TITLE: To Separate The Lies From Truth
PART THREE OF SERIES: The Five Elements (AU Verse)
CHAPTER SUMMARY: Tosh struggles with the weight of gift, from someone who might not have had the best intentions
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Torchwood or Doctor Who which is unlucky because Jack and Ianto deserve so much more!
WORDS: 3000
Notes: I hope this is okay, for once (other than that short Suzie POV at the start) I have written part of this chapter in someone's POV other than Ianto or Jack – Tosh! I hope it works okay.
Chapter 20: As Clear As Crystal (2007)
25th April 2007
Tosh missed the distraction of company. It had been a week since the events in Brynblaidd, but tomorrow would be her first day back at the Hub. She'd always been known to get lonely on occasion, but this time the enforced vacation/medical time Jack had given her, had left her with only her thoughts. Thoughts which, after the last week, weren't exactly positive.
The long-suppressed memories of her months of captivity by UNIT had come flooding back the first night alone in her flat, resulting in her shakily shoving away the confines of her duvet as if it was smothering her.
She'd tried to distract herself with other odd jobs around her house and well as other thoughts. For one, Ianto's revelations that night had at first startled her, but the more she remembered of their conversation, the more she understood what the former had gone through and she had begun to see and respect the clever and reserved Welshman in a new light.
Yet, no matter how much she repressed the memories and fears during the day, they returned with vigour each and every night, making it difficult to relax enough to sleep in the first place.
The clock beside her bed flashed 23:09, only a minute more than when she'd last looked, and kicking back her covers once again, Tosh gave up on the concept of sleep, grabbing her jacket and handbag.
She really needed a drink.
What happened next however, in hindsight, probably hadn't helped.
~ * o ~ * o ~ T ~ o * ~ o * ~
26th April 2007
The pendant preyed on her mind the rest of the night and into the following morning at the Hub. It's alien origin had been unmistakable the moment Mary had passed it over, and had been only reinforced by the first demonstration of its power at the Pub. The sensible past of her knew she should have given the crystal over to Jack the moment she'd entered the Hub that morning, but a pull of curiosity betrayed her as she'd instead slipped it over her neck.
"Oh, is Tosh back at work already?" Owen's thoughts entered her mind as soon as the pendant touched her chest. "Please don't say that means we have to sit through another slideshow about the Incas or whatever it was last time."
Owen apparently was dealing with the ordeal of the cannibals in his usual curt mask of blunt rudeness, both verbally and mentally it seemed, as Tosh settled at her desk. That didn't surprise her too much. She'd gotten used to Owen gruff manner, but when the same rudeness came from Gwen she was shocked.
"Oh, sweetheart, the jeans in the boots thing has really kind of had its day."
Only the day before, Tosh had thought her return to the Hub was just what she'd needed, but by midday, hearing the rush of Gwen and Owen's thoughts soon became overwhelming. Needing to escape into some quiet for just for a short while, Tosh had requested if she could return home for lunch, only to be confronted by Mary sitting on a wall outside her home, smoking. After the new stranger had already shared that she knew so much about her, Tosh shouldn't have been surprised she knew where she lived.
Seeing Mary's true form had been both beautiful and terrifying at the same time, and even then the chaos of the day only continued on her journey back to the Hub.
Rescuing the mother and her son from his own father, intent on committing murder suicide, brought even more conflicting emotions about the mysterious Crystal. It evidently could be used for the good, but something about it still erred caution in her mind
However, she wasn't given the chance to begin to try organising her thoughts before she was having to explain what happened to the police without revealing the truth.
In the end she was almost two hours late in returning to the Hub. She wishfully hoped it had gone unnoticed, but considering her previous lack of luck that day, it was highly unlikely. Yet, Tosh felt her luck might have been turning when the main level of the Hub was deserted when she entered. There hadn't been an alert, meaning the team were around somewhere, but at least it avoided any awkward conversations.
