Undeniable Horrors

The Awakening

Disclaimer: STILL no owning. Sorry guys, I really am just playing in this sandbox.

Anyways, here's the second chapter of this story. I hope this chapter isn't as much of a tear-jerker as last time. (I realized that I hadn't quite done a tear-jerker in a little while, so I had to keep you on your toes.)

Regardless, enough of my prattling on, let's get on with it.

Pain – bright, brilliant, blistering pain.

His limbs flailed as air flooded his lungs and his heart began to beat wildly, trying to push halted blood through his veins. Goosebumps rose on his skin. Damn, he had never been this cold before. He hurt all over, keenly aware of the cause of his death, and he was trying to catch his breath.

As the pain began to subside (slowly), Ianto became aware of the arms holding him tightly, attempting to steady him as he shook violently in his painful return from death. He gasped for breath and fleeting warmth as his body readjusted to the life that had flooded back to him. He could feel the numbness slowly easing.

He was in the TARDIS, he knew, as awareness of the surrounding room slowly came to him.

Jack whispered quiet words into his ear as he tried to steady himself.

"I'm fine," he gasped out, between breaths, though he didn't believe it and he knew Jack didn't believe it either.

The Doctor entered his field of vision and Ianto blinked, the blurriness in his eyes clearing with every passing second. Concern was written all over the Doctor's face and, given that the Doctor had been around for more than a few of his deaths and had never seemed this concerned before, Ianto felt a stab of fear punch through his gut. He tried to draw a deep breath to steady himself.

But he couldn't.

He couldn't catch his breath.

"Doc? What's going on?" Jack's voice was urgent and worried.

Ianto blinked as the sonic screwdriver was directed at his eyes. He blinked, his breathing starting to settle some, though he still hurt.

"I don't know," the Doctor admitted, his voice quiet.

"What's going on?"

It hurt Ianto to speak even those three words, though he clung to Jack's arms. This wasn't good, he knew. He could feel it. Coming back from the dead had never felt like this before.

"Those soldiers were hell-bent on killing you, Ianto Jones," the Doctor explained, pocketing the sonic screwdriver. "You got over two dozen bullets in you before you fell." The Time Lord looked very concerned. "Somehow I think that those bullets have left a residual effect on you."

His breath was finally starting to steady but he knew that he couldn't find the breath to speak fully. Ianto squeezed at Jack's hands.

"What does that mean?"

The Doctor sighed. "We know that you're immortal, Ianto, but the fact that the Time Vortex in you is smaller than in Jack seems to have finally started to affect you." The realization felt like a block of ice in his stomach. "You won't stay dead, but that doesn't mean that coming back is going to be as easy as it is for Jack. You –" The Doctor's voice broke briefly. "You could stay dead for hours, days, or longer, before you come back."

He looked at the Doctor and nodded, understanding. Jack tightened his hold on Ianto.

Ianto didn't have the words for it at the moment, but the one pronouncement from the Doctor seemed to pack a harder punch that being felled by all of those bullets. It was almost as bad as holding Annabelle when she learned of her own inherited immortality.

Tears welled up and slipped out of the corners of his eyes.

Ultimately, he didn't know how they got back to their suite on the TARDIS. Jack probably supported him or carried him back.

All Ianto was aware of was Jack's arms around him and the soft, comforting words that he whispered, promising that it wouldn't be bad, that they could survive it. He knew that they would. They had gotten through worse before, but this was a shock that would take time to process.

He must have slept at some point because the next thing Ianto knew, he was blearily waking up, wrapped in blankets, with Jack lying quietly beside him, his arm over Ianto's waist.

Ianto rolled onto his side tenderly, aware of his protesting stomach muscles. Jack gave him a brilliant smile as their eyes met. Pure emotion and unabashed love radiated from Jack's bright blue eyes.

"Morning, sunshine," Jack said, his voice a bit hoarse from sleep. "How are you feeling?"

Briefly, he paused to assess his body and catalogue the pains.

"Better."

"That's good." Jack gently cupped his cheek and leaned in to kiss him. "I'm so sorry that you're going to suffer so much every time you die."

Despite his aching muscles and the subsiding pain he felt, Ianto gave Jack a little smile. "It's worth it, Jack," he said, his voice strong and concrete. "I won't mind having to lose hours or days with you every now and again, because I know that I have the rest of eternity to be with you, to have you, to love you, and, as long as I have you there when I die and come back, I think that I can handle it."
Jack gave him a weak laugh.

"I promise that I will do whatever I can, go through hell and high water, to be there with you, to hold you when you die, and to be there, holding you when you come back."

A little pain shot through Ianto's torso and knocked the air out of his lungs. He gasped and a flash of concern crossed Jack's face, but Ianto steadied and smiled at him, his breathing steadying considerably

"Ditto, Jack."

That was a promise and they both knew it.

For a little while longer, they lay there, soaking in the gentle comfort of each other's presence. It had been so long since they had such a quiet moment for each other.

Finally, Jack broke the silence.

"So, what are we going to do now, Ianto?"

Ianto thought about it, holding Jack's hands in his. He rubbed his thumb across Jack's rings. A thought crossed his mind.

"We find a chapel and get married again."

"Really?" Jack's voice was excited.

He nodded. "I mean, we both want it to happen and I did promise not that long ago."

Warm lips pressed against his momentarily. "But with no planning?" Jack raised an eyebrow at him and Ianto realized that they really had been around each other for a while because that eyebrow raise was clearly influenced by Ianto himself.

"Well, we're going to have to wait until Annabelle is on holiday because she'd be so upset if she missed it."

Jack's smile broadened as he rolled Ianto onto his back, his enthusiasm very contagious. "But first, we're not leaving this bed until I'm positive you can handle it. We've got plenty of time to be spontaneous later."

Oh, there was so much temptation and sexual appeal in Jack's voice and Ianto loved it.

He slipped a hand behind Jack's neck. Their eyes met.

"Thank you, Jack, for everything."

Ianto's voice was quiet, a bit insecure.

"I love you, Jones, Ianto Jones." Jack gave him a tender kiss, reminding Ianto that Jack was the one steadying constant in his life (as strange as that might sound).

"I love you too, Captain Jack Harkness."

And it felt good to say those words back.

Okay, this is the end of the second chapter of this story. What do you think? Did you like it?

Let me know! Reviews are magical and I love them so much!

As always, I will attempt to have the next story of this series up as soon as I can. I mean, after all, we know what's coming next – and I promise that it will be a wedding story!