Disclaimer: RTD and BBC (and all that it entails) owns them and all rights, if I owned them I would have fic writers doing the scripts, regardless of what RTD thinks (hmmm assassin!Ianto, Empath!Ianto, or vampire!Ianto or even all three as cannon, that'd be fun)
A/N: As this was 21 fills for my 2011 BINGO card it was originally posted in 21 separate parts, they will be posted in 1 part as they were intended to be read in sequence and to make it easier to read. The parts will be separated by oOo. The original subtitle will be listed in italics
For those interested the fills were (in order) Vacations & Holidays, Pranking, Superpowers, Cooking Together, Vacation, Dancing/Dance Marathon, Looking At the Stars, Surprise Birthday Party, Ghosts & Hauntings, WILD CARD (Portals), Missing Persons, Sensory Deprivation, Flying, Androids and Robots, Alien Rituals, Aliens Made Us Do It, Voyeurism, Time Loops, Family, Exhaustion, and Psychic Links.
One more thing portions of this have been cut for content (almost entire portions in fact are left out, which if you look at the prompt fills you'll understand why) if you want to read in full please go to my profile and visit my livejournal community. These entire sections will be denoted as xxx again you can view these parts if you are OF AGE and going to my livejournal community (link in my profile)
Vacation Drama
Preparing
"Both the prototype Rift Predictor Program and Ianto agree: the Rift should have minimal activity while you're gone. Owen and I should be able to handle anything that comes through, and we do have Rhys and some of our other allies that we can call if additional personnel are needed. However, based on all the available data, there shouldn't be a need," Tosh finished her briefing with Jack.
"Excellent!" Jack beamed at her. "We won't have to worry about the home front, then."
Tosh smiled back as she said, "I'm glad, I don't think I've seen you two take a real vacation in all the time I've been here."
"It's definitely not something we usually have time to indulge in; but even we need to recharge."
Jack stood from his desk, going to look out over the Hub. From his vantage point he could see Owen looking sneaky while Ianto made coffee.
"I fully expect you both to have your comms off," Tosh said with a smile.
Jack laughed.
"We'd planned on it, but we do plan on having something on us for emergencies; the Rift might be quiet, but that's no reason not to be prepared in case something else could happen."
Tosh nodded; she knew full well that while the Rift was their major concern, there were other sources of activity that could occur.
She came to stand beside him, shaking her head at her own lover.
"You two deserve it; you always make sure we have time off, but never take time for yourselves, it seems. Especially after the last few months; even for us they've been extra-ordinary. Then there was everything with Suzie again."
Jack looked back at her, grinning.
"Ianto and I have a long time to enjoy life; making sure the rest of our team has time off seems like a small sacrifice to us, and everything's worked out in the end."
Jack returned to looking at his partner. Yes, he was very ready to have some alone time with him.
Alone time without Torchwood and all the drama that comes with it.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
Pre-Trip Antics
Owen snickered as he continued his observations of his second-in-command, Ianto Jones.
He knew his Captain and Second were going to be leaving on vacation the next day, but he couldn't just let them leave without a proper send off.
As Ianto was half-TARDIS, it was hard to catch him off guard, so it was a bit of a goal of Owen's to catch him in a prank, just once. Thus, the prank wars between Owen Harper and Ianto Jones began—well, at least when they weren't swamped with work and saving the world and all that rubbish.
It was quite by accident they found out what the latest Rift debris could do to a TARDIS. It seemed to have some sort of time element that made Ianto sensitive to it.
No one was more surprised than Ianto when they activated the tech, after confirming it was unlikely to cause any harm to lifeforms.
Its function, apparently, was some weird alien clock of all things, and the energy it gave off was...unusual.
After activating it, Ianto's eyes rolled back, and he started mumbling about rainbows or some rubbish. He was incomprehensible, and a bit horny, for hours; the tech had made him high.
He had placed the tech behind the coffee maker, behind the cream; Ianto would have to touch it to get it.
He cared about Ianto, really, but this was a challenge, a war, after all.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Ianto continued preparing the last pot of coffee for the day, all the while feeling Owen's eyes on him.
He smiled; did Owen really think he didn't realize what was going on?
