Chapter Three: Of Daddies and Five Years Gone
Place: Louisiana
Time: Unknown
Jack and his partner, John Hart, walked down the uneven cobblestone streets looking for a place to get out of the unbearable heat, grab a bite to eat and maybe a drink before they went back to the fifty-first century. The mission had been a success and they had a few hours before their time watches hurled them through the time vortex.
"Ah sweet haven!" John said when he saw the words Adams Bar & Grill halfway down the sidewalk.
Running ahead of Jack, John held the door open for him but Jack stopped a few feet from the Bar when he noticed a jewelry store across the street.
"Hey John go ahead and order something for me." Jack said
"Why?" John asked
"Because I got something important to do." Jack said and with that he stepped of the curb and ran across the street
Running after him, John asked
"Why are you going into a bloody jewelry store and what could be more important than cold beer and half-naked women?" John asked, yelling, as they walked in the antique jewelry store.
The saleswoman behind the counter glared at them.
"My sister's birthday which is tomorrow," Jack said then walked up to the saleswoman and flashed her his best smile.
"Hi, I'm looking for a silver necklace for a birthday present little sister." Jack said to the saleswoman whose nametag read Sally.
"Well you came to the right place we have plenty of necklaces." Sally said motioning to the counters around her.
Glancing around he eyes alighted on a plain silver chain with a small circle that had swirls on it hanging from hanging from the silver chain.
"I'll take this one." He said handing Sally the necklace
"Good choice Sir," Sally said "But please be careful the necklace is from 1941."
Jack paid for the necklace then he and John left the shop. They had just entered Adams' Bar & Grill when their watches beeped and they disappeared.
Soon Jack and John were traveling in the time vortex on the way back to their own time. In a matter of seconds though they stopped. To John and Jack the stopping of the time vortex only seemed to last a few hours and soon they were back in their own time. Jack and John had no idea that it had been far longer.
Torchwood Hub:
'How long was were you really stuck in time vortex, Jack?" Gwen asked, interpreting the rest of the team glared at her except for Jack.
"I was just getting to that." Jack said
"Sir, It is almost five in the afternoon." Ianto said now all the team, expect for Jack glared at Ianto.
"It's been a hard day, go home." Jack said standing up, turning on his heel and coat billowing behind him he walked out the door. He made it the cog door before he heard four pairs of feet running after him.
"Wait, Jack Wait!" They yelled running after him.
"What?" Jack asked a little annoyed because he was hungry
"You can't just expect us to just go home when you haven't even finished the story." They said
"I do, because you all adults and have lives of your own." Jack said
"Come on, Jack. We'll buy you dinner." They said
"What about your families won't they miss you at dinner?" Jack said
"Jack you well know all of us, except Gwen and I, are single." Ianto said, "Also most of us don't go see our families unless it's a holiday."
Jack stared at Gwen.
"Reese is away on a trip this week." Gwen said
"Fine," Jack said giving in "but I'm not going to tell you anymore until after dinner."
An hour later:
Jack, Ianto, Tosh, Owen and Gwen walked back into the Hub and sat down in the corner of Torchwood, which they used as a living room. There was an old futon a small area rug and a beat up leather chair. Tosh, Owen and Gwen took the futon, Jack took the armchair and Ianto lay on his stomach, his head resting in his hands, staring at Jack. Tosh, Owen, Ianto and Gwen waited silently and patiently for Jack to continue his story.
"You all look like children on Christmas morning beholding a gift in shiny paper, wondering what's inside but not daring to rip off the paper afraid what is in it is only socks. Or four children waiting for their Daddy to come tuck them in and tell them a bedtime story." Jack said
Suddenly Ianto got up and scurried away he returned with a tray of five hot chocolates and four blankets. He gave Gwen, Owen and Tosh their blanket and hot chocolates first then set his hot chocolate and blanket on the rug. Finally turning to Jack he handed the last remain cup of hot chocolate and said
"There you go Daddy."
Tosh, Owen and Gwen's mouths fell open simultaneously, Jack roared with laughter and Ianto turned as red as the silk shirt he was wearing mortified by the words he had just uttered. Ianto lay back down on the rug and quickly hid his face in the blanket.
