Well, I'm happy because when I switched my laptop on I had five emails, all to do with this story. So a big thank you to everyone who's reviewed/alerted/favourited. It's always nice to know people like what I write.
Disclaimer: if I owned Torchwood this would be on your TVs right now, and we'd be getting a proper third series instead of a mini one.
Cell Conversation
The first thing Jess noticed when she opened her eyes was that she was indoors. The second thing she noticed was that she recognised the ceiling above her. The Torchwood cells. Then the events with the Time Agent caught up with her and she groaned. They'd been in the alleyway, and when she'd turned around there was a gun in her face, held by a woman who looked like the Time Agent they'd seen on CCTV. Then the woman's hand had moved up, and there was a sort of sizzling sound.
"Bloody stun-gunning bitch."
"That's not nice language for a polite young woman to use."
Jess sat up, and realised that in the cell with her were Jack, John and Ianto. Jack and Ianto were still unconscious. She looked round again and realised what was missing.
"Where's Gwen?"
"I don't know. She wasn't here when I woke up."
"You got stun gunned too?"
"No. she hit me with the gun."
Ianto stirred slightly on the floor, made a quiet 'mmff' noise and then sat bolt upright.
"What happened?"
Jess smiled as reassuringly as possible. "You got knocked out. I'm guessing the Time Agents didn't take kindly to being hunted."
"Where's Gwen?"
"We don't know. I hope she had the brains to hide."
There was a sort of sighing sound from Jack and he opened his eyes. He blinked a few times, and then said, "Crap."
"That would be one way of putting it, yes," said John, who was being as helpful as ever.
"Oh, no," Jess groaned, having just realised what was happening. "I'm stuck in a cell with him, again. What did I do wrong that I should be punished like this?"
Jack sniggered, ignoring the filthy look John sent him. Jess had a sudden brainwave.
"OK, quick rule. Anyone mentions Scooby Doo and they die. And anyone mentions what happened last time we were in a cell together and they die."
"Is my name 'anyone' now?"
"Shut up, John. You know what I mean."
"Oh, you bet I do."
This made Jack curious. Ianto was staying out of it, which was probably a good idea.
"What happened?"
"I'm not telling, Jack. And John won't either."
"Oh, won't I?"
"Not if you want to be able to walk tomorrow."
There was laughing outside the cell. All four of them turned to stare at the two Time Agents watching them, clearly finding the situation amusing. The woman, who seemed to be in charge, looked at the group and said, "Oh, please, carry on, it's better than what's on TV."
The Torchwood team looked at each other and unanimously shut up. The Time Agent shrugged, and stated to turn away, then seemed to think better of it.
"Seems a shame to miss such a good opportunity to catch up. What names are you using currently?"
"Captain Jack Harkness."
"Captain John Hart."
"Gosh, captains. You pick good people to take names from."
"What about you?" asked John, who had been lying slightly when he said he didn't know the Time Agents. "What name did you have last time we met? Something unusual, something different… Rainbows! That was it!"
Jess made a small noise that was halfway between a cough and a squeak. Then she regained control of herself, but stored the information away, just in case.
"I lost the name. I'm Lukie now."
"And I'm James," added the man, who'd been staying quiet until this point. Then Lukie seemed to remember something.
"Oh, yes, and your fifth teammate is locked in the office. She was causing trouble. Well, toodles. We'll be back later but you're out of food."
They watched the pair of sociopaths leave. Jess was the first person to break the silence.
"She's right. We are out of food."
Everyone else looked at her like she mad.
"Everything she said, and that's what you pick to comment on?" Jack frowned, trying to find some logic.
"What can I say? My brain follows strange paths of logic."
"You can say that again – but please don't." John had realised just in time how easy it would be for Jess to irritate using that statement.
"I'm bored," she said instead, and Jack and John both groaned. "What?"
"If you say you're bored it highlights the problem. Before I was doing OK, but now I'm bored too. Idiot."
"Don't you idiot me, John Hart. I have ways of driving you crazy you'd never even think of."
Jack burst out laughing. Jess glared at him, and he tried to get himself back under control. Ianto watched his cellmates as they fought. This was going to be a long wait.
……………
In an eight-foot-square cell privacy is hard to find. Fortunately, it was nearly night time – they could tell because the lights were starting to dim – and so to talk to someone you could just wait until everyone else fell asleep. It had been a long day, and even Jack was tired. After he and Ianto had gone to sleep curled up together on the floor John grabbed Jess.
"Why don't you want them to know what happened when we were kidnapped?"
"Why should they know?"
"No, I'm asking the questions, you are answering them."
It was times like these that reminded Jess not to push John too far. There was still a part of him that was the psychopathic Time Agent.
"Because it didn't mean anything."
"Darling, I hate to break it to you but no one kisses like that unless it means a little tiny bit."
"That's the thing. It meant – maybe meant – a tiny, tiny bit, but no more than that. I don't want them getting the wrong impression about me. I'm not that kind of girl."
"Oh, but I think you are."
"What the hell do you know? You don't even know me! Not really. Not enough to tell me what kind of girl I am. So why don't you just shut up, and leave me alone."
Clearly there was some history here Torchwood had missed. Jess stretched out on the floor, trying to sleep, but it didn't work. She could feel John watching her. He would be wondering why she'd overreacted. She knew it would come up eventually, but she didn't want it to. She never wanted to go back to that event. Never, ever, ever. But the staring was driving her mad.
"What!?" she finally snapped, opening her eyes again. He was watching her with a strange expression, somewhere between curiosity, worry, and something else.
"Sorry. I've obviously offended you."
"You actually apologised? Oh, when we get out of here I'm so keeping the security tape."
"You just can't be serious, can you?"
"Nope, never. But for what it's worth you shouldn't apologise, you didn't do anything."
Jack shifted on the floor, opened one eye, and said, "Are you two going to sleep at all, because if you're not it would be nice if you were a little quieter."
Jess smiled and stretched out again. John nudged her with his foot.
"Scoot over. There's no room."
"Then sleep sitting up."
He sighed, and shoved her sideways, squeezing into the space. As he shifted to get comfy Jess gave an exasperated sigh. "Do you have to wriggle so much?"
"I wouldn't if you would just budge like I asked you to."
Jess couldn't think of a reply, so she just made a rude hand gesture. He laughed, and she rolled over so she was facing away from him. She still couldn't sleep, and she heard the breathing of the others settle as they slept. She thought back to what John had said. He was right. The time they'd kissed, in the cell of a kidnapper, had meant something. But not anything big. It was nothing to do with him. It was just that she needed human closeness, and he had provided it. And she would be lying if she said she didn't want it again. But she wouldn't act on it. She wasn't the kind of girl to kiss people she didn't like.
Because she couldn't sleep, she was still awake when footsteps approached the cells. She sat up, trying to see who it was. Someone stepped closer to the glass.
Cliffhanger! Review and I will update quickly. And maybe, possibly, there is a tiny change I'll tell you who it is.
