Ianto Jones Leader of the Rifts Chapter 23
AN: Yay. Okay, chapter 23. I’m doing okay on my Nanowrimo novel. I may be a bit behind on it but hopefully I’ll pull the word count back up soon.
Thanks to Taamar. Best lady in the world.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood.
Warnings: usual
Rating: MA
Jack
Ianto sat on the side of Jack’s desk looking delicious in his suit, as usual. "I know you get lonely," he whispered.
Jack had been going over the instructions for Tommy and Tosh once more. He hated having to send Tommy back in time, especially to a time that was tainted with the horrors of war; he wanted to let Tommy stay with them, with Tosh. She deserved a man who could clearly see her beauty. Once again, however, Jack was playing the role of the bad guy, and boy did he hate it. He had begun this conversation with Ianto hoping to ease his guilt, but it had gone in an unexpected direction.
"Going home wouldn't fix that. Being here I've seen things I never dreamt I'd see. Loved people I never would have known if I'd just stayed where I was." Jack replied. He looked up at Ianto, trying to convey his feelings without words. “And I wouldn't change that for the world." Jack wasn’t lonely when he had Ianto, though he knew soon the loneliness would come again. It was too painful to even consider.
Ianto bent forward and captured Jack's lips, kissing him with everything he had. Jack knew that his time with the man was limited, and he didn't want to waste another second. He wanted to spend the rest of Ianto’s life kissing him. He wanted to commit every inch of the man to memory.
Ianto pulled away and stared at Jack's face as if he needed to memorize Jack’s features just as Jack wanted to memorize his. His blue eyes, his button nose, and his oh so kissable lips. He had to hold back tears. So beautiful. So fleeting.
"How do you survive, Jack?" Ianto whispered, as if he could sense what Jack was thinking. Jack saw pain in his Welshman’s eyes. Pain that, if Jack didn’t know any better, seemed to match his own.
"I have no choice," Jack replied.
"Mentally, I mean."
"I live," Jack said, kissing Ianto tenderly. He didn’t want to talk about it. He just wanted to live in this moment with this perfect man.
Ianto deepened the kiss again and sat on Jack's lap, "I need you now," he moaned against Jack's lips.
Jack rose out of his seat bringing Ianto with him and pushed the Welshman up against his desk, attacking his neck and undoing his shirt as he went.
"You're about to have me," Jack whispered.
Jack wasted no time getting Ianto into his bunker. He handcuffed him to the bed, wishing to show Ianto pleasure beyond his wildest dreams.
"This is one of those moments, Jack," Ianto panted as they both attempted to catch their breath after their fabulous round of sex.
"Oh yeah," Jack replied, resting his head on Ianto's chest. He and Ianto were soon fast asleep.
Jack woke an hour later and looked up at his Welshman’s sleeping form. Something was off, he knew it. He was missing something. Usually Jack tried not to think about the Year that Never Was, especially since he had returned to find that Ianto hadn’t remembered it, and that Ianto couldn’t, in fact, heal quickly. Something was bugging him, though. On the first day that Saxon had tortured the image of Ianto in front of him, before the fake Ianto had been gagged he had said, “Remember the time you told me that to make it through you just lived, and afterward you made love to me? Remember, Jack… It was one of our moments.” How was it possible that a phantom Ianto could remember something that hadn’t even happened yet?
Iden Miller
Tommy Brockless. Ianto would never forget Tommy. During the ‘war to end all wars’ he had fought by the man’s side. He could still remember the day he first saved Tommy from a gunshot. He had shoved the young man out of the way and had taken the bullet right through his shoulder. It had hurt, but it had healed easily enough, and Tommy had never mentioned seeing his friend heal so quickly. The poor man must have questioned his sanity, but at least he hadn’t told anyone.
