Guilt: Redux - 7/17+Epilogue
Title: Guilt: Redux
Fandom: Torchwood
Pairings: Jack/Ianto, references to Ianto/Lisa
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: If I was the one who owned Torchwood, you think I'd admit it now?
Spoilers: Some information and events from s1,2. NONE for s3.
Summary: Ianto knows he should be happy. He has his work and he has Lisa. Again. Finally. He knows he should be happy.
Author's Note: Alternate ending to Guilt - events of Guilt up to around ch50 take place. This picks up many months later... (There's a short recap of 'what you NEED to know from Guilt' before chapter one, if you haven't read it)
Thanks to: My lovely beta cazmalfoy, angelzbabe1989 for idea bouncing, and morbid_sparks for cheerleading even when she doesn't know what happens in this...
Previous chapters at master list
Chapter Seven
Rather to Ianto’s surprise, they managed to keep the break-up on the quiet for nearly a fortnight - it wasn’t that he doubted either his or Lisa’s ability not to say anything; rather that he knew his colleagues too well. They would all deny it if confronted openly, but they were a nosy bunch.
For the most part, they would leave a subject well enough alone if asked - explicitly or not - but, whether it was just part of her eagerness to get to know them or not, Gwen hadn’t quite grasped the concept yet.
She had been curious about Lisa since the first time she was mentioned in her presence. Ianto had given her the much-abridged version of the tale, and at the time, it seemed her curiosity had been satisfied.
The questions had started up again after Lisa’s visit to the Hub. She wanted to know everything. Where they’d met. How they’d met. How they’d found moving in together. Had they discussed marriage?
It was getting harder and harder not to slip up and say something he didn’t want to.
Ianto found himself spending even more time than usual in the archives, knowing that Gwen, like the others, didn’t dare approach him down there. Part of him whispered that hiding was a rather cowardly way to get out of answering questions he didn’t want to answer, but he told that particular little voice he preferred the term ‘non-confrontational’.
Whatever he called it, as a method it was working fairly well until he emerged from the archives one evening slightly earlier than usual - he’d hoped it was late enough that, since it had been a quiet day, the rest of the team would have gone home already, but no such luck.
They were all milling around the office area, and it was clear they’d been engaging in another round of light-hearted storytelling.
“…swear he looked like he expected it to sprout horns or something,” Gwen was saying as he came within earshot. Suzie looked up as he approached, drawing the attention of the rest of the team to him.
“Hi, Ianto,” Gwen said, smiling. “I was just telling the guys about the first time Rhys held his mate’s new baby a few days ago. Terrified he would drop the little mite, he was.”
“Well, most men are, the first time a tiny baby is placed in their arms,” Ianto said calmly, leaning against a railing. He saw Owen and Jack nodding in agreement. “I know I was.”
“Really?” Gwen looked honestly surprised. “You don’t look the type to be scared by a little baby.”
Ianto rolled his eyes just a little. “Really,” he intoned. “It was Lisa’s youngest niece, and the whole time all I could think was that neither Lisa nor her sister would ever forgive me if I dropped the kid on her head.”
“Her youngest? How many nieces does Lisa have?” Gwen asked, her insatiable curiosity and nosiness surfacing again.
Ianto sighed, noticing that none of the others were paying particularly close attention anymore. “Three, aged between seven and four; Lisa’s big sister started pretty young,” he said succinctly, hoping it was enough to satisfy Gwen for now.
It wasn’t.
“So what about you and Lisa then? Do you two want kids?”
He blew out a long breath, groaning internally. “It’s a bit of a non-issue now, really.”
“Why?”
“Even if we were still together, it would just be too dangerous for her, considering everything that’s happened.”
Tired and frustrated, Ianto didn’t realise quite what he had just said until the looks he was getting from the team registered. “Uh…” Unable to think of anything witty and distracting that might make them forget what he had just revealed, he opted for saying nothing.
For a long moment, none of the others said anything either, and they just stared and Ianto in silence.
“Are you serious? You and Lisa?” Tosh eventually ventured quietly.
Ianto took a deep breath and nodded.
“When did this happen, then?” Jack exclaimed, shock suffusing his tone.
“Just under two weeks ago, now,” Ianto admitted.
“But… but…” Jack spluttered. “I’ve been round to your place three times this last fortnight, and nothing seemed wrong. I… why didn’t either of you say anything?”
“We just… wanted a little time to sort through it just the two of us first,” Ianto explained, trying desperately to sound as if he was not just making up a reason on the spot. “Figure out exactly where it leaves us, and all that.”
“And it’s definite?” Tosh asked gently. “You can’t work things out?”
“As Lisa put it, we’ve come too far to go back,” Ianto answered.
“Are you okay?” Jack said sympathetically. “Both of you? Especially still living together.”
“We’re good,” Ianto told him sincerely, cracking his first smile since the conversation had taken its awkward turn. “Surprisingly so, actually.”
It wasn’t a lie. Ever since the fight and subsequent talk that had led to their break-up, Ianto and Lisa had been getting on better than they had for months. Now that the pressure of pretending that everything was still perfect in their relationship had been lifted from their shoulders, they were finding themselves free to just be Ianto and Lisa again; the Ianto and Lisa that had been such good friends long before they ever became a couple.
It was still taking a concerted effort on Ianto’s part to stop himself from just doing everything for her - he’d been doing it for so long it had become a habit - but with Lisa’s newfound willingness to nag at him every time he did it, it was slowly growing easier.
Maybe things would ‘come good’ in the end after all.
