Book Two of Torchwood: After the Fall
The End is Where We Start From
Summary: Immediately after "Everything Changes", Jack and Ianto deal with family issues. Torchwood has to learn how to function with the not-so-new additions while they learn a bit more about the effects and consequences of changing Time. Oh, and aliens once again threaten the earth.
Disclaimer: See my author profile.
Notes: Again, see if you can name what book/episode/magazine/audio stories have been referenced. Hopefully more lighthearted that Book One, but it's not TW without some drama.
Oh! And I unintentionally used a pun (probably a bad one at that) so see if you can spot it!
Normally I don't like to post until I am completely finished with a story. However, Book Two had other plans. Part One alone was close to being as long as all of Book One so since I'm finished with Part Two (and currently rewriting Part Three) I decided to post Part One now and a few other stories that I've been working on. I made this decision because of those who have read and enjoyed Book One-- I don't like to have too long between updates when it's a multi-part story so Book One fans can see what the boys and Co. are up to without having to wait too long.
Love it or hate it, drop me a line either at my email twiantojones yahoo . com (no spaces) or click the review button. I appreciate all critiques and opinions, but flames will be used to heat up a pot of Greek coffee. Enjoy!
~_~_~
"One chapter of our lives is over, done. It's time for a new chapter to begin," Ianto said. He reached out both his hands. Jack and Gwen each took one and then took each other's hands.
Gwen smiled at her two friends. "The end is where we start from. The 21st century changed us all. More changes are on the way, good and bad. Torchwood is ready."
Jack squeezed both hands in his grip. "Ianto Jones, Gwen Cooper-Williams and Jack Harkness are ready. Together, I know we can do anything."
"I love you." Ianto looked at them, first Jack, then Gwen. "Both of you. I love you more than anything. Together, even when Time and Death take us from here, from you Gwen. We'll be together forever."
"Forever," Gwen whispered, gripping them tightly. "Forever together."
~_~_~
PART ONE
One week had passed since Captain Jack Harkness had brought his lover Ianto Jones back to life. It had been a busy week what with Jack and Ianto getting re-accustomed with life on earth (not to mention with living and breathing again, in Ianto's case). Gwen Cooper was quite insistent that Jack return to the role of leader that he had performed so well for years, but at the same time he refused to jump back into it full-time. Instead he had taken Ianto to a house he owned a few miles away and had re-accustomed himself with his lover.
The house was not far from the Hub, which made it easy for the two men to pop in and see what everyone was up to every day. Jack refused to let Ianto work for the moment. Part of him was still afraid that he was going to blink and realize that it was all just a dream. He was afraid that he would wake up and Ianto would still be dead.
Jack smiled as he watched Ianto carefully measure out the right amount of fresh ground beans needed to produce the perfect cup of dark roasted coffee, using a small knife to level off the measuring spoon. He had missed this; the way Ianto did everything to the point of being OCD was one of the things he had remembered best about the younger man. It was the little things that made a person real, that made a person memorable. Oftentimes people saw the ordinary as mundane and boring; only when it was too late did they realize that it was those overlooked details that told the whole story of a person.
And after being given this chance, Jack Harkness was not about to take the little things for granted again.
True, he now had Ianto for all of Time. There was no doubt about that fact. However, there would still be heartache and unimaginable suffering. The consequences that he, Ianto as well, would suffer were going to be great and unending. While Jack understood what Time had told him to expect, Ianto was still coming to grips with the reality of it all. It was frustrating since that meant that Ianto had lots of questions to ask about their situation but Jack was able to calmly answer without losing patience. This was mainly due to the fact that he still had all of the memories from before he brought Ianto back. He had billions of years worth of memories and he'd had billions of years to come to terms with what he was going to do (had done) whereas Ianto had only had a few days.
Patience was only one of the many things that Jack had learned over the years.
"Coffee?"
Ianto held out a dark blue mug of the dark brew and smiled at his lover. It felt good to be back. Back with Jack, back to life and back to a routine. Being with Jack was at the top of the list. He would have spent forever in the darkness waiting for Jack to die and join him even though it was only a few minutes here and there, so being alive was second. Having a routine for someone who had been an archivist, an extremely organized archivist, was also quite nice and so was on the list.
