3

"Please tell me, Gray. I can't stand this any longer."

He stood just inside the door, looking at Ianto, his hands cupped in front of him like he was about to recite the Lord's Prayer. "Well, you're married. There's no question there."

"To whom?" he whispered.

Gray nodded at his brother. "To Jack."

Ianto leaned back in the chair. "Oh, thank God."

"But there's more."

"More?"

"Yes. I think Jack should sit down."

Jack set his cup on the table and sat down across from Ianto.

"The good news is, your marriage, currently, is valid," Gray told them.

Jack met Ianto's gaze, and Ianto wished he knew what he was thinking. Was it relief he saw in his eyes?

Or uncertainty?

What had he been thinking about during his walk in the rain? That if it turned out he was not truly bound to him by law, it might be easiest to simply part ways and forget all of this ever happened?

"I took some notes," Gray continued, "and it seems a bigamous marriage is considered void, whether or not either party moves to end it with an annulment or a divorce. So you were right in your assumption that it was invalid, Ianto, when you agreed to marry Jack."

Ianto nodded, relieved to hear this.

"You said there was more?" he mentioned, working hard to keep his voice steady.

"Yes." Gray reached for a document he had laid on the counter. He put on his spectacles, and read some of it over to himself. Those few silent seconds felt more like an eternity.

Finally, he set down the page. "In 3162, an Antibigamy Act was set forth. It's a federal statute making bigamy a criminal activity."

"Will Lisant go to jail?"

"Yes, once he's reported to the proper authorities, but so could you, Ianto."

Heart suddenly racing, he felt Jack's eyes on him.

"But I didn't know," was all he could say.

"That being the case, you would be innocent, of course, but if Lisant says otherwise….Do you believe he would try to incriminate you?"

"Yes. He told me if I ever revealed any of this, he would say I knew what I was doing because I wanted his money."

"But you left him without taking anything from him isn't that right?"

"Of course. It was he who took all I had"

"Then he'd have a difficult time proving you wanted his money."

"So you think I have nothing to worry about?" Ianto asked, afraid to even hope.

"I would certainly do everything in my power to help you."

Through all this, Jack said not a single word. His silence troubled Ianto more than anything.

"But this is good news," Ianto said to Gray. "Why are you looking so…so concerned?"

"Because there is still one other point."

Ianto steadied himself.

"It has to do with your marriage to Jack."

Jack leaned back and folded his arms. "I thought you said our marriage was valid."

"I did, but there are some complications."

"Because we didn't know each other?" Ianto asked. "People do that all the time."

"Yes, they do, but in this case, it was more than not knowing each other. There's the issue of fraud."

"Fraud," Ianto repeated.

"Yes. On the day you arrived by Transporter, Jack let me read your letter. Don't be angry, he was just trying to convince me he was doing the right thing. I distinctly recall that you wrote you had never been married before."

"But I hadn't been. Not legally."

"I understand that, Ianto, but a court might see it differently if Jack were to bring it forward."

Ianto shot a glance at Jack. He was sitting calmly, listening to it all. "What do you mean, bring it forward?"

"I mean that Jack has grounds to seek an annulment. If he wants to." He looked down at Jack, questioning him with his eyes. "He may not, of course, in which case everything would remain as it is."

Staring across the table at his husband, Ianto swallowed nervously. Perhaps the worst of it was he couldn't begin to guess what Jack was thinking, despite the fact they had shared so much over the past few weeks, and he had just made love to him that very day.

"Why is everyone staring at me?" Jack asked, flipping his hair back off his shoulder. "I suppose you both want me to say I don't want to end this marriage."

Gray stepped back and set the paper down on the table by the stove. "I think we'd both like to know what you—"

"I don't know. If you're looking for answers, I can't give them to you." He grabbed his coat and strode out of the room. Ianto sat frozen in his seat, staring helplessly at Gray.

The front door opened and slammed against the inside wall. Gray hurried to the foyer. "Where are you going?"

"I don't know."

Heartsick with dread, Ianto listened to his husband's boots pound down the veranda steps.

He has not forgiven me. He doesn't want to love me.

.

.

.

.

Rain-soaked and exhausted, Jack pushed through the swinging doors at the Long Galaxy Saloon.

He stopped just inside, inhaled the thick scent of cigar smoke, and removed his waterlogged hat.

The place was uncommonly busy for this time of day.

Must be the rain, he thought as he strode toward the bar and dug into his pocket for a few coins.

"What can I get you?" the bartender asked, wiping his hands on a damp cloth.

"Whiskey." Jack didn't take a drink often, but he reckoned, if there was ever a suitable time, this was it.

