Fic: Tumbling Through The Vortex (Torchwood Jack/Ianto NC17 Time Verse)
Title: Tumbling Through The Vortex
Author: magikalrhiannon
Beta: kajmere
Fandom: Torchwood AU
Verse: Time Verse
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
Rating: NC17
Spoilers: All up to Season 3 Ep 5 Children of Earth
Summary: The Doctor gives in and takes Jack and Ianto back to their reality... but will the TARDIS get them there?
Word Count: 12042
Disclaimer: All rights belong to BBC and Russell T Davies. I'm just finger-painting in someone else's masterpiece. No infringement intended.
Notes: For kajmere, cuz she owns me. Plot was given to me by trueblue55 during a brainstorming session, and fleshed out by my girlfriend kajmere so both of them deserve massive props for this one! I had to split it into 2 parts.
You will need to read Adrift In Time for this to make any sense.
Follows How To Win Friends And Infuriate People
Ianto sat on the bench seat with his cup of freshly made coffee and watched as Amy and Rory played some tug of war game with a garment of clothing that Ianto didn't want to know anything about. Jack was on the other side of the console of the TARDIS, looking at charts of stars and planets co-ordinates, trying to work out where they were.
“So. What do you think?”
Ianto jumped a little and looked to his right to see the Doctor leaning on the back of the bench he was seated on. “About?”
“Jack's proposal to return to Earth?” the Doctor asked, lacing his fingers together.
“Ah.” Ianto sipped his coffee. “Well. If it wouldn't cause the walls of time to collapse and destroy the universe, I would very much like to see my sister, niece and nephew again, if it's all the same to you, Doctor.”
The Doctor nodded, and smiled. “Right then. One trip to Earth coming right up. We just have to work out when in time we can land.” The Doctor clasped Ianto on the shoulder and offered a smile before he walked over to Jack and started an animated conversation.
Ianto watched his lover and his lover's friend interact with veiled interest. He was still wary of the Timelord, for the Doctor unnerved Ianto in a way he couldn't explain. He wanted to dislike him on principle for the way that Jack had initially left him on Earth with no explanation to chase the Doctor when he heard the TARDIS return to Cardiff all those years ago. But that was Jack's choice, not the Doctor's. And while the Doctor had asked Jack to stay, Jack had returned to him, albeit 3 months after he left, on the day Captain Fuckface entered their lives.
Still. Jack adored the Doctor. Ianto knew he did. It was clear in the way he would tell him stories from when he had travelled with the Doctor and his previous companions - not just Dr Martha Jones (who worked with U.N.I.T. and had sent Ianto one of their red berets after she had come to Torchwood on a case Jack had asked her to assist with, and she had managed to get Ianto to confess that he and Jack... well at the time he'd used the term “dabble”, because he didn't want to give too much away) but also Rose. Dear, lovely Rose, who had also been a victim of sorts to Torchwood One, so Jack had found out when he had run off with the Doctor. She was now trapped in an alternate reality, or a parallel universe. Jack had confided to Ianto in bed earlier, after they had discovered the Doctor's welcome aboard gift to Ianto of his new wardrobe of clothes, that Rose was the love of the Doctor's life. She was the human he fell in love with. But she was sucked into another parallel universe at Canary Wharf.
Ianto knew all how heartbreaking Canary Wharf was. The battle of Canary Wharf and the destruction of Torchwood One was thanks to the Daleks and the Cybermen joining forces to take over Earth. Ianto's girlfriend, Lisa, had been one of the fallen, though her death had been at Jack's own hand. Ianto had hidden her in the basement of Torchwood Three, caring for her unbeknown to everyone else, including Jack, whilst waiting for a specialist in the Cybernetics field to fly from Tokyo to Cardiff to see Lisa and see if he could reverse her partial conversion. It was too late, however, and upon the discovery, Jack had had to take matters into his own hands and destroy all that was left of Ianto's girlfriend.
Still, out of tragedy came love - the greatest love of all. The love that stood the test of time, and space. Ianto saw Jack lift his head and catch his eye. He offered a small smile to his lover, who rewarded him with a dimpled grin, showing his brilliant white teeth. The Doctor nudged him with an indulgent smile. Jack rolled his eyes and shook his head then looked back to at what the Doctor was showing him. He started nodding, pointing and talking animatedly. Ianto smiled widely as he watched.
Jack had shown him mercy for his betrayal. Instead of sending a report and handing him over to U.N.I.T. for interrogation and life imprisonment for treason against the crown, he had suspended Ianto for a month - allowed him time to grieve and get Lisa's affairs in order. During that time, however, Jack hadn't left him alone. Every day, Jack had come to him and talked to him. Even when he hadn't wanted him to. Still, Jack had been there. To listen. To cry on. To hug or sit with in silence.
By the end of the month, Ianto started to heal. They had started to heal. Jack forgave Ianto for his betrayal. It was only fair that when Jack ran off with the Doctor and returned 3 months later that Ianto forgave him for his departure. Ianto smiled to himself. The rest, as they say, is history...
“How did you two meet?” A feminine voice asked beside him as a body bumped into his. Amy decided to flop herself down on the bench practically on top of him.
“We worked together,” Ianto said, sipping his coffee. “Jack was my boss, actually.”
“Ooh, office romance! How saucy!”
Ianto gave her a wry smile. “Hardly. It was more born out of sexual attraction, mutual gratification and fifty-first century pheromones. It's a long twisted tale of secrets, lies, betrayal, sex, forgiveness and finally love.”
“Do tell!” Amy clutched his arm excitedly, her eyes glittering with excitement.
Ianto smiled and finished his coffee. “Sorry, you'll just have to wait for the best seller like everybody else. Excuse me,” he said as he extracted his arm and rose to his feet, moving over to the coffee machine to rinse out his mug.
The Doctor called everyone over and announced that he and Jack had worked out their next destination. Cardiff. A month after Ianto's memorial was held. The Doctor was certain the calibrations he'd calculated would get them to land on the Plass near the Hub. From there, Jack and Ianto should be able to get anywhere and everywhere. He organised everyone's assignments for the trip to Earth.
“Ready?” he asked. Everyone nodded. Jack looked over at Ianto who drew in a deep breath and released it slowly. “Let's go!”
The TARDIS moved through time and space with a grumble and a shudder. She lurched and rolled, causing everyone to hang on for dear life. It seemed to Ianto that the trip took forever, but they finally came to a bumpy landing.
The Doctor bounced up from where he landed on the floor of the TARDIS. “That didn't sound right,” he said. Rory scrambled to his feet before he checked Amy over, helping her to her feet.
“Ianto? You okay?” Jack asked as he rubbed his elbow and then the back of his head.
“Nothing broken. Slight loss of dignity, nothing new there,” Ianto replied, getting to his feet. Jack checked him over anyway. Ianto just smiled, knowing that he promised to let Jack cling. “See? I'm fine.”
“Yeah.” Jack pressed a kiss to his lips. “Let's go see where we landed.” He held out his hand to Ianto, who immediately took it. Jack and Ianto, followed by Rory and Amy, made their way to the door which the Doctor was opening.
When the Doctor stepped out, he immediately ran his hand through his hair repeatedly, mussing up his hair. “Oh no, no, no, no.”
Jack stepped out, followed by Ianto, who ran into Jack's back when Jack stopped in his tracks when he saw the wreckage that was left of the Hub. Debris, concrete and paper were everywhere.
“Jack?” Ianto asked, taking in the view. “Jack, what the hell?” he asked, panic setting in.
“I don't know, Yan, but we're gonna find out.” Jack pulled out the phone that the Doctor had given him. “This still works, right Doc?”
“Yes, yes,” the Doctor said absently, nodding. “I'm sure the calibrations were right,” he muttered to himself.
“Jack... The Hub's been blow to smithereens,” Ianto murmured under his breath. Jack squeezed his hand and looked back at him, pain in his eyes. “Don't you dare, Jack Harkness! This is not your fault!”
“I left them, Ianto,” Jack whispered brokenly.
Ianto pulled his lover into his arms. “They may be okay. We don't know yet. We'll track them down, okay? Jack?!” Ianto grabbed his face and forced him to look at him. “Okay?” Jack nodded miserably and hid himself in Ianto's neck. Ianto hugged him tightly. “Right.” He pulled back. “Give me the phone.” Jack handed over the phone to his lover. Ianto thought for a moment and then quickly programmed in a few phone numbers. He dialled one and listened. “Tosh is disconnected.” He dialled another. He frowned. “Owen is disconnected too.” Jack stared to pace. Ianto took a deep breath.
