An Angel in the Hub
A/N: Something that just popped into my head and wouldn't go away. Please bear in mind I wrote this while ill, so it's not that good. You could either deny CoE here, but I like to set it after JelloDVD's amazing version of it. Check it out: it's awesome: Ianto and Steven both live! :D
As he exited the TARDIS, the Doctor took in his surroundings. He'd been to Cardiff in the 21st century before, he remembered it well, and nothing had changed much.
As he turned to his left, he saw Jack Harkness, grinning his famous Harkness grin. The Doctor smiled back and walked towards him.
"So," he began when he was just a few feet away from the immortal. "what was so urgent you had to beg Martha for her old phone number and order me to come here immediately?"
Jack's grin died and the Doctor realised this was something important, Jack hadn't just said that as an excuse to see him.
"Come on." He said before running off. The Doctor ran after him.
A few minutes later, they were in a tourist office. Jack pressed a button behind the counter and ran behind the door that appeared from the wall as soon as it appeared. The Doctor was right behind him.
Once they were in the Hub, the Doctor couldn't help himself from looking around in amazement. Torchwood Three was definitely better at keeping a low profile that Torchwood One had been.
There were only two other people in the Hub, and jack was running over to join them.
Closest to the Doctor was a woman in tight black jeans, a black leather jacket, and matching black hair.
Standing next to her was a young man the Doctor recognised from the Medusa Cascade incident. He couldn't remember his name, but he could remember his face.
Jack pointed to them in turn before pointing at the Doctor. "Gwen Cooper, Ianto Jones, the Doctor." He gestured for the Doctor to come look at the screen. "This is what came through the rift. I think I know what it is, and if I'm right, we need your help."
Gwen looked at the Doctor. "Jack, are you sure that's the Doctor. That's not how I remember him; he had spiky hair, big eyes and he was skinnier."
The Doctor frowned. "Are you saying I'm fat?"
Gwen looked shocked. "No! No, of course not, I'm just saying, the Doctor was a bit skinnier, not much, but just a bit."
The Doctor laughed at her. "Its fine, I was joking. I know I was skinnier before. It's called regeneration. Basically, whenever I'm about to die, or something like that, my face changes so I stay alive."
Gwen looked at Jack for reassurance and visibly relaxed when he nodded at her.
The Doctor stood next to her and looked at the screen. He felt both of his hearts sink when he saw what was on the screen. A Weeping Angel.
He noticed Jack, Gwen and Ianto were all looking at him expectantly.
"Am I right?" Jack asked. "Should we be worried?"
"Oh, you should be more than worried Jack, you should be absolutely terrified."
"Why?" Jack asked, clearly becoming scared. "What is it?"
The Doctor turned to face them. "That," he pointed to the screen. "I'm very sorry to say, is a Weeping Angel. The most dangerous creature in the Universe. And do you know why they're so dangerous?" he didn't give them the chance to answer his question. "Because as soon as you look at them they become stone. And you can't kill stone, can you? But as soon as you turn your back, as soon as you blink they come to life. And they are fast, faster than you can believe. Is this live?" he asked Jack.
Jack nodded.
They all turned to the screen in unison to see that the angel was no longer on the screen.
The Doctor turned back to Jack. "Where is this recording from?"
Ianto answered for him. "You don't need to go to the cell, sir." He pointed behind the Doctor.
The Doctor turned around and Jack and Gwen looked up. The Angel was looming behind the Doctor, mouth open baring it's impossibly sharp teeth, it's claws just millimetres from the Doctor's neck.
"Thank you for noticing that Mr. Jones." The Doctor said without turning his head. "Now, we need to keep our eyes on that without blinking. For if we take our eyes off it for even a second, it will move and, probably, kill us. Understood?"
"Yes." Gwen answered.
"Understood." Ianto said at the same time.
"Uh, I have a question." The Doctor rolled his eyes. Of course Jack would have a question.
He sighed. "Yes, Jack, what is your question?"
"How exactly will this thing kill us?"
"Well, it's actually not that bad. You see, Weeping Angels are the psychopaths in the Universe to kill you nicely. They just zap you into the past and let you live to death. Now, I've got more information on them in a book that's in the TARDIS. Keep looking at it, and I'll be right back." With that, he ran out of the Hub.
The Torchwood team stood staring at the angel, all scared to death. They didn't have to worry about not blinking; they were all too scared to breath.
Gwen managed to find her voice. "Jack, what if he doesn't come back?"
"He will, don't worry." Jack snapped back.
