![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
"Come Fly With Me" Chapter 30
Title: "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: I tried to get this up at the weekend, but visitors delayed me! Not too much ‘action’ this chapter!
Chapter list: http://wanda1969.dreamwidth.org/1863.html
Chapter 30
***
When the vendors of the house in Ealing had said they wanted things to move quickly, Ianto and Jack had never expected to find themselves so close to actually moving as summer rapidly approached, and considering the present sluggish housing market, they were even more surprised by the speed with which Jack’s own flat was snapped up by an experienced landlord, eager for more properties to add to his portfolio. Whatever their good intentions, the ‘coming out to the crew’ experience hadn’t even crossed their minds. The constant trips to solicitors on days off had occupied most of their spare time.
***
Ianto pushed open the bedroom door with his foot as he balanced a tray of toast and coffee, jostling with unopened envelopes, mainly- and depressingly- of the manila window type. More bills, he’d thought as he’d stooped to gather them from the doormat behind the front door whilst the percolator in the kitchen gurgled and spluttered.
He looked over at the bed, smiling as he saw Jack sprawled, prone and stretched diagonally across the bed, an arm reaching out to the side of the mattress that Ianto had vacated only twenty minutes before- knowing that the other man had reached out for him. Not for the first time did he thank the Heavens that things had gone so badly wrong with Lisa; in reality, they’d rarely spent this much time together- apart from at the very start. She had always felt that there were better things to do: shopping, or meeting up with her girlfriends. Ianto sometimes thought that there had been less between them than he’d allowed himself to believe, that he’d easily been led down the road of domesticity with her… until she’d decided there were better prospects available. With Andrew. Frowning to himself, he wondered whether he was falling into the same trap with Jack, before he quickly shook his head. No, things- this- was altogether different. They’d danced metaphorically around each other for months before that night, and he was sure that Jack wouldn’t have waited so long for him, if he wasn’t willing to make a go of it. Their awkward, almost gauche, courtship convinced him of that.
He walked over to ‘Jack’s’ bedside table and placed the tray down. The cups clinked together and the older man stirred and turned his head towards him.
“Mmm, missed you,” he mumbled, recognising that he’d effectively reached out into the empty space where Ianto should have been. He sleepily pushed himself up and rolled back onto his own side of the bed, looking up at him and sniffing the air. “And coffee, too. You’re spoiling me again…”
“You won’t be saying that when you go through this lot,” Ianto indicated with a wave of his arm at the letters on the tray.
Jack groaned, sitting up. “First things first. Coffee, then paperwork…”
***
The small TV was on its lowest volume setting, as the two sat lazily in bed, sipping at their drinks. Ianto had opened his own minimal mail- most letters were still addressed to ‘Mr Jack Harkness’, as the owner of the flat. It had been quickly dispatched, and he was now alternating between a cursory look-over of Jack’s discarded solicitors’ letters and the Independent’s Letter’s Page.
The other man had left two letters to the end, both of them in white envelopes emblazoned with the familiar (to them, at least) Torchwood logo of a ‘T’ made up of hexagons. Jack took a bite of toast and washed it down with the strong black coffee, an action which Ianto would have winced at, had Lisa done it, but now it just made the steward shake his head fondly. Jack ripped open the first envelope, extricated the letter and held it in his spare hand as he gripped the coffee mug with the other.
A minute later, Jack was grinning madly.
“We’ve been nominated as Torchwood’s long haul crew of the year!” he said excitedly.
Each year, the airline had a formal staff party, complete with awards- it was at one of these parties that Ianto had glimpsed the Captain for the first time two or three years ago. Not that it had made much of an impression on him at the time. Lisa was a different proposition- like most of the female (and male, if the truth be told) employees in the company, she’d fawned over him from a distance. All staff were invited, but it was understood that a significant proportion would be unable to attend as no flights were cancelled for the event and, the year before, Harkness’ crew were so busy none of the them had attended. This year, though, the date of the party coincided with the crew’s downtime, and as nominees it was understood that they were expected to be there, if possible.
