Strange Encounter
Chapter Twenty Eight
Most of Thursday evening was spent in the Tenquoo's room.
They were generally happy with the arrangements we'd made for them but had one major concern they had not been able to communicate to Toshiko. I understood as soon as we started 'talking' that the problem was Toshiko herself; they had not realised she was a female until late afternoon. Male Tenquoos are dominant in their society and females are treated as little more than breeding stock. These three macho flyboys were pretty mad that I'd left them in the care of a female. Luckily I was in a good mood or I might have been short with them. As it was I was still basking in the glow of my afternoon so I settled in for a long discussion, explaining how relations between the sexes worked on Earth and the equal role that females played. The concept was so alien to them that they hadn't grasped it even after two hours. We arrived at a compromise: they would deign to deal with Toshiko on technical matters as they recognised her expertise but they did not want her to look after their day to day needs. This suited me as it made more sense for Ianto to take over their care. I called him in and introduced him properly and the Tenquoo were happy.
Toshiko, of course, was not happy. I spent another half an hour placating her before sending her home. Suzie had already made tracks and Ianto went to his room after making me a mug of coffee. I was drinking it when Owen appeared at the office door.
"Need to talk to you." He plonked himself down in the visitor's chair.
"Why don't you come in and sit down," I invited sarcastically. I was surprised he was still in the Hub; we had an early start tomorrow and normally he'd have used that as a excuse to leave well before now.
"Lay off Ianto."
"I beg your pardon?"
"I said, lay off Ianto. Whatever the pair of you have been up to – and I do not want the details – has left him pretty sore. He needs some time to heal." I sat back in my chair, stunned. My mouth must have dropped open too as he went on. "Shut your mouth, Harkness, you look even more stupid than normal."
"How? I mean … " I couldn't find the words.
"Ianto came to see this evening and as his doctor I'm telling you the same thing I told him. He needs a rest. Energetic sex is all very well but if you keep on at this rate you'll do him permanent damage." Owen folded his arms across his chest, fixing me with a penetrating stare.
"He never said …" The words still wouldn't come.
"Yeah, well, he wouldn't, would he? If you asked him to jump off the top of the fucking water tower he'd do it. Serious case of hero worship there." He looked disgusted. "He doesn't know I'm talking to you so it's up to you to find a way to calm things down for a while."
"But he's all right?"
"Yes, like I said he's just sore. At the moment. From what little I could get him to say, he's not had a lover like you before. And stop preening, you stupid bugger. The way you flaunt it, we all know you're hung like a horse but just think about where you're putting it for once." He stood up. "And now I'm going home, seeing as I've got to get up at the crack of bleeding dawn."
He stomped off and was gone leaving me still stunned. I had not expected anything like that to be dropped on me but, thinking about it, I should have. Ianto had told me that he'd had sex with men before but it had been clear that they had been short lived affairs except for the guy in Greece. And we had been … energetic as Owen had put it. Shagging two or three times most nights, and during the day on occasion, must have given Ianto a real workout.
"Jack, want a sandwich?" Ianto was standing in the office doorway in those snug jeans and a sweatshirt.
"Yeah, please."
"Cheese and pickle okay?"
"Fine." I watched him walk off to the kitchen, and now I was looking for it I saw he was not moving as lithely as usual, hadn't been for a day or two. Owen was right, it was time to lay off.
Five minutes later Ianto was back with the sandwiches – nice chunky ones – and a couple of bottles of water. He sat down and we ate. Ianto wanted more background on the Tenquoo so I told him all I knew which wasn't much. It pleased him when I asked him to find out more details while he was caring for them.
"Suzie said to hold breakfast back until after Owen's revived this soldier tomorrow. She said he's usually hungry." Ianto put his plate on the desk.
"Good plan." I drank the last of the water and screwed the cap back on the empty bottle. "Arrange some coffee for sevenish, that's when the others will be coming in."
"Okay." He sat for a moment, running a finger up and down his leg – very sexy but I suppressed my natural response. "You coming to bed?" It was close to nine thirty and I was tempted, very tempted, but the boy needed a break.
"Think I'll get some of this done," I said, negligently indicating the single folder on my desk. Why was there no paperwork when I needed it!?
Ianto gave me a puzzled look. "Okaaay," he said again, drawing out the word. He stood up, took the plates and the empty bottles and went out of the office.
I sighed with relief. He would get an uninterrupted night tonight. Making a great show of opening the file and putting the three pages inside across my desk, I sat with my head down ostensibly studying them.