“I could call Martha?” the Doctor offered, waving his phone. “I'm sure she kept hers with her.”
“Do it,” Ianto ordered as he dialled the number he didn't want to call.
“Cooper.”
Ianto held out the phone to Jack. “Gwen,” he mouthed.
“Hello??”
Jack sighed and accepted the phoned. “Gwen? It's Jack.”
“Jack?!” She gasped out. “Jack, are you okay? How are you? Where are you?!”
“I'm... I'm at the Hub, or what's left of it. What the hell happened? You guys have one hell of a rager or what? The place looks like a bomb went off,” Jack laughed half-heartedly as the group of them moved over to the wreckage. He watched as Ianto climbed over some rubble and found a clipboard and paper. He lifted up more debris, smiling when he found half a drawer of miscellaneous stationary. He tried four or five pens, tossing each one over his shoulder before he found one that worked.
“What are you... Jack? That's...That's not funny, Jack! You know what happened. I can't believe you of all people would come back after fucking off and leaving me here to deal with the mess you left behind, on my own, six months pregnant, mind! And you have the nerve to joke and laugh about it! About Ianto dyin' like that! Jack, how could you?” Gwen started to cry.
“Die?” Jack froze. Ianto looked up sharply before jumping over the debris to get to Jack's side. “What do you, mean Ianto died? He didn't die, Gwen. He was taken by the rift, remember?” Ianto put his hand on Jack's back. “Talk to me, Gwen, now.”
“The rift? What?! Jack, have you gone mad? I know losing Ianto at Thames House and using poor little Stephen against the 456 sent you a little loopy with grief, but to have lost your memory, Jack?” Gwen asked.
“I killed...I used... Stephen's dead?” Jack whispered as he lowered the phone and looked at the Doctor. “We're not home, Doc. We're in a parallel universe!”
“JACK!” Gwen's tinny voice came through the phone by Jack's side. “JACK HARKNESS DON'T YOU FUCKING IGNORE ME!” Jack hastily lifted the phone.
“I'm here, Gwen,” Jack said, looking guiltily at Ianto who rolled his eyes. “Look, where are you?”
“I'm at home. It's not like I can go running off with a newborn in tow now can I?” Gwen grumbled, but with happiness bleeding through.
“You have a baby?” Jack asked, looking into Ianto's eyes. Ianto stared back, mask completely in place. “Rhys'?”
“Well of course Rhys'! Who else would it be?” Gwen asked in fond exasperation.
“With you and Torchwood, one could never know,” Ianto muttered under his breath. Jack grinned, and Ianto looked away, knowing that Jack had heard him. “I'll just be...” And pointed back over at the rubble.
“Be careful,” Jack covered the phone. “I don't want to be testing out the immortality thing before we have to.”
Ianto gave him a flirty smirk. “Yes sir,” he said as he mocked saluted and climbed over rubble once more. Jack watched as Rory and Amy followed, Ianto giving them instructions on what to look for.
“Jack! Who are you talking to?! Are you on the pull while talking to me? Honestly!” Gwen sighed.
“Sorry, Gwen. I'm just distracted by the bomb site that was my home.”
“It was worse when you fucked off around the world to fuck away your guilt from losing Ianto,” Gwen bit back. She sighed. “Sorry, love. I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. I'm just tired. Stephanie keeps be up most of the night, see. She just cries and cries. I never get any sleep. She poops and cries, poops and cries, and sometimes she'll eat.”
Jack's back straightened up. It seemed he was the same in every universe. Desperately in love with Ianto, inexplicably distraught when he is no longer by his side, fills up the loneliness with empty one night stands. Jack Harkness MO right there. Jack closed his eyes as self-loathing washed over him. God but I am a sad and broken man. How the hell did such a wondrous soul fall in love with the likes of me? he thought as his eyes tracked Ianto's movements.
“How's Rhys?” Jack asked absently.
“Oh, you know, doing his best. He dotes on Stephie, bless him. He's a wonderful father, Jack.”
“That's great, Gwen. I'm happy for you. Listen, do you have Tosh and Owen's numbers? The ones we have are disconnected?” Jack listened to Gwen's gasp of breath. “What?”
“Jack... Are you doing this on purpose? Are you deliberately trying to hurt me? Is this because I chose Rhys instead of you?” Gwen asked, clearly crying again.
Jack frowned. “Gwen, what are you talking about? We never... I never had... Did we?... Oh. Here we must have... Oh.” He raised his eyebrows. “Okay. That's really gonna piss Ianto off.” He sighed. “Um. So. I gather Tosh and Owen are no longer with us either. We're all that's left.”
“No, Jack. I'm all that's left,” Gwen corrected bitterly.
“Yeah.” He looked over at the Doctor who was talking animatedly on the phone, presumably with Martha. “Did you call in Martha Jones?”
Gwen sniffled. “And Mickey Smith. He's quite good, even if he has a mouth on him.”
Jack laughed. “Yeah. Mickey Mouse. I imagine sparks would have flown between him and Martha.”
“Love at first fight, from what I can tell,” Gwen mused. “What about you, Jack? Have you, you know, moved on?”
Jack stiffened. “I'm not talking about Ianto with you, Gwen.”
“I know you loved him Jack but-”
“No, Gwen, I don't think you do know,” Jack said softly. “I don't think you understand the depths of my feelings for Ianto. I don't think you ever could.”
“I...I didn't realise...”
“I know.” Jack felt a hand on his back. Ianto. He smiled. “Listen, I got some friends with me. We're going to poke around the Hub, see what we can salvage.”
“There's not much left, but feel free. I'll let Mickey know what you're up to so he doesn't send the dogs.”
“Appreciate it,” Jack chuckled. “Take care of yourself Gwen. And that baby.”
“Am I going to see you, Jack?” She asked, hopefully.
Jack looked at the Doctor, who was frowning, deep in thought. “I don't know. I wish I could give you a more definite answer. I'm sorry. Give Rhys my love.” He hung up.
“You okay?” Ianto asked, a crease between his eyes from his frowning. Jack pulled him against his chest and kissed him deeply. “What was that for?” Ianto asked, eyes still closed, forehead against Jack's when the kiss ended.
“I love you,” Jack murmured, and hugged Ianto tightly, reminding himself that Ianto was here, safe and sound, in his arms. They were not of this universe where more than likely his mistake, his arrogance, had cost him the love of his life.
“I love you too. Jack, you're scaring me.”
“Tosh and Owen are-“
“Dead,” Ianto finished for him as he pulled back to look at his lover. “I know. I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto. I managed to find one of the spare Torchwood PDAs that amazingly still works and hacked the security system. Apparently all Toshiko's use the same security passwords. Curious. Nevertheless, I found the staff database. Tosh, Owen, Suzie and I are all deceased here.”
“Definitely a parallel universe. Gwen with a baby,” Jack asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Not in our world,” Ianto agreed. “Unless it was your lovechild.”
“She did say in this universe she turned me down for Rhys, so I turned to you.”
Ianto balked for a moment and then replied with, “Well at least you came to your senses... eventually.”
“I fell apart when you died if that helps?” Jack paled at his own worlds. Ianto cupped his cheeks and kissed him.
“I'm here, cariad,” he said against Jack's lips. “That is their Jack and Ianto, not us.”
Jack nodded. “Okay.” He looked around. “You found a PDA?”
“Yeah. Not much else. We might want to get some more electronics if we're going to stay here before too long. At least a smart phone or two, maybe a laptop or something with internet access.” He looked back at the carnage that was once the Hub, “Whatever blew this place up did a damn good job of it. There's another thing.” Ianto hesitated.
“Tell me.”
“I think your brother Gray was in the cryogenics facility here,” Ianto bit his lip. “I... There's reference to him on the Torchwood server.”
“Gray? Gray was here? In cryo? Where?”
“Jack,” Ianto grabbed his arm as his lover started to move. “There's nothing left of him. I've already looked.”
“But... I wonder how that happened?” Jack asked, frowning.
“I don't know. I kind of wish I'd digitalised my dairies now,” Ianto sighed.
“Yeah, but then who knows who could have read about you, me and that bottle of chocolate syrup?”
“Haven't you ever heard of encryption, sir?” Ianto smirked. “And since when have you ever been less than an exhibitionist?”
“Since you. Don't want anyone else lookin' at what's mine. And so had Tosh and look at how easily you got around hers,” Jack reminded him as they walked towards the Doctor who was now talking to Amy and Rory.
