Torchwood: Divergence
Book One: Dychwelyd
Chapter 10
It was a little past 5:30 am when Rhys and Gwen arrived at the main entrance to the Hub in the Mermaid Quay tourist information centre, their still sleepy daughter a limp weight in her father's arms. Cooper used her codes to enter the building, and they headed downstairs to see if the two currently in-residence were up and about yet.
"Let me go check if they're decent," Gwen suggested, trotting up the short flight of three steps to the office. "Or at least dressed."
She strode past the desk, knocked on the door and peeked inside... to see two pairs of briefs on the floor by the bed and her co-workers spooned together like opposing sides of a hook-and-loop fastener under the covers. She cursed silently and started to close the door, only to hear Jack laugh.
"Is it morning already?" he asked brightly, shifting to kiss Ianto on the ear and sit up.
"Bit earlier than usual," Cooper replied, torn between looking at the man and staring at the floor in case he emerged from under the duvet. "Rhys had to drop me by, so we brought the baby in for a minute."
"Give us five or so to get dressed," Harkness smiled, his partner pushing up onto one elbow beside him and casting their human alarm clock an apologetic look. "Come on, 'Uncle' Ianto... we've got a tiny version of Gwen to meet."
"Does that make her a Mini-Cooper?" Jones asked innocently, but his eyes were dancing.
"Someone's feeling better," Gwen pointed out with a frown, trying to seem cross with little success. "Sounds like we've got the old Ianto back. Which means you're on for coffee duty, so roust your arse and get to it. I'll be in the work area with Rhys and the baby."
She closed the door as she left, and Jack tossed the covers down toward the end of the bed as he leaned over to give his lover a proper kiss.
"Good morning," he smiled, then sobered as he followed the younger brunette's suddenly guilty gaze down to the mattress. "Shit..."
There were small smears of dried blood on the sheets, and on the both of them. Harkness started to open his mouth to apologise, but the twenty-six-year-old beside him spoke first.
"More than worth it," he breathed with his eyes closed and a slight smile curving his lips, then he prodded his partner toward the edge of the bed. "And we were minus our usual supplies, plus it's been nearly two years for me… sort of a take on 'use it or lose it' I guess. Shower's big enough for two and I'll change the sheets later. We've got guests waiting."
Jack climbed off the mattress and offered the younger man a helping hand, wincing sympathetically when his companion evidenced a slight but noticeable limp on the way to the bath area.
"I am really gonna have to make that up to you somehow," he frowned, upset with himself for not being more careful the night before. "I was just joking about you not being able to sit for two days. I'm rubbish..."
"No, you're enthusiastic," Ianto shrugged, turning on the water in the shower and motioning for the immortal to join him once it warmed up. "But if you're truly feeling guilt-ridden, you can always buy me some new clothes since I honestly don't think my old ones will ever fit properly again."
"Deal," the Captain agreed, stepping into the steamy cubicle with the young Archivist for a quick clean up. "And for now, you can wear some of mine. Cuff the legs a little, roll up the sleeves if necessary and I'm sure I've got an extra set of braces you can adjust to fit. The only problem's gonna be shoes."
"Barefoot around the Hub for too long isn't wise," Jones nodded, turning off the water as they both finished up, and gratefully accepting the extra-large bath sheet his companion handed him. "I'll check the Archives and see if any former Torchwood personnel wore my size, till we have time to hunt for mine."
The pair wandered out into the bedroom again, Harkness pulling two of everything from the clever in-wall wardrobe and chest of drawers beside it. They dressed, Ianto doing what he could to adjust the garments so they fit him without looking too slap-dash, opting to simply roll the shirt sleeves up to his elbows. He found the braces uncomfortable so he used a belt instead, and in a reasonably short span they were ready to go meet the addition to the Williams' family.
Rhys and Gwen were across the Hub on the sofa diagonally facing the fountain, and they both gaped at the pair who moved to join them.
"Now that's more the bloke I remember," Williams nodded toward Ianto with a grin.
"You really are back to your old self," Gwen smiled, coming over to give the young Welshman a quick hug. "It's good to see you smiling again. And I kept having flashbacks of you in a skirt and high heels with your hair so long."
"You and me both," Ianto nodded soberly.
