Chapter One: Everything Changes by WingedHybrid
The sunlight broke through the cracks in the curtains and warmed one side of Ianto Jones' peaceful, slumbering face. In Wales, the bright light was uncommon so it instantly began to disturb. The 25-year-old shifted away from the heat, into the body beside him that was acting as his pillow, and clenched his eyes shut in stubbornness, tightening his grip around his partner's narrow waist.
The body shifted, curling towards him. There was a small groan. "Uh…Yan?"
"Ianto's not here right now. Please leave a message after the beep…" he mumbled sleepily, twisting further into the warmth and comfort of the duvet cover.
Captain Jack Harkness chuckled in amusement. He had, once again, forgotten how young his lover was and how important sleep was at his age. He wanted nothing more than to let the man sleep but, as his boss, he knew he couldn't allow that. Sighing, he shuffled down the bed until he was face to face to those droopy blue eyes. He ran his hand through the messy bed hair.
"Time to get up and face the world." He said in a sing-song way.
Ianto whined his objection, clutching the cover tightly to him. There was a moment of silence before the Welshman groaned in defeat and, rather sluggishly, dragged himself out of the bed. Jack smirked and ogled his partner's naked behind.
"Do you plan on joining me, or are you going to just stare all day?" Ianto threw casually over his shoulder as he entered the en suite bathroom. It took Jack all of two seconds to jump out of the bed and follow his naked lover.
Unfortunately, the sun in Wales never last long, so it wasn't a surprise when, by noon, it had started to rain again. Nor was it a surprise that it continued raining into the night. It was still doing so at 11:00pm when the Torchwood team arrived at the murder scene. No one paid the weather any attention mind. They treated it much like they treated the police, and the press – like it wasn't really there. As the team crouched over the dead body, Ianto stood near by holding an umbrella in a failed attempt to protect the alien technology from being damaged in the rain. In all honesty, he wasn't quite sure what to do. He hadn't been at Torchwood Three all that long – even when he worked at Torchwood One, he had worked inside the buildings. He'd never experienced field work before. This … wasn't what he expected – it was less glamorous than it was made out to be.
"…Conception in the rain. Well, at least, I won't get pregnant – never doing that again." Jack mumbled shaking his head.
Ianto shot him a scathed look. "It seems Jack that you and I need to have a long conversation about keeping secrets. What a way to tell me you can get pregnant …"
"Guys please; can we not turn a murder scene into a domestic situation?" Owen asked in a sarcastic, pleading way. It made Jack let out a barking laugh, and Ianto smirk in an amused way, but they both fell silent, promising to discuss it later.
"How's it going?" Jack asked looking down at his team mates. Owen was filming the body with what seemed like an ordinary camera, but Tosh had changed the mechanics of the machine. Though it still could be used as a video tape, it focused specifically on injuries and smudges that would have otherwise been unnoticeable; Tosh was scanning in the area for Rift activity, as usual, as well as checking the health the boy was in before he died – this information could be used to identify the body – and reading the information from the experiment they were about to perform; Suzie had simply slipped the metal glove she had been put in charge of over her left hand, shifting her fingers into a comfortable position. She was now crouched over the corpse of the young boy, placing the fingers of the glove on his forehead. After all, it was for the glove they were here.
Suzie believed the glove had some kind of resurrection power and, from what they had seen, it worked in that exact way. So, now and then, when the need suited it, Torchwood Three left the Hub to find recently dead bodies as test subjects for the glove. It was exactly what they were doing now.
"Nothing yet," Suzie managed to say over the heavy rain, "I know there's a connection, I just can't feel it."
"Well, hurry up and feel it." Owen told her firmly, kneeling down beside her to trail the camera over her hand and the corpse's forehead. He gave her a look. "I'm freezing my arse off out here."
"I can't just flip a switch." Suzie told him, a hint of annoyance and longing in her voice, as she turned her attention back to the body, "It's more like access. Its grants me access."