Once the room was again quite, Ianto peeked out behind the blanket. Owen and the girls had managed to close their mouths and Jack looked down at him with a lovingly and smile.
"John Hart and I had been gone..."
Fifty-First Century:
Five Years! We had been gone for five years. John fainted.
"Is he Okay?" asked the man at the controls
"Sure." Jack said looking down at John, still trying to get over his shock
"What day is it?" Jack asked
"February 14," the control man said "Why?"
Without giving an answer Jack jumped off the platform and ran, down the hall, out of the building, down the road, over the crumbling ruins toward his home all the while screaming
"Queenie! " cause that was her middle name and she sometimes answered to that as well as Margaret.
"Queenie!" He yells again but the cry dies in his throat because what he sees shatters his heart. A charred frame is all that is left of the house
Jack walks through all of his home and into the tiny back yard. What he sees finally starts to make him cry. Two graves are before him just above the graves is a large rock and on the rock is a small green jacket, caked in mud with frayed selves.
Jack picks up the jacket, smells it, puts it back on the rock, reaches into his pants pocket and pulls out the necklace.
"Happy Birthday Margaret," Jack says placing the necklace on the stone "I will always love you."
"Jack?" asks a quite voice behind him.
Jack whirls around
She stands there staring at him. She grown a little since he last saw her. Her clothes are different but her hair and eyes are exactly the same.
"You're late." Margaret whispers than flings herself into his arms crying.
He wraps his arms around her and realizes just how little she's grown. She doesn't even reach his shoulder.
"I know, I know." Jack says softly letting his sisters' tears soak his shirt.
Jack sees John running toward them and pulls back from Margaret.
"What is it John?" Jack asks
"The Time Agency got another mission for us." John said, "We have to go."
"Noooooo!" Margaret screams clinging to Jack's shirt.
"I have to go." Jack says at this Margaret bursts into tears and buries her head in Jack's shirt again.
"Shh," Jack says as he lifts Margaret's chin with a finger. "Dry those tears."
Wiping her eyes, Margaret asks
"If you must go can I at least go with?"
"No." Jack says
"And Why not?" Margaret asks frowning
"Because you are not a trained time agent," Jack says "and time travel is dangerous."
"You do it." Margaret says
"That's because I am a trained time agent." Jack sad
"You also said it was dangerous." Margaret said
"It is, the Time Vortex is still unpredictable for a Time Agent." Jack said
"I would still go with you." Margaret said
"If I ever catch you time traveling you will be punished." Jack said sternly
"Okay." Margaret says looking down at her shoes
"We have to go." John says
Margaret tightens her hold on Jack's shirt.
"Don't worry I'll be back." Jack says taking the hands from his shirt and holding them in his hands
"That's what you said last time and you never came." Margaret says tears crowding in her eyes
"Well I got you something to make up for it." Jack says flashing a smile then reaching for the necklace
"Turn around." Jack said and Margaret did then he fastened the necklace and turned her to face him again.
Margaret hugged him.
"Happy Seventeenth birthday Margaret." Jack said kissing on the forehead
"I love you." Jack said kissing her on the lips and than he and John ran. Neither saw Margaret quietly run after them, determined not to be left behind again.
Time Vortex Platform:
Jack and John stand on the platform waiting for the control man to hit the right sequence of buttons that send them off on their next mission.
"Ready?" Control Man asks
They nod and Control Man punches a few buttons and pulls a leaver but all Jack can think about his sister and her tear streaked face as the machine hums. He hates leaving her and just when he got back too. Suddenly the door banged open and running headlong toward them was Margaret.
"Jack!" Margaret screamed as a pale blue circle of jelly-like substance encircled John Hart and Jack.
"Jack!" Margaret screamed again jumping into the platform "You're not leaving me!"
In a blink of an eye, all three of them disappeared.
In Time Vortex:
For a few seconds the Time Vortex the looks fine but then white cracks appear in the blue. Jack looks at John grabbing for his hand but missing it by millimeters, and then John disappears. Jack grabs for his little sister and grabs three of her fingers. Then the Time Vortex gets worse. Suddenly the bright colors and dizziness stops.
Jack and Margaret fall landing on something soft. Jack only has enough time to look at his passed out sister next to him and feel a thrill of worry go through him before his world goes fuzzy and blackness overtakes him.