Chapter 14: Aftermath
I do not own any of the material used in this story other than the storyline and my own character.
They were all back at the hub, the SAS squad made the excuses and had muttered something about having to get Griggs back to the USA and get briefed for an operation in Russia and the UNIT captain had gone to debrief UNIT but Elle had elected to go with Torchwood back to the hub, everyone just sat around talking quietly and drinking coffee while waiting on news of Tom, Jack was wondering around checking on the clean up operation that Tosh and Gwen were sorting out but every time he walked past Elle and Jenny sitting on the sofa he chucked to himself, on the forth time he did this the Doctor took him up on it.
"Jack, Martha fiancée is close to death and Owen is trying to save him, what the hell are you laughing at."
"Well, no I shouldn't tell you."
"Jack."
"Fine, it is just it had been about twenty minutes now and you still haven't noticed that your daughter is holding hands with Elle under the table."
"What!"
"Keep your voice down, don't ruin it for her, be glad she found somebody."
"My daughter is a lesbian."
"Judging from what she said to me I would say she is Bi."
"Well offer her a job here, is it like a rule you have to be Bi?"
"No, you just have to be horny."
"Jack."
"Don't look now but they just kissed."
"If you are having a joke I will kill you, over and over and...oh you were not kidding."
"Martha."
"Owen, what's happening."
"Can you come down here a minute."
They could tell by they tone of his voice it was not good news. This was confirmed a minute later by a shout from the operation room.
"Please Owen there has to be something you can do?!"
"I am sorry but he whole body is dying."
"What about nanogenes?"
"They would repair the damage but the body would keep on dying until the nanogenes ran out, and he would be in agony for ten minutes."
"What about that glove?"
"Ianto smashed it with his hockey stick, I am sorry but I could only give him ten minuets with whatever I do and he would be in a lot of pain, right now it is painless, do you want me to bring him round so you can say goodbye?"
"Please Owen, how long would we get?"
"About seven minutes of fully alertness."
"Thank you Owen."
"I'm sorry, he was good man."
"You barely knew him."
"I gathered that much about him in that week."
Owen started to bring Tom round and left Martha with him, he filled everyone in before going to his computer and went to work filling out the medical forms. About fifteen minutes later Martha came up the staircase and collapsed into her Mums arms and cried. Martha then walked out the hub and wandered around the bay in a daze before ending up on a bench outside the old church. She sat there for what felt to her like and an eternity before realising somebody was behind her she spun round to fine Ianto there and she fell into his arms and cried again.
"Ianto, who did you lose?"
"My girlfriend, we were engaged and I have never told anyone that, we worked at Torchwood London and she was caught up in the battle, she was half converted when the power stopped, I dragged her out and came here, I though I could save her but in the end I couldn't."
"I'm sorry."
"I'm over it, well mostly, as much as I ever will be, but now you have to make a choice, are you going to spend the rest of your life grieving or are you going to do something, just don't do an Owen and deal with it by getting laid."
"He lose somebody too?"
"His fiancée, she had an alien on her brain, when they tried to operate to remove it she died."
"Is that what happens, you lose somebody and you end up at Torchwood, gos knows Jack has lost enough people over the years."
"Maybe it is."
After a few minutes they walked back to the Hub in silence, when the entered the Hub and headed over to there groups, Ianto with Jack and Martha with her family.
"We should offer it to them."
"It isn't fair."
"It is just an offer."
"It would be hard to explain."
"We can deal with it."
"As long as you don't force it on them."
Jack and Into went round the Hub talking to each person at once and give them the option to forget the whole week, nobody took this option, despite what had happened nobody took this option and over the next few hours everybody left to go home leaving only Jack, Ianto, The Doctor, Jenny and Elle in the Hub, before Martha left she asked the awkward question about Tom.
"Jack, what are we going to tell Toms family?"
"We can't tell them the truth, we sort fabricate a story, do you want to tell them or should we do it."
"Could you do it, I can't face them."
"Ok, see you soon."
"Hopefully."
Martha left the Hub with her family and the others were left round the table in silence.
"Jack, I have to go, can you deal with this."
"No problem Doctor, I understand you lost him."
"You lost your brother."
"He was the last part of your planet."
"He was the last part of your old life."
"What is this, an angst competition?"
"Well there both gone, you need time to grieve."
"So do you."
"I do it here."
"I suppose, Jenny what are you going to do?"
"I might stay here, explore this planet."
"Ok, I will see you soon."
"Ok, bye."
The Doctor went into the TARDIS and took off leaving only Jack, Jenny, Elle and Ianto in the Hub.
"So Jenny what are you going to do?"
"I dunno, I quite like Cardiff."
"Do you want us to set you up?"
"Like what?"
"Flat, job, history and background."
"Sounds good."
"It will take a few days so we will need to get you a hotel room."
"Could you make it a double?"
"Sure, I won't ask."
"You know the Doctor didn't notice until he made me tell him why I was laughing."
"How did he take it?"
"Alright, was a bit, oh no my daughters a lesbian but was alright, and he isn't exactly straight anyway."
*
A few days later...
"Jack did us good with this flat."
"I know, bay view, five minutes from Torchwood, good food."
"A new life."
"With a woman who is an alien."
"Which one is worse?"
"There both good."
*
"Hello, Mrs Milligan?"
"Yes, who are you?"
"Can we come in?"
"Can I ask why?"
"We have some bad news about your son."