Captain Jack Harkness {Gray Thane, Mirrorverse} (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
this_isgoodbye) wrote2023-05-01 11:15 am
this_isgoodbye) wrote2023-05-01 11:15 am
Entry tags:
[THE TORCHWOOD FILES] Gwen Cooper
-Fall, 2005-
When the hand slammed against the glass of the SUV window, and Jack saw who was on the other side, he was fit to kill.
Literally today.
He didn't bother to wait for her to back away. He opened the door, stalked forward, and kept going until his stalker was pressed against a tree on the side of the road.
"I don't have time for this." Jack snapped, a hand wrapping around his stalker's throat. "Look, I don't care what your problem is, I want you out of this city by sunrise. There is no place for you here. Go back to London, find yourself another life. Keep stalking me?"
He gave a squeeze.
"I'll snap your neck."
"Funny, that--you threatening to snap my neck when you're not even choking me."
Jack narrowed his eyes, dropping his hand and stepping back before he did something stupid.
"I'm getting back behind the wheel of that car." he warned flatly. "If you're still standing in the road, I'll run you the hell over."
Turning on his heel, Jack stalked back to his parked SUV.
"...so you're not gonna help me catch this pterodactyl then?"
Jack stopped dead in his tracks, glancing over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow at the cocksure brunette in the suit and blouse with low heeled boots, flashing a sly gap-toothed grin at him.
"...okay, Cooper, Gwen Cooper. You've got my attention."
* * * * *
"How the hell have you been tracking her?" Jack asked, opening the back hatch of the SUV.
"Rift activity locator--Torchwood London. Quality kit, unlike...what the bugger is that?"
"Tranquilizer. Why?"
"Have you not got something more humane?"
Jack scowled down at Gwen. "It's plenty humane. I don't exactly keep dinosaur nets in the back of the SUV."
"We did at Torchwood London."
"Yeah, well...that crowbar you used to club the Weevil three months ago didn't look very humane."
"I was out of the bloody spray, don't judge me, you prat."
"Who are you calling a prat?"
"Oh, come on! You look about twelve."
Jack spun around to face her, hypodermic in hand. They stood nose to nose, angry tension crackling between them that sent sparks rippling across Jack's skin.
"She's been holed up in that bloody warehouse a week." Gwen spat softly. "She won't leave, and I already had to pull out a bloody complicated cover story for the three workers she's sent to the bloody hospital--"
"She?"
"Yes, she. Hunting animals, only attacking those who invade her space? Behavior's clear as day, I'm fair certain she's nesting. Hence why I don't think the tranquilizer's a bright idea if she's a fledgling in there."
A baby pterodactyl. Just what he needed--and yet Jack felt a lance of something hot, angry, but not violent. It wasn't a feeling he was used to...wasn't even sure it was a feeling he could name.
"What makes you think I care?" he asked, just as quietly.
"You haven't killed me after three months of staking out your headquarters, yer starin' down my blouse, and you've dropped the syringe."
Jack blinked...then shook himself and lifted his gaze from the low neckline of her blouse to realize he had, in fact, tossed the tranquilizer aside.
"Okay, fine. What do yo suggest we do?" Jack snarled.
Smirking, Gwen reached into the pocket of her blazer and withdrew a candy bar.
"Chocolate. Preferably dark...follow me."
* * * * *
"I don't believe this."
"Neither do I. She's been fair excitable thus far!"
"I'm...petting a pterodactyl."
"She likes you."
"Predators usually do--recognize their own, I guess."
"Hmm...maybe yer aftershave?"
Jack glanced over at Gwen with a raised eyebrow, continuing to feed the massive creature bits of chocolate as Gwen prowled around the warehouse, looking for the nest.
"Never wear any." he replied.
She looked up from behind a stack of crates, wide-eyed. "You smell like that naturally?"
Jack snickered, shaking his head. "Fifty first century pheromones...you people have no idea."
Myfanwy (the name Gwen had given the damn thing, she named a goddamn pterodactyl) chose that moment to prod at Jack with her beak, looking for another piece of chocolate. Laughing, he broke off a piece, handed it to her--
--and was thrown back as she took it in her beak and took flight again.
"On the move!" he barked to Gwen, who was immediately at her side. "Keep your eyes peeled."
"On it--see? This is why you need me, I take orders well!"
"I told you, we're not hiring. Especially not anyone from Torchwood London!"
