m_findlow

Title: A growing problem
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters/Pairings: Owen, Jack, Ianto
Word Count: 500 words
Rating: PG
Notes: Written for Challenge 69 - Ivy at anythingdrabble
Summary: Jack isn't one for gardening.

Jack set his hands on his hips and looked up at the house standing there before him. 'I bet the folks who bought this house thought that the ivy creeping all over it gave it that old world Tudor charm.'

'At which point,' Ianto replied, 'I'll bet they got quite a shock when it began creeping inside their house, trying to strangle them to death.'

'What can I say, Ianto,' Jack said, giving him one of those confident smiles, 'some aliens just don't like sharing.'

He heard the door of the SUV slam shut, Owen coming around with a heavy box of equipment and setting it down loudly at Jack's feet.

'That's it?' Jack asked. 'That's all you brought to combat a killer alien climber? Whoa, try saying that three times fast!'

Owen huffed an annoyed little sound at him. 'Unlike you, I actually did some research before we left. A basic weed killer solution sprayed around the base should be enough to halt its growth and kill it. Then we can come back in a few days and clear up the remains.'

Jack folded his arms and gave an unenthused look at his teammate. 'Well, that sounds boring.'

'Boring, but safe,' Owen said, opening up the case and tossing a pair of thick gardeners gloves at Jack. Ianto had already donned his own and was retrieving two heavy canisters of spray from the boot, handing one to Owen.

'Just remember not to get too close,' Jack warned Owen whilst Ianto was still readying their own equipment.

'Yeah, yeah, whatevs,' Owen muttered, not wasting anymore time.

He walked up the garden path, extending the long nozzle on his canister of spray and searching at the bottom of the garden beds, looking for the main root system. No point wasting spray on the leaves covering the walls. Using the nozzle, he parted two hydrangeas, finding some of the rootstock.

'Gotcha,' Owen muttered, squeezing the trigger.

No sooner had he done that, then something grabbed his leg, tumbling him onto his arse. A long strip of leafy vine wrapped around the canister of weed spray and lofted it high into the air, disappearing over the houses on the opposite side of the road. Owen struggled, but managed to untangle himself, making a quick escape to safety.

'Well, that didn't go quite according to plan, did it?' Ianto mused.

'D'you see that?' Owen said, out for breath. 'I could've been flung halfway to Splott!'

'Ianto,' Jack began in a calm, patient voice. 'Go get me the flamethrower.'

Ianto rolled his eyes. 'I had a feeling you were going to say that.' He dutifully retrieved it from the SUV and put it in Jack's waiting arms. 'I'll alert the fire services that we'll be requiring their assistance about ten minutes from now.'

Jack lit the end and cranked up the power to maximum, whooping with maniacal glee as he strode towards the house. 'Oh, yeah, you're dealing with Torchwood now, baby! Eat my flame!'