Ch. 19
Here we go, only 2 more chapters and we're pretty much done. None of this is mine, blahblahblah, go get a shovel yadayadayada.
Ch. 19
That evening Jack was tidying up his desk before leaving - he had already sent Ianto home - when there was a gentle knock at the open door. It was Mel.
Jack held out his arms. " Here's our pterodactyl tamer! Now that she can do her own hunting our grocery bill will be alot smaller! " Jack grinned, enclosing Mel in a hug. " Come to say goodnight? "
Of course she had a book in her hand. She held it up so Jack could see the yellow sticky note on the cover. Jack took the book from her and read the title. The note said JACK PLEASE READ.
" The Atrocity Archive. " Jack glanced at Mel. " This isn't your usual favorite author. "
Mel whipped out her notebook; No, not by him, but still a favorite. Could Jack, Ianto , Gwen and Martha please read the foreward?
Jack nodded. " Alright, I'll take it home tonight. "
Mel smiled. She gave him a hug and a kiss and went off to bed.
Later, as Ianto was being happily domestic in the kitchen nook, Jack sat down with the book. He wasn't half way through the first page of the foreward when his eyebrows shot up. " Ianto, come see this! "
Ianto left his cleaning up to see what had Jack so excited. A book? Well, stranger things....
Smiling indulgently he took the book from Jack's outthrust hand. He read the title and laughed.
" Someone's been on about the state of our files, have they? " Then he read the first page. His eyebrows shot up. " Does Martha know about this? "
The next morning Jack, Ianto and Gwen crowded in with Martha in her office. Both women had been just as gobsmacked by that first page as the men had.
Awestruck, Martha asked, " Jack, where did you get this? Has anyone from UNIT ever talked to any of you about this? " Martha searched for answers among the people crammed into her office.
Jack felt very agitated. He couldn't pace properly in the crowded office. " Mel gave it to me to read last night. " He turned and pointed at the well worn paperback on Martha's desk. " It's one of her favorites, she has to have read it a few times. It's out there, other people have read it too! "
In a much calmer voice Ianto said " It's actually quite good. I read a few chapters last night. ", he said apologetically.
" But what does it mean for Torchwood? " Gwen got straight to the point. Never mind UNIT. Torchwood had always operated under a cloak of protective secrecy. The public might have a vague notion of Torchwood's existance, but didn't really understand the extent of it's mandate. Just as well.
Martha shook her head, worried. " I've never heard of this book before. I'm sure if it was a problem UNIT would have been all over it. Let's all give it a read through, and see what we think, all right? Jack, why don't you go to the nearest bookstore and see if you can track down a few more copies. "
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That evening before dinner Mel put a bag in Myfanwy's shelter. She spent a few minutes stroking the dinosaur's beak and head. She sighed. A letter had been left in her room, explaining. But pterodactyls couldn't read. Mel kissed Myfanwy between the eyes and hoped she wouldn't be forgotten. Then she went down to have dinner with the rest of her family.
Everyone, it seemed, was there. And Mel smiled, because from the tables around her came excited talk about the book. Who had read it? What was it about? What did it mean for Torchwood?
Even Rhys was here tonight. He sat with Gwen at a table with Jack, Ianto, Alice, Lois and Martha. Nearby, Rhi and Johnnie held court over the three kids. Steven knew he had two mothers now, and was enjoyng Johnnie's fatherly attentions.
At the next table Mel sat with her first three; Jilly, Huw and Gryf. Mary and Harry were there as well, hands hovering over portable rift monitoring devices that had been the invention of a former Torchwood member. Mary and Harry's strong leadership skills and battle readiness meant that a lot of the burden of guarding the rift was lifted from Jack's shoulders. He actually had some time to spend with Ianto being a " couple " now.
These people were her family. They had fixed her body and filled her soul. And tonight she had to leave them. She loved them all so much, but the only way to save them was to go.
Casually, she left the table area, strolling to the elevators. No hurry, just a remembered errand. But she didn't stop the elevator until she got to the roof. She took her bag from beside the dozing dinosaur and walked away from the shelter. A gold light drenched through her body. She spun away and was gone.
