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

[fractured_agent]

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.

[slayers_desire]

"We should get you out of the morgue."

[fractured_agent]

"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.

[slayers_desire]

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

[fractured_agent]

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."

[slayers_desire]

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.

[fractured_agent]

"I..." I'm sorry, Owen tries to say, but the words won't come.

Jack cuts him off. "I forgive you." And he draws Owen into a hug.

Owen nods stoically at first, the breaks down in tears of shame and joy as those words register. He gets to keep his job, and despite his colossal fuck-up, he actually has absolution from the man he killed. Twice.

[slayers_desire]

This scene makes April smile again, glad to see the two men resolve their issues in this moment.

[fractured_agent]

Jack looks at April, the last member of this little tableau. "You're really something, you know that?"

[slayers_desire]

"I am just so glad I was able to reach you..." April moves forward to hug him tightly.

[fractured_agent]

Jack is a bit conflicted. He'd almost thought he might stay dead for good this time, and that thought does have an appeal to it. A big one. But on the other hand... he still has people he cares about here. So he's thankful as he hugs her back. "Me too."

[slayers_desire]

"Hey, I know you would do it for me."

She knows the others are still suffering from shock. But sooner or later, that will fade, and they will start to ask questions. How did she get here so fast. Why didn't she react when it was revealed that Jack revived after getting shot.

[fractured_agent]

Jack, likewise, knows that they're going to start asking questions about his little resurrection trick. Gwen knew already, but everyone else... the first they knew of it was when he gasped into life on the floor of the Hub, the ground shaking all around them as the Rift opened and Abbadon came forth.

Ianto returns with a stack of neatly-folded clothes and hands them to Jack. "We'll give you some privacy, sir," he says, seeking refuge from shock in his professionalism again.

[slayers_desire]

April gives Jack one more hug, before leaving the morgue to give him some privacy. She removes the hair tie, to free her hair.

"Did someone clean up the blood?"

[fractured_agent]

Jack doesn't care one bit about modesty or privacy, but his twenty-first century team certainly do. Ianto startles a bit at April's question, as if he'd forgotten about it. "...not yet."

[slayers_desire]

"I'll avoid the area..." April doesn't want to make the situation uncomfortable for anyone. Less of all.. her.

[fractured_agent]

Ianto moves to get his cleaning supplies, finding some normalcy in the routine. He just has to shut out the thoughts of Jack's corpse lying there, a hole through his head and a frozen look of surprise on his face.

"You're not the only one," Gwen says with a slightly nervous laugh.

[slayers_desire]

She can see the brief memory, and can't imagine how hard that must have been for the others. "This was a tough day, for all of you..."

[fractured_agent]

"You have no idea, love," Owen says sincerely. No sarcasm or mean attitude this time. "You were right about the Rift."

[slayers_desire]

"After sensing everything I did when I entered... I wish I was wrong. To save you all the pain."

[fractured_agent]

"At least it's over now, we think," Tosh says. "We haven't seen Bilis since the Rift was opened." She doesn't say the Rift has settled down, though. It's hard to tell if the increased activity is the new normal, or if it's just aftershocks, like waves in a pond after throwing in a stone.

[slayers_desire]

"He might not be completely gone... we have to be careful."

[fractured_agent]

Jack comes out of the morgue, moving slowly. He still feels drained, with good reason, and he's still pale. But at least his color is a little better. "And that's why psychic shielding is important, boys and girls," he says, his voice a lot more normal too.

[slayers_desire]

"Of course. And I am sure everyone has learned what they require to build stronger shields."

[fractured_agent]

All the others are ashamed of being fooled so easily... except for Gwen, whose vision became a reality when Bilis killed Rhys, her boyfriend. Something that was thankfully reversed by opening the Rift. She regrets what came of that decision. But she doesn't regret her boyfriend being alive again.

Jack doesn't give them much time for wallowing in that shame. He moves to the couch and sits down a little more heavily than normal, glad to get off his feet. "We're not going to let this happen again, isn't that right?"

The rest of the team nod in agreement. "Absolutely," Owen says.