“Do you forget? I know everything!“ Jack threw his head back and laughed. Ianto chuckled, happy that he could still make his lover laugh, even when faced with such destruction. “I'll keep looking, see what I can find out on why Gray was here.”
Jack took Ianto's hand in his and squeezed. “Thank you.” Ianto just smiled at him as they reached their destination.
The Doctor looked up when he saw Ianto and Jack stop beside him. “Ah good! Jack, Ianto, I got a hold of Martha. Amazingly she knew who I was even though my voice has changed.”
Jack held up the phone in his hand. “Caller ID Doc.”
The Doctor blushed and mumbled something inaudible before he filled everyone in on what Martha had told him, which was pretty much what Jack had discerned from his call with Gwen. They were in fact in a parallel universe from the one that Jack and Ianto came from. Tosh and Owen had been murdered by Jack's brother Gray - news which caused Jack to freeze, and Ianto to immediately start tapping away on his PDA to verify details. Ianto was killed in Thames House along side Jack when the 456 aliens invaded Earth and released a poisonous gas into the building, killing all the occupants inside... except for Jack, of course, who came back to life.
Jack immediately turned to Ianto with tears in his eyes. Ianto shook his head. He didn't want any apologies. He would have died exactly how he wanted to - in the line of duty, at Jack's side. He didn't need apologies or platitudes. It would have been an honourable death. Jack would have been there with him to the end, he was sure of it.
Gwen Cooper had taken over Torchwood when Jack had gone MIA after killing his own grandson - and didn't that cause a gasp from Amy and a dirty look from Rory (Jack protested that it wasn't him it was another Jack!) - and the loss of Ianto was too great for him to cope with. Gwen had brought Martha and Mickey Smith on board to Torchwood, as well as her own husband Rhys.
“Rhys!” Ianto huffed. “I bet he's bloody well doing the cooking, cleaning and botching up the filing.”
“Isn't that your job?” Jack grinned.
Ianto glared at Jack. “I have never botched the filing, thank you very much. Unlike most of the staff you hire, I know the alphabet.”
“You were an office boy?” Rory asked in disbelief.
Ianto stiffened. “We all had to start somewhere. Not everyone can afford to go to university, you know.”
“Ianto's the best,” Jack grinned. “Torchwood couldn't run without him.”
Rory looked at the bomb site behind them. “Yeah, I can see that.”
“Right, Doc, so where do we go now?” Jack asked. “We can't stay here. People will ask questions if Ianto's dead, and I've disappeared.”
The Doctor frowned. “Well... I guess we could try a different set of calibrations, but I was sure we used the right ones last time!”
“To the TARDIS!” Amy bellowed, her arm in the air, and grabbing Rory's arm. Jack stood there and stared at the bomb site until Ianto ran his hand up Jack's back.
“Jack?”
“Yeah.”
“Coming?” Ianto asked.
“Yeah.” He sighed deeply.
“We'll figure this out,” Ianto promised.
“I don't know that there's much to figure out,” Jack said sadly. “We can't do anything to help this Jack and Ianto.”
“Maybe we're not meant to,” Ianto mused.
Jack looked back at his lover. “Maybe. Let's go.” He held out his hand and Ianto took it, allowing him to lead him to the TARDIS.
Once on board and the door shut, the Doctor scrambled around tapping in new calibrations into the computer and pushing buttons on the console. He pushed everyone into standing positions around the console and pointed out their role before setting the TARDIS off on her next journey. The Doctor kept muttering to himself as she flew, just as rough as she did the first time around. When she landed with yet another bumpy thud, tossing her passengers to the ground, they once again pulled themselves to their feet.
Ianto looked down at his now dusty and slightly ripped suit and groaned. “It's like being at Torchwood all over again.” Jack gave him a sympathetic smile. “I'm just going to change before I venture outside.” He took off upstairs at a jog. Everyone else waited with awkward silence. When he reappeared, he was wearing jeans, sneakers, a t-shirt and a zippered hoodie.
“What happened to the suit?” Jack asked with a pout.
Ianto blushed. “I figured if we were going to keep finding bomb sites, a suit might not be the most practical clothing to wear. This is more... appropriate, considering we don't know what's out there.”
“Good thinking!” The Doctor said with a smile. “Besides, no time to change now. Time to explore!” he slapped his hands together and ushered everyone towards the TARDIS's door. “Let's go.”
They opened the door and found themselves on Roald Dahl Plass, surrounded by Torchwood staff at gunpoint.
“Well, that's welcoming,” Amy said, slowly raising her hands in the air.
The Doctor looked over at Jack who smiled at Tosh and Owen and Gwen.
“Hey kids! You miss me?” he asked, stepping forward only to have a gun pointed at his head. “O-kay, not exactly the welcome home I was expecting. Doc, how long exactly did you aim for since Ianto went missing?”
Owen narrowed his eyes at Jack, his gun still pointed at his head. “Ianto didn't go missing, Ianto got himself killed after he caught you shagging the office tramp over there-”
“Hey!” Gwen protested, her gun pointed at Amy and Rory. “That wasn't my fault!”
“Shut up Gwen,” Tosh hissed, her gun aimed at The Doctor.
“And since Jack is currently passed out in his office after once more drinking himself stupid from guilt, you are obviously not him, and you,” he moved his gun to Ianto, “aren't Ianto. So who are you?”
Ianto looked over at the Doctor and put his hands on his hips. “I thought you said you got the calibrations right this time?”
The Doctor turned and looked at Ianto, bewildered. “I thought I did!”
“Then why are we in yet another parallel universe? You're supposed to be clever!”
“Ianto!” Jack turned to look at his lover.
“What?” Ianto asked indignantly.
“I am clever!” the Doctor protested, and then deflated and ran his hand through his hair. “I just don't know why we keep getting lost.”
“Wait a minute. Do you mean to tell me that you're Jack and Ianto from an alternate reality?” Owen clarified.
“Yes!” Jack, Ianto and the Doctor all said at the same time, a little testily.
Amy shrugged her shoulders and offered a smile. “Sorry, it's been a long and weird day.”
“I bet,” Gwen gave her a sympathetic smile.
“Did you really shag Captain Hotness over there?” Amy asked quietly, leaning over. Gwen gave her a guilty look and nodded. “And Ianto caught you?”
“Walked in on us, actually.”
“Oh. And they were together?” Gwen nodded. “Why'd you do it?” Amy asked.
Gwen sighed. “Jack and I had been dancing around our attraction ever since we met. I guess we just figured that if we gave into it once and got it out of our systems we could, you know, move on? Never expected Ianto to come back from London a night early because he missed Jack. They were taking a break, you see.” She bit her lip. “I … I didn't realise he loved Jack. I didn't realise Jack loved him! I don't think Jack did either until it was too late.”
“What happened to Ianto?”
Gwen teared up. “He walked in on us and we stopped, obviously. Jack followed him up to the Tourist Office and they had words. From what I heard, Ianto told Jack that it was over. Jack asked why he was so upset, that they were on a break weren't they, and wasn't it his idea anyway? And Ianto said that this was exactly why they were over. He wasn't what Jack truly wanted. I was. Because the first chance he got once they were no longer together, Jack was between my legs.” She looked away and dropped her weapon. “Ianto got behind the wheel of his car and drove... I don't know where... but he ended up wrapped around a lamp post. Jack hasn't looked at me since, let alone touched me. I don't blame him either.”
“I've heard enough,” Ianto said, and reached for Jack's hand. “C'mon. Take your time, but when you're ready, we're trying another set of calibrations.” Ianto pulled on Jack's hand and the immortal stumbled back onto the TARDIS behind him. Once they were on board, Ianto pulled Jack into his arms. “Hey, it's okay, Jack. I'm here.”
“It happened again,” Jack whispered.
“I know. But it's not us, Jack. It's not us. Just focus on that. You and I, we're together cariad,” Ianto said quietly into his ear, kissing his skin and letting Jack cling to him.
“I need you, Yan. I need to be with you.”
“C'mon,” Ianto said, pulling out of his arms and taking his hand. Ianto led him up the stairs and to Jack's bedroom where he shut the door behind them.