The bartender poured him a glass, then turned to set the bottle back on the shelf.

"Leave it," Jack said, knowing he wasn't going to be ready to return to Gray's house for a while yet. He had a lot of thinking to do and he wasn't about to do it in the same house with Ianto.

Ianto would cloud his judgement with the way he made him feel, constantly aroused and possessive and desperate to hold onto him.

He should have known something like this would happen when he'd first told him about Lisant, and about his parents being dead for four years instead of four months.

The lies had started then, but he'd felt obligated to stick to their agreement, and he had to be honest with himself. He'd been attracted to him from the first moment, and he'd wanted him in his bed.

Raising the shot glass to his lips, he took the first drink, and tasted the bitter liquid for a moment before he swallowed. He carried the bottle to a table and sat down.

After everything that had happened with Gwen, he should have been more careful about bringing another potential mate into his life so soon. And he certainly shouldn't have let himself fall so hard for Ianto, so quickly, without knowing him better.

He probably should annul the marriage. Put all this behind him and move on. It was quite simple, really.

Except that it wasn't.

He tipped up the glass, downed the rest of the sour-tasting drink, then poured another. He watched as the amber liquid gushed into the glass.

What the hell was he supposed to do?

His head was telling him to cut him loose. The law was clear. He was justified.

But the idea of leaving Ianto behind and returning to the farm without him was unthinkable.

Just the thought of it made his whole body ache with dread.

Never see him again?

Never touch him?

Smell him?

Could he go on knowing that he'd never be able to bury himself in his sweet, warm body ever again?

Laughter erupted in the back corner of the saloon. Jack jumped, then tossed back another mouthful of whiskey, welcoming its numbing effect. He pinched the bridge of his nose and shut his stinging eyes. What were the chances this would all work itself out?

What were the chances he'd be able to trust him? Ever?

If he was smart, he'd never trust anyone again. Or at least he'd never trust the idea that he could be happy and loved without the Goddess, in the very next minute, pulling the rug out from under him.

Jack heard footsteps approach and felt someone's unbidden presence behind him.

He swivelled in his chair.

"We meet again," Lisant said, touching the brim of his black top hat and sporting a nasty-looking black eye.

"Not by choice." Jack had to force himself to stay seated when all he really wanted to do was toss Lisant outside, straight through those swinging doors, face first into the mud.

After a short pause, Lisant pulled out a chair. "Mind if I sit?"

"Yeah, I do mind."

"Oh, come now. You're being a bit hard on me, don't you think? Ianto's the one you should be angry with."

Something jolted inside Jack.

He downed another mouthful of whiskey and gritted his teeth, biting back a surge of violence that was rising up from within.

Lisant sat down across from him, despite Jack's earlier objection. "Bartender, I'll have what he's having."

The bartender brought a second glass. "You want a bottle too?"

"No, just a glass. I'm not in need of it like this gentleman is."

The bartender poured, then turned his back on them and returned to work. Jack felt Lisant's gaze upon him and tried to ignore it. The last thing he needed was to get into a saloon brawl and spend the night in jail.

"Ah. The drowning of the sorrows," Lisant sighed.

"It's none of your business, Hallet."

"I'm only trying to make conversation. We got off on the wrong foot, it seems."

"There is no right foot where you and I are concerned."

"I don't blame you for being angry. I would be, too. But like I said—it's not me you should be angry with. I'm only trying to help." Taking a slow, dignified sip from his glass, Lisant crossed one leg over the other. "I'm here to talk to you, aren't I?

You look like you need some helpful advice."

"You're my problem, Hallet, not the solution."

"That's not very neighbourly of you."

"You ain't my neighbor." Jack raised his shot glass and gestured toward Lisant's black eye. "I'm surprised you're willing to come within ten feet of me."

Lisant chuckled with too much confidence. "We're in a public place, Mr. Harkness. If you lay a hand on me, there are plenty of gentlemen here to come to my aid."

"That's not what I'm talking about."

Lisant took a drink, staring straight ahead. "No?"

"No. I could talk to the sheriff. You'd be locked up before you even knew you'd left the room."

"Locked up? And how may I ask would the charges read?"

"They'd read exactly as they should. They'd spell bigamy with a capital B."

Lisant nearly choked on his drink. "Is that what he told you? I must admit, that's not one he's used before."

Lisant swallowed another mouthful, then smiled and dropped his hand onto Jack's shoulder. "Bigamy. How original. But in this case, I'm not the bigamist, Harkness. He is. I suppose that makes you one, too."

Jack felt his guts twisting like a corkscrew. "I'll have you know my brother is a lawyer. He's checked into things for me. My marriage to Ianto is valid. Yours isn't."

