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blucougar.livejournal.com posting in antigwenallies May. 3rd, 2014 03:26 pm)Title: Adaption
Chapter Eight: When Jason Met Jonah
Author: blucougar57
Summary: A new rift victim proves to be a revelation to the Torchwood team, and then some.
Rating: T
A/N: Sorry for not updating last night. I had band rehearsal from 8pm to 10pm and didn't get home until after 11pm. I was just too damn tired, folks.
Chapter Eight
Jason wandered the corridors of the Flat Holm facility alone and in silence. He would have loved to go outside and experience a bit of sunlight, but Helen had made it clear that going outside unsupervised was a strict no-no, and there simply wasn’t the staff to spare one to go with him. He hadn’t liked it, but he didn’t argue the point. In the short time that he’d been there, he could see how difficult Helen’s job was, and he had no desire to make it harder for her.
So he decided to bide his time and wait, and maybe Captain Harkness would give the okay for him to go outside for short stints, if he could prove that he was trustworthy.
From the moment that Captain Harkness and his partner, Mr Jones, had revealed that he had ended up in a parallel world, Jason had known it was going to be tough. Being separated from his parents and his friends was bad enough, but now he felt like a clumsy kid again, facing a long and difficult fight for acceptance. He shut his eyes briefly against the tears that threatened. The truth was that he wasn’t sure if he had the strength in him to go through all of that a second time. It had been difficult enough the first time around, but to be faced with having to fight that same battle all over again?
He knew in his heart that given time, he would be able to prove that he was no danger or threat to anyone. The problem was that he was nearly seventeen years old. Right at that moment, it felt a little too much to be starting over from scratch.
Trying not to dwell on his situation too much, Jason turned his attention to the residents’ rooms, silently reading the names as he passed each one.
Alex… Sharryn… Daniel… Jonah…
In reality, Jason supposed there weren’t that many rift victims on Flat Holm and yet, at the same time, even one was too many.
Helen had talked to him in greater depth about the facility after the Captain and Mr Jones had gone, and he’d had time to calm down from his earlier distress.
When the Captain first set up the facility and employed Helen and the other staff members, he’d led them to believe the residents were all victims of cruel experiments. They hadn’t been told the truth until about six or so months back, after one of the Captain’s team had discovered the facility. Then, with the advent of some global event that Jason was more or less ignorant of – Helen had mentioned something about the Earth being stolen, and things called Daleks, none of which made any sense at all to Jason – apparently Captain Harkness had decided the time had come to let the staff members know the truth about the people they were taking care of.
Only two of the staff members at the time had baulked at the truth. They had been released from their work contracts with the Captain’s blessing and, according to Helen, a parting gift of a cup of Ianto Jones’ specialty coffee. That last part made no sense to Jason, either, though he sensed there was an underlying meaning there that was probably strictly need-to-know. He was acutely aware that he fell into the category of most definitely not needing to know.
It was his second day of awareness in this new world that looked so much like his own and yet was apparently so utterly different. He sank down in a chair that was propped against the wall near the door marked ‘Jonah’, and buried his face in his hands, reluctantly letting the sobs escape him. His head was a mess, there was no denying it, and he was having trouble focusing on anything much at all. Every time he tried, everything seemed to compile and threaten to swamp him.
Captain Harkness had told him just that morning that he didn’t have to process everything at once, and that it would probably be better for him if he didn’t try. He thought he knew of at least one aspect of his current circumstances, though, that was causing him mental and emotional distress. For much of his teen life, he had found ways to be helpful to others. Whether it had been something as innocuous as doing chores for his parents or teaching class after class of children, teens and adults alike to defend themselves through karate, or defending the people of Angel Grove from the terrors of Rita’s henchmen and monsters, he had managed to make a valuable contribution.
He’d been useful. That was what it was. He’d been useful, and now? Now, he felt one step shy of useless. Not worthless – after working so long and hard to impart a sense of worth to others, he would never demean the work he’d done with others in his home world by considering himself to be worthless. It didn’t change the fact, though, that he was hurting and frustrated and confused and…
“Is someone out there?”
