Coming Clean
Title: Coming Clean
Author: Llama1412
Universe: Doctor Who/Torchwood
Characters: Canton Everett Delaware, Jack Harkness
Disclaimer: Characters from the Doctor Who universe do not belong to me.
Summary: Missing scene from 6.01 and 6.02. After the Moon Landing, Canton feels the need to tell someone else he knows about the aliens.
Canton Everett Delaware was not pleased to admit he's been wrong. He'd worked for the FBI for a long time and being wrong simply wasn't something they were trained to be. He wasn't working for the FBI anymore, though, and sometimes, things just really had to be talked about.
He didn't know if the number would still work. After the words they'd thrown at each other, it wouldn't surprise him if his... friend had had it changed or something.
But no, the line connected and he was left speaking to a man he'd last seen half-dressed in his bedroom. He cleared his throat, "Jack? It's, uh, Canton."
"...Right. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"You mentioned, well, aliens." The word was becoming less ridiculous with practice. And six months was a lot of practice.
"And you didn't believe me, as I recall. 'Said it was a freak event, someone's idea of a practical joke."
"I...may have had reason to change my mind."
"Oh?"
He shouldn't say too much, not over the phone. He'd been taught caution and the FBI was probably bugging his phones, anyway.
On the other hand, he was talking about aliens. They probably thought they were right to fire him before he'd gone mad. "The moon landing was driven by aliens," he blurted.
"I see. How'd you get involved?"
"I somehow got drafted to help fight them." He cleared his throat again. "They're...I don't know how you do it, Jack. I can't even remember what they look like - they edit themselves out of your memory as soon as you look away - but it was..." he chuckled, "well, it was a bit like working for the Bureau. Except I got to meet the President."
"Tricky Dick, huh?"
"Oh? Didn't realize they called him that overseas."
"Eh, it'll catch on. It's only 1969, after all." Jack's laugh brought him back to a brief period of time when it was okay for him to love a man, because gender was the least bizarre thing about Jack. Jack had made sex natural and nothing to be ashamed of, even if it was with a man. In a way, Jack was to thank for Canton's courage to get married now.
"Anyway, I just thought you should know. The alien thing is your department, after all. These creatures, they've been around for longer than we can tell and no one can remember. They have these tunnels underground all over the world, although there's more of them in America than anywhere else. It's...if you see them, you'll try to kill them. Everyone will. That's what the Doctor said, anyway. When they tell us to do something, we do it, even though we don't remember why. So the Doctor planted that message in the Moon Landing Footage and the entire world watched it."
"The Doctor?"
"Yeah. He had this...box. Only it wasn't a box. It moved through space and helped us fight the Silence. That's what they're called, by the way, the aliens."
"You worked with the Doctor?"
"Yeah. He just showed up in President Nixon's office out of nowhere. But he knew what he was doing, that's for sure. Why? You know him?"
"I did once, yeah. So he'd fighting off aliens in 1969 now, huh? Typical."
"Yeah. Well, like I said, I though you should know." He swallowed. "I'm getting married."
"Oh yeah?"
"Not legally. The Doctor tried to get me my job back in the FBI, but...he's black, my fiancé. That didn't much help anything."
"No, I imagine it didn't." There was a pause. "I'm happy for you. And you know, if you need a job fighting aliens...we could use a man in the States. Especially if these Silence are still around."
Canton smiled. Tempting, but... "We'll see. If the offer's still open later, maybe. For now, I've got to find a way to make the alien bit sound believable."
There was a laugh. I wish you better luck than I had."
"Thanks. It was nice talking to you again. And...I'm sorry for what I said."
"Don't worry about it. Goodbye, Canton. Congratulations on the wedding."
The line disconnected and Canton slipped the receiver back into the cradle. Some days he regretted breaking off what he'd had with Jack. Really, though, he was happy where he was. The front door unlocked with a click and he stepped into the front room to greet his fiancé. Things might not be great right now and he might end up having to take that job of Jack's, but for now...he had his home and he had his partner. The rest could wait.
