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d8rkmessngrAuthor: d8rkmessngr
Pairing: Jack/OMC, Jack/?, Jack/Ianto eventually, het and slash
Rating: NC-17 (betaed)
Summary: He left Jack on the game station. Abandoned. But then…he came back…different. An AU look on what happens if things happened differently. Doctor Who 'verse with Torchwood later on. Be sure to read the warnings.
Warnings: Please read each chapter's individual warnings. Some parts down the road may briefly mention non-con, abuse, and/or violence. Dark in the beginning. Please note there are some dark thoughts as my boys are broken…for now. Each chapter will be labeled for your convenience.
Author's Notes: Please note this is an AU that will cross over DW to TW season one. I'm probably spoiling my own story, but it will eventually be Janto. There's a bit of a journey first. I hope you enjoy. I'm working on this and intend to post regularly every other day. And again, I always believe in happy endings. So without further ado…
Disclaimer: RTD and BBC owns them. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Warning For This Chapter: strong language, dark, angsty, disturbing imagery (a matter of reader's interpretation, though)
Notes For This Chapter: Note there are parallels to DW's "The Sound of Drums"
Prologue + Ch , Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 6, Ch 7, Ch 8, Ch 9, Ch 10, Ch 11, Ch 12, Ch 13,Ch 14, Ch 15, Ch 16, Ch 17, Ch 18. Ch 19, Ch 20, Ch 21, Ch 22, Ch 23, Ch 24, Ch 25, Ch 26, Ch 27, Ch 28, Ch 29, Ch 30, Ch 31, Ch 32, Ch 33, Ch 34, Ch 35, Ch 36, Ch 37 Act 1/9, Ch 37 Act 2/9, Ch 37 Act 3/9, Ch 37 Act 4/9, Ch 37 Act 5/9, Ch 37 Act 6/9 1/2
Master Fic List: here
Chapter 37 "The Sound of Drums"
Act VI 2/2: "What do we do?"
Somewhere in London
Present day…
"Here."
Ianto stirred drowsily against the solid, sturdy feel of Jack's shoulder. He looked up with gritty eyes. The Doctor stood over them, his long brown coat hanging off the crook of a finger.
The Doctor appeared worn, war weary as he gazed down at Jack, currently dozing, propped up against a cluster of empty barrels across from where the Doctor had set up shop. Jack had kept away from everyone, even from the hearth they'd built inside a barrel to ward off the damp cold that always seem to hang over London. Jack stayed hunched by the cluster of empty drums, silent, even when Ianto sat down right beside him.
"Has Martha returned?" Ianto mumbled around a yawn. He rubbed his eyes with a knuckle. He studied Jack, his brow furrowed. They were just sitting here. When had they fallen asleep?
"It's only been a few minutes," the Doctor explained before he tossed his coat over Ianto's lap. "If you two won't come near the fire, at least use this. It's warmer." The Doctor sniffed at the sight of Jack slumped against a barrel, oblivious to the conversation around him. The Doctor straightened. "Hard to sneak up to the Master with you two sniffling and sneezing. Not very inconspicuous."
Ianto rolled his eyes. "Your concern overwhelms me, sir," he said but accepted the long brown coat. Ianto picked at the frayed threads. It felt surprisingly warm despite its ratty appearance.
The Doctor grunted at Ianto's surprise. "You never know what climate one arrives in. Not practical to carry around so many coats."
Carefully, Ianto draped the wool outerwear over Jack. He smiled sadly to himself when Jack mumbled something, shifted closer to Ianto, his hip touching Ianto's, and quieted.
"He's exhausted," Ianto whispered. He couldn't help but brush back a dark strand of hair away from Jack's eyes. His fingers lingered on Jack's cool forehead. Still too cool. It reminded him too much of after Abbadon. Ianto snatched back his fingers before panic could make him shake Jack.
"I don't think I've ever seen him sleep this much since…" Ianto paused. Ianto's smile flickered and faded into apprehension. "Well…never, actually."
"The Master's drained him. It will take Jack some time to recover."
His stomach clenched. Ianto raised startled eyes at the Time Lord. "Drained?"
The Doctor merely frowned. He flinched and his eyes shifted away from Jack.
"It's like dipping into the heart of the TARDIS," the Doctor said cryptically. He stared off at the laptop he was working on. "Time Lords didn't dare even think of doing that. All that raw power, the temptation, all that time and space…" The Doctor gazed across the factory to the little work area he set up.
"Humans, most of all, can't handle such power," the Doctor murmured. "It would either burn their minds alive or drive them absolutely mad before they died."
Ianto turned worried eyes back towards Jack.
"He never looked into it. He was touched with that power," the Doctor said. Ianto glanced up at his tight smile. The Doctor shrugged but even that looked painful. "It changed him, did quite the opposite of what it should, and now he's like the Vortex itself; never changing, always renewing."
"And that's why you can't even stand to look at me right now."
Ianto started when Jack lifted his head and leveled a steady gaze at the Doctor.
"Still in the habit of eavesdropping, I see," the Doctor rumbled. He cleared his throat behind a fist.
"Like you said: never changing." Jack stared up at him unflinching.
The Doctor, to his credit, matched the intensity of the gaze for as long as he could before he sighed. The time traveler shook his head.
"You should be resting, Captain," the Doctor would only offer and with his hands in his pockets, went back towards the makeshift table across the building.
"Who could rest with all that talking?" Jack called out to the Time Lord's back but the Doctor just waved a hand over his shoulder.