Jason jerked out of his moment of self-pity, startled back to the present by the unexpected voice. Looking around, he realised it was coming from inside Jonah’s room. The door was ajar, and Jason wondered ashamedly if the occupant had heard him crying. Not that he was ashamed of the act of crying, but he knew already that all the other residents would never leave the facility, due to their injuries or the psychological damage that they’d suffered. He at least had a good chance of being able to leave at some point, and start building a new future for himself, as hard as it might be.
Part of him wanted to flee. He knew he had a selfish side, just like anyone, and that side of him was telling him to get up and walk away fast. Jason, however, had never been one to run away from difficult situations, and he had too strong a sense of morality to ignore someone who might be in need. It was something that some people had told him was his greatest virtue, and others had said was his greatest failing. Jason preferred to see it as a virtue, and not a failing. As far as he was concerned, being willing to help people when you could should never be considered a failing.
Getting up, Jason ventured into the room.
“Hello? My name’s Jason. Are you Jonah?”
“Are you visiting, like the Captain?”
Jason walked slowly, feeling momentarily blinded by the sudden darkness of the room. He thought he could make out a human shape, and made his way towards it. He didn’t know what to expect. Helen had warned him that the other residents each had experienced varying degrees of damage, sometimes visible and sometimes not. He didn’t know which would be the case with Jonah.
“No, I’m not visiting,” he answered. “I have to stay here for a while. I don’t know how long.”
“Did it take you, too?”
Instinctively, Jason knew that Jonah was talking about the Rift.
“Yeah,” he confirmed. “It took me from a parallel world. I was lucky, though. It hurt a lot, but only to start with.”
He didn’t ask anything about Jonah partly because he figured Jonah would tell him if he wanted to. Secondly, he’d finally gotten close to get a proper look at Jonah, and he would have been lying if he’d said he wasn’t shocked by the horrific scarring that appeared to cover Jonah from head to toe. As someone who was used to facing off Rita’s monstrosities on a weekly basis, though, it was not hard for him to look past the physical scarring and see the humanity in Jonah’s eyes.
“Do you mind if I sit down?” Jason asked. Jonah watched him carefully before nodding slowly.
“Okay. You can’t stay long, though. It’ll start again soon.”
“What will start again?” Jason asked.
“The scream.”
Jason didn’t understand what Jonah meant, but he suspected it was probably beyond his power to anticipate.
“I don’t mind waiting with you,” he offered. “If you want me to, that is.”
“I’d like that,” Jonah whispered. “How old are you, Jason?”
“I’m sixteen. How about you?”
“I don’t really know anymore,” Jonah admitted. “I was fifteen when I was taken. I don’t know how long I was gone.”
Silence fell between them for a few minutes before Jonah spoke again.
“Don’t you want to know why I’m like this?”
Jason shrugged.
“Only if you want to talk about it. It’s your story, just like I have mine.”
There were another few minutes of companionable silence. Again, it was Jonah who broke it.
“Do my scars scare you?”
“No,” Jason answered honestly. “I was a little shocked at first, but they don’t scare me.”
“They scare most people,” Jonah said sadly. “But not as much as the scream. That scares everyone.”
“Why do you scream?” Jason asked.
“Because of what I saw when I was taken. I looked into the heart of a dark star. That’s what makes me scream.”
Jonah’s voice had dropped to a whisper but Jason had no trouble hearing him in the deathly quiet room. Jason felt a chill go through him. He knew without having to ask that Jonah did not mean an ordinary scream.
“I scream for twenty hours a day,” Jonah admitted tremulously. “It gets a tiny bit worse every day. One day I’ll start screaming and I won’t ever stop again.”
Jason felt his heart break at the despair in Jonah’s voice. He wanted to do something, anything to help and yet he knew in his gut that there was nothing he could do to help Jonah. Or rather, maybe there was something...”
“Are you on your own when you start screaming?” Jason asked.
“Yes. Most of the time. Helen tries to be with me but she’s busy.”
“When will it start again?”
“Soon. I can feel it building again. It’ll start again soon.”
Jason barely had to think about it before making his decision. Here was someone whose situation was so much worse than his own, and he couldn’t turn his back on him. Reaching across, Jason took Jonah’s hand in his and held it in a gentle but solid grip.
“How about I stay with you, and I’ll be here when you stop screaming, too. Would that be okay?”
