People Only Know What You Tell Them - Chapter Four
Title: People Only Know What You Tell Them
Fandom: Torchwood
Pairing(s): Jack/Ianto
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don't own either Torchwood or Catch Me If You Can. Would that I did.
Spoilers: None in particular for Torchwood, indirect for the movie.
Summary: There's a conman on the run, and Agent Jack Harkness is determined to catch him. But then things take a turn for the complicated.
Warnings: Contains timelines that might make your head hurt.
Author's Notes: Written for the reel_torchwood challenge, using the prompt Catch Me If You Can.
Thanks to: morbid_sparks for being my wonderful beta, and putting up with my slightly madcap style of writing this. Also angelzbabe1989 for helping me work out plot variations.
Chapter links at Master List
Chapter Four - Earth, December 5058
Jack pushed the keyboard away and rubbed at the tension building in his forehead. The others had all gone home hours ago to their families and friends, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave quite yet.
It wasn’t as if he had anyone to go home to anyway. With all the time he’d been putting in on this case, and the shock to his system that seeing Ianto again had been, his personal life was really nonexistent.
He’d long ago lost count of how many records he had scoured, trying to find a match to Ianto. The automated processes had all failed entirely, and going through by hand was taking a very long time. Even with all four of them working on it for at least part of their time.
He was just about to pull the keyboard back and get started again when his communicator buzzed. He scrabbled around on his desk to find the answer button and smacked it with the palm of his hand.
“Harkness,” he answered, curious as to who would be calling him at this time.
“Hello, Jack,” said the caller. “Merry Christmas.”
The voice sounded familiar, but Jack couldn’t make himself believe that the person it sounded like would actually be calling. He cleared some more papers away on his desk and glanced down at the caller display - identity withheld. Of course. “Who is this?” he asked, trying to suppress the kernel of hope that it was who it sounded like.
“Jones, from the Shadow Proclamation Fraud Squad.”
Jack’s jaw nearly hit the floor. “Ianto, it’s you.”
“Do you know how hard it is to actually track you down and get put through to your desk?” Ianto replied, frustratingly not quite answering the question at all. Through all this time, Jack was still looking for confirmation that the intelligent, sneaky fraudster he’d been hunting and the man he’d met so long ago in Cardiff were one and the same. “You’d think no one knew who you were, the number of departments I had to go through to find you.”
“What is it that you want, exactly?” Jack asked, suspiciously.
“I just want to tell you that I really am sorry for what happened in August. It wasn’t my intention to make a fool of you, honestly.”
Jack scoffed. “Yeah, right. You’d have done anything to get out of there, and you should know that it just made me even more determined to do anything necessary to track you down and put you away for a long time.” He surprised himself with quite how vehemently he actually meant the words. Even if it was Ianto - no, especially if it was Ianto.
People couldn’t just make him look the fool and get away with it. That wasn’t how he worked.
“So, Jack, do you always work this late on Christmas Eve?” Jones asked on the other end of the call.
“I volunteered,” Jack told him, frowning. “So the rest of my team could go home to their families early.”
“You’re not married? You don’t have a family?” There was an odd tone to his voice, and Jack couldn’t quite discern its meaning.
“No, I’ve never been married,” Jack replied, wondering idly why he was admitting to this.
“Why not?”
Jack sighed. “Look, if you just want to talk, let’s do it face to face.”
“Sure,” Jones responded, surprising Jack. “I’m in suite 3113 at the New New Astoria, in ancient New York.”
Jack started to write the number down and then stopped, his eyebrows furrowing. “Oh, no, you’re not going to get me like that. You just want me to send a team over there, barging in on Christmas Eve, so you can make a fool of me all over again.”
“I swear, I’m sorry if I made a fool of you,” Ianto insisted. It almost sounded sincere.
“You don’t have to lie to me, Jones,” Jack said firmly. He glanced at the clock again, and realised that in less than forty minutes it would be Christmas day. And Jones had chosen now to call him up. “You didn’t just call me to say sorry, did you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jones scoffed.
Jack shook his head a little bit sadly. “You have no one else to call.”
Ianto took the tray of food off the automated room service drone and took it back into the suite.