Jack blinked when he looked down at himself. Jack pulled off the coat tucked over him and considered the material bunched between his fists. Something unreadable drifted over his face and his expression turned to something sadder.
"I don't think brown was ever my color," Jack rasped. He flipped it out over Ianto's shoulders like a cape. Jack shrugged deeper into his own greatcoat. "You, on the other hand…" Jack waggled his brows at him, but it was a sorry attempt. Jack, tired of trying, averted his gaze.
"You should be sleeping," Ianto scolded, unable to conceal his worry. Jack's smile was brittle; his eyes a bit dull and lacked the quick-witted luster Ianto always responded to each time.
Ianto waved towards the fire by the Doctor; its orange flame danced in the dark.
"He thought you looked cold," Ianto whispered. He didn't know why, but looking at the solitary figure tapping away on Martha's computer gave him a lump in his throat.
"I'm not." Jack's response was clipped. Ianto didn't dare refute him.
"Purple!" the Doctor suddenly declared and now he was rearranging things as whatever new idea now inspired him, making him look like a frenzied little dog. Metal screeched over concrete.
Ianto caught Jack's eyes on the Doctor, a tiny smirk on his lips before his gaze snapped forward again. Ianto sighed.
"Do you want to lay down a bit more?" Ianto asked. "Martha might be awhile getting food."
Jack shrugged. "Not hungry," Jack mumbled. He hunched deeper into his greatcoat.
"Well, I'm starved," Ianto forced his words to be light. "I haven't eaten in a hundred trillion years."
Jack's mouth twitched. "Poor Ianto." Jack smiled wanly at him. He gestured Ianto to sit closer.
"I think I can tune this thing to the government wavelength," Jack explained when Ianto paused.
"Ah. Your wrist strap is proving to be very useful. First as a time traveling device, now this." Ianto pulled back his sleeve and turned his wrist over.
"No, no, keep it on," Jack suggested. He grinned and his voice grew husky. "It looks good on you."
Jack's voice was hot by his ear and Ianto couldn't help but shiver. He gave a little snort that made Jack chuckle for some reason.
"I don't trust your fashion sense," Ianto retorted. "You thought I would look good in a pink shirt."
Jack's fingers stroked the leather wrapped around him before he flipped it open. "Actually," Jack breathed next to him. "I think you look good in any shirt, Mr. Jones. Or no shirt at all."
Ianto closed his eyes. He knew what Jack was trying to do. His words, while saturated with suggestion, were also heavy with the desperation to talk about anything else, hungry for the bits of what was normalcy between them. It was a thinly veiled farce, but God, he missed this side of Jack as well. The feel of Jack's body next to him, around him, was reassuring. Jack's voice surrounding him like the air he breathed was energizing. Ianto suddenly didn't care if the Doctor could see them; Ianto leaned in further and dropped his head back onto Jack's shoulder.
Jack's chest heaved against his back gently, his knees on either side of Ianto, his arms circled around and supporting Ianto's left arm as Jack's fingers manipulated his strange wrist device. Ianto watched sleepily with Jack's quiet murmuring in his ears explaining each step, the function of each button with his deep, rolling baritone rumbling by his ear like a lullaby.
At some point, Jack grew quiet and Ianto blinked blearily with the realization he'd drifted off again.
"Sorry," Ianto yawned. "Finished?" He wiggled to sit up higher to take a look.
"Wait," Jack whispered, stopping him.
Jack's arms wrapped around him tighter and Jack rubbed his mouth next to Ianto's ear. Jack curled himself around Ianto and dropped his chin on Ianto's shoulder.
Ianto merely nodded and gratefully sank back against Jack's chest. He took a deep breath, drinking in the scent of Jack: the sweaty, salty tang of spice and air and life itself. Ianto settled his head against Jack's jaw and rubbed his temple along the side of his face until he felt a light kiss by his hairline.
They sat there, huddled in the manmade alcove of barrels and wooden pallets. Ianto watched Jack's legs stretch out in front of him, Ianto's legs out in front of him as well, Jack's arms folded across his chest, his mouth by his ear, yet Ianto didn't feel trapped. He felt tethered; things were finally making sense again. Ianto let a small sigh escape and wiggled a little closer to Jack.
Jack sniffed and pulled Ianto closer.
"I was going to come back."
Ianto nodded at the hesitant whisper fluttering at the back of his neck. Ianto raised his left arm to show Jack the wrist strap in response. Jack brushed a finger across its weathered flap.
Jack buried his face into the back of Ianto's hair. A tentative touch brushed behind his ear. A shy nibble grazed the back of his neck. "I thought if he could…fix me, I could give you what you deserve."
Ianto's hands drew up to curl around the arms across his chest. He gave them a brief squeeze.
Jack tightened his hold and said nothing.
"Tell me what you're thinking, Jack." Ianto pleaded quietly when the silence proved to be too much. He stroked Jack's hands clasped over his own wrists, knuckles white. "Please…"
"Ianto," Jack sighed. "I'm not thinking about anything but how to get our team back and stop Saxon from making this the biggest political debacle since Chancellor Dent was found wearing his mistress' green brass—"
"Jack."
Jack shook his head and buried his face in Ianto's right shoulder blade.
"I'm tired," Jack rasped after a beat. His voice cracked. "I'm just…I'm so tired."
Ianto nodded, swallowing. He rubbed Jack's arms folded over his chest.
"I just want this to be over."
Ianto twisted around to stare at Jack.
