Author's Notes: I'd love to tell you that the rest of the story will come this quickly, but the muses are notoriously fickle. In this chapter, Esther comforts Nat; Octavia and Priscilla start catching their mother up on the events of the last thirty-five years; Jack receives a phone call; and Carlyon and Sophia get some quality time. I know I've mentioned in the past that Carlyon is 'played' by Christopher Lee in my imagination, but I don't think I've mentioned his wife or two older daughters. Sophia is 'played' by Robin Christopher (formerly Skye on the three ABC soaps), while Priscilla is 'played' by Helen Shaver and Octavia is 'played' by Catherine Disher. The four younger adults (Nat, Jason, Lucas and Adriane) are still being mulled over.
Chapter Two
Mama Bear
"Today hasn't been one of your better days, huh?" Esther asked softly as she tucked Natalie into bed. The brunette shook her head, staring hard at the trembling hands in her lap. She was shaking. She was literally shaking with a mixture of horror and adrenaline and rage. Despite her best efforts, her gr-her father's words were repeating in her mind. She could have killed her mother. By trying to help her, she could have killed her. The bed sank, ever so slightly, as Esther sat down beside her. The younger woman took both of her (trembling) hands and said softly, "It's okay, Natalie. Your mother is right, there was no good choice in this situation. You could have left her in there, followed a protocol that didn't exist to the best of your knowledge. But she was already terrified and seeing you leave might have made things worse."
"I could have killed her, Esther. I could have killed my own mother, and I. . ." Natalie began, only to find tears stinging her eyes. She swallowed hard and blinked hard. Despite her best efforts, she felt tears rolling down her cheeks and Esther uttered a choked back sob of her own, drawing Natalie into her arms. Natalie clung to the blonde girl, burying her face against Esther's shoulder. Torchwood scared her, for more than one reason. Her understanding of right and wrong were totally topsy-turvy. She did what she thought was right, but what she thought was right might have led to her mother's death. How could she not be scared? Did she have any business in an organization where she might need to make a judgment call that could lead to the deaths of so many more than her mother?
"I never told you about this before, but not long after we got to California, I did something terribly stupid," Esther began in a soft voice, still holding Natalie tightly. She explained about the situation with her sister, her fears for her nieces, the call she made while on the op. Natalie trembled in Esther's protective embrace, but listened as Esther told her about the Families' assassin who held Jack and Gwen (who was Gwen?) hostage. Esther explained, "I didn't get really scared until he pistol-whipped Jack, knocking him unconscious. And all of a sudden, Rex was the only person who could save them, especially Jack, because he was the only person who could die."
Esther pulled back, but just enough to face Natalie, saying, "The reason I'm telling you this is because my actions would have ended Jack's life and left Gwen badly scarred if Rex hadn't saved them. There is no question of that. Yes, I was never trained as a field agent, but I knew better than to make that phone call. But you? Nat, you had a call to make. Jack sometimes told me, while we were on the run together, that one of the hardest things to learn was that sometimes, there are no good choices or bad choices: just bad choices and less bad choices. You made a call. Your mother thinks you saved her. I'd say that is more important than a protocol that you didn't even know about."
Natalie allowed her forehead to drop against Esther's shoulder, whispering, "I don't know why I'm so weepy. I feel so out of control, and that scares me so badly. I'm never out of control. First, I tear into Jack because of some simple teasing; then I faint when I find out that the woman I thought was my mother is in fact my sister, and the woman whom I was always told was my grandfather is in fact my mother, and oh, by the way, even though she's in her eighties, she still has the mind, body, and face of a thirty-six year old woman; and now this. I don't know what's happening to me!"
Esther released Natalie and cupped her face in her hands, saying quietly, "You have had one shock after another today. No, don't look away from me. You didn't realize that Jack noticed your absence, and that was a shock. If only for a minute, you believed he had no respect for you, and that was a shock. Sophia awakened and you had to make a quick judgment call. But then you found out that she is actually your mother, and that was a shock. You were still recovering from those previous shocks, and your gr-your father tore into you for helping your mother out of her cryo unit, and that was a huge shock. This on top of everything you went through while you were watching over me. Shhh, don't try to tell me that it wasn't a big deal. It was. You, and all the other workers who didn't belong to one of the Families, were treated as if you were nothing."