It was at times like this that he missed being in the past, when room service was provided by a friendly hotel employee rather than a machine.
Not that he was lonely, he assured himself, but… a conversation companion wouldn’t exactly be frowned upon right now. It had been a long few months; the latest job he’d taken on had looked interesting, but didn’t leave him with nearly as much free time as he’d like.
He’d quit, find something new to sink his teeth into in the new year, he decided.
He cut determinedly into the steak on his plate, pouring all of his concentration into the meal.
As he spooned the last bite of dessert into his mouth, he picked up his communicator and looked at it. But who could he call?
He pressed a few buttons and got through to a contact he still had at the Time Agency - one who had never known that he wasn’t really supposed to be there.
Forty-five minutes later, he finally had the right department, and the right desk extension.
He took a deep breath, fiddled for a few moments to make sure his location couldn’t be verified from the other end of the line, and pressed the button to connect the call.
“Harkness.” Jack sounded a little uncertain, and Ianto checked the clock. Ahhh.
“Hello, Jack,” he said, waiting for Jack to recognise his voice. Hoping Jack would recognise his voice. “Merry Christmas.”
There was a pause on the other end of the line.
“Who is this?” Ianto’s heart sank a little, but he knew he shouldn’t have been so surprised. If Jack hadn’t recognised him from the past when they’d actually met a few months ago, how likely was it really that he would recognise his voice?
“Jones, from the Shadow Proclamation Fraud Squad,” he said, knowing that Jack was unlikely to have forgotten that.
He heard a sharp intake of breath. “Ianto, it’s you.”
Ianto sat back, wracking his brain to remember if he’d ever given Jack his first name in August. He didn’t think he had. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more sure he was that he hadn’t. The only time he’d ever given Jack his name was back in the 21st century when they’d first met.
Which meant that somehow, even though he’d given no indication of it, Jack did remember him. Ianto didn’t know quite how to react to that, but he knew he couldn’t let Jack know that he’d noticed.
“Do you know how hard it is to actually track you down and get put through to your desk?” he said instead, bringing his mind back into the present and steadfastly ignoring the past. “You’d think no one knew who you were, the number of departments I had to go through to find you.”
“What is it that you want, exactly?” Jack sounded suspicious.
Ianto had to think - what did he want? Why had he chosen to call Jack, of all people? He searched around his thoughts and said the first sensible thing that came to mind. “I just want to tell you that I really am sorry for what happened in August. It wasn’t my intention to make a fool of you, honestly.”
Jack scoffed, clearly not believing a word of it. “Yeah, right. You’d have done anything to get out of there, and you should know that it just made me even more determined to do anything necessary to track you down and put you away for a long time.”
Ianto couldn’t deny that, although he was sorry that he’d made Jack look stupid, there was a ring of truth in what Jack said, so he changed the subject swiftly. He looked up again at the clock. “So, Jack, do you always work this late on Christmas Eve?”
“I volunteered,” Jack replied. “So the rest of my team could go home to their families early.”
Ianto blinked in surprise, the question coming out before he could censor himself. “You’re not married? You don’t have a family?”
“No, I’ve never been married,” Jack said quietly.
“Why not?” Ianto cringed and wished he could take back the question almost as soon as he asked.
“Look, if you just want to talk, let’s do it face to face.”
Ianto hesitated for a second, and took a chance. “Sure, I’m in suite 3113 at the New New Astoria, in ancient New York.”
He didn’t know what he would do if Jack actually did believe him, and came over. He wasn’t really in the mood for running that night.
Luckily, a moment later, it appeared he didn’t have to worry. “Oh, no, you’re not going to get me like that. You just want me to send a team over there, barging in on Christmas Eve, so you can make a fool of me all over again.”
“I swear, I’m sorry if I made a fool of you,” Ianto insisted, speaking honestly even if he knew there was little chance Jack would accept that.
“You don’t have to lie to me, Jones,” Jack came back with immediately. “You didn’t just call me to say sorry, did you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ianto said, knowing he was being defensive, but not wanting to admit to anything.
There was a moment of silence before Jack’s voice came back over the line softly. “You have no one else to call.”
Ianto hit a button to hang up, reality crashing in too hard.
He really didn’t have anyone else, and he had to find a way to change that.