Jack's face echoed John's death and Ianto, for a moment, thought he could smell car exhaust again. Jack's face then shuttered, like blinds turning and changing the bleak despair Ianto saw lurking in almost colorless eyes into an emotionless mask.
"Jack?" Ianto felt the hammerings of panic in his chest.
Jack shook his head again and drew Ianto back against him. Ianto opened his mouth to protest, to say something, but he felt Jack resting his chin on Ianto's shoulder, his arms around him unrelenting and desperate. There was a silent plea in the embrace.
Ianto sighed. Ianto covered Jack's arms with his. He idly stroke Jack's right wrist with a finger.
"I missed you," Ianto said finally. "The whole time we were there, all I wanted to do was come back to you." He swallowed. "We never had a chance to talk after…"
Ianto sucked in his breath and gripped Jack's arms so he wouldn't pull away.
"After everything. There had been so much left unsaid, so much that needs to be said. What we did. Jack, we—"
"You all did it for love," Jack murmured. "How can I hold that against any of you? You loved Lisa."
Ianto flinched. The resigned tone was never meant to be an accusation but it hurt like one. He twisted around until he was practically nose-to-nose with him.
"Yes," Ianto whispered. He looped his arms around Jack's torso. He wished there was a way to pull Jack closer. "I loved Lisa. Loved. I think I will always but it's in the past." Ianto took a deep breath. "I…" Ianto's voice stuttered. Bollocks. It shouldn't be this hard to say to a man. "Jack. Right now, I-I love—"
There was a strange flicker of fear that zipped across Jack's face, so quick, Ianto wasn't sure he saw it.
"Back to work." Jack patted Ianto on the shoulder. He sat up, shrugging away from Ianto as he rose to his feet.
Dismayed, Ianto stared up at him. "Jack…"
"Later, Ianto. Not now." Jack shook his head. "Let's get our guys back first, stop Saxon, then we'll talk, okay?"
There was a voice screaming in his head that it would never happen. "No, I think we need to talk about this now."
Jack stared at him as if he'd gone mad. "What is there to talk about?" Jack took a step towards the Doctor. He stopped when Ianto stepped in front of him.
It was like facing down a pit bull. Jack's chest expanded at the obstacle.
"We have work to do," Jack said tightly. "Move."
Ianto opened his hands entreating towards Jack. "We'd never talked about what happened."
"Yes, we did. You went to the end of the universe, I went with an imposter, and now he's Prime Minister." Jack was short, his grin humorless. "I think I got the gist of it." He didn't step around Ianto. Instead, he drew up to Ianto, almost in challenge.
"Ianto," Jack whispered, low.
Ianto shook his head, his throat working, his mouth like cotton. "Wait," Ianto pleaded. "Jack, what happened—"
Jack made some sort of noise. "We don't have time for this," Jack hissed. "We have to focus on what's important here."
"Exactly! You!" Ianto fought back a wince when Jack took another step to the side and Ianto blocked him.
Jack was trembling. And it should have been a warning sign for Ianto, but his heart was screaming too much. It was like he could see Jack bleeding inside, unchecked. Something cried inside Ianto to help him.
"Move."
"We need to talk about Sax—"
"I don't want to talk about him!"
Jack charged up to Ianto, breathing hard, his fists clutching Ianto's jacket by the lapels. Ianto froze. For the first time since kneeling before Jack's Webley after Lisa was discovered, Ianto thought Jack was going to hurt him. Ianto clenched his body to stop himself from rearing back. His knees struck the barrels behind him. Jack was chest to chest with him; his pupils were pinpricks with…Ianto weren't sure. Rage? Fear? Shame? No one emotion settled on Jack's face.
The Doctor was suddenly behind him. "It's not him you're angry at, Captain." He settled a hand on Jack's shoulder.
The flinch and the growl "Don't touch me!" was simultaneous. Jack whipped around, his hands slapping away the Doctor's hand. His fist reared back.
"Jack!" Ianto grabbed the elevated hand with both of his before it could sail across.
Jack snarled and twisted away from both of them. He crashed against the empty barrels as he stumbled back.
The noise roused Jack. He blinked and leaned back heavily on the large canisters, looking a little stunned. He stared at his fist as if it wasn't his. Slowly, it lowered and dropped to his side. Jack waved them both back when Ianto and the Doctor tried to approach.
"Just…give me…Hold on…" Jack's hands fanned uselessly at them, warding them off. Jack staggered to the back of the factory.
"Jack," Ianto pleaded. He took a step towards Jack who wearily waved him off as he stumbled away.
"Leave him be for now," the Doctor advised. He grabbed Ianto's sleeve.
"But," Ianto protested as he watched the lone, slouched figure by the far wall, one bent arm against it to brace himself, head bowed as if praying. Ianto couldn't tear his eyes away from Jack.
"Things won't get solved immediately here," the Doctor told Ianto in a low voice. "The Captain is understandably angry right now."
"At Saxon," Ianto muttered to himself.
The Doctor sighed long and tired. "Yes. Probably at me as well, but more than likely, mostly at himself."
Ianto screwed up his face to hold back whatever was coming up his throat. "He didn't know. There was nothing he could have done," he protested weakly. He felt lightheaded with the irrational need to wrap his arms around Jack and never let go. Ever.
"Intellectually, I'm sure he knows, but I have found the human heart is often in disagreement with logic."
Ianto screwed up his face. He balled his hands up.
"He's trying to hold it together right now," the Doctor murmured. He patted Ianto on the shoulder. "Give him time to do that."
