Fic: Vizzini's Rule (23/105)
Title: Vizzini's Rule, Chapter 23
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Spot of violence and some light Gwen bashing (therefore, this chapter is for bookwrm89 who slapped Gwen just for me!)
Spoilers: Season One thru Countrycide (1x6)
Disclaimer: Torchwood and all its wonderfulness belong to Russell T. Davies and the Mighty Beeb. Just goofin' around! All ©’s to Chris Chibnall for dialogue borrowed from Countrycide. No infringement, only worship, intended.
Summary: In which camping doesn't go quite as planned...
Notes: Comments are love! Thanks! :o)
Previous Chapters
Vizzini's Rule: Chapter Twenty-Three
Ianto found a plethora of camping gear in the basement. He packed whatever he could into the SUV - tents, cots, blankets, folding tables, and various other pieces of equipment. After that was done, he ran home to change his suit for a pair of worn blue jeans, a long sleeved shirt and his hiking boots. He made it back to the Hub for the tail end of Jack’s announcement about the new case.
When Jack had finished, he asked Ianto to lock down the Hub and meet them at the SUV.
Gwen looked concerned. She pulled Jack aside and asked in a slightly lowered voice, “Are you sure it’s a good idea to bring him along?”
Glancing quickly at Ianto, who had indeed overheard every word, Jack said, “Why not?”
Gwen stammered, “Well, he’s not… not a field agent and… well, it’s so soon after… well, everything.”
“In the past. Move on,” Jack said firmly.
Ianto smiled gratefully as he set the security alarms.
Gwen made a pest of herself again when they got the SUV. She pulled open the passenger side door and had started to get in the car when Owen grabbed her arm.
“Uh, just what do you think you’re doing, luv?” he asked.
“I’m getting in the car.”
Owen shook his head. “Not up there you’re not. I ride shotgun, especially on long trips.”
“And why’s that?” Gwen asked.
“I get carsick,” Owen said, batting his eyelashes. “Plus, there’s no way I’m squashing back there with Ianto. No offense, mate,” he said as Ianto opened the back door. “Just a little too cozy for two blokes.”
Ianto grinned and said, “Indeed.” He wasn’t sure if he was agreeing because he didn’t want to sit next to Owen either or because it was making Gwen mad. He decided he didn’t really care.
Gwen made one last effort. “So have Tosh sit in the middle,” she said as Tosh walked around the end of the car.
“Tosh can’t sit in the middle because Tosh needs the computer which is over here,” Tosh said as she climbed in the back.
“Enough!” Jack hollered. “Everyone just get in the damn car, I don’t care if you’re sitting on someone’s lap. Just get in!”
Ianto climbed in over Tosh and took the middle seat, leaving Gwen to grumble herself into the seat directly behind Jack. Owen closed his door with a sigh of satisfaction and turned to give Gwen a triumphant smile. When she huffed and turned to look out the window, Owen and Ianto shared a small chuckle. Ianto glanced up to meet Jack’s eyes in the rearview mirror. He was grinning too.
The ride north was uneventful. Owen started complaining about being hungry after they’d crossed into Brecon Beacons and finally Jack pulled over at a burger stand to shut him up. While Ianto procured them some lunch, Jack went over the specifics of the case. Ianto had just passed out the burgers when Jack dropped the bomb.
Pointing at the map he had spread out on the hood of the SUV, Jack said, “We'll start with the most recent victim, Ellie Johnson. We last have record of her making a phone call. She dropped out of signal mid-call. The coverage map has her placed... somewhere about here. Looks as good a place as any to set up camp.”
Ianto glanced at Owen. He froze, his burger halfway to his mouth. “Sorry, did you say ‘camp’?”
Ianto chuckled as Jack smiled and told everyone to load up.
When they reached the campsite, everyone buckled down to get the tents set up. Even Owen did his part, albeit with a lot of complaining. Ianto was pounding in a tent stake when he heard Jack finally snap at the doctor.
“Celebrate your own uniqueness!” he said and stalked off.
Wondering just what was so unique about Owen, Ianto finished putting up his tent. The long silence as everyone worked was finally broken by Gwen starting up some stupid camp game. Apparently the point of the ‘game’ was to share the name of the last person you snogged.
Good lord, is she twelve? Ianto thought just as Owen said, “You even sound like an eight-year-old!”
Gwen started the game by herself, dragging Tosh and Owen into it as well. When Ianto saw the embarrassment on Tosh’s face change to surprised pain after Owen’s little revelation, he went from annoyed to angry. He was so furious that he barely registered Jack’s quip about non-human life forms.
