"Come Fly With Me" Chapter 23
Mar. 6th, 2011 05:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wanda1969Title: "Come Fly With Me"
Rating: Adult concepts- but not explicit this chapter.
Spoilers/Disclaimers : Torchwood, belongs to the BBC and RTD, I’m just borrowing the characters.
Summary: Torchwood characters in a story set in the glamorous world of international travel!
A/N: Back to work with the crew at Torchwood Airlines! Be warned, Gwen’s a bit naughty and and flirtatious in this one.
Chapter list: http://wanda1969.dreamwidth.org/1863.html
Chapter 23
***
Ianto sat once more with Tosh in the hotel bar of the The Raffles Le Royal. It had become almost like a second home on their stop-overs in Phnom Penh, although it had been some time since the whole crew had met up for drinks while they were away. More often than not, he and Jack trawled around the city, having dinner or drinks in a street side café, or one of the city’s other hotel’s bars. Ianto knew that this had something to do with Jack’s avoidance of Gwen, who had become somewhat fixated on the Captain since her break-up with Owen, as well as the fact that the two men, much as they liked their colleagues, preferred to spend as much time together as possible. However, Ianto had started to feel guilty when Toshiko had asked him to come along that evening; he regarded her as a good friend, and he knew he’d neglected her over the last few months. Which was why he was now sitting in the bar, drinking a beer and chatting with Tosh, as he surreptitiously watched Jack and Owen, accompanied by Gwen and Martha, playing a simple version of doubles pool on the half sized Victorian billiards table on the far side of the bar.
“… so then I had to go to Johnny’s birthday barbeque. Bloody freezing- no idea why he thought a barbeque was a good idea in February!”
Toshiko laughed in her reserved way as she listened to the details of Ianto’s time off. Ianto had judiciously left out any details of his leave which didn’t involve his trip to see his family- and particularly the parts which Tosh would find distinctly more fascinating, which did.
“Anyway, Tosh- what’s been happening with you?”
“God! Nothing… saw Nanako, that cousin of mine, a couple of times. Tried to find a Japanese restaurant that she’s not been thrown out for insulting the chef. I actually found one, and then she discovered the sushi chef was from Bromsgrove, or somewhere… you can guess how it went. That’s another place off the list, I suppose. I think I’ll suggest Italian next time. And I’ve been building a PC for an old friend. Apart from that, the usual: catching up on TV and stuff. Nothing interesting.”
“Families! At this rate there isn’t going to be a restaurant in London you’ll be able to go to.”
“You’re not wrong there!” she agreed and took a sip of the Rouge Champagne cocktail that had become her regular drink when they were staying in the Cambodian capital. “Talking of families, you changed the subject pretty quickly there, Ianto. I was going to ask if this girl you’re seeing went down to Wales with you… Assuming you’re still seeing her, that is. And you look like you are to me.”
Ianto had, indeed, thought he’d managed to steer her away from that particular subject- but really, he knew he should have known better. Toshiko could be tenacious in the extreme. “No… no. I didn’t take… her.” She looked at him expectantly, and he could see that he wasn’t going to get out of this that easily. Of course, sooner or later- and especially if things went well, as Jack kept assuring him that they would- he reasoned that he’d eventually have to come clean to the Japanese woman. “We’re going up in March, though.”
“Mmm. I just don’t get why you’re being so secretive about it all…”
The urge to tell her the truth flashed into his mind, and then was quickly dismissed. If he was going to talk to Toshiko, it was going to be after he spoke to his mam- there were only so many confessional conversations in such a short space of time that a man could deal with. “Tosh- I’ve had my fair share of tricky relationships and break-ups. Let’s just see how that visit to Wales goes first, yeah?” He said it with such an air of finality that she found herself ceasing to press for any more information.
“OK.” She said, defeated, and looked around at her other teammates who were clustered around the next table. She could just about hear their conversation as Emma gushed about the latest trends and designs that she’d seen when she’d gone to the odd show at London Fashion Week recently.
