fractured_agent | Sacrifice [for slayers

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Sacrifice [for slayers_desire]

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.

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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.

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.

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

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.

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."

"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."

"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.

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.

"Owen... he needs you."

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

"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.

"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..."

Their thoughts about Jack are all touched with grief and guilt, from everyone. All of them turned on him to open the Rift, manipulated by Bilis by visions of their loved ones. Lisa, for Ianto. Tosh's mother. Gwen's boyfriend. And Diane for Owen.

But there are good memories too. Gratitude for him giving them all a job, with horrible downsides but wonderful upsides. Jack taking them out for team bonding exercises, meals at the local restaurants, ordering in pizza and swapping completely bullshit-sounding stories about aliens.

April reaches into Jack's mind again, directing their concerns and worry to that spark she sensed before. Projecting the good memories.

Jack... Since they are all connected, they will all hear her mental voice in their mind. Come back to us Jack...

The positive energy kindles that flame a little more, and it slowly grows brighter. While normally he snaps back to life in an instant, this is more like trying to drag himself out of deep water, weighed down and pulled back. There's still no conscious response, but his life energy is sluggishly coming back.

"His life energy is coming back..."

April projects her love (friendship) towards the spark. "We need to encourage him to fight for his life..."

Some of them still aren't sure if this is going to work, but they try. And Ianto's love for Jack is the strongest. Things he never got to say... never got to do. Opportunities lost.

Normally when Jack comes back to life, he gasps, drawing in a huge lungful of air. This time, it's only a small sigh.

She isn't sure if the small sigh is a good thing, or a bad thing. But there is so much love in the room. And April reflects on others in Jack's life who love him too, using those people and memories to strengthen that spark.

"Don't make me get desperate Jack..." She whispers softly.

"But that's what I do best," Jack whispers back. He's still very pale and cold, but he's not dead anymore.

The others aren't sure what to make of this. Owen is in shock, and he drops Jack's hand, almost like he thinks Jack is going to turn and yell at him.

Gwen smiles in relief. "Welcome back."

"Ohhh Jack. You are such a drama queen." April whispers fondly, releasing his hand so she can stroke his hair gently.

She also disconnects from the others mind.

Jack's not used to feeling weak like this, and he needs help sitting up. Gwen hugs him as soon as he's upright, quickly followed by Tosh. "Hey, there's enough of me here for everybody," he croaks.

"We should get you out of the morgue."

"I'll get you some proper clothes, sir," Ianto says, falling back on his professionalism despite his shock.

"Hey, c'mere first," Jack says. Ianto comes closer, on autopilot, and Jack draws him into a kiss. Ianto can hardly believe this is happening, but he isn't complaining. He thought he'd never get the chance.

Don't think that I didn't feel how you feel about me, Jack thinks.

April can't help smiling at the gesture. It is nice to see Jack embrace the moment. Ianto too.

Owen stands off to the side, trying not to cry. Seeing Jack here, alive, only reminds him more of putting a bullet in his boss's head. He helped bring Jack back. But he deserves to be ex-Torchwood. And it's killing him that after all this, he's still going to have to leave.

Jack and Ianto part, and Ianto leaves to fetch some clothes for Jack so he can get out of the white scrubs he's wearing. Jack looks at Owen, who can barely meet his eye from shame. "Owen."

April holds her breath. As much as Owen agitates her a lot of the time, she just can't help but want his destiny to be a good one. For him to find happiness.

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