Title: Trials
Author: LovelyxIrony
Rating: M
Summary: Sequel to "Time Heals". As the team falls apart all around them, Ianto struggles to forgive Jack and to accept that one day he's going to be left behind for good. Horrible summary, sorry!
Author's Note: Not terribly happy with the title or summary, so both will probably change at sometime in the future...
Also, thank you to spacemonkey52 for correcting me on how long Jack was gone - apparently, I need to watch "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" over again xD.
Chapter One
"Hey kids, did ya miss me?"
The instant those words had slipped out of Captain Jack Harkness's lips, followed by his typical cocky grin, Ianto Jones had wanted to walk right up to the man and punch him. Hard. Instead of giving in to the furious desire, he squared his shoulders and tightened his grip on the gun as the Welshman slowly lowered it. His eyes never left the face of his formerly missing boss, an odd mixture of relief and fury coursing through him when Jack finally glanced his way.
Their gazes remained locked for a few moments before Ianto glanced away, moving to slide his weapon back into its place. There was a rustle beside him and he glanced over to see Gwen frowning at Jack before she looked sideways at him. Next to Ianto, she'd been the most furious with their boss suddenly abandoning the team. Unlike Ianto, Gwen had verbally expressed her anger all the year. Constantly and extremely loudly. He watched as Gwen cleared her throat before she spoke, hands resting on her hips. "Ianto, would you mind taking the body out to the car?"
Glancing down, Ianto stared at the body of the fishman (laughing inside at how bizarre that sounded) before he gave a slight nod. "Of course." He turned away from all of them to properly face the body, glad to finally have a real reason to not look Jack in the face. Sliding his arms underneath the alien's, Ianto staggered up and attempted to swing the body up into his arms. That, unfortunately, resulted in him nearly falling over and cursing under his breath with an irritated sigh. A second or two later, and some of the weight lifted. Ianto glanced up, catching sight of Jack heaving up the legs of the body in an attempt to help, and the Welshman had to force himself to not glare. Instead, he glanced away and started to walk backward carefully, exiting the house and heading toward the car, all the while avoiding any eye contact with the captain.
When they reached the car, Ianto carefully guided the body of the fishman into the back. He reached toward one of the tarps they kept in back just in case something like this ever happened, and tugged it over the body to conceal it. A hand on Ianto's shoulder made him tense and he glared at the tarp as though it was the source of all his problems. He decided to ignore Jack - or, at least, he tried to until the older man tugged and turned him around. The glare on Ianto's face intensified for a moment, halting when he caught sight of the look on Jack's face. It was somehow off, that bright grin he was giving him. There was a darkness in his eyes, as well, that made the younger man want to flinch back. "Ianto, can we talk?" Jack was searching his eyes - for what, Ianto didn't know - but the Welshman impatiently jerked his shoulder out of the other man's hold. He turned back to the car, slamming the back shut with a little more force than necessary.
"Later, sir."
As he turned back around, Ianto caught the startled look on Jack's face at the title the Welshman hadn't used in a while. The startled expression quickly turned to a slight hint of annoyance. "Why not now?" The captain shifted, sliding his hands into his pockets as he spoke. He kept his blue eyes focused on Ianto's, gaze never wavering as he waited for the Welshman's reply. His eyes were intense, the darkness still there but more hidden now.
"Because, in case you haven't noticed, sir, we've got a job to do." Ianto returned, keeping his own voice subdued and bored. Irritation was swirling inside of him, that Jack thought he could just come back and act like everything was how it was before. Well, it couldn't, and Ianto wasn't about to pretend. Jack had been gone for three bloody months, and it seemed like he just expected the younger man to hug him and say everything was alright between them. The thought made him want to laugh and cry at the same time.
Jack was staring at him, his expression a strange mix of sadness and agitation. Ianto simply stared back before he brushed passed his boss to return into the house with the rest of the time. The older man's voice stopped him halfway there. "What the hell is wrong with you, Ianto?"
At this, Ianto scowled and turned. "If you can't figure that out by yourself, sir, than you're a lot more thick than I thought." With those final words, he turned on his heel and walked into the house, ignoring the attention that was suddenly focused on him by Owen, Tosh, and Gwen. He waited until they started to pack up and then slid a hand over his eyes and tilted his head back, releasing a hoarse, shaky breath. Ianto stood there for a moment more before dropping his hand and turning to head into the SUV, head held high.
R&R please and thank you!
