#i could fix him (the torchwood archives) | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

shejustcalledmeafish · 3 months ago

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13 + 25 (drunken/drugged/sleepy confessions • showing up injured at their enemy’s house); john/ianto

Ianto just barely heard the knock at the door. He thought it was a knock at least. Better safe than sorry. He had been on his way to bed, two beers, just enough to take the edge of another day at Torchwood. He knew it could be a problem if he wasn’t careful, but he didn’t care. Odds were he wouldn’t last long enough for it to matter.

So, mellow more than tipsy, he opened the door. Or rather, he tried to open the door and it jammed against something after a few inches. That something let out a moan of pain.

“Fuck,” Ianto muttered as he forced the door open a little further, pushing the limp form of John Hart as it went. “What the fuck are you doing on my doormat?” He managed to slip out of the door and get a proper look at John. John looked up at him, hands pressed to his stomach. He raised one and waved, fingers slick and red.

“I was aiming for inside, but I slipped a little,” John said before groaning in pain and returning his hands to his abdomen. “Didn’t think you’d be here.”

“In my flat?” Ianto questioned. Then he sighed and knelt down beside John. “Hold on.” Ianto was glad John didn’t take advantage of the request given his bloody hands and his normally crude behavior. Instead he just nodded and let Ianto scoop him into his arms. He wasn’t too heavy, solid but slight. Ianto tried not to think too hard about it as he nudged his door further open with his foot and carried John inside.

“Shit,” Ianto muttered before deciding it was going to have to be a gamble. He set John down on the coffee table, then all but ran to close the front door and grab some old towels. He spread them over the sofa and then helped John move over. Normally, this amount of contact would have John making all sorts of comments, but he was eerily silent. Ianto stared at him for a moment, and John stared back, bleary but still conscious.

“You should have gone to Owen,” Ianto said, reaching to pull up John’s shirt. “Or a hospital.” John obediently moved his hands to let Ianto pull away the blood-soaked fabric and examine the wound. He thought John had been shot or stabbed, but looking at it, it was more of a slash. “I don’t know how much I can do for you.”

“You can get me some alcohol, and a needle and thread,” John said, voice stronger than Ianto had heard all night. “I’ve had this before, just need a few stitches, and the booze to steady my head.” Ianto doubted it, but he also really didn’t want to call Owen and get an earful. So he nodded, then came back to the sofa with a third of a bottle of vodka, the sewing supplies, and his mediocre first aid kid.

“There should be some antiseptic and gauze in there,” Ianto said. John nodded. The whole scene was a mess, and Ianto was still buzzed despite the sobering events. So it felt right and natural when he undid the cap of the vodka and held the bottle for John to drink from. He did so without question, throat working easily as he drank Ianto’s liquor down.

“Thanks,” John sighed when Ianto pulled the bottle back. “Could you thread the needle? I don’t want to get blood all over the rest of your sewing kit.” Ianto nodded.

“Shouldn’t you wash up before giving yourself stitches?” Ianto asked as non-judgmentally as he could manage while judging immensely. John shrugged.

“This is just to stop me bleeding all over your sofa tonight. Tomorrow, I’ll go find that Praxian fleshmender I saw in the archives and fix myself up properly.” Ianto frowned.

“And then you’ll give it to Owen and show him how to use it so we can all benefit from it?” Ianto asked. It wasn’t a question. John sighed melodramatically but nodded. “And you won’t mess up my archives.”

“So possessive,” John cooed. Ianto handed him the prepared needle, then immediately stood to go wash off the blood he’d managed to get on himself. He also didn’t really want to see John sewing his own flesh together on his sofa.

It was quiet for a moment, just the water running and soft noises from John that Ianto was trying very hard to ignore. It worked, until John spoke to him again.

“Like I said, didn’t think you’d be in.” Ianto turned off the tap, drying his hands slowly and methodically. “Thought you’d be down in your little love bunker with Jack.” Ianto ignored him, instead reaching for a flannel and turning the tap on warm.

“He had some work to get done,” Ianto replied, not rising to the bait. Wet flannel in hand, he moved closer to John, but not close enough to see his hands working over his stomach. “So you thought my flat was a nice place to patch yourself up?”

“Am I wrong?” John said. He laughed slightly which turned into a pained noise. “Do you have scissors?”

“Yes,” Ianto said, and moved back into the living room. He opened the sewing kit again, and handed John the small scissors within. “What did you say to get someone to come at you with a knife?” He made the mistake of looking down as John cut the spare thread, and ended up staring at the dozens of neat stitches John had put into the flesh of his own stomach.

“Oh, we were just having some fun,” John said nonchalantly. “Some people don’t get my style of fun.” Ianto sighed, and refrained from asking follow-up questions. He didn’t really want to know. “Can I have the vodka again?”

“Get some of that blood off first, and we’ll see,” Ianto said, handing John the damp flannel, and taking the scissors back from him. He’d be cleaning everything more thoroughly later. John scrubbed at his hands more methodically than Ianto expected, getting in between each finger and doing his best to get under his nails.

When John passed him back the flannel, hands now almost entirely blood-free, Ianto decided why not and gave him the vodka in return. He’d already come this far, he didn’t have much else to lose. John smiled at him and took another deep swig. He was a mess, blood still getting everywhere even though it had stopped flowing, the wound sealed and covered by gauze. Ianto hadn’t realized just how curly John’s hair was, but it was clear now that the gel had been stripped out of it by what Ianto could only assume was several hands, and it was an irritatingly good look.

“You’re staring,” John said, and Ianto immediately looked away, furious at being caught out. “Like what you see, or are you deciding how to kick me out without looking like a douche?”

“You can stay,” Ianto said, quickly getting to his feet. “I’ll get some sheets for the sofa, and you can go finish washing up.” He tried to move away, but John reached out and caught his hand.

“You don’t need to bother. I’ve slept worse places.” He let go of Ianto’s hand, then shifted, swinging his legs to sit rather than lie on the sofa, and patted the now-empty spot. Ianto took the cue and sat beside him. “I do appreciate it. You’ve been… charitable since I’ve been here, even with Jack.” Ianto snorted.

“Why are you saying that?” He leaned against the back of the sofa. He knew he should be worried about the cushions getting stained, but if there was one thing he was well-practiced at thanks to Torchwood, it was bloodstain removal. It was just so much easier to not worry. So he took the bottle back from John, nearly empty at this point, and finished it off. Now John was the one staring.

“Well,” John said after a few moments. “I am capable of telling the truth.” Ianto snorted and let his head fall back. “Don’t laugh!”

“I’m not laughing,” Ianto said, looking over at John and grinning.

“Yes, yes, and you’re capable of lying. Bitch.” John sighed deeply, then winced, one hand going to his stomach.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay tonight?” Ianto asked.

“Of course,” John said. “If you’re so worried, you’ll just have to stay out here and watch me all night long.” John winked at him, then shuffled to lie down on the sofa, swinging his legs up over Ianto’s. Ianto wanted to scold him for putting his boots on the sofa, but instead, he just sighed, and started to undo the laces.

John didn’t say anything else, just watched for a moment before lowering his head and closing his eyes. So that was how to shut him up, Ianto noted. He didn’t say anything either, just slipped the boots off and set them aside. Why break whatever this balance was? He’d been moving in uneasy circles around John for a while now, and it seemed right that they’d both end up here, in his place. The bloody wound was a surprise, but only a bit. He was John Hart after all.

When Jack slipped into Ianto’s flat a few hours later, he was surprised to find the light still on. He was even more surprised to find the two men asleep on the couch, Ianto slumped over John, the empty bottle lying on the floor beside them. Jack grinned, turned out the light, and let himself into Ianto’s bedroom. The next morning was going to be fun.

#torchwood #my fic

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vaulthuntersmybeloved · 5 years ago

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Away With Us He’s Going

(Kinda a COE fix it fic/poem based on The Stolen Child poem by W.B.Yeats.)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21673777

Or read below ⬇️

The asked him first to come away on a cold Sunday afternoon,

The rain was pouring and his parents were snoring as he stared up at the mood,

They saw a life of suffering they saw a life of pain,

They never mentioned him with a lover camping in the rain.

