Skip to main content

A Bit of Faith

Title: A Bit of Faith
Fandom: Torchwood
Parts: One-shot
Character(s): Toshiko Santo with mentions of Ianto, Owen and Jack
Spoilers: 2.06 Reset through 2.08 Day in the Dead
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
Summary: Toshiko takes a moment to reflect on what has happened to Owen.

She feels oddly out of place; these walls hold no solace, no comfort for her. Her feet echo against the stone floor as she makes her way past the aisles of wooden pews. With the exception of one woman, near the front, the church is empty. As she nears the altar, she notices that the woman is kneeling on one of the padded, faded red knee stands, the fingers on her right hand slowly working around the small beads of a rosary.

Tosh can barely hear the whispered words the woman chants, “Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst…” as she skirts past. With a weary sigh, she eases herself down, gingerly sitting on the uncomfortable pew – she’s never been particularly religious before, so she isn’t quite sure what to do. She runs a nervous hand down her skirt, trying to smooth out an imaginary wrinkle.

It is oddly quiet; no odd bleeps or buzzes filling the air – the sounds of her every day life. The silence makes her feel anxious, powerless. She isn’t used to feeling powerless – invisible, yes, but she hasn’t felt powerless since… well, since Jack recruited her.

The sound of metal hitting stone makes her jump, and she glances behind her. The praying woman is hunched over; picking up what must’ve been her car keys from the floor. Tosh quickly faces forward as the woman straightens. She sits still, listening to the echoing steps of the woman as she leaves, filled with apprehension. While the woman was here, she could sit and pretend – act as if she knew what she was doing. Now that the other woman is gone, she’s faced with precarious uncertainty again.

She lets her gaze wander around the dimly lit interior, her eyes alighting on the holy cross. Given her line of work, the idea of God is strange – or at least the idea of God that she was taught as a child. She bites her bottom lip; after all the impossible things she’s seen, all the species she’s come across, she longs to ask, Are you real?

That’s the crux of the matter, for all she knows, the God of religion could be nothing more than an alien or some other entity that had power – power early humans had never seen before. It makes sense that such a creature would’ve been god-like to the primitive human race.

Still, faith was a hallmark of her youth – faith in education, faith in family, most especially faith in God. She clings to that small hope – the idea that faith can help. Lord knows, Owen needs all the help he can get. And, while it is true that alien science brought him back – faith still saved him. Faith saved them all in the end.

Almost without though, the words spring from her lips, “Please help him.” The sound of her voice echoing through the church startles her, and she bites her lower lip to stem the flow of words. Yet her mind races. Please, please help him. He has so much to live for, if he’d let himself – I’d do anything to make him realize how much he has…

The sound of her cell phone ringing drags her away from her maudlin thoughts.

“Tosh here,” she says softly into the mobile. She shifts on the pew, alleviating some of the pressure on her buttock as she listens.

“No, it’s no trouble at all, Ianto. I’m not busy,” she responds after a moment. “Yes, I would tell you if I were busy.”

“I think I could be persuaded,” she says into to the phone, a faint smile touching her lips. “But tell Owen he owes me a drink at the pub, if I do this.” She stands up, stretching on the balls of her feet to work the uncomfortable kinks out of her body. Easing out, she makes her way down the aisle towards the entrance, all the while listening to Ianto on the phone.

“All right, be there in a bit,” she says softly before clicking the off button. She hazards one more glance around the church, feeling some sense of ease as she pushes out of the door.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Could Have Been

when the words no longer flow expression becomes stilted sliding along the edge of something yet blanking towards the pain of nothing he thought to trap me in a cage of words to mute my voice with his subtle interest vindictiveness was never my forte neither was virtue yet the pale walls scream like a blank page I know why the caged bird sings boredom propels it to seek in art what is missing why does it seem like everything is missing funny how silence rings in your ears or is that the blood pumping the need for words scratching at the surface of my skin is love suppose to feel like this the bed squeaks its answer his body next to mine hot and sweaty my brain screaming to be released he thought to trap me in a cage of words wrapped in a licentious promise going nowhere fast and furious yet here I am again with nothing between me and the paper but a pen that does not move and a memory of what could have been

Meaningless

this truth drives me insane as if the wounds of careless words goes unhealed I wait patiently for the moment to come wrapped up in apprehension I feel so undone I know relief is there just beyond the door but sometimes I wonder when the wind whispers if there is more my tears know nothing but this pain a waking nightmare of useless despair I once believe in the golden promise your honeyed words like a balm how foolish I was It feels as though I’m trapped in the web of wants needing the truth with the substance of cotton candy too sweet to be real so I wait stretched taunt and thin for the adoration of your love never knowing it was false how could I loose myself so utterly to the nothingness that is left a wake for fools will I be mourned at last unbidden they come like rivers of hot pain as I wrap deep inside my misery hidden from all except the night in moments of clarity I lie to myself as if pretending will make it a...

Fear

it seems as though the words have left me those comfortable friends I wrapped myself in when times were cruel as the world often is and I am left standing naked before you in this moment that has no end every second begs with a pregnant pause the truth of these moments and I cannot hide from your gaze nor decipher your thoughts and I feel as if I am falling no longer protected hidden from the world I had no desire to partake of yet now I find myself thrust into this tiny moment of broad uncertainty edging towards something unfathomable would that I could claim bravery for I am a coward at heart quaking in fear for fear has long been my true friend yet now it grips me with powerful talons and I feel shredded to the core cynical and jaded am I or rather was so sure of my imperfection so sure of my unworthiness I am still very sure and it pains me to know the truth of myself yet wishing to be somehow better than I am more deserving of what I am still so unsure I do not know where this tho...