Fic: Valiant 20/38
Title: Valiant Chapter 20/38
Author: MeiLin
Characters/pairing in this chapter: Gwen, Leo
Rating for this chapter: PG
Summary for this chapter: Gwen and Leo have dinner on the run.
A/N for this chapter: A version of this chapter originally appeared as part of the story "Darkness Under Heaven." It has been greatly revised and expanded.
Valiant Central Page
"That was a bag of wank," Gwen muttered.
"Yeah, well, we can't 'strike a blow' when we're among people, you know that," Leo replied as they walked quickly away from the work camp where they'd been hiding near Ipswich. "There could be repercussions for them if we do. Look at it this way: We got some good reconnaissance. And we passed on Martha's story."
"Mmm."
He glanced over at Gwen. Her sad hazel eyes were turned inward, as they so often had been in the time he'd known her. "Gwen."
"Hmm?"
"You're tired. Let's find a good place to stop for the night." She sighed and pulled up.
Leo watched her form flicker slightly around the edges of his sight. He fingered the small chunk of paving stone from the ruins of Torchwood that hung around his neck, twin to the one she wore; he knew she was there, and so the crude perception filters Gwen had fashioned from the remains of Torchwood's lift didn't fully work on him. There would be no fire tonight. A lone fire, seemingly unattended, would draw too much attention. He scanned the area, settled on a looted restaurant, and motioned her inside.
Gwen opened her rucksack and pulled out the meager dinner the insurgency members inside the work camp had packed for them. They chewed companionably, sitting side by side on a couple of banquettes. "So Leo," she said between bites, "Being the brother of the famous Martha Jones, did you ever meet the Doctor?"
"Yeah. I mean, I don't really know him," said Leo, "only through Martha, and we thought she was bonkers. We only met him just before the election." He offered her their only luxury, a thermos of hot, very weak tea; she accepted gratefully. "We were at the same party once. My sister, Tish, worked for this bloke Lazarus. A scientist--a bit of a mad one, actually, as it turned out. Weird party. It was easy to believe the Doctor was trouble after that."
Leo smiled. "I remember what Tish said to me, when we first met the Doctor with Martha. It was at my birthday party the night before the Lazarus thing. She said, '1978 called. Elvis Costello wants his look back.'"
Gwen laughed. "So that's what he looks like?"
"Oh Christ," he answered, "suit, tie, and rubber toe-cap trainers. Glasses. Hair every which way. Skinny--you wouldn't think of him as being able to put up much of a fight let alone protect the universe." He shook his head. "You've met the Master, though."
Gwen was silent for a moment. "Yeah. I have." Leo raised his brows. "It's not really something I can talk about yet." She gave him a small, sad smile.
"I'll tell you one thing I did to that wanker, though," she said, looking up at him, her smile wide this time. "He thought he was going to be able to track me through my earpiece--all the Torchwood earpieces had GPS locators. I don't know why me being on Earth and him being able to find me would have mattered to him, but it was the only reason I could think of for letting me escape." She took a drink of tea. "Whatever the Master did to let the Toclafane in? It nearly knocked the Weevils--these...well, we weren't sure what the Weevils were, aliens or--but they were in a bad state. I could walk right up to one and it would barely even notice me. So I put my earpiece on one." She grinned.
Leo laughed. "I wonder how long he tracked it before he realized it wasn't you?"
"He probably figured it out right after we blew up our first convoy," she shrugged.
"I remember that convoy," he answered. "That was the first time I kissed you."
"So it was," she answered coolly. They silently sipped the tea, passing the thermos back and forth.
"Are you ever going to let me kiss you again, Gwen?"
"Ask me another night, Leo."
"I'm asking you tonight."
She turned to face him full on. "You think now is the time for this."
"You know it is," he replied, his young face intense and serious. "This is all we have. You and me, Gwen, right now. We've lost everyone and everything else. We could lose each other any time. This is what we have--it's all anyone ever has, but we choose not to know it. When things are like this, that's when we don't have any choice but to know it."
"Lucky us," Gwen said. She flicked the crumbs of dinner from her fingers, took a last swig of tea and said, "Can you take first watch? I really need sleep."
Leo sighed. "Yeah, sure."
She settled down beside him on the banquette cushions and was soon fast asleep, Leo watching over her with troubled eyes.
