Okay, the idea for this came to me when I was trying on prom dresses. And I had watched Enchanted the night before. I just fancied writing something fun, rather than dreary coursework. And I will finish Poison soon, I promise!
Anyway, i dont own Torchwood (dammit), this song (bloody hell), or the film that i got the idea from (ARGH! Can'town anything?).
Please R&R!!!!
Ever Ever After
The street was abnormally quiet this morning, Jack decided. A couple walked past him, smiling dopily and holding hands. Jack let himself a small smile, and continued on his way.
He was walking back to the Hub, coffees in his hand.
Much to Ianto's despair, the coffee machine had broken that very morning. He had nearly cried, Jack had grinned. So bought coffee was the next best thing. Well, there was a jar of instant, but, well... It was instant, Jack shuddered.
Jack had originally asked Tosh to go get the coffee, but she claimed to be busy 'working', but Jack knew better. He also knew that Owen had taken to wearing tighter T-shirts. Gwen actually was busy, investigating a disappearance that was reported last night. And Ianto was still pissed off about the machine, so Jack thought it best not to ask him to go. So Jack went. And was rather enjoying it.
A man who stood giving out leaflets tried to get Jack's attention. Jack smiled at him and took the piece of paper that the man was offering. He kept walking, and looked at the leaflet clutched in his hand. It advertised a Masked Ball, being held at the Ritz Dance Hall. Jack smiled fondly. It was safe there now, thankfully. The slip in time closed when Jack and Tosh left.
Oh, thought Jack. This would be perfect for that date I promised Ianto. AND I could play match maker to Tosh and Owen... Oh, I like this plan.
Jack smiled as his plan started to form.
***
Ianto was majorly pissed off. How DARE the coffee machine break?! He was angry at himself for letting her break; although he knew he'd done nothing of the sort.
But Jack was getting coffee, so it was ok; everyone was still getting their fill of coffee for the day.
Ianto was cleaning Jack's desk when his boss came bounding through the Cog door, a smile lighting up his face. Ianto's stomach flipped and a happy grin spread on his face.
Jack's smile spread still further when he saw Ianto, placed the coffee on a desk, and he jogged up to him, throwing his arms around the young man's slender body and kissed him firmly. Ianto gasped into the kiss and responded. Jack chuckled and broke away, resting his fore head on Ianto's.
"I have a surprise for you," Jack breathed in Ianto's ear.
Ianto pulled away slightly, still smiling. "What is it?"
"I have our date sorted."
Ianto's smile grew to an impossible length. "Really? Where are we going?"
Jack drew out of the embrace, and held Ianto's hand at arm's length. "Mister Jones, I am taking you to the Ball."
Ianto's eyes widened, and his heart fluttered. "The Ball?"
"Oh, yes. The Masked Ball at the Ritz Dance Hall."
"Is that safe?"
"Yeah, the split closed."
Ianto smiled again. "Well, then, Mister Harkness, it would be my pleasure."
Thrilled, Jack pulled Ianto into a tight embrace, and kissed him softly. He then broke the kiss before Ianto had the chance to respond.
"And I need your help with something."
***
Tosh glanced over the paper at Owen. He sat at his desk, leaning back idly. She could see the small trail of hair that covered his flat stomach, and that disappeared under the trouser waistband, stopping Lord only knows where. She could feel her cheeks heating up thinking about it.
Suddenly, Gwen came bounding up to her, scaring the life out of her. "Gwen, I thought you were busy?"
Gwen smiled brilliantly. "Nah, false alarm. The kid didn't disappear, just ran away from home. He came back this morning."
Tosh smiled back in understanding. "So, what do you want?"
Gwen just smiled enigmatically and pulled Tosh from out of her seat. "Come on, you. We're going shopping."
"But- But it's the middle of work!" stuttered Tosh.
"And?" Gwen said pointedly.
"But- what about Jack?"
"Jack has given me permission. Actually, he put me up to this."
Tosh didn't stand a chance. So she let herself be dragged out of her seat by Gwen.
