tw_bigbang Wait For Me There (part three)
When Tosh and Owen returned, Jack was lying on the floor. He had experienced another memory slamming into awareness but he was already recovering when they found him. He sat up and leaned against Toshiko as she smoothed his hair from his forehead.
“What do you remember, Jack?” she asked as Owen ran down to the med bay to gather some equipment.
“I remember him kissing Llinos,” Jack said, thickly.
Tosh’s hand stopped moving in his hair as the words shocked her. “Are you sure, Jack?”
He glanced up over his shoulder at her and she knew he was sure. “She was against the wall in the med bay and he was kissing her. But...“ he broke off as he realized what he had really seen. He had seen Llinos looking up as he approached the med bay. He had seen her suddenly grab Ianto and kiss him. Ianto seemed stunned before submitting to her kiss…and her kisses were definitely something you submitted to.
“Jack? Are you all right?” Tosh asked, noticing the way Jack was beginning to tremble.
Jack nodded. He couldn’t put the emotions into words. Owen re-entered the office and saw the tears sliding down Jack’s face. “Another memory?” he asked.
Jack shook his head. “No. Just clarifying the one I just had. We need to get him home now. He’s in my charge and he is in danger. Tilda Brennan has it in for him and now I’m there to protect him from her.”
“Who is going to protect him from you?” Owen spat as he scanned Jack’s brain with the small handheld device.
“Owen!” Tosh cried.
“No, Tosh. He’s right. I know what kind of man I was then and Ianto already has feelings for me. This is going to end in tears,” Jack said, trying to sit up.
“Tears if we’re lucky,” Owen said, standing and offering Jack a hand.
Jack turned to help Tosh up and said, “I need you to find John.”
“No, Jack! He’s too dangerous,” she said as she stood and crossed her arms over her chest in defiance. “Give me another few hours and I’ll-“
Jack broke her off and took her by the shoulders. “Toshiko, you beautiful, brilliant woman, I know you’ll have it settled in a few hours. However, we no longer have a few hours. My memories are jumping fast through time. In a few weeks, I’ll be bringing a small alien into the Hub and that is the beginning of the end of Tilda’s madness. Ianto can’t be there when she finally goes over the edge. She’ll kill him.”
Tosh opened her mouth to protest but quickly shut it and nodded. “I believe I can locate him by scanning for his wrist strap. I recorded its signature the last time he was here.”
Jack kissed her on the forehead. “Like I said, you beautiful, brilliant woman.”
~*~
John sat on the edge of the roof and watched Team Torchwood - minus Eye-Candy - as they made their way across the street toward the building he sat upon. He’d been keeping an eye on them lately, watching the various Weevil captures and Rift flotsam that was the bread and butter of Torchwood. He was concerned that they didn’t seem to be interested in finding him. He had fully expected to be hunted down almost immediately. He knew they had the device; he had been hiding nearby and watched as Miss Cooper brought it out wrapped in her jacket. He was beginning to think that maybe he had miscalculated. Maybe he should have taken Cooper instead.
As the team disappeared below him, he took to his feet. Maybe they were finally coming for him, and he wanted to be ready when they did. He checked his guns to make sure they were empty and the safeties were still on. He had left his sword in a safe place. He walked to the other side of the roof and sat on the edge. He didn’t want them to think he knew they were coming.
After a small amount of time, the door to the roof opened and he could hear someone as they searched for John. A few more moments of gravel crunching and John heard the distinctive click of a gun near his head. “Hands up, Hart.” Harper. Damn. He’d hoped that Jack would be the one to find him.
John slowly lifted his hands and put them on his head. Harper pulled out a zip tie and cuffed him. “You know, I can get out of those quite easily.”
Harper pulled him back so that he landed hard on his arse. “I hope you try.”
“Owen,” Jack growled from somewhere behind John.
“Do we really need him alive?” Owen griped.
Jack said nothing but John could assume he’d just glared at the doctor. He felt hands roughly lift him to his feet before he was finally able to see Jack. “Hallo, darling.”
“Not your darling,” Jack spat and turned his back on John as Owen led him behind the Captain and down off the roof.
“May I ask to what I owe the pleasure of being manhandled? Not that I care, mind you, I’m just assuming you aren’t here because you missed me or felt like fulfilling one of my kinks,” John said with an air of innocence.
Jack turned on him and ground out, “Shut up! I need you for one thing and until we get back to the Hub I don’t want to hear a single word from you or I’ll kill you myself.” Just to prove his point, Jack took John’s guns and stalked off. He hit his comm. and said, “Tosh, Gwen…we’ve got him. Head out.”
“Copy Jack. See you at the SUV.” Gwen replied.
The three men made their way down through the building and were halfway across the street when Jack cried out and began to seize. Gwen and Tosh were already by the SUV and immediately ran to them.