He waited for the first pause in conversation and then dove in, focused only on hurting Gwen. “It’s my turn, is it? It was Lisa.”
Gwen looked like she’d been smacked. Good, Ianto thought. “Ianto, I’m sorry…” she started.
Still seeing red, Ianto said, “Sorry she’s dead? Or sorry you mentioned it?”
“I just didn’t think…”
“You forgot,” he accused in a quiet voice.
As an uncomfortable silence fell over the team, Ianto’s anger faded leaving him sweaty and shaking. Oh God, what did I do? he thought. Stupid, stupid! Gwen and Owen left to find firewood and Ianto found Jack staring at him, an expression of such irritation and disappointment on his face that Ianto couldn’t meet his eyes. He sprang up from the cot and hurried over to the SUV. He made a great show of tidying up the items left in the boot and pretended not to notice when he heard Jack walk up behind him.
“Ianto,” Jack said when he didn’t turn around.
“Yes, sir?” he answered, his reply muffled as he reached to the back of the storage space.
“Ianto, leave it. Look at me,” Jack said, grabbing Ianto’s arm.
Ianto fixed his eyes somewhere over Jack’s left shoulder as he faced him.
Jack continued, “What the hell was that?” he asked. He didn’t sound angry but the disappointment in his voice almost broke Ianto’s heart.
“I… I’m sorry, sir. I don’t know why I said that. I was just… I just get so angry and I can’t seem to… I can’t stop myself.” He felt his eyes fill with tears and tried to blink them away, ashamed of carrying his emotions so close to the surface. He tried to get himself under control as Jack watched him. When Jack didn’t speak again, just stood there looking at him with that same saddened expression, Ianto felt the flutter of a panic attack in his chest. He started to breathe harder, trying to force the panic down, not wanting to break down in front of Jack.
Jack must have seen something change in Ianto’s face, because he immediately stepped forward and took him by the shoulders. Their faces only inches apart Jack said soothingly, “Breathe, Ianto. Deep breaths, you’re fine.”
Ianto tried to comply but his mind kept replaying the look on Gwen’s face, the gasp of surprise from Tosh, Owen’s curled lip and worst of all, the accusation in Jack’s eyes. He started to hyperventilate, his body turning against him.
“Ianto!” Jack said sharply, cradling Ianto’s face in both hands, forcing it up. “Look at me. That’s it, look at me. This is not a safe place for a run, so you’re going to need to do something else, okay? Take a deep breath with me, okay? That’s it, breathe in.” Jack moved one hand so it was pressed against Ianto’s chest. “Okay, now breathe out, slowly. Just think about the breaths. Look at me, stay with me! In and out.” Jack continued to direct his breathing and Ianto felt the attack begin to pass. As soon as Ianto was breathing normally again, Jack pushed him back so he was sitting on the bumper of the SUV.
Ianto dropped his head into his hands. He felt Jack’s hand against his hair, stroking gently. “How long have you had these attacks?” he asked quietly.
Ianto groaned. “My whole life, but they haven’t been bad for years. I had them under control until… until…”
“Until Lisa,” Jack said. It wasn’t a question.
Ianto nodded.
“And the running helps?”
Ianto nodded again. “I don’t know why,” he shrugged.
Jack continued to stroke his hair. “It gives you something to focus on, something you can control.”
Ianto raised his head to look up at Jack and Jack’s hands slid to his shoulders. “You sound like you know.”
A rueful smile on his lips, Jack said, “Yeah, I do. Believe it or not, I know what you’re going through, Ianto. Everything feels raw, exposed, you don’t know whether you want to cry or hit something until your hand breaks.”
Dazed, Ianto looked up at Jack, nodding. “How long…” he swallowed hard, “how long does it feel like this?” he asked in a small voice.
There was a faraway look in Jack’s eyes when he replied. “Honestly? A long time. But it gets better little by little, especially if you can find other things to occupy you. Things that matter, like this job.” He tightened his hands on Ianto’s shoulders. “Don’t throw away your chance here.”
Ianto flushed and nodded again, not dropping his eyes from Jack. Jack’s eyes softened and he opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by Owen, hollering for Jack from the edge of the woods.
As the rest of the team gathered around the body Gwen had discovered, Ianto concentrated on stringing up the crime scene tape. The sight of the bloody corpse had shaken him more than he wanted to admit. When they heard the SUV engine revving, he gave chase immediately, running away from the body as much as he was running towards the campsite.
They arrived just in time to see the SUV destroy the camp and disappear over the hill. Everyone stood there panting for a moment until Jack asked, “Who had the keys?” They all looked at each other, waiting. Owen slowly raised his hand.
