A/N - first of all, thanks for the feedback, much appreciated as it tells me how this is being received. It helps when posting daily to get the feedback so I can add notes if necessary.
Secondly, no apology for the science, even though it may well seem like gibberish to some of you! Torchwood was a science fiction show (although a lot of the science on it was not good!), hence the science I've written. I envisage Tosh and Owen discussing their research as scientists would, and I was a research scientist (I even have the PhD to prove it). They are experts and we should expect them to discuss the nature of their investigations at the level at which they understand it - I'm not going to dumb down their dialogue - but, it's perfectly fine for it to go over the readers' heads if they aren't scientists. Their discussions are meant to be as mysterious (to the non-scientist) as the alien itself, until they crack the solution to destroying it.
Like the sex scenes, skip over it if it makes you uncomfortable ... This chapter contains no science or sex ;-)
In this chapter, Gwen and Rhys return to the Hub, and tempers are wearing thin all round...
Chapter 44
"Owen! Here, now!" Jack's voice boomed out across the Hub. He'd headed for the autopsy bay first and finding it empty resorted to his standard method for locating members of his team not immediately visible from where he stood.
"Owen? Where the hell are you?"
"I'm busy!" Owen yelled back, shoving open the door to the hot house, almost knocking Tosh out of the way as he did so.
"Whatever you're doing can wait – get your ass down here now!"
"It won't fucking wait- but you can. I'll be down once I've finished up in here." Owen didn't wait for a reply, he just turned sharply on his heel and disappeared back into the hot house.
"I don't give a damn what it is – down here, now! Owen! Owen?" Jack was incensed that the doctor had turned his back on him.
"Jack – please just give us a few minutes – it really is important!" Tosh stood outside the hot house and pleaded with Jack. She glanced back, anxiously looking from the glass door behind which Owen was desperately trying to salvage what he could of the plants to extract bacterial cultures from and then back down at Jack's face, reddening with rage.
Gwen couldn't have picked a worse moment to walk into the central Hub area. She'd made the effort, yet again, to bring in breakfast for her colleagues, having persuaded Rhys to make a stack of sausage sandwiches which they'd wrapped in foil and put into an insulated food bag to keep them warm. She was expecting a very different reception to the one she got. She was surprised to see Jack wearing not much more than a pair of creased trousers and a white tee shirt, but before she could think of a suitably risqué comment to fling in his direction, he growled at her and then yelled out Owen's name.
Glancing up towards the upper balcony, Gwen caught sight of Tosh who was standing there looking exasperated, her hands on her hips. She guessed that Owen was in the hot house with the plants, but other than that she couldn't work out what was going on. Owen's appearance did nothing to clarify matters, when he re-emerged from the glass-walled room, clutching a handful of sealed sample bags.
"I need to deal with this first, then I'll see you." Owen stabbed a finger at Jack as he glared at him.
"Who the hell do you think you're talking to?"
"Hey there – calm down! Both of you." Gwen shouted out, having heard more than enough. "The testosterone's so bloody thick in here you'd need an axe to cut through it."
"Gwen - keep out of this!"warned Jack.
However, by this point the loud noises had awoken the sleeping pteranodon who left her nest, screeching loudly. Gwen turned around to apologise to Rhys, but he was mesmerised by the sight of the prehistoric beast soaring across the upper regions of the underground cavern.
"Listen up the pair of you – shut up now and get your arses over here." Gwen's voice rung out loud and clear and as everyone's eyes were drawn to her, they didn't shift, not as she took her gun and pointed it from one of them to the other. "We've got enemies enough, without fighting amongst ourselves. Come here and then you can talk to each other without having to bloody scream. Do not make me take action that either of you will regret. I know a bullet isn't going to kill either of you – but I can make sure it inconveniences you."
"Bloody hell, Rhys, is this how she deals with arguments at home?" Owen noticed Gwen's husband standing behind her, looking decidedly awkward.
"You don't want to know, mate. But she did have training with the police on how to tackle domestics."
Owen noted the weary look in Rhys' eyes, even though Gwen missed it. He'd enjoyed his fling with Gwen, but there was no way he'd ever want to be married to her. She'd have made his life hell. He couldn't help but think that Rhys must have the patience of a saint.
Tosh followed Owen down the stairs from the hot house, shaking her head in despair. She could tell that any ceasefire between Jack and Owen was very temporary and the only reason they'd clammed up when they had was because of their feelings towards Gwen, which she'd never been able to fathom, but meant that they hated being shown up in front of her.
"Come on, Owen, I'll give you a hand with those." Tosh reached out to take the samples from Owen, afraid they might fall victim to any further confrontation between the two men.
"Morning, Tosh, sweetheart, how's it going?" Gwen winced as she saw how Tosh was looking at her. She'd not even realised that her colleague was there, she'd been solely focused on the two men.
"Not good, Gwen. Hello Rhys." Tosh bit her tongue for fear of saying something she'd regret and turned to greet Rhys, who was looking more and more uncomfortable with the situation.
"Morning, lovely, good to see you again." Rhys liked Tosh. To begin with he'd thought she was standoffish, but he worked out that she was just shy, and actually very nice, for someone who worked for Torchwood that was.
As predicted, the peace didn't last for long and as soon as Owen was on the same level as Jack, he found the other man in his face straightaway.
