Turning Point - 49/64
Title: Turning Point
Fandom: Torchwood
Pairings: budding Jack/Ianto, references to past Ianto/Lisa
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: If I was the one who owned Torchwood, you think I'd admit it now?
Spoilers: Some information and events from s1,2. NONE for s3.
Summary: In the aftermath of Lisa's death, Ianto is struggling to cope - and new surprises don't help matters much. Can his friends on the team at Torchwood help him carry on?
Author's Note: Sequel to Guilt.
Thanks to: My beta cazmalfoy, angelzbabe1989 for idea bouncing, and morbid_sparks for cheerleading even when she doesn'tdidn't know what happens.
Previous chapters at master list
Chapter Forty-Nine
Ianto barely had time to read a few words from the notice outside the hall as Jack dragged him inside. “Why are we here?” he hissed at Jack, receiving a frustratingly enigmatic grin and head bob combination in reply.
“You’ll see.”
Jack had been even more mysterious than usual ever since he’d woken up, and Ianto was growing sure that he was up to something.
Despite the time, Jack had still been the only other one in the Hub when he had roused at nearly 10.30. Relieved - he didn’t know if he wanted to explain to the others why he’d ended up spending the night at the Hub - he had stumbled down to his locker where he had stashed several changes of clothes earlier that week, when it began to look more and more likely he was going to be co-opted into helping in the field.
Thankfully he still had a clean set of clothing left, although he was down to the last one. Suspecting that the situation of the last week could and would likely arise again, he had made a note to bring in more as he ducked under a shower in the tiny communal washroom.
When he’d emerged back into the Hub, clean and dressed, he’d barely had time to greet the rest of the team and set some coffee going before Jack had told him to grab his coat; they were going on a little trip.
The talk and display was already well underway when he and Jack slipped in the double doors. The speaker, an elderly woman who, despite her age, still clearly had a bright spark of life in her, looked up as they entered. Her eyes alighted on Jack, and even though she didn’t pause in her presentation, a fond smile spread across her features.
Ianto suspected he knew how she felt. Sometimes, just seeing Jack could cheer him up and make him smile, too.
With a hand on his back, Jack urged him into a seat next to him at the back of the room to watch the rest of the talk.
The woman - Ianto hadn’t had time to check if her name had been on the poster outside - was clearly enthusiastic about her subject. Fairies. Ianto had never been one to believe in them, but she clearly did. And with everything he saw almost daily on the job, who was he to say she couldn’t be right?
He shot a sidelong glance at Jack. He looked sceptical, but he too had a fond smile on his face.
They hung back as she brought the talk to a close and the rest of the audience filtered out. “She’s still getting it all wrong,” Jack muttered sadly.
When the last of the audience had left, Jack slid out of his seat and strode up to the front; Ianto followed a second later, still wondering what was going on.
That Jack and the lady knew each other was evident. Jack had been around for a long time, so the fact that he knew a lot of people in the city was no big surprise, but Ianto wasn’t quite sure what they were doing there - or rather, what he was doing there.
Was this something to do with a case? Jack hadn’t mentioned anything going on, and why would he have brought Ianto? Unless… He filed away the thought, making a note to ask Jack about it later.
“It’s good to see you again, Estelle,” Jack was saying as he joined the pair.
“You too, Jack,” she replied, smiling up at him.
Jack picked up some of the slides she’d been showing, holding one up to look more closely. “When did you say you’d taken these? I don’t remember seeing these ones before.”
“Oh, a few days ago,” she said, handing him another.
“And where was that?”
“In Roundstone Wood.”
Ianto thought for a second; that wasn’t very far away.
Jack looked at yet another slide, sighing deeply.
“What is it?” Ianto asked, concerned by the worried look that was falling over Jack’s face.
Jack shook his head.
“Jack and I have always disagreed about fairies,” Estelle said, turning for the first time to fully face Ianto. “I only ever see the good ones.” She twisted back to the table of photos. “He only ever sees the bad.”
Jack shook his head. “They’re all bad,” he said firmly.
“And I don’t accept that!” Estelle declared. “Oh, Jack, if you could have seen them in the woods. They were happy and dancing and the fairy lights were shining.”
Jack sighed, and there was a look in his eyes Ianto couldn’t decipher. “Do you have any more photos, Estelle?”
She nodded, laughing quietly in a fond, long-suffering manner. “Yes, at home.”
Jack smiled winningly. “We’re going to need to see them all.”