"I'm nearly thirty-five years old, Esther. Those are just things that you have to deal with," Natalie pointed out tiredly. There was more to it. . .she knew that, and she was pretty sure that Esther knew the same. Maybe, if she was really lucky, Esther would let that go. She hoped so. Everything seemed to be hitting once, and her nerves were badly jangled. Unfortunately, her luck was never that good, and today was no different.
"Including being wildly attracted to a man who is far older than he looks?" the other woman asked, her voice impossibly gentle. Natalie did look away then and Esther said softly, "Nat, I'm the last person to judge you for being attracted to Jack! Honestly, after what we went through together, there's a part of me which wonders at anyone who isn't attracted to him. He's a beautiful man, inside and out, who knows all about making good choices, bad choices, and less bad choices. God, the things he told me while we traveled together! He actually thought I would hate him for them, but how could I? How could I, when those choices protected my nieces, my girls?"
"You're as much Alys and Melanie's mother as Sarah is. I always hate hearing that only women who give birth are real mothers. You know, Mo. . .I mean, Priscilla. . .she once dropped a high school friend, because this other woman accused me of baby-stealing. Never mind that Ailsa's birth mother was dead, she accused me of stealing Ailsa. I didn't find out until late last year. Why do people say things like that?" Natalie rambled. And why was she even talking about this? Everything in her mind was so muddled right now, Natalie was having a hard time finding a coherent train of thought. Or was that line of thought? She was so confused right now.
"You know what I think? I think the food can wait. What you need right now, more than anything right now, is sleep. So, here's what you're going to do. I want you to settle back, there you go, and I'm going to rest alongside you. I'm a bit woozy right now, think I tried to do too much today. Shhh, just close your eyes, I've got you, and anyone who wants to hurt you will have to come through me." Natalie obediently closed her eyes and felt herself drawn into Esther's embrace once more. She curled into the younger woman's arms, soothed by her friend's soft humming. For the first time since Natalie's world went topsy-turvy that morning, she felt safe. She. . .
There was no more coherent thought. Morpheus carried her away.
TWTWTWTWTWTW
There were many, many times over the last thirty-four years when Octavia dreamed of having her mother back. There were nearly as many times when she dreamed about the day when she would no longer keep this secret from her little sister, when Natalie finally knew the truth about their family. Somehow, in all those imaginings, this entire situation never came up. Then again, how could it? Octavia never thought for an instant that her father would be unprepared for his beloved wife's awakening. That, she decided sourly, was her first mistake.
Their mother sat between her and Priscilla on the divan. Jack left the wheelchair where he dropped it, and Octavia listened with half an ear as her father swore, setting the aforementioned wheelchair back up. And as for her mother, well, Mama was more furious than Octavia could ever remember her being. Admittedly, Octavia was only four years old when her mother fell ill, but Priscilla told her stories about some of the crazy situations which their father and Jack found themselves in. One of the most horrifying stories, which Priscilla said enraged their mother beyond all imagination, was of an incident about six months before their mother became so ill.
Over the course of his time at Torchwood, there were some individuals who saw Jack as a human being, and others who saw him as more than human; and sometimes, as less than human. During this particular visit to London, Sophia Tregarth and her two daughters encountered the latter sort. There were experiments done on Jack, during the course of his tenure at Torchwood, because of his inability to stay dead. There were people who looked at Jack and saw not a beautiful, compassionate, loyal man, but a thing. It was people like that, Priscilla explained, that led to Jack sometimes having a reputation for not caring. It was untrue, of course: Jack Harkness was one of the most caring people either of the older Tregarth sisters ever met. But he believed it of himself and others believed it as well. And that led to a disaster, although Octavia had an uncomfortable feeling that she still didn't know the full story.
