Storm warning...

[zazajb]

Title: Storm warning...
Author: zazajb
Rating: R, adult concepts, occasional language, M/M
Pairings/Characters: Jack/Ianto, team
Spoilers – none, set mid S2
Summary:   An alien visitor has a disastrous effect on the climate... Words 2650

Fic masterlist: http://zazajb.livejournal.com/6286.html

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters – anything you recognise is owned by RTD & BBC

X-posted Jantolution , jackxianto & TW_classic , tw_proper, ijs, jantosparkle[apologies to those getting this multiple times]

A/N Written for the redisourcolor  challenge #17 - Theme: Weather; dowdy, vituperate, chocolate wrapper ‘That night [x] drank the last of the [x] him/her/itself...’

 A/N1 For badly_knitted who is still weathering the storm - hang in there *hugs* xxx

 

Storm warning...

Ianto tutted to himself as he surveyed the array of chocolate wrappers and crisp packets littered on the desk and floor of Jack’s office. Yes they’d been up for 48 hours straight now and they were dead on their feet, pun totally intended he thought wryly, but all that sugar...

As he bent down to pick up the brightly coloured array of wrappers he was grasped firmly by the hips and a somewhat damp Captain pressed himself up against his back. Ianto straightened and turned in the embrace as Jack shook his head and droplets of icy rainwater flew everywhere.

“You’re wet, sir!” Ianto stated mildly, brushing second-hand drops from his face before pressing a quick kiss to Jack’s cold lips and slipping out of his arms to help him off with his sodden coat.

“It’s raining out there! You wanna see Owen – he looks like a drowned dog – with the expression to match..!”

“I’ll make hot chocolate...”

“With whipped cream, marshmallows and chocolate sprinkles..?” Slightly damp puppy dog eyes came into play, drawing an indulgent smile from the Welshman who’d already set the mugs and ingredients out in the kitchen.

“If you go and dry off...” he raised an eyebrow at the pout, “...alone! I’ll come down when I’ve done the drinks unless you think we should get everyone in the boardroom...feedback reports..?” He chuckled at the obvious slump of the older man’s shoulders.

“Yeah, boardroom...but you’re making it up to me later...” the trademark leer reappeared as the sugar high kicked back in!

Ianto glanced over his shoulder, “I’ll hold you to that promise..!” His blue eyes twinkled despite the bone aching tiredness. ‘I’ll rally the troops...five minutes?”

Jack nodded, already half down the ladder to his quarters. Five minutes later the team were assembled around the table, each looking slightly brighter as Ianto handed round large mugs of frothy hot chocolate, with the required mini marshmallows, whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles! Jack and Owen each had towels around their necks as they rubbed their hair dry.

Ianto slid into his chair as Tosh tapped on her PDA and the view-screen lit up with the rift activity matrix for the past ten days. “Okay, we first saw the pattern ten days ago and then it began to rain – relentless twenty-four hour downpour, unexplained...almost biblical in intensity...only no Ark to take shelter in.!

Coincidence? Maybe, but after the third identical spike followed by the same rain pattern and it looks like they’re definitely connected...”

Gwen took over the remote and loaded a series of more traditional weather charts. “I met with the weather forecasters at Cardiff university and they said that this particular weather didn’t belong – they were baffled as all their data completely contradicted the actual weather we’ve been getting, so...” she slid the remote back to Tosh.

 “...so Ianto and I started delving into the archives to see if there was ever anything like this before...and we found several documented unexplained periods of rain – of course, they didn’t have half as much technology at their disposal so they could just be poor forecasting...anyway, in 1902 Newport had six days of non-stop rain, 1927 it was Swansea’s turn – eight days, 1955 Cardiff had a week, plus never-seen-before tornadoes...”

“I remember that...” Jack leant forward, a gleam appearing in his blue grey eyes as he wrinkled his brow in thought, stabbing absently at his empty mug with the spoon. “We were certain it was alien initiated or through the rift but no idea how...” He met Ianto’s gaze, the smile tugging at the corners of the young man’s mouth suggesting that there was more to this than his tired brain had yet assimilated... He shook his head briefly...”no...I know there’s something else but I can’t think...I need a rooftop!”

“The summer of 1976? No rain for fifteen weeks...” Ianto’s smile widened as illumination dawned.

“Weather Vanes!” Jack smacked the table, making everyone jump. “Of course, the reverse effect...”

“Will someone please explain for those of us who don’t speak geek!” A tired Owen was always a snarky Owen!

