Fic: Everybody Lives, for wiccanslyr
Title: Everybody Lives
Username: [To be announced]
Recipient: Wiccanslyr
Rating: PG
Warnings: Slash, some angst at the beginning
Prompts: Jack/Ianto, Tosh/Owen, Something that brings Ianto back, or keeps him from dying, Everyone lives!
Notes: I hadn't written a CoE fix-it before, but I'm glad I've done this.
Summary: The Doctor didn't just fix one life in the Pandorica.
Jack shuffled from foot to foot as he looked out over Cardiff Bay. He could feel so many ghosts behind him, he couldn't turn around. The Hub may be gone, but the ghosts stayed. They always stayed.
A hand landed on Jack's shoulder, causing him to startle. He turned halfway to see a young man standing there, wearing a bow tie and a sad smile.
“Doctor?”
The Doctor nodded and spread out his arms. “Latest regeneration. Bit young and I'm still not ginger, but what do you think?”
Jack shrugged. “You look good. Hair's a bit silly. Like the bow tie though.”
The Doctor decided to let the hair comment pass. “So, I bet you're wondering why I insisted you meet me in Cardiff?”
“Because this new regeneration is cruel?” Jack ventured with only a half-joking tone.
Saddened, the Doctor shook his head. “Because something rather interesting happened while you were bouncing around the planets farthest from here. The Universe was destroyed.” At Jack's raised eyebrow, the Doctor continued, “Obviously, we put it back together again. But it was destroyed and then put back the way things were supposed to be. Amy, you haven't met her, but you'd like her. What am I saying, you like everyone. Anyway, Amy was supposed to have her parents, but she didn't. Once we fixed everything, she had a family.” The Doctor pointed off to his side, towards the... towards where the Hub used to be. “I made she wasn't the only one who got their family back.”
Jack risked the look. And stared at the water tower. “But, but, that's...”
“Your Torchwood. Yes, it is.” The Doctor smiled brightly. “And I believe if you were to go inside you'd find a team that thinks you've been in London for a couple days.”
Jack's eyes widened and he opened his mouth, but couldn't make the words come out because he didn't know what to say, what question to ask first.
The Doctor answered anyway. “Steven's safe with his mother. Dr Owen Harper has finally gotten his wits together and asked out Toshiko Sato. Gwen Cooper and her husband and little baby, by the way Torchwood's got a day care center now, are off at lunch.” His grin widened. “And Jones, Ianto Jones is brewing a fresh batch of coffee for your arrival. Should be ready any minute and always tastes better fresh, eh?”
“How?” Jack finally managed to say.
“You told me everything about your team, everything you could remember while we tugged the Earth home. I just made sure those memories got brought back along with everything else.” The Doctor clapped Jack on the back. “Coffee and your team are waiting, Jack.”
Jack started towards the water tower, before turning back and all but knocking the Doctor over with the force of his embrace. “Thank you,” he whispered as he released the Doctor from the hug and ran as fast as he could to the invisible lift.
As it descended, Jack could feel tears welling up in his eyes.
Tosh and Owen were at their workstations, chairs a lot closer than they had been before. Hearing the lift, they looked up and waved at Jack.
Jack stepped off the lift and smiled at them. “Hey, kids. Did you miss me?”
Owen rolled his eyes. “Once you get a line, you never stop using it, do you? Is the 21st century still when everything changes? Have we got to be ready?”
Tosh laughed and gently kicked at Owen's foot.
Jack let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding and pointed a finger at Owen. “I wouldn't make fun of the man who pays your wages, Harper.”
“Who, Ianto? Nah, stopped making fun of him. Rhys is a much bigger target anyway,” he chuckled.
“Owen,” Tosh admonished.
He kept laughing, but Owen did duck his head when his girlfriend rolled her eyes and suppressed a laugh of her own.
“Speaking of,” Jack asked, “where is the happy family?”
“Lunch,” Tosh answered. “Should be back soon.”
“And Ianto?”
“Here, Jack,” said a voice that had Jack's eyes misting over again.
Jack turned and there he was, his Ianto carrying a tray of coffees.
Owen stood up and grabbed his and Tosh's off the tray, which Ianto put down.