John stood watching. He honestly had no idea what was happening.
“Gwen, hold his head. It wouldn’t do for him to thrash his skull to pieces. Tosh, go grab my bag from the car,” Owen ordered, kneeling beside Jack and trying to hold the man still.
“What’s happening to him?” John asked.
Gwen sat with Jack’s head in her lap and whispered soothing words to him, stroking his hair. Tosh returned with the bag and Owen immediately pulled out a syringe and plunged it into Jack’s arm. Jack’s body began to slow and eventually stopped jerking. With a sigh, Owen said, “That should help him ‘til we get back to the Hub. Can you girls help me lift him?”
Tosh and Gwen grabbed Jack’s legs and Owen lifted his shoulders and head as they placed Jack as gently as they could into the back of the SUV. Tosh opted to sit between Jack and John as they all got in and returned to the Hub, no-one talking to John or answering his questions about Jack’s health.
~*~
Ianto shifted uncomfortably in the chair as he waited for his food to arrive. He did his best to not look at the man across from him. Jack, on the other hand, stared at Ianto like he was a wolf and Ianto was the first fresh meat he’d seen in months. Ianto felt a pang of guilt for Greg, the other man did not deserve this, but at the same time he just wanted to turn and grab Jack and claim him. Ianto kept telling himself that this was most definitely not his Jack but he looked and smelled and flirted just like his Jack. Quite honestly, he was beginning to lose his resolve.
The waitress brought them both their coffees and pastries. Jack flashed her his brilliant smile and she blushed while Ianto said, “Thank you.”
She disappeared and Ianto prepared his coffee the way he liked it while Jack just inhaled his food. Ianto glanced up as Jack took a sip of his black coffee and winced. Ianto rolled his eyes, took the mug and began to prepare it the way Jack took it when they were out and it was bitter.
“Hey, I like black coffee,” Jack protested.
Ianto lifted one questioning eyebrow at him. “Really? It looked like you were choking it down. Coffee is meant to be enjoyed. Not everyone can make perfect coffee so that is what cream and sugar are for…perfection.” He pushed the now milky mug toward Jack and motioned for him to taste it. Jack stared at it for a moment and then, licking the sugar from his pastry off of fingers first, he lifted the mug to his face. He sniffed it and again Ianto rolled his eyes.
Jack took a small, tentative taste and paused. His blue eyes grew large as he took a bigger sip and soon the cup was empty. Ianto watched with delight as Jack raised his hand to call the waitress to bring more. He noticed the smile in Ianto’s eyes as he watched Jack from over the rim of his own mug. “You are a coffee god.”
“Not quite,” he said, placing his mug down before him. “I just appreciate the taste as well as the caffeine.”
Jack smiled and popped the last piece of his pastry into his mouth. He chewed it thoughtfully, watching Ianto as silence settled once more between them.
Ianto took a bite of his own pastry and glanced up at Jack to see him staring. “What?” he asked after chewing and swallowing.
Reaching over, Jack snagged a piece from Ianto’s pastry - same way his Jack would do - and as he chewed, said, “I just can’t shake the feeling I know you. Or I should know you. I definitely want to know you.”
“What about Greg?” Ianto asked, immediately. As much as he wanted to say that Greg was the other man, at this juncture in time, Ianto was.
Jack blinked. “I like Greg. He’s sweet and adorable and that grin…” Jack trailed off in thought.
“Exactly, Jack. Do you really want to hurt him? I may not be around for much longer,” Ianto said and immediately wished he hadn’t.
Jack refocused his attention onto Ianto. “See, then we should make the most of this moment.” He reached over and touched the back of Ianto’s hand.
The world froze. The skin on his hand tingled and he knew Jack felt it too. This was wrong. He didn’t belong here and this was the Universe’s way of telling him so.
Jack pulled his hand away. His voice went dark and deep. “Who are you?”
It was Ianto’s turn to blink. “Ianto Jones. Torchwood Four. Why are you asking?”
“That is the second time I’ve touched you and the second time I got the feeling that you are a man out of his time. So, that leaves two options. Time Lord or Time Agent. I know the last Time Lord personally so I’m going with Time Agent.” He glanced around the room before pushing his sleeve back and scanning Ianto with his wrist strap. His eyes travelled over the reading before he looked back up at the Welshman. “This says 21st Century and you weren’t exactly surprised by the manipulator.”
Ianto sighed and lifted his coffee to his mouth. He took the moment to think before saying, “I’m Torchwood. Not much surprises me.”
“But you aren’t denying you’re out of your time,” Jack countered.
Ianto placed the mug down and gently pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. He was beginning to get a headache. “How am I supposed to protect you when you see right through me?” he asked no one in particular.
