I wrote this a long time ago but forgot to upload it. Whoops! This story takes place between Exit Wounds and Journey's End and is rather short, sorry. Well, here you guys go!
P.S. I do not own Torchwood.
Jack Harkness awoke from yet another troubled sleep. He sat up slowly and looked around. Alone. Where was Ianto? Right, he had told Ianto to go to his place and get some real sleep. Jack's twin-sized bed down in the hole he slept in was not big enough for two. God, he wished it was. Jack needed Ianto. If anything ever happened to him…or if he had been killed last month…jeez, it had been a month…
No, he told himself. Stop thinking about it.
He pulled his pants and t-shirt on and climbed up the ladder to his office. All was quiet. Or as quiet as it should be. Machines hummed and whizzed as normal and nothing was out of place. Jack made his way through his office and into the main area of the Hub.
The giant, metal water tower that held the Rift manipulator glistened in the blue light as water trickled down. The water in the basin was calm, reflecting the bay. As Jack continued to look around his eyes landed on the two empty desks. He sighed as he fought off tears and continued on his way.
Jack went down the short flight of steps to where Ianto's desk was. He smiled as he studied it. So neat. Just like Ianto. He glanced down at his watch. It read 3:23. Too early to call him.
Damn, he thought. He could really use the company. His dreams, or rather nightmares, hadn't been pleasant. Ever since Owen and Tosh had died, any time Jack tried to sleep he had nightmares about losing Ianto and Gwen. He didn't know what he would do if he lost them too. It would happen one day, he knew. And he would out live them. Like everyone else in his life.
Jack sighed. Thinking like this wouldn't help anything. He needed to clear his mind. The captain walked up the set of stairs to the upper level. He walked past the hot house and went over to Ianto's coffee machine. His attempts to make coffee always failed. God, he really needed Ianto. He pulled out his mobile phone and went through the list to 'Jones, Ianto'. His hand hovered over the call button and then he closed his phone. He'd never hear the end of it if he called Ianto up at 3:30 in morning for coffee.
As Jack headed back to his office he paused when he heard the sound of the alarmed door open. He turned to see Ianto enter the Hub. Ianto was, as ever, immaculately dressed in a three piece suit. He looked exhausted, like he hadn't slept in days.
'Ianto…' Jack started. Ianto came up the short flight of stairs and embraced Jack. Jack felt wetness on his shirt. Ianto was crying.
'Ianto, what's wrong?' Jack asked wrapping his arms around the younger man protectively.
'I can't get their faces out of my head…Tosh and Owen and Lisa too…I can't sleep. I only think about them.'
Jack rubbed Ianto's back soothingly. 'Hey, it's ok. Just take a deep breath.' Ianto took in a shuttered breath and then pulled away to look up at Jack. His eyes were shining with tears. He stared at Jack as if disbelieving he was really there.
'Jack?'
'What is it?'
'I'm not dreaming?'
'No, Ianto, you're not. I'm here.' Jack pulled Ianto back into a hug. They stood there in the half lit Hub for a whole minute but it seemed like a life-time. When they finally parted, Ianto had stopped crying. He looked up at Jack again and Jack leaned in and kissed him gently on the lips.
'You should get some sleep,' he said as he took Ianto's hand. He led Ianto into his office. Ianto simply followed as Jack led him to the hole in the floor where Jack's bed was. Ianto climbed down the ladder and Jack followed him down. Once they were both down Jack undid Ianto's tie and the first few buttons on his shirt. Then Jack made Ianto lay down. The younger man didn't object. He was exhausted and he felt safe with Jack and in only a few moments of lying down, Ianto was fast asleep.
Jack watched over him. Protectively. He knew that, most likely, nothing would happen in the Hub. However, Jack had an odd feeling. He felt like something was coming. Something bad. He couldn't shake the feeling. But, for now, he just watched over Ianto.
TWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTW
Ianto awoke feeling warm and safe. He smiled as he opened his eyes and found himself in familiar surroundings. Jack's bed. Even though he was alone, Ianto knew Jack wasn't far. He checked his watch. 6:30. Good, he had time to shower and change into a fresh, crisp suit, before Gwen arrived. And he had time to run out to the coffee shop and pick up some more of Jack's industrial strength coffee. Ianto smiled again. It felt like it was going to be a good day.
