The strange things Jack was beginning to see in Ianto weren't always obvious. It took Jack a lot of understanding when Ianto said that he wasn't allowed to tell Jack what happened to him in the future. All Ianto said was that the memory of Jack's natural smell always made him feel that he was loved and that was enough to see him through whatever the 51st century had in store for him. As long as he held Jack close to his heart, he would have been all right. But Ianto had changed in ways that were very small.
Jack sighed and pulled Ianto in closer, holding his husband to his chest as he held back his own tears. It was too much for Jack to bear, that he almost lost Ianto. But Ianto would not be kept in a glass box or told he couldn't work for Torchwood. So whatever Jack was thinking of doing to prevent that, Ianto was one step ahead of him with the argument.
"That's so childish, Jack! I'm not staying in the Hub and never going out in the field again. You are asking me to forego taking the risks that everyone else takes. John has children. Sally and Dan are parents as well as will Gwen and Rhys some day. You can't ask them to take those risks while I stay here." He pouted folding his arms over his naked chest. "And you thought that sex would change my mind, what make me pliable?"
Jack looked up from kissing his way up Ianto's chest. "It was worth a shot. It used to work with you." He gave up the romance and flopped over on his back. "We went to the China Sea and you still didn't tell me. Ianto, you have changed." He closed his eyes trying to imagine what it was that Ianto must have gone through.
"Jack." Ianto sighed as he tried to get the words out he needed to say to his husband.
"No, you are right. I'm being stupid. Sorry I brought it up." He got up to leave the warmth of their bed but was stopped by strong loving arms wrapping themselves around him.
"I see things differently, I know what happens, well kind of. You have to understand that yes, what I experienced changed me, but only because I needed to so I could survive. I understand that you are afraid I might go away again, anything is possible with this job. But you have to also understand, that most of what I am is because of this job. It isn't just a job, all of it as well as you are my life." He held Jack tight.
"I know, just like John, so involved because it made you something you never thought you could be." He broke free of the hold and removed himself from Ianto's warmth, their bed, put on some clothes and left their house.
Ianto found Jack later walking on the peer overlooking the water. He began with, "I just heard from Mark. I'm going to bring the Twins to visit. Do you want to come with us? You and I never did Paris. It would be nice." He was next to Jack watching the immortal stare out at the water.
"Let John take his kids. It is time Mark brought NG home to be with his other father." He didn't look at Ianto but let the words slip out in defeat. He sniffed in the sea air once before he found himself staring at Ianto's lips.
"Mark isn't ready to see John yet. Anyway, John has that meeting with the PM that you asked him to go on. Now you can either do that yourself or you can come with me. Besides, defense plans aren't your strong point. That is something more for your Head of Security. Jack, if I am willing to make a compromise, will you at least act like I'm still in this world?"
"I'm being a brat, is that what you want to say?" It was his turn to watch Ianto stare at the water. When they were away, he loved watching Ianto. He still did, even at home. But they didn't talk about home then. It was a "getting to know you all over again trip" without Torchwood as the only interest that the two men had in common. The trip made them realize that they shared a lot of things in common and that they had a fair amount of things that they didn't share. It didn't matter. What mattered was that both men found they could grow together and learn from each other as they fell in love all over again.
"I should have fallen in love with you sooner." Ianto remembered future Jack saying. Well they didn't need to, because every time they looked at each other, they fell in love. To Jack's surprise Ianto laughed out loud when he came to the realization that they were always in love.
"Care to share the joke?" Jack asked tartly. He glared at the Welshman wondering what was up with him.
"Sure. It is you and I, Jack. You are getting upset with me because you are afraid that what happened to me will happen again. I see it now. I'll make a deal with you. Make me your first officer, if you want to call it that or maybe your 'number one' and make me hold equal authority with you and I'll stay to run the Hub while you go out and act all Captain on the poor people of Cardiff." He smiled at his husband waiting for him to respond.