“You don’t even know me,” Jonah said, sounding incredulous. Jason smiled reassuringly at him.
“Isn’t that how friendships start? Between people who don’t know each other? I’d like to be friends with you, if you’d like.”
A small smile formed on Jonah’s scarred face.
“I’d like that.”
* * * * *
Helen realised it had gone past the time for Jonah to start screaming, and rushed for his room. She was inside the room, struggling against the urge to clap her hands over her ears to try and block out the ungodly screaming, before realising that Jonah wasn’t alone.
“Jason? What on earth are you doing in here?”
Jason held up his hand in a gesture asking her to wait before continuing talking to Jonah, despite the fact that Jonah was already locked into his screaming madness.
“So I’ve made a note of the time and I’ll make sure that I’ll be right here when you come out of it, just like I promised. You won’t be alone, Jonah. I promise you that you won’t be alone.”
Gently, he laid Jonah’s hand back in his lap and patting his shoulder lightly before joining Helen in the doorway.
“I told him I’d wait with him until the screaming started, and that I’ll be there when he comes out of it,” Jason said once they were out in the corridor and away from the nerve-grating sound of Jonah’s scream.
“Now why on earth would you do that?” Helen asked, staring at him piercingly. Jason looked back to the now closed door with sad understanding on his face.
“Because it’s the only thing I can do for him.”
A warm smile broke out over Helen’s face and she pulled Jason to her in a fierce hug.
“You sweet, wonderful boy. That is something that most people will never understand with Jonah. How on earth did you figure it out so quickly?”
“I don’t know,” Jason admitted. “I was just looking for something to focus on because... Well, I guess I’m not doing so great myself at the moment, but I figured I was still a lot better off than any of the other people that have to stay here. I’d stopped outside Jonah’s room and he must have heard me because he asked if someone was there. I went in, and we talked for a little bit, and he told me about the screaming, and why he does it. He said he’s often alone when it starts, so I figured that was something I could do for him. Maybe, if I can do that much, then it might not be quite so frightening for him.”
“You are a good, sweet boy,” Helen praised him, hugging him again. “I don’t know if it’ll help but if you have the grit to try, I know Jonah will appreciate it, and so will I.”
“I’ll try,” Jason confirmed, feeling a rush of warmth through his body at the knowledge that there was someone that he could actually offer some sort of a practical help to.
“Good boy,” Helen murmured, hugging him yet again. “Thank you, my sweetheart.”
* * * * *
“Jack?”
Slowly, Jack came back to reality to find Tosh standing on the other side of his desk, looking at him with concern on her face.
“Hmm, sorry?” Jack asked in mild embarrassment at being caught so-called day-dreaming.
“I asked if everything was okay,” she said tentatively. “You looked a little... distracted.”
Jack smiled reassuringly at her, while managing to look endearingly confused at the same time.
“I just spoke to Helen. She said that Jason has met Jonah.”
“Oh dear,” Tosh murmured, but Jack shook his head.
“No, it wasn’t bad. She said Jason accepted Jonah and the way he is without question, and that he’s promised to be with Jonah when he goes into his scream and when he comes out of it, so that Jonah’s not alone. She said that when she asked him why he would do that, apparently Jason answered that it was because it was the only thing he could do for him.”
“Well...” Tosh said in surprise. “That’s very pragmatic for a teenage boy who’s just had his own world torn away from him.”
A grin began to spread across Jack’s face.
“I know. The more I hear from and about this kid, the more I like him. He’s observant, thoughtful and practical, and seems to have a very strong streak of selflessness in him.”
“I can practically hear the wheels turning in your head, Jack. What are you thinking?”
“Nothing, yet,” Jack said, still with the grin. “Nothing’s going to happen until he’s been properly evaluated. Once that happens, then we’ll see how things go.”
“Your words say one thing,” Tosh chided him lightly, “but your grin says something else entirely.”
Jack chuckled.
“Let’s just say I have a really good feeling about this kid, Tosh. A really good feeling.”
* * * * *
Because it was the only thing he could do.
Those words resonated in Jack’s mind long after his phone conversation with Helen. When she’d said that she’d found Jason with Jonah, he’d honestly not known what to think, and the thoughts he did have were not good ones. While he didn’t like thinking the worst of people and their motives, bitter experience had taught him that most of the time, human nature was a wretched thing and most people inevitably acted in their own self interests, even if it was unintentional.
