Life: Jack's Story - part one
This is the first installment of a series that I am currently writing form the point of view of the Torchwood men. It's based on the question from Hitchikers guide to the galaxy, Life, The Universe and Everything. Jack's part of the story falls under the title life, Owen's side of the story comes under The Universe while Ianto's piece of the puzzle is entitled And Everything. Hope you enjoy, comments are more than welcome. :)
Life : Jack’s Story.
Jack stood in his tiny bathroom staring at the white stick that he held in his hand. He was willing it to change, pleading with it to make another word appear before the offending one that it had already produced. He whacked it against the sink “work damn it” he growled at it. The stubbed little stick merely remained the same. He slapped down the lid of the toilet and sat on it. Still shacking the stick angrily he dimly remembered that last time this had happened to him. It was a lot easier than he had waved the stick at his lover with his biggest brightest grin plastered across his face, and they waltzed in the rain on the smallest plant of the Vegas galaxies. They danced and kissed until they were soaked to the skin, they had walked home. Once they had gotten there Jack remembered with a smile they had fallen on the bed and made love until the suns had rose.
Things were different now; it was a different time centuries before man was meant to be able to carry children. He was the Captain of Torchwood how was he meant to explain to his team that he was pregnant without appearing alien? How was he going to explain to them that the baby was Ianto’s and not some shape shifting alien like the one that had knocked up Gwen on her hen night? He sat on the toilet sat wondering that hell he was going to do, what his best options were.
The more he thought about it the happier he was with the idea of having Ianto’s baby; he knew he loved him and hoped that Ianto felt the same. But on the other hand what would Ianto do, what would he say when Jack calmly explained to him that he was going to give birth to his baby? Jack was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t hear his lover climbing down the ladder into his quarters. Ianto nudged open the bathroom door and looked from Jack’s vacant face to the small white stick he was holding in his hand. It was only when Ianto spoke that Jack even noticed that he was there,
“where did you find that?” Ianto asked.
Jack jumped and looked down at the stick in shook and than back at Ianto, “Yan, I can explain…you see the thing is… it’s kind of complicated, I’m sorry babe what did you say?’
Jack had been so surprised to see Ianto there that he begun babbling before he processed what it was that Ianto had said.
Ianto stepped into the bathroom and knelt before Jack, “where did you find that?” he repeated his question.
Jack looked deep into Ianto’s big blue eyes and wondered for a moment what would happen if for once he wore his heart on his sleeve and split his guts to Ianto. Telling him everything, all about the 51st century and him travelling through time. Him having a baby in the future, and more than one in the past. And more lovers than Ianto could ever count, and most importantly that Jack loved him more than anyone else he had ever meet. Maybe it was surviving a year of torture that had given him such a dark imagination. But he picture himself being shot through the head by Ianto and waking up on the autopsy table to find Owen dissecting him.
“Waste paper bin” he heard himself say, “in the hothouse” he added.
Ianto took the stick off him and examined it, “so” he said, “Tosh or Gwen is pregnant then”.
Jack felt himself nodding. Ianto stood up and turned to leave the bathroom, “I’d better go and find out who it is then… what was that guy’s name again? You know the one Tosh has been seeing, tall chap bit fat… Owen doesn’t like him.”
Ianto asked frowning in an effort to remember the man’s name. “Jacob” Jack whispered.
“Yeah that’s it” Ianto said as he walked back through Jack’s quarters and up the ladder into the hub again.
Jack pressed his ear “Tosh?” he asked. He knew what he had to do. He’d tell Tosh everything once he’d got her to cover for him. Tosh would be able to do an ultra scan and she would be recon able. He couldn’t tell Owen, he would keep a secret, but if he freaked out there was no going back. Owen was dead and Jack would be totally un - able to recon him, besides it didn’t work on dead men.
“Please I need your help, just tell them it’s yours I’ll explain it all later. I promise” he crossed his quarters and climbed up to the hub.
He could hear Ianto integrating Gwen, “no honestly I swear it’s not mine,” she was saying. Jack crossed his office and leant against the door frame.
“Well, it’s not Tosh’s” Ianto bit back, clearly getting annoyed with this unsolved mystery. “Oh, really and has she confirmed this?” Gwen asked failing to disguise her anger.