"But you said he abandoned you before." Gwen started to panic. "What if he does it again? I don't want to spend the rest of my life staring at stone hands! I'll never see Rhys again!"
"He'll come back, Gwen. Calm down!" Ianto shouted.
Jack found his hand and squeezed it in thanks.
They stood staring at different parts of the angel; Gwen was staring at its hands; Jack dared looked a little further up, at its neck; and Ianto was looking right into its eyes. None of them blinked.
After a few minutes, the Doctor half-ran, half-fell back into the Hub. "Sorry, sorry." He said immediately. "Looking for a certain book in the TARDIS in a hurry is probably one of the hardest things I've ever done."
"All is forgiven, don't worry Doctor." Jack motioned for the time lord to stop apologising. "Just tell us what to do!"
"Okay!" the Doctor started searching the book an alarming speed. "I've run into the Weeping Angels only once before. But there was something going on there that allowed their existence to be unwritten." He threw the book onto the floor angrily. "This is no help!" He started pacing, then noticed the team's predicament. "Oh! I'm looking at it, don't worry."
Jack, Gwen and Ianto all sighed in relief and looked away blinking rapidly. Jack ran over to where the Doctor had thrown the book. Gwen ran after him and read it over his shoulder. Ianto looked at the angel again, then rubbed his eye.
The Doctor saw him. "You ok?"
"Yeah." Ianto smiled at him. "I just had something in my eye."
Before the Doctor could say anything else Ianto went to look at the book just as Gwen asked, "Why aren't there any pictures? Why not show us what to look for?"
"'That which holds the image of an angel becomes itself an angel.' Basically, a picture or drawing or recording of a Weeping Angel becomes a Weeping Angel."
"Good thing that one came away from the camera then." Ianto remarked. "Or we'd have two on our hands."
The Doctor didn't turn to look at him, he kept his eyes on the angel. "Ianto Jones, you are a genius! Give me a hand." He moved towards the angel and tried to pick it up. "All of you, help me."
Exchanging bemused glances, Jack, Gwen and Ianto all helped the Doctor carry the angel back to its cell.
"Right!" the Doctor boomed as soon as they'd locked it in. "Ianto, go make sure a camera is watching this angel, then call us when you're looking at it."
Ianto ran back up to the main level of the Hub. He was sure he still had something in his eye. As he rubbed it again, he was sure something fell out of it. There was nothing on the floor or his hand though, so he dismissed the thought and ran over to the computer he, Jack and Gwen were using earlier. The angel hadn't moved. He tapped his comm. "Jack, I can see the angel, it hasn't moved."
"Okay Ianto, we're just coming." Jack answered.
As Ianto watched the angel, he felt something in his eye again. He tried to resist it, but found he couldn't. As he was rubbing it again, he heard Jack coming up the stairs.
"What are you doing?" he shouted. "You need to be watching the angel!"
Ianto turned back to the screen to see that the angel had moved towards the camera. "Sorry, Jack, I just–"
"It's okay." The Doctor said. "You had something your eye just now, didn't you?"
"Y-Yes." Ianto stuttered. H-How did you know?"
"You had something in your eye earlier you said. After you stopped looking at the angel."
Ianto shrugged. "So?"
"So, did you look into the angel's eyes?"
Suddenly, Ianto felt like he had done something incredibly stupid. He nodded slowly.
All the colour ran from the Doctor's face. "Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no." he chanted, running over to where the angel book had been abandoned on the floor.
"Why, what's wrong with him?" Jack demanded. Ianto noticed he'd gone uncharacteristically pale too.
The Doctor flicked through the book a bit before finding the right page and reading aloud "'The eyes are not the windows of the soul, they are the doors. Beware what may enter there.' The girl I was travelling with before looked into the eyes of an angel. The angel put another angel into her mind. If we hadn't stopped it when we did, it would have killed her."
Ianto felt the colour running from his face. "How did you stop it."
"Like I said earlier, we managed to stop angel's entire existence. So the one in her head never existed. But I don't think that's going to work in this case. But for now, we can sort of pause it before it comes out here. Ianto, close your eyes."
Ianto suddenly felt an urge to keep his eyes wide open. He shook his head. "I don't want to."
"No, you don't. But yes, you do. That's the angel, it's afraid. It knows what we're doing. You have to do it Ianto. Close. Your. Eyes!"
Reluctantly, Ianto closed his eyes. It felt like a huge weight he wasn't even aware was there had been lifted. He heard the Doctor's voice.
"Right, good boy. Now, keep them closed if you want to live. Got that?"
Ianto gulped nervously, but nodded nonetheless.
