Title: It Could Be Worse (Chapter 1/?)
Chapter Title: He could be dead
Pairing/Characters:
Owen/Tosh (Rest of
gang)
Ratings/Warnings:
PG-13 (currently)
Spoilers:
Series 2 (more so Reset onwards)
Word
Count: 1856
Author
Notes: My take on
what may have happened have Owen NOT died
Summary:
Owen Harper, Torchwood worker 565. Died aged 27. Or did
he?
Disclaimer:
I do not own
Torchwood, Owen, Toshiko, or any of the characters. I am not
pretending as such. I am not making money or anything out of this.
They'd waltzed their way – the way they always do – out of the building back towards the big black SUV. Jack opened the door with a smile for Martha, helping her into the seat. She was still a little shaky after the whole ordeal, but overall had come out on top. Tosh was ready to jump in after her and Gwen was making her own way around to the other side of the vehicle. Owen was ready to get into the driver's seat as the voice of the infamous doctor sounded behind him.
"Did you really think I was going to let you just walk away?" Owen shut the door again, turning his arms out in front of him, shielding Tosh who was now behind him. "You've ruined everything I've worked for."
"Now, let's not be stupid," Owen spoke with a confidence that he wasn't quite sure he had. Casting his gaze quickly over his shoulder, he positioned himself fully in front of the Japanese woman behind him, "We're both rational men. Scientists." Now his gaze was firmly on the gun that was pointing at his chest. Never a good sign he had to admit. "I know you don't wanna shoot that."
Too late. Doctor Copley had already pressed the trigger. The shot echoed through the air around them, and with a cry of immense pain, Doctor Owen Harper, fell, with little grace, to the floor.
Before any of the team could act, Jack emptied a single bullet into the head of the now deceased Doctor Copley. They were now all at Owen's side, Martha back out of the SUV ignoring any of the pain she was in. She was back in doctor mode.
"Owen talk to me!" she demanded, ripping the shirt from his chest and using the sleeve of the garment to stop the bleeding. "Listen to me! You're going to be all right, okay?"
"Yeah, bloody brilliant!" he seethed through gritted teeth. The pain in itself was bearable. He'd been shot in the shoulder before - the year previous by their own precious Ianto Jones.
"It could be worse," Martha continued, opening the medi-pack that had just been placed at her side. She made quick work of removing the bullet before asking a violently shaking Tosh if she could hold on the now blood-soaked shirt sleeve. Tosh curtly nodded, leaning over his body slightly to reach as Martha went to work on a dressing to put in place before strapping him into the SUV.
"What you shaking for?" he asked breezily as a shot man could, smirking up at Tosh before wincing in pain as Martha injected one final drug (an antibiotic of sorts) into the wounded area.
x x x
Owen was sat up in his own autopsy area being sewn up by the current resident doctor. It wasn't that he didn't like Martha – he did. But if she even attempted to take his job because he was far too prone to being shot to be much use – then he would complain. A lot.
He'd joked and flirted – just like he had told Tosh he would still do. But then when he really thought about it, he didn't want to do that to Tosh. He had treated her like crap for the past three or more years. Now was not the time to continue with that.
"What happened to that pool tournament you were organising?" he had even opened the topic. He wasn't completely stupid, of course not. He had had women ask him out before. After all, he wasn't a complete social, reject.
"That? It was never a tournament." Which only really backed up his theory.
"So what was all that about then?" like he didn't know. He really did play her like a fool. He was a complete and utter bastard. Why did she even want to be with him?
"It was supposed to be a date," she had sounded exasperated. She didn't want to admit to it, but now what choice did she have? None by the sounds of it.
"Sorry?" so it wasn't like he hadn't realised that she was asking him out, it was more the fact that she had just found the confidence to tell him as much. Toshiko Sato after all, had never been a very confident person.
"I was asking you out on a date," her voice even went an octave higher when she said the word. It really was quite the adorable moment. One he would never see again if he kept acting like the twat he had after that.
"A date?" he played her still. Why did he always have to do that?
"You didn't realise?" Of course he had.
"You and me?" It wasn't like he hadn't contemplated it before. But if he had tried anything Jack would probably have had his guts for garters. Gwen was emotionally stronger than Tosh. So Jack thought. Goes to show how much the boss really knows.
"Yeah."
"I see, and you still want that?" If she had said 'No' then he didn't really know what he would have done. Rejected by a geek. Not exactly his reputation.
"Yeah."
"Right," It was the most confusing thing in the world. But then Tosh was the most confusing woman in the world. No matter what he did to her, she stuck by him. He'd never met anybody like that before her.
