Chapter 15
The train was about two stops away from their destination; Jack looked round at his team. Ianto was playing some sort of game on his phone, Tosh was stuck in a book, which he couldn't determine the title as she held it awkwardly, and Owen had abandoned his crossword puzzle after getting very annoyed with it only a few moments ago. Gwen was admiring the scenery and Tegana was sound asleep. He didn't blame her, it had been a very exhausting few days.
Leaning over Ianto's shoulder Jack followed his game, watching closely as the snake curled round the screen and found its food. He felt the disappointment when, at level 23, Ianto had made the snake meet its tail and ended the game at a new record.
"Do you think we should start getting the cases down?" Jack asked Ianto, now that he was unoccupied. They were one stop away from their destination but with the amount of luggage they had to get down from the loading shelves above them, they were wise to start early.
"Yeah, ok," Ianto agreed standing up so he could reach the shelf and passed the first suitcase down, as Jack reached up to get the next one, their eyes met and there was a pause and then they both shook themselves out of it, telling themselves that it was neither the time nor the place to think about that.
As they finished taking all the suitcases down, the voice announced that their stop was the next one. At that everyone started to get into gear, Owen packed his crossword up and then nudged Gwen into reality.
"Hey Tosh, we're nearly there!" Owen brought Tosh out of her book, much to her annoyance and made her bookmark the book ad put it away.
Jack handed them each their suitcase and an equipment bag to carry until he was left with two suitcases and two equipment bags. He looked over to Tegana; she was still fast asleep, slumped by the window.
"Ianto, could you take my suitcase?" Jack called him back. Ianto looked at him trying to figure out why he was taking the suitcase for him.
"Owen, could you take Tegana's suitcase?" Jack got hold of Owen before he ducked out of it.
"But…" Owen pretended he was being pulled down by his heavy load.
"Oh for heaven sake Owen! I'll take it." Gwen snatched the handle away from Jack and trundled the two suitcases out the way.
Jack slipped one of the equipment bags over Owen's shoulder before he had time to object. Then he turned to Tegana, smiling, he wedged his way into the corner and gently lifted Tegana into his arms. She was lighter then she looked and Jack had no trouble in lifting her up and carrying her off the train.
Ianto had called his brother and he was now waiting for them in the car park. He bleeped the horn to make sure they had seen him and waved his hand out the window.
"Hey Ianto!" he called. Ianto glared at his brother, he was being too loud and too obvious for his liking. He walked over to him, keeping his head down and trying his best not look like he knew the guy who had just shouted across the car park.
Gwen and Tosh had said their goodbyes and were waiting on the other side of the car park for Rhys to pick them up. They took refuge on a bench as they waited, Gwen watching her phone's clock and getting anxious that Rhys had forgotten despite her phone call an hour ago. So she was very relieved to see that the next car around the corner belonged to Rhys. Putting her phone away and grabbing her suitcase, she rushed over to the car, Tosh tagging along behind her.
Jack placed Tegana in the back seat, belting her up and then proceeding to help Ianto load the equipment in the boot of the car.
Owen added another bag into the boot, piling it on top of the one Jack had put in.
"Do you think I can hitch a ride home?" he asked Jack. Jack shrugged his shoulders.
"Not really my place to say." He replied. So Owen turned to find Ianto which he didn't have to look very hard for because he was just about to add the last bag into the boot.
"Ianto, can I hitch a ride home?" Owen tried again.
"I'm not the one driving, you'll have to ask my brother." Ianto replied, closing the boot and locking it.
Sighing Owen walked round to the driver's side and pocked his head in the window and tried for the third time.
"Hey, can I hitch a ride home?"
"Sure, where about's do you live?" Owen told him the address and then waited for the response.
"Yeah, that's not too far, hop in; I'll drop you off first!" Owen was being to like Ianto's brother very much. He didn't need to be told twice he opened the car door and took a seat.
Ianto got in the front seat, being as it was his car and his brother that was driving it, and Jack opened the back door, finding Owen in the seat he was planning to sit in.
"Go on, shove up!" Jack told him, Owen unbuckled his seat belt and shuffled himself to the middle seat. The key was turned in the ignition and as soon as Jack buckled his seatbelt up, they were off.
Nathan opened the door, placed the key in the bowl and continued down the corridor to the living room.
"Nathan? Is that you?" Nathan's mum, was perched on the edge of the sofa, the news was on the telly and he could tell what she had been thinking.
"Yeah, Mum, it's me. Safe and sound!" Nathan said walking towards the sofa, his eyes were drawn to the picture on the TV screen, it show a circle of teenagers, obviously in the possessed state they had been for most of the night and in the centre and girl was bent over something which couldn't quite be seen.
"You know they've been saying that a thirteen year old girl is behind it all!" Nathan looked closer at the screen.
