Torchwood: Fanfic: Growing pains

[m_findlow]

Title: Growing pains
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters: Owen, Torchwood team
Author: m_findlow
Rating: PG
Length: 1,219 words
Content notes: none
Author notes: Written for eerian_sadow's prompt "any, any, maybe it needs a bigger tank" at fic_promptly
Summary: A new pet leaves the team baffled.

Owen rested his forearms on the desk in front of him, chin resting on top as he stared glumly at the perspex box in front of him. Their newest find had him completely stumped as it sat there and stared back forlornly at him.

The best way to describe it was an intergalactic axolotl. In fact, it was difficult to tell them apart, and only after running exhaustive tests could they confirm that it was indeed alien. Though based on its appearance, it was hard to argue that even an axolotl wasn't alien.

When they'd first found it, it had been a bright shade of salmon, and the three feelers that sprouted from either side of its wide head had been a glorious shade of purple. Now though it's whole body had gone sad and pale, almost white and translucent, and where it had looked like it was smiling, now fell into a frown.

He poked the lid back off the tank and pulled the small creature out onto the desk. He grabbed a piece of lettuce and waggled it temptingly in front of it. The alien axolotl looked at it disinterestedly.

'Please eat something,' Owen pleaded. It sat there and looked miserable.

'Have you tried anything else?' Tosh asked, having quietly made her way down to the autopsy bay.

'I've tried everything, Tosh. It just won't eat, no matter what food I try.' He picked it up and placed it back into the watery depths of the box. It slowly sank and continued its depressed stupor.

'Maybe it needs a bigger tank?' she suggested.

He was going to scoff at the idea and tell Tosh to stick to technical matters and leave physiology to him, but since he'd tried everything else, what was the harm in giving it a go?

'Thanks, Tosh. I'll give that a try.'

'Happy to help.'

Owen dragged Ianto with him to the local aquarium supply store where they picked up a larger tank and some alternative fish foods. Ianto added to their shopping bill with coloured pebbles, a miniature castle, a more powerful pump and some aquarium plants. Owen thought it was overkill, but lost the argument when Ianto suggested that maybe it would cheer the little guy up, and that maybe the loss of colour was its attempt to blend in with its surroundings.

An hour later they had the new tank all set up and placed the axolotl in its new home. There was no immediate change in its demeanor, so they left it for the night to get settled in.

The next morning, Owen was surprised to see that not only had the vibrant colours returned, but it was larger. Much larger, and hungry to boot, devouring whatever Owen gave it.

'Whatever you did, it worked,' Jack commented. He tapped the side of the tank. 'What are we calling him?'

'Elvis,' Ianto stated.

'Like the king?'

'No. Because its almost the same as the word "enfys", which means rainbow.'

'I like it.'

Elvis seemed to be enjoying his new surrounds, although because he was now bigger, he manged to knock over the tiny castle in his tank, his large tail sweeping it aside as he moved past. Owen was pleased with his progress.

The next morning however, he was even bigger again, now too big to comfortably fit his tank. Two days ago, he'd been the size of a TV remote, and now he was more like a loaf of bread. Ianto returned to the aquarium and purchased a larger tank and more pebbles.

This started off a chain reaction. Every few days Elvis would managed to outgrow his old tank overnight, and they would have to traipse out and get a new one.

'Maybe he was only a baby when we found him,' Tosh offered, as they all huddled around the tank.

'So how big is he going to get?' Jack asked.

'No idea. But he needs another new tank today. He's practically pressed up against the sides of this one,' Owen added.

'He's as long as a crocodile now. If we have to get another tank they're going to have to make it to order. I bought their largest tank last week, Ianto confirmed. 'They can do it but it's going to take them a few days.'

'Okay,' said Jack, 'I know we all like him, but if this keeps up we're not going to have room to keep him. I think we need to focus on finding a way to send him back where he came from.'

Whilst the others worked on figuring out how to use the rift to send him back, Owen continued to monitor him. With his new tank still a few days away, he seemed to grow despondent again, colour fading to a lighter shade. His cramped habitat was having an impact.

'Just a few more days, mate,' Owen promised.

The following morning Jack walked past and gave Elvis a cursory glance on his way to the kitchen for the first coffee of the day.

'Hey, Ianto,' he called out.

'What is it?'

'It is just me, or does Elvis look smaller today?'

Ianto walked over to join him and gave Elvis a considered look. 'He does seem a little bit smaller,' he agreed. 'I'll have Owen run some tests when he gets in.'

The tests came back inconclusive. Another day passed and Elvis once again seemed smaller. Otherwise the tank was getting bigger, and that could be easily ruled out.

'That's weird,' Owen said. 'For weeks he's been getting bigger every day and now he's shrinking?'

'Should I cancel the order for the new tank?'

'Lets just see how he is tomorrow.'

Elvis got smaller and smaller as the days wore on, and he was removed back to his older, smaller tanks. He was still pale though, and eating only sporadically until he resumed his original size once more.

'It's got me beat,' Owen declared.

Ianto and Owen took one final trip to the aquarium and asked the shopkeeper what he knew about axolotls, since that was the closest thing to their pet. It turned out that they were very social and liked to interact with other axolotls. In a last ditch effort to improve his mood, they bought one from the aquarium and took it back to the hub. Elvis watched them curiously as they removed their new pet from its holding tank and placed both it and Elvis into one of the larger tanks. The effect was instantaneous and Elvis flushed brightly with colour, introducing himself to Ariana.

'Looks like he was just lonely,' Owen observed.

'Still doesn't explain the bizarre growth and shrinking.'

'Maybe he thought that if he was as big as us, we would play with him. And when that didn't work, he reverted back to his normal size'

'Well, hopefully now that he has a playmate his own size, he'll stay that way.'

And he did. Ariana was quite a catch, her long red tendrils and flushed peach skin more than enough to keep him amused as they chased each other around the tank. Not long after, Owen discovered there was a sack of eggs being ruthlessly protected in one corner of the castle. Soon there was about be a whole bunch of Elvises and Arianas.