Heading for her desk, however, Tosh's gaze fell upon the contraption the rest of the team had found at a crime scene the day before. They'd caught her up with the case that morning, but Mary had definitely ben interested in it during lunch, and she found herself changing direction, as if something was drawing her towards it.
"So, I've just come from a really interesting conversation with a Detective Inspector Henderson."
Jack startled her as he appeared from around the corner. She snatched her hand back from the device, unaware she'd even been reaching out, but Jack continued regardless.
"Interesting because, firstly, the man had the biggest hands I've ever seen. And secondly, because of the story he told me about you saving a woman and her kid from being murdered by her ex-husband barely an hour ago."
"Yeah. No, I was going to tell you about that, but you were busy and it wasn't really a work thing. I didn't want it to look like I was showing off." Tosh stammered. "Anyway, I was wondering how you were getting on with this."
"It's ongoing." He sounded puzzled by the changed of topic, but went with the flow. "I keep thinking I know what it is, but nothing's coming to mind."
Tosh nodded, walking away, her fingers straying to touch the pendant as she did. A few steps away though, she stopped, stunned at the unexpected silence from the other's mind.
Jack stepped back from the contraption, confused by her staring. "What? Have I got something on my face? Is it food?"
"No." Tosh snapped back into focus, hand dropping from the crystal. "Sorry, I zoned out."
"Well, listen, that was a good save, Tosh. Well done."
Confused, Tosh distractedly collected a number of files from and desk and settled down to work in one of the Hub's neighbouring rooms. Though it was rare, when she didn't need to use her computer, she liked working away from the main level of the Hub, usually as it was more peaceful and there were less chance of distraction from the others.
"I'm about to brew some of Jack's industrial strength coffee." Apart from Ianto it seemed, who always knew where everyone was, as said man appeared outside the doorway. Either that or she shouldn't have chosen the room right next to the kitchenette. "Would you like a cup?"
"I'm fine. Thanks, Ianto.
Ianto turned back to the machine, with a nod. Unable to stop herself, Tosh found herself focus once more on the new, strange but incredible, power the pendant had gifted her, but once again Ianto's mind was silent. It had been the same with Jack just before, and that for one second, she wondered whether the effects of the crystal had somehow broken, but then it was as if Ianto's mind sparked into life.
"Flirting isn't going to make this coffee brew any faster, Jack. I can always get out the decaff if you're worried about speed."
Ianto's mind became silent once more, but Tosh was already slightly uncomfortable at having eavesdropped on even the short amount to Ianto's thoughts. Unlike Owen for example, she knew that Ianto – like herself - prided himself on being a private person, especially after what she'd recently learnt about the latter.
"You might very well be in caffeine withdrawal, but maybe you should have thought of that when you chose to distract me this morning." Ianto's thoughts resumed once more, almost making her jump in her seat. "Yes I know I wasn't complaining, but…"
Tosh pulled of her pedant, not wanting to hear anything further.
~ * o ~ * o ~ T ~ o * ~ o * ~
Ianto suppressed a grin as he busied himself making coffee for team while also trying to fend off Jack's attempts to speed him up. It was his first day back, the same as Tosh, and somehow he could tell, even without their bond, that his lover had missed him at work, despite him coming over to his flat every chance he had, and also constantly communicating during the time he wasn't.
A sudden surge of emotion from Tosh, flooded with guilt and embarrassment, and he turned just in time to watch the latter pull something off from around her neck roughly. His conversation cut off sharply with Jack, barely catching Jack's pout then confusion at unexpectedly being ignored.
"Tosh?" Ianto left the coffee, moving into the other room worriedly. He narrowed his eyes at the sight of pendant in her hands. He'd never seen it before but the way it almost 'glowed' made Ianto almost confident it was alien. "Where did you get that?"
"I don't….I…" Tosh looked down at her hand as she stumbled over her words. "There was a woman at the Pub yesterday, Mary. She gave me to me."
