Fic: Lives Are For Living. (6/35)
Title Lives Are For Living. (6/35)
Fandoms Torchwood/Being Human crossover fic.
Characters/pairings Andy Davidson/Tom McNair. Other Torchwood and Being Human characters will appear later on.
Word count: This part 1600. (Total posted 10850 /65,000)
Rating This part all ages. Later parts adult.
Contains Mentions of depression/anxiety. Mentions of past canon character death. In later parts canon level violence, graphic sex, Andy's homophobic mother. Spoilers for Being Human (UK version) up to series 5 episode 3, and for Torchwood up to Children of Earth.
A/N: Crossover with Being Human. Technically a CoE fix it as it's set in the same 'verse as Finding Ways To Smile Again (although that isn't apparent until about 2/3 the way through the story). Follows on from Break and Breakaway from Tom McNair's POV - which is where it breaks from Being Human canon.
Summary
After being pushed out of the police force following the events of Children of Earth, Andy Davidson tries to build a new life for himself in the deep in the Welsh countryside.
Tom McNair walked out off his old life after realising it wasn't what he needed.
A chance meeting would take their lives in directions that they had never expected and bring them love that they'd not thought they'd find.
Starts here: http://the-silver-sun.livejournal.com/214504.html
It was just over three miles from the farm to Rhayader, first down the winding farm track and then along a narrow country road, whose only traffic seemed to be cyclists and the occasional tractor or 4x4.
Tom walked along happily enjoying the sights and scents of the countryside. His dad had always said that the few hours before the change were the best, when you had the sense of the wolf, when you could feel how it made you stronger. It was when they'd hunted vampires the most. Not that he was going to think about hunting vampires, he was supposed to be giving it up, he told himself, and being a normal person.
Having a job was part of being like a normal human. Not that all normal humans worked, but getting a job wasn't considered odd. It wasn't usual amongst the 'not quite human anymores' though. Admittedly it would be pretty hard for a ghost to get a job what with the whole not being able to be seen thing, Tom thought. Vampires sometimes did, but just so they could get into positions of power like Herrick had done in the police or Cutler had as a lawyer so they could manipulate people, so he wasn't sure if that counted. Nina and George who'd had jobs had been the exception for werewolves. Most, as far as Tom could tell, lived as he and his dad had - living rough and just trying to get by and dodging vampires who wanted to catch you, sling you in a cage and make you fight somebody for their entertainment.
He looked back at where the farm was now hidden amongst the rolling hills and smiled. He was well out of that old life now and things were definitely looking up.
Rhayader proved to be town built at a crossing on the river Wye, full of old buildings, narrow streets and places that catered to tourists. Which was great if you wanted to buy a souvenir tea towel, a decorative spoon or some over priced fudge in a box whose lid could be used as postcard. Not so much use if you wanted to steal a chicken.
Not that Tom particularly liked stealing, but most of the time it had been the only way him and his dad had had enough to eat. The lack of a large supermarket or other big store was definitely a problem, Tom thought as he made his way through the small market town, as he couldn't afford to buy a piece of meat big enough to use to make decent a scent trail, and his dad had told him never to steal from family businesses no matter how much you needed something. The reason had mostly been because it wasn't fair, but it had also been because you ran a bigger risk of getting caught in a small shop. There wasn't any time to catch anything now either, so although he didn't really like the idea of transforming in a new area without having set a trail first, he knew how to minimize the risk. The hills and reservoirs high above the farms and village was remote enough that he could do it without running into anybody.
It wasn't any fun being completely skint, Tom thought, as he looked at things in the shops. Not that there was too much he really needed, but it would be nice to be able to get a few extras sometimes. There'd be time for that though after he got paid, he told himself. So after using the last of the money he had left for some bits and pieces he couldn't really do without, like soap, toothpaste, matches and something to eat on the way back, he set off for the farm.
The scent of a vampire took him by surprise as he turned the corner past the post office. Senses sharp with moonrise just a few hours away he knew that the vampire hadn't been there in last couple of hours, but it had definitely passed by that spot within the last twelve hours or so.