Turning to Jack, Ianto carefully took his greatcoat off, and hung it on the hook on the back of the bedroom door. Next, he placed his hands on Jack's shoulders and massaged the tense muscle until his fingers were under the braces, sliding them down Jack's shoulders and arms. He felt Jack's breath on his neck as he moved close to start unbuttoning his deep blue dress shirt, Jack's hands finding his hips, fingers curling through the belt loops to hold him close. Ianto pulled Jack's dress shirt from his pants and pushed it off his shoulders, making Jack let him go for a moment so the shirt would fall from his hands. Ianto allowed it to fall to the floor as he moved his hands to the undershirt that Jack always wore, his fingers bunching the soft white cotton as he slowly moved it up Jack's torso, encouraging Jack to move his arms up in the air for him to pull the shirt over his head and off his arms.
Once naked from the waist up, Jack pulled at Ianto, crashing him against his chest and captured his lips with his. He sighed in to the kiss, sucking on the flesh that Ianto offered freely. Ianto opened his mouth and Jack plunged his tongue inside, moaning when their tongues made contact, his arms wrapping around his young lover to hold him closer. Ianto's fingers slid into Jack's hair and gripped the strong muscles of his shoulders as Jack's pheromones burst to life, flooding the room and making Ianto's head spin. Jack pressed against Ianto, causing him to stumble backwards until his back hit the wall behind him and he groaned, in part in pain and in part in pleasure at having Jack's groin, hard and heavy, pressed against his own.
Jack pulled his hands back to move between them to unzip Ianto's jacket, pushing it off his shoulders without breaking their kiss. Ianto bumped his arms into Jack's as he frantically tried to shake his jacket off, but it wasn't moving anywhere with his back pressed against the wall. He growled in frustration, and Jack pulled back a little, starting to chuckle into Ianto's mouth. Pressure off his body, Ianto moaned in relief and yanked his jacket off, throwing it to the floor. Jack slid his hands under Ianto's shirt to splay them on his back, soaking in the warmth of his skin. Ianto lifted his arm to grab his shirt from behind his head and yanked it off, throwing it over Jack's head, not caring where it landed.
Jack stared at him, taking Ianto in. “How am I lucky enough to have you?” he asked Ianto in bewilderment.
Ianto smiled shyly, and cupped Jack's cheek. “Because you love me, Jack. You love me enough to search the universe and back for me.” Ianto's eyes filled with unshed tears. “I'm the lucky one. To have even a small piece of this,” he said as he placed his right hand over Jack's heart, “makes me the luckiest man in the world. To have all of it... you have no idea how that makes me feel.”
“You do, Yan,” Jack kissed his palm. “You have all of it. Every single beating piece of it. No one else comes close to you. Not in this lifetime. Not in any lifetime. No matter how many times I come back, it's always you.”
“Jack...” Ianto pulled Jack to him and kissed him deeply, entangling himself as much as he could. Jack wrapped his arms around Ianto, fingers digging into Ianto's back muscles, gripping and kneading, massaging and groping. “Make love to me Jack,” Ianto said against Jack's lips.
Jack pulled him away from the door and walked him backwards to the bed. Before they collapsed down on it, Jack let Ianto go long enough to find his belt and yank it undone, unbutton his jeans and unzip them, pushing them and his underwear to the floor. Ianto fell back onto the bed, and Jack caught his legs, pulling his sneakers off one at a time, followed by his socks, jeans and boxers, dumping them on the floor. He kicked off his own boots, then undid his own belt and pants, and shoved them to the floor, removing his socks as well before crawling onto the bed with Ianto, who was now resting against the pillows. He had a tube of lube beside him.
“Looks like the TARDIS stocks herself,” Ianto smirked, indicating the nightstand he'd retrieved the lube from.
Jack laughed, and crawled up Ianto's body, kissing his way up Ianto's stomach pausing only to lick and suck on each of his nipples. Ianto moaned and arched his back, pressing up into Jack's mouth. Jack nipped and sucked his way to Ianto's neck, his thigh pressing down between Ianto's legs, who spread his legs to give Jack room and thrust up into him. Ianto turned his head, his lips capturing Jack's in a kiss, licking into his mouth. Ianto's hand felt around the bed until it found what it was looking for and grabbed it, before pushing it at Jack.
Ianto wrenched his mouth away, “I need you Jack. No foreplay. Just you, inside me. I need us connected. Please.”
Jack looked at the tube in Ianto's hand, and then back at Ianto. Jack kissed him again, before moving to kneel up and take the tube from him. He settled between Ianto's spread legs, and squeezed some of the cool gel onto his fingers, smoothing it out.
“It'll be a little cold,” he warned, dropping the tube, and running a hand over Ianto's inner thigh, and smiling at the way his lover's muscles quivered at his touch.
“S'ok, just do it,” he keened, inching his arse closer to Jack's fingers which were brushing against his hole. Jack teased around the rim. “Please Jack. Don't tease. I just want you, now. Please.”
“Okay, baby, okay,” Jack soothed, and pressed two fingers inside, watching Ianto carefully as he winced, waited for the pain to ease off and his hips to move before he pressed deeper and crooked his fingers. Ianto shuddered and shivered, crying out. “That's it,” Jack encouraged, pulling his fingers out, and eased them back in, scissoring them carefully to stretch the muscle. He made sure to rub on his prostrate on each press inside before withdrawing his fingers out. Ianto thrust his hips, fucking himself on Jack's fingers.
“More, Jack. I need more.”
Jack added a third finger, and continued his ministrations. “I wish you could see this, Yan. I wish you could see how beautiful you are, my fingers inside you.”
Sweat broke out over Ianto's body. Jack leaned down and licked a stripe up Ianto's cock, lapping at the pooling puddle of precome on his pelvis.
“Jack,” Ianto moaned, thrusting his hips. Jack sucked on the head of Ianto's cock, flattening his tongue against the slit, sliding it back and forth, digging it inside. “Jack, fuck me,” Ianto begged.
Jack pulled out his fingers and grabbed the lube again, squeezing more gel out and smearing it over his cock, pumping it a few times to make sure it was covered. He threw the lube out of the way and moved over to line up with Ianto's arse.
“C'mere,” Jack said, waving his hands. Ianto frowned, and pushed himself up into a seated position. Jack held his cock up. “Climb on.” Jack helped Ianto move into position to hover over him and sink onto his cock, his head falling back as his arms around Jack's shoulders, clinging to him for support. Jack groaned, his arms around Ianto's hips as he thrust his hips up, his knees spread.
“Fuck,” Ianto moaned, his head falling forward as sweat broke out over Jack's skin. Jack found Ianto's mouth, biting at his lips and soothing the sting with his tongue. Ianto kissed him back, thrusting his hips and shuddering as Jack's cock brushed against his prostrate as he pulled out. “Faster,” Ianto breathed into Jack's mouth, his fingernails digging into Jack's skin so hard if there had been any sharpness to his nails he would have cut the skin.
Jack thrust his hips harder and faster. Ianto panted, breathing into Jack's mouth. He was close, Jack could tell. He felt Ianto's balls draw up to his body.
“I love you,” Jack whimpered, and Ianto came untouched but trapped between their stomachs. Ianto clamped down on Jack's cock, milking it as Jack continued to thrust in and out, hard and fast.
“Jack,” Ianto cried out, clinging to his lover as he shuddered through his orgasm. “Love you, Jack,” he kissed over Jack's face. Jack thrusts stuttered before he came hard, clutching to Ianto tightly, burying his face in Ianto's neck. Ianto held him, soothingly rubbing his back and kissing his shoulder and neck. He breathed in Jack's strong scent, relaxing as it washed over him. Home. Jack was home. As long as he was with Jack, everything was okay. He was okay, and they could get through anything.
Jack stayed where he was, wrapped around Ianto, head buried in Ianto's neck. As long as he was around Ianto, surrounded in their combined scent, then nothing could effect him. Ianto was here, with him. He hadn't lost him, not forever. He found him. He had Ianto with him. They were together. He didn't make the same mistake as this universe's Jack. He didn't choose Gwen. He chose Ianto.
“You okay?” Ianto asked, his fingers threading through Jack's sweat damp hair. Jack nodded. “Does this time machine have a bathroom?”
Jack laughed, and pulled his head back. “Um. You know, I don't know. I guess so.”
Ianto looked over at the end of the bed and saw the door that had just appeared. “I guess that's the bathroom door that just appeared.”
“Maybe she enjoyed the show.” Ianto blushed. “Aw baby, don't be embarrassed. You're beautiful.”
“Doesn't mean I want anyone watching,” Ianto mumbled, carefully climbing off Jack, hissing as Jack's cock came out of his arse. Jack watched as Ianto clambered off the bed and walked awkwardly to the bathroom. When he got there he turned back in the doorway. “Well? Aren't you coming for round two in the shower?” he asked, eyebrow raised.
