Sorry about the length of time. I really didn't mean to leave you all in a cliffhanger for so long. It's been a crazy several months. Hope this makes up for it. I'm probably going to end it here, unless I can come up with a good epilogue. Cheers everyone!
"You were supposed to pick heads."
"What?" Dani swiped at the tears sliding down her cheeks.
"You were supposed to pick heads!" Jack glared at the girl, "I tried to tell you to pick heads. Twice." He picked up the coin, and flipped it to the young tourist. The coin landed in her hand with the other side up. A humanoid face stared up with three eyes at the girl. Dani collapsed slowly into a chair with her head resting against the table.
"That was horrible! Jack how could you!" Tosh looked ready to attack her boss. Ianto had gone pale, and was leaning against the wall as though he needed its support. Gwen was glaring at her boss. "You shouldn't have taken that insane deal in the first place! Who allows someone to bet their lives on a coin toss!"
"She was supposed to pick heads!" Jack replied sheepishly. "I don't have a two tail coin."
"I'd kill you if I could. Unfortunately, it wouldn't take." Owen growled. He turned to glare at Dani, "and what was with that whole self-sacrificing bullshit! What were you thinking! You must be the most insane person I've ever met!" He slammed the table with his fist, lunged up from the table, and turned toward the windows, only his shaking shoulders betraying his distress.
"I'm sorry Owen. I just wanted to get across to everyone that I was serious about getting home. I love it here, but I can't just disappear on my family like this. I can't make the people I love suffer with not knowing what happened to me." Dani finally picked herself up from the chair, and moved to rub the doctor's shoulder comfortingly. "It's not my fault your boss cheats." Owen gave a shaky chuckle.
Jack continued to look sheepishly around at his teammates. "I really was trying to get her to pick heads."
Ianto continued to lean against the wall, his eyes burning in his white face. "This was…This was..." Jack moved to pull Ianto into a fierce hug, murmuring words too quietly for the others to hear.
"I'm sorry Ianto," Dani turned to the two men. "I didn't mean for this to turn into a game of chicken."
Ianto glared at the young woman over Jack's shoulder. "That's exactly what you meant to happen."
"Okay, I didn't realize how my game of chicken would affect all of you, and I apologize for that." Dani held out a hand. Ianto gently pulled away from Jack's comforting arms, and crossed to the girl. He continued to glare at her for a long moment, but took her hand. "Forgiven."
Jack grinned in relief, and turned back to the papers on the table. "So, all's forgiven, and we can get back to the meeting. Dani, see what you can do with the reports for the last Weevil sighting, Owen's handwriting is unreadable."
Ianto stared at Jack disbelief. Slowly his face took on a malicious cast. He casually slid to his chair at the table. "You know Jack, I think the whole trick coin thing was to get back at Dani for sewing you to the floor."
"What!"
"Ianto not one word!"
"Wait a minute, you tied Jack to the floor?"
"When was this?"
"How come we never heard about this?"
"That's priceless!"
The comments blurred together into an incomprehensible rumble, and began in increase into wall of noise, when suddenly it was pierced by a sharp whistle.
Ianto stood staring at his teammates. His face was stern, but his eyes snapped with suppressed humour.
"Enough! Yes Dani tied Jack to the floor, or more accurately sewed him to the floor. It was one and only time she stayed at my home. There might be pictures" the noise began to swell, but Ianto simply overrode it, "BUT I'm keeping them for blackmail purposes." Ianto scanned the room, and turned to Jack. "I assumed at the time that the prank was an expression of supreme frustration and annoyance, which we then ignored for another week." Ianto's eyes hardened as he spoke, "What I'm trying to say is that the last time we ignored Dani, she was quite creative in her outburst. What do you expect to happen if we try to ignore her again? That eventually, she is just going to settle down into Torchwood, with an axe over her head?"
"You can't expect me to rush into this kind of decision. She could be a serious threat to our security." Jack muttered looking slightly shame-faced, and yet defiant.
"Oh come on Jack. No one here believes that you think Dani is a threat. Not since that game of exploding snap you two were playing the other day. You want her to join Torchwood." Owen had joined Ianto in glaring at Jack.
"They're right Jack. Somehow our tourist fits into this little team better than anyone I've ever seen, and you don't want her to leave." Gwen commented quietly.
"We don't need any more people in Torchwood." Jack replied defensively. "Five is plenty, besides she keeps saying that she needs to go home."
"You haven't really given her the choice, Jack. You've kept her here for almost two weeks, and each day she expects you to show up saying 'you're going to die today.' As far as she knows, there are only the two options." Tosh responded.
"She won't stay."
"She deserves the choice."
Suddenly, all eyes turned to the young tourist. Dani stood frozen by the windows staring at the members of Torchwood. How had she gone from potential hazard, to potential team member? She took a deep breath, and tried to compose some sort of response to this latest shock.
"I'm honoured, and I'll probably regret this for the rest of my life, but I can't join Torchwood." Dani's eyes pleaded with the others for understanding. "Jack's right, you really don't need me. I've been doing make work for the last two weeks, and don't try to tell me I haven't." She turned a hard stare at Jack, who snapped his mouth closed on the comment he was about to make. "The only thing you need around here is someone to talk to when things get to be too much."
"See, you could be that person." Jack jumped at the girl's comment. "Everyone talks to you, and you don't talk about what they've told you. You'd be perfect."
"First of all, they should be talking to you, Jack." Dani replied accusingly, "They should be comfortable coming to you when they are having problems, and you should be keeping an eye on them to make sure they're okay." She smiled slightly, "Use that amazing charisma on them. Charm the…" her grin turned mischievous, "I was about to say 'charm the socks off them,' but using charm to remove clothing probably isn't a challenge for you." Jack looked slightly shocked, and Dani shrugged, "I just mean that you'll have a stronger team if you support them."
"Don't hold back, tell me what you really think." Jack looked ruefully at the girl.
"You're wonderful, Jack. You know it." She grinned at him, and received a reluctant grin in return. She turned to the rest of the team. "Besides Jack's right, you don't need someone extra. You were fine before I got here, and you'll be fine once I'm home. If you do need me, call me, and I'll be there for you." She glanced around at five disbelieving faces. "Come on, I haven't fit into a group this well, since…since ever. I couldn't leave you in trouble if I wanted to. I'd be horrified if I thought one of you was suffering, and I didn't try to help."
Jack reached out a pulled the girl into a hug. "I don't suppose there's anything I can do to change your mind?"
"I don't think so." Dani smiled sadly into Jack's face. "Unless you can find me a job here that's more than just make work, and the occasional chat."
"I'll take that as a challenge!" Jack grinned engagingly.
"And meanwhile, I'll settle your travel arrangements." Ianto headed for the door, with a small smile for the young woman.
"Thank you, Ianto," Dani glanced around. "I'll let you get back to your meeting." She slipped out the door.
The team stared at each other, but no one seemed to be able pick up the threads of the discussion. "Meeting adjourned?" Tosh asked finally.
"Yeah, if anyone needs me, I'll be in my office." Jack swept out of the conference room, and the others slowly gathered their reports and headed back to their own spaces.