Gwen and Tosh immediately began yelling at Owen while Jack just shook his head. Ianto had a sudden thought. He pulled out his PDA and activated the tracker he had placed on the SUV all those months ago. It was still working. He was hesitating about telling Jack - he really didn’t want to explain the tracker, especially not after his earlier comments - when Jack asked Tosh if she could get a read on the vehicle. Ianto knew most of her equipment was still in the SUV and decided that Torchwood came first, even if it meant Jack being angry with him again.
“Already done,” he said, waving his PDA at Jack. “I took the liberty. It’s currently 3.4 miles west from here.”
After some discussion, the team set off after the SUV. They arrived in the desolate village a little before sundown and Jack immediately split them into two teams.
“Tosh, Ianto, follow the signal. Find the SUV. Owen, Gwen, let’s see if there’s any room at the inn.”
Ianto glanced down at his PDA and set off again, Tosh following close behind. She caught up and stopped him after a moment.
“Ianto, how did you get a trace on the SUV? I didn’t know you had any of the codes?”
“I don’t,” he admitted, cursing his fair skin as a blush crept into his cheeks. “I… oh, God. Tosh, I hid a tracker on the SUV when I was trying to get Jack to give me a job. I haven’t used it in months, I swear. With everything that’s been going on I forgot it was there until just now. Please don’t tell Jack,” he begged. “I swear, I’ll take it off as soon as we get the SUV back.”
Tosh just looked at him. “You’ve had a tracker on the SUV for months? And it didn’t show up on any of our scans? Impressive...”
Ianto still looked nervous so Tosh took pity on him. “Oh, I won’t tell Jack, don’t worry. And don’t take it off. You’ll just have to give me the frequency so I can use it too. It’s always good to have a back up system for emergencies. You know, like right now?” She smiled.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Ianto said, “Thanks Tosh.”
“No problem. Now which way?”
He checked the PDA and then pointed. “It’s just half a mile up here.”
They continued to search for the SUV without success. Ianto was beginning to wonder if the thief had taken the tracker off and thrown it out the window. He was just about to continue over the next hill when he realized that Tosh was gone. Calling her name repeatedly, he drew his gun and started to panic. He saw a movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to give chase. Before he knew what was happening, he was shoved to the ground and everything went black.
TBC in Chapter Twenty-Four
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Spot of violence and some light Gwen bashing (therefore, this chapter is for bookwrm89 who slapped Gwen just for me!)
Spoilers: Season One thru Countrycide (1x6)
Disclaimer: Torchwood and all its wonderfulness belong to Russell T. Davies and the Mighty Beeb. Just goofin' around! All ©’s to Chris Chibnall for dialogue borrowed from Countrycide. No infringement, only worship, intended.
Summary: In which camping doesn't go quite as planned...
Notes: Comments are love! Thanks! :o)
Previous Chapters
Vizzini's Rule: Chapter Twenty-Three
Ianto found a plethora of camping gear in the basement. He packed whatever he could into the SUV - tents, cots, blankets, folding tables, and various other pieces of equipment. After that was done, he ran home to change his suit for a pair of worn blue jeans, a long sleeved shirt and his hiking boots. He made it back to the Hub for the tail end of Jack’s announcement about the new case.
When Jack had finished, he asked Ianto to lock down the Hub and meet them at the SUV.
Gwen looked concerned. She pulled Jack aside and asked in a slightly lowered voice, “Are you sure it’s a good idea to bring him along?”
Glancing quickly at Ianto, who had indeed overheard every word, Jack said, “Why not?”
Gwen stammered, “Well, he’s not… not a field agent and… well, it’s so soon after… well, everything.”
“In the past. Move on,” Jack said firmly.
Ianto smiled gratefully as he set the security alarms.
Gwen made a pest of herself again when they got the SUV. She pulled open the passenger side door and had started to get in the car when Owen grabbed her arm.
“Uh, just what do you think you’re doing, luv?” he asked.
“I’m getting in the car.”
Owen shook his head. “Not up there you’re not. I ride shotgun, especially on long trips.”
“And why’s that?” Gwen asked.
“I get carsick,” Owen said, batting his eyelashes. “Plus, there’s no way I’m squashing back there with Ianto. No offense, mate,” he said as Ianto opened the back door. “Just a little too cozy for two blokes.”
Ianto grinned and said, “Indeed.” He wasn’t sure if he was agreeing because he didn’t want to sit next to Owen either or because it was making Gwen mad. He decided he didn’t really care.
Gwen made one last effort. “So have Tosh sit in the middle,” she said as Tosh walked around the end of the car.