Quietly, Ianto went up the ladder and looked around. Jack wasn't there. Maybe he was in the shower or out prowling the Hub. Ianto pulled out a suit he kept in the captain's office as a precaution and went into the main area of the Hub. Jack wasn't there either. Shower. Then find Jack if he isn't there.
He made his way to the lowest level of the Hub where large, gym locker room style showers were. Ianto laid his fresh suit on a bench and began to undress. He had his tie, vest and shirt off when he heard something behind him. Ianto spun around and saw Jack in just a towel.
'Morning, Sunshine,' Jack said with a grin. 'If I'd of known you were going to be up, I would have waited for you.'
Ianto smiled. 'Well, I guess I'll just have to shower by myself then, won't I?'
'You don't have to…'
'I think I can manage. You go on up, I'll be done in a few minutes.'
'Ok, but try not to get lonely without me,' said Jack as he walked past Ianto. His wolfish grin never left his face.
When Jack was gone, Ianto smiled despite himself. Sure, he 'dabbled' with the captain, but did it mean anything more? Ianto shook his head. Jack did care about him. There was no doubting that. It was just the 'love' Ianto was unsure of. Did Jack really love him? Ianto sighed and finished undressing and showered.
Once he was done, Ianto dressed and went back to the main area. Jack wasn't there so he made his way to the captain's office. There Jack was, sitting at his desk reading something over. He was a fast reader. Ianto made a polite cough to make Jack aware of his presence, though in the back of his mind, Ianto thought the captain knew he was there.
'Ianto,' Jack said with a smile. 'Did you get lonely?'
'It might be hard to believe, but I didn't,' Ianto said with a smirk. Jack put on a mock surprised look and laughed a bit. 'Well, I'm going to run out and pick up some more coffee before Gwen comes in.'
'I'll come with you,' Jack said standing.
Ianto shook his head. 'No, it's ok. It will only take me a few minutes.'
Jack sat back down. 'Alright. I'll be waiting.'
With that, Ianto left through the cog-wheeled door and came out onto the bay through the Tourist Information Centre. The sun was bright and all seemed right with the world. No one knew about the deaths that plagued Torchwood. The two people whose lives had been lost saving this world. Ianto sighed as he walked over to the coffee shop that was just down the dock. As he walked, Ianto couldn't help but feel he was being watched. He took a cautious look around but didn't see anyone who was paying him any mind, so he continued on his way.
Ianto inhaled deeply as he entered the coffee shop. He loved the smell of freshly ground coffee. The girl behind the counter, Jess she was called, smiled and gave him a little wave.
'Mornin' Ianto Jones!' she said cheerfully in her thick Welsh accent, when he got closer.
'Good morning, Jess,' Ianto said with a smile.
'Always so proper,' she tutted. 'Well, what can I get you?'
Ianto smiled. 'A bag of the industrial strength and a bag of the special dark roast, please.'
'Coming right up.' Jess turned her back on him and began chatting about nothing in particular but Ianto couldn't focus on her. He had the feeling that someone was watching him again. Ianto turned around and looked at the other patrons. There was a young couple sitting at a table enjoying their coffee quietly. An Indian man sat with his eyes glued to his laptop computer and a punk girl sat in the corner with a book in her hand.
Ianto wasn't paying attention when Jess said his name five times.
'Ianto!' He slowly turned to Jess. 'Your coffee's ready. Are you ok, love?'
'Yeah, sorry…' he said digging his wallet out from his back pocket. He handed her a tenner. 'Keep the change,' he said with a smile.
Jess smiled. 'Thanks, but are you sure you're ok?'
'I'm fine,' Ianto assured her as he picked up the two bags of coffee. 'I should get these back to my co-workers. Have a good day, Jess Jones.'
'You too, Ianto Jones.'
Ianto went back into the bright sunlight and looked around. The feeling was still there. Then suddenly four men came from out of nowhere and surrounded him.
'Excuse me,' Ianto said as he tried to pass between two of the men.
One grabbed him by the shoulder to stop him. 'Come with us, Ianto Jones,' said the man. His voice was gruff.