Oh, to be sure the routine was rather dull at the moment, but it was nice. Every day he awoke at six a.m. after a good three hours sleep (being a Fixed Point in Time and Space meant he needed less of it) and had a shower (with Jack) followed by a brisk two-mile jog (with Jack) and then a light breakfast of cereal and coffee (with Jack). The rest of the morning was spent reading through the updated Torchwood archives to see what sort of aliens had tried to take over the earth in their absence (with Jack). After a lunch of Lean Cuisine and salad (with Jack) they explored Cardiff from the perspective of tourists. It was actually quite nice to look with fresh eyes as they had both been away for so long and even when they had lived here before neither of them had really looked around, had never really appreciated what Cardiff had to offer. Afterwards they would stop into the hub and chat with the others before heading for home. They either picked up Chinese or pizza for dinner.
After dinner (and coffee with Jack) Ianto either read a book (which he'd rarely had time to do before he died) or watched reruns on the telly. While he was occupied in the living room, Jack was at the kitchen table busy writing in a journal, reading the newspaper or researching aliens. Eventually the two of them would become frustrated and play a game that Ianto liked to call Seduction. There were no losers, only winners, as no matter who seduced who they ended up naked and lost in the throes of passion. Sometimes this lasted for hours, other times (okay, once, that first night, but hey, Ianto had just come back to life and was completely exhausted) they had only lasted a short while and had just lain together. The best part of it was the way that their day ended. After they had made love they would simply talk. Sometimes they would lie down together, spooning, on the bed. Other times they sat on the couch. It didn't really matter where they talked; they just enjoyed their conversations. The next day would be started the same way-- Ianto and Jack.
"Oy!"
Jack looked up from the evening paper. "What?"
"Do you realize that in the last seven days you and I have spent all of our time together? As in 'joined at the hip' together." Ianto reached for the remote and turned the television off with a heavy sigh and then joined him at the kitchen table. "Jack, I love you, more than I've ever loved anyone, but we're spending too much time together and we're spending it doing nothing."
"Well, I wouldn't say nothing…" Jack began.
"Sex is all you think about isn't it?"
"Actually, my dear Mr. Jones, I wasn't talking about that. Although yes, we do a lot of that," Jack smiled at him. "You're the one who was adamant that we stay here on earth and at Torchwood. Both of us have been gone for a while. Lots of aliens have come and gone; the Torchwood Alien Database has been greatly expanded not to mention that just reading through all of the case reports is time consuming. Even though when you die you won't stay dead, I don't feel comfortable with either of us walking into a dangerous situation without at least a little time to get our feet back on solid ground. Besides, I enjoy spending time with you. We didn't do enough of that before."
"True," Ianto conceded. "You asked me on a date a few hours after you returned from The Year That Never Was and it was a few weeks later, the day before we thawed out Tommy that we got to go on it."
"So then you can see why I'm reluctant to let go of this 'couple time' we have." Jack sipped his coffee and smiled at the look on the other's face. He knew what was coming and he had prepared himself for this particular conversation.
"I thought," Ianto said in an incredulous voice. "That you hated the word 'couple'?" It had been painful for him to listen to Jack's dismissal of the status of their relationship. The week that the 456 had made contact, he had been trying to figure out just how serious Jack was about them. Every time he had brought up being a couple he had been rebuked. Now he was just confused.
"Ianto, I've had a lot of time to think about it. I've never liked being labeled anything. In the 51st century, using labels like 'couple' to describe a relationship is archaic. Also, back when you were trying to call us a couple, I felt like it was because of your nature and not because you actually saw us as one."
"What do you mean?"
"By nature, you're a very organized individual. You categorize everything from your sock drawer to the cans of soup in your kitchen cupboard. You have to organize and label every aspect of your life. Every day, even now, you write down what suit, shirt and tie, waist coat or not you're wearing so that you can be sure to not wear that particular combination again for at least five days."
"Okay, so I'm OCD, I get that. I thought you liked that about me?"
"I do."