Chapter Eight
Comments and concrit (yes, really) are adored. Comments = <3
Fandom: Torchwood
Pairings: Jack/Ianto, references to Ianto/Lisa
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: If I was the one who owned Torchwood, you think I'd admit it now?
Spoilers: Some information and events from s1,2. NONE for s3.
Summary: Ianto knows he should be happy. He has his work and he has Lisa. Again. Finally. He knows he should be happy.
Author's Note: Alternate ending to Guilt - events of Guilt up to around ch50 take place. This picks up many months later... (There's a short recap of 'what you NEED to know from Guilt' before chapter one, if you haven't read it)
Thanks to: My lovely beta cazmalfoy, angelzbabe1989 for idea bouncing, and morbid_sparks for cheerleading even when she doesn't know what happens in this...
Previous chapters at master list
Chapter Seven
Rather to Ianto’s surprise, they managed to keep the break-up on the quiet for nearly a fortnight - it wasn’t that he doubted either his or Lisa’s ability not to say anything; rather that he knew his colleagues too well. They would all deny it if confronted openly, but they were a nosy bunch.
For the most part, they would leave a subject well enough alone if asked - explicitly or not - but, whether it was just part of her eagerness to get to know them or not, Gwen hadn’t quite grasped the concept yet.
She had been curious about Lisa since the first time she was mentioned in her presence. Ianto had given her the much-abridged version of the tale, and at the time, it seemed her curiosity had been satisfied.
The questions had started up again after Lisa’s visit to the Hub. She wanted to know everything. Where they’d met. How they’d met. How they’d found moving in together. Had they discussed marriage?
It was getting harder and harder not to slip up and say something he didn’t want to.
Ianto found himself spending even more time than usual in the archives, knowing that Gwen, like the others, didn’t dare approach him down there. Part of him whispered that hiding was a rather cowardly way to get out of answering questions he didn’t want to answer, but he told that particular little voice he preferred the term ‘non-confrontational’.
Whatever he called it, as a method it was working fairly well until he emerged from the archives one evening slightly earlier than usual - he’d hoped it was late enough that, since it had been a quiet day, the rest of the team would have gone home already, but no such luck.
They were all milling around the office area, and it was clear they’d been engaging in another round of light-hearted storytelling.
“…swear he looked like he expected it to sprout horns or something,” Gwen was saying as he came within earshot. Suzie looked up as he approached, drawing the attention of the rest of the team to him.
“Hi, Ianto,” Gwen said, smiling. “I was just telling the guys about the first time Rhys held his mate’s new baby a few days ago. Terrified he would drop the little mite, he was.”
“Well, most men are, the first time a tiny baby is placed in their arms,” Ianto said calmly, leaning against a railing. He saw Owen and Jack nodding in agreement. “I know I was.”
“Really?” Gwen looked honestly surprised. “You don’t look the type to be scared by a little baby.”
Ianto rolled his eyes just a little. “Really,” he intoned. “It was Lisa’s youngest niece, and the whole time all I could think was that neither Lisa nor her sister would ever forgive me if I dropped the kid on her head.”
“Her youngest? How many nieces does Lisa have?” Gwen asked, her insatiable curiosity and nosiness surfacing again.
Ianto sighed, noticing that none of the others were paying particularly close attention anymore. “Three, aged between seven and four; Lisa’s big sister started pretty young,” he said succinctly, hoping it was enough to satisfy Gwen for now.
It wasn’t.
“So what about you and Lisa then? Do you two want kids?”
He blew out a long breath, groaning internally. “It’s a bit of a non-issue now, really.”
“Why?”
“Even if we were still together, it would just be too dangerous for her, considering everything that’s happened.”
Tired and frustrated, Ianto didn’t realise quite what he had just said until the looks he was getting from the team registered. “Uh…” Unable to think of anything witty and distracting that might make them forget what he had just revealed, he opted for saying nothing.
For a long moment, none of the others said anything either, and they just stared and Ianto in silence.
“Are you serious? You and Lisa?” Tosh eventually ventured quietly.
Ianto took a deep breath and nodded.
“When did this happen, then?” Jack exclaimed, shock suffusing his tone.
“Just under two weeks ago, now,” Ianto admitted.
“But… but…” Jack spluttered. “I’ve been round to your place three times this last fortnight, and nothing seemed wrong. I… why didn’t either of you say anything?”
“We just… wanted a little time to sort through it just the two of us first,” Ianto explained, trying desperately to sound as if he was not just making up a reason on the spot. “Figure out exactly where it leaves us, and all that.”
“And it’s definite?” Tosh asked gently. “You can’t work things out?”
“As Lisa put it, we’ve come too far to go back,” Ianto answered.
“Are you okay?” Jack said sympathetically. “Both of you? Especially still living together.”
“We’re good,” Ianto told him sincerely, cracking his first smile since the conversation had taken its awkward turn. “Surprisingly so, actually.”
It wasn’t a lie. Ever since the fight and subsequent talk that had led to their break-up, Ianto and Lisa had been getting on better than they had for months. Now that the pressure of pretending that everything was still perfect in their relationship had been lifted from their shoulders, they were finding themselves free to just be Ianto and Lisa again; the Ianto and Lisa that had been such good friends long before they ever became a couple.
It was still taking a concerted effort on Ianto’s part to stop himself from just doing everything for her - he’d been doing it for so long it had become a habit - but with Lisa’s newfound willingness to nag at him every time he did it, it was slowly growing easier.
Maybe things would ‘come good’ in the end after all.
Chapter Eight
Comments and concrit (yes, really) are adored. Comments = <3