Jack pulled Ianto close and kissed him, feeling the tears spilling onto their lips.
Ianto pulled back slightly, hand running through Jack's hair. “Jack? Are you all right?”
“I've missed you so much,” Jack said. “All of you, but especially you, Ianto.”
Ianto smiled and wiped away the tears. “I missed you too, Jack. Now drink your coffee before Gwen gets back. Anwen will want to play with Uncle Jack and you'll need your energy.”
Jack nodded and grabbed Ianto's hand and his coffee mug, pulling both up to his office.
Ianto crossed his arms over his chest. “Not a chance, Harkness. Last time you wanted to celebrate a homecoming, I think we scarred Rhys for life.”
Jack took a deep gulp of coffee, savoring its taste. Then he leaned in and gave Ianto a sweet kiss, letting the perfect flavours of both mingle on his tongue. “I have to tell you something.”
The Welshman nodded that Jack should go ahead.
“I... I... I want us to be a couple. Officially. Do you... want that?”
Ianto blinked a few times. “Yeah, all right.”
“All right?”
Smiling widely, Ianto nodded. “You're my boyfriend, then?”
Jack grinned back. “If you'll have me.”
Ianto took Jack in his arms and kissed him. Then he frowned and swore under his breath. “Bollocks, Rhiannon's going to want to meet you now.”
Jack smiled. “I'd love to meet your family. Call Rhiannon and let's set something up.”
Nodding, Ianto took a step back. “Get some work done before Anwen comes in, please. I can only forge your signature so many times in good conscience.” He smiled and left the office with a light step.
Jack stood in one place for a long moment, just absorbing the sounds of Ianto's footfalls, Tosh's fingers tapping at her keyboard and the sounds of Owen's computer game. The cog door opened with a metallic whir and he heard Gwen and Rhys's laughter mixed in with a little girl's giggles.
“Thank you,” Jack said to his empty office before he went out to meet Gwen's daughter.
Up on the surface, staring at the water tower as he sat on a bench by the Bay, a Time Lord smiled. “Everybody lives, Jack.” The Doctor said to the Hub, then the sky. “Everybody lives.”
Username: [To be announced]
Recipient: Wiccanslyr
Rating: PG
Warnings: Slash, some angst at the beginning
Prompts: Jack/Ianto, Tosh/Owen, Something that brings Ianto back, or keeps him from dying, Everyone lives!
Notes: I hadn't written a CoE fix-it before, but I'm glad I've done this.
Summary: The Doctor didn't just fix one life in the Pandorica.
Jack shuffled from foot to foot as he looked out over Cardiff Bay. He could feel so many ghosts behind him, he couldn't turn around. The Hub may be gone, but the ghosts stayed. They always stayed.
A hand landed on Jack's shoulder, causing him to startle. He turned halfway to see a young man standing there, wearing a bow tie and a sad smile.
“Doctor?”
The Doctor nodded and spread out his arms. “Latest regeneration. Bit young and I'm still not ginger, but what do you think?”
Jack shrugged. “You look good. Hair's a bit silly. Like the bow tie though.”
The Doctor decided to let the hair comment pass. “So, I bet you're wondering why I insisted you meet me in Cardiff?”
“Because this new regeneration is cruel?” Jack ventured with only a half-joking tone.
Saddened, the Doctor shook his head. “Because something rather interesting happened while you were bouncing around the planets farthest from here. The Universe was destroyed.” At Jack's raised eyebrow, the Doctor continued, “Obviously, we put it back together again. But it was destroyed and then put back the way things were supposed to be. Amy, you haven't met her, but you'd like her. What am I saying, you like everyone. Anyway, Amy was supposed to have her parents, but she didn't. Once we fixed everything, she had a family.” The Doctor pointed off to his side, towards the... towards where the Hub used to be. “I made she wasn't the only one who got their family back.”
Jack risked the look. And stared at the water tower. “But, but, that's...”
“Your Torchwood. Yes, it is.” The Doctor smiled brightly. “And I believe if you were to go inside you'd find a team that thinks you've been in London for a couple days.”
Jack's eyes widened and he opened his mouth, but couldn't make the words come out because he didn't know what to say, what question to ask first.