"Come have a seat, you two," Rhys invited, obviously excited to be showing off his pride and joy. "We'll give you a proper introduction to your Goddaughter."
"Goddaughter?" Jack and Ianto repeated in unison with identical blank looks, making their friends laugh.
"I hope you don't mind," Cooper managed after a moment. "I just really wanted her to have some connection to you both, but you weren't here to ask."
"We're honoured," Harkness reassured with a gentle smile, putting a hand on his partner's shoulder when the younger man nodded. "So, let's see this potential future Torchwood agent."
They moved over to the couch to sit on either side of Rhys, Gwen noticing that the younger of the pair was limping more than he had been the day before, and that he sat down rather gingerly. Well... she'd already guessed what they'd likely been up to in the dark hours of the night, but apparently the interaction had been a bit too vigorous for the still recovering Archivist. She tried not to grin or blush as her husband sat their drowsy fourteen-month-old on Jack's lap.
"Captain Jack Harkness," Rhys began formally. "Say hello to Ebrill Rhosyn Williams. Spitting image of her Mam, yeah? Named after Gwen's Grandmother and my Great Aunt."
"Ehbrish Hrohsehn," the former Time Agent tried to repeat carefully, then shook his head with a rueful smile. "Hi, cutie... you do look just like your mommy. And I'll bet your pretty Welsh name isn't spelled anything like it sounds."
"Not really, no," Gwen laughed, watching her daughter gurgle and smile at the brunette holding her.
"That would be E-B-R-I-L-L, and R-H-O-S-Y-N," Ianto supplied helpfully. "'April Rose' for those who still struggle with simple Welsh after more than a century."
"I knew it," Jack chuckled, looking up to meet Gwen's gaze. "She's beautiful... you and Rhys make wonderful babies."
He picked the little fourteen-month-old up under the arms, gave her a kiss on the forehead and passed her back to her father as she squealed happily in response. Williams was grinning fit to crack his face and carefully transferred his daughter to the next lap in line.
"Ianto Jones," he stated proudly. "Meet Ebrill Rhosyn Williams... who likely wouldn't be here today if not for you, and Jack, and Torchwood."
The diminutive brunette offered a more gums than teeth smile to the young man whose lap she now occupied, green eyes sparkling as she babbled a few unidentifiable syllables of baby talk and reached toward his face.
"Hello, petal," Ianto murmured, helping the little girl stand up on his thighs so she could lean against his chest and rest her head on his shoulder. "Someone's still sleepy this morning, yeah?"
It was apparent by the way Jones supported and patted the youngest Williams, as well as the soft sing-song quality of his voice, that he had a fair amount of experience with babies and toddlers. Rhys was obviously pleased with the introductions, Jack looked a little surprised, and Gwen felt her throat tighten with tears as she witnessed what she'd thought impossible since before her daughter was born. Seeing her two best mates holding and cooing over the tiny brunette was almost like some strange fever dream, considering that the one man had abandoned the Earth with no intention of returning and the other had been well and truly dead to this world until three nights ago.
"Oh, no," she heard Ianto say with patently exaggerated surprise. "You've got a damp bottom, Lady Williams."
"She didn't wet on you, did she?" Rhys asked worriedly as he took charge of the drowsy-eyed baby once more. "Where's a good place to change her?"
"Here," Jones offered helpfully. "You can use my spot, and no she didn't leave any wet marks on me. I'll go get the coffee brewing while you or Gwen has the honour of changing the imp."
The twenty-six-year-old rose with a slight wince and started toward the kitchenette, Jack rising from the couch to follow him.
"I take it you've both dealt with little ones before," Cooper commented as she handed her husband the diaper bag.
"Four of my own and countless others through the years," Harkness nodded. "But I still don't do nappies. What about you, Ianto?"
"I played sitter a few times for my sister's kids," the young Welshman confessed. "Used to keep a box of surgical gloves handy for when they needed to be changed. Drove Rhi crazy..."
"See," Rhys piped up, looking pointedly at his wife and displaying one purple-gloved hand. "Told you it wasn't a daft idea. Keeps germs off the baby and messes off you, both at once."
"Men," Gwen laughed.