What was clear to her right now, however, was her mother's fury toward her father. Part of it was due to his attack on Natalie when he and Adriane arrived home fifteen minutes earlier, to find Rex settling Mama on the sofa carefully. While her sister's actions might not have been wise, Octavia believed she did the best she could have under the circumstances. What was more, she was fairly certain that her father knew this as well, but lashed out anyhow because of his own guilt. This, of course, was the same guilt which played into his verbal assault against Jack, and that, Octavia was sure, was the other part of her mother's anger. She really was not happy with him for insinuating that Jack wasn't part of their family; which, of course, he was.
Her attention was drawn back to the conversation at hand, as Priscilla painfully admitted that the child she lost at the same time Natalie was born wouldn't be the last child she lost. Nine years later, and about four years before Adriane was born, she had a daughter who was born healthy, but was dead less than twenty-four hours later. Octavia swallowed hard. Priscilla was utterly devastated when Juliana died, and really, Octavia was almost completely certain that it was only Natalie which got her through that heartbreak. As much as she hated to admit it, Octavia wasn't much help, as she was pregnant with Jason at the time. Priscilla added, wiping at her tears, "I'm not the only one who has had to deal with loss. Octavia lost her husband ten years ago."
"Oh, Tavie, no! I should have been here for you both! What happened, was it an accident or was he ill or was it something else?" Mama asked, horrified at the tragedies that befell the two older sisters in the last few decades. Octavia had to swallow hard several times, because despite the intervening ten years, her emotions were always overwhelming when it came to discussing her husband. Mama regained enough strength to raise Octavia's hand and kiss it lightly, just as she always did when Octavia was little and trying so hard to be brave after she was hurt. She whispered, "You can tell me anything, baby, anything in the world."
"He was a police officer. . .just like I used to be. . .and he was killed while trying to save people after a terrorist attack. Thousands died that day, Mama, and. . ." Octavia began. She was on the point of telling her mother that the Twin Towers were gone, but then remembered that it was unlikely that her mother even knew about the World Trade Center. Instead, she finished, "And my husband died a hero. He wasn't the only one, of course, but he was my hero."
"Oh, sweet girl, of course he was! None of my girls had it easy, but you made it through anyhow. Oh, I know what you want to say. The same thing Natalie, no doubt, says whenever she's told the same thing, 'it's no worse than what anyone else has been through, and better in some ways.' Am I close?" Mama asked. The two sisters exchanged a glance, blinking back tears, and nodded in unison. Mama nodded decisively, adding, "I thought as much. My beautiful, brave, strong, amazing girls. . .I am so proud of all three of you. I'm guessing that Natalie's not been herself lately?" Octavia had no idea how her mother figured all of this, just in the last few minutes, with all the chaos. Oh yes, I do, she thought ruefully, remembering what she always told her boys when they questioned how she knew these things, it's because she's a mommy. From the moment she realized that Natalie is her daughter, she's soaked up every look, every expression, every word, everything she can.
"No, she hasn't really been herself since we rescued Esther Drummond, the blonde girl who moved in front of Natalie protectively. It's a long story, but the short version is, Esther was captured by some rather nasty individuals who were planning to use her against Jack. Natalie went undercover to watch over her until Jack and Rex could get her out. We were supposed to be support, but you know Torchwood," Priscilla sighed. Mama rolled her eyes and nodded. Priscilla continued, "The people who had Esther call themselves the Families, and they're your prototypical, 'we want to rule the earth because we're so superior and so smart.' But, of course, as they always do, they underestimated Jack and the people who work with him. Esther was the wild card, and Jack obvious cared for her, so they tricked everyone into believing that she was dead. Now, since they're your prototypical would-be rulers of the planet, they tend to treat anyone who isn't them as if they were. . ."
