Sometimes, It Doesn't Pay to Get Out of Bed
Title: Sometimes, It Doesn't Pay to Get Out of Bed
Rating: PG
Characters: Jack, Ianto, Martha, Ianto's Mum.
Warnings: Post Children of Earth correction. That Miracle thing- never happened. It's some delusion, completely ignore it.
Notes: An old WIP originally for For the Resurrection Challenge at
flashfic_hub.
Disclaimers: I should own Torchwood and its characters. I'd do a damn sight better job of caring for them than those pillocks.
He woke with a groan, then labored to pull air into lungs. It only took a moment for the shivering to start as the chill travelled from the metal surface into his body. He was working to regulate his breathing, but something was off and he couldn't make his heart slow down. The blood pounded in his ears far too quickly as the moments passed and he finally let his eyes creep open.
"It's about time young man. I was worried you might not have inherited enough of my genetics." The young woman's voice was friendly and held just a slight mocking tone, "But you still look like your father; that might be a problem."
His brow furrowed as he turned his head towards the voice and resolved the owner of the voice. She wasn't much older than him, her deep auburn hair framing a small mouth and bright green eyes. "Who?" He stammered to speak, his breathing still awkward.
She offered a big smile as she held a water bottle out to him, "I suppose I should be insulted that my own son doesn't recognize me; but there has been a bit of remodeling since you last saw me." She leaned over and brushed hair from his forehead, "How do you feel Ianto?"
"What do you mean his body is missing!" Jack was clutching at the edge of the office table so tightly that the nervous administrator on the other side twitched at the distinct sound of wood cracking. "How do you lose…" Jack's voice caught in his throat and he couldn't continue. Instead he slammed his fist into the desk and didn't flinch as bones broke and splinters flew. After a deep breath, Jack spoke through gritted teeth, "Find him."
He was trying to follow her as quickly as possible, but his balance was off- was the Earth moving faster? That and he was still having problems breathing, and why was his heartbeat still so fast? He stumbled into the car she'd climbed into and tried to catch his breath.
"Buckle up sweetheart, wouldn't want you getting hurt so soon." She patted his arm, "We need to get back home so you can adjust. I'm sure you have quite a few questions, considering." She started the auto and quickly pulled into traffic, heading away from the military hospital and when Ianto woke from the unexpected doze he'd fallen into, they were already crossing the Severn bridge. "Thought you might wake about now, the familiar soil of home does tend to have a stabilizing effect."
He licked his lips, "Not to be rude, but who are you and what's happening to me?" He allowed the frown to crawl over his face as the woman laughed at his question. "I really would like an answer, and perhaps some medical attention because my heart is beating far too quickly."
They took an exit into Newport that he vaguely remembered from childhood and she began speaking. "Ianto Jones, you don't need any medical attention. Your hearts are just fine."
He frowned for a moment then looked at her in shock, "Did you say hearts?"
"I don't care what you claim Mace, the facts are that the body of one of my people was removed from that facility without my permission. Now you give him back or I'll start sharing all of UNIT's dirty laundry with the world." Jack didn't even bother to listen to Mace as he made excuses and disconnected the call. The room in Torchwood house was cold and dank from decades of neglect, but it suited Jack's mood and his need to be alone. The memorial was long passed, Jack had watched from a distance as Ianto's sister and her family sat silently while the priest mumbled words over the empty coffin. He wasn't surprised to see Gwen and Rhys standing at some distance. It had been appropriate that the services had taken place during heavy Cardiff rain; Wales knew to mourn a fallen son, even if his body was still missing. Jack checked the calendar again, only a week before the transport would be within range.
"What have you done to me?" Ianto shouted at the woman while continuing to press fingers against his pulse point. "I'm human, I was born in Cardiff for pity sake!" He'd already spent several minutes pressing his hand first to the left of his ribcage and then cautiously on the right and still couldn't quite believe it.