“Protect me? I’m here to protect you from Tilda. However, if you don’t start answering my questions I’ll do her dirty work for her,” Jack said but his voice held no conviction.
“Except, you won’t. You’re too busy trying to figure out why I’m here and why you can’t keep your eyes off me. No, you’d sooner lock me away somewhere safe before you would hurt me. I know you, Jack. You’re a good man but you crave answers. I don’t have the ones you want, though.” Ianto was tired of hiding. He knew what his only choice would be and he hated himself for it.
“What do you know, then?” Jack leaned forward onto his elbows and rested his head on his hands. He looked the image of innocence, but Ianto knew better.
Knowing he was in a bind, he did what he had been trying to avoid all these months. He pushed his plate and coffee toward the center of the table and crossed his arms and leaned in. In a whisper, he said, “I know you’re waiting for the Doctor. I also know that you can’t stay dead. I know that I don’t belong here and I know that you want to take me into that alley across the way and do bad things to me. I know you have a mole on your right hip just above your arse. I know that you have nightmares of a place called Boeshane and also a place called Satellite Five. I’ve held you while you cried and soothed your dreams. I know I was pulled from my time and I don’t know how. I know that I love a man called Captain Jack Harkness and I know you aren’t him.”
Jack sat there and absorbed all that Ianto said then he cleared his throat as the waitress brought them more coffee and pastries. He thanked her softly and as soon as she left he said, “Do I love you?”
Ianto shrugged. “You never allow yourself to get too close to anyone.”
Nodding, Jack said, “I know. But, apparently, I let you get pretty damn close.” Ianto opened his mouth to say that wasn’t the case but Jack held up a hand and said, “No one knows about Boeshane and the Satellite. If I let you know that then you and I are close.”
Ianto waved a dismissing hand as he prepared his new mug of coffee. “It was only nightmares.”
“But you were still in my bed, or I in yours. I didn’t leave. I never stay,” Jack said and Ianto had a feeling that he knew it was true. In the beginning of their ‘relationship’ Jack would leave if they were at Ianto’s. If he stayed, he wouldn’t sleep. “You, Ianto Jones, must mean a lot to me. I can’t wait to meet you, again.”
Ianto’s hand froze as he stirred the coffee. He looked up into Jack’s eyes and his heart broke. “No, sir. You really aren’t going to enjoy the beginning. I’m going to hurt you and I’m so very sorry for that.”
Jack took Ianto’s free hand and kissed the palm of it. Ianto was glad the little café was empty because in 1939, this was not acceptable behaviour for two men. “I obviously get over it.” He looked at Ianto with such a longing that made parts of Ianto’s body start to betray him.
Ianto pulled his hand back. “Yes, well, be that as it may, it doesn’t change the fact that right here and now you and I are nothing. You have Greg and I refuse to hurt him.”
Jack looked as if Ianto had slapped him in the face. “I’m - no, you’re right. We need to keep this totally professional. I’ll keep you away from Tilda and we’ll wait until I find you.”
“What if that never happens?” Ianto asked, taking the chance to look into Jack’s eyes once more.
Jack smiled. “I’ll find you, Ianto Jones. I swear it.” His words were said with such conviction and double meaning that Ianto knew that Jack meant it.
~*~
By the time they had returned to the Hub, Jack had regained consciousness but was now sporting a massive headache. Owen made everyone wait until Jack was feeling better before they all sat in the conference room with Hart in tow. John was beginning to fume: no-one would speak to him to explain Jack’s condition. This was definitely not what he had planned.
Jack came into the conference room looking particularly pale. Owen helped him into his chair and he stared blankly across the room.
“Is he all right?” Gwen asked Owen, concerned that Jack wasn’t ready to handle this situation.
Jack nodded and assumed Gwen had been speaking to him. “He’s safe. It was just-“ he broke off, once more staring into space.
Gwen looked at Owen and he nodded before taking his seat.
“Will somebody tell me what the bloody hell is going on here?” John demanded, moving his hands forward and tossing the zip tie onto the table. He shot Owen a smug expression.
Jack cleared his throat and said, “I need your manipulator.”
“Like hell!” John shouted.
Jack finally turned his gaze to John. “There is a dirty rip engine upstairs that was altered. It took Ianto and I need your manipulator to get him back. So, you either hand it over or I kill you and cut it off your dead body,” he growled.
Gwen blinked at the ferociousness of Jack’s words, Tosh stared at Jack with her mouth open in shock and Owen glared at Hart.
John had stiffened a bit but feigned a relaxed pose. “So, you’re saying someone took Eye-Candy and sent him into the past and you need me to help you get him back?”
“Yes,” Jack spat.
“What’s in it for me? I mean, what if you need me again? I could maybe join your team. Help out. Do good...” John said, examining his dirty nails.
