Fic: Vizzini's Rule (8/105)
Jul. 2nd, 2008 09:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
buttononthetopTitle: Vizzini's Rule, Chapter 8
Rating: PG-13 for this chapter
Warnings: Use of Retcon - but it's just on Gwen ;)
Spoilers: Everything Changes (1x1), Cyberwoman (1x4) and Fragments (2x12)
Disclaimer: Torchwood and all its wonderfulness belong to Russell T. Davies and the Mighty Beeb. Just goofin' around! All (c)'s to Russell himself for the dialogue I lifted. No infringement, only worship, intended.
Summary: The origin fic continues - in which we meet PC Gwen Cooper...
Notes: Comments are very much appreciated! Blessings be on everyone who leaves one!! :o)
Previous Chapters
Vizzini's Rule: Chapter Eight
When the team returned from London, Ianto tried to perform his duties as if nothing had changed. It was hard to behave normally when he was so tense he could barely function. He was having trouble sleeping on the few nights he actually left the Hub without sneaking back in to be with Lisa. He could manage to eat if the others were around and watching him, but he usually threw up as soon as he was alone. He convinced himself that he managed to fool the team most of the time. Owen wouldn’t have noticed if Ianto started coming to work without pants, except to make fun of him. Suzie was always focused on her work and had become even more withdrawn since Ianto’s first day. Tosh was the closest thing Ianto had to a friend, besides Jack, but when she was working she was also completely focused on the task.
Jack was the only real problem. He still flirted with Ianto whenever the opportunity arose, but it had mellowed into more of a playfulness. Ianto flirted back as much as he could without revealing how much the causal innuendos cost him. He was glad (very glad, he told himself firmly) that Jack never pressed him for more, never addressed the blaze of connection that flared between them ever since that very first night in the park. But Jack was always very aware of Ianto and he found himself having to try extra hard to appear normal whenever Jack was in the room.
Some days he felt like he was literally two different people. There was the Ianto who loved Lisa and spent every moment he could with her and every moment alone trying to find someone who could help her. Then there was the Ianto who brought Jack coffee the way he liked it just so he could see him smile, the Ianto who dressed carefully every morning hoping for a raised eyebrow and a cheeky comment, the Ianto who had to tell himself every day that he was not making the colossal mistake of falling in love with his boss. These two Ianto’s came to work every day, smiled and made coffee, and wondered how long they could last before it all fell apart.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Lisa had been inside Torchwood for almost two months when Ianto finally reached someone who could help them. It had taken a lot of lies and a lot of roundabout conversations with the on-site staff, but he finally was able to get the personal email address of Dr. Tanizaki at the Cybertechnology Institute of Osaka. He was in the Tourist Office back room, working on the letter he intended to send when he heard the wall in the swing open.
“Ianto?” It was Jack.
Ianto closed his laptop quickly and pushed through the beaded curtain to find Jack leaning on the counter waiting for him.
“Yes, sir?” he asked.
“Need your help with something. Remember me telling you about that PC who was watching us when Suzie revived that last guy?”
Ianto nodded.
“Well, she’s outside. She’s been hanging around the Plass for hours just walking around and I think she’s figured out we’re in here.”
“What do you need me to do?” Ianto asked.
“I think she’s going to try to bluff her way in and I want you to play along with whatever she says and let her in. She’s got dark hair, big hazel eyes and the cutest little gap between her front teeth.”
Studiously ignoring Jack’s fulsome description, Ianto nodded and said dryly, “I saw her on the CCTV.” Then he asked, “Wait, let her in downstairs? Sir, do you think that’s wise?”
Jack grinned. “Probably not, but she’s pretty determined and I want to know what she’s found out about us.”
Still looking skeptical, Ianto nodded. “Whatever you need, sir.”
Jack groaned and leaned farther over the counter. “You really shouldn’t say things like that, Ianto. Gives me all sorts of very naughty ideas.” He winked and shoved his hands in his pockets as he headed back through the wall.
Ianto let out the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. Damn, how does he do that? Ianto thought. Shaking his head he returned to his laptop, keeping an ear out for the door. He had only composed a few more sentences when he heard the bell ring.
He stepped through the curtain, a welcoming smile on his face. She fit Jack’s description perfectly.
Before he could say anything, the woman babbled, “Oh, hiya, sorry I’m late. Someone ordered pizza?”
