Goodnight Sweetheart 32/?

[missthingsplace]

Title: Goodnight Sweetheart
Author: missthingsplace
Parings/characters: Ianto/Lisa Jack/Ianto, Gwen/Rhys, Owen/Toshiko, Andy/Donna
Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood or any of the characters ... unfortunately, just borrowing them for a while.
Summary: When Ianto lost his job he knew it was the oppotunity he'd been waiting for but nothing could have prepared him for what was to come when he leased the premises for his new enterprise.
Warnings: Slash, fluff, romance, angst, humour, AU
Spoilers: Anything is fair game
Rating: NC17 for series 
 

The following morning found Ianto and Jack back in the department store to buy the cutlery Ianto required, along with some salt and paper shakers he spotted on the way to find the ones he required. He had just paid for his purchases when the loud siren that marked the beginning of an air raid began to sound.

“It's the middle of the day,” Jack grumbled. “it's bad enough when they're just doing it at night!”

“Lets just get to safety,” Ianto replied, holding his packages tightly as they followed the other guests down into the shops basement where it was kitted out for such an occasion with chairs and the means to make tea.

“Tea for everyone?” One of the shop assistants asked.

A rounding chorus of 'please' filled the room and at that moment it realised why he recognised the young woman, it was Rose Tyler whom Jack had introduced him to the last time they had been to the shop. She and another assistant made enough cups of tea for all the people in the basement and then she sat herself down next to Jack and Ianto.

“Back again?” She asked with a cheerful smile, despite all the muffled noises of bombs dropping that they could hear from outside.

“I needed some more items,” Ianto explained, nodding towards the packages beside his feet.

“We couldn't have timed it worse if we'd tried,” Jack added with a wry smile.

“At least we'll be safe down here, this basement is solid,” Rose explained. “Jack, why don't you sing something?”

“You sing?” Ianto asked him, wide eyed.

“You've not told your friend everything about you?” Rose asked in a whisper with an emphasis on the word friend and a wink causing Ianto to blush slightly.

“Almost,” Jack grinned at her.

“Perhaps it's for the best,” Rose added with a chuckle. “well, how about a song?”

“There's no music,” Jack protested.

“There's an old piano under that dust sheet at the other end of the room, if we ask someone might know how to play,” Rose suggested.

“I can,” Ianto said before he realised what he had just let himself in for.

“You do? That's wonderful,” Rose said with a beaming smile. “Do you sing too?”

“A little,” Ianto admitted. “but I think I'll leave that to Jack.”

“We'll see,” Rose laughed and then clapped her hands to quieten everyone. “ladies and gentlemen, the Captain here has agreed to give us a song and his friend Mr Jones will accompany him on the piano.”

“I don't have any music,” Ianto hissed at her.

“Not a problem, Mary, is that sheet music still down here?” Rose asked another assistant.

“It's in a box under the piano,” Mary answered, moving to the said piano and pulling the dust sheet off to reveal what appeared to be a rather battered looking upright piano.

“That's seen better days!” Ianto exclaimed softly.

“Maybe so,” Mary smiled. “but it still plays like a dream.”

“Okay, okay, lets see what there is,” Ianto said with a resigned sigh, moving from his seat to the piano, followed by Jack and riffling through the sheet music in the box and finding songs he had heard of but never played. “Jack, what do you fancy singing?”

“Something cheerful,” one of the ladies in the basement called out and a murmur of agreement filled the room.

“This seems perfect,” Jack grinned at him, handing him the sheet music for 'Yes! We Have No Banana's' and caused Ianto to laugh loudly.

“Okay, it looks easy enough,” Ianto agreed, placed the sheet music on the piano and took his seat. “Ready?”

“Yeah,” Jack answered, getting ready to sing after the intro.

There's a fruit store on our street
It's run by a Greek.
And he keeps good things to eat
But you should hear him speak!

When you ask him anything, he never answers "no".
He just "yes"es you to death,
And as he takes your dough, he tells you...

At this point everyone in the basement joined in.

"Yes! We have no bananas
We have no bananas today!!
We have string beans and onions, cabBAges and scallions
And all kinds of fruit and say
We have an old fashioned toMAHto
A Long Island poTAHto, but

Yes! We have no bananas
We have no bananas today!"

