Title: Tales Untold
Rating: PG
Spoilers (in this chapter): None
Characters (in this chapter): Gwen, Jack, Ianto
Archived: ffnet
Disclaimer: Torchwood, Doctor Who, and all related characters, scenes, plotlines, etc. don't belong to me but the rest of this story does. Don't steal.
Warnings: AU
Summary: Jack tries to give Gwen a normal life (wipe), Ianto is being chased by an alien (away)
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Prompt 21 - Wipe – WC 321 – 9/27/08
Gwen is immune to retcon.
None of the team thought twice when she saw through the first dose, given when she was still a police constable. Never mind the fact that less than one percent of the population can recover any of their retconned memories yet she managed to recover all of them. Even Owen's medical opinion was that the shock and trauma of the experience coupled with numerous triggers (Suzie, the knife, Jack, the police investigation, etc.) was what allowed her to remember.
The second time she was retconned, it was by Jack when he tried to give her a normal life. All of them knew what had happened and went to work feeling sober and trapped in their jobs, sorry that they'd never see Gwen again but hoping she'd have a better life. None of them would say it but they were also jealous that she could walk away from Torchwood; she had a life to go back to, one that didn't hinge on fighting aliens. The atmosphere remained dour up until about noon when Gwen came stomping into the Hub and marched up to Jack's office, past the startled gazes of Owen, Tosh and Ianto. They could hear her yelling all the way from the ground floor.
Jack somehow managed to convince her to go down to the medical bay; no one was sure how since he didn't seem able to get a word in past her shouting. Owen tested her and found that she had taken the retcon and it had taken effect but it had worn off even faster than the other dose. And this time there weren't any triggers.
It had taken a while to calm Gwen down but eventually she accepted Jack's explanation and took her place back in Torchwood's midst.
Emotions ran opposite from earlier in the day: gratefulness that she was with them and sadness that she would never have a normal life.
Prompt 22 - Away – WC 128 – 9/27/08
Ianto fled the scene, heart slamming in his chest as he pushed his legs to stretch further and his pace faster. The mng'wa was chasing him; even though he couldn't hear anything, he knew it was there. His ear comm. squawked at him but he didn't take time out to answer. If he wasn't fast, he'd be dead.
Ianto! What's happening? Where are you?
Gwen sounded frantic.
Ianto, can you hear me? Jack paused to give Ianto time to answer but the teaboy was panting too hard to respond. Tosh, trace his locator.
He's about forty meters from your position and moving fast southeast.
We're on our way.
All Ianto could manage was a slight smile of relief but internally he felt renewed.
Help was on the way.
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Commentary: Prompt 21
AU. This never happened in the series, as far as I know. When I wrote it, I was under the impression that retcon was a good deal more effective then it seemed to be in S2. Now, I'm not so sure.
Commentary: Prompt 22
Since Countrycide, I always feel a little sorry for Ianto when he's out in the field. I just keep remembering his expression when he opens the fridge and finds all of those body parts.
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Author's Notes:
Tiny formatting oddity last chapter; I forgot to transfer from the format I write in to the format I usually post in. Other than that, nothing's changed in the last five minutes. XD