Doomsday: Post Apocalypse
a Torchwood story
by RoadrunnerGER
Dislaimer: Oh, really! They're the BBC's.
Summary: Ianto comes to Cardiff for a week to help with the archives, but is it as simple as that? Jack/OC, Jack?Ianto
Suspense/hurt/comfort – T – Ianto Jones & Jack Harkness
A/N: Hello?! Are you still there? LOL Just wondering… Anyway, I just noticed that this is the perfect chapter for the season. Happy Easter, everyone! Special thanks to my faithful beta mandassina. Enjoy!
Chapter 10 – An eggs-traordinary night
"Do you mind taking off your shoes?" Toshiko asked as they entered her apartment. "I have slippers for visitors."
"No," Ianto shook his head. "That's all right."
He slipped on the soft shoes and followed his host down the short hall. When he entered the living room he realized why Toshiko preferred slippers: the thick fluffy carpet was white.
Even though her invitation had been perfectly innocent Toshiko could not help but feel nervous when she gestured Ianto to go through into the living room. To make matters worse he also seemed to be anxious. That put Toshiko even more on edge.
"What would you like to drink?" she asked. "I have soda and beer… or wine… I think there is also some sake."
"A beer would be nice," Ianto smiled and decided to choose where to sit. In the end, he stiffly sat down on the sofa. Letting his eyes roam around the room he took in the furnishings that were simple only at first sight. The black sofa he sat on was quite comfortable, with three red, black and white pillows. The complementary easy chair and the coffee table were black as well. Under the window stood a long sideboard in red painted wood with delicate but discreet carvings. The well-chosen pieces all were plain but not necessarily cheap. Ianto did not know that much about furniture, but he was under the impression that Toshiko put care and money into the interior design of her flat. On the windowsill stood three white orchids, a moth orchid, a cymbidium orchid and one hybrid that Ianto did not know. And then there were three shelf boards that carried the majority of Toshiko's collection.
His examination was interrupted by Toshiko's return.
"Your living room is very nice," he said. "You have a good eye for detail."
"Thanks," she muttered with a sheepish smile. Putting a bottle and a glass down on the coffee table in front of Ianto, she sat in the easy chair, her glass of soda in hand.
Eyeing both glass and bottle Ianto wondered if it was an invitation or a subtle suggestion to pour his beer into the glass.
"Either is fine," Toshiko told him as if she was reading his mind. "I'm just offering. Relax."
"Fine," Ianto said and picked up the bottle to take a mouthful.
"How was your day?" Toshiko asked.
"Long," Ianto stated and chuckled half-heartedly. "The hours seemed to stretch. I'm used to a busy office with its background noises and all that. It's so silent down in the archives."
"You could've come up to the gantry," Toshiko said with obvious surprise. "Use Owen's workstation. Even better now, make Owen help you."
"Actually I think it's better to have the artefacts on location. I don't just have to enter into the system what you brought in but also where you'll find it in the archives."
"Right," she agreed. "You shouldn't be on your own for so long, though. I'll come and help tomorrow, all right?"
"You don't have to, Tosh," he shook his head and took another sip of his beer. "You have your own work to do."
"That's a reason but not an excuse," she insisted and awkwardly shifted her position in her chair. "I'm sorry. You're new and you just went through quite an ordeal. I can't believe how thoughtless we've been today."
"Tosh," he tried to stop her. "It's okay."
But she shook her head. "No, Ianto. We shouldn't forget what you've been through. You're so good at what you're doing and blending in so quietly that we didn't think of taking better care of you."
"I see," he murmured. "So is that why you invited me?"
Biting her bottom lip, she lowered her head and cast down her eyes. Her embarrassment was cute.
"Thank you, Toshiko," Ianto told her gently. "Actually I thought about staying at the Hub for dinner, but… well, I didn't feel like good-humoured company. I mean, sooner or later Owen would get off on something and I couldn't bear the banter tonight."
"I understand."
A moment of silence settled between them. Thankfully it did not become awkward. They just paused to follow their own thoughts before Toshiko carefully said, "I don't want to keep you if you'd rather…"
"No," Ianto rushed to say, "no, it's all right. I appreciate the company. I just couldn't put up with a pushy Owen right now." He drank from his beer again and scooted forward on the sofa. Nodding at the shelf boards he queried, "So, this is your collection then?"
