Down Time - Chapter 2
When Gwen came into work the next morning, she was “introduced” to the Doctor and the TARDIS before she could stumble upon them on her own. She was concerned for him and offered to help in any way she could. Ianto set up a duty roster so the Doctor would never be alone for too long. Jack took the night shift, Ianto early morning, and Gwen the afternoon.
When he returned from errands outside the Hub, Jack heard the whir of an electric drill. He followed it to the crash room, where he found Ianto behind the door. The Welshman had swapped drill for screwdriver and was attaching a coat hook to the back of the door.
“Doing a little decorating?” He asked, slipping his arms around Ianto from behind.
“Yes, sir. I am picking up his suit this evening and need somewhere to hang it. Wouldn’t do for it to be wrinkled before it is even worn.” Ianto shrugged and put in the second screw. “Besides, it doesn’t hurt to have a few comforts of home.”
“You’re thinking about your own suits, aren’t you? Tired of them getting tossed on the floor during our rendezvous?” Jack kissed the back of his neck.
“Stop it, Jack,” Ianto whispered.
“Suddenly shy? The Doctor is still asleep. Probably will be for a couple of more days.”
Ianto put a final twist to the screw and turned around, dislodging Jack. “Don’t you get the feeling he can hear us? That he’s aware?”
“He might,” Jack conceded, running a hand through his hair as Ianto packed his tools away. “I’ve never met a more complicated man.” Closing the tool box, Jack picked it up. “Let me help you put this away and we’ll discuss it further.”
Jack winked and Ianto rolled his eyes but followed his Captain.
++++++++
When Jack checked on the Doctor the next morning, he was clutching a stuffed toy mouse. Its oversized gray ears were lined with pink felt. Like the Doctor, its eyes were closed and it bore a peaceful expression.
Jack joined Ianto and Gwen in the conference room. Ianto served the morning beverages before sitting down to Jack’s right.
“First up,” Jack said after taking a sip of coffee and smiling his thanks at Ianto, “where did the Doctor’s friend come from?”
“Friend?” Ianto frowned.
“The mouse.”
“There shouldn’t be any mice.” Ianto said, sounding both confused and indignant. “I keep traps out and what I miss Myfanwy catches. But if one is in with the Doctor…” Ianto started to get up.
“A toy mouse.” Jack called up the camera in the crash room on the view screen.
“I gave it to him,” Gwen said sheepishly, hiding behind her mug. “He… he looked lonely.”
“I’m sure he appreciates it.” Jack gave a warm smile at Gwen’s sweetness. “I don’t remember seeing it around here before.”
Gwen blushed slightly. “I found it when I was helping clean out Tosh’s desk. I… kept it.”
“It’s okay, Gwen. We all miss them.” Jack sipped his coffee. “Wonder way she had it? Seems out of character.”
“I think I know, sir,” Ianto put in. “One morning about a year ago I arrived at the same time as Tosh. We discovered Owen, fully clothed, asleep on the sofa. He was using the mouse as a pillow. When I woke him up, he was in full-on cranky hangover mode. He looked at the mouse, sneered something about scoring while at the street fair, then tossed it to Tosh, telling her she had better scan it to make sure it wasn’t an alien life form.”
A silent moment passed as they remembered their fallen comrades.
Jack sighed. “Okay. What’s on today’s agenda?”
+++++++
Several days passed quietly and still the Doctor didn’t stir. Ianto expressed concern, but Jack wasn’t worried. “The Doctor said he would sleep for a week, so a week he will sleep. If anyone knows time, it’s a Time Lord.”
The Captain had no time to be anxious on the seventh day. A rift alarm sounded and the whole team had to track down a clan of Souvlari, known to harvest human organs. The whole team went out to contain the situation.
When they returned, Ianto secured the communication and teleportation devices they’d confiscated from the Souvlari. Gwen volunteered to write up the report, which left Jack free to check on the Doctor.
Instead of finding a sleeping Time Lord, Jack discovered the bed empty - except for the stuffed mouse. The tea table was in disarray, littered with empty dishes and banana peels.
“The Doctor’s gone!” Jack shouted, as he dashed for the exit. “Find him at once!”
“Found him, sir!” Ianto was seated at a computer monitor. “He’s down by the cells. Apparently talking to Janet.”