Ianto tried to lower his shoulder from the man's hand but the man gripped it too tightly. 'I'm sorry, who are you?'
'That doesn't matter, we know who you are Ianto Jones and about Torchwood,' the same man replied. 'Now, Mr Jones, you can either come with us the easy way, or the hard way.'
Ianto heard the other two men walk up behind him. Each of these men was about two metres tall and outweighed Ianto in muscle by quite a bit. Ianto didn't like the odds but he knew he was faster than them.
He tried to duck under one of the thick arms to run away. However, as he ducked down the man with the gruff voice put his arm down lower to block his escape while the man next to him landed a punch in Ianto's stomach. The air was knocked from Ianto's lungs and he doubled over in pain. The coffee bags in his hands fell to the sidewalk and broke open spilling the beans everywhere.
The gruff voiced man then proceeded to put an arm underneath Ianto to pick him up. Using the man as leverage, Ianto kicked out and caught the other two men in the chest. They stumbled backward in surprise and hit the window to the coffee shop. The man holding him dropped Ianto to the sidewalk. Ianto hit the pavement with a soft thud.
From inside the shop Jess saw these men leaning against the window and looked around to see Ianto get dropped to the pavement. 'Someone phone the police!' she shouted as she ran to the door. Then the Indian man with the laptop looked out the window to see the man in the suit receive a swift kick to the ribs. He pulled out his mobile and dialed the police. Jess carefully opened the door and stepped outside.
'Oi! Leave him alone!' Ianto looked up to see Jess standing by the door.
'Jess…no…' Ianto said through laboured breathes.
The two men near the window drew guns and pointed then at Jess. Her blue eyes widened. The man with the gruff voice put a foot on the side of Ianto's head and drew his own gun along with the man next to him.
'Go back inside, little girl,' the man said. The two by the window shoved her inside. The gruff voiced man motioned to the other to move Ianto inside and he went in himself.
'Alright!' he barked. 'This little girl,' he pointed to Jess who was being held by the arm by one of the men. 'Has decided to cause us trouble!' Everyone in the small shop looked terrified when the big men pointed guns at them and when they saw Ianto being lead in with his arms held behind his back by one of the huge men. His face was already starting to bruise where the gruff man had place placed his foot.
'Now, everyone take out their mobiles, nice and slowly.' Every patron complied and the last man collected them. 'Good, now get over to that corner.' He pointed to where the punk girl was seated. They all moved.
'You,' he turned to Jess. 'Close the shop.' The man holding her let her go and she walked shakily to the door and locked it and brought the grate down and locked that too. The man took her arm again and pushed to where the others were.
'Now, we are going to tie you all up,' the gruff man said as he pulled a length of rope from his pocket. He handed it to another who took out his own. The gruff man watched as two of his men tied the couple together to a table and the Indian man to the punk girl to another table. After making sure the ropes were secured they turned to Jess.
'Stop!' Ianto said. 'Leave her alone. Just let everyone go. It's me you wan-' Ianto was cut off by the gruff man punching him in the face.
'Ianto! Ow!' Jess cried as one of the man forced her arms around the leg of the table. He tied her hands behind her back and around the leg of the table.
'Jess…'
The gruff man signaled to the one holding Ianto. Suddenly Ianto's legs were kicked out from below him and he fell to his knees. The man holding him grabbed him by the hair to keep him there. Ianto let out a small yelp and stayed where he was. The gruff man wrenched both of Ianto's hands behind his back and handcuffed them together. He then shoved Ianto to the floor.
Jess, who was crying silently, was also trying to get the ropes undone. One of the men caught her and said, 'Oi, Malcolm.'
The gruff man turned and saw the man was pointing to Jess. 'Was she trying to escape?' The man nodded. Malcolm pointed his gun at Jess' head.
'No!' Ianto screamed as he struggled to sit up. 'Don't kill her!'
'Oh, not her?' Malcolm smiled sadistically. 'Fine,' he moved his aim to the girl who was tied to her boyfriend and shot her in the head. The gun had a silencer on it so the only sound that was heard was a soft burst of air. Her boyfriend's eyes went wide.