Tom scowled. He didn't like to think that there were vamps in the area. It was a nice, quiet little town, where families went on holiday and Andy came to shop. Having vampires wandering about the place wasn't, Tom though, acceptable. Wishing that he had thought to bring a stake with him, but knowing that he was able to improvise if necessary, he started to follow the trail.
The scent wasn't of a vampire he recognised. There were a few he knew he'd know instantly, like Hal or Herrick or Cutler. Herrick and Cutler were dead though and the scent definitely wasn't Hal's. Not that he'd be worried if it was Hal's, well apart worrying why Hal was out here, if Hal was following him. Hal had been an alright bloke and had been about as good as vamp got, providing he didn't feed. He hoped that Hal continued to be his oddly obsessive domino stacking self who'd stayed off the blood for fifty years. He really didn't want to be the one to have to stake him one day.
The trail was faint, blurred with the movement of other people, but Tom followed it through Rhayader until it finally stopped at the edge of town in a pub car park. There was another scent in the car park where the vampire trail ended, something odd and unfamiliar. Rank and acrid with just the hint of sewers, it was unsettling as he couldn't think what could have produced it, all he could tell was that it had been alive. The vamp, whoever he was, Tom was sure from the scent it was a he, had got a car or van with something unknown and smelly and driven away. It wasn't the most satisfying end to the search, as despise his dad wanting him to give up hunting vamps, part of him still felt that a search for a vampire should really end with it being a pile of dust on the end of his stake.
There wasn't any way to continue the search, so Tom sat down on a low wall by the side of the river Wye opposite the pub to eat the pie he'd bought earlier. There wasn't going to enough time to stop off at the farm now before he changed, not if he wanted to find somewhere safe and isolated to do it, Tom thought sadly. He hoped that Andy wouldn't be too annoyed about him not showing up for whatever he'd cooked for their evening meal.
With one last look back at the car park and its odd smell, Tom started walking along the footpath at the side of the one a stream that flowed into the Wye, following it up to where it rose in the hills.
Evening sunlight sparkled on the deep, clear waters of the Gerreg Ddu and Caban Coch reservoirs as Tom crossed the narrow strip of land between them. The long, winding curve of them followed a natural depression in the hills provided a natural barrier with Rhayader, Elan village and the scattered outlying farms on one side and the open moorland on the other.
With moonrise less than an hour away he was aware of every creature around him, rabbits on the edges of the fields, birds in the trees and a fox slinking through the undergrowth. While more distant there was the smell of sheep in the high pastures, the faint scent of horses where a pony trekking group has passed through earlier in the day and the smoky tang of camp fires and disposable barbecues at camp site.
As the sun grew lower on the horizon Tom left the footpath moved deeper into the woods. He could feel the shift starting, an ache deep in his bones growing, his muscles twitching and cramping. He could take it for now, just a soft gasp escaping him at each surge of pain. His dad had taught him how to bear it, not that he was as good at it as him, his dad had been able to keep nearly silent until partially transformed.
That was the worse bit of the change really, Tom thought, closing his eyes and flexing his shoulders, the part where you still had enough awareness to register and remember the pain. The worse part over all though had to be not knowing what you did while you had the wolf on. Not that he particularly wanted to have the memories of eating raw chicken or whatever bones and all, but he was sure it would be worth it to know that he'd not hurt anyone, not turned anyone or worse. Killing and eating somebody, maybe even somebody you knew was just about the worse nightmare every wolf had. It was why most ran from their families, terrified that they'd accidentally hurt them.
Sitting down in a wooded hollow, screened on all sided by tangles of vegetation, Tom stripped off his clothes and shoved them into his shopping bag. With any luck he'd not be too far away from there when the wolf left. A long naked hike back to your clothes was never fun.
The pain was fiercer now and he laid down on the ground, eyes squeezed tight shut, hands clenched into fists. Gasping and shaking, Tom eventually cried out as his bones cracked, the transformation lengthening or shrinking them as needed, changing his shape into something no longer human. Eyes once brown and friendly became fierce and golden, teeth and jaws grew longer, and coarse, shaggy black hair sprouted across his whole body.
Transformation complete, the werewolf rose up on his rear legs, looked at the moon with baleful eyes and howled.
