You Keep Me Alive Part 4
Rating: PG
Characters: Jack, Ianto, The Master, mention of other TW and DW characters
Spoilers: Not really any.
Disclaimer: I don’t own anything. If I did there would be some characters dead, and others alive.
Summary: During The Year That Never Was, Jack is tortured by the Master, but what is keeping Jack fighting.
Beta: This was written for one of my college class’. I really cannot say ladyeternal was just my beta. She was so much more than just a beta. [People get you minds out of the gutter. I so did not mean it that way :)] I could have never received the grade that I did without her help.
Thanks: I want to thank everyone for their great comments, and support thought out this. Also I want to thank everyone that helped with the fic, especially my great reader ladyeternal. I want to thank all the great people from my class, and my instructor Rayshell. They gave me so much support in the class. That was one very stressful class for me to take. Me, a history student in a class full of English majors. SO SCARY.
This is it. It is all over, for now at least. I have not decided if I am going to finish the fic. I have been thinking about it for my class this semester, but I don’t know yet. As always comments are always loved.
Day 126:
With how he was confined, Jack could only attain a few simple moments of sleep before he was awoken by the intense pain of his shoulder snapping or the ripping of skin as the cold, harsh metal of his restraints dug into his skin under the pressure of his own weight. For those few moments though, sleep was the best escape he received. During those times he could dream of the good things he once had, and the things he still wanted. He dreamt of Estelle and their love before Jack left to fight a war he would ‘die’ in. He dreamt of Rose and her loving personality that had made him a better man. More times than not though, Jack would dream of Ianto, the person who was getting him through this hell, day after day.
When Jack could no longer elude sleep he found himself back in the Hub. Jack dreamt of lying with Ianto in his small bunk hidden beneath his office. Jack lay watching Ianto. There was so much love in Ianto’s eyes. He wore the beautiful smile of his which was reserved for Jack alone.
“Ianto,” Jack said ever so softly, with such passion as he felt a gentle touch against his check.
“You have to wake up, Jack,” he heard the vision of his young lover say.
“But I want to stay,” Jack said as he caressed the vision of Ianto’s check.
“Jack, you have to wake now,” the vision demanded of Jack unlike anything the real Welshman would say.
Jack closed his eyes. He knew this was not real. He knew he was simply dreaming of what he once had, but Jack still didn’t want to give it up…dream or not, it was Ianto. “But I don’t want to leave. I don’t what to lose you again. I miss you…I love you.”
“Jack, wake up. He’s coming back, it’s not safe.” Jack heard the soft, loving voice of a Jones say. Only it was not the Jones he wanted it to be. It wasn’t Ianto, it was Tish.
“Aw, the help is helping the freak. How sweet,” the Master said with that sarcastic voice of his as he walked in and saw Tish trying to comfort the immortal. No sooner had he spoken than Tish felt the back of the Time Lords large, strong, forceful hand against her face. The Master struck her with such might she landed against the metal grating of the floor. “If I ever catch you doing that again I’ll have you chained up in here as well, but I don’t think you could last nearly as long as the Captain here.”
As Tish fell to the floor, Jack was returning to the sadness of what was real. He saw the Master standing in between the other captive aboard the Valiant and him. The Master’s voice contained so much venom. Jack knew his death today would come swiftly, but also feared the wrath of the Master toward the others aboard the Valiant.
“Get out, Miss Jones,” the Master said. Pointing to the door he had just come through. “I will deal with your rebelliousness after I have dealt with your beloved Captain.”
Tish Jones didn’t utter a word as she hurried from the ‘torture room’ as she had come to call it. She held her hand against her cheek, wincing at the burning sensation. She knew it would soon turn from a red mark of the Master’s hand to a large bruise.
“I was wondering how long it would take,” the Master said turning to look at the wavering immortal.
“And what's that, dare I ask?” Jack asked still not fully aware of his surroundings. He desperately wanted to go back to the place he was safe, he missed, he loved. He wanted to go back home. Not to 51st century Boshane, but to 21st century Cardiff, to Torchwood, to his team, to Ianto.
The Master was not in the mood for fun today. He dropped the knife to the floor; reached for one of the guard’s guns and aimed it at the Doctor’s companion. “I was just wondering how long it would take before one of your little friends would get stupid enough to come and help you.” The words were barely spoken before Jack felt the ripping of his skin, bones shattering and organs being torn as the bullets ravaged his body.
