Post – Countrycide
The drive back was quiet, except for the little hisses from both Gwen and Ianto as the SUV bumped over the un-even earth, their injured bodies being shifted and aggravated.
They finally arrived back at the hub, Owen quickly taking Gwen to the hospital followed by Tosh. He was worried about a possible infection from being in the woods and the Slaughter House, although the latter was left un-spoken. Jack just nodded and watched them go, his gaze drifting down to the silent man left on the sofa.
Ianto had barely said one word on the whole drive back and Jack could only imagine what he was thinking. He couldn't shift the image of him bound and gagged, lying on the dirty floor, the bruises and blood in stark contrast against his pale skin.
Walking to his office, he phoned Owen. He needed to know if there was anything else that needed to be done for him.
"Owen, it's Jack, yes I know you're on the way to the hospital, I need to know if Ianto needs anything else apart from a shower and some rest."
He listened intently to the doctor, picturing the scary images that he and Tosh painted for him. He looked down at the silent man, listening to how he had given Tosh a chance to escape, even though he knew it was at the cost of his life. He rubbed his face with his hand, sighing. He probably wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.
"I'll give him some of the sleeping pills from the medical bay" said Jack, nodding as he was given instructions, "and make sure he eats something yeah, call when you know about Gwen and let the others know that they have tomorrow off baring anything major."
He quietly walked into the bay, grabbing the sleeping pills and some new bandages, for after Ianto's shower he needed to make sure his ribs were wrapped properly. He approached carefully, not wanting to startle the man any further.
"Ianto" he said quietly, watching the blue eyes focus on him, "I'll take you home".
"No, there's a lot to clear up" said Ianto already getting to his feet a slight shiver flowing through his frame, "the gear needs to be put away properly, I need to feed Myfanwy and the weevils".
"Ianto, you're injured. I've given everyone the night and tomorrow off, you deserve the rest, now let's get you home." said Jack. His tone clearly spoke of no negotiations, and Ianto just hung his head, slowly walking out into the underground car park. Jack took the keys, making sure Ianto was strapped in securely, before he started the engine and began the slow and careful drive back to the flat.
"Take a shower, and I'll fix something for you to eat. Owen's given me some sleeping pills for you, but you need to eat before you can take them. He also said you'll need your ribs strapped, so I brought some extra bandages." He listened for the water to start before he walked into the kitchen, a sense of déjà vu sweeping across him. He was thrown back to a month ago, watching the young man in pain because of him and now here he was, late at night, watching history repeat itself.
He sighed. Opening the fridge door, he found eggs and some cheese. He found the pan and turned on the hob, making a quick cheese omelette for both of them while having one ear on the sounds from the shower, in case Ianto needed anything.
They sat in silence, Jack's plagued with guilt and Ianto's wrought from the shock of the whole ordeal.
"I never meant for any of this to happen" Jack began. He needed Ianto to know that this wasn't what he had imagined the weekend would turn into.
"I know" replied Ianto, his voice slightly husky. "You wanted to try and get us to bond as a team." Jack nodded. He was exactly right. "You can't force it Jack, this will bring us closer I am sure, but some things take time and this is just one of them."
"I know" he replied, "after Lisa, I noticed you, noticed how the others treat you, you just blend into the background and they never really bother to see you, never thank you, I want you to be apart of us all."
Jack saw the ghost of a smile try and work its way onto Ianto's lips, but the hurt of the weekend was to much for it shine brightly. "It's a nice thought, but I'll just be the tea-boy and to be honest, I never thought I would go back to being invisible. I prefer it to the glares and barley veiled remarks that I received in the beginning."
Jack nodded, knowing there wasn't much else he could say. He tidied up the plates and quickly filled up a glass with water, grabbing one of the small pills as he headed back into the living room, passing them to the exhausted man in the arm chair.
Quickly swallowing the pill, Ianto placed the glass on the side in the kitchen. "I feel that's all that I ever do at the moment," he said, walking back into the living area, "strap up sore ribs and take sleeping pills to help get through the night".
Jack stood up, the apology already on his lips. "It's fine, you don't need to apologise, you didn't purposely send us into the Beacons with cannibals, it's just, I wonder if I'll ever be able to sleep without the help of pills." sighed Ianto. Jack was still, he knew Ianto knew that it all happened by accident, but it didn't make Jack feel any less guilty about the whole thing. He returned the small smile Ianto gave him before he was left alone in night.
He sat back down on the sofa, deciding to stay the night in case he was needed, which he thought was more than likely with the events of the weekend from hell. He quickly flicked through the muted channels on TV, growing bored with the repeated infomercials. 'Honestly, who really needs a 20 piece knife set with free peeler at 2 in the morning' he thought. He closed his eyes, feeling the stress from the day finally take him. He awoke with a start what felt like minutes later, a scream ripping through the air. He ran down the short corridor, bursting into Ianto's bedroom and froze as he saw the thrashing figure in the bed, the screams high and terrified. He moved closer and gently took hold of the arms. "Ianto." he called, wanting to reassure the young man that he was safe.
"Jack." gasped Ianto, finally seeing everything clearly. His heart was pounding, tears of fear clawing for the surface.
"Shhh, it's alright now, I've got you." whispered Jack, holding Ianto to his chest and stroking his hair, hoping to soothe the fragile nerves.
"Oh god, it was horrible." whispered Ianto, tears breaking free as the nightmare played back through his mind. "No-one came for me, I was on my own, I was so scared and it hurt so much and no-one helped me, they cut me and beat me, I screamed for the others, begged you to come and rescue me, but in the end I was on my own and they killed me."
Jack stilled his movements, the thought that he may have been to late freezing him, the thought that he might have lost Ianto making his blood run cold.
"Which is silly, because I created the distraction for Tosh to run. I didn't expect her to get caught or for Gwen and Owen to be dragged into the room, I thought that was it and I felt OK with it because Tosh had escaped she would live." he said, his words heavy as his eyelids began to droop. He didn't want to fall asleep, but it was inevitable.
"I would have come for you." said Jack, holding him tightly. "I would have saved you at what ever cost." His body was thrilled as the small, almost inaudible 'thank you' brushed past Ianto's lips as he snuggled further into Jack's side, finding comfort and sleep once more.
Jack blinked his eyes open, shutting them immediately as the bright sunlight rushed to blind him. He groaned and shifted, trying to remember why there was sunlight in his bunk, until he felt the answering shift of the body lying slightly on top of him. He carefully opened his eyes, adjusting to the light before he looked down at the messy dark hair of one Ianto Jones.
He tried to move away, not wanting to wake the man and cause any embarrassment when a strong grip caught his shirt.
"Ianto?" he questioned.
"Thank you for last night." came the slightly muffled voice, the grip releasing him as Ianto turned over.
"You don't need to thank me Yan." replied Jack, a smile on his face.
As he listened to the shower starting, he felt as if a weight had been lifted from him. Sitting down and watching Ianto at ease as he ate the quick breakfast, Jack couldn't help but smile. 'This is the start of something special' he thought, as he found an answering shy smile on the other man's beautiful features.
The End
Thank you for reading :)