"Whatever that means."
"It's like…like, oh!" Suzie said surprised as the glove shook in her hand. The creases between the metal plates lit up a bright blue color, as they had discovered it did when a connection was made between the glove and the dead body.
"Positions," Jack ordered in the voice Ianto had dubbed his 'Captain' voice. Tosh moved closer to the head of the corpse, standing beside Suzie whilst Owen bent down closer to the body, the camera finally away. Ianto moved the stand between Owen and Suzie, holding the umbrella over their heads. He had learnt from experience that newly awoken corpses don't tend to like the rain. Jack continued to stand close by, like an observer more than anything.
"I swear if this one punches me again, I'm going to punch you right back." Owen mumbled to the Captain.
Jack smirked in amusement for a moment. "Just concentrate," he ordered, "Suzie!"
The woman looked up momentarily and nodded in understanding. Very carefully, she lifted the boy's head up from the resting place on the concrete floor of the alley way using both hands. She then replaced the crown of the boy's head onto the palm of the gloved hand, slowly removing her empty hand. There was a strange change in scenery from that point, to Ianto at least. The rain stopped suddenly leaving only drippings from the edges of buildings and bins, and the lights that the forensic team had placed around the body seemed brighter than it had previously. It was as if time was standing still. Nervously, he shifted from one tailor fit shoe to the other.
There was the sound of surging energy coming from the centre of the glove, a sound he hadn't gotten used to, before the once dead body lurched forward with a pain filled gasp. He panted heavily, his heart rate high with fear and adrenaline from the moment he had been stabbed, and his eyes darted around frantic across the Torchwood team as they stared down at him, still in wonder at the workings of the alien glove.
"I was, I was, I was, I was…oh my god…I was going home…" the boy explained frantically, still scared, still afraid.
Taking control, Tosh leant down closer to the body and tried to smile encouragingly. "Listen to me," she told him both firmly and comfortingly, "We've only got two minutes so it's important that you listen, okay?"
"Who are you?"
"Trust me." Tosh told him calmly, purposely ignoring the question placed towards her. There was no time, "You're dead."
"How am I dead?" the boy asked panicking, his heart rate picked up again.
"You were stabbed." Owen told him bluntly with a sigh.
"I'm not dead, I can see you."
"We brought you back so we could talk to you. Now you haven't got long so we need you to concentrate. Do you know who did this to you?" Tosh asked.
It was that point that Ianto lost himself in his thoughts again. Call him a wuss or whatever, but he didn't't really want to hear about the murder of the young boy. He was even younger than him – it was such a waste. Such a pointless death. Despite the stop of rain, he kept the umbrella in place and instead glanced around him, his eyes trailing over the cop cars and officers that still stood on the side lines watching them with suspicion and curiosity, as one often did when Torchwood was mentioned. After all, no one was sure what they did.
It was the second time he scanned his eyes over the crowd that he noticed something was off. Something was missing. A woman, he remembered, a police officer. She'd been the one standing next to the car when they had pulled up in the SUV he proudly maintained; the one who had looked at Jack with such appreciation and it had taken all Ianto could not to growl at her and claim what was his on the spot, no matter who the witness – not that Jack would have minded. She was a brunette, dark hair, with a gap tooth smile. Pretty but not overly so. If he wasn't so sure about his relationship with the Captain, he would have been cautious or worried, but Jack didn't even notice her when they walked passed.
That doesn't't explain why she's not here now though…
Checking he wasn't overreacting (he had a tendency to do so, he had been told) he ran his gaze over the crowd of forensic scientists and the local police force. All faces which he had encountered and memorized before but, still, her face wasn't there. Now he was worried. He turned his attention back to the team and, on swift legs approached his lover. Jack gave him a raised eyebrow look of confusion.
He spoke in a low voice. "We have a problem. One of the officers that were here before us…she's gone…"
"Gone?"
"Yup. She's not here anymore. I can't see her."