They asked him second to come back home as he stared up at the sky,

The same stars twinkled in his eyes as he tried hard not to cry,

They saw a life of hardship they saw a life of grief,

They never mentioned him on a date smiling in disbelief.

They asked him third to come to the wild as he cried over cold metal,

The shaking through his body he was finding hard to settle,

“Now,” they said, “do you see?”

“This life is not for you or me!”

They asked again after the battle had faded,

His fragile world view now dashed and jaded,

They saw him so broken and bruised,

But he turned to them and still he refused.

They asked him fourth to come slip into their care,

The horror of the countryside left him painfully aware,

He knew they saw his conflict and he knew they saw his trials,

What they never told him was that they could clearly see his smiles.

They asked him fifth to come to safety as he held a coat and cried,

The loneliness inside him was like his almost lover had died,

They saw his abandonment they saw his longing,

They never mentioned the so soon future with him finally belonging.

The last time they came to him he was choking on the air,

The painful heartbreak inside him was almost too much to bare,

“We can save him, hurry, hurry, if he just says yes.”

The man’s last thought was ‘I will come back for you, Captain Jack Harkness.’

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undertsums · 6 years ago

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Doctor Who Resolution Review

Spoilers below also this could be the last episode of Doctor Who for a long while because SOME people were complaining babies that Jodie’s series is awful.

But I’m really liking this series so let’s get to it.

Oooo nice backstory I wonder what this great threat was.

Aww two precious human archaeologists

Huh that’s an odd squid monster.

Wait...Squid?

OMG PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!

OHHHH RYAN’S DAD! OHHH YOU A BAD DAD! Jokes aside willing to bet Ryan’s Dad is a prick.

OHHH BURN! GRAHAM IS THE BEST GRANDAD!

WOMAN WTF you don’t just hide the squid! (hopefully Dalek) WHAT CHU THINKING!

IT’S A DALEK, IT’S A DALEK! If it isn’t then I’m going to boo this episode so hard.

OHHH WAIT...Since when could Dalek’s do that? I mean I guess there was that one episode where one fused with a human soooo I guess it’s not impossible.

Waiiiit is that Dalek tentacle...O-O Just to let you guys know it’s not...Nudity buuut that Dalek does have a tentacle SLIGHTLY around the...Chest (since Tumblr won’t accept you know what’s on their site, best not to say it.

WOOO IT’S A DALEK! Even though it was stated they weren’t going to feature it’s nice to have one, they have been overused a lot but it’s been a good while now and at least it doesn’t have a body (at least not laser, plunger Mcgee)

Wait...the Earth has been taken over by the Dalek’s millions of times and still NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT THEM! -_- Then again these are British people, we always forget exciting things and are generally plain.

WOW that’s the only reason he asked Ryan to come is cause he wanna sell crap WOW. Hmmm...I wonder if it’s stolen

Okay Ryan’s Dad isn’t bad, he’s a man who was scared and kind of ashamed and is trying to fix things.

OHHH so we explaining ALL OF THAT by saying it’s a ‘special Dalek’ -_- THEN WHERE WERE THEY BEFORE!

Wait what happened to Torchwood? Don’t they hold the archives in the Doctor Who verse? Unless that was retconned.

XD Okay it’s a good thing it was the laser in that box and not the plunger I would love to see that though.

youtube

Before people say ‘Hey Kim, why aren’t you complaining that the Dalek doesn’t know the Doctor/why the Doctor doesn’t threaten the Dalek with her name’ THIS is because there was an episode (I THINK it was Clara in the Dalek ep) where she was able to hack into the Dalek mainframe making the Daleks forget...I THINK that was sorta retconned in Capaldi’s series but it seems it’s still continuing here.

AWWW poor Graham is left behind.

OHHH XD I’m guessing that’s why Torchwood isn’t involved (Unit is a part of Torchwood)

How long has it been since the last Alien attack on Earth (IE at least the one that everyone knew about?)

OH that’s cool it’s making it’s own body out of Earth metal.

WOW uhh okay I was expecting like a very primitive Dalek but NOPE almost freaking perfect...Wow.

Uhh okay maybe they do still remember cause now she’s threatening the Dalek with her name.

XD Making a pit stop to pick up Graham (and Ryan’s Dad).

OH COME ON!

A Dalek doesn’t need missiles it’s already freaking strong don’t make it Superman!

HAHAHA shutting down the Internet on New Years Day is quite awful indeed XD

PFFT so remember how people always scoffed cause the Dalek’s can’t climb stairs yet a writer made an episode JUST TO SHOW IT COULD!

Here they literally just go behind and hold the gun away XD Goes to show you can beat a Dalek so long as ya got ya mates (I love the Doctor using the term ‘mates’)

UGH! What was the POINT!

Why bother, why not kill Ryan’s Dad? Make him do the sacrifice for his son, for his Stepdad, for everyone. Sometimes I hate the really happy endings...But fine Dalek dead and Dad alive yaaaay.

Aaaand yep, just ‘The Doctor will Return’ with no date.

This is sad, I think this is the shortest series EVER in current Doctor Who and it’s all because people are petty and can’t deal with a woman Doctor.

What’s even worse is I’m betting the next ep is Jodie regeneration and we will be back with bland ‘hot’ guys. Or bland boring guys.

Jodie has been such a breath of fresh air, and now we are gonna lose such a brilliant Doctor.

Either way I do hope Doctor Who’s hiatus isn’t a long one...I still have Steven Universe at least.

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gmariam321 · 6 years ago

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Normal is Overrated - 2

II.

Ianto waved goodbye to Tosh, finished cleaning up the area by the sofa, then sat down and put his feet up before he took the rubbish out and went home.

It had been a long week. It hadn't been busy, not exactly; in fact, it had been fairly quiet compared to most weeks, when they were run down by the Wednesday and hoping for at least half a day off come the weekend. But the Weevils had stayed in the sewers, the Rift had left them little more than space junk, and not a single alien had decided to wreak havoc in Cardiff for over seventy-two hours. Ianto had worked steadily in the archives during his down time, clearing out a backlog of misfiled artifacts and organizing everything he could get his hands on. It felt good, like a normal job.

Except for one thing: he'd slept with his boss.

At the time, it had seemed like a good idea. He'd never tried to deny being attracted to Jack; from their first meeting in the woods, he had felt a pull toward the other man that was hard to resist. He'd buried it deep, though, refusing to act on it because he loved Lisa, and he needed to fix her. After she'd died, he'd only felt anger and hatred toward Jack. Jack had refused to help her, had killed her in cold blood. Yet as the anger slowly receded, he realized that Jack had done what he had to do. In a twisted way, Jack had even saved her, when Ianto had failed.

Trying to move on, Ianto acknowledged his lingering attraction and buried it once more, because Jack was his boss, and a flirtatious one at that. Ianto didn't want to be a one-night stand, the pathetic PA who slept with the CEO, and yet that's exactly what he was now.

He'd thought they'd go right back to normal the next day. That's what they had both agreed to, just one night, then back to whatever passed as normal at Torchwood. Only it had been awkward from the moment he had stepped into the Hub the next morning, when they'd both coughed self-consciously and offered stilted greetings. It had been unexpected: Jack didn't seem the type to act differently after sleeping with someone, and Ianto had counted on Jack being the one to take it in stride. But perhaps because Jack was their leader, he felt different about sleeping with an employee. He'd avoided Ianto almost as much as Ianto had avoided him that first day, and every interaction since had been laced with discomfort and doubt.

Jack's behavior had only made Ianto more uncomfortable in return, so that by the end of the week he was sending Jack instant messages through the Hub's internal system to let him know the coffee was ready, then escaping to the archives or the tourist office to avoid interacting with Jack.

Tosh noticed and asked him if he was all right, or if he and Jack had had a falling out of some sort. He barely refrained from rolling his eyes, since he couldn't very well tell her how hard it was to take Jack coffee after he'd had the other man's cock in his mouth. Because every time he looked at Jack, that's what he thought about: Jack's body, his hands and his mouth and his—

And there he went again. He shouldn't have slept with Jack, because now he couldn't even take the man coffee without picturing their night together. He wondered if Jack had any similar thoughts, which in turn made him wonder if it had been nearly as good for Jack as it had been for him. Jack was clearly more experienced, but though Ianto wanted to believe he was at least a quick learner, maybe he left so much to be desired in the bedroom that Jack was embarrassed and disappointed. While Ianto was picturing Jack's arse rippling beneath him, maybe Jack was trying to forget it ever happened.