"Part of it, yeah," Toshiko eagerly confirmed. "Some are in the kitchen because I actually use them and then I have more in my bedroom."
"Which one is your favourite?"
"I don't think that I have one," she shrugged. "One week I like the pewter rocket best, the next week it's the sheepdog or the robot. Each of them is special."
"I get that," Ianto smirked.
Seeing him bounce in his seat undecidedly Toshiko had to chuckle. "Now go and have a closer look!"
Laughing softly at his own nervousness Ianto stood and went over to the shelves.
"How did you end up collecting egg cups of all things?"
Once more Toshiko had to laugh. She got up and came over to stand beside him.
"I'm not sure. I just happened to have a lot of them and they became more and more. I simply couldn't resist buying it if I saw an especially funny or unusual one. Soon they didn't fit into the kitchen cupboard anymore, so I took the most interesting ones and arranged them around the flat. Did you notice the one between the orchids?"
Reflexively Ianto turned to the windows to see what she meant. "The pewter camel?"
"Yep. You can take off the hump, it's the salt pot."
Ianto grinned. "No, I didn't think the lying camel was an egg cup."
"Neither did I when I first found it. It's too pretty to stay in the kitchen." All of a sudden her stomach growled audibly and she covered it with one hand with embarrassment. "We didn't have dinner yet. I could make us something to eat."
Feeling his own insides churn Ianto nodded. "Can I help you?"
"Nah, I'm fine. Just have a look at my collection if you like. Or switch on the TV. I'll whip something up."
As she spoke, she made her way to the kitchen. Ianto heard her rummaging around while he had a closer look at the stately collection. One immediately caught his attention because it was red and he laughed when he realized that it was a Scotsman cup with a red kilt. There was a series of wooden cups standing in a row, featuring male and female faces, one with a beard, another with long red curls. A bent silver fork held a white egg.
"Are those real eggs?" Ianto asked.
"Pardon?"
"I asked if those eggs are real," he repeated a little louder.
"Yes, but just the shells. I've blown them out so they can't go off!"
"Ah, I see!"
There were a couple of animal cups, a bunny with its ears sticking up, a sheepdog with a really cute nose, a chicken, a cat, a guinea pig, a donkey, an otter, and a cow. Ianto laughed softly at the bubble cars and vintage scooters that stood right next to VW camper van egg cups. On another shelf were plastic cups that had arms like octopuses. A little further back stood a silver cup with a little bear climbing the side. Another series Ianto recognized to be designed by Alessi, including a yellow one that looked like a little Chinese person. Others wore caps, consisted of a spiralling wire, or stood on their own two feet, either duck's feet or wearing shoes. An especially interesting one also held an eggshell, otherwise Ianto would never have thought it to be an eggcup as it was a round base with three small soldier figurines, their right arms raised above their heads and holding knives. The next one was a London double-decker bus right beside a red telephone box whose top was a salt castor, and an equally red mini cooper. On the same shelf were a double eggcup and one with a long stem and colourful stripes.
Then Ianto paused.
"Sheep?" he chuckled. "Do you have a Welsh dragon one, too?"
"I have two with Welsh dragons on them in the kitchen," Toshiko replied as she came back from the kitchen, thankful that he could not see her faint blush as he turned his back on her. "I couldn't find one in actual dragon shape, though."
"What a pity," Ianto smirked, making a mental note to search for one. "Lisa, she used to call me Welsh Man, making it sound like I was a movie super hero. She often teased me with my being Welsh, but she actually loved it. One year she got me a sheep and dragon chess board…" he had to pause due to a lump in his throat, "for my birthday."
"You like chess then?" she gently asked, trying to subtly divert his thoughts.
Ianto nodded.
"Do you feel like playing a game after dinner?"
"We'll see," Ianto replied evasively. So far, he enjoyed Toshiko's company, but he was not sure if his mood would not change suddenly. He did not want to burden her with his brooding. His gaze fell on the second sideboard that matched the one under the window where he saw a bronze cat, lying on its back and all fours stretched up. "Is that an egg cup, too?"
"The cat? Yes." She smirked. "I really like that one."