***
Ianto placed Owens coffee down next to him.
"Ta, Ianto, mate." Owen took it gratefully, and sipped at it. "Not as good as yours, Ianto."
Ianto grinned at the compliment, then shook his head, trying to remember his mission.
"Owen, do you own a Tux?"
Owen looked puzzled at the question, but shook his head. "Nope. I do have my funeral suit, though. Is that ok? For whatever you're gunna do to me."
Ianto shuddered. "Not really, no. If that's the case, you're coming shopping with me."
Owen spluttered on his coffee. "You what?!"
"Jack told me to."
Ianto grabbed hold of Owens shirt and dragged him through the Cog door.
High above in the Hot House, Jack watched Gwen and Ianto drag their workmates out of the Hub, a smile on his face.
***
"Where are we going now, Gwen?" Tosh giggled. Shopping like this was good for the soul, being dragged around, grabbing a quick coffee to go, and wandering around shops. They had been in countless shops already, and both girls were having a whale of a time, and were a little over excited.
Gwen pulled Tosh into the perfume shop next to them and started looking at bottles. Tosh followed suit, riffling through the colourful bottles, testing smells.
"Gwen?" Tosh voiced the question that had been going through her head for the last two hours.
"Yeah?"
"Why are we doing this? I mean, it's great fun, but... Why?"
Gwen's smile broadened, and she walked slowly up to Tosh, taking both of her hands in her own. "Because you, my lovely, are going to the Ball tonight."
Tosh's stomach flipped and her smile dimmed slightly. "A- a Ball? On my own?"
"Nope," Gwen giggled, giddy with excitement. "Rhys and I are going together, and Jack and Ianto are going as well."
Tosh's smile brightened again, but she felt a little empty. She was going to be the only single person of the group. But she wanted to go. It would be fun, and she needed to get out. "Okay, I'll go. You persuaded me."
Gwen squealed like a school girl and flung her arms around Tosh. "Yay! Now, pick a perfume. You never know who you're going to meet tonight."
Tosh smiled again, and went back to looking at the perfumes. Her attention was brought to a small bottle that was bright blue and pink. Carefully she took it off the shelf and sniffed it. It smelt wonderful, fruity, and slightly musky. She'd found her perfume.
Grinning, she wondered over to Gwen, who was paying for her bottle.
"Found one!" Tosh declared.
"Oh, that's a gorgeous bottle! What's it like?"
Tosh uncorked the bottle, and held it under Gwen's nose to sniff.
"God, that's lovely! Suits you down to a tee, Tosh."
Tosh blushed. "Thanks, Gwen."
***
"Is this necessary?" Owen complained as he was sat down into the barber's chair.
Ianto chuckled. "Yes, it is."
"May I ask, why?"
Ianto looked at him, and rolled his eyes good naturedly. "Because, Mr Harper, tonight you are going to the Ball."
Owen's eyes widened in shock. "No, I'm bloody not! You have got to be kidding me!"
Ianto laughed again. "No, I'm not, Owen. And you have to go; we've paid for your ticket already."
Owen sighed and placed his head in his hands. "When you say 'we'...?"
"Jack and I paid for tickets. We're going, and so are Rhys and Gwen. And so are you."
Owen admitted defeat when a thought crossed his mind. "What about Tosh? Is she going?"
Ianto shrugged. "Dunno. I don't think so; you know what she's like about this kind of stuff."
Owen nodded, and let his head be pulled back into the headrest, telling the barber not to short. He didn't want to go to the Ball bald.
***
Jack smiled as the girls came back into the Hub, giggling loudly.
"Have fun, girls?" He asked as he made his way over to them.
"Oh, Jack, it was great!" Tosh smiled, her grin metres wide.
"And did you both get dresses?"
Both girls nodded in synchronisation and giggled again.
"Can I see? Or is it a secret?" Jack winked.
"We dropped them off at our apartments, sorry," Gwen said, linking her arm through Tosh's.
