Torchwood -- Something for Nothing
Title: Something for Nothing
Date Written: 11/29/08
Count the Ways prompt: Cute Aliens
Rating: PG-13/T
Word Count: 803. Short & sweet.
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters/Pairings: Team Torchwood, Gwen/Rhys
Spoilers: Season 02 up to Reset
Warnings: Character death, Gwen bashing.
Author's Notes: Written for the antigwenallies Christmas challenge, and for all my fellow anti!Gwenners. Thanks to katestamps for the beta. I know it seems like a little short scene from a longer fic, but I honestly can't bring myself to make it longer. Sorry.
Toshiko looked up when she heard the proximity alarm go off. Owen was still down in the autopsy bay with Gwen, so she rose to her feet and hurried over to the cog door.
Jack stepped through, his greatcoat drawn tight around him to fight off the cold Cardiff December upstairs. His hair was wet, so she guessed it had started snowing again, just a little off and on. He looked exhausted, completely and utterly worn down to his very ancient soul. He gave Toshiko a tiny smile when he caught sight of her. "Hey. Sorry to drag you in on Christmas Day."
She waved a hand, silently telling him that it was nothing, and waited until he'd taken off his coat and hung it up to step forward and hug him around the middle. His arms went around her as well, hugging her tight and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Thank you," he said softly into her black hair.
The slight Japanese woman nodded before pulling back a little. "Where's Ianto?"
"Unloading our friend from the SUV," Jack replied. "We have no idea what the little blighter is, much less how to kill it." He rubbed her back a little, his arms still looped around her for comfort. "No idea what it's saying, some language that I haven't heard before. Can you get a translation system running?"
"I'll do what I can," Tosh told him before pulling back. "How's Rhys?"
Jack took a deep breath. "You saw him," he replied, as if it explained everything. It did. "Ianto and I cleaned up after you and Owen left. We just ended up Retconning him. He doesn't deserve to live with that sort of knowledge." He ran a distracted hand through his hair, showing just how tired he actually was; he was normally so vain.
Tosh opened her mouth to ask another question when a strange noise rang out from the direction of the garage. Ianto turned up -- wearing Jack's clothing, Toshiko noted absently -- holding an animal cage at arm's length. Inside was what looked like a rabid teddy bear, it's adorable features twisted grotesquely on the fluffy face as it clawed at the door with razor-sharp fingers. It babbled on in a high-pitched scratchy voice, the alien tongue
The Welshman raised a questioning eyebrow at Jack, who jerked his head towards the vaults. "There's a few cells empty," Jack said. "Tosh is going to run translation, see if we can't put a name to the species."
"Hope it freezes," Owen called out from his bay.
"Me too." Ianto glared at it through the bars of the carrier door, flinching when the alien snarled and lashed out at him. "Poor Rhys, didn't even make it to their first anniversary," he said, mostly to himself as he headed down to the vaults.
"What did you tell Rhys?" Tosh asked. "What memory of what happened to Gwen?"
"Gwen Elizabeth Cooper Williams died peacefully in her sleep," Jack said. "Undiagnosed heart condition."
"Better than what really happened," Owen said, finally climbing up the stairs to join Jack and Tosh. His face was pale too, and it was obvious the autopsy was affecting the medic. "Watching your wife get disemboweled by the teddy you got her for Christmas is a pretty big mind fuck."
"Can you have her ready by this afternoon?" Jack asked. "Ianto called that funeral director we've worked with before, the one that doesn't ask too many questions."
"Jack, I need a bloody strong drink," Owen replied. "I think you could at least wait until tomorrow. Maybe salvage what we can of this Christmas."
"That's the other thing," Ianto said as he appeared behind Jack, brushing his hands off on Jack's jeans. "Apparently, Rhys got it as a free promotion when he bought her real Christmas present. One of those 'free gift with purchase' deals."
"Meaning it's time once again for the annual Cardiff Christmas Invasion," Toshiko said with a resigned sigh.
"Only fair, the Doctor's covering London," Ianto deadpanned.
"And meaning that no one's going home until this is settled," Jack said. "Especially now that we're down a man."
"Which means I shouldn't be staying here patching up a body when there are more people dying out there," Owen protested. "I'll put her in cold storage for now."
"How many more are out there?" Toshiko wondered aloud.
"Hundreds, possibly thousands," Jack said. "Humans always want what they can't have -- immortality and something for nothing."
Tosh turned to look down at Owen moving Gwen's body, her torn PJs covered in sticky crimson blood from the deep gashes down her chest. "Poor Gwen."
"Grieve later," Jack told her, putting a hand on her shoulder. His voice was emotionless. She wasn't sure that was a good thing. "Work to do."