"Nah, Mum, she's fourteen actually, and she was trying to disable the bomb, not start it" Nathan quickly realised what he had said and shifted himself out the room before he revealed to much.
"You what? Nathan you aren't telling me you were involved in some way?"
"Nah, I was no were near it! Besides it's all over with now aint it, so you know we can forget about it!" it was so much easier to lie to someone when they weren't facing you. Nathan searched the kitchen for a well deserved can of beer. He found it and returned to the living room opening it. He sat himself down next to his mother and picked up the TV remote. He changed the channel and put the remote on the coffee table.
"See mum, we can forget about it, and have a good laugh!" Nathan soothed his troubled mother.
"Yeah, I suppose, your here now, your safe." She replied relaxing into the sofa, and calming herself down by following the story line of the sitcom and laughing at the silly things that they did.
Later on that night, Nathan lay in his bed, his mind abuzz with all the things that had happened to him in the past couple of days. They played back in his mind as clear as they were when he had experienced them. Gradually his thoughts sent him into a deep sleep and the next morning they were all merely a memory. One that was fading but would never fully leave his brain.
Gwen and Tosh soon got themselves comfortable in Rhys' car, Gwen in the front and Tosh daydreaming at the back.
"So how was it?" Rhys asked.
"Oh you know, boring meetings and stuff." Gwen lied.
"What was it for; I mean what was the purpose of the boring meetings?"
Gwen was struggling for an answer; usually he was quite content with the whole boring meetings lie.
"Um, teambuilding, er learning new skills and stuff," Gwen was lacking on the confident speech that she had had moments ago.
"Gwen, why don't you ever tell me the truth? Why is it that I don't even know what your job is? How come you never talk about it, hum? Gwen?" Rhys blurted out, he was going to keep until they got home when Tosh wasn't around to hear them argue but he had been unable to control his outburst and it had come soon then he had wanted.
Gwen was taken aback unsure how to handle Rhys' outburst.
"Er, well I can't tell you about my job, it's strictly classified, right Tosh?" Gwen involved Tosh, feeling she may need back up on her explanation.
Tosh shock herself out of her daydream and tried to quickly follow the line of conversation.
"Hum, yeah, we're not supposed to tell anyone." Tosh confirmed making Rhys back down a little.
This comment returned the car to silence, Tosh returned to her daydream, Gwen took up sightseeing out the window and Rhys concentrated on driving.
Jack carried Tegana up the stairs and laid her carefully on the bed, taking off her shoes and covering her with her quilt. He then crept back down the stairs, where Ianto was waiting for him.
"Where do you want these?" Ianto pointed to the suitcases he had momentarily put down.
"Oh just in here, for now," Jack directed him into the dining room.
Ianto hesitated wondering what he should do now, he was conscious that he had left his brother in the car but he didn't want to leave just yet.
"I'll leave the equipment until tomorrow, you know as my brother's driving…" Ianto said, trying to find conversation.
"yeah, ok, well I've got things to unpack and well need to catch some sleep so I'll see you in the morning." Jack said, heading towards the door to see Ianto out, not that he needed showing. They both hesitated at the door wondering what the most appropriate way to say goodbye was. They decided that a handshake would suffice. Jack gave a wave to Ianto's brother waiting in the car before shutting the door.
His eyes were drawn to the pile of mail that was left on the sideboard. Picking the large pile up, he began sorting into junk mail, bills and other important letters. Leaving the bills on the side and chucking the junk mail in the bin, Jack was going through the other mail while he walked into the living room and turned the light on. He found himself holding onto a blue envelope that he vaguely remembered receiving before they had gone to London, turning it round he was about to break the seal when he was interrupted.
"Oh don't read that, a whole lot has happened since I wrote that letter, it's a little outdated now!"
Jack snapped his head up looking for the person who had spoken. He found, siting on the sofa, having made himself at home, his old friend The Doctor. He gave Jack a warming smile and a little wave despite the fact he had already made himself known.
"How did you get in?" Jack asked. The Doctor held up his sonic screwdriver and Jack needed to ask nothing else about that.
"Alright, so how come you haven't just left a letter like the last times?" was Jack's next query.
The Doctor's face suddenly turned more serious.
"We need to talk…" he began.
"Sure as hell we do!" Jack interjected.
The Doctor tapped the cushion next to him and ordered Jack to sit. Jack obeyed questioning his movements, the Doctor had a way of suddenly making it seem like he owned the place and despite knowing this Jack had fallen for it. he sat down beside the Doctor, mentally cursing himself for being so susceptible to the Doctor's habits.
"I've found the true parentage of Tegana and you're probably not going to like it," the Doctor stated, glaring at Jack to make sure he had his full attention. Jack gave him all the attention he wanted, eager to know what could possibly make him not like it.
the doctor's arrived and things are about to get interesting… keep reading and let me know what you think.