Author: MeiLin
Characters/pairing in this chapter: Gwen, Leo
Rating for this chapter: PG
Summary for this chapter: Gwen and Leo have dinner on the run.
A/N for this chapter: A version of this chapter originally appeared as part of the story "Darkness Under Heaven." It has been greatly revised and expanded.
Valiant Central Page
"That was a bag of wank," Gwen muttered.
"Yeah, well, we can't 'strike a blow' when we're among people, you know that," Leo replied as they walked quickly away from the work camp where they'd been hiding near Ipswich. "There could be repercussions for them if we do. Look at it this way: We got some good reconnaissance. And we passed on Martha's story."
"Mmm."
He glanced over at Gwen. Her sad hazel eyes were turned inward, as they so often had been in the time he'd known her. "Gwen."
"Hmm?"
"You're tired. Let's find a good place to stop for the night." She sighed and pulled up.
Leo watched her form flicker slightly around the edges of his sight. He fingered the small chunk of paving stone from the ruins of Torchwood that hung around his neck, twin to the one she wore; he knew she was there, and so the crude perception filters Gwen had fashioned from the remains of Torchwood's lift didn't fully work on him. There would be no fire tonight. A lone fire, seemingly unattended, would draw too much attention. He scanned the area, settled on a looted restaurant, and motioned her inside.
Gwen opened her rucksack and pulled out the meager dinner the insurgency members inside the work camp had packed for them. They chewed companionably, sitting side by side on a couple of banquettes. "So Leo," she said between bites, "Being the brother of the famous Martha Jones, did you ever meet the Doctor?"
"Yeah. I mean, I don't really know him," said Leo, "only through Martha, and we thought she was bonkers. We only met him just before the election." He offered her their only luxury, a thermos of hot, very weak tea; she accepted gratefully. "We were at the same party once. My sister, Tish, worked for this bloke Lazarus. A scientist--a bit of a mad one, actually, as it turned out. Weird party. It was easy to believe the Doctor was trouble after that."
Leo smiled. "I remember what Tish said to me, when we first met the Doctor with Martha. It was at my birthday party the night before the Lazarus thing. She said, '1978 called. Elvis Costello wants his look back.'"
Gwen laughed. "So that's what he looks like?"
"Oh Christ," he answered, "suit, tie, and rubber toe-cap trainers. Glasses. Hair every which way. Skinny--you wouldn't think of him as being able to put up much of a fight let alone protect the universe." He shook his head. "You've met the Master, though."
Gwen was silent for a moment. "Yeah. I have." Leo raised his brows. "It's not really something I can talk about yet." She gave him a small, sad smile.
"I'll tell you one thing I did to that wanker, though," she said, looking up at him, her smile wide this time. "He thought he was going to be able to track me through my earpiece--all the Torchwood earpieces had GPS locators. I don't know why me being on Earth and him being able to find me would have mattered to him, but it was the only reason I could think of for letting me escape." She took a drink of tea. "Whatever the Master did to let the Toclafane in? It nearly knocked the Weevils--these...well, we weren't sure what the Weevils were, aliens or--but they were in a bad state. I could walk right up to one and it would barely even notice me. So I put my earpiece on one." She grinned.
Leo laughed. "I wonder how long he tracked it before he realized it wasn't you?"
"He probably figured it out right after we blew up our first convoy," she shrugged.
"I remember that convoy," he answered. "That was the first time I kissed you."
"So it was," she answered coolly. They silently sipped the tea, passing the thermos back and forth.
"Are you ever going to let me kiss you again, Gwen?"
"Ask me another night, Leo."
"I'm asking you tonight."
She turned to face him full on. "You think now is the time for this."
"You know it is," he replied, his young face intense and serious. "This is all we have. You and me, Gwen, right now. We've lost everyone and everything else. We could lose each other any time. This is what we have--it's all anyone ever has, but we choose not to know it. When things are like this, that's when we don't have any choice but to know it."
"Lucky us," Gwen said. She flicked the crumbs of dinner from her fingers, took a last swig of tea and said, "Can you take first watch? I really need sleep."
Leo sighed. "Yeah, sure."
She settled down beside him on the banquette cushions and was soon fast asleep, Leo watching over her with troubled eyes.