Sacrifice [for slayers_desire]

[fractured_agent]

The city of Cardiff is eerily quiet in the aftermath of Abbadon's passing. Those who died beneath his shadow had their life forces returned once the demon died... all but one.

Captain Jack Harkness lies in the Torchwood Three morgue, cold as stone. Gwen sits at his side, waiting patiently for him to revive. But where he only took minutes to come back from the dead before, there isn't even a whisper of life from him now.

Lost without their leader, who they so recently betrayed, the team drifts in uncertainty.

It's Tosh who finds April's contact information in Jack's antique Rolodex, and gives her a call, not sure if this is a plea for help or a final death notice.

Comments

[slayers_desire]

She walks in without any worry on her face. There is a slight frown from the bloodstain. "That is Jack's blood..." She knows that by scent.

She can sense the shock from all three who are in sight. The grief. And the guilt from Owen.

"Where is he?" And she doesn't say where is the body.

[fractured_agent]

"In the morgue," Tosh says quietly. "Gwen's with him."

[slayers_desire]

"Thank you..."

April heads to the morgue. She knows the others are upset, but first she needs a handle on the situation.

[fractured_agent]

Jack is laid out in one of the morgue drawers, pulled out so Gwen can watch him. He's almost blue in color, cold to the touch, and his usual sense of unending life and time is so diminished that she probably won't even sense it right away. There's only a tiny spark left at the core.

Gwen sits on a stool next to the body, so sure that he'll come back. He did before. But it's been so long now... and a part of her wonders if she's in denial.

[slayers_desire]

"He shouldn't be in here..." April gently touches Jack's face. She doesn't react to the coldness of his skin (since she is almost used to, being around other vampires so much).

She is concerned when she doesn't sense his usual sense of unending life at first. But is comforted by that tiny spark.

"You all know... don't you? About his ability?

[fractured_agent]

"Owen shot him," Gwen says, not looking up from her vigil. "He came back in front of everyone."

[slayers_desire]

"No wonder he is feeling so guilty."

"He still has a spark of life."

[fractured_agent]

"He's been out for hours," Gwen says, almost too calm.

[slayers_desire]

"What happened?"

[fractured_agent]

"Bilis. He tricked us into opening the Rift. It let out a demon thing... Jack let it feed on his life until it died, but... maybe it took all of it."

[slayers_desire]

"No. There is still a spark of life left in him. It just needs to be ignited."

[fractured_agent]

"How?" Gwen will grasp at anything right now. Anything to bring Jack back to them.

[slayers_desire]

"Good question..." April leans to place her forehead on Jack's, concentrating on that little spark within him.

Jack?

[fractured_agent]

Jack doesn't reply, cold as the grave. There's not enough of him there to even know she's here. The spark flickers a little bit at the touch of her mind, brightening a tiny amount.

[slayers_desire]

When the spark flickers, April breathes a sigh of relief.

"Call the others in here." She is going to try something a little more supportive.

[fractured_agent]

Gwen is reluctant to leave Jack's side. She'd planned to stay on vigil until Jack returned, no matter how long it took. But... at least he has someone who will stay with him. She nods slowly, and moves towards the main room of the Hub to get the others.

[slayers_desire]

"Jack... you have so many people who love you. I am going to bring us all together..."

[fractured_agent]

Tosh is the first to join April. Ianto trails behind her, his clothes looking as impeccable as ever, but his eyes are red like he's been crying. He thought he'd witnessed a miracle when Jack came back. Another chance to say what needed to be said... and then Jack died again. No one comes back once. Why would someone come back twice?

Owen doesn't want to face Jack again. He'd handled the body long enough to confirm there were no vital signs. But then the guilt was too much to even look at the consequences of his own weakness. So he hangs back near the door, not quite entering the room.

[slayers_desire]

April pulls a hair-band out of her pocket, pulling her long blonde hair off her face. "I sense a spark of life still inside Jack."

"When I touched his mind, it flared in response."

"And I am confident that if we all reach out to that spark of life, it will bring him back to us."

[fractured_agent]

"He's dead," Owen says in a dull voice. "We need to let him go."

Gwen's voice sharpens a little. "April has a way. He will come back."

[slayers_desire]

"Sometimes death doesn't have a hold on a person."

"Especially someone like Jack, who has special abilities."

"You need to have faith in me. In my abilities. In your own desire to bring him back." She takes Jack's hand in one of hers, and holds out her other hand.

[fractured_agent]

Gwen moves to be the first one to step forward, but Ianto gets there first, taking hold of her hand. Gwen takes Ianto's other hand in hers, and Tosh joins soon after.

Owen hesitates. It isn't about faith in her at this point. He doesn't think he's worthy. He messed up. He killed Jack. He opened the Rift. Jack was right to fire him.

[slayers_desire]

"Owen... he needs you."

Already, the others can feel April's presence at the surface of their mind. "He needs all of us."

[fractured_agent]

"Feels like a bloody seance," Owen mutters, but steps forward and takes Tosh's hand. He grabs Jack's other hand before he can talk himself out of it. He's no stranger to touching dead things, but it's different this time.

"What do we do?" Tosh asks.

[slayers_desire]

"Open your minds to me..." April closes her eyes. "Send your support. Your thoughts about Jack. Anything you think will help..."

"Let them flow through me..."