Moving On 2/?
Part Two of Moving On, which is part of The Immortal Ianto Jones series.
Disclaimer: It still doesn't belong to me in any way shape or form.
Thanks again to aeron_lanart for beta duties, and for reminding me of something I'd forgotten :)
Moving On
Ianto stood outside the abandoned Customs House that had become Torchwood’s temporary base of operations and watched as a battered Land Rover approached down Paget Rd.
It had felt strange at first to move to Penarth but Torchwood had built a secondary base there for emergencies such as the one they found themselves in. It suited their needs to be out of the city at the moment but they were still close enough to get anywhere in an emergency. Ianto did need to have a quiet word with the council about the speed bumps though. Since the loss of the SUV they’d been making do with Ianto’s own car and the sporty suspension on his Citroen transferred every bump and pothole.
He suddenly got a tickling sensation at the base of his spine, like the feeling he got near another Immortal, but subtly different. Scanning the crowd near the Barrage for signs of someone else looking around but finding none, he realised he must be feeling the presence of someone who had the potential to become Immortal. His heart skipped as he wondered if it might be one of the occupants of the Land Rover but then dismissed the thought. It would be a ridiculous coincidence; far more likely that it was one of the tourists milling about, or one of the many joggers.
He continued to watch the 4x4 as it pulled into the public car park and stopped in the nearest empty space, halfway across the car park. Mickey got out and purchased a ticket before he returned to the vehicle and stuck the ticket to the windscreen. Ianto chuckled as a London accent carried across to his position.
“Did you hear that? The ticket machine just spoke to me. In Welsh.”
“Mickey, you’ve crossed time and space, and you find that amazing?” Martha asked with a chuckle.
“Nah, suspicious,” Mickey replied as he shut his door and locked the car.
Ianto started across to where they’d parked and gave a little wave when Martha spotted him. She beamed and jogged across the distance between them before throwing her arms around Ianto in a hug.
“Oh, it’s so good to see you!” she declared.
“Thank you for coming,” Ianto replied warmly. He pulled back a bit from Martha’s embrace and nodded at Mickey, who nodded back. “Let’s go for a walk,” he suggested, gently guiding Martha in the direction of the Barrage.
They walked in amicable silence along the Barrage for a few minutes until they found a secluded bench where they could talk. They sat and looked out across the Bay at Cardiff and Ianto felt a stab of guilt for wanting to leave the city. But he knew he was leaving her in safe hands.
“Have you decided where you’re going yet?” Martha asked. Ianto shook his head.
“We won’t leave until after Gwen’s had the baby,” he explained. He was worried that Jack might find it hard to be around a child, but he also hoped that the promise of new life could be something good to focus on, remind them all why they did the job.
Martha nodded and then seemed to think about something.
“You know… there’s a way for you to get away and not miss a single minute,” she said. Mickey made a disgusted snorting noise.
“Time travel,” he muttered. Ianto shook his head.
“Jack’s VM doesn’t work anymore.”
“I didn’t mean Jack’s space hopper, I meant a Ferrari,” Martha said and laughed. When the boys didn’t join in she looked embarrassed. “Sorry, private joke. I meant that Jack needs the Doctor.”
Ianto felt like an idiot for not having thought of that himself. He had once felt jealous of Jack’s affection for the Doctor, but since meeting the Timelord he’d realised just how petty that feeling was. Martha’s suggestion was actually pretty obvious now Ianto thought about it. Mickey must have misread Ianto’s expression, however, as he commented,
“I’m not the Doctor’s biggest fan, but it’s a good idea.”
“How do we even know he’ll come? He wasn’t here when we needed him,” Ianto said with a note of bitterness. “If he’d been here then…” he trailed off and shook his head. He knew there was no use thinking like that. Martha laid a gentle hand on his arm.
“I know the Doctor; if he could have helped, then he would have been here,” she said. “I’m certain he would want to help Jack. You can be gone as long as you need, and the Doctor can bring you back to the very minute you left.”
Ianto smirked; he’d read accounts of how the Doctor didn’t always arrive exactly when and where he’d intended. But Martha and Mickey could hold the fort if they were gone for long. Ianto thought Jack might be angry with the Doctor for not helping with the 456; but at least then he would be directing his anger at someone other than himself.
“Can you get hold of him?” Ianto asked. Martha produced her mobile and waggled it at him. “That still works?”
“As far as I know; haven’t tried it since the Daleks though. Now, we need to make it look accidental; Jack won’t appreciate us organising things behind his back.”
“Doesn’t the Doctor have to recharge the TARDIS from the Rift?” Mickey suggested. Martha nodded.
“Perfect!” she said and rewarded him with a kiss that caused Mickey to beam. “Okay, Ianto, when and where do you want him?”