But then Helen had gone on to give him greater details, and what she had told him had effectively floored him, to the point where he was still doing an open-mouthed guppy impersonation when Tosh had walked in. Hours later, Jack was still mulling over it when Ianto finally emerged from the archives.
“Something wrong?” Ianto wondered.
“No... No, nothing’s wrong. In fact, I’m starting to think that we’ve gotten very lucky.”
Ianto raised an eyebrow in bemusement.
“And yet you’re still fully clothed, as am I. That’s a bit of a premature assessment, even for you.”
Jack shot his lover a mock glare.
“Very funny, Ianto. That isn’t what I meant. It might be hard to believe, but I do think about things other than sex once in a while.” Ianto opened his mouth to speak but Jack cut him off cleanly. “Don’t say it! Don’t even think it!”
The teasing grin on Ianto’s face softened into something more sincere.
“Sorry, Jack. I have to admit that I’m feeling rather tired, and you know what I’m like when I’m tired.”
“And normally I’d take advantage of that,” Jack said. “Right now, though... Ianto, what would you say if I told you that I was considering recruiting Jason for Torchwood?”
Ianto’s eyebrows shot up almost to his hairline. It was the only outwardly visible sign of his astonishment.
“You must have a reason for even considering it,” Ianto mused after a lengthy silence. “I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt, and let you have a chance to explain before I start wondering about your current mental state.”
Jack pulled a face.
“Again, funny. And yes, I do have a reason. Maybe more than one, but definitely at least one.”
“Perhaps you’ll stop rambling, and tell me?” Ianto suggested lightly. Jack smiled sheepishly, and went on to tell Ianto about the phone call he’d received from Helen.
“He saw someone in need and figured out the best way to help him without causing any grief. There aren’t a lot of people around with that sort of astuteness, Ianto. In fact, you’re the only other person I know with the ability to do that. We have a kid who has had his world turned upside down. He’s got every right to be angry and hurt and not wanting to be in any way sociable, and yet he somehow managed to seek out the most damaged person in the facility and after talking with him for less than half an hour, managed to pinpoint the best and only way to help him.”
“That is quite impressive,” Ianto said, “given that Jason hasn’t yet fully recovered from the physical trauma of his trip through the Rift. He must still be experiencing at least some degree of disorientation.”
Jack nodded thoughtfully.
“You’re probably right and if that’s the case, then he’s even smarter than I’m giving him credit for. Tell me, Ianto, when you were a kid did you ever spin in circles until you got so dizzy that you fell over?”
Ianto smiled wistfully as he thought back to those innocent days of his childhood. That was something he vividly recalled doing, but only before his mother became ill and lost in her delusions. After she got sick, silly childish things like that were put away for good, but he still had fond memories that he clung to.
“I never fell over,” he answered smugly. “Always ended up a little woozy, but I never toppled, no matter how many turns I did. It pissed Rhi off no end. She always ended up on her arse after about half a dozen spins.”
“And why did you never fall over?”
“Oldest trick in the book,” Ianto said dismissively, with just a hint of conceit that had Jack grinning. “You pick a focal point and stick to it like glue... Oh... You think that’s what Jason is doing with Jonah? Using him as a focal point?”
“Maybe not intentionally, but yeah. I think he might be doing just that, in a metaphorical sense, if not a literal one. Helen’s going to keep a close eye on Jason, and keep us informed about what’s happening. She seems to think his intentions are honest, though. I really hope she’s right, for Jonah’s sake.”
Ianto leaned in to grasp Jack’s hand in a reassuring grasp.
“Have some faith, Jack. I know you still have it in you.”
Jack smiled up at Ianto.
“Thanks to you. Only thanks to you.”
* * * * *
to be continued....
Chapter Eight: When Jason Met Jonah
Author: blucougar57
Summary: A new rift victim proves to be a revelation to the Torchwood team, and then some.
Rating: T
A/N: Sorry for not updating last night. I had band rehearsal from 8pm to 10pm and didn't get home until after 11pm. I was just too damn tired, folks.
