Title: Moving On
Author: Lauren
Rating: PG-13
Pairings: Jack/Ianto referenced
Spoilers: All of Torchwood including Children of Earth. Basic knowledge of Highlander is nice but not required.
Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood, Highlander, or anything associated them.
Summary: Ianto Jones died at Canary Wharf.
Author's Note: This is my first Torchwood fic and I would say Highlander, but there are no actual Highlander characters in it. The story is just set in the Highlander!verse. You do not need to know anything about Highlander to read the story, though it might make more sense if you know the basics. Since this is my first fic here please feel free to send any constructive criticism my way (really I can take it, I'm not one of those people who say it then flip out when it happens). Also a big thank you to my beta for this jenny-gwen on LJ.
***
Ianto Jones looked out from his perch atop a tall building. He could not remember what the building was called, its name had changed a few times since he was last in Cardiff. Ianto wandered up there after a long day of conducting meetings and job interviews; he did not think that rebuilding a secret organization and hiring a group of ragtag misfits would be such hard work. Ianto was not sure how Jack did it after the New Years Massacre at Torchwood Three and later Canary Wharf at Torchwood One.
In a bid to try and get inspiration Ianto decided to do the one thing that Jack was known to do, that was not sex or aggressive flirting. Ianto also wanted to see if being immortal really made skulking about on tall buildings an acceptable way to pass the time.
***
Ianto Jones was immortal and he had known ever since Canary Wharf. He had managed to put off his trainings and teachings until he could no longer cling to his mortal life as Ianto Jones, Torchwood agent and brother to Rhiannon. He died after being deleted by a Cyberman while attempting to stop them from taking Lisa and some other Torchwood One employees to the conversion units. It was a violent, painful, and useless death that while it triggered his immortality, it did not stop the one thing that really mattered.
He woke up to the Cybermen and Daleks missing, Torchwood One in utter destruction all around him, and Lisa screaming in pain from her partial conversion. Ianto did not question his miraculous awakening at the time because he was all-consumed with Lisa. During his journey to Cardiff with Lisa safely tucked away, he met his would-be teacher. She introduced herself as Lane. She looked to be around his age physically, she spoke with a Scottish accent, was a good foot shorter than him, and had a blonde bob. She would not reveal her true age to him, or how old she was when she died; she just said that she was old. After a lot of convincing and multiple demonstrations, she informed him about his immortality, and what was expected of him, and from him, now that he had his first death.
He was immortal in the sense that he could die if killed, but he would not stay dead, and he would no longer age. There was a catch though, and that was if he was decapitated he would die and stay dead. That death would release his life force, or life energy, whatever he wished to call it, to any immortal that happened to be in close proximity; it was called a Quickening. She described it as a painful lightning show. Ianto listened to all of her words with utter disbelief, but she seemed sincere despite the fact that she explained everything in a dry and droll kind of way. She also explained the last part of the rules of immortality with such contempt that it seemed like she also found them to be as absurd as he did.
Upon his death he also joined the Game, which all immortals are caught up in after their initial death. The Game, which has been around for as long as any immortal can remember, puts immortal against immortal in a bid to be only one. The last one wins the Prize which no one knows what it is, but most immortals seem to want it. Immortals challenge each other to one-on-one sword fights that end with one being decapitated and the winner getting the loser's Quickening, making that immortal stronger. Ianto stared at Lane for a few minutes in absolute shock. Once that passed he started rapid-firing questions about the absurdity and sheer amount of loopholes in it all. Lane gave him a smile that seemed to convey silent praise.
Ianto managed to convince her to put his training on hold. She had some very convincing arguments as to why he was making a bad decision, most of them centered around the fact that he had no idea how to handle a sword and not every immortal would take leniency on a newbie. After a lot of begging and a last ditch effort of showing her Lisa, Lane relented. She allowed him to continue on his journey to Torchwood Three for Lisa. Ianto now knew that Lane knew that he was going to fail and that was her first lesson for him. The mortals you love will die and you cannot stop their deaths, it was also Lane's most painful lesson.
***
His second death was when Lisa threw him across the Hub, headfirst, into the shallow pool of water at the base of the water tower. Ianto awoke from that death to Jack's lips on his in what was either a good-bye kiss or very unorthodox CPR. Jack did not seem to actually notice that Ianto did in fact die because instead of questioning Ianto how he came back to life, Jack attempted to keep Ianto quiet so as to not attract Lisa's attention. Ianto counted himself lucky in that respect because for some insane reason despite losing almost everything he was not ready to give up his mortal life as Ianto Jones.
The aftermath and fallout of the situation with Lisa would have also have been a perfect chance to start over and begin his training as an immortal, but he still clung to who he was. No one would have questioned his death had it have been either an execution for betraying Torchwood, or a suicide from the grief of Lisa. Jack spared his life and gave him a second chance to work for him and Torchwood and for some reason at the time, that meant everything.
***
When Jack died, came back to life, and then left to go off with the Doctor, Ianto called Lane. Ianto asked her why he could not feel Jack's immortal presence. She told him that she never actually met Jack, but she had heard stories. Jack may be immortal but he was different, Jack was not one of them. Lane asked Ianto if he ready to begin his training and his response was to disconnect the call.