After shopping for perfume, the girls had gone looking for dresses to wear. Gwen had fallen in love with hers straight away; Tosh, however, took longer to find one that she liked. When she did, she was thrilled. It fitted her like it was made for her. They had dropped them off to their apartments to stop them creasing.
"So I don't get to see them before the ball?" Jack pouted. The girls laughed and shook their heads.
"So, Jack, what are you wearing?" Gwen asked, an eyebrow raised.
Jack smiled, stood up properly, and motioned with a finger for the girls to follow him. They followed after him, and he led them into his office. In the corner hung a large clown suit. Gwen rolled her eyes and Tosh giggled loudly.
"Jack," Gwen said, good humouredly. "Why can't we see it?"
"Gwen," Jack said, trying to imitate her Welsh accent, and failing miserably. "Why won't you let me see your dresses?"
Gwen sighed and flounced out of Jacks office, casting an amused smile over her shoulder as she went. Tosh smiled at Jack, raising an eyebrow.
"You only wanted it for the big shoes."
And with that, she ran away, giggling into her hand.
***
Owen had to admit, he looked good. The tux fitted perfectly, and it made him feel a little James Bond. Which, though he would never admit to it, he liked. Under it, he wore just his vest, as he was only trying the suit on.
"Let's have a look, then!" came Ianto's voice from outside the cubicle.
Owen unlocked the door, and stepped out to face Ianto. Ianto took in the sight, and nodded slowly.
"Very nice, Owen, it fits you perfectly. How much?"
Owen checked the price tag, and winced slightly. "£700. Is it worth it?"
Ianto nodded again. "It will be. Trust me."
Owen nodded; he needed an excuse for a Tux. "What about you? Are you getting a new Tux as well?"
"Nope, I already have mine." Ianto blushed slightly. "Jack bought it for me."
Owen smiled to himself, and went back to the cubical to change back. He had to admit, he was slightly worried about tonight. Not the dancing, but the fact that he was going alone, not part of a couple. But he needed a night out that wasn't an excuse for him to get hammered. So he was going.
Making his way over to the till, Owen thought about Tosh being on her own tonight. He should invite her, it would make her day. But she was busy; she always had something to do. Owen had voiced his concerns to Ianto, but the man quickly put his worries at rest. Jack had invited Tosh, but she had declined, saying she was busy.
He paid for his Tux and walked quickly out of the shop with Ianto beside him, the bag carefully balanced in his arms.
***
Tosh sat at her mirror, carefully applying her make-up. Her eyeliner was heavier than normal, but the rich colour of her dress called for it. Her face was perfected with foundation, and her lips had a soft petal pink lip gloss coating them.
She stood up, brushed down her dress carefully, and her heart fluttered nervously. Taking a deep breath, she picked up her silver clutch, and pulled on her shrug.
Gwen and Rhys will be here any minute, she thought. Having nothing to do, she hovered uselessly in her door way, and bit her lip lightly due to nerves. Tosh's heart nearly gave out when the doorbell rang.
***
Owen tugged on his bowtie as if it was causing him physical pain. Jack and Ianto were waiting in the Living Room, Jack sipping at a small whiskey. Owen had to admit, once again, that he looked good. He had worried (slightly big-headedly) that he would stand out.
But his obnoxious theories were wiped away when the two other men walked through the door of his apartment. Both men looked stunning, and this was Owen speaking, who wouldn't swing the other way unless absolutely necessary. Ianto wore a Tuxedo that was of a similar cut to Owen's, the lapels were made of a satiny material, rather than the plain black of the rest of the suit. Under it, he wore a black shirt and black bowtie, breaking away from the norm. It was incredibly slimming, and Ianto was never chunky; he was defiantly channelling his inner James Bond, thought Owen. Ianto looked good enough to eat.
The same could be said for Jack. Rather than a Tux, he wore a full set of Tails. His hair was in a similar style to how it normally was, maybe slightly neater. His eyes sparkled with obvious glee.
Owen smiled at both men and clapped his hands together. "Well? Shall we head?" He hoped his exaggerated excitement didn't show.
***
"Bit cold, isn't it?" Rhys commented. "You girls ok?"