"Trash," Mama replied succinctly, her light brown eyes flashing with quiet fury. Octavia and Priscilla exchanged a look, and then nodded. Their mother was silent for several minutes, and then she continued in a too-calm voice, "Now, admittedly, I've only spoken to Natalie for a few minutes, but it seems to me that she had to hide herself away in order to successfully protect herself and Esther. She had to hide herself, her anger at every indifferent slur, at every casual cruelty, and it piled up over the days. Now, she's home and she's safe, they're both safe, but those memories remain and she's still trying to bottle up her rage. Am I close?"
"Terrifyingly close. I think sometimes that Jack deliberately tries to provoke her, hoping to remove that bottle stopper. I was hoping that something would happen today, when she tore into him, but she left before Jack could do anything more. Her rage scares her, Mama, and that scares me. Somehow, along the way, I didn't teach Natalie that it was okay to be angry and I didn't teach her how to let go of her anger," Priscilla replied, her features growing pinched with worry. It was a little more complicated than that, Octavia knew, but their mother already had a lot to take in.
"I can't imagine it's easy, watching a man to whom you're overwhelmingly, incredibly attracted to kiss another man. It's hard enough when it's another woman," Mama mused. Yeah, that would. . .wait, what? Octavia blinked at her mother, and saw the exact same confused look on her sister's face. Mama looked from one to the other, sighing, "Don't tell me that you haven't noticed that Natalie is utterly besotted with Jack? While she might have looked away from his kissing that young man, simply because she's a private person, her reaction when he teased her about it tells me that her feelings for him go far beyond friendship. More to the point, those feelings terrify her."
Octavia and Priscilla stared at each other in open shock, before Priscilla asked, "How in the world did we miss that, Tavia? More to the point, what do we do about it now?" Octavia shook her head. She couldn't speak for Priscilla, but she knew how she missed it. Jack seemed to have a special relationship with Esther, who was quickly becoming one of Natalie's closest friends. And when she was attracted to a significant other of a friend, she tended to. . . Oh. Oh, of course. Evidently, Priscilla said, "You see it, too. We didn't see it until now because Natalie didn't want us to see it. But she believed Mama was her grandmother, and therefore safe."
"Quite. And you'll do nothing about it, aside from allowing Natalie to work this out for herself. You'll remember what happened the last time you two tried to interfere in her love life," Dad said suddenly, wheeling the now-upright chair over to Mama. Octavia cringed. Yeah, she did, and the idea of her baby sister not speaking to her for such a long time? No thank you, not again!
Dad observed heavily, "No, let Natalie work out things with Jack or not, as she sees fit. Once she's had an opportunity to rest, I'll apologize to her for lashing out. For now, let your mother rest. There will be more chances to talk, I promise." The two elder sisters looked at each other, and then at their mother. When Mama nodded, the duo helped her into the wheelchair, taking the chance to hug her tightly and whisper how much they loved her. As their father wheeled her away, the sisters moved as one. Regardless of their family drama, Torchwood still needed to run, and there was a lot to do.
TWTWTWTWTWTW
"I don't know where the old man gets off telling you that you're not family, Jack," Rex Matheson said as he removed his helmet and left it hanging on the handle bar of his ATV. Jack didn't respond, but Rex knew better than to think the other man wasn't listening. Even when you thought he wasn't listening (or you wished he wasn't), Jack was listening to every damn word and knew a helluva lot more than what you realized. Rex was still a little worried that Jack knew about the little trip Rex and Carlyon took into the base. He shuddered, remembering what was said and promised during that conversation. Once, only once, did he ask Carlyon about recruiting other members of Jack's past Torchwood teams. Not again. Never again. He needed a damn shower after hearing that.
"Because I'm not a member of his family, Rex. . .no, walk on my other side. You're not experienced enough with the Rift to be over there," Jack replied. Rex dropped back, stuck out his tongue, and Jack added, "Best to put that back in your mouth, before you trip on it." Rex blinked. What the hell? There was more than a touch of amusement in his companion's voice as Jack observed, "You forget, I've been a father. Maybe not much of one, but I still have a sixth sense when someone is sticking their tongue out at me. And like I said, I'm not part of Carlyon's family."