Ianto asked politely, “Who it for?”
“I think it’s a…Mr. Harkness?”
Suppressing a grin at Jack being called mister, Ianto pressed the button which secured the front door. He smiled at her gasp and pushed the blue button on the side of the counter to open the wall behind her. She stared at it apprehensively and Ianto wondered if she would lose her nerve. She glanced back at him and then stepped through the wall. She looked up and down the hallway behind the wall, unsure of where to go next. She looked at Ianto again and he tilted his head in the direction of the service lift.
“Don’t keep ‘em waiting,” he admonished. She literally squared her shoulders, which made Ianto chuckle, and then walked forward slowly.
After the PC had gotten in the lift, Ianto closed the wall and went back to his computer. He finished up the paragraph he had been working on and then took the stairs down to the Hub.
When he arrived, Jack and the PC were nowhere to be seen. He quirked an eyebrow at Suzie and she replied with a nod to the cells. He tidied up the Hub, gathering up the day’s coffee cups and emptying the trash. He had just begun to collect the filing out of everyone’s outboxes when Jack brought the PC back upstairs, he introduced her to the team. Ianto wrinkled his brow in confusion as he bent over to pick up a file that had slid off Owen’s desk. Why is Jack introducing her to everyone? he wondered. He knows he’s just going to have to Retcon her later.
Jack saved Ianto for last. “And this is Ianto Jones. Ianto cleans up after us and gets us everywhere on time.”
Smarting a bit at that description of his duties, Ianto smiled and inclined his head. “I try my best.”
“And he looks good in a suit,” Jack added.
Raising his eyebrows, Ianto replied, “Careful, that’s harassment, sir.”
PC Cooper followed Jack asking, “Why are you telling me their names? I’m not supposed to know, am I? This is classified, isn’t it?”
Ianto heard Jack laugh, “Way beyond classified.” He headed into Jack’s office and then stuck his head back out when Jack started issuing the night’s final orders.
“Okay! Tosh – finish that calibration tomorrow morning. Owen – first thing, get a hold of Chandler and Bell, ‘cause I think they’re lying. Ianto – if he needs backup, then you’d better be on standby. Suzie – I know it’s a pain in the ass, but I need the costing on the glove research.” Jack turned to the PC, “As for you – you’re coming with me. This way.”
Ianto watched as she followed Jack muttering, “I’m getting tired of following you.”
Jack turned and gave her that look that could melt stone. “No, you’re not. And you never will.”
Grinning, Ianto finished up his tasks for the night as Jack led the PC to the invisible lift. Tosh, Owen and Suzie headed out for the evening but Ianto hung back, knowing Jack would need him when he finished with Ms. Cooper. With everyone gone, it was also the perfect time to check in on Lisa. Ianto tried not to dwell on the fact that he thought of Jack first.
When Ianto reached the storeroom, he thought he heard someone moving around in Lisa’s room. He opened the lock quickly and rushed inside fearful of what he would find. His worry was unnecessary. The room was just the same as he had left it and Lisa was sleeping peacefully on her makeshift bed. He woke her with a kiss and smiled down at her.
“How are you today, love?” he asked gently.
“Alright, I guess.” She sounded a little out of breath and Ianto glanced over at the monitors to make sure nothing serious was wrong, but all the readings were normal.
“Are you in pain? Do you need another shot?” he asked, slipping his hand into hers. She didn’t squeeze his hand immediately like she usually did. “Lisa? Are you sure you’re alright? Anything I can do, please just tell me.”
Lisa sighed, “I’m fine Ianto, really. I’m just so tired.”
“I’ll get your shots ready then. You can have a nice long sleep.” He smoothed a long finger down her cheek and she finally returned his smile. He crossed the room to the small refrigerator where they kept the painkillers and sedatives. He frowned, trying to find the packs of needles. Something seemed out of order but he couldn’t put his finger on what. He glanced at his watch and dismissed his feelings of unease as nervousness about Jack’s return. He had to hurry.
He gave Lisa her usual evening shot, kissed her and ran back to the upper levels. He had just settled in on the ancient couch in the break area with a Dick Francis novel when he heard the door alarm. He looked up to see Jack striding in with a strange look on his face.
“Is it done, sir?” Ianto asked.
