Right. This is just a one shot, but it will probably be made into a series. I got the idea and it wouldn't go away.
I sadly don't own the characters. If I did the first thing i did would make Gareth stop smoking because as he has previously said 'smoking is bad'
Spoilers - Exit Wounds.
Review if you think I should make this into a little series!
He didn't know what was going through is head right now. Two weeks ago his world ended, and he was slowly putting the pieces back together. There was no Toshiko to smile sweetly, no Owen to taunt him with sarcastic comments. He even felt like there was no Jack because he was too busy helping Gwen deal with everything, forgetting that his lover was dealing with the same things. But now, staring at his father. Another person who had abandoned him. Made him feel as though his life wasn't worth anything, because like everyone else, he had left.
"Aren't you going to say something?" He asked. He looked the same as when he did when he left. But that couldn't be, because that was ten years ago. Ianto blinked, he didn't want this to be happening. He had so many things to say, to ask, but now he had that chance he was too busy pinching himself to make sure this wasn't a dream. "Son..."
"Son?" Ianto laughed. "Why all of a sudden am I your son?" He wanted to cry, he had cried every day for the past two weeks, but now he couldn't find the tears.
"You're angry, I get it." Ianto shook his head, how could this man understand anything he was going through. "Just, I need you to listen." Ianto shook his head again.
"Not here, not now." Ianto mumbled. "A lot's happened in the past two weeks and I just need time..."
"I understand son, I'll come back when you're ready," He handed his son a piece of paper, "Phone me, when you want to see me again." Ianto nodded and watched the man walk away. It felt too familiar from when he walked out the first time. Once the door was closed, Ianto felt his body shake. Tears slowly fell. His heart broke more. He wiped his eyes quickly as he heard his name being called from downstairs.
Jack looked up at him once he heard his footsteps. He knew something was wrong, but he stayed back, he had to stay back. "Can you make me a coffee please?" A coffee, that's all I'm wanted for, fucking coffee, Ianto thought bitterly. Silently he made the coffee and practically slammed it on Jack's desk before walking out.
"What the hell was that about?" Gwen asked Ianto, her eyes wide and infuriated. Ianto shot her a look and clutched at the piece of paper in his hand. "Ianto, he's going through something. He can't handle you like this right now."
"Being like what?" Ianto shouted, he didn't care that Jack was watching, he didn't care that he was being out of character. Because he deserved to feel how he wanted. He had lost his best friend and a man who he had grown fond of over the two years he knew him. "Upset? Angry? Oh right no I'm not allowed to feel anything, because I'm just the fucking tea boy. No I never had sex with Owen like you Gwen so I can't miss him can I? I couldn't have been as close to Toshiko as you because we never gossiped like you two. But I feel, I hurt, and I fucking miss them. And don't you dare tell me that he can't handle me feeling this, because for the past two weeks I've been there for him more than you can imagine!" Ianto looked up at Jack who was watching with tears in his eyes, he turned around and walked out of the hub. Jack calling after him.
Ianto walked around for a while, Cardiff was still healing. He was still healing. But all he could focus on was his dad, the man who had left and walked back in his life when he needed him most. He phoned him, he was ready to see him. To be important to someone, he needed to feel wanted by someone. His dad told him to meet him at the Bay. Ianto didn't want to meet him there, but he knew he didn't have a decision, if Jack cared he would have followed him. He would have been the one he should have called.
He sat on the bench and looked out at the pier. He felt a weight next to him and looked up at his dad. "I missed you," His father said as he wrapped his arms around his son, who was too tired, too alone to care.
"Why did you go?" Ianto sobbed.
"I had to, and I know you have questions, and I will answer them all I promise. But right now, I need you to talk to me, tell me what's going on," His dad rubbed his back soothingly. It felt good, Ianto decided, having someone to make everything better felt good.
Ianto told him everything, Torchwood, Jack, Lisa, Owen, Tosh, everything. He held tighter as he listened to the heart wrenching story his son was telling. "I always thought you would be safe," He said after a little while. "I left because I needed you to be safe." Ianto looked up expectantly. He needed answers.