"Who killed you, did you see them?" Tosh asked the boy urgently. They had limited time left and they had to get some form of information or there was no point in using the resurrection glove.
"I-I don't know…there was someone behind me…"
Owen rolled his eyes upward to meet Tosh's gaze. "Police said one stab wound to the back."
"So you didn't see anything?" Tosh sounded surprised.
The boy shook his head frantically. "No."
There was a mild panic as no one was sure what to ask the boy. They had 30 seconds left. "Don't waste it," Suzie had said but what could they possibly ask? He didn't see anything. Jack put the mild worry of the disappearing officer out of mind as he knelt down in front of the body. He kept him talking, asking him what he saw when he died.
Ianto felt a pang in the centre of his chest at the question. It was a stupid question, just used to fill time – Jack knew well enough what you saw when you died. He'd seen it enough times and it hadn't changed for years. Ianto had asked the same question before and he had no desire to hear the story of nothingness and darkness again. Instead, he reverted his attention to finding the officer that had disappeared. Normally he wouldn't have had a problem but he knew, from experience, that no police officer ever walked away from the scene of a murder. There was something in their mortals or something that told them they couldn't just leave – every cop had it so why would this one be any different?
With a dreaded feeling, he tilted his head up slightly and glanced to the roof of the building they were standing beside. It didn't look like he was looking upward so it would not alert the attention of the woman if she was up there. And she was. It wouldn't have mattered whether or not Ianto was looking straight at her because she was too wrapped up with the now moving corpse and, more importantly, the man that was talking to him. He continued to stare at her until the rain restarted, shocking him out of his thoughts. He listened for a moment to Owen and Tosh arguing over the announcement that the boy was dead as he slowly approached his lover's side.
"I found her…" he whispered.
"Where?"
He inclined his head upward. His face showing adorable confusion, the leader of Torchwood allowed his eyes to dart upward whilst not making it obvious. He gave Ianto a look of exasperation before he interrupted the argument.
"The last corpse we spoke to spent the whole time screaming for an ambulance…maybe there's no good way to do it." He started to explain before he moved his head upward and met the gaze of the shocked female police officer. He raised his voice, "What do you think?"
She gasped in a frenetically kind of way and instantly pulled away from the edge of the building, realizing she'd been caught, and hide herself from view. But it was already too late.
Ianto couldn't resist the chuckle that escaped him as he gave his lover entertained look. "Way to scare the woman, Jack…"
X
"The Weevil is in the cell and the SUV is parked away from prying eyes in the garage," Ianto explained loudly, walking into the Hub, "now, could you explain to me why there was a police car following you? What happened at the Hospital?"
"It was the police officer again. The one from the murder scene," Owen started.
Jack laughed. "She started talking to a Weevil. Then got some guy killed – Owen, Tosh, I need you two to sort that out as soon as possible." He spoke in his 'Captain' voice, moving to stand beside Ianto, his arm slipping around his waist, "I think we may have a problem with this one. She seems … determined. I don't think recton will work on her if she has a strong will…"
Ianto rested a hand on his lover's cheek. "We'll deal with it when the time comes. Until then, just relax."
He smiled encouragingly before leaning in and stealing a kiss from the older man. Jack hummed appreciatively, his grip on the younger man tightening. The touch was soft, meaningful, and oh so relaxing. For a moment, it was as if they were alone.
Tosh giggled behind her hand, her eyes sparkling with happiness for her friends. Suzie turned a light red color in embarrassment but couldn't tear her gaze away. Owen's eyes darted between the two women, before looking at the kissing couple again. He wrinkled his nose in disgust. "If you two start groping in front of me, I won't be responsible for my reactions."
"I think it's cute…" Tosh commented.
"Sweet," Suzie agreed.
"You would." Owen bit back, grabbing a small briefcase shaped bag from the metal table in the middle of the autopsy bay, "come on Tosh, let's go deal with the body. God, I hate civilians."
