Second Chance at Happiness (3/22?)
Title: 
Fandom: Doctor Who/Torchwood
Characters/Pairings: Team Torchwood, Team Tardis, Ten/Master/Rose, Jack/Ianto, Gwen/Rhys, Mickey/Jake, Jackie/Pete, Tony, Tessa,
Owen wasn’t sure if he took off after Lacey to find her or if he just needed to run from his own fears. His childhood had not exactly been rainbows and sunshine. More like the stuff out of one those damn lifetime movies that Lacey claimed to never have watched but could tell him the entire plot of every last one. He raced through the coffee shop, avoiding Jake’s grab for him easily, and he was out the door.
He looked around, shivering slightly in the autumn breeze. Deciding hiding with Lacey was better than hiding alone, he started looking in the trees. Damn, she must move a lot faster than he did. He couldn’t find her anywhere. He was almost off campus and about to turn around and check the other way, when he heard the sound of a sniffle, and looked up in the tree next to him.
She was sitting on one of the lower branches, her arms around her legs hugged up against her chest. Her head was resting on her knees, her brownish red hair hiding her face. He looked around the tree to find a branch to pull himself up to her. He found it on the other side, and he jumped up to grab the branch, wondering how she managed it when she was shorter than he was. He pulled himself up and grabbed the next branch with the ease of someone used to climbing. He stumbled a bit on his too big shirt, but finally found himself next to her, and slid down to sit by her. She looked up and over at him. “This sucks,” she said, through another sniffle.
Owen couldn’t help laugh, putting an arm around her. “Tell me about it.”
“You ever pick up something like that again, I’ll kill you.” She said, but there was a little smile, even with the tears, which fell, “Of course, that’s assuming they find a way to turn us back.”
Owen wanted to tell that of course they’d get back to normal. And yeah, eventually they would but the answer he was going to give was not the one he knew she wanted to her. “I don’t think we’re getting back to normal anytime soon, Lace. Not without going through adolescence again.”
“You just couldn’t lie, could you? Just tell me this will work out?” She elbowed him in the ribs. “I can’t do this, Harper, I can’t. I can hear them, just like before, everything they said to me, everything they did.” She shook her head. “I had it all buried, just shoved aside, where they couldn’t hurt me anymore, but they’re back, the ghosts of my past are louder than ever!” Her voice was quivering as much as her lower lip as a fresh pout of tears started.
Owen rolled his eyes. “You would rather me lie? Tell you that even now Ianto and Jack are hard at work finding a way to reverse the process and turn us back? Well, I got info for you, Harkness, it ain’t happening! And in case you forgotten this isn’t exactly a romp down memory lane for me either.” He huffed, crossing his arms. “I lived my childhood in constant dread of which mum would be there when I got home. The indifferent one who was forced to love me but not to like me, or the drunk ass crazy woman who used me as a punching bag.” He hated the fact that his own voice was shaking. He was not the kind of guy who showed his emotions. Once, when Jack came back after Abbadon, and Tosh got him to admit his fear after he’d died. Damn this girl. Damn her for being the only one who could get him to say such things, admit such things.
Lacey just shook her head, and leaned into him, crying. He expected her to start blaming him again. She’d have every right to. If he hadn’t picked up the bloody thing in the first place, they wouldn’t be sitting here, cold in just their shirts because nothing else would stay on. So he was a little surprised when he heard a mumbled sorry come from her. He looked down at her, wondering if he’d heard right. “What’re you apologizing for? I got us into this mess.” He said, leaning back against the tree. “Only thing you got to be sorry for is not leaving when I told you to.“
“Couldn’t leave you.“ She muttered. “Didn’t know this would happen. Didn’t…I didn’t want you dead again, is all.” She buried her face into his shoulder. Owen just shook his head. Half the time he could not understand her. Sometimes he just wanted to strangle her for driving him nuts, the rest of the time he was shagging her. Although he doubted the shagging would be an issue for a while.
He shook his head. “You’re one insane bird, Lacey, have I told you that?” She didn’t answer, and when he looked down, he realized the girl had cried herself to sleep. “Well, at least one of us can sleep.” He rested his head against hers, still keeping an arm around her. Maybe this time wouldn’t so bad, if only because he had someone to talk to who understood. He closed his eyes, just for a moment.