"Isn't that bribery? I mean I don't have to give you anything. I could just order you to stay put." He was staring right into Ianto's twinkling eyes. What a man to be so clever and creative so often. "Damn, you're good." Jack leaned into kiss Ianto, whispering, "Anything as long as I know you are safe from more harm." He kissed those lips he never got sick of tasting.
"Things happen in the Hub as well." Ianto let that thought sink in. "But I will do my best to not let that happen either." He smiled before adding a more serious note. "Promise me this, we will still have our Weevil hunts, right?"
Jack laughed out loud before leaning in to rub noses. "Oh you drive a hard bargain, Jones, Ianto Jones! Granted!" They sealed the deal with a smile as they walked away together arm in arm.
"Now about Paris…" Ianto continued his next task of convincing Jack that he had to go with him. It ended in a yes and a quick stop under the peer. Sand, sun, surf and naked Jack were all the answer Ianto needed for a verified yes.
Jolein bit her lip when she went to retrieve the Twins, Jack and Ianto at the airport. NG was with her singing French songs in Welsh and adding bits of English to them as well. He was giggling at the attention he drew from the travelers, thus ignoring his Nana's nail biting until he noticed her chewed up fingers.
"Nana, why are you biting your fingers?" He said in English.
"NG, I will tell you why only if you tell me why you will speak English to anyone but your Papa. You know he thinks you refuse to learn it." She watched as the devil child smiled up at her.
"He knows I understand it. That is enough." He went back to singing, smiling up at her.
She was frustrated with him; it was obvious by the huff she let out. She didn't get the child at all; he seemed to love to make it more difficult with everything than it had to be.
"Your Papa may seem to think your behavior is cute, but your Nana doesn't."
He frowned, not liking what he heard in his Nana's tone. "Sorry," he said and he meant it.
She felt bad for NG. He just didn't seem to fit in within things but yet he had this appeal. Mark had been such an easy child. He was all love and caring, like a bit of sunshine. NG just seemed to make it cloudier or maybe bring the rain. But he wasn't as bad as Jolein always painted him to be. Mark would tell her she was just not used to the very intelligent types and that he himself was good because he was scared of his Dad.
She remembered a conversation they had shortly after they got to Paris. "Your father was not always a bad man, he just wanted you safe. I don't accept what he did to you, Andy, but he did love you. He mourned you until he died. He would still contact me on your birthday, telling me he was so sorry he chased you away. Even in the end he just wanted you to forgive him."
"If he loved me, he found a strange way to show it. But in the end he wasn't able to keep me from Blue, he is still in my life and still my friend. But I wouldn't be here if Dad hadn't…" It was painful to say, it didn't need to be said. They both knew what was left unsaid. That unborn child that still cried somewhere in Mark's darkest dreams still haunted both of them.
"Oh sweetheart, I'm sorry. This isn't about that. But if you brought NG home, John could help with the boy. He needs something, maybe not discipline but a strong hand for guidance. Besides, don't you miss John?"
Jolein gnawed on what was left of her thumbnail as she remembered Mark not finishing the conversation. It wasn't right for NG to be isolated like this. He should be with his Dad and siblings during this time. In her opinion her son was being selfish. But she also understood that his captivity, being enslaved gave him a need to taste freedom. If John loved him like she felt he did, he would let Mark go and wait.
NG, seeing his uncles and siblings entering the gate had him at a dead run away from his Nana. Jolein cursed as she ran after the young boy. He laughed as he continued his song right up to the tackle hug he gave Leon.
"Boo!" He yelled in his brother's ear before he ran off again, this time chased by both twins.
"Jolein, Leon, NG you stop that now!" Jack yelled making the Twins stop in their tracks. NG kept going.
"Well two out of three isn't bad." Ianto quipped. He smiled at Jack watching as the immortal took off after the boy. Ianto watched this thinking how the man that could fight aliens on the best of days was suddenly bested by a two year old. NG sprinted far ahead with Jack losing distance in pursuit of his youngest godson.
