Title: Crossed Wires (WIP)
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Torchwood. However, I do own many of the wrongs :D
Summary: My second attempt at a team!fic. As usual, it's gonna have Janto-ness in. No specific set time, just somewhere towards the end of series two, post-Reset/Day in the Death. Also, pre S4 DW.
…
The week had been quiet. Too quiet, for the team at Torchwood Three.
By Thursday afternoon they'd all had enough. Gwen had stormed out the Hub, saying she had better things to do, and even cleaning the toilet was more fun that hanging around in enclosed spaces listening to Owen whistle the most annoying tune he could think of. The doctor's smirk only served to confirm her suspicions, and with an exasperated sigh, stormed out.
"…and then there were four!" Owen proclaimed, cheerfully. Jack shot him a look from the walkway about the doctor's workstation, which he responded to with a lowering of his head and a look that might have somehow passed for guilt.
Suddenly, a small alarm started beeping at Toshiko's computer, startling the Asian woman so that she almost fell off her chair. She quickly righted herself, flicked her hair from her eyes and stared at the screen.
"I'm picking up some kind of activity… looks like Weevils but I'm not sure…" she trailed off.
Jack pushed back from the railing along the walkway and ran down the stairs "Right, me and Ianto'll take this one! Iant…Oh!" Jack stopped when he realised the young Welshman was at his side already. He raised an eyebrow in question.
"Always prepared, Sir" as he brandished a can of Weevil spray.
Jack suddenly stopped, and looked at Ianto. "So… you were in the Scouts, eh?"
"Of course. Look – tracking wild animals, using what's in your nearby environment – I'm a natural"
"Hmm… so you're good at knots then?" Jack asked, face blank, eyebrows raised.
"Of course. Top knotter in the South Wales tie-off competition three years running" the young Welshman boasted. The older man broke into a grin
"In that case, you'll have to give me a private lesson!" and gave a wink to the young man.
Ianto, in return, gave a sigh and an eyeroll, the only thing spoiling it being the grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Don't give up the dayjob, Jack…" he shot, as he walked ahead out through the cog door to pick up the SUV.
...
"We are not fighting over who gets to drive!" Jack shouted, stabbing the air towards Ianto with his finger.
"You're a terrible driver, Jack. I'm surprised you haven't wrapped this poor vehicle round a tree or something before now, to be perfectly honest! She doesn't like being thrown around so!"
"So now it's a "she" eh? Cheating on me with a car!" Jack shot back. A second went by before both men burst out laughing.
"Yes, Jack, it's the exhaust pipe that does it for me, and the vibration handling over rough terrain." The young man smiled. "Now, shall we toss?"
Jack looked at Ianto in surprise. Ianto gave him another eyeroll and fished in his pockets, pulling out a coin.
"I meant, shall we toss a coin for it?" He grinned "Heads or tails?"
Jack called heads and Ianto flipped the coin. Both men watched it spinning frantically until Ianto caught it again. He made a show of withdrawing his top hand and both men peered at it, with a little trepidation.
"Hah!" Ianto cried, punching the air, then growing bright red as he realised what he'd done. Jack laughed "Y'know, you lot can be such kids sometimes" but he smiled as he went round to the passenger side.
"Hey, you can talk, Mr. "I'm going to see how much chocolate I can eat before I'm sick!" Ianto retorted.
"Hey, that was Easter, it's practically a ritual for that holiday!" Jack grinned. "Still, we had fun that night didn't we?"
"Get in the car, Jack!" Ianto sighed, trying to hide his grin as he climbed into the driver's seat, fired up the ignition and, checking Jack was also buckled in, pulled out of the car park and waited for Jack's directions.
…
"Hi hon!" Gwen called out to Rhys as she came through the door. She didn't have much of a chance to say any more as she was pounced on by the man himself.
"Darling! Oh, light of my life! Juliet to my Romeo… did you get those chips? And hope you got some mushy peas with that too, I'm starving…" Rhys trailed off and looked at Gwen's shocked face that was about to turn into anger… "I'm only joking love!" he grinned and gave her a hug. "But, still – you've got dinner, yes?"
"Of course I have, idiot. D'you think I'd wait for you to cook? Christ, I'd die from either starvation or food poisoning…" Gwen tried to hide a giggle in a cough.
Rhys staggered back, acting it up "Darling, you wound me so. Now give us me chips!"
They half walked, half fought their way into the kitchen where Gwen brought out some plates and Rhys dished out the food.
"I have a great evening of TV lined up for you! Wife Swap, Family Fortunes… even a bit of Rosemary and Thyme!" Rhys proudly proclaimed.
Gwen laughed out loud then tried to hide it. "What?" he asked, looking hurt.
"Sorry, love, it's just… well, I was wondering when it was I'd moved in with my Auntie Mary!" she grinned as she walked over to him and planted a kiss on his nose. "Now, come on – your chips are getting cold and we've got some lairy women to watch on TV. Scoot!" and she harried him over to the sofa where they collapsed in a heap, switched on the TV and settled in for a Quiet Night In.