Of course he realized when he started making coffee that the unusual clock was behind the cream; of course he had his own plans for Owen. He just had to wait for him to open his drawer.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
Turn About Is Fair Play
"Owen, do you have that file on the biological analyzer that came through the rift yesterday?" Ianto asked, coming to stand just behind the doctor.
Owen looked up at Ianto, a bit startled, unsure when Ianto had moved from the coffee maker; damn his half-TARDIS Second.
"Sure, I just finished it this morning; it's pretty standard, nothing we haven't seen before even if its origin appears unknown," Owen said as he reached to open his drawer to retrieve the report.
However, instead of retrieving the report he found himself covered in a gooey purple substance.
"DAMN IT!"
"Sorry, Owen," Ianto said as he laughed, "I already found the chrono tech behind the cream as well."
"Nice color on you, Owen," Jack said, exiting his office with a grin.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. What I want to know is why I'm covered in goop while Tea Boy is still pristine; it's like you have super-cleanliness powers."
Ianto laughed.
"Or I'm just smart enough to avoid my own prank? If anyone has a super power it'd be Jack; it could be debated that he has super-strength."
Owen pouted as Jack grinned playfully, flexing his bicep.
"Don't worry, you have a super power too," Tosh said from beside Jack.
"Oh?"
"You have super-prattishness," she said with a wink and wicked grin.
"Why do I love you again?" Owen asked.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
The Night Before
"Well, bags are all packed and loaded up so we can leave bright and early," Ianto said, smiling at his lover.
Jack looked up from his place at the stove where he was fixing a pasta dinner for the two of them.
"Great, I can't wait to get started," he said with a smile.
Ianto leaned against the counter.
"Can I help?"
Jack beamed at him as he said, "Do you want to dice some vegetables?"
Ianto grinned back, grabbing a tomato and starting to dice it.
"You seem happy," he told his partner.
Jack gazed back at him for a moment before saying, "I just love cooking for you, but the only thing I love more is cooking with you."
Ianto leaned over to kiss his lover.
"We should definitely do this more," Jack said as they broke apart.
"Maybe when we get back, we can start a dine-in date night every week-Rift willing, of course."
"That is in your top ten ideas," Jack said, beaming.
"You say all my ideas are in the top ten," Ianto replied cheekily.
Jack leaned in close again, his forehead almost touching Ianto's.
"Just means you always have great ideas."
"In that case I'm getting an idea that involves putting the food aside for an hour or so," Ianto replied with a devilish grin.
"There you go having great ideas again," Jack said, leaning in for a deep kiss while reaching over to turn off the stove.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
The Beginning
The sun was barely peeking over the horizon when they woke up to leave on their vacation.
Ianto sat in the passenger seat while Jack was upstairs, locking up their flat.
He was looking forward to this; they hadn't had an actual week-long vacation in years.
"Ready?" Jack asked as he climbed into the driver's seat.
"I've been ready since yesterday, but explain to me again why I'm letting you drive when I want us to arrive in one piece?"
"Because you love me, and want our vacation to start as soon as possible?"
Ianto rolled his eyes as he said, "Just drive."
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
It was a long drive to the village at which they were staying—well, village might not be exactly the right word; it wasn't a large town by any means, so it had that quaint feel. However, it was large enough to have some interesting vacation attractions, including restaurants and clubs.
They would be able to relax but still do a few things; it was their ideal vacation spot at the moment.
"I can't believe we actually managed to take time off; I can't remember the last time we had more than a couple days off in a row," Jack said while they driving through the middle of nowhere with only fields and each other for company.
"It's been quite awhile," Ianto agreed. "Since well before we recruited Tosh; and even then we've never really had an entire week, we've just always been too busy."
Jack laughed.
"I suspect we wouldn't be having one now if Tosh hadn't insisted. We usually just let the team have the time; seems like we'll always have time later."
Ianto nodded solemnly as he said, "I know, we want our team to enjoy life. But I think she was right. If we're always saying 'next time, next time,' then 'next time' will never come."
Jack nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, I suppose that's right; we'll just have to make sure we make time from now on."
Jack paused, thinking quietly.
"I don't think I've said it for awhile, but I'm glad I have you, Ianto. You are the best thing to have ever happened to me. You make me so happy, and I love you so much, I just want to treasure every moment with you; even if we don't get much time off just for us, I still treasure every single moment. I cannot imagine my life without you."
