Ianto Lives
By: Tenshi-Chan
Part 4
Author's Note: The incidents mentioned in this part happen in the Torchwood book "Almost Perfect" by James Goss. It's a fabulous read and I recommend it.
The Doctor looked up when he heard the couple approaching the control room. Jack entered first wearing the outfit he had sported when they had left the room earlier. There seemed to be a lightness about him, and it cheered the Time Lord to see it. Ianto Jones followed not too far behind. He had changed out of the suit and into a pair of nice jeans and a red polo shirt. "Enjoy your lunch?"
Jack just smiled. "Yeah. Thanks for bringing it in. Didn't appreciate the bananas, though."
The young Welshman shook his head when the Doctor chuckled. "I don't get it."
Jack motioned to the Doctor. "It was the first time I met the Doctor. I'm still a little upset about that switch he pulled!"
The Doctor chuckled again and whispered to Ianto. "I switched his gun for a banana. I don't like guns."
Jack let out a huff of air. "It would have been very useful in combating the swarm of gas-mask zombies."
"Which we wouldn't have had to deal with if you hadn't been trying to con me."
Jack groaned. "Okay so I made a mistake. It happens. I've made quite a few in my many many years."
Ianto cut into the argument at that moment. "Like that time that he got thrown into a wall with a bunch of other naked people so he looked like a living 'Ode to Orgy' sculpture."
"That's enough out of you, Ms. Jones." He grinned at the Doctor. "He accidentally got turned into a woman. It's too bad the Hub got blown up, I kept a few pictures." Then he looked thoughtful. "I wonder if Gwen kept any. She took Ianto shopping."
The Doctor was intrigued and he turned to Ianto. "I have a hard time imagining you as a woman."
"It was a nightmare." Ianto didn't look too happy at the memory.
Jack leered at his lover. "I didn't hear you complaining that last night."
Ianto seemed to gaze into the distance with a small smile on his face. "Yeah." Then he chuckled. Then he sighed. "And it isn't like I'm free of my share of mistakes, so I really shouldn't tease you about yours."
The look the two of them shared made the Doctor wonder just how bad a mistake Ianto had made. Working at Torchwood Tower had definitely been one in the Doctor's opinion. "So, gentlemen, we have a couple of days trapped together. Is there anything you want to do?"
Ianto shrugged. "I'm open to suggestions."
Jack smirked at Ianto. "We could play naked hide and seek. We haven't played that in ages."
The Doctor looked from Jack to Ianto and back a few times. Then he held his hands up. "I don't think I want to know."
The look Jack gave him was so much like the rogue he remembered that it nearly took the Doctor's breath away. "You know, Doctor," Jack grinned and glanced at Ianto, who nodded with a grin of his own, "you could always join in. The more the merrier."
"AND that's my cue to ahhhh ... go to the TARDIS library." He headed for the door. "Have fun, you two. I'll stay out of your way. If you need me, really need me, come looking. The TARDIS will lead you to me." The last thing he heard as he fled the control room was Jack's hearty laughter accompanied by the softer chuckle of the young Welshman. The Doctor quickly found his way to the library and allowed himself a laugh. Ianto Jones was, indeed, just what Jack needed.
Ianto caught his breath and stretched. "The look on his face was priceless." He folded his arms and regarded Jack, who did seem a bit more at ease than he had the previous day. "Well I'm perfectly willing to play naked hide and seek, but you always cheat."
The TARDIS chuckled at that statement. "It is impossible for him to cheat here."
Jack pouted a little and then shrugged. "She has a point. You hide and the TARDIS will re-arrange herself so I can't find you easily even if I peek."
That was a little bit of a relief. Ianto had awoken feeling a bit under the weather and he really wasn't up to some of Jack's more rigorous activities. "All right." He leaned over and shared a tender kiss with Jack. "I'll see you later." He left the control room as he heard Jack counting. Once he found himself in a room he decided was suitable, he started getting undressed. He looked around the room, which had a comfortable-looking bed in it. He walked over and lay down in it, massaging his head as he wrapped himself up in a blanket. He had hoped that he would have more time before he started feeling ill as the TARDIS warned him he would be. He curled up and closed his eyes, hoping he'd feel better after a nap.
Jack walked through the corridors, opening doors and looking around corners. He'd been looking for Ianto for ten minutes and had no clues so far. He opened one door and felt a wave of dizziness. He closed his eyes to an empty room only to open them to see Ianto lying on a bed huddled under a blanket. "Ianto?" He knew he hadn't been imagining the empty room, so something had to be wrong.
He quickly strode over and sat down next to the huddled form of his lover. "Ianto? What's wrong?" He rubbed Ianto's blanket covered shoulder, not liking the heat he could feel through the blanket.
Ianto groaned. "The TARDIS warned me that this would happen. I'd hoped to have a little more time before it did, though."
Jack gathered Ianto up and rubbed his back as he lifted the younger man off the bed. "Come on. We've got to find the Doctor. He might have something on board that will help." He didn't care that he had nothing on. Right now, the lack of clothing was the least of his worries. Ianto needed help as soon as possible. Jack hated the thought of having him suffer, and he knew the TARDIS felt the same way. It was the only explanation he had for finding Ianto in what had been an empty room.
Sure enough, the next random door he opened revealed a huge library with several places to sit. "Doctor?"
The Time Lord appeared on a higher level from behind a shelf and groaned. "Jack how many times do I have to tell you that I am not interested in a threesome?"
"Doctor, it's Ianto. Something's wrong with him." Jack held Ianto close when the younger man started trembling.