"Then what's the matter?" Ianto was now seriously confused. Yes, he had his cupboards organized by product type, brand name, and size and alphabetized. Yes, he wrote down what he wore each day. Yes, he had a sock drawer. Jack had never seemed to mind before. Had he been so wrong in his assessment of Jack's feelings for him? The older man had told him on their first night back that he liked Ianto's quirks.
"I was afraid that you were trying to pin a label on our relationship because you needed to organize it like you did the rest of your life. I didn't want that. I wanted us to live in the moment, to enjoy ourselves as much as we could for as long as we could."
"But that's what I wanted!" Ianto said in exasperation. "I kept needling you because I wasn't sure if you actually wanted to be with me because you cared about me or if you were with me because there was no one better at the time. I wasn't trying to organize or label us. Just figure out what we were."
"There is no one better, not for me." Jack's voice was soft. He looked away and then folded up his newspaper. "Ianto, I spent years thinking about why I didn't want to call us a 'couple'. It took me a while but I finally figured it out."
"Tell me." Ianto had his own suspicions, but he needed to hear it come from Jack's mouth.
Jack turned towards him; he reached across the table and took Ianto's hands in his, holding them tightly. This man meant so much to him. He had more than a few years on the man yet he felt so immature in comparison. He only wished that he had figured it out so much sooner.
"You needed to know that I cared about you, about us. So many things had happened so fast -- Lisa, the Doctor, Gwen's engagement -- you were never sure where you stood. You couldn't figure out if I was truly serious about us being together or if I was with you just because. You were so worried that I was going to run off and leave you behind, you kept at me, trying to find out if I considered us a couple." He fell silent. "Remember," he continued softly. "When I became Captain Jack Gordian and was about to leave earth?"
"Yes." It was at that moment that Ianto had realized the depths of his feelings for Jack.
"I could hear you, while I was still connected to Gordian. You were scared that I was going to go and leave you all alone. I could hear your voice. Ianto, you were so scared, it was breaking my heart. I knew that you loved me then. And it scared me that I cared that much, that deep about someone. It scared me that I loved you even then but I couldn't abandon you, not again."
"Why did you tell me 'Don't'? What did you mean?" Ianto had to know. As he had lay dying that comment more than anything had hurt him.
"I was losing you. I could feel you dying. I was dying because I was losing you. There had been so much that I wanted to tell you, so many things I had wanted us to do, and I was out of time. I said 'Don't' because I couldn't say it. I couldn't say that I loved you too." He let go of Ianto's hands and went to the sink to rinse out his cup. "I tried to convince myself that I hadn't loved you. The day after Steven died, I went to your flat and curled up in your bed. It smelled like you. I cried myself to sleep, praying that when I woke up you would be there and it would all have been just a horrible nightmare. But you weren't there." He tried to not think about how much it had hurt, when the realization had hit that Ianto was gone.
Ianto joined him at the sink. He wrapped his arms around Jack's waist and rested his chin on a hard shoulder. It was good to get all of this off their chests, out into the open. He still didn't fully understand what sorts of consequences they were going to experience, but he knew that they would face it all together. Getting through all of this right now, no matter how difficult it proved to be, would make it all easier in the long run.
"So how about a compromise?" he asked.
"Go on."
"Well, seeing as the word 'couple' is outdated in your time, how about whenever it comes up in conversation we simply say that we're 'together'?"
"'Together, huh'?" Jack's smile was slow but sure. "I like that. It's less label, more intimate, just like us." He turned in his lover's arms and wrapped his own around the smaller waist. "And I think you're right. We are spending too much time together. How about each day we spend a few hours in the morning and evening together and the rest of the day doing our own thing? That way we won't drive each other completely crazy and we'll miss each other enough to get worn out at night."
Ianto laughed. "Okay, that sounds like a very well-thought out plan to me."
~_~_~
It was Gwen who made the call. They had discussed it yesterday when they had come by after lunch. Ianto wanted to see his sister, to talk things over with her. He knew that it would be difficult; after all he had been dead for several years now. Even though he was certain she was going to be angry with him, perhaps even afraid, he needed to see her.
He didn't want to upset her by popping by the house or calling her directly. He seriously doubted that Rhiannon would survive the shock of seeing her deceased brother standing on her doorstep alive and breathing. So he had asked Gwen to arrange a meeting.
