Will My Arms Be Strong Enough 37/45
Title: Will My Arms Be Strong Enough? 37/45 (well, probably 45 anyway!)
Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Gwen/Rhys...and others!
Characters: Jack, Ianto, Gwen, Rhys, John Hart, two OC's, Andrea (Andie) Carlowe and Nick Jones.
Spoilers: Set after Exit Wounds.
Summary: And Nick's decision is...?
Chapter 37
“No more shopping in high heeled boots for you, Gwen Cooper,” Andie chided her playfully as she finished strapping up Gwen’s ankle. “It’s strictly trainers for you from now on.”
“I would have been fine if that Weevil hadn’t decided to take a shit on the steps!” retorted Gwen as she stepped to the ground and tested her weight. “You try not tripping over that stuff!” Her voice was grumpy, but her eyes twinkled, showing that she wasn’t really angry. The clean-up after the Weevil outbreak at the Arcade had taken the rest of the day and most of the night and then, to round it all off, she had skidded on some of the mess that the creatures had left behind, which had left her with a sprained ankle.
Andie recognised her friend’s behaviour and gave a small chuckle. “You know, you’re lucky you found a pathologist who knows how to do this sort of stuff!” Her voice was cheerful, but the slightly dark edge was clear.
Gwen nodded and limped back up the stairs. “I guess we are,” she said. “And I guess Torchwood should always have an extra doctor on hand, just in case something happens.”
“Something happening usually implies our own doctor getting injured,” replied Andie. “It doesn’t usually cover him sitting next to someone’s bed for almost three days.” She came upstairs and sat down on the sofa. “Nick’s a good friend, but this time -”
“He was a real prat,” agreed Gwen. “But do you know the ironic thing? Ianto had all the bases covered for if John ended up hurting Nick - and so he should. But none of us stopped to think about what would happen if John ended up getting hurt.” She shrugged. “I guess it never really occurred to any of us that it would happen.”
Andie sat down next to her. “It makes you realise that everyone can be hurt, even if you don’t expect it to happen to them. I guess this really makes you think.”
Gwen frowned, but quickly realised that her friend wasn’t looking at her; instead she was looking up at the boardroom where Jack and Ianto were sat together at the table and quietly discussing something, possibly Torchwood’s latest case. Suddenly, Ianto reached forwards and rested his hand gently on top of Jack’s, though he didn’t say a word. Jack turned round and smiled slightly, giving him an answering squeeze.
Andie nodded. “Ianto knew,” she said quietly before turning her sharp gaze towards Gwen. “He understood that - he took the time to understand.”
Gwen opened her mouth to reply, but then realised that she didn’t have anything to say.
~*~
“I’ve not seen the Rift behave like this before,” remarked Jack as he sifted through the large pile of papers which was quickly spreading its way across the desk. “It seems to be taking people in and spitting things out with increasing unpredictability.” He scanned the printout of recent activity and sighed. “Look at this! There’ve been fifteen new inmates at Flat Holm in the past week!”
Ianto frowned. “And it’s dropped off almost nothing,” he agreed, looking through his own printout. “But last week it was going crazy; it seemed to be dropping things off on every corner. Since then, it’s just been little bits of flotsam and jetsam coming out.” He looked up at Jack. “What do you think it all means?”
“It seems like it’s been behaving in a rather cyclical manner recently,” mused Jack. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think that it’s trying to tell us something - trying to get a message out to us that something big is about to happen; something that will change this planet forever.”
He gave a soft laugh. “I don’t know how it’s going to happen and I don’t know why, but I know that something is going to happen, whether it’s -”
He stopped, however, when he felt a light pressure on top of his hand, a presence that soothed him and stopped the dark thoughts that had been racing through his mind only moments before. He looked at Ianto, who was watching him with an understanding half-smile on his face, and squeezed his hand back with a small smile of his own.
“Things are changing out there.”
“Yes they are,” agreed Ianto. “And whatever happens, whatever the future may bring, we will all be facing it together.” His words said ‘As a team’, but his expression said something almost completely different. “You said it yourself, Jack. The twenty-first century is when everything changes.” He linked their hands together and squeezed gently. “And we will be ready.”