Tosh and Gwen nodded, smiling with excitement.
"Rhys, when are Jack and Ianto meeting us?" Gwen asked.
Rhys looked briefly at his watch. "Any minute now, inside the entrance."
They arrived at the entrance. A small red carpet had been rolled out, but it did nothing to shift the memories that suddenly came flashing back to Tosh. She winced. Gwen noticed, and linked her arm through Tosh's.
"It'll be fine. Jack said it closed permanently when you came back through."
Tosh nodded, and smiled again; she knew Gwen was right. And she was determined that nothing was going to ruin her evening.
They were ushered into the warm building by a young man dressed all in red, who smiled at them with perfect teeth.
They hovered by the stairs, waiting for the others of their party. Rhys looked at his watch again, and sighed slightly. "Tell you what; I'll get you two drinks. Sherry?" Both women nodded, and Rhys wondered over to the Bar.
Tosh was turning from looking at the entrance to smile at Gwen when another young man in red walked past, carrying bowls of beautiful masks.
"Do you need a mask for tonight?" He said, and Tosh was startled when a deep, rich voice came from the young man's throat.
Gwen nodded. "Yeah, we both do. How much?"
"Fifteen each, Ma'am." He held the bowl out so the women could pick. Every one of them only covered the eyes, with holes for the eyes themselves, not the whole face, which both women considered fortunate. Five minutes later, and both women had their masks secured to their faces with hair combs. Tosh had expected them to be cheap and plastic looking, but they were quite the opposite; ornate and beautifully crafted, and rich in colour.
As Tosh examined her mask, Gwen looked towards the entrance, and became even more excited.
The rest of their party was here.
Ianto saw the women first, and waved, nudging Jack with his elbow. Jack saw them too, and grinned widely. He glanced at Rhys at the bar, and raised an eyebrow in an appreciative manner. Gwen mock glared him until he rolled his eyes. Tosh giggled. Gwen realised that Owen wasn't with them and looked enquiringly at Ianto. He mouthed 'parking'.
Jack and Ianto were beginning to walk over to the two girls, but were intercepted halfway by another young man in red with a bowl of masks. Jack laughed, and carefully picked two. He handed over the money, much to Ianto's protest, and placed the deep red mask he had picked for Ianto onto the younger man's face tenderly. It was gold around the edges, and had a little dusting of glitter, but not much else.
Ianto took Jack's light blue mask and strapped it on to his face carefully. Jacks mask was more detailed, with swirling patterns and darker patches. Both men stood for a second, holding hands, until a man bumped into them, and the moment was gone. But never lost.
Finally they made it to Tosh and Gwen, both of whom looked ravishing. Gwen was in and emerald green dress that was made of a satiny fabric, and it fell to mid calf length. Her mask was also emerald green and very glittery, with sequins everywhere.
Rhys wondered up to them, drinks for the women in his hands, and now in a mask of his own. A bronze colour, it had very little detail aside from the small silver strands that were painted on it from one corner.
"Hello!" Rhys exclaimed to Jack and Ianto. "I didn't see you come in, sorry." He shook hands with Jack and Ianto and placed and arm around Gwen. "So, all together now?"
"Yeah," Jack began. "We just thought this would be a nice treat for everyone..."
But Tosh wasn't hearing a word he was saying. Something else had caught her attention.
Owen walked through the entrance to the Ritz Dance Hall, dressed in a dark, well cut Tux, a bright blue mask on his face. He saw Jack's Tails, laughed slightly, and made his way over.
Only to stop a foot short when he saw someone else.
Tosh stood next to Gwen. She was a vision in a Ball gown, a deep navy blue satin that hugged tightly to her torso, and dropped at the hips, right down to the floor. Her eyes were covered with a silver mask that was dusted with glitter, and trimmed in lace the exact same colour of her dress. Under the mask, he could see her eyes staring right back at him, taking in his apperence.
Owen stood frozen to the spot, but was broken out of his thoughts when Jack threw his arm over Owen's shoulders.