Gwen sat on a park bench sipping from a travel mug as she waited for Ianto's older sister. She had agreed that the two siblings should meet, despite Jack's loud protests. It wasn't because he was being selfish and wanted to keep Ianto locked up; instead it was out of concern for his lover. Who knew how Rhiannon would react to the news that the brother she had buried five years ago was walking and talking and, oh yes, immortal? Gwen wasn't really sure just how much Ianto was going to divulge to his sister but she was willing to help arrange for Ianto to see her.
"Even if after this she doesn't want anything to do with me," Ianto had said. "I owe her an explanation. I've lied to her enough, about what I did for a living, about my relationship with Jack, about everything, that I can't just stay away without at least talking to her one last time."
And so now Gwen was sitting on a bench in a park sipping coffee from a plastic travel mug waiting for Rhiannon to show up.
A short distance away, Ianto sat in Gwen's car and waited. He was not looking forward to this. Oh certainly he wanted to see his sister again but he was unsure of her reaction. When she had learned that he was not a mere civil servant she had not been very happy. Add to that the terror of the entire alien threat and government betrayal and no, his sister had not been a very happy person.
He reached for and took a sip from his own travel mug. He froze mid-sip as he saw his sister approach the bench that Gwen sat on.
She looked the same as she had the last time he had seen her, just a little bit older. She had let her hair grow out a bit; it looked nice. He remembered her being awkward as a teenager. Many of her schoolmates had taunted her because of her weight. Now that she was older she had become more comfortable with her body and carried the extra weight with pride. Part of that he knew was due to Johnny. He loved Rhiannon no matter how plump she was. Although Ianto had never cared much for his sister's choice of spouse, he had never truly objected to the relationship because even as a shy prepubescent boy he had seen the affection that the sod had for Rhiannon.
He wished that he had brought a comm unit with him; he could see the two women talking and wanted to know what was being said. He would just have to wait for the signal.
Rhiannon leaned back against the bench as she shared little tidbits about the children's school activities. She had been most surprised when Gwen had wanted to have their weekly chat in person but she had obliged the other woman. It was strange that she had become close to one of the people who had worked with her brother. At first she had refused any sort of friendship from the woman, hanging up each time she had called the house and tossing out letters that she had sent. It was only a few months after the funeral that she had opened the front door to get the mail and found Gwen standing there about to knock (and about to burst at seven months' pregnant) that she had finally given in.
The two had chatted for hours over tea and biscuits. Gwen had told her exactly what sort of organization her brother had worked for and what it was that he had done there. Ianto's diary had survived the bomb that had torn apart the hub and Gwen had returned it to her. She had said that after their initial meeting, where Rhiannon had accused her of not knowing the real Ianto Jones, she was determined to do his memory justice. She had felt guilty reading her brother's innermost thoughts, but she had been able to learn more about him after his death than she had while he had been alive. The horrors he had experienced, from Canary Wharf and losing Lisa to losing two friends to Jack's psychotic brother, who had been seeking revenge, had unnerved her greatly. She had learned just how strong and vulnerable her brother had become because of what he had seen and done. She had also learned the intensity of his feelings for Captain Jack Harkness.
At first Rhiannon had blamed Jack for her brother's too soon death. He never should have gone with Jack to the Thames House. If Jack wanted to risk his own life then fine, but he should have forced Ianto to stay with Gwen where he would have been safe. It had taken her a while, after several readings of the diary, for her to understand that Ianto had loved Jack to the point that he would have joyfully put himself in mortal danger again and again if only to be able to fight by Jack's side. And she had also realized, thanks to Gwen showing her the video of the events in the Thames House, that Ianto had meant that much to Jack as well.
"Then I take it all back- but not him!"
She remembered hearing the anguish in Jack's voice as he tried to bargain for Ianto's life. It had shocked her to the core that two people who had been together for such a short time could have such deep feelings for each other.
"Don't leave me, please."
She had seen Jack try to kiss her brother one last time, knowing that he would never get the chance again. Rhiannon had been angry when she learned that Jack had survived the virus that had killed her brother and so many others.
