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fandomweekly2025-01-12 10:37 am
m_findlow) wrote in fandomweekly2025-01-12 10:37 am
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[#245] THE THRILL OF THE CHASE (TORCHWOOD)
Theme Prompt: #245 - Werewolf
Title: Thrill of the chase
Fandom: Torchwood
Rating/Warnings: PG.
Bonus: Yes
Word Count: 1,000 words
Summary: Ianto was hoping to have a quiet night in. Jack has other plans.
Ianto flicked off his computer and reached for his car keys just as he heard Jack yell “Ianto!” Crumbs. Just when he’d thought he might get out of here at a reasonable hour for once. He dropped his keys back on the desk and moved towards Jack’s office, only to have Jack meet him halfway.
‘Need you to help me with something.’
‘And judging by your facial expression that’s not a euphemism, he said, wishing it were.’ He sighed, having lost count of all the late nights. ‘Couldn't you drag along Owen or Gwen? Neither of them had plans tonight.’
Jack raised an eyebrow. ‘Oh, and you do?’
‘Not the point.’
‘Because you’re here and because I need someone who knows London. Do you own a London A to Z?’
Ianto shook his head. ‘Never needed one.’
‘Exactly. That's makes you perfect for this.’
‘For what?’
‘Get in the car. I'll explain on the way.’
When Jack turned onto the M4, Ianto grew worried. ‘Where are we going?’
‘I thought that was obvious.’
‘London? Seriously?’
‘Very seriously. And the sooner the better.’ Jack floored the accelerator and the SUV surged forward, skipping smoothly between cars like there was absolutely no risk of hitting them.
Ianto gripped his seat belt hard, pulling it as tight as it would go. ‘D'you want to slow down a bit?’
‘No time for that.’
‘Time to explain what the hell this is all about then? You did say you'd explain.’
‘We’re hunting down a werewolf that’s gone off the reservation.’
‘Werewolf? But they don’t exist.’
Jack grinned. ‘How wrong you are. They’re rare, granted, but Scotland was teeming with them back in the nineteenth century. There was a reason we set up Torchwood House there and it wasn’t just to stow away the stuff they didn't want kept in London. Werewolves were big business up there.’
‘When you say we you of course mean Queen Victoria. She was the one that established Torchwood and Torchwood House.’
‘Sure, but haven’t you ever wondered why she picked there of all places?’
Ianto thought about this for a moment, then stopped. ‘No!’
‘Oh, yes. Queen Victoria was visiting Torchwood House and got bitten by one. She’s passed down the werewolf gene ever since.’ He paused thoughtfully. ‘Only seems to affect the men in her bloodline, and even then only every second generation. Thus our current problem. Not too many people can say they get a call from the Queen asking them to pick up her son after he’s gone rogue.’
Ianto choked. ‘You mean the Prince is a werewolf? The Crown Prince?’
‘Why do you think she’s held the throne for so long and not abdicated? She’s hoping to outlive him. You wouldn't believe the kind of trouble we had with George VI . Handsome devil, though. Of course, what happens when her great grandson ascends…’
‘Your problem,’ Ianto replied. ‘I’ll be long dead by then.’ He considered what Jack had said for a moment. ‘So… what does that make Camilla then?’
Jack laughed. ‘I wish I could tell you she's alien but sadly not.’
They made good time, Jack breaking more than a few road laws along the way, until they hit the crush of inner London, still busy even this late at night.
Jack groaned as a bank of brake lights crawled in front of him, cutting him off at the roundabout and forcing him to go down a street that put him onto a one way lane. ‘Urgh. London. Love the shopping, hate the navigation.’
‘So,’ Ianto began. ‘How does one track down a werewolf in London?’
‘That’s a good question. One I don’t have an answer for.’ He gave a sigh. ‘Normally on a full moon they keep him confined. When he has made it out, he’s never gotten beyond the gates of the palace.’
‘So you’ve rounded up werewolves before then, have you?’
Jack’s eyes sparkled. ‘My idea of Friday night entertainment is a little different to everyone else’s.’ His smile dropped from his face as the SUV was forced to brake again, queued up in traffic. ‘Argh! We’re going to get nowhere trawling the streets looking for him at this rate.’
Ianto rolled down the window and poked his head out, attempting to see out and around the backup of cars. A commotion behind him made him twist his head around, spotting a number of people running for no apparent reason. ‘Might I suggest heading in the direction of the loud screaming, sir?’
Jack threw the SUV into reverse gear. ‘You may,’ he said, flooring the accelerator and careening back up the one way lane, earning honks from other cars as he swung around them. He spun the car into an intersecting street and then had to slam on the brakes as a huge garbage truck blocked the road. Time to get out on foot, Ianto, he said, unbuckling and throwing himself from the car, leaving Ianto to tumble out after him.
‘There!’ Jack sprinted as he caught a flash of grey hair illuminated by the moonlight overhead. Jack cut easily through a cluster of frightened pedestrians, whereas Ianto was forced to jostle through their confused meanderings.
Ianto managed to catch up with Jack, still running hard so as not to lose sight of the hulking dark grey shaggy creature. ‘He's quite spritely for an old bugger,’ Ianto said between puffing breaths.
‘Werewolves don't age. He might be in his sixties but his werewolf incarnation is like chasing after a kid in his twenties.’
‘Great. Might've been nice if you said so from the beginning!’
‘I thought you said you knew everything!’
‘Didn’t think I'd have to include werewolves in my encyclopaedic font of knowledge! I’ll remember to put them on my reading list when we get home, along with krakens, manticores and the tooth fairy.’