Jack leant forward “They’re ‘weather vanes’ but no-one knows their real name – they travel the universe seeking their partner...their one true soul mate. When they find them, they bond for eternity...“

“What do they look like?” Gwen was intrigued, despite the pounding headache from too much sugar and too little sleep.

“No-one knows – that’s the problem. They’re creatures of myth and legend whose mystical love stories play out against the stars – they’re not supposed to be planet bound. I’m guessing that this one got too close to our atmosphere and was pulled in by the gravitational field...or it could’ve been injured..?” he shrugged, “pure speculation...but that’s all we’ve got so it’ll have to do!”

“But you said it’s happy stuff so why is it raining?”

“Think about the traditional Swiss weather clocks – two little people: she comes out if it’s sunny, he comes out if it rains and never the twain shall meet! The reverse effect occurs here with our elusive weather vane...she’s stuck here on earth...Cardiff...and she’s broadcasting her sorrow at the lack of – or loss of – her mate which translates in our climate as non-stop rain...”

“...so in 1976 it was the male who was stranded...” Owen nodded his understanding. “But what about the tornadoes? That wasn’t usual..?”

“No, and it was only that one time as far as I can recall. They’re said to be very sensitive creatures so I’m assuming that something was done or said to upset them so we don’t take that risk...again just speculation...now we need to find her and her missing mate or Cardiff is going to drown. Any ideas?”

 “Did you notice if there were many people about when you went looking for that weevil earlier?” Ianto looked at Owen questioningly.

“No-one stupid enough to be out in that...” Owen scoffed, “only us...even the weevils had pissed off by the time we got there...”

“But if you were broadcasting a message then surely you’d be out looking for a reply..?” Ianto pondered thoughtfully before looking at the others, “...stands to reason that sensible people will be indoors so if there’s someone out alone it might well be our missing vane...”

“Makes sense...” Tosh agreed.

“So how are we going to...oh fuck! I’ve only just got dry!” Owen hung his head as he realised they’d be going back out into the rain.

Ianto glanced at the weary faces around the table. He gathered the empty mugs and slipped out of the room. Moments later he was back with shot glasses and Jack’s decanter. Plonking it on the table, he poured five shots of the amber liquid and handed them one each. Lifting their glasses, they downed their shots, feeling the warmth of the smoke-infused whisky as it burned down their throats and settled in their bellies like tiny fires as it spread outwards.

“Good call, Ianto, now let’s go... oh and Owen, don’t think I haven’t noticed your little drinking habit these last couple of days!” He shook his head, “you drink any more of my best whisky and you buy the next bottle!” He chuckled as Owen swore profusely under his breath, reaching for his still sopping coat...

 

Bundled up in coats, boots, scarves and gloves they hit the streets, comm. units activated as they split up to cover as much of the city in as little time as possible. By the time they’d been out an hour they were cold, wet through and the whisky fires had long since gone out...

The few people they’d seen were quickly eliminated as potential aliens and allowed to continue rushing to their destinations. After another forty minutes when they were all numb from the waist down, Jack called everyone to return to the hub, they’d get some rest and try again tomorrow.

As he and Gwen approached the Tourist Information Office from different directions they became aware of a lone figure leaning on the railing looking out over the rain-lashed murky grey of the bay. At this distance it was hard to tell age or even gender...

“Jack...”

“I see it, Gwen. Wait where you are....”

Gwen stepped back behind the building, blinking the incessant rain out of her eyes. Jack came up behind her and they peered round the corner. The figure hadn’t moved. “Tosh, Owen, Ianto...” Jack pressed his comm. unit. “Got a potential target by the bay, get here fast as you can, use the lift and monitor...Gwen and I’ll approach it...”

Three quiet affirmatives sounded in his ear and he nodded at Gwen, offering her his arm “shall we?”

She grinned and linked her arm through his, “lovely day for a stroll by the bay..!”

As they got closer they could see it was the figure of an elderly woman, her face worn and lined. They stopped a short distance away from her and looked out over the sea. Glancing sideways through his eyelashes Jack noted that the figure hadn’t moved or noted their presence in any way. “I love watching the sea on a rainy day, don’t you?” he said conversationally.

Unusual amber eyes flickered briefly in his direction before they resumed their unseeing gaze over the water. Jack nudged Gwen and nodded briefly.

“That dowdy old woman is a weather vane?” Gwen hissed incredulously, “I thought she’d be beautiful, not an...”

“Shut up, Gwen!” Jack was furious. After his warnings earlier...

It was too late. The figure turned towards them, expression set as those amber eyes swirled dangerously, reds and golds deepening their hue until they were like molten lava... A gnarled old finger lifted to point at Gwen who was now gaping like a goldfish.