Disclaimer: It still doesn't belong to me in any way shape or form.
Thanks again to aeron_lanart for beta duties, and for reminding me of something I'd forgotten :)
Moving On
Ianto stood outside the abandoned Customs House that had become Torchwood’s temporary base of operations and watched as a battered Land Rover approached down Paget Rd.
It had felt strange at first to move to Penarth but Torchwood had built a secondary base there for emergencies such as the one they found themselves in. It suited their needs to be out of the city at the moment but they were still close enough to get anywhere in an emergency. Ianto did need to have a quiet word with the council about the speed bumps though. Since the loss of the SUV they’d been making do with Ianto’s own car and the sporty suspension on his Citroen transferred every bump and pothole.
He suddenly got a tickling sensation at the base of his spine, like the feeling he got near another Immortal, but subtly different. Scanning the crowd near the Barrage for signs of someone else looking around but finding none, he realised he must be feeling the presence of someone who had the potential to become Immortal. His heart skipped as he wondered if it might be one of the occupants of the Land Rover but then dismissed the thought. It would be a ridiculous coincidence; far more likely that it was one of the tourists milling about, or one of the many joggers.
He continued to watch the 4x4 as it pulled into the public car park and stopped in the nearest empty space, halfway across the car park. Mickey got out and purchased a ticket before he returned to the vehicle and stuck the ticket to the windscreen. Ianto chuckled as a London accent carried across to his position.
“Did you hear that? The ticket machine just spoke to me. In Welsh.”
“Mickey, you’ve crossed time and space, and you find that amazing?” Martha asked with a chuckle.
“Nah, suspicious,” Mickey replied as he shut his door and locked the car.
Ianto started across to where they’d parked and gave a little wave when Martha spotted him. She beamed and jogged across the distance between them before throwing her arms around Ianto in a hug.
“Oh, it’s so good to see you!” she declared.
“Thank you for coming,” Ianto replied warmly. He pulled back a bit from Martha’s embrace and nodded at Mickey, who nodded back. “Let’s go for a walk,” he suggested, gently guiding Martha in the direction of the Barrage.
They walked in amicable silence along the Barrage for a few minutes until they found a secluded bench where they could talk. They sat and looked out across the Bay at Cardiff and Ianto felt a stab of guilt for wanting to leave the city. But he knew he was leaving her in safe hands.
“Have you decided where you’re going yet?” Martha asked. Ianto shook his head.
“We won’t leave until after Gwen’s had the baby,” he explained. He was worried that Jack might find it hard to be around a child, but he also hoped that the promise of new life could be something good to focus on, remind them all why they did the job.
Martha nodded and then seemed to think about something.
“You know… there’s a way for you to get away and not miss a single minute,” she said. Mickey made a disgusted snorting noise.
“Time travel,” he muttered. Ianto shook his head.
“Jack’s VM doesn’t work anymore.”
“I didn’t mean Jack’s space hopper, I meant a Ferrari,” Martha said and laughed. When the boys didn’t join in she looked embarrassed. “Sorry, private joke. I meant that Jack needs the Doctor.”
Ianto felt like an idiot for not having thought of that himself. He had once felt jealous of Jack’s affection for the Doctor, but since meeting the Timelord he’d realised just how petty that feeling was. Martha’s suggestion was actually pretty obvious now Ianto thought about it. Mickey must have misread Ianto’s expression, however, as he commented,
“I’m not the Doctor’s biggest fan, but it’s a good idea.”
“How do we even know he’ll come? He wasn’t here when we needed him,” Ianto said with a note of bitterness. “If he’d been here then…” he trailed off and shook his head. He knew there was no use thinking like that. Martha laid a gentle hand on his arm.
“I know the Doctor; if he could have helped, then he would have been here,” she said. “I’m certain he would want to help Jack. You can be gone as long as you need, and the Doctor can bring you back to the very minute you left.”
Ianto smirked; he’d read accounts of how the Doctor didn’t always arrive exactly when and where he’d intended. But Martha and Mickey could hold the fort if they were gone for long. Ianto thought Jack might be angry with the Doctor for not helping with the 456; but at least then he would be directing his anger at someone other than himself.
“Can you get hold of him?” Ianto asked. Martha produced her mobile and waggled it at him. “That still works?”
“As far as I know; haven’t tried it since the Daleks though. Now, we need to make it look accidental; Jack won’t appreciate us organising things behind his back.”
“Doesn’t the Doctor have to recharge the TARDIS from the Rift?” Mickey suggested. Martha nodded.
“Perfect!” she said and rewarded him with a kiss that caused Mickey to beam. “Okay, Ianto, when and where do you want him?”