Jason wandered the corridors of the Flat Holm facility alone and in silence. He would have loved to go outside and experience a bit of sunlight, but Helen had made it clear that going outside unsupervised was a strict no-no, and there simply wasn’t the staff to spare one to go with him. He hadn’t liked it, but he didn’t argue the point. In the short time that he’d been there, he could see how difficult Helen’s job was, and he had no desire to make it harder for her.
So he decided to bide his time and wait, and maybe Captain Harkness would give the okay for him to go outside for short stints, if he could prove that he was trustworthy.
From the moment that Captain Harkness and his partner, Mr Jones, had revealed that he had ended up in a parallel world, Jason had known it was going to be tough. Being separated from his parents and his friends was bad enough, but now he felt like a clumsy kid again, facing a long and difficult fight for acceptance. He shut his eyes briefly against the tears that threatened. The truth was that he wasn’t sure if he had the strength in him to go through all of that a second time. It had been difficult enough the first time around, but to be faced with having to fight that same battle all over again?
He knew in his heart that given time, he would be able to prove that he was no danger or threat to anyone. The problem was that he was nearly seventeen years old. Right at that moment, it felt a little too much to be starting over from scratch.
Trying not to dwell on his situation too much, Jason turned his attention to the residents’ rooms, silently reading the names as he passed each one.
Alex… Sharryn… Daniel… Jonah…
In reality, Jason supposed there weren’t that many rift victims on Flat Holm and yet, at the same time, even one was too many.
Helen had talked to him in greater depth about the facility after the Captain and Mr Jones had gone, and he’d had time to calm down from his earlier distress.
When the Captain first set up the facility and employed Helen and the other staff members, he’d led them to believe the residents were all victims of cruel experiments. They hadn’t been told the truth until about six or so months back, after one of the Captain’s team had discovered the facility. Then, with the advent of some global event that Jason was more or less ignorant of – Helen had mentioned something about the Earth being stolen, and things called Daleks, none of which made any sense at all to Jason – apparently Captain Harkness had decided the time had come to let the staff members know the truth about the people they were taking care of.
Only two of the staff members at the time had baulked at the truth. They had been released from their work contracts with the Captain’s blessing and, according to Helen, a parting gift of a cup of Ianto Jones’ specialty coffee. That last part made no sense to Jason, either, though he sensed there was an underlying meaning there that was probably strictly need-to-know. He was acutely aware that he fell into the category of most definitely not needing to know.
It was his second day of awareness in this new world that looked so much like his own and yet was apparently so utterly different. He sank down in a chair that was propped against the wall near the door marked ‘Jonah’, and buried his face in his hands, reluctantly letting the sobs escape him. His head was a mess, there was no denying it, and he was having trouble focusing on anything much at all. Every time he tried, everything seemed to compile and threaten to swamp him.
Captain Harkness had told him just that morning that he didn’t have to process everything at once, and that it would probably be better for him if he didn’t try. He thought he knew of at least one aspect of his current circumstances, though, that was causing him mental and emotional distress. For much of his teen life, he had found ways to be helpful to others. Whether it had been something as innocuous as doing chores for his parents or teaching class after class of children, teens and adults alike to defend themselves through karate, or defending the people of Angel Grove from the terrors of Rita’s henchmen and monsters, he had managed to make a valuable contribution.
He’d been useful. That was what it was. He’d been useful, and now? Now, he felt one step shy of useless. Not worthless – after working so long and hard to impart a sense of worth to others, he would never demean the work he’d done with others in his home world by considering himself to be worthless. It didn’t change the fact, though, that he was hurting and frustrated and confused and…
“Is someone out there?”
Jason jerked out of his moment of self-pity, startled back to the present by the unexpected voice. Looking around, he realised it was coming from inside Jonah’s room. The door was ajar, and Jason wondered ashamedly if the occupant had heard him crying. Not that he was ashamed of the act of crying, but he knew already that all the other residents would never leave the facility, due to their injuries or the psychological damage that they’d suffered. He at least had a good chance of being able to leave at some point, and start building a new future for himself, as hard as it might be.
Part of him wanted to flee. He knew he had a selfish side, just like anyone, and that side of him was telling him to get up and walk away fast. Jason, however, had never been one to run away from difficult situations, and he had too strong a sense of morality to ignore someone who might be in need. It was something that some people had told him was his greatest virtue, and others had said was his greatest failing. Jason preferred to see it as a virtue, and not a failing. As far as he was concerned, being willing to help people when you could should never be considered a failing.