"No, something not right here." Ianto shook his head as he spoke. "You knew the procedure here off by heart in your first week. You wouldn't touch as supposedly dangerous artifact without numerous tests and checks."
"I er…"
"Wait.." Ianto injected, quickly grabbing the first empty jar from the kitchenette. The sooner Tosh let go of the device the better. "Here. I'll get a better containment box later."
Tosh dropped the crystal gently into the offered jar and Ianto swore he almost witnessed as a weight was visibly relieved from Tosh, as he screwed on the lid. Her shoulder slumped and guilt and worry flooded Ianto's mind once again. He wrapped an arm around Tosh in support, pulling her closer.
"I don't know why I kept putting it on." Tosh stammered shakily. "I hated it but I…"
"It's not your fault." Ianto assured. "What do you know about this….Mary?"
"Nothing, she just came up to me…." Tosh murmured in answer. "I think she's telepathic like the necklace and…."
"…And most likely was controlling you into putting it on in the first place." Ianto finished himself. At least that answered the question to what the technology did. It also explained the first wave of emotions he'd felt from Tosh if she'd overheard him speaking with Jack.
He was pretty certain that a large portion of Tosh's actions in using the pendant had been influenced, but any other reasons could be addressed later. First they had to deal with Mary. "We need to bring Jack in on this, okay?"
"Jack's already here..." They both turned towards the new voice, as Jack entered the room, presumably coming to find him after his sudden silence. He saw as the latter took in the way Tosh was wrapped protectively in his arms. "What's happened."
Ianto repeated what Tosh had already told him, the latter sinking further into his arms at the remind held in each word. He held the jar containing the pendant up for Jack to take as he spoke, to see if the other knew more on what it was.
"It's an Arcateenian Crystal." Jack explained after studying the jar briefly. "The species are telepathic so they use the crystal to communicate with other species."
"Her true form; she showed it to me. It glowed so brightly." Tosh described, then her gaze dropped to her lap again. "I'm sorry, I kept meaning to say something, but the words didn't come."
"I would say it not your fault, but if I know Ianto well enough, he's already tried convincing you of that. He's right though and at least something else makes sense now." Jack mused. "Henderson said you heard him muttering to himself as he was walking along, and that's what tipped you off. Something about that I thought was weird, because if I'm about to murder someone, I'm careful not to talk to myself about it while I'm in the street."
"I reckon that's lesson one." Ianto teased, but then turned serious once more. "What do we do now?"
Jack turned to Tosh. "Did Mary imply in any way what she wanted?"
Tosh started to shake her head, but then stopped, thinking. "She was interested in that tech you, Owen and Gwen found yesterday."
"Did she say why?" Ianto asked frowning wondering what the rusty piece of metal had to do with a telepathic species, but Jack stopped his train of thought, by jumping up with a shout.
"I think I know!" Jack ran out at speed, returning seconds later with the large device in his hands. "Now I remember! How did I not see it? It's Arcan. A prisoner transporter. One prisoner, one guard and I think there's no need to wonder which one Mary is. Where is she now."
"She was at my house at lunch." Tosh answered. "I don't know if she's still there."
"I'll take Owen and Gwen, and have a look, okay?" Jack explained. "But I need you to stay here, if she's been in your mind once, it's easier to second time. You too, Ianto. I'm not risking it."
Ianto startled at the mention, fully ready to protest at first, before he stopped himself. Leaving Tosh alone right then would be counterproductive, and if he was thinking on the same lines as Jack, then his lover was right. They didn't know whether Mary would be able to detect his heightened abilities compared to the rest of the team, and that would leave them at a disadvantage.
He nodded at Jack. "You're right. Go."
Jack raced off, and Ianto could see him reaching for his comm to call the others. Both remained silent until they heard the garage door close.
"Why doesn't Jack want you to go with him?" Tosh almost made him jump with her next question. "Is it because of your…you know."