The Doctor answered anyway. “Steven's safe with his mother. Dr Owen Harper has finally gotten his wits together and asked out Toshiko Sato. Gwen Cooper and her husband and little baby, by the way Torchwood's got a day care center now, are off at lunch.” His grin widened. “And Jones, Ianto Jones is brewing a fresh batch of coffee for your arrival. Should be ready any minute and always tastes better fresh, eh?”
“How?” Jack finally managed to say.
“You told me everything about your team, everything you could remember while we tugged the Earth home. I just made sure those memories got brought back along with everything else.” The Doctor clapped Jack on the back. “Coffee and your team are waiting, Jack.”
Jack started towards the water tower, before turning back and all but knocking the Doctor over with the force of his embrace. “Thank you,” he whispered as he released the Doctor from the hug and ran as fast as he could to the invisible lift.
As it descended, Jack could feel tears welling up in his eyes.
Tosh and Owen were at their workstations, chairs a lot closer than they had been before. Hearing the lift, they looked up and waved at Jack.
Jack stepped off the lift and smiled at them. “Hey, kids. Did you miss me?”
Owen rolled his eyes. “Once you get a line, you never stop using it, do you? Is the 21st century still when everything changes? Have we got to be ready?”
Tosh laughed and gently kicked at Owen's foot.
Jack let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding and pointed a finger at Owen. “I wouldn't make fun of the man who pays your wages, Harper.”
“Who, Ianto? Nah, stopped making fun of him. Rhys is a much bigger target anyway,” he chuckled.
“Owen,” Tosh admonished.
He kept laughing, but Owen did duck his head when his girlfriend rolled her eyes and suppressed a laugh of her own.
“Speaking of,” Jack asked, “where is the happy family?”
“Lunch,” Tosh answered. “Should be back soon.”
“And Ianto?”
“Here, Jack,” said a voice that had Jack's eyes misting over again.
Jack turned and there he was, his Ianto carrying a tray of coffees.
Owen stood up and grabbed his and Tosh's off the tray, which Ianto put down.
Jack pulled Ianto close and kissed him, feeling the tears spilling onto their lips.
Ianto pulled back slightly, hand running through Jack's hair. “Jack? Are you all right?”
“I've missed you so much,” Jack said. “All of you, but especially you, Ianto.”
Ianto smiled and wiped away the tears. “I missed you too, Jack. Now drink your coffee before Gwen gets back. Anwen will want to play with Uncle Jack and you'll need your energy.”
Jack nodded and grabbed Ianto's hand and his coffee mug, pulling both up to his office.
Ianto crossed his arms over his chest. “Not a chance, Harkness. Last time you wanted to celebrate a homecoming, I think we scarred Rhys for life.”
Jack took a deep gulp of coffee, savoring its taste. Then he leaned in and gave Ianto a sweet kiss, letting the perfect flavours of both mingle on his tongue. “I have to tell you something.”
The Welshman nodded that Jack should go ahead.
“I... I... I want us to be a couple. Officially. Do you... want that?”
Ianto blinked a few times. “Yeah, all right.”
“All right?”
Smiling widely, Ianto nodded. “You're my boyfriend, then?”
Jack grinned back. “If you'll have me.”
Ianto took Jack in his arms and kissed him. Then he frowned and swore under his breath. “Bollocks, Rhiannon's going to want to meet you now.”
Jack smiled. “I'd love to meet your family. Call Rhiannon and let's set something up.”
Nodding, Ianto took a step back. “Get some work done before Anwen comes in, please. I can only forge your signature so many times in good conscience.” He smiled and left the office with a light step.
Jack stood in one place for a long moment, just absorbing the sounds of Ianto's footfalls, Tosh's fingers tapping at her keyboard and the sounds of Owen's computer game. The cog door opened with a metallic whir and he heard Gwen and Rhys's laughter mixed in with a little girl's giggles.
“Thank you,” Jack said to his empty office before he went out to meet Gwen's daughter.
Up on the surface, staring at the water tower as he sat on a bench by the Bay, a Time Lord smiled. “Everybody lives, Jack.” The Doctor said to the Hub, then the sky. “Everybody lives.”