Disclaimer: i don't own Torchwood, but it is my birthday soon so can i please get Ianto?
A/N: I'm Back with yet another Jack/Ianto fic! this also has Gwen/Rhys. Not Gwen/Jack! This is set almost three months after 'exit wound' and this chapter is about how they are coping. Rating for language. Please let me know what you think, reviews make me happy also i am thinking about adding some slash in latter chapters but i am not sure so your opinions are more than welcome! ENJOY!
Coping
Torchwood three has been through a lot since its foundation, and the last two years are no exception. In the past two years they; lost Suzie Costello and gained Gwen Cooper, found psychotic cannibalistic humans in the Welsh countryside, dealt with a half-converted Cyberman girlfriend, met a strange man named Bilius Manger and his pet from out of the darkness, got Suzie back nearly lost Gwen then lost Suzie again, Jack flew away in a blue box, they met the homicidal Captain John Hart, lost forty-eight hours worth of memories, sent a soldier back to the first world was, Owen died and then he came back again, Gwen got pregnant by being bitten by a shape-shifting alien and that's not even half of what they deal with and what they have been through. After all of that and more nothing affected them more that Gray, Jacks long since lost little brother.
Gray was responsible for blowing up half of Cardiff (by way of Captain John), burying Jack alive and leaving him there for almost two thousand years and the deaths of Toshiko Sato and Doctor Owen Harper.
Two and a half months pass, Cardiff is re-building itself from the terrorist attack that killed so many (Ianto had created this cover story), but Torchwood three is still in mourning. Most psychologists will say that you need to mourn in order to heal, but not like this. Gwen was distracting herself by making lists of everything her baby is going to need (she found out she was pregnant a month earlier). Jack had broken up with Ianto mere days afterwards, he told himself it was because he couldn't bare seeing Ianto go the same way, but it was a lie. And Ianto put on his normal cool and professional persona but was in reality he was in complete denial about everything and would fall apart if he thought no one was watching.
Jack was still to hire a new technological genius and a new medic, he couldn't bare the thought of doing it, the idea of replacing Toshiko and Owen depressed him completely. Luckily, so far there had been no dire need. Toshiko had taught Ianto enough so he could at least keep up the security defences and an eye on the rift. Jack and Gwen knew enough to split all of the medical duties. Also the rift itself had been quiet since that night, almost like it was in mourning as well.
Another major change to Torchwood tree was the fact that Captain John Hart was spending an awful lot of time hanging around the hub. He had told Jack the night Toshiko and Owen died that he was going to stick around and get to know Earth a bit more. Jack, Ianto and Gwen would not admit it but they actually liked having John around. He served as a fantastic distraction that they all sorely needed. Even though Captain John wasn't technically a Torchwood team member, he came in every day and helped out (usually being more of a hindrance than an actual help).
It was a cold night and inside the Hub Captain Jack was left by himself yet again. He was sitting in his office trying to fill out reports but he couldn't concentrate, he missed Ianto. His memories took over and they took him to a happier time, where he and Ianto would sit up talking late into the night or lying in bed together basking in each others warmth. Jack picked up his phone, dialled half of Ianto's number and hung up. He broke up for him for a reason and he needed to remember it.
"You miss him." Jack jumped straight for his gun, before he realised that John was standing in the door way.
"Fuck John, make some noise when you walk," Jack said putting his gun down.
"I dropped three mugs on my way up here. Eye-candy is going to kill me for that" said John "And you're avoiding the point"
"And what is the point? Enlighten me." Jack said
"The point is; you miss him."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Jack turned his attention to the paper around his desk.
"Ianto, you miss him, so call him."
"I saw him just four hours ago."
"Don't give me that garbage Jack. What the fuck is going on with you? You have actually given up! Owen and Toshiko died but everyone else is still here! Go to Ianto do whatever it is you two do and then come back and get on with your life."
"Please Jon, don't tip toe get straight to the point." Jacks voice was dripping in sarcasm.
"Jack get of your immortal arse, and go get what you want!'
"Where do you get off telling me what to do? God John what are you even doing here? You said you wanted to see Earth not just Cardiff!"
"Please, if I wasn't here you all would have been swallowed up by your own denial."