"Immortal? What the hell do you mean he's immortal?" she had shouted after Gwen had shown her the video and told her what Jack had been forced to do. "Then why did he take Ianto with him? Ianto never should have been there! He was mortal! Jack should have known better. Ianto trusted him to keep him safe! How could you have let him do that?"
Gwen had cried (she had put some of the blame for Ianto's death on herself, because yes, she should have made him stay with her) and then they had cried together. Now, five years after her brother's pointless death, Rhiannon was sitting on a park bench with the same woman who had helped combat the aliens that had threatened her children.
The conversation slowly trailed away. Both Gwen and Rhiannon sat in a companionable silence. It was a few minutes before Rhiannon dared to speak again.
"So why did you want to see me?" She knew it was something to do with Ianto. Or there was another alien threat to the children. Rhiannon didn't know which but she was willing to listen, if nothing else than because Ianto's sacrifice had helped save Mica and David.
Gwen took a deep breath and looked at the older woman. "Ianto."
"What about him?" God it hurt to think about him. Every year on August 19th they celebrated Ianto's birthday. Every Christmas holiday she looked through the family photo albums with the children so that they would remember their uncle. To think about him any other day hurt so much that she tried to avoid it if possible. In truth, she felt as if she had failed her brother in life.
"Jack has come back to earth." Gwen watched for a reaction. She had gone to Rhiannon's house the morning after Jack had fled the planet and had been surprised (though pleased) that she had been able to sit down and talk about Ianto, Jack, Torchwood and the events that had led to her being on the doorstep in the first place. To say that Rhiannon was not happy with Jack was something of an understatement. Even after all of this time, she still held Jack accountable for Ianto's death, even though she had long since forgiven him.
"What does that have to do with Ianto?"
"Because he's alive Rhiannon. Ianto is alive."
Rhiannon gaped open-mouthed as Gwen raised a hand to her hair, brushing it back from her face into a ponytail.
No, it wasn't true. If Ianto had survived (which he hadn't because she had identified the body for autopsy, had watched the casket being lowered into the ground) he would have contacted her.
"Stop it."
"If you don't believe me," Gwen said as she stood. "Then maybe you'll believe him."
Slowly, Rhiannon turned to follow Gwen's gaze. A young man wearing a dark suit and a trench coat was walking towards them. His piercing blue eyes were locked onto her own matching orbs. He stopped when he was directly in front of her.
"Hello, Rhiannon," Ianto said softly.
Rhiannon stood and stared at her brother. Her little brother, the one who had died so that her children could be safe, was standing right in front of her.
"Ianto?" she whispered. "Is it really you?"
"Yes, it's really me. I've alive."
SLAP.
~_~_~
It was like déjà vu. Alice opened the door to her house, the same house she had lived in five years ago, and stood there looking at him. Jack looked back at her, uncertain whether or not this time he would be granted entrance. The last time he had been at this house there had been a little blond headed boy who had jumped into his arms and demanded attention. But that little boy was gone now. He would never again want to play football in the backyard with 'Uncle Jack'.
"Well, come in then," Alice said as she turned and walked back towards the kitchen.
Jack counted to ten and followed, closing the door behind him. He walked into the kitchen and watched silently as she fixed them both a cup of coffee. A part of him expected to hear the sounds of a child playing and it hurt. It hurt so much that he wanted to run out of the house and find Ianto. If he could hold him now this would be easier. But Ianto wasn't here with him. Ianto had gone to see his sister. Jack knew that it was something that Ianto had to do on his own, just as Jack needed to talk with his daughter on his own. She had been avoiding him at the Hub. Ianto had said that this was unacceptable. They had sat down together with Gwen and discussed it. While Jack wanted to keep his lover safe from anything that could hurt him, he also knew that Ianto needed to see his sister. The only thing that had managed to silence his worried protests was Ianto promising to introduce him to his family, so long as things went well today.
He was jolted from his thoughts as two white mugs were placed on the table. He sat down and lifted the one nearest him to his lips. The brew was not nearly as divine as Ianto's but it was a far better quality that anything he himself could have made.
"We need to talk."
He had to smile as he looked at her. Direct and to the point, just like her mother.
