aviv_b_artwork | Avalanche (Reply)

Title: Avalanche
Author: Aviv_b
Originally posted at torchwood_fest Bingo/Prompt/Exchange: Bingo
Prompt: Free Space - Dreams
Word Count: 875
Rating: PG
Contains: Character illness, possible PTSD symptoms

Summary: Time resets following TYTNW, but the team members are behaving strangely. Second of four related stories about the Team during/after TYTNW. May be read as a stand-alone but follows Snow Blindness ( http://aviv-b.livejournal.com/145664.html ).

Disclaimer: Not mine; Aunty B's and RTD's

She lay awake for the fourth night in a row. Something wasn’t right, but she didn’t know how to explain it. Ever since Prime Minister Saxon killed the President of the United…no that was a dream, wasn’t it?

She sighed, got out of bed and went to plug in the kettle for tea. The clock on the kitchen wall read two in the morning.

“Couldn’t sleep?” Rhys asked as he stepped into the kitchen.

Gwen shook her head. “It’s that dream again. The one where the Team is lost in a snowstorm in the mountains.”

Rhys nodded sympathetically and handed her the funny monster mug Ianto had given her on Valentine’s Day. Looking at the tea, Gwen felt queasy and handed it back to Rhys. “Go on, you drink it. My stomach is too upset.”

“Well, I know just the thing for that.” He pulled out a small pot and began to heat some milk. “Hot cocoa, just the thing to scare away the frights.”

She smiled as Rhys handed her a new mug. She drank the cocoa thinking how good it felt to be warm again. No that wasn’t right either, she thought, shaking her head, she hadn’t been cold at all.

“What’s wrong,” Rhys asked.

“That dream is so real it’s bleeding into my waking thoughts. I just thought that I had been cold but that’s not possible.”

Rhys sat beside her and put his hands over hers holding the mug. “You’re hands are warm.”

“I know,” she said exasperated, not at him but at the tricks her mind was playing.

“But your feet are like ice,” Rhys said as he reached down and touched them.

Gwen startled and jerked her feet away from him. Her arms moved instinctively to push him away, knocking over her drink. Cocoa spilled over her nightgown and onto the floor. She stood and picked up the mostly empty mug and began to cry. “I’m losing my mind, I swear I am.”

Rhys rose and put his arms around her. “Shh, you’re just over-worked and stressed. You should call in sick tomorrow. “

“I can’t. Tosh’s been sick for a week. She was never sick a day since I’ve known her. Now she’s got the chills all the time and her tea is making her feel sick.

“Maybe you’re catching what Tosh’s got…”

“No,” Gwen interrupted, “Tosh’s pretty sure it’s due to a bad batch of tea. Ianto and she had a row over it as he orders a special green tea just for her and he says its fine. She went so far as to have Owen test her tea to make sure it was okay. Ianto was really upset by that. I’m not sure if he was more angry or hurt but they haven’t spoken to each other for several days.”

“And Ianto, he seems to go off into a trance watching Tosh or Owen or myself with the saddest expression on his face. That’s really odd after that declaration Jack made to Ianto that I told you about. ‘I came back for you,’” Gwen said, doing a fair impression of Jack’s voice. “You’d think he’d be happy.”

“And Owen?” Rhys asked.

“Owen seems much the same. Once a bastard, always a bastard. He did tell everyone that he was never drinking tea again, which is very peculiar since he’s never liked tea. And he’s constantly looking for me, like he thinks I’m going to get lost or something.”

Gwen continued to describe the behavior of the team since Jack’s return. It seemed like every one was a little off balance.

“Bet everyone got used to the way you led the team and now having to adjust back to Jack’s methods has everyone feeling uneasy.”

That made sense to Gwen. She was very disciplined when she took over team leadership and Jack was even more flippant than he had been before he left. If he wasn’t being glib and telling filthy jokes, then he was hiding in his office brooding. So really, now they were leaderless.

“Look at the time,” Rhys said, interrupting her musings.

“It’s almost six,” Gwen said groaning. “Not worth going back to sleep for an hour; might as well get an early start at work. Maybe I’ll be able to get off early today.” She got up and began to head back to bedroom.

“I’ll tell you what. You call me if it looks like you will and I’ll make lasagna.”

Gwen felt her stomach lurch. “How about we go out for dinner tonight? That way we can both relax.”

Rhys felt a little hurt but could see that Gwen really didn’t look well. “Sure love, if that’s what you want. I was just sort of hoping that maybe a nice dinner and a long soak in a bubble bath would help. And I could rub your feet,” he offered, knowing how much she loved when he did that.

Gwen’s eyes got huge and she shook her head ‘no.’ Covering her mouth she ran as fast as she could to the bathroom.

Rhys could only watch in dismay. “I don’t know what the hell is going on,” he thought, “but this is really starting to worry me. Bloody Torchwood.”