The second time Ianto had saved Tommy it wasn’t from death. The other soldiers had bullied Tommy, called him a coward, ridiculing him for always trying to find the nearest place to hide. Ianto didn’t think of Tommy as a coward. He knew how brave Tommy was, but he also knew how hard war was on young boys, and sometimes it all got to be too much. Even a brave man could break. One night a couple of the men had snuck into Tommy’s bunk with intent to teach him what happened to cowards. Adrian had been the one to tip Ianto off, and when they went in to rescue the boy one of the soldiers had punched Ianto in the face, smashing his nose. It had healed, of course, right in front of everyone, and after that Ianto and Adrian had had to desert the war.
Ianto had attempted to save Tommy from the firing squad Jack had told him the man would face, but he hadn’t arrived in time. But now, as he dialed his old phone number, he knew he was going to lie to Tosh and tell her that he had. Sometimes lies were necessary.
TW—TW—TW
Alice slowly opened her front door and peered at Ianto with narrowed eyes. “My father says you aren’t David Carter. He told me David Carter died.”
It had been a while since he had seen Alice, mostly because he knew this was the conversation they were going to be having.
“Can I come in?” Ianto asked. He knew it was going to be a long conversation, and he wasn’t really wanting to have it standing on the stoop.
She nodded and let him in. They walked into the living area and sat down on the couch.
“Is Stephen in school, then?”
“Yes,” Alice replied.
“Is he doing alright…? I’ve missed him.”
“Don’t you dare,” Alice snarled through gritted teeth, standing up. “It’s been nearly six months since you’ve been here. I had to hear from my father that your wife died. I thought we were friends, David!”
“We are…”
“No, we’re not! I don’t even know who you are.”
“I know, Alice. I’m sorry.”
“Well, then, is what my father said true? Are you Iden Miller?”
“For now.” Ianto said softly, looking away.
Alice plopped down beside Ianto again and sighed. “Who are you?”
“Alice, it’s a bit difficult to explain.”
“My father is an immortal who works for a secret organization that hunts aliens. I’m sure I can keep up, David.”
“Your father’s immortal?” Ianto deadpanned.
“He said you knew…” Alice began, then saw the smirk on Ianto's face and grinned in that way that reminded him so much of Jack. “David, please level with me here.”
“I’m a bit like your father, Alice. Not entirely of course…” Ianto began.
“Is that why Aria died? Was it because of you?”
Ianto looked at Alice and bit his lip. It was a complicated question. It was his fault, or at least that’s how he saw it, but Aria wasn’t dead. She was just in another time, though he couldn’t explain that to Alice. He kept it simple. “Yes.”
“When I first met you I told you that I didn’t let my father into my life because I wanted to protect Stephen. Did you know who my father was then?”
“No, that was complete coincidence. It took me a bit to figure it out.”
“But you did… and you let us get attached to you, despite the fact that you are just like him,” Alice said.
“I’m not—”
Alice stood up again. “Yes, you are! I want Stephen to have a normal life. No immortals, no aliens, just a normal life! So please just leave, and stay gone.”
“Alice,” Ianto tried, standing up.
“No! I mean it. I don’t want to be part of whatever you are… So go.”
Ianto reached out a hand to touch his friend and she stepped away.
“I sorry. It seems unfair to you, and it is… but my son is the most important thing to me, I won’t risk him.”
Ianto nodded. “If that’s what you want.” He agreed sadly.
“It is,” she replied.
Ianto began to walk away, upset that he was losing his friend, but understanding her point.
“How do you know my father? He says you’re his boyfriend’s landlord.”
Ianto looked back at her. “He told you about his boyfriend?” he asked. It gave Ianto a warm feeling to think that Jack had talked to Alice about him.
“Yes, Ianto Jones. They work together or something…”
“What did he say about him?”
Alice narrowed her eye. “What does it matter?”
Ianto shrugged. “I don’t guess it does. He just seems like a nice kid, doesn’t deserve to be wrapped up in all this nonsense.” Ianto sighed then decided to give her some sort of answer to her question. “Us ‘Aliens’ know all about Torchwood. They’re a threat to us, so you know what they say about keeping your enemies close.”
“Am I considered an enemy?”
Ianto shook his head and bit his lip as tears came to his eyes. “No, but you’re right; your father and I are dangerous.” And with that he left Alice’s house and managed to hold himself together until he made it to Jason’s.
