Chapter Fifteen
As soon as Ianto had disappeared through the large cog door, Trace violently pulled herself out of the men's grasps. Moving so she could see both of them, the girl practically snarled, "Do not touch me!"
Owen immediately raised his hands innocently and, with wide eyes, stepped back. Jack, however, was having none of it. The immortal chose to ignore her words and gently put his arm around her, trying to lead her away from the main area.
The teenager refused to move and glared at the man before asking, "Where the hell do you think you're taking me?"
Jack glanced at his daughter very briefly and responded, "To the showers. I thought you might want to clean up." He stood there, looking straight ahead for a minute until he finally sensed her start to move.
Thankful that this did not turn into a fight or, for lack of better words, another round of "let's-try-to-beat-up-Jack," the man allowed himself a small grin while leading the way.
When the two arrived at the showers, Trace noticed her bags leaning against the wall. She listened as Jack told her to borrow Gwen's soap and shampoo as the woman wouldn't mind and how afterwards he'd make her breakfast.
The girl turned to glare at him again and asked sarcastically, "You can cook?" She was disappointed when her father did not get riled; instead he answered in the affirmative and decided that he would go ahead and make her an omelet while she's in the shower, so it'd be ready when she came out.
Before she could get another word in, Jack turned around and left. Trace, feeling disgusting in her torn, bloodied clothes decided that just this once she would do what he said.
While Trace was in the shower, she wondered what the Captain was playing at. Yesterday he had looked completely broken, if she remembered correctly. Yet, this morning he seemed completely normal and took everything in stride. Nothing she said or did seemed to have any affect him.
Once she was clean and dressed with her damp hair combed out of her face, Trace stepped into the hallway and started making her way back to the main part of the Hub.
When she reached her destination, the girl was greeted by the sight of Gwen and Tosh, each at their respective work stations. She was suddenly hit with the realization of the fact that the day was Thursday.
She now had a reason to escape this maze of tunnels and rooms: school. A small smile formed on her lips, which was completely wiped away when Gwen approached her, saying that Jack and Owen were in the kitchen.
With a slight scowl on her face, Trace allowed herself to be pointed in the correct direction. Upon entering the kitchen, she saw the two men sitting at a small table, a plate holding an omelet and two pieces of toast and a glass of OJ across from them.
Normally the teenager would never give in, but just the sight of the food made her stomach growl and her mouth water. So, reluctantly, she sat down in front of the small meal.
Feeling their eyes on her, Trace kept her gaze firmly on the plate and went to take a bite of the omelet. However, with the fork half-way to her mouth, she stopped and informed the Captain that because of what day it is, it is the law that she be in school.
Jack's grin slipped a tiny bit as he looked over at his medic. "I don't see a reason why the kid shouldn't go," the Englishman said before adding sarcastically, "I could even write a note."
The immortal considered the comment for a few seconds before saying, "That sounds great." He then turned back to his daughter and said, "I wasn't sure what you liked, so I went with the basic cheese omelet."
When the man realized that the medic hadn't moved, he added, "I meant it, Owen. You're a doctor; you get to write notes."
Grumbling, Owen rose from his seat and left, passing Ianto at the doorway. After watching the grouchy medic leave, the Welshman turned his attention back to the two sitting at the table.
He sat down in the chair that was recently vacated. "I called the school and notified them of the change. I've also arranged to have those forms you need, sir, sent over today. They should arrive after lunch. Also, while I was out this morning, I picked this up for you, Miss Trace."
Trace looked up from her now empty plate to see the young man place a catalogue on the table and slide it over to her. Reading the cover, she realized it was a furniture catalogue. Jack, wondering if they were starting to move too fast, asked, "Really, Ianto?"
"Well, sir," came his reply, "The sooner everything is completed, the sooner Miss Trace can settle in and adjust to her new life here. Besides, there's no time like the present. If the young lady would pick out what she likes before heading off to school, I can go ahead and place the order."
Trace nearly choked on her orange juice. "Excuse me? What exactly do you mean by that?" she asked, terrified of the answer.
Jack looked at his daughter, trying to keep the compassion he was feeling off his face. "It means that you are moving in here. Unless, of course, you'd prefer to live on the streets."
When he saw her open her mouth to reply, he quickly cut her off. "And that was not me giving you an option."
Trace could feel anger building up inside of her. Not wanting to let that man know he was affecting her, she chose to cross her arms and sit there with a blank look on her face. She really hated how she had suddenly lost complete control of her life.
For a minute, the two endured a staring contest. However, Jack soon grew tired of it and stood up. "You have exactly ten minutes to pick out something you like or I will do it for you, after which you will go to school."
With that, the Captain marched out of the kitchen, past the cross medic who was now holding a note.
Now confused, Owen sat down in Jack's chair and looked to Ianto, who just shook his head. The two turned their attentions back to the very irritated teen.
Ianto sighed, taking it upon himself to try and soothe her just like he does her father. "I know everything is happening very fast, but I assure you it's for the best. With everything sorted right away, it will be easier for you to settle down here.
"Trust me. The quicker everything is done, the better. Just try not to think or worry about anything other than picking out furniture you like and school right now."
When he saw that his words had no affect on the girl, he tried a different approach. "He was serious, just so you know. Jack really will take the catalogue and pick the first thing he sees. The man has absolutely no taste."
With a scowl, Trace caved and grabbed the publication. She flipped through it angrily, tearing a few pages. After a couple of minutes, she put it down and resumed her earlier stance.
After taking a very tense ten minutes in his office wondering if he was going about this the wrong way, Jack glanced at his watch and headed back to the kitchen. He figured that unless his daughter had a very bad reaction to Ianto's "stay cool, calm, and collected" plan, he would keep at it.
As he stepped into the kitchen, he asked, "Find anything nice?" When no one moved, he walked up behind the girl and peered over her shoulder at the catalogue.
"Which one did you choose?" the immortal asked, curious. He watched as she pointed to a set made with black metal.
One eyebrow rose; he had not really been expecting that. Weren't girls supposed to want nice, light, wooden furniture? Confused, he asked if she was sure.
Trace tensely nodded her head and left it at that. Letting out a breath that he was unaware he was holding, Jack said, "Alright. If that's what you really want. Yan, can you take care of that?"
Ianto stood and grabbed the catalogue before making his way out of the room. The Captain returned his attention to his daughter, telling her to go grab her backpack. He then asked Owen for that note, his eyes never leaving the girl as she left.
The medic, who still wasn't completely sure what was going on, wordlessly held out the note.
As Trace made her way back to her bags, she realized that Jack wasn't following her. No one was. It was then that she realized she could sneak a few extra things into her backpack.
So, as soon as she reached them and made sure her back was blocking her actions from any cameras, the teen moved some clothes and her secret money stash, hidden in a book, in with her schoolbooks.
No more than two minutes later, the girl was back in the main part of the Hub and met Jack at the cog door. Silently, the two headed towards the school, leaving the SUV in case there was rift activity.
While they walked, Jack tried several times to start a conversation, but Trace wasn't having it. She just stared straight ahead, her face blank. Soon enough, the two reached her school. Not knowing where to go, the immortal followed his daughter towards the office.
Once there, he took over, speaking with the receptionist while Trace was sent to class. Jack was his normal, charming self while accepting some papers to fill out and sign.