“I’m sorry...I didn’t mean...” she gasped as Jack pushed her behind him, standing tall to face the enraged vane.

“She meant no disrespect...she’s young and has much to learn of the old ways...” he offered, spreading his arms in a gesture of openness.

The vane eyed him thoughtfully before crooking her finger and Jack was thrown aside to land in a breathless heap in a deep puddle. Gwen froze as the finger pointed at her once more. She saw the spark in the old woman’s eyes and dived sideways as a burst of energy shot from the extended finger, passing over her head to hit a young couple as they hurried through the rain, heads bent forward. The blast hit them and they disintegrated instantly, nothing to show they’d ever been there.

“Oh fuck!” Owen’s voice in their ears confirmed the others had been watching from inside the hub.

Gwen stood and faced the old woman. “I’m so very sorry...” she whispered, “and those people didn’t deserve to die so if you have to kill me I won’t resist...”

“Gwen...” Jack watched helplessly as the vane approached and stopped inches from the Welshwoman’s face. Gwen flinched but stood her ground. The old woman lifted her finger, pointing it at Gwen’s heart.

A tear trickled down Gwen’s face and she closed her eyes, mouthing her husband’s name. With her eyes shut she missed the damping down of the fire in the vane’s own eyes as they returned to their previous amber colour. The finger moved to track the tear, Gwen jumping when it touched her face, her eyes flying open.

“You have love...always stay true to him...” the voice was soft and mesmerising and filled the air around them. The old woman moved back and raised her arms over her head, spinning round, faster and faster until she was a blur, finally forming a tornado-type funnel that lifted off the ground and retreated up unto the sky until it closed in on itself and was gone. Moments later the rain stopped.

For a second or two there was silence, before the yells of the team sounded over their comm. units. Jack strode over to fold Gwen into a hug as the others piled out of the Tourist Information door to join them, relief on their faces.

They stared up at the sky, watching as it cleared little by little. “Is it gone?” Owen wondered aloud.

Tosh tapped her PDA. “I think so – those weather patterns have completely dispersed and we’re back to the forecast again...looks like rain tonight!” She smiled, “okay, cloudy, but dry!”

Jack ushered them all back inside. “Tosh, run a full check please, track everything until it vanished, Owen sort out towels and dry clothes for everyone, Ianto, coffee all round please...” he paused, “Gwen, my office...now” he added, the anger barely contained.

The others exchanged glances and hurried to their assigned tasks as Jack slammed his office door.

“What the fuck were you doing out there? And just what part of don’t upset them did you not understand? You realise that because of you two innocent people are dead..?”

Down on the main level they could hear Jack’s voice rising as Gwen was well and truly vituperated into the middle of next week. Owen handed a towel to Tosh as Ianto descended the stairs to join them, a laden tray in his hands. He put it on top of the files by Tosh’s workstation and accepted a towel from the medic as Jack’s door flew open and Gwen ran out, sobbing hard.

Jack followed her out, a mix of hurt and fury on his face. He watched as she snatched up her bag and stumbled towards the roller door.

“And Gwen...I meant every word, got that?”

She paused and nodded before the door clunked shut behind her. The others looked at each other and then up at their Captain who rubbed his hand wearily across his face. “I told her I’d retcon her back to the seventies if she pulled a stunt like that again and she’s to find out who that couple were, tell their families and arrange a suitable memorial...” He sighed. “Tosh, Owen, get yourselves home soon as, Ianto...” a tiny smile flickered across his face, “I could really use that coffee now...and a towel!” He shook his head and water flew everywhere.

Ianto grinned, picked up their coffee and draped a second towel around his neck, heading up the stairs. The office door closed behind him. Jack took the tray, placed it on the desk and pulled the Welshman into his arms as he buried his face into the young man’s neck to immerse himself in everything that was Ianto. Ianto’s arms closed around him and held him tightly.

They remained motionless for long minutes until the cold seeping through their soaked clothing forced them apart. As Ianto began stripping off his clothes, Jack sloshed some whisky in their coffee, swirling the remaining amber liquid around in the decanter before setting it back down.  He joined Ianto in removing his clothes and they picked up their mugs and climbed down the ladder. Moments later they were pressed up against each other in the shower as the steaming water cascaded down on them, sharing gentle kisses as the warmth penetrated their cold bodies.

Drying each other carefully they slid into bed and snuggled up, kissing softly as they fell into an exhausted sleep. Later that night Jack drank the last of the whisky himself before returning to the warm arms of his Welshman to kiss him into oblivion as they shared the lingering rich smoky flavour of the drink on Jack’s tongue and the temperature in the bunker rose...

End