With a groan, he flung his arm over his eyes and tried not to think about it—the good or the bad. He needed to get a grip and go back to acting like they'd never slept together. Back to normal, which meant talking to Jack and looking him in the eye and bringing him coffee, not constantly avoiding him while imagining what it would be like to have sex on Jack's desk, or down in the cool dark archives, all alone. . .

"Hey," said a voice next to him, and Ianto opened his eyes to find Jack sitting down next to him with a look of concern on his face. "You okay?"

Ianto scrambled to sit up straighter and edged away. "Fine. I'm fine," he stammered, glancing away. "Just tired."

"Yeah," Jack said, leaning back. "It's been a long week."

Ianto looked at him curiously. "It's been exceptionally quiet the last few days, sir."

Jack grinned. "Exactly. A long, boring week."

Ianto laughed softly and moved toward the edge of the sofa, ready to stand and make his getaway yet again. "Only for you, sir," he said. "The rest of us appreciate things like sleeping and eating." He stood up and started to walk away, but Jack called him back before he'd taken more than a few steps.

"Ianto, wait!" he said. "Don't go. I didn't mean to interrupt your turn on the sofa."

"You didn't," Ianto told him. "I was getting ready to take out the rubbish and head home."

"Are you…" Jack hesitated. "Are you sure nothing's wrong? Because things have been kind of…well, strained between us all week. Awkward. Like we can barely be in the same room together."

Ianto had no idea what to say and stared at him with his mouth slightly open.

"Was it what happened that night?" Jack asked. "I knew it was a mistake, that we shouldn't have—"

"No." Ianto stopped him from saying it, because he didn't regret it, not at all. It had been amazing, after all; he only regretted how much it had changed things between them. "It wasn't a mistake. I just didn't anticipate it being so difficult to go back to normal afterward."

"Ah," said Jack, nodding as he stood and moved closer to Ianto. "The awkward morning after. Or in this case, the awkward week after."

"I'm sorry," Ianto said, shaking his head. "I didn't think it would be like this. We agreed it was one night only and back to normal in the morning, but—"

"What happened that night is probably not something that we can set aside and pretend never happened," Jack pointed out.

"I'm not trying to set it aside," Ianto protested. "I want to remember it. But I also want things to go back to the way they were between us, without the awkward silences and stutters and such. I don't want to keep avoiding you, sending messages when the coffee is ready. But I don't know how."

Jack nodded again. "I thought it would be easier too," he admitted.

"We really cocked it up, didn't we?" Ianto asked, then rolled his eyes when Jack grinned at his choice of words. "You know what I mean."

"Maybe," Jack said, then shrugged. "Or maybe normal is overrated. Maybe we need to create a new normal."

"A new normal?"

Jack studied his face, seemed to see what he was looking for, then moved closer. "One where we try again. Get it all out of our system this time."

Ianto stared at him. "Are you actually suggesting what I think you're suggesting?" he asked. Jack offered a half grin, both cocky and unsure at the same time.

"That depends on what you think I'm suggesting," he replied.

"Are you suggesting we shag again so things are less awkward between us?" Ianto asked. "Isn't that why things are awkward, because we shagged?"

"Not because we shagged," Jack pointed out. "But because we didn't know what to do after. So, I'm suggesting something for after."

"Another shag."

"Yep."

Ianto tried to wrap his brain around it: that they sleep together again to make things less uncomfortable between them. It didn't make sense…but then, nothing about their relationship, both personal and professional, made much sense. Maybe that was okay; maybe that was what he needed.

Ianto took a step closer. "So what about tomorrow morning? What if it's still strange between us?"

"Try again?" Jack suggested. There was an element of honest interest in his face. Yes, he was propositioning Ianto, and yes, Ianto knew (or suspected, anyway, based on rumors) that Jack was considered a promiscuous rake. Yet that didn't negate him being attracted and interested, did it? Ianto wasn't looking for a relationship, or god forbid a boyfriend. He only wanted things to be less awkward with Jack around the Hub. If that involved having amazing sex again, why was he even considering saying no?

"So in this new normal," Ianto started, stepping forward so he was chest to chest with Jack. "Boss shags employee, employee sleeps with boss, all in the name of professional harmony?"

Jack raised an eyebrow. "I'd like to think there will be some personal perks as well."

"Oh, I'm sure there will be," Ianto replied, placing his hands on Jack's waist. "Your place or mine?"

"Mine is closer," Jack murmured, and he leaned forward to kiss Ianto's neck and jaw.

"As long as you're talking about your bunker and not your office," Ianto said, letting his hands roam.

"I do have a nice desk," Jack replied. "But we can save that for another time."

"I'll make a list. Then what are we waiting for?" Ianto said, turning around and tugging Jack toward the office. "Let's put this behind us." He paused. "Until next time, of course."

Jack grinned, and they laughed as they hurried to Jack's bunker to build a new normal.

#Torchwood #Jack #Ianto #Janto #Broken #Fanfiction #Gmariam #Normal Is Overrated

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flo-nelja · 6 years ago

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Femslash: how alone I am

A meme taken from @convenientalias and @fucktheg0ds. Basically, ranking all my femslash ships by percentage I’ve written. Only based on AO3. I tried to count the gen fics with femslash pairings too, since they appear in the tags.

Most ships I have written only one time, even if there are exceptions.

First, all the non-rare femslash pairings I have dabbled in!

Emma/Regina (Once upon a Time) : 0,01% (1/10368)

Korra/Asami (Legend of Korra) : 0,03% (1/3747)

Luna/Ginny (Harry Potter) : 0,1% (1/1047)

Willow/Tara (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) : 0,1% (1/1027)

Pearl/Rose (Steven Universe) : 0,1% (1/908)

Cosette/Eponine (Les Misérables) : 0,2% (1/594)

Belle/Ruby (Once upon a Time) : 0,2% (1/492)

Homura/Madoka (Puella Magi Madoka Magica) : 0,2% (1/463)

Jasper/Lapis Lazuli (Steven Universe) : 0,2% (1/417)

Aurora/Mulan (Once upon a Time) : 0,3% (1/306)

Hermione/Luna (Harry Potter) : 0,3% (1/296)

Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar the Last Airbender) : 0,4% (1/263)

The comfortable ones by femslash standards, I don’t count the writers. Most of them are actually bigger, but they are old, and most of the fics aren’t on ffnet. I can usually find people to squee with me.

Kaylee/River (Firefly) : 1% (1/114)

Mystique/Destiny (Marvel comics) : 1% (1/112)

Raven/Angel Salvadore (X-men movies) : 1% (1/88)

Yoruichi/Soifon (Bleach) : 1% (1/74)

Utena/Anthy (Utena) : 1% (4/259)

Sakura/Tomoyo (Card Captor Sakura) : 1% (1/65)

Dorothy/Relena (Gundam Wing) : 2% (1/56)

Karolina/Xavin (Marvel Comics) : 2% (1/56)

Wendy/Mabel (Gravity Falls) : 2% (1/48)

Marietta/Cho (Harry Potter) : 3% (1/36)

Juri/Shiori (Utena) : 3% (2/71)

Mina/Vanessa (Penny Dreadful) : 3% (1/35)

Winry/Sciezska (Fullmetal Alchemist 2003) : 3% (1/31)

OK, getting into the rarer ones!

Mireille/Kirika (Noir) : 5% (1/21). This one was bigger, it’s an old one.

Phèdre/Mélisande (Kushiel’s Legacy) : 5% (1/21). Canon kinky foeyay ship! Quite big relative to the size of the fandom.

Reiko/Hinoe (Natsume Yuujinchou) : 5% (1/21). It is an old fic and it has gotten so much bigger now! I should read the new fics!

Pearl/Connie (Steven Universe) : 5% (1/21). An unwholesome ship that antis hate. ^^

Kitty/Illyana (Marvel) : 6% (6/107). Quite a big one, but also one of my favorites, so I’ve written quite a bit of it! I’m glad it got big, really (by femslash standards), it was not that much when I’ve started.