Jack didn't need asking twice.
Part 2
Author: magikalrhiannon
Beta: kajmere
Fandom: Torchwood AU
Verse: Time Verse
Pairing: Jack/Ianto
Rating: NC17
Spoilers: All up to Season 3 Ep 5 Children of Earth
Summary: The Doctor gives in and takes Jack and Ianto back to their reality... but will the TARDIS get them there?
Word Count: 12042
Disclaimer: All rights belong to BBC and Russell T Davies. I'm just finger-painting in someone else's masterpiece. No infringement intended.
Notes: For kajmere, cuz she owns me. Plot was given to me by trueblue55 during a brainstorming session, and fleshed out by my girlfriend kajmere so both of them deserve massive props for this one! I had to split it into 2 parts.
You will need to read Adrift In Time for this to make any sense.
Follows How To Win Friends And Infuriate People
Ianto sat on the bench seat with his cup of freshly made coffee and watched as Amy and Rory played some tug of war game with a garment of clothing that Ianto didn't want to know anything about. Jack was on the other side of the console of the TARDIS, looking at charts of stars and planets co-ordinates, trying to work out where they were.
“So. What do you think?”
Ianto jumped a little and looked to his right to see the Doctor leaning on the back of the bench he was seated on. “About?”
“Jack's proposal to return to Earth?” the Doctor asked, lacing his fingers together.
“Ah.” Ianto sipped his coffee. “Well. If it wouldn't cause the walls of time to collapse and destroy the universe, I would very much like to see my sister, niece and nephew again, if it's all the same to you, Doctor.”
The Doctor nodded, and smiled. “Right then. One trip to Earth coming right up. We just have to work out when in time we can land.” The Doctor clasped Ianto on the shoulder and offered a smile before he walked over to Jack and started an animated conversation.
Ianto watched his lover and his lover's friend interact with veiled interest. He was still wary of the Timelord, for the Doctor unnerved Ianto in a way he couldn't explain. He wanted to dislike him on principle for the way that Jack had initially left him on Earth with no explanation to chase the Doctor when he heard the TARDIS return to Cardiff all those years ago. But that was Jack's choice, not the Doctor's. And while the Doctor had asked Jack to stay, Jack had returned to him, albeit 3 months after he left, on the day Captain Fuckface entered their lives.
Still. Jack adored the Doctor. Ianto knew he did. It was clear in the way he would tell him stories from when he had travelled with the Doctor and his previous companions - not just Dr Martha Jones (who worked with U.N.I.T. and had sent Ianto one of their red berets after she had come to Torchwood on a case Jack had asked her to assist with, and she had managed to get Ianto to confess that he and Jack... well at the time he'd used the term “dabble”, because he didn't want to give too much away) but also Rose. Dear, lovely Rose, who had also been a victim of sorts to Torchwood One, so Jack had found out when he had run off with the Doctor. She was now trapped in an alternate reality, or a parallel universe. Jack had confided to Ianto in bed earlier, after they had discovered the Doctor's welcome aboard gift to Ianto of his new wardrobe of clothes, that Rose was the love of the Doctor's life. She was the human he fell in love with. But she was sucked into another parallel universe at Canary Wharf.
Ianto knew all how heartbreaking Canary Wharf was. The battle of Canary Wharf and the destruction of Torchwood One was thanks to the Daleks and the Cybermen joining forces to take over Earth. Ianto's girlfriend, Lisa, had been one of the fallen, though her death had been at Jack's own hand. Ianto had hidden her in the basement of Torchwood Three, caring for her unbeknown to everyone else, including Jack, whilst waiting for a specialist in the Cybernetics field to fly from Tokyo to Cardiff to see Lisa and see if he could reverse her partial conversion. It was too late, however, and upon the discovery, Jack had had to take matters into his own hands and destroy all that was left of Ianto's girlfriend.
Still, out of tragedy came love - the greatest love of all. The love that stood the test of time, and space. Ianto saw Jack lift his head and catch his eye. He offered a small smile to his lover, who rewarded him with a dimpled grin, showing his brilliant white teeth. The Doctor nudged him with an indulgent smile. Jack rolled his eyes and shook his head then looked back to at what the Doctor was showing him. He started nodding, pointing and talking animatedly. Ianto smiled widely as he watched.
Jack had shown him mercy for his betrayal. Instead of sending a report and handing him over to U.N.I.T. for interrogation and life imprisonment for treason against the crown, he had suspended Ianto for a month - allowed him time to grieve and get Lisa's affairs in order. During that time, however, Jack hadn't left him alone. Every day, Jack had come to him and talked to him. Even when he hadn't wanted him to. Still, Jack had been there. To listen. To cry on. To hug or sit with in silence.
By the end of the month, Ianto started to heal. They had started to heal. Jack forgave Ianto for his betrayal. It was only fair that when Jack ran off with the Doctor and returned 3 months later that Ianto forgave him for his departure. Ianto smiled to himself. The rest, as they say, is history...
“How did you two meet?” A feminine voice asked beside him as a body bumped into his. Amy decided to flop herself down on the bench practically on top of him.
“We worked together,” Ianto said, sipping his coffee. “Jack was my boss, actually.”
“Ooh, office romance! How saucy!”
Ianto gave her a wry smile. “Hardly. It was more born out of sexual attraction, mutual gratification and fifty-first century pheromones. It's a long twisted tale of secrets, lies, betrayal, sex, forgiveness and finally love.”
“Do tell!” Amy clutched his arm excitedly, her eyes glittering with excitement.
Ianto smiled and finished his coffee. “Sorry, you'll just have to wait for the best seller like everybody else. Excuse me,” he said as he extracted his arm and rose to his feet, moving over to the coffee machine to rinse out his mug.
The Doctor called everyone over and announced that he and Jack had worked out their next destination. Cardiff. A month after Ianto's memorial was held. The Doctor was certain the calibrations he'd calculated would get them to land on the Plass near the Hub. From there, Jack and Ianto should be able to get anywhere and everywhere. He organised everyone's assignments for the trip to Earth.
“Ready?” he asked. Everyone nodded. Jack looked over at Ianto who drew in a deep breath and released it slowly. “Let's go!”
The TARDIS moved through time and space with a grumble and a shudder. She lurched and rolled, causing everyone to hang on for dear life. It seemed to Ianto that the trip took forever, but they finally came to a bumpy landing.
The Doctor bounced up from where he landed on the floor of the TARDIS. “That didn't sound right,” he said. Rory scrambled to his feet before he checked Amy over, helping her to her feet.
“Ianto? You okay?” Jack asked as he rubbed his elbow and then the back of his head.
“Nothing broken. Slight loss of dignity, nothing new there,” Ianto replied, getting to his feet. Jack checked him over anyway. Ianto just smiled, knowing that he promised to let Jack cling. “See? I'm fine.”
“Yeah.” Jack pressed a kiss to his lips. “Let's go see where we landed.” He held out his hand to Ianto, who immediately took it. Jack and Ianto, followed by Rory and Amy, made their way to the door which the Doctor was opening.
When the Doctor stepped out, he immediately ran his hand through his hair repeatedly, mussing up his hair. “Oh no, no, no, no.”
Jack stepped out, followed by Ianto, who ran into Jack's back when Jack stopped in his tracks when he saw the wreckage that was left of the Hub. Debris, concrete and paper were everywhere.
“Jack?” Ianto asked, taking in the view. “Jack, what the hell?” he asked, panic setting in.
“I don't know, Yan, but we're gonna find out.” Jack pulled out the phone that the Doctor had given him. “This still works, right Doc?”
“Yes, yes,” the Doctor said absently, nodding. “I'm sure the calibrations were right,” he muttered to himself.
“Jack... The Hub's been blow to smithereens,” Ianto murmured under his breath. Jack squeezed his hand and looked back at him, pain in his eyes. “Don't you dare, Jack Harkness! This is not your fault!”
“I left them, Ianto,” Jack whispered brokenly.
Ianto pulled his lover into his arms. “They may be okay. We don't know yet. We'll track them down, okay? Jack?!” Ianto grabbed his face and forced him to look at him. “Okay?” Jack nodded miserably and hid himself in Ianto's neck. Ianto hugged him tightly. “Right.” He pulled back. “Give me the phone.” Jack handed over the phone to his lover. Ianto thought for a moment and then quickly programmed in a few phone numbers. He dialled one and listened. “Tosh is disconnected.” He dialled another. He frowned. “Owen is disconnected too.” Jack stared to pace. Ianto took a deep breath.