"Um, guys, you might want to see this." Gwen said.
Jack and the Doctor ran over to the screen. Ianto didn't move, not knowing where Gwen was.
The angel was still on the screen, but it was right in front of the camera, looking like it could jump out at any moment. Jack jumped back, startled. The Doctor sighed.
"Just so you know," he said, pointing at the screen. "that is not the same angel we put in the cell. It's a new one, and soon it's going to come out of the screen. We just have to wait for it. And don't look in its eyes. Unless you're crazy and want to be in same predicament as Ianto."
"Speaking of Ianto," said Ianto. "he's wondering what he's going to do when the angels are no longer a problem."
"I'm working on it, don't worry." The Doctor answered defensively. "I have a solution in progress. Respect the progress."
"Doctor." Jack boomed at the blabbering time lord. "You don't have any idea what to do about Ianto, do you?"
The Doctor swallowed, before nodding. Ianto didn't need to ask what was going on; he could tell by the silence that Jack was right; the Doctor didn't have any idea what to do.
As if sensing his unease, Ianto felt a hand on his shoulder. He knew it was Jack. Jack stroked gentle circles on his shoulder. Ianto relaxed into the touch a little. He was still scared, though.
Then Gwen screamed.
Jack and the Doctor whipped round to see the angel was now out of the screen and was standing between it and Gwen.
Turning to the stairs that led to the cells, the Doctor saw the other angel standing there.
"Right!" the Doctor clapped his hands together. "Perfect! Gwen, turn off the screen, but keep looking at the angel. Jack, come help me move this one." He pointed to the one in the doorway. He heard Jack gasp when he saw it. He got over it quickly though.
"We can't move it without Ianto, though." He pointed out.
The Doctor already had a solution though. "So lead him over to it and tell him where to put his hands."
"Ok. I'm good at telling Ianto where to put his hands." Jack chuckled. The Doctor rolled his eyes. Both men knew that if he could Ianto would do the same.
Jack guided Ianto over to the angel and the three men took it back down to the cell.
"Right!" the Doctor repeated once they'd put it back. "Jack, you stay here and don't stop looking at the angel; it's more important than ever now that you don't take your eyes off of it. But don't look in its eyes!" Jack nodded. The Doctor took Ianto's hand. "Ianto, you're coming with me."
When they got back to the main level of the Hub, Gwen had tears in her eyes she'd been staring at the angel for so long.
"Gwen, you may blink, I'm looking at the angel!" The Doctor shouted. He put Ianto's hands where they would need to be so he could lift this angel as well. "Now, Gwen, help us carry this one!"
It was harder to carry the second angel, but eventually they got it into the cell. They positioned it so it was facing the other. Jack got it instantly.
"Doctor, you're a genius!"
"What? What did he do?" Gwen asked. 'At least you can see what he's done' Ianto thought.
Jack grinned at her. "They're stuck looking at each other! They're never gonna move again!"
"That's it, Jack!" the Doctor grinned back.
Then Jack's grinned died. "What about Ianto?"
The Doctor's grinned died too. "Let's get him back upstairs, then we'll talk about it."
Jack guided Ianto back upstairs and sat down on the sofa next to him. "Okay, we're all upstairs, what now?"
"I repeat, I'm thinking." Replied the now pacing Doctor. Gwen sat on the other side of Ianto and held his hand reassuringly. Jack rubbed his knee.
"But if the angels are trapped, can't I open my eyes?" Ianto asked.
"I wish I could say yes, Ianto." The Doctor sighed. "But if you open your eyes, you will die. I've no idea how long you would need to keep your eyes open before you did, but it would happen, I guarantee that. I'm sorry."
Ianto shook his head. "It's not your fault."
"Yes it is, I should have said not to look into its eyes beforehand."
"Shut up both of you!" Gwen shouted. "If you want, you're both to blame! Now can someone think of a plan to allow Ianto to open his eyes again!"
The Doctor pointed at her. "You're right Gwen, thank you."
Jack sighed. "If only there was a way to take the angel out of Ianto and put it into me. Then we could let it out, and make a sort of triangle with the three angels, and I'd just wake up again a few minutes later."
The Doctor looked up at him sharply. "That, Jack Harkness, is a brilliant plan. And I think there might be a way."
Jack's eyes lit up. "How?"
"Well, as cliché as it sounds, a kiss should do it. Would you two be uncomfortable with that?"
There was a slight pause, then Jack, Ianto and Gwen all broke out into laughter.
When they eventually calmed down, the Doctor asked. "So I'm guessing that's a no?"
