silkendreammaid

Title: Shiver
Author: silkendreammaid

Disclaimer: I do not and never will own Torchwood or the characters within.
Rating: PG13
Characters: Ianto Jones, Jack Harkness, Owen Harper

Note: Written for the 2011 Advent Challenge. Prompt #3 Shiver taken from the 2010 prompt list.
Follows on from day 1 prompt Cold

Author’s Note: the way this fic is mentally developing, it’s going to go over several prompts and it’s going to be set in the same ‘verse as an earlier oneshot of mine - Doctor Doolittle - where Ianto is mildly empathic and slightly telepathic which gives him an affinity with alien critters …

And I am still completely unprepared for this but am hoping to get enough of these prompts written over this weekend to at least keep me posting on time for the next week before I have to play catch up again next week end…

Summary: Owen has some thoughts on the cold start to December.

Shiver

“I still say you’d miss the snow,” Captain Jack Harkness said as he entered the Hub.

“Snow is highly over-rated at this time of year, Sir,” Ianto Jones replied as he followed the Captain carrying the small plastic-wrapped form of the deceased Coelsi they had found earlier.

“This whole time of year is over-rated if you ask me,” a grumpy Cockney voice interjected. “About time you two showed up. I need my coffee.”

“I’ll make you a deal then, Owen,” Jack grinned. “You autopsy the corpse that Ianto’s carrying right now and I’ll let him make you a coffee. Otherwise I send him straight to the Archives and you’ll have to wait ‘til mid-morning for your coffee.”

“Bastard,” Doctor Owen Harper retorted without heat. “He makes coffee now while I start the autopsy and he has another waiting for me when I finish it.” Owen stared at the Captain but could see Ianto roll his eyes at both of them as the young Welshman headed past on his way to the autopsy bay with his small burden.

“Deal,” Jack nodded amicably. “You can drink it and give me the results at the same time.”

“Deal,” Owen agreed and turned on his heel to follow Ianto down to the autopsy bay.

He found Ianto had placed the body on the stainless steel table and was beginning to unwrap the plastic.

“What is it?” Owen asked as he pulled on his gloves.

“Jack called it a Coelsi. I’ll check the archives in a moment but the name isn’t familiar. It might be filed under something else.”

Owen nodded. Ianto’s eidetic memory could recall Torchwood One’s archive and Owen was fairly certain Ianto was slowly adding the Cardiff files to his mental library.

“He thinks the cold killed it and that rats have been feeding on the remains,” Ianto continued, uncovering the small corpse. Owen peered at it. The Coelsi was roughly three feet tall with one arm and two legs. It looked thin and spindly and very dirty. The skin was a patchwork of fur and scales. Abrasions and bite marks covered most of its chest and face.

“Yeah, could be rats. Except that every rat trap I’ve set over the last few days has come up empty. And I don’t think the weevils have managed to rid Cardiff of all the rats yet.”

“It has been cold lately. Perhaps it’s too cold for the rats,” Ianto suggested.

“Rats tend to seek out warmer places when it gets cold and that’s where I’ve been laying my traps,” Owen said as he prodded at a bite mark. He waved his hand in a shooing motion. “Go make me the coffee Harkness promised me. And he’ll be hanging out for his caffeine fix too by now if you’ve been spending your morning trawling Cardiff’s back alleys.”

“The alleys in Cardiff are always at their best when viewed in the pre-dawn light,” Ianto intoned lightly as he made his way to the stairs. “I’ll get your coffee. Oh, and Owen? I replaced the table’s drain filter yesterday. When you wash the body could you please not pull the plug this time? Jack says there’s another one of these Coelsi out there and we’ll need any detritus to help find it.”

Owen waved his hand again, not looking up from the body. “Coffee, tea-boy,” he said with a grunt and Ianto smiled as he walked up the stairs to the main Hub. Jack was watching him from next to the coffee machine.

“Would you like some coffee too, Sir?” he asked still smiling.

“Owen’s started has he?” Jack queried with a nod.

“Just about to. I’ve asked him to save the dirt and debris for analyzing.” Ianto busied himself with the machine, carefully measuring the fragrant beans and twisting handles with consummate ease. “As soon as I’ve done this I’ll start searching the archives and I’ll get the night’s rift scans ready for Tosh to go over when she gets in.”

“And what should I do, Mr Jones? Apart from standing here and looking pretty?” Jack smirked. The smirk died when Ianto’s movements stilled and he turned a wary face to Jack. “Ianto?”

“Owen said that he hadn’t been able to find rats in the places where they should be even with this unseasonal cold spell. What if something… if some things are mucking with the weather? Maybe we should be looking for strange weather patterns.”

Jack stared at Ianto. Suddenly the Hub felt as cold as the alley had been and he shivered.

Continued in Christmas Tree