Ianto reached over, gripping his partner's hand.
"I know, Jack, I know. I have to say I feel the same, and I don't think I could have said it any better."
As he finished he leaned over, resting his head on Jack's shoulder.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
They arrived at the inn late yesterday afternoon. After such a long drive, they just took the time to eat some food and then went to sleep.
They had decided beforehand that the first day after arriving would be for lazing around, enjoying each other at their leisure.
Not to mention wake up at their leisure.
As Ianto gradually came to awareness, he realized two things: first, that the sun was shining pleasantly into their bedroom, and second, that someone, namely Jack, was licking his neck, slowly moving up and down from his clavicle to just behind his ear.
"Hmmm…." He groaned as he woke.
"Morning, sleepy-head."
Ianto slowly opened his eyes, meeting the warm, loving gaze of his partner.
"Did you sleep?" he asked, knowing Jack often had difficulty sleeping.
"I slept. Slept really well, actually, but I woke up about an hour and a half ago. I suppose we both needed the rest," Jack replied with a warm smile.
Ianto smiled back, pulling Jack down for a kiss.
"Well, I'm up now; what do you think we should do?"
"Oh, I can think of a few things," he said, then he resumed licking Ianto's neck.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
A Lover's Evening
It was almost three in the afternoon by the time they ventured from their room, eager for a walk to stretch their legs and grab a bite to eat.
They strolled around the town, arm in arm, stopping whenever they saw a store that interested them, and planning where they'd like to return to in the upcoming days.
They finally found a quaint bistro for a late lunch.
As they ate their sandwiches, Ianto asked, "So, do you have any ideas for tonight?"
Jack beamed at Ianto as he said, "Oh yes, I have tonight all planned out."
"I'm sure it'll be a great evening then," Ianto replied with a grin.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
They continued walking around the village until sunset, when Jack stopped them.
"Do you mind if we go back to the inn? I need to pick up a few things for our evening," he said with a wide smile.
Ianto nodded in answer.
Ianto stood outside at the entrance of the inn while he waited for Jack to gather what he needed.
"Ready?" Jack asked as he exited with a picnic basket and a huge grin.
"Always," he replied in kind.
Arm in arm, they walked to a secluded hill, where Jack grandly spread out the picnic blanket.
"A midnight picnic, Jack?"
"And a bit more," Jack answered with a smile.
He took an iPod and speakers out of the picnic basket, his grin growing.
"I wanted us to be able to dance together; it's been awhile since we've been able to. At first I thought we could go to one of the places here, but there's not too much slow-dancing at the clubs they have here; so, I decided to improvise."
"Oh, Jack," Ianto said with a sigh.
Jack bent into the basket, pulled out the food and battery-operated hot plate, and started the music.
"It'll take a few minutes for the food to warm up at bit. May I have this dance?" Jack asked, extending his hand in an invitation.
Ianto took his hand with a warm smile.
As they began to sway to the music, Ianto couldn't imagine anywhere else he'd rather be.
He was sure Jack would agree.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
An Evening's Conclusion
They seemed to dance for hours, but in reality it was more like 15 minutes while the food warmed.
Ianto felt his partner pull away reluctantly.
Jack brought his hand up to Ianto's cheek, whispering, "I guess we should eat."
They seated themselves on the blanket, Ianto reclining as Jack gathered the food.
"And for dinner we have steak kabobs, and baguettes with butter; then, for dessert, chocolate-covered strawberries," Jack informed him with a grin.
They took their time feeding each other their dinner. Jack would feed Ianto a piece of steak or bread, then Ianto would return the favor.
Then came the strawberries, and Ianto was reminded why he didn't allow Jack to eat them at the Hub.
Finally, Jack could wait no longer and instead of a strawberry on Ianto's lips he had Jack—but Jack was infinitely more enjoyable than a strawberry.
After several minutes of making out, Jack pulled back, grinning.
He rolled over to lay next to his partner.
"Look," he said, tilting his eyes upward.
Ianto looked up and found himself gazing at a beautiful starry sky.
In his long life he had seen many beautiful, star-filled nights, fewer as civilization advanced; but no matter how many or how few stars he could see, he felt connected to them—they were part of his future, of that he had no doubt, and they were part of his heritage.