“Wow! Congratulations, Jack.” Ianto was stunned to say the least.
“Like it’s all down to me… I just sit there and man the controls. The passengers never even see me- it’s the crew that passenger’s really feed back on.” Jack finished his coffee and shoved his mug back onto the bedside table before continuing. “And, if this is anything to go by, I think you may have charmed them with your supernatural brewing skills!”
“I hardly think that’s going to be a factor… Sir.”
“Are you sure about that, Ianto?” Jack drawled. “It worked its magic on me…”
“Well… you’re just… easy,” he teased, before quickly returning to more serious matters as he saw Jack stare at him hungrily. “So… when is it?”
“End of July- and we’re not flying then. We can all go.”
“What’s the other letter?” Ianto asked eyeing up the last unopened white envelope now on the breakfast tray.
“Um… yeah.” Jack looked over, having forgotten about it entirely. He reached for it and unceremoniously tore it open.
Ianto watched as his eyes quickly scan the contents.
“South Pacific…” Jack smiled. “They want us to do a trial run on the South Pacific… wow... Turns out that Cambodia and Vietnam have been a success- we’ve been full on virtually every flight. I guess the rich just keep getting richer; it looks like there’s a real demand for Asia Pacific, and we’ve been earmarked for a couple of test runs. Me, Owen and Suzie have got a meeting about it with the Management before our next flight.”
“Jesus!” Ianto couldn’t help his eyes widening and almost popping out of his head. “I always wanted to go there, but I never made it when I went travelling- too expensive for all the flights…”
“Well, it looks like you’re finally gonna make it. God, it’s years since I’ve been there. I did few months in Australia and New Zealand once. It was amazing, but so many of the islands are only suitable for sea planes- and that’s not really my area. But I did manage managed to do a bit of travelling… Not much to do there but lie about and enjoy the view, but it is beautiful.”
Ianto was drifting off in his mind- turquoise lagoons and motus, empty silver stretches of sand and palm trees blowing in the wind. The two of them really had to slow down and take a holiday together one day, he thought; the last year had been constant work and a certain amount of sexual confusion- tempered by some great sex and starting a new life.
“They’re suggesting combining Wellington with New Caledonia start with, linking in with the rest of the Pacific eventually,” Jack was saying. “There’s a big French market for New Caledonia and Polynesia- colonial ties and all that. Apparently, we can combine it with one of the Paris runs. And there’s no reason we can’t get away for a couple of days-we’ll easily get three nights or more off while we’re over there. It’s a long set of flights. We can make the most of it.”
“Sounds good,” he replied, thinking about exactly how they could make the most of it without admitting anything to the team. Of course, Ianto wasn’t going to push that one- as much as he wanted to acknowledge their relationship, he could be a master of procrastination, and knew that he’d put it off whenever he could.
***
Jack Harkness, Owen Harper and Suzie Costello were nowhere to be seen in the Torchwood Staff room that the rest of the crew were waiting in before they set off on yet another flight to Phnom Penh. Although it wasn’t unusual for Owen or Jack to turn up slightly later than the rest of them, it was almost unheard of for Suzie not to be one of the first to arrive, ready to instruct the flight attendants of any changes, or special requirements on the flight manifest and passenger list.
Amongst the usual chatter, there was the occasional glance at to clock on the wall accompanied by muttering about exactly where the two pilots and the Cabin Service Director were. Ianto had a good idea- all three had been called in to speak to the Director of International Flights about the possible upcoming change to their flight route- but he remained silent as the others speculated. If he hadn’t been involved with Jack, he would be in no position to know their whereabouts at all.
Eventually, the door to the room opened, and in walked the missing three teammates.
“Hiya, guys. Sorry we’re a bit late,” Jack greeted them brightly with one of his trademark smiles. “We’ve just been having a Management Meeting.”
Questioning looks were exchanged amongst the staff, and Jack quickly reassured them. “Nothing to worry about- in fact, it’s all good! I’ll hand you over to Suzie, before we get down to business,” he gestured and stood back a few paces.