"Yeah," he said. "We do." He sipped at his coffee and then set it down. "Alice, I know you hate me for what I did, both five years ago and last week. But you have to understand-- I need him. Eternity without him was unbearable."
"But why couldn't you save Steven too? Your own flesh and blood." Why had her baby had to suffer in the first place; it wasn't fair.
"I could only save one. And I'm sorry, but I had to choose Ianto." He glanced over his shoulder to the window. Once a little boy had played just out there in the yard. "I don't expect you to agree with my decision, but it was my decision. Yes, I wanted to be able to save Steven as well as Ianto. But Time is a tricky thing to manipulate. Time is sentient, like you and me. It can think and feel like humans do. I was only able to change Time because of a young girl who had become linked to it before, the same girl who caused me to be immortal. She 'fixed' her mistake by providing me with the means of saving one person. It had to be either Ianto or Steven. But by saving them they would be like me-- they will never stay dead. Steven was just a little boy who had barely begun to live. But he would have stayed a little boy for several millennia before he would start to grow up, to age. His mind would quite possibly not have aged at all during that time. Do you want that? Do you want to have your child be a child for thousands and thousands of years and never really grow up? Do you want him, as a little boy, be alone for the rest of Time without his mother simply because he died so young?"
Alice frowned and looked away. To be honest, she had never even considered any of this. All she had wanted was her baby back. She had not considered the consequences. Consequences.
"Dad, you said that there were going to be consequences for changing Time. What sort of consequences?"
Jack sighed heavily. Ianto was having difficulty dealing with the whole idea of eternal punishment for Jack. How would Alice feel about his endless suffering? Would she even care?
"You can see how my face has been damaged." He indicated the scar. "My body, front and back, is covered with scars. Each scar represents the civilizations that will no longer exist because Ianto is alive. Billions of people who one day once flourished will never be born because of me. I had to endure unimaginable pain to get these scars since dying heals my wounds. I also remember everything that happened to me for billions of years and I will continue to remember, with perfect clarity, until Time itself stops and I cease to exist. The worst part is that I'm now linked to Ianto. I can now feel his physical pains as if it's me that's been hurt. Even something so small as a hangnail I'll feel. And when I say feel, I mean feel. Each injury he receives so will I. Each injury I receive, he'll also experience. When he dies, I'll die too."
"But why would you want to go through that? Why would he?" Suddenly she was very glad that Steven was still dead because she would not wish such a thing on anyone.
"Because I spent an eternity regretting ever meeting him. Meeting him was what killed him. He died because he met me. If I had been more forceful in refusing to hire him then he would never have been with me that day five years ago. I would never have loved him. But I did meet him. His death is as much my fault as the aliens. I could have kept him away, but I was afraid of going to face the 456 alone." He scoffed at that thought. Him, Captain Jack Harkness, the immortal man afraid of an alien that was high. "I can endure any pain so long as I have him with me. Even if he hated me and chose to leave me, I would still gladly bear the pain because he would be alive. I need him, more than I have ever needed anyone."
"You said you loved him. More than mom?"
Jack looked at her, pain reflected in both their eyes. "I loved your mother until she died. But she was afraid of the man I was, not just that I was immortal, but because I didn't care if people got hurt. But Ianto helped me change. I don't know when it happened, I don't know if it happened suddenly or over time. But he changed me. Once, a while back, I was held prisoner for nearly a year. Every day I was tortured and killed. When I was in the dark I could only think of one thing. Ianto. I needed to see him again. When I was able to return to him, I was afraid of falling too deep and so I strung him along while flirting with Gwen. He never really was sure what he was to me. It was only after we lost Owen and Tosh that I began to slip up, I let my feelings through a few times. I tried to think of him as my friend, my lover and nothing more. But he had all ready taken my heart when I first met him. Without him to keep the nightmares at bay, I would have gone insane. My memories of him never once left my mind, not even when I tried to let him go. And believe me, I did try to forget him, to move on."
"You love him." Alice frowned a little. She had seen how devastated her father had been when he had chosen to sacrifice her son. It had been afterwards, after the funeral that she had learned that her father's lover had died as well. It had taken her several months to be able to forgive him in her heart because she knew that there had been no other choice. One child or millions, that was the choice he'd had to make. She had tried to contact her father only to learn that he was gone. He had left earth. He had left her.