Ianto was about to brush the Doctor's hand off his shoulder when Jack tensed, spinning around to look at something past them. Ianto and the Doctor, alarmed, both spun around. They relaxed when it turned out to be Martha hurrying into the factory, smelling like fish and chips.
Jack materialized by Ianto. "How was it?" Jack sounded all business to her.
"I don't think anyone saw me." Martha was breathless as she steered for the work area to set her bags down. "Anything new?" she asked anxiously.
Ianto pulled back his sleeve to reveal the wrist strap. "Jack's got this tuned to the government's wavelength so we can follow what Saxon's doing."
Irritation flitted across Martha's face. "Yeah, I meant about my family."
The Doctor trotted back to his cluttered, homemade station and dropped down in front of her laptop. "Still says the Jones family was taken in for questioning," the Doctor reported. "Tell you what though, no mention of Leo."
Martha beamed as she passed around the bags of fried food around the stack of wooden pallets that served as their table. "He's not as daft as he looks." She paused and looked over to Ianto.
Ianto was digging around the bag, pulling out cups of tea and wrapped packages of fish and chips. At Martha's look though, he swallowed. Ianto shook his head.
"I left several messages," Ianto croaked. "I haven't heard back from anyone. I don't even know if they heard my messages"
Jack quietly settled a hand on Ianto's lower back. It stayed there until Ianto composed himself and went back to distributing the food.
"We're talking about our families on the run." Martha sat down on a large spool, her face pale with shock. "How did this happen?"
Ianto bowed his head and concentrated on unfurling the napkins. Jack rubbed tiny circles on the small of his back.
"Nice chips," Jack spoke up, breaking the silence. He poked at the wrinkled foiled package but didn't partake.
The Doctor nodded as he popped a chip in his mouth despite the steam. "Actually," the Doctor agreed, looking disconcerted with steam wafting out of his mouth like a kettle, "they're not bad."
Martha gave them all a look and gave up with a sigh. She gave her food a glum look.
"You should eat," Jack prodded her food closer to her with a finger. "I have a funny feeling there'll be a lot of running later."
Martha gave him a shaky smile of thanks before peeling back the foil on her food.
"That's sound advice, Captain," the Doctor commented quietly. He looked at Jack's untouched meal.
"I'm not feeding you," Ianto muttered as he crammed a chip in his mouth. He didn't realize until he had opened his meal that he was famished. "I'm too busy getting fat here."
Jack chuckled half-heartedly before breaking off a piece of fish to taste.
Ianto washed his food down with the worse tea he'd ever tasted. He mused that he was spoiled with the perfectly filtered and brewed tea Jack makes. He took a sip and caught Martha giving him a look, her eyes then sliding over to the Doctor, who was busy making faces at the teabag in his cup. Ianto swallowed and shot her a mildly panicked look and shook his head, to which Martha replied with a kick to Jack's shins.
It was poor timing because Jack was drinking his tea and he sputtered. Ianto gave him a sheepish grin and nodded towards the time traveler. Jack narrowed his eyes no.
"Just spit it out," the Doctor muttered. He didn't look up as he plucked his teabag out of his cup and tossed it over his shoulder with disgust. "You have questions. You humans always do."
It was a reminder that the time traveler was indeed alien, a reminder that oddly enough made Ianto feel better about asking. Must be the Torchwood influence, Ianto thought ruefully. Aliens he could deal with. It was humans he was still having trouble with.
"So," Ianto began, "who is he?"
Act VII
Additional Notes: Many thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
soullessminion for betaing this chapter. And trtmx for her magic trick that saved my sanity! LOL.
Pairing: Jack/OMC, Jack/?, Jack/Ianto eventually, het and slash
Rating: NC-17 (betaed)
Summary: He left Jack on the game station. Abandoned. But then…he came back…different. An AU look on what happens if things happened differently. Doctor Who 'verse with Torchwood later on. Be sure to read the warnings.
Warnings: Please read each chapter's individual warnings. Some parts down the road may briefly mention non-con, abuse, and/or violence. Dark in the beginning. Please note there are some dark thoughts as my boys are broken…for now. Each chapter will be labeled for your convenience.
Author's Notes: Please note this is an AU that will cross over DW to TW season one. I'm probably spoiling my own story, but it will eventually be Janto. There's a bit of a journey first. I hope you enjoy. I'm working on this and intend to post regularly every other day. And again, I always believe in happy endings. So without further ado…
Disclaimer: RTD and BBC owns them. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Warning For This Chapter: strong language, dark, angsty, disturbing imagery (a matter of reader's interpretation, though)
Notes For This Chapter: Note there are parallels to DW's "The Sound of Drums"
Prologue + Ch , Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 6, Ch 7, Ch 8, Ch 9, Ch 10, Ch 11, Ch 12, Ch 13,Ch 14, Ch 15, Ch 16, Ch 17, Ch 18. Ch 19, Ch 20, Ch 21, Ch 22, Ch 23, Ch 24, Ch 25, Ch 26, Ch 27, Ch 28, Ch 29, Ch 30, Ch 31, Ch 32, Ch 33, Ch 34, Ch 35, Ch 36, Ch 37 Act 1/9, Ch 37 Act 2/9, Ch 37 Act 3/9, Ch 37 Act 4/9, Ch 37 Act 5/9, Ch 37 Act 6/9 1/2
Master Fic List: here
Chapter 37 "The Sound of Drums"
Act VI 2/2: "What do we do?"
Somewhere in London
Present day…
"Here."