Ianto again gazed over to the pool game. Martha was watching on as her partner, Owen, leaned over and took his shot. Jack, too, was looking on, resting on his cue, while Gwen’s hand clasped his shoulder as she leaned into him. The pilot caught his eye, and gave him an apologetic smile. Not that apologies were needed- Ianto now felt sure in the knowledge that there was little chance of him succumbing to the rather dubious charms of Gwen, and gave a nod that said ‘told you so’, before Jack turned back to the table just in time to see the ball that Owen was trying to pot miss its mark, just as the cue ball rolled into the corner pocket. He could hear Owen and Martha’s groans of disappointment as loudly as he heard the other two’s yelps of near victory. Tosh turned to look, too, and saw Gwen take the cue from her teammate and approach the table. She retrieved the white ball from the pocket and made a show of weighing up the options before settling on a shot which meant that she had to lean over the table right in front of Jack. She wriggled her behind as she took aim, easily potting the ball, before moving onto her extra penalty shot.
“God, she’s still trying isn’t she?” Toshiko sighed, shaking her head.
“You’re not wrong there,” Ianto laughed.
“She won’t get anywhere- a lot of the new girls try, but all the time I’ve been on Jack’s crew, he’s never been anything other than professional about relationships at work. Either that or he’s a darn sight more subtle about it than Owen. Which wouldn’t be hard, really,” she finished wistfully as her eyes settled on the co-pilot.
“Maybe next time we’re all out, you should ask Owen for a game of pool or something? Do you play?” he suggested knowing her weakness for the man.
“Do I play? I’ll have you know that I’m pretty damned good at pool!” she said indignantly. “I got through Uni playing pool for drinks and money!”
“Well, what are you waiting for? Next time we’re all out, you and Owen… me and Jack, perhaps…” He trailed off as his thoughts turned to playing pool and the enjoyment to be had from watching Jack as he leaned over to take a shot.
***
“’Night, Tosh!” Owen dropped heavily into the seat next to Ianto just as Toshiko was saying goodnight. The rest of the crew had already left the bar, two by two, one by one, and as an exhausted Tosh headed towards her room, it left just Ianto and Owen, and Jack, who had been coerced into yet another game with Gwen.
“I wouldn’t worry about it, Tea Boy,” Owen said and jerked his head in the direction of Gwen and Jack. “He’s not taking her on you, know.”
“I’m not- worrying, that is.” Ianto said awkwardly. Apart from the odd comment in the last month or so, they’d not really talked about his relationship with Jack since Owen had seen them that time in Scalini’s.
Owen had clearly drunk quite a few of the local Angkor beers, and this was his relatively inept attempt at male bonding. Despite being late, the bar was still overwhelmingly hot and humid as Cambodia approached the Monsoon season, only a couple of months away, and he wiped his hand over his forehead. “Y’know, I’ve got better things to talk about like the political situation in North Africa and the Middle East- or whether Italian birds are hotter than British ones- but these are long flights… and, well with auto-pilot, things get a bit boring. Gwen’s barking up the wrong tree- Jack’s pretty taken with you.”
Ianto stifled a laugh, unsure of whether Owen had consciously used that phrase to describe Gwen, or whether it was some kind of Freudian slip. “Cheers, mate.”
“No problem, Tea Boy,” Owen replied, before rapidly changing the subject to Arsenal’s chances in the coming European Cup.
***
Jack grinned broadly as he potted his last ball. “Sorry, Gwen!” he said fairly apologetically as he stood upright and looked over towards the brunette, who was sitting on a barstool to one side, watching on. The game had been neck and neck, but that last ball had won him the match.
Gwen clapped as she smiled back. “No, no, the best man won! Well done, Jack!”
He sauntered over to place his cue back in the stand next to her. “Good game, Gwen.” It was getting late and he could see Ianto and Owen sitting across the room, talking away animatedly. “Shall we join them?” He turned to walk over towards them, but Gwen caught his arm.