…
"It's nice to get a bit of time out together – even if it is whilst driving down a road that's more potholes than tarmac chasing after what may-or-may-not-be a Weevil that's decided to go AWOL…" Ianto trailed off and thought for a minute as his eyes followed the road ahead. "Actually, scrap that. Can we just go back to the Hub and send everyone home again?" A wicked grin pulled at the corners of his mouth.
"Ianto Jones! You are becoming a dirty young man! I've obviously trained you well…" Jack grinned then winced as Ianto slapped him on the thigh.
"Pfft! We both know who's really Boss!" and he shot a glance sideway and caught a grin on the older man as well.
"Oh, just call us Thelma and Louise!" Jack declared, in the campest voice he could muster, and the two men dissolved into fits of giggles.
"Right, ok… by my judgment it should right around… here!" Jack declared suddenly, and Ianto pulled the SUV up to a halt alongside what looked like a disused factory building. Jack shot him a dirty look and tried to look like he had meant to fly forwards at high speed. Thank god for seatbelts – one of the many modern inventions Jack thanked society for on a regular basis.
The two men unbuckled and got themselves out of the vehicle and hit the comm. Link "Tosh, report?"
"Receiving you loud and clear, Jack. Reading of Weevil – or Weevil-like - activity a few hundred yards to your North…" Tosh's voice came over the air.
"…right in that building. Oh, great" Ianto muttered.
"Hey, I don't make the rules!" he heard Tosh's voice come over the comm and smiled.
"You'd better have doughnuts for us by the time we get back! I think after this strenuous and dangerous mission we might need to get our strength up" Ianto joked, and he could almost hear Tosh smiling back.
"Iced raspberry doughnuts, coming up, Sir!" They both laughed, and Ianto was oblivious to the look Jack shot him.
"No time like the present!" Jack loudly declared and Ianto gave a small cough and stepped in behind Jack. There was no point really pissing him off, and hey, it was almost the weekend. And dammit, if he wasn't going to enjoy that as much as possible – hopefully doing as little as possible.
"So, coming in?" Jack asked, cheerfully. Ianto looked at Jack, then the warehouse, and back to Jack.
"I have a bad feeling about this…" the young Welshman started.
"Aaah – where's your sense of adventure, Ianto?" Jack teased.
Ianto looked at the building "I left it back in the Hub – thought it would be safer that way…" and, with a sigh, he followed Jack towards the structure.
…
"Tosh, what are you reading?" Jack hit the comm and they entered through a metal door, rusted hinged producing a squeaking sound that would've alerted anyone around to their presence.
"The signal is coming through just a few hundred yards from you now… Oh!" the young Technician's voice stopped.
"Tosh? Tosh! What is it?" Jack shouted, concerned.
"No need to shout Jack! I'm ok, it's just… well, the signal's disappeared!"
Jack looked at Ianto, confused, and then went back to the comm. "What do you mean disappeared?"
"Exactly what I said. It was there, now it's not!" Jack could hear the confusion and frustration in her voice. Jack swore under his breath "Ianto, are you getting anything?"
The young man was walking around the corridor where they were, handheld scanner in his hands, a present for Tosh when he'd shown an interest in her work. "I'm getting a small reading coming from below us – maybe there's a basement floor, and there's something getting in the way of our reading?"
Jack nodded. "Tosh, we've picked up a faint trace – going to check it out. Will keep you informed!" and with that, Jack closed the link and turned to Ianto.
"Well, what's keeping you? Come on, let's go investigate!" Jack's eyes were gleaming at the prospect of something exciting.
Ianto looked at the older man and grinned "I was waiting for you… Ladies first!" He ducked as Jack threw a playful punch at him and laughed, following in the man's wake, as they went through the doors at the end of the corridor, flashlights and guns drawn.
…
Gwen yawned and snuggled up closer to Rhys, noticing he'd already fallen asleep. Well, her great plan of staying up all night doing unspeakable things seemed to be out of the question now!
God, she could barely keep her eyes open! Panicking suddenly, she tried to get up of the sofa, to get to the kitchen for a drink, and she found to her horror that her legs wouldn't work! With a cry she fell to the floor and collapsed in a heap. Using the last of her strength, she tried to make it back onto the sofa, and succeeded somehow. Glad of having Rhys' comforting presence nearby, she drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep.
…
All over Cardiff, people were taking unexpected naps. Cashiers at supermarkets fell asleep at their tills; their customers curling up in the aisles. Barmen were laying out on their cellar floors and drinkers resting their heads on the tables. Cars were slowing to a standstill as cab and bus drivers alike nodded off at the wheel.
Slowly, but surely, the entire population went to sleep at 6pm on a dark winter's evening.
…
Toshiko wasn't panicking. No, she resolutely wasn't panicking. She kept telling herself that as she tried to get back into contact with Jack and Ianto.
"Jack… Jack, come in!" she shouted down her comm, a hint of desperation creeping in.
"Tosh, if you get much louder he'll be able to hear you without the commlink…" he grumbled, and the pretty technician blushed.
"I'm sorry, I just can't… I just don't know what to do! The headsets are fine; I just can't get through…" She shook her head. "This is not looking good!" she stalked around the Hub.
