(no subject)
Prompt: "Millitime."
Author: Cathryn
Words: Approx 450
Summary: Cal Chandler experiences the drawbacks of being out of sync with others from his world in Milliways.
Rating: G.
Characters: Cal; mentions of Ianto Jones and the Doctor.
Spoilers: Massive ones for Torchwood: Children of Earth.
Author's Note: It occurred to me that if Cal continues to come in a few months ahead of anyone else in his world, there would eventually be a major problem.
Disclaimer: The Fix was created by Dana Rowe and John Dempsey, and The Whoniverse in its various incarnations belongs to the BBC. I take no credit and make no money.
After the 456, and the call from Gwen, Cal avoids Milliways for a while.
He concentrates on his sudden new opportunity for a career. After the way the government handled the incident, and what almost happened to ten thousand children, people - voters - are out for blood. Every single politician currently in office is going to be booted out as soon as their terms come up for reelection, and there's just enough time for the next election day for the first round's would-be replacements to throw their hats in the ring. Cal's lack of a real background, which has been a worrying weak point thanks to Harold Saxon's little stunt a while back, isn't a problem anymore. Not in this new political climate. He isn't the only one who's spotted the new opportunity, but he knows a thing or two about standing out from a crowd. And when he promises not to bow to pressure at the expense of the people and their children, when he promises to help fix the damage the current administration has done to the government and to the people's trust, he even means it.
Sincerity from a politician: it's something new, at least.
The position he's running for is hardly a powerful one, but it's a start, and without the power of the Chandler name behind him, he has to start at the beginning like everyone else. It's different and interesting, and he's actually kind of enjoying it, and the other thing about the 456 is that one of his best friends is dead and if he didn't have his campaign to think about he doesn't know what he'd do.
But it isn't even just as simple as that. In Milliways, he's always entered from a few months ahead of Ianto, and always had to be careful about what he said; the Doctor went over it with him once, the catastrophic damage that a time paradox will do.
And Cal knows that if he saw Ianto, or Jack, or anyone from Torchwood at Milliways now, he wouldn't be able to stop the warning from tumbling out. He'd sacrifice the universe to get his friend back.
So he avoids Milliways, turns down Doors for as long as he can stand it. He tells himself, when he finally breaks down and walks through, that it must have been long enough now, but the truth is he just can't take it anymore. So much of his life is in Milliways. If he sees Ianto, he thinks, or any of them, he'll turn right back around. He will.
Except that he does see Ianto, and the second their eyes meet, he knows he doesn't have to.
It's been long enough.
Author: Cathryn
Words: Approx 450
Summary: Cal Chandler experiences the drawbacks of being out of sync with others from his world in Milliways.
Rating: G.
Characters: Cal; mentions of Ianto Jones and the Doctor.
Spoilers: Massive ones for Torchwood: Children of Earth.
Author's Note: It occurred to me that if Cal continues to come in a few months ahead of anyone else in his world, there would eventually be a major problem.
Disclaimer: The Fix was created by Dana Rowe and John Dempsey, and The Whoniverse in its various incarnations belongs to the BBC. I take no credit and make no money.
After the 456, and the call from Gwen, Cal avoids Milliways for a while.
He concentrates on his sudden new opportunity for a career. After the way the government handled the incident, and what almost happened to ten thousand children, people - voters - are out for blood. Every single politician currently in office is going to be booted out as soon as their terms come up for reelection, and there's just enough time for the next election day for the first round's would-be replacements to throw their hats in the ring. Cal's lack of a real background, which has been a worrying weak point thanks to Harold Saxon's little stunt a while back, isn't a problem anymore. Not in this new political climate. He isn't the only one who's spotted the new opportunity, but he knows a thing or two about standing out from a crowd. And when he promises not to bow to pressure at the expense of the people and their children, when he promises to help fix the damage the current administration has done to the government and to the people's trust, he even means it.
Sincerity from a politician: it's something new, at least.
The position he's running for is hardly a powerful one, but it's a start, and without the power of the Chandler name behind him, he has to start at the beginning like everyone else. It's different and interesting, and he's actually kind of enjoying it, and the other thing about the 456 is that one of his best friends is dead and if he didn't have his campaign to think about he doesn't know what he'd do.
But it isn't even just as simple as that. In Milliways, he's always entered from a few months ahead of Ianto, and always had to be careful about what he said; the Doctor went over it with him once, the catastrophic damage that a time paradox will do.
And Cal knows that if he saw Ianto, or Jack, or anyone from Torchwood at Milliways now, he wouldn't be able to stop the warning from tumbling out. He'd sacrifice the universe to get his friend back.
So he avoids Milliways, turns down Doors for as long as he can stand it. He tells himself, when he finally breaks down and walks through, that it must have been long enough now, but the truth is he just can't take it anymore. So much of his life is in Milliways. If he sees Ianto, he thinks, or any of them, he'll turn right back around. He will.
Except that he does see Ianto, and the second their eyes meet, he knows he doesn't have to.
It's been long enough.