“Tosh can’t sit in the middle because Tosh needs the computer which is over here,” Tosh said as she climbed in the back.
“Enough!” Jack hollered. “Everyone just get in the damn car, I don’t care if you’re sitting on someone’s lap. Just get in!”
Ianto climbed in over Tosh and took the middle seat, leaving Gwen to grumble herself into the seat directly behind Jack. Owen closed his door with a sigh of satisfaction and turned to give Gwen a triumphant smile. When she huffed and turned to look out the window, Owen and Ianto shared a small chuckle. Ianto glanced up to meet Jack’s eyes in the rearview mirror. He was grinning too.
The ride north was uneventful. Owen started complaining about being hungry after they’d crossed into Brecon Beacons and finally Jack pulled over at a burger stand to shut him up. While Ianto procured them some lunch, Jack went over the specifics of the case. Ianto had just passed out the burgers when Jack dropped the bomb.
Pointing at the map he had spread out on the hood of the SUV, Jack said, “We'll start with the most recent victim, Ellie Johnson. We last have record of her making a phone call. She dropped out of signal mid-call. The coverage map has her placed... somewhere about here. Looks as good a place as any to set up camp.”
Ianto glanced at Owen. He froze, his burger halfway to his mouth. “Sorry, did you say ‘camp’?”
Ianto chuckled as Jack smiled and told everyone to load up.
When they reached the campsite, everyone buckled down to get the tents set up. Even Owen did his part, albeit with a lot of complaining. Ianto was pounding in a tent stake when he heard Jack finally snap at the doctor.
“Celebrate your own uniqueness!” he said and stalked off.
Wondering just what was so unique about Owen, Ianto finished putting up his tent. The long silence as everyone worked was finally broken by Gwen starting up some stupid camp game. Apparently the point of the ‘game’ was to share the name of the last person you snogged.
Good lord, is she twelve? Ianto thought just as Owen said, “You even sound like an eight-year-old!”
Gwen started the game by herself, dragging Tosh and Owen into it as well. When Ianto saw the embarrassment on Tosh’s face change to surprised pain after Owen’s little revelation, he went from annoyed to angry. He was so furious that he barely registered Jack’s quip about non-human life forms.
He waited for the first pause in conversation and then dove in, focused only on hurting Gwen. “It’s my turn, is it? It was Lisa.”
Gwen looked like she’d been smacked. Good, Ianto thought. “Ianto, I’m sorry…” she started.
Still seeing red, Ianto said, “Sorry she’s dead? Or sorry you mentioned it?”
“I just didn’t think…”
“You forgot,” he accused in a quiet voice.
As an uncomfortable silence fell over the team, Ianto’s anger faded leaving him sweaty and shaking. Oh God, what did I do? he thought. Stupid, stupid! Gwen and Owen left to find firewood and Ianto found Jack staring at him, an expression of such irritation and disappointment on his face that Ianto couldn’t meet his eyes. He sprang up from the cot and hurried over to the SUV. He made a great show of tidying up the items left in the boot and pretended not to notice when he heard Jack walk up behind him.
“Ianto,” Jack said when he didn’t turn around.
“Yes, sir?” he answered, his reply muffled as he reached to the back of the storage space.
“Ianto, leave it. Look at me,” Jack said, grabbing Ianto’s arm.
Ianto fixed his eyes somewhere over Jack’s left shoulder as he faced him.
Jack continued, “What the hell was that?” he asked. He didn’t sound angry but the disappointment in his voice almost broke Ianto’s heart.
“I… I’m sorry, sir. I don’t know why I said that. I was just… I just get so angry and I can’t seem to… I can’t stop myself.” He felt his eyes fill with tears and tried to blink them away, ashamed of carrying his emotions so close to the surface. He tried to get himself under control as Jack watched him. When Jack didn’t speak again, just stood there looking at him with that same saddened expression, Ianto felt the flutter of a panic attack in his chest. He started to breathe harder, trying to force the panic down, not wanting to break down in front of Jack.
Jack must have seen something change in Ianto’s face, because he immediately stepped forward and took him by the shoulders. Their faces only inches apart Jack said soothingly, “Breathe, Ianto. Deep breaths, you’re fine.”
Ianto tried to comply but his mind kept replaying the look on Gwen’s face, the gasp of surprise from Tosh, Owen’s curled lip and worst of all, the accusation in Jack’s eyes. He started to hyperventilate, his body turning against him.