"Owen said something, didn't he?" Ianto was back.
"Yeah. I wish you had." He looked at his feet and chewed a lip. I got up and moved round the desk to stand in front of him. "It's not a problem, Ianto."
"If there's no problem, why aren't you coming to bed?" He glared at me.
"Because …"
"What? Because sex is all you want? Bloody Owen!"
"Hey, he was being responsible … for once. Why didn't you say something?" I reached a hand to his arm but he shrugged me off.
"I was going to. Tonight. But now I know that's all you're interested in at least I know where I stand!" He turned to leave so I grabbed both his arms.
"Whoa! I never said that! Just because I can't keep my hands off you doesn't mean that's all there is." I took a breath, trying to think before I said too much. "I enjoy being with you, like this afternoon. That was fun."
"Really?" His confrontational tone had softened and was now uncertain. It reminded me how young this boy was, and how vulnerable.
"'Cos it was." I reached out and pulled him into a kiss. He responded, gentle and undemanding, sweet. "I'm trying to be responsible here."
"We don't have to shag. Just come and share the bed, Jack. I want you close, you keep the nightmares away."
How could I resist those big blue eyes when they were trained on me with such intensity. I kissed him again and felt myself harden when he moulded himself to my body. I pulled back, knowing he'd felt it too. "See, that's why being close -"
"Just come, Jack. I can see to that in other ways." He did not look so young and vulnerable now.
He took my hand and pulled me from the office and I went willingly. He knew how to push all my buttons and get me to do whatever he wanted. That was a sobering thought but he was already showing me how he intended to look after my little Captain and it was difficult to think straight. It was a great night. Different from those we'd had thus far and better for it. Later, lying with him in my arms, we talked a bit about our afternoon together, remembering. When he finally slept, my earlier doubts returned. Ianto needed stability, a constant presence in his life and expected me and Torchwood to be just that. Yet I was merely waiting my chance to leave and no one working for Torchwood could make long-term plans. I was troubled as I drifted off to sleep.
At seven thirty on Friday morning the others had arrived and we were drinking coffee in the work area. All was ready for Tommy but I wanted to run over the plans once more. "Okay, Owen wakes up Tommy at eight. Once he's up and about, we'll have breakfast. Let's use the Board Room, Ianto, and something cooked would be good."
"I was going to do a full English, with toast. Will that be all right for him?"
"He'll like that," smiled Toshiko, "though he prefers tea to coffee." The thought of reviving Tommy had put her in a good mood – a very good mood – and taken her mind of the Tenquoo. She had dressed for the occasion too, in a pencil skirt and figure hugging top.
"I'll run the usual tests after we've eaten," put in Owen. "Should take an hour or so."
"And then I'll take him out." Toshiko's smile became a grin.
"Where are you going to go?" asked Suzie. She had been quiet this morning which was unlike her. Maybe it was her time of the month.
"Not sure. He likes to look round the Bay. And we'll probably have a drink and something to eat. Maybe a movie."
"Sounds fine. Have him back here by seven tonight then we can get ready to freeze him again," I told her. Twelve hours consciousness, that's all Tommy gets once a year. Not much but better than what would have happened to him if he'd stayed in 1918. They didn't understand shellshock back then. "Ianto, keep the Tenquoo downstairs until Tommy's out of the Hub, might be a bit difficult to explain them to him." Ianto nodded and started collecting up the coffee mugs.
"We ought to go get Tommy," said Owen, standing up.
"May I come?" asked Ianto, standing with the tray full of mugs in his hand. "I'd like to see what happens."
"Sure." I smiled at him. He was wearing his suit with a waistcoat today and looked so different from the young man of yesterday.
The cryogenic morgue used alien technology and had been here when I'd first encountered Torchwood. Despite its age, it worked beautifully and held all manner of alien and human bodies - some dead, some in stasis – including all previous Torchwood Three personnel. Well, all those with remains. The whole team was there when I unlocked drawer 015. The puff of escaping gases, like dry ice, dissipated quickly as I pulled out the casket containing Tommy. We got him into the lift and sent him up to the medical bay.
"Everyone ready?" asked Owen when we had moved Tommy to the examination table. Suzie and I were in the well of the medical bay, standing a pace or two back from Owen and Toshiko who were either side of the table. Ianto was leaning over the railing looking down on us. His face was its usual mask so I didn't know for sure what he was thinking, fascination and revulsion in equal measure I expect.
"Do it," I told Owen.
