The Orphan and Her Family

Chapter Twenty-Four

*Hub*

Jack climbs up the ladder, to find Sophie sitting in his desk chair. "Uh, good morning?"

She beams at him, "Morning!"

"What are you doing here?"

"I work here," she informs him.

"Yeah, I know," he finishes, leaning against the wall. "I meant what are you doing in my office, at half past six in the morning?"

"Oh, well. Emma woke me up this morning to tell me about a job interview. There was no way I was getting back to sleep so I thought I'd come here."

"Right, that still doesn't explain why you're in my office, especially since I never gave you a key to the Hub."

She pulls her sonic out of the back pocket of her jeans, and spins it around in her fingers. "You should really invest in a deadlock for the door, y'know, if you don't want me breaking in." Jack rolls his eyes, and grabs the chair she's in and pulls it out from his desk. He unceremoniously tips the chair, dropping Sophie onto the floor. She sits up, and crosses her arms, glaring at the immortal as he sits down into his chair, "What was that for?"

"I gotta work, kid. As nice as your company is, I am the leader of this organisation, and unfortunately, I have to do a sh*tton of paperwork."

She lays back onto the floor of his office, "But that's boring. No wonder the Doctor left UNIT first chance he got."

Jack chuckles, "Well, you don't have to worry, least not yet. I'll do your paperwork till you graduate."

She pumps her fist in the air, "Score!"

At that moment, Ianto enters the office, and merely raises an eyebrow at Sophie lying on the ground. He sets a tray of cups down on Jack's desk, and hands one of them to the Captain. "I thought, given the season, I would make some hot chocolate."

He grabs a second cup, and hands it to Sophie, who sits up, crossing her legs, "Thanks, Ianto," she smiles.

"You're here early," he comments, sitting down in one of the chairs opposite Jack's desk.

Sophie shrugs, and stares into her drink. Jack glances over at her, "Soph and I were actually going to talk about our Christmas plans. We're going over to hers, and we're just gonna bring chaos to Christmas."

The Welshman raises an eyebrow, and glances between the immortal behind his desk, and the woman sitting on the floor. "That does seem entirely possible, sir."

Sophie chuckles into her drink, and leans against the wall. She closes her eyes, and just listens as Jack and Ianto discuss a case from a week ago. Tendrils of sleep surround her, and before realising it, she doses off.

***

She once again jolts awake to her phone ringing. Someone has draped a blanket over her, and her cup is sitting on the edge of the desk. The light's are off, and the door is closed. She fishes her phone out of her pocket, and answers it without looking at it. "Hello?"

"I got the job!" Emma cheers.

A genuine smile crosses the woman's face, "That's amazing! Now all you need is to find a flat in the area."

"The shop's in a new branch in London. I've always dreamt about working in a London fashion house. They open the day after Boxing Day. I'll be a shop girl and a trainee buyer. And I can house share. They've given me contact numbers."

If possible, Sophie's smile widens, "I'm really happy for you. London's amazing, but it can be a bit intimidating. I know a few people who live in the area, so if you need anything I can reach out to them. And I'm always here if you need."

"I do need a lift to the coach station. It's a bit to far for me to walk."

Sophie stands up, and moves to the windows, peering through the blinds, "I'll get you someone, don't worry." She then leans back against the windows, "It's been great getting to know you. I don't really have many friends."

"Well, now you have one."

"Yeah. Alright, hopefully I'll see you later, but I'm gonna go see about that ride for you."

"Thank you, Sophie."

She hangs up the phone, and steps out of the office. Gwen, Owen and Tosh turn to look at her, and she awkwardly waves. Trudging through the Hub, she finds the Welshman in the kitchen, cleaning a handful of cups. His eyebrows raise as she steps through the door, "Hey, Sophie. Feeling any better?"

"Yeah. Sorry, I really didn't mean to fall asleep."

"Don't worry about it. I've never seen Jack be that gentle with anyone. But, you're not here to talk about that." He sets down the cup he's holding, and fully turning his attention to her, "What can I do for you?"

"Emma called, and she needs a ride to the coach station. I was wondering–"

"If I could take her there? Of course."

She then looks around the room, "Where's Jack? I didn't see him when I was coming over here."

"Oh. Jack had to leave. There's an emergency with John. He's not doing alright. In fact, I think he's trying to end it all," the Welshman sounds sad, as he turns off the sink, and exits the small room.

"Oh."

***

Sophie just heads up toward Myfanwy's roost, A Christmas Carol clasped in her hands. She rests on the floor, and cracks the book open, and begins to read the very familiar play. She gets lost in the pages, until she hears steps coming up toward her. Sophie quickly memorises the page, before setting the book down. Jack's head peers around, and then immediately approaches her, sliding down onto the floor beside her. He doesn't say anything, just wraps his arms around Sophie. It's obvious to her that he's trying to hide his feelings, and she just simply rubs his back in soothing circles. He's clinging to her like she's what's holding him to earth.

She doesn't ask him anything, just holding him as he clutches her. They sit in silence for a while, until Jack pulls away. He scrubs a hand down his face, and uses the other one to hold Sophie's hand. Taking a deep breath, he sighs, "Thanks, Soph. I needed that."

She half-smiles, "Of course, Jack, I'm always here when you need me. You were there when I needed you, and now it's my turn."

He smiles fully at her, "What did I do to get a little sister like you?"

She shrugs, "I just sorta show up, annoy people into loving me, and then just never leave."

Jack simply pulls her into a hug again, "Seriously, Soph, I love you."

She pats the side of the immortal's face, "I know, Jackaboy."