a quick sweep of the main work areas and the conference rooms to clean up any trash. At some point in the proceedings, Jack would emerge from his office and head straight for the coffee. The others would come in at varying times and if there were no pressing items, Ianto would return to the Tourist Office to watch the front entrance, both physically and through the CCTV, and work on the cataloging that Jack had given him.
The rest of the team soon came to appreciate Ianto as a worthy addition, even Owen. Ianto had found his place in the world and, other than saving Lisa, the only thing he wanted was for it to last.
After Jack had processed his paperwork, well really after Ianto had processed his own paperwork, he found several doors open to him which had previously been closed. His second meeting at the bank had been much more productive. He walked away with a sizeable loan and was also able to finance a car with no difficulties. After the car purchase, he invested in some new suits. Feeling at home in the tailor’s shop, he ended up spending quite a bundle on several perfectly made suits and custom fitted shirts. He told himself it was important to look professional, ignoring the little voice in his head that mocked him for dressing to please Jack.
The main reason Ianto bought the car was to transport pieces of Lisa’s life support system to the Hub. In his relatively free time in the Tourist Office, Ianto had scoured the blue prints of the Hub and found the perfect location for Lisa. It was an out-of-the-way storage room that had power and a large lockable door. As soon as he settled on that room, he started to slowly dismantle and rebuild the life support system in the bowels of Torchwood Three. Lisa directed him on which pieces to take first. He would sneak them out of his car whenever the rest of the team went out on assignment and he knew the Hub was empty. It only took a week to get all the non-essential pieces moved and set up. It would have been easier if Jack didn’t live at the Hub but Ianto was careful to work under his radar.
Luckily, Lisa didn’t have to suffer for long without the bulk of her support system. Shortly after Ianto had finished setting up what he could, a call came in from the Prime Minister requesting Torchwood’s presence in London. Ianto set up a suite of rooms for them at Claridge’s since Jack insisted on the best if he was going to be forced to meet with the PM. As soon as the team had left, Ianto sped home and managed to fit Lisa and the rest of the equipment in his new Audi.
On the way to the Hub, Ianto compulsively checked the monitor which displayed the SUV tracker to make sure the coast was clear. He maneuvered Lisa and the ventilator onto the invisible lift and had her wait while he carried the remaining pieces of the life support system through the Tourist Office. Once he was in the Hub, he lowered the lift and moved Lisa to the storeroom. They worked all night to get the life support system functioning properly. Lisa immediately felt better when they had it up and running with the proper power levels for the first time. She cried when she realized breathing was no longer accompanied by searing pain.
Smiling through his own tears, Ianto said, “This is it, love. We did it and we’re going to find some help soon, I promise.” He lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her with a tenderness that almost broke her heart.
“Thank you,” Lisa whispered. “Thank you, Ianto.”
TBC in Chapter Eight