Chapter Fifty
Comments and concrit are loved!
Fandom: Torchwood
Pairings: budding Jack/Ianto, references to past Ianto/Lisa
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: If I was the one who owned Torchwood, you think I'd admit it now?
Spoilers: Some information and events from s1,2. NONE for s3.
Summary: In the aftermath of Lisa's death, Ianto is struggling to cope - and new surprises don't help matters much. Can his friends on the team at Torchwood help him carry on?
Author's Note: Sequel to Guilt.
Thanks to: My beta cazmalfoy, angelzbabe1989 for idea bouncing, and morbid_sparks for cheerleading even when she doesn'tdidn't know what happens.
Previous chapters at master list
Chapter Forty-Nine
Ianto barely had time to read a few words from the notice outside the hall as Jack dragged him inside. “Why are we here?” he hissed at Jack, receiving a frustratingly enigmatic grin and head bob combination in reply.
“You’ll see.”
Jack had been even more mysterious than usual ever since he’d woken up, and Ianto was growing sure that he was up to something.
Despite the time, Jack had still been the only other one in the Hub when he had roused at nearly 10.30. Relieved - he didn’t know if he wanted to explain to the others why he’d ended up spending the night at the Hub - he had stumbled down to his locker where he had stashed several changes of clothes earlier that week, when it began to look more and more likely he was going to be co-opted into helping in the field.
Thankfully he still had a clean set of clothing left, although he was down to the last one. Suspecting that the situation of the last week could and would likely arise again, he had made a note to bring in more as he ducked under a shower in the tiny communal washroom.
When he’d emerged back into the Hub, clean and dressed, he’d barely had time to greet the rest of the team and set some coffee going before Jack had told him to grab his coat; they were going on a little trip.
The talk and display was already well underway when he and Jack slipped in the double doors. The speaker, an elderly woman who, despite her age, still clearly had a bright spark of life in her, looked up as they entered. Her eyes alighted on Jack, and even though she didn’t pause in her presentation, a fond smile spread across her features.
Ianto suspected he knew how she felt. Sometimes, just seeing Jack could cheer him up and make him smile, too.
With a hand on his back, Jack urged him into a seat next to him at the back of the room to watch the rest of the talk.
The woman - Ianto hadn’t had time to check if her name had been on the poster outside - was clearly enthusiastic about her subject. Fairies. Ianto had never been one to believe in them, but she clearly did. And with everything he saw almost daily on the job, who was he to say she couldn’t be right?
He shot a sidelong glance at Jack. He looked sceptical, but he too had a fond smile on his face.
They hung back as she brought the talk to a close and the rest of the audience filtered out. “She’s still getting it all wrong,” Jack muttered sadly.
When the last of the audience had left, Jack slid out of his seat and strode up to the front; Ianto followed a second later, still wondering what was going on.
That Jack and the lady knew each other was evident. Jack had been around for a long time, so the fact that he knew a lot of people in the city was no big surprise, but Ianto wasn’t quite sure what they were doing there - or rather, what he was doing there.
Was this something to do with a case? Jack hadn’t mentioned anything going on, and why would he have brought Ianto? Unless… He filed away the thought, making a note to ask Jack about it later.
“It’s good to see you again, Estelle,” Jack was saying as he joined the pair.
“You too, Jack,” she replied, smiling up at him.
Jack picked up some of the slides she’d been showing, holding one up to look more closely. “When did you say you’d taken these? I don’t remember seeing these ones before.”
“Oh, a few days ago,” she said, handing him another.
“And where was that?”
“In Roundstone Wood.”
Ianto thought for a second; that wasn’t very far away.
Jack looked at yet another slide, sighing deeply.
“What is it?” Ianto asked, concerned by the worried look that was falling over Jack’s face.
Jack shook his head.
“Jack and I have always disagreed about fairies,” Estelle said, turning for the first time to fully face Ianto. “I only ever see the good ones.” She twisted back to the table of photos. “He only ever sees the bad.”
Jack shook his head. “They’re all bad,” he said firmly.
“And I don’t accept that!” Estelle declared. “Oh, Jack, if you could have seen them in the woods. They were happy and dancing and the fairy lights were shining.”
Jack sighed, and there was a look in his eyes Ianto couldn’t decipher. “Do you have any more photos, Estelle?”
She nodded, laughing quietly in a fond, long-suffering manner. “Yes, at home.”
Jack smiled winningly. “We’re going to need to see them all.”
Chapter Fifty
Comments and concrit are loved!