Title: Night Out
Author: Stolendreams
Pairing: gen
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Not mine. Sadly. I'm a broke student. All I own is this computer I'm writing on and over half of that was paid for by the university.
A/N: Written before Exit Wounds so doesn't follow canon as far as the order of hiring the team goes.
Summary: Tosh's first night as a member of the Torchwood team is eventful.

***

The creature darted out of the alley in front of them, moving too fast for either of them to react before it barrelled into them. Tosh found herself flat on her back on the ground, just managing to roll over in time to catch a glimpse of green disappearing around the next corner. Before she could catch her breath a hand on her arm was hauling her to her feet.

"Okay?" Owen sounded as out of breath as she was. "Toshiko?" he prompted when she didn't reply. "Are you okay?"

His hand remained on her arm and there was a hint of concern in his eyes, mixed in with irritation at not being able to race after the creature immediately. Unsure that she could speak, Tosh simply nodded.

"Let's go then," Owen was already pulling her down the road as he spoke, not letting go until he was sure she was going to keep going under her own steam.

They managed to round the corner side by side, just in time to see Jack advance towards the creature with restraints in one hand, his gun in the other. Tosh opened her mouth to ask what would happen if someone saw his gun, but then, realising that on the whole most people would probably be more disturbed by the 6ft green alien, thought better of it.

"First time out," Jack commented, stepping back a little to let Owen put the restraints on the creature. "What did you think?"

"Well she's not crying and begging to be sent home to her mother," Owen chipped in before Tosh had had a chance to work out how to properly reply. "So at least she's better than the last one. I don't want to waste all that time training another newbie just to retcon them a week later."

"Toshiko?" Jack asked, eyebrows raised, looking at her now that the creature was safely restrained on the ground.

"She did good," Owen offered after Tosh found herself unable to think of the words to respond.

"You're okay?" Jack questioned her.

Tosh simply nodded. Somehow she never had been taught the correct words to describe how you feel after you've chased a 6ft green alien around the backstreets of Cardiff for the first time in your life.

***