Weevil Hunt
Chapter Thirteen
The poker game was in full swing when Jack came looking for Ianto. The four players had taken over a small lounge, sitting around a table with a floor lamp moved alongside to provide some decent light. Most of the players were on their second or third beer, but Ianto had refused more than the one he was sipping only occasionally. He had been persuaded to take part when the others players had reminded him that he had been the biggest winner last time and pressed for a chance to recoup their losses. Unfortunately for them, Ianto was again ahead when Jack strode in.
"Ah, this is where you're hiding." Jack came to stand behind Ianto. Hands on the back of the chair, he peered over the Welshman's shoulder at his cards. "Great hand." A chorus of groans greeted this and the other three threw down their cards.
Ianto, who had a rubbish hand - Queen, Jack, seven, five, three and a two – stared at them. "He's lying." He placed the cards face up on the table. "Don't believe him, not in cards." Pause. "Or anytime really."
Far from being offended, Jack grinned at the other players, two men and a woman. "Hello there. Captain Jack Harkness," he said, introducing himself with a flourish.
"Good to meet ya, Cap'n," replied Jim. "I'm Jim and this here's Sue Barton and Omar Al-Hareshi. Why don't you draw up a chair and sit in?"
"Don't mind if I do." He threw his greatcoat over one chair and grabbed another, pulling it up to the table. On his way back from another Weevil incursion, he had stopped by for an hour or two; the thought of spending a whole night alone in the Hub was distinctly unappealing.
"Don't you want to talk about the reports?" asked Ianto, giving his boss a pointed stare. Their time together was limited and he did not want to waste it playing cards.
"Nope. What are we playing and what's the limit?" Jack had his wallet on the table, grateful he'd been to the bank the day before, and reached for some change from his pocket.
They played for another hour and a bit. No one took the game too seriously, enjoying the chat and the beers a lot more. Ianto's run of luck continued, though at a slower pace, and he was twelve pounds up when they decided to end the game. Jim and Omar had made a little too but Sue had lost. Jack had broken even.
"Thanks, guys. Enjoyed the game," said Jack, pushing back the chair and standing. "Better get this one up to bed now."
Sorting out the coins piled in front of him, Ianto kept his head down to hide the slight blush. "Right," he muttered, "we can talk about the reports." He did not see Jack's amused glance but felt it. "When the boss calls I have to jump."
"Not on that leg, you don't," smiled Jack, holding out Ianto's crutches before grabbing his greatcoat.
After saying their farewells they walked out of the room, Ianto's progress accompanied by the sound of coins clinking in the pockets of his tracksuit. They used the lift – Ianto wanted to get Jack alone as soon as possible – and were soon in the green and cream room where Ianto was about to spend his last night. He stopped to deposit the coins on the table before reaching to straighten the greatcoat which Jack had abandoned on an easy chair.
"Ugh, this smells! What have you been doing in it?" he asked, spreading the coat out to check it over. A dark stain on the front looked like dried blood, with other unidentifiable discoloured patches scattered around.
"Dying." Jack was lying on the bed, boots skewwhiff on the floor.
"What! I thought it was clear-up today." Ianto left the coat and walked over to the bed.
"It was. And Weevils. Lots of Weevils." His smile faltered when he noticed Ianto's concerned expression. "No, I didn't die today. But it's not been cleaned for a while. My personal valet has been missing from work," he added with a mock scowl.
Relieved, Ianto sat on the bed. "Surely you, or one of the others, could have taken it to Manny's." He rested the crutches against the wall and took off his trainers, not bothering to undo the laces.
"Didn't think about it." Jack was unconcerned. He budged over to make room for Ianto to lie down and wrapped his arms round the familiar body. "That's better."
Ianto shuffled round a bit until he was entirely comfortable, head resting on the other man's shoulder. "What happened? With the Weevils." Ianto kept his voice low and level but his stomach was full of wriggling snakes. For Jack to say there were lots of them meant it must have been a difficult capture.
"Nothing much, just a lot of 'em. Had a gang of seven then another group of three. We got 'em back into the sewers – eventually! Tosh had a close call. Weevil turned on her but Gwen punched him out." Jack chuckled at the memory of the Welshwoman felling the adolescent Weevil. He lightly kissed the top of Ianto's head.
"As long as she's okay."
"She is." Jack closed his eyes and let out a long, satisfied sigh. "They both are, Tosh and Gwen."
