Just Like A Weed
Disclaimer: No owning here. Just playing in the sandbox.
Summary: Trouble always has a way of follow Jack and Ianto around . . . just like a weed. Seems like Annabelle inherited that gene as well. Ianto/Jack. Thirty-seventh in the "Immortal Janto" series.
We all know that adventure is always just around the corner, when the boys get involved. It's time to see, for certain, if Annabelle is following in their footsteps.
In this story, Annabelle is sixteen.
Anways, here we go – the latest installment in the "Immortal Janto" series.
Jack's Vortex Manipulator came in handy when alien ships appeared in Earth's orbit, clearly hell-bent on an attack. The advanced scouts had already arrived on planet and had set up camp. The first thing he had done was call Ianto.
U.N.I.T. had detected the aliens and had pretty much freaked out. The Doctor and Donna arrived within minutes, the TARDIS whirring happily. The pair had been off on a second honeymoon of sorts, visiting Geoff as he studied at a university a few centuries in the future. They had been Jack's second call.
The alien scouts had decided that the high school would be the perfect place to take over. Given that school was in session, both Jack and Ianto near had a heart attack, worrying about Annabelle.
Once they had arrived at the school, which U.N.I.T. had surrounded, the two immortals immediately fell in with the Doctor and Donna, talking quickly. Ianto looked like he was going to start pacing and swearing in Welsh at any moment. Jack wasn't any better, his eyes flicking towards the school every ten seconds.
"What do we know about these aliens?" Jack asked, as a U.N.I.T. officer came bounding over to them.
The man, a major by the name of Stevenson, looked between the four. "We managed to hack into the school cameras and get a feed on the alien life-forms before they realized that we were there." He handed over a print-out to the Doctor.
Jack bent over the Time Lord's shoulder, looking at the image.
"That's a Skeran," the Doctor said, after a moment. "They're not supposed to be in this corner of the galaxy. At least, not yet."
"Skerans . . . nasty buggers," Jack added, flicking his eyes over to Ianto and Donna. "Have a habit of mooching off of pretty much every planet that they land on. I wouldn't be surprised if they ransack the school and demand more supplies in trade for the kids. It's a good thing that Skerans only send out advance scouts in sets of three."
"And they have horrible breath, if I remember correctly."
The American looked at Ianto and raised an eyebrow. "You've met Skerans, Yan?"
"Oh yeah, a while ago. Donna and I had the bad luck of running into a pair while we were at the market." He shuddered at the memory and Donna blanched.
Major Stevenson clearly wasn't too pleased with the banter and the supposed calm. "Please, if we could focus, we have a bunch of aliens holding a school full of children and staff hostage."
The four traded looks.
Ianto pulled out his cell phone as it went off. He flipped it open, reading the text message there. After a moment, he handed the phone over to Jack, who read it, with the Doctor and Donna looking over his shoulder. Donna shook her head and, whispering something to the Doctor, walked back into the TARDIS.
"We should probably move everyone away from the school," Jack said.
"Why?" The Major was so confused.
The Doctor winced and then laughed. "Let's just say, don't mess with Donna and her favorite niece." Ianto and Jack looked at each other. The Major wasn't really getting it. The Doctor bounced on the balls of his feet, impatient. "Well, what are you waiting for? Get a move on! Or do I have to pull rank?"
It took only a half a second for that to sink and Major Stevenson turned to his men, calling out commands. As the U.N.I.T. people pulled away from the building, taking the local officers with them, Donna emerged from the TARDIS, a device in her hand. She strode towards the building, Jack, Ianto, and the Doctor flanking her. Jack and Ianto had their guns drawn and the Doctor had his sonic screwdriver in his hand.
Exactly one minute later, three Skerans emerged from the building, hands raised in the universal sign of surrender. Following them, her head held high, Annabelle had a hot glue gun in her hands, a hot glue gun that was attached, via an extension chord, to a makeshift portable generation that was duct taped to her leg.
"These who you're looking for?" she asked, in a manner made her seem like a clone of Jack.
"Yes . . ."
Major Stevenson seemed floored by her casual addressing of him.
Annabelle grinned and prodded the Skeran closest to her with her hot glue gun. The gangly alien winced and cried out in pain at the slightest touch. She managed to force the trio forward until they were in front of Donna.
The red-head scanned her device over the three. She smiled a bit.
"That should take care of your breath," Donna commented lightly. "Honestly, have you never heard of good dental care?"
One growled at her. "We do not answer to you, woman."
Simultaneous reflexive grimaces came from Jack and Ianto. He should not have said that.
"Oi, that's my wife!" the Doctor said, his eyes narrowing.
Donna gave them a steady look. "I'd be kinder to the woman who's holding the device that has a direct link to your ships." The one who had made the comment widened his eyes in fear. "Now, see, if I press this button, I can contact them." She demonstrated. The device crackled and she spoke into it. "Hello, stinkies of the Skeran Alliance. This is Earth calling."