Author: Llama1412
Universe: Doctor Who/Torchwood
Characters: Canton Everett Delaware, Jack Harkness
Disclaimer: Characters from the Doctor Who universe do not belong to me.
Summary: Missing scene from 6.01 and 6.02. After the Moon Landing, Canton feels the need to tell someone else he knows about the aliens.
Canton Everett Delaware was not pleased to admit he's been wrong. He'd worked for the FBI for a long time and being wrong simply wasn't something they were trained to be. He wasn't working for the FBI anymore, though, and sometimes, things just really had to be talked about.
He didn't know if the number would still work. After the words they'd thrown at each other, it wouldn't surprise him if his... friend had had it changed or something.
But no, the line connected and he was left speaking to a man he'd last seen half-dressed in his bedroom. He cleared his throat, "Jack? It's, uh, Canton."
"...Right. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"You mentioned, well, aliens." The word was becoming less ridiculous with practice. And six months was a lot of practice.
"And you didn't believe me, as I recall. 'Said it was a freak event, someone's idea of a practical joke."
"I...may have had reason to change my mind."
"Oh?"
He shouldn't say too much, not over the phone. He'd been taught caution and the FBI was probably bugging his phones, anyway.
On the other hand, he was talking about aliens. They probably thought they were right to fire him before he'd gone mad. "The moon landing was driven by aliens," he blurted.
"I see. How'd you get involved?"
"I somehow got drafted to help fight them." He cleared his throat again. "They're...I don't know how you do it, Jack. I can't even remember what they look like - they edit themselves out of your memory as soon as you look away - but it was..." he chuckled, "well, it was a bit like working for the Bureau. Except I got to meet the President."
"Tricky Dick, huh?"
"Oh? Didn't realize they called him that overseas."
"Eh, it'll catch on. It's only 1969, after all." Jack's laugh brought him back to a brief period of time when it was okay for him to love a man, because gender was the least bizarre thing about Jack. Jack had made sex natural and nothing to be ashamed of, even if it was with a man. In a way, Jack was to thank for Canton's courage to get married now.
"Anyway, I just thought you should know. The alien thing is your department, after all. These creatures, they've been around for longer than we can tell and no one can remember. They have these tunnels underground all over the world, although there's more of them in America than anywhere else. It's...if you see them, you'll try to kill them. Everyone will. That's what the Doctor said, anyway. When they tell us to do something, we do it, even though we don't remember why. So the Doctor planted that message in the Moon Landing Footage and the entire world watched it."
"The Doctor?"
"Yeah. He had this...box. Only it wasn't a box. It moved through space and helped us fight the Silence. That's what they're called, by the way, the aliens."
"You worked with the Doctor?"
"Yeah. He just showed up in President Nixon's office out of nowhere. But he knew what he was doing, that's for sure. Why? You know him?"
"I did once, yeah. So he'd fighting off aliens in 1969 now, huh? Typical."
"Yeah. Well, like I said, I though you should know." He swallowed. "I'm getting married."
"Oh yeah?"
"Not legally. The Doctor tried to get me my job back in the FBI, but...he's black, my fiancé. That didn't much help anything."
"No, I imagine it didn't." There was a pause. "I'm happy for you. And you know, if you need a job fighting aliens...we could use a man in the States. Especially if these Silence are still around."
Canton smiled. Tempting, but... "We'll see. If the offer's still open later, maybe. For now, I've got to find a way to make the alien bit sound believable."
There was a laugh. I wish you better luck than I had."
"Thanks. It was nice talking to you again. And...I'm sorry for what I said."
"Don't worry about it. Goodbye, Canton. Congratulations on the wedding."
The line disconnected and Canton slipped the receiver back into the cradle. Some days he regretted breaking off what he'd had with Jack. Really, though, he was happy where he was. The front door unlocked with a click and he stepped into the front room to greet his fiancé. Things might not be great right now and he might end up having to take that job of Jack's, but for now...he had his home and he had his partner. The rest could wait.