Part 7 http://the-silver-sun.livejournal.com/218155.html
Fandoms Torchwood/Being Human crossover fic.
Characters/pairings Andy Davidson/Tom McNair. Other Torchwood and Being Human characters will appear later on.
Word count: This part 1600. (Total posted 10850 /65,000)
Rating This part all ages. Later parts adult.
Contains Mentions of depression/anxiety. Mentions of past canon character death. In later parts canon level violence, graphic sex, Andy's homophobic mother. Spoilers for Being Human (UK version) up to series 5 episode 3, and for Torchwood up to Children of Earth.
A/N: Crossover with Being Human. Technically a CoE fix it as it's set in the same 'verse as Finding Ways To Smile Again (although that isn't apparent until about 2/3 the way through the story). Follows on from Break and Breakaway from Tom McNair's POV - which is where it breaks from Being Human canon.
Summary
After being pushed out of the police force following the events of Children of Earth, Andy Davidson tries to build a new life for himself in the deep in the Welsh countryside.
Tom McNair walked out off his old life after realising it wasn't what he needed.
A chance meeting would take their lives in directions that they had never expected and bring them love that they'd not thought they'd find.
Starts here: http://the-silver-sun.livejournal.com/214504.html
It was just over three miles from the farm to Rhayader, first down the winding farm track and then along a narrow country road, whose only traffic seemed to be cyclists and the occasional tractor or 4x4.
Tom walked along happily enjoying the sights and scents of the countryside. His dad had always said that the few hours before the change were the best, when you had the sense of the wolf, when you could feel how it made you stronger. It was when they'd hunted vampires the most. Not that he was going to think about hunting vampires, he was supposed to be giving it up, he told himself, and being a normal person.
Having a job was part of being like a normal human. Not that all normal humans worked, but getting a job wasn't considered odd. It wasn't usual amongst the 'not quite human anymores' though. Admittedly it would be pretty hard for a ghost to get a job what with the whole not being able to be seen thing, Tom thought. Vampires sometimes did, but just so they could get into positions of power like Herrick had done in the police or Cutler had as a lawyer so they could manipulate people, so he wasn't sure if that counted. Nina and George who'd had jobs had been the exception for werewolves. Most, as far as Tom could tell, lived as he and his dad had - living rough and just trying to get by and dodging vampires who wanted to catch you, sling you in a cage and make you fight somebody for their entertainment.
He looked back at where the farm was now hidden amongst the rolling hills and smiled. He was well out of that old life now and things were definitely looking up.
Rhayader proved to be town built at a crossing on the river Wye, full of old buildings, narrow streets and places that catered to tourists. Which was great if you wanted to buy a souvenir tea towel, a decorative spoon or some over priced fudge in a box whose lid could be used as postcard. Not so much use if you wanted to steal a chicken.
Not that Tom particularly liked stealing, but most of the time it had been the only way him and his dad had had enough to eat. The lack of a large supermarket or other big store was definitely a problem, Tom thought as he made his way through the small market town, as he couldn't afford to buy a piece of meat big enough to use to make decent a scent trail, and his dad had told him never to steal from family businesses no matter how much you needed something. The reason had mostly been because it wasn't fair, but it had also been because you ran a bigger risk of getting caught in a small shop. There wasn't any time to catch anything now either, so although he didn't really like the idea of transforming in a new area without having set a trail first, he knew how to minimize the risk. The hills and reservoirs high above the farms and village was remote enough that he could do it without running into anybody.
It wasn't any fun being completely skint, Tom thought, as he looked at things in the shops. Not that there was too much he really needed, but it would be nice to be able to get a few extras sometimes. There'd be time for that though after he got paid, he told himself. So after using the last of the money he had left for some bits and pieces he couldn't really do without, like soap, toothpaste, matches and something to eat on the way back, he set off for the farm.
The scent of a vampire took him by surprise as he turned the corner past the post office. Senses sharp with moonrise just a few hours away he knew that the vampire hadn't been there in last couple of hours, but it had definitely passed by that spot within the last twelve hours or so.