“No!” Gwen shouted. She turned to John and pointed a finger at him. “We can’t trust you. There is no way we would ever let you in permanently.”
Tosh leaned in, watching John with interest. Something was niggling at the back of her skull that she couldn’t put a finger on.
“Gwen, wait,” Jack said, his voice thick but calmer. He turned to John. “If we agree to let you in would you give me the manipulator? We’ll give it back. I- we just want Ianto back.”
John watched the faces of Team Torchwood with a smug satisfaction. Gwen looked confused, Owen looked even angrier whilst Tosh was just staring at him curiously. He turned to Jack and said, “Give me a day to think about it.”
“What?!” Gwen cried.
Jack put a hand on Gwen’s shoulder and said, “Let him think. However, until he has an answer he’s in protective custody.”
“Protective custody from whom?” John asked, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.
Jack turned a glare on him that would have melted steel. “From me.”
Jack got up and stormed out of the room. Owen wanted to follow to make sure he was well but he refused to leave Hart in the room alone with the women. “What if I just got up and left?” John asked with spite.
Tosh seemed to come to herself as a small smile curled her lips. “Easy. You can’t. I’ve set the security so that it recognizes your bio-signature. Even your manipulator won’t work to unlock the doors. You’re trapped down here and even if you tried to use one of us to let you out, the doors still won’t open. As a secondary precaution, I’ve also put the Hub into a 48 hour lockdown.” Her smiled turned devious. “There is also a dampening field in place so don’t try to use your manipulator to just pop out. It will atomize you. So, until you give us an answer you’re stuck here. Did you think Jack would allow you to play this your way? And, as a side note, I’m not the only one you need to release all the precautions. It takes all of us.” She leaned in on her hands and pushed herself from the table to stand. “See, I’m really that brilliant.” She winked and left the conference room. Owen only goggled after her as she went.
John cleared his throat and said, “That was hot. In a geeky, nerdy way.”
Owen turned his attention back to John and glared. “Off limits, mate. She’s too good for anyone.”
Gwen fought the urge to smile so she stood up and gave Owen a wink before leaving the two men alone. Owen too stood and turned to leave. He paused at the door and without turning said, “You said that you cared about Jack and that was why you wanted to stay last time. If you care then help him. Ianto is stuck in Jack’s past and the memories are literally killing him. Yes, it won’t stick but it’s cruel even for you.” He then left John to his thoughts.
John had no idea that Jones had gone into Jack’s timeline. That really wasn’t his intent. John knew all too well how such memories could damage the brain as they slammed into the present consciousness. However, he had to play his hand; if he just gave in right away they would never trust him. He had to earn their trust before he brought Eye-Candy home otherwise he’ll end up tossed to the curb as soon as Jack got his toy-boy back. He stood up and stretched. No, he would pretend to work on the dirty rip engine and see if he could maybe make it work.
~*~
Tosh sat at her desk and studied the information on the monitor. She had lied to Hart. The only precaution she had put into place was the lockdown. The rest she had made up on the spot, though the idea of having those types of precautions were quite awesome. She made a point to develop them at her earliest convenience. However, she was currently worried. There was a Rift storm predicted in the next 24 hours and Jack had said they didn’t have much time left. They really couldn’t afford to give Hart that extra day but they had no choice. He had to help them because, as despicable as the man was, she couldn’t condone his murder for Ianto’s return.
There was something else as well. Something was bothering her and it wouldn’t leave her alone. It had struck her when Hart had arrived at the Hub and it wouldn’t stop. It was as if she was missing something obvious. She couldn’t figure out what it could possibly be and it was beginning to drive her crazy.
She glanced at the man in question as he looked over the device. She couldn’t imagine that Hart could figure out what she hadn’t yet managed to but she knew he was doing it to get into Jack’s good graces. Speaking of Jack, she locked her keyboard and went up to his office to see how he was feeling. When she arrived at his door he had his head in his arms and was leaning on his desk, staring at a picture of Ianto. She cleared her throat to get his attention. “Can I get you anything, Jack?” she asked.
Jack lifted his head to look at her and she had to fight the urge to cry. Jack looked horrible. He was pale and there were purple circles under his eyes. He had honestly looked better when he had been dead for three days.
Jack forced a smile to his lips and said, “Ianto? I didn’t think so. I’m good, Tosh.” He motioned for her to come in and shut the door. She closed it behind her and took a seat in front of his desk. “Owen told me what you told John. You are devious.”
“Well, I don’t enjoy lying. He just makes me want to hate him,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
Jack leaned back in his chair and tucked the picture into his breast pocket. Tosh quietly noted that the photo was against Jack’s heart. “Yes, well, brilliant job.”
“I just wish I was able to get the device to work for us. Hart is working on it but I hold no hope of him figuring out what I couldn’t,” she said.