Brunnhilde/OFC (Thor movies) : 6% (1/16). I wish Brunnhilde’s dead girlfriend had a name. I’m sure it would make the ship bigger.

Artemis/Iphigenia (Greek myth) : 7% (1/15). Another creepy ship, that I love.

Retsu/Isane (Bleach) : 8% (1/13). I was deep in Bleach fandom once. I wrote a lot of combinations. Most of them were jossed.

Spinsters (Once upon a Time) : 9% (1/11). They were in only an episode, at the time I hoped we’d see more of them. I know in the fairy tale they’re sisters, but they’re also three, and I will stay persuaded that Rumplestiltskin, after him mother left, was raised by two lesbian spinsters fairies.

Mabel/Candy (Gravity Falls) : 10% (1/10). I’m honestly suprised it’s not bigger. There’s one femslash ship in Gravity Falls and it’s eating all the other possibilities.

Gamma/Zimmy (Gunnerkrigg Court) : 10% (1/10). Lots of people ship them but the fandom and the ship are not easy to write.

Gerda/Little Robber Girl (The Snow Queen) : 11% (1/9). Most people love it, but most fairy tales rewriting are published as original stories.

Te Fiti/Moana (Moana) : 12% (1/8). I’m glad it exists, even if it’s small.

Artemis/Callisto (Greek myth) : 12% (1/8). Canon sens unique, horrible ending canon aussi.

Dawn/Amanda (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) : 12% (1/8). I actually love this one a lot!

Dani/Rahne (Marvel comics) : 12% (1/8). I hope there will be potential in the movie.

Lain/Alice (Serial Ewperiments Lain) : 12% (1/8). It used to be bigger on ffnet, really.

Orihime/Tatsuki (Bleach) : 13% (7/53). Another ship where I didn’t just pass and actually stayed a lot

Leah/Illyana (Marvel Comics) : 14% (1/7). Canon in an AU!

Cassandra/Helen (Greek myth) : 14% (1/7). It was honestly for a challenge but greek myth is so easy for crack ships

Storm/Mystique (X-men movies) : 17% (1/6). The dynamics I like is AoA!Ororo crushing on Raven, and it’s very hard to find, most of these fics are FoeYay for the first timeline.

Natasha (Avengers movies)/Mystique (X-men movies) : 17% (1/6). Quite common for a crossover actually!

Cecile/Merteuil (Les liaisons dangereuses) : 17% (1/6). It’s a friend’s ship, it was nice to write!

Nancy/Yomiko (Read or Die) : 20% (1/5). Another old one.

Dante/Rose (Fullmetal Alchemist 2003) : 20% (1/5). Very visible but so creepy!

Lust/Martel (Fullmetal Alchemist 2003) : 20% (1/5). This one was a random generator.

Maria/Saki (Shin Sekai Yori) : 20% (1/5). Canon but not endgame.

Yuzu/Ururu (Bleach) : 20% (1/5). Bleach phase again. I loved this one for absolutely no reason.

Cinderella/Cinderella’s stepmother (Fairy tales) : 20% (1/5). For an exchange!

Basira Hussain/Daisy Tonner (The Magnus Archives) : 20% (1/5). The fandom is growing and this ship too!

Souma/Kendappa (Rg Veda) : 22% (2/9). Another of the very old ships! It was my first femslash fic, but I found only recently the courage to write it!

Suzie/Gwen (Torchwood) : 22% (2/9). Used to be a bit bigger, bu never as much as I wished. I have only one fic, but in French and English.

Gyokumen/Hwang (Saiyuki) : 25% (1/4). For a kink meme!

Kushana/Nausicaä (Ghibli) : 25% (1/4). I actually really love this one and have another in progress

Chizuru/Rika (Yami no matsuei) : 25% (1/4). Characters of the tome; I’m almost surprised not to be the only one.

Kumi/Yuri (Alien 9) : 25% (1/4). Another ship I really love. I wish they ended together.

Sarah/Lavinia (A Little Princess) : 25% (1/4). For an exchange, a very good prompt asking for power games.

Rei/Nanako (Oniisama e) : 25% (2/8). Yeah, love this one too!

Storm/Yukio (X-men comics) : 25% (2/8). I will ship them forever. But they haven’t been that shippy recently. Greg Pak disappointed me.

Kotoko/Sumomo (Chobits) : 25% (2/8). It’s so cute. ^^

Acolyte/Radiant Goddess (Lady of the Shard) : 33% (1/3). The main ship! They’re so cute, but cute is not what I write easily

Chloe/Kirika (Noir) : 33% (1/3). Used to be bigger, even if it was not the main ship.

Dante/Sloth (Fullmetal Alchemist 2003) : 33% (1/3). I’m just kinky. ^^

Emma/Firestar (Marvel Comics) : 33% (1/3). Same.

Emma/Selene (Marvel Comics) : 33% (1/3). Same.

Claudine/Luce (Colette) : 33% (2/6). Oh yes, another of my favorite ones! And formative too, I was a teenager!

Gwen/Carys (Torchwood) : 40% (2/5). Whoniverse1000! Only one fic, but an English version and a French one.

Atsuko/Michiko (Michiko e Hatchin) : 50% (1/2). Should be far bigger. It’s Foeyay, and so obvious! (small fadoms curse)

Acolyte/Old God (Lady of the Shard) : 50% (1/2). The creepy mind control one ^^

Cristo Canyon/Tomie Katana (Lastman) : 50% (1/2). I’m alone with a friend.

Ozen/Lyza (Made in Abyss) : 50% (1/2). Yeah, not alone! I was surprised going back in the tag and finding another fic, actually!

Hi’iaka/Hopoe (Hawaiian mythology) : 50% (1/2). Same!

Marnie/Anna (When Marnie was here) : 50% (1/2). It is was not incest, if could be big ^^

Sistah Spooky/Mindf**k (Empowered) : 50% (1/2). Alone with another friend. This one should be huge, I’m so annoyed it doesn’t even exist. It has all the tropes I love (except that I wanted a good ending, but why are people not writing fix-it?)

Nemu/Kuna (Bleach) : 50% (1/2). I’m alone with the same friend.

Chizuru/Misato (Bleach) : 50% (1/2). Still the same friend

Cora/Anastasia (Once upon a Time in Wonderland) : 50% (1/2). Yeah, rare mentor/protegee ship! I with the only other fic was not so gen-ish, otherwise it’s good.

Mikuru/Haruhi (Haruhi Suzumiya) : 50% (1/2). It’s actually big outside of AO3?

Akira/Shiina (Naru Taru) : 50% (1/2). Very dark fandom, dark ship, I’m still so sad it’s not a Thing.

Rei/Fukiko (Oniisama e) : 50% (2/4). Romantic canon one-sided incest!

Callisto/Karima (X-men comics) : 67% (2/3). It was just so shippy in Excalibur. With tentacles. But well, obscure like all the Marvel pairings with a few brilliant scenes but no long history.

Old God/Radiant Goddess (Lady of the Shard) : 75% (3/4). Yeah! Enemies with a past, and it’s totally canon! So much my kind of ships! It could be so big if the fandom was bigger!

Dani/Hela (Marvel Comics) : 100% (1/1)

Luna/Valeria (Marvel Comics) : 100% (1/1)

Psylocke/Selene (Marvel Comics) : 100% (1/1)

Karima/Monet (Marvel Comics) : 100% (1/1). All Marvel pairings where I like an interaction once and had to write about it (for Luna and Valeria, it’s even only the potential of an interaction)

Tracy Zenkova/Annabelle Chang (Lastman) : 100% (1/1). I had to write it once, it’s canon after all, even if Annabelle isn’t my favorite.

Anlise/Renge (Namesake) : 100% (1/1). Canon mind control! But secondary characters in a small fandom. I still wish I were not alone.

Agathe/Nagîna ( Mesdemoiselles de la Vengeance) : 100% (1/1). Very small fandom, French historical children’s book. THe ending is a bit too heterosexual for my tastes.

Phoenix/Acolyte/Radiant Goddess/Old God (Lady of the Shard) : 100% (1/1). It’s the canon ending, but quite hard to write, especially when you’re more interested in a specific relationship. Small fandom anyway.

