Manifest Destiny
Oct. 25th, 2010 06:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sariagrayTitle:Manifest Destiny
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sariagray
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Gwen, Tosh, Owen
Rating: PG13
Word Count: ~1100
Spoilers: Nada
Warnings: It pretends to be AU. Uh. Bordering on crack!fic. Fuzzyish. OOC, just in case. Unbeta'd.
Disclaimer: I don't have the rights to anything; this includes Torchwood. I'm not making any money off of this.
Author’s Note: See bottom of entry for extended note. Apologies if the references in this don’t apply to anyone outside of the US. I just HAD to write this. It wouldn’t leave me alone.
Dawn was breaking over the horizon, a pale glowing red shot through with gold. He had the rifle poised and aimed at the shadows created by the natural pillars of stone.
They needed food; they had been running low for days now, rationing it to extremes that worried him. Even with his refusal to partake of any sustenance himself, they were in danger of starving.
The early air was cool and fresh, the autumn just barely grazing the land spread out before him. It was calming and restorative; for a moment, he felt hope well up in his chest.
A doe crossed his line of sight, black against the lightening sky. He waited; one shot would scatter any wildlife and he wanted to bring back a larger haul. Finally, after long moments of waiting, he caught the form of a buffalo against one of the pillars. He aimed, shot, and felled the creature. As suspected, the doe scampered away to safety.
Rising from his position, Jack strode over to the beast and began to prepare it. Bringing it back would be difficult, large as it was. He would have to make trips. Owen would help. Ianto was still held up with a fever and Gwen had gotten lost yesterday; Tosh was out searching for her (thank God for her keen sense of direction!).
When he returned to the wagon with as much meat as he could carry, he set about waking up a rather reticent doctor.
"It's not even light out yet!"
"I need your help. Got a buffalo."
Owen's eyes perked up at the mention of food and he hustled to get ready. Jack was outside cutting meat from the bone to smoke it into strips of jerky, so he took a moment to check on Ianto.
His patient was already awake. His face was regaining its natural color and his eyes were no longer bright with the fever. Owen breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
"How're you feeling?"
"Like hell. But better," Ianto admitted, his voice lethargic and raw.
Owen nodded and offered him a sip of water.
"Jack's got bison meat; I'm going to go help him bring it back. You okay on your own for a bit?"
"Jack -" Ianto breathed.
"Right here," Jack called cheerfully from the entrance before turning a more serious countenance toward Owen. "How is he?"
"Well, he's clear of any immediate danger. We really need to find water soon, though."
Jack nodded and leaned down to kiss Ianto's forehead. It was substantially cooler than it had been and Jack released a little bit of his tension. Grabbing Ianto's hand, he stroked his thumb over the clammy palm.
"Tosh and Gwen?" Ianto asked tentatively.
"Still not back."
"Don't worry. Tosh'll find her."
Jack nodded brusquely and pressed a chaste kiss to Ianto's fever-chapped lips.
"You just worry about getting better. Owen and I will be back soon."
Ianto nodded and dozed.
It wasn't until he felt a cool hand pressed to his cheek that he woke up again. He blinked his eyes into focus and the dark splotch slowly resolved itself into Tosh's smiling face.
"Told you not to worry!" Jack beamed.
Ianto turned his head, noticing Jack sitting at his bedside for the first time. As his senses finally caught up, he realized that his right hand was held firmly in Jack's.
"Gwen?" he managed to croak out.
Tosh's face fell. "Broken leg, but she'll be fine. She had gone looking for water and fell."
"Tosh?" Owen's voice called out. "You know you shouldn't be in there! He could still be contagious!"
Tosh shot Ianto an apologetic look and scurried out of the wagon. Ianto glanced over at Jack. He looked tired, burdened by something, but relieved.
"How long have I been out?" he whispered cautiously.
Jack cringed.
"Jack!" Ianto demanded, the strength in his voice gradually returning. "How long?"
"Six days," Jack whispered, his eyes heavy with concern and exhaustion.
"Six-? But...I was getting better!"
Six days. Gone. He didn't remember a single moment of them. Had he eaten anything? He must have. Still, his stomach clenched with a sick empty feeling.
"You were, but you were worse than before when Owen and I came back with the food. Typhoid, Owen says. But you came out of it again. The past two days, you've been resting."
Ianto nodded. "You look worn out."
Jack smiled, watery eyes twinkling in the light of the lantern. The lantern. It must have been night. But why were they traveling at night?
Jack must have noticed Ianto's confused expression because he laughed softly and squeezed his hand.
"We're only about a mile and a half to the Whitman Mission. We'll rest there," he explained. "Gwen needs her leg properly set, and we've got to get you real medicine."
"We don't have money for real medicine."
"You're not allowed to worry about that," Jack chided and kissed his fingers. "All you have to worry about is what kind of house I'm building you."