Getting up, Jason ventured into the room.
“Hello? My name’s Jason. Are you Jonah?”
“Are you visiting, like the Captain?”
Jason walked slowly, feeling momentarily blinded by the sudden darkness of the room. He thought he could make out a human shape, and made his way towards it. He didn’t know what to expect. Helen had warned him that the other residents each had experienced varying degrees of damage, sometimes visible and sometimes not. He didn’t know which would be the case with Jonah.
“No, I’m not visiting,” he answered. “I have to stay here for a while. I don’t know how long.”
“Did it take you, too?”
Instinctively, Jason knew that Jonah was talking about the Rift.
“Yeah,” he confirmed. “It took me from a parallel world. I was lucky, though. It hurt a lot, but only to start with.”
He didn’t ask anything about Jonah partly because he figured Jonah would tell him if he wanted to. Secondly, he’d finally gotten close to get a proper look at Jonah, and he would have been lying if he’d said he wasn’t shocked by the horrific scarring that appeared to cover Jonah from head to toe. As someone who was used to facing off Rita’s monstrosities on a weekly basis, though, it was not hard for him to look past the physical scarring and see the humanity in Jonah’s eyes.
“Do you mind if I sit down?” Jason asked. Jonah watched him carefully before nodding slowly.
“Okay. You can’t stay long, though. It’ll start again soon.”
“What will start again?” Jason asked.
“The scream.”
Jason didn’t understand what Jonah meant, but he suspected it was probably beyond his power to anticipate.
“I don’t mind waiting with you,” he offered. “If you want me to, that is.”
“I’d like that,” Jonah whispered. “How old are you, Jason?”
“I’m sixteen. How about you?”
“I don’t really know anymore,” Jonah admitted. “I was fifteen when I was taken. I don’t know how long I was gone.”
Silence fell between them for a few minutes before Jonah spoke again.
“Don’t you want to know why I’m like this?”
Jason shrugged.
“Only if you want to talk about it. It’s your story, just like I have mine.”
There were another few minutes of companionable silence. Again, it was Jonah who broke it.
“Do my scars scare you?”
“No,” Jason answered honestly. “I was a little shocked at first, but they don’t scare me.”
“They scare most people,” Jonah said sadly. “But not as much as the scream. That scares everyone.”
“Why do you scream?” Jason asked.
“Because of what I saw when I was taken. I looked into the heart of a dark star. That’s what makes me scream.”
Jonah’s voice had dropped to a whisper but Jason had no trouble hearing him in the deathly quiet room. Jason felt a chill go through him. He knew without having to ask that Jonah did not mean an ordinary scream.
“I scream for twenty hours a day,” Jonah admitted tremulously. “It gets a tiny bit worse every day. One day I’ll start screaming and I won’t ever stop again.”
Jason felt his heart break at the despair in Jonah’s voice. He wanted to do something, anything to help and yet he knew in his gut that there was nothing he could do to help Jonah. Or rather, maybe there was something...”
“Are you on your own when you start screaming?” Jason asked.
“Yes. Most of the time. Helen tries to be with me but she’s busy.”
“When will it start again?”
“Soon. I can feel it building again. It’ll start again soon.”
Jason barely had to think about it before making his decision. Here was someone whose situation was so much worse than his own, and he couldn’t turn his back on him. Reaching across, Jason took Jonah’s hand in his and held it in a gentle but solid grip.
“How about I stay with you, and I’ll be here when you stop screaming, too. Would that be okay?”
“You don’t even know me,” Jonah said, sounding incredulous. Jason smiled reassuringly at him.
“Isn’t that how friendships start? Between people who don’t know each other? I’d like to be friends with you, if you’d like.”
A small smile formed on Jonah’s scarred face.
“I’d like that.”
Helen realised it had gone past the time for Jonah to start screaming, and rushed for his room. She was inside the room, struggling against the urge to clap her hands over her ears to try and block out the ungodly screaming, before realising that Jonah wasn’t alone.
“Jason? What on earth are you doing in here?”
Jason held up his hand in a gesture asking her to wait before continuing talking to Jonah, despite the fact that Jonah was already locked into his screaming madness.