With amused looks, the three remaining Torchwood members watched the two leave, the alarm ringing loudly at their departure. Suzie watched the two men closely as they returning to undressing each other with their eyes. It became very clear what was going on in their minds. Nervously, she cleared her throat, drawing their attention.
"I'm going to do some more work on the Glove…" Suzie spoke, taking a step backwards, "…I will just leave you to…that…"
Chuckling to himself, Jack turned back to his lover with a smoldering gaze. "So Ianto…do you want to go and…do that?"
Ianto smirked. "20 seconds…"
X
"She's here again. Second time in an hour." Tosh commented from her station, watching the live CCTV footage on her computer screen. Dealing with the body had been simple, and the recton they had given the staff made sure the existence of the pauper was not remembered – she even wiped him from the Hospital database just to make sure. It had been a relaxed kind of day from that point on – Owen was continuing his work on the Weevils, Suzie was busy was her Glove, Tosh had immerse herself in trying to figure out the patterns from the Rift Manipulator that she had been putting off. They all had an idea of what their Captain and Tea-Boy were doing but didn't say anything when Ianto finally appeared and announced he was calling for a pizza. But, of course, nothing could be that simple.
"What's she doing this time?" Suzie sighed.
Tosh cocked her head to the right. "She's…carrying Pizza…"
Owen barked a laugh. "Never seen someone try that one before. She must be desperate."
Jack grinned. "I have an idea. We have to recton her – she's seen too much – but maybe we should have some fun with her first."
Ianto's eyes sparkled at the very idea. "What do you have in mind sir?"
He was waiting for her when she appeared in the Tourist Office, carrying a pile of pizzas – the one he had ordered. He didn't even begin to wonder how she managed to get Jubilee Pizza's to give their order to her. She appeared cautious, nervous – as she should do. He didn't know what she was expecting but she certainly wasn't dressed for an encounter with a secret organization: her top was too low, her jeans too tight. It was an effort to keep the fake smile in place.
"I, ah, have some pizzas here…for a Mr. Harkness." She lied.
The front door slammed shut behind her and she jumped, spinning on her heel to see what had happened. He pressed the button under his desk, opening the secret door in the back of the Tourist Office. The noise drew her attention back. She appeared surprised and glanced at him hesitantly. He grasped his coffee cup and sipped at the content delicately.
He raised an eyebrow. "Don't keep him waiting."
Ianto waited until she had stepped into the secret passage way to shut the door. As per orders, he left the Tourist Office and used the perception filter (aka the 'tourist' entrance) to reach the centre of the Hub. She didn't disappoint their expectations by spending a long amount of time in the darkened passageway.
Jack helped him off the lift, grinning. "Did she take the bait?"
He nodded. "In the tunnel - shouldn't be too long now."
"Excellent." Jack jumped gleefully, "Suzie, open the cog door ready for her arrival, then get into your position people."
There was a scramble to get into place, all laughing to them selves about teasing the civilian. It was something they enjoyed but didn't get to do often. Tosh sat herself at her desk, looking at old reports that really had no meaning. Owen was at his own station looking through the medical information he'd gathered about Weevils. Suzie used the time to continue her work on the glove. Ianto moved to the hot room, where the frosted windows hid the inhabitance of the room from the rest of the building, and Jack (after some persuading and pouting on his part) followed him.
A few minutes later, Gwen appeared in the door. With a click of a button, the cog door and the heavy iron gates were shut behind her, leaving the cop to believe she was trapped. They gave her a few moments, ignoring her pointedly as part of the plan and continued their work. From were Ianto was, he could see her look of amazement when she saw the hand in the container. Wistfully, he remembered when that was him, staring in awe at the Hub. Jack left the room first, making his way along the platform and down the stairs to his own office. Gwen's eyes followed his every move. Ianto's eyes narrowed in annoyance and growled under his breath.
He was really starting to dislike this woman.
There was a tense silence around the room as the officer slowly wandered towards the Captain. She appeared nervous just determined. She paused only when she heard a small giggle behind her. A small giggle escalated into suppressed laughter.
