Well would you believe it, I think I'm on something of a roll.
This has been beta-ed by me and my hangover, so please excuse the terrible grammatical mistakes I'm sure will have slipped in somewhere ;-)
Happy Wednesday! x
Ianto is at the office a full hour before Jack, in order to fully prepare for the day ahead of them. He has never been involved in a case as big as this one, and he wants to make sure he knows all of Nikki Wade's history on file before he finally meets her. When Jack eventually arrives, he's fully immersed in her previous case history. Jack leans against the door to his office, taking a moment to admire his young junior unobserved. He sees Ianto wince as he reaches out for the next file, and reach to massage his shoulder.
"Bad night?" Ianto starts, and locking eyes with Jack immediately flushes at the memory of his shower earlier that morning.
"Yeah, you could say that." He keeps his head down and doesn't turn the corners of his mouth up into the adorable smile Jack enjoyed so much the day before. "Sofa wasn't as comfortable as it looked." Jack grinned, and threw his coat across the room to his chair, much to Iantos disapproval.
"In the dog house with the girlfriend?"
"Nope, it's definitely the other way around." Jack frowned, and motioned for Ianto to continue talking.
"She's just not the same person she was when I met her. You know? She's hard, and cold, and I don't...I just don't know." He looked up at Jack, and let himself smile, just a little. "This is the bit where you're supposed to share your years of wisdom, Sir." Jack really does laugh at that.
"I think you're fully aware of how pointless it would be to go with any relationship advice that came from me. But for what it's worth, just because you wrap those vowels so deliciously around your words, I'd get out." Ianto looked shocked at such drastic advice.
"We've been together for seven years, sir."
"We'll all be a long time dead, Ianto. There will be plenty of time to be miserable when you're six feet under. All that we have now, is to try and be happy. Are you happy?"
"No sir." He was shocked at how easily the answer jumped from his lips.
"Well, there you go then. Now what say you stop moping, and we go and see what we can do for out lesbians in need?" Ianto smiled, and grabbed the files.
"Absolutely sir."
Larkhall prison was as depressing and looming a building as Ianto had imagined a prison to be. Jack on the other hand couldn't help but grin as they were led to the notorious G-Wing.
"Just think Ianto" he whispered softly so their prison escort wouldn't hear. "All those women. Locked up. Desperate. What must go on here after lock up, eh?" Ianto suppressed the emerging laugh, and gestured towards the files he was carrying.
"Seems to me they get on just fine. Perhaps there wouldn't be room for you sir." Jack guffawed. "Oh I don't know about that, I always did value the art of spectating." Ianto laughed as they got to the closed visiting room that Jack had requested. Their escort informed them that Wade would be along shortly, and shut the door behind her. Ianto immediately busied himself ordering the files in synch with the questions he had prepared for Jack to ask their client. The door abruptly opened; but instead of their prisoner they found themselves faced with an attractive and smart looking woman, who shut the door behind her and eyed them suspiciously.
"Mr Harkness?" she asked, looking between the two men. Jack stepped forwards, offering the woman a flashing grin, and glancing surreptitiously at her cleavage held out his hand.
"At your service, Miss-?"
"It's governor, actually. Helen Stewart." She replied, shaking his hand firmly and eyeballing him. "And if you'll take my advice, you'll go easy on the flirting with Nikki. She doesn't take to that very well from men." Jack looked suitably chastised, ad Ianto failed to supress a grin. Helen turned to look at him questioningly, and he extended his own hand.
"Ianto Jones, governor. Junior barrister. And don't worry about Jack, I'm assured he's capable of behaving himself when necessity dictates." She smiled at Ianto, and Jack wondered if he could make absolutely anybody feel at ease. She continued to address both men in a manner reminiscent to jack of a favourite teacher trying to reprimand him.
"You're here because you're said to be the best. After the shit this system has thrown at Nikki, she deserves the best shot at getting out. Just a warning, she's a successful businesswoman and she's completed a degree whilst she's been with us, so don't talk down to her, she won't take kindly to it; even if you are her best shot. Any questions?"
"No ma'am" Jack saluted, earning himself a glare.
"Ok, I'll go and get her." Helen hesitated, as if debating sharing the wisdom she was about to. She turned to Ianto. "Be gentle with her, ok? She knows this is her only hope, and she's terrified." Ianto nodded seriously, and Helen left the room. Jack exhaled deeply.