“So I’ve made a note of the time and I’ll make sure that I’ll be right here when you come out of it, just like I promised. You won’t be alone, Jonah. I promise you that you won’t be alone.”
Gently, he laid Jonah’s hand back in his lap and patting his shoulder lightly before joining Helen in the doorway.
“I told him I’d wait with him until the screaming started, and that I’ll be there when he comes out of it,” Jason said once they were out in the corridor and away from the nerve-grating sound of Jonah’s scream.
“Now why on earth would you do that?” Helen asked, staring at him piercingly. Jason looked back to the now closed door with sad understanding on his face.
“Because it’s the only thing I can do for him.”
A warm smile broke out over Helen’s face and she pulled Jason to her in a fierce hug.
“You sweet, wonderful boy. That is something that most people will never understand with Jonah. How on earth did you figure it out so quickly?”
“I don’t know,” Jason admitted. “I was just looking for something to focus on because... Well, I guess I’m not doing so great myself at the moment, but I figured I was still a lot better off than any of the other people that have to stay here. I’d stopped outside Jonah’s room and he must have heard me because he asked if someone was there. I went in, and we talked for a little bit, and he told me about the screaming, and why he does it. He said he’s often alone when it starts, so I figured that was something I could do for him. Maybe, if I can do that much, then it might not be quite so frightening for him.”
“You are a good, sweet boy,” Helen praised him, hugging him again. “I don’t know if it’ll help but if you have the grit to try, I know Jonah will appreciate it, and so will I.”
“I’ll try,” Jason confirmed, feeling a rush of warmth through his body at the knowledge that there was someone that he could actually offer some sort of a practical help to.
“Good boy,” Helen murmured, hugging him yet again. “Thank you, my sweetheart.”
“Jack?”
Slowly, Jack came back to reality to find Tosh standing on the other side of his desk, looking at him with concern on her face.
“Hmm, sorry?” Jack asked in mild embarrassment at being caught so-called day-dreaming.
“I asked if everything was okay,” she said tentatively. “You looked a little... distracted.”
Jack smiled reassuringly at her, while managing to look endearingly confused at the same time.
“I just spoke to Helen. She said that Jason has met Jonah.”
“Oh dear,” Tosh murmured, but Jack shook his head.
“No, it wasn’t bad. She said Jason accepted Jonah and the way he is without question, and that he’s promised to be with Jonah when he goes into his scream and when he comes out of it, so that Jonah’s not alone. She said that when she asked him why he would do that, apparently Jason answered that it was because it was the only thing he could do for him.”
“Well...” Tosh said in surprise. “That’s very pragmatic for a teenage boy who’s just had his own world torn away from him.”
A grin began to spread across Jack’s face.
“I know. The more I hear from and about this kid, the more I like him. He’s observant, thoughtful and practical, and seems to have a very strong streak of selflessness in him.”
“I can practically hear the wheels turning in your head, Jack. What are you thinking?”
“Nothing, yet,” Jack said, still with the grin. “Nothing’s going to happen until he’s been properly evaluated. Once that happens, then we’ll see how things go.”
“Your words say one thing,” Tosh chided him lightly, “but your grin says something else entirely.”
Jack chuckled.
“Let’s just say I have a really good feeling about this kid, Tosh. A really good feeling.”
Because it was the only thing he could do.
Those words resonated in Jack’s mind long after his phone conversation with Helen. When she’d said that she’d found Jason with Jonah, he’d honestly not known what to think, and the thoughts he did have were not good ones. While he didn’t like thinking the worst of people and their motives, bitter experience had taught him that most of the time, human nature was a wretched thing and most people inevitably acted in their own self interests, even if it was unintentional.
But then Helen had gone on to give him greater details, and what she had told him had effectively floored him, to the point where he was still doing an open-mouthed guppy impersonation when Tosh had walked in. Hours later, Jack was still mulling over it when Ianto finally emerged from the archives.
“Something wrong?” Ianto wondered.
“No... No, nothing’s wrong. In fact, I’m starting to think that we’ve gotten very lucky.”
Ianto raised an eyebrow in bemusement.
“And yet you’re still fully clothed, as am I. That’s a bit of a premature assessment, even for you.”