“I could call Martha?” the Doctor offered, waving his phone. “I'm sure she kept hers with her.”
“Do it,” Ianto ordered as he dialled the number he didn't want to call.
“Cooper.”
Ianto held out the phone to Jack. “Gwen,” he mouthed.
“Hello??”
Jack sighed and accepted the phoned. “Gwen? It's Jack.”
“Jack?!” She gasped out. “Jack, are you okay? How are you? Where are you?!”
“I'm... I'm at the Hub, or what's left of it. What the hell happened? You guys have one hell of a rager or what? The place looks like a bomb went off,” Jack laughed half-heartedly as the group of them moved over to the wreckage. He watched as Ianto climbed over some rubble and found a clipboard and paper. He lifted up more debris, smiling when he found half a drawer of miscellaneous stationary. He tried four or five pens, tossing each one over his shoulder before he found one that worked.
“What are you... Jack? That's...That's not funny, Jack! You know what happened. I can't believe you of all people would come back after fucking off and leaving me here to deal with the mess you left behind, on my own, six months pregnant, mind! And you have the nerve to joke and laugh about it! About Ianto dyin' like that! Jack, how could you?” Gwen started to cry.
“Die?” Jack froze. Ianto looked up sharply before jumping over the debris to get to Jack's side. “What do you, mean Ianto died? He didn't die, Gwen. He was taken by the rift, remember?” Ianto put his hand on Jack's back. “Talk to me, Gwen, now.”
“The rift? What?! Jack, have you gone mad? I know losing Ianto at Thames House and using poor little Stephen against the 456 sent you a little loopy with grief, but to have lost your memory, Jack?” Gwen asked.
“I killed...I used... Stephen's dead?” Jack whispered as he lowered the phone and looked at the Doctor. “We're not home, Doc. We're in a parallel universe!”
“JACK!” Gwen's tinny voice came through the phone by Jack's side. “JACK HARKNESS DON'T YOU FUCKING IGNORE ME!” Jack hastily lifted the phone.
“I'm here, Gwen,” Jack said, looking guiltily at Ianto who rolled his eyes. “Look, where are you?”
“I'm at home. It's not like I can go running off with a newborn in tow now can I?” Gwen grumbled, but with happiness bleeding through.
“You have a baby?” Jack asked, looking into Ianto's eyes. Ianto stared back, mask completely in place. “Rhys'?”
“Well of course Rhys'! Who else would it be?” Gwen asked in fond exasperation.
“With you and Torchwood, one could never know,” Ianto muttered under his breath. Jack grinned, and Ianto looked away, knowing that Jack had heard him. “I'll just be...” And pointed back over at the rubble.
“Be careful,” Jack covered the phone. “I don't want to be testing out the immortality thing before we have to.”
Ianto gave him a flirty smirk. “Yes sir,” he said as he mocked saluted and climbed over rubble once more. Jack watched as Rory and Amy followed, Ianto giving them instructions on what to look for.
“Jack! Who are you talking to?! Are you on the pull while talking to me? Honestly!” Gwen sighed.
“Sorry, Gwen. I'm just distracted by the bomb site that was my home.”
“It was worse when you fucked off around the world to fuck away your guilt from losing Ianto,” Gwen bit back. She sighed. “Sorry, love. I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. I'm just tired. Stephanie keeps be up most of the night, see. She just cries and cries. I never get any sleep. She poops and cries, poops and cries, and sometimes she'll eat.”
Jack's back straightened up. It seemed he was the same in every universe. Desperately in love with Ianto, inexplicably distraught when he is no longer by his side, fills up the loneliness with empty one night stands. Jack Harkness MO right there. Jack closed his eyes as self-loathing washed over him. God but I am a sad and broken man. How the hell did such a wondrous soul fall in love with the likes of me? he thought as his eyes tracked Ianto's movements.
“How's Rhys?” Jack asked absently.
“Oh, you know, doing his best. He dotes on Stephie, bless him. He's a wonderful father, Jack.”
“That's great, Gwen. I'm happy for you. Listen, do you have Tosh and Owen's numbers? The ones we have are disconnected?” Jack listened to Gwen's gasp of breath. “What?”
“Jack... Are you doing this on purpose? Are you deliberately trying to hurt me? Is this because I chose Rhys instead of you?” Gwen asked, clearly crying again.
Jack frowned. “Gwen, what are you talking about? We never... I never had... Did we?... Oh. Here we must have... Oh.” He raised his eyebrows. “Okay. That's really gonna piss Ianto off.” He sighed. “Um. So. I gather Tosh and Owen are no longer with us either. We're all that's left.”
“No, Jack. I'm all that's left,” Gwen corrected bitterly.
“Yeah.” He looked over at the Doctor who was talking animatedly on the phone, presumably with Martha. “Did you call in Martha Jones?”
Gwen sniffled. “And Mickey Smith. He's quite good, even if he has a mouth on him.”
Jack laughed. “Yeah. Mickey Mouse. I imagine sparks would have flown between him and Martha.”
“Love at first fight, from what I can tell,” Gwen mused. “What about you, Jack? Have you, you know, moved on?”
Jack stiffened. “I'm not talking about Ianto with you, Gwen.”
“I know you loved him Jack but-”
“No, Gwen, I don't think you do know,” Jack said softly. “I don't think you understand the depths of my feelings for Ianto. I don't think you ever could.”
“I...I didn't realise...”
“I know.” Jack felt a hand on his back. Ianto. He smiled. “Listen, I got some friends with me. We're going to poke around the Hub, see what we can salvage.”
“There's not much left, but feel free. I'll let Mickey know what you're up to so he doesn't send the dogs.”
“Appreciate it,” Jack chuckled. “Take care of yourself Gwen. And that baby.”
“Am I going to see you, Jack?” She asked, hopefully.
Jack looked at the Doctor, who was frowning, deep in thought. “I don't know. I wish I could give you a more definite answer. I'm sorry. Give Rhys my love.” He hung up.
“You okay?” Ianto asked, a crease between his eyes from his frowning. Jack pulled him against his chest and kissed him deeply. “What was that for?” Ianto asked, eyes still closed, forehead against Jack's when the kiss ended.
“I love you,” Jack murmured, and hugged Ianto tightly, reminding himself that Ianto was here, safe and sound, in his arms. They were not of this universe where more than likely his mistake, his arrogance, had cost him the love of his life.
“I love you too. Jack, you're scaring me.”
“Tosh and Owen are-“
“Dead,” Ianto finished for him as he pulled back to look at his lover. “I know. I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto. I managed to find one of the spare Torchwood PDAs that amazingly still works and hacked the security system. Apparently all Toshiko's use the same security passwords. Curious. Nevertheless, I found the staff database. Tosh, Owen, Suzie and I are all deceased here.”
“Definitely a parallel universe. Gwen with a baby,” Jack asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Not in our world,” Ianto agreed. “Unless it was your lovechild.”
“She did say in this universe she turned me down for Rhys, so I turned to you.”
Ianto balked for a moment and then replied with, “Well at least you came to your senses... eventually.”
“I fell apart when you died if that helps?” Jack paled at his own worlds. Ianto cupped his cheeks and kissed him.
“I'm here, cariad,” he said against Jack's lips. “That is their Jack and Ianto, not us.”
Jack nodded. “Okay.” He looked around. “You found a PDA?”
“Yeah. Not much else. We might want to get some more electronics if we're going to stay here before too long. At least a smart phone or two, maybe a laptop or something with internet access.” He looked back at the carnage that was once the Hub, “Whatever blew this place up did a damn good job of it. There's another thing.” Ianto hesitated.
“Tell me.”
“I think your brother Gray was in the cryogenics facility here,” Ianto bit his lip. “I... There's reference to him on the Torchwood server.”
“Gray? Gray was here? In cryo? Where?”
“Jack,” Ianto grabbed his arm as his lover started to move. “There's nothing left of him. I've already looked.”
“But... I wonder how that happened?” Jack asked, frowning.
“I don't know. I kind of wish I'd digitalised my dairies now,” Ianto sighed.
“Yeah, but then who knows who could have read about you, me and that bottle of chocolate syrup?”
“Haven't you ever heard of encryption, sir?” Ianto smirked. “And since when have you ever been less than an exhibitionist?”
“Since you. Don't want anyone else lookin' at what's mine. And so had Tosh and look at how easily you got around hers,” Jack reminded him as they walked towards the Doctor who was now talking to Amy and Rory.