Jack couldn't remember when he stood up, but he wasn't about to sit back down, he was way too wired. "OK fine, you're keeping us busy, but what do you care if me and Ianto get back together?"
"You and Ianto had something special, I don't want to get all soppy and boring but you love him. More that you did me or anybody else so go and get him."
"I can't!"
"Why not?"
"He deserved so much more than what I can give him. He deserves someone he can grow old with, someone he can have a normal life with."
"That's crap Jack. First Ianto works for Torchwood, he is NEVER going to have a normal life and odds are he won't have a chance to grow old. And second, that's not what you broke up with him. You broke up with him because you want to distance yourself enough so it won't hurt so much when he dies. That and you don't know why he's with you in the first place."
"Wake-up John, he's not with me."
"That's only because you tried to be noble and protect both of you from being hurt. And the result? You're both miserable."
"He's what?" Jack felt himself fall back into his seat.
"He's miserable Jack, just like you. He hides it like a pro, I'll give him that. But as soon as he thinks no one is watching, he falls apart. He's hurting, just like you."
Jack was completely speechless; he was shocked to the core. He fixed his eyes on his desk, he had failed, all he wanted was for Ianto to be happy and he was miserable.
Ianto was in his bath tub alone in his flat, he was holding a glass of wine in one hand and a photo in the other. The photo was of Jack and himself in Jacks office, Ianto was topless and Jack was completely naked, sitting on Ianto's lap. Ianto closed his eyes and let himself remember the night it was taken.
Ianto was being tickled relentlessly by Jack, in the space Jack liked to call a room. Jacks phone started to ring up in his office. Ianto tried to brake away from Jack to answer it, but Jack wasn't letting go. Jack was tugging at Ianto's shirt, in one swift movement Ianto lost his shirt and ascended the ladder.
Ianto missed the phone by a second but was silently pleased because the answering machine played the voice of a very harassed sounding prime minister.
Ianto didn't go back down, he merely sat back in the chair and waited. He knew Jack would come looking, they had been fully clothed for eighteen hours straight, and Jack was getting frustrated. Very suddenly Ianto found a very naked Jack on his lap, devouring his mouth. When the y pulled apart panting Jack turned their faces and took a photo.
"What did you do that for?" Ianto hated photos and he didn't like to think of the awkward conversations that would arise if his mum found this particular one.
"You are truly beautiful." Jack said, kissing Ianto softly.
"You really are corny sometimes." Said Ianto laughing and returning Jacks kiss
Tears started to fall for Jack for the first time they had broken up. The pain cut deep as he remembered the night the photo was taken. Now it was over, something that barely had a chance to begin. He was alone again normally when he was upset about how things were between him and Jack he would call Toshiko. Now he couldn't even call her, to hear her friendly words of wisdom.
Ianto threw his full wine glass across the room and let it shatter against the wall. He couldn't stand the fact that Jack could still have this affect on him. He didn't want to care anymore, he wanted to hate Jack, but he couldn't. Jack had left him and he needed to remember that.
Gwen was alone in her and Rhys' new flat (they found a new one a soon as she had found out she was pregnant). Rhys had gone out to get dinner leaving Gwen to unpack the last box. Gwen wasn't unpacking though, she was cleaning. She always cleaned now even when everything was spotless she would clean it again. She did this because it world distract her from thoughts of Owen and Toshiko.
She was cleaning at the moment because while unpacking she found a birthday card that Owen had given her. He never did anything like that but he gave her this card when she walked in that day. He got really sentimental after he died.
"Love, I got Chinese, can you get some …" Rhys walked in holding two plastic bags, which he dropped when he daw Gwen on the floor. She had a soapy bucket and a toothbrush and she was scrubbing the floor.
"What happened?" Rhys bent down next to her and put his arm around her. "Come to the couch." Gwen resisted being led away at first, but eventually she let herself be picked up.
Gwen curled up into Rhys' chest and sobbed hard. "I know its hard now, but it will get easier." Said Rhys "I promise"
Mere streets away from Gwen's flat, a young man is sitting at his computer. His face was broken into a face-splitting smile.
"Finally, I can't believe it, I found Torchwood."
Please don't hate me for Jack and Ianto! i love them, i really do! when i said before that i want Ianto i meant the both of them. I would go into detail but then i would have to raise the rating!
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