Owen spun in his chair, his faces red from trying to stop laughing. "I can't do this! I'm sorry. I'm rubbish. I give up."
Ianto rolled his eyes at the statement and left the hot room. "Finally you're admitting it Owen, but Tosh you have no excuse."
She pointed accusingly at the medic. "He set me off."
"Well that lasted 0.2 seconds." Suzie laughed.
"Look, she's actually carrying pizza. I thought you were just joking." Owen commented, pointing his biro at the confused police officer.
"Come on, she was going to say 'here's your pizza'." Jack chuckled to himself, standing up and leaning against the doorway to his office, "and I would say 'how much?' and she'd say 'oh, whatever' twenty quid. Then I'd say 'oh, I don't have any money'…" he paused for a moment, "I don't have punch line but I would have thought of something, and it would have been good."
Ianto pushed pass the civilian to wrap his arms around his lover. "I'm sure you would have sweetheart."
"Here's your pizza and I think I better go." She said quickly, her face red, her dark eyes never straying from the hand that was around the Captain's waist.
"I think we've gone pass that stage." He told her coldly. Ianto had to hide a smile in his lover's shoulder. It wasn't that he didn't trust Jack – he did – it was just he knew the man was a sucker for a cute face and a Welsh accent. It was what had got him into his situation in the first place and though Jack told him it was just him, he couldn't help but think the immortal would wait for something better to come along and then leave him. He didn't want Gwen Cooper to be that 'something better'.
"How long were you walking around there? You must have been freezing." Suzie stated.
"You could see me?"
She nodded a tight smile on her face at the officer's shock.
"Before we go any further, who the hell orders pizza under the name of 'Torchwood'?"
Ianto raised his hands slightly. "Don't look at me."
"Uh, yeah, that would be me." Owen waved his pen, "Yeah, sorry, I'm a twat."
"Having a lot of epiphanies today aren't we Owen?" Ianto teased.
The doctor glared. "Shut up tea-boy."
"That man at the hospital…the porter…what happened to him?" Gwen asked quietly. "That was real, wasn't it? He was attacked…"
"He's dead."
"But…nobody's gone missing."
Tosh explained the dynamics of hiding the death of the porter from the rest of the world. It wasn't that difficult – in every sense, from that moment on, the porter left the building. It wasn't the nicest of ideas, chucking a corpse in the dock, but all members of Torchwood know that, no matter what, it is better for the human race to believe it was just another sick act from a human, than an alien attack. Apparently, Gwen has very high mortals. She then proceeded to get into an argument with Jack over the events that had brought her here – the death of John Tucker.
"What, did you see?" Jack repeated for the third time, more firmly.
"You brought him back to life."
"Yeah…" the Captain nodded.
A pause, "who are you?"
"Torchwood."
"What's 'Torchwood'?"
"This is Torchwood." Jack gestured around them, "All around you."
"And what happens to me?" Gwen questioned, "I'm with the police. Constable Gwen Cooper. You can't do anything…"
"And what makes you think we would?" Ianto wondered aloud.
"PC Cooper…do you want to come see?"
"See what?"
"You've seen the murder…now come see the murderer…"
Ianto watched the two leave through narrowed eyes. She stood too close to Jack but a pleased feeling washed over him when Jack purposely stepped away from her, not even looking her way. His phone beeped and he happily answered.
'Hey mate. Drinks at Swan and Dove. You up for it?'
"Can you guys handle yourselves for a while? My contact just got back to me." Ianto waved his phone, "Let Jack know where I've gone."
X
The Swan and Dove was an old fashioned pub – something that the 21st century didn't have enough of. Ianto remembered when he was younger and his Tad used to bring him in here, offering him some of his pint as long as he promised 'not to tell Ma'. As he grew up, this became the place he spent most of his time, up until the point he had moved to London for college. Now that he worked for Torchwood he didn't get much time to visit but, with certain situations, Jack was lenient and allowed him the time. This was one of those times.