But this starry night in a remote area reminded him of one of the last ones he'd seen, a few years ago. When Jack had taken him ice skating on Christmas Eve for the first time.
"It's beautiful," he said.
Ianto inched over to Jack, so he could rest his head on his partner's shoulder.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
Ianto's Surprise
The next day passed much the same, just recharging and enjoying being with each other.
As they returned to the inn near dinner time, Ianto told Jack, "Wear something nice, it's my turn for plans."
He finished with a wink.
"I can't wait," Jack replied with a wide smile.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
They walked to the nicest restaurant in town, where they were immediately seated despite the crowd after a quick word from Ianto with the maître d.
Jack realized Ianto must have made a reservation some time ago.
When they reached their table, Ianto pulled out the chair for him with a grin.
"Order whatever you like, but I already have dessert planned," he said with twinkle in his eye.
Jack grinned back before turning his attention to his menu.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
After ordering, Jack asked, "So, what's the occasion?"
Ianto smiled as he said, "Happy Birthday."
Jack looked at his lover in surprise.
Having been born on a different planet in the future meant that translating his birth date required more than simple addition and looking at a calendar. To compound the issue, being a time traveler further complicated calculating his actual age. At this point, Jack had been alive so long he just tended to round his age to the nearest decade if he had to give his actual age.
"I know we don't usually celebrate your birthday regularly, but lately I've been thinking; we should celebrate you like we celebrate me. I know this isn't your actual birth date, but I figure the day doesn't matter, it's the celebration," Ianto continued, smiling.
Jack reached across the table to hold Ianto's hand.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
After the main course, dessert was brought out.
Jack couldn't wait to see what Ianto had planned.
His eyes grew wide when a chocolate truffle tort was placed in front of him. Since he had first tried the treat years ago, it had become a favorite, but was reserved for special occasions.
He looked up at his partner, who just smiled in response. He smiled back as he handed Ianto a second fork, to share the dessert.
"Happy Birthday, Jack, my partner."
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
The Tourist Trap
Jack was lounging beside his resting lover, gently running his fingers across Ianto's chest, toying with the hairs every so often.
"So, do we have any plans for today?" Jack asked, leaning in to gently nip his partner's ear.
Ianto smiled up at him before rolling over to grab a pamphlet from the bedside table.
Jack gave him a curious look as he took the pamphlet from his partner.
"A haunted house?" he asked in disbelief.
Jack's experiences being dead gave him a unique look at death, and in general he found things like ghosts and an afterlife ridiculous. But Ianto had long since convinced him that just because that's all he can remember, that didn't guarantee that was all there was.
"I know, I know, but I thought it might be fun. It's supposedly a recent haunted house, only been active the last 20 or so years, but they market it as very active, even saying people disappear. It's obviously a gimmick; I thought if nothing else, we could poke some fun at whatever they have rigged up to make it seem haunted," Ianto replied with a mischievous grin.
Jack laughed.
"Well, it would at least be different; and who knows, we might even see an actual ghost," he said with a glint in his eye as he tickled Ianto.
"Jack, stop!" Ianto said as he laughed.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
As they walked up to the entrance, they both had to laugh at the house. It was obvious that it had been purposefully distressed to appear spookier. However, after all they had seen, this was not even in the top 50.
"Something wrong?" Jack asked as they stepped inside, seeing Ianto shiver.
"I'm fine; I can't say anything about ghosts, but this place does emit strong energies from its history. Even if there's no truth to the claims, I can't say I'm surprised people think it's haunted; you should be able to feel it too, actually."
Jack closed his eyes and concentrated, and he felt the inexplicable feeling of something there, of shifting timelines—more so than was average. It wasn't too different from his experiences in the Time Agency, but it was still different, somehow.
But he knew what he felt was nothing like what his partner must be feeling.
"Yeah, I do, is it bothering you?" he asked, concerned.
Ianto shook his head.
"I'm fine, it's just a bit different; and there's something else I can't put my finger on. Like there's something else, here, too."
"Well, if you're sure," Jack said, eyeing his partner carefully.
Then he laughed. "This almost makes if more interesting; we know what's happening and no one else does."
"Well, we at least have a good idea," Ianto replied as his partner walked up the stairs.
