TITLE: To Separate The Lies From Truth
PART THREE OF SERIES: The Five Elements (AU Verse)
CHAPTER SUMMARY: Combat, with some extra guests.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Torchwood or Doctor Who which is unlucky because Jack and Ianto deserve so much more!
WORDS: 2800
NOTES: Okay, advance warning, you are allowed to murder me in comments afterwards, but still hope you enjoy the first half of this chapter….
Chapter 22: Stay Of Execution Part 1 (2007)
9th December 2007
(Another Time jump – whoops but I need it to be near Christmas for a few chapters time ahaha )
The rest of Summer and Autumn passed rather quietly, but Ianto had the feeling it couldn't last. There'd been a few cases that had required the whole team, but mostly they'd spent the time on individual projects: Gwen had discovered there'd been more to Eugene's death than just a hit and run, Tosh and Owen were working on some theories with both the Manipulator and Weevils respectively, while he and Jack had worked on….well what they currently were.
"What about here?"
Stood alone in the dark, at the edge of a large field, Ianto saw the lights of the SUV disappear in the far distance, only seconds before the words from Jack came over their bond. He rolled his eyes despite there being no-one to see him, before answering.
"Again…yes, Jack." He wasn't sure how his sarcasm still showed without even opening his mouth. "You've barely gone another hundred metres since you last asked. How many times have we tried this before?"
For seemingly the fifth or sixth time over the summer, they were testing how far they could be apart and still communicate over their bond. He understood the significance of knowing, but still didn't enjoy standing in the cold, late on a Sunday in the beginnings of Winter while Jack continued to drive further and further away, until either their 'words' became either clouded, or they could no longer sense one another.
"I told you, I want to see if whether it's increased with all our practise." Jack returned and Ianto sighed, both mentally and verbally.
"I know, but if I remember correctly, you convinced me to come out under the illusion of a date."
Ianto could almost picture as Jack stammered, as he tried to come up with a comeback, either that or he actually had seen it, the image shared by the latter mentally. Sometimes he couldn't tell.
"I didn't… I said…"
"Even so, I'm cold and hungry." Ianto returned, stopping Jack's protests. The latter truthfully hadn't said tonight was like their usual date nights, but it was also true that Ianto had believed that was what his lover had meant. "Next time you want to test our bond, I get to stay in the car, while you stand here."
"Fine, I'm on my way back now." Jack relented. "I'm sure we can find somewhere to dine that's open at this time."
"It's Sunday night, Jack. I sincerely doubt it, but if it gets the car back here anytime soon, I'll take the offer."
Their bond fell silent but sure enough barely a few minutes later he saw headlights returning towards him, thankfully dimmed so not to blind him. However, to his confusion, instead of waiting for him climb in when the SUV eventually stopped beside him, Jack immediately jumped out in a hurry.
"Weevil." Jack enlightened, the beeping from his wristband corroborating the word. "Three hundred metres on the right. There's a car park."
Ianto nodded silently, following Jack as he locked the SUV and tracked the signal into a multi-storey car park. At this time of night, the place was almost empty of vehicles, thankfully making it harder for the Weevil to hide as he spotted it on level 3.
"Jack, there." He whispered.
"This always happens when we have a night off." He heard Jack sigh, as he followed his eyeline towards the growling alien. Jack pulled a familiar kit from his greatcoat pocket. "Anti-Weevil spray. Hand-clamps. Do you think he'll make this easy for us?"
Ianto went to reply when a loud squealing sound disturbed him. A white panel van pulled up next to weevil, stopping fast from a high speed as men in black jumped out the rear, surrounding the Weevil with what looked like electric cattle prods.
"Hey!" Both he and Jack had shouted at the same time as they charged forward, but the van drove off in reverse at the same speed it had arrived, before Ianto had even thought about slowing it with his powers.
"Who the hell were they?"
~ * o ~ * o ~ T ~ o * ~ o * ~
10th December 2007
The following morning, Jack slid rather than climbed down the ladder into the lower holding cells in a hurry, Ianto's frantic push of urgency through their bond calling him down. The last he'd heard the latter had taken a break from the case of the kidnapped weevil, in order to feed the current residents from their most recent hunts, and he'd been both panicked and confused by the silent call. Now he was here however he knew why his lover had been concerned. One weevil was crouched in the corner of it cell, keening mournfully.
"It started almost ten minutes ago." Ianto explained. "It weeping. I think it's feeling the pain of another Weevil."
"I don't know, but in this case, I kinda hope you're wrong." Jack returned, not even bothering to chastise Ianto once again on using his empathic abilities on aliens. "Because that would mean somebody's not only kidnapping Weevils, they're causing them pain."