"Ianto - over here!"
The Welshman smiled softly at the familiar voice and, almost like clockwork, he made his way to the old booth at the back that had, unofficially, become theirs. As expected, a grinning Rhys and Andy were waiting for him, three pints already resting on the time. The three men were an unlikely trio, even when they were younger and in primary school, it was a surprise that they even knew each other. Although they didn't spend as much time together now as they did when they were kids, they always made time to see each other – although this visit was just as much work as it was pleasure.
"Hey, how is life treating you?" Ianto asked, sliding into his usual seat.
Rhys sighed. "Girlfriends driving me up the wall but other than that, everything's perfect."
"I work with his girlfriend so…" Andy shrugged, smiling slightly, before sipping his drink.
"She is a hassle, huh?"
"You have no idea. Thinks she's God's gift, she does – never met a man with an ego so big." Andy laughed, "And now, she's convinced she saw that team you work for disappear into thin air on the Plass – and that you guys brought some kid back to life."
Ianto laughed along with him. "Nonsense, right?"
"I mean, I know Torchwood is strange and all, but I don't think you'd be pulling Houdini tricks."
"Yeah, she has been kind of nuts lately, but she always has been. Not the sort of person I usually go for but, you know, chance and all that…" Rhys explained awkwardly, his eyes on his beer. Andy watched him from the corner of his eye. Ianto watched the two closely, sipping at the pint. It had been obvious since year eight that there was some kind of chemistry between Rhys and Andy, though at that time, none had a clue what it was. As they got older, it became clearer, obvious but the two blindly refused to believe they thought of each other anymore than friends. At first, it had been amusing to watch his friend's skirting around each other (in some case, it still was) but the longer it lasted, the more Ianto wished his friends would just realize it wasn't this Gwen that made them happy, but each other. After all, he had been in the same situation.
"Let's stop talking of relationships – it's getting just a little too personal while I'm still sober." Ianto stated, grinning making his friends laugh – the desired affect.
Discretely, he pulled his phone from his pocket and typed a text under the table, so neither Andy nor Rhys saw what he was doing. He had manners after all.
'Don't trust her. Recton at first chance. Wait up for me x'
….
'Done. Got Tosh to deal with her computer – no chance of her remembering. I have chocolate syrup and ice cream – hurry home x'
X
Ianto shivered, rubbing the arms on his suit, as the wind blew violently around the rooftop. It was early – the sun had only risen a few minutes ago – but it was the normal time for him to be up and ready for work. Standing on the roof of his apartment building, however was not a daily occurrence for him. In the distance, he could see Jack standing on the edge of the building and felt this feeling of dread around him at the thought of the man dropping from that height. He quickened his steps.
"Jack!" he called, stopping just before the man disappeared from view.
The Captain turned his upper body towards the voice and smiled warmly when he was his freezing, young lover standing on the open rooftop. He took one last look out onto the horizon before he carefully made his way back to the safety of his lover's arms.
"Ianto…what are you doing up here?"
The Welshman eyed his curiously. "I could ask you the same thing. You only come up onto rooftops for two things: to give me a heart attack, and to think." He brushed a hand through his dark brown hair, pushing the hair back, "What's wrong?"
"I'm just thinking…about last night, with Gwen Cooper…" Jack trailed off, watching his lover's face. At the mention of the police officers name, he had become tense and his eyes had hardened.
"Really? I thought she wasn't a problem anymore." He pointed out through gritted teeth.
"She isn't – or shouldn't be. I'm just thinking…what if the recton didn't work?" Jack wondered, "I mean, she's strong willed and determined, right? It doesn't always work as well as it's meant to. There could be a trigger or something…"
"Well then we have to make sure she stays as far away from Torchwood as possible." Ianto said relieved. Maybe we could send her to Australia or, better yet, Jupiter…
"You really don't like her, do you?"
