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ericadawn16Title: But Time Didn’t Stop
Characters: Jack, Gwen, Rhi, Ianto Jack/Ianto
Rated: PG-13 ANGST COE Spoilers MPREG
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Summary: Jack receives news about his daughter.
Author's Note: Starts after COE.
Previous Segment: August 19th, 2010, Part Three
Masterlist: http://ericadawn16.livejournal.com/63337.html
September 2, 2010 or February 27, 2017
There was nothing more to be done for the dead cop so he shut her green eyes. Then, Jack continued to sneak upstairs until he walked in on the stand-off. This felt familiar except last time; it was Ianto holding the gun instead of Gwen.
No one had noticed him yet especially the male dressed in Twenty-Ninth century clothes with a gun pointed back on Gwen. Lois was kneeling with her hands behind her head from must have been a failed earlier attempt.
The medic was probably hiding along with what other members they might have; assuming that there were other members at this point. Jack lined up a perfect shot to the back of the head and fired. Then, the bullet bounced off and he had to dodge the trajectory.
“Jack?” Gwen questioned without wavering her hold on the gun.
“Portable time lock,” he muttered to himself; forgetting their use. He’d never encountered one on Earth before. They had been invented on a prison world in the 42nd century and most were very well-guarded. Jack hit some buttons on his vortex manipulator which sent out an EMP fixed on the man's position.
However, he wasn’t about to let him know that, but why wasn’t he shooting Gwen if he had a Time Lock?
Lois was holding something. This would be easier if he knew all the facts. Still, what he did know was that there was a dead police woman downstairs and her killer was right in front of him. He’d had enough of this. Jack lined up another shot and fired the gun.
The villain twisted out of range and shot Jack as Gwen fired a shot, too. It worked. She got him in the heart.
“Jack,” she said, lowering her gun.
“I’m fine,” he told her although that wasn’t the exact truth. The bullet felt like it had lodged in his lung right below his heart. He dropped the gun and staggered to the steps.
“Jack!” she screamed after him. Her voice became fainter as he tried to ignore it. If he could just reach the car and once he did that, he focused on driving home before death set in. The distance felt more like London than Cathays.
The front door opened before he reached it and Rhi threw her arms around him.
“You did it…”
“You have to leave, thanks for everything,” he said and motioned for her to go, “Maybe I’ll phone you tomorrow.”
Her hands touched the wetness on her blouse from the hug and came away red.
“No,” she refused.
“You…you have to,” he spoke because the adrenaline had worn off and left behind the pain, “You have…to go.”
Jack dropped to his knees as he found it harder and harder to breathe with a collapsed lung. Everything seemed to blur and become upside-down as his knees gave as well.
“No, I’m not going to leave you like this, you dumbo,” Rhi argued and kneeled beside him.
“Shouldn’t…see me…like this,” he uttered, felt her hands running through his hair and then…nothing.
The nothing lightened as before. At least death had one huge perk. Ianto’s lips met his for almost a full minute before pulling away.
“What happened?” he asked and Jack was trying to catch up himself. Perhaps the simplest explanation would be best.
“Torchwood, shot,” he explained and his husband nodded.
“Was anyone else hurt?” Ianto questioned and he had to nod again.
“There was a female police constable killed,” he told him and he was hugged in return with a kiss on the cheek except he didn’t want to talk about Torchwood, “You should see Iefan, he’s growing up so fast.”
“Like yesterday, when he crawled for the first time,” the Welshman agreed with a smile that reached from ear to ear and his pale blue eyes simply sparkled.
“You saw that…”
“Parental privilege, I can watch him whenever I want,” Ianto spoke, holding onto his braces, “Sometimes, I just like watching him sleep. He smiles just like you do.”
He felt the pull of being drawn back and fought against it; not now.
“If you were shot, you’ll have to go soon, but Lucia told me something you should know,” he said, “She goes by Melissa Moretti again. She teaches English in a village in Italy near where her mum was born. She’s trying in her own way, Jack.”
She wasn’t just living. She really was okay.
“Give him a hug and kiss from me, I love you both,” Ianto uttered in those Welsh vowels and kissed him again.
He woke up on the wooden floor of the living room with Rhi walking towards him. A look down confirmed his coat and shirts were gone.
“Your clothes are hanging on the shower rod. I tried to rinse the shirts out for you before the stains could set in,” she stated before seeing his chest and grabbing the nearest chair for support. Jack guessed that he still had a gaping bullet hole when she went upstairs and now it looked as though nothing had ever happened to him. With a slow movement, she slid to a kneeling position on the floor. For a moment, no one said anything.
“And he went through this each and every time?” Rhi asked in a small voice and he nodded.
“Just about,” he told her, “Whenever he could…”
“How? How could he…go through that?” she questioned and readjusted her position so the jeans made a sound as they rubbed against the wood beneath her, “How could he could he watch you all those times? You were dead, the blood’s still on the floor beside you. I moved you to get the shirts off and you were cold and now you’re speaking to me like everything’s fine. I mean, you told me that you don’t stay dead, but it’s different to actually…see it.”