Life passed from him just as fast as the bullets did.
Gasping back to life moments later - yet again - Jack held onto the dream that one day this would all be over or at least death would finally take him and keep him. Jack knew, however, that was simply a dream - for death didn’t want him.
For over a hundred years, Jack had dreamt of death. He wished for the day that death would let him stay, but Jack was not completely sure that was what he wanted any longer. Now, there was something that he wanted more. The immortal knew one day he would lose Ianto - Jack lost everything in the end after all. But to have one more minute with the amazing 21st century Welshman was worth an eternity of death.
Six minutes thirty-two seconds - Jack watched as all his team, except Ianto of course, headed toward the cog door laughing with one another, calling back their various good nights to their leader.
Eight minutes fifty-six seconds - Jack turned down the lights, locked down the Hub and shut down all the workstations. On any other day, the team would have shut down their own equipment, but today Jack was in such a rush to send everyone in the base away he had gladly volunteered to take care of all their mundane tasks.
Nine minutes forty-three seconds - Jack stood at the doorframe to his office. At this point Jack knew Ianto was just playing the game. He knew Ianto wouldn’t leave his sanctuary until his beloved antique timepiece displayed the correct time.
Ten minutes - Jack heard soft footfalls of the wondrous Welshman approach from the lower depths of the base.
“So Mister Jones, what all is on that list of yours?” Jack asked with a suggestive look on his face as he sauntered across to the young man.
“Quite a few things actually, but,” Ianto said with a devilish grin, placing the stopwatch in the captain’s hand. “It is all your choice tonight, sir.”
“I like the sound of that.”
“What are you doing?” Ianto asked inquisitively as Jack adorned his classic RAF coat, and held out Ianto’s own more accurate time period coat for him to wear.
“I don’t want to be here tonight if that’s okay,” Jack said softly, having lost the child-like enthusiasm in his voice.
“Of course it is,” Ianto said as Jack helped him into his coat, something Jack had never done before.
They slowly walked hand-in-hand to Ianto’s flat. Ianto had never been one who cared for displays of affection when out amongst the outside world. So it amazed Jack that not once while they walked the short distance to the flat had Ianto refused to walk with their hands entwined. If ever asked why they chose to walk, Jack would say it was because it took more time to get the SUV out and through traffic than it did to just walk. Truthfully, though, Jack enjoyed the small bit of intimacy. If it had been up to Jack, he would shout Ianto’s name from the rooftop… and Jack oh so loved rooftops.
Jack’s usual, care-free enthusiasm was still gone as the two men stepped through the door to Ianto’s small but spacious flat.
“So what is on the list for tonight, Captain?” Ianto asked pulling the older man’s coat off, letting his hand graze down his lover’s arm. “Good cop, bad cop?”
“No.”
“007?” Ianto wrapped he arms around the ‘American’s’ waist.
“No.”
“Naked hide and seek? Granted I don’t think it would be as much fun here though.”
“No. I was thinking maybe we could do something we’ve never done before,” Jack said as he looked up into Ianto’s beautiful eyes - eyes that Jack was willing to get lost in for all eternity if he could.
“Really, what might that be?” Ianto asked with an air of curiosity.
“Ianto Jones and Jack Harkness,” Jack said with obvious trepidation pulling his young lover’s tie from within his waistcoat. Jack already knew at this stage of their relationship, or their re-relationship, there was something in this young man that he wanted. A man who was from a time period that Jack still did not completely understand. Jack no longer only wanted what he had with Ianto before the events with Cyber-Lisa, he wanted more, he wanted it all.
Jack stood, looking into those blue oceans and felt fear. As Ianto stood in silence, Jack feared he had asked for too much. Jack and Ianto had been nothing but fun and games. Feelings were never something that played into what Jack and Ianto had. Their relationship had only been about getting what they wanted - entertainment for Jack and deception for Ianto.
“Oh”
“I don’t want games tonight, Ianto. I don’t want any titles or props either. I just want you,” Jack said as his voice broke with fear. “Can I have that?”
Jack felt both amazement and self-satisfaction as he felt Ianto’s fingers card through the hairs at the back of his head. Ianto rested his forehead against Jack’s and smiled. “Jack, you can always have that.”