"Come on, they're both adults, I'm sure they can look after themselves! They've probably got excited about seeing a Weevil or something and they'll come back on in 5 minutes, breathless and making excuses about having a 'chase'…" Owen grinned at the shocked look on Toshiko's face. "Oh, come on, I have to get my kicks from somewhere..." he muttered, trailing off under her disapproving stare.
"Be nice to Ianto, or else!" she said, and with that she spun round and stalked off in the other direction. "There's got to be a way of getting in touch, there has to…" and she started another round of the Hub, muttering to herself and animating her conversation with her hands.
Owen sighed and leant back in his chair. It was going to be a long night.
…
Ianto had known this was going to happen.
There they were, stuck in a dirty, dark, disused warehouse, with god-knows-what creeping around and the comms link down. Most people would take this as a sign to get the hell outta there, but oh no – not Captain Jack Harkness. He'd decided to go investigate further, and as Ianto was getting a little worried about the state of the other man's mental health, he couldn't do anything but follow in his wake. For which he was questioning his own sanity, if he was totally honest.
"Jack, do you know what we're after?" he asked, bluntly.
"Not really" the Captain replied, with a grin on his face, as he made his way into the first room.
"Oh no, it looks like an office! I'd better run!" Ianto said, a small smile on his face, as he poked a disused filing cabinet. Fiddling with the catch, he managed to get it open and looked at the contents inside – old, dusty papers, forgotten and mislaid. "God, it's even worse than your filing in here…" and the young man couldn't hold back a laugh at the look Jack shot him.
"I don't ido/i filing, Ianto" the older man said, pouting. Suddenly, he grinned "That's what I have you for – seeing as you do it so well!"
"See, I dig myself into these things, don't I? Must remember – stop being so damn good at everything!" and Ianto laughed when Jack said something about not stopping being good at ieverything/i.
"Come on, we're actually working here, believe it or not. I say we head further into the building and…"
Jack was cut off mid-sentence by a strange sound - a whooshing, mechanical noise that just sounded iwrong/i. Like it shouldn't he heard by anyone. In shock, Ianto looked at Jack who had the strangest look on his face – part amazement, part confusion – but none of the shock the he himself felt.
In one breath he realised that Jack recognised the strange sound; in the next, he was running after the older man as he disappeared through the doors leading further into the building.
"Jack, wait… what…?" Ianto didn't get the rest of the words out as he flew through another set of doors and almost ran into Jack, who was standing there, transfixed, looking at something that was now occupying the centre of the room.
A big, blue box.
…
"What the…?" Jack's voice trailed off, as his mouth caught up with his brain. Sadly, he didn't get the chance to say anything else before a door on the box flew open, and a head popped out round the corner.
"Ah." It said, and then disappeared again. A few seconds later, it re-appeared, with a grin. "Sorry about that, the directional control on this thing isn't what it used to be…" his voice trailed off as he stroked the side of the big, blue box. Suddenly, he looked up. "Sorry, forgot my manners… Jack!" the man grinned as he strode over towards where Jack was standing. Ianto could see he was still trying to get his mind and his mouth in sync with each other, and then his own brain fog cleared and he blinked as he recognised the man who was standing alongside Jack.
…
"Ahh, pleased to meet you!" the Doctor stopped and looked at Jack. "I'm assuming this is Ianto, yes?"
Jack at least had the modesty to blush and refused to catch Ianto's eyes "Yes. Yes, it is. Doctor, meet Ianto Jones. Ianto, the Doctor" and finally Jack smiled – a huge, great grin that lit up his entire face, and the Doctor took one look at it and returned the smile.
"Good seeing you again, Jack" he said, as they hugged. Ianto watched from afar, in an almost detached kind of way. His years at Torchwood London weren't gone from him at all, and the fact that he was standing in front of the Doctor made him more than a little nervous. And the fact that said person was currently hugging Jack made him even more so. At least, that was his excuse, and he was sticking to it.
"So, what are you doing here?" Jack asked the other man, who – to Ianto's satisfaction – was wearing a too-big suit that just did nothing for him (though, he conceded, trying to find a suit to fit that frame must be terribly awkward…)
The Doctor looked around a bit, and then focussed back on Jack. "Ah, well… You may have noticed some strange things going on recently…" Jack said about the comms being down and the strange signal that had lead them here, then stopped.
"Hmm, yes – the TARDIS does that sometime. Makes radars and their ilk go a bit odd sometimes. Still, she's still got life in her yet…" the Doctor stroked it again, and Ianto shifted slightly, more than a little uncomfortable watching this man caress a giant, blue box.
"But, sadly, as you'll probably have realised, I'm not just here to socialise. We have a bit of a problem – and yes, I mean we – you, me and suit-boy over there" Ianto bristled and glared at the man (taking pleasure once more at the ill-fitting clothes), but said nothing. "There is currently an signal coming from a location in Cardiff that is sending everyone asleep – you two are covered by the TARDIS' force-field, I'm assuming your second – Gwen, is it? – is fine. Her and her husband seem to be quite snug in their flat atm and your colleagues back at work are covered because, unfortunately, they're located in the same place as the device emitting this… thing!"
Ianto looked at the Doctor, then to Jack, then back to the Doctor in disbelief.