Jack nodded his head. “I agree. He and I are both from the same time and tech, though he likes to believe differently, was never really his thing. He liked to manipulate things but he was never good at reverse engineering or fixing what is broken. He’s just trying to buy time.”
“But Ianto doesn’t have that same luxury,” she said, glancing down at Hart through the glass door.
“No. He doesn’t,” Jack said, rubbing a hand over his face. The last bit of memory flashed in his mind of Ianto sitting across from him and confessing so much. I know that I love a man called Captain Jack Harkness and I know you aren’t him. “That thing could have spat him out anywhere; why did it have to send him into my past?”
Tosh’s eyes grew large as something seemed to snap into place. “Jack,” she began, thinking through her words as she chose them.
“Yeah, Tosh?” Jack replied, pulling himself from the images in his mind.
“Did you or Owen mention to Hart that Ianto was in the past before you got to the street?” she asked and found herself standing up.
Jack looked confused for a moment. “No, we hadn’t. What’s up, Tosh?”
Her hands went to her mouth as she finally remembered what was bothering her. She moved closer to Jack’s desk and whispered, “Jack. I think Hart did this to Ianto.”
Jack’s face grew grim. “Explain.”
She nodded but held up a hand. “I’ll be right back.” She dashed from the office and practically ran to her locker. She pulled it open and grabbed her coat; inside the pocket was the inside-out glove. She carefully opened it up and out popped the gold button.
She felt her stomach whirl as she ran back to Jack’s office. He was now standing up and waiting, so she held out the button for him to take. “When we were at the warehouse I found this when Gwen was bringing the device down to the SUV. I knew it was familiar but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Then, in the conference room, Hart said that Ianto was taken to the past. That device could have brought him anywhere, past or future. How could he know it was the past? Granted, it’s a fifty-fifty shot but also think about what you had said, the device was manipulated and worked similarly to your wrist strap...”
“And John is good at manipulating tech,” Jack supplied.
“Jack, he must have taken Ianto.” Her eyes were wide as she saw all the pieces of the puzzle slide into place.
Jack glared down at the familiar gold button in his hand. The evidence was damning. He pulled his Webley out and pushed past Tosh. “Jack, don’t!” she cried, not because she cared for Hart but because she knew Jack wasn’t thinking clearly.
Owen and Gwen looked up at the commotion and watched as Jack approached Hart, pointing the gun to the man’s head. “Show me your jacket,” Jack demanded.
John had been curled over the device, peering inside, admiring his own handiwork when he heard the gun cock and Jack’s demand. He slowly lifted his head and pointed to the chair where he had tossed the jacket earlier. “Don’t you already have your own military jacket? Red really isn’t your colour.”
Jack glared at him. “Don’t!” he said, pushing the gun closer to John’s head. “Tosh, bring it to me.”
Tosh quickly gathered the stinking material into her arms and brought it to Jack. Jack seemed unsure of what to do for a moment; his head swam with pain from the last bought of forced memories and he didn’t want to take his gun off John. Suddenly, on either side of him, Owen and Gwen were standing, guns aimed at John’s head. Jack lowered his Webley and took the jacket from Tosh. He went over to Tosh’s desk and spread it out, looking at all the places where buttons were missing. There were five spaces but only one was a new tear. The threads around the torn area were brighter, cleaner and less frayed than the others. Jack felt anger boil within him. He turned to John and said, “What did you do to him?”
John’s eyes widened. “I didn’t do anything to anyone.” he said with feigned innocence.
Jack grabbed hold of John’s filthy shirt and spat in his face. “You used that device to take Ianto from me. You knew he was in the past. You gave yourself away! Tell me how you did it!”
John knew the game was up. His lips curled into a smirk. “Ah well, I tried. I thought if Jones was gone you’d take me back. Too bad you won’t be bringing him home.”
Jack’s eyes narrowed into feral slits. “Oh, I think I will be.” He slid his hand down John’s arm and grabbed hold of the wrist wearing the manipulator. “Either you take me to him or I take this from you.”
“It won’t work, Jack. He’ll atomize,” John lied once more.
“Didn’t you hear what I said? Didn’t you get the point of how brilliant my team really is? We know what you did to the rip engine. What is it? Candarl or Elusian?”
John cleared his throat as reality began to dawn on him. “Candarl.”
“Now, tell me how you managed to only take him and not the rest of us.” Jack demanded.
John sighed. “Well, that was the only tricky part to this whole game. I paid some bint to bump into him at that coffee shop he frequents. Note to Torchwood, stop being so bloody predictable. She slid a smaller device into his pocket. When I set the engine off it focused on the device in Jones’ pocket and plucked him out of time. It was perfect.” He suddenly had a smug tone to his voice as he was rather proud that this had actually worked.
