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find_rightbrainTitle: Surprises, Holidays, and So-Called Traditions
Characters/Pairing: Jack/Rose, Ianto, Gwen, Tosh and Owen
Word Count: 537
Rating: G
Summary: Aliens don't take Christmas off. Except when they do, apparently.
Notes: Written for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
starletfallen as a Christmas drabble. Set vaguely in Inn-verse, if anyone really wants to know how Rose got there, but does it really matter?
Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood, Doctor Who, or any of their respective characters.
"Don't be surprised," Ianto warned as Gwen walked in.
She stopped and turned to face him, frowning a little. "Surprised by what?"
All the things in Torchwood a person could possibly be surprised by, and Ianto had never seen fit to warn her about any of it. That alone was cause for concern.
He shrugged and held out a cup of coffee to her. "You'll know."
"Thank you, I was missing my daily dose of cryptic today," she said as she accepted the coffee, rolling her eyes and heading down the hall.
The first things he noticed when she got to the end of the hallway was Jack's laugh, ringing through the Hub, unrestrained and purely happy and... well, unusual, for Jack. And then a woman's voice, unfamiliar, bright and cheerful. And Tosh, sitting in front of her computer, looking baffled and a little concerned.
Gwen walked over to stand beside her, frowning toward Jack's office. There was a blonde on his lap, arms wound comfortably around his neck, bright grin on both their faces. "What's this?"
Tosh looked up briefly, and then back to Jack and the blonde. "Jack's friend."
"Jack has a friend? Someone he actually... talks to and tells things?"
"Apparently." Tosh paused and tapped a few keys on her keyboard, at least pretending to work. "From a parallel universe, he says."
Gwen frowned. "I can see where the surprise comes in."
*
You didn't exactly get holidays working at Torchwood. Sick days and days off were a thing of a past. Aliens did not take Christmas off.
Except when they did, apparently. Nothing on the scanners, no mysterious deaths or unexplained lights in the sky...
Rose decided this meant Chinese food, alcohol and Christmas music played on the stereo.
"Torchwood tradition," she explained with a grin.
"You are making that up," Jack said accusingly, though he didn't argue when Ianto picked up the phone to order the standard assortment of Chinese food. "I've been with Torchwood for longer than you've been alive, and unless things are even more different than you're telling me on this parallel world of yours..."
"You never know." Rose shrugged. "They say 'merry Christmas' there, 'stead of 'happy Christmas'. It's mad."
"It's a travesty," Jack agreed sardonically, which made Rose laugh, wrinkling her nose and sticking her tongue out just a little between her teeth, and smack him lightly.
Two hours later, Rose had had a bit too much to drink and hung upside down off the couch, next to Gwen (who was sitting right side up). "Oh, and there was this one time! We were on, um. Well, actually, I can't remember the name of the planet, but all the aliens were both sexes. And Jack-"
Jack shook his head, sighing a little. "Rose, I've been trying to cultivate this air of mystery..."
She, of course, ignored him and went on with her story.
Owen snorted and leaned in toward him to murmur, "Regretting inviting your alternate universe girlfriend yet?"
Jack didn't turn to look at him, didn't protest the use of the term girlfriend, didn't do anything but watch her, and smile, and shake his head and murmur, "Never."
Characters/Pairing: Jack/Rose, Ianto, Gwen, Tosh and Owen
Word Count: 537
Rating: G
Summary: Aliens don't take Christmas off. Except when they do, apparently.
Notes: Written for
starletfallen as a Christmas drabble. Set vaguely in Inn-verse, if anyone really wants to know how Rose got there, but does it really matter?Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood, Doctor Who, or any of their respective characters.
"Don't be surprised," Ianto warned as Gwen walked in.
She stopped and turned to face him, frowning a little. "Surprised by what?"
All the things in Torchwood a person could possibly be surprised by, and Ianto had never seen fit to warn her about any of it. That alone was cause for concern.
He shrugged and held out a cup of coffee to her. "You'll know."
"Thank you, I was missing my daily dose of cryptic today," she said as she accepted the coffee, rolling her eyes and heading down the hall.
The first things he noticed when she got to the end of the hallway was Jack's laugh, ringing through the Hub, unrestrained and purely happy and... well, unusual, for Jack. And then a woman's voice, unfamiliar, bright and cheerful. And Tosh, sitting in front of her computer, looking baffled and a little concerned.
Gwen walked over to stand beside her, frowning toward Jack's office. There was a blonde on his lap, arms wound comfortably around his neck, bright grin on both their faces. "What's this?"
Tosh looked up briefly, and then back to Jack and the blonde. "Jack's friend."
"Jack has a friend? Someone he actually... talks to and tells things?"
"Apparently." Tosh paused and tapped a few keys on her keyboard, at least pretending to work. "From a parallel universe, he says."
Gwen frowned. "I can see where the surprise comes in."
You didn't exactly get holidays working at Torchwood. Sick days and days off were a thing of a past. Aliens did not take Christmas off.
Except when they did, apparently. Nothing on the scanners, no mysterious deaths or unexplained lights in the sky...
Rose decided this meant Chinese food, alcohol and Christmas music played on the stereo.
"Torchwood tradition," she explained with a grin.
"You are making that up," Jack said accusingly, though he didn't argue when Ianto picked up the phone to order the standard assortment of Chinese food. "I've been with Torchwood for longer than you've been alive, and unless things are even more different than you're telling me on this parallel world of yours..."
"You never know." Rose shrugged. "They say 'merry Christmas' there, 'stead of 'happy Christmas'. It's mad."
"It's a travesty," Jack agreed sardonically, which made Rose laugh, wrinkling her nose and sticking her tongue out just a little between her teeth, and smack him lightly.
Two hours later, Rose had had a bit too much to drink and hung upside down off the couch, next to Gwen (who was sitting right side up). "Oh, and there was this one time! We were on, um. Well, actually, I can't remember the name of the planet, but all the aliens were both sexes. And Jack-"
Jack shook his head, sighing a little. "Rose, I've been trying to cultivate this air of mystery..."
She, of course, ignored him and went on with her story.
Owen snorted and leaned in toward him to murmur, "Regretting inviting your alternate universe girlfriend yet?"
Jack didn't turn to look at him, didn't protest the use of the term girlfriend, didn't do anything but watch her, and smile, and shake his head and murmur, "Never."
(no subject)
Date: 2007-12-24 10:09 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-08-11 05:04 am (UTC)Jack didn't turn to look at him, didn't protest the use of the term girlfriend, didn't do anything but watch her, and smile, and shake his head and murmur, "Never."
How do I love this exchange, let me count the ways:)
This drabble was brilliant. Any chance of sequel?
(no subject)
Date: 2008-08-11 02:07 pm (UTC)