“No” said Ianto slowly, “but she hasn’t slept with anyone since Tommy.”
“How do you know that? She’s been seeing that Jacob for almost a month now.”
“She told me” Ianto responded.
Jack had counted on that, he should have known, Tosh and Ianto had always enjoyed a close friendship, they were all most like brother and sister since being held hostage by the cannibals.
“Really” said Owen’s voice brightly as he emerged from the autopsy room, “not at all?”
“You don’t have to sound so happy about it” Ianto told him.
“Oh no I’m not” said Owen trying to sound convincing but grinning like a chaser cat.
Above them on the second level Tosh emerged from the hothouse, “we can settle this now” said Gwen.
“Tosh, honey you didn’t put a pregnancy test in the hothouse bin did you?” she shouted up to her.
“Er…” Tosh court Jack’s eye and smiled shyly “yes I did actually… I was just looking for it.”
“What?” snapped Owen and Ianto in union.
“So” said Gwen brightly, “are you?”
“Well,” said Tosh calmly “I thought I was, because that’s what the test said… but the doctor says I’m not… must have been a false positive” she gave a little sad smile.
“Didn’t you say he dumped you?” Owen demanded suddenly.
“Yes Jacob and I broke up last night.”
“And when did you see this doctor” Owen asked, using bunny ears when he said the word doctor, he didn’t like the team seeing other doctors, he felt it was like they were cheating on him.
“Er… this morning before work” Said Tosh quickly. Owen frowned.
“So did you tell him you though you were pregnant?” Owen asked.
“Um… well… yes” Tosh lied.
“BASTARD” screamed Owen and before Jack or anyone else knew what was happening Owen had grabbed his coat and stormed out of the hub.
“Someone should go after him” said Ianto after a long pause in which the entire team just shared at the circular door.
“Hmm” Jack was only dimply aware that someone had spoken.
“Owen,” Ianto repeated himself, “Someone should go after him…if he gets into a fight…” Jack got the picture it could mean forever with a black eye.
He made a move towards the coat stand in his office. He stopped half way there ‘shit my baby’ he thought.
“Great idea” he said turning back towards what remained of his team, “Ianto take Gwen with you, I’m sure the two of you can defuse this situation before it turns into a full blown bar room brawl.”
Ianto and Gwen gave him matching quizzical looks but did as they were asked leaving him and Tosh alone in the hub.
Life : Jack’s Story.
Jack stood in his tiny bathroom staring at the white stick that he held in his hand. He was willing it to change, pleading with it to make another word appear before the offending one that it had already produced. He whacked it against the sink “work damn it” he growled at it. The stubbed little stick merely remained the same. He slapped down the lid of the toilet and sat on it. Still shacking the stick angrily he dimly remembered that last time this had happened to him. It was a lot easier than he had waved the stick at his lover with his biggest brightest grin plastered across his face, and they waltzed in the rain on the smallest plant of the Vegas galaxies. They danced and kissed until they were soaked to the skin, they had walked home. Once they had gotten there Jack remembered with a smile they had fallen on the bed and made love until the suns had rose.
Things were different now; it was a different time centuries before man was meant to be able to carry children. He was the Captain of Torchwood how was he meant to explain to his team that he was pregnant without appearing alien? How was he going to explain to them that the baby was Ianto’s and not some shape shifting alien like the one that had knocked up Gwen on her hen night? He sat on the toilet sat wondering that hell he was going to do, what his best options were.
The more he thought about it the happier he was with the idea of having Ianto’s baby; he knew he loved him and hoped that Ianto felt the same. But on the other hand what would Ianto do, what would he say when Jack calmly explained to him that he was going to give birth to his baby? Jack was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t hear his lover climbing down the ladder into his quarters. Ianto nudged open the bathroom door and looked from Jack’s vacant face to the small white stick he was holding in his hand. It was only when Ianto spoke that Jack even noticed that he was there,
“where did you find that?” Ianto asked.
Jack jumped and looked down at the stick in shook and than back at Ianto, “Yan, I can explain…you see the thing is… it’s kind of complicated, I’m sorry babe what did you say?’
Jack had been so surprised to see Ianto there that he begun babbling before he processed what it was that Ianto had said.
Ianto stepped into the bathroom and knelt before Jack, “where did you find that?” he repeated his question.