Jack smiled softly, understanding exactly what it was that Ianto wasn’t saying and slowly slipped his hands away, although the smile didn’t fade until he picked up a file on one of the new inmates to Flat Holm. Then, his eyes dimmed with an almost unbearable pain.
Ianto shuffled a little closer to look. “Did you know him?” he whispered, nodding towards the file.
Jack nodded, his eyes misting over slightly. “Yeah,” he murmured. “I knew him. We were good friends, but I knew him better than he thought I did. One day, I was going to tell him the truth.”
He waited for Ianto to question him, but when he only watched him, he let out a small sigh and whispered, “I was going to tell him that I knew his grandmother when she was young.” His voice, so steady earlier, broke at the end and his eyes misted over even more, reminding Ianto of rain clouds covering a bright summer sky as he whispered the final words.
“And now he’ll never know the truth.”
There was a long silence as Ianto digested what Jack was saying. Even though he hadn’t actually come straight out and said the words, the implication was clear and it made his heart ache. He wasn’t sad that Jack had never told him about this - that was his business. The sadness he was feeling was really caused by the volume of guilt he could see behind the clouds in Jack’s eyes.
Very slowly, he reached over again and this time he held Jack’s hand in his own, clasping it tenderly. Now wasn’t a moment to worry about mixing a personal relationship and a professional relationship; Jack was hurting and he needed someone to stand by his side and to care; he needed a friend to comfort him and be there for him.
Ianto knew that he could be that friend.
Slowly, he began to rub small concentric circles in the little hollow in Jack’s wrist, bringing his other arm up to massage his shoulder and neck, giving his lover all the support he could with these simple gestures. Reaching over, he brushed his lips over Jack’s temple and whispered, “Don’t have regrets for what’s happened, Jack. Some things are supposed to happen; you know the Doctor taught you that.”
He squeezed Jack’s hand a little tighter. “I’m not saying that you shouldn’t remember those who passed before you, but don’t lose yourself in mourning for them. They wouldn’t want that.”
He waited for Jack to speak, but gasped when the only response he received was a small tear slipping down his face. “Jack,” he whispered, not caring who was watching as he drew the older man into his arms and stroked his hair. “Jack, it’s all right.”
Jack was about to respond when the alarm sounded as the cog door rolled back to admit Nick, who had his arms wrapped around John’s shoulders and was supporting him as they stepped into the Hub. From their position, they saw the girls get up and run (or, in Gwen’s case, hobble) towards John, fawning over him until he waved them away, appearing irritated, but the small smile on his face showed that he was enjoying the attention. A moment later, Nick, also smiling softly, sat the girls down and said something which made both the girls squeal in excitement before they leapt up and hugged them both. A moment later, however, they took Nick aside and whispered something to him which made him swallow slightly and nod hastily. He looked nervous, but whatever he said must have placated them, because they stepped away, smiling.
Ianto chuckled. “I knew those girls wouldn’t let him go without at least a slap on the wrist after the way he’s behaved lately,” he remarked. “We trained them well.”
Jack smiled as he wiped away the last trace of his tears. “Yes, we did. Although I’m curious to know what our boys said to make them shriek so loudly.” He rested a hand on Ianto’s shoulder and together they left the boardroom and made their way down into the main Hub. “Okay, team, what’s going on? You two,” he nodded to Gwen and Andie, “sounded like a pair of hyenas, and you two,” addressing the other two men, “are grinning like a pair of those comedy masks you find on theatre curtains and it’s really creepy.”
“What’s going on?” asked Ianto, turning to look at his cousin and trying to read his expression, but all he could tell was that Nick was incredibly happy about something.
John looked at Nick. “Do you want to tell them, or shall I?”
“You can,” answered Nick, moving one hand down to hold John’s.
“Okay.” The former Time Agent cleared his throat. “Well, earlier today, when we were packing all my stuff up, I asked Nick to move in with me properly, since we really didn’t manage to do things the right way last time - and it almost cost us more than it should have.”
“And,” Nick took a deep breath, “I said yes.”