The pair made their way back solemnly to the main Hub, unfortunately unable to do anything to help calm the distressed Weevil, other than to request a small sedative from Owen if it continued much longer.
"Tosh, any updates?" Jack asked, seeing the rest of the team crowded around her workstation.
"I've tracked the van's route. It went straight from the car park out to the docks…"
Tosh however paused as a loud beeping emanated from Jack's office. Confused, but recognising the sound as something urgent, he held up a hand in apology as he moved to check his private computer. Not even Ianto or Tosh had access to this one.
Not long before Owen had joined, Jack had tasked Tosh with creating a backdoor into the NHS system so that they were privately alerted when either a person of interest, or someone with specific symptoms were admitted into hospital - without the hospital knowing that they were being alerted of course - and overtime he'd developed the system himself to also include a second similar alert when the members of the team was admitted.
Though they'd used the first time and again over the years - it had been how he'd come around to recruiting Owen he remembered, knowing that his late fiancé had worsened - this time however, when he silently switched on the computer monitor to see the latter warning he froze. All his team were here, in the room barely metres from him so that meant….
Alice and Steven
He'd added his grandson and daughter to the system on a whim the previous year, after the failed funeral when he thought he'd never would have gotten that phone call to visit Steven. He thought if he couldn't see his newly re-found family, he'd could at least know if something had happened and protect them, but he'd never imagined something actually would. Opening the alert only confirmed his fears.
"Ianto, you're in charge! Find those weevils."
He grabbed his greatcoat without another word on the situation, ignoring the looks of concern from the team. Not the mention that actual concern he sensed from his lover as he felt the latter's presence probing at the edge of his mind, expecting to be granted entrance like always. When he instead only strengthened his shields rather than drop them the concern merged with confusion but he was too distracted to notice.
"I'll have my phone on, but don't wait for me. I don't know when I'll be back."
~ * o ~ * o ~ T ~ o * ~ o * ~
He drove like a bat out of hell towards Bristol, the lack of traffic in the late morning a blessing, but bringing the SUV to a halt, not caring about no-parking zone (there was equipment in the boot that could remove a wheel clamp in no time if needed), he actually paused momentarily in the entrance way to the ER, his mind finally thinking though what he was doing.
Alice wouldn't want him there, especially not at a time like this. Their relationship (if it could even be called that) still rather strained, meaning he certainly wouldn't be on the visiting list for either of them, but the urge to check overruled him, and he continued forward. The system had alerted that they'd both been admitted, meaning not one, but both were hurt in some way, and checking didn't necessarily mean he had to make himself seen by his daughter. He was practised at making himself invisible, just as much as he could make himself the centre of attention, but a shout quickly dashed all concepts of staying hidden.
"No! I'm staying!"
He didn't recognise the voice at first, he had met his grandson only three times and there were many other possible people it could have been in a busy hospital, but still the distressed yell drew his attention the same as it did everyone else's.
However, for him only, the flash of blonde hair followed by the sight of his grandson, stopped him in his tracks as he strode for the front desk. His body relaxed ever so slightly to see that thankfully he didn't look too hurt - he was on his feet at least- the only noticeable injuries were the white cast on one arm and the various cuts on his face, but he tensed once more at the scene as an unfamiliar woman gripped the boy's uncast arm tightly and tried futilely to lead him towards the exit.
"No! I'm not going with you!" Steven shouted again, pulling against the woman as he dug his heels into the floor. "I want to see Mum."
"Don't be silly boy, you can't stay here on your own." The woman snapped back, trying to continue forwards despite Steven's resistances, her expression frustrated as if she was in a hurry, and/or mortified by the public scene the protests are causing. No-one was intervening, however, the lanyard around her neck easily identifying her as Social Services.
"Steven!" Steven head whipped around at his name, eyes widening as he recognised him.
"Uncle Jack!" Steven yanked his uncast arm out of the woman grip as she was distracted by his shout. The 8-year-old raced towards him and it took all his self-control not to pick him up as he would Ianto's nephew, but rather squat down to his height, in case of any injuries that were hidden by Steven's clothes.
"Hey Soldier, what happened."
Steven hiccupped quietly into his chest, before pulling back and for the first time Jack noticed the red streaks down his face that weren't cuts.
"I dunno, we were going to school, then there was a bang. It was really loud, and then the car was upside down and Mummy wasn't answering and I…." He sniffed again as he got increasingly overwhelming as he tried to explain. "My arm hurt, but they fixed it, but now they won't let me in to see Mummy, and said I have to go with the mean lady, but I want to stay here and…"
"Hey, hey. Take a breath, Soldier."
