Torchwood: Between Season One and Two
Author's notes:
1: If something is between asterisks: **, it isn't my work and I take no credit for it.
2: This is my own personal head-cannon chronological order:
Doctor Who 3.12: The Sound of Drums – TV
- Events in Himalayas - Iantos-desktop . livejounal . com
- Consequences – Kaleidoscope – Novel
- Dinner and a Show - BF Audio #39
- Lease of Life - BF Audio #48
Doctor Who 3.13: Last of the Time Lords - TV
~fn: = Footnote
During 'Doctor Who: The Sound of Drums',
but after the paradox machine was destroyed - TV
"Tell me about you and Jack?" Toshiko suggested, as they waited out their second day in the Pakistani airport after they had been half-way up K2 chasing what ended up being a 'wild goose' wearing Jack's face.
"I guess after that kiss; you lot would be curious. Did you draw straws and lose?"
"I volunteered when Gwen started asking if either of us knew…"
"Thanks, I don't think I'd like to be interrogated by 'PC Cooper'," they both chuckled good-naturedly.
"When Jack and I got back from 1941, the expression on his face as he looked at you from his office; he was mesmerized…" Tosh offered when Ianto hesitated.
"Really?"
"He was almost drooling!"
"Now you're just takin' the piss."
"OK, he wasn't drooling, but he couldn't take his eyes off you. Is that when…?"
He shook his head in the negative, "You might think I'm a bit of a slut; but it was only a few months after …she died… when I propositioned Jack."
"No I don't think that at all, I'm just surprised that the two of you… because Jack, well… he did…"
"I was in a prison built by that Cyber-monster that wore Lisa's face. It manipulated me, played on my feelings, got me to make excuses… endangered…" he looked straight into her eyes and she could still see the guilt that lingered there.
"Was it really that bad?" she asked timidly.
"I'd stolen tech from Torchwood One before anyone else got it, I even flirted a bit with Jack to get this job, endangered the team –maybe the world. Then trying to juggle taking care of Lisa and keeping her secret from you lot; you all think I'm shy and quiet, that was exhaustion and fear of saying the wrong thing. Then I didn't want you lot hating me, finally I didn't want Gwen or Owen finding out about… whatever-it-was Jack and I were doing. I was really a lot different, you should have seen how I stalked Jack to get into Torchwood Three."
"Stalked? Really?" Tosh had a hard time believing that.
"Didn't Jack tell you?"
"No, he just showed up with a sedated pterodactyl and said a new guy would be starting in the morning. I guessed it was you -I'd done the database search- but when he told Suzie you'd only need a run down on the differences between us and Torchwood One, I knew I was right." After a pause, she asked, "Did you really flirt with him?"
"Well, for me it was flirting; for Jack it was probably just stating the obvious. I complimented his coat, more than once."
"I think you're right as far as Jack was concerned; you were just stating the obvious. I mean, who doesn't like that coat?"
After a contemplative pause, Ianto continued, "As much as I hated Jack at that moment –and for a while after… he set me free."
"Do you know, Jack set me free too? Literally got me out of a UNIT prison." Ianto nodded. "How do you know that?"
"I told you before how Jack would brag about you to the new recruits; well, he was also a bit smug about getting you away from UNIT."
"He would be. Would I be too nosy if I asked when…?" When Ianto sighed, she continued, "You know that if you don't tell me, Gwen's going to grill you."
"Hmm," he paused to think, "'Grilled Ianto Jones', what do you think she'd serve with that?" both smothered snorts of laughter. "Do you remember when I told you that Jack fascinated me?"
"Yeah, that was the night Mary…" she trailed off wistfully.
Ianto nodded, uncomfortable that he'd saddened his friend, "Sorry," he said quietly.
"Thank you," she said softly, "but it doesn't hurt anymore. Go on."
"When we were dealing with the people gone missing in Radyr; well, after what he did to Mary, I realized it wasn't something personal towards me and I got the last of the negativity towards him out of my system." Ianto leaned in a little closer and lowered his voice a bit, "Then I kissed him." He smiled like a naughty schoolboy confessing something he'd gotten away with. "I mean, I snogged him good. Then took him back to mine."
"Good for you," she giggled good-naturedly, not knowing how he managed to look smug and sheepish at the same time.