***
Next Time: The team help Nick move house - well, move flat really! .
Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Gwen/Rhys...and others!
Characters: Jack, Ianto, Gwen, Rhys, John Hart, two OC's, Andrea (Andie) Carlowe and Nick Jones.
Spoilers: Set after Exit Wounds.
Summary: And Nick's decision is...?
Chapter 37
“No more shopping in high heeled boots for you, Gwen Cooper,” Andie chided her playfully as she finished strapping up Gwen’s ankle. “It’s strictly trainers for you from now on.”
“I would have been fine if that Weevil hadn’t decided to take a shit on the steps!” retorted Gwen as she stepped to the ground and tested her weight. “You try not tripping over that stuff!” Her voice was grumpy, but her eyes twinkled, showing that she wasn’t really angry. The clean-up after the Weevil outbreak at the Arcade had taken the rest of the day and most of the night and then, to round it all off, she had skidded on some of the mess that the creatures had left behind, which had left her with a sprained ankle.
Andie recognised her friend’s behaviour and gave a small chuckle. “You know, you’re lucky you found a pathologist who knows how to do this sort of stuff!” Her voice was cheerful, but the slightly dark edge was clear.
Gwen nodded and limped back up the stairs. “I guess we are,” she said. “And I guess Torchwood should always have an extra doctor on hand, just in case something happens.”
“Something happening usually implies our own doctor getting injured,” replied Andie. “It doesn’t usually cover him sitting next to someone’s bed for almost three days.” She came upstairs and sat down on the sofa. “Nick’s a good friend, but this time -”
“He was a real prat,” agreed Gwen. “But do you know the ironic thing? Ianto had all the bases covered for if John ended up hurting Nick - and so he should. But none of us stopped to think about what would happen if John ended up getting hurt.” She shrugged. “I guess it never really occurred to any of us that it would happen.”
Andie sat down next to her. “It makes you realise that everyone can be hurt, even if you don’t expect it to happen to them. I guess this really makes you think.”
Gwen frowned, but quickly realised that her friend wasn’t looking at her; instead she was looking up at the boardroom where Jack and Ianto were sat together at the table and quietly discussing something, possibly Torchwood’s latest case. Suddenly, Ianto reached forwards and rested his hand gently on top of Jack’s, though he didn’t say a word. Jack turned round and smiled slightly, giving him an answering squeeze.
Andie nodded. “Ianto knew,” she said quietly before turning her sharp gaze towards Gwen. “He understood that - he took the time to understand.”
Gwen opened her mouth to reply, but then realised that she didn’t have anything to say.
~*~
“I’ve not seen the Rift behave like this before,” remarked Jack as he sifted through the large pile of papers which was quickly spreading its way across the desk. “It seems to be taking people in and spitting things out with increasing unpredictability.” He scanned the printout of recent activity and sighed. “Look at this! There’ve been fifteen new inmates at Flat Holm in the past week!”
Ianto frowned. “And it’s dropped off almost nothing,” he agreed, looking through his own printout. “But last week it was going crazy; it seemed to be dropping things off on every corner. Since then, it’s just been little bits of flotsam and jetsam coming out.” He looked up at Jack. “What do you think it all means?”
“It seems like it’s been behaving in a rather cyclical manner recently,” mused Jack. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think that it’s trying to tell us something - trying to get a message out to us that something big is about to happen; something that will change this planet forever.”
He gave a soft laugh. “I don’t know how it’s going to happen and I don’t know why, but I know that something is going to happen, whether it’s -”
He stopped, however, when he felt a light pressure on top of his hand, a presence that soothed him and stopped the dark thoughts that had been racing through his mind only moments before. He looked at Ianto, who was watching him with an understanding half-smile on his face, and squeezed his hand back with a small smile of his own.
“Things are changing out there.”
“Yes they are,” agreed Ianto. “And whatever happens, whatever the future may bring, we will all be facing it together.” His words said ‘As a team’, but his expression said something almost completely different. “You said it yourself, Jack. The twenty-first century is when everything changes.” He linked their hands together and squeezed gently. “And we will be ready.”