Malen/Rue (Princess Tutu) : 100% (1/1). Character of the week with a crush on the dark magical girl!

Nemu/Rangiku (Bleach) : 100% (1/1)

Chizuru/Lisa (Bleach) : 100% (1/1)

Chizuru/Rangiku (Bleach) : 100% (1/1). Bleach crack ships!

Dante/Lust (Fullmetal Alchemist 2003) : 100% (1/1). Just because it was super-hot

Empowered/Ninjette (Empowered) : 100% (1/1). More crack.

Amber/Bai (Darker than Black) : 100% (1/1). This one I really love, and I wish it would be bigger! To me, Amber is as shippable with Bai as she is with Hei, though in different ways. But it’s almost unheard of.

Jheselbraum/Pyronica (Gravity Falls) : 100% (1/1)

Darlene/Shandra (Gravity Falls) : 100% (1/1). These two are crack pairings written for a personal challenge. I’m nor surprised I’m the only one.

Harriet Jones/Astrid Peth (Doctor Who) : 100% (2/2). From whoniverse1000. Once again it’s only one fic, but I translated it, so two versions.

#femslash #meme

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jbharrisauthor · 7 years ago

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Episode 1 - Timing is Anything - Chapter Three

Read Chapter One here

Read Chapter Two here

Who would have thought sorting through a bunch of images would be so relaxing and fun? They’d been at it for over an hour and barely made a dent in the assortment of archived Torchwood security footage. At some point they’d sat down and started arranging the pictures in order along the bottom of the wall.

Actually, The Doctor couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this mellow. Like she could just lay back and let the images fall on her like confetti. Why did that sound so strange? But also hilarious.

She laughed to herself, gaining Ianto’s attention. He sent her a lazy smile as he plucked down another image.

“What’s so funny?”

“I can’t remember.” She leaned closer to him. “You know, your eyes really are so blue. What on Earth is wrong with them?”

“There’s nothing wrong with them. They’re my eyes.”

“Maybe it’s my eyes. Is there something wrong with my eyes?” She went to lean in again, but almost lost her balance.

He caught her with a short laugh. “Whoa, how’s your sea legs?”

“Unsteady, it seems. Except I’m not standing on them. My legs I mean.” Her head spun as he pushed her upright and she tried to get her equilibrium back. “Of course!”

“What is it?”

“The incense.” She waved her hand around to indicated the air, almost swiping his nose off. “We forgot about the incense. I think I’m high.”

He frowned as though he was concentrating very, very hard. His blue eyes were a little unfocused. “I’m not sure if I’m high. I’ve never been high before. What does it feel like?”

“It feels like this.” She poked him in the chest and he looked down at her finger.

“No, I don’t think that’s it.”

“I mean, you’re high too. So whatever you feel like is what being high feels like.” She replayed the words in her head. She thought they made sense, but maybe they didn’t.

“Can you not talk in riddles right now? If I get confused, I think it’ll make me dizzy.”

He leaned into the wall and closed his eyes like he was all ready to take a kip. Well, that wasn’t productive in the least. They needed to get out of here and clear their heads.

“Come on, Mr. Jones. I think it’s time we went and found ourselves something to eat.”

He opened his eyes as she tugged his arm.

“But the pictures—”

“They’re not going anywhere.”

Together, they got to their feet, though neither of them were very steady. They leaned on one another as they walked out of the room, laughing as they weaved. In the corridor, they had to stop to avoid running into other people milling around. However, as she tried to side-step around someone, she completely misjudged and bumped into them.

“I’m so very sorry,” she exclaimed as Ianto pulled her back again.

“No harm done,” the young man replied. He had a girl hanging off his arm, a little like she was holding onto Ianto. “I don’t think we’ve seen you here before.”

“No, we’re just looking—” Ianto started.

“New!” She declared before he could do something completely unhelpful like tell them the truth. “We’re new. Nice to meet you.”

She held out a hand, which the couple took turns shaking.

“I’m John—I mean Jane Smith. That’s John.”

She pointed at Ianto who appeared to be having trouble keeping a straight face as he nodded.

“Your boyfriend is cute,” the girl said to her in a conspiratorial-sort-of tone, though she hadn’t lowered her voice enough to keep Ianto from hearing her.

“We’re not together,” Ianto announced in a too-serious manner. “I have a boyfriend.”

“Who isn’t here,” she pinched him, trying to send him a look so he’d go along with her. The incense must have been interfering with his usual investigation-incognito skills. Otherwise, what had Jack been teaching him at Torchwood all this time?

“Ow, why are you pinching me?” He tugged his arm from hers and rubbed the sore spot with a frown.

“It was just your imagination.” She patted him on the shoulder as the couple glanced between them, beginning to look suspicious. Time for some redirection. “So, what else do you do around here, besides the incense.”

“Well, you know,” the girl said.

“No, we really don’t,” she replied. “We’re new, remember? So how about you tell us.”

“The infinite unification ceremony.”

“The infinite unification ceremony. Doesn’t that sound wonderful?” She looked at Ianto, who only shrugged. So helpful.

“Tonight, Pippin and Zalia will be joining those unified in infinity before them,” the young man said, still with a hint of suspicion in his features.

“And what might we need to do so we can come along?” she asked, sending the girl a friendly smile since she was being far more receptive.

“Anyone can come. It’ll be happening here at sun down.”

“You look familiar,” the young man suddenly said, attention fixed on Ianto. “Are you sure we haven’t met?”

“He just has one of those faces.” She reached up to tug his bowler hat a little lower and then took him arm. “We have to go, but we’ll see you tonight.”

Before they could reply—or the young man could work out Ianto was the same Ianto plastered all over the walls, she hustled him away, leading him out of the temple to the street.

“What just happened?” He took the hat off, running a hand through his hair.

“We just got a chance to find out some more information about who these people are and what they’re doing.”

“No, I think we just got invited to someone’s wedding.”

“Well, either way, we can talk to people and see if they can tell us anything we don’t already know. Are you hungry? I’m famished.”

“Actually, I would sell my soul for a strong cup of tea.”

She grinned at him. “How very British of you.”

“Welsh. I’m Welsh, remember?” By the amount of insult in his tone, anyone would have thought she’d questioned his integrity.

“Because there’s so much difference between the two.”

“I’ll have you know—”

“Oh, look, food!” She detoured him over to a street cart selling something delicious-smelling. Turned out to be a kind of marinated meat wrapped in a sort of crispy thin bread. They got a serving each, and then went back to the TARDIS.

After eating, she showed him where he could make a cup of tea, smiling since it looked like he was ready to get down on his knees in gratitude. She left him to it and returned to the main console room.

Ianto joined her about ten minutes later with two mugs on a tray. “I made you a cup. And I found some jammie dodgers.”

“Oh, I forgot I had those. One of my last regenerations, I loved a jammie dodger. Of course, I also liked fish fingers and custard. It was a thing.”

He made a face at her as he handed over one of the mugs. “That sounds disgusting.”

“Actually, it’s not as bad as you might think.” She took one of the biscuits and went to drop into the seat, taking a mouthful of tea. Ianto set the tray on the floor and then sat down next to her.

“Maybe it’s still the drug-incense in my system, but I’m pretty sure this is the best cup of tea I’ve ever had.”

Ianto smiled as he sipped his own drink. “I have a knack for beverage making. It’s how I got Jack to give me a chance with him at Torchwood three.”

“How does it work now, Torchwood?” She shifted to face him. “I mean, Torchwood used to be this huge organization, before the battle at Canary Warf, with hundreds of people employed, endless resources. Now it’s down to you, Jack and Gwen. Just the three of you on the frontline against any extra-terrestrial threat?”

“That about sums it up.” He glanced down at his hands where they were wrapped around the mug. “I guess it’s nothing but an idea now, a memory. We could still run things when we had the hub. While Tosh and Owen were still alive. We were actually quite good at what we did. Saved the world dozens of times.”

“Then what happened?” she asked in a quiet voice.

“They died. The hub got blown up.” He took a sip of tea, his features becoming resigned. “It’s gone, all ashes now. But I guess we’ll find a way. We always do.”

“Is that what you want to do though? Find a way to keep Torchwood alive?”