"I don't trust you with a hammer and nails," Ianto smiled sleepily. "The house would probably collapse."
"All right, fine," Jack grinned and kissed him. "You build it, I'll just watch."
--------
The warm, firm hand pressed to his shoulder startled Jack from his thoughts. He looked up sheepishly.
"So I take it I shouldn't be expecting your signature on the forms I've left you?"
The rich baritone, full of health and vigor and life, reassured Jack, which was strange as he knew Ianto had been fine.
Ianto kissed the top of Jack's head indulgently as he glanced at the screen.
"Almost make it, then?"
Jack nodded and clicked the arrow key a few times. An urgent screen flashed in front of them.
Ianto snickered to himself, leaning back against the desk to Jack's left.
"You looked pretty deep in thought before," he said.
"Yeah, well," Jack shrugged. "You had a fever. And then you had typhoid and we were out of food. And Gwen got lost. You got better but Gwen came back with a broken leg."
"Poor thing," Ianto sympathized.
"And I kept thinking about it all, if we were actually there. We could go, you know."
"To Oregon?" Ianto raised an eyebrow.
"Well, yeah. But experience the whole thing. I could talk to the Doctor. Go back in time."
"And why would we want to do that?"
Jack grinned. "Team bonding! And you look really good with one of those hats...the wide-brimmed ones...."
Jack's eyes were beginning to lose their focus and Ianto immediately started thinking of ways to nip any idea of catching typhoid and dysentery in the bud. He didn't know how he moved so quickly, but in a flash Jack had him pushed back on the desk. Ianto's protests were cut off by Jack's lips and the game was forgotten.
Author’s Note: Reliving my childhood sparked this nonsense. S Again, the reference to this classic computer game may be pointless outside of the US. If you’re interested, check it out here: The Oregon Trail
Author:
sariagray Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Gwen, Tosh, Owen
Rating: PG13
Word Count: ~1100
Spoilers: Nada
Warnings: It pretends to be AU. Uh. Bordering on crack!fic. Fuzzyish. OOC, just in case. Unbeta'd.
Disclaimer: I don't have the rights to anything; this includes Torchwood. I'm not making any money off of this.
Author’s Note: See bottom of entry for extended note. Apologies if the references in this don’t apply to anyone outside of the US. I just HAD to write this. It wouldn’t leave me alone.
Manifest Destiny
Dawn was breaking over the horizon, a pale glowing red shot through with gold. He had the rifle poised and aimed at the shadows created by the natural pillars of stone.
They needed food; they had been running low for days now, rationing it to extremes that worried him. Even with his refusal to partake of any sustenance himself, they were in danger of starving.
The early air was cool and fresh, the autumn just barely grazing the land spread out before him. It was calming and restorative; for a moment, he felt hope well up in his chest.
A doe crossed his line of sight, black against the lightening sky. He waited; one shot would scatter any wildlife and he wanted to bring back a larger haul. Finally, after long moments of waiting, he caught the form of a buffalo against one of the pillars. He aimed, shot, and felled the creature. As suspected, the doe scampered away to safety.
Rising from his position, Jack strode over to the beast and began to prepare it. Bringing it back would be difficult, large as it was. He would have to make trips. Owen would help. Ianto was still held up with a fever and Gwen had gotten lost yesterday; Tosh was out searching for her (thank God for her keen sense of direction!).
When he returned to the wagon with as much meat as he could carry, he set about waking up a rather reticent doctor.
"It's not even light out yet!"
"I need your help. Got a buffalo."
Owen's eyes perked up at the mention of food and he hustled to get ready. Jack was outside cutting meat from the bone to smoke it into strips of jerky, so he took a moment to check on Ianto.
His patient was already awake. His face was regaining its natural color and his eyes were no longer bright with the fever. Owen breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
"How're you feeling?"
"Like hell. But better," Ianto admitted, his voice lethargic and raw.
Owen nodded and offered him a sip of water.
"Jack's got bison meat; I'm going to go help him bring it back. You okay on your own for a bit?"
"Jack -" Ianto breathed.
"Right here," Jack called cheerfully from the entrance before turning a more serious countenance toward Owen. "How is he?"
"Well, he's clear of any immediate danger. We really need to find water soon, though."
Jack nodded and leaned down to kiss Ianto's forehead. It was substantially cooler than it had been and Jack released a little bit of his tension. Grabbing Ianto's hand, he stroked his thumb over the clammy palm.
"Tosh and Gwen?" Ianto asked tentatively.
"Still not back."
"Don't worry. Tosh'll find her."
Jack nodded brusquely and pressed a chaste kiss to Ianto's fever-chapped lips.
"You just worry about getting better. Owen and I will be back soon."
Ianto nodded and dozed.
It wasn't until he felt a cool hand pressed to his cheek that he woke up again. He blinked his eyes into focus and the dark splotch slowly resolved itself into Tosh's smiling face.