Jack smiled softly, understanding exactly what it was that Ianto wasn’t saying and slowly slipped his hands away, although the smile didn’t fade until he picked up a file on one of the new inmates to Flat Holm. Then, his eyes dimmed with an almost unbearable pain.
Ianto shuffled a little closer to look. “Did you know him?” he whispered, nodding towards the file.
Jack nodded, his eyes misting over slightly. “Yeah,” he murmured. “I knew him. We were good friends, but I knew him better than he thought I did. One day, I was going to tell him the truth.”
He waited for Ianto to question him, but when he only watched him, he let out a small sigh and whispered, “I was going to tell him that I knew his grandmother when she was young.” His voice, so steady earlier, broke at the end and his eyes misted over even more, reminding Ianto of rain clouds covering a bright summer sky as he whispered the final words.
“And now he’ll never know the truth.”
There was a long silence as Ianto digested what Jack was saying. Even though he hadn’t actually come straight out and said the words, the implication was clear and it made his heart ache. He wasn’t sad that Jack had never told him about this - that was his business. The sadness he was feeling was really caused by the volume of guilt he could see behind the clouds in Jack’s eyes.
Very slowly, he reached over again and this time he held Jack’s hand in his own, clasping it tenderly. Now wasn’t a moment to worry about mixing a personal relationship and a professional relationship; Jack was hurting and he needed someone to stand by his side and to care; he needed a friend to comfort him and be there for him.
Ianto knew that he could be that friend.
Slowly, he began to rub small concentric circles in the little hollow in Jack’s wrist, bringing his other arm up to massage his shoulder and neck, giving his lover all the support he could with these simple gestures. Reaching over, he brushed his lips over Jack’s temple and whispered, “Don’t have regrets for what’s happened, Jack. Some things are supposed to happen; you know the Doctor taught you that.”
He squeezed Jack’s hand a little tighter. “I’m not saying that you shouldn’t remember those who passed before you, but don’t lose yourself in mourning for them. They wouldn’t want that.”
He waited for Jack to speak, but gasped when the only response he received was a small tear slipping down his face. “Jack,” he whispered, not caring who was watching as he drew the older man into his arms and stroked his hair. “Jack, it’s all right.”
Jack was about to respond when the alarm sounded as the cog door rolled back to admit Nick, who had his arms wrapped around John’s shoulders and was supporting him as they stepped into the Hub. From their position, they saw the girls get up and run (or, in Gwen’s case, hobble) towards John, fawning over him until he waved them away, appearing irritated, but the small smile on his face showed that he was enjoying the attention. A moment later, Nick, also smiling softly, sat the girls down and said something which made both the girls squeal in excitement before they leapt up and hugged them both. A moment later, however, they took Nick aside and whispered something to him which made him swallow slightly and nod hastily. He looked nervous, but whatever he said must have placated them, because they stepped away, smiling.
Ianto chuckled. “I knew those girls wouldn’t let him go without at least a slap on the wrist after the way he’s behaved lately,” he remarked. “We trained them well.”
Jack smiled as he wiped away the last trace of his tears. “Yes, we did. Although I’m curious to know what our boys said to make them shriek so loudly.” He rested a hand on Ianto’s shoulder and together they left the boardroom and made their way down into the main Hub. “Okay, team, what’s going on? You two,” he nodded to Gwen and Andie, “sounded like a pair of hyenas, and you two,” addressing the other two men, “are grinning like a pair of those comedy masks you find on theatre curtains and it’s really creepy.”
“What’s going on?” asked Ianto, turning to look at his cousin and trying to read his expression, but all he could tell was that Nick was incredibly happy about something.
John looked at Nick. “Do you want to tell them, or shall I?”
“You can,” answered Nick, moving one hand down to hold John’s.
“Okay.” The former Time Agent cleared his throat. “Well, earlier today, when we were packing all my stuff up, I asked Nick to move in with me properly, since we really didn’t manage to do things the right way last time - and it almost cost us more than it should have.”
“And,” Nick took a deep breath, “I said yes.”
***
Next Time: The team help Nick move house - well, move flat really! .