"Bullshit. That is just so much bullshit, Jack! You've died how many times to save members of Tregarth's family? There wouldn't be a Tregarth family, if it weren't for you, and most of the family knows that! Family is more than blood, Jack. You know that! For God's sake, Matthew Halloran decided to adopt you after you saved his kid!" Rex fired back, referring to an incident the previous week, when Nicky Halloran was nearly killed. He and Jack were cleaning out the bunkhouse when an old plow came loose from its place on the wall. It would have killed Nicky if Jack hadn't pushed him out of the way. No one told Rex exactly how it came loose, and at the time, he was too focused on explaining to the teen's frantic parents that Jack would come back. When he gasped back to life, cradled against Nicky's chest protectively, Ava Halloran hit the ground in a dead faint and Matthew Halloran declared Jack to be part of his family. Just like Owen Harper, Ianto Jones, and Toshiko Sato weren't just Jack's team, weren't just his friends. They were also his family.
"Until he sent the information regarding Esther, I hadn't seen or spoken to Carlyon in forty-five years, Rex. Whatever status I had within his family went bye-bye years ago. Now we're just business partners. Maybe friends," Jack replied. Rex virtuously refrained from rolling his eyes. Did Jack think he was stupid? Well, it was possible. Rex pulled nearly as many dumb stunts during the course of Miracle Day as Jack did, maybe even more. After all, checking yourself out of the hospital after being impaled was not a particularly bright thing to do. And what really killed him (metaphorically speaking, of course) was the calm acceptance in Jack's voice when he spoke of his past status with the Tregarths: as if it was to be expected! Jesus Christ, Rex thought, how many times has this happened to him? Was this what Rex would have to look forward to, if his little joke ended up being true? No thank you!
He didn't ask about any of that. Instead, Rex muttered, "Damn, World War II." He was starting to believe that, given the 'friends' of Jack whom he'd met so far, the immortal didn't really need any enemies. Yeah, Jack could be an annoying pain in the ass, but he was a good man. While Rex didn't really know Angelo Colasanto, he did hear about the night which ended up leading to Miracle Day, and for all his cracks about a tiff between gay lovers, he was disgusted with Colasanto. Not that Rex said so, and he had to admit that at least Colasanto tried to make things right. Then there was Carlyon Tregarth, who kept hinting darkly at an event that happened in the past, something for which the old man needed to atone, and something that was tied to his recently-awakened wife.
"Ahhh, there's that charming nickname, I was starting to miss it. Surely you're not afraid of Carlyon?" Jack teased, drawing Rex's attention back to their previous conversation. Hell. Jack knew about Carlyon taking Rex to task? Then again, this was Jack they were talking about, and he had an uncanny ability to find out things you'd just as soon he never learn: the more embarrassing, the better. Rex growled, 'bite me,' under his breath, once more forgetting Jack's keen hearing. The other man cast a wicked, sidelong glance, retorting, "Well, I suppose I could, but I really don't think I'm your type. Speaking of which, what are your intentions toward Octavia?"
It was on the tip of Rex's tongue to tell Jack to butt out, if he thought he wasn't a member of the Tregarth family, but the seriousness of Jack's expression warned him that it probably wouldn't be a good idea. No matter whether Carlyon Tregarth considered Jack to be part of his family or not, the middle Tregarth daughter was still important to him. It was for that reason he replied, "I don't know. I like her. I like her a lot. For all her bluster and smart remarks, she's a good listener. And God knows, she can keep secrets. But, I was watching her face when I was carrying her mother into the living room, and she's happy that she doesn't have to keep this secret any more. She. . ."