"I left to go to war, Ianto. A war so far away that I was sure I'd never see you again. I'm not exactly human, and neither are you." Ianto wanted to be shocked, but he wasn't. He felt human, believed he was human, but he always felt different too. "There's not many of our people left, the war killed most of us. I looked out and saw the Earth, tried to imagine seeing you again. Everyone was dying around me, so I ran. I committed treason, I was a soldier who runaway from his duties, I knew they would look for you, so I kept my distance. I watched you, by the time I came back, you were nineteen and moving to London. I missed you everyday. I always thought your mum would tell you everything,"
"She died," Ianto said quietly. "Five years ago," His dad stopped moving his hands, Ianto missed the motion on his back, he looked up at his father questioningly.
"How?" He croaked.
"Hit by a car," Ianto mumbled. "She remarried, three years after you left." His dad nodded, and held onto his son tighter. "Why are you back now?"
"I knew you needed me. And I needed to explain everything to you, who you really are." His dad let go, "I need to talk to Jack,"
"Why?" Ianto asked, shock and surprise in his voice.
"Because I need him to be there for you," His dad sighed. "Torchwood is this way right?" Ianto nodded and followed his dad through the tourist entrance. He pressed the red button, and his dad followed him through the doors.
"Ianto, who the hell is he?" Gwen shouted. "What the hell are you thinking?"
"He's my dad," Ianto said simply as Jack walked downstairs.
"What the hell is going on?" Jack demanded. Ianto rolled his eyes, and his dad stepped forward.
"Captain Jack Harkness, pleased to meet you." He held out his hand for Jack to take, which he did reluctantly.
"Who are you?" He asked wearily.
"Ianto's father, me and you need to have a little talk. In private." Jack exchanged looks with Gwen which made Ianto roll his eyes once more.
"My office," Jack said.
"Ianto, I need you to wait here," His dad said gently.
"Excuse me?" Ianto raised an eyebrow.
"Please, I'll explain everything. I will. But I need to talk to Jack."
"About me."
"Yes," His dad never raised his voice, but his eyes were loosing their patience. "I'll explain everything after." Ianto reluctantly nodded and watched as his father followed Jack up the stairs.
"What exactly is going on?" Jack asked. Ianto's father didn't look a year older than thirty.
"Ianto's in danger," The bluntness of his words startled Jack, "I'm not going to be around much longer, but there are things you need to know,"
"Why me?"
"Because I know that you will protect him. He's half human, half Pintish."
"Pintish?" Jack asked a little amazed. "They're extinct."
"Obviously they're not!" His dad laughed. "But they're is a bounty on him, all Pintish are worth something."
"Immortals," Jack sighed. "The blood is worth a lot."
"Yes, but because he is half human he's worth even more because they're even rarer. He doesn't know what he is, he doesn't know what I am. But I need you to protect him."
"They've found you haven't they?" Jack asked sadly, there was a small nod in response. "We can help,"
"No, you can't. I've given myself up for him, but I don't want him to know that. I've given him three extra years to live without running." Jack remained silent, he didn't know what to say. "He's immortal. He can't die, that's the only power he has. He wont age, his human side is much stronger, they've blocked his powers."
"But they're still there?" Jack asked anxiously.
"He can tap into them, he used to do it when he was a kid. When he couldn't quite reach his drink, it would come to him. But I don't think he can still do it." Jack nodded, he had never seen him do anything like that. "Promise me you'll keep him safe."
"I promise," Jack said. "I think you need to talk to him,"
"I don't know what to say, how do you tell your son that you're leaving. Last time I just left. Tried to keep him safe, but I failed." Jack knew what he was talking about, and just nodded.
"What's going on Ianto?" Gwen asked, she was still angry at how he had spoke to her.
"Don't know," Ianto lied.
"Don't fucking lie to me, Ianto." Gwen hissed. "We need to stick together through this,"
"This, has nothing to do with you." Ianto shouted back just as Jack and his father walked down the stairs.