"I also love the birds with beak and tail sticking out of the cup," Ianto smirked. "They're funny."
"Then you'll like this one," Toshiko declared, gesturing him to follow. She led him into her bedroom where he found five more shelves, all stuffed with eggcups. "Here," she indicated the one she meant.
"A puffin! Brilliant!" With wonder he took in the assortment. It was stunning. A letter box cup, a Galloway cattle cup, a series of little owls, elephants, wolf, hippopotamus, panda bear, two green hand grenades, and even a gothic one, silver, in the shape of a skull. One shelf was filled with eggcups in the most common shape but decorated with all sorts of designs, stripes, flowers, paisley, whatever one could think of.
"I especially love this one," Toshiko told him and pointed at a kiwi shaped cup. "I was so glad the beak didn't break off when I brought it home from London."
"It's lovely," he confirmed.
"I need to check on our meal. Just a minute."
"Don't worry. I'll be fine."
Once more Ianto had a look at the unusual eggcups before he followed Toshiko into the kitchen. At once, his gaze fell onto a little white toy train on the windowsill.
"Oh, that's cute!" he cheered. "The locomotive is the egg cup, the carriage the salt castor and the one in the middle?"
"Carrying toast," Toshiko chuckled. "Now look at this one. Isn't it right down our alley?"
Looking at what she held up Ianto had to laugh aloud at the green alien with three stalk eyes sticking out on top.
"This is egg-straterrestrial," Toshiko giggled. "Say hello."
"Hello."
They both could not help their giggles, which was refreshing and liberating. Catching his breath Ianto asked, "What are you cooking?"
"Oh, I just heated up some chow mein and popped a couple of spring rolls into the oven."
"Sounds delicious."
"After a mission I often crave something hearty but don't feel like cooking, so I make a big batch fresh when I have the time and freeze portions for when I'm beat."
"I know how that goes," Ianto assured her. "Not with missions, but sometimes you're just not up for it. That's usually when you need it most, right?"
"Always."
Seeing him smile warmed Toshiko's heart. Suddenly it made her realize how good it felt to have company and how lonely she often was on calm days when she actually had leisure time to spend at home.
"Can I help you with something?" Ianto offered.
"Well," Toshiko murmured, opening a door and taking plates out that she held out to him, "you can put those on the table… and the cutlery," she nodded at a stand on the counter where forks, knives, and spoons were hanging.
"Your wish is my command," he smirked and laid the table.
Toshiko placed a thick wooden plate in the middle that she used as a trivet for the frying pan with the noodles. Putting the spring rolls on another plate, she set them beside the pan. Just when Ianto returned from the living room with his beer bottle and her glass of soda, she slid into one of the chairs. Ianto gave Toshiko her glass and sat down opposite from her. When she reached for the ladle to serve him he held up his plate to give her better access. Only when she helped herself to a portion he picked up his fork.
"Enjoy," Toshiko said.
"Likewise," Ianto replied with a grateful smile and they both tucked in.
For a while, they ate in silence. Occasionally Ianto let his gaze drift around the kitchen while he chewed which was how he discovered another highlight of Toshiko's collection. The ceramic cup had a base that looked like grass with a low stone wall. Slender legs in chequered trousers supported the eggshell. Ianto chuckled which made his host look up from her meal.
"Humpty Dumpty?" he asked around his mouthful, indicating the eggcup on top of the fridge.
"Yep," she snickered. "I'm so glad I found that one."
"Talking about it… where do you find those cups anyway?"
"Well, Humpty Dumpty is one of few that I discovered on a car boot sale. Some of them, especially the ones for everyday use, I bought at a grocery store or Kitchens. Most of them come from the internet, though."
"I see." Smirking challengingly he queried, "And do you eat more boiled eggs now?"
At that Toshiko laughed. "No, not that I'm aware of."
In companionable silence, they finished their meal.
"Thank you, Tosh," Ianto said when he leaned back in his chair, satisfied. "It was really good. Plus, at my bedsit I have no place to cook. I would've ended up ordering takeaway. So, thanks again."
"You're welcome. Do you want another beer?"
"Yes, that would be fine."