He wanted to say that she reminded him of Vera, but that really wasn't true. Octavia was smart and funny and bold and devious, she drove him absolutely batshit crazy when she called him 'sexy Rexy' or some variation thereof, but she wasn't really anything like Vera. Rex still hadn't made up his mind whether that was a good thing or not, but he was leaning toward 'good.' There was only one Vera and she shouldn't be easily replaced. Octavia was Octavia and Vera was Vera. After a moment, Rex continued, "The only thing I have a problem with is the fact that she's got more than ten years on me." And then, he remembered that he was talking to a man who was either a hundred seventy or two thousand years old, depending on who was doing the counting. He added sheepishly, "I imagine that sounds a bit silly to you."
Jack responded with a half-smile that never quite reached his eyes as he replied, "Before I returned to Earth at the onset of Miracle Day, my primary companion was a twenty-two year old midshipman, as his home planet counts time, and Ianto. . ." His voice caught, as it still did sometimes when he spoke of his late lover. However, Jack continued once his voice steadied, "Ianto was twenty-six when he died. I would say 'life is too short' to let something as silly as Octavia's age get in your way, but I don't imagine I'd have much credibility. But I really don't understand why you would let that influence you. Even though I'll probably live forever, you won't, and why would you waste your time on something like that?"
He sounded genuinely confused, and Rex was on the verge of answering, when Jack's cell rang. The immortal gestured for Rex to follow him back to the ATV's, taking his phone out at the same time. And what emerged was the strangest greeting Rex ever heard, as Jack said with a brilliant smile, "Hello, nightingale. . .has baby nightingale made her grand entrance? Well, if you'll recall, Martha, you told me when I was in the UK a few months ago. Yeah. Really? How's Mickey Mouse?" Mickey Mouse? Did Rex want to know what that meant? Probably not. Jack laughed aloud as this 'Martha' answered his question, observing, "It wouldn't surprise me if that baby has him wrapped around her little pinkie finger from the moment she opens her eyes. Me? I'm fine. Monitoring the Rift. I don't know if Oklahoma will ever be home to me, no pun intended, but it's fine for now."
There was another long silence, Jack's brows climbing into his hairline, and he replied, "Well, I don't see a problem with it, but I'll need to speak with Carlyon and Sophia. Oh yes, she woke up this morning. That's why I need to check. I want to make sure you won't be stepping into the domestic to end all domestics. You don't need that, much less now. Uh-huh. Okay, if I don't get an answer before it's too late to call you back, call my cell whenever the three of you get up. Okay, that's fine, Nightingale. Give my love to your parents and Tish. And Leo, too, of course. Bye."
Jack hung up the phone, settling onto his ATV, and said, "The Rift will be fine for now, and we need to head back. That was Dr. Martha Jones-Smith, who once saved the world. She and her husband Mickey are hoping to come for a visit in a few weeks, once she's cleared to travel. She'll be giving birth in just a few months, and she wants to see me before she's too far along to travel. And since this isn't my home, it wouldn't be very polite to simply invite her, now would it?" He didn't wait for an answer; simply put his helmet on and gunned the engine of his ATV. Rex shook his head, but followed the captain. He wasn't going to ask, he probably didn't want to know.
TWTWTWTWTWTW
"What's our status?" the auburn-haired woman asked, settling into the wheelchair so kindly provided by Jack Harkness. Trust Jack to remember that wheelchair in the base. Carlyon Tregarth blinked at his wife in astonishment. Well, that was the very last question he anticipated hearing from his wife. Then again, just before she was placed in stasis the first time, she was his unofficial second in command at Torchwood. And she already knew that Natalie was safe.
"At present, we have ten active operatives, though only Jack, Octavia and Priscilla are cleared for field work. And don't ask why Natalie was the one who was sent undercover to watch over Esther Drummond. That's a long story," Carlyon sighed as he wheeled his wife into the room where she would be sleeping until she regained more of her strength: the guest room just off the front room. Sophia merely raised her eyebrows at him, and he added, "Short version, then? Very well. Octavia decided to make a spectacle of herself when we went to the Colasanto compound to retrieve items taken from Torchwood, and made sure the Families, our new enemy, saw her."
