Title: Ianto’s Journey - Chapter 24
Author: Timelordshines
Characters: Ianto Jones, Jack Harkness, Toshiko Sato, Gwen Cooper, Owen Harper
Series Rating: 15
Words: 633 / 25351
Spoilers: S1E4, S2E12, DW-S2E12, DW-S2E13
Disclaimer: Characters belong to RTD and the BBC - I’m just borrowing them.
Written for hc_bingo prompt "Sacrifice"
Author's Note: This is for
kul_breez. Thanks for kicking my arse into gear to get these last few chapters posted.
Start at the
ProloguePrevious chapter -
Chapter 23 The cog door rolled open and Tosh, Gwen and Owen strode in.
“What happened out there?” Ianto asked Tosh as Gwen and Owen walked straight past him and the doors rolled closed. They watched as Gwen headed up to the conference room and Owen disappeared into the medical bay.
The alarms blared again and the door opened. Jack walked in looking like he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. He nodded at Tosh and Ianto then hurried up to his office. Owen practically jogged out of the med bay, and slipped through the door before it could close again.
Ianto raised an eyebrow at Toshiko.
“Jack had to sacrifice a child to the faeries.” She whispered. “I should go help Gwen clear the stuff away.”
“Ok. Do you want coffee?”
“No, we won’t stay long.” Tosh replied with a tight smile, turning to follow Gwen.
Ianto glanced up at the office. The door was shut, which was unusual, but the lights were on and he could see Jack bent over the desk. Ianto sighed and headed for the kitchen.
Ianto knocked on the office door and waited for Jack to call out before opening it and going in. “I thought you could use a coffee…?” he said, phrasing it as a question even though he had already made the drinks.
“Thanks.” Jack said with a sigh.
Ianto moved forwards and handed the cup to his Captain, letting their fingers brush once more, like they always used to. He watched Jack’s face for a reaction, hoping the familiarity might soothe him, but aware that it might hurt. Jack nodded minutely then swallowed hard, taking comfort where he could find it. He inclined his head towards the guest chair, silently asking if Ianto might like to sit with him to have his own drink. Ianto nodded and put his cup on the desk. Before he sat down he retrieved a hip flask from his jacket pocket. “I thought you might like to make the coffee Irish, Sir?” he asked offering the alcohol to his boss.
Jack smiled and held out his cup for Ianto to poor the drink into. “You always know what I need.”
“I try.” Ianto said, adding some to his own coffee as well.
The men sat in silence for a while, each contemplating their own thoughts, before Ianto broke the silence. “Why did you do it Jack?”
Jack blinked at him. Was Ianto challenging his decision? But then he saw there was no anger in Ianto’s eyes, just a need to know, to understand. So he told him. “The faeries are too powerful for us. We can’t stop them. They control the weather, they can move through time, they could destroy the world. I’ve dealt with them before. They are the stuff of nightmares. All we can do is give them what they want. And they wanted Jasmine to be their chosen one, to live with them and become a faery.” Jack’s voice was dull. “It’s what Jasmine wanted too - I did check what she wanted before I gave her up so readily.” He said defensively.
“You made the right decision Jack,” Ianto said roughly, reaching out and covering the Captain’s hand on the table. “Not an easy decision but you saved the world. Again. You are the leader. You have to make the decisions nobody else wants to take.”
A tear rolled down Jack’s face as he accepted the comfort Ianto’s words offered. Ianto let go and gripped his coffee cup in both hands taking a long swig. Jack followed suit.
“You’re a good leader Jack. You sacrificed one person to save the world.” Ianto’s hands trembled and his voice cracked as he continued in a harsh whisper, “I nearly sacrificed the world to save one monster.”
On to the final chapter -
Chapter 25