Chapter Five
Fandom: Torchwood
Pairing(s): Jack/Ianto
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don't own either Torchwood or Catch Me If You Can. Would that I did.
Spoilers: None in particular for Torchwood, indirect for the movie.
Summary: There's a conman on the run, and Agent Jack Harkness is determined to catch him. But then things take a turn for the complicated.
Warnings: Contains timelines that might make your head hurt.
Author's Notes: Written for the reel_torchwood challenge, using the prompt Catch Me If You Can.
Thanks to: morbid_sparks for being my wonderful beta, and putting up with my slightly madcap style of writing this. Also angelzbabe1989 for helping me work out plot variations.
Chapter links at Master List
Chapter Four - Earth, December 5058
Jack pushed the keyboard away and rubbed at the tension building in his forehead. The others had all gone home hours ago to their families and friends, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave quite yet.
It wasn’t as if he had anyone to go home to anyway. With all the time he’d been putting in on this case, and the shock to his system that seeing Ianto again had been, his personal life was really nonexistent.
He’d long ago lost count of how many records he had scoured, trying to find a match to Ianto. The automated processes had all failed entirely, and going through by hand was taking a very long time. Even with all four of them working on it for at least part of their time.
He was just about to pull the keyboard back and get started again when his communicator buzzed. He scrabbled around on his desk to find the answer button and smacked it with the palm of his hand.
“Harkness,” he answered, curious as to who would be calling him at this time.
“Hello, Jack,” said the caller. “Merry Christmas.”
The voice sounded familiar, but Jack couldn’t make himself believe that the person it sounded like would actually be calling. He cleared some more papers away on his desk and glanced down at the caller display - identity withheld. Of course. “Who is this?” he asked, trying to suppress the kernel of hope that it was who it sounded like.
“Jones, from the Shadow Proclamation Fraud Squad.”
Jack’s jaw nearly hit the floor. “Ianto, it’s you.”
“Do you know how hard it is to actually track you down and get put through to your desk?” Ianto replied, frustratingly not quite answering the question at all. Through all this time, Jack was still looking for confirmation that the intelligent, sneaky fraudster he’d been hunting and the man he’d met so long ago in Cardiff were one and the same. “You’d think no one knew who you were, the number of departments I had to go through to find you.”
“What is it that you want, exactly?” Jack asked, suspiciously.
“I just want to tell you that I really am sorry for what happened in August. It wasn’t my intention to make a fool of you, honestly.”
Jack scoffed. “Yeah, right. You’d have done anything to get out of there, and you should know that it just made me even more determined to do anything necessary to track you down and put you away for a long time.” He surprised himself with quite how vehemently he actually meant the words. Even if it was Ianto - no, especially if it was Ianto.
People couldn’t just make him look the fool and get away with it. That wasn’t how he worked.
“So, Jack, do you always work this late on Christmas Eve?” Jones asked on the other end of the call.
“I volunteered,” Jack told him, frowning. “So the rest of my team could go home to their families early.”
“You’re not married? You don’t have a family?” There was an odd tone to his voice, and Jack couldn’t quite discern its meaning.
“No, I’ve never been married,” Jack replied, wondering idly why he was admitting to this.
“Why not?”
Jack sighed. “Look, if you just want to talk, let’s do it face to face.”
“Sure,” Jones responded, surprising Jack. “I’m in suite 3113 at the New New Astoria, in ancient New York.”
Jack started to write the number down and then stopped, his eyebrows furrowing. “Oh, no, you’re not going to get me like that. You just want me to send a team over there, barging in on Christmas Eve, so you can make a fool of me all over again.”
“I swear, I’m sorry if I made a fool of you,” Ianto insisted. It almost sounded sincere.
“You don’t have to lie to me, Jones,” Jack said firmly. He glanced at the clock again, and realised that in less than forty minutes it would be Christmas day. And Jones had chosen now to call him up. “You didn’t just call me to say sorry, did you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jones scoffed.
Jack shook his head a little bit sadly. “You have no one else to call.”
Ianto took the tray of food off the automated room service drone and took it back into the suite.
It was at times like this that he missed being in the past, when room service was provided by a friendly hotel employee rather than a machine.