“Yeah, almost,” as Jack spoke, his fingers were deftly unbuckling John’s wriststrap. He moved his face to within a hair’s distance from John’s and whispered, “No matter how hard you try, you will never be to me what he is. Even if you killed him, I’d never love you. You should have killed him because I can’t promise you I’d stop him from hunting you down and tearing you apart for what you did.”
John listened to his words but was slightly distracted by Jack’s mouth so close to his own. “I didn’t hurt him. You said so yourself, he’s safe.”
“He may be but by placing him in my past you’ve caused me nothing but pain, both physical and mental. Ianto won’t stand for that at all. He loves me and he’s very protective of the people he loves. He once snuck a half converted cyberwoman into the Hub because she had once been his fiancée. I could have killed him for it. I didn’t only because he did it out of love for her.”
“I love you,” John pleaded, his mouth ghosting Jack’s.
Jack pushed him away. John slammed into Ianto’s desk, knocking the Candarl device to the ground. It shattered and Jack didn’t even blink. “You love no one but yourself. You would hurt me and not even blink if it meant you were saving your own skin. That isn’t love.”
Jack turned his back to John. John, from his place on the floor, only just then realized that Jack had his wrist strap. He made a move to go after Jack but Owen stepped in and hit him with the butt of his gun. John crumpled to the floor. Owen stood over him and spit on his unconscious form.
“Jack?” Tosh whispered, taking a step closer to the tall man. Jack was staring at the manipulator in his hands. “Are you all right?”
“I’m-“ he looked up at her and smiled. “I’m going to bring him home.”
“Not yet,” Owen said. He came up to Jack and placed a hand on the man’s arm. “Let me check you over first. Can’t have you seizing or lapsing into a coma during the jump. If we lose you, we lose you both this time. No more manipulators and no more device.” Owen said, motioning towards the shattered Candarl engine.
Jack nodded, silently. “Just make it quick. He’s running out of time.”
~*~
It had been a week since he had been placed under Jack’s protection and Ianto was quickly losing his will to fight. He had written a letter to Llinos, since he was rarely in the Hub these days, giving her instructions on what to do in case he disappeared. She was to hide the journal in the specified brick in his room and tape the note to the back of his file. He was also going to give Jack the dose of Retcon that he had with him so that he would forget Ianto’s time at Torchwood and to tell the others that he had returned to Four. He didn’t want Greg to worry and mention him to Jack. Once Jack forgot then he knew the timeline would be restored.
He also had a backup plan. If Jack didn’t find him by the time the War began -which was going to be really soon- he was going to enlist. At least he could fight for his country while he was trapped out of his own time and if he died he could at least die knowing he did something good. He needed to get away from this Torchwood and from this Jack. He couldn’t keep living this half-life. The stress was killing him and he couldn’t imagine what it was doing to Jack.
Touching the small bulge in his pocket, he caressed the envelope with the journal and letter inside. If Jack didn’t find him soon he would mail it. The letter worked for both plans.
“Penny for them?” Jack said, as he entered the room to the dingy flat they were staying in. Ianto had not returned to the Hub since Jack’s arrival and Tilda’s banishment.
Ianto glanced up at the older man and smiled. “Just thinking,” he said and stood up to go make coffee.
Jack leaned against the wall and smiled. “Well, if you really miss him, I could be a substitute.”
Ianto glanced at him with narrowed eyes. “Jack, quit it. You’re only hurting your future self. Hell, we shouldn’t even be here together.”
Jack straightened up and beamed. “Then let’s go out!”
He grabbed Ianto, ignoring the yelp of indignity as he pulled the younger man out the door. “Jack! I was making coffee. Now I’ll have a mess to clean up when we return.”
“Don’t worry,” Jack said with laughter in his voice. “I’ll buy you a steak.”
“Steak doesn’t make up for the fact that there are spilled coffee beans all over the counter,” Ianto grumbled but stopped fighting Jack as they walked down the street.
Jack shrugged, “Will it help if I offer to clean it up?”
Ianto snorted.
“Ah,” Jack said. “You do know me too well.” Jack made such promises but Ianto knew he would inevitably be the one to clean up.
“I know you better than you think,” Ianto countered and nudged Jack with his shoulder. Jack barked with laughter as they walked down the road.
“C’mon! I know the best place for a steak,” he said, pulling Ianto down the road.
Ianto looked around him in slight confusion. “This isn’t the nicest neighbourhood, Jack. I didn’t bring my gun.”
“You worry too much. We’re safe as houses,” Jack said, still holding onto his arm. The sky was grey and quickly darkening as the overcast day was fading into night. The buildings cast long shadows that made Ianto uncomfortable.