Jack meant a lot to him, more than what was smart, more than what he meant to Jack, and more than Ianto should have ever allowed. While Jack did mean so much, he was not everything. Jack gave him a purpose after Lisa and it was Torchwood, not the Game. Ianto would not abandon Torchwood, the people of Earth, or Rhiannon. He also had an obligation to his teammates. While they would have never even given each other a second glance outside of the madness that was Torchwood, together they made a decent team. They mutinied against Jack rather well together even though that would never be a proud example of their ability to work as a team.
Ianto continued on as an overworked civil servant to Rhiannon and her family and as a loyal Torchwood agent to the planet at large. While Ianto did not learn how to fight with a sword he learned other valuable fighting skills. He learned how to use a gun, taser, and fight hand-to-hand. Jack did make his way back to Torchwood as only he could. He came back in a flurry of bravado, evasiveness, and confusion. Ianto managed to gravitate his way back to Jack, despite a sincere attempt to distance himself. He continued to let Jack mean more to him than he should have, though this time around there were dates. Ianto then did the stupidest thing imaginable. He fell in love with Captain Jack Harkness.
***
His third death was also the final death of Ianto Jones. That death was much too public and it gave him a sense of resolution the previous ones failed to deliver. He was taken down by some kind of toxin released by an enemy alien. He died demanding that the 456 end their ransom against Earth armed with only threats, handguns, and Jack Harkness. It was not a death of thrilling heroics or being mauled by a weevil he predicted his final good-bye death would be. It gave him closure none the less. Rhiannon knew most of the truths about his life; the most important one was that he loved her and her family enough to die for them.
Ianto also said his piece to Jack. Ianto told Jack that he loved him. It was not reciprocated, but Ianto already knew that. He did not say those things to have Jack repeat them back. Ianto knew that he would have to move on from his mortal life and he felt Jack deserved to know. Ianto came back to life after what he was told was a long death period because it was not a violent death and he was still very young and inexperienced. The long death period was a blessing because it meant most people were no longer interested in the dead of the MI5 disaster, and that allowed him the chance to revive and escape unnoticed. It was both a disappointment and a blessing that Jack and Gwen were not there when he woke. Once Ianto made it to the remains of the Canary Wharf building, he called Lane to tell her he was ready.
***
For ten years he lived, trained, and learned from Lane. She taught him every tip and trick she knew and gifted him his sword. She kept him by her side despite the last few years he knew he was overstaying his welcome. Lane cared for him a lot, but she was a loner and a bit selfish by nature. She changed her identity to a young Welsh women living in Australia with her brother so she could teach him and not draw suspicion. Lane played the part for eight years and he could tell she wanted to move on. Lane was about 3,000 years old and was used to doing what she wanted when she wanted, it was unfair of him to tie her down for so long when he did not need her protection and had not for a long time. Ianto did not know what he wanted to do with himself yet, so he left to explore the world and what it held for him. Ianto Jones needed to find his purpose again.
It came to him almost twenty years later in a tiny Russian village when he was in the process of dying after being skewered by a vicious alien with sharp talons that enjoyed killing for killing's sake. Ianto Jones was going to rebuild Torchwood. Archie, of Torchwood Two, and Gwen did their best after the 456 as the only remaining Torchwood members, but there was only so much two people on a very limited budget could do. The British government only gave them the barest funding to rebuild despite the fact they were the ones that destroyed Torchwood that time around. Jack left Torchwood and Earth, but without Jack the Crown did not seem to have its previous faith in Torchwood. Torchwood was regulated to collect the random alien artifacts and capture stray weevils now and then.
Ianto then headed to England and got an audience with the king, queen, and prime minister. He told them they were going to reinstate the Torchwood Institute to its former status and if they had any objections they should look up Ianto Jones, Jack Harkness, and Torchwood Three in the archives and informed them that Jack Harkness was contagious. The last part was a lie but it was necessary. He did not want to expose immortals so he came up with the only excuse, even one as flimsy as that to explain his immortality. They believed him and agreed to reinstate Torchwood with him as its leader.
***
From his perch atop the building Ianto continued to scan the skyline. He enjoyed the view and how exhilarating it was to be this high up, but he could not see making this a regular occurrence like Jack had. Ianto still had so much to do before Torchwood was fully operational again. He still needed to talk to Rhiannon and Johnny and let them know he was still alive, they deserved that. They did so much for him, especially during his last few days; Ianto had to give them the truth. Lane told him that not all mortals could handle the truth about immortality, but Ianto knew they could.
Once he told them the truth he would distance himself from them; he did not want them to get caught in the cross-fire like they, Rhys, and Jack's family were the last time. Ianto planned on dying his hair blonde, and cutting it shorter once things with Rhiannon were settled. Right now he looked like he used to so it would be easier for Rhiannon and Johnny to process. He would also stop being Ianto Jones for the foreseeable future. He already had his new identity ready to go.
Ianto smiled and looked out from his high perch atop the building. This was his city, his planet and it would once again have an immortal protector. Captain Jack Harkness might have left, but he was here and he rediscovered his purpose. Earth was protected. Ianto mused that Jack may never come back to Earth or Cardiff while he was here protecting it, and that was fine. Maybe in the far off future when humans spread themselves across the cosmos, Ianto would go with them. Maybe in an alien port, bar, or café or maybe even the equivalent of just bumping into one another on the street he would see a man who would live forever and maybe that man would keep a promise and remember Ianto Jones. Ianto's smile turned into a huge grin maybe that would happen, maybe not. All of space and time was rather big, but right then and there Ianto Jones was happy with whatever extra time his immortality would grant him. After all he did have the potential of forever.