Ianto stirred drowsily against the solid, sturdy feel of Jack's shoulder. He looked up with gritty eyes. The Doctor stood over them, his long brown coat hanging off the crook of a finger.
The Doctor appeared worn, war weary as he gazed down at Jack, currently dozing, propped up against a cluster of empty barrels across from where the Doctor had set up shop. Jack had kept away from everyone, even from the hearth they'd built inside a barrel to ward off the damp cold that always seem to hang over London. Jack stayed hunched by the cluster of empty drums, silent, even when Ianto sat down right beside him.
"Has Martha returned?" Ianto mumbled around a yawn. He rubbed his eyes with a knuckle. He studied Jack, his brow furrowed. They were just sitting here. When had they fallen asleep?
"It's only been a few minutes," the Doctor explained before he tossed his coat over Ianto's lap. "If you two won't come near the fire, at least use this. It's warmer." The Doctor sniffed at the sight of Jack slumped against a barrel, oblivious to the conversation around him. The Doctor straightened. "Hard to sneak up to the Master with you two sniffling and sneezing. Not very inconspicuous."
Ianto rolled his eyes. "Your concern overwhelms me, sir," he said but accepted the long brown coat. Ianto picked at the frayed threads. It felt surprisingly warm despite its ratty appearance.
The Doctor grunted at Ianto's surprise. "You never know what climate one arrives in. Not practical to carry around so many coats."
Carefully, Ianto draped the wool outerwear over Jack. He smiled sadly to himself when Jack mumbled something, shifted closer to Ianto, his hip touching Ianto's, and quieted.
"He's exhausted," Ianto whispered. He couldn't help but brush back a dark strand of hair away from Jack's eyes. His fingers lingered on Jack's cool forehead. Still too cool. It reminded him too much of after Abbadon. Ianto snatched back his fingers before panic could make him shake Jack.
"I don't think I've ever seen him sleep this much since…" Ianto paused. Ianto's smile flickered and faded into apprehension. "Well…never, actually."
"The Master's drained him. It will take Jack some time to recover."
His stomach clenched. Ianto raised startled eyes at the Time Lord. "Drained?"
The Doctor merely frowned. He flinched and his eyes shifted away from Jack.
"It's like dipping into the heart of the TARDIS," the Doctor said cryptically. He stared off at the laptop he was working on. "Time Lords didn't dare even think of doing that. All that raw power, the temptation, all that time and space…" The Doctor gazed across the factory to the little work area he set up.
"Humans, most of all, can't handle such power," the Doctor murmured. "It would either burn their minds alive or drive them absolutely mad before they died."
Ianto turned worried eyes back towards Jack.
"He never looked into it. He was touched with that power," the Doctor said. Ianto glanced up at his tight smile. The Doctor shrugged but even that looked painful. "It changed him, did quite the opposite of what it should, and now he's like the Vortex itself; never changing, always renewing."
"And that's why you can't even stand to look at me right now."
Ianto started when Jack lifted his head and leveled a steady gaze at the Doctor.
"Still in the habit of eavesdropping, I see," the Doctor rumbled. He cleared his throat behind a fist.
"Like you said: never changing." Jack stared up at him unflinching.
The Doctor, to his credit, matched the intensity of the gaze for as long as he could before he sighed. The time traveler shook his head.
"You should be resting, Captain," the Doctor would only offer and with his hands in his pockets, went back towards the makeshift table across the building.
"Who could rest with all that talking?" Jack called out to the Time Lord's back but the Doctor just waved a hand over his shoulder.
Jack blinked when he looked down at himself. Jack pulled off the coat tucked over him and considered the material bunched between his fists. Something unreadable drifted over his face and his expression turned to something sadder.
"I don't think brown was ever my color," Jack rasped. He flipped it out over Ianto's shoulders like a cape. Jack shrugged deeper into his own greatcoat. "You, on the other hand…" Jack waggled his brows at him, but it was a sorry attempt. Jack, tired of trying, averted his gaze.
"You should be sleeping," Ianto scolded, unable to conceal his worry. Jack's smile was brittle; his eyes a bit dull and lacked the quick-witted luster Ianto always responded to each time.
Ianto waved towards the fire by the Doctor; its orange flame danced in the dark.
"He thought you looked cold," Ianto whispered. He didn't know why, but looking at the solitary figure tapping away on Martha's computer gave him a lump in his throat.
"I'm not." Jack's response was clipped. Ianto didn't dare refute him.
"Purple!" the Doctor suddenly declared and now he was rearranging things as whatever new idea now inspired him, making him look like a frenzied little dog. Metal screeched over concrete.
Ianto caught Jack's eyes on the Doctor, a tiny smirk on his lips before his gaze snapped forward again. Ianto sighed.
"Do you want to lay down a bit more?" Ianto asked. "Martha might be awhile getting food."
Jack shrugged. "Not hungry," Jack mumbled. He hunched deeper into his greatcoat.
"Well, I'm starved," Ianto forced his words to be light. "I haven't eaten in a hundred trillion years."
Jack's mouth twitched. "Poor Ianto." Jack smiled wanly at him. He gestured Ianto to sit closer.
"I think I can tune this thing to the government wavelength," Jack explained when Ianto paused.
"Ah. Your wrist strap is proving to be very useful. First as a time traveling device, now this." Ianto pulled back his sleeve and turned his wrist over.
"No, no, keep it on," Jack suggested. He grinned and his voice grew husky. "It looks good on you."