Ianto thought for a moment, debating whether there was a point in denying. "…No, I don't."
"But why?" Jack pressed.
He shrugged. "I don't know. Just this feeling in the pit of my stomach, something I've learnt to trust. Plus, I've seen the affect she has on people. Remember my friends Rhys and Andy – Gwen is a huge part of both their lives, whether it romance or work. She sucks the life out of people, and I know you…" he trailed off.
Jack's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. "So, I have something to do with it? Ianto, are you jealous, of a police officer?" when the Welshman stubbornly refused to answer, Jack reached over and took his strong chin between his forefinger and thumb, tilting it upwards and forced their eyes to meet, "Ianto…I don't like Gwen Cooper. She's just a complication that I've had to resolve. I don't know what I've done to make you believe I would leave you for someone else, but it would never happen…I care for you, and I'd never do anything to hurt you."
Ianto smiled softly and interlaced their hands. "I know, and I feel the same way about you. Come on, we should get to work. Leaving Suzie in charge for too long usually results in competitions that we can't seem to get out of."
"You're only sore because I can fit more dumplings in my mouth than you can." Jack retorted.
Ianto laughed. "That's not something you should be proud about. And, besides, that was only because the dumplings weren't all the same size."
"Huh, really? Try telling that to the judge."
X
"Ah, Jack – you know you were saying we may have a problem with Gwen Cooper?" Ianto started in one breath, leaning against the door to his lover's office. His eyes were wide with an underline panic and his suit was slightly wind swept. Jack straightened out in his seat, pausing in his paperwork, and narrowed his eyes in confusion.
"Yes…what's wrong Ianto?"
"Um, well, she's by the perception filter. If you're right about her being strong willed, there's no time before she'll find us again." Ianto explained, "Suzie went up before we could stop her and, well…"
"You think Suzie could help her to break through the recton." Jack finished, nodding to himself. He stood up abruptly and grabbed his coat from the stand, shrugging it on. "Alright, I'm going up there. Get her to come down. I'll make sure I'm not seen. You three stay here, watch the CVTV. I'll be right back."
Ianto wanted to argue, he really did, but he held his tongue and nodded obediently. Jack left him with a soft kiss to the centre of his forehead. He watched the Captain go with worry. It was only when he was completely out of sight, raised above the Hub using the tourist entrance, that the Archivist slowly turned to watch the CCTV recording that was being displayed on Tosh's computer screen.
He watched as the two women slowly approached each other, stopping about a foot or two apart. There was no sound so the three Torchwood members could only watch anxiously as their team mate's lips moved, wondering what she could be saying.
A shared, tense shock washed over them as the woman they had befriended, the woman they worked with, opened her bag and pulled a knife, extraordinary in design, from within it's confined. Gwen seemed to gasp and take a step back, her eyes glazed – like she was remembering.
"God, what is she doing?" Owen muttered, chewing on the end of his pen nervously.
The police officer stuttered some words despite her uneasiness, and Suzie continued to talk. On the CCTV, she was confident and her words firm and clear. No chance of mistake. The knife she held in her hand, something that seemed familiar, was waved randomly in front of her; it was almost careless. Suzie's face contorted into something filled with anguish or fear; she blinked more frequently and her mouth twisted downwards into a wobbly frown.
The knife was replaced in her leather bag and she fumbled around inside for a moment, jumpy it seemed. She glanced up at Gwen once or twice, saying something to her, before she knelt to the ground and pulled out a .30 callibar Webley handgun, aimed steadily at the officer.
"Jesus, what the hell is she thinking?" Ianto gapped.
Tosh tapped her comm. "Jack, please tell me you've got something up your sleeve. Last thing we need is an innocent to die, at the hands of one of our members, at the door to the Hub…"
"Wait. Wait…just wait…" Jack muttered back.
Suzie's speech, however long, could just about be heard through Jack's comm. now that the link had been opened. The three listened to her words intently. About what the glove does; about how it could be used to help people, resurrected them and, more importantly, about her murdering innocent people. She spoke about all she had seen, discovered, since she began work on the glove.