A half hour after the two children ran off, Jack found them in the tree, asleep in each other’s arms. It was obvious that both had been crying, which was unsettling to the immortal, as both were in such control of their emotions. The branch they were sitting on was low enough that Jack could reach up, and shake Owen by the shoulder. “No, don’t wanna, can’t make me. I’m King of the Wild things,” he muttered in his sleep.
Jack couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “Owen, wake up, you two are both going to catch cold if you sit out here much longer.”
Owen shook himself awake, “huh, whu?” He went to rub at his eyes, convinced that the whole being a kid thing was just a nightmare when he saw the size of his hand, and groaned. “Bollocks. I thought it was nightmare.”
Jack shook his head. “Sorry, kiddo, no such luck. Come on, Mickey’s got some clothes from Gwen’s neighbors for you until Gwen and Rose get back. And I want Martha to check you both out, make sure there’s nothing wrong with you.”
“You mean other than the fact that we’re like eight years old?” Owen rolled his eyes, but nudged Lacey awake. “Nap time’s over, welcome to hell.”
Lacey groaned, stretching out against him, “bloody hell, I was hoping this was a nightmare.”
Owen shook his head. “Yeah, we don’t have that kind of luck.” He nudged her, smirking. “Apparently they have clothes for us. Beats freezing our ass off in the tree I guess.”
“I’m quite happy up in the tree, thank you. I’d rather just stay up here until they figure out how to fix us. Besides, Time Lord, I don’t get cold.” She said, trying to hide the slight chatter in her teeth and the shivers.
Jack reached up for her, “Come on, sweetheart, at least get the pants and jacket on. And the shoes. We’ll just go back to the hub, get you checked out, and if you want to run back to the tree, up to you, but you’re going to do this. Got it?”
She sighed, and ignored his arms, trying to leap down like she always did; only her foot caught in her shirt and she fell into Jack’s arms. “Stupid shirt.” She grumbled crossing her arms. Jack laughed, and set her on her feet as Mickey came up to them, tossing some clothes her way. “Thanks Mickey,” she grumbled, taking them and running behind the tree to change.
“Since when are you bashful, Lacey?” Owen said as he took the offered clothes and started putting them on right there.
“Shut up, you perv!” Lacey called from behind the tree. “Bloody hell, even this is too big on me.” She grumbled, walking out from behind the tree. The pants were a little long, and the jacket hung almost to her fingers, but was in no danger of falling off. Lacey brushed at her hair.
Owen would never admit it, but he thought she looked really cute in the whole Tomboy get up as he pulled on the jacket. “Please, I was just wondering what made you so bashful. It’s kind a cute.” He laughed when she blushed, grinning while she glowered.
“All right stop teasing her, Owen, and let’s get going. Lacey, what are you doing?”
“I told you, I’m staying right here until you fix me,” she said, climbing back into the tree.
Jack shook his head. “Fine, you want to be petulant, be petulant, Owen...Owen, not you too!” He watched as the doctor climbed up the tree and sat next to Lacey. “All right fine. Martha can climb up there and give you the check up. Stay up there.” He walked away from the tree, Mickey looking from the tree to Jack before awkwardly following the older man.
“Jack, do you think it’s ok to just leave them up there? They’re only eight years old.”
“Mickey, my boy, something you need to learn now that you are going to be a parent,” Jack threw an arm around the man, “They will never starve. Your kid might go a day or two and only nibble, but once they are hungry, they’ll eat. I promise. Those two,” he nodded back at the tree where the two were now shoving at each other, “when their stomachs stop rumbling, they’ll come down in search of food. Still,” He looked at the tree, it was a fair distance from the Hub, and nowhere near the Manor either, “We should probably have someone watch the tree. Inconspicuous, but just keep an eye on them, just in case. I’ll have Martha on first watch after she checks them out. We’ll switch out until they decide to come out of the tree.” He didn’t give voice to all the things that could happen to two kids, especially ones who woke up that morning as adults who could take care of themselves.
“I’ll wait over there, til Martha gets here.” Mickey said, getting the point. “Just in case.” Jack nodded, looking back at the kids before turning back towards the Hub. Mickey watched the man as he called Martha to tell her of the change of plans before settling down where he could see them , but they couldn’t see him. HE couldn’t help but notice how worried Jack had looked as he taken that last look at them.