Jack shot his lover a mock glare.
“Very funny, Ianto. That isn’t what I meant. It might be hard to believe, but I do think about things other than sex once in a while.” Ianto opened his mouth to speak but Jack cut him off cleanly. “Don’t say it! Don’t even think it!”
The teasing grin on Ianto’s face softened into something more sincere.
“Sorry, Jack. I have to admit that I’m feeling rather tired, and you know what I’m like when I’m tired.”
“And normally I’d take advantage of that,” Jack said. “Right now, though... Ianto, what would you say if I told you that I was considering recruiting Jason for Torchwood?”
Ianto’s eyebrows shot up almost to his hairline. It was the only outwardly visible sign of his astonishment.
“You must have a reason for even considering it,” Ianto mused after a lengthy silence. “I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt, and let you have a chance to explain before I start wondering about your current mental state.”
Jack pulled a face.
“Again, funny. And yes, I do have a reason. Maybe more than one, but definitely at least one.”
“Perhaps you’ll stop rambling, and tell me?” Ianto suggested lightly. Jack smiled sheepishly, and went on to tell Ianto about the phone call he’d received from Helen.
“He saw someone in need and figured out the best way to help him without causing any grief. There aren’t a lot of people around with that sort of astuteness, Ianto. In fact, you’re the only other person I know with the ability to do that. We have a kid who has had his world turned upside down. He’s got every right to be angry and hurt and not wanting to be in any way sociable, and yet he somehow managed to seek out the most damaged person in the facility and after talking with him for less than half an hour, managed to pinpoint the best and only way to help him.”
“That is quite impressive,” Ianto said, “given that Jason hasn’t yet fully recovered from the physical trauma of his trip through the Rift. He must still be experiencing at least some degree of disorientation.”
Jack nodded thoughtfully.
“You’re probably right and if that’s the case, then he’s even smarter than I’m giving him credit for. Tell me, Ianto, when you were a kid did you ever spin in circles until you got so dizzy that you fell over?”
Ianto smiled wistfully as he thought back to those innocent days of his childhood. That was something he vividly recalled doing, but only before his mother became ill and lost in her delusions. After she got sick, silly childish things like that were put away for good, but he still had fond memories that he clung to.
“I never fell over,” he answered smugly. “Always ended up a little woozy, but I never toppled, no matter how many turns I did. It pissed Rhi off no end. She always ended up on her arse after about half a dozen spins.”
“And why did you never fall over?”
“Oldest trick in the book,” Ianto said dismissively, with just a hint of conceit that had Jack grinning. “You pick a focal point and stick to it like glue... Oh... You think that’s what Jason is doing with Jonah? Using him as a focal point?”
“Maybe not intentionally, but yeah. I think he might be doing just that, in a metaphorical sense, if not a literal one. Helen’s going to keep a close eye on Jason, and keep us informed about what’s happening. She seems to think his intentions are honest, though. I really hope she’s right, for Jonah’s sake.”
Ianto leaned in to grasp Jack’s hand in a reassuring grasp.
“Have some faith, Jack. I know you still have it in you.”
Jack smiled up at Ianto.
“Thanks to you. Only thanks to you.”
to be continued....
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I always liked Jason as a character. He had so much potential that was never really explored in the Power Rangers show. Hardly a surprise, really, given what the show was.
But I also love writing Jack and Ianto having a very honest and affectionate relationship. They don't necessarily have to do the hand-holding thing, but simply not to have any reservations about showing each other how much they care, regardless of who is around to watch.
And yes, thank you, I am catching up on some much-needed rest today!
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I always thought that RTD totally screwed up Jack and Ianto's relationship in his idiotic pursuit of the Gwack. Why wouldn't Jack be willing to commit to a relationship with someone who knows about him, and accepts him for who he is. Jack knows he's going to have to deal with loss of loved ones. Surely he'd rather go on and have the memories, rather than regrets for opportunities not taken.
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And yes, I think Jason would make a wonderful addition to Torchwood!
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There is a bit of unintentional selfishness on Jason's part, in that he's focusing on Jonah to stave off a major breakdown, he's not consciously aware that he's doing it and it will get easier for him to cope as time progresses. But he's genuine in wanting to help Jonah, and be a friend to him.