Taking the plates and pan with her Toshiko got up and returned with two bottles of beer, opened them and gave one to Ianto. Even though she smiled, Ianto could see that she was hiding sadness behind her friendly façade.
"Let's go back to the living room," he suggested.
"Okay."
On their way over, she went past him to the easy chair and Ianto could see how her shoulders sagged. She seemed to carry a heavy burden and he wished he could help her.
"Tosh?" he carefully addressed her, "Is something wrong?"
A helpless shrug was her first response.
"I don't know," she sighed and sat down on the sofa. "Maybe I'm worrying too much, but… I can't help but think…"
When she fell silent, Ianto was not sure if he should prod or not. Maybe she just needed to think about what she was comfortable with telling him. He sat down on the other end of the sofa. A moment later, she continued on her own.
"I can't help but think that Jack might come back from London with bad news."
"Like what?" Ianto softly asked.
"Like UNIT taking over guarding the Rift for example."
Even though Ianto could sense that that prospect really bothered her he could not tell why she was so anxious about it. Would she tell him? Or did she assume he miraculously knew and understood?
Finally, he settled on, "I can tell you, I'm not a friend of UNIT. Not really. They wanted to shoot me after all."
"Why would they shoot you?" Toshiko gasped a second before she recalled that he had mentioned that before.
"I can understand their reasoning," Ianto admitted with a tremor in his voice. "Every convertee was potentially dangerous and they couldn't rule out that the conversion unit would not restart and complete the…" he shuddered, "the upgrade, but that doesn't mean that I agreed with them when I was stuck in the conversion unit and I was the one they intended to protect the world from."
"Thankfully they changed their minds."
At that, Ianto snorted derisively. "They got their mind changed, yeah," he huffed. "Owen stood between me and the soldier who took aim at me and yelled Colonel Mace down."
A proud grin cracked Toshiko's features. "I'd have loved to see that."
"He was really insistent and they finally conceded. Dennis offered to stay and back Owen up in case the conversion unit restarted." A bitter chuckle escaped him. "I mentioned to Owen how bold I thought his standing up for me was and that I worried that Captain Harkness would reprimand him for running Mace off like that, and he told me that Jack would buy him a beer for it."
Toshiko laughed, "Yeah, that's Jack for you. I can clearly see him doing that."
Another silent moment passed but then it was as if their previous conversation had just been for testing the waters. Ianto sensed that his telling her about what UNIT did when he was first found assured her that he could be trusted. It encouraged her to open up to him and share some of her own sorrow.
"I did something bad," she tonelessly said. "Right after university I was working for the Lodmoor Research Facility, a division of the Ministry of Defence. It was a good job. I could've made a career there. But then someone abducted my mother."
Ianto scowled. Did he hear right?
"Your mother was kidnapped?" He saw her nod. "Who did that to her?"
"I don't know. They told me to go into the facility's archives and steal a set of plans. And that's what I did, I got the documents and built the thing according to the plan. They were very pleased and of course, they did not keep their word. They told me to keep working for them. If I refused they would keep my mother and… my mother she screamed at me with fright and they used the sonic modulator on us, and that… that was when UNIT barged in. Everyone was arrested."
"I'm sorry, Tosh." Ianto said hoarsely as he felt a lump in his throat. He wanted to ask what had happened next but refrained from doing it. Obviously, it was hard for her to talk about it, so he assumed that it had been traumatic.
"I was held at a UNIT prison," Toshiko went on, sounding even more anxious now and she kneaded her hands. "Without charge. And they would have kept me there indefinitely if it wasn't for Jack." She sniffled. "All I had in there was a jumpsuit. I was fed in what I believe to be regular intervals. I can't really tell because time was irrelevant in that place. Every now and then, I was led out of my cell together with other inmates to relieve myself. Nobody spoke. It was forbidden."
Ianto felt a shiver run down his spine. It was hard to believe that UNIT had been so cruel to gentle Toshiko who only had tried to save her mother.
"Back then I couldn't tell how much time had passed. The hours stretched into forever. I saw the patch of light that came through the small window high in the wall move across the cell, but I didn't care about measuring the hours with its help. It would've driven me out of my mind. It was all I could do to remain sane in that hellhole. Then, suddenly, he was there. The door to my cell opened and there he stood. At first I saw only his silhouette, or better, his coat's silhouette." A thought made her chuckle. "I don't think I've ever seen him leave the Hub without that coat."