"Yeah?" he asked with a shy smile.
"Yeah," Tosh affirmed quietly.
"While we're on the subject of Jack, do you remember that conversation we had while… camping? Before all Hell broke loose?"
"I do; which part do you mean?"
"The part where you almost admitted to shagging Jack."
Tosh shook her head, "We never shagged; it was something very different, something… better."
"Oh?" he asked quietly.
"You won't be jealous?"
"I could never be jealous of you, onēsan," he said sincerely.
Toshiko smiled at Ianto's use of the Japanese for 'older sister'. It sounded so cute in his Welsh accent. "It wasn't long after he got me away from UNIT and I started working in Cardiff; life was so different – too different, too soon. Different from a tiny prison cell, fear for my family's lives and the stress from corporate espionage. Oh I was in a bad way." She seemed to contemplate the middle distance, "Jack found me tucked into a dark corner of the Hub and I had just… retreated into my head. He didn't say anything, he just led me into his room under his office and… took care of me. He undressed me gently and respectfully, put one of his t-shirts on me then lay on the bed with me and just held me. He stroked my hair, pressed little light kisses on my forehead, stroked my back then tightened his hold for a while. He repeated that until I fell asleep. I think he held me all night." Tosh smiled as her gaze returned to the young Welshman, "No, Jack never tried to shag me, but he did make love to me, Ianto. The love of a friend who cared for me very much. And I miss him," her voice hitched with emotion.
Ianto nodded as he wrapped his arms around his friend because he knew exactly how she felt, he missed Jack too. "Well, I think that's enough of 'Kiss and Tell', don't you?" Tosh nodded in agreement and after a pause Ianto spoke up, "You know?" he said as if struck by an idea, "There's something else we have in common…"
"What's that?"
"Our boss killed our girlfriends."
"And, you know, saved us both from being –literally and figuratively- consumed by them… so, we can't really be too upset about that." She sighed, "Angel, hero, bastard; you never get bored around Jack Harkness."
~TW~
Owen spent the entirety of the journey from the airport to the Hub in an extended, wide-ranged and highly entertaining monologue: "…Bloody Himalayas… Bloody airports… Glad UNIT aren't gonna stick their noses in just 'cuz Jack's gone… Saxon's dead… Never piss-off the Missus; 's why I don't have one… Not that the American President's a big loss," he gave a snort, "'course neither's our PM…" and ended with, "Here, let me give you a hand with that, Ianto…" as he took a heavy-looking case from the Welshman. This wasn't the first time Owen had been so helpful in the last week, and he'd even gone so far as to ask Ianto's opinion once or twice.
"Owen, why are we suddenly friends? Now? I'm not complaining; just why are we OK now?" Ianto asked, holding the doctor back as the other two trooped into the Hub.
"Look, I won't give you all the waffle Gwen was spouting about trust and keeping together, even if it is true," he snorted, "'specially without Jack." Owen took deep breath as if preparing for something unpleasant he was only going to do once, "OK, I had you pegged as a bit of a pansy; Jack's… well," Owen at least had the decency to look uncomfortable, "boy-toy and every derogatory thing that implies. But then you shot me! You weren't hysterical, or hacked-off in a way that meant I was right about the 'pity-shag' crack, and it wasn't an accident: you shot me. Didn't even apologize," that last point seemed to impress him the most, "that took some balls, big ones. So, I'm thinking maybe you don't just lay there and let Jack have his way with you; maybe it is more equal; maybe you aren't a pansy. And, well… you were damn good out there in the field. You've earned my respect, Ianto. As far as I'm concerned, we're OK." He took a deep breath, as if preparing to do something unpleasant -again, "In fact, I should say sor-"
"Don't," Ianto interrupted sternly, shocking Owen. "If you apologize then I'll have to apologize and two stubborn blokes, apologizing? to each other?" he leaned toward Owen, made a show of looking both ways and stage-whispered with a mock-serious, conspiratorial expression, "I honestly don't think the universe could handle that. Do you?"
"Ha! You're right, don't wanna be responsible for giving the universe indigestion." Owen clapped Ianto on the shoulder as he continued to chuckle, "C'mon, weevils to hunt, paperwork to fill out, world to save, etc."