"What about dry cleaning? I could fetch your dry cleaning--tend that lovely vintage bomber jacket, don't think I haven't seen the stains on that leather, you monster."
"It's been a busy week--shut up, she's landed."
Spotting Myfanwy in the upper level of the warehouse, Gwen followed Jack as they headed for the stairs.
* * * * *
"Oh, my God! I...how?!"
Jack watched in morbid fascination as the pterodactyl tried to feed the piece of chocolate to the saber tooth tiger cub in the nest she'd crafted out of boxes, tree branches, and other detritus.
"Rift spike couple of days ago." Jack surmised. "My guess? She was nesting back home. Found this little critter and instinct took over. Said it yourself, she's been hunting?"
"Sheep disappearing all over."
"There you go. Been trying to share with the small fry." Jack replied, venturing closer to the pair. Myfanwy lifted her head sharply and squawked at him with a ferocious beat of her wings.
"Easy, easy...just wanna have a look at the little one." he soothed, holding up his hands and clearing his mind. Animals were a little easier to work with, sometimes, if he concentrated...
"Please tell me you're not going to kill them." Gwen hissed.
"That's you lot. Not me." Jack growled at Gwen over his shoulder, turning back to the little adopted family. He regarded them for a long moment, then sighed.
"There's plenty of room at the Hub for Myfanwy to nest." he assured her, reaching out to lay a hand on the cub's head while Myfanwy watched him closely.
"And Hywel?"
"Hywel?"
"Lookit the little lad curling up with her! He loves her, he does."
"How do you--oops, nope, definitely a boy." Jack chuckled. Carefully, he tipped the cub's head up to look at him. Eyes open, but those fangs were still tiny. Little fella didn't have enough teeth to properly handle the meat Myfanwy was providing. Still needed to be nursing...
Jack glanced back, narrowed his eyes at Gwen, then nodded before rising from the crouch he'd sunk into. "I'll have to tranq Myfanwy to get her to the Hub, but I think the cub can ride in the SUV awake. Go get the hypodermic."
Gwen stilled, raising an eyebrow. "Does that mean I'm in?"
"Speed it up before I change my mind."
Gwen grinned, all gap teeth and feral joy before she started marching towards the stairs.
"...love the suit, by the way."
Jack had to smile as she deliberately added a swing to her step as she started down, drawing his gaze to that perfect little ass...yeah, he was definitely aware of this one.
Whether he'd end up liking or hating her enough to fuck her? That remained to be seen...
When the hand slammed against the glass of the SUV window, and Jack saw who was on the other side, he was fit to kill.
Literally today.
He didn't bother to wait for her to back away. He opened the door, stalked forward, and kept going until his stalker was pressed against a tree on the side of the road.
"I don't have time for this." Jack snapped, a hand wrapping around his stalker's throat. "Look, I don't care what your problem is, I want you out of this city by sunrise. There is no place for you here. Go back to London, find yourself another life. Keep stalking me?"
He gave a squeeze.
"I'll snap your neck."
"Funny, that--you threatening to snap my neck when you're not even choking me."
Jack narrowed his eyes, dropping his hand and stepping back before he did something stupid.
"I'm getting back behind the wheel of that car." he warned flatly. "If you're still standing in the road, I'll run you the hell over."
Turning on his heel, Jack stalked back to his parked SUV.
"...so you're not gonna help me catch this pterodactyl then?"
Jack stopped dead in his tracks, glancing over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow at the cocksure brunette in the suit and blouse with low heeled boots, flashing a sly gap-toothed grin at him.
"...okay, Cooper, Gwen Cooper. You've got my attention."
"How the hell have you been tracking her?" Jack asked, opening the back hatch of the SUV.
"Rift activity locator--Torchwood London. Quality kit, unlike...what the bugger is that?"
"Tranquilizer. Why?"
"Have you not got something more humane?"
Jack scowled down at Gwen. "It's plenty humane. I don't exactly keep dinosaur nets in the back of the SUV."
"We did at Torchwood London."
"Yeah, well...that crowbar you used to club the Weevil three months ago didn't look very humane."
"I was out of the bloody spray, don't judge me, you prat."
"Who are you calling a prat?"
"Oh, come on! You look about twelve."
Jack spun around to face her, hypodermic in hand. They stood nose to nose, angry tension crackling between them that sent sparks rippling across Jack's skin.
"She's been holed up in that bloody warehouse a week." Gwen spat softly. "She won't leave, and I already had to pull out a bloody complicated cover story for the three workers she's sent to the bloody hospital--"
"She?"