"My abilities? You can say it, I don't mind." Ianto smiled. "And…there are some other aspects to them, that meant it was safer for me to stay here. I…er. I didn't share everything that first night.
"I guessed somethings that were more personal. You don't have to if…"
"It's fine. After today, I think it might help." Ianto assured. "My control of the water element doesn't just mean I can stop it from raining; it also means I'm an Empath."
"You're…? But, it was like a curse, hearing all those voices." Tosh exclaimed. "How can you cope with that?"
"Empathy is a little different than telepathy. I can sense only emotions. Anger, pain, excitement, for example. Even embarrassment." Ianto explained, Tosh blushing at the last one. "I can't hear words, like you did, other than with Jack, but that different and it's only when he wants me too."
"Jack?" Tosh queried. "But, I couldn't hear anything from him at all. It almost sound like he was…dead inside."
Ianto flinched internally at the description, not wanting to think about what words touched upon.
"You probably couldn't anything from me first as well, right?" He asked, and Tosh nodded. "It's called shielding. It helps with blocking the extent of what I sense from others. Jack's shields combined with mine also stop us from hearing every thought the other has. So, you only heard me when I lowered them to talk to him."
"You were actually talking to him!? So, that's why you always seem to know what the other is doing…you actually do!" Tosh playfully slapped Ianto's arm. "How can he hear you, is he like you?"
"He has some psychic abilities, but not too my extent." Ianto answered, hesitantly. "Sorry, it's not really my place to share."
"Yes, of course not."
"But to answer your earlier question; it can be hard. When Jack first rescued me, I had to learn how to shield so I could be around so many people at once. Too many emotions at once can be dangerous." Ianto revealed, remembering something from almost 4 years ago now. "Do you remember a few years ago when you first joined, but before Owen came, I collapsed on a retrieval."
"Yes!" Tosh returned, suddenly remembering herself. "I wasn't there, but Suzie was. She came back in a panic with a device that needed deactivating fast as it'd done something to you. We never found out what it was."
The atmosphere dropped slightly at the mention of Suzie, and Ianto coughed lightly before continuing. "I'm still not sure myself, but it sent me into Psychic Shock. The input was so powerful that my shields shattered."
"Jack was terrified when you wouldn't wake up." Tosh added. "Is it really that dangerous?"
"Sometimes, but it can be useful too." Ianto countered. "Today's an example, but it's how I can also tell that something else has be bothering you recently. You're exhausted."
"I fine, I just haven't been sleeping recently."
"Nightmares?" Ianto asked. He should have known sooner, especially seeing a few of his own horrors had returned since their trip last week. He however had Jack to calm him down after, but Tosh was alone at her flat. "Is it the cannibals or….."
"UNIT." Tosh finished, nodding.
"I'm sorry, I…." Ianto was cut off by the chime of his phone. Pulling it out his pocket apologetically, he read the brief text from Jack.
"It's Jack. Everyone's fine, and both Mary and the transporter have been dealt with. It's over." Ianto spoke aloud for Tosh's benefit, who sagged in relief at the news. He stood, stiff from the hard floor of the side-room, before turning back to Tosh. "How about we find somewhere more comfortable to sit until they come back, and then you can come home with me and Jack tonight."
"Oh, so it's Jack's flat too now, is it?" Tosh teased, allowing Ianto to pull her up.
That time it was Ianto's turn to blush.
Notes: I originally thought I was going to have the full reveal in this chapter – but I liked how I built in up in Countrycide, by having Tosh know some but not all. Hope it worked – please review.
Next up – A twist on They Keep Killing Suzie (Only it's definitely a twist seeing how she's not dead in the first place) Should hopefully be up in 2 days – see you then!
Also, side note – I totally went back to re-read some of my old fanfics I wrote first, and was surprised by how much my writing style has changed. It's only been just over a year! What do you think?