He went for his braces; the ones that Ianto had played with but they weren’t there. They must have had blood on them as well.
“He never got used to it,” he admitted and fiddled with the watch spotted with red, “But I feel all of it, it feels just like dying every single time and he wanted to be there as a comfort. I used to come back with a loud gasp and disappointment and he noticed. After that when I woke up, he’d be holding me and I’d remember there was someone to come back for.”
The fact that it was done out of love was unspoken yet obvious.
“You didn’t seem all bad just then, you had a smile when you woke up,” she pointed out and wrapped her arms around herself. Could he tell her? Gwen had believed and Rhi had mentioned that her mum had believed.
“Because when I die, he’s there,” Jack told her, “He’s waiting for me and he’s always so happy. Steven’s there, too. They know each other.”
She gave him a little smile.
“He told me that Melissa is teaching in Italy now,” he said with a relieved sigh.
“Who’s Melissa?”
“Melissa was Steven’s mum, my daughter,” he spoke and saw her surprised face, “Surely; you didn’t believe that she died in a car crash? No, she couldn’t stand the circus they wanted his funeral to be either so she left. She was able to disappear and we haven’t talked since he died.”
At this, she stood up and walked over to him before sitting down again. She didn’t say anything. Instead, she just took one of his hands and squeezed. While he hadn't noticed before, she'd changed perfumes since 2009. It was to be expected, but just served to further illustrate how much time had passed.
“Are you going to tell her about Iefan?” Rhi asked, “She should know she has a brother.”
He’d never thought about it like that. However, he didn’t think it could work.
“She doesn’t want me in her life and I understand. If it weren’t for me, her son would be alive,” Jack muttered and ran a hand through his hair, “and I don’t want her thinking I’m trying to replace her with Iefan. She’s trying to move on, that’s enough.”
“So, when are you going to move on?” she questioned, “Iefan can’t be your whole life. I’ve done that and you’re not the type. You’ll be bored. It might take a year or two or maybe when he starts school, but you’ll have time to fill and how will you spend it? Watching the breaking news on the telly from a safe distance?”
“I’m not with Torchwood anymore, I never will be,” he retorted with more anger than he was planning on, “I just get them killed.”
September 2nd, 2010 or February 27th, 2017, Part Two
Characters: Jack, Gwen, Rhi, Ianto Jack/Ianto
Rated: PG-13 ANGST COE Spoilers MPREG
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Summary: Jack receives news about his daughter.
Author's Note: Starts after COE.
Previous Segment: August 19th, 2010, Part Three
Masterlist: http://ericadawn16.livejournal.com/63337.html
September 2, 2010 or February 27, 2017
There was nothing more to be done for the dead cop so he shut her green eyes. Then, Jack continued to sneak upstairs until he walked in on the stand-off. This felt familiar except last time; it was Ianto holding the gun instead of Gwen.
No one had noticed him yet especially the male dressed in Twenty-Ninth century clothes with a gun pointed back on Gwen. Lois was kneeling with her hands behind her head from must have been a failed earlier attempt.
The medic was probably hiding along with what other members they might have; assuming that there were other members at this point. Jack lined up a perfect shot to the back of the head and fired. Then, the bullet bounced off and he had to dodge the trajectory.
“Jack?” Gwen questioned without wavering her hold on the gun.
“Portable time lock,” he muttered to himself; forgetting their use. He’d never encountered one on Earth before. They had been invented on a prison world in the 42nd century and most were very well-guarded. Jack hit some buttons on his vortex manipulator which sent out an EMP fixed on the man's position.
However, he wasn’t about to let him know that, but why wasn’t he shooting Gwen if he had a Time Lock?
Lois was holding something. This would be easier if he knew all the facts. Still, what he did know was that there was a dead police woman downstairs and her killer was right in front of him. He’d had enough of this. Jack lined up another shot and fired the gun.
The villain twisted out of range and shot Jack as Gwen fired a shot, too. It worked. She got him in the heart.
“Jack,” she said, lowering her gun.
“I’m fine,” he told her although that wasn’t the exact truth. The bullet felt like it had lodged in his lung right below his heart. He dropped the gun and staggered to the steps.
“Jack!” she screamed after him. Her voice became fainter as he tried to ignore it. If he could just reach the car and once he did that, he focused on driving home before death set in. The distance felt more like London than Cathays.
The front door opened before he reached it and Rhi threw her arms around him.
“You did it…”
“You have to leave, thanks for everything,” he said and motioned for her to go, “Maybe I’ll phone you tomorrow.”
Her hands touched the wetness on her blouse from the hug and came away red.
“No,” she refused.
“You…you have to,” he spoke because the adrenaline had worn off and left behind the pain, “You have…to go.”