The woman coughed exaggeratedly, to get his attention, having followed Steven towards him, but he ignored her, his focus on Steven. But when she stepped in front of him, he couldn't any longer. He had no doubt, had there been room, she would have moved between him and Steven.
"Excuse me? What's you're relation to this boy?"
"This is Uncle Jack. He's Mum's half-brother." It was Steven that answered for him. "He's family, which means I don't have to go with you anymore so you can go away."
"Steven, don't be rude." Jack chastised, but his tone was gentle. The 8-year-old was most likely stressed, and overwhelmed, never-mind hurting from his arm, so it was understandable he wasn't his usual self. He turned to the woman next. "He can stay with me."
"It was reported to our attention that his next of kin was uncontactable, and until then…"
"What about his father?" Jack queried, interrupting what had sounded like the start of an official policy citation. He'd heard a lot of them to know and it was as if all she was here for was to do her job, and not care for a scared and injured boy. "I would have thought he was their next of kin."
"Dad's in Italy." Steven answered for her, solemnly. "Mum and he don't live together anymore."
Jack hid his reaction with practised ease. He'd gotten the feeling on his few previous visits that something was off with his daughter's relationship, but he hadn't imagined it was serious enough that they'd gone their separate ways.
The woman, who Jack still had gotten the name of, continued as if both of them hadn't spoken. "I'm afraid that until his mother awakes and can inform us of her wishes, the law states he is ward of the government's and must come with us." Her tone had an air of patronising authority but that didn't bother Jack the slightest. "May I even ask how you obtained the knowledge the child and his mother were here?"
"I was alerted when they were admitted." Jack returned. While Torchwood wasn't as well known in Bristol as in Cardiff, his authority held all over the UK. He pulled his ID out of his wallet as he spoke. "I'm part of the government, so he'll still be in its care. His mother would agree."
Jack slipped the final lie in for extra measure, as he presented his card, wishing it was actually true. He had no doubt Alice would probably object to him watching Steven, but at that point there was no way he was letting his injured grandson be carted off to a group home for god knows how long.
"Fine. As long as I won't be fired." The woman sniffed. "His doctor gave me this to fill."
He expected the woman to protest further, but she clearly had a lot of other places to be and didn't want to waste time on arguing and cause herself even more embarrassment from the growing number of onlookers than she already had. Shouldering her bag further up her shoulder, she stuffed a prescription into his hands, she stalked from the hospital.
Steven pulled on the sleeve of his greatcoat, bringing his attention back to his grandson. "I want to see Mum."
"Okay, Soldier." Jack answered. "Let's find someone to ask."
Requesting his daughter's name at the front desk had once again needed his ID, but eventually, he was directed towards the ICU, and met outside by a worn-down and overworked doctor. Settling Steven in one of the waiting room chairs away from their conversation, most of worry that had built up since he'd first got the alert eased considerably at the Doctor's words.
Alice, while still unconscious, had been lucky. The only main concern, the doctors had had been the blood loss from a wound on her thigh, where a piece of metal from the car door had cut quite deeply, and a mild concussion. All they had to do now was wait for her to awaken in her own time, but until then she had to remain in the ICU for close monitoring.
"Can we visit?"
The doctor looked passed Jack at Steven swinging his legs despondently as he sat slumped on the chair, cradling his broken arm.
"I'm afraid children aren't allowed in the ICU." He answered, apologetically. "He can visit once she awakes and is moved to a normal ward."
For a moment Jack wanted to object, even show his ID once more, just to get access, but this was one rule he could understand. Seeing someone you love in hospital is hard for anyone, but even harder for someone of Steven's age.
Nodding his thanks, and passing on his number to the doctor so he could be called the instant Alice woke, he made his way slowly back to Steven, who looked up from the floor at him approaching.
"Can I…"
"You're Mum's going to be fine, Solider, but I'm afraid we're not allowed in." He added himself to the argument, but it didn't do much to help.
"No! I want to see Mum!"
"Rules are rules, Soldier. For you and me." Jack returned. "We won't go far. How about get your medicine then find a hotel to stay in, as close as possible, so as soon as you're allowed, you can visit?"
Stay Of Execution: noun - A cancellation/postponement of a punishment. In this case, Jack gets a short break by having a chance to see his family which is normally blocked from him.
Notes: Okay, see let me have it. I hurt Steven, but this plot line wouldn't leave me alone, and in time to be super excited cause in the next chapter tomoz it's…..well if you haven't guessed it….Spoilers….