Not sure if he should be annoyed at Ianto’s smug tone at having cut off his dramatics or relieved the Doctor was safe, Jack scowled and went that way.
The Doctor was sitting cross legged in front of Janet’s cell. The blanket from his bed was draped over one shoulder.
“Doctor?” Jack asked quietly, not wanting to startle the Time Lord.
“Hello, Jack,” the Doctor said calmly without looking around.
“The TARDIS is just over there. Just down the hall.” Jack knelt beside the Doctor.
“Humm,” the Doctor answered.
“I see you met Janet.”
The Doctor cocked his head, still staring at the Weevil who gazed back with its little black eyes. "He's asking about their king. Says I dress like him."
“You can talk to… him?”
“Oh yes. He doesn’t really mind being here, but he does get bored. He says their king would often come to talk and sometimes bring him pizza. Pizza does sound good.” The Doctor suddenly bounced to his feet, making Jack fall over backwards. “Large with ham and pineapple for me. Oh! And some of those little mushrooms. Those funny little whole ones? Brown. Long hoods? What are they called?”
“Straw mushrooms, I think,” Jack said from his place on the floor. He didn’t care because here was his Doctor back again. “But it’s white button mushrooms you find on pizza. At least those you get from Jubilee’s.”
“That’s right!” The Doctor frowned deeply. “Maybe not mushrooms then.” He looked down at Jack and offered his hand. “What are you laying around for? Come on!”
Jack allowed himself to be pulled along in the Doctor’s energetic wake. As he apologized to Ianto and charmingly introduced himself to Gwen, Jack could see the frayed edges and the minute hesitations in the Doctor’s actions. Even though Jack had warned Ianto and Gwen to not press the Doctor about the circumstances behind his arrival, Gwen had to pry.
He interrupted the Doctor’s uncomfortable pause by putting his arm around the Doctor. “You wanted pizza? Gwen, what kind do want today? My treat!”
The Doctor gave him a grateful smile as he turned attention to the menu Ianto handed him.
In the thirty minutes before the meal arrived, the Doctor managed to eat almost everything he could find in the kitchenette. Ianto frowned at the strange man dipping his fingers into the marmalade and making a mess of his neat domain, but said nothing. He had seen the poor shape the Doctor was in and even now the scrubs that neatly fit Owen’s trim frame hung on him.
The pizza -sans mushrooms- arrived and the four of them sat around the conference table.
When the Doctor dragged bits of his mustache out of his mouth for the third time, Ianto had to say something. “I wanted to shave you, but Jack told me to wait.”
Scratching his chin absently, the Doctor replied, "You know, I spent a little time with Ogden Nash not long ago. He wrote a poem about me. You may have heard it. ‘There was an old man with a beard...’”
The Doctor grinned widely and stuffed his mouth full again.
Pretending he didn’t notice that once again the Doctor dodged any mention of his mysterious appearance and long sleep, Ianto said. “I took the liberty of taking measurements from your garments and I had a suit made for you.”
“You know how to do that?” the Doctor said happily. “Good for you!”
“My father was a tailor,” Ianto said.
“Did he sew your new blue jeans?” the Doctor grinned.
Ianto frowned. He was clearly not wearing jeans.
“It’s a song reference,” Gwen explained. “House of the Rising Sun.” The Doctor nodded in agreement. “Ianto is brilliant with clothing.” She ignored Jack’s eyebrow waggle. “This one time I was pregnant, well, implanted, and it was the day of my wedding of all things.”
They talked and shared stories until the pizza was gone.
“Now, Ianto,” the Doctor said. “About that suit. And maybe a trim.”
“Absolutely!” Ianto replied, gathering pizza boxes and napkins.
In no time, Ianto trimmed the Doctor’s beard down to an inch long and tidied the ends of his long hair.
The suit was a charcoal gray with a heavy purple stripe flanked by narrower lavender stripes. “This is beautiful. Thank you, Ianto. And new white trainers, too. You think of everything.” It fit him almost perfectly. Patting his tummy, the Doctor observed, “I need to get back in shape. Order me a salad to go with my pizza next time. Or, oh! Fish and chips! I’ve missed fish and chips. You don’t have any more bananas do you?”
“I’ll pop out to the market right away.” Ianto said with a smile.
The Doctor put a hand on his shoulder. “You're a good man, Ianto Jones. You are a good man.”
