Fic - Closed Circuit
Title: Closed Circuit
Author: szm
Pairing: Ianto/Jack Martha/Jack Lisa/Ianto
Rating: PG
Spoliers: End of Days, Series Three Doctor Who (just who Martha is)
Summary: A tragedy. It's a bit odd this one.
Betaed by gothmafia. Also I hate the title so if you can think of a better one you can have a cookie!
The TARDIS re-materialises inside the hub and three figures step out. Ianto is holding a tray of coffee at the time. He drops it with a crash and stares, mouth open. The coffee soaks into his shoes. Later he’ll have to throw his socks away.
Everyone thinks it’s because of Jack.
It’s not.
***
She gives up everything for Darren Hallet. She’s marrying him now, a week after they met. Her *friend* thinks she’s insane, he can’t understand the appeal of this life, this domestic situation. She asked him to come. He’s not here.
She finds out a month later that she’s two months pregnant. Darren says he’ll always look after her. A year later they’re divorced.
She didn’t love her baby’s father, and he didn’t love her. He was fun, they were travelling together, it was something that happened. He used to tell her fantastic stories, she’d laugh and call him a liar, and he’d smirk and bat his eyelashes and say. “Would I ever lie to you?”
Once when she was very angry she asked him if he’d ever really loved anyone. He got very serious. He told her about a man who’d asked him that once, and about the girlfriend the man had tried to save. The girlfriend Jack ultimately had to kill.
Martha remembers thinking that Jack quite possibly loved Ianto.
Her daughter is five when Martha realises the girlfriend was called Lisa Hallet. The realisation makes her throw up.
***
A year later Martha has convinced herself that it’s o.k. It was one story, which Jack told once. She must have got it wrong. The girl's name could have been Leila, or Lucy... it was probably Lucy.
Besides her Lisa didn’t want to work in an office anyway. She wanted to be a vet.
Martha moved out of London.
***
Lisa leaves university with a first in physics and goes to work for an R&D company called “British Innovation” based in Canary Wharf. She visits home often. She’s happy.
One day Lisa rings, babbling about a new man in her life. He’s welsh, and gorgeous, and makes great coffee. Lisa rings off without mentioning a name, just a vague promise to “bring him to see you one day.” Martha smiles to herself, she can see the dark threat hanging over her daughter clearing. For the first time in 20 years the knot in her stomach begins to loosen.
***
Lisa brings her man home. It’s Ianto. Martha remembers him dropping a tray of hot drinks at the hub. The way he could never quite look at her. She thought he knew about her and Jack somehow. That these were the actions of a jealous lover. But he’s here, arm round Lisa’s waist. He’s brought Martha a bunch of daffodils, the March sunlight is shining, birds are singing, and Lisa looks *so* happy.
Martha didn’t think the end of the world would look like this.
***
Lisa cries all the way back to London, and Ianto doesn’t know what to do. He has no idea what he could have possibly done to make such a bad first impression.
When they get back to Martha’s apartment there are 42 messages on her answer machine. One’s from ‘Stay Brite Windows’ trying to sell double glazing. The other 41 are from Lisa’s mum.
Lisa moves in with Ianto. She makes attempts to talk with her Mum, but they never go well. Her Mother seems to have become very critical, of Ianto, of Lisa’s job. Ianto wonders what she would think if she knew that Lisa worked for Torchwood, how important that is.
After a month they're no longer speaking. Ianto feels terrible, he was never that close to his own parents, but Lisa used to talk about her Mum all the time. When Lisa suggests a camping trip he agrees, even though he hates camping.
***
The TARDIS re-materailises inside the hub and three figures step out. Ianto is holding a tray of coffee at the time. He drops it with a crash and stares, mouth open. The coffee soaks into his shoes. Later he’ll have to throw his socks away.
Everyone thinks it’s because of Jack.
It’s not.
It’s because that’s Lisa’s mother. Only younger.
***
Two days later Ianto takes a week off work and drives down to Gloucestershire. Jack frowns but, really, can’t say anything. He knocks on Martha’s front door, she says, “I thought it’d be you,” and lets him in. There are pictures of Lisa at various ages all over the house, and a small picture of Martha, Jack, and The Doctor by the phone in the hallway.
Martha makes coffee and they talk about Lisa, and Jack. Martha asks if Ianto’s going to tell Jack, Ianto can’t even begin to imagine how you’d tell someone that the monster in the basement (because that’s all Jack ever allowed Lisa to be to him) was their daughter. He asks if Martha wants him to and she shrugs. He stays for the week, and promises to stay in touch when he goes back to London. Because somehow Martha Hallet is his responsibility now, he failed Lisa, they failed Lisa, and somehow they failed Jack too.
On the last day as Ianto’s leaving he sees a strange shape in the back garden. He looks closer and it’s the TARDIS. He points it out to Martha.
“It comes and goes. He never comes out though.”
“He wants you back?”
“He wants Rose.”
Ianto leaves it there, because some rivers are too deep to cross.
He returns to the hub and the world keeps on spinning. His relationship with Jack suffers, but everyone blames it on Jack's disappearance. They get over it. What’s one more secret hanging between them?
But sometimes Ianto sees Jack’s smile, and tries not to think how much like Lisa’s it is.