A graveyard. That was what Gwen said he called the planet. Earth had become a graveyard to him. She had never known about where her father had come from (or when) nor had she known about his parents and brother. He had kept it a secret from her and possibly her mother too. Yet he had shared much of himself with Ianto.
She found that she could not be angry with the young man in question. He had walked into the Thames House knowing full well that he might die and had made a stand for the children of earth. He had kept his cool until the very end; he had died in the arms of the one he loved. He had not asked to be brought back, only to be remembered. He was alive because her father loved him too much to let him go without a fight. No, she could not blame or be angry with Ianto Jones.
"If you love him," she said slowly. "Then take care of him. Immortal or not, he shouldn't have to suffer any more than absolutely necessary. I know how reckless you can be with your own life but now you have him to think about."
"I know." Jack smiled sadly. "I don't want him to be in pain, but I couldn't make it without him. And believe me when I say that I would have brought Steven back if I had been able."
"I believe you, Dad. It's just going to take some time to get past this. It was hard enough burying my son."
"So, are we okay then?" He knew that they had crossed a bridge of sorrow today. There would be more to cross soon, he knew that.
"Yes, providing that you understand my feelings and my need for time and space. I have to grieve for Steven all over again."
"Me too."
He rubbed at his cheek, wondering why it stung.
"By the way, why are there fingerprints on your face?"
~_~_~
He swiftly read through the information on the screen. He was more than a little angry. How many times did he have to explain it to people? Changing past events was not allowed. There were far too many consequences and most life forms were incapable of handling them.
Someone has changed Time. It was changed so that a single individual could live when he was supposed to die. This is unacceptable.
He had to find out who it was; both who had died and who had changed Time. He would have to mop up the mess. Of course, he certainly did not relish that he had to kill someone he had nothing against but the integrity of Time and Space had to be preserved.
I'm sorry, but I can't allow this to happen. I can promise to make it as swift and painless as possible.
His heart was very heavy with the knowledge of what he had to do. However if he didn't do it, there were other creatures that would do more than just heal the breach. Those creatures would kill every last living thing until they found their prey. He could not let that happen.
The computer beeped as it finished collating the information. He looked at the screen and closed his eyes in pain.
Oh no, no nonononono. Not this, anything, please anything but not this.
But he knew it was true. And he knew where he had to go and what he had to do.
"I'm so sorry."
~_~_~
Gwen gaped at Rhiannon. Okay, maybe this hadn't been such a good idea. She turned her eyes onto Ianto.
Ianto simply raised a hand to his reddened cheek and smiled softly.
"Well, at least you believe it's me," he said.
"You, you bastard!" Rhiannon 's voice shook as tears filled her eyes. "All this time, you've been alive all this time and you never told me?"
"No." Ianto shook his head at her with a sad smile. "No, Rhi, I haven't been alive. I did die five years ago. A week ago Jack was able to bring me back to life. He stopped me from being dead."
Rhiannon frowned. Wasn't it all the same thing? Suddenly she wished that she had completed her degree back when she was younger as she felt that her lack of a university education was blocking her understanding.
She sat down and tried to breathe. She looked up as her brother joined her on the bench and they sat in silence. Gwen slowly made her way to the car to wait. They didn't need her hanging around while they talked but she didn't feel right about leaving Ianto without transportation.
"I can't really explain it, Rhi, but Jack was able to change Time and our future to bring me back. It's not like in all those science fiction shows on the telly; to change the past is a difficult and dangerous thing to do. Jack has all ready been punished for saving me and now both of us will continue to be punished forever."
"What do you mean punished? How? And by forever do you mean until you die again or do you more for forever?" She always had been one to ask questions. Talk, talk, and talk. That was Rhiannon.
He took a deep breath and slowly released it, savoring the feel of air moving through his lungs. It was one of the things that he would never again take for granted.