Ch. 19
That evening Jack was tidying up his desk before leaving - he had already sent Ianto home - when there was a gentle knock at the open door. It was Mel.
Jack held out his arms. " Here's our pterodactyl tamer! Now that she can do her own hunting our grocery bill will be alot smaller! " Jack grinned, enclosing Mel in a hug. " Come to say goodnight? "
Of course she had a book in her hand. She held it up so Jack could see the yellow sticky note on the cover. Jack took the book from her and read the title. The note said JACK PLEASE READ.
" The Atrocity Archive. " Jack glanced at Mel. " This isn't your usual favorite author. "
Mel whipped out her notebook; No, not by him, but still a favorite. Could Jack, Ianto , Gwen and Martha please read the foreward?
Jack nodded. " Alright, I'll take it home tonight. "
Mel smiled. She gave him a hug and a kiss and went off to bed.
Later, as Ianto was being happily domestic in the kitchen nook, Jack sat down with the book. He wasn't half way through the first page of the foreward when his eyebrows shot up. " Ianto, come see this! "
Ianto left his cleaning up to see what had Jack so excited. A book? Well, stranger things....
Smiling indulgently he took the book from Jack's outthrust hand. He read the title and laughed.
" Someone's been on about the state of our files, have they? " Then he read the first page. His eyebrows shot up. " Does Martha know about this? "
The next morning Jack, Ianto and Gwen crowded in with Martha in her office. Both women had been just as gobsmacked by that first page as the men had.
Awestruck, Martha asked, " Jack, where did you get this? Has anyone from UNIT ever talked to any of you about this? " Martha searched for answers among the people crammed into her office.
Jack felt very agitated. He couldn't pace properly in the crowded office. " Mel gave it to me to read last night. " He turned and pointed at the well worn paperback on Martha's desk. " It's one of her favorites, she has to have read it a few times. It's out there, other people have read it too! "
In a much calmer voice Ianto said " It's actually quite good. I read a few chapters last night. ", he said apologetically.
" But what does it mean for Torchwood? " Gwen got straight to the point. Never mind UNIT. Torchwood had always operated under a cloak of protective secrecy. The public might have a vague notion of Torchwood's existance, but didn't really understand the extent of it's mandate. Just as well.
Martha shook her head, worried. " I've never heard of this book before. I'm sure if it was a problem UNIT would have been all over it. Let's all give it a read through, and see what we think, all right? Jack, why don't you go to the nearest bookstore and see if you can track down a few more copies. "
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
That evening before dinner Mel put a bag in Myfanwy's shelter. She spent a few minutes stroking the dinosaur's beak and head. She sighed. A letter had been left in her room, explaining. But pterodactyls couldn't read. Mel kissed Myfanwy between the eyes and hoped she wouldn't be forgotten. Then she went down to have dinner with the rest of her family.
Everyone, it seemed, was there. And Mel smiled, because from the tables around her came excited talk about the book. Who had read it? What was it about? What did it mean for Torchwood?
Even Rhys was here tonight. He sat with Gwen at a table with Jack, Ianto, Alice, Lois and Martha. Nearby, Rhi and Johnnie held court over the three kids. Steven knew he had two mothers now, and was enjoyng Johnnie's fatherly attentions.
At the next table Mel sat with her first three; Jilly, Huw and Gryf. Mary and Harry were there as well, hands hovering over portable rift monitoring devices that had been the invention of a former Torchwood member. Mary and Harry's strong leadership skills and battle readiness meant that a lot of the burden of guarding the rift was lifted from Jack's shoulders. He actually had some time to spend with Ianto being a " couple " now.
These people were her family. They had fixed her body and filled her soul. And tonight she had to leave them. She loved them all so much, but the only way to save them was to go.
Casually, she left the table area, strolling to the elevators. No hurry, just a remembered errand. But she didn't stop the elevator until she got to the roof. She took her bag from beside the dozing dinosaur and walked away from the shelter. A gold light drenched through her body. She spun away and was gone.