"I give up, I can't control him any more than Mark can. The kid almost took a dive into the Seine the other day. Do you know that Mark has him running with him once a week? The boy is just too wild. I think I need to go live in Cardiff with the good Grandkids." She smiled down at Leon and Jolein as they came to hug her.
"It's alright Nana, NG is just spreading his wings. He needs to do this." Leon looked up at the adults with a smile.
"What NG needs Leon, Nana isn't going to say out loud."
"Right, I think Jack has this in hand. Shall we play get the luggage, children?" Ianto tried his best to make everything a game.
Jolein Jr. didn't buy the act for a moment. "Really, Uncle Ianto, you can come up with something better than that, we are almost six now." She frowned.
"Oh, I keep forgetting that. Thanks for reminding me. So what do those at your extended age think we should do?"
"Get Ice Cream!" It was yelled together by both Twins.
"Oh no you don't. Your Dad will make me into Weevil burgers if I allowed that kind of manipulation. You know the rules. So first luggage, Papa, lunch, and then ice cream. And maybe by then your Uncle Jack would have caught NG. Shall we, Jolein?" Ianto always the gentleman gave Jolein his arm. The twins didn't pout like NG would. They just grabbed a hand from each adult and went to get the first task done. After all, it would bring them one step closer to ice cream.
The boy, Jack soon discovered, could out run him and he was clever. Ducking under things that Jack had to go around which made Jack lose ground on the boy. The child frustrated Jack as he lost more space to the fast boy.
He was just about to give up when NG fell, giving Jack a chance to catch up. It was then airport security showed up. NG began to cry.
"It's okay NG, I'm here." Jack went to scoop the boy up causing NG to yell loudly for his Papa.
"Excuse me sir, but are you the boy's father?" The officer asked.
"NO! I don't know him. Papa! Papa! I want Papa!" NG screamed in French.
Jack slightly smiled as he began to wish he never left Cardiff. "Okay sir, step away from the boy." The officer held out his nightstick.
"Wait there is a mistake, I'm his Godfather. NG, tell them who I am." Jack pleaded with the boy.
"PAPA! PAPA!" NG screamed louder as the security officer moved closer to Jack.
"Okay sir, come with us." The officer grabbed Jack's arm forcefully while the other one picked NG off the ground.
Jack began to protest. "I am his Godfather, I swear. I'm here to visit his father and he is with his Nana. My name is Captain Jack Harkness. I'm work for the British government."
NG was in front of Jack now in the arms of the other guard, watching Jack's testimony with a smirk. When the guard wasn't look he stuck his tongue out at Jack. Jack narrowed his eyes vowing he would not lose to this brat.
"Are you quite done laughing Ianto? I mean are you finished making the most out of this? Did you write it in your diary and send it back to John and the others so that they can have a merry time of it when I get back?" Jack sat on the couch in Mark and Jolein's apartment waiting for Mark to return from having a little talk with NG. The twins were shopping with Jolein Sr. for dinner. Mark thought it would be nice if their first night together they would just stay home.
"I think it will be a while before I stop finding this funny. What gets me is they still didn't believe you weren't some pervert. Played by a two year old, Jack that must be a new one, even for you." Ianto handed his husband a glass of wine.
"He is a hell spawn, not a two year old!" He gulped the glass down.
"Okay, maybe you should take it easy. He is just a little boy. A rather clever little boy, but still just a little boy, at least the Security office got a kick out of it. You made their day, you know." He sat down next to Jack.
Jack started to laugh as Mark came out of the room. He went right for the wine. "He is grounded tonight. But it won't last. He'll charm his way out of the room looking all-cute in his PJ's. I'm a sucker for that kid." He sipped his wine while he went to set the table.
"He is cute but how do you manage? Jolein Sr. looks like she is going to leave him by the orphanage one day. I think she wants to come back to Cardiff." Ianto went to help Mark, falling into the old routine from when they shared a house.
"What, she isn't happy here? Is the brat driving her a way?" Jack whispered knowing if NG were like the Twins, he would be listening.
