Summer 8 - Open

[notrosesshadow]

Morning - Community Center

Martha decided she needed a hike. While she had been avoiding people, she also wasn't really experiencing the island. Today she would. She woke up early and braided her hair... her hair. The rain had done a number on it, and she didn't have any product to even attempt to straighten it... Braids it was until she figured something else out. That done, and with proper adventuring clothes and shoes, she made her way to the Community Center. There she poked around in the kitchen. She filled a canteen with water and grabbed some various food stuffs that she could throw in her backpack. She didn't plan for this to be a massive hike, but just enough. She also make sure to add a pen and notebook.

---

Evening - Community Center

Martha sat in the lounge on the second floor with a cup of tea and a book. The hike had been what she needed, and now, she needed tea. She also should review her notes, but that could wait until she got back to her room.

Comments

[readystopwatch]

[It feels strange speaking to someone he was so close to one who has no memories of that friendship now. They’re still friends but they went through a lot together at Marina, good and bad and it’s a little sad knowing he’s the only one who remembers it. He smiles despite it all, still very glad to see her.] Only two days ago. Still getting settled in I’m afraid.

[notrosesshadow]

Doesn't take too long though. Once you get used to sharing houses with strangers again. Feels a bit like Uni again.

[She took a sip of tea before asking the necessary question.]

So, when are you from?

[readystopwatch]

Yes, that’s a bit of an adjustment, I’ll admit. [He decides not to lead with the Spike rooming situation. Let’s work up to that.]

The same time as Jack, so about five years in your future. I’ll try not to give much away, I promise.

[notrosesshadow]

"Oh, that's... good for you guys then right?" Martha found herself feeling... left out. She wanted a break from people at home, but now that they were here, she was disappointed that they were so far ahead of her. Things that had just happened to her, that she was still working through were in the past for them.

The disappointment only flashed on her face for an instant though before her smile was back to it's normal brilliance. She closed her notebook and tossed it on the table in front of her. "So when was the last time you took a vacation?"

[readystopwatch]

None of those are easy questions to answer but there’s not much point in hiding. She’s going to find everything out soon enough anyway and at least this way she and Spike have a better chance of getting along this time around. If there’s honesty from the start hinge might not go so badly this time.

“When are you from, specifically?” He asked, taking s seat across the table from her with a smile to make his hesitation seem less ominous. “I just want to make sure before I start taking about myself, so I know what not to mention. You know how it is with timelines.”

[notrosesshadow]

Yes, the question was to be expected. Time travel and all that. But she still wasn't quite over whatever lowness had come over her the last few days. "Shortly after the Dalek invasion. When they moved all the planets in the sky?" After she'd been fired from her job. After she and Tom had split.

Still, the smile she flashes Ianto belies exactly how she's feeling. Besides, she'e here to relax and heal. And NOT worry about things. It was time to be happy.

[readystopwatch]

“I remember. We all saved the world that day.” For all the chaos and fear of that day there’s some good memories, too. They came together and stopped the Daleks. Five years later and it still sticks in his mind.

He’s honestly not sure what he should say about his time between now and then. He remembers that pain of learning about his own future when Jack chose to keep it a secret from him, but hers isn’t quite as bad. On the other hand it seems cruel to recount memories of the times they spent together that she won’t ever experience. It seems like it places a burden on her to live up to the closeness they achieved in that time. In the end he decides to go for honest but vague. She can ask for more details and he can decide what’s safe to share.

“To be honest it’s been a long time since I’ve seen Jack. I didn’t even know he was here. I met someone else and we’ve been traveling together for the past few years. That’s how we ended up in the place.”

[notrosesshadow]

"Mmhm."

Her eyes widened as he recounted his (understandably vague) life up to this point. Clearly a lot has happened in five years, and Martha doesn't want to infer anything without more information. Information that she doesn't think she's going to get. She cocks her head.

"That sounds... that sounds like there's a really good story that I don't get to hear. But you're happy, yeah?"

[readystopwatch]

He laughs slightly at her comment. “I think you get to hear it. Or at least parts of it. Maybe ask your questions and I’ll be honest about what I can and can’t answer. And yes, I am happy.”