"You mean… it's in the iHub/i?"
"Pretty iand/i smart – well done, Jack!" and with that, the Doctor walked between the two of them, and went to leave. Suddenly, he turned round and looked at them both.
"Well, come on then, aren't you going to show me your office?" he grinned, and turned back round again.
Jack and Ianto looked at each other, and Ianto sighed as the older man turned to follow the Doctor.
"Hang on!" Ianto said, suddenly, pulling to a halt. "It we go out there, won't we be affected by that… thing. We'll all pass out the moment we step outside!"
The Doctor looked at the young man with amusement "You're right, of course… Well, you would be, if you weren't with me! The TARDIS will keep you safe, as long as you stay by me!" and with that, he turned and walked through the door.
Ianto grumbled something about that not being much of a problem for Jack and, with a sigh of resignation, followed the two men out the building.
…
By the time they got to the Hub, all of them were suitably disturbed. Walking through the streets of Cardiff City centre surrounded by what looked like corpses – yet, they knew, were only sleeping people. The first few they had come across Ianto had tried to make more comfortable, but in the end the sheer number of them had overwhelmed him, and he was resigned to having to walk past them all without being able to stop and help – something that affected him deeply.
Jack pulled up to the invisibly lift and flipped open his wriststrap. Hitting a few buttons in a staccato rhythm, Jack let out the breath he didn't realise he was holding when the lock gave way under his command.
"Hop on!" he called to the Doctor, who had gone wandering off in the vague direction of the Millennium Centre. Looking back with a start, the other man quickly ran over to the moving step to join with Jack and Ianto, before it was too late.
The scene that greeted Jack as they descended was one of chaos, with Tosh desperately working at her station, and Owen shouting something about the end of the world. Ianto noticed, thankfully, that he hadn't mentioned sex. Yet.
Suddenly, the two figures below became aware of the moving lift and the three men on it, and Tosh looked up at them with a grin on her face as she swept aside a strand of hair from her eyes.
"Jack! Ianto! Umm…" she looked at the other person with them on the lift and squinted.
"I managed to bypass the emergency shutdown with a little programme I entered in a while ago" Jack grinned with satisfaction at the look Tosh gave him. Most of the team thought he couldn't use a toaster without setting it alight, but he enjoyed playing with tech when he got the chance.
The lift landed with a soft bump, and Jack and Ianto – used to it by now – rode the motion. The Doctor, however, had been too busy looking at the Hub, the pterodactyl and, in fact, everything else except the ground, that when the platform touched down the movement threw him off-balance. Jack looked round in horror a fraction too late as he saw the man teeter on the edge of the lift then fall backwards, landing in the water at the bottom of the Hub on his knees with a delicate isplash/i.
Jack looked on in horror as the Doctor lay there, stunned for a few seconds, and then pulled himself out the water. Ianto tried not to laugh, though sadly failed and had to cover his mouth with his hand to pretend he was coughing. The feint hadn't been lost of Jack who scowled gently at him. Ianto replied with too-wide eyes and a look of pure innocence on his face which fooled nobody.
"I seem to have found your water feature…" the Doctor said, a grin pulling at the corners of his mouth. Jack smiled and held out a hand.
"Come on you, can't take you anywhere…" and with a quick movement pulled the other man from the water.
The Doctor stood there, with damp trousers, as his eyes roamed around the Hub, occasionally stopping at something which would elicit a string of words too quick and faint for anyone to decipher.
It was the sound of Owen coughing that broke their reverie.
"Jack, I thought you'd stopped your habit of bringing random men back to the Hub…" His mouth was set in a stern line but the amusement was clear in his eyes.
"Oh, umm, sorry… my manners!" Jack said as he turned round, amused.
"Tosh, Owen… This is the Doctor."
…
Tosh's reaction was quite comical, and Jack wished in hindsight that he'd worn a hidden camera to capture it.
The pretty Asian woman blinked, blinked again then looked at every member of Torchwood Three in succession, and ended up on the Doctor, where she blinked again.
"Oh, umm, hi…" she trailed off, nervously taking off her glasses, looking around and then putting them on again. Jack took pity on the obviously startled woman and did the introductions.
"Doctor, meet Toshiko Sato. Technological genius, provider of things that go ibeep/i" At the last mention, the Doctor's eyes lit up and went to speak with her. Realising that now might not be the best time to grill the poor woman on the various merits of relative science, Jack spoke loudly.
"And this is our own doctor – Dr. Owen Harper" the Captain grinned as he saw Owen struggling to conceal his own shock at the identity of the new arrival. With a grunt, he nodded.
"Least you're not a real doctor. No competition here." And he turned to his workstation nearby, acting as though he was engrossed in what was displayed on the screen. Sadly, there was nothing displayed there, as the machine wasn't on, and with a barely muted curse Owen got up, glared at Jack and stalked up into the medical bay.
The older man sighed and turned to the Doctor. "I'm sorry. Owen has a few… issues. He'll be ok in a bit"
"His heart's in the right place!" Tosh blurted out, then turned several shades of red as she realised what she'd said. Muttering something about going to check on a programme she was running, the woman all but ran back to her workstation and immediately immersed herself in her work.