TW—TW—TW
Ianto very carefully poured the tiny amount of Tosh’s blood he had stolen into the living flesh. He bit his lip as he watched it bubble around a bit, hoping that its bubbling state meant it was working. Adrian stood next to him looking into the deep bowl as well.
“It’s going to break the bowl,” he mused. Ianto looked over at him.
“No it’ll be fine…”
“Seriously, I’ve met Tosh, and I’m certain she won’t fit in that,” Adrian insisted as the living flesh began to boil. Ianto looked at the bowl and realized Adrian was right. As quickly as he could he picked up the container and poured the contents to the ground. As Tosh’s clone began to grow, Ianto and Adrian stood back watching in amazement until, finally, the clone took in a breath.
“Don’t you dare say it,” Adrian warned.
Ianto couldn’t help himself. “It’s alive. ALIVE!” he cackled.
“Yes, and it’s naked, so let’s get a gown or scrubs or something and place her on the bed, shall we?” Adrian replied, rolling his eyes, “Jason’s going to be so upset when he finds out I’ve helped you with this scheme of yours.”
Jason, as if he could sense when he was being talked about, chose that moment to enter the room. “Okay you two’ve—“He stopped in the middle of what he was saying, and his face turned dark.”What the fuck is Tosh doing in my basement? And why is she unconscious, and why is she naked?”
Ianto looked over at his friend and shrugged.
“Don’t you shrug, you know exactly why she’s here.” Jason growled. “Adrian, why is she here?”
Adrian looked down at the ground and mumbled under his breath.
“I’m sorry dear, I didn’t catch that.”
“I’ve helped him clone his friends so he can save them.”
Ianto easily lifted Tosh’s clone off the floor and placed her on one of the hospital beds in the room. He then calmly walked over to the other bowl of living flesh and dropped Owen’s blood in.
“You’re making another one!” Jason said with clear irritation.
Ianto shrugged again.
“Ianto Jones,” Jason growled, using a tone that he saved for when he wanted to pull the ‘I’m your guardian and I don’t care if you’re the minister, you will listen to me’ card. “Shrug again and see what happens.”
Ianto turned to look at Jason. He bit his lip, wondering if he should test if Jason was bluffing and then, because he was feeling extra feisty, he shrugged.
Jason glared and Ianto just grinned as the clone of Owen formed of the floor. “Adrian, would you go get me a bottle of water?” Jason asked.
“Nope, I want to see what happens.” Adrian grinned.
Jason’s gaze went to Adrian and he raised his eyebrow. “Yeah?”
Ianto saw when it hit Adrian that Jason and Ianto had, in their own odd way, been flirting. There was a flash of anger, but it disappeared as quickly as it had come.
“So, we’re going to get a vortex manipulator soon. That’ll come in handy. We could use it to get into places and travel quickly.” Ianto mentioned, trying to change the subject and diffuse the situation that his simple shrug had caused.
“Yeah, that sounds interesting.” Jason said, catching on quickly. “I’m sure it will come in handy… how are we going to be getting it?”
“I’m going to relocate John Hart,” Ianto replied. He lugged the clone Owen up off the floor and placed him on the other bed in the room.
“When’s the last time you two fucked?” Adrian demanded.
“I haven’t fucked John Hart in over one hundred fifty years!” Ianto shouted in the vain hope of avoiding the uncomfortable discussion he knew was coming. Both Adrian and Jason looked at him incredulously.
“But he’s…” Adrian began.
“But you’re… “ Jason started to say. “Wait. That was your second life? I thought you were with Harkn—OH. So you three…” Jason, at least, was clearly willing to be drawn off topic.
“Jason!” Adrian snapped. He turned back to Ianto. “You knew exactly what I was asking, and don’t pretend otherwise. When’s the last time you and Jason fucked?”
Ianto pulled a sheet over Owen’s clone and bit his lip. Damnit, this was his fault for shrugging.
“Well?” Adrian persisted when neither Ianto nor Jason spoke.
Jason let out a sigh, “You said you didn’t want to know.”