Jack looked deep into Ianto’s big blue eyes and wondered for a moment what would happen if for once he wore his heart on his sleeve and split his guts to Ianto. Telling him everything, all about the 51st century and him travelling through time. Him having a baby in the future, and more than one in the past. And more lovers than Ianto could ever count, and most importantly that Jack loved him more than anyone else he had ever meet. Maybe it was surviving a year of torture that had given him such a dark imagination. But he picture himself being shot through the head by Ianto and waking up on the autopsy table to find Owen dissecting him.
“Waste paper bin” he heard himself say, “in the hothouse” he added.
Ianto took the stick off him and examined it, “so” he said, “Tosh or Gwen is pregnant then”.
Jack felt himself nodding. Ianto stood up and turned to leave the bathroom, “I’d better go and find out who it is then… what was that guy’s name again? You know the one Tosh has been seeing, tall chap bit fat… Owen doesn’t like him.”
Ianto asked frowning in an effort to remember the man’s name. “Jacob” Jack whispered.
“Yeah that’s it” Ianto said as he walked back through Jack’s quarters and up the ladder into the hub again.
Jack pressed his ear “Tosh?” he asked. He knew what he had to do. He’d tell Tosh everything once he’d got her to cover for him. Tosh would be able to do an ultra scan and she would be recon able. He couldn’t tell Owen, he would keep a secret, but if he freaked out there was no going back. Owen was dead and Jack would be totally un - able to recon him, besides it didn’t work on dead men.
“Please I need your help, just tell them it’s yours I’ll explain it all later. I promise” he crossed his quarters and climbed up to the hub.
He could hear Ianto integrating Gwen, “no honestly I swear it’s not mine,” she was saying. Jack crossed his office and leant against the door frame.
“Well, it’s not Tosh’s” Ianto bit back, clearly getting annoyed with this unsolved mystery. “Oh, really and has she confirmed this?” Gwen asked failing to disguise her anger.
“No” said Ianto slowly, “but she hasn’t slept with anyone since Tommy.”
“How do you know that? She’s been seeing that Jacob for almost a month now.”
“She told me” Ianto responded.
Jack had counted on that, he should have known, Tosh and Ianto had always enjoyed a close friendship, they were all most like brother and sister since being held hostage by the cannibals.
“Really” said Owen’s voice brightly as he emerged from the autopsy room, “not at all?”
“You don’t have to sound so happy about it” Ianto told him.
“Oh no I’m not” said Owen trying to sound convincing but grinning like a chaser cat.
Above them on the second level Tosh emerged from the hothouse, “we can settle this now” said Gwen.
“Tosh, honey you didn’t put a pregnancy test in the hothouse bin did you?” she shouted up to her.
“Er…” Tosh court Jack’s eye and smiled shyly “yes I did actually… I was just looking for it.”
“What?” snapped Owen and Ianto in union.
“So” said Gwen brightly, “are you?”
“Well,” said Tosh calmly “I thought I was, because that’s what the test said… but the doctor says I’m not… must have been a false positive” she gave a little sad smile.
“Didn’t you say he dumped you?” Owen demanded suddenly.
“Yes Jacob and I broke up last night.”
“And when did you see this doctor” Owen asked, using bunny ears when he said the word doctor, he didn’t like the team seeing other doctors, he felt it was like they were cheating on him.
“Er… this morning before work” Said Tosh quickly. Owen frowned.
“So did you tell him you though you were pregnant?” Owen asked.
“Um… well… yes” Tosh lied.
“BASTARD” screamed Owen and before Jack or anyone else knew what was happening Owen had grabbed his coat and stormed out of the hub.
“Someone should go after him” said Ianto after a long pause in which the entire team just shared at the circular door.
“Hmm” Jack was only dimply aware that someone had spoken.
“Owen,” Ianto repeated himself, “Someone should go after him…if he gets into a fight…” Jack got the picture it could mean forever with a black eye.
He made a move towards the coat stand in his office. He stopped half way there ‘shit my baby’ he thought.
“Great idea” he said turning back towards what remained of his team, “Ianto take Gwen with you, I’m sure the two of you can defuse this situation before it turns into a full blown bar room brawl.”
Ianto and Gwen gave him matching quizzical looks but did as they were asked leaving him and Tosh alone in the hub.