"Jack's been tortured, both mentally and physically. His body is covered in horrible scars and he will always remember everything he has ever experienced. I don't even want to pretend to understand what he has been going through all this time because it would be insufficient to express what he's feeling. As for how long forever is? It's forever. I can't die, not the way that you can. Not anymore. When he brought me back it was for until the end of Time. Until Time ceases to be, so shall we be. Jack and I are going to live forever. It's not going to be pretty. We can feel each other's pains. Like when you slapped me just now I'm sure he could feel it, so please try to refrain from doing it again. Also, I can die, I just won't stay dead. Jack will also be able to feel that."
"So," Rhiannon said. "You're cursed to suffer over and over again until the universe ends?"
"That's it in a nutshell."
"So why do you seem so damned happy?"
Ianto smiled a real smile. "Because although I am going to have to watch, hopefully not from a distance, you and your family die of old age as well as everyone else around me that I care about, I'll have his shoulder to cry on forever. I know it won't be easy, and I know that there will be days when I'll hate that he saved me, but for me it's a good day if I get to see him for at least a moment. I love him."
Perhaps he should have stated that fact sooner, he thought. The moment he said those three words his sister came undone. She hugged him and gushed over him. It was as if he had not come back from the dead but a long vacation instead. She started telling him about the kids and Johnny as if it was only last week that he had seen her. Apparently, although she was only eleven Mica was quite popular with the boys. Women and their gossip. That was one thing he had not missed while dead. But then again, that really wasn't true. Yes, he had missed Jack most of all but he had missed all the little things too.
"Ianto!"
They looked up at Gwen who rushed towards them. "I'm so sorry, but I've got to go. Rift activity."
"Then let's go," he said as he stood.
"Jack will kill me if you get hurt," Gwen protested.
"Nope, sorry, not gonna work, Gwen." Ianto turned to his sister. "Are we all right?"
Rhiannon stood and smiled at him. "You're still my little brother, you daft sod. Come around for dinner?" she asked. She would have to prepare Johnny and the kids. A cover story, something about him being in a coma, would have to be told. She seriously doubted that her husband or kids could keep something like immortality a secret.
Ianto returned her smile with one of his own. "Can I bring Jack? He'd love to meet you, and he'll be able to answer your questions better than I."
"All right then." Rhiannon glanced at Gwen. "Now run along and save the world. Give me a ring, same number, and we'll set something up for later this week."
Ianto nodded and turned towards Gwen. "Shall we?"
"Let's."
They ran as fast as they could to the car.
~_~_~
Jack smiled as he and Alice rushed onto the Plass. They had spent several minutes looking through photographs and reminiscing about Alice's own childhood before getting called in. He hoped that he and Alice were on their way to forming a new relationship. If he couldn't be the father she needed then hopefully he could at least be her friend. The fact that she wanted to meet and get to know Ianto was a step in that direction.
"Jack!"
He whirled around and shook his head. "Ianto, no! Go back home and wait for me there!"
If he'd been hoping that his stern tone would be enough to make his lover listen to him then he was sorely disappointed. Ianto gave him an exasperated look and reached for his hand.
"Sorry, Jack, but this is where I need to be." He squeezed Jack's hand to soften the blow and turned towards the others. "So, any idea what we're up against?"
Besides the four of them, Andy, Martha, Mickey and Samantha were prepared to face the danger.
"All we know is that some sort of alien technology has come into contact with the Rift just over there." Mickey pointed towards the bay and then he froze. "Oh my God."
Jack saw his face; it had a very telling expression. He knew that expression. The expression told him more than what words could ever have said. And yet still he turned to see it for himself.
A blue Police Box stood near the railing that overlooked the bay. Martha, Mickey and Jack all recognized it. Ianto knew what it was as well (having been at the Torchwood Institute when it was captured). The other three merely looked confused.
"What is it?" Gwen asked; she prayed that it was not the thing that would take her away from her husband and child. She prayed it would not be the thing that would kill her.
"Hello, old friend."
They all turned simultaneously to look at a man in his thirties wearing a brown pinstriped suit with a pair of white trainers on his feet and glasses on his nose. He was leaning nonchalantly against the back of a bench with a casual air about him.
There was nothing about this man that was casual.
"Doctor."
Consequences be damned? Oh shit, had he really thought that before? He was in trouble now.
End Part One