As they’d made their way to the staff room, it had been decided that Suzie would have the honour of revealing the award nomination, before Jack disclosed the airline’s plans for new destinations.
“I hope everyone’s had a good time off?” she asked rhetorically. “Well, there’s some very good news- Captain Harkness’ crew has been nominated as ‘Best Long Haul Crew of 2010’ for Torchwood’s Annual Awards in July!” There were murmurs of excitement amongst the team as they digested the news. “You’ll all be receiving invitations to the event in the post. If you can attend, please RSVP as soon as possible. Unfortunately, at this stage, the sheer numbers of staff exclude partners from the invitation, but it might be possible that there could be extra places available later on, depending on how many staff actually attend. I think you all can understand that this is a great honour for the team, and I’d like to thank you all for the work you’ve done in the last twelve months. This really is recognition for the way you’ve all pulled together and made the Cambodia route one of our most successful routes in less than a year of its operation. And remember- as well as the Management’s recommendations, these awards look at passenger satisfaction and comments. All of which were excellent. Well done, everyone!”
As the excitement died down, Jack continued. “I can’t agree with Suzie more- without all of your efforts, this route could have been such a success.” He hesitated for a second. “And now for the rest of the news… Torchwood is always looking at new destinations and the exemplary way that you’ve all conducted yourselves means that this team is fast becoming one of the first crews that the ‘powers that be’ look at when it’s trialling new flight routes. It turns out that, recently, the company was approached by a consortium of French travel companies, with a view to opening up several Pacific routes. Next month we’ve been asked to fly to New Caledonia on a test run.” There were yet more mutterings amongst the staff.
“Now, this is great news, but, of course, the downside is that the distance means that we’ll all be away from home for a lot longer than usual. On the first run we’ll be spending a week out there as it’s only a week’s charter. Of course, if this is a success, the schedule won’t be as punishing- there’ll be two crews alternating on the route. Now, I know a lot of you have commitments and this might be a problem for you- and this really is short notice. I want you all to have a think about this on the flight out- contact your families when we get to Phnom Penh and have a chat when you get back to the UK. If any of you can’t make it we’ll have to get in some temporary replacements for the flight.”
Despite the anticipation of a new place to visit- and she wracked her mind as to exactly where New Caledonia was- Gwen pouted. “I’m not sure my Rhys will be happy with me taking a whole week away…”
“I know, Gwen. It’s not gonna be easy, and if you can’t make it, we can look at swapping you with another attendant as a one off for this trip. The same goes for anyone else who’s got issues, but I really hope that if you can make it, that you all come along. It’s this crew that’s got us our nomination in the awards, and this is testament to TIA’s confidence in us all to make this a success. And by the way, I’ve been there before- and I can assure you all that it really is beautiful. Very French- fabulous food and facilities, and with some great beaches just out of the capital, Noumea. And with a week there you’ll all be able to explore, as well as topping up your tans,” he finished with a wink.
The last comment stopped Gwen in her tracks; she’d been about to try to back out of the trip, but her thoughts were now filled with crystal blue waters, and white, palm fringed beaches- and Jack Harkness sunbathing in little else but a pair of shorts and possibly a sunhat… “I suppose Rhys will just have to put up with it- after all, I couldn’t let the team down. And he just has to get used to the fact that I have a career…”
“Just think about it, Gwen. Have a chat with him,” Jack said before turning to the rest. “All of you- speak to the guys back home, if you need to. But if any of you can’t make it, please get in touch within a couple of days of getting back- we’ll swap your duties with crew from another of the long hauls, where we can. There’re no penalties for not being able to come along. But we need as much notice as you can give us.”
***
To be continued…
no subject
no subject
Hope they win the award XD
*dreams* New Caledonia *sighs happily*
no subject
They really do need to break the news about their relationship to the rest of the crew soon though - Gwen is getting ideas again, and that's never a good thing!
Hope we'll get to see Jack and Ianto enjoying those gorgeous beaches! *drools slightly in anticipation* Also looking forward to the Awards ceremony - will it be black tie? Guess I'll find out in a future chapter. =D
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject