Torchwood fic: You that way, we this way
Hmm.
I am 26 today. I've have been distinctly unexcited about the prospect of being 26 for some time now- about 8th January 2006 if memory serves- and here it is. 26 ness. Should be an interesting year.
Bring it on, dude.
And now on to more pressing matters, namely the second of two fics I meant to post quite a while ago. November, I think. Anyway, I wrote this Torchwood ficlet straight after Cyberwoman and I've tinkered with it / forgotten about it on and off ever since. As is inevtable when I write prose, it is a little softer / angstier than perhaps it should be, but bugger it. I can subversive and filthy when I want to be.
Title: You That Way, We This Way
Fandom: Torchwood (Doctor Who)
Rating / Genre: PG-13, Gen
Words: 855
Spoilers: TW: 1.04: Cyberwoman / DW: 2.13: Doomsday
Disclaimer/ Schmoopy Dedication: Torchwood belongs to the BBC and the good people of Cardiff. For fellow Ianto enthusiasts secrethappiness and ignipes.
Summary: Some things may be better left unsaid, but that doesn't mean they can be.
~~~
... and now I've got to run...
The tape had been edited before Jack showed it to them, of course.
As much as Jack appreciated his team deserved to know the truth about what happened to Suzy, knowing that their boss could pull a Wolverine when shot point blank in the head wouldn’t help anyone. But they deserved to see it, to know how they lost her. Rose had gone and he still didn’t know how or why. He wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
...How can you do any other job after this?...
~~~
When Jack had showed them the tape, he warned them. It’s not pretty, he’d said, and he’d been right. It wasn’t. It was hideous. But he could handle it. Odd, that. Ianto had come to redefine hideous in the last year. What a man could stand, could tolerate, when forced to. But nobody had forced him to last night. When Lisa tried- when Dr Tankzaki was kill- even when Jack told him to finish it, even though they both knew Jack was right, there was still the unspoken assurance in his tone, what you can’t, I will. We will, as it turned out.
“You’re right,” Jack said finally, after the two of them had taken care of Annie, then Dr. Tanizaki, then last of all Lisa. Ianto looked at Jack numbly, his face swollen with tears and fighting. “We should have helped her.”
Drained and alone, Ianto looked at Lisa, placing a final kiss on her hand. “You did help her,” he said quietly. “You did what I couldn’t. All of you.” He looked back at Jack, allowing the feeling of closure, of relief to fill him for the first time. He nodded. “Thank you.”
Ianto held out his hand, “You’re a good man, Jack,” he said gratefully as the other man returned the gesture. Without another word, Ianto straightened his tie and walked towards the exit, allowing himself only the slimmest moment’s pause to look up at great arc of the cavernous ceiling before turning reaching for the flood wheel release.
“I lost someone too. In Torchwood One.”
Ianto looked back at Jack, surprised not only by his voice, but by the fact Jack was looking right at him, was deliberately telling him something he was certain he’d not told the others. Ianto frowned, wondering momentarily if that was it, but it wasn’t.
“Her name was Rose. Really lost, I mean; she was just missing at first, but they never found her. They never found too many people, but Rose, she was so full of life..." Jack smiled in spite of himself at the memory of his friend, before the emptiness of loss claimed him. "…I thought she was indestructible."
"We’ll never know for sure what happened. Where they went. But we can guess.” Jack's voice cracked involuntarily and he looked down, just for a fraction for a second. When he looked up again, the resolve and the anger had returned and shone out deliberately at Ianto.
“If what happened to Lisa had happened to Rose… I can’t imagine having to make that choice.” Jack walked slowly towards Ianto, his steely glare unwavering, “But the choice you made, it was ugly and violent and it cost two people their lives. You made the wrong choice, Ianto. So did Suzy. She paid for it with her life, what are you going pay for it with?”
Ianto breath froze cold within him under Jack's glacial stare. He blinked and stepped backwards, fear creeping slowly up his spine, as Jack continued to walk towards him. "I don't know," he whispered finally. "I can't- how can I make that right? How can anybody make that right? There's nothing-" he stopped, accepting the full consequences of his decision finally. "There's nothing I can do. Some things can't be fixed."
"Right." His expression still stern, Jack nodded. You made the wrong choice," He repeated, before his tone softened and became quieter. “Because the choices the two of you made, you made by yourself.”
Now only a yard from Ianto, Jack stopped, reaching out to close the gap by placing his hand kindly on Ianto’s shoulder. “If you stay, I promise I won’t let you go through anything like that again alone.”
Glancing at Jack’s warm hand on his shoulder, Ianto frowned again, “You want me to stay?” he asked incredulously, too stripped of everything but hurt and regret to wear his usual mask of composure.
”I don’t want to lose another friend,” Jack said simply, hitting the flood wheel release, “I think we’ve both lost too much already. I know Rose wouldn't want me to turn my back on you. So I won't.”
Before Ianto could respond, Jack grinned. “And besides, if you go, who’s going to teach me Welsh?”
Ianto smiled gratefully back at Jack, relief and closure finally beginning to seep into his veins. “Nos da, Jack.”
“Nos da, Ianto.”
Ianto stepped through the flood door, allowing his gaze linger around the vast unearthly space before walking out into the dim-dark light of the tunnels that led to the world above.