Author: szm
Pairing: Ianto/Jack Martha/Jack Lisa/Ianto
Rating: PG
Spoliers: End of Days, Series Three Doctor Who (just who Martha is)
Summary: A tragedy. It's a bit odd this one.
Betaed by gothmafia. Also I hate the title so if you can think of a better one you can have a cookie!
The TARDIS re-materialises inside the hub and three figures step out. Ianto is holding a tray of coffee at the time. He drops it with a crash and stares, mouth open. The coffee soaks into his shoes. Later he’ll have to throw his socks away.
Everyone thinks it’s because of Jack.
It’s not.
***
She gives up everything for Darren Hallet. She’s marrying him now, a week after they met. Her *friend* thinks she’s insane, he can’t understand the appeal of this life, this domestic situation. She asked him to come. He’s not here.
She finds out a month later that she’s two months pregnant. Darren says he’ll always look after her. A year later they’re divorced.
She didn’t love her baby’s father, and he didn’t love her. He was fun, they were travelling together, it was something that happened. He used to tell her fantastic stories, she’d laugh and call him a liar, and he’d smirk and bat his eyelashes and say. “Would I ever lie to you?”
Once when she was very angry she asked him if he’d ever really loved anyone. He got very serious. He told her about a man who’d asked him that once, and about the girlfriend the man had tried to save. The girlfriend Jack ultimately had to kill.
Martha remembers thinking that Jack quite possibly loved Ianto.
Her daughter is five when Martha realises the girlfriend was called Lisa Hallet. The realisation makes her throw up.
***
A year later Martha has convinced herself that it’s o.k. It was one story, which Jack told once. She must have got it wrong. The girl's name could have been Leila, or Lucy... it was probably Lucy.
Besides her Lisa didn’t want to work in an office anyway. She wanted to be a vet.
Martha moved out of London.
***
Lisa leaves university with a first in physics and goes to work for an R&D company called “British Innovation” based in Canary Wharf. She visits home often. She’s happy.
One day Lisa rings, babbling about a new man in her life. He’s welsh, and gorgeous, and makes great coffee. Lisa rings off without mentioning a name, just a vague promise to “bring him to see you one day.” Martha smiles to herself, she can see the dark threat hanging over her daughter clearing. For the first time in 20 years the knot in her stomach begins to loosen.
***
Lisa brings her man home. It’s Ianto. Martha remembers him dropping a tray of hot drinks at the hub. The way he could never quite look at her. She thought he knew about her and Jack somehow. That these were the actions of a jealous lover. But he’s here, arm round Lisa’s waist. He’s brought Martha a bunch of daffodils, the March sunlight is shining, birds are singing, and Lisa looks *so* happy.
Martha didn’t think the end of the world would look like this.
***
Lisa cries all the way back to London, and Ianto doesn’t know what to do. He has no idea what he could have possibly done to make such a bad first impression.
When they get back to Martha’s apartment there are 42 messages on her answer machine. One’s from ‘Stay Brite Windows’ trying to sell double glazing. The other 41 are from Lisa’s mum.
Lisa moves in with Ianto. She makes attempts to talk with her Mum, but they never go well. Her Mother seems to have become very critical, of Ianto, of Lisa’s job. Ianto wonders what she would think if she knew that Lisa worked for Torchwood, how important that is.
After a month they're no longer speaking. Ianto feels terrible, he was never that close to his own parents, but Lisa used to talk about her Mum all the time. When Lisa suggests a camping trip he agrees, even though he hates camping.
***
The TARDIS re-materailises inside the hub and three figures step out. Ianto is holding a tray of coffee at the time. He drops it with a crash and stares, mouth open. The coffee soaks into his shoes. Later he’ll have to throw his socks away.
Everyone thinks it’s because of Jack.
It’s not.
It’s because that’s Lisa’s mother. Only younger.
***
Two days later Ianto takes a week off work and drives down to Gloucestershire. Jack frowns but, really, can’t say anything. He knocks on Martha’s front door, she says, “I thought it’d be you,” and lets him in. There are pictures of Lisa at various ages all over the house, and a small picture of Martha, Jack, and The Doctor by the phone in the hallway.
Martha makes coffee and they talk about Lisa, and Jack. Martha asks if Ianto’s going to tell Jack, Ianto can’t even begin to imagine how you’d tell someone that the monster in the basement (because that’s all Jack ever allowed Lisa to be to him) was their daughter. He asks if Martha wants him to and she shrugs. He stays for the week, and promises to stay in touch when he goes back to London. Because somehow Martha Hallet is his responsibility now, he failed Lisa, they failed Lisa, and somehow they failed Jack too.
On the last day as Ianto’s leaving he sees a strange shape in the back garden. He looks closer and it’s the TARDIS. He points it out to Martha.
“It comes and goes. He never comes out though.”
“He wants you back?”
“He wants Rose.”
Ianto leaves it there, because some rivers are too deep to cross.
He returns to the hub and the world keeps on spinning. His relationship with Jack suffers, but everyone blames it on Jack's disappearance. They get over it. What’s one more secret hanging between them?
But sometimes Ianto sees Jack’s smile, and tries not to think how much like Lisa’s it is.