"Wow, looks like our cop killer isn't the only one running scared."
"Rumours, Jack" Ianto reprimanded.
"No smoke without fire. I've seen an awful lot of scared partners in court Ianto. She's bricking it. Anyway, how about you take the lead on this one? Let's see how those vowels work in action."
"Yes sir" said Ianto, pleased that he took the time to familiarise himself with all the files.
"Oh stop teasing me with the sir!" Jack groaned, as the door opened and Wade walked in, flanked by two officers and Helen. The governor dismissed the officers, ignoring their protests at leaving Wade alone with the lawyers.
"I'll be staying to keep an eye on things" she said.
"Of course you will" said one of the retreating officers, at which Jack raised a suggestive and victorious eyebrow at Ianto.
Nikki settled in the chair opposite Ianto, and stared at him unblinkingly.
"So, you're the bigshots. What are my chances then?" Jack was about to enter into the conversation with a demonstration of his witty repartee; but Ianto saw the inevitable clash between them and Jumped in.
"We believe that we can appeal for a retrial based on the grounds that the judge should have directed your original lawyers to a defence of provocation. If we can prove provocation, we can get your original sentence overturned. What the judge will resentence with, I don't know." Jack was rolling his eyes at Ianto's technical explanation, thinking that there was no way a con would have understood any of that, and he'd have to explain in laymans terms.
"Ok" Nikki nodded, focusing her attention now totally on Ianto. "what are the chances of a defence of provocation working?"
"Well, we have managed to get hold of a woman that PC Donnelly allegedly raped 6 months before the incident, who is willing to testify to his character, and…" He hesitated, not sure how much he should share with the client.
"And they didn't put me on the stand" Nikki finished. Ianto nodded, impressed at her understanding of the situation.
"No they didn't, and that unquestionably tipped the tables against you. Now given the nature of your original statement, I understand why they didn't go there; but we would like to put you on the stand to testify. To do this, we're going to have to ask you a lot of questions and I'll need you to be completely honest with us. If you don't want to answer, please tell us and do not lie. We're going to need 100% transparency if we're going to pull this off. Is that ok?" Nikki turned questioningly to Helen who nodded her head, and smiled.
"Ok" she smiled to her lawyers. "Let's do this."
Several hours later, Ianto shut his notepad and smiled at the appellant. "ok, I think we've got everything we'll need for now. Your solicitor will be in touch to confirm further details of the appeal." He glanced at Jack who nodded and made to take his jacket. Nikki stood up, and looked behind her at where Helen was sat. The governor had the remains of tear tracks inked on her face from hearing Nikki's story, and went to give her a hug.
"It's going to be ok" they were whispering to each other, more for assurance and comfort that as an assessment of their lawyers predictions. Jack and Ianto slipped out unobtrusively, and each let out a large gasp of breath as they got back into the fresh air. Jack turned to his junior and smiled. "Well, I think that's one all, don't you?"
"Excuse me, sir?"
"Well, you aced that interview like you've been doing this since you were in nappies. However, those two are definitely shagging." Ianto felt the smile drop from his face, and he remembered the way the women stared at each other. He couldn't remember the last time he had looked t his girlfriend like that. He wasn't sure he ever had.
"No sir, they're in love."
"You say potato" Jack quipped.
"What, you don't believe in love?"
"I'm told I'll know it when it hits me."
"Never? You've never been in love?" Jack turned to face Ianto and smiled quietly.
"Nope, don't think it's for me, really."
All Ianto could do was shake his head.
By the time he got home, Ianto was positively haunted by the emotion he had felt pouring from the two women he had met. He swung the door open, completely drained and came face to face with Lisa, hands on her hips and scowling.
"Well?" she demanded. Ianto was bewildered.
"Excuse me?"
"The apology. For last night. I mean come on Ianto, the way you treated me. I deserve more than that."
With Jack's advice from earlier ringing in his ears, Ianto saw the remains of his relationship in all its stark glory. He was quiet and determined when he spoke.
"Take your clothes, and get out of my flat."
"Ianto?" her façade of anger faltered.
"No, no more. This is it Lisa. What this is…it's many things, but it isn't love. So pack. And go."
He was amazed by how much lighter he felt once the words had left him.
If you review, you will make my hangover be quiet :p xxx