The Doctor frowned in puzzlement. "What? Wait a second. You say something is wrong?" He disappeared only to reappear a moment later nearby, having used a set of stairs somewhere. "Set him down right here on this sofa and let's have a look at him." From various pockets, he pulled a stethoscope and a thermometer as Jack did as the Doctor said. After blowing a few breaths on the stethoscope, he put it to Ianto's heart, not liking that the young man winced as if the stethoscope were a sharp instrument being pressed on his skin. "And please put something on. Here." He absently handed Jack his long coat.
Jack put it on, never taking his eyes off of Ianto. "What's wrong with him?"
The Doctor answered almost absently. "Not sure. Heart rate is up, temperature is a bit high, and he seems to be going into some sort of shock." He sniffed and stood up, scratching the back of his head. "Frankly, I have no idea what's causing it. Let's bring him to the medical bay. The sooner we find out what's wrong, the sooner we can get him taken care of."
Jack was quick to follow the Doctor, ignoring Ianto's weak protests that he'd be all right. Jack wanted to know why the Welshman was so ill all of the sudden. It couldn't be due to something the 456 did. Ianto hadn't had a fever at any point during that time, and what had Ianto meant by the TARDIS warning him? He soon found himself in what looked like a very comfortable hospital room and set Ianto on the examination bed. He held Ianto's hand while the Doctor passed a piece of equipment over Ianto.
"Well now ... that explains why, but I can't fathom how it's happening." The Doctor tapped a screen. "Would you be so kind as to tell us just why Mr. Jones' DNA is changing?"
Jack blinked in surprise. "Excuse me? What do you mean his DNA is changing?"
The Doctor held up a finger. "Just ... just a tick, Jack." He gave the screen a stern look. "We're waiting."
The TARDIS let out something that sounded like a sigh before responding. "His DNA will be closer to Jack's. The process is similar to that you go through when you regenerate." A readout started scrolling on the screen. "I did warn him that I'd be doing this."
Jack opened and closed his mouth a few times before speaking. "So you mean Ianto will have the DNA of someone born in the 51st century?"
"That is correct. I do regret the discomfort that it will cause him."
Jack thought a moment and groaned. "He'll have all the things having that DNA implies?"
"That is also correct."
Jack sighed and shook his head. "You could have warned all of us." He turned and gathered Ianto back into his arms.
The Doctor frowned a little. "Maybe you should let him stay in here. It's not that bad a room, and the bed is quite comfy."
"It would be best to keep him here where I am able to monitor him closely." She paused. "Here would be best."
"I am in the room you know." Ianto winced a little as if speaking hurt his throat. He swallowed and looked up at Jack pleadingly. "I feel like total shit, Jack. It makes me wish you had just used the Risen Mitten."
The Doctor looked puzzled. "Risen Mitten? If you're referring to the Arzakian Gauntlets of Life and Death, they were lost eons ago. Don't tell me they landed in Cardiff." He shuddered as if struck by a horrible thought. "If they landed in the hands of some idiot, there's no telling what havoc they could wreak."
Jack bit his lip. "Well they're no longer a threat. We destroyed both of them. One because Suzie was using it to kill Gwen, the other because it kept coming after us after I brought Owen back." When the Doctor glared at him, he held his hands up. "I swear that I thought Owen was only going to be back for a couple of minutes." He shook his head.
"We'll chalk that up on the list of mistakes you've made. I don't suppose you ever thought of using the gauntlets together? Together, in most circumstances, they can bring someone back so that person can live out the rest of his or her life. Separately, you can get results, but not the ones you want." The Doctor scowled. "I thought you knew better than that. It's one of the reasons I don't like Torchwood."
"Using the glove was not my idea, but my second in command at the time convinced me to let her experiment. If I had known she'd do what she did, I would have retconned her then and there." Jack sighed and closed his eyes. "Please, Doctor, I really don't want to argue about this."
The Doctor sighed. "Ah, well, what's done is done I suppose."
Jack turned to Ianto and gave the younger man an encouraging smile. "You need rest. You probably have a headache right now which would be your brain adjusting itself to allow telepathy. I'm sorry to say that the headache will be the least of your concerns."
Ianto moaned at the prospect. "I don't suppose you could sedate me so I sleep through the whole thing."
Jack felt bad for his lover and continued to run his fingers through Ianto's hair. "I'm sorry, but that's not an option. You'd wake up and everything would be in chaos for you. It'll be more painful, but easier in the long run if you're aware as the changes happen. Better you get adjusted gradually. For now, at least I can help your headache." Ianto needed mental shields before the telepathy developed or he'd accidentally hear anything and everything they were thinking. It would be like when Tosh had that blasted pendant that Mary had given her, only Ianto wouldn't have the luxury of being able to stop it as easily.
He pressed his forehead against Ianto's and concentrated until he could sense the budding ability and he quickly coaxed Ianto to subconsciously create his own shields. It would have been easier to create them for Ianto, but the shields wouldn't be as strong or last long enough.
Ianto sighed in obvious relief. "What did you do? It was like a moth fluttering in my mind."
Jack kissed Ianto's forehead. "I coaxed your shields to protect you from outside thoughts." He caressed the face that he loved so much. "I'll help you learn how to control it and create shields of your own. Right now, maybe you should get as much rest as you can."
The Doctor cleared his throat. "And that's my cue. I won't sedate you, but I can help you relax if you'll trust me."
Jack watched as the Doctor placed his fingers on Ianto's forehead and smiled a little when Ianto's eyes drooped shut. He wished he could just wrap his arms around Ianto and protect him from the pain he was about to go through. The only thing he could do was be strong enough to help Ianto as much as possible.
To Be Continued ...