They both knew he wasn't talking about bananas.
To Chapter 3
+++
Please take a second to leave feedback. Even if it's just "hi." It's why I write.
When he returned from errands outside the Hub, Jack heard the whir of an electric drill. He followed it to the crash room, where he found Ianto behind the door. The Welshman had swapped drill for screwdriver and was attaching a coat hook to the back of the door.
“Doing a little decorating?” He asked, slipping his arms around Ianto from behind.
“Yes, sir. I am picking up his suit this evening and need somewhere to hang it. Wouldn’t do for it to be wrinkled before it is even worn.” Ianto shrugged and put in the second screw. “Besides, it doesn’t hurt to have a few comforts of home.”
“You’re thinking about your own suits, aren’t you? Tired of them getting tossed on the floor during our rendezvous?” Jack kissed the back of his neck.
“Stop it, Jack,” Ianto whispered.
“Suddenly shy? The Doctor is still asleep. Probably will be for a couple of more days.”
Ianto put a final twist to the screw and turned around, dislodging Jack. “Don’t you get the feeling he can hear us? That he’s aware?”
“He might,” Jack conceded, running a hand through his hair as Ianto packed his tools away. “I’ve never met a more complicated man.” Closing the tool box, Jack picked it up. “Let me help you put this away and we’ll discuss it further.”
Jack winked and Ianto rolled his eyes but followed his Captain.
++++++++
When Jack checked on the Doctor the next morning, he was clutching a stuffed toy mouse. Its oversized gray ears were lined with pink felt. Like the Doctor, its eyes were closed and it bore a peaceful expression.
Jack joined Ianto and Gwen in the conference room. Ianto served the morning beverages before sitting down to Jack’s right.
“First up,” Jack said after taking a sip of coffee and smiling his thanks at Ianto, “where did the Doctor’s friend come from?”
“Friend?” Ianto frowned.
“The mouse.”
“There shouldn’t be any mice.” Ianto said, sounding both confused and indignant. “I keep traps out and what I miss Myfanwy catches. But if one is in with the Doctor…” Ianto started to get up.
“A toy mouse.” Jack called up the camera in the crash room on the view screen.
“I gave it to him,” Gwen said sheepishly, hiding behind her mug. “He… he looked lonely.”
“I’m sure he appreciates it.” Jack gave a warm smile at Gwen’s sweetness. “I don’t remember seeing it around here before.”
Gwen blushed slightly. “I found it when I was helping clean out Tosh’s desk. I… kept it.”
“It’s okay, Gwen. We all miss them.” Jack sipped his coffee. “Wonder way she had it? Seems out of character.”
“I think I know, sir,” Ianto put in. “One morning about a year ago I arrived at the same time as Tosh. We discovered Owen, fully clothed, asleep on the sofa. He was using the mouse as a pillow. When I woke him up, he was in full-on cranky hangover mode. He looked at the mouse, sneered something about scoring while at the street fair, then tossed it to Tosh, telling her she had better scan it to make sure it wasn’t an alien life form.”
A silent moment passed as they remembered their fallen comrades.
Jack sighed. “Okay. What’s on today’s agenda?”
+++++++
Several days passed quietly and still the Doctor didn’t stir. Ianto expressed concern, but Jack wasn’t worried. “The Doctor said he would sleep for a week, so a week he will sleep. If anyone knows time, it’s a Time Lord.”
The Captain had no time to be anxious on the seventh day. A rift alarm sounded and the whole team had to track down a clan of Souvlari, known to harvest human organs. The whole team went out to contain the situation.
When they returned, Ianto secured the communication and teleportation devices they’d confiscated from the Souvlari. Gwen volunteered to write up the report, which left Jack free to check on the Doctor.
Instead of finding a sleeping Time Lord, Jack discovered the bed empty - except for the stuffed mouse. The tea table was in disarray, littered with empty dishes and banana peels.
“The Doctor’s gone!” Jack shouted, as he dashed for the exit. “Find him at once!”
“Found him, sir!” Ianto was seated at a computer monitor. “He’s down by the cells. Apparently talking to Janet.”
Not sure if he should be annoyed at Ianto’s smug tone at having cut off his dramatics or relieved the Doctor was safe, Jack scowled and went that way.