"That's a no indeed, Doctor." Jack answered standing up. Ianto somehow knew he'd stood up and stood next to him. Jack took the Welshman in his arms and smacked their lips together. For a moment, to both Gwen and the Doctor's surprise, both men seemed to turn grey for a second. It passed quickly though.
"Okay boys!" the Doctor clapped his hands together. "I think that's enough. You're going to suffocate in a second anyway. Ianto, keep your eyes shut, though."
Jack and Ianto stayed together for a few more seconds, but broke apart nonetheless. Ianto sat back down on the sofa, but kept his eyes firmly shut. The Doctor ran over to Jack and shone his sonic screwdriver in his eye. "It worked!" he shouted happily. "There's an angel in your eye. Wow, I never thought I'd be happy to say that. Ianto, let me look at your eye." After inspecting Ianto's eye, he boomed, "And there isn't one in your eye! You can keep your eyes open!" he turned back to Jack. "You need to go and stand outside the cell with the angels. As soon as the one in your eye is no longer in your eye, call us. Because you're you, there's a very good chance you won't die. All four of us will then need to position the angels in a triangle with facing each other. Got it? Good. Go!" With that, Jack ran down to the cells.
Once he as gone, the Doctor turned to Ianto. "So, you and Jack are an item, are you?"
Ianto shifted in his seat. "No. Not really."
"Then what are you?"
Ianto shrugged, still not looking at the Doctor. "I don't know. Nothing. I'm just his part-time shag, like Owen used to say."
Gwen looked at him like they'd had this argument a thousand times before. "Ianto, you know that's not true. You mean so much more than that to Jack."
"Then what am I?" Ianto asked.
Before Gwen could make an attempt to answer, Jack shouted at them from the cells. "Guys! The angels out!" his voice sounded weak, like he was about to pass out at any moment.
In an instant, the Doctor, Ianto and Gwen were all running towards him.
They found him leaning against the wall to stay upright, staring at an angel that had appeared in front of him. Luckily, it wasn't covering its eyes; that would have been a problem.
The Doctor clapped his hands together again. "Right, keep your eyes on one at all times. Let's get to it."
It had taken about half an hour, but they managed to get all three angels staring at another in a triangle. The Doctor had permanently turned off the camera in the cell, and made sure the one in the hallway would never be able to capture the angels.
"Okay." He said once they'd gotten back up the stairs. "I'm afraid I must be off."
Jack pouted. "Aw, really?"
The Doctor grinned at him. "Yeah, sorry." He started to leave, then turned back around. "But I'd like to talk to you in private first, Jack. Come on."
Jack's face lit up and he ran after the Doctor.
Once they were on the Plass, the Doctor finally spoke. "So, it seems you and Ianto are an item then?"
Jack looked at his feet. "I don't know, it's complicated."
"I asked him while you were in the cells. He seems to think he is nothing more than your 'part-time shag'. Is that true?"
Jack looked at him sharply. "He thinks that? 'Cos he's not, Doctor."
"You care about him, don't you? In fact, you more than care about him. You just can't tell him."
Jack sighed. "Spot on as usual, Doc. I just know that if I tell him it'll hurt more when I lose him."
They reached the TARDIS. The Doctor faced Jack. "Don't worry about the future. Live for right now. I don't do that, and I always regret it. Don't make my mistakes, Jack. Go back down there and tell him. For me."
Jack swallowed nervously, then nodded. "I will Doc."
The Doctor smiled. "Thank you, Jack." He turned away from Jack and stepped into the TARDIS. Jack took a few steps back and watched with a fond smile as it dematerialised.
Once it was gone he stepped onto the paving slab it had occupied a few seconds ago and went down into the Hub.
He saw Gwen and Ianto looking up at him. He smiled at both of them.
When he stepped off he walked straight over to Ianto and took the younger man's hands. "Do you really think you're nothing but a part-time shag to me Ianto?" Ianto looked shocked at the question, but shrugged anyway. "Well, you're not, Ianto. You mean so much more to me than that. I," he closed his eyes. "I love you, Ianto Jones. And I want you to know that." He opened his eyes, scared to see Ianto's.
The Welshman's eyes were beginning to tear up. "Really?" he asked. Jack nodded numbly. Ianto smiled. "I love you too, Jack."
Jack grinned, and kissed Ianto with more passion than he'd ever kissed him in either of their lives. Gwen walked off, giving the two men some much needed privacy.
A/N: Wow, that went in a totally different direction than I intended. I hope it was enjoyed anyway. Please review to let me know! You know you want to! *points at review button pleadingly*