Different Kind of Magic -- All Together
Title: Different Kind of Magic
Chapter Six: All Together
Date Written: 3/10/09
Rating: PG/K+
Word Count: 1,112
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Characters/Pairings: Ianto/Jack, Doctor, Donna, OCs
Spoilers: Doctor Who up through Season 04, Torchwood up through 02, Different Sort of Science and To Days To Come
Warnings: AU like whoa.
Author's Notes: Thanks so much to my gorgeous betas totally4ryo and katestamps, who are my sounding boards, my muses, and all-around fantastic girls. Chapter 10's been giving me fits but it's done now, so here's another chapter.
Previous chapters found here.
Book cover by cjharknessgirl
"'Just us. In this room. As long as it takes.' Terrifying."
"Really?"
"Absolutely. Shivers down my spine."
"You don't look scared."
"Well, it passed."
-- Ianto Jones and Captain Jack Harkness, Sleeper
"One of the things I want to do before I leave," the Doctor was saying, "is to make sure that you can handle some of your responsibilities as Second."
"All right," Ianto replied, hurrying to keep up with the Time Lord and his lover. "What do you need me to do?"
"One of your duties is to meet with the new pupils, to make sure that they'll fit in well here," the Doctor said over his shoulder.
Jack slowed his pace to walk alongside Ianto. "Sometimes kids come who are just too young to handle school just yet, they need to be home with their Mums for a little longer. And sometimes the older children have things they want to get out of what we teach here."
"So we have to suss out what they want and the best way to give it to them?" Ianto guessed.
"Exactly!" the Doctor said, grinning. "We have a new student officially entering the Academy, and you get to interview him and his parents."
"Me?" Ianto managed, swallowing. "Now?"
"Yes," both father and son intoned, giving him a grin.
"But -- what do I say?" He hated the way the Doctor did this. The panic was already clawing up at his throat, hands feeling like Toshiko had transmuted them into lead.
"You'll do fine," Jack reassured him, stopping and taking one of Ianto's hands in his. "Have faith in yourself." He lifted the hand up, pressing his lips against Ianto's knuckles. "Turn on a little bit of that shopfront charm you picked up from your father."
Ianto felt the waves of comfort and confidence flowing into him from Jack. He closed his eyes and took a steadying breath.
He could almost hear the whoosh of wind through grass, almost see oil colors shift against canvas.
Jack's smiling face met his gaze when he opened his eyes, the earlier panic that had gripped him gone. "Thank you," he said softly
The Time Lord just smiled and kissed his hand again.
"His parents are just ahead," the Doctor said, grinning at them. "If you're both quite done...?"
Jack tugged his hand, pulling him along like Ianto was a stubborn child. "Come along," he said with a smile, looping his arm around the younger Mage's waist.
Ianto smiled softly up at Jack. He was thankful for the outward sign of comfort, but he still nudged his lover in the ribs. "Should you be showing such an overt display of affection in front of new students?" Ianto asked as they turned the corner. "I thought we were supposed to be professional."
Outside the Doctor's office, Ianto's older brother Ross snorted. "You, professional. There's a laugh."
Ianto laughed in surprise, pulling first his brother then his sister-in-law into a tight hug. Harriet was holding little Elly, who squealed happily when she saw her uncle and reached forward to him, opening and closing her hands in an unspoken demand to be held. "What are you doing here?" he asked, taking the baby and listening to her babble away happily in his ear.
"Your new student," Ross said, pointing towards the closed door.
"Little Ross?" Ianto asked, looking over his shoulder at Jack and the Doctor briefly before turning back around to look at Ross and Harriet. "No offense, but can you afford it?"
Elly started pulling at his shirt, annoyed that her uncle wasn't paying full attention. He pulled her hands away and she whined at Ianto until he bounced her a little and kissed her forehead.
"Consider it a perk," Jack told him with a smile. "Tuition waive."
"Not what I meant," Ianto said over his shoulder, giving Elly a hand to play with. "We were his age when we started helping out with the shop."
"Yeah," Ross agreed, hands in his pockets. "Tad's not all that happy that we're going against tradition." He grinned a little at Ianto. "Maybe that's a good thing. Give him a new perspective, let him do what he wants."