Date Written: 11/29/08
Count the Ways prompt: Cute Aliens
Rating: PG-13/T
Word Count: 803. Short & sweet.
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters/Pairings: Team Torchwood, Gwen/Rhys
Spoilers: Season 02 up to Reset
Warnings: Character death, Gwen bashing.
Author's Notes: Written for the antigwenallies Christmas challenge, and for all my fellow anti!Gwenners. Thanks to katestamps for the beta. I know it seems like a little short scene from a longer fic, but I honestly can't bring myself to make it longer. Sorry.
Toshiko looked up when she heard the proximity alarm go off. Owen was still down in the autopsy bay with Gwen, so she rose to her feet and hurried over to the cog door.
Jack stepped through, his greatcoat drawn tight around him to fight off the cold Cardiff December upstairs. His hair was wet, so she guessed it had started snowing again, just a little off and on. He looked exhausted, completely and utterly worn down to his very ancient soul. He gave Toshiko a tiny smile when he caught sight of her. "Hey. Sorry to drag you in on Christmas Day."
She waved a hand, silently telling him that it was nothing, and waited until he'd taken off his coat and hung it up to step forward and hug him around the middle. His arms went around her as well, hugging her tight and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Thank you," he said softly into her black hair.
The slight Japanese woman nodded before pulling back a little. "Where's Ianto?"
"Unloading our friend from the SUV," Jack replied. "We have no idea what the little blighter is, much less how to kill it." He rubbed her back a little, his arms still looped around her for comfort. "No idea what it's saying, some language that I haven't heard before. Can you get a translation system running?"
"I'll do what I can," Tosh told him before pulling back. "How's Rhys?"
Jack took a deep breath. "You saw him," he replied, as if it explained everything. It did. "Ianto and I cleaned up after you and Owen left. We just ended up Retconning him. He doesn't deserve to live with that sort of knowledge." He ran a distracted hand through his hair, showing just how tired he actually was; he was normally so vain.
Tosh opened her mouth to ask another question when a strange noise rang out from the direction of the garage. Ianto turned up -- wearing Jack's clothing, Toshiko noted absently -- holding an animal cage at arm's length. Inside was what looked like a rabid teddy bear, it's adorable features twisted grotesquely on the fluffy face as it clawed at the door with razor-sharp fingers. It babbled on in a high-pitched scratchy voice, the alien tongue
The Welshman raised a questioning eyebrow at Jack, who jerked his head towards the vaults. "There's a few cells empty," Jack said. "Tosh is going to run translation, see if we can't put a name to the species."
"Hope it freezes," Owen called out from his bay.
"Me too." Ianto glared at it through the bars of the carrier door, flinching when the alien snarled and lashed out at him. "Poor Rhys, didn't even make it to their first anniversary," he said, mostly to himself as he headed down to the vaults.
"What did you tell Rhys?" Tosh asked. "What memory of what happened to Gwen?"
"Gwen Elizabeth Cooper Williams died peacefully in her sleep," Jack said. "Undiagnosed heart condition."
"Better than what really happened," Owen said, finally climbing up the stairs to join Jack and Tosh. His face was pale too, and it was obvious the autopsy was affecting the medic. "Watching your wife get disemboweled by the teddy you got her for Christmas is a pretty big mind fuck."
"Can you have her ready by this afternoon?" Jack asked. "Ianto called that funeral director we've worked with before, the one that doesn't ask too many questions."
"Jack, I need a bloody strong drink," Owen replied. "I think you could at least wait until tomorrow. Maybe salvage what we can of this Christmas."
"That's the other thing," Ianto said as he appeared behind Jack, brushing his hands off on Jack's jeans. "Apparently, Rhys got it as a free promotion when he bought her real Christmas present. One of those 'free gift with purchase' deals."
"Meaning it's time once again for the annual Cardiff Christmas Invasion," Toshiko said with a resigned sigh.
"Only fair, the Doctor's covering London," Ianto deadpanned.
"And meaning that no one's going home until this is settled," Jack said. "Especially now that we're down a man."
"Which means I shouldn't be staying here patching up a body when there are more people dying out there," Owen protested. "I'll put her in cold storage for now."
"How many more are out there?" Toshiko wondered aloud.
"Hundreds, possibly thousands," Jack said. "Humans always want what they can't have -- immortality and something for nothing."
Tosh turned to look down at Owen moving Gwen's body, her torn PJs covered in sticky crimson blood from the deep gashes down her chest. "Poor Gwen."
"Grieve later," Jack told her, putting a hand on her shoulder. His voice was emotionless. She wasn't sure that was a good thing. "Work to do."