"Don't forget building the hothouse for all the various alien flora that's washed through the Rift recently," Ianto added.
"Oh, well, how could I forget about that?" Owen dramatically threw his hands in the air, Ianto had to duck. "So, where do you think we should put it?"
"Dunno, where the conference room is would be the best place."
"True. 'Course what would we do for a conference room?"
"Actually I found some plans in the Archives for a purpose-built meeting place. Looks rather like a big-corporate boardroom; display screen, *coffee nook and everything. The notes are in… Jack's handwriting*." He shrugged and went on quickly so Owen wouldn't have time to comment on his pause, "Tosh has a few things she'd like to add. It would fit where Suzie's workshop was."
"I like the sound of that, 'Boardroom' it is."
~fn:
* 'Twilight Streets' Novel by: Gary Russell
~TW~
Possible expanded scene from:
'Consequences: Kelidescope' – Novel by: Sarah Pinborough
"Is that a technical term, Tosh?" Owen teased with wide-eyed mock-innocence.
"Of course it is, Owen," said Ianto, to everyone's surprise.
"Yeah? Well, what's it mean, then?" asked the argumentative doctor.
"No clue," Ianto responded calmly. "But then none of us understand you when you're trying to convince us you're a doctor by spouting all that Latin-based bollox."
Tosh and Gwen stared at Ianto for a moment, surprised that he had spoken so openly against the doctor, then Owen laughed, "Ha! Touché, Teaboy!" He turned back to face the tech genius, "'Do-lally' it is, Toshiko."
~TW~
'Dinner and a Show' - #39 BF Audio
…just my luck, sodding birthday's on sodding Valentine's Day*… not a fan of either one… what's that weird signal? Should check that out… if I'm lucky I won't have to deal with Tosh's 'non-Valentines not-a-date' bollox at the opera… YES! "Oi, Ianto. I gotta do some checking on this signal… ah, thing. Tell Tosh I'm sorry I couldn't make it. Bye," he said all in a rush as he hurried out the cog door.
~fn:
*Reference: 'The Torchwood Archives' Book. I think the year is wrong, though.
~TW~
"Sorry about the 'you're weird' comment," Tosh said as she leaned against Ianto comfortably, after she finished off the really bad Welsh version of Prosecco.
Ianto shrugged easily as they gazed out across the Plass and on to the Channel, "Well, I am; so are you." He nudged her shoulder gently. "Tell you what: I won't mention your Gabba phase, you don't mention my Goth phase –ever- and we'll call it even. OK?"
~TW~
'I just miss him so much I wanna start screamin' and never stop'. I can't believe I said that to Tosh. O'course, if I was goin' to tell anyone it would be Tosh. Damn it, Ianto Jones, stop acting like a hormonal teenager… again. Hormones, that's it. Adrenaline withdrawal; 51st century pheromone withdrawal; or orgasm withdrawal. It's just plain lust withdrawal! You can't possibly be in love with Captain Jack Bloody Harkness! Ianto mentally shouted at himself. OK, so I'm not in love with the man; but, oh by all those gods Jack calls on, I miss him.
~TW~
'Lease of Life' - #48 BF Audio
"I thought he was just making something up so he didn't have to go last night," Tosh grumbled as she sat at her work station, finishing the cover-up of the mess Owen caused, "but he really did have a… thing."
"Interestin' how his 'thing' required us to dig him out."
"I can't even get upset at him; he's got a broken leg, blast it," Tosh griped one last time.
~TW~
Last scene of: 'Doctor Who:
Last of the Time Lords' - TV
* "…'The Face of Boe' they called me. Heh," he grinned widely, "I'll see you." *
Jack checked his Vortex Manipulator as he stepped onto the Invisible Lift and his smile disappeared, "How many months?! Doctor!" He turned: gone. "Damn Time Lords!" Jack spent several minutes cursing the Doctor and all Time Lords in several languages; some that wouldn't exist for a couple millennia.
~TW~TW~TW~
Thanks for reading! Reviews are like hot chocolate to me; not necessary, but make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
Another Author's note: Season 2 has sooo much source material: episodes, books, Big Finish audio dramas and Torchwood Magazine stories; that the next installment will take some time; so please, don't hold your breath. Thank you.