“I want to be with Jack.” He looked up at her, and she could see he meant that with every fibre of his being. Ianto Jones was special, all right, she could see it in the spark of his blue eyes. Once he loved someone, he loved them fiercely, deeply, with steadfast, unquestioning loyalty. Jack was a lucky man. She only hoped he realized exactly what he’d stumbled across.

“It’s not the same thing though, is it?”

He stared at her for a long moment before glancing away, obviously not happy with her observation.

“So is there some kind of plan for this unification thing we’re going to tonight?”

Clearly he was trying to change the subject, but she’d let him get away with that little deflective manoeuvre, for now.

“The plan is we go to the ceremony, snoop around and ask lots of nosey questions.”

He arched an eyebrow at her. “That’s it? That’s the extent of your planning?”

She crossed her arms and levelled a challenging look on him. “Okay then, tell me what kind of preparation Torchwood would do for this sort of thing.”

“We’d start by getting a floor plan for the building layout so we can map all the entrances and exits. Then we’d make a risk assessment to decide what kind of weapons or tech we might—”

“Good God, that sounds boring.”

Ianto stared at her incredulously. “You think being prepared sounds boring? I imagine most people would consider it a smart way to make sure we didn’t get killed.”

“We’re going to a wedding or some such thing. I doubt anyone is going to try to kill us.”

“You think?” He gave a short, cynical laugh. “The last wedding I went to, at least half a dozen people died and Gwen almost gave birth to an alien spawn.”

“Then it sounds like Torchwood is doing weddings all wrong. The last one I went to, I ate too much cake and caught the bouquet. That seems far more normal.”

“Yes, well normal doesn’t factor in to anything Torchwood does,” he muttered. He grimaced and rubbed his forehead.

“Something wrong?”

“I think the incense is wearing off. Got a splitting headache.”

She shifted off the seat and took his cup from him, urging him to lay down. “You’ve had a long day, Mr. Jones. Why don’t you try to get some rest before we go out later?”

“Only for a few minutes,” he agreed, closing his eyes.

“A few minutes can make all the difference,” she murmured in reply. But he was already asleep.

Read Chapter Four here

#fanfiction #torchwood #ianto jones #captain jack harkness #13th doctor #doctor who #doctor who au #torchwood au #ao3 #tardis #crossover fic #ianto jones x 13th doctor

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myotishia · 6 years ago

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Time hopping part three

Fandom: Torchwood. Trigger warnings: None I don't think but tell me if I've missed anything. Characters: Owen Harper (Past and present), Toshiko Sato, Jack Harkness, Ianto Jones, Gwen Cooper, Elise Carter (oc) Rating: Teen and up Tropes: We’re fixing things right over here.

Blurb: Sometimes trust has to go both ways and knowing the whole story can go a long way to facilitate that. It also means that Elise can’t stay out of Torchwood’s reach much longer. But will she survive long enough for it to matter?

The archives were an odd place. A mix of Victorian decor and modern shelving, everything sorted and labelled clearly but no real signage. They didn’t go too far in, which Elise appreciated. She never wanted to return to the room where the cyberwoman had lived. Owen pointed to two boxes that sat next to each other.

“Grab them. They shouldn’t be too heavy.”

She pulled them down and heard something clank into the side. As she carried them she got more and more curious as to what they were. Still she followed until they stood in the autopsy bay, Owen tapping at a screen.

“Soooo…” She began.

“The fist box is a knife. The second is a gauntlet. Both need to be melted down.”

“What do they do.”

“Knives cut things and the gauntlet protects your hand.”

“I know that much smartarse. Why are they here?”

“The glove brings people back from the dead but only for a few minutes. If they’re killed with the knife it’s easier to bring them back.”

“Right, and why are we destroying them?”

One of the doors unlatched and the draw slid out slightly to show a dead body. The sight made Elise jump back in shock.

“This is Suzie. She used to work with us.”

“And someone shot her in the head?”

“Obviously. She was using that knife to kill people so she could use the glove.”

“Shit.”

“I wish that was the worst of it. She actually conditioned a man to kill whenever he heard the word Torchwood.”

“Why?!”

“So we’d bring her back. She was going to set off a lockdown and try and kill all of us. It didn’t work but I don’t want to give her the chance with the timelines changing as much as they have. Put the boxes with her.”

Elise picked up the boxes but she did not want to go anywhere near a dead body.

“She’s not going to bite.”

“That isn’t the problem. She’s dead.”

“I fucking hope so.”

“I’ve never seen a dead body before.”

“And now you have. Just put the boxes in the draw with her.”

She bit her lip and approached the corpse, dropping the boxes in the draw then skittering away as if she’d touched something disgusting.

“And close the door.” Owen sighed in exasperation.

She returned and pushed the door until the latch clicked. “Gross, gross, gross.”

Shaking his head Owen pressed a few more buttons and mechanical clanging emanated from the wall of draws.

“What did you do?”

“I sent her down to the furnace.”

“So that’s everything then.”

“You wish. I’ve still got to teach you how to fire a gun.”

“Why?”

“This thing isn’t going to get any easier and you need to be able to protect yourself. I can’t do shit like this. If you die then we’re both fucked.”

“Can’t you find someone else to help you?”

“No. You’re it.”

“Why?”

“Does it matter?” He asked, getting frustrated.

“Yes! Why out of every person in all of space and time did you choose me?”

“Fine! You and I share the same blood type so that mark on your hand won’t start rotting. On top of that you are the one in a million who is completely immune to one of Torchwoods strongest weapons. It’s called retcon. It’s a little pill that can erase memories completely after knocking you out. And the further from my original time you are the more likely our connection is to reject. Do you understand what that means? You are my one and only chance to fix everything. I’ve spent eons trying to find a way to stop everything happening like it did. I’ve seen so many generations of people die. Wars! Sickness! Pain! Day after fucking day! I can’t sleep! Can’t have contact with anyone! Have to concentrate just to hold myself together!” He began to pace, hands on his head as if he felt his brain was about to explode. “Do you know what that’s like?! Alone! Forever! Even at the heat death of the universe still out there-”

Elise stopped his rant by pulling him into a tight embrace letting him scream millenia worth of pain into her shoulder. He felt as if a floodgate had opened and he just couldn’t stop every single thing he’d bottled up spilling out. They sank down to the floor and sat there for over an hour until he’d calmed down enough.

“Feel better?” Elise asked softly.

He nodded a little in reply.

“I understand now. Whatever you need me to do I’ll do.”

“I can’t force you.” He sounded so exhausted.

“You’re not. We’re in this together now, right until the end.”

Elise had just recovered from another time jump. The nausea was settling but it still made her a little dizzy.

“So this time you can’t help me.”

“Not without causing a paradox.” Owen said, considering their next move.

“We just need to stop you getting to work , right?”

“Exactly. It’s a whole chain of events I don’t want to talk about right now.”

“Will it cause a paradox if I meet past you?”

“I’ve never tried but I think that should be fine.”

“Can we time jump when we aren’t together?”

Owen smiled “We can test it out. Are you thinking of kidnapping me?”

“Past you doesn’t even have to know. He can be asleep as long as I have contact. My clothes jump with me even though I didn’t have them when we first connected so it makes sense.”

“It only works if we can jump while apart. It’ll have to be just a time jump so you don’t end up as part of a wall. When you get to the next street over I’ll time jump an hour.”

Elise nodded before running off. She’d tried so hard to keep up after their trip to the hub, even learning a little self defence. Not much but some. It had been an enlightening experience if nothing else.

“Ready?” Owens voice seemed to echo through her head.

“Go for it.”

The dizzy feeling swept through her again, making her stagger a little. Anyone watching would think she was drunk.

“Are you with me?”

“I am. This could work.”

“Come back and we can relax until tonight. I think if we jump again I’ll have to buy you new shoes.”

“I’m getting-” She was cut off by her stomach lurching. “Better.”