They lay in silence for several minutes. Ianto played with Jack's braces and ran a finger between the buttons of the light blue shirt where it gaped over his stomach. He wasn't making overtures, not even sure if he wanted sex, merely enjoying being physically close to Jack. It seemed Jack was not bothered either, content to take a moment's quiet contemplation and companionship at the end of a busy day.
Eventually Ianto asked, "You had a chance to read my report on the Weevils yet?"
"Uh-huh. Thanks for that, good piece of work. Gwen's pleased with herself for spotting it. Oh, and she's going to buy your presents. I need Tosh to help me analyse some tech that came through the Rift this afternoon."
"Oh. Okay." A small frown creased Ianto's forehead.
"You can trust her; it's not rocket science." Jack tightened his grip momentarily. "I wish you two would get on better."
"We do get on. It's just …"
"What?"
"I'm not sure really." Ianto was entirely sure why he was wary of Gwen - he felt threatened by her attachment to Jack - but was not going to feed Jack's over-inflated ego by saying so. "I'm sure she'll be fine."
They were interrupted by the arrival of Mike, the orderly, come to help Ianto get ready for bed. He was surprised to see Jack with his patient and didn't try to hide it, grinning widely. Knowing he was leaving soon, Ianto was less embarrassed than usual and merely asked him to come back in an hour. Alone again, he snuggled against Jack.
"You heard," he said, "we have an hour." His fingers were undoing Jack's belt.
Chuckling, Jack shifted a hand to slip beneath Ianto's tracksuit bottoms and stroke his arse. "Plenty of time for what I have in mind," he murmured, kissing Ianto's hair.
-ooOoo-
"SUV then?" said Jack, exasperated.
"Don't be bloody stupid! How's he going to climb into that?" Owen shot his boss a dirty look.
"Are you telling me none of our vehicles is suitable to fetch Ianto?" Jack stood with his hands on his hips facing Owen. It was lunchtime on Wednesday and in two hours Ianto was to be released from the nursing home and, at the last minute, they had realised how unsuitable their cars and vans were for the trip. "Damned if I'll bring him home by taxi!"
"He'd never get in Owen's car, and mine's not much better," said Toshiko. They were in the work area, pizza boxes on their desks as they ate an early lunch. "Gwen, how about yours?"
"Might do, long as the front seat is pushed all the way back."
"There's the two laptops and all the other stuff he's accumulated," went on Toshiko thoughtfully. "That's got to come too."
"Back seat," pronounced Jack with decision, waving his slice of pizza around dangerously.
"It's a two door, never be able to wangle it in." Gwen spoke around her mouthful and it took a moment for the others to make out what she had said. "Boot's titchy too."
"Which brings us back to my original point." Owen was altogether too pleased with himself for being right.
"There's the Merc," said Toshiko. "That's big enough and there's plenty of room for everything.
"Excuse me!" protested Jack. "'The Merc'! That's my Merc, thank you very much. And I've already told you, I can't go and get him. I'm meeting Bunny Warren; I can't put him off again."
"Just 'cos it's your car doesn't mean you have to drive it," pointed out Owen.
"Well, you're certainly not!"
"This is getting us nowhere," said Gwen decisively before Jack and Owen got into a slanging match. "The only suitable car is yours, Jack. The only question is, which of us do you want to drive it?"
Jack stood looking round at them. He dismissed Owen for all sorts of reasons, most importantly because he knew the doctor wanted to get his hands on the Mercedes. The two women were good drivers. Gwen was probably slightly better than Toshiko because she was more confident but, all things considered, Jack would prefer the latter. And he knew Ianto would too. He was about to say so when this plan was scuppered.
"Not me, Jack. It's too big and powerful and I don't like automatics. Let Gwen do it." Toshiko had also dismissed Owen from consideration.
Sighing, he said, "Okay, Gwen, you take the Merc. But be careful with it!"
So it was that at precisely two o'clock Gwen pulled up in front of the door to the nursing home. She backed into a spot not too far from the steps up to the front door and got out, took two bulging carrier bags and a small holdall from the back seat and went inside. Two floors above, Ianto watched her arrival from his window. He was disappointed it was not Jack but knew he had a meeting with Bunny. Besides, he was so pleased to be leaving and getting back to his normal routine - well, as much as he could while still on crutches – he'd have been happy for a Weevil to drive him. A few minutes later, Gwen entered the room and put the bags down.
"Hi, sweetheart, all ready to go?"
"Almost. I tried to pack some of these things up but I couldn't manage all of it." He gestured to the laptops – work and personal – printer and a packet of paper. They were neat by most people's standards but not by Ianto's own high ones. On the bed rested a half-packed holdall containing his pyjamas and a few other bits and pieces.
