Fic: Family Matters
Title: Family Matters
Rating: K+
Word count: 971
Characters: Ianto, Rhiannon, Mica, Jack.
Timeline/spoilers: Ianto’s family from Children of Earth, otherwise general series 2.
Summary: Given a choice between helping keep Cardiff safe, and giving his sister a lift home, he knew which one was more important.
Challenge: "The thing about family disasters is that you never have to wait long before the next one puts the previous one into perspective." ~Robert Brault
“I don’t know what happened,” said Rhiannon, not looking up from the plastic cup of coffee held between her hands. “I only turned my back for a minute. Not even that!”
“Accidents happen,” Ianto soothed, trying not to glance again at either his wristwatch or the clock on the wall. “Kids break bones all the time.” Rhiannon looked at him then, eyebrows arched, and Ianto knew what she was thinking about. “They do,” he said, ignoring his hypocrisy. “Rhiannon, really. It wasn’t your fault, there was nothing you could have done.”
“That doesn’t make me feel better,” she muttered. Ianto shrugged, leaned back in the uncomfortable plastic chair and risked another glance at the clock. He was late; he’d texted Jack to let him know he’d be late in to work, but he wasn’t stupid, he knew it was only a matter of time before Jack called, either with demands or news of the latest crisis.
“Thanks for trying, though,” Rhiannon added then. “Look, you should go. Don’t want to get you into trouble.”
“Johnny’s working, isn’t he?” Ianto asked, and she nodded. “Well, someone’s got to get you two home, then, you’re not taking a taxi, not with her in a cast.” The look on her face was worth the half an hour longer it would take him to get into Torchwood - it wasn’t often he could actually be a decent brother.
The doors to the x-ray room opened then, and a nurse led Mica out. She’d stopped crying now, but she was pale and drawn, clearly still in discomfort.
“Hand this in at reception,” the nurse told Rhiannon, handing her a card. “It shouldn’t be long, we’re not busy.”
“Alright, Mica, let’s go,” said Rhiannon. Ianto followed them back down the corridor and around the corner to the waiting room, and then sat with Mica in the children’s corner while Rhiannon handed in the card.
“It hurts,” whispered Mica, and Ianto looked at her, at his niece that he really didn’t know well enough, and he sighed.
“I know,” he said. “They’ll probably give you some more medicine soon.” She looked up at him pathetically, and Ianto shifted. He wasn’t comfortable with his niece - with any of his family, really - and this accident was only serving to highlight how little he seemed able to relate to any of them.
He looked around for some kind of distraction and spotted a vending machine. Sweets probably weren’t the best thing to give to a child with a broken arm, but on the other hand, he didn’t have anything else to offer.
“What about something to eat?” he suggested, and Mica looked over at the machine, interested. “What would you like?”
“Skittles, please,” she said, and Ianto nodded, stood up and dug in a pocket for his wallet. Rhiannon gave him a scowl as she came and joined them, but Ianto shrugged and went to the machine. He didn’t need Rhiannon to tell him he was bad with kids.
His phone rang just as he’d retrieved the packet of sweets and he sighed, pulled his mobile from his pocket and checked the display.
“Hello, Jack,” he greeted. “Sorry I’m not in yet.”
“Why are you in the hospital?” Jack demanded, and Ianto rolled his eyes. Of course Jack had traced his phone. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine, it’s my niece,” said Ianto, turning back to watch as Rhiannon tried to distract Mica with a picturebook. “I said I’d drive them back, Rhiannon hasn’t got the car…”
“Sorry, you can’t, we need you,” said Jack, not sounding sorry at all. “There’s a problem with the SUV. Gwen and Owen have had to take her car to go and contain a blowfish that’s decided to pick a fight with half the local drug dealers, and there’s Rift activity scheduled for just before lunch. Tosh is out sick - you need to get back here, now.”
Ianto sighed again. “You’re sure you can’t manage for an hour?” he questioned, although he knew what the answer would be. “There’s no buses for miles.”
“So she can get a taxi,” said Jack, impatient. “I need your help - and if I touch the SUV, you’ll kill me.”
“Rhiannon’ll kill me,” Ianto muttered, but he already knew he couldn’t refuse. Even if Jack hadn’t reported chaos, he wasn’t needed here, or even really wanted. And it did sound like chaos - they’d dealt with battles between blowfish and dealers before, and the clean-up was a long, messy process. Rift activity could mean anything, and he really didn’t want to think about what would happen if Jack tried to fix the SUV.
“Alright, I’ll be there in fifteen minutes,” he told Jack. “Twenty, maybe, depends on the traffic.”
“See you soon,” said Jack, and ended the call without a goodbye. Ianto returned the phone to his pocket, crossed the waiting room, and tried to avoid meeting Rhiannon’s eyes.
“My boss called,” he said. “There’s an emergency - I’ve got to go.”
“You work in a tourist office, how many emergencies do you get?” she demanded, scathing. “Did you even tell him you couldn’t go?” Ianto didn’t answer, and Rhiannon snorted. “I didn’t think so.”
“Here,” he said, and handed Mica her sweets. “Look, get a taxi back, I’ll pay.” He pulled a note out of his wallet, gave it to Rhiannon. “I’m sorry. I’ll come round soon, I promise.”
“Yeah, yeah,” sighed Rhiannon, but she took the money. “Mica, say goodbye.”
“Bye,” said Mica, already opening the packet. Ianto gave her a tight smile and then left.
It wasn’t, he told himself, that he didn’t want to be here. But the situation at Torchwood was more critical than the one here. Given a choice between helping keep Cardiff safe, and giving his sister a lift home, he knew which one was more important.