"I said I needed you – when I say that, you jump!" Jack snarled at Owen and shoved him forcefully in the chest.
Gwen rapidly stepped between the two men and raised her hand up to Jack who was bristling with rage.
"Who the hell do you think you are, Harkness? Why do you go out of your way to piss me off" Owen was fuming mad.
"What's going on, Jack?" Gwen demanded.
"Ianto's sick," Jack spat out as if that should be explanation enough for his fury.
"He's got a headache – which isn't bloody surprising, considering the bloody row you lot are making."
A deep voice got everyone's attention. Ianto slowly sauntered out onto the walkway outside Jack's office, his unbuttoned shirt revealing his bare chest. If it was Ianto's loudly voiced complaint that got the men's attention, it was his appearance that held that of Tosh and Gwen. In his haste to find out what was going on he'd barely been able to pull on his trousers with his bandaged hands, so they weren't completely fastened and were precariously clinging to his hips exposing a teasing glimpse of the flesh below his waist. It was commonplace to see Jack half dressed, or even naked on occasion, but sights of Ianto in any state of undress were exceedingly rare. The slight shadow of stubble on his chin only enhanced the image.
"And you've upset my pteranodon."
"Your pteranodon?" Jack retorted, his eyebrows raised.
"I found her and when was the last time anyone else fed her or cleaned up her mess?"
"Ianto – Jack said you're sick – are you?" Owen asked bluntly, even though he could detect that something was amiss from the way Ianto was leaning heavily on the railing.
"Maybe." Ianto shrugged.
"Give us a few minutes to sort these bastard plants out and I'll see to those bandages and give you a check up, OK?"
"That's fine by me-"
"Can't they wait?" interjected Jack, keenly watching the way Ianto was gingerly moving down the metal stairs to join them.
"No, Jack, I've got to get them back to the lab. Now-"
"Owen's right – we have to set up some cultures-" Tosh tried to explain, only to be interrupted by Jack.
"Why?"
"I'll explain later – trust me, Jack, this is important." Owen made one last attempt to impress upon Jack that he was serious.
"So is Ianto."
The object of his concern took hold of Jack's arm and squeezed it as much as he could with the bandages in the way. Ianto looked Jack in the eye and silently assured him that he was in no immediate danger.
"Let me," Ianto said quietly to Jack, before turning around to look at the assembled team. "Owen, why don't you and Tosh go do whatever it is you have to with that bag of stuff?"
"Right, come on, Tosh."
Owen led the way to his lab bench, and Tosh followed, but not before bestowing a grateful smile at Ianto.
"Is that food you two have got there?" Ianto directed his next question at Gwen and Rhys, pointing at the insulated bag on the floor.
"Yes, sausage butties." Rhys stated proudly.
"Why don't you and Gwen set it out in the boardroom – there's a microwave in there you can use if you need to heat anything up and there's a filter coffee maker on the sideboard."
"Onto it, mate." Rhys grinned, grateful to Ianto for giving him something to do.
As Rhys headed off in the direction of the boardroom, he half expected Gwen to follow him, but she didn't. Turning around to see what was going on to delay her, he saw Jack leaning close whispering something to her. He couldn't hear what he was saying, it was probably some Torchwood secret. But Gwen heard every word hissed into her ear and was embarrassed to have been caught staring.
"Gwen? You've got a man of your own, keep your eyes off mine."
As soon as Gwen had left the area, Ianto turned to face Jack, looking as if he wanted to apologise.
"You're getting all 'bossy' on me again," Jack raised his chin as he made his observation.
"Someone has to."
Ianto looked over his shoulder to make sure they were alone before urgently whispering to Jack.
"Can you do my zip up for me? It's like I'm wearing bloody mittens."
"My pleasure." Jack reached down to grip hold of the zipper, his eyes widening as he felt bare flesh behind the cold metal. "Ianto Jones … no underwear?"
"Bandages?" Ianto held out his hands to make the point. "I bet you're not wearing any either."
"So why didn't you stay put in bed, like I told you and wait for me to bring Owen to you?"
"Apart from the fact that you were screaming at each other? I know Owen's sense of smell isn't what it used to be, but that room has no air flow – it reeks of sex, the sheets are stained and there are dirty clothes all over the floor. That's not how I want to be seen by any doctor, let alone Owen."
Jack shook his head in dismay, but was secretly relieved. If Ianto was capable of being mortified at the thought of Owen seeing the state of his sleeping quarters then he couldn't be too sick.
"So, just how bad are you feeling?"
"Same as before." Ianto sighed. "Can we sit down?"
Jack led him to the sofa under the dragon mural and sat him down carefully. He then wrapped his arms around Ianto, hugging him gently, letting the younger man rest his head on his shoulder.
"Jack – if you promise to stop yelling, I'll let you be boss again."
"I kinda like you on top though, love the way you take charge." Jack smiled into Ianto's hair.
"I meant leader of Torchwood." Ianto pushed away slightly so he could glare at Jack.
"So did I." Jack grinned boyishly.
"Right then, well we'd better get a witness I s'pose, do this properly."
"Are you ready to go break the news to the kids then?" Jack asked quietly.
"Give it a few minutes. Let Owen finish what he has to do, then I'll get him to see what's wrong with me."
Jack tightened his hold on Ianto, not failing to note that he could feel the heat from his bare skin through the fabric of his own tee shirt.