“Jack. Houses can burn,” he said in a soft voice. He had the sudden feeling that they were being watched. Jack seemed to stiffen a bit beside him and Ianto was glad that he noticed the odd feeling as well. “How much farther to the restaurant?”
“Just down the block,” Jack said and stopped. They were passing by the mouth of an alley and Jack quickly pulled Ianto inside. He held a finger to his lips and whispered, “We’re being followed.”
Ianto nodded and wished even harder that he’d thought to grab his gun as Jack pushed him deeper into the alley.
Jack pulled out his Webley as he moved them into the shadows. At the mouth of the alley, a blowfish appeared. He looked into the shadows and made a motion for someone to follow him. Another blowfish came into view and Jack cursed under his breath. They had entered the alley and were sweeping the area with their weapons.
“Come on out, Harkness. Rini doesn’t like it when someone doesn’t pay their debts,” the first one said.
Ianto glared at the back of Jack’s head. “Friends of yours?” he whispered.
Jack looked at him, utterly unashamed. “They were the ones who gambled on me in a fight. They thought I would win. I died instead. Obviously, it didn’t stick. They think I faked my death so they would lose and now they want the money from me.”
Ianto sighed. This was definitely not his Jack; his Jack was a bit more careful about his immortality. This Jack was still immature and cocky. He was glad for the difference as it helped Ianto to remember and keep himself in check.
“Harkness, we know you’re in there with your little whore, Bishop. So, either come out and pay your debt or we kill you both.” the second blowfish said.
Jack growled under his breath and in one swift motion both pushed Ianto to the ground out of sight and jumped out to face the two blowfish, his gun at the ready. He didn’t even attempt to negotiate. He shot the first blowfish in the head and while he turned to aim at the other, it got him first in the stomach. Ianto cried out but Jack was quick and killed the second before collapsing to the ground. Ianto crawled over to the dying man and pulled him into his arms. “Don’t die, Jack. Someone will be here soon to help.”
Jack tried to laugh but ended up coughing up blood. “Not in this neighbourhood. No one will want to get involved. We’re alone, Ianto.”
Ianto knew this wasn’t his Jack but it didn’t stop the pain of watching the man die. He gently smoothed Jack’s hair from his forehead the way he had so many times before. Jack smiled up at him and whispered, “I can see why I love you so much.”
Ianto kissed his forehead and said, “No, you don’t, but thank you anyway.”
Jack drifted off into unconsciousness and then death as Ianto held him. This was never something he ever got used to and he promised himself that the day it stopped bothering him was the day he needed to give up on his humanity. A tear slid down his face and disappeared into Jack’s hair. This was a stomach wound. They usually took about thirty minutes to heal. A head wound, simple and with a bullet, usually only took three to five minutes. Ianto had timed each and every one of Jack’s deaths. He glanced at his watch and knew he would be there for a little while.
He didn’t know why some took longer than others. At first he thought it would be based on the wound or the location and the delicate tissue involved. However, it seemed that the more organs involved, the longer the process. Bones took the longest to re-grow. Ianto had to assume that a head wound was still vulnerable even after Jack woke up as he couldn’t believe the skull could grow as quickly as the brain tissue beneath it. He remembered when Jack had almost lost his leg; it had been when he himself had been turned invisible. Jack was in a wheelchair for a bit before he had to walk with crutches. He even had a limp for a small while before the leg was completely healed.
These were the thoughts he had while he waited for Jack to return to him. If he didn’t analyze the situation he would have to actually think about it emotionally and he knew he would probably break down and go insane.
At some point, in his thoughts, he was interrupted by the gasp from the man in his arms. Ianto had lost track of time since he couldn’t be bothered to pull out his stopwatch to really time Jack’s death. Jack clawed at Ianto as the post-death confusion set in. Ianto pulled him closer and whispered soothing words into Jack’s ear and Jack calmed down.
“That’s why it’s always easier for me to come back when you’re with me.” a voice said from behind him.
Ianto turned to see Jack standing in the mouth of the alley; his Jack, just standing there, watching him hold his past self.
“Jack?” he whispered, unsure if he was really seeing the man.
Jack took a few steps closer to the pair. The younger Jack still had his face buried in Ianto’s chest. “See, I remember how you calmed me. I remember the feeling of being loved and being safe in your arms. No one has ever given me that comfort and I remember it all.”
The younger Jack glanced up at himself. “Exactly,” he whispered, slowly releasing Ianto from his grip. Ianto looked at both men in utter confusion. “I usually wake up and I’m alone. I have to fight to calm the panic. I expect to see piles of dust and corpses,” he said, slowly standing and offering Ianto a hand.
“Satellite Five,” the older Jack said with finality.
The younger Jack nodded. “Take good care of him,” he told himself, looking at Ianto and caressing his face. “You chose the right man to love.”
