Author's note: This is just another one of the fanfictions I wrote at camp to satisfy my Torchwood craving. I had loads of fun writing this one; hope your reading experience is equally enjoyable. I would sincerely appreciate reviews, just to know that someone's actually reading my stuff. Oh well. On with the story.
Pairing: Tosh/Owen
Disclaimer: I do not own Torchwood. If I did, Ianto would be alive and in my bedroom. Jack and Owen too.
Tosh's Nightmare
Tosh was running, faster than she could have ever possibly run. For a moment, Tosh wasn't sure what exactly it was that she was running from. Then she looked over her shoulder, to be greeted with a terrifying vision: a great beast of fire and solid darkness, great tongues of flame dripping from its maw. Tosh realized she was all alone—the stone path winding through empty space she was running on was deserted. There was no one to save her from the monster. Tearing her eyes away from the leviathan creature, Tosh resumed her sprint. She was useless here—there were no computers to run rift activity scans on, no security systems to disable. Even brilliance is of no use in a purely physical situation. Tosh tripped on a crack on the path, and went flying, to land sprawled on the hot stone. The beast swiftly moved closer, and a ring of fire sprung up around Tosh, preventing any escape. The monster morphed as it drew closer, turned into a horrible beast with the face of a wild animal, torso of a human, and legs of a goat. Dark fire continued to flow from its mouth, as it drew its lips back to reveal long, sharp teeth. As it came even closer, within a few feet of the trembling Tosh, it changed again, this time into a shadowy figure in a cloak. It threw back its hood, revealing a skull with glowing embers for eyes. The monster, which Tosh recognized as Death, reached out a skeletal hand and stroked her forehead. It was a soft touch, almost a caress, but when it lifted its hand, her world imploded violently, and the black vacuum of death surrounded her.
Tosh woke screaming. Gasping for breath, she felt her hands, then her arms, then the desk she rested her head on. "Oh…thank god…it was a dream…I'm still alive." Tosh inhaled deeply, then inexplicably crumpled into the floor, sobbing.
"Tosh!" Owen was running towards her. "Tosh, what happened, are you okay?"
Tosh sobbed harder, unable to speak.
"Tosh, talk to me! What happened to you?" Owen swiftly wrapped his arms around her, trying to calm her tears. When it became apparent that Tosh wasn't going to stop crying, Owen pulled her up and led her over to the medical bay, setting her down on the autopsy table. Tosh clung to him, and he sat down, bewildered.
"Tosh, what's going on here?" Owen asked worriedly.
Tosh was finally able to speak. "Oh, Owen!"
"What is it, love? Tell me." Owen said gently, cradling her face in his hands.
"Nightmare." Tosh gasped through her sobs. "Owen, I saw what it's like to die."
Ordinarily, Owen would have completely disregarded this trivial complaint, but something in Tosh's countenance caused him to feel more empathy than normal, and he instinctively comforted her. "Shh, Tosh, don't cry, it's fine, it was just a dream."
Tosh's entire body shook with sobs. "Owen! I saw death! I knew it wasn't just a dream, it was the truth! And my God, Owen!"
"What, Tosh? Go on, tell me." Owen said soothingly.
"Owen, there's nothing. You die, and there's nothing. No heaven, no hell. Just nothing." Tosh looked up at him through teary eyes.
"Well, least I don't have to worry about facing eternal punishment." Owen said lightly, though he recognized the truth in her statement. He mentally began to go over possible reasons for the outburst, outside of overwork and lack of sleep. Tosh's sobs eventually quieted, although tears continued to stream down her cheeks. "Where is everyone?" She shakily asked Owen.
"Gwen went home, and Jack and Ianto are at a movie somewhere. Probably snogging at this very moment."
"Oh. I must have fallen asleep on my desk."
"That's where I found you. You work too hard." Owen said gently, stroking her hair absently with one had.
Tosh frowned. "Sorry about all this. I don't know what came over me." She was still crying.
"It's my pleasure, Tosh. I'm here for you." Owen touched his lips to her hair. "I think I might have some idea of what happened to you, though. Did you by any chance take a sip of that cup of liquid on your desk this afternoon?"
"I did, now that you mention it. I thought it was tea that Ianto left on my desk, so I had a sip. It tasted terrible, though so I threw it out."
"Ah. That explains a lot. That was actually a sample of an alien chemical—I've done some tests on it, and apparently it's used to torture prisoners—gives them visions of the things they fear the most. You're lucky you only took a sip, it could have been much worse. I had left it on your desk by accident when I went to tell Jack what it was, and then forgot all about it. Sorry about that."
"It's fine. You fixed the problem adequately, so no harm done."
"Good." Owen smiled. Tosh looked up at him, and his expression was so caring it almost broke her heart. She snuggled in closer to him, and Owen wrapped his arms even tighter around her, trying to protect her from her fears. He gave Tosh a kiss on the forehead, and she unexpectedly kissed him back on the lips. Owen was only too happy to respond enthusiastically. Soon, clothes littered the floor of the medical bay.
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The next morning, Owen arrived at work a bit earlier than usual. Tosh and Gwen weren't there yet, but Ianto and Jack stepped out of Jack's office, smoothing their hair and clothes as Owen entered. They met him at his desk.
"You're here bright and early, sunshine." Jack commented.
"Eh, got up before my alarm. Nothing huge." Owen smiled.
"Owen, I have to ask you something," Jack said, barely concealing a laugh. "Were you up all night having sex or something?"
Half-formed answers tumbled from Owen's mouth. Eventually, he got over the shock of the unexpected question, and simply asked them, "How could you tell?"
"You're strutting a little, your chest is puffed out, and there was a faint little half-smile that usually suggests a satisfactory night." Jack explained.
"Who with? Anyone we'd know?" Ianto inquired in his husky welsh accent.
"Do I have to tell?" Owen sighed.
"We'll get it out of you somehow, might as well make it painless." Jack winked.
Owen cocked an eyebrow. "Fine. Tosh."
Jack guffawed. "Oh-ho! Seriously? Nice one!"
Owen scowled. "Could you not devaluate my relationships? It's a bit offensive."
Jack stared. "Wow. Tosh really changed you. That's an interesting statement coming from the guy who used alien pheromones to get a chick at a bar to shag him."
"That would explain the state of the operating table." Ianto muttered. "I had to wear two pairs of gloves to wipe that down."
Owen looked sheepish. "Sorry. Heat of the moment."
Jack patted his shoulder. "Meh, I've done worse."
Owen grinned. "I'm sure, Harkness."
"So, how was it? The sex?" Ianto asked in a polite tone.
Owen thought for a minute. "Wet…" He said truthfully.
Jack grinned. "You sick fucker."
"Shit, Jack, not that way. She was crying. She had accidentally drunk some of that nightmare chemical. I was comforting her, and shit happened."
"Oh, you're no fun." Jack pouted. "Look. Here comes Tosh. We'll hide." Jack and Ianto rushed back into Jack's office and shut the door.
Owen greeted Tosh as she walked in. "Hey."
"Hey." Tosh blushed. Owen tentatively walked over to her, a bit embarrassed, and gave her a hug. Tosh responded quickly, squeezing him in a surprisingly irresistible way.
"Tosh…I think I love you." Owen voiced his sudden realization. Tosh was so lovely, so graceful, so brilliant, so vulnerable. She wasn't his usual type, but he found her enchanting all the same. She needed someone to care for her, to save her from the daily nightmares of working at Torchwood. He fell in love with Tosh, simple as that.
"I love you too." She always had.