That night they followed past Owen back from his usual night of drinking himself into a stupor and present Owen kept the doorman distracted so Elise could slip past. Clutched in her marked hand was a key that threatened to turn to dust at any moment. Her Owens old apartment key that he’d never taken off the ring of keys he carried. It was pure luck and she hoped that luck continued. It did not. Past owen took the lift, meaning Elise would have to take the stairs. Thankfully she wasn’t too out of shape but by the time she hit the sixth floor she was cursing gravity and the creator of multi story buildings. By the time she arrived at her intended location her legs were burning along with her lungs. She sat outside of the door and listened carefully. It was quiet. No light emanated from under the door so she slowly slipped the key into the lock and turned it as carefully as she could. She had to be silent. Get in and out like a ghost. Easier said than done. Owens boots were discarded beside the door and though his jacket had been thrown towards the sofa it hadn’t quite made it. Abandoned on the floor. Elise stayed low and pulled up her hood as she made her way towards the bedroom hearing quiet breathing over the silence. Through the doorway she had to press herself to the floor as Owen rolled over in his sleep, keeping as still as the dead just in case he’d woken up. The sound of snoring confirmed that he hadn’t.

Elise had been warned that he kept a gun under his pillow when alone so that had to be moved before anything else. She slipped her hand under the pillow he wasn’t actively resting on and slowly pulled back the weapon, holding her breath as she did. Once it was safely placed down the far side of the night stand it was time for the risky part.

“Get ready to jump on my mark.” She thought as hard as she could.

“Remember what I told you.”

“I know, I know.”

She reached over for past Owens hand. He began to stir.

“Now!”

The world seemed to lurch and spin, throwing her to the floor. Thankfully past Owen seemed just as disorientated as he fell from the bed on the other side, legs wrapped in the sheets. World still spinning she scrambled towards the door with past Owen shouting after her. She sprinted for the front door, wrenching it open and barrelling through a figure standing outside. Now she had to deal with two figures chasing her. She couldn’t afford to look back. She threw herself down two flights of stairs, hitting the wall at the bottom of each. She looked up to see the lift just closing after a woman had stepped out. She took a chance and crashed inside, repeatedly beating the ground floor button. The door closed and she paused to catch her breath, coughing and holding her ribs.

“Owen. The second I step out of this lift you need to jump. They’re right behind me and I can’t keep running.”

“If he’s following you I can’t get close.”

“I’ll tell you when!”

Floor 3, floor 2, floor 1. She pulled herself up and braced to get out of the door the moment it opened. Ground floor. Elise fell forward.

“Now!”

The world span once more and then went black.

“What the hell was that?!” Jack asked Owen, who had been missing for three days and had just seen a hooded figure disappear right in front of his eyes.

“You know as much as I do!” He replied, barely awake and still feeling drunk but a little thankful he hadn’t gotten undressed before going to sleep. “I woke up to whoever that was holding my fucking hand! What are you doing here anyway?”

“Where have you been?”

“Asleep.”

“For three days?” Jack looked furious but it seemed to melt away when Owen looked a mixture of confused and terrified.

His hand felt like electricity where it had been held and there was a slowly fading imprint of fingers left behind.

“Owen I came here because there was a spike in rift activity. Every camera in this building had the same electromagnetic interference the night you disappeared and I’d bet it’s just happened again.”

“Like the footage from the day those notes were left on mine and Gwens computers.”

“And when Suzies body was sent to the incinerator.”

“Shit. Let me get some shoes and I’ll be with you.”

Back floating in the dark. The huge footsteps were sounding louder. Getting closer. It was cold, so cold it burned. Elise tried to take a breath but this time instead of air it felt like her lungs filled with the burning cold water. She thrashed, trying to surface but she had no sense of which way was up. Finally she awoke with a desperate gasp, clawing at her throat before collapsing into a painful coughing fit. Owen, her Owen, held her hands to stop her hurting herself.

“Hey, hey, you’re ok. Elise. Look at me, you’re safe. Deep breaths.” He coached, staying calm and trying to bring her back to reality.

She was shivering but she slowly calmed down, appreciating the air. When she looked around she was back at the hotel.

“What happened?” She asked, her voice sounding like she was gargling gravel.

“You collapsed just as we jumped. I had to jump again to get us here. You’ve been out since then. We should take a break.”

“No… It’s just because we jumped with someone else. I’m sure that’s all. The running didn’t help. I was just exhausted.”

He gave her a sceptical look but he couldn’t argue too much. He’d never time jumped with someone this much, let alone pulling another person along with them.

“I’m ok.”

“As soon as this is over I’m taking you to get checked over.”

“Elise. I told you about her.” Tosh began, feeling like she was the only one thinking that this being causing the interference wasn’t malevolent. “She said she was helping Torchwood. It explains why they were able to enter the hub so easily.”

“Why the fuck would they just move me forward a few days?” Asked Owen, nursing a strong cup of coffee and an even stronger hangover.

“Maybe something happened to you in that time that they were trying to stop.”

Jack stepped in. “You’re assuming she was telling the truth.”

“Nothing she’s done has been harmful.”

“On the surface, no. We need to bring her in and find out what she’s planning.”

“How? We had her cornered and she just disappeared.” Grumbled Owen.

“We could track the camera interference… Or I could just ask her.” She continued.

“On another date.”

“It wasn’t a date.”

Elise sat waiting quietly, watching a weevil fighting ring get raided. The weevils had already been rounded up and extracted but Owen had insisted on seeing every last one of the bastards that set it up being dragged out. He pulled his shirt collar aside.

“Is the scar still there?” he asked.

“It’s gone. So it worked?”

He replied with a wide grin.

“Wait… What happens when you stop yourself from dying?”

“I don’t know. Two of me can’t exist in the same time so I’ll just have to go.”

“Will you still be able to?”

His smile faded. “Whatever happens. I’ll accept it. I’ve come too far to stop now.”

“Do you want me to come with you?”

“If you want to. When this is over you could start your life again. Go on another date with Tosh.”

“It wasn’t a date.”

“It was… I’m not sure how to face our next job.”

“Oh?”

“There’s a dance hall that Jack and Tosh went to investigate. The rift did what the rift does and threw them back in time. They would have been trapped there but in my fucked up state I opened the rift to get them back.”

“So we just stop them before they get there.”

“That’s the thing. I’ve tried. No matter what I do it still ends the same way. It’s a time manipulator called Billis. Bastard used to own the place in the forties. He manipulated all of us to release a demon. Abbadon. Absorbs life wherever its shadow hits.”

“So if we stop Billis then we stop Abbadon.”

“There’s one way to stop him but I’m not going to make you do that.”

Elise felt the gun hidden in the back of her belt. “I told you. I’m with you until the end. No matter what.”

“Even so the rift still gets ripped open.”

“Then we jump.”

Owen looked over sharply. “No. Jumping with one extra person nearly fucking killed you. We can’t risk that. I won’t risk that.”

“It’s better than the rift being torn open. Owen…” She took his hand and squeezed it gently. “I can do this.”

“Not alone.”

“Then this time we won’t be alone.”

Gwen couldn’t believe what she was seeing as she looked through the black and white photographs spread across the table showing, among the groups, two familiar faces. A feeling of dread descended on the room but was broken by the sharp scream on the siren for the cog door. Past Owen was the first to investigate. A figure entered, hands in the air in a pose of surrender.

“My name is Elise. I’m no threat to you and I’m here to help.” She looked up to see three guns pointed in her direction. “Jack and Tosh are trapped in the forties and I can bring them back but I need your help.”

“How the fuck did you get in here?!” Owen asked, not taking his eyes off her.

“By using your codes.”

“How?”

“You gave them to me. A version of you that saw all of this happen already. He doesn’t like that I’m talking to you right now but I didn’t see a way of doing this without opening the rift. Or more, you opening the rift.”

“I wouldn’t…”

“You did. And you will again unless you help me. You know I can move through time and bring someone with me. I just don’t know what kind of shape I’ll be in when I get back. You have nothing to lose.”

They looked at each other and slowly lowered their weapons.

The owner of the dance hall listened to the chatter and music from his office, rather proud that everything was going to plan. Setting a perfect path through time, ripples through water. Though he’d been a little annoyed at someone else tampering with time. He just couldn’t locate them, but at least they couldn’t stop what he had set in motion this time. A smug smile spread across his face.

Behind him Elise closed her eyes, a pillow held at the front of her gun between it and the Back of Billis’ skull. A bang and a plume of feathers and blood later Billis’ body slumped forward onto his desk, head covered by the partially destroyed pillow. It had been too easy and that’s what made her shudder. She didn’t have time to think about it, she had work to do.