The Doctor, in his usual style, was completely oblivious to anything awkward going on and had already wandered to a nearby object. Peering at it, he suddenly went "Ah!" and rocked back on his heels, turning to look at the other man.
"Do you make a habit of collecting Autherian bedpans?" he asked, quite seriously. Jack looked at him sideways, trying to ascertain whether the man was being serious or not, and then sighed with resignation.
"We've been trying to work out what that damn thing is for days." The Captain said.
The Doctor just grinned in response.
"Ianto – could you be a love and get us some of your Magic Coffee? Some of the ireally/i nice stuff?" Jack's face took on the usual look he gave when he wanted something that he thought he might not be allowed, and for a second Ianto forgot where they were and instinctively went to do whatever he could to make Jack happy. Then he remembered who they were with and he stiffened.
"I'll see what I can do." Ianto replied, and with a not-so-subtle glare at the Doctor he stalked off towards the kitchen and his beloved coffee machine.
Jack stood there watching the young man's retreat and ran his fingers through his hair, letting out an exasperated sigh.
"I'm really sorry, I don't know what's gotten into them today…" he shook his head as he looked at the Doctor, who gave a small smile and nodded in response.
"Listen, I'm going to go check on Ianto. You… make yourself comfortable. Or useful. Or both!" and with that, Jack walked back in the direction of the kitchen, leaving the Doctor in the middle of the Hub with Tosh and lots of technology.
…
Jack came up to the kitchen, coughing not-so-subtly so as not to startle Ianto. He felt worried as he saw the younger man stiffened and set himself in his invisible armour.
"Ianto, look… what's wrong?" Jack asked, softly, coming alongside the young Welshman and trying to put an arm around his waist. Sadly, Ianto was too quick and stepped sideways, not making a big deal of it but not hesitating either. Jack let his outstretched arm fall down the side of his body and looked at the other man with concern visible on his face.
Never one to be able to resist those beautiful blue eyes, Ianto sighed and tried to look at Jack, found he couldn't and instead fixed them on a point a little below and to the right.
"Jack, listen. If you can't work it out, I'm not going to waste my time telling you, because you won't get it anyways" and he turned to the coffee machine that was making its familiar almost-ready sounds.
It was Jack's turn to cast his eyes upwards in a small show of disbelief and stepped up to the younger man who was busy with the cups. Taking the chance while Ianto was unable to move, Jack moved up behind him and spoke softly.
"The fact you think I'm either that stupid or blind should really upset me, but I know you don't mean it maliciously. So, before you ask: No, I didn't know he was turning up; No, I didn't arrange for him to turn up, and; No, I'm not going to do another disappearing act, ok? I had my chance, I took my choice and I'm here, not there. 'k?"
Ianto looked up at Jack and for a second almost didn't recognise him – and then realised that the change was due to the hurt that was so plain to see. The young man almost gave in there and then. He turned back round to the machine.
"Coffee's done."
Jack sighed and threw up his hands, turning and making his way back to the Hub, to Tosh and the Doctor, leaving Ianto trailing in his wake, wrapped in his own personal cloud of confused emotions.
The Captain needn't have worried about leaving those two alone in the Hub. By the time he got back, both Tosh and the Doctor were leaning over a desk, the pretty Asian woman explaining something that sounded long and complicated to the other man, punctuating her words with dancing hands, stopping occasionally to flick a bit of hair from her face or push her glasses up her nose (whether they needed to be pushed or not).
In return, the Doctor was nodding, hum-ing and ha-ing and jumping in here and there with some of his own thoughts and views, which lead Toshiko to either nod vigorously in agreement or shake her head if she didn't accept his points.
Jack was almost tempted to leave them be, and it was with a slice of regret that he disturbed them.
"Sorry to interrupt" he smiled, apologetically, as he felt – rather than saw – Ianto coming up behind him. The young man put the tray down, and handed out coffee, saving the Doctor til last.
Taking the cup graciously, he took a sip, and then his eyes shot wide with surprise.
"But…but… if I'm not mistaken, this is coffee made from the beans gathered by the hermit nuns of Carrway, beans grown at the base of the great Mount Aroria only once every hundred years!"
Ianto looked at the Doctor with a smug grin on his face, ignoring the looks from his colleagues.
"Amazing… No, truly astounding!" he was still talking on, partly to himself, and he ignored the unsaid questions dancing on the tip of Jack's tongue.
Still looking pleased with himself, Ianto inclined his head slightly.
"Now – shall we deal with your business, Doctor? I'm sure you have more pressing places to be."
…
They were all sitting round the table in the board room – Owen included, who had managed to drag himself out of his sulk as curiosity got the better of him. They were all sitting at their usual places, all except Ianto, who declined to take his usual position next to Jack and instead took a position nearer the door – not only a clear escape route, but also a position where he could see everyone from.
For once, he and Owen seemed to mirror body language, mistrust radiating off them so strongly it was a wonder the furniture didn't explode. Toshiko, conversely, was listening to the Doctor, rapt in his words as he spoke. Jack, he noticed, was trying to watch Ianto and the Doctor at the same time, which must've given him a bit of a headache, he thought with childish satisfaction.