Tom scowled. He didn't like to think that there were vamps in the area. It was a nice, quiet little town, where families went on holiday and Andy came to shop. Having vampires wandering about the place wasn't, Tom though, acceptable. Wishing that he had thought to bring a stake with him, but knowing that he was able to improvise if necessary, he started to follow the trail.
The scent wasn't of a vampire he recognised. There were a few he knew he'd know instantly, like Hal or Herrick or Cutler. Herrick and Cutler were dead though and the scent definitely wasn't Hal's. Not that he'd be worried if it was Hal's, well apart worrying why Hal was out here, if Hal was following him. Hal had been an alright bloke and had been about as good as vamp got, providing he didn't feed. He hoped that Hal continued to be his oddly obsessive domino stacking self who'd stayed off the blood for fifty years. He really didn't want to be the one to have to stake him one day.
The trail was faint, blurred with the movement of other people, but Tom followed it through Rhayader until it finally stopped at the edge of town in a pub car park. There was another scent in the car park where the vampire trail ended, something odd and unfamiliar. Rank and acrid with just the hint of sewers, it was unsettling as he couldn't think what could have produced it, all he could tell was that it had been alive. The vamp, whoever he was, Tom was sure from the scent it was a he, had got a car or van with something unknown and smelly and driven away. It wasn't the most satisfying end to the search, as despise his dad wanting him to give up hunting vamps, part of him still felt that a search for a vampire should really end with it being a pile of dust on the end of his stake.
There wasn't any way to continue the search, so Tom sat down on a low wall by the side of the river Wye opposite the pub to eat the pie he'd bought earlier. There wasn't going to enough time to stop off at the farm now before he changed, not if he wanted to find somewhere safe and isolated to do it, Tom thought sadly. He hoped that Andy wouldn't be too annoyed about him not showing up for whatever he'd cooked for their evening meal.
With one last look back at the car park and its odd smell, Tom started walking along the footpath at the side of the one a stream that flowed into the Wye, following it up to where it rose in the hills.
Evening sunlight sparkled on the deep, clear waters of the Gerreg Ddu and Caban Coch reservoirs as Tom crossed the narrow strip of land between them. The long, winding curve of them followed a natural depression in the hills provided a natural barrier with Rhayader, Elan village and the scattered outlying farms on one side and the open moorland on the other.
With moonrise less than an hour away he was aware of every creature around him, rabbits on the edges of the fields, birds in the trees and a fox slinking through the undergrowth. While more distant there was the smell of sheep in the high pastures, the faint scent of horses where a pony trekking group has passed through earlier in the day and the smoky tang of camp fires and disposable barbecues at camp site.
As the sun grew lower on the horizon Tom left the footpath moved deeper into the woods. He could feel the shift starting, an ache deep in his bones growing, his muscles twitching and cramping. He could take it for now, just a soft gasp escaping him at each surge of pain. His dad had taught him how to bear it, not that he was as good at it as him, his dad had been able to keep nearly silent until partially transformed.
That was the worse bit of the change really, Tom thought, closing his eyes and flexing his shoulders, the part where you still had enough awareness to register and remember the pain. The worse part over all though had to be not knowing what you did while you had the wolf on. Not that he particularly wanted to have the memories of eating raw chicken or whatever bones and all, but he was sure it would be worth it to know that he'd not hurt anyone, not turned anyone or worse. Killing and eating somebody, maybe even somebody you knew was just about the worse nightmare every wolf had. It was why most ran from their families, terrified that they'd accidentally hurt them.
Sitting down in a wooded hollow, screened on all sided by tangles of vegetation, Tom stripped off his clothes and shoved them into his shopping bag. With any luck he'd not be too far away from there when the wolf left. A long naked hike back to your clothes was never fun.
The pain was fiercer now and he laid down on the ground, eyes squeezed tight shut, hands clenched into fists. Gasping and shaking, Tom eventually cried out as his bones cracked, the transformation lengthening or shrinking them as needed, changing his shape into something no longer human. Eyes once brown and friendly became fierce and golden, teeth and jaws grew longer, and coarse, shaggy black hair sprouted across his whole body.
Transformation complete, the werewolf rose up on his rear legs, looked at the moon with baleful eyes and howled.
Part 7 http://the-silver-sun.livejournal.com/218155.html