"I just thought; if we spent some time together. An evening-"
"Alright." He agreed. It wasn't the usual 'he felt obligated to agree so did' he actually mentally and physically wanted to. He enjoyed Tosh's company and they had always gone out with drinks - life before Gwen - so why not try it, this time for real?
"Sorry?" She actually had sounded astounded that he had said yes. Was he really that bad a person that she couldn't believe that he was capable of doing a nice thing?
"Let's do it."
"Are you being sarcastic?"
"No," it had been Owen's turn to trip on his words then. It nearly didn't come out. But he honestly wasn't being sarcastic. He wanted this. He realised that now.
"You're being polite. You'll stand me up." Was that really what she thought of him? He questioned himself and his own personal actions then. Maybe it was how he had been perceived by the gang. That was something he wanted to change.
"I just said yes alright." He didn't want her to doubt him, not after all this time, dancing around each other. "One date. See how it goes. Which might be nowhere."
"Okay, a drink!"
"Okay! And I'm gonna keep flirting. Just because of this," what did he mean by that exactly? Them as in us as in couple them. Or because of the date? "Doesn't mean I'm going to stop flirting."
"You can be King of Flirts."
"Okay." And that was it. Matter settled. Back to work they went. He stared over the autopsy room and smiled to himself slightly. Forgetting that Martha was there stitching up his latest GSW.
"Owen?" Martha question prodding him gently on the side of his arm so not to cause him any further pain. "You all right?"
"Me? Yeah I'm fine. Better than fine. I'm amazing!"
"That you are." It was a small voice coming from the archway that joined the main Hub area with Owen's 'hideout'. He looked up to the source of it and smiled. He couldn't help himself. Martha just seemed to disappear. Not that Owen was being rude and ignoring her – well he was, but that wasn't the reason - she hot-tailed it out of there. She could see that there were some matters that needed settling and left Owen to it.
X x x
Tosh had seen Aliens take over London; hell she had done the autopsy on the supposedly dead Pig. The Alien Pig, that wasn't an alien and was in fact just a pig. That's what the enigmatic man had told her. The Doctor he had said his name was. Doctor Who?
So Doctor Sato came into play. She picked up the needle and finished up what remained of the stitches.
"If you wanted to play doctors and nurses, Tosh, you could have just said," he joked as she pushed the needle hard into his tender skin, "Owh!"
"Did that hurt?"
"Yes!"
"Good," she pulled the thread through gently and began to tie off. "It's been a while since I've done that. You already had my status as medical doctor when I arrived. So I took up residence as Mathematic Geek."
"More like computer genius. And besides, you didn't do that bad a job for somebody who's a little rusty." She raised her eyebrows at his remark and jabbed at his flesh wound.
"I'll show you whose bloody rusty!" she laughed lightly as she took the white gauze to his shoulder, "Hold please," he did as he was told and she began to microspore tape it to his skin.
"I came equipped readily with a white coat. That's why I get to play doctor."
"I have a white coat!" she argued as she stuck the final piece of tape down firmly.
"You've never bloody worn it," he argued back – just like old times.
"You already had one, so I didn't see the point in getting mine out only to put it away again. It's deep in the midst of my locker."
"Well then I suggest you go and get it if you intend on continuing this charade."
"Who said I intended on continuing it?" They hadn't even had this date of there's yet and things were already appearing to be playing out for the better. He raised his eyebrows and smiled coyly up at her.
X x x
Owen had swung his legs over the edge of the table by the time Jack appeared. He hadn't noticed the older mans presence until he heard the familiar American drawl.
"I thought I'd better wait until I saw Toshiko leave before I came down," Owen glanced over his shoulder at his boss and continued to fiddle with the buttons on his shirt, doing them up on by one.
"And why's that?" he asked snarkily.
"We're Torchwood, not deaf Owen. Seriously, next time the pair of you arrange to go on a date, don't do it so publicly if you don't want us to know." Owen rolled his eyes as he stood up off of the gurney and levelled up to the military man.
"It's none of your business what we get up to outside of work Jack."
"No, but it is my business if it starts effecting your work." The Captain stated in reply, "You hurt her Owen and there will be hell to pay. Understood?" the warning tone in Jack's voice was not one to be messed with.
"Yes Boss," he saluted with a slight mock before ascending the steps out of the big white room, "Anything else before I go and 'ruin' Tosh's life?"
"No, that's everything. But if you go into this with the intention of ruining her life – I suggest you stop right there."