"…so really, it's just a scouting ship sent out by the Yorenians to boldly go places for them. Except the Yorenians have been extinct now for centuries, and this little thing is an orphan. Add to that, the fact that the homing beacon signal has a soporific affect for most living things, and it's left a rather interesting story in its wake." The Doctor gave a sad smile. "I've been chasing its signal for a while now and pinpointed it down to here."
Jack looked around the table then back to the Doctor. "What does this… thing look like?" he asked, curious.
"It's silver, about a foot in diameter, and kinda, well, saucer shaped" the man replied, suddenly unable to look anyone in the eye.
Ianto looked up "You mean, you've been chasing a flying saucer?" he said in disbelief, and snorted in amusement when he got no reply.
In fact, Ianto knew exactly where the object was that the Doctor was after but he saw no reason to let them know that. True, it would've gotten him out the way quickly, but he didn't want to be seen to be too useful – it might mean he'd think he was welcomed here.
Jack suddenly stood up, chair scraping across the floor which broke him from his thoughts.
"Ianto, you know the archives better than anyone. Do you recognise the description?" the older man looked at him, and for the first time Ianto saw how torn the man was, how uncomfortable in the situation he was, and his mood broke a little. Looking away from Jack he spoke softly.
"I'm not sure, but I'll go have a look" and with that, he got up himself, turned and exited the room, not daring to look back at Jack and rebuilding the barriers the man had already managed to break down. He had never met anyone before that could affect him so much, even Lisa, with the wide-eyed, pleading look she'd give whenever she wanted something from him, had never affected him as much as when he looked into the bottomless pools of Jack's eyes.
Shaking his head as if to clear the cobwebs from it, Ianto made his way down into the archives, ihis/i archives, and the further down he got, the stronger her felt, and by the time he'd arrived at the level he felt almost normal.
Almost.
…
Tosh was busy at her workstation, checking logs and signals to see if anything matched the patterns the Doctor had given her that might signal the arrival of the craft. Owen, having sat through the meeting, rewarded himself by putting on his headphones and starting up a game on his computer. Jack had gone to chastise him, to make him go do something else, then realised that he could do with the time alone with their new visitor. Going back up to the meeting room, he inclined his head to the Doctor, who understood and followed without a sound.
The two men sat down without a word, and Jack leant forwards, elbows resting on the table, fingers put to a steeple in contemplation in front of him.
"You've put me in a difficult situation, Doctor." Even as Jack said the words, they seemed to be wrong. Everything seemed to be wrong.
A year ago, he would've given anything to be in this situation. To have even five minutes alone with this man. But now… now, he wasn't sure. He turned up out of nowhere, expected everyone to say how high when he said jump, but things were different now.
Save for Toshiko, who – Jack realised with a grin – had fallen in love with the Doctor's mind; the rest of the Team weren't so easily or quickly taken in. With a sigh of relief he was almost glad that Gwen wasn't here – she would be immediately taken in by the Doctor's smooth talking and long words, and within 30 seconds he would've found them both batting against each other. Owen, of course, didn't approve of anyone intruding on his turf, never had done, although he'd warmed to Martha quickly once he realised she wasn't being brought in to take his job. The man would complain to all who would listen (and even to those who wouldn't) about his job, but Jack knew that, deep down, his pride for her work was his life.
As for Ianto… Jack hadn't forgotten about him. Even just with the events of recent months, Jack wasn't surprised the younger man was hostile. But add to that the training he must've gone through at Torchwood in London, all the stories he'd been told about the Doctor and then… and then the Battle. Jack shook his head. Sometimes he wondered how Ianto managed to keep going through all the noise that must be screaming in his head.
Captain Jack Harkness owed a lot of people a lot of things. And time to start paying back his debts.
"Ok, we'll see what we can do with this thing. Let me go and see Ianto – alone. I don't think he'd be too impressed if I brought you down with me to his domain. He might start getting all territorial and try to piss on you or something!" he tried to lighten the mood, and both men smiled.
"Thank you," the Doctor said. "I know it must be a big shock to you all, but especially you and Ianto. And yes, I know about him – I looked into his records after… after we last met. You probably didn't realise it but scarcely a day went by without you mentioning his name. I realised he must be a very important person to you" He smiled, and Jack thought he was going to break into a million different pieces. Instead, he got up, walked to the door and turned round.
"I'll be back"
…
If he was totally honest, Jack didn't like the Archives. In fact, the whole place creeped him out. Always had, which was why when Ianto had first joined and shown an aptitude for filing and cataloguing he had willingly given the domain to him. Was why, in hindsight, it had been so easy for him to hide Lisa down here.
Jack stopped halfway down the stairs and sucked in a breath, letting it out noisily. There was no time for reminiscing, no time for if-only's, not yet. He realised he'd been taking his team for granted recently, and decided that he'd do something to show them all how much he cared for them all. Maybe dinner out somewhere, a proper restaurant rather than takeout, hastily eaten whilst waiting for the next emergency alarm. Yes, that would be nice. Then he and Ianto could have afters, alone.