He looked over his shoulders as he started to follow his partner; something indeed was different about this place.
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Signs of Drama
Jack had to laugh; despite the legitimately spooky energies the house was giving off, there was nothing out of the ordinary about it—well, except for the things the people that operated the place had hooked up.
Ianto, amused as he was by the gimmicks, was actually finding himself intrigued by the house itself.
It was a solid house with a rich history, the sort that sang to Ianto.
Jack smiled; he couldn't fault his lover for dawdling. Ianto enjoyed immersing himself in history; if they went to a museum, Jack always planned on sitting for a good chunk of time, just watching his lover engross himself in a single piece.
But still, even he could only take so much gimmick.
"Ianto, I'll meet you in the next room."
Ianto looked up, startled, and said, "Sorry, Jack, I didn't realize I was lingering so long."
Jack waved him off with a smile.
"It's fine, I know you don't always get to indulge in this as much as you'd like. I don't mind waiting, just not in this room."
Ianto smiled and nodded in response.
Jack turned and headed down the hallway. He was about half way down when a glow peeking through a cracked door caught his attention.
Slowly he moved towards the door and opened it.
Inside he found no one, but in the center of the room was a glowing…hole…of light.
'A portal,' he realized, but where it came from or where it went he had no idea.
Suddenly, the light brightened and he felt himself dragged into it.
He tried to pull himself back, but it was no use, he was going to be pulled in.
"Ianto!"
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
The Missing Partner
"Jack?" Ianto called out, after he thought he heard his partner call him.
Something…something wasn't right, he knew this. Before he even thought about trying to figure out what wasn't right, he closed his eyes, searching for his partner in that spot in his mind that always told him where Jack was.
Jack wasn't here, which meant something definitely wasn't right.
Ianto fought the swell of panic rising in his chest. He could not afford to waste precious seconds right now, he could feel his time to find Jack growing short.
He sighed. Of course. This vacation had been going too smoothly.
But time was growing shorter still; he had to find Jack before it was too late. Too late for what he didn't know right now, but he knew time was short.
Which way had Jack gone?
He walked out into the hall. Which way?
Straight, definitely.
Left or right?
Right, yes, his lover had gone to the right, which lead him to a room.
Inside the room there was still no Jack—not surprising, really—but what he did see was a portal.
A glowing portal.
A rapidly closing portal.
Before he even had time to think he jumped through. Jack was on the other side, of that he had no doubt, and wherever Jack was, he would find him.
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The Other Side
After leaping into the portal, Ianto was engulfed in inky silence.
A side effect of the portal, he thought.
But more concerning than the temporary leave of his normal human senses was the loss of his sense of time.
Of course, he could still tell time was moving just like any other living being, but his innate sense of Time, of its possibilities, its past and future, was strangely absent.
Thankfully, he could still feel his bonds to Mother and his partner, but that sense of time that had been with him as long as he had been aware was gone.
Slowly, oh, so slowly, his senses were coming back, but his time-sense was muffled—not dissimilar to a human trying to listen while underwater.
"Another sacrifice? Hopefully, finding a second one so quickly means the Gods will finally bless us again," Ianto could hear a voice say.
"We can only hope, but it is unusual for a sacrifice to come through on the ship and not the altar," stated a second voice. Ianto realized they were speaking an unusual language; he didn't think that he had seen any record or reference to anything like it. Good thing his TARDIS translator had started working in the last decade.
"Oh, looks like it's coming back around."
Ianto could finally see his captors; they were humanoid with purple skin, but their heads looked more like an angular fish from Earth's ocean depths.
Now he knew he was in the presence of an undocumented species; these people would stand out in anyone's memory.
Which probably meant he was far from home, too, but wherever he was, he was sure that how this species interacted with time and space was unusual; an external source was the only explanation for his muffled TARDIS senses.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
Journey to the Partner
The two beings grabbed Ianto roughly, forcing him to his feet with his hands held securely behind his back.
Resistance was not an option, and even if he could, he wouldn't—not right now.
They had mentioned another "sacrifice," which he could only hope meant Jack, and it sounded like they needed the two "sacrifices" together, which meant taking him to Jack. Until he found Jack, resistance and escape were low on his priority list—for the moment, at least.
