Out of Time No More

[donutsweeper]

Title: Out of Time No More
Pairing/Rating/Warning: no pairings or spoilers, rated G
Word Count: 200
Summary:  Jack wasn't the only one at Torchwood out of their time and place
Author's note: Un-betaed, written for jadesfire2808, who says this needs a 'bring tissues' warning.  Sorry!
 

It was hours before Jack finally spotted the pterodactyl.  She was lying in a heap not far from the tangled mess of barbed wire she must have crashed into, having been unable to see them in the storm.  He knelt down carefully, unmindful of the mud and muck, but trying to avoid getting tangled or cut himself.  Poor old girl, all she’d wanted was to stretch her wings and soar, to remember who she’d used to be, in another time and another place.  That was something he could understand, in more way than he’d care to admit.  She didn’t deserve to have this happen to her.  He began stroking her scaly side, whispering soothing noises intermixed with empty promises of taking the pain away.  She was fading fast, her coos and caws barely audible over the rain.

Then, with a slight shudder, she was gone. 

He needed to radio the team, to let them know what happened, but that would make it final; she would be gone for good.  And he wasn’t ready for that yet.  So, he just sat there, absentmindedly petting her, letting the rain pounded down on them both, washing away both her blood and his tears.

Comments

[taffimai.livejournal.com]

Oh!!!

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

Sorry!

[jadesfire2808.livejournal.com]

Damnit, woman, give me a tissue warning, would you? *sniff*

This? This is perfect. Just...yes. *sob*

Thank you

*hugs Jack*
*hugs fic*
*hugs you*
*hugs Jack again cos he needs it*

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

sorry! I'm glad you liked it though. But maybe you better give Jack just one more hug, the poor boy's been crying a lot lately...

[kensieg.livejournal.com]

this isn't Myfanwy is it?

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

It was supposed to be, but I suppose it doesn't have to be read that way.

[rustydog.livejournal.com]

Noooo! You killed Myfanwy!

(Just kidding. This is beautiful, really beautiful. Sad and descriptive in all the ways it needed to be.)

We had a bred heifer once, when I was around 13, and I was watching her carefully because she was our only pregnant cow. I went down to visit her in the pasture one afternoon and found her lying next to her dead calf. It was a beautiful liver brown bull calf. The cow moved when I came, and I sat on the ground next to the calf for half an hour, stroking it until my dad came down and found me and made me come back to the house. I didn't know how to go home and tell them the calf was dead, so I just stayed.

All that to say, your story struck a chord with me.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

awww, that's so sad. I'm so sorry for bring up such a memory!

[rustydog.livejournal.com]

No, it's okay. It's one of those memories that's so old, it's sad but kind of sweet. Unlike Jack, I don't want any of my memories buried. :) I just wanted you to know that your story has a universal quality, which I think is a really nice thing.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

Oh, okay, well, thanks then!

[rustydog.livejournal.com]

Seriously, it's never a bad thing to make people *feel*. That's my take on it. And it means your writing is effective! Please don't ever be alarmed if I respond with something like "this made me cry" or, you know, anything emotional. From where I'm coming, it's a compliment. (I have occasionally been accused of being emotionless, so feelings are yay.)

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

You're right, of course!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_medley_/]

Oh. Oh, so sad. Poor Myfanwy. Poor Jack. Really well-written. I'm grateful for the tissue warning, nonetheless.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

:) thanks! I couldn't figure out how to get Jack crying for Jades when it wasn't sad.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_medley_/]

Good point! *g* But! But! Myfanwy!

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

Maybe this is set 50 years from now? Would that make it better?

*sigh* now I've made my flist all sad

[http://users.livejournal.com/_medley_/]

Making your flist sad is good! Well, in this case. *g*

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

lol- I guess. I can't decided if I should make an attempt at humor or crack to cheer people up though. Or if I should buckle down and focus on the bigbang, not much more to go on that!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_medley_/]

You know what I'm gonna say.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

Give me a donut?

*bats eyes innocently*

[http://users.livejournal.com/_medley_/]

Besides that. *g* But here, I'll give you a donut.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

*vbg* back to dragons and whatnot

[http://users.livejournal.com/_medley_/]

Yay, dragons!

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

can't go wrong with dragons, even if they don't breath fire...

[http://users.livejournal.com/_medley_/]

True!

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

holy cow- I just realized I've written over 10k on it this month alone!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_medley_/]

WOW! That is so awesome!

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

I bounce in happiness and pass donuts for all your help

[http://users.livejournal.com/_medley_/]

*munches donuts* You are quite welcome!

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

oh- in the last bit- did I hit that 'just enough technobabble to explain what he's doing but not enough to cause coma' properly?

[http://users.livejournal.com/_medley_/]

Beautifully! I didn't even skim. *g*

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

excellent! thanks! :)

[unfeathered]

Oh God, that's sad! *sniffs*

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

*passes tissues and gives hugs*

[miss-zedem.livejournal.com]

Oh poor Myfanwy *pets her*

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

*sorry* :)

[eumenidis.livejournal.com]

Touching, both for the poor displaced pterodactyl & the sense of Jack's feelings of displacement & constriction.

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

thanks, glad you liked it!

[aeron-lanart.livejournal.com]

The woman in the library is looking at me real funny now.
*sniffle*
So sad. Lovely, but heartbreaking. Definitely needs the tissue warning (which I of course ignored).

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

Sorry for the strange looks by the library patrons, but I'm glad you liked it!

[phoenix64.livejournal.com]

That was really poignant. You did good. But you killed Myfanwy!

[donutsweeper.livejournal.com]

Thanks and I'm sorry!