“Do you forget? I know everything!“ Jack threw his head back and laughed. Ianto chuckled, happy that he could still make his lover laugh, even when faced with such destruction. “I'll keep looking, see what I can find out on why Gray was here.”
Jack took Ianto's hand in his and squeezed. “Thank you.” Ianto just smiled at him as they reached their destination.
The Doctor looked up when he saw Ianto and Jack stop beside him. “Ah good! Jack, Ianto, I got a hold of Martha. Amazingly she knew who I was even though my voice has changed.”
Jack held up the phone in his hand. “Caller ID Doc.”
The Doctor blushed and mumbled something inaudible before he filled everyone in on what Martha had told him, which was pretty much what Jack had discerned from his call with Gwen. They were in fact in a parallel universe from the one that Jack and Ianto came from. Tosh and Owen had been murdered by Jack's brother Gray - news which caused Jack to freeze, and Ianto to immediately start tapping away on his PDA to verify details. Ianto was killed in Thames House along side Jack when the 456 aliens invaded Earth and released a poisonous gas into the building, killing all the occupants inside... except for Jack, of course, who came back to life.
Jack immediately turned to Ianto with tears in his eyes. Ianto shook his head. He didn't want any apologies. He would have died exactly how he wanted to - in the line of duty, at Jack's side. He didn't need apologies or platitudes. It would have been an honourable death. Jack would have been there with him to the end, he was sure of it.
Gwen Cooper had taken over Torchwood when Jack had gone MIA after killing his own grandson - and didn't that cause a gasp from Amy and a dirty look from Rory (Jack protested that it wasn't him it was another Jack!) - and the loss of Ianto was too great for him to cope with. Gwen had brought Martha and Mickey Smith on board to Torchwood, as well as her own husband Rhys.
“Rhys!” Ianto huffed. “I bet he's bloody well doing the cooking, cleaning and botching up the filing.”
“Isn't that your job?” Jack grinned.
Ianto glared at Jack. “I have never botched the filing, thank you very much. Unlike most of the staff you hire, I know the alphabet.”
“You were an office boy?” Rory asked in disbelief.
Ianto stiffened. “We all had to start somewhere. Not everyone can afford to go to university, you know.”
“Ianto's the best,” Jack grinned. “Torchwood couldn't run without him.”
Rory looked at the bomb site behind them. “Yeah, I can see that.”
“Right, Doc, so where do we go now?” Jack asked. “We can't stay here. People will ask questions if Ianto's dead, and I've disappeared.”
The Doctor frowned. “Well... I guess we could try a different set of calibrations, but I was sure we used the right ones last time!”
“To the TARDIS!” Amy bellowed, her arm in the air, and grabbing Rory's arm. Jack stood there and stared at the bomb site until Ianto ran his hand up Jack's back.
“Jack?”
“Yeah.”
“Coming?” Ianto asked.
“Yeah.” He sighed deeply.
“We'll figure this out,” Ianto promised.
“I don't know that there's much to figure out,” Jack said sadly. “We can't do anything to help this Jack and Ianto.”
“Maybe we're not meant to,” Ianto mused.
Jack looked back at his lover. “Maybe. Let's go.” He held out his hand and Ianto took it, allowing him to lead him to the TARDIS.
Once on board and the door shut, the Doctor scrambled around tapping in new calibrations into the computer and pushing buttons on the console. He pushed everyone into standing positions around the console and pointed out their role before setting the TARDIS off on her next journey. The Doctor kept muttering to himself as she flew, just as rough as she did the first time around. When she landed with yet another bumpy thud, tossing her passengers to the ground, they once again pulled themselves to their feet.
Ianto looked down at his now dusty and slightly ripped suit and groaned. “It's like being at Torchwood all over again.” Jack gave him a sympathetic smile. “I'm just going to change before I venture outside.” He took off upstairs at a jog. Everyone else waited with awkward silence. When he reappeared, he was wearing jeans, sneakers, a t-shirt and a zippered hoodie.
“What happened to the suit?” Jack asked with a pout.
Ianto blushed. “I figured if we were going to keep finding bomb sites, a suit might not be the most practical clothing to wear. This is more... appropriate, considering we don't know what's out there.”
“Good thinking!” The Doctor said with a smile. “Besides, no time to change now. Time to explore!” he slapped his hands together and ushered everyone towards the TARDIS's door. “Let's go.”
They opened the door and found themselves on Roald Dahl Plass, surrounded by Torchwood staff at gunpoint.
“Well, that's welcoming,” Amy said, slowly raising her hands in the air.
The Doctor looked over at Jack who smiled at Tosh and Owen and Gwen.
“Hey kids! You miss me?” he asked, stepping forward only to have a gun pointed at his head. “O-kay, not exactly the welcome home I was expecting. Doc, how long exactly did you aim for since Ianto went missing?”
Owen narrowed his eyes at Jack, his gun still pointed at his head. “Ianto didn't go missing, Ianto got himself killed after he caught you shagging the office tramp over there-”
“Hey!” Gwen protested, her gun pointed at Amy and Rory. “That wasn't my fault!”
“Shut up Gwen,” Tosh hissed, her gun aimed at The Doctor.
“And since Jack is currently passed out in his office after once more drinking himself stupid from guilt, you are obviously not him, and you,” he moved his gun to Ianto, “aren't Ianto. So who are you?”
Ianto looked over at the Doctor and put his hands on his hips. “I thought you said you got the calibrations right this time?”
The Doctor turned and looked at Ianto, bewildered. “I thought I did!”
“Then why are we in yet another parallel universe? You're supposed to be clever!”
“Ianto!” Jack turned to look at his lover.
“What?” Ianto asked indignantly.
“I am clever!” the Doctor protested, and then deflated and ran his hand through his hair. “I just don't know why we keep getting lost.”
“Wait a minute. Do you mean to tell me that you're Jack and Ianto from an alternate reality?” Owen clarified.
“Yes!” Jack, Ianto and the Doctor all said at the same time, a little testily.
Amy shrugged her shoulders and offered a smile. “Sorry, it's been a long and weird day.”
“I bet,” Gwen gave her a sympathetic smile.
“Did you really shag Captain Hotness over there?” Amy asked quietly, leaning over. Gwen gave her a guilty look and nodded. “And Ianto caught you?”
“Walked in on us, actually.”
“Oh. And they were together?” Gwen nodded. “Why'd you do it?” Amy asked.
Gwen sighed. “Jack and I had been dancing around our attraction ever since we met. I guess we just figured that if we gave into it once and got it out of our systems we could, you know, move on? Never expected Ianto to come back from London a night early because he missed Jack. They were taking a break, you see.” She bit her lip. “I … I didn't realise he loved Jack. I didn't realise Jack loved him! I don't think Jack did either until it was too late.”
“What happened to Ianto?”
Gwen teared up. “He walked in on us and we stopped, obviously. Jack followed him up to the Tourist Office and they had words. From what I heard, Ianto told Jack that it was over. Jack asked why he was so upset, that they were on a break weren't they, and wasn't it his idea anyway? And Ianto said that this was exactly why they were over. He wasn't what Jack truly wanted. I was. Because the first chance he got once they were no longer together, Jack was between my legs.” She looked away and dropped her weapon. “Ianto got behind the wheel of his car and drove... I don't know where... but he ended up wrapped around a lamp post. Jack hasn't looked at me since, let alone touched me. I don't blame him either.”
“I've heard enough,” Ianto said, and reached for Jack's hand. “C'mon. Take your time, but when you're ready, we're trying another set of calibrations.” Ianto pulled on Jack's hand and the immortal stumbled back onto the TARDIS behind him. Once they were on board, Ianto pulled Jack into his arms. “Hey, it's okay, Jack. I'm here.”
“It happened again,” Jack whispered.
“I know. But it's not us, Jack. It's not us. Just focus on that. You and I, we're together cariad,” Ianto said quietly into his ear, kissing his skin and letting Jack cling to him.
“I need you, Yan. I need to be with you.”
“C'mon,” Ianto said, pulling out of his arms and taking his hand. Ianto led him up the stairs and to Jack's bedroom where he shut the door behind them.
Turning to Jack, Ianto carefully took his greatcoat off, and hung it on the hook on the back of the bedroom door. Next, he placed his hands on Jack's shoulders and massaged the tense muscle until his fingers were under the braces, sliding them down Jack's shoulders and arms. He felt Jack's breath on his neck as he moved close to start unbuttoning his deep blue dress shirt, Jack's hands finding his hips, fingers curling through the belt loops to hold him close. Ianto pulled Jack's dress shirt from his pants and pushed it off his shoulders, making Jack let him go for a moment so the shirt would fall from his hands. Ianto allowed it to fall to the floor as he moved his hands to the undershirt that Jack always wore, his fingers bunching the soft white cotton as he slowly moved it up Jack's torso, encouraging Jack to move his arms up in the air for him to pull the shirt over his head and off his arms.