“Yeah,” Jack replied. “Yeah, but…I don’t know.” He sighed heavily. When he saw the concerned look on Ianto’s face he forced himself to smile. “We’ll see, I guess. You all set to intercept if she tries to save anything on her computer?”
Ianto nodded. “Yes, sir. I took the liberty of using your computer to hack into her home network right after you left.”
“That’s my Ianto,” Jack said, “Always one step ahead of me.”
Ianto gave Jack a weak smile. “Shall I?” he asked.
Jack nodded. “Yeah, can’t be helped.”
They walked to Jack’s office together and Ianto sat down at his desk to monitor the constable’s computer activity. Jack hovered around the entrance to his sleeping quarters for a moment, hands in his pockets, shuffling his feet. He sighed deeply.
“Sir?”
Jack turned to Ianto. “Hmmm?” he replied.
“Are you okay?” Ianto asked.
Jack smiled that same fake smile from earlier. “Yeah…I think I’ll head down to the shooting range for a bit. Need a distraction.” Ianto nodded. Jack often did that. It was his version of meditation. He continued, dropping his voice into that smooth, lower register which did things to Ianto that he didn’t like to think about. “You could join me after you do your stuff? If you like?”
Ianto’s fingers jumped a bit on the keyboard. He cleared his throat. “I’d like to sir, but it’s rather late…”
Jack’s face fell. “Yeah, I guess it is. Okay, then. I’ll see you in the morning, Ianto.”
“Good night, sir.”
Jack gave him another long look and then turned to head downstairs. As soon as he was gone, Ianto relaxed. He scrubbed at his face with his hands, wondering how much longer he could keep doing this. He thought of his letter to Dr. Tanizaki. Soon, he thought, it will all be better soon.
The computer beeped and distracted him from his thoughts. He waited until the PC stopped typing for a moment and then deleted her file. He glanced at his watch and whistled under his breath. Impressive – she lasted quite a bit longer than most, he mused. He turned off Jack’s desk lamp and walked through the darkened Hub. He could hear the muffled sounds of Jack’s Webley and realized that he couldn’t get to Lisa’s room with him in the shooting range. Almost relieved at the thought of trying to sleep in his own bed, Ianto locked up and headed for home.
TBC in Chapter Nine
Rating: PG-13 for this chapter
Warnings: Use of Retcon - but it's just on Gwen ;)
Spoilers: Everything Changes (1x1), Cyberwoman (1x4) and Fragments (2x12)
Disclaimer: Torchwood and all its wonderfulness belong to Russell T. Davies and the Mighty Beeb. Just goofin' around! All (c)'s to Russell himself for the dialogue I lifted. No infringement, only worship, intended.
Summary: The origin fic continues - in which we meet PC Gwen Cooper...
Notes: Comments are very much appreciated! Blessings be on everyone who leaves one!! :o)
Previous Chapters
Vizzini's Rule: Chapter Eight
When the team returned from London, Ianto tried to perform his duties as if nothing had changed. It was hard to behave normally when he was so tense he could barely function. He was having trouble sleeping on the few nights he actually left the Hub without sneaking back in to be with Lisa. He could manage to eat if the others were around and watching him, but he usually threw up as soon as he was alone. He convinced himself that he managed to fool the team most of the time. Owen wouldn’t have noticed if Ianto started coming to work without pants, except to make fun of him. Suzie was always focused on her work and had become even more withdrawn since Ianto’s first day. Tosh was the closest thing Ianto had to a friend, besides Jack, but when she was working she was also completely focused on the task.
Jack was the only real problem. He still flirted with Ianto whenever the opportunity arose, but it had mellowed into more of a playfulness. Ianto flirted back as much as he could without revealing how much the causal innuendos cost him. He was glad (very glad, he told himself firmly) that Jack never pressed him for more, never addressed the blaze of connection that flared between them ever since that very first night in the park. But Jack was always very aware of Ianto and he found himself having to try extra hard to appear normal whenever Jack was in the room.
Some days he felt like he was literally two different people. There was the Ianto who loved Lisa and spent every moment he could with her and every moment alone trying to find someone who could help her. Then there was the Ianto who brought Jack coffee the way he liked it just so he could see him smile, the Ianto who dressed carefully every morning hoping for a raised eyebrow and a cheeky comment, the Ianto who had to tell himself every day that he was not making the colossal mistake of falling in love with his boss. These two Ianto’s came to work every day, smiled and made coffee, and wondered how long they could last before it all fell apart.