“Well, now I do.” Adrian spat.
“Five months ago,” Ianto admitted, looking down and pretending to straighten the sheet that was covering the clone. Then looking up to meet his friend’s eyes.
“I see. So you haven’t done it when I am in the house?” Adrian asked.
Both men shook their heads.
“And if I had gone to get a water for Jason? Would you have…?”
As Ianto insisted, “No,” Jason, at the same moment, admitted, “Possibly.”
Adrian sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I love you two… you’re just such wankers sometimes.”
“We wouldn’t have,” Ianto insisted.
“Why? Because you wouldn’t have wanted to? Or because you still think it’s okay to deny him and let him pretend that I’m you the next time we fuck? I don’t like being you, I would prefer to be me!” Adrian yelled. Ianto started toward the door.
“If we’re about to have a real fight I’d prefer to do it in a place with fewer objects that could hurt me if thrown.” Ianto said as he retreated.
He traveled up the stairs and toward the indoor pool. The only thing Adrian could throw in there was towels and water. He leaned against one of the walls and waited on his friends. They came in, and Jason leaned on the wall next to Ianto. Adrian stood in front of both the men and crossed his arms, looking more intimidating than a scrawny 19 year old blond man should look.
“We are all going to be together forever, I hope. And, for whatever reason, both of you are sex crazed. I understand that you’re going to sleep together. I just really wish you two would accept it and go about it like reasonable, rational human beings. This dancing around each other has got to stop.”
Jason opened his mouth as if to speak but Adrian held up his hand to silence him. “I’m going out for the day, okay? That phrase will be my cue to you that I will be gone all day and the two of you had better release the sexual tension between you. Because I can’t take it anymore.”
With that Adrian turned and stalked out of the pool room.
“So… you think he’s serious?” Jason asked, straining to watch Adrian walk away.
“Probably.” Ianto replied, looking at his feet. “I don’t know.”
“Why did you make clones of Tosh and Owen?” Jason asked seriously.
“They deserve better than Torchwood.”
“Hmm…” Jason replied before following after Adrian.
“Where are you going?” Ianto questioned.
“To see if he was really leaving or if it was some sort of test.”
Ianto rolled his eyes. He knew that Adrian had been serious, but it still didn’t make Ianto want to jump Jason. He had already wanted to do that. It did, however relieve some of the tension that he felt living in the mansion with his two best friends without a lover of his own. Could it work? Sleeping with Jason every once in a while just to take the edge off? Or would it just make things awkward?
Jason came back into the pool room. “He really left.”
“Okay.”
“Do you want to?” Jason tried, shifting on his feet.
Ianto looked toward the pool and shrugged.
Jack
Jack was amazed at how quiet things had been since Gwen had gone on vacation. If anyone deserved a vacation it was Jack. He wasn’t sure how long he had been in ‘Hell’ but it had taken a toll on him. He had given it to Gwen though, hoping she’d get over her latest spat with Rhys so the team could stop hearing about it. Gwen and Rhys were fighting about a sofa. Really, who fights about a sofa? Jack smiled when he remembered the argument he and Ianto had had about the ratty sofa in the Hub.
“Jack, we need a new sofa,” Ianto had insisted, coming into Jack’s office all in a tizzy.
“Why?” Jack had questioned, smiling at Ianto’s ruffled state. He loved it when the younger man was all mussed and agitated.
“It’s stained.”
“What sort of stain?” Jack grinned, knowing good and well what sort of stain.
Ianto huffed. “Jack, this is serious. The others sit on that sofa.”
“Well just turn the cushion. I’m not getting a new couch, it has sentimental value.”
“Just turn the cushion? Jack, I can’t just turn the cushion… I’m—“
“A neat freak,” Jack had said under his breath. Looking up at his Welshman he knew it was the wrong thing to say. Ianto had stood there for a moment with his mouth slightly open. He closed it then opened it again, clearly about to blow up at Jack. “It’s a nice trait, I didn’t mean it in a bad way,” Jack insisted, trying to dig his way out of the hole he had dug.