The Captain practically skipped down the stairs, grin on his face, and suddenly collided with Ianto who was just about to ascend the steps. With a squeak of surprise, Ianto's eyes flew open and he toppled backwards, Jack falling with him, so that they ended up on the floor with Jack lying on top of the fallen Welshman. He laughed
"Hah – remind you of anything?" Jack said, remembering the first time they had met.
Finally, something got through to him, and Ianto smiled. "Sir, I do believe you are lying on top of me."
"Mr. Jones, I do believe you are correct!" Jack replied, and did nothing about moving except to take some weight on his knees and elbows. Suddenly, the smile left his face and he looked at Ianto.
"Jack… Jack, are you ok?" the young man asked, forgetting that he was lying on the floor in the Archives with his boss and lover lying atop him.
The older man blinked then gave a soft smile "I'm fine, Ianto" and leant down to place a soft kiss on his forehead. It was Ianto's turn to blink.
"What was that for?" he asked, curious.
"For taking you for granted for too long" and with that, Jack rolled off of him and sprung onto his feet in one fluid movement. "Come on, let's get that thing, give it to the Doctor and get back to our normal lives!"
Ianto laughed as he picked himself up off the floor, brushing dust off of his suit with a soft itsk/i. "Jack, I don't think anyone could describe our lives as normal! But yes, I've found the device I think we're looking for" and he walked back to a table by the side of the corridor and picked up an object – flat and silver, exactly as the Doctor had described. "It's a beautiful thing – so smooth and sleek. And if you listen closely, you can hear it vibrating, sending off those waves" He held it out for Jack to see.
"So many great races mix art and destruction…" Jack mused. Suddenly he snapped his head up. "Come on then, quicker we get this done…" and he smiled.
The two men started up the staircase, object still in Ianto's hand, cold and quietly singing its lost song.
…
They found the Doctor where they'd left him, although by now Tosh had joined him and they were talking about something that neither Jack nor Ianto had any clue about.
"…but if you take into account the Third Rule of anti-gravitational pull, that simply can't be possible!" they heard Tosh exclaim, more animate than either men had seen her in a long while.
Jack gave a small cough which made the pretty technician jump, then blush several shades of pink. The older man grinned and stepped back to allow the woman to near enough run out, giving her excuses.
That left the three of them alone in the room together, and the Doctor stood up, walking round the table to where Jack and Ianto were standing, the latter still holding the object.
"May I?" the Doctor said, inclining his head towards it. Ianto nodded and held out his hands.
"Aaah… so beautiful and yet, so sad…" his voice trailed off as his eyes took on a strange look.
"The last of its kind; the last of its race." Jack said, softly, looking at the Doctor. He felt Ianto shift behind him and he reached his hand backwards, sighing with relief when he felt the young man take it, quietly.
The Doctor looked up at them both. "Thank you for your help. Now I've got this I can take it away with me, put it somewhere it can't harm anyone." He smiled. "Maybe I'll keep it around for a while – do some Interior Decorating in the TARDIS"
Jack laughed, and even Ianto couldn't stop from giving a small smile.
"Well, mustn't stand around chatting! Things to do, places to go, star systems to explore!" The Doctor's words were upbeat but his face betrayed him. Used to being with Jack on his home ground, seeing his erstwhile part-time companion and the new life he'd set up… He couldn't afford to be sentimental, not now. He looked up and smiled.
"Can you show me out?"
…
Jack and Ianto had both gone with him to the warehouse to retrieve the TARDIS. The Doctor reassured them that, once within the machine, the effects of the object would start to dissipate, and no-one should suffer any long-term damage.
"Though they might wonder why they were asleep in the middle of the road" he grinned.
Jack smiled back at the other man, and felt Ianto come up behind him. Although no longer outwardly hostile towards him, the young man still wasn't sure how to deal with him. Sensing his awkwardness, the Doctor turned to him.
"Jack's lucky, having someone like you." The words made Ianto blush a deep red but he kept his eyes on him.
"Thank you."
"Right, ok, must dash. There must be something out there that needs me!" the Doctor said, opening the door to the TARDIS and stepping in. Stopping halfway through, he turned back round
"Take care." The Doctor said, softly, looking at Jack. He responded with a nod.
"You too."
And with that, the big, blue doors were closed. A minute later, a familiar sound started up, and the two men stood to watch the ship slowly fade out of view. They stood there in silence for a few minutes, then Ianto let out a breath he hadn't realised he was holding in.
"You're still here."
Jack blinked, looked at Ianto, then himself, and smiled.
"Did you ever really doubt me?"
…
Jack and Ianto were just about at the door to the Tourist Office when Gwen all but ran into them.
"Oh my God! Are you ok? Is everyone ok? What happened?" she asked, barely pausing for breath.
"Yes; yes and long story…" Jack said with a small smile, as he held the door open for Ianto.
Gwen pushed past them both and ran into the Hub, where Owen and Toshiko were standing, engaged in a heated argument.
"I can't believe you have no faith in him! After all he's done for you!" Tosh shouted at the doctor.
"Done for me? iDone for me?/i He's turned me into a zombie, reduced me to a station lower than Teaboy and I can't even go out, get drunk and get laid to forget it!" Owen shouted back. "Half of me is ihoping/i Captain Jack Harkness buggers off again!"