“Billis is dead. I’m heading into the party.” She thought, informing her spectral guardian.

“Jack’s dancing with his namesake and making a scene. Hurry before he causes a riot.”

“And here I was trying to keep this quiet.”

She marched towards the main ballroom, looking around for anyone she recognised, having to push through the crowd.

“Excuse me… Sorry… Pardon me… Excuse me…” She said as she made her way through the sea of people transfixed on the scene. Finally she spotted a familiar figure and rushed over. “Tosh.”

“Elise?! How? What are you doing here?”

“I came to rescue you. We haven’t got long so let’s get Jack and go.”

They looked up to see a passionate kiss taking place.

Elise rushed forward. “Sorry to interrupt this romantic moment but I need to escort this good gentleman home.”

“Jack this is Elise.” Tosh smiled.

Elise took both of their hands. “Hold on tight and try not to throw up.”

Suddenly the world seemed to flip upside down, electricity buzzing through the air. Tosh staggered a little as she landed, adrenalin keeping her going and on her feet. Her hand buzzed like static but it was empty.

Jack knelt on the pavement supporting Elise who had collapsed. She seemed conscious but unfocused, laying limply in Jack's arms.

He lifted her up as Owen, Gwen and Ianto sprinted towards them.

“It worked! You’re back. Are you ok?” Asked Gwen as she slowed to a stop.

“We’re fine but…” Tosh began, turning back to look at Elise. Owen was trying his best to evaluate her.

He didn’t look optimistic but it was always hard to tell when he was working.

“Elise? Can you hear me?” He tried to get any sort of response from her but received nothing. “Right, Jack, get her inside.”

Jack didn’t say a word but did sprint towards the hub. That reaction was nothing good.

The footsteps in the dark were deafening now, too close to escape from. Still drifting Elise looked up to see a giant eye staring at her.

“Abbadon.” She breathed, bubbles rising from her mouth. A roar rattled her to her core in way of reply. The beast was suddenly dragged down, churning up the water and throwing her around. She tried her best to hold the last bit of air in her lungs but the pressure of the water knocked it out of her in a spiral of bubbles. The burning cold returned along with the sharp pain in her chest and as the water finally stopped moving she turned to see a hooded figure, a mist of golden light having been kicked up to softly illuminate the area. The robed entity reached out a boney hand towards her and the burn intensified. Her whole body felt like it was on fire. She awoke with a screech, coughing and gasping, struggling against the world around her. An erratic beeping further adding to the chaos.

“Elise! It’s ok. It’s me. It’s me.” Tosh soothed and Owen came skittering into the room.

Elise stopped and caught her breath, eyes adjusting to the light of the room as a warm hand rested on her shoulder trying to get her to lay back down. He pulled the oxygen mask back up over her mouth and nose as she’d thrown it off in her panic.

“Where… Wha…” Elise began, her throat feeling like she’d been swallowing broken glass.

“When we got back you collapsed. You stopped breathing.”

“Twice.” Owen interjected.

“Sorry.” The brown haired woman rasped, finally relaxing a little and letting her heart rate return to normal.

“Less talking more breathing.” Owen read through the diagnostics on a screen beside the bed, seeming relieved at the results he was getting.

Tosh gave a soft smile. “I’ll let you rest.”

In a quiet moment Elise thought hard, trying to reach her Owen. “Can you hear me?”

“You scared me. We’re never doing that again!” She heard in reply.

“Are you ok?”

“I’m dead.”

“You know what i mean.”

“I’ve been through worse. Sorry about my bedside manner.”

“He’s not so bad. What next then?”

“You recover. We’ll talk about it when you’re back to 100%. And try not to punch me. People I treat do that.”

“That’s because you are what’s known as a snarky git.”

“It’s rubbing off on you.”

Past Owen pulled over a chair. “Nice to see you smiling.”

“You can tell?”

“It’s in your eyes. Was that a nightmare then?”

“I think so. It happens every time I’m not conscious.” She coughed softly and Owen grabbed a small cup of water for her.

“Go slow. I don’t need you choking.”

She pulled down her mask and sipped at the water. “I wake up in the dark, underwater. It’s cold and something huge was walking towards me. I think it was the demon in the rift. I get a sharp pain in my chest and start breathing in water… This time Abbadon was dragged down and something else was there. It had skeletal hands. I felt like I was burning. I know it’s just a dream but…”

“Your brain was reacting like you were on fire when you woke up. Plus you were throwing off radiation.”

“Then why aren’t you wearing a hazmat suit?”

He held up a small object. “Radiation sponge. Been to any nuclear plants recently?”

“No. Is Tosh ok?”

“She’s fine. It wasn’t the time travel… You’re not worried about Jack? Nice.”

“Well, he’s immortal so-”

“What?”

“You don’t know? Of course, you didn’t shoot him this time. Gwen knows.”

Owen looked up at the door then back at his patient before heading up to stand in the doorway.

“Gwen” He called.

“What is it?”

“I need you down here.”

“Me? I’m not going to be any h- and he’s gone.” She sighed, putting her bag back down. As soon as she walked in he closed the door behind her.

“Owen? What’s going on?”

“So there’s something I haven’t been told. Something your resident medic should know. Something about Jack that only you know.”

“Stop messing around Owen I’ve got stuff to do.”

“Elise was telling me something interesting and I need to know if it’s true. I don’t want to walk up to Jack and make a fool of myself so…”

“You’re already making a fool of yourself.”

“For fucks sake Gwen! Is Jack immortal?”

“What? … I … Well…”

“Yes or no?”

Gwen couldn’t seem to find the words.

Elise looked up. “Sorry. Everyone already knows in the timeline I’m working with.”

Finally she stopped opening and closing her mouth like a fish. “Yes… Jack is immortal bu-”

Owen pulled the door back open and marched out.

“Jack! When were you planning on revealing your big fucking secret eh? All your stories and that the one thing you choose to keep quiet on.”

Jack looked as if he’d just been blindsided. “What are you-”

“You’re immortal.”

“Owen-”

“No! You fucking listen to me Harkness! We go through all this crap and watch out for each other because the life expectancy around here is shit at best and you act like one of us. I’ve been watching your fucking back, putting myself in the line of fire and you could just walk away as if nothing happened!”

Gwen tried to step in, “Owen that’s enough.”

“Oh here comes miss holier than thou.”

“Enough!”

“No, Gwen. Let him speak.” Jack said, walking over to Owen looking more serious than his usual relaxed demeanour.

“In another time I tore open the fucking rift for you! I probably would have done it again this time if Elise failed to bring you back.” His voice seemed to crack giving him away. He wasn’t angry, he was scared.

“I should have told you.”

“You’re damn right you should have. Why didn’t you?”

“Not everyone reacts well. I didn’t want to take that risk.”

“We’re not children for fucks sake!”

“I don’t think you are. Owen the last team that knew spiralled. Our section head killed them all and then himself. He waited for me. Said he couldn’t take it. He didn’t want to face what was coming and I stood for everything he was scared of. I’m still human. I didn’t choose to be this.”

All the aggression had faded from Owens stance. Jack had been unshakable for so long and for just a moment he seemed more human and fragile than he ever had before. Owen leant back against a desk and ran his hands over his face.

“No more surprises. Got that?” he said, but his heart really wasn’t in it.

“No more surprises.”

“Do you think you can distract Jack for a while?” A voice echoed through Elise’s mind.

“I think I accidently already did. Why?”

“Remember the hand we hid in the fountain? Jacks little early warning system for The Doctor.”

“Yes.”

“It’s being picked up by its original owner. Did they hear anything?”

“I think past you was shouting too loud to hear anything.”

“Good. This time Jack doesn’t just get to disappear.”

“If The Doctor is here already then how long was I out?”

“Only a few hours. The changes we’ve made probably shifted the timeline. Just try and keep them busy for a while.”

“How?”

“Improvise.”

“I heard you were the one who gave me away.” A voice from the railing pulled her from the telepathic conversation. Jack lent on the rail and gave a gentle smile. “I think it’s time you told me the whole story.”

#Torchwood #jack harkness #ianto jones #owen harper #toshiko sato #gwen cooper

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