"Yes, she. Hunting animals, only attacking those who invade her space? Behavior's clear as day, I'm fair certain she's nesting. Hence why I don't think the tranquilizer's a bright idea if she's a fledgling in there."
A baby pterodactyl. Just what he needed--and yet Jack felt a lance of something hot, angry, but not violent. It wasn't a feeling he was used to...wasn't even sure it was a feeling he could name.
"What makes you think I care?" he asked, just as quietly.
"You haven't killed me after three months of staking out your headquarters, yer starin' down my blouse, and you've dropped the syringe."
Jack blinked...then shook himself and lifted his gaze from the low neckline of her blouse to realize he had, in fact, tossed the tranquilizer aside.
"Okay, fine. What do yo suggest we do?" Jack snarled.
Smirking, Gwen reached into the pocket of her blazer and withdrew a candy bar.
"Chocolate. Preferably dark...follow me."
"I don't believe this."
"Neither do I. She's been fair excitable thus far!"
"I'm...petting a pterodactyl."
"She likes you."
"Predators usually do--recognize their own, I guess."
"Hmm...maybe yer aftershave?"
Jack glanced over at Gwen with a raised eyebrow, continuing to feed the massive creature bits of chocolate as Gwen prowled around the warehouse, looking for the nest.
"Never wear any." he replied.
She looked up from behind a stack of crates, wide-eyed. "You smell like that naturally?"
Jack snickered, shaking his head. "Fifty first century pheromones...you people have no idea."
Myfanwy (the name Gwen had given the damn thing, she named a goddamn pterodactyl) chose that moment to prod at Jack with her beak, looking for another piece of chocolate. Laughing, he broke off a piece, handed it to her--
--and was thrown back as she took it in her beak and took flight again.
"On the move!" he barked to Gwen, who was immediately at her side. "Keep your eyes peeled."
"On it--see? This is why you need me, I take orders well!"
"I told you, we're not hiring. Especially not anyone from Torchwood London!"
"What about dry cleaning? I could fetch your dry cleaning--tend that lovely vintage bomber jacket, don't think I haven't seen the stains on that leather, you monster."
"It's been a busy week--shut up, she's landed."
Spotting Myfanwy in the upper level of the warehouse, Gwen followed Jack as they headed for the stairs.
"Oh, my God! I...how?!"
Jack watched in morbid fascination as the pterodactyl tried to feed the piece of chocolate to the saber tooth tiger cub in the nest she'd crafted out of boxes, tree branches, and other detritus.
"Rift spike couple of days ago." Jack surmised. "My guess? She was nesting back home. Found this little critter and instinct took over. Said it yourself, she's been hunting?"
"Sheep disappearing all over."
"There you go. Been trying to share with the small fry." Jack replied, venturing closer to the pair. Myfanwy lifted her head sharply and squawked at him with a ferocious beat of her wings.
"Easy, easy...just wanna have a look at the little one." he soothed, holding up his hands and clearing his mind. Animals were a little easier to work with, sometimes, if he concentrated...
"Please tell me you're not going to kill them." Gwen hissed.
"That's you lot. Not me." Jack growled at Gwen over his shoulder, turning back to the little adopted family. He regarded them for a long moment, then sighed.
"There's plenty of room at the Hub for Myfanwy to nest." he assured her, reaching out to lay a hand on the cub's head while Myfanwy watched him closely.
"And Hywel?"
"Hywel?"
"Lookit the little lad curling up with her! He loves her, he does."
"How do you--oops, nope, definitely a boy." Jack chuckled. Carefully, he tipped the cub's head up to look at him. Eyes open, but those fangs were still tiny. Little fella didn't have enough teeth to properly handle the meat Myfanwy was providing. Still needed to be nursing...
Jack glanced back, narrowed his eyes at Gwen, then nodded before rising from the crouch he'd sunk into. "I'll have to tranq Myfanwy to get her to the Hub, but I think the cub can ride in the SUV awake. Go get the hypodermic."
Gwen stilled, raising an eyebrow. "Does that mean I'm in?"
"Speed it up before I change my mind."
Gwen grinned, all gap teeth and feral joy before she started marching towards the stairs.
"...love the suit, by the way."
Jack had to smile as she deliberately added a swing to her step as she started down, drawing his gaze to that perfect little ass...yeah, he was definitely aware of this one.
Whether he'd end up liking or hating her enough to fuck her? That remained to be seen...