The Doctor was sitting cross legged in front of Janet’s cell. The blanket from his bed was draped over one shoulder.
“Doctor?” Jack asked quietly, not wanting to startle the Time Lord.
“Hello, Jack,” the Doctor said calmly without looking around.
“The TARDIS is just over there. Just down the hall.” Jack knelt beside the Doctor.
“Humm,” the Doctor answered.
“I see you met Janet.”
The Doctor cocked his head, still staring at the Weevil who gazed back with its little black eyes. "He's asking about their king. Says I dress like him."
“You can talk to… him?”
“Oh yes. He doesn’t really mind being here, but he does get bored. He says their king would often come to talk and sometimes bring him pizza. Pizza does sound good.” The Doctor suddenly bounced to his feet, making Jack fall over backwards. “Large with ham and pineapple for me. Oh! And some of those little mushrooms. Those funny little whole ones? Brown. Long hoods? What are they called?”
“Straw mushrooms, I think,” Jack said from his place on the floor. He didn’t care because here was his Doctor back again. “But it’s white button mushrooms you find on pizza. At least those you get from Jubilee’s.”
“That’s right!” The Doctor frowned deeply. “Maybe not mushrooms then.” He looked down at Jack and offered his hand. “What are you laying around for? Come on!”
Jack allowed himself to be pulled along in the Doctor’s energetic wake. As he apologized to Ianto and charmingly introduced himself to Gwen, Jack could see the frayed edges and the minute hesitations in the Doctor’s actions. Even though Jack had warned Ianto and Gwen to not press the Doctor about the circumstances behind his arrival, Gwen had to pry.
He interrupted the Doctor’s uncomfortable pause by putting his arm around the Doctor. “You wanted pizza? Gwen, what kind do want today? My treat!”
The Doctor gave him a grateful smile as he turned attention to the menu Ianto handed him.
In the thirty minutes before the meal arrived, the Doctor managed to eat almost everything he could find in the kitchenette. Ianto frowned at the strange man dipping his fingers into the marmalade and making a mess of his neat domain, but said nothing. He had seen the poor shape the Doctor was in and even now the scrubs that neatly fit Owen’s trim frame hung on him.
The pizza -sans mushrooms- arrived and the four of them sat around the conference table.
When the Doctor dragged bits of his mustache out of his mouth for the third time, Ianto had to say something. “I wanted to shave you, but Jack told me to wait.”
Scratching his chin absently, the Doctor replied, "You know, I spent a little time with Ogden Nash not long ago. He wrote a poem about me. You may have heard it. ‘There was an old man with a beard...’”
The Doctor grinned widely and stuffed his mouth full again.
Pretending he didn’t notice that once again the Doctor dodged any mention of his mysterious appearance and long sleep, Ianto said. “I took the liberty of taking measurements from your garments and I had a suit made for you.”
“You know how to do that?” the Doctor said happily. “Good for you!”
“My father was a tailor,” Ianto said.
“Did he sew your new blue jeans?” the Doctor grinned.
Ianto frowned. He was clearly not wearing jeans.
“It’s a song reference,” Gwen explained. “House of the Rising Sun.” The Doctor nodded in agreement. “Ianto is brilliant with clothing.” She ignored Jack’s eyebrow waggle. “This one time I was pregnant, well, implanted, and it was the day of my wedding of all things.”
They talked and shared stories until the pizza was gone.
“Now, Ianto,” the Doctor said. “About that suit. And maybe a trim.”
“Absolutely!” Ianto replied, gathering pizza boxes and napkins.
In no time, Ianto trimmed the Doctor’s beard down to an inch long and tidied the ends of his long hair.
The suit was a charcoal gray with a heavy purple stripe flanked by narrower lavender stripes. “This is beautiful. Thank you, Ianto. And new white trainers, too. You think of everything.” It fit him almost perfectly. Patting his tummy, the Doctor observed, “I need to get back in shape. Order me a salad to go with my pizza next time. Or, oh! Fish and chips! I’ve missed fish and chips. You don’t have any more bananas do you?”
“I’ll pop out to the market right away.” Ianto said with a smile.
The Doctor put a hand on his shoulder. “You're a good man, Ianto Jones. You are a good man.”
They both knew he wasn't talking about bananas.
To Chapter 3
+++
Please take a second to leave feedback. Even if it's just "hi." It's why I write.