69 Memory Lane - Saturday Evening

[time_watcher]

Jack and Ianto had spent much of their day down in the Lair dealing with the latest bit of flotsam and jetsam that had dropped through the Rift and into their laps. Some of the technology had some cool properties, though one items seemed to be a sort of stink bomb that had gone off. Luckily it had been trapped in a containment field but even so,

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[beenthroughthat]

Sam could have been at All Souls with Phoebe and Cole, but he'd put off certain possibly unpleasant conversations long enough and the irritation and uncertainty were chafing at his mind badly by now.

He headed straight for Jack's house and knocked on the door, sharply.

[beenthroughthat]

"And that's when people start forgetting what really happened, am I right?" Sam's voice had gone absolutely cold. He had no idea he was an exception, no idea that the drug's effects were meant to last. "Which brings me to why I'm here. What do you do when someone who was supposed to have forgotten told someone else, Captain Harkness? Because if you think I'm letting you try that shit on Phoebe or Cole, you're dead wrong."

[time_watcher]

Jack whirled towards Anders and before he could stop it he knew the answer was in eyes gone a calm and ruthless sort of blue.

[beenthroughthat]

"You touch them," Sam said, barely above a whisper, "and I'll make sure word of this gets out. You leave them alone . . ."

[time_watcher]

"What makes you think you'll get out of here alive," Jack said just as softly and though he didn't move a muscle, there was a genuine threat in his stance.

[beenthroughthat]

Sam's smile was tight and feral, despite the fact that his stomach was roiling from the idea of going missing from Phoebe and Cole's lives again. "The fact that you can't risk any questions that'll come up when people realize I've disappeared."

[time_watcher]

Jack arched his eyebrows in a careless manner and though there was a part of him that cringed, he heard his voice coldly point out.

"You won't be around to stop me from doing what's necessary to make those questions go away."

[beenthroughthat]

"Much easier way to do that, you know," Sam said quietly. "Keep your hands clean and everything."

[time_watcher]

Jack chuckled and it was a very nasty sound.

"Much too late for that," he said, running the tip of his tongue across the top of his teeth and giving Sam a look that said plainly that he was welcome to try an explain to Jack why it would be easier not to break his neck at this moment.

Eyes never leaving the younger man, Jack moved with silent efficiency until he was between Sam and the doorway.

[beenthroughthat]

Sam cringed inwardly a bit at that chuckle, but didn't back down. "In this particular situation, I mean," he said bitingly. "Killing me outright is really lacking in finesse when I could offer to help you keep your precious secret."

[time_watcher]

Since going on a murder and retcon spree really wasn't something Jack wanted to do, he forced himself to ignore the dark desire to punish Sam for the 'lack of finesse' comment and instead concentrated on what the other man was offering.

"I'm listening," he invited, one hand resting in the small of his back, fingers on the Webley, while the other tapped restlessly on his thigh.

[beenthroughthat]

"I'm involved with a witch and a demon," Sam said evenly. "I went to high school in a town kind of like this. I've known vampires and psychics and people who defy the term 'normal human being' in any way you care to name. I've seen my share of rescue missions and I'm not, contrary to some people's opinion, an idiot. You want someone to help wrangle those toothy motherfrakkers so people don't find out about 'em, I can do that . . . but you leave Cole and Phoebe alone."

[time_watcher]

Hmmmm...

True, it hadn't been his original intention to take on any more freelancers, so to speak. Hell, Dean kept his hands full not!justdirty enough.

But Sam had him backed into an unexpected corner -how the HELL had the retconned failed??- and Jack never responded well to being backed into a corner, in fact he tended to react quite violently and it was a testament to the Doctor's influence that he hadn't just shot first and dealt with the mess after.

Still, Sam's offer had merit. Jack had no desire or urge to go after either Phoebe or Cole so that would be a fairly reasonable price to pay and someone who could shake off the effects of Retcon in less than a fortnight?

Well, it might not be a bad thing to keep that person close.

Relaxing his stance, Jack crossed his arms over his chest and eyed Sam up and down.

"Do you think you can follow orders?"

[beenthroughthat]

"Played baseball for ten years, mostly in the minor leagues," Sam said, figuring that to be answer enough.

[time_watcher]

Sam could ask Dean, Jack was a bit of a stickler on this point.

"Let me rephrase that. Can you follow my orders."

[beenthroughthat]

Well, it wasn't as if he particularly liked Jack (allegations of the man's kissing prowess aside), but he'd worked under plenty of managers who he'd liked even less.

Sam bit back the snarky response he wanted to make in favor of saying calmly, "Yes. Yes, I can follow your orders."