This time, he knew his choice would be the right one.
I am 26 today. I've have been distinctly unexcited about the prospect of being 26 for some time now- about 8th January 2006 if memory serves- and here it is. 26 ness. Should be an interesting year.
Bring it on, dude.
And now on to more pressing matters, namely the second of two fics I meant to post quite a while ago. November, I think. Anyway, I wrote this Torchwood ficlet straight after Cyberwoman and I've tinkered with it / forgotten about it on and off ever since. As is inevtable when I write prose, it is a little softer / angstier than perhaps it should be, but bugger it. I can subversive and filthy when I want to be.
Title: You That Way, We This Way
Fandom: Torchwood (Doctor Who)
Rating / Genre: PG-13, Gen
Words: 855
Spoilers: TW: 1.04: Cyberwoman / DW: 2.13: Doomsday
Disclaimer/ Schmoopy Dedication: Torchwood belongs to the BBC and the good people of Cardiff. For fellow Ianto enthusiasts secrethappiness and ignipes.
Summary: Some things may be better left unsaid, but that doesn't mean they can be.
~~~
... and now I've got to run...
The tape had been edited before Jack showed it to them, of course.
As much as Jack appreciated his team deserved to know the truth about what happened to Suzy, knowing that their boss could pull a Wolverine when shot point blank in the head wouldn’t help anyone. But they deserved to see it, to know how they lost her. Rose had gone and he still didn’t know how or why. He wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
...How can you do any other job after this?...
~~~
When Jack had showed them the tape, he warned them. It’s not pretty, he’d said, and he’d been right. It wasn’t. It was hideous. But he could handle it. Odd, that. Ianto had come to redefine hideous in the last year. What a man could stand, could tolerate, when forced to. But nobody had forced him to last night. When Lisa tried- when Dr Tankzaki was kill- even when Jack told him to finish it, even though they both knew Jack was right, there was still the unspoken assurance in his tone, what you can’t, I will. We will, as it turned out.
“You’re right,” Jack said finally, after the two of them had taken care of Annie, then Dr. Tanizaki, then last of all Lisa. Ianto looked at Jack numbly, his face swollen with tears and fighting. “We should have helped her.”
Drained and alone, Ianto looked at Lisa, placing a final kiss on her hand. “You did help her,” he said quietly. “You did what I couldn’t. All of you.” He looked back at Jack, allowing the feeling of closure, of relief to fill him for the first time. He nodded. “Thank you.”
Ianto held out his hand, “You’re a good man, Jack,” he said gratefully as the other man returned the gesture. Without another word, Ianto straightened his tie and walked towards the exit, allowing himself only the slimmest moment’s pause to look up at great arc of the cavernous ceiling before turning reaching for the flood wheel release.
“I lost someone too. In Torchwood One.”
Ianto looked back at Jack, surprised not only by his voice, but by the fact Jack was looking right at him, was deliberately telling him something he was certain he’d not told the others. Ianto frowned, wondering momentarily if that was it, but it wasn’t.
“Her name was Rose. Really lost, I mean; she was just missing at first, but they never found her. They never found too many people, but Rose, she was so full of life..." Jack smiled in spite of himself at the memory of his friend, before the emptiness of loss claimed him. "…I thought she was indestructible."
"We’ll never know for sure what happened. Where they went. But we can guess.” Jack's voice cracked involuntarily and he looked down, just for a fraction for a second. When he looked up again, the resolve and the anger had returned and shone out deliberately at Ianto.
“If what happened to Lisa had happened to Rose… I can’t imagine having to make that choice.” Jack walked slowly towards Ianto, his steely glare unwavering, “But the choice you made, it was ugly and violent and it cost two people their lives. You made the wrong choice, Ianto. So did Suzy. She paid for it with her life, what are you going pay for it with?”
Ianto breath froze cold within him under Jack's glacial stare. He blinked and stepped backwards, fear creeping slowly up his spine, as Jack continued to walk towards him. "I don't know," he whispered finally. "I can't- how can I make that right? How can anybody make that right? There's nothing-" he stopped, accepting the full consequences of his decision finally. "There's nothing I can do. Some things can't be fixed."
"Right." His expression still stern, Jack nodded. You made the wrong choice," He repeated, before his tone softened and became quieter. “Because the choices the two of you made, you made by yourself.”
Now only a yard from Ianto, Jack stopped, reaching out to close the gap by placing his hand kindly on Ianto’s shoulder. “If you stay, I promise I won’t let you go through anything like that again alone.”
Glancing at Jack’s warm hand on his shoulder, Ianto frowned again, “You want me to stay?” he asked incredulously, too stripped of everything but hurt and regret to wear his usual mask of composure.
”I don’t want to lose another friend,” Jack said simply, hitting the flood wheel release, “I think we’ve both lost too much already. I know Rose wouldn't want me to turn my back on you. So I won't.”
Before Ianto could respond, Jack grinned. “And besides, if you go, who’s going to teach me Welsh?”
Ianto smiled gratefully back at Jack, relief and closure finally beginning to seep into his veins. “Nos da, Jack.”
“Nos da, Ianto.”
Ianto stepped through the flood door, allowing his gaze linger around the vast unearthly space before walking out into the dim-dark light of the tunnels that led to the world above.
This time, he knew his choice would be the right one.