Jack's voice was hot by his ear and Ianto couldn't help but shiver. He gave a little snort that made Jack chuckle for some reason.
"I don't trust your fashion sense," Ianto retorted. "You thought I would look good in a pink shirt."
Jack's fingers stroked the leather wrapped around him before he flipped it open. "Actually," Jack breathed next to him. "I think you look good in any shirt, Mr. Jones. Or no shirt at all."
Ianto closed his eyes. He knew what Jack was trying to do. His words, while saturated with suggestion, were also heavy with the desperation to talk about anything else, hungry for the bits of what was normalcy between them. It was a thinly veiled farce, but God, he missed this side of Jack as well. The feel of Jack's body next to him, around him, was reassuring. Jack's voice surrounding him like the air he breathed was energizing. Ianto suddenly didn't care if the Doctor could see them; Ianto leaned in further and dropped his head back onto Jack's shoulder.
Jack's chest heaved against his back gently, his knees on either side of Ianto, his arms circled around and supporting Ianto's left arm as Jack's fingers manipulated his strange wrist device. Ianto watched sleepily with Jack's quiet murmuring in his ears explaining each step, the function of each button with his deep, rolling baritone rumbling by his ear like a lullaby.
At some point, Jack grew quiet and Ianto blinked blearily with the realization he'd drifted off again.
"Sorry," Ianto yawned. "Finished?" He wiggled to sit up higher to take a look.
"Wait," Jack whispered, stopping him.
Jack's arms wrapped around him tighter and Jack rubbed his mouth next to Ianto's ear. Jack curled himself around Ianto and dropped his chin on Ianto's shoulder.
Ianto merely nodded and gratefully sank back against Jack's chest. He took a deep breath, drinking in the scent of Jack: the sweaty, salty tang of spice and air and life itself. Ianto settled his head against Jack's jaw and rubbed his temple along the side of his face until he felt a light kiss by his hairline.
They sat there, huddled in the manmade alcove of barrels and wooden pallets. Ianto watched Jack's legs stretch out in front of him, Ianto's legs out in front of him as well, Jack's arms folded across his chest, his mouth by his ear, yet Ianto didn't feel trapped. He felt tethered; things were finally making sense again. Ianto let a small sigh escape and wiggled a little closer to Jack.
Jack sniffed and pulled Ianto closer.
"I was going to come back."
Ianto nodded at the hesitant whisper fluttering at the back of his neck. Ianto raised his left arm to show Jack the wrist strap in response. Jack brushed a finger across its weathered flap.
Jack buried his face into the back of Ianto's hair. A tentative touch brushed behind his ear. A shy nibble grazed the back of his neck. "I thought if he could…fix me, I could give you what you deserve."
Ianto's hands drew up to curl around the arms across his chest. He gave them a brief squeeze.
Jack tightened his hold and said nothing.
"Tell me what you're thinking, Jack." Ianto pleaded quietly when the silence proved to be too much. He stroked Jack's hands clasped over his own wrists, knuckles white. "Please…"
"Ianto," Jack sighed. "I'm not thinking about anything but how to get our team back and stop Saxon from making this the biggest political debacle since Chancellor Dent was found wearing his mistress' green brass—"
"Jack."
Jack shook his head and buried his face in Ianto's right shoulder blade.
"I'm tired," Jack rasped after a beat. His voice cracked. "I'm just…I'm so tired."
Ianto nodded, swallowing. He rubbed Jack's arms folded over his chest.
"I just want this to be over."
Ianto twisted around to stare at Jack.
Jack's face echoed John's death and Ianto, for a moment, thought he could smell car exhaust again. Jack's face then shuttered, like blinds turning and changing the bleak despair Ianto saw lurking in almost colorless eyes into an emotionless mask.
"Jack?" Ianto felt the hammerings of panic in his chest.
Jack shook his head again and drew Ianto back against him. Ianto opened his mouth to protest, to say something, but he felt Jack resting his chin on Ianto's shoulder, his arms around him unrelenting and desperate. There was a silent plea in the embrace.
Ianto sighed. Ianto covered Jack's arms with his. He idly stroke Jack's right wrist with a finger.
"I missed you," Ianto said finally. "The whole time we were there, all I wanted to do was come back to you." He swallowed. "We never had a chance to talk after…"
Ianto sucked in his breath and gripped Jack's arms so he wouldn't pull away.
"After everything. There had been so much left unsaid, so much that needs to be said. What we did. Jack, we—"
"You all did it for love," Jack murmured. "How can I hold that against any of you? You loved Lisa."
Ianto flinched. The resigned tone was never meant to be an accusation but it hurt like one. He twisted around until he was practically nose-to-nose with him.
"Yes," Ianto whispered. He looped his arms around Jack's torso. He wished there was a way to pull Jack closer. "I loved Lisa. Loved. I think I will always but it's in the past." Ianto took a deep breath. "I…" Ianto's voice stuttered. Bollocks. It shouldn't be this hard to say to a man. "Jack. Right now, I-I love—"
There was a strange flicker of fear that zipped across Jack's face, so quick, Ianto wasn't sure he saw it.
"Back to work." Jack patted Ianto on the shoulder. He sat up, shrugging away from Ianto as he rose to his feet.
Dismayed, Ianto stared up at him. "Jack…"
"Later, Ianto. Not now." Jack shook his head. "Let's get our guys back first, stop Saxon, then we'll talk, okay?"
There was a voice screaming in his head that it would never happen. "No, I think we need to talk about this now."