"Told you not to worry!" Jack beamed.
Ianto turned his head, noticing Jack sitting at his bedside for the first time. As his senses finally caught up, he realized that his right hand was held firmly in Jack's.
"Gwen?" he managed to croak out.
Tosh's face fell. "Broken leg, but she'll be fine. She had gone looking for water and fell."
"Tosh?" Owen's voice called out. "You know you shouldn't be in there! He could still be contagious!"
Tosh shot Ianto an apologetic look and scurried out of the wagon. Ianto glanced over at Jack. He looked tired, burdened by something, but relieved.
"How long have I been out?" he whispered cautiously.
Jack cringed.
"Jack!" Ianto demanded, the strength in his voice gradually returning. "How long?"
"Six days," Jack whispered, his eyes heavy with concern and exhaustion.
"Six-? But...I was getting better!"
Six days. Gone. He didn't remember a single moment of them. Had he eaten anything? He must have. Still, his stomach clenched with a sick empty feeling.
"You were, but you were worse than before when Owen and I came back with the food. Typhoid, Owen says. But you came out of it again. The past two days, you've been resting."
Ianto nodded. "You look worn out."
Jack smiled, watery eyes twinkling in the light of the lantern. The lantern. It must have been night. But why were they traveling at night?
Jack must have noticed Ianto's confused expression because he laughed softly and squeezed his hand.
"We're only about a mile and a half to the Whitman Mission. We'll rest there," he explained. "Gwen needs her leg properly set, and we've got to get you real medicine."
"We don't have money for real medicine."
"You're not allowed to worry about that," Jack chided and kissed his fingers. "All you have to worry about is what kind of house I'm building you."
"I don't trust you with a hammer and nails," Ianto smiled sleepily. "The house would probably collapse."
"All right, fine," Jack grinned and kissed him. "You build it, I'll just watch."
--------
The warm, firm hand pressed to his shoulder startled Jack from his thoughts. He looked up sheepishly.
"So I take it I shouldn't be expecting your signature on the forms I've left you?"
The rich baritone, full of health and vigor and life, reassured Jack, which was strange as he knew Ianto had been fine.
Ianto kissed the top of Jack's head indulgently as he glanced at the screen.
"Almost make it, then?"
Jack nodded and clicked the arrow key a few times. An urgent screen flashed in front of them.
OWEN has been attacked by a bear.
Ianto snickered to himself, leaning back against the desk to Jack's left.
"You looked pretty deep in thought before," he said.
"Yeah, well," Jack shrugged. "You had a fever. And then you had typhoid and we were out of food. And Gwen got lost. You got better but Gwen came back with a broken leg."
"Poor thing," Ianto sympathized.
"And I kept thinking about it all, if we were actually there. We could go, you know."
"To Oregon?" Ianto raised an eyebrow.
"Well, yeah. But experience the whole thing. I could talk to the Doctor. Go back in time."
"And why would we want to do that?"
Jack grinned. "Team bonding! And you look really good with one of those hats...the wide-brimmed ones...."
Jack's eyes were beginning to lose their focus and Ianto immediately started thinking of ways to nip any idea of catching typhoid and dysentery in the bud. He didn't know how he moved so quickly, but in a flash Jack had him pushed back on the desk. Ianto's protests were cut off by Jack's lips and the game was forgotten.
End
Author’s Note: Reliving my childhood sparked this nonsense. S Again, the reference to this classic computer game may be pointless outside of the US. If you’re interested, check it out here: The Oregon Trail
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-10-25 11:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-26 12:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-26 04:02 am (UTC)Jack is a TERRIBLE wagon leader, btw. Half the team died when he tried to cross the first river when I played with him as leader, and the rest didn't even make it to disk two! XD
no subject
Date: 2010-10-26 05:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-26 07:09 am (UTC)Oregon Trail! Yay!! I remember trying to finish my work as quickly as possible so I could play that game during class.
no subject
Date: 2010-10-26 08:52 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-26 09:04 am (UTC)Thanks!
no subject
Date: 2010-10-26 09:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-26 09:07 am (UTC)Thanks! :)
no subject
Date: 2010-10-26 09:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-26 11:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-26 12:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-26 01:12 pm (UTC)oh god.. i can't imagine them doing that. gods, owen had enough problems camping out! lol. and there would be no coffee!! how would they survive???
fantastic story though, had me giggling throughout.
no subject
Date: 2010-10-26 01:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-26 06:01 pm (UTC)Trust Jack, wanting to go back in time to experience it all for real. I do see the appeal of Pioneer Ianto though... =)
no subject
Date: 2010-10-26 06:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-26 07:06 pm (UTC)Aren't I wicked? *smirk
no subject
Date: 2010-10-27 07:57 am (UTC)Gxxx
no subject
Date: 2010-10-27 09:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-27 09:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-10-27 09:43 am (UTC)