Torchwood: Divergence
Book Three: Rheoleiddiad
Chapter 58
Lois was waiting to hand out cups of coffee when the team came in through the cog-wheel door, all of the aiming for the couch once they had their drink in hand. They'd just spent the first two hours of the day running down a pack of six Grolon rats near the docks, and the threesome was completely exhausted.
"There was a minor spike about twenty minute ago," Habiba informed them quietly. "System registered a non-active mechanical item as coming through. It turned out to be an old slot machine from who knows where or when, so I took the liberty of asking UNIT to grab it in Roath on their way down to clean up the dead rats."
"Well done," Gwen nodded, saluting the young black woman with her coffee cup. "And the refreshments are really appreciated."
"All part of the service," Lois grinned. "Ianto taught me well. I'd best head back upstairs on that note, and get the kiosk open."
She started toward the main door that rolled open for her, made for the lift then stopped.
"Hey!" the team receptionist called excitedly. "How was your holiday?!"
The young woman returned to the Hub, closely followed by Torchwood's two senior members. Ianto took his partner's RAF coat, their overnight bag, and a couple of other items straight over into the office, the Captain meandering toward the group on the couch.
"Hey, kids," Jack smiled down at them, obviously very happy and relaxed after five and a half days away. "Looks like you've already had a rough morning."
"Grolon rats," Martha piped up with a crooked grin. "Six of the monsters. Lead us on a less than merry chase for almost two hours down in the old warehouses by the docks."
"Not a great way to start the day," Turlough added, sipping his white coffee. "Especially when we found the three stripped human skeletons in their main nesting area."
"Oh, and don't forget that the sodding SUV is out of service, because it won't bloody well start when the brakes need replaced," Gwen put in, expression and tone undeniably surly.
"Why didn't you key the override and take it to the garage?" Ianto asked as he emerged from the office with a large hardbound book and a good-sized canvas shopping bad. "Shop and mechanic information, as well as the code are in the Vehicle Maintenance folder on the main drive."
"There's a Vehicle Maintenance folder on the drive?" Cooper prodded blankly. "Where?"
"Under… Torchwood Friendly Contacts… in alphabetical order," the young Welshman stated slowly and carefully. "Where you look for current UNIT contacts and supply sources."
"Nobody but you tends to do that, mate," Turlough countered with a quick smile.
"First project," Harkness laughed. "But that can wait a bit. Seems like you could all use a boost, so it's fortunate that we brought you back presents and something for later entertainment."
His partner handed him the bag, then waved the book and put it on the low table within easy reach.
"Now, you can mostly thank Ianto for these," the American insisted, delving into the bag. "As well as for having the forethought to remove the price tags and the patience to wrap them. So… Gwen, Turlough, Lois, and Martha. Not a single 'All I Got Was' type of thing in the lot either."
He placed the empty bag on the table, reached out with natural ease to take his lover's left hand in his own right, and simply waited as the team opened their souvenirs. Turlough subscribed to the older man's method of unwrapping, so he revealed his first.
"Self-contained, quick grow, natural wheatgrass blocks," the redhead smiled. "Brilliant. These should keep Skinnytail from ravaging my house plants. I'll tell her the grass is just for her, and she needs to tend and water it to make it grow. Thanks. I love souvenirs I can actually use."
"Oh, nice," Martha chuckled as she saw what she'd received. "Good memory too. Wasn't it before Christmas that I was moaning about needing a full set of measuring spoons? Look… it has 'pinch', 'dash', and 'smidgeon' too, and they've all got pudgy little sheep embossed on the handles. Solid state stainless steel. Excellent choice. Thanks!"
"Look, look!" Lois squealed happily, displaying her gift. "A complete Welsh-English/English-Welsh dictionary and a Slang guide, both with full pronunciation keys. I love them! They're really going to help with my lessons. Thank you both so much."
Finally, Gwen looked at what her package concealed, found a small glass-fronted shadow box containing a little lump of coal, a bright Red Kite feather, an old brass gear, and a tiny speckled patch of furred deer skin in the separate compartments. There was a card with it that indicated a one-year family pass to a selection of museums, zoos, and gated parks within sixty-five kilometres of Cardiff had been purchased in her and Rhys' names, and gave the passcodes to unlock the memberships online.
"Ebrill likes her birds," Ianto shrugged when she looked up at the two men. "And there's only so much room to store DVDs at your house."
"Bloody brilliant…" Cooper breathed, rising to give Jack a hug, then turn uncertainly to the younger immortal beside him.
The Changeling nodded permission, so she hugged him as well, incredibly pleased when he lightly returned the embrace and his heartrate stayed rock steady. In that moment, her fixation on their leader and jealousy toward his partner didn't exist. But both flared anew in the next instant, when she released the twenty-six-year-old and the Captain immediately recaptured one of his hands.
"So," Harkness smiled at the team. "Business as usual. Projects if you've got them, help a co-worker if you don't. Ianto and I will unpack, then we'll cover alerts for a while unless it's something big enough to need the whole team."
"I'll just call the garage while we're unpacking," his Archivist advised. "See if Steph can do the brakes on the SUV in less than four hours. If so, I'll run it down, keep my comms on in case you need me to meet you somewhere."
"Sounds good," the older immortal nodded, giving his hand a squeeze as they moved toward the office once more. "Be right back, kids."
Lois headed topside as they disappeared, Gwen aiming for her workstation and trying to strangle the mix of emotions she was feeling even as she wondered why they'd suddenly become so strong. She was still wrestling with the issue, when the duo at the heart of it reappeared on the office steps. Ianto was in his coat again, SUV keys in hand. Jack stalled him in the doorway long enough to snatch a kiss, then turned back to his desk as the younger man headed her way. He picked up a charged Bluetooth device, gave a quiet little smile as he slipped it on before making for the cog-wheel door.
"They promised an hour," the young Guardian called as he started out. "Figure two just to be safe. Comm's switched on if you need me before then… for work, Jack."
The last was said with a gleeful smile the team hadn't seen in months, and met with laughter from the office.
"I'd say they had one hell of a good holiday," Turlough commented from his station. "Maybe they should do it more often."
"Bite your tongue," Cooper growled in reply. "Five and a half days of hair pulling was quite enough for the next year, thank you very much."
"I'm getting a definite bitchy-vibe again," the Trion prince remarked sharply. "Does Martha need to up the dosage?"
"My hormones are fine," the former PC insisted sourly, knowing her levels were indeed back in balance per the team medic's tests, and unsure where her latest hang-up was coming from. "I'm just really sore from this morning's rat hunt, and everything's rubbing me wrong right now. The only thing that likely wouldn't, is a long hot bath."
Turlough made a non-committal sound where he was working behind her, but refrained from further comment. For her part, Gwen tried to focus on her current research while firmly telling herself that the fantasies about their Captain she'd been entertaining again were hopeless as well as wrong, and that she shouldn't be jealous of the young Welshman he'd chose to love more than two year ago. She needed to quiet the shrieking "what if" that had started clamouring in her head the week that Ianto had been off flat hunting, before it caused a problem she might not be able to fix. But no matter how hard she tried, her thoughts just kept circling back to how much she still wanted Jack… and what she could do to get him.
End Book Three
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AN: Yes… The Gwen from the series is rearing her head and will be causing trouble. It's not going to be pretty. And there is so much more going on that will throw a spanner in the works as Ianto tries to fully embrace his new life and the return of his family bonds.
Book Four will start on Ianto's Birthday.
You have all been amazingly patient with me. Thank you!
Thank you to those reading the story. And thank you to those who have followed, favourited, and reviewed. NM