Ianto ducked his head a little on instinct, a tiny smile tugging at his lips.
"He's had a little bit of schooling here, and we can spare him for a while yet," Harriet said. "And if you really feel like it, we're sure you can teach him the business."
"If little Ross is anything like Jack was at his age," the Doctor said, offering a hand to Elly and grinning when she abandoned Ianto's for his, "then you'll be happy to have him out of the house."
Jack gave his father an unreadable look. The Doctor reached over and ruffled his son's hair.
"He takes after you in plenty of ways," Ross added. "If he triggers, it'd be best if he did it here. And you know it."
Elly pressed a wet mouth against his cheek, lips smacking against his skin.
"Right, baby girl," Ianto coddled, handing her back over to her mother. He opened the door to greet his nephew.
He was instantly aware of three things when he opened the door. The first was that he was clutching a blank piece of parchment behind his back. The second was that the little boy was suspiciously close to the Doctor's desk. The third was the sound of one of the drawers of the Time Lord's desk sliding shut.
Ianto put his hands on his hips and gave his nephew a practiced look, one that clearly said, I am not happy with you. "Did you just go through the Doctor's things, young man?"
Ross held up the parchment. "I needed some ink," he protested.
When the boy had been living in the House the year before, the Doctor had basically given him free reign in his office. Ianto knew he would do the same, but he knew he had to lay down the groundwork.
"That is not the question I asked," Ianto corrected. "Did you go through the Doctor's things?"
The little boy looked up at his uncle with wide eyes. He didn't say anything, just stared at him for a long moment.
"Did you. Go through. The Doctor's things?" Ianto asked again, drawing the question out.
"Y-yes," Ross managed.
Ianto pointed to the Doctor. "Apologize. Now."
"I'm sorry," Ross mumbled, biting his lower lip and looking down at the rug on the floor.
"Next time you'll ask him to get it for you, correct?"
The little dark head bobbed in agreement. He shuffled across the floor to hug his uncle around the middle. Ianto had to fight back a laugh as he ran his fingers through Ross' hair.
"So," the Doctor drawled from the doorway. "When can I expect you to starting taking in grandchildren?"
Chapter Six: All Together
Date Written: 3/10/09
Rating: PG/K+
Word Count: 1,112
Fandom: Torchwood/Doctor Who
Characters/Pairings: Ianto/Jack, Doctor, Donna, OCs
Spoilers: Doctor Who up through Season 04, Torchwood up through 02, Different Sort of Science and To Days To Come
Warnings: AU like whoa.
Author's Notes: Thanks so much to my gorgeous betas totally4ryo and katestamps, who are my sounding boards, my muses, and all-around fantastic girls. Chapter 10's been giving me fits but it's done now, so here's another chapter.
Previous chapters found here.
Book cover by cjharknessgirl
"'Just us. In this room. As long as it takes.' Terrifying."
"Really?"
"Absolutely. Shivers down my spine."
"You don't look scared."
"Well, it passed."
-- Ianto Jones and Captain Jack Harkness, Sleeper
"One of the things I want to do before I leave," the Doctor was saying, "is to make sure that you can handle some of your responsibilities as Second."
"All right," Ianto replied, hurrying to keep up with the Time Lord and his lover. "What do you need me to do?"
"One of your duties is to meet with the new pupils, to make sure that they'll fit in well here," the Doctor said over his shoulder.
Jack slowed his pace to walk alongside Ianto. "Sometimes kids come who are just too young to handle school just yet, they need to be home with their Mums for a little longer. And sometimes the older children have things they want to get out of what we teach here."
"So we have to suss out what they want and the best way to give it to them?" Ianto guessed.
"Exactly!" the Doctor said, grinning. "We have a new student officially entering the Academy, and you get to interview him and his parents."
"Me?" Ianto managed, swallowing. "Now?"
"Yes," both father and son intoned, giving him a grin.
"But -- what do I say?" He hated the way the Doctor did this. The panic was already clawing up at his throat, hands feeling like Toshiko had transmuted them into lead.
"You'll do fine," Jack reassured him, stopping and taking one of Ianto's hands in his. "Have faith in yourself." He lifted the hand up, pressing his lips against Ianto's knuckles. "Turn on a little bit of that shopfront charm you picked up from your father."