He injected the chemicals and we waited a moment or two then Tommy jerked, took a ragged breath and opened his eyes. He looked round wildly, hands and legs twitching as his circulation speeded up and awareness returned.
"Do you know where you are?" asked Toshiko leaning over him. Her hand brushed the top of his head.
"Torchwood. Is it that time again?" Tommy spoke with a marked Mancunian accent but his voice was strong and clear. "Hello, Toshiko." He smiled up at her and it was great to see her smile back. Those two have a real connection though they've only met twice before.
Ianto went off to get breakfast started while Suzie and I greeted Tommy. He was strong enough to sit up by now and five minutes later we were walking up to the Board Room. The table had been set with the good china that I hadn't seen for years; Alex Hopkins had bought it, deciding we needed something other than chipped mugs for visitors. Ianto bustled in with a pot of tea and a jug of coffee.
"Tommy, this is Ianto Jones. He's just joined and looks after us."
"I try my best." Ianto smiled at Tommy and poured him a cup of tea.
"And he looks good in a suit," I continued, grinning.
Ianto frowned at me. "Careful, that's harassment, sir," he replied before leaving the room. It was great to see him grin like the boy he was.
Breakfast was a lively meal, lots of chatter as we updated Tommy. He never asked a lot of questions but liked to know of major world events. We avoided talk of wars and other conflicts, the poor bloke had had enough of that back in 1918. Toshiko stuck close to him and went off with him and Owen to complete the next battery of tests. Suzie stayed to help Ianto clear up so it was left to me to check the Rift predictor and the news websites. Nothing on any of them which was reassuring.
"Anything?" asked Suzie, standing behind me where I sat at Toshiko's desk.
"Nope. All clear for once." I was surprised when she frowned, I'd have thought she'd have been happy that we were in for a quiet day. "You expecting something?" I joked.
"No, of course not. Just hoping to get out of doing the budget." She rolled her eyes and went to her desk. Strange, somehow I didn't think she was telling me the truth.
"Sir, I'll go up to the Tourist Office for an hour or two," said Ianto, coming up to stand beside me. "The Tenquoo are checking over their ship and will stay where they are for now."
"Okay. Maybe I'll go and have a word, when I've seen Tosh and Tommy off."
He went off to the cog door, a sheaf of files and papers under his arm. I wandered to the office and was there when Toshiko brought Tommy in. He'd been given the all clear and was dressed in trousers, shirt and sweater and had a mac over his arm. He would fit in anywhere dressed like that.
"We're going out, Jack," said Toshiko, still grinning. "Back by seven."
"Okay. Have fun, you two." I got up to join them at the door. Toshiko went to get her jacket and bag and I slipped Tommy a couple of twenties; a man shouldn't have to rely on a woman to pay for everything.
"Thanks, Jack," said Tommy. "See you later." He half waved, half saluted and then was gone.
I felt quite deflated for some unknown reason. I thought of joining Ianto upstairs but then remembered Owen's medical advice and decided against it; being close to the boy was too tempting. Suzie was in the Board Room with the dreaded budget papers spread out around her and Owen was clearing up the medical bay. Deciding that I should check on the Tenquoo I went down to the lower levels and into the room we'd assigned them.
Commander Tisguard had set his crew to cleaning the spaceship and moveable items were placed neatly on the floor around it while sounds of scrabbling could be heard from inside. I sat cross-legged on the floor and chatted to the Commander. He allowed me to examine some of the ship's items and explained their uses but was more interested in the Rift and quizzed me on it. The Tenquoo had never come across it before so it must have been a single, random opening that had taken their ship. Having reassured him, again, that we would do all we could to return them he left me and went to check on his crew.
After lunch – Chinese which the three Tenquoo did not like much – Ianto and I took them back to the room and started building some living quarters for them. They couldn't stay in the ship for much longer without it starting to smell so we made nest boxes and little runs to give them exercise. We were getting quite inventive – and silly – when Suzie called me on the comms.
"Jack, there's been a murder. We need to go."
"There's something seriously weird about the way she responds to murders," said Ianto quietly.
I shrugged; we're all a little weird. "I'm coming," I said to Suzie and got up. "Stay here and finish this," I told Ianto, resting a hand on his head. His hair is so soft. "Won't be long."
It has been pointed out that, in strict adherence to the Doctor Who timeline, the Royal Hope Hospital 'incident' takes place later in Torchwood's series one. I was going to upset the timeline a lot more but have now decided not to so I hope you will be able to ignore the incident's inclusion earlier than it should have been. I shall be leaving Jack with the team and carrying on until Gwen joins them.
