Torchwood: Divergence
Book Two: Adferiad
Chapter 52
Gwen was still feeling fairly in control when she arrived at the Hub, the basically empty underground parking area having told her that only the base's normal residents were present. She came through the cog-wheel door to the usual warning claxon and now expected flashing of blue lights, to find Jack waiting for her just past the grill. He opened his arms to her and she stepped into his embrace with a shuddering sigh.
"How are you holding up?" the Captain queried softly. "You need us to take you home? One of us can follow in your car so it's back at the house."
"Might do," Cooper whispered, trying not to let the impact of her father's passing settle on her yet. "Where's Ianto?"
"Boardroom," Harkness stated with a tiny half-smile. "Ebrill got fussy after Rhys left, strange place and all. So, he's been keeping her company."
"Did he tell you he knew before we did?" the raven-haired woman breathed tightly, shifting in her boss' embrace so they could start the trek to the room her daughter was in. "That the Scieron told him?"
"Yeah," the American nodded, the muscles along his jaw bunching for a moment. "He was getting the coffee going when red light suddenly flickered in his eyes and he turned that look on me. They knew Geraint was your dad and wanted you to know he'd passed in case you weren't right beside him."
"Is he okay?" Cooper asked worriedly, feeling badly for her friend and how he'd ended up as a go-between in this.
"Not a great way to start the day after a really restless night," Jack grimaced as they came to the closed Boardroom door. "But you know Ianto. He'll smile and tough it out till he's sure you're okay."
He keyed open the door, and they entered to find Jones on the far end of the room, Ebrill in his arms with her little head on his shoulder as he quietly sang "Stolen Child", a Yeats poem put to music by Lorena McKennitt some years back, the words making Gwen shiver. The Scieron Changeling hadn't heard them come in, and continued to rock the now nineteen-month-old as he finished the song. Finally, he turned slowly, his expression immediately worried when he saw Gwen standing on the threshold.
"Hey…" he called softly, carefully heading her way with a sleeping Ebrill cradled against his chest. "You need us to take you home? We can bundle you with the baby in the SUV, Jack can drive you to the house and I'll follow with Rhys' car. Rift's quiet right now, we'll leave a message for Turlough, tell him we'll be back after a bit, yeah?"
Cooper nodded, feeling her chest and throat tighten as tears stung her eyes, the quiet concern of both men making the truth of her father's death a little more real. Having Jack's strong arms around her earlier, and now seeing his partner lullabying her daughter to sleep and cradling her as though he'd been a parent for countless years… it made her think of when she was small and her dad would make everything right in the world with a hug.
"Better idea," Harkness suggested when their friend covered her face with shaking hands in a vain attempt to muffle her weeping. "Everybody in the SUV. Ianto, grab Ebrill's blankets and the bag Rhys left, you'll ride with her in the front. I'll bring the pillow there, grab a blanket and Gwen can curl up on the back seat. We'll worry about the other vehicle later."
The young Guardian nodded, moving to carefully field the covers Williams had brought and get them back around the child sleeping in his arms, before slinging the nappy bag over his opposite shoulder. His partner took the pillow from their bed that they'd brought in for the baby to sleep on, lead Cooper from the room by the hand to leave her standing with Ianto while he hurried into the bedroom for the chenille throw from the chair and snagged the SUV key fob on his way back out.
The big rotating door opened even before they started toward it, Turlough's expression darkening as he came in and saw the group, well aware of what Gwen's muffled sobs meant. He helpfully took the nappy bag from Ianto for the trip upstairs, assisted in getting everyone loaded into the big black Torchwood vehicle and promised to "babysit the Rift" while they were gone.
The SUV pulled up outside the little cottage in Penarth shortly before 7:30 am, Rhys hurrying out to meet them and help get his wife inside. Jack had called him as soon as they'd left the Millennium Centre, so the sandy haired Welshman was well prepared for the storm to come.
"I've got a hot bath ready for you," Williams told Gwen gently, letting her cling to him as they crossed the living room. "Your mam's fine, Eb's asleep, so it'll just be you and me for a bit, yeah?"
"We'll get the baby into her bed," Harkness offered quietly. "Just show us where it is."
The entire group made their way upstairs, the two senior Torchwood members moving into the room Rhys indicated as he drew his spouse farther along the hallway to the master suite. Ianto settled Ebrill into her crib, made sure all the covers were well away from her face, Cyfnos was by the pillow, and the nightlight was on. Then he left the nappy bag by the changing table before he and his partner exited, leaving the door ajar as they prepared to go back downstairs and let themselves out.
"You two," Rhys called quietly when they were halfway down the steps, both men looking up at him where he stood outside the nursery door. "Thanks for everything this morning. You went way above and beyond for Gwen, and she really appreciates it even though she can't tell you right now. I appreciate it."
"We try really hard to take care of our own," Jack admitted, squarely meeting the other man's gaze. "Gwen's clear for whatever time she needs, and we're here to help if we can. We'll bring your car around later, see how things are going. Let us know if you need anything."
"I will," Williams nodded. "Thanks again."
Both immortals nodded before continuing down the stairs. They exited the house, the Captain using his VM to lock the door once more, then they climbed into the SUV and started for the base. Harkness could see the trembling that set into his companion's hands, reached over to rub the twenty-six-year-old's nearest shoulder. Ianto gave him a grateful look, but the shaking still progressed. Halfway to the bay area, the older man pulled off onto a quiet side street and parked along the kerb, unbuckling his safety belt, and reaching over to partially recline the young Welshman's seat as his breathing turned to fast, painful gasps. He'd stuck it out to the end, but his worry and sympathetic grief for Gwen had finally hit a point too strong for his still adjusting neural pathways to endure. The seizure was powerful but reasonably short lived, and Jack was there to offer reassurance and a comforting kiss as soon as it had passed.
"Doing okay?" Harkness queried softly, gently stroking the younger man's cheek.
"Sort of," Ianto breathed shakily, looking and sounding exhausted as his partner put his seat up for him and undid the safety belt.
"Blanket and pillow are still in the back," the American offered. "Why don't you switch out, get your head down for the rest of the drive home. You look beat."
"Okay," the Changeling agreed docilely, proving he was still unsettled and knew it.
He leaned over to claim another kiss from his Captain, obviously needing a little extra reassurance. Then he exited the SUV to move from the front to the back, turned over the tear damp pillow, wrapped up in the throw, angled the seats back slightly and lay down from door to door.
"Try to relax," Jack encouraged quietly, reaching back to briefly rub the young Welshman's chenille draped leg before turning around in the driver's seat and putting his own safety belt back on. "We'll be at the Hub in no time."
They were soon underway again, Harkness driving slowly and carefully to avoid jostling his beloved Archivist too much. The sun was barely over the fog bank on the horizon and they'd already had a rough day. There were going to be a lot of tough times ahead for one the team, but Torchwood would be there to help in any way they could… because that's what families do.
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AN: Tough times ahead indeed… and not just for Gwen.
Thank you to those reading the story. And thank you to those who have followed, favourited, and reviewed. NM