Jack dropped to his knees as he found it harder and harder to breathe with a collapsed lung. Everything seemed to blur and become upside-down as his knees gave as well.
“No, I’m not going to leave you like this, you dumbo,” Rhi argued and kneeled beside him.
“Shouldn’t…see me…like this,” he uttered, felt her hands running through his hair and then…nothing.
The nothing lightened as before. At least death had one huge perk. Ianto’s lips met his for almost a full minute before pulling away.
“What happened?” he asked and Jack was trying to catch up himself. Perhaps the simplest explanation would be best.
“Torchwood, shot,” he explained and his husband nodded.
“Was anyone else hurt?” Ianto questioned and he had to nod again.
“There was a female police constable killed,” he told him and he was hugged in return with a kiss on the cheek except he didn’t want to talk about Torchwood, “You should see Iefan, he’s growing up so fast.”
“Like yesterday, when he crawled for the first time,” the Welshman agreed with a smile that reached from ear to ear and his pale blue eyes simply sparkled.
“You saw that…”
“Parental privilege, I can watch him whenever I want,” Ianto spoke, holding onto his braces, “Sometimes, I just like watching him sleep. He smiles just like you do.”
He felt the pull of being drawn back and fought against it; not now.
“If you were shot, you’ll have to go soon, but Lucia told me something you should know,” he said, “She goes by Melissa Moretti again. She teaches English in a village in Italy near where her mum was born. She’s trying in her own way, Jack.”
She wasn’t just living. She really was okay.
“Give him a hug and kiss from me, I love you both,” Ianto uttered in those Welsh vowels and kissed him again.
He woke up on the wooden floor of the living room with Rhi walking towards him. A look down confirmed his coat and shirts were gone.
“Your clothes are hanging on the shower rod. I tried to rinse the shirts out for you before the stains could set in,” she stated before seeing his chest and grabbing the nearest chair for support. Jack guessed that he still had a gaping bullet hole when she went upstairs and now it looked as though nothing had ever happened to him. With a slow movement, she slid to a kneeling position on the floor. For a moment, no one said anything.
“And he went through this each and every time?” Rhi asked in a small voice and he nodded.
“Just about,” he told her, “Whenever he could…”
“How? How could he…go through that?” she questioned and readjusted her position so the jeans made a sound as they rubbed against the wood beneath her, “How could he could he watch you all those times? You were dead, the blood’s still on the floor beside you. I moved you to get the shirts off and you were cold and now you’re speaking to me like everything’s fine. I mean, you told me that you don’t stay dead, but it’s different to actually…see it.”
He went for his braces; the ones that Ianto had played with but they weren’t there. They must have had blood on them as well.
“He never got used to it,” he admitted and fiddled with the watch spotted with red, “But I feel all of it, it feels just like dying every single time and he wanted to be there as a comfort. I used to come back with a loud gasp and disappointment and he noticed. After that when I woke up, he’d be holding me and I’d remember there was someone to come back for.”
The fact that it was done out of love was unspoken yet obvious.
“You didn’t seem all bad just then, you had a smile when you woke up,” she pointed out and wrapped her arms around herself. Could he tell her? Gwen had believed and Rhi had mentioned that her mum had believed.
“Because when I die, he’s there,” Jack told her, “He’s waiting for me and he’s always so happy. Steven’s there, too. They know each other.”
She gave him a little smile.
“He told me that Melissa is teaching in Italy now,” he said with a relieved sigh.
“Who’s Melissa?”
“Melissa was Steven’s mum, my daughter,” he spoke and saw her surprised face, “Surely; you didn’t believe that she died in a car crash? No, she couldn’t stand the circus they wanted his funeral to be either so she left. She was able to disappear and we haven’t talked since he died.”
At this, she stood up and walked over to him before sitting down again. She didn’t say anything. Instead, she just took one of his hands and squeezed. While he hadn't noticed before, she'd changed perfumes since 2009. It was to be expected, but just served to further illustrate how much time had passed.
“Are you going to tell her about Iefan?” Rhi asked, “She should know she has a brother.”
He’d never thought about it like that. However, he didn’t think it could work.
“She doesn’t want me in her life and I understand. If it weren’t for me, her son would be alive,” Jack muttered and ran a hand through his hair, “and I don’t want her thinking I’m trying to replace her with Iefan. She’s trying to move on, that’s enough.”
“So, when are you going to move on?” she questioned, “Iefan can’t be your whole life. I’ve done that and you’re not the type. You’ll be bored. It might take a year or two or maybe when he starts school, but you’ll have time to fill and how will you spend it? Watching the breaking news on the telly from a safe distance?”
“I’m not with Torchwood anymore, I never will be,” he retorted with more anger than he was planning on, “I just get them killed.”
September 2nd, 2010 or February 27th, 2017, Part Two
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-02-06 01:58 pm (UTC)I am curious to see what he will decide in the end.
no subject
Date: 2010-03-22 05:04 am (UTC)