Moments later, a response came. "Who are you and why do you address the great Skeran Alliance so rudely? You shall be destroyed!"
Jack lowered his gun, not suppressing his laughter. Ianto was grinning all too widely.
"Oh, I should think not." Donna was baiting them now.
"And why is that?"
Donna grinned at Annabelle, who came alongside her aunt.
"Because," Donna said, with a very straight face, "this is Donna Noble and I'm standing next to the young woman who's got the hot glue gun on your goons down here."
There was a process. "The Donna Noble?"
Jack raised an eyebrow. Apparently, Donna was famous among the Skerans and they had just cause to be afraid of her.
"Oh yes." Donna winked at Ianto. "And my friend here is Annabelle Harkness-Jones, daughter of Ianto Jones."
The trio glanced between Donna, Annabelle, and Ianto. Jack looked at Ianto and raised an eyebrow in question. The Welshman gave him a half a smile. This was definitely going to be a story for later.
A humming filled the air and the three Skerans disappeared in a flash of light. The device in Donna's hand beeped.
"They leaving?" Annabelle asked.
"Turned tail and hit the road, like the babies they are," Donna confirmed.
Then, and only then, did Jack holster his gun, Ianto following suit. Annabelle relaxed as her fathers pulled her into a joint embrace. She was shaking some, but she steadied after a few minutes.
"You did good today," Ianto whispered into her ear.
Jack kissed the top of her head. "Made us proud, baby girl."
She looked between the two of them. "Is this what it's always like for the two of you?" Two eyebrows raised in question and Annabelle gave an eye-roll that was worthy of Ianto. "Dealing with all of this alien trouble on a regular basis?"
Ianto drew a deep breath. "Well, trouble does have a way of following us around," he mused.
"Pops up when we least it expect it, though." Jack ran a hand through his hair, grinning a bit. "Kind of like a weed."
"Brilliant." She huffed a bit. "It's a good thing that I was working in the auditorium when the trio of the halitosis showed up. I was working on building the set for the new play with some friends and we have all sorts of stuff that we're working with."
"Speaking of which," the Doctor said, giving her an interested look, "how'd you know that Skerans don't like heat too much."
"I improvised."
"Atta girl," Jack said, a broad grin on his face.
Annabelle pulled her improvised weapon off and pushed it into the Doctor's hands. "Have fun," she told the Time Lord, before looking at Jack and Ianto. "Am I allowed to skip class for the rest of the day?"
Jack and Ianto shared a look. Ianto shrugged.
"I don't see why not," he said. "You wouldn't get much done for the rest of today anyway."
"Cool."
The girl smiled at them and, as they wrapped arms around her, they began walking away. Major Stevenson made a move as if to detain them, but the dual look from Jack and Ianto made him stop.
"We'll send you the paperwork later," Ianto called.
Stevenson shook his head.
"So," Jack asked, "how's Nick?"
Annabelle groaned. "I don't think he'll stick around much longer, to be perfectly honest."
"What? Why?" Ianto asked, surprised. "What happened? What did he do?"
"Do we have to break any bones?" Jack followed up, looking down at Annabelle.
She shook her head, not breaking her stride. "Hey, hey! As much as I appreciate your concern," she said, her tone casual, "it won't be needed. Let's just say, some guys don't seem to appreciate the fact that I clearly take after my fathers."
"Oh, I sense a story coming," Ianto said, as they ducked under the police tape, heading to the car.
"He came running into the auditorium after those aliens – Skarens, right? – teleported in. I did what anyone used to being around the weird and got myself armed with whatever I could, which is when I got a text from the TARDIS, saying that you guys were here. Well, you know the rest. I don't think that Nick could keep up. He kind of had a terrified face on when I walked out with the glue gun and started blabbing about how it wasn't safe and that we shouldn't go out there. Told him that I had to do what I had to do. I don't think he got it."
Jack and Ianto both started laughing. "Pity," Jack said, "he seemed so nice."
"Nice, yes," Annabelle agreed, "but a bit too normal."
"And we don't do normal, apparently."
"Clearly." Ianto thought for a moment, before turning to Jack and saying, "You know what this means right?"
"What?"
"We're going to have to get Annabelle a coat now."
Jack started laughing and nodded his head in agreement. "Well, she does take after us, Yan."
The eye-roll Jack earned was classic. "Attracting trouble is all you, Jack."
"And the fixing the problem? That's you, Ianto."
The over-dramatic gag drew their attention to Annabelle. "Could you save the romance until I'm not around? Please? I'd like to keep my eyeballs intact today?"
"When do you get so snarky?"
"When I turned sixteen."
So, that's that. Yeah, I decided to get rid of Nick. Sad, but hey, there was no need for Jack and Ianto to go all scary fathers on a boyfriend (yet).
Regardless, let me know what you think! I love reviews. They make me happy.
As always, I will work to have a new story up as soon as I can.