"And…why…filter…work on me…"
Instantly, she turned her gun in the direction of the filter and Ianto's heart clenched when the gun fired, a loud explosion, and almost certainly hit his lover. This feeling of dread and pain surrounded him at the thought of the Captain standing there, unexpecting, and now a needless death. He knew he was immortal, knew he could come back to him, but he knew how painful it was each time he was brought back. He hated the fact Jack had to go through it.
The corpse of the man he loved fell from his position on the perception filter and into sight. Gwen jumped as the body landed at her feet, and Tosh and Owen cried out in outrage. In an instant, the medic was on his feet, reaching for his gun that was sitting on top of a pile of paperwork, and acting as a paper weight.
"She's taken it too far." He muttered.
Ianto grabbed the arm of the man. "Owen, don't."
"Ianto…she killed Jack!"
His chest ached at the reminder. "I know, but Jack said to stay here."
"Jack's dead. Do you think his orders really matter right now?" Owen argued.
"Just…please…" he didn't know what else to say. He couldn't tell Tosh or Owen about Jack's 'condition'. It wasn't his place to say anything but…how else was he supposed to get the two to relax, to not go out there and get themselves killed? He sighed. "Jack…will be fine…"
"Are you alright Ianto? I know this is hard for you but, ah…" Tosh trailed off concerned.
"Our boss, your lover, is dead. Look," Owen pointed firmly at the footage on the screen, "he was shot through…the…head…" his voice trailed off into wonder and disbelief. Quickly, Ianto turned back to the screen to see a completely different situation: Suzie was dead, a gun a few inches away from her hand; Jack standing up, tall and alive; Gwen Cooper was on her knees, holding her head. He knew in an instant her memories were back. Bitterly, he knew exactly where she would end up now that they now knew recton would not work on her.
Tosh and Owen turned to him.
"Alright tea-boy, tell us…"
"…What the fuck just happened?"
X
Ianto hummed to himself as he fixed his home made coffee blend into five striped mugs. Much like he expected, Gwen Cooper was now part of Torchwood. Jack had told him – warned him would explain it better – that he needed to act in friendly way towards the new arrival. Well, he was trying. A heavy sigh from the Kitchen doorway drew his attention away from the boiling water and he attempted a pleasant smile in her direction.
"Gwen, what can I help you with?"
"I was just wandering if you could hurry up with the drinks, please." She added quickly, "Only everyone's getting antsy down there."
"Of course."
"Oh, and you can give me Jack's one. No point in wasting a journey when I'm going down their anyway." Gwen smiled.
Ianto gritted his teeth. "There is no problem. I can do it myself."
"No, let me do it," She said firmly.
He was silent for a moment. He approached her and stood close by. "Gwen…I'm going to give you a bit of…advice. If you want a happy time here, I'd follow it: don't even think about it."
She blinked innocently. "Think about what?"
Ianto laughed. "…Jack and you…It's not going to happen, ever, and I just think it's better for you, and for everyone around you, that you put that thought out of your mind right now."
Gwen smirked. "You can't stop me. Jack wants me here."
"You're only here because recton doesn't work on you. We have no other choice." Ianto corrected, smiling. He grabbed Jack's cup and his own, and gave her a look. "Now, you only get one chance. Jack Harkness is mine. He's said so himself countless times and no harpy is going to change that. Goodbye Gwen."
He smiled brightly at her shocked expression and, feeling proud of himself, he slowly made his way from the Kitchen to his lover's office. He set the drink down on his desk. Jack looked up from his paperwork with a relieved expression.
"Thank you Ianto." He breathed.
Ianto smiled. "It's no problem." He rested his own drink on the table and pressed his lips to Jack's. The man kissed back firmly with a moan of surprise. Oh, yes, this is mine and I will fight you Gwen Cooper, and I will win.