They guided him to an observation window while barking orders at what apparently was an AI navigation system.
He felt the ship—he had no doubt now he was on one—lurch forward, and then they were flying above an alien landscape of gray desert dunes.
His captors held him tighter, almost painfully so, but he didn't care right now. Wherever they were flying him to was where Jack was, he could feel it. With every passing second as they flew past the drifting dunes he could sense his partner coming closer.
'Soon, Jack, soon.'
As they traveled, he felt Jack with every beat of his heart.
He would find his partner and then they would figure out how to get home, together.
Just like always.
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Jack's Ordeal
Jack was on the floor; why was it that a person couldn't land on their feet when using a portal?
Slowly, he opened his eyes to find himself in a room that was nothing like he had ever seen before: somehow a cross between a sterile room in a spaceship and an Egyptian ceremonial chamber.
His eyes swept the room as he sat up. It really did look like a ceremonial chamber, as if ancient Egypt had been in the space age; there were even metallic-looking statues at each corner of the room.
Suddenly, the room was flooded with light—a transportation beam.
"Jack!"
"Ianto?"
Jack ran up to his lover, holding him close.
Ianto pulled away, lightly swatting his chest.
"What is it with you and tech?"
"Hey, it's not my fault; I saw a light and then I got sucked in," Jack explained to his lover.
Ianto just rolled his eyes.
"How did you get here?" Jack asked.
"I jumped in after you, of course," Ianto replied with a mixture of tenderness and exasperation. "But the destination appeared to split after you were transported; I wound up on a ship with some of the natives. We seem to be far from home, brought here for a purpose—they mentioned sacrifices and 'Gods' blessing.'"
As Ianto finished his explanation, the eyes of the statues glowed, and a voice rang out.
"You are the chosen."
"Fascinating," said Ianto. "That was English. They must use these robots as a proxy to communicate with the people they take, as the native people definitely didn't speak Eng—"
"SILENCE, sacrifice!"
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The Purpose
"You will be exposed. If the Gods will it, you will perform, and bless us."
"Exposed?" Jack asked.
"The Gods' power will be released into the ritual room; if the Gods' power sways you, we are blessed. The Gods have not blessed us for many seasons."
"And why do you need us for that?" Jack asked.
"The Gods demand outsiders; we supply them and can be blessed."
"What do you mean, 'perform'?" Ianto asked.
"Perform mating acts. You will now be exposed."
With that the robots were silenced, their glowing eyes extinguished.
"SEX? They expect us to have sex?" Ianto asked.
Jack placed a calming hand on Ianto's shoulder as he said with a cheeky grin, "Bright side is, it's not like we don't normally do that."
He sobered after a moment. "I'm sure it's nothing we can't handle."
"Gods' power? What could they have meant by that?" Ianto wondered aloud.
Jack had opened his wrist strap and was pressing buttons on his vortex manipulator.
"I don't know, but there seem to have been some particles released into the air; it'll take me a few minutes to analyze them, unless you can see something."
Ianto shook his head.
"Wherever we are, it seems they have either tech or natural energies that interfere with an individual interacting with time; I've felt off since I woke, like I'm underwater."
Jack winked.
"Guess that means I get to provide the answers, then."
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
The Ritual Begins
"Well, that's strange," Jack said after a minute of tapping on his vortex manipulator.
"What is?"
"Given what they said, I'd say we can both agree that whatever they released should be some sort of aphrodisiac," he said. At Ianto's nod he continued, "Well, it would seem these particles they released aren't an aphrodisiac at all; they're some sort of particle similar to time particles, chronons. They shouldn't have an effect on anyone except a few select time-sensitive species, which doesn't include humans, who seem to have been, at least part-time, their targets."
"If that's the case, it's no wonder they haven't had a 'blessing' in awhile; they'd have to be very lucky to find an individual that would be affected," Ianto reasoned.
"My question is, what happens after this ritual, especially if nothing happens? Because that's where this is heading."
Ianto looked at his lover, sharing his confusion and concern, when he started to feel warm and strange.
"They might have just hit the lottery, Jack," Ianto said, gasping.
"Ianto?"
xxx
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
The Ritual
Through the eyes of the proxies, they could watch the sacrifices on the monitors.
