Title: Snake in the Grass
Author: Caz251
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Owen, Jack and Ianto, mentions of Tosh
Rating: G
Summary: Jack comes back to the hub to find a strange snake in the hothouse.
Word Count: 541
Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood, it belongs to the BBC, however much I wished otherwise.
A/N: Sequel to A Doctor in Snakes Clothing
Jack knew something was wrong as soon as he entered the hub, at first glance everything was fine, Tosh was typing away like the devil was after her, nothing unusual there, but the autopsy bay was empty and Ianto was in the hothouse. It was Ianto being in the hothouse that tipped him off to something unusual going on, the younger man didn't go in there alone, the job of watering the plants being Owen's prerogative, ever since one tried to eat the watering can and Ianto's fingers. For Ianto to be up there something must have happened, Tosh looked as though she was carrying out her normal work or an experiment of some sort, so he she was obviously unaware of anything being wrong.
He called out a quick greeting to Tosh before making his way up to the hothouse, opening the door and drawing Ianto's attention to him. He took a quick look at what the other man had been looking at before his arrival to find a snake of some sort, definitely not terrestrial in origin moving around in the plants.
"Ianto." Jack began. "What's going on? Where'd the snake come from? And what are you doing in here?"
"Well I wasn't going to leave it in here alone." Ianto started. "He may like the plants and they him, but I wouldn't trust them with him in his present condition."
Jack just stared at Ianto, wondering if he was really saying that the plants liked the snake, the only thing, or rather person, that the plants liked as anything other than food was Owen. He watched Ianto bend down and pick up the snake, it immediately curled around his wrist and looked at Jack with a pleading look in its eyes. Jack shook his head to clear that image, snakes did not beg, even extraterrestrial ones. He looked once more to Ianto for an answer, wondering if maybe he should be going to see Owen for a check-up, he was sure his lover was trying to communicate with the snake.
"Jack, say hello to Owen." Ianto stated. "He had a bit of an accident with a device he was working with, its still in the autopsy bay."
Jack stared between Ianto and the snake trying to wrap his head around it, as the snake bobbed its head up and down in a parody of agreement. He walked out of the room and down towards Owen's domain, chuckling slightly at the idea of Owen in snakeskin. He supposed that he shouldn't be surprised by Owen's new state, it wasn't exactly uncommon at Torchwood to find yourself as something else.
Looking at the device he recognised it, he himself had filed it away as a medical device, and for once he knew that he was right. He supposed he should have specified that it was an Axeltree Strikarian device, used to improve the health of the snakelike race, the Axeltree Strikers. At least he knew how to work it, now he just had to stop Owen from attacking him when he turned him back. He knew how to work the device, but he wasn't an expert and for all he knew Owen may turn back but keep his poisonous fangs.