Once naked from the waist up, Jack pulled at Ianto, crashing him against his chest and captured his lips with his. He sighed in to the kiss, sucking on the flesh that Ianto offered freely. Ianto opened his mouth and Jack plunged his tongue inside, moaning when their tongues made contact, his arms wrapping around his young lover to hold him closer. Ianto's fingers slid into Jack's hair and gripped the strong muscles of his shoulders as Jack's pheromones burst to life, flooding the room and making Ianto's head spin. Jack pressed against Ianto, causing him to stumble backwards until his back hit the wall behind him and he groaned, in part in pain and in part in pleasure at having Jack's groin, hard and heavy, pressed against his own.
Jack pulled his hands back to move between them to unzip Ianto's jacket, pushing it off his shoulders without breaking their kiss. Ianto bumped his arms into Jack's as he frantically tried to shake his jacket off, but it wasn't moving anywhere with his back pressed against the wall. He growled in frustration, and Jack pulled back a little, starting to chuckle into Ianto's mouth. Pressure off his body, Ianto moaned in relief and yanked his jacket off, throwing it to the floor. Jack slid his hands under Ianto's shirt to splay them on his back, soaking in the warmth of his skin. Ianto lifted his arm to grab his shirt from behind his head and yanked it off, throwing it over Jack's head, not caring where it landed.
Jack stared at him, taking Ianto in. “How am I lucky enough to have you?” he asked Ianto in bewilderment.
Ianto smiled shyly, and cupped Jack's cheek. “Because you love me, Jack. You love me enough to search the universe and back for me.” Ianto's eyes filled with unshed tears. “I'm the lucky one. To have even a small piece of this,” he said as he placed his right hand over Jack's heart, “makes me the luckiest man in the world. To have all of it... you have no idea how that makes me feel.”
“You do, Yan,” Jack kissed his palm. “You have all of it. Every single beating piece of it. No one else comes close to you. Not in this lifetime. Not in any lifetime. No matter how many times I come back, it's always you.”
“Jack...” Ianto pulled Jack to him and kissed him deeply, entangling himself as much as he could. Jack wrapped his arms around Ianto, fingers digging into Ianto's back muscles, gripping and kneading, massaging and groping. “Make love to me Jack,” Ianto said against Jack's lips.
Jack pulled him away from the door and walked him backwards to the bed. Before they collapsed down on it, Jack let Ianto go long enough to find his belt and yank it undone, unbutton his jeans and unzip them, pushing them and his underwear to the floor. Ianto fell back onto the bed, and Jack caught his legs, pulling his sneakers off one at a time, followed by his socks, jeans and boxers, dumping them on the floor. He kicked off his own boots, then undid his own belt and pants, and shoved them to the floor, removing his socks as well before crawling onto the bed with Ianto, who was now resting against the pillows. He had a tube of lube beside him.
“Looks like the TARDIS stocks herself,” Ianto smirked, indicating the nightstand he'd retrieved the lube from.
Jack laughed, and crawled up Ianto's body, kissing his way up Ianto's stomach pausing only to lick and suck on each of his nipples. Ianto moaned and arched his back, pressing up into Jack's mouth. Jack nipped and sucked his way to Ianto's neck, his thigh pressing down between Ianto's legs, who spread his legs to give Jack room and thrust up into him. Ianto turned his head, his lips capturing Jack's in a kiss, licking into his mouth. Ianto's hand felt around the bed until it found what it was looking for and grabbed it, before pushing it at Jack.
Ianto wrenched his mouth away, “I need you Jack. No foreplay. Just you, inside me. I need us connected. Please.”
Jack looked at the tube in Ianto's hand, and then back at Ianto. Jack kissed him again, before moving to kneel up and take the tube from him. He settled between Ianto's spread legs, and squeezed some of the cool gel onto his fingers, smoothing it out.
“It'll be a little cold,” he warned, dropping the tube, and running a hand over Ianto's inner thigh, and smiling at the way his lover's muscles quivered at his touch.
“S'ok, just do it,” he keened, inching his arse closer to Jack's fingers which were brushing against his hole. Jack teased around the rim. “Please Jack. Don't tease. I just want you, now. Please.”
“Okay, baby, okay,” Jack soothed, and pressed two fingers inside, watching Ianto carefully as he winced, waited for the pain to ease off and his hips to move before he pressed deeper and crooked his fingers. Ianto shuddered and shivered, crying out. “That's it,” Jack encouraged, pulling his fingers out, and eased them back in, scissoring them carefully to stretch the muscle. He made sure to rub on his prostrate on each press inside before withdrawing his fingers out. Ianto thrust his hips, fucking himself on Jack's fingers.
“More, Jack. I need more.”
Jack added a third finger, and continued his ministrations. “I wish you could see this, Yan. I wish you could see how beautiful you are, my fingers inside you.”
Sweat broke out over Ianto's body. Jack leaned down and licked a stripe up Ianto's cock, lapping at the pooling puddle of precome on his pelvis.
“Jack,” Ianto moaned, thrusting his hips. Jack sucked on the head of Ianto's cock, flattening his tongue against the slit, sliding it back and forth, digging it inside. “Jack, fuck me,” Ianto begged.
Jack pulled out his fingers and grabbed the lube again, squeezing more gel out and smearing it over his cock, pumping it a few times to make sure it was covered. He threw the lube out of the way and moved over to line up with Ianto's arse.
“C'mere,” Jack said, waving his hands. Ianto frowned, and pushed himself up into a seated position. Jack held his cock up. “Climb on.” Jack helped Ianto move into position to hover over him and sink onto his cock, his head falling back as his arms around Jack's shoulders, clinging to him for support. Jack groaned, his arms around Ianto's hips as he thrust his hips up, his knees spread.
“Fuck,” Ianto moaned, his head falling forward as sweat broke out over Jack's skin. Jack found Ianto's mouth, biting at his lips and soothing the sting with his tongue. Ianto kissed him back, thrusting his hips and shuddering as Jack's cock brushed against his prostrate as he pulled out. “Faster,” Ianto breathed into Jack's mouth, his fingernails digging into Jack's skin so hard if there had been any sharpness to his nails he would have cut the skin.
Jack thrust his hips harder and faster. Ianto panted, breathing into Jack's mouth. He was close, Jack could tell. He felt Ianto's balls draw up to his body.
“I love you,” Jack whimpered, and Ianto came untouched but trapped between their stomachs. Ianto clamped down on Jack's cock, milking it as Jack continued to thrust in and out, hard and fast.
“Jack,” Ianto cried out, clinging to his lover as he shuddered through his orgasm. “Love you, Jack,” he kissed over Jack's face. Jack thrusts stuttered before he came hard, clutching to Ianto tightly, burying his face in Ianto's neck. Ianto held him, soothingly rubbing his back and kissing his shoulder and neck. He breathed in Jack's strong scent, relaxing as it washed over him. Home. Jack was home. As long as he was with Jack, everything was okay. He was okay, and they could get through anything.
Jack stayed where he was, wrapped around Ianto, head buried in Ianto's neck. As long as he was around Ianto, surrounded in their combined scent, then nothing could effect him. Ianto was here, with him. He hadn't lost him, not forever. He found him. He had Ianto with him. They were together. He didn't make the same mistake as this universe's Jack. He didn't choose Gwen. He chose Ianto.
“You okay?” Ianto asked, his fingers threading through Jack's sweat damp hair. Jack nodded. “Does this time machine have a bathroom?”
Jack laughed, and pulled his head back. “Um. You know, I don't know. I guess so.”
Ianto looked over at the end of the bed and saw the door that had just appeared. “I guess that's the bathroom door that just appeared.”
“Maybe she enjoyed the show.” Ianto blushed. “Aw baby, don't be embarrassed. You're beautiful.”
“Doesn't mean I want anyone watching,” Ianto mumbled, carefully climbing off Jack, hissing as Jack's cock came out of his arse. Jack watched as Ianto clambered off the bed and walked awkwardly to the bathroom. When he got there he turned back in the doorway. “Well? Aren't you coming for round two in the shower?” he asked, eyebrow raised.
Jack didn't need asking twice.
Part 2