m_findlow

Title: The power to change
Fandom: Torchwood

Characters: Jack, Ianto, OCs

Author: m_findlow

Rating: PG.

Length: 1,000 words

Content notes: none

Author notes: Written for Challenge 132 - Superpowers at

fandomweekly

Summary: Jack and Ianto's children have a tough assignment to complete.

Tom, Eleri and Sian sat slumped around the kitchen table with empty pieces of paper in front of them.

'I thought this would be easy,' Sian said. 'Who knows more about alien superpowers than us?'

'That's the problem,' Eleri replied, twiddling her pen. 'There's too many to choose from to pick just one. If we worked for Torchwood, what would be the most useful?'

'You could have like lasers that shoot out of your eyes,' Tom said, grinning madly.

Eleri huffed. 'What would be the point of that? How often do you need to use lasers?'

'They're still cool.'

Sian poised over her paper. 'Superman had just about everything: he could fly, was super strong, and could hear everything and see through walls. And he was super speedy too.
Not like the flash speedy, but still super quick.'

'Or you could be super stretchy and made out of rubber like that lady in The Incredibles.'

'That is pretty neat,' Eleri admitted. 'Like I could stretch my arm and steal your pen kinda cool. Or spray a weevil from a distance to sedate it.'

'Or,' Tom said, looking very serious, 'we could be like Dad and not be able to die.'

'Neither of them can die, you numpty,' Sian reminded him.

'Yeah, but Dad was able to do it first.'

Of course they were referring to their father Jack, but the distinction didn't need to be made. All three of them instinctively knew which of their two fathers they were talking about, either from the tone in which the word was said, or the context in which it was used. None of them had ever bothered trying to distinguish one "Dad" from another. They were both Dad, and that was all one needed to know.

'Dad has all the cool equipment though,' Eleri argued. 'Like Batman does. He had the bat cave and the batmobile and the underground lair with all the cool computers and stuff.'

Sian laughed. 'What, you think the police should light up the sky with a giant T-shaped logo to call him into action? Super Dad, we need you!'

'Dad had all that stuff first, too, before he met Dad. So that makes Dad, what, like Robin?'

Sian shook her head. 'Nah, more like Alfred, serving Dad his coffee and getting him stuff.'

Eleri frowned at them. 'I don't think Dad would be happy with you calling him Alfred. He's way cooler than Alfred. Even if he did used to do that stuff.'

'Who's Alfred?' Jack asked, walking into the kitchen and breaking up their debate. 'New friend? You should invite him over.'

'Alfred's not real, Dad,' Tom said. 'We have to write an essay about what kind of superpowers we'd have and why.'

'And we decided we want powers like you and Dad so that we couldn't ever die,' Sian piped up.

Jack picked up his eldest daughter and sat her on his knee even though she was getting way too old and way too heavy for it. 'You know I wouldn't wish this on even my worst enemy,' he told them.

Sian's brow furrowed. 'But why? You and Dad have the same thing. You're both awesome. Think of all the stuff you can do because you can't die. You're Cardiff's secret superheroes.'

Jack sighed. Eleven still felt far too young to really explain the full gravity of immortality. Jack was going to outlive his children, just like all the ones before, and he was going to have to live with that.

'I wish it were the kind of superpower where we couldn't die,' he said. 'Instead we can be hurt, get sick, and yes, even die. And then we come back to life. But only after going through all that pain. Sometimes we put ourselves in danger so that someone else - who can die - doesn't have to. And sometimes other people die no matter how hard you try to stop it from happening. That's the price of being immortal.'

Tom chewed his lip. 'So, you wish you didn't have superpowers?'

'Not this one. The most important power you can have is right here,' he said, giving Sian a poke in the chest. 'Love in your heart is more powerful than anything. And that is something you don't need to be a mutant superhero to have, and still make a change in the world.'

'Well, this all looks very serious,' Ianto said, seeing the four of them in silent contemplation. 'What did I miss?'

'Just us discussing superpowers and immortality for a school project. And besides,' Jack said, looking at each of them in turn, 'you know you can't write about Torchwood, don't you?' Their children knew better than anyone how important a secret it was.

'Suppose we'll just have to write about boring superpowers instead,' Sian said, sighing and sliding off her Dad's knee.

'Ianto, what kind of powers would you have?'

'The ability to rearrange the brains of stupid people?' he replied, earning giggles from his children.

'No, really. Ooh, I could have lasers come out of my eyes!'

'And what would be the point of that?'

'See, I told you,' Eleri said, directing her statement at Tom. 'Pointless.'

'Flying would be pretty cool,' Jack said.

'I don't like heights,' Ianto replied. 'Maybe the ability to transform.'

'What, like an animagus?' Tom asked.

'Not just one thing; anything. I could be a dragon or a coffee mug. Anything I could think of.'

'That is pretty cool. Maybe I'll use that.'

Jack frowned as they filtered out of the room, each now brimming with new ideas for their essays. 'Why would you want to be a coffee mug?'

'Maybe so that I could sit on your desk and watch you all day.'

'Ianto, you can do that now, just as you are. All you need is the power to keep still and resist kissing me.'

'Who says I don't? It's my powers of attraction that prevent you from being able to resist kissing me first.'