Lisant scoffed. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't laugh. This is very serious."

"You bet it is. I think it's about time you tell me what's so funny."

Lisant reached for Jack's bottle of whiskey. "May I? Perhaps you should have another, too."

Jack watched as Lisant filled both their glasses. "This is always difficult."

Jack glared intensely at him.

"I've had to do this before, you see. It's not the first time Ianto has gone off for a new life and I've had to bring him home, and you're not the first man he's married."

Feeling tired all of a sudden, Jack rested his forehead in his hand.

"I see you're surprised," Lisant said.

He looked up. "I'm only surprised you're fool enough to make any of this up."

"I'm not making it up. He's my mate and he has a problem."

Jack downed the rest of his whiskey and slammed the glass onto the table. He wiped his sleeve across his mouth and stood up to leave. "Why don't you go back to Delvon Prime and take your lunatic stories with you."

Jack walked toward the door. The confident sound of Lisant's voice stopped him.

"I suppose he told you his parents were dead."

Jack froze.

He stared out over the swinging saloon doors at the curtain of rain cascading from the roof. Slowly, he turned around to face Lisant.

The man had risen and moved to stand at the bar.

"Did he say they'd died in a Transporter accident? Or was it the Pox?"

Every thought in Jack's head was humming with anger and disbelief. This couldn't be. Why had he even stopped to listen? He knew he couldn't trust Lisant.

"Well?" Lisant asked. "Which was it? And was this when he was a child? Or was it recently?"

Swallowing his unease, Jack searched his brain for an answer.

Before they were married, Ianto had written him and told him they'd died four months ago. He'd later told him four years. Which was it?

Lisant poured more whiskey into both glasses. "Maybe you should have another drink."

Jack didn't want another drink.

He didn't want to look at Lisant another minute.

But he did want answers. Most likely, Lisant was playing him for a fool.

At least, that's what he hoped.

Slowly, cautiously, Jack returned to the bar and wrapped his hand around the glass. "What else?"

Lisant reached into his breast pocket and withdrew a cigar. "I'm assuming he told you they were dead, then."

"Aren't they?"

He cut off the tip of the cigar and lit it, shaking his head as he puffed a few times in succession. "They are alive and well on Cassius."

Jack felt his chest constrict.

"You must have had a feeling that something wasn't quite right," Lisant said. "Instinct? He would have come to you with some obvious experience in the bedroom. Didn't that suggest anything to you?"

Unwilling to confide in this man, Jack stood in silence.

But yes, his instincts had been to doubt him, but he'd told himself at the time it was his own problem, that he had come to the relationship a sceptic.

Even Gray had tried to convince him of that.

But perhaps it had not been because of what happened with Gwen.

Maybe his instincts had been correct all along….

He gulped down another mouthful of whiskey and felt it sear its way down to his knotted stomach. He looked at Lisant. "If it's as you say, why do you keep taking him back?"

Lisant puffed on his cigar. "You should know the answer to that. You've been with him a month. He's an incredible man."

Jack stared down at his glass and worked hard not to reveal anything.

Lisant continued. "There's something about him, don't you think? Something that makes you want to protect him, even when you know he can take care of himself, better than anyone, in fact. I suppose I'm no different from you. I want him still, after everything he's done. The thought of letting him go, well, I can't easily live with that. Isn't that how you feel, too? Aren't you trying to justify all this, to figure out a way to fix it and put it behind you?"

Jack didn't answer Lisant, but the question flapped wildly in his brain. Ianto had deceived him from the beginning, saying that he'd never been married. Then, to trick him on their wedding night as he had….

Jack prepared himself for the question he was about to ask. "Do you have children?"

"No. Ianto doesn't want any, and he knows how to prevent it."

By now, Jack's head was spinning…his limbs felt shaky. And it had nothing to do with the whiskey.

He tipped his glass back to empty it. Laying his money on the bar, he turned away.

"Where are you going?" Lisant asked.

"Home."

Lisant's hand snaked out and clasped Jack's arm. "What are you going to do? I won't stand by and let you beat him. Just let him go. That's all you have to do. Bring him back to me and I'll take him home where he'll be safe. You can forget any of this ever happened."

Jack hesitated, glaring down at this man before him.

"You'll give me your word? You won't mark him?" Lisant implored.

Mark him?

Jack's gut wrenched with disgust. "That isn't how I handle things."

Walking out of the saloon, disillusioned, Jack wondered how he would handle this, when all he wanted to do at the moment was put Ianto on the first Transporter back east, and never lay eyes on him again.