Ianto felt the waves of comfort and confidence flowing into him from Jack. He closed his eyes and took a steadying breath.
He could almost hear the whoosh of wind through grass, almost see oil colors shift against canvas.
Jack's smiling face met his gaze when he opened his eyes, the earlier panic that had gripped him gone. "Thank you," he said softly
The Time Lord just smiled and kissed his hand again.
"His parents are just ahead," the Doctor said, grinning at them. "If you're both quite done...?"
Jack tugged his hand, pulling him along like Ianto was a stubborn child. "Come along," he said with a smile, looping his arm around the younger Mage's waist.
Ianto smiled softly up at Jack. He was thankful for the outward sign of comfort, but he still nudged his lover in the ribs. "Should you be showing such an overt display of affection in front of new students?" Ianto asked as they turned the corner. "I thought we were supposed to be professional."
Outside the Doctor's office, Ianto's older brother Ross snorted. "You, professional. There's a laugh."
Ianto laughed in surprise, pulling first his brother then his sister-in-law into a tight hug. Harriet was holding little Elly, who squealed happily when she saw her uncle and reached forward to him, opening and closing her hands in an unspoken demand to be held. "What are you doing here?" he asked, taking the baby and listening to her babble away happily in his ear.
"Your new student," Ross said, pointing towards the closed door.
"Little Ross?" Ianto asked, looking over his shoulder at Jack and the Doctor briefly before turning back around to look at Ross and Harriet. "No offense, but can you afford it?"
Elly started pulling at his shirt, annoyed that her uncle wasn't paying full attention. He pulled her hands away and she whined at Ianto until he bounced her a little and kissed her forehead.
"Consider it a perk," Jack told him with a smile. "Tuition waive."
"Not what I meant," Ianto said over his shoulder, giving Elly a hand to play with. "We were his age when we started helping out with the shop."
"Yeah," Ross agreed, hands in his pockets. "Tad's not all that happy that we're going against tradition." He grinned a little at Ianto. "Maybe that's a good thing. Give him a new perspective, let him do what he wants."
Ianto ducked his head a little on instinct, a tiny smile tugging at his lips.
"He's had a little bit of schooling here, and we can spare him for a while yet," Harriet said. "And if you really feel like it, we're sure you can teach him the business."
"If little Ross is anything like Jack was at his age," the Doctor said, offering a hand to Elly and grinning when she abandoned Ianto's for his, "then you'll be happy to have him out of the house."
Jack gave his father an unreadable look. The Doctor reached over and ruffled his son's hair.
"He takes after you in plenty of ways," Ross added. "If he triggers, it'd be best if he did it here. And you know it."
Elly pressed a wet mouth against his cheek, lips smacking against his skin.
"Right, baby girl," Ianto coddled, handing her back over to her mother. He opened the door to greet his nephew.
He was instantly aware of three things when he opened the door. The first was that he was clutching a blank piece of parchment behind his back. The second was that the little boy was suspiciously close to the Doctor's desk. The third was the sound of one of the drawers of the Time Lord's desk sliding shut.
Ianto put his hands on his hips and gave his nephew a practiced look, one that clearly said, I am not happy with you. "Did you just go through the Doctor's things, young man?"
Ross held up the parchment. "I needed some ink," he protested.
When the boy had been living in the House the year before, the Doctor had basically given him free reign in his office. Ianto knew he would do the same, but he knew he had to lay down the groundwork.
"That is not the question I asked," Ianto corrected. "Did you go through the Doctor's things?"
The little boy looked up at his uncle with wide eyes. He didn't say anything, just stared at him for a long moment.
"Did you. Go through. The Doctor's things?" Ianto asked again, drawing the question out.
"Y-yes," Ross managed.
Ianto pointed to the Doctor. "Apologize. Now."
"I'm sorry," Ross mumbled, biting his lower lip and looking down at the rug on the floor.
"Next time you'll ask him to get it for you, correct?"
The little dark head bobbed in agreement. He shuffled across the floor to hug his uncle around the middle. Ianto had to fight back a laugh as he ran his fingers through Ross' hair.
"So," the Doctor drawled from the doorway. "When can I expect you to starting taking in grandchildren?"