"He's asleep, Jack. I willed him to sleep. It works sometimes when he is exhausted. A run through the airport would have done that. No, she met someone that is from Cardiff. So she wants to date him. I'm not sure how I feel about that," he frowned.
"You should be happy for me. Right, my dears?" Jolein was back with food and two tired looking twins. The put their bags on the table and ran to their Papa to be hugged.
"Papa! We missed you!" They said together. Mark spent a long time hugging his babies while Jolein Sr. and Ianto started dinner. Watching from the couch, Jack ran the arguments through his head on what he would have to say to get his friend to come home for good.
Just as Mark was about to release the Twins, NG ran into the room to join in the group hug. "NG, what did I say?" Mark growled at the child.
"You said I could come out later. It is later no?" He said in Welsh with a French accent.
Ianto started chuckling. "Oh what a perverse way to speak Welsh!" Ianto was still snickering as he returned with a pot of water for the noodles to cook in.
"NG, why do you not listen?" His father became cross. NG stuck out his lower lip looking so sad that Mark just sighed out his frustration. The twins watched as their Papa stood up. Getting the vibe from the situation, Jolein Jr. tugged at Leon's shirt to get his attention. They both went to the safety of Uncle Jack, just a little upset by the sudden change in the environment.
"Oh here it comes Ianto, just like I said. He is giving into the brat because he can't say no to him. Isn't that right, my son?" Jolein dumped the vegetable into the steamer before turning to prepare the breaded chicken breasts.
"Mother, please, just let it go. NG, I'm not falling for it. Get into your room and I will tell you when to come out." NG just stood there smiling. "NG, now!" Mark grabbed the boy's hand and pulled him into the room. NG gasped, not understanding the disappointment in his father. His father's reaction was new to him. He could only assume it had something to do with his brother and sister and Uncles being here. NG started to really cry.
"Sorry, Papa, I didn't mean to make you mad." He blinked tears out of his eyes while Mark tucked him back in bed.
"NG, you have to start listening to me. I don't say things because I like to listen to myself talk; I want you to listen so you can learn. Right now, your Nana is getting to me. And I know why your Uncle Jack is here." This wasn't new to NG. Mark was often telling him his feelings so the boy had an idea what feelings were. NG didn't just have a problem feeling emotions from others; he had a problem understanding what emotions meant. Mark knew in his heart and as a parent that with NG, saying, "Because I said so," just wouldn't work with the boy. He needed to understand why it was important.
"To take you home Papa, that's why he is here." Mark was shocked that NG didn't include himself in the equation.
"No NG, to take us home. But I don't want to go yet. I feel good here. I'm myself, not what your Daddy or Uncle Jack thinks I should be. I need this freedom. Can you understand that?" He watched NG carefully.
NG sat up and thought about the words for a moment. "I understand Papa, I will be good for now. You don't need to worry about me as well. Hug?" He reached for his Papa and was glad when Mark sank into his son's hug, returning it just the same. "I'll stay here and sleep. I love you, Papa." He independently broke away from Mark and snuggled under the covers smiling as he closed his eyes.
Mark reached for to shut off the light but not before speaking. "I love you as well, sweet pea. Thanks for saying it in English, NG. That means a lot to your Papa." He kissed the boy's forehead before switching the light off and heading for dinner.
NG watched the outside light make shadows on the wall. He didn't sleep for a while; he was too busy making them into monsters so he could play, NG, Monster Slayer, until he was able to sleep.
If it were up to John, he would have gone to Paris and collected a shagged hair brown eyed beauty that took his heart along with one of his children to Paris. Instead, he was in London with the Defense Department and some people from the Prime Minister's office talking about what Torchwood could do to help during an invasion.
'You had to let your dick talk for you back then. Gods, I was so stupid to let him go.' A tap on the shoulder interrupted his thoughts about Mark.
"Mr. Hart, if there is something else you would rather being doing, we could postpone this until Captain Harkness is around." One of the Prime Minister's aides said. "It might be better to put this off until UNIT can be here as well. Their plans seem to be in order and this Early Warning Device seems to be an excellent first choice for any type of impending disaster." He pushed the glasses up the bridge of his nose.