Then you didn't pay attention when he left for London, Ianto thought. I'm sure he left it behind. The poor coat suffered after the Cybermen came. So did the Captain.
Ianto did not dare to interrupt her and waited until she continued on her own.
"Jack offered me a deal. He told me that the plans I worked with were erroneous, that they were shelved because they didn't work, but my sonic modulator worked. It fascinated him. So he said he had a job for me, a dangerous job, but if I came to work for him he would make UNIT wipe my record clean."
"Wow," it escaped Ianto.
"The thing is," she anxiously said, "that he agreed on a set timeframe. He told me 'give me five years' so that's how long I'll be obligated to him, to Torchwood. What if UNIT insists that he couldn't keep his part of the deal? What if the Institute is closed for good? No Torchwood, no job for me. What if Jack has to give me back to them?"
"He won't let that happen, Tosh," Ianto told her with steadfast belief, simply because he could not imagine that Captain Harkness would allow it. Driven by instinct he scooted closer to her and put his arm around her shoulders, hugging her against himself. "Everything will be all right."
"But what if…?"
"No, Tosh," he stopped her, gently stroking her arm. "UNIT won't hurt you again."
"You can't know that, Ianto," she insisted, wriggling around in his embrace. "I'm so scared that they'll suddenly burst through the door and drag me back to prison!" The idea made her grimace and a sob escaped her. "I couldn't stand that! I'd rather be dead!"
"Nobody will take you back to that place, Tosh," Ianto assured her.
"But…"
"I won't let them. Captain Harkness won't let them. You'll be all right, Tosh."
Involuntarily his words made her chuckle.
"What did I say?" he prodded.
"You keep calling Jack Captain Harkness," she chuckled. "And none of us has ever called him sir."
Ianto shrugged. "Politeness can never hurt."
"But it sounds so… over the top," Toshiko tried to explain, snuggling into his embrace. "Nobody addresses him so formally."
"Really? In his position?"
Thoughtfully she worried her bottom lip. "You know, once I asked him who he was and he replied 'Nobody. I don't exist.' That has burnt itself in my memory. It's so hard to believe, but it must be true."
"Hmmm…"
For a few moments, they just sat like that, enjoying the comfort of the other's presence. Suddenly Toshiko felt Ianto tense.
"Oh!" he called out and looked at his watch. "Toshiko, I'm sorry, but I need to go."
"What's wrong?" she asked, scooting back.
"Well, I need to take care of something," he told her and wondered for a moment if he should tell her. After what they had shared, he felt all right with it. "I saved someone from UNIT."
"Oh?" she called out. "Who?"
"I'll show you, if you promise not to tell anyone."
"Promise!" she declared earnestly. "Where are we going?"
"To my bedsit."
Excitedly Toshiko bounced down the stairs behind him. She did not urge Ianto to relay more information during the short drive, but the Welshman could sense that she was really curious. Her anticipation was infectious and so he could hardly wait himself until they arrived back at the bay and he could lead her to his room. When he opened the door, he felt something tug on his arm when he reached for the light switch. As the light came on, he groaned.
"Oh!" Toshiko called out and shoved him into the room in order to close the door behind them. "That looks like a lot of work."
Indeed. Fine silk strands criss-crossed the room. Frantically Ianto searched for the little creatures that had escaped their cage. He fervently hoped that none of them had escaped from this room as well.
Toshiko could not help her chuckles as she watched Ianto carefully move between the thin threads that were hardly visible. He opened a cooler and took some salad and fruits out. Before he could do as much as cut them he was swarmed by the spidery mouse things.
"You saved the alien mice?" Toshiko cheered, bouncing up and down where she stood. "Brilliant! I love you!"
Her enthusiasm helped him to get over the shock his sweet little mice had presented him with. Still he looked around the room with trepidation.
"I'll help you," Toshiko assured him. "We'll clean up this mess and then we'll find a nice home for them. All right?"
Gratefully Ianto nodded at her and they set to work.
tbc…
A/N: Searching inspiration by googling eggcups I found really interesting pictures… and one of them was called eggs-terminate, a Dalek eggcup! Brilliant!