Lisa had been inside Torchwood for almost two months when Ianto finally reached someone who could help them. It had taken a lot of lies and a lot of roundabout conversations with the on-site staff, but he finally was able to get the personal email address of Dr. Tanizaki at the Cybertechnology Institute of Osaka. He was in the Tourist Office back room, working on the letter he intended to send when he heard the wall in the swing open.
“Ianto?” It was Jack.
Ianto closed his laptop quickly and pushed through the beaded curtain to find Jack leaning on the counter waiting for him.
“Yes, sir?” he asked.
“Need your help with something. Remember me telling you about that PC who was watching us when Suzie revived that last guy?”
Ianto nodded.
“Well, she’s outside. She’s been hanging around the Plass for hours just walking around and I think she’s figured out we’re in here.”
“What do you need me to do?” Ianto asked.
“I think she’s going to try to bluff her way in and I want you to play along with whatever she says and let her in. She’s got dark hair, big hazel eyes and the cutest little gap between her front teeth.”
Studiously ignoring Jack’s fulsome description, Ianto nodded and said dryly, “I saw her on the CCTV.” Then he asked, “Wait, let her in downstairs? Sir, do you think that’s wise?”
Jack grinned. “Probably not, but she’s pretty determined and I want to know what she’s found out about us.”
Still looking skeptical, Ianto nodded. “Whatever you need, sir.”
Jack groaned and leaned farther over the counter. “You really shouldn’t say things like that, Ianto. Gives me all sorts of very naughty ideas.” He winked and shoved his hands in his pockets as he headed back through the wall.
Ianto let out the breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. Damn, how does he do that? Ianto thought. Shaking his head he returned to his laptop, keeping an ear out for the door. He had only composed a few more sentences when he heard the bell ring.
He stepped through the curtain, a welcoming smile on his face. She fit Jack’s description perfectly.
Before he could say anything, the woman babbled, “Oh, hiya, sorry I’m late. Someone ordered pizza?”
Ianto asked politely, “Who it for?”
“I think it’s a…Mr. Harkness?”
Suppressing a grin at Jack being called mister, Ianto pressed the button which secured the front door. He smiled at her gasp and pushed the blue button on the side of the counter to open the wall behind her. She stared at it apprehensively and Ianto wondered if she would lose her nerve. She glanced back at him and then stepped through the wall. She looked up and down the hallway behind the wall, unsure of where to go next. She looked at Ianto again and he tilted his head in the direction of the service lift.
“Don’t keep ‘em waiting,” he admonished. She literally squared her shoulders, which made Ianto chuckle, and then walked forward slowly.
After the PC had gotten in the lift, Ianto closed the wall and went back to his computer. He finished up the paragraph he had been working on and then took the stairs down to the Hub.
When he arrived, Jack and the PC were nowhere to be seen. He quirked an eyebrow at Suzie and she replied with a nod to the cells. He tidied up the Hub, gathering up the day’s coffee cups and emptying the trash. He had just begun to collect the filing out of everyone’s outboxes when Jack brought the PC back upstairs, he introduced her to the team. Ianto wrinkled his brow in confusion as he bent over to pick up a file that had slid off Owen’s desk. Why is Jack introducing her to everyone? he wondered. He knows he’s just going to have to Retcon her later.
Jack saved Ianto for last. “And this is Ianto Jones. Ianto cleans up after us and gets us everywhere on time.”
Smarting a bit at that description of his duties, Ianto smiled and inclined his head. “I try my best.”
“And he looks good in a suit,” Jack added.
Raising his eyebrows, Ianto replied, “Careful, that’s harassment, sir.”
PC Cooper followed Jack asking, “Why are you telling me their names? I’m not supposed to know, am I? This is classified, isn’t it?”
Ianto heard Jack laugh, “Way beyond classified.” He headed into Jack’s office and then stuck his head back out when Jack started issuing the night’s final orders.
“Okay! Tosh – finish that calibration tomorrow morning. Owen – first thing, get a hold of Chandler and Bell, ‘cause I think they’re lying. Ianto – if he needs backup, then you’d better be on standby. Suzie – I know it’s a pain in the ass, but I need the costing on the glove research.” Jack turned to the PC, “As for you – you’re coming with me. This way.”