But yes, he is happy. Jack will always be a part of his heart and he’ll always love him, but they just happen to be at a point where they drift in and out of each other’s lives. Five years ago he wouldn’t have been able to handle it, but a lot has changed since then.

[notrosesshadow]

Martha flitted through all the many questions she had. She knew he and Jack had been together, but she also wasn't sure how close they had been. She didn't imagine Jack being the monogamous type. She also enjoyed hearing about people's travels. But there were probably lots of things she couldn't hear about there either. So about the only thing she really could ask was, "This mysterious person? Who are they? And when do I get to meet them?"

[readystopwatch]

Honestly Ianto and his activities after Marina are fairly safe to ask about, since he hasn’t seen her since then. It’s just her personal timeline he worries about affecting or changing. Then again, he supposes this is technically an alternate reality to hers since the three of them had returned to Spike’s world to get his soul back after the prison. Maybe it won’t affect her at all. He knows better than to risk too much of it though.

“His name’s Spike. You may have seen him around, we arrived together the other day. Pale, bleached hair, absurdly handsome.” He uses that last description without thinking about it, then blushes. Were they close enough before Marina for him to make comments like that to her? It’s been so long he can’t quite remember. Then again he has a vague memory of discussing his sex life with Jack in the Hub so perhaps the remark isn’t too personal after all. “We’re rearranging our cabin room assignments to be together so I’m sure you’ll meet him soon enough. Hes, ah, not always the best at first impressions so give him the benefits of the doubt for me if you would.”

[notrosesshadow]

“Spike?!” She exclaimed as a laugh involuntarily left her lips. She covered her mouth with her hand I horror. “Sorry. That was rude. I just was... caught off guard. So Spike. Pale and absurdly handsome. I’ll have to keep an eye out then.” She waggled her eyebrows at him. “And you’re going to live together. Sounds like you have quite the vacation going for you!”

Martha held up her hand as though taking a vow. “And I promise to give him a chance. If you like him, I’m sure he’s just fine.”

[readystopwatch]

He’s not particularly caught off guard by the reaction to the name, of he’s honest. It’s a fairly common one, even if the name has grown on him. He just chuckles slightly, clearly not offended. “We’ve been living together for the past five years. Vactationing too, I suppose you could say. Or at least traveling. I haven’t been with Torchwood for a long time. After we met it felt like time to step away from it all.”

It seems like the easiest way to explaining how he’s gone from where he was when she knew him to where he is now without mentioning her own potential future in Marina. It is true, after all. It doesn’t quite occur to him that it might sound as though Jack is included in that list of things he walked away from.

[notrosesshadow]

She took another tip as she listened. "You left Torchwood?" That was... surprising. "Did... forgive me for being too forward... did something go wrong?"

Of course, she's from early enough that she doesn't know about his passing much less anything else.

[readystopwatch]

If she learns about his death it won’t be from him. There’s too big a risk she might try to change things and alter Jack’s own course of action. Besides, it’s been a long time since it’s weighed on his mind. It was avoided and if their plans to turn him into a vampire after this last final vacation come together it might be avoided forever.

“I didn’t like who I was becoming there,” That much is very true, and something Spike helped him realize while they were still in prison together. Torchwood sucks away everything in your life until it’s all there is and then it spits you back out to die. What they’d done there was important and worthwhile but he doesn’t miss it. “I wouldn’t say anything went wrong, just that I needed that part of my life to be over. I’m sure you can understand.”

[notrosesshadow]

Martha bit her lip. She almost tried to protest, but her own life looms into her mind. She could have said the same of UNIT, but of course the decision to leave hadn’t been hers. Aftwr a moment’s hesitations, Martha smiles ruefully. “Yes. Yes I do understand actually. That’s brilliant though. That you took control of your life!”

[readystopwatch]

Oddly enough Ianto doesn’t know she’s left UNIT. She was still with it last time he saw her after all and as far as he’s concerned they’d have to be a fool to lose Martha Jones. As far as he can guess that expression of regret on her face must have to do with leaving the Doctor.