It had been so long since the Gods had blessed them, but if finally seemed that the Gods saw fit to renew their favor.
xxx
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
Escaping
Ianto slowly came to his senses, after having his entire being consumed with the need for sex.
On top of him, his partner was also catching his breath; he smiled. He truly appreciated Jack making him say that he really wanted it.
He reached a hand up to Jack's hair.
"The Gods have given their blessing. It has been decided you shall remain to renew the blessing."
Post-coital cuddles or not, they both jerked up as the robots spoke again and then looked at each other, before getting up and hurrying into their clothes.
"See, we're not so keen on that idea," Jack replied to the robots, slowly making his way over to the door-like shape in one of the walls.
"I have to agree, and you see, you really didn't pick well if that was your plan," Ianto agreed, as Jack used his vortex manipulator to get the door open and they both ran out.
"Which way?" Jack asked.
Ianto's abilities might be dulled, but he was able to get a general idea of which way to go, and his TARDIS senses were clearing a bit more as they went along.
oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
After several minutes of running down corridors, they found themselves in some sort of control room.
"Well, this looks useful," Jack said.
They both hurried to the controls.
Ianto looked at them. He wasn't familiar with this technology; he could figure it out, of course, but it'd take time they didn't have.
Lucky for him, there was little that Jack didn't have at least a passing knowledge of.
"Looks like we can set coordinates to get home with this," Jack said, pressing a couple buttons.
"Great, I know the Hub coordinates by heart, and the passwords to get through our security; just tell me where to input them."
"Looks like we can set coordinates to get home with this."
"Jack?" Ianto asked, concerned; why would his partner be repeating himself?
"Looks like we can set coordinates to get home with this." Jack was repeating his motions from a few minutes ago, not looking up.
A time loop, Jack was stuck in a time loop, and likely it was only Ianto's nature that saved him from a similar fate.
These lifeforms use time like a resource, Ianto realized.
It all made sense; how they used time around them was causing the distortion to his senses, and then using it as a trap like this? If things didn't seem so dire, making connections with them would be fascinating.
But he had to pull Jack out of the loop.
Ianto reached over and touched Jack's shoulder. He wasn't sure if this would work, but it was the only thing he could think of.
He felt for his connection to Jack, feeling the time loop ripple around him, and pulled
"Ianto? What's wrong?"
It had worked.
"A time loop; just tell me where to put in the Hub coordinates with our passwords so we can get home, then we can talk," Ianto said, trying to catch his breath.
Jack indicated the console and within minutes they were engulfed in a light, and when it faded, they found themselves looking at a shocked Tosh and Owen.
Ianto promptly collapsed in Jack's arms.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
Home
"Jesus, Jack, what happened?" Ianto heard Owen ask as he felt himself gently pulled from the safety of his partner's arms.
As Jack started to explain what had happened, it struck him again, how much their two team mates were family to both of them.
Somehow, at the same time, each of them was a brother/sister and daughter/son to them.
They had hand-picked the two of them, when Tosh and Owen were, debatably, at the lowest points in their lives.
They had nurtured them into the field operatives they were today, and though neither he nor his partner wanted to see the two face any danger, they had to accept it as being part of Torchwood, and thus part of Jack and Ianto's lives.
They had even, in the first year of Owen joining, encouraged Tosh to speak to him. They were both broken in very different ways, and just as he and Jack had nurtured them as operatives, they tried to nurture them as friends, both to themselves and to each other.
Tosh was able to look past Owen's prattish and toxic, protective exterior to the kind soul underneath. And Owen was able to see past Tosh's shyness to her brilliant mind and loving soul within. Both worked to bring those qualities out in each other, first out of friendship, and then later, more.
Owen had had more success than Tosh in breaking through those protective shells, but honestly, then Owen wouldn't be Owen.
And brilliant mastermind, or prat, they were both family.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
Tired
"Okay, aliens kidnapped you to have sex. Geez, Harkness, I would think given the situation you would have gone easy on Tea Boy," Owen said after hearing Jack's retelling of what had happened.
"Owen!" Tosh cried, swatting Owen's shoulder.
"Leave him alone," Ianto mumbled from Jack's shoulder.
"I would have been fine, but pulling him from the time loop trap was a lot harder than I imagined," he continued, eyes still closed, resting against his partner.