“I am not a neat freak! And to prove that I’m going to just flip the bloody cushion!”
Jack smiled at the memory. Ianto still refused to let Jack get a new sofa, but occasionally Jack would catch the Welshman scowling at it.
Jack turned on his monitor to take a look at the Plass. He had nothing better to do, having given Ianto the day off, so he decided to do a bit of people watching. It was something that he and Ianto usually did together. They would find a beautiful person fight over who got dibs and then usually go call dibs on each other. They had on one occasion taken a girl back to Ianto’s flat, and it had been fun, but that had been before Jack left with the Doctor. Jack wasn’t sure it was something Ianto would be into now.
The Plass was full of people, all bustling about. Jack took them all in, the ordinary people. They all led simple beautiful lives. Jack was jealous of them; he wanted a simple, beautiful life. Jack’s eye caught a blond man sitting on a bench. “Dibs,” Jack grinned. Even with Ianto gone he could still play their little game. He used the buttons on his monitor to zoom into the beautiful man’s face. He was reading a book, and Jack caught him wiping a tear off his cheek. Jack wondered what Ianto would say if he brought the man home. “Ianto, I’ve found a lost blond, can we keep him?”
Jack grinned. He could at least go up and find out what book the man was reading to make him cry. It was only right. Jack got up and left his office heading toward the invisible life. The pterenodon was perched near it and it squawked at Jack.
“I’m just going to be friendly, nothing more.” Jack insisted. The prehistoric bird squawked again. “He’s obviously distressed. I’m a hero type, and I can’t just let him be.” The bird flew away off to bother someone else, Jack presumed. Or to eat a rat. Whichever.
Jack rode the lift up to the Plass and walked into the open. If anyone noticed a man appearing out of nowhere no one said anything. Jack walked over to the bench were the teary-eyed man was sitting. “Is this seat taken?”
The man looked up from his book and sniffled. “No, go ahead.” The man replied. He was French, Jack thought, though his accent showed that he spent some time in America, and of course there was a Welsh influence. Those vowels.
“Thanks,” Jack smiled, sitting down quickly. The Frenchman went back to his book. “So what are you reading?”
“A book,” The man replied.
Sass. Jack loved it, but how would Ianto feel about it?
“I’m surprised in this day and age anyone still reads books. You know, with the internet and all. Every piece of information at your fingertips.”
“Yes, well I’m a bit old-fashioned.” The man replied.
“Well, Mr. Old-Fashioned, what’s your name?”
“Christian, and you?”
“Captain Jack Harkness. Is it the book that has made you cry? Or something else?”
“I wasn’t crying,” Christian said.
Jack smiled. “I like a man who isn’t afraid to cry in public.”
The man bit his lip. “Listen, I don’t usually do this… talk to people I don’t know, but since you seem to want to talk I will. I have two best friends, right? And one of them I’m in a relationship with, but the two of them, they also like to, well—“
“Fuck?” Jack asked.
“Yeah. At first I just didn’t want to know that it was happening. You know, out of sight out of mind, and all that. But they make it so hard to miss. I mean, not on purpose, I know they don’t mean to, but now I’ve told them to just do it. It’s easier that way. That way we can all be together and I don’t have to deal with the obvious sexual tension in the room. I’ve done the right thing, right?”
Jack frowned. “That’s up to you, Christian. But if you’re crying over it, then...” he let his words trail off.
Christian held up his book. ‘Harry Potter’. “Dumbledore died.”
“Oh, of course,” Jack laughed.
Christian sighed and shook his head. “We have an open relationship. My boyfriend and I.”
“Oh,” Jack said, raising his eyebrows. “I thought you said you were old-fashioned? It’s rare to find a couple like that in the twenty-first century.”
Christian raised an eyebrow. “Have you visited many centuries?”
Jack laughed. “No, just the two.”
“Yeah, me too. I have a friend who went on vacation to the forty-second, and another who was born in the tenth. They get around.”
Jack shook his head. “You’re full of sarcasm aren’t you?”
“Yes, you have to be if you live with my friends. It’s a requirement.”
“Where can I get an application?”