"Jack, what's going on?" Gwen asked.
"Ianto's right, it has nothing to do with you. Go home, go to Rhys," Jack said gently.
"I'm not leaving you here, Jack." Gwen said. "We're a team, we should stick together."
"This has nothing to do with Torchwood," Jack said sternly. "Just go." With a huff, Gwen walked out.
Ianto stared at his father with a strong gaze. He didn't know if he wanted to hear what was needed to be said. "What's going on?" He asked, breaking the silence that was iced across the room.
"You're in danger," His dad said a little less bluntly then he had told Jack. "You've got three years until they come after you,"
"Who?" Ianto asked.
"Bounty hunters." His dad answered. "You're special, but because you're half human it makes you more of a target. And I'm not going to be there to help, that's why I needed to talk to Jack."
"Where are you going?" Ianto asked, he couldn't loose his father not after everything.
"I have to go away," His dad said quietly. "I needed to come back and explain everything."
"Why do you have to go away?" Ianto's voice was fragile, and Jack thought he was going to cry any second.
"I just do, its too dangerous here," His dad lied. "There's things you need to know," Ianto didn't say anything, just listened and waited. "You can't die, you're immortal. Doesn't mean you can't get hurt, if you get shot you'll feel the pain, you'll need time to heal, but it wont kill you." Ianto wanted to look at Jack, wanted to see his expression. But he just stared at the ground. "Everything else has been blocked by your humanity,"
Ianto remained silent, what was he supposed to say? He thought back to all the times when he should have died. Canary Wharf. Lisa had killed him, knocked him out and he drowned. But Jack had brought him back. Maybe now it wasn't Jack.
"Say something," His dad urged.
"What do you want me to say?" Ianto asked, still not looking up.
"Anything," His father pleaded. "I have to go soon,"
"I don't want you to go," Ianto looked at his dad for the first time since he started to talk. "You just came back,"
"I know, it's not fair. But I've seen you, and that's all that matters now."
"No it isn't!" Ianto shouted. "Why did you come back? I would have figured it out sooner or later, you coming back is just in spite because you felt guilty for leaving like you did."
"I love you, I need you to know that."
"I do, I always knew. Everyone's leaving me, and I thought when I saw you earlier that you would be the one person in my life that stays," Jack watched as Ianto's dad wrapped his son in his arms.
"I'm sorry son, but I have to go. Now." He kissed his son on the forehead and before any one could do anything, a light appeared and his dad had walked through it and disappeared.
Ianto fell to the floor crying. Everything he had held in was now out. Tears fell, his body heaved. And he couldn't stop. Jack wrapped his arms around Ianto and held him as he sobbed, much like his father had when he cried on the pier.
"I'm not going any where, Yan. You wont be alone through this."
"Everyone leaves, or I push them away." Ianto managed to say through his tears. "I don't want to live forever."
"Neither did I,"
"What changed your mind?" Ianto asked, his body was finally calming down, but Jack didn't break his hold on him, and Ianto didn't try to leave.
"We do something so brilliant here, that gives me meaning, something to look forward to."
"But don't you get lonely?"
"Everyday. When Owen and Toshiko died, I hated the fact that I could live. But I knew they needed me to be strong. It doesn't get easy, it never will. Loosing people is the hardest thing to do, but what we do. We save people from having their friends and family deal with the pain of loosing them."
"But how do you deal with the pain of loosing people?"
"I live, and I carry on. And so will you. But now we'll never be alone, because we'll always have each other."
"Sounds too good to be true,"
"It's not going to be easy, but I'm going to give it a go. I promised your dad I'll look after you, and now I'm going to promise you that I'm never going to leave,"
"Forever is a long time, Jack,"
"I know, but when you have someone to share it with, time doesn't matter."
"What do we tell Gwen?" Ianto asked. "I don't want her to know that I'm half alien." He laughed a little, "I'm an alien,"
"And you've never looked better," Jack smiled.