Chapter 14
They were in the hotel. Safe now, from every danger apart from each other. Ianto had started the argument off. He wanted to start writing up the case, as was his job, now. But Jack had said that it was best to wait. Now the team were taking sides.
"Yeah, but it wouldn't be clear in our heads then." Tegana was taking Ianto's side.
"But it won't be on the correct system if we do it now." Tosh was taking Jack's side.
"Yeah and then we'd have to transfer it to that system, which is a bit pointless." Owen added he also had taken Jack's side.
"But it would be already down, so it would take less time to write up." Gwen made a good clear point in favour of Ianto's side.
"How about everyone writes down their point of view on the case and then it can be written up properly when you get home?" Nathan, taking no side, offered his opinion.
Everyone eventually agreed with Nathan's point.
Owen immediately looked for a pen and a piece of paper so he could get down his experience before his mind failed him. He sat down on the bed that he had claimed his for the duration of their stay and began scribbling down what had happened, starting from arriving at the hotel.
"Well if we are going to write it all down, we ought to do it now." Jack said, searching in the laptop case for some spare paper, which he handed out to the team. Pens where harder to find but Gwen found a few in her pocket and gave one to Tosh and one to Jack.
"Nathan, you want to join in?" Jack asked, accepting the pen from Gwen.
"Sure, I can't say it'll be very good but I can give it a go." Nathan said taking the paper that was in Jack's hand.
Ianto had to admit that Nathan's idea would actually help him in the long run. This case would be the most detailed file he had ever had. He normally ended up collaborating with Tegana on the files and she would find out any specific details from Jack, no one else was involved in the system.
Because he wasn't particularly good at writing, his handwriting was messy and unreadable; Ianto used the computer to write up his version of the events. Yet he wasn't the first to finish despite his advantage. Nathan did. He didn't know enough of the technical terms or any of the concepts that the others knew, so he kept his write up short and sweet, writing the events as he remembered them. He laid his pen down on top of his paper and looked up at the others. It was awfully quiet in the room and it was quite unnerving after all the action that had been going on.
Nathan kept quiet as the others continued to write. He noticed that Ianto was the next person to finish; he only noticed this because of the way he was leaning back in the chair, his hands behind his head, casually relaxing while everyone else was still working.
It was a while before everyone was actually finished; Jack then collected up the papers and walked over to give them to Ianto, he kept them in his hands while he leaned closer to Ianto and whisper something, oblivious to Nathan's ears but not to Tegana's, who could hear the words as clearly as if he were whispering them to her.
"Shall we use the tablet on Nathan?"
"No." Tegana interjected.
"Tegana!" Jack exclaimed, annoyed at her for eavesdropping and annoyed that she had a good point to go with it afterward.
"He has helped us, he didn't exactly overreact to it, I think that he would be alright just to keep it to himself."
He couldn't argue with that. He had to agree that Nathan had helped them and they were grateful for that, but security protocol meant that they had to wipe his memory of the event. But then Nathan did seem to be the kind of guy who would be able to keep a lifelong secret.
"Alright," Jack gave in. "Nathan, we need to ask you something."
Nathan perked up and was suddenly all attentive. "Yeah?"
"You've got to promise us that what happened today stays between us; don't go telling anyone else about any of it…understand?"
Nathan nodded. He gathered from the serious tone he was being told this that this was a very important matter and in some way he had been given a privilege, although how he wasn't quite sure.
"Yeah, I understand." He answered. Jack smiled changing his tune.
"Right, well, I guess we ought to pack!" Jack ushered Tegana off his bed and pulled his pyjamas out from the covers.
"Are you alright getting home, Nathan?" Jack asked momentarily looking up from his suitcase.
Home. Nathan hadn't thought about home for a while. His mum was probably fretting by now; he was usually home before dinner and very infrequently late. He had ought to be getting back before she did anything drastic like call the police.
"Right, yeah, I'm fine." Nathan answered a little delayed but there nevertheless. Slowly he turned around trying to delay the process of leaving. There was a part of him that wanted to stay and join the others on another case, but there was a stronger part of him that said that once was enough for a lifetime and he had to live his life as it was and leave this as a memory. The latter part took over and he forced himself to take a step towards the door.
"Nathan… thanks." Tegana stopped him for a second; Nathan smiled at her and gave her a nod of appreciation. He had grown to like the girl and had felt her pain when she was told that Jack wasn't her real father.
"Yeah, keep good care of yourself mate." Owen added as his own way of saying goodbye.
"Don't go getting yourself caught up with aliens again!" Gwen warned, which made everyone laugh.