Jack stared at him as if he'd gone mad. "What is there to talk about?" Jack took a step towards the Doctor. He stopped when Ianto stepped in front of him.
It was like facing down a pit bull. Jack's chest expanded at the obstacle.
"We have work to do," Jack said tightly. "Move."
Ianto opened his hands entreating towards Jack. "We'd never talked about what happened."
"Yes, we did. You went to the end of the universe, I went with an imposter, and now he's Prime Minister." Jack was short, his grin humorless. "I think I got the gist of it." He didn't step around Ianto. Instead, he drew up to Ianto, almost in challenge.
"Ianto," Jack whispered, low.
Ianto shook his head, his throat working, his mouth like cotton. "Wait," Ianto pleaded. "Jack, what happened—"
Jack made some sort of noise. "We don't have time for this," Jack hissed. "We have to focus on what's important here."
"Exactly! You!" Ianto fought back a wince when Jack took another step to the side and Ianto blocked him.
Jack was trembling. And it should have been a warning sign for Ianto, but his heart was screaming too much. It was like he could see Jack bleeding inside, unchecked. Something cried inside Ianto to help him.
"Move."
"We need to talk about Sax—"
"I don't want to talk about him!"
Jack charged up to Ianto, breathing hard, his fists clutching Ianto's jacket by the lapels. Ianto froze. For the first time since kneeling before Jack's Webley after Lisa was discovered, Ianto thought Jack was going to hurt him. Ianto clenched his body to stop himself from rearing back. His knees struck the barrels behind him. Jack was chest to chest with him; his pupils were pinpricks with…Ianto weren't sure. Rage? Fear? Shame? No one emotion settled on Jack's face.
The Doctor was suddenly behind him. "It's not him you're angry at, Captain." He settled a hand on Jack's shoulder.
The flinch and the growl "Don't touch me!" was simultaneous. Jack whipped around, his hands slapping away the Doctor's hand. His fist reared back.
"Jack!" Ianto grabbed the elevated hand with both of his before it could sail across.
Jack snarled and twisted away from both of them. He crashed against the empty barrels as he stumbled back.
The noise roused Jack. He blinked and leaned back heavily on the large canisters, looking a little stunned. He stared at his fist as if it wasn't his. Slowly, it lowered and dropped to his side. Jack waved them both back when Ianto and the Doctor tried to approach.
"Just…give me…Hold on…" Jack's hands fanned uselessly at them, warding them off. Jack staggered to the back of the factory.
"Jack," Ianto pleaded. He took a step towards Jack who wearily waved him off as he stumbled away.
"Leave him be for now," the Doctor advised. He grabbed Ianto's sleeve.
"But," Ianto protested as he watched the lone, slouched figure by the far wall, one bent arm against it to brace himself, head bowed as if praying. Ianto couldn't tear his eyes away from Jack.
"Things won't get solved immediately here," the Doctor told Ianto in a low voice. "The Captain is understandably angry right now."
"At Saxon," Ianto muttered to himself.
The Doctor sighed long and tired. "Yes. Probably at me as well, but more than likely, mostly at himself."
Ianto screwed up his face to hold back whatever was coming up his throat. "He didn't know. There was nothing he could have done," he protested weakly. He felt lightheaded with the irrational need to wrap his arms around Jack and never let go. Ever.
"Intellectually, I'm sure he knows, but I have found the human heart is often in disagreement with logic."
Ianto screwed up his face. He balled his hands up.
"He's trying to hold it together right now," the Doctor murmured. He patted Ianto on the shoulder. "Give him time to do that."
Ianto was about to brush the Doctor's hand off his shoulder when Jack tensed, spinning around to look at something past them. Ianto and the Doctor, alarmed, both spun around. They relaxed when it turned out to be Martha hurrying into the factory, smelling like fish and chips.
Jack materialized by Ianto. "How was it?" Jack sounded all business to her.
"I don't think anyone saw me." Martha was breathless as she steered for the work area to set her bags down. "Anything new?" she asked anxiously.
Ianto pulled back his sleeve to reveal the wrist strap. "Jack's got this tuned to the government's wavelength so we can follow what Saxon's doing."
Irritation flitted across Martha's face. "Yeah, I meant about my family."
The Doctor trotted back to his cluttered, homemade station and dropped down in front of her laptop. "Still says the Jones family was taken in for questioning," the Doctor reported. "Tell you what though, no mention of Leo."
Martha beamed as she passed around the bags of fried food around the stack of wooden pallets that served as their table. "He's not as daft as he looks." She paused and looked over to Ianto.
Ianto was digging around the bag, pulling out cups of tea and wrapped packages of fish and chips. At Martha's look though, he swallowed. Ianto shook his head.
"I left several messages," Ianto croaked. "I haven't heard back from anyone. I don't even know if they heard my messages"
Jack quietly settled a hand on Ianto's lower back. It stayed there until Ianto composed himself and went back to distributing the food.
"We're talking about our families on the run." Martha sat down on a large spool, her face pale with shock. "How did this happen?"
Ianto bowed his head and concentrated on unfurling the napkins. Jack rubbed tiny circles on the small of his back.
"Nice chips," Jack spoke up, breaking the silence. He poked at the wrinkled foiled package but didn't partake.
The Doctor nodded as he popped a chip in his mouth despite the steam. "Actually," the Doctor agreed, looking disconcerted with steam wafting out of his mouth like a kettle, "they're not bad."
Martha gave them all a look and gave up with a sigh. She gave her food a glum look.