“Oh, they look like they’re happy enough. They’re probably talking about football again. Why don’t we finish our drinks here?”
“OK,” he said hesitantly, perching on the barstool next to her as took his bottle of beer from the shelf next to it.
They settled into conversation, and after a while Gwen signalled to a barman to ‘bring the same again’, in spite of Jack’s protestations that it was getting late.
A few minutes later Gwen, was sipping at a fresh bottle of Cambodian beer. “It’s a strange job, though, isn’t it? Spending so much time away from home…”
Jack sensed she’d been heading towards this topic all along. “It’s not such a bad life. Perhaps it’s a lot more hard work and a lot less glamorous than most people think it is, but it’s got it’s plus points; I mean look at this place…” he waved his hand around the room. “A lot of people can only dream about staying in places like this- in countries like this- and it’s all on the company for us!”
“You’re right there- but sometimes it seems hard keeping in touch with everyone back in the UK…”
He knew that she wasn’t just talking about communication. “That’s where we’ve all got to make an effort- make the most of your time at home.”
“But… even so, it’s different when you’re away. Don’t you get lonely, Jack? I know I do.”
“I guess so…” Jack said thinking about the night ahead, and how he would be spending it alone, knowing that Ianto would be doing the same, only a few rooms away.
Gwen took his comment as some kind of sign, reaching out to touch his forearm. “You know you don’t have to be lonely, Jack…”
It took him a moment to realise what she was saying. “Gwen- I’m not…” He paused as she looked at him hopefully, and then spoke more firmly, “Gwen, I’m flattered but… I’m seeing someone.”
“I can be discreet,” she stated quietly and looked at him seriously.
“I’m not sure I can…or whether I’d want to be, Gwen.”
Gwen just raised her eyebrows and fixed him with wide brown eyes, so different to Ianto’s own blue-grey ones.
“You’ve got to value what you’ve got back home- a good man who loves you- you gotta make the most of your time when you’re not working. Reconnect…” It was a conversation that Jack didn’t want to continue. “Come on,” he said as he stood up. “Let’s go and join Owen and Ianto.”
***
To be continued…
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-03-06 09:08 pm (UTC)Poor Ianto, it's getting harder and harder to not tell Tosh! Got a feeling she might start figuring it out soon. Loved Owen trying to be reassuring!
no subject
Date: 2011-03-19 06:59 pm (UTC)Thank you!
no subject
Date: 2011-03-07 12:16 am (UTC)I'm really looking forward to Ianto telling Tosh about him and Jack...or until she figures it out. That's going to be great!
no subject
Date: 2011-03-19 07:01 pm (UTC)Tosh is going to kick herself for not realising...
no subject
Date: 2011-03-07 07:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-19 07:02 pm (UTC)There's more family interaction in Ch24
no subject
Date: 2011-03-07 08:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-19 07:03 pm (UTC)It certainly is a different world out there- and if it involves going to Cambodia I want to be part of it!
no subject
Date: 2011-03-07 11:18 am (UTC)I do love Owen in this story, he doesn't seem such a prat :P
Jack and Gwen- hmm, It ain't gonna work and I think Gwen's going after 'what she can't have' *giggles*
Loved it:)
no subject
Date: 2011-03-19 07:05 pm (UTC)Gwen always goes after things she can't (or shouldn't) have...
Thanks so much for reading!
no subject
Date: 2011-03-07 02:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-19 07:06 pm (UTC)Thanks for sticking with this!
no subject
Date: 2011-03-20 01:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-09 05:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-03-19 07:08 pm (UTC)Thanks for reading!
no subject
Date: 2011-03-12 01:54 am (UTC)I love the Ianto/Tosh friendship.
no subject
Date: 2011-03-19 06:58 pm (UTC)That Gwen, she's not subtle, is she?