Nathan grinned. "I'll try not to!" he said.
Tosh opened the door for him, grabbing his arm just before he left.
"Just because Jack and Tegana have decided for you doesn't mean you shouldn't get a say, if you want to forget everything that happened, you can." Tosh offered. Her voice was hushed and Nathan realised this was because none of the others would have questioned Jack's final decision.
"No, I quite like to keep the memory thanks!" Nathan replied, thinking it the best, for he didn't know exactly how they would manage to make him forget and he didn't really want to know either.
"Just don't let it ruin your life!" Tosh said. Nathan couldn't quite make out whether this was meant to be a serious comment or a joke but he thanked her anyway and continued on down the hall, home.
Back inside the room, everyone had gone silent for a moment, stopped what they were doing, listening to the receding footsteps as Nathan went along the corridor and down the stairs. When there was nothing but silence, things started to come back to life.
"Right, packing!" Owen broke the silence, moving towards his bed and pulling the suitcase on top. This made everyone move. Ianto began looking for his suitcase, Jack continued packing and Gwen headed towards the door.
"I guess we ought to go pack too," she gestured to Tosh and Tegana, who nodded and began following her.
"Met you in ten minutes then?" Jack proposed.
"Twenty," Gwen contradicted.
"Fifteen," Jack compromised. They nodded in agreement and then Gwen ushered Tosh and Tegana out the room.
Tosh was ahead, having the key ready in her hand. Gwen was only two steps away from Tegana, whose face had returned to a deep in thought expression and Gwen, hating seeing her with that expression, tried comforting her by placing her arm around her shoulder. Tegana, mentally sighing, shrugged it off. She hated it when Gwen tried to mother her.
Tosh soon had the door open and the moment was forgotten by both as they entered the room and began to gather their things.
Fifteen minutes later, Gwen, Tegana and Tosh rolled their suitcases out the room and Tosh locked the room for the final time.
"Finally, we have been waiting here for ages!" Owen exclaimed when he saw they were all ready. He was perched on his suitcase, with his arms folded, looking positively bored. Ianto was leaning on the handle of his suitcase and Jack was casually leaning on the wall.
"We agreed fifteen minutes and fifteen minutes we were!" Gwen retorted to Owen.
"So we ready to go now?" Jack asked, teasing her a little.
"Yes." Gwen snapped back.
Owen got up, pulled up the handle of his suitcase and shoved it away from the door. Ianto slung the computer bag over his shoulder struggling with the suitcase and the rest of the equipment, Jack picked up one extra bag and thrust one in Owen's direction which he reluctantly took.
"You know, even with all this equipment we still managed to be quicker than you girls!" Owen decided to add, as he wheeled his suitcase in front of them.
"Well what I can I say; we just like to take our time!" Tosh threw a line back at him, following him with her own suitcase trundling along behind.
The others began to follow them, and they descended the stairs with a little struggle of suitcases and bumping them along the stairs.
Once down the stairs they congregated in the reception, parking their suitcases, while Jack went to pay. He took the key from Tosh and had them both ready to give to the receptionist.
"Hi, got the room keys…" Jack hinted at his intention of concluding their stay.
"Oh right, could you put them in that box please sir?" the receptionist replied, tearing herself away from the computer to deal with her costumer.
Jack dropped the keys into the box he had been shown.
"Are you paying now? Or…"
"Now please." Jack cut her short.
"Card or cash?" the receptionist hovered over the till and the portable card machine.
"Um, card please." Jack answered. The receptionist seemed to be relieved that he had said card, it was less work on her part. She handed him the machine and Jack brought it down out of her sight, feigning short sightedness.
Clicking his watch open as quietly as he could, Jack clicked a few buttons and then hovered it over the machine. He had to wave it around a bit but the machine eventually came up with the 'thank-you for your payment' screen and Jack handed it back to the receptionist.
"Thank-you sir, have a safe journey home!" the receptionist wished, taking the card machine off him and placing it on the desk in front of her. Jack smiled aat her nd then turned back to his team giving them a nod towards the door.
They got into gear, manoeuvring their suitcases around each other and all heading to the door at the same time.
"Cheap-skate!" Tegana whispered as she passed Jack. She knew exactly what he had just done with his watch and was a little disappointed in his lack of honesty but still loved the idea of being able to blag your way out of a hundred or more hotel bill and not have to pay a penny!
"What can I say, this is me!" Jack whisper back, grinning, while holding the door open for Tegana. Tegana smiled shaking her head in disbelief.
The team trundled their suitcases along the road, all heading to the train station. Pleased to be going home.
Another chapter and their almost home, reviews please!