"So, you want a drink?" Jack beamed at him, and dragged him over to the bar without waiting for an answer.
Owen rounded on Jack, his anger only half-hearted, his happiness making his thoughts slightly foggy. "What the hell is Tosh doing here? I thought you said she was busy?!"
Jack's smile only broadened, and he took his drink, pushing Owen's towards him. "Don't tell me you're upset." And with that, he walked back over to Ianto.
No, Owen wasn't upset, he was... elated. Tosh looked stunning, and he knew he looked pretty damn good himself. What a couple, he though, then mentally shook himself. It would never work out, never.
He downed his whisky in one, and walked back over to the group. As he made his way across, he heard the music from the main hall floating around. It was some kind of Jazz he had never heard before. He slowed as he reached Tosh.
An idea came to him. It was risky, he had to admit. But he'd give it a go anyway.
He reached her, and laid his hand on his shoulder. Tosh looked over to see who had placed their hand on her shoulder, and smiled brilliantly when she saw own, turning her back to the group.
"O- Owen," she stuttered, "you look great!"
He shook his head. "No, Tosh. You look... You are...Stunning."
Tosh flushed prettily, and grinned.
"Um," Owen cleared his throat. "I was wondering... If you, y'know... Wanted to dance with me?"
For a second, Tosh looked thrown. Then, slowly, a new kind of smile began to grow across her face. It was gorgeous, showed just how white and perfect her teeth were. It made her cheeks flush, and her eyes sparkle.
"I- I would love to."
Owen's hearth fluttered, but he pushed the feeling down. Be cool, you idiot! He linked his arm through hers, and led her to the dance hall, feeling the amused eyes of their colleagues burning it to the back of his head.
Now determined, Owen reached an empty spot on the floor, and spun Tosh around. He placed his hand on her waist, and swallowed when he felt the supple curve there. He took her hand in his other one, and... Began to dance.
Tosh's eyes widened, and she smiled that wonderful smile again. She was about to ask him where he had got his moves, but, without warning, he twirled her with unexpected vigour. She laughed and he pulled her closer, so that they were chest to chest. Owen watched as Tosh's cheats flushed even more at the intimate contact.
Tosh then smiled at something over Owen's shoulder. Owen twisted round, and smiled as well. Jack and Ianto had appeared next to them, and were dancing slowly. Gwen and Rhys were also nearby, revolving slowly on the spot.
The song suddenly ended, and a newer one came on over the speakers. Both recognised it.
"They chose to play a DISNEY song?" Owen laughed. "Not that I don't like it."
"I love it." Smiled Tosh.
Ever Ever After from 'Enchanted'was flowing out of the stereo. Owen saw Ianto stop and laugh as he had, and Jack smiled pulling him closer so their bodies were flush together. Gwen and Rhys had never stopped, lost in their own little world. Owen looked back to Tosh, and was greeted by a radiant face that had one, small tear trickling down it.
He laughed quietly, and wiped it away. "You're perfect, you know that?"
"I'm not, you idiot." But she blushed none the less, and looked up at him through thick eyelashes. And he had to kiss her.
He slipped his hand around the back of her neck, and pulled her in close. Just for a second, she felt surprise, and his warm breath on his lips. Then, he was kissing her.
It was tender, almost chaste, but Tosh's heart swelled, and Owen, deepened it, to both of their pleasure.
Jack nudged Ianto, and looked pointedly over at Tosh and Owen. Ianto looked, and saw, with immense pleasure, that they were kissing.
"Mission completed," Jack laughed. "Now, we can focus on us, and our date."
Ianto sighed happily, and pressed him face into the side of Jack's neck. "Thank God for that! I was getting worried the whole evening would be wasted."
Jack's eyes glittered with love and mischief. "Ianto Jones, you of all people should know that I never waste an evening."
Ianto laughed. "This is true." And, despite the gasps he knew would inevitably fill the room, pulled Jack into a deep kiss.
Ever Ever After was still playing around the room. And, as all of the Torchwood operatives knew, this was the closest they would ever get to a Happily Ever After.