Not that he was lonely, he assured himself, but… a conversation companion wouldn’t exactly be frowned upon right now. It had been a long few months; the latest job he’d taken on had looked interesting, but didn’t leave him with nearly as much free time as he’d like.
He’d quit, find something new to sink his teeth into in the new year, he decided.
He cut determinedly into the steak on his plate, pouring all of his concentration into the meal.
As he spooned the last bite of dessert into his mouth, he picked up his communicator and looked at it. But who could he call?
He pressed a few buttons and got through to a contact he still had at the Time Agency - one who had never known that he wasn’t really supposed to be there.
Forty-five minutes later, he finally had the right department, and the right desk extension.
He took a deep breath, fiddled for a few moments to make sure his location couldn’t be verified from the other end of the line, and pressed the button to connect the call.
“Harkness.” Jack sounded a little uncertain, and Ianto checked the clock. Ahhh.
“Hello, Jack,” he said, waiting for Jack to recognise his voice. Hoping Jack would recognise his voice. “Merry Christmas.”
There was a pause on the other end of the line.
“Who is this?” Ianto’s heart sank a little, but he knew he shouldn’t have been so surprised. If Jack hadn’t recognised him from the past when they’d actually met a few months ago, how likely was it really that he would recognise his voice?
“Jones, from the Shadow Proclamation Fraud Squad,” he said, knowing that Jack was unlikely to have forgotten that.
He heard a sharp intake of breath. “Ianto, it’s you.”
Ianto sat back, wracking his brain to remember if he’d ever given Jack his first name in August. He didn’t think he had. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more sure he was that he hadn’t. The only time he’d ever given Jack his name was back in the 21st century when they’d first met.
Which meant that somehow, even though he’d given no indication of it, Jack did remember him. Ianto didn’t know quite how to react to that, but he knew he couldn’t let Jack know that he’d noticed.
“Do you know how hard it is to actually track you down and get put through to your desk?” he said instead, bringing his mind back into the present and steadfastly ignoring the past. “You’d think no one knew who you were, the number of departments I had to go through to find you.”
“What is it that you want, exactly?” Jack sounded suspicious.
Ianto had to think - what did he want? Why had he chosen to call Jack, of all people? He searched around his thoughts and said the first sensible thing that came to mind. “I just want to tell you that I really am sorry for what happened in August. It wasn’t my intention to make a fool of you, honestly.”
Jack scoffed, clearly not believing a word of it. “Yeah, right. You’d have done anything to get out of there, and you should know that it just made me even more determined to do anything necessary to track you down and put you away for a long time.”
Ianto couldn’t deny that, although he was sorry that he’d made Jack look stupid, there was a ring of truth in what Jack said, so he changed the subject swiftly. He looked up again at the clock. “So, Jack, do you always work this late on Christmas Eve?”
“I volunteered,” Jack replied. “So the rest of my team could go home to their families early.”
Ianto blinked in surprise, the question coming out before he could censor himself. “You’re not married? You don’t have a family?”
“No, I’ve never been married,” Jack said quietly.
“Why not?” Ianto cringed and wished he could take back the question almost as soon as he asked.
“Look, if you just want to talk, let’s do it face to face.”
Ianto hesitated for a second, and took a chance. “Sure, I’m in suite 3113 at the New New Astoria, in ancient New York.”
He didn’t know what he would do if Jack actually did believe him, and came over. He wasn’t really in the mood for running that night.
Luckily, a moment later, it appeared he didn’t have to worry. “Oh, no, you’re not going to get me like that. You just want me to send a team over there, barging in on Christmas Eve, so you can make a fool of me all over again.”
“I swear, I’m sorry if I made a fool of you,” Ianto insisted, speaking honestly even if he knew there was little chance Jack would accept that.
“You don’t have to lie to me, Jones,” Jack came back with immediately. “You didn’t just call me to say sorry, did you?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ianto said, knowing he was being defensive, but not wanting to admit to anything.
There was a moment of silence before Jack’s voice came back over the line softly. “You have no one else to call.”
Ianto hit a button to hang up, reality crashing in too hard.
He really didn’t have anyone else, and he had to find a way to change that.
Chapter Five