“Ianto!” Jack said sharply, cradling Ianto’s face in both hands, forcing it up. “Look at me. That’s it, look at me. This is not a safe place for a run, so you’re going to need to do something else, okay? Take a deep breath with me, okay? That’s it, breathe in.” Jack moved one hand so it was pressed against Ianto’s chest. “Okay, now breathe out, slowly. Just think about the breaths. Look at me, stay with me! In and out.” Jack continued to direct his breathing and Ianto felt the attack begin to pass. As soon as Ianto was breathing normally again, Jack pushed him back so he was sitting on the bumper of the SUV.
Ianto dropped his head into his hands. He felt Jack’s hand against his hair, stroking gently. “How long have you had these attacks?” he asked quietly.
Ianto groaned. “My whole life, but they haven’t been bad for years. I had them under control until… until…”
“Until Lisa,” Jack said. It wasn’t a question.
Ianto nodded.
“And the running helps?”
Ianto nodded again. “I don’t know why,” he shrugged.
Jack continued to stroke his hair. “It gives you something to focus on, something you can control.”
Ianto raised his head to look up at Jack and Jack’s hands slid to his shoulders. “You sound like you know.”
A rueful smile on his lips, Jack said, “Yeah, I do. Believe it or not, I know what you’re going through, Ianto. Everything feels raw, exposed, you don’t know whether you want to cry or hit something until your hand breaks.”
Dazed, Ianto looked up at Jack, nodding. “How long…” he swallowed hard, “how long does it feel like this?” he asked in a small voice.
There was a faraway look in Jack’s eyes when he replied. “Honestly? A long time. But it gets better little by little, especially if you can find other things to occupy you. Things that matter, like this job.” He tightened his hands on Ianto’s shoulders. “Don’t throw away your chance here.”
Ianto flushed and nodded again, not dropping his eyes from Jack. Jack’s eyes softened and he opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by Owen, hollering for Jack from the edge of the woods.
As the rest of the team gathered around the body Gwen had discovered, Ianto concentrated on stringing up the crime scene tape. The sight of the bloody corpse had shaken him more than he wanted to admit. When they heard the SUV engine revving, he gave chase immediately, running away from the body as much as he was running towards the campsite.
They arrived just in time to see the SUV destroy the camp and disappear over the hill. Everyone stood there panting for a moment until Jack asked, “Who had the keys?” They all looked at each other, waiting. Owen slowly raised his hand.
Gwen and Tosh immediately began yelling at Owen while Jack just shook his head. Ianto had a sudden thought. He pulled out his PDA and activated the tracker he had placed on the SUV all those months ago. It was still working. He was hesitating about telling Jack - he really didn’t want to explain the tracker, especially not after his earlier comments - when Jack asked Tosh if she could get a read on the vehicle. Ianto knew most of her equipment was still in the SUV and decided that Torchwood came first, even if it meant Jack being angry with him again.
“Already done,” he said, waving his PDA at Jack. “I took the liberty. It’s currently 3.4 miles west from here.”
After some discussion, the team set off after the SUV. They arrived in the desolate village a little before sundown and Jack immediately split them into two teams.
“Tosh, Ianto, follow the signal. Find the SUV. Owen, Gwen, let’s see if there’s any room at the inn.”
Ianto glanced down at his PDA and set off again, Tosh following close behind. She caught up and stopped him after a moment.
“Ianto, how did you get a trace on the SUV? I didn’t know you had any of the codes?”
“I don’t,” he admitted, cursing his fair skin as a blush crept into his cheeks. “I… oh, God. Tosh, I hid a tracker on the SUV when I was trying to get Jack to give me a job. I haven’t used it in months, I swear. With everything that’s been going on I forgot it was there until just now. Please don’t tell Jack,” he begged. “I swear, I’ll take it off as soon as we get the SUV back.”
Tosh just looked at him. “You’ve had a tracker on the SUV for months? And it didn’t show up on any of our scans? Impressive...”
Ianto still looked nervous so Tosh took pity on him. “Oh, I won’t tell Jack, don’t worry. And don’t take it off. You’ll just have to give me the frequency so I can use it too. It’s always good to have a back up system for emergencies. You know, like right now?” She smiled.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Ianto said, “Thanks Tosh.”
“No problem. Now which way?”
He checked the PDA and then pointed. “It’s just half a mile up here.”
They continued to search for the SUV without success. Ianto was beginning to wonder if the thief had taken the tracker off and thrown it out the window. He was just about to continue over the next hill when he realized that Tosh was gone. Calling her name repeatedly, he drew his gun and started to panic. He saw a movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to give chase. Before he knew what was happening, he was shoved to the ground and everything went black.
TBC in Chapter Twenty-Four