John didn't notice until now what a very ordinary looking male this Mr. Peters, as the nametag said, was. But his tone was pompous. The one thing that John hated the most was over educated desk jockeys posing as men with power. He didn't like being told that he would have to wait for UNIT. He smiled dangerously at the group. Stretching his arms he folded his hands behind his neck before speaking.
"Bullocks! What UNIT is offering you is nothing more than a cheap toy that will make for a pretty light show, but will in no way protect you. You should save your money and just check the sky at that point with a pair of binoculars for that is just as accurate as what they have for you." The group's full attention was on John. He took this time to stand with cat-like agility, making the room just a little nervous.
The lights dimmed when he hit a button on his wrist strap. An image appeared in 3D in front of them, making those around the table gasp. It was a cylindrical device made of a smooth grey like substance, maybe a metal. "Don't let the size fool you, it is really smaller than that. We have a saying at the Hub: it isn't the size but what you can do with it."
The room was silent save for a squeaking chair that a rather prudish woman in her thirties occupied. John's devil smile had her blushing. "Anyway, this tiny thing was developed by Torchwood as a signal booster. What it will do is disrupt any missile weapons and destroy them by making them think they have already hit the target. It will adapt to any domestic or alien heat seeking or trajectory projectile. I see you're getting a little excited, Miss." He pointed to the chair squeaker from before.
"Mr. Hart, your brute charms are meaningless here. I'm aware of Captain Harkness and your reputations so if we could cut to the chase without the lines, I would be very delighted to hear more about this. But UNIT has the much better plan." She frowned at John.
His confidence didn't wane. He knew how to handle these tight ass women so he smiled, looking at her nametag and responded. "Ms. Davenport, I believe you have to understand that we are being serious. You wasted my time for two hours talking about everything that was in the folder you sent Captain Harkness and now you act like I'm wasting your time. It took us a lot of time to get ready this for presentation and now you have the nerve to act like I'm making this up or something like that. To further add insult to injury, you insist that we wait for UNIT. My mind is somewhere else, on my family that I miss, because I'm here with you. Now you have the balls to say UNIT's idea is better?" John was leaning against the wall, waiting for some type of response.
It was an older man that spoke up after a long moment of nerve grating silence. "Mr. Hart, I know what it is like to be away from my family but what Ms. Davenport is trying to say is that your device looks like a lot of money to build. It is small and yet complex in design. I don't think we have that type of technology to handle its production. I say we have all the information we need. Shall we vote?" It was almost like they didn't even want John to finish and that they already had decided what they wanted before they got here. Wasting John's time was just a polite way of refusing Torchwood's bid.
John could help it when he laughed. "Oh, you silly fools. I should have guessed that you would go with the safer way without hearing the full story. You clever bastards that have it all figured out. Save for one thing; you never asked the cost, you just assumed it would cost too much." He folded his arms in front of his chest and crossed his leg over the other.
"Well, we just see that something like that will be expensive." The older man said. "But since we brought you here, how much will it cost?" His eyes to John seemed soulful all of a sudden.
"Exactly 3,000 pounds. It is a program that we insert in to your already established defense grid. There is no manufacturing. Now, who is it that gets the defense contract?"
His grin stayed with him for a while after he got off the phone with Jack. He reminded Jack that he owed him big time for nailing a ten-year contract with the Government. Speaking to Mark briefly left him feeling very gloomy and depressed. So that night he waited for Mark in their world for what seemed like centuries until the familiar mind touched his and they made love on the astral world.
Mark held John for a while before he spoke. "I promise let me have a few more months and NG and I will come home. I need to really touch you and be touched by you."
John didn't respond verbally he just nodded. It was the same thing Mark always said. John somehow was beginning to not see it ever happening until he went to physically bring Mark home. Right now he didn't let Mark feel that he didn't believe him. He just needed what he could get from Mark, even if it was just a fantasy.
End Chapter 2
TBC