What is a Sea Monster's Favourite Dinner?
Fish and Ships.
Ianto winced as the Fishguard – Rosslare ferry sounded its horn. 2.45 am in a chilly Welsh harbour. Jack and Ianto were on a reconnaissance mission. The ship's captain had reported several unusual sightings of a large black creature appearing on the route to Ireland. Several container ships had reported the same thing and a couple of smaller boats had gone missing.
To get to the ferry on time had entailed Jack dragging Ianto out of bed just after midnight. A couple of days before, Ianto and Owen had been nearly taken out by hysterical Hannah Montana fans. The grazes on Ianto's cheeks were healing, but he hadn't shaved and had fine stubble across his chin and cheeks. The effect when matched with his elegantly cut suit gave him a slight air of reckless danger. The tiredness about his eyes added to the sense of a man who knew too much and could easily be pushed over the edge.
With Jack in a no nonsense mood and carrying his holstered Webley in plain sight, the crew had gladly shown them to the best area for viewing, provided coffee and then left them to it.
Unfortunately the best viewing area, although at the stern, was open to the elements. It was still dark and would be for a couple of hours. Ianto huddled on a small plastic chair, hands stuffed into the pockets of the overcoat he had put on when he realised they were to be outside. He tucked his chin into his chest, and glowered at the world, shivering.
Jack was leant against the rail of the deck, peering up at the clouds, hoping the moon would break through, but luck was not with him tonight. He shivered and put his back to the rail and observed Ianto. His lips twitched at the sight of the forlorn man in front of him.
"What?" Snapped Ianto
"Nothing… "
Ianto looked up at him, he couldn't help himself, Jack's smile was infectious, and he found himself starting to smile back, mocking himself. "Sorry, not very good company. Bit tired for some reason." He pretended to think for a moment, "oh, right, that would be you're fault."
Jack tried to look affronted. "My fault?" He pointed at himself to emphasise both his innocence and surprise.
"Someone has been stopping me from getting a good nights sleep recently."
Jack's grin became positively feral, "I don't remember you complaining about being kept awake." His eyebrow twitched upwards, questioning.
"That was before I was woken up at some ungodly hour to go chasing mythical sea monsters in the freezing damp, with a flask of lukewarm stale coffee."
"Ah poor little man, is he all cold and damp?"
Ianto glowered, and stuffed his hands deeper into his pockets. Jack sighed; he'd hoped Ianto might retaliate physically. He could do with warming up too.
He pulled up a second chair next to Ianto and sat as close as he could, stuffing his hands into his greatcoat pockets. He snuggled shoulder to shoulder. He felt Ianto resist for a moment, then relax into him, resting his head on Jacks shoulder. Jack put his arm round him and pulled him in close.
As the sky lightened, the clouds lifted and the wind dropped. In that breathless moment of dawn, Ianto and Jack stood and leant on the rail, looking out over the wake of the ship and off to the horizon.
Suddenly off to port and crossing the wake of the ship Jack spotted a large black shape cresting the water. He pointed it out to Ianto; it disappeared, emerging again a hundred metres away. It was joined a moment later by three more humps, if they had been small the movements could have been mistaken for porpoises, but these were truly enormous.
Ianto checked his PDA for rift readings, but it remained stubbornly blank. Jack scanned the surrounding sea with his wriststrap, again nothing.
They followed the shapes as they crossed the wake from port to starboard and back again, peering through the gloom of the dawn. There was something mesmerising about the repetitive cresting and sinking of the rounded shapes. Suddenly a whole creature rose from the sea, lifting its body fully thirty feet into the air and falling back with a splash large enough to sink a small boat.
It was followed by another and another and another, the creatures joyfully throwing themselves out of the water and into the air.
Ianto and Jack stood open mouthed, gasping as the whales continued to dive into the sea, then smack the surface of the water with their flukes.
They were gone as suddenly as they had appeared. The surface of the sea mirroring the sunrise, rippling only with the wake of the ship.
Ianto felt full of wonder and joy, he saw that Jack felt the same way. With all the Alien wonders they had seen, all the danger and beauty that was Torchwood, was as nothing when compared to watching whales frolicking in the wake of the Fishguard-Rosslare ferry.
It's snowing here in the Chilterns. First proper snow of the year! England is coming to a standstill. Am sat next to the Christmas tree writing and reading Torchwood. All cosy, my daughter and her friend watching Haunted Mansion on the Disney Channel, all of us trying to resist eating the choccies on the tree. Not sure it can get any better. Oh yes, reviews! (not that I am begging or anything.)