"I'm well aware that you were born in Cardiff, Ianto. I had a ringside seat for the event." She pushed her long hair behind her ears. The small cottage she'd brought him to was hardly visible from the road considering the overgrown garden and the interior hadn't changed since the early fifties, except for the attention drawing baroque armoire sitting in the corner. He'd dropped ungracefully on a sofa while she disappeared into the hallway. After a few minutes she returned with two mugs and Ianto's eyes brightened at the scent and the first taste had him hurtling back into childhood. She smiled at the look on his face, "You were the only one to really appreciate my hot chocolate, sweetheart. Your dad always wanted coffee and your sister was more interested in fizzy drinks."
He barely had the mug down on the table before the words came flying, "How can you be my mother? She died. I was eight, the car burst into flames and she pushed me out before…" Ianto wrapped a hand over his neck, feeling for the burn scars left from the car. He pulled his hand away quickly when the scar wasn't present. Without a second though he pulled his shirt open and searched his stomach for appendix scar and panicked when it too was missing. "What's happened to me?"
Small, firm hands gently wrapped around his own and he registered the cooler temperature of the skin as he looked first at the hands and then into the green eyes again. "Mam?" She smiled as she moved a hand to his cheek, "But how?"
"It's called regeneration, a genetic revivification of sorts that usually involves a complete change of exterior appearance." She stood up and offered him her hand, "Apparently in your case it works a bit different, being only half Gallifreyan." She buttoned his shirt back up as he stood there stunned, "That will cause some difficulty as you are technically dead and your sister and friends would notice you walking around looking like the same handsome young man you were." She smoothed his collar and lightly patted his chest, "Maybe we should go on a trip, how about Barcelona? Grandfather always said they had dogs without noses." She walked over to the armoire and pulled the doors open.
Ianto felt his jaw fall to the axminster as he looked through the cabinet doors at what looked like a coral reef with giant glowing crystals. "That's… That's a TARDIS!" He stuttered out and fell back onto the sofa, "But Torchwood… The Doctor… How?"
For the first time since he awakened to this upside world, she looked at him with a frown, "Of course it is. How else would we travel to another planet in the future? For goodness sake Ianto, I thought you knew everything?"
"I'm sorry, Jack. I've searched through every record and database I can access, along with a few that I shouldn't, and I can't find him." Martha's voice was tense over the phone, "I don't know anyone other than you-know-who that can be that invisible when it comes to UNIT records."
Jack slumped in his chair as he listened to Martha describe the searches she'd done. His mind wandered as he checked the date again, only one day before the ship would be within transport range. He would miss Martha and her spirit, but he was just too worn, too broken to stay any longer. "Thanks for trying, Martha. I couldn't expect a miracle."
She didn't speak for a moment, then added, "There was one oddity. There was an enormous energy spike in the morgue right before his body went missing. UNIT had only registered spikes like it three times. Once in the seventies, then again in the eighties and nineties. Each time… Jack, each time coincided with the Doctor changing."
Jack didn't even notice the phone falling to the floor.
"Jack's going to kill me," Ianto muttered quietly as he sat stunned on the leather chaise placed to one side of the central control spire. He thought he could hear a girlish giggle far away and looked around for the source, but couldn't find it.
Susan Jones, smiled broadly at her son, "Oh nonsense sweetheart. If this Jack fellow has spent time with grandfather, I'm sure the oddness of this situation won't even rank in the top one hundred." She flipped a switch on the console and smiled as the crystal tower in the console began to rise and fall. "Now, let's go see if grandfather was right about those dogs without noses."
Ianto slumped on the chase, then quickly jumped up stunned, "Wait a tic! The Doctor is your grandfather? I'm related to the Doctor!" Ianto gaped and simply fainted.
"Tsk. He must have gotten that from his father's side. Grandfather isn't that bad." Susan laughed as her TARDIS giggled along with her while flinging itself through time and space. A light began flashing on the console and Susan stared at a display, "Well, it looks like we'll be gaining another crew member dear," she patted the console, "but don't go getting all tipsy on the vortex energy in him. Jack Harkness belongs to my son."