Ianto watched as she followed Jack muttering, “I’m getting tired of following you.”
Jack turned and gave her that look that could melt stone. “No, you’re not. And you never will.”
Grinning, Ianto finished up his tasks for the night as Jack led the PC to the invisible lift. Tosh, Owen and Suzie headed out for the evening but Ianto hung back, knowing Jack would need him when he finished with Ms. Cooper. With everyone gone, it was also the perfect time to check in on Lisa. Ianto tried not to dwell on the fact that he thought of Jack first.
When Ianto reached the storeroom, he thought he heard someone moving around in Lisa’s room. He opened the lock quickly and rushed inside fearful of what he would find. His worry was unnecessary. The room was just the same as he had left it and Lisa was sleeping peacefully on her makeshift bed. He woke her with a kiss and smiled down at her.
“How are you today, love?” he asked gently.
“Alright, I guess.” She sounded a little out of breath and Ianto glanced over at the monitors to make sure nothing serious was wrong, but all the readings were normal.
“Are you in pain? Do you need another shot?” he asked, slipping his hand into hers. She didn’t squeeze his hand immediately like she usually did. “Lisa? Are you sure you’re alright? Anything I can do, please just tell me.”
Lisa sighed, “I’m fine Ianto, really. I’m just so tired.”
“I’ll get your shots ready then. You can have a nice long sleep.” He smoothed a long finger down her cheek and she finally returned his smile. He crossed the room to the small refrigerator where they kept the painkillers and sedatives. He frowned, trying to find the packs of needles. Something seemed out of order but he couldn’t put his finger on what. He glanced at his watch and dismissed his feelings of unease as nervousness about Jack’s return. He had to hurry.
He gave Lisa her usual evening shot, kissed her and ran back to the upper levels. He had just settled in on the ancient couch in the break area with a Dick Francis novel when he heard the door alarm. He looked up to see Jack striding in with a strange look on his face.
“Is it done, sir?” Ianto asked.
“Yeah,” Jack replied. “Yeah, but…I don’t know.” He sighed heavily. When he saw the concerned look on Ianto’s face he forced himself to smile. “We’ll see, I guess. You all set to intercept if she tries to save anything on her computer?”
Ianto nodded. “Yes, sir. I took the liberty of using your computer to hack into her home network right after you left.”
“That’s my Ianto,” Jack said, “Always one step ahead of me.”
Ianto gave Jack a weak smile. “Shall I?” he asked.
Jack nodded. “Yeah, can’t be helped.”
They walked to Jack’s office together and Ianto sat down at his desk to monitor the constable’s computer activity. Jack hovered around the entrance to his sleeping quarters for a moment, hands in his pockets, shuffling his feet. He sighed deeply.
“Sir?”
Jack turned to Ianto. “Hmmm?” he replied.
“Are you okay?” Ianto asked.
Jack smiled that same fake smile from earlier. “Yeah…I think I’ll head down to the shooting range for a bit. Need a distraction.” Ianto nodded. Jack often did that. It was his version of meditation. He continued, dropping his voice into that smooth, lower register which did things to Ianto that he didn’t like to think about. “You could join me after you do your stuff? If you like?”
Ianto’s fingers jumped a bit on the keyboard. He cleared his throat. “I’d like to sir, but it’s rather late…”
Jack’s face fell. “Yeah, I guess it is. Okay, then. I’ll see you in the morning, Ianto.”
“Good night, sir.”
Jack gave him another long look and then turned to head downstairs. As soon as he was gone, Ianto relaxed. He scrubbed at his face with his hands, wondering how much longer he could keep doing this. He thought of his letter to Dr. Tanizaki. Soon, he thought, it will all be better soon.
The computer beeped and distracted him from his thoughts. He waited until the PC stopped typing for a moment and then deleted her file. He glanced at his watch and whistled under his breath. Impressive – she lasted quite a bit longer than most, he mused. He turned off Jack’s desk lamp and walked through the darkened Hub. He could hear the muffled sounds of Jack’s Webley and realized that he couldn’t get to Lisa’s room with him in the shooting range. Almost relieved at the thought of trying to sleep in his own bed, Ianto locked up and headed for home.
TBC in Chapter Nine