"That's okay, I'll finish off for you." She reached for the holdall she had brought with her. "Jack said you wanted some clothes to go home in so I brought jeans, shirt and sweater. Suit is way too formal and you don't want to be wearing what you've got on." He had been living in UNIT tracksuits and sweaters, convenient when having treatment but not his favourite garb.
"Thanks. I'll get changed." He paused uncertainly, not wanting to get undressed in front of her.
"Need any help?"
"No, I can manage."
"Okay, I'll take some of this down." She reached a laptop and the printer, balancing the pack of paper on top. "The carriers have got the chocs and booze you wanted."
With a smile, she opened the door and went out, deciding to give him ten minutes or so; he was obviously still embarrassed about her being around while he changed. She couldn't think why. The team didn't have much privacy in the Hub showers and they had seen one another naked from time to time. She trotted down the stairs and out to the car where she stowed the things in the capacious boot. It was a lovely car and she'd enjoyed driving it. Strolling back into the building, she had a word with the receptionist who confirmed that all the paperwork was in order and that Ianto was free to go when he was ready. Taking her time, she walked up the stairs and then, with a quick tap on the door, walked in.
"There, all ready," smiled Ianto. His hair was sticking up on end and his collar was crooked but he was fully dressed. It had been a rush to get changed so quickly but he had managed it. "I'll just pick these up." The tracksuit was on the floor.
"Let me. You go and brush your hair." She waved at the bathroom. "Anything in there to go?"
"I'll check."
The two of them methodically checked both rooms for Ianto's possessions and loaded them into the two holdalls. He then looked through the carrier bags and found half a dozen bottles of Laphroaig and four various sized boxes of good quality Belgian chocolates. On the table were some sticky labels he had printed off earlier with the names of recipients and he stuck these to the gifts. With Gwen making another trip to the car with the holdalls and a carrier of odds and sods, Ianto went to Jim's room and gave him one of the bottles. Thirty minutes later, he was downstairs giving Mandy her box of chocolates. Avril Verage, who had made a point of seeing off her patient, received her larger box with real surprise and blushed when Ianto also gave her a peck on the cheek. The remaining gifts – for Cracknell, Jamieson, the orderlies and the two other nurses who had looked after him – were left with Mandy who promised to distribute them. And ten minutes after that, at just on three o'clock, he was sitting in the front seat of the Mercedes being driven away from the nursing home.
"Pleased to be out of there?" asked Gwen, waiting for a van to pass before pulling out into the road.
"Yes. But they were very decent to me."
"You seem to be able to get around pretty well. Soon be throwing the crutches away." They were lying on the back seat, on loan until they were no longer needed.
"Be a while yet." Ianto fell silent then, content to look out at the passing scenery and to be on the move again. Over a week in the home had narrowed his horizons and just seeing vehicles, pedestrians and the normal life of Cardiff was a novelty. As they entered Cardiff proper, he said, "Where are taking me? I'd like to go to the Hub."
"Jack said to take you home." She glanced at him then looked back at the road. "Said I wasn't to be swayed by anything you said. That you needed your rest."
"Cappuccino?" he tempted with a smile. "With whipped cream?"
Her laugh filled the car. "Done! I have so missed your coffee."
-ooOoo-
The meeting with Bunny Warren, the city's Surveyor, had gone well and Jack returned to the Hub in a good mood and with the go-ahead to create a new sea access to the Hub. He didn't really need permission but the work would be obvious and it was better to have official agreement to smooth the way. Strolling through the cog door, he heard his team up in the work area laughing and smiled at the sound. They were in a good mood too. Then he smelt something, something that made the Hub feel almost like a home not just a place of work – coffee. But that meant Ianto was here. Jack bounded up the steps and stood, hands on hips staring down at the Welshman who was sitting on the sofa with his leg raised.
"What are you doing here? Gwen, I told you."
"It's not her fault. I wanted to try the new machine," Ianto said quickly. The new coffee machine had arrived and been set up that morning. "But if you don't want any, I'll leave." His innocent expression would have graced a Michelangelo angel.
"Seeing as you're here …" Jack relaxed his stance, to more laughter, before reaching out both hands and gently pulling Ianto to his feet.
"It's good stuff," put in Toshiko, seated at her desk.
"God, yeah," seconded Owen. "In fact, teaboy, think I'll have another." He drained his mug. "And put some more of the Scotch in too." The open bottle of Laphroaig was on the coffee table.
Jack looked at them, reassured at having the whole team together again.