Fandom: Doctor Who/Torchwood
Characters/Pairings: Team Torchwood, Team Tardis, Ten/Master/Rose, Jack/Ianto, Gwen/Rhys, Mickey/Jake, Jackie/Pete, Tony, Tessa,
Owen wasn’t sure if he took off after Lacey to find her or if he just needed to run from his own fears. His childhood had not exactly been rainbows and sunshine. More like the stuff out of one those damn lifetime movies that Lacey claimed to never have watched but could tell him the entire plot of every last one. He raced through the coffee shop, avoiding Jake’s grab for him easily, and he was out the door.
He looked around, shivering slightly in the autumn breeze. Deciding hiding with Lacey was better than hiding alone, he started looking in the trees. Damn, she must move a lot faster than he did. He couldn’t find her anywhere. He was almost off campus and about to turn around and check the other way, when he heard the sound of a sniffle, and looked up in the tree next to him.
She was sitting on one of the lower branches, her arms around her legs hugged up against her chest. Her head was resting on her knees, her brownish red hair hiding her face. He looked around the tree to find a branch to pull himself up to her. He found it on the other side, and he jumped up to grab the branch, wondering how she managed it when she was shorter than he was. He pulled himself up and grabbed the next branch with the ease of someone used to climbing. He stumbled a bit on his too big shirt, but finally found himself next to her, and slid down to sit by her. She looked up and over at him. “This sucks,” she said, through another sniffle.
Owen couldn’t help laugh, putting an arm around her. “Tell me about it.”
“You ever pick up something like that again, I’ll kill you.” She said, but there was a little smile, even with the tears, which fell, “Of course, that’s assuming they find a way to turn us back.”
Owen wanted to tell that of course they’d get back to normal. And yeah, eventually they would but the answer he was going to give was not the one he knew she wanted to her. “I don’t think we’re getting back to normal anytime soon, Lace. Not without going through adolescence again.”
“You just couldn’t lie, could you? Just tell me this will work out?” She elbowed him in the ribs. “I can’t do this, Harper, I can’t. I can hear them, just like before, everything they said to me, everything they did.” She shook her head. “I had it all buried, just shoved aside, where they couldn’t hurt me anymore, but they’re back, the ghosts of my past are louder than ever!” Her voice was quivering as much as her lower lip as a fresh pout of tears started.
Owen rolled his eyes. “You would rather me lie? Tell you that even now Ianto and Jack are hard at work finding a way to reverse the process and turn us back? Well, I got info for you, Harkness, it ain’t happening! And in case you forgotten this isn’t exactly a romp down memory lane for me either.” He huffed, crossing his arms. “I lived my childhood in constant dread of which mum would be there when I got home. The indifferent one who was forced to love me but not to like me, or the drunk ass crazy woman who used me as a punching bag.” He hated the fact that his own voice was shaking. He was not the kind of guy who showed his emotions. Once, when Jack came back after Abbadon, and Tosh got him to admit his fear after he’d died. Damn this girl. Damn her for being the only one who could get him to say such things, admit such things.
Lacey just shook her head, and leaned into him, crying. He expected her to start blaming him again. She’d have every right to. If he hadn’t picked up the bloody thing in the first place, they wouldn’t be sitting here, cold in just their shirts because nothing else would stay on. So he was a little surprised when he heard a mumbled sorry come from her. He looked down at her, wondering if he’d heard right. “What’re you apologizing for? I got us into this mess.” He said, leaning back against the tree. “Only thing you got to be sorry for is not leaving when I told you to.“
“Couldn’t leave you.“ She muttered. “Didn’t know this would happen. Didn’t…I didn’t want you dead again, is all.” She buried her face into his shoulder. Owen just shook his head. Half the time he could not understand her. Sometimes he just wanted to strangle her for driving him nuts, the rest of the time he was shagging her. Although he doubted the shagging would be an issue for a while.
He shook his head. “You’re one insane bird, Lacey, have I told you that?” She didn’t answer, and when he looked down, he realized the girl had cried herself to sleep. “Well, at least one of us can sleep.” He rested his head against hers, still keeping an arm around her. Maybe this time wouldn’t so bad, if only because he had someone to talk to who understood. He closed his eyes, just for a moment.