Jack threw a grin on his shoulder. ‘Oh, come on. Don't tell me you’re not having fun right now.’
Ianto pushed himself to run harder. ‘Tally ho.’
Title: Thrill of the chase
Fandom: Torchwood
Rating/Warnings: PG.
Bonus: Yes
Word Count: 1,000 words
Summary: Ianto was hoping to have a quiet night in. Jack has other plans.
Ianto flicked off his computer and reached for his car keys just as he heard Jack yell “Ianto!” Crumbs. Just when he’d thought he might get out of here at a reasonable hour for once. He dropped his keys back on the desk and moved towards Jack’s office, only to have Jack meet him halfway.
‘Need you to help me with something.’
‘And judging by your facial expression that’s not a euphemism, he said, wishing it were.’ He sighed, having lost count of all the late nights. ‘Couldn't you drag along Owen or Gwen? Neither of them had plans tonight.’
Jack raised an eyebrow. ‘Oh, and you do?’
‘Not the point.’
‘Because you’re here and because I need someone who knows London. Do you own a London A to Z?’
Ianto shook his head. ‘Never needed one.’
‘Exactly. That's makes you perfect for this.’
‘For what?’
‘Get in the car. I'll explain on the way.’
When Jack turned onto the M4, Ianto grew worried. ‘Where are we going?’
‘I thought that was obvious.’
‘London? Seriously?’
‘Very seriously. And the sooner the better.’ Jack floored the accelerator and the SUV surged forward, skipping smoothly between cars like there was absolutely no risk of hitting them.
Ianto gripped his seat belt hard, pulling it as tight as it would go. ‘D'you want to slow down a bit?’
‘No time for that.’
‘Time to explain what the hell this is all about then? You did say you'd explain.’
‘We’re hunting down a werewolf that’s gone off the reservation.’
‘Werewolf? But they don’t exist.’
Jack grinned. ‘How wrong you are. They’re rare, granted, but Scotland was teeming with them back in the nineteenth century. There was a reason we set up Torchwood House there and it wasn’t just to stow away the stuff they didn't want kept in London. Werewolves were big business up there.’
‘When you say we you of course mean Queen Victoria. She was the one that established Torchwood and Torchwood House.’
‘Sure, but haven’t you ever wondered why she picked there of all places?’
Ianto thought about this for a moment, then stopped. ‘No!’
‘Oh, yes. Queen Victoria was visiting Torchwood House and got bitten by one. She’s passed down the werewolf gene ever since.’ He paused thoughtfully. ‘Only seems to affect the men in her bloodline, and even then only every second generation. Thus our current problem. Not too many people can say they get a call from the Queen asking them to pick up her son after he’s gone rogue.’
Ianto choked. ‘You mean the Prince is a werewolf? The Crown Prince?’
‘Why do you think she’s held the throne for so long and not abdicated? She’s hoping to outlive him. You wouldn't believe the kind of trouble we had with George VI . Handsome devil, though. Of course, what happens when her great grandson ascends…’
‘Your problem,’ Ianto replied. ‘I’ll be long dead by then.’ He considered what Jack had said for a moment. ‘So… what does that make Camilla then?’
Jack laughed. ‘I wish I could tell you she's alien but sadly not.’
They made good time, Jack breaking more than a few road laws along the way, until they hit the crush of inner London, still busy even this late at night.
Jack groaned as a bank of brake lights crawled in front of him, cutting him off at the roundabout and forcing him to go down a street that put him onto a one way lane. ‘Urgh. London. Love the shopping, hate the navigation.’
‘So,’ Ianto began. ‘How does one track down a werewolf in London?’
‘That’s a good question. One I don’t have an answer for.’ He gave a sigh. ‘Normally on a full moon they keep him confined. When he has made it out, he’s never gotten beyond the gates of the palace.’
‘So you’ve rounded up werewolves before then, have you?’
Jack’s eyes sparkled. ‘My idea of Friday night entertainment is a little different to everyone else’s.’ His smile dropped from his face as the SUV was forced to brake again, queued up in traffic. ‘Argh! We’re going to get nowhere trawling the streets looking for him at this rate.’
Ianto rolled down the window and poked his head out, attempting to see out and around the backup of cars. A commotion behind him made him twist his head around, spotting a number of people running for no apparent reason. ‘Might I suggest heading in the direction of the loud screaming, sir?’
Jack threw the SUV into reverse gear. ‘You may,’ he said, flooring the accelerator and careening back up the one way lane, earning honks from other cars as he swung around them. He spun the car into an intersecting street and then had to slam on the brakes as a huge garbage truck blocked the road. Time to get out on foot, Ianto, he said, unbuckling and throwing himself from the car, leaving Ianto to tumble out after him.
‘There!’ Jack sprinted as he caught a flash of grey hair illuminated by the moonlight overhead. Jack cut easily through a cluster of frightened pedestrians, whereas Ianto was forced to jostle through their confused meanderings.
Ianto managed to catch up with Jack, still running hard so as not to lose sight of the hulking dark grey shaggy creature. ‘He's quite spritely for an old bugger,’ Ianto said between puffing breaths.
‘Werewolves don't age. He might be in his sixties but his werewolf incarnation is like chasing after a kid in his twenties.’
‘Great. Might've been nice if you said so from the beginning!’
‘I thought you said you knew everything!’
‘Didn’t think I'd have to include werewolves in my encyclopaedic font of knowledge! I’ll remember to put them on my reading list when we get home, along with krakens, manticores and the tooth fairy.’
Jack threw a grin on his shoulder. ‘Oh, come on. Don't tell me you’re not having fun right now.’
Ianto pushed himself to run harder. ‘Tally ho.’
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