"Any pain?" asked Owen, in full doctor-mode.
"No, I'm just tired, Owen, I just need rest. Please, quit prodding me."
Owen sighed.
"Well, I can't find anything wrong. Just take him to bed and let him rest but if you notice anything weird, let me know right away," Owen said, addressing Jack.
"Right. Tosh, would you mind arranging for our luggage and such to be returned? I have a feeling we won't be going back this trip."
"Already on it, Jack," Tosh called from her computer.
Jack nodded as he gathered Ianto up in his arms, carrying him to the space they had shared for 24 years.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO
Linked
Jack carefully placed his lover on the narrow, makeshift bed.
As he was about to pull away, Ianto grabbed his arm.
"Stay? I always sleep better when you're with me."
Jack smiled; he could not resist the request from his lover.
He removed his shirt and climbed in beside Ianto. It was a tight fit, but they had managed for decades in the past.
Ianto gently maneuvered him so he was lying on Jack's chest. Jack buried his nose in Ianto's hair, bringing his left hand to run his fingers through his lover's hair.
For several minutes Ianto just listened to his partner's steady heart beat, relaxing into his connection to Jack.
"I was afraid I'd never see you again, when I was sucked into that portal," Jack said quietly.
Ianto was silent for a moment.
"Do you remember when I told you we had bonded?"
Jack laughed quietly.
"Hard to forget; I think that was the worst fight we've had, but it was what we needed. I was so afraid you'd leave me."
Ianto nodded.
"The thing is; I didn't tell you what bonding really meant, what it means for a TARDIS and their chosen."
"Ianto?"
"Once a TARDIS bonds with their 'one,' that is it; the bond is forever, only severed by death—true death—and even then, in a true bond a TARDIS will follow their chosen, their pilot, shortly."
Ianto smiled grimly.
"The timelords forgot that, so they quit trying to match TARDISes with their chosen."
"Like the Doctor and his TARDIS?"
"Exactly, Mother came into being long before he did, but her previous pilots were not her chosen; she had to wait for him to come to her."
Jack nodded, but it was hard to imagine the TARDIS with anyone other than the Doctor; maybe that was a sign that they truly were meant for each other.
"But a bond is more than just tying a TARDIS and their chosen together. The TARDIS is linked to their chosen, a telepathic bond."
"What?"
"A TARDIS will always know where their chosen is, no matter where in time or space. That is the true purpose, the root, of the telepathic portion of the bond. But with time, a TARDIS can communicate with their chosen; if the TARDIS is strong and old enough, telepathic communication is actually a possibility with others as well."
Jack smiled at that; he had experienced that first hand himself.
"So, what are you saying, that we can communicate telepathically?"
Ianto shook his head.
"No, not really, I'm too young and the bond must be very mature for the chosen to be able to participate. Not to mention the chosen has to work to establish that side of the bond. For us, I know where you are, when you're coming, though I do try not to pay too close attention to that; I know you like surprising me."
Jack smiled and kissed Ianto's hair.
"I've also, in the last 30 years, been able to get a progressively better sense of your moods and emotions; in a few more decades, if I really concentrate I might be able to pick up strong thoughts.
"Why didn't you tell me before?" Jack asked, slightly hurt.
"At first, we had had such a big fight leading up to me telling you about the bond, I didn't want to add more to the explanation. After that, it just never seemed like a good time, like it needed to be shared. It wasn't like it was useful for anything other than me being with you, and it got to the point that I just didn't tell you. I'm sorry."
"Now, see, I think it could be very useful, I might not be able to participate, but maybe we could have come up with signals of danger or more fun activities."
Ianto laughed.
"Jack, I've been with you for over 85 years, I think I know when I pick up from you that there's danger or you're being amorous, or if you're faking it."
Ianto lifted his head to give Jack a look.
Jack had the sense to blush at trying to send Ianto a false signal.
"I'm also quite capable of ignoring them if there are more pressing matters. Really, Jack, right now you don't need to do anything. In a century or two we'll see if the bond and myself are mature enough to start working on your end, but for right now, don't worry about it. Just know this means I'll always find you and come for you, no matter what; just like I know you'll do everything in your power to do the same."
Jack smiled and cuddled closer.
"Cheater."
"As if you don't cheat just as much."