A half hour after the two children ran off, Jack found them in the tree, asleep in each other’s arms. It was obvious that both had been crying, which was unsettling to the immortal, as both were in such control of their emotions. The branch they were sitting on was low enough that Jack could reach up, and shake Owen by the shoulder. “No, don’t wanna, can’t make me. I’m King of the Wild things,” he muttered in his sleep.
Jack couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “Owen, wake up, you two are both going to catch cold if you sit out here much longer.”
Owen shook himself awake, “huh, whu?” He went to rub at his eyes, convinced that the whole being a kid thing was just a nightmare when he saw the size of his hand, and groaned. “Bollocks. I thought it was nightmare.”
Jack shook his head. “Sorry, kiddo, no such luck. Come on, Mickey’s got some clothes from Gwen’s neighbors for you until Gwen and Rose get back. And I want Martha to check you both out, make sure there’s nothing wrong with you.”
“You mean other than the fact that we’re like eight years old?” Owen rolled his eyes, but nudged Lacey awake. “Nap time’s over, welcome to hell.”
Lacey groaned, stretching out against him, “bloody hell, I was hoping this was a nightmare.”
Owen shook his head. “Yeah, we don’t have that kind of luck.” He nudged her, smirking. “Apparently they have clothes for us. Beats freezing our ass off in the tree I guess.”
“I’m quite happy up in the tree, thank you. I’d rather just stay up here until they figure out how to fix us. Besides, Time Lord, I don’t get cold.” She said, trying to hide the slight chatter in her teeth and the shivers.
Jack reached up for her, “Come on, sweetheart, at least get the pants and jacket on. And the shoes. We’ll just go back to the hub, get you checked out, and if you want to run back to the tree, up to you, but you’re going to do this. Got it?”
She sighed, and ignored his arms, trying to leap down like she always did; only her foot caught in her shirt and she fell into Jack’s arms. “Stupid shirt.” She grumbled crossing her arms. Jack laughed, and set her on her feet as Mickey came up to them, tossing some clothes her way. “Thanks Mickey,” she grumbled, taking them and running behind the tree to change.
“Since when are you bashful, Lacey?” Owen said as he took the offered clothes and started putting them on right there.
“Shut up, you perv!” Lacey called from behind the tree. “Bloody hell, even this is too big on me.” She grumbled, walking out from behind the tree. The pants were a little long, and the jacket hung almost to her fingers, but was in no danger of falling off. Lacey brushed at her hair.
Owen would never admit it, but he thought she looked really cute in the whole Tomboy get up as he pulled on the jacket. “Please, I was just wondering what made you so bashful. It’s kind a cute.” He laughed when she blushed, grinning while she glowered.
“All right stop teasing her, Owen, and let’s get going. Lacey, what are you doing?”
“I told you, I’m staying right here until you fix me,” she said, climbing back into the tree.
Jack shook his head. “Fine, you want to be petulant, be petulant, Owen...Owen, not you too!” He watched as the doctor climbed up the tree and sat next to Lacey. “All right fine. Martha can climb up there and give you the check up. Stay up there.” He walked away from the tree, Mickey looking from the tree to Jack before awkwardly following the older man.
“Jack, do you think it’s ok to just leave them up there? They’re only eight years old.”
“Mickey, my boy, something you need to learn now that you are going to be a parent,” Jack threw an arm around the man, “They will never starve. Your kid might go a day or two and only nibble, but once they are hungry, they’ll eat. I promise. Those two,” he nodded back at the tree where the two were now shoving at each other, “when their stomachs stop rumbling, they’ll come down in search of food. Still,” He looked at the tree, it was a fair distance from the Hub, and nowhere near the Manor either, “We should probably have someone watch the tree. Inconspicuous, but just keep an eye on them, just in case. I’ll have Martha on first watch after she checks them out. We’ll switch out until they decide to come out of the tree.” He didn’t give voice to all the things that could happen to two kids, especially ones who woke up that morning as adults who could take care of themselves.
“I’ll wait over there, til Martha gets here.” Mickey said, getting the point. “Just in case.” Jack nodded, looking back at the kids before turning back towards the Hub. Mickey watched the man as he called Martha to tell her of the change of plans before settling down where he could see them , but they couldn’t see him. HE couldn’t help but notice how worried Jack had looked as he taken that last look at them.