Ianto shuddered as those words hit him. They were the same words Manger had said to Jack about Greg. Ianto fished in his pocket. He knew what must be done. “You can’t remember me. Jack didn’t until this happened. Someday you will but you can’t right now. You need to take care of Greg and live your life.”
The younger Jack nodded in understanding but not before taking Ianto into his arms and kissing him. It took Ianto a moment before he melted into the other man’s arms. His kiss was only slightly different from his Jack’s kiss but not enough to quibble over. They parted and Ianto pressed the two Retcon pills into his hand.
“Take these and go home. Please,” Ianto pleaded.
Jack took them and popped them into his mouth, dry swallowing them. “Goodbye, Ianto Jones. I’ll see you again.”
“Goodbye, Jack,” Ianto said and turned from him, finding himself crushed into a hug by the older Jack. His Jack.
Jack breathed in Ianto and sighed, “I missed you.”
Ianto clung to the older man and nodded against his neck.
“Let’s go home,” Jack said, pulling Ianto even closer.
Ianto pushed away slightly. “I need to mail something first. I need Llinos to have the journal,” he said at Jack’s confusion.
Jack nodded and silently led Ianto out of the alley.
The younger Jack watched them go with a pang to his heart. He sighed as they disappeared around the corner then looked down at all the blood on his jacket and pulled it tightly around his chest. He made for his flat, alone but with a slight sense of hope.
~*~
The Hub was quiet. Gwen, Owen and Tosh sat around waiting for Jack’s return. John was still unconscious but was now chained to the railing by the water tower. Jack had done it himself before he left, to ensure that John couldn’t escape.
Suddenly, there seemed to be a localized tornado within the Hub and in the middle of it Jack and Ianto appeared. Gwen gave a squeal and rushed down to the two men, hugging them both before pulling Ianto into a second tighter hug. Tosh and Owen appeared next and as soon as Gwen released Ianto, Tosh claimed him. After a bit, a teary Tosh pulled away and Ianto was face to face with Owen. They stared at one another for a moment before Ianto held out a hand to shake Owen’s. Owen stared at the hand and pulled Ianto into a hug. “Don’t scare us like that again, Tea-Boy!”
Ianto gave a sob-laugh as the reality hit him that he was once more home. He looked for Jack over the heads of the others and found he didn’t want to be too far away from the older man. Jack hovered nearby, obviously feeling the same. Eventually the others began to back up after they had fully assured themselves that Ianto was real and was safe.
A cough got their attention and John Hart spoke. “So, you got Eye-Candy back. No harm, no foul. Let me go.”
Jack glared at him while Ianto went over to Hart and knelt down. The blood on his jacket was starting to dry and John took notice of it. “No harm? I have spent six months in 1939,” he said and Tosh sucked in air as she had no idea it was really that long, “I have forced memories on Jack that I know were killing him. He looks like shit,” he spat.
“Thanks,” Jack said and Ianto quelled him with a look.
“Do you think that no harm was done? I know things I shouldn’t. I also couldn’t stop things I knew were inevitable,” he said and this time when he glanced at Jack it was in apology. He couldn’t save Greg Bishop from his fate and it killed him because the man did not deserve what happened to him.
Jack nodded, instantly understanding without words.
Ianto held a hand out to Jack. “Give me his wrist strap.”
Jack blinked. That wasn’t what he had expected from Ianto. Silently, though, he removed the strap and handed it to him. “Owen, unlock him. I’m going to give this back to you. Leave this planet. Go far away and never bother us again.”
John looked confused. “You aren’t going to kill me?”
Ianto laughed and the sound of it made Jack’s skin crawl. “I’m not you, Hart. I’m better than that.” He pushed himself up again and went to Jack’s side. As Owen unchained Hart, Ianto pulled Jack into a kiss that showed John that Jack belonged to him, Ianto Jones. When they parted, Jack looked at Ianto with slight confusion. Ianto cast a glare at John. “You’re still here?”
John blinked and looked at Toshiko. She smiled and said, “I lied.”
John’s face crumpled in anger as he realized just how well Torchwood had played him. Gwen was standing there with his jacket in her hands and John grabbed it before hitting a few buttons and disappearing from their sight.
“Why did you let him go? You know he’ll be back,” Owen said as he gathered the chains and locks.
Ianto leaned his head on Jack’s chest. His head hurt from the time jump and he was quite tired. Besides, he never did get his steak. “I know he’ll be back but I’m still not like him. I couldn’t kill him and if we locked him up I’d be the one to have to take care of his sorry arse and I don’t believe I have the energy for that.” Jack hugged him and kissed the top of his head.
“Ianto Jones, you are an amazing soul.” he said and led the younger man to the med bay where he knew Owen would want to check him over.
The End