Business got so good for him that he wrote home today,
"Send me Pete and Nick and Jim; I need help right away."
When he got them in the store, there was fun, you bet.
Someone asked for "sparrow grass"
and then the whole quartet
All answered:

Once again the assembled people joined in, all singing all happily.

"Yes, we have no bananas
We have-a no bananas today.
Just try those coconuts
Those wall-nuts and doughnuts
There ain't many nuts like they.
We'll sell you two kinds of red herring,
Dark brown, and ball-bearing.
But yes, we have no bananas
We have no bananas today."

When the song finished there was a loud cheer and the chant for more.

Ianto went through the sheet music again and Jack picked '(They'll Be Blue Birds Over) The White Cliffs Of Dover'

This time when Jack began to sing a complete hush filled the room.

There'll be bluebirds over
The white cliffs of Dover
Tomorrow
Just you wait and see
I'll never forget the people I met
Braving those angry skies
I remember well as the shadows fell
The light of hope in their eyes
And though I'm far away
I still can hear them say
Bombs up...
But when the dawn comes up
There'll be bluebirds over
The white cliffs of Dover
Tomorrow
Just you wait and see
There'll be love and laughter
And peace ever after
Tomorrow
When the world is free
The shepherd will tend his sheep
The valley will bloom again
And Jimmy will go to sleep
In his own little room again
There'll be bluebirds over
The white cliffs of Dover
Tomorrow
Just you wait and see
There'll be bluebirds over
The white cliffs of Dover
Tomorrow
Just you wait and see...

And Jack and Ianto got another round of applause at the end, almost drowning out the sound of the all clear siren. The basement was then filled with the sound of scraping chairs against the concrete floor as everyone got ready yo leave it and get back to their lives.

When they emerged from the shop they we're filled with shock at the state of the building just fifty yards or so away that had been flattened by a bomb, wishing he could just grab Jack and hold him Ianto felt his eyes fill with tears at the sight of a body being pulled from the wreckage by firemen.

“I have to get out of here,” Ianto told Jack, his voice strained with emotion. “I need a stiff drink.”

“I couldn't agree more,” Jack answered, taking his arm in the way of a caring friend and leading him away from the carnage and in the direction of Donna's pub, hoping they would find a taxi soon.

TBC

Comments

[idamus]

Great update

[zazajb]

Loved the sing song around the piano - saw all that so clearly in my head and it made me proud of the British fighting spirit...and then the sad reality of loss and devastation as that body is pulled from that bombed building... A brilliant and thought provoking chapter xxx

[(Anonymous)]

Love the singing and it's soeasy toforget the reality of the Blitz and how easy it was tobe killed at the time. I think Ianto's just had a big shock. Great update as always.

[reddevilpoes]

wonderful update

[r2d2antics]

I knew of the No Bananas song, but never really knew the words.

Great update :))

Hope you are well? x

[seabiscuit]

love the update

[milady_dragon]

That was great. Singing in the face of adversity...very British, I think!

[trektorch]

Very nice update. It does sound very British to be singing when bombs are being dropped. Music does lift the heart and spirit during rough times though. I really like this story and just know somehow Jack is going to follow Ianto someday and find out his secret.

[stargazer60]

Reality check....

Nice they lightened the time with a song!

[wanda1969]

Lovely- it makes me think of all those films that they don't show on the TV anymore: Arthur Askey and Stinker Murdoch entertaining people sheltering in the Underground. Wonderfully evocative of the time!
Loved it and the last chapter, too!!

[cjharknessgirl]

Lovely! It's nice that they brightened a dark moment with songs, I love Jack singing and Ianto playing piano. And it was sad how the harsh reality of the time hit Ianto as they left the store, I just want to hug him and Jack.

[bluelilacs.livejournal.com]

So nice of Jack and Ianto to sing and play for them to take their minds off the bombing going on above them. Quite a shock for Ianto to see the devastation right afterward though. Has to make things a little more real for him, not to mention scarier, to see it first hand. Anyone would be shaken up by that.

[kildarefiles]

As always I love and adore this story!!

[blackrose_17]

Oh I love that Jack sang while Ianto played the piano.

[hab318princess]

Loved the "Yes, we have no bananas." Wonderful!

[akawho]

I think the reality of the war has just been brought home to Ianto.