Rating: K+
Word count: 971
Characters: Ianto, Rhiannon, Mica, Jack.
Timeline/spoilers: Ianto’s family from Children of Earth, otherwise general series 2.
Summary: Given a choice between helping keep Cardiff safe, and giving his sister a lift home, he knew which one was more important.
Challenge: "The thing about family disasters is that you never have to wait long before the next one puts the previous one into perspective." ~Robert Brault
“I don’t know what happened,” said Rhiannon, not looking up from the plastic cup of coffee held between her hands. “I only turned my back for a minute. Not even that!”
“Accidents happen,” Ianto soothed, trying not to glance again at either his wristwatch or the clock on the wall. “Kids break bones all the time.” Rhiannon looked at him then, eyebrows arched, and Ianto knew what she was thinking about. “They do,” he said, ignoring his hypocrisy. “Rhiannon, really. It wasn’t your fault, there was nothing you could have done.”
“That doesn’t make me feel better,” she muttered. Ianto shrugged, leaned back in the uncomfortable plastic chair and risked another glance at the clock. He was late; he’d texted Jack to let him know he’d be late in to work, but he wasn’t stupid, he knew it was only a matter of time before Jack called, either with demands or news of the latest crisis.
“Thanks for trying, though,” Rhiannon added then. “Look, you should go. Don’t want to get you into trouble.”
“Johnny’s working, isn’t he?” Ianto asked, and she nodded. “Well, someone’s got to get you two home, then, you’re not taking a taxi, not with her in a cast.” The look on her face was worth the half an hour longer it would take him to get into Torchwood - it wasn’t often he could actually be a decent brother.
The doors to the x-ray room opened then, and a nurse led Mica out. She’d stopped crying now, but she was pale and drawn, clearly still in discomfort.
“Hand this in at reception,” the nurse told Rhiannon, handing her a card. “It shouldn’t be long, we’re not busy.”
“Alright, Mica, let’s go,” said Rhiannon. Ianto followed them back down the corridor and around the corner to the waiting room, and then sat with Mica in the children’s corner while Rhiannon handed in the card.
“It hurts,” whispered Mica, and Ianto looked at her, at his niece that he really didn’t know well enough, and he sighed.
“I know,” he said. “They’ll probably give you some more medicine soon.” She looked up at him pathetically, and Ianto shifted. He wasn’t comfortable with his niece - with any of his family, really - and this accident was only serving to highlight how little he seemed able to relate to any of them.
He looked around for some kind of distraction and spotted a vending machine. Sweets probably weren’t the best thing to give to a child with a broken arm, but on the other hand, he didn’t have anything else to offer.
“What about something to eat?” he suggested, and Mica looked over at the machine, interested. “What would you like?”
“Skittles, please,” she said, and Ianto nodded, stood up and dug in a pocket for his wallet. Rhiannon gave him a scowl as she came and joined them, but Ianto shrugged and went to the machine. He didn’t need Rhiannon to tell him he was bad with kids.
His phone rang just as he’d retrieved the packet of sweets and he sighed, pulled his mobile from his pocket and checked the display.
“Hello, Jack,” he greeted. “Sorry I’m not in yet.”
“Why are you in the hospital?” Jack demanded, and Ianto rolled his eyes. Of course Jack had traced his phone. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine, it’s my niece,” said Ianto, turning back to watch as Rhiannon tried to distract Mica with a picturebook. “I said I’d drive them back, Rhiannon hasn’t got the car…”
“Sorry, you can’t, we need you,” said Jack, not sounding sorry at all. “There’s a problem with the SUV. Gwen and Owen have had to take her car to go and contain a blowfish that’s decided to pick a fight with half the local drug dealers, and there’s Rift activity scheduled for just before lunch. Tosh is out sick - you need to get back here, now.”
Ianto sighed again. “You’re sure you can’t manage for an hour?” he questioned, although he knew what the answer would be. “There’s no buses for miles.”
“So she can get a taxi,” said Jack, impatient. “I need your help - and if I touch the SUV, you’ll kill me.”
“Rhiannon’ll kill me,” Ianto muttered, but he already knew he couldn’t refuse. Even if Jack hadn’t reported chaos, he wasn’t needed here, or even really wanted. And it did sound like chaos - they’d dealt with battles between blowfish and dealers before, and the clean-up was a long, messy process. Rift activity could mean anything, and he really didn’t want to think about what would happen if Jack tried to fix the SUV.
“Alright, I’ll be there in fifteen minutes,” he told Jack. “Twenty, maybe, depends on the traffic.”
“See you soon,” said Jack, and ended the call without a goodbye. Ianto returned the phone to his pocket, crossed the waiting room, and tried to avoid meeting Rhiannon’s eyes.
“My boss called,” he said. “There’s an emergency - I’ve got to go.”
“You work in a tourist office, how many emergencies do you get?” she demanded, scathing. “Did you even tell him you couldn’t go?” Ianto didn’t answer, and Rhiannon snorted. “I didn’t think so.”
“Here,” he said, and handed Mica her sweets. “Look, get a taxi back, I’ll pay.” He pulled a note out of his wallet, gave it to Rhiannon. “I’m sorry. I’ll come round soon, I promise.”
“Yeah, yeah,” sighed Rhiannon, but she took the money. “Mica, say goodbye.”
“Bye,” said Mica, already opening the packet. Ianto gave her a tight smile and then left.
It wasn’t, he told himself, that he didn’t want to be here. But the situation at Torchwood was more critical than the one here. Given a choice between helping keep Cardiff safe, and giving his sister a lift home, he knew which one was more important.