Chapter 6: The Immortality Spring

As the trio headed back to the Foster house, Jesse was feeling more and more nervous. At any moment they would reach the house and he would meet the rest of the people he saw before. It wasn't the people as such, it was the fact that he would be alone with all these strangers and he didn't like being crowded. If he was honest with himself, he feared the rest of them. With just Ianto and Jack, he could cope, they knew about him now, and Ianto was Winnie's grandson so he didn't have to worry. However, with the rest, he didn't feel comfortable with them knowing about him yet. His fears were subsided when Jack said,

"Don't worry, I have asked the others to stay out for a while, so you don't feel like we are ambushing you… Can I ask, how did it happen, your immortality?"

Jesse felt himself going pale, he couldn't tell them, he didn't trust them completely yet.

"Ok. I'll share something with you that very few people know about me… I am immortal too. I…," Jack began to tell Jesse all about how Rose had brought him back from the dead, and how he now couldn't die. Jesse couldn't believe it, the Tucks were not alone. He had travelled the world, several times, and had never heard of any other immortals, or the places the man was discussing. He watched as Jack looked up at Ianto, smiling, before speaking again. Jesse couldn't believe he had more to say, what he had said already was quite a revelation.

"…We, Ianto and I, promise to never tell your secret, not even to the rest of our team, if you don't want us too, but could you please tell us how?"

Taking a deep breath, Jesse contemplated his next move. What harm could it do? This man was already immortal, and knew how to keep it a secret himself, so he in turn would keep Jesse's too.

"Ok… It all began…" Jesse told them all about his life since drinking from the spring, his family, Winnie, everything. As he talked, he watched their expressions change from wonder to sadness. He felt the comfort in their smiles. He knew he could trust them when he said,

"I will show you where it is if you promise to help me keep it safe."

Xxx

Finally, Jack thought. He had been waiting for Jesse to show him the spring he had been talking about. He had a plan. It was simple, get Ianto to drink from it and be by his side for eternity. He'd never be alone again.

As he followed the younger immortal, he realised they were heading in the same direction as the grave they had visited earlier. When they stopped beside it, Jesse went behind the tree and lifted up the foliage covering it. Jack gasped as his eyes landed on the tiny pool of water. He couldn't help but go over and cradle some in his hand, letting it fall through his fingers. He wondered how such a little thing could hold so much power.

"I know what you want." Jesse's comment surprised him, causing him to look up. His eyes followed the younger man as he came to kneel beside him, whispering, "You want it for Ianto. Am I right?"

Guiltily, Jack nodded.

"I promised my family I would never let it fall into the wrong hands, if you promise the same; I will allow you to use it only once. I know how hard it is to lose the one you love, so I'm going to give you the opportunity I never had. My father talked my love out of it; I won't do that to Ianto, but make sure he knows the consequences. Being immortal, as you know, can be a curse. "

Before Jack could reply, Ianto spoke,

"What are you two conspiring about? Jack rose and walked over to his lover.

"Ianto, I love you, you know that. I love you more than anyone else, and I want us to be together forever. I won't make you, but I want you to take a drink from the spring. Jesse was just giving me permission."

Ianto was stunned, he hadn't expected that, but he had to admit, he was tempted.

"I promise I won't force you. It's your choice. I'll be by your side regardless."

Ianto stood silently for a few minutes, weighing up the pros and cons. He thought about his life. The only thing that made it worth living was Jack. True, he had his sister and her family, but he didn't really speak to them, let alone visit. He wanted to do it, but had to know one thing first,

"If I do this Jack, I want you to promise that you won't abandon me. I don't mind if you fall out of love with me, but I don't want to be alone in the future with no family and no friends. If you can promise that we will always be together, as friends or as lovers, then I'll do it."

Hearing that, Jack couldn't help but kiss the Welshman. He couldn't believe this was going to happen.

"I promise you Ianto. I will never abandon you. You'll never have to worry about that. I will always love you… If you want some guarantee, will this do…?" Jack asked, bending down and picking out a small object he had always kept in his coat pocket for such an occasion.

"Ianto, I have wanted to ask you for a while now, will you be my husband?"

"Yes…," Ianto replied. Jack beamed as he slid the ring onto his new fiancé's finger. Instantly, Jack pulled the younger man into his arms and kissed him, pouring all the love he felt for the Welshman into the kiss. When they parted for air, what Ianto said made him groan.

"I don't want to drink the water yet Jack. I'm sorry, but I want to see what Tosh and Owen think. We don't have to tell them about the spring. We could say that you asked the Doctor about it and you're going to give it me on the day we get married…. Jesse, would you mind us taking a vial? Jack will keep it with him until I drink it on our wedding day, or, if you like, you could keep it and come work for us for a while…"

"I'd prefer that… It's not that I don't trust you both, I do, I just feel safer if I have it…" He stopped for a second and added, "If I like it with you, would you let me stay?"

"Sure," replied Jack. "Why don't we go and introduce you to the team?"

Jesse smiled and held his hand out, "The vial." Ianto passed him a container and the immortal filled it enough for one. He replaced the cap before tucking it in his jacket pocket. "Let's go. I am ready to meet your team."

Xxx

Back at the house, the others were all waiting in the back room, watching the monitors. Jack surprised them when he suddenly opened the door and said,

"Toshiko, Owen, Gwen, this is Jesse. He's the ghost we came to see. I've asked him to come and work for us for a while."

The first to get up was Tosh who came over and offered a hand.

"Hello Jesse, I'm Toshiko. You can call me Tosh. It's nice to meet you." Jesse took her hand and responded politely,

"Hello Tosh. It's nice to meet you too."

The little meet and greet lasted for a few minutes before Jack invited them all to go to the festival celebration.

"I don't know if it's a good idea for me to go."

"It's only for a day, no one knows who you are, and we'll be going tomorrow," Ianto informed him.

"Alright then," he replied, smiling.

The group were soon on their way. Jack had taken the lead, walking hand in hand with Ianto. Jesse found himself between Tosh and Owen, telling him about the problems he had caused the town. Bringing up the rear was Gwen, a frown on her face. She hated being ignored.

Once they reached the town, Ianto smiled as he was reminded of his childhood. The street was completely coned off, with stalls of food, drink and various souvenirs lining the pavements. As soon as they were in the coned off area, Jack turned to face the others,

"Meet back here in a couple of hours ok… Go enjoy yourselves!" At that, Jack pulled Ianto off down the street, leaving the others standing in the middle of the road.

"Well there goes the boss; you want to go round with us Jesse?" Owen asked.

"Please. Where are we going to go first?" the immortal asked.

"Are you hungry?" asked Tosh.

"A bit."

"Let's go to one of the cafés then," the Japanese woman suggested. