Title: Time After Time
Characters/Pairings: Jack/Ianto, Jack/OC, Gwen, Tenth Doctor, OCs
Spoilers: Up to "Exit Wounds", DW: "Stolen Earth" & "Journey's End"
Disclaimer: I don't own Jack and Ianto (heavy sigh), I'm pretty sure they own each other. I do know the BBC and RTD owns all things Torchwood and Doctor Who.
Warnings: **CHARACTER DEATH**
Summary: As the years go by, Ianto and Jack are still together, starting to believe the two would continue to survive without end.
Author's Note: This was written back in 2008 for day nine of the Horizons Sing challenge on LJ. It was one of my first Torchwood stories written and had developed into a series with many fics which I will be posting here regularly. Beta is done, as usual, by the wonderful and amazing Grace_Musica unless otherwise noted. I also want to thank teachwriteslash for the encouragement and for asking for more fics to follow this one. And there are even more planned to be written along the way. This was written long before CoE reared it's ugly head and steers clear of it or the other Torchwood wanna-be.
The quote at the start is the prompt given for the day on the challenge.
"I walk without flinching through the burning cathedral of the summer.
My bank of wild grass is majestic and full of music.
It is a fire that solitude presses against my lips."
- Violette Leduc,
Mad in Pursuit
Jack found himself being awakened in the most pleasant of ways. He pried one eye open to find the expected dark head in the vicinity of his bare chest. He tried to act as if he was still asleep as Ianto kissed along his chest. Jack could not suppress the shiver that coursed through him, and he felt Ianto smile against his skin.
He could no longer pretend to be asleep as he let out a yelp when Ianto bit his nipple, tugging on it playfully.
"Ah, Ianto…" he moaned.
Ianto lifted his head, grinning at Jack. Sparkling eyes seemed to laugh. "I knew you were faking it," Ianto accused. Before Jack could voice a comeback, the younger man took advantage of his open mouth, kissing him passionately.
Jack put his arms around the Welshman, returning the kiss with vigor, pulling the warm body on his. When they broke the kiss, Ianto rolled off and rested his head on Jack's chest, holding him. "Good morning, Jack," he greeted.
"Good morning, Ianto," Jack replied happily.
Before they made it out of bed, they had a pillow fight, which turned into a wrestling match, which lead to them making love before they had to start getting ready to leave for the Hub.
That's how their days had started for the past 23 years. Two days before was the 23rd anniversary of Jack moving into Ianto's flat. The next week they were planning to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their Civil Partnership. Upon returning from a proper honeymoon after the wedding, Jack and Ianto had moved into the small cottage they still lived in, which was near the outer fringes of Cardiff.
They drove to the Hub, Jack driving, finalizing plans for their 20th anniversary. Life was on the most part good, and that was because they had each other. It had been years since Ianto was the youngest member of Torchwood. At 49, Ianto wore his age well. He looked younger than his age, but Jack noticed a few silver strands along the sideburns. If anyone asked Jack, Ianto included, the Captain would reply most sincerely that Ianto only got better looking with age.
Other than Jack, Ianto was also the longest surviving member of Torchwood. Average lifespan would be between 5 – 17 years, before someone left, having to be Retconned, or they gave their life for Torchwood. Ianto held the record at 25 years and still going strong. The couple knew grief, had lost people along the way. Ianto's parents first, his older sister and her family, who died in a car crash 7 years ago. Jack lost his brother Gray 5 years ago, when a power loss in the Hub caused a failure in the cryogenics cells. Ianto offered the grave in his family plot to Jack, to bury Gray, so their families would rest in peace together. Ianto knew and preferred to be interred within the Torchwood tombs. Nine years ago, they lost Gwen. She had fallen bravely in the line of duty. Rhys had packed up their two children and left Wales, wanting as much distance as possible between his family and Torchwood. Martha was gone a year after Gwen. Jack had no contact with the Doctor since. They had lost new members along the way. The team was in it's 6th complete line-up since Ianto joined all those years ago.
It almost felt as if both Jack and Ianto would continue to outlive them all. Through the pain of loss and grief of losing people they loved and cared for, they found comfort knowing they still had each other. They lived everyday for 23 years as if it was their last day, never wanting to have regrets should that day both refused to think about ever arrive.
Jack didn't know how long he had been standing there, lost in memories, his head resting against the drawer that contained the remains of his lover, his partner, his husband. It was a daily ritual for the last 21 years.
"21 years," Jack whispered softly. "You've been in here longer than we were married, Cariad."
He heard the click of heels running in his direction.
Jack briefly pressed his lips again the drawer. "I still miss you, Ianto." Out of all the people Jack had loved and lost, he knew losing Ianto hit him the hardest. He had always known back when he first started to realize what he felt for the young Welshman went beyond lust and a convenient warm body. He sealed his fate when he first told Ianto that he loved him. It was too late to turn back by then.
He also knew that he would never trade the pain of loss, if it meant giving up the life he shared with Ianto. This was what he had left, along with so many memories of their time together. Memories that reminded him how to keep smiling, to laugh, to live. To carry on another day and do whatever he could to love and protect his new family.
He continued on because that's what Ianto would expect of him. What Tosh, Owen and Gwen would also expect. Out of all his 'families' at Torchwood, it was that one particular team, those four individuals who stood out above the rest.
Especially Ianto.
Jack sighed and turned to the young woman who stood several feet away from him. She had doe-shaped hazel brown eyes and brown hair.
Jack smiled at her. One member of his current team stood out as shining as his favorite team. Through Seleny, Jack was able to carry on that old team spirit, because that team still lived through the two of them.
Seleny Williams put her hands on her hips. "Uncle Jack," she started. "If you say you didn't hear us again..." She tapped her foot, gazing up at him with her mother's stubborn gaze.
Rhys Williams had no idea his oldest daughter had moved back to Cardiff, and practically forced Jack into hiring her, being as stubborn as her mother, and to his surprise, as relentless as her Uncle Ianto. Only she could not make a decent cup of coffee to save her life.
"If you lot need me to go running after Weevils," Jack started, shooting her a look.
"No." She moved close enough to take Jack's arm, lacing it through hers. "But there's a massive spike in Rift activity. It look like something came through, only we don't know what yet," she explained, leading the man Gwen Cooper-Williams' daughter considered an uncle to the main section of the Hub.
Jack groaned dramatically. "Again? I'm getting too old for this," he protested, hunching over and pretending to limp.
Seleny laughed, smacking his arm. "Go on with you. I'll be an old lady long before you finally get your first grey hair."
"Hmm..." Jack tried to pass it off as the joke she meant, but he was only reminded of one more death in the future to mourn.
"We don't have time for maudlin, Uncle Jack," Seleny remarked, rolling her eyes.
"You're right, Princess. I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I may have been young, but I already knew how much you and Uncle Ianto loved each other." She rested her head against his shoulder. "I miss both my Mam and Uncle Ianto." She lifted her head. "But I also know what they both expect of us."
Jack shook his head. "Yes, ma'am," he grinned. He joined his team in looking into the latest spike in Rift activity.
The circumstances reminded Jack too much of the day IT had happened. The day everything changed. For Jack's world at least. Jack tried to ignore the sense of foreboding as the team went out to the field to further look into readings around the city that appeared related to the Rift activity.
Instead of an invasion of spaceships, like in the past, as how Jack expected things to happen, it came through the Rift. It appeared harmless at first, going undetectable for a day or two. By the time they discovered it, it appeared as if it was too late. Aliens deciding their takeover of the planet Earth would come through the Rift. The first team was sent to secure the Rift, gain control of it from Torchwood. To achieve that objective, it meant to dispose of Team Torchwood, hoping to cripple Cardiff along the way. Jack and Ianto, who had been Second since Gwen's death, split up, each of them taking members of their team who in comparison to the two leaders, were far inexperienced. But they held their own. One assurance they had was the Hub would remain untouched by the attacks, as they fought armored aliens across the city, because if anything happened to the Hub, and the Rift, it could cause a serious dent in the aliens' plan.
Which was why they kept one member of their team back at the Hub, ready to lock it down, and open the Rift so it can't be controlled. Orders from Jack was if Liam heard nothing from anyone on the team for a length of fifteen minutes, to start going through the final shutdown procedures. He sat in the Hub, listening to the battles as the others overcame the advance team, one alien at a time. Everything needed to be processed by all members of the team to activate the command had been done before they left, leaving the final command to Liam, if necessary. He was told to push the final buttons and get out, to run to the nearest UNIT base and inform them that Torchwood Three was no more.
Ianto called in from his team that the last of the invaders were heading to the nuclear plant. Jack and those with him arrived in time to find Ianto with his team already there. He also saw three armored figures, the last of what they figured was the forward deployed team to secure the Hub and the Rift, armed with detonation guns, taking aim at the walls of the building to get into the main chamber and cause a meltdown. Ianto had already noticed the two with weapons strong enough to knock out half the building, while the last one stood behind with a strong beam blaster. Ianto and his team were already trying to stop with no luck. Ianto realized there was only one chance left. It pained him to hope Jack would catch on and take on the second alien. He had to do it. It was the only way to save their team. To save Cardiff and most probably, as in all alien invasion, the world. He called out over his comm to Jack, caught the Captain's eyes from where he stood with his team, trying to stop the three aliens. Assured Jack understood what had to be done, he took a deep breath, and as he told Jack that he loved him, started to aim his own heavy detonation gun at one of the figures. Jack knew it was their only chance to stop them. He did not want to think beyond that one single moment, hoping in his heart they could kill the aliens before they had a chance to fire. That Ianto would get a shot in and down the alien before it pulled the trigger and fired its blast with Ianto in the way. The two men threw themselves before the two leading invaders, the two with the weapons that could cause destruction to the nuclear plant, firing at them. The two men hoped to down the two, giving the rest of the team to take care of the third and final alien that had come through the Rift a day and a half ago. Jack realized as he hit his target, the third metallic figure was firing at him. He was not aware of the second almost immediate blast that shot out toward Ianto.
Jack came back from the darkness almost four days later, to find that Liam had found a way to reverse the Rift as something was detected coming through, sending it not back where it came from, but to destinations unknown. It was based on a program Tosh had started working on all those years ago, and every computer specialist they had since continued to build on it. The three field invaders were killed. For two days they monitored Rift activity until it died down, but for months after, a very close watch was kept on it, manning the Hub 24/7 with at least one person. Which was hard, being they were down two people. The casualties were Ianto and the youngest member of the team.
Jack buried his grief, insisting on taking most of the night watches. He moved out of the cottage and back into the Hub. Only when he was alone, he gave into his pain of losing half his life, as it felt to him. If he didn't have four young people under the age of 27 who needed him for guidance, to help them overcome their losses, assure they reached their full potential, he'd have gladly climbed into the cell next to Ianto's in the vault to never come out. Whenever he felt as if he truly could not continue anymore, he heard Ianto's voice in his head telling him he could not give up. Torchwood was their life, and through Torchwood, Ianto would continue to live. He would also hear the last words from Ianto on that day, telling him that he would love Jack forever.
It gave Jack the strength to carry on.
Later that evening, the team had set up camp, and were starting to pan out, looking for anything potentially dangerous.
Jack stood at the edge of their camp, looking out into the night. Seleny, and Olivia, Torchwood's medic and Seleny's lover, approached Jack before heading out into the woods. Seleny touched Jack's arm, bringing his attention to her.
"It all seems to be centered within the established parameters, Uncle Jack," she informed him. "Don't worry. We'll find whatever it was."
"Hopefully before it finds us," Olivia commented with a grimace.
Jack gave both women a reassuring smile. "I have complete confidence in this team. This is almost routine." He pointed at finger at Olivia. "And you always say the same thing, Livvy."
Seleny laughed, looking fondly at her lover. "She does, doesn't she?"
"This is a gang up. I'm going out to find those buggers. Are you coming, Sel?"
Seleny winked at Jack with a grin, and followed her lover toward the woods.
Jack remained standing, watching, listening. He listened beyond only what he heard coming over the Bluetooth from members of his team. There was something in the air. He couldn't quite pin down what, but he knew he should know it. He was also trying his best to ignore just how close the situation was to that day 21 years ago. He shook his head as he heard comments from Seleny in reply to something the Archivist was rambling on about. "Hey Trenton, if you want to shag the aliens, all you need is to ask them," she spoke into the Bluetooth.
Laughter came from the team through their comms.
"That's one way of chasing 'em back. Send word to the aliens that Trenton wants to shag 'em. We'll see them running back into the Rift screaming," Allan, his current second, added to more laughter.
Jack found himself grinning. "All right, kids. Time and a place," he reminded them, but glad for the teasing among the team.
"Let's just hope our dear Captain doesn't pop in out of nowhere on us tonight," Trenton remarked a few minutes later.
"If I have to, I will," Jack replied, still standing in the same spot, waiting for something, but not sure what.
"Thank you so much for that wonderful gift you gave to Jack, Seleny," Allan commented.
"Hey, last time it saved your life, didn't it?" Jack asked. What had finally convinced Jack to hire Seleny was when she handed over his 'missing' (which she had somehow quite effectively managed to procure) vortex manipulator - with the ability for short range teleport, and promises that within time, she would get the rest of it working. He found himself with a certified quantum scientist on his team that day. Seleny had gone to university to study theoretical and quantum physics. By the time she showed up at Torchwood, she had her PhD. With her on the team, they started to unravel mysteries behind alien artifacts and tech at a pace beyond Jack's expectations.
"Right. Sorry, Captain," Trenton remarked, not sounding very contrite. "We're panning out further."
"Continue to keep comms open," Jack reminded everyone. Something in the distance caught his attention. He mentally went over where everyone from the team should be, and realized there was no one in that direction. "Kids, I'm going to take a walk going northeast, toward the parameter."
"Be careful," Seleny's voice warned him.
"Don't worry," Jack replied, as he started to walk out toward the woods, his flashlight, which was another gift from Seleny, on. "I'll come back."
"Thanks for the warning, Captain," Allan quipped.
"The rest of you be careful," Jack remarked, amid the laughter, shaking his head. The Torchwood team that consisted of him, Ianto, Gwen, Tosh and Owen will always be his favorite. The one he felt closest too, with strong familial ties. This current line-up was quickly becoming his second favorite. They reminded him of how it used to be, and always bringing back the good memories. He dreaded the days when he would have to say goodbye to these people.
The patch of woods was not deep and he found himself coming out to a clearing. He froze in his tracks as his flashlight lit up an object further out in the field. Immediately he knew what it was. A blue police box, just sitting in the middle of nowhere.
Considering he had not had contact with the Doctor since Martha's funeral, he had a bad feeling about it. Having the Doctor show up now, out of nowhere told him trouble was in the forecast. Had it been just a routine fuel stop, he would have noticed it on the Plass, next to the water tower.
As he finally forced himself to take a step forward, the door to the TARDIS opened. A man stepped out from the light spilling out from the inside. Jack felt a familiar pang of love for the TARDIS. However, for the man who controlled the TARDIS, he no longer knew what to think of. A long time ago he had stopped waiting for the right Doctor to come along and fix him. He could not be fixed. He accepted that, had for many years, despite the heaviness in his heart for losing so many who were close to him in recent years, for outliving his life partner, half of his soul. If he survived Ianto's death, there was nothing to stop him now. There would be more pain and suffering in losing people he cared for, but never again will he experience the level of loss he had when Ianto died. It felt as if half his soul had been ripped from him. It still did. Yet as much as the pain of losing people he lost felt like a curse, he knew his immortality was a gift. He could use it to continue to keep Cardiff save, help those who needed the assistance of Torchwood. Jack had also made his choice a long time ago, to remain on Earth, in Cardiff, heading Torchwood Three and guarding over the Rift. He had no regrets, particularly since when he returned after making that choice, there was Ianto waiting for him. Had he decided to go with the Doctor, he would never have built the life he did with Ianto for all those years. Over twenty years after Ianto was gone, Jack still did not feel like leaving. His place was still there in Cardiff. It was not time to leave yet. He sometimes wondered if he ever would.
So Jack had no need for the Doctor, unless Jack was needed to once again save the world on a grander proportion than Torchwood's monthly run.
He approached the Doctor, noting the pinstripe suit and the hair, realizing the Doctor was still in his 10th regeneration. Both men continued to walk until they stopped a meter apart.
"Jack," the Doctor greeted.
"Doctor," Jack replied, studying him. He held his hands up to indicate he held only a flashlight, his gun still in the holster at his waist. He noticed the Doctor's eyes on it. Keeping a straight face, he held it out a little to give the Doctor a better look. "I have a sonic flashlight," he deadpanned.
With a smirk, the Doctor looked at it. "Hey, you do!" he commented. He snatched it from Jack's hand, peering closely at it. "Not bad for human construct."
"Hey, my niece made that!" Jack complained. "So ease up."
"You don't have a niece," the Doctor pointed out.
Jack folded his arms, peering at the Doctor. "I do, too. And I also have a sonic flashlight." He grinned at the Time Lord. "And you don't have one!" He barked out a laugh, grinning at the Doctor as he grabbed it back.
They shared a look, then both started to laugh as they hugged. "Good to see you again," Jack said, thumping the Time Lord on his back. He pulled away. "But why are you here?"
"To help you, of course."
"Help?" Jack looked around into the night again. "Are you saying this is something big?" Once again Jack's mind went back to the forward deployed invasion force who killed two of his team, and changed Jack's life.
The Doctor studied Jack. "I'm not saying. It's him," he replied, hitching a thumb in the direction of the TARDIS. "He insisted that I take him here. And we were just on our way to Barcelona," he groaned with regret. He turned his head toward the open door.
Jack looked past the Doctor as a figure stepped into the light. "I see you gave up blondes," Jack commented with a smirk.
The Doctor glared at Jack. "This is Stef. He's been with me for a while now."
Jack could see Stef was wearing a dark blue jumpsuit, with something akin to an old style flight jacket.
Stef stepped out of the TARDIS, giving the Doctor a mild glare. "The name's Stefaine. Stefaine Aldasseran." He looked over to Jack.
Jack stared at the dark haired man, who spoke with those beautiful rolling Welsh vowels. His mouth dropped. Stef's eyes were a silvery gray, but the shape was achingly familiar. And those lips. Jack's breath caught. So close. So damn close to his Ianto.
Close enough that Jack shot past the Doctor, and ran up to the Companion. He discovered he was met halfway, and the two greeted each other with a hug. Jack pulled back his head.
"Captain Jack Harkness, I presume," Stefaine stated.
"Yes," Jack replied. "That's me. And you're… Stefaine. Stefaine Aldasseran." Jack tried to remind himself of that. This was not his Ianto. The man he still held in a loose hug was another being. Ianto was dead, locked in the Vaults. Still their first hellos echoed of a time around 46 years ago. He found he could not stop himself from moving his head closer. He was shocked at himself, but still could not stop. He was even more shocked when he felt the mouth close to his respond to the kiss.
The Doctor sighed impatiently. "Jack, please. Stef, not with him. Really."
The two men pulled apart, grinning at the other. "It's…" Jack had to catch his breath, and start again. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Stefaine."
"The feeling is mutual, Jack." Stefaine smiled at him.
Jack found himself being lost in the smile. In those silvery eyes, not the same color, and yet so like eyes he could still see whenever he closed his eyes.
"Enough, enough!" the Doctor insisted, making his way between both men. He turned to glare at Stefaine. "I didn't bring you here just so you could shag him."
Stef grinned at the Doctor. "Now how would you know if that was to save him or not?"
The Doctor threw his hands up in the air. He turned to look at Jack. "How's your team doing, Jack?" he asked. "Are they out there somewhere?
"My…" Jack seemed to snap out from a daze, and pulled away from Stefaine. He listened to the usual banter and barbs among his team through the Bluetooth as they continued to comb the area. He started to frown.
"Problem?" Stefaine asked.
"If there was something to be found, I was hoping someone would have stumbled across it by now." Jack's frown increased.
"I would offer you the services of the TARDIS to help, but," the Doctor said with a smirk, "you have a sonic flashlight."
Jack glared at the Time Lord. 'Ha ha ha, very funny."
Stef gazed at their surroundings, and then started to walk around the area. "Oh, something is out there, indeed," he commented, still in a beautiful Welsh lithe.
"Why don't we see them?" Jack asked.
"Because they don't want to be seen yet," the Companion remarked.
Jack gritted his teeth. "If I have to deal with any more cloaked aliens this century." He choked back the sob that threatened to come out, his eyes going to Stefaine. "Wait! What do you mean save me?" Jack continued to follow the other man, leaving the Doctor behind.
"Hello. Still here," the Doctor commented dryly, remained where he stood.
Jack looked back at the Time Lord. "Wait a minute!" He stalked back to the Doctor. "You took him here… to save… me?" He stared in amazement. "How permanent?"
The Doctor sighed.
"Enough that you wouldn't come back this time," Stef commented.
"How do you know?" Jack called out, looking back to Stef.
"I just do. I know everything." Stef had his hands in the pockets of his jumpsuit, looking smug.
"So he keeps saying," the Doctor sighed.
Jack did a double take at Stef. "So you do, huh?" He grinned at the dark haired man he just met not very long ago, and yet was so familiar to him. When the other nodded, Jack turned his attention back to the Doctor. "I would think this would be a good thing to you. You know, me dying. As in no longer a fixed point. Finally right." Jack's voice dripped with sarcasm.
A hand landed on Jack's shoulder, making him jump slightly. He did not notice Stef come over to them. "Right would be keeping you alive. You're still needed in this world, Jack." He turned Jack around and gazed into gray blue eyes. "Do you want to die?" he asked.
Jack shook his head. "No. Not anymore. For now."
Stef nodded. "We need to gather your team. They are just wasting their time out there, because they'll never see what you're looking for."
"And you can?" Jack asked, uncertain.
"No. Not see. But I can feel."
Suddenly common sense kicked in, and Jack started to speak into his Bluetooth. "Everyone return to camp right now. I'll meet you there," he snapped.
"What's up, Jack?" Allan asked.
"I'll explain when I get there. Move!" He looked at Stefaine and the Doctor. "Would you care to accompany me?"
Stef nodded. "Of course. As long as I'm with you, you're okay for now."
"Right," Jack chuckled nervously. "What about my team?"
"They're safe. It's you they want."
Jack rolled his eyes. "Oi! Not again with the 'I-made-enemies' thing."
"But you did," Stefaine insisted.
Jack looked over to the Doctor.
"I know Stef well enough to pay attention to what he says," the Doctor said. "Most times."
"Let's go then." Jack started to walk toward the campsite, with Stefaine next to him. He noticed that the other man grasped his hand and held it as they started to walk. He did not know what to think of the fact that he allowed it, and even drew comfort from it.
"Oh, let's leave the TARDIS open, shall we?" the Doctor called out as he rushed back to the blue police box.
Jack and Stef shared a look and sighed as they stopped to wait for the Doctor to lock up the TARDIS and join them.
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