'Rachel! Rachel no!' Tears streamed down his cheeks.
'Oh shut up,' Malcolm said but the young man could not. He had just lost the love of his life. He was even going to propose tonight.
Ianto looked over at Jess who looked horrified. He managed to sit up on his knees and was slowly trying to stand up. No one seemed to be paying him any mind right now.
Malcolm pointed his gun at the young man. 'I said shut up!' And he fired. The young man died instantly.
The punk girl and the Indian man were both silently crying and the girl was squeezing her eyes shut. Malcolm turned to them and the Indian man's eyes widened.
'Stop!' Ianto screamed standing up. Malcolm didn't listen. He shot them both. Ianto's breath caught in his throat and one of the men came and pulled him over to Jess. Ianto was forced to his knees next to her. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. The man then grabbed Ianto, with one hand over his mouth and held his arms in the other.
'Now,' Malcolm said. 'Back to what I wanted to do earlier.' He aimed the gun at Jess' head again. Ianto struggled with every ounce of his strength and screamed as loud as he could, but it did him no good. He couldn't get away. Then Malcolm killed her. Blood splattered on Ianto's face.
Ianto watched as her body slumped and the life went from her body. Then, Malcolm punched him in the stomach so hard that he passed out.
TWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTW
It was taking Ianto a long time to come back from picking the coffee up. Jack paced his office and pulled out his mobile and dialed Ianto's number. It rang a few times before someone answered.
'Hello, Jack Harkness,' said a gruff voice.
Jack was instantly on alert. 'Who is this? Where's Ianto?'
'Oh he's unconscious in the back of my van,' said the voice in a casual tone.
'What?' Jack shouted.
'Why don't you stop by the coffee shop he likes so much?' Then the gruff voiced man hung up.
Jack hung up his phone and just then Gwen came in.
'Hey Jack,' she said coming up to his office. 'What's up?' Then she saw his face. 'What's wrong?'
'Ianto's been abducted.'
The pair made it to the coffee shop in record time to see police already arriving.
'Damn it!' Jack swore. 'Torchwood!' he shouted. 'Clear the way!'
The police looked angry but they obeyed. Jack and Gwen went into the coffee shop and the sight that met their eyes would never leave him. Five bodies lay on the floor; a young couple holding hands, a girl in punk attire, an Indian man in a business suit and a young girl with a coffee shop apron on. Each had a clean bullet wound in the centre of their foreheads their eyes were all wide and staring blankly at the ceiling. Rope burns were visible around each wrist.
'Oh God,' Gwen whispered with horror in her voice.
A police woman came in behind Jack. 'We got a call from the Mr Suresh, about there being a man in suit being beaten up by four large men,' she said.
Jack turned to look at her. Her badge read Davies. She had short cropped red hair and was tall and slender. He nodded.
'What happened next?' he asked with dread. Gwen came and stood next to Jack trembling.
'Mr Suresh said the coffee shop girl,' she paused as she looked at her notes. 'Miss Jones, went outside to try to get the men to back off but said they pulled guns and led her inside. That's when we lost contact.'
Jack nodded. 'They were all tied up and killed…but why, and where did they take Ianto?'
'Ianto?' Davies questioned.
'Ianto Jones, he's a member of my team and these men abducted him.'
Davies looked sad. 'I'm sorry but we have no clues where these men went.'
Gwen had stepped away and looked back at the bodies. These people were so young, especially the girl who worked here. Gwen was looking at the girl and then noticed a piece of paper sticking out of her apron. She bent down and, using her sleeve she pulled it out.
'Jack,' she called.
Jack turned and came over to her. 'What is it?'
'Look at this.' She handed him the note.
The captain read it over quickly. It said only a short message: Do you like what you see? We have Ianto Jones and you won't ever see him again unless our demands are met. We'll be in touch.
'What is it?' Davies asked. Jack let her see the note. 'We'll connect a recording device to your phone and-'
'No,' Jack said cutting her off. 'We'll deal with this.'
'Captain Harkness, there is a missing person out there and it's our job to find him.'
'Not this time. We'll get Ianto back,' he said. 'Come on Gwen.'
TWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTWTW
There you are! Part 1!