"You should eat," Jack prodded her food closer to her with a finger. "I have a funny feeling there'll be a lot of running later."
Martha gave him a shaky smile of thanks before peeling back the foil on her food.
"That's sound advice, Captain," the Doctor commented quietly. He looked at Jack's untouched meal.
"I'm not feeding you," Ianto muttered as he crammed a chip in his mouth. He didn't realize until he had opened his meal that he was famished. "I'm too busy getting fat here."
Jack chuckled half-heartedly before breaking off a piece of fish to taste.
Ianto washed his food down with the worse tea he'd ever tasted. He mused that he was spoiled with the perfectly filtered and brewed tea Jack makes. He took a sip and caught Martha giving him a look, her eyes then sliding over to the Doctor, who was busy making faces at the teabag in his cup. Ianto swallowed and shot her a mildly panicked look and shook his head, to which Martha replied with a kick to Jack's shins.
It was poor timing because Jack was drinking his tea and he sputtered. Ianto gave him a sheepish grin and nodded towards the time traveler. Jack narrowed his eyes no.
"Just spit it out," the Doctor muttered. He didn't look up as he plucked his teabag out of his cup and tossed it over his shoulder with disgust. "You have questions. You humans always do."
It was a reminder that the time traveler was indeed alien, a reminder that oddly enough made Ianto feel better about asking. Must be the Torchwood influence, Ianto thought ruefully. Aliens he could deal with. It was humans he was still having trouble with.
"So," Ianto began, "who is he?"
Act VII
Additional Notes: Many thanks to
soullessminion for betaing this chapter. And trtmx for her magic trick that saved my sanity! LOL.![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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Date: 2008-10-01 11:43 pm (UTC)I'm just…I'm so tired. - sob, hug
I'm too busy getting fat here - lol, perfect Ianto.
wonderful
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Date: 2008-10-01 11:49 pm (UTC)I think that was my subconcious telling me to leave Jack alone. LOL
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Date: 2008-10-01 11:56 pm (UTC)*sigh*
Another great chapter from you. It continues to pull me in and keep me held in suspense with every word you write.
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Date: 2008-10-02 01:24 am (UTC)Sadly, Jack hasn't had a good experience with the L word. -hands ldycat1170 Ianto's hanky-
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Date: 2008-10-02 12:05 am (UTC)*Hugs the boys*
This story keeps getting better and better.
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Date: 2008-10-02 01:25 am (UTC)Your icon makes me want to hug him more. -LOL-
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Date: 2008-10-02 12:19 am (UTC)As for this chapter... Wow. Just WOW.
And it's brilliant, because you changed the conversations, and because most people, unless they're deliberately mentioning the two hearts thing, typically see the Doctor as Human.
One of the things I liked about the most recent series is that he's blatantly NOT human. And Ianto recognises how truly NOT human he is.
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Date: 2008-10-02 01:29 am (UTC)Poor Ianto handles aliens better. :)
Ah, F&C, good catch. No newspaper though, all wax paper now due to some health concern. -rolling eyes-
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Date: 2008-10-02 12:51 am (UTC)Ooh! Careful Doctor, Jack's not in a very friendly mood with you at the present time... :snuggles Janto plushies: I want to hold them both and tell them it'll work out somehow, but I can't! :sniffle: Poor Jack and Yanto. Evil Master! :thwacks on head: Quit picking on my Jack! :grin:
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Date: 2008-10-02 01:32 am (UTC)I hug mines everyday. :)
Yay! Two-part post!
Date: 2008-10-02 12:56 am (UTC)Re: Yay! Two-part post!
Date: 2008-10-02 01:33 am (UTC)He will.
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Date: 2008-10-02 01:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-02 01:34 am (UTC)Weeeeeell :)
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Date: 2008-10-02 03:57 am (UTC)I am glad I stayed up to read this!
I am wondering just what you have planned for the Year that Never Was...
I am scared 'bites nails' dang I have to wait till Friday! ACK!!
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Date: 2008-10-02 04:41 am (UTC)Well, I am called d8rkmessngr,,,:) But I'm challenging myself to still fit in some comfort. It's challenging as this is not based on an episode. gasp. You mean I hate to PLOT now? ONOZ...
LOL
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Date: 2008-10-02 06:42 am (UTC)You hurt me so..I need another chapter! lol
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Date: 2008-10-02 01:43 pm (UTC)Hands over a bandaid...
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Date: 2008-10-02 08:33 am (UTC)"I'm too busy getting fat here." - so very Ianto... he provides that little bit of dry comic relief in any crisis.
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Date: 2008-10-02 01:43 pm (UTC)I adore his wit. :)
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Date: 2008-10-02 06:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-02 07:05 pm (UTC)It's great to be back! :)
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Date: 2008-10-02 08:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-02 08:26 pm (UTC)Well...star-crossed and all that, they're not having much luck...:)
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Date: 2008-10-03 01:22 am (UTC)Brilliant as always, and heart-breaking as always. Poor Jack, poor Ianto and poor Doctor...
Incidently, I'm in awe of the way you re-fitted the first meeting of Jack and Martha from the show into this verion... very cool!
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Date: 2008-10-03 01:30 am (UTC)I loved that first meeting! AU or not I really wanted to keep it. :)
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Date: 2008-10-04 10:08 am (UTC)I spy another act! -skips off-
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Date: 2008-10-04 01:32 pm (UTC)-points to bassair's icon- :)
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Date: 2008-10-05 01:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-05 04:54 am (UTC)Ack, I hope everything is okay now!