“It’s been exhilarating, I’ll admit. I didn’t think it was something I would have been capible of.” Always such the dutiful Torchwood employee after all. “I miss it sometimes, and I do feel selfish about it on occasion, but I don’t think I could go back. They saved the universe before I came along, I’m sure it can continue just fine without me.” Spike gets a lot of credit for this change in attitude. He was always the one who said there had to be more to life than just Torchwood. Turns out he was right.

[notrosesshadow]

Martha used to think that too. About UNIT. It turned out all the travels with the Doctor didn’t balance out her completely disregarding a superior officer and then destroying the Osterhagen Key.

She nodded though.

“Yeah. There certainly are plenty of us... plenty of others saving the world. And you never know when the Doctor’s around to help.”

[readystopwatch]

“Let’s hope so.” It seems too grim for this conversation to add that going back will be the death of him. It makes him feel a great deal less irresponsible when he thinks of it that way. “I’m sure Jack’s done plenty of his own world saving these last few years as well. I’m sure we’ll both hear all about it soon enough.”

[notrosesshadow]

“I’m sure he has,” she replied carefully. “That being said, he’s been fairly tight-lipped about his life.” But then, so had she. She shrugged her shoulders to hide her real concern about Jack. “But then we are on vacation. I can see wanting to not think about home while here.”

[readystopwatch]

So he’s not the only one whose noticed Jack is hiding something. He’s long past the time when he would have pried into what it is but he is worried about him. He looks away, suddenly a bit awkward. It’s been easy these past few years describing their relationship to strangers but he finds it rather more difficult to share it with a friend. She judged him for it last time even if he can hardly blame her given the circumstances. But it still feels like a touchy subject with her after all these years. He knows he’s just projecting his own feelings on the situation, but he can’t help it.

“It was actually the three of us for quite some time. Together, that is. Jack, Spike and myself. But you know him, he doesn’t like to stay tied down. We haven’t split up but he spends a lot of time away having his own adventures. I’m always glad to see him when he returns, but for someone who is so important to me I’ll admit I don’t know much of what he’s been up to lately. It’s all rather complicated, I realize.”

[notrosesshadow]

She'd definitely noticed. But Martha was also not doing anything about it because she knew she'd have to talk about her own issues too. It was easier to stay tight lipped. Besides, out of all the time at the island, they'd met twice. When they arrived, and when they got drunk at Midsummer.

Martha had been taking another sip of her tea when he mentioned Jack, Spike, and himself in the relationship. She sputtered as she made sense of them.

Once she caught her breath, she looked at him in surprise. "The three of you? How the hell did Jack NOT tell me that? That seems just the sort of thing he'd boast about."

[readystopwatch]

Ianto looks a bit sheepish but still manages a wry smile at the reaction. Much better than last time, then. Maybe he can keep the circumstances of he way their relationship began more of a secret this time. It might go better for all of them.

“Rather a good question to be honest. But as I said, it’s been months since I even spoke to him, much less saw him. The two of us have stayed on Earth while he’s been off having adventures. And he knows I don’t mind if he involves himself with other people he meets to be honest it may just not have occurred to him to mention it all. I’m sure he’s had plenty else to occupy his time with.”

[notrosesshadow]

To be fair, the other Martha had found out after being attacked by his boyfriend. This Martha has no impression of Spike other than he's absurdly handsome and isn't good at first impressions.

"You do have a point. I guess I just figured he'd give me news about mutual friends. But then again, he probably doesn't want to spoil things for me."

She frowned. "This feels like it's going to be tough... being so far behind you all."

[readystopwatch]

“I don’t know; to be honest it’s been five years since I’ve seen you, more or less. Even if we were from the same timeline you wouldn’t know any of this. Aside from Spike I’ve been rather anti-social lately I’m afraid.” The faint, fond smile on his lips gives away how little he minds this development. He doesn’t need anyone else, not with what the two of them have developed over the years. He was never the most sentimental person but that’s changed around him. His relationship with Jack was always drama and emotion and while that’s electric and something he loves about him this is different. His life now is different, and he thinks it’s for the best.