Suddenly, they both became aware of another presence in the room, and both slowly turned sideways to the hub door, where Gwen was standing, open mouthed, backed up by Ianto… and Jack. Seconds went by in silence.
"Hmm. Awkward." Ianto muttered, eyebrow raised.
Owen at least had the grace to look uncomfortable as he realised that Jack had heard every word he'd said. He stepped forwards; taking comfort in the squeeze that Ianto gave him hand, and walked over to the other man. In silence, he walked up to Owen, who looked like he was squaring himself up to be hit, and the two men stood there looking at each other.
Then Jack said, softly. "I'm sorry, Owen. I'm sorry that you think that. I'm sorry that you feel that way. If I could change it, I would, and I'm sorry that I can't."
The medic looked at Jack, blinked, went to say something then blinked again. Of the many scenarios that had been running round his head, this hadn't been one of them. He cleared his throat.
"I… I know, Jack. I know. I'm sorry, too… it's just, well…" he spread out his arms and sighed, aware that everyone was looking at him. "I'll be in the med bay." And with that, he spun on his heels and walked off towards his own domain, where he felt safe. After a few seconds, Tosh inclined her head to Jack and took off after him.
Jack turned round to look at Gwen and Ianto, with a desperate look on his face. Wordlessly, Ianto stepped up to Jack, snaked an arm around his waist and lent over to kiss his cheek.
"He'll forgive you, Jack. Just as you'll forgive him. Because we can't afford not to – any of us" the young man said, softy, as he looked into Jack's eyes, full of pain and hurt.
"I'll go get us lunch" Gwen called from the other side of the Hub, smile on her face as she muttered almost to herself "…and I'll get something that can be reheated." She shot another glance at the two men who were still talking, stood as close to each other as two people could be without climbing into each others' skin. She had a feeling that by the time she got back they would neither be around nor wanting to eat pizza. She smiled again. "Back in a bit!" and she walked out the cog door as it opened and closed behind her. Checking she had her purse, Gwen walked through the tourist office, through the door and let it swing shut as she ran through the list of decent pizza places nearby, desperate to get something decent for a change!
…
Jack was sitting on the chair by his desk, looking up at Ianto, who was perched on the edge, eyes darting around the office with almost-nervousness.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Jack reached out a hand and placed it over the young man's, the contact of skin-on-skin breaking his thoughts. He glanced down at Jack.
"I really thought you were going to go again" he said, eventually, quiet and sad. "And now I feel like a complete bastard for thinking that. I acted like a spoilt child and I lost all faith in you. And nothing can make me forget that." He cast his eyes down again and sighed.
"Oh, Ianto, you are silly sometimes." Jack said with a small smile, as he stood up and moved towards the younger man. Reaching around him, he pulled Ianto close, into a close embrace, and he felt the other man respond in kind, strong hands grasping at his back, trying to hold on. He felt the young man take a deep breath, then pull back. Suddenly, they were looking into each other's eyes.
"But don't you feel betrayed by me – by everyone?" Ianto asked, softly, as though saying the words themselves might make it true.
Jack shook his head "No. No, I don't. I've made mistakes – same as everyone – and I'd feel more worried if you all just stood there and took the fallout from them. I don't want blind obedience, not from anyone… and especially not from you." He smiled and stroked his hand down Ianto's back, feeling the hard muscle and smooth skin underneath. "I'd rather die that have you do something you didn't feel comfortable with"
Ianto smiled at the feeling of Jack's hand playing up and down his back, occasionally, and subconsciously, plucking at his shirt as though he thought he'd be able to take it off subtly without Ianto noticing.
"Jack, I don't think you'd be able to make me do anything I didn't want to, anyways. I'm quite stubborn, you know?" he said with a grin. Jack laughed.
"Oh, that you are, Ianto – that you are!" and he reached forwards and grabbed the younger man in an embrace and pulled him forwards. Catching him off-guard, Ianto let out a small squeak which was then silenced by the Captain's mouth covered his, taking him in a kiss that was full of want and need and desperation.
Because, above all, everyone made mistakes, and making it up to people was sometimes the best part.
…
CODA:
The Doctor was standing in the main hub of the TARDIS, listening to the sound of the machines doing, well, what they did. Looking up to check all was well, and pushing a few buttons here and there, he nodded in satisfaction and left the main console, wandered off to the edge of the room where a saucer-shaped metal object was sitting, humming quietly to itself.
"I know, I know," the Doctor said, softly. "You are me both, my friend." He picked it up and felt its vibrations through his hands, calling out to its lost family, its vanished civilisation, and the Doctor sighed.
"Maybe I'll keep you around for a while, keep us both company. Seeing as neither of us can go home anymore…" and with that, he placed the object back down on the table.
"Right, enough of that – let's find out where we're going next!" and suddenly the Doctor ran back to the console, pulled a lever to his left, pushed a button to his right and grinned.
"Yes – on we go!" and with a final pull of a very big lever in front of his, the TARDIS gained speed and shot across space, the Doctor and his new friend along for the ride.