"First. . .Colasanto? As in, Angelo Colasanto? As in, the little pissant who murdered Jack, and then betrayed him to those butchers, and then wanted to go with Jack once the nightmare was over? That Colasanto?" Sophia asked, staring at him in shock. Carlyon barely bit back a sigh, wondering if he would need to remind his wife that the same Colasanto helped to save her life. That was, of course, assuming that she remembered anything of that time period, aside from that too-brief time when she held Natalie in her arms. His question was answered a moment later when Sophia whispered, "Colasanto. . . oh my God. It never occurred to me, that was the man who helped to save Natalie. Wasn't it? Mr. Colasanto. . .Angelo Colasanto. For some reason, I always thought of Angelo as a boy, it never occurred to me that he became an old man."
"He did become an old man. He was the age of our oldest granddaughter when he met Jack. He was over seventy when Natalie was born, and he was past one hundred when he died a few months ago. It's quite ironic, when you think about it. During Miracle Day, he and Jack were the only ones who could truly die," Carlyon told his wife. Of course, at that point, he realized that his wife didn't know about Miracle Day. He bit back another sigh. There were so many things he needed to tell his Sophia, and too many of them were unpleasant. As he settled her in her bed, he chose to start with Miracle Day, since that was most recent.
He told her about the Families buying Jack's blood all those years ago, and what they unleashed on the world. He told her about Rex, and Esther, about Vera Juarez who died in one of those modules, and of all those people who burned. He told her about Olivia Colasanto and how she died (not that Carlyon would waste any tears on her), and watched tears slowly slide down his wife's cheeks as he told his story. He even told her about Jack's certainty that there was far more that the Families had in store (a conviction he shared) and that there was far more to the Miracle than simply his blood. And again, Carlyon had to agree with that. What made Jack immortal had nothing to do with his blood. . .and if it did, then Steven Carter might now be alive. However, Carlyon couldn't bear to think about that child for long.
And as he talked, he could never take his eyes off his wife, his beautiful Sophia. So many times, he stared at her face through the cold glass of her cryo unit, but this was the first time in decades he saw his wife, rather than his wife's face on a cold mannequin. She was so beautiful, so incredibly alive! Sophia listened, and as she always did, asked the uncomfortable question. Remembering what he told her earlier, she asked slowly, "You said that the ad-hoc Torchwood team, for the most part, had four members, but you only mentioned Jack, Esther, and Rex. What about the fourth?" Hellfire and damnation!
"That story will need to wait for another day, my love. Right now, you do need to rest. Shhh, I promise, I will tell you. But I'll need some things that I don't have with me right now, and you need to rest. I promised our older daughters that I wouldn't tire you out, and I've broken too many promises as it is," Carlyon replied, drawing her attention away from that rather thorny conversation. It worked, but it also re-focused her attention on another promise that was broken.
"Very well. But when I wake up, we will have words about your thoroughly uncalled-for attack against our youngest daughter. Bank on it, Carlyon Raphael," his wife warned, amber eyes flashing with anger. Carlyon could only nod. What else could he do, especially since she was right? Yes, Natalie's actions could have resulted in her mother's death, but he had to take responsibility for not training her in what needed to be done or at least leaving a checklist. He knew, however, that his wife would forgive him when she added in a small voice, "You'll stay with me until I fall asleep?"
"My darling, dearest Sophia, undomesticated equines couldn't remove me from your side," Carlyon reassured her as Sophia wriggled her way down under the covers. That made her smile, as it was meant to. Carlyon picked up her hand and kissed it lightly. Her eyes fluttered closed once more, but this time, Carlyon's heart didn't lurch in pure terror, as it did just after Natalie was born. Because this time, he knew it was only for a few hours, rather than decades.
TBC
Additional note: To those who don't know, John Barrowman is in a new series called Gilded Lilys, a pilot that ABC has apparently picked up. The only other actor/actress I'm familiar with in the show is Brigid Brannagh, who has played Pamela Moran on Army Wives for the last several years.