The coffee was brewing in the big side pot, Ebrill had a new diaper, and Rhys was ready to leave for work in mere minutes. He said cheerful goodbyes and his spouse went to let him out through the TIC upstairs, leaving Jack with a somewhat unsettled Ianto. Harkness was about to ask what was bothering the younger man, when his partner suddenly cut toward the office.
"I'll go change the sheets," Jones announced quietly, seeming slightly distracted and off balance.
He stumbled going into the office and caught himself against the doorframe, then half staggered toward the bedroom beyond the desk. Jack was instantly worried and headed up after the Archivist double time. The tall brunette swept into the sleeping area to find his companion shakily stripping down the bed, silent tears sliding unnoticed down overly pale cheeks. He moved over to stop the young Welshman, made him face him, and met the lost child look in his eyes with gentle calm.
"I'm dead to them," Ianto whispered without needing to be prompted. "My sister, her husband, their kids... they're all the family I had for more than a year before the 456 came. We weren't always close, but we were there for each other when it really mattered. I'm just a memory and a grave marker to them now, and that's all I can ever be. They'd never understand my being back; it would scare the crap out of them if they even believed it was true.
"I don't know what I am anymore, Jack. Why was I brought back other than to be with you? What did those Shadows do to me that we don't know about yet? How can I ever leave the Hub if I'm dead to the world outside?"
"Deep breaths," Harkness advised, turning the younger brunette and making him sit down on the half-stripped mattress before settling beside him and putting an arm around his shoulders. "You aren't dead to the world. No certificate was ever issued and your name was taken off the casualty list same as mine, because your body disappeared from the make-shift morgue after what happened at Thames House. The only people who know you died are the team, a select few at UNIT, some politicians who are no longer in power, and your family because Gwen told them when her and Rhys went to save your niece and nephew.
"You aren't a prisoner here, and you're still Ianto Jones. Nothing those aliens did can change that or how important you are to me. If you want your family back, I'll find a way to explain things. That's up to you. Whatever is going to help you be comfortable among the living again... even if it means leaving the Earth behind entirely and starting fresh somewhere else. So don't fret over it, okay?"
He could feel the too thin twenty-six-year-old relaxing beside him, damp haired head leaning wearily against his neck and shoulder. They simply sat together for several minutes, then Ianto reluctantly pulled away.
"I don't know what I want to do," he breathed, scrubbing the tears from his face with one hand. "I think I need to find out what all was done to me and why before I decide. I have these periods when everything seems back the way it was two years ago, then it all goes dizzy and distant again like there's a connection missing to my past and present. And I've got no sodding emotional control at all regardless, which is starting to get on my last nerve."
The young Welshman rose gingerly, his partner standing up beside him to ruffle his hair and affectionately rub the back of his neck.
"I'll finish with the bed," Jones sighed, trying to focus on the here and now. "Coffee should be ready in the side pot. I know you like it fresh, so go ahead and grab a cup. I'll be out shortly... and can play specialty barista later when the team comes in."
"Shout if you need a hand," Jack half smiled, wanting to comfort his companion but knowing the younger man also needed time to work through things for himself. "Oh, Johnson mentioned yesterday that she's having Andy come by this afternoon to teach him the proper use of a hand gun. I suggested a team-wide gathering, since Lois isn't versed in weapons either. Maybe you and Gwen can show them what a little practice can do."
Then he sauntered out of the room, exiting the office just as Cooper came back through the big main door.
"What's wrong?" the former constable asked immediately, able to read the concern in her friend's expression before he smoothed it over.
"Minor crisis," Harkness stated quietly, moving toward the flight of twelve risers that lead to the kitchenette. "Ianto just realised he's still dead as far as his family is concerned, and it brought up some other points of confusion for him. We talked, but it's gonna take him some time to really get his head straight about this new chance at life. Kind of like the minor break Owen had when I brought him back, and he fully grasped that he was stuck in a state of functional death."
"Shit..." Gwen breathed, accepting the coffee her friend handed to her and absently adding sugar to the cup. "We've been so busy trying to get him stable and find out what the aliens did to him, I forgot all about his sister and her family. How do we tell her he's back?"
"For now, we don't," Jack shrugged. "He wants to concentrate on the how and why of his being here again. Then he'll worry about whether or not to tell his family."
There was silence between them for a moment as they simply sipped their coffee, then their eyes met and they both started to grin.
"Oh God, I've dreamed about this," Harkness chuckled. "I swear that no one and nothing else in the known Universe can make coffee like he does."
"I take it that's a good thing?" Ianto queried from behind the other two, having finished in the bedroom and come hunting his own morning drink.
"The best," Gwen reassured brightly, noting that the younger man looked incredibly pale and unsteady again. "I mean, no offense to Lois, but she just doesn't have your magic touch. She's learning and all, yet I still don't see hers ever being quite this amazing."
"I was taught to use what skills I've got and always give one hundred percent," Jones smiled, looking and sounding more his old self in that moment. "Granted that slots me as more of a butler or personal aide than an active member of Torchwood, but I try my best."
"Don't sell yourself short," Jack stated firmly. "You naturally took to every weapon we use like a pro with only bare basic training at One, you've never backed down from any alien we've come across, and nobody wields a can of Weevil spray the way you do. Plus, we'd never know half of what we have in the Archives and Vaults, if you hadn't crawled through the lot to catalogue everything and then kept the database updated. And don't forget that you took out that Black Market operation single handed, to save Gwen and me from the Kagawa Virus. Besides... how many places would take the capture of a Pteranodon as an application for employment? No, you belong here, Ianto. The incredible coffee and commitment to neatness are just extra perks for the rest of us."
"Absolutely," Gwen agreed soberly. "The only way you'd be even more perfect for this place, would be if you came through the Rift and sprouted wings."
The instant the words were out of her mouth, Cooper wished she could take them back. Especially when the young man on the stairs went sheet white, stumbled back against the railing with a gasp as though she'd slapped him, and his eyes glazed over.
"I'm sorry, Ianto, I didn't mean..." she began, quickly putting down her cup and reaching for the twenty six year old as he tried to retreat downstairs and nearly fell.
"Can you get him a coffee?" Harkness prompted, already moving to get an arm around his partner's shoulders and support him as they descended the risers. "We'll be on the couch."
The one-time PC tried to remember how Ianto took his coffee, got a cup ready and hoped it was right. Then she put it as well as her own and Jack's on a tray, and headed downstairs to the main deck. When she made it to the settee across from the workstations, Harkness was sitting close beside a visibly shaking Jones, gently rubbing the younger man on the back. She placed the tray on the low table nearby, then moved to sit on her distressed friend's other side and take up one of his chilled, trembling hands in both of her own.
"That was a really stupid thing for me to say," Cooper murmured contritely. "Are you okay?"
"I just..." Ianto breathed uncertainly, a fine sheen of sweat visible on his face and a dazed look in his eyes. "I... remembered learning to fly... to use the wings they gave me to fight... having to wield a sword and other edged weapons..."
"So, they trained you as some sort of warrior between rounds under the knife?" Jack prodded cautiously, frowning when the young Welshman nodded. "Do you remember why?"
"No," the twenty-six-year-old whispered, swallowing hard. "It was just... a flash. Like a glimpse of something buried... I... I need to use the loo..."
Jones struggled to his feet and stumbled past Gwen to hurriedly half stagger the few yards to the new main bathroom, looking decidedly green.
"Bloody hell..." Cooper breathed, staring over at an unusually solemn Jack. "I really didn't mean to upset him; I just didn't think before I opened my mouth. Should you go check on him?"
"You can't edit every word you say," the Captain shrugged, though his eyes were still troubled. "And it's hard to know what'll set him off, when he can't tell us any details because trying to remember what happened makes him sick."
The main Hub entrance rotated open to admit Turlough and Lois, and Harkness nodded a greeting to them.
"You get the kids started on today's projects," he urged the raven-haired woman a few feet away on the couch. "I'll go see if Ianto's okay to deal with company, or if he'd rather go back to our room."
They both rose and went in opposite directions, Gwen toward the workstations and Jack to the nearby door of the multi-stalled main lavatory. He tried the handle but it was locked, and he was just about to knock when he heard the sound of shattering glass, then the terrible crack of a head or limb hitting the porcelain of one of the basins.
"Ianto?!"
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AN: Oh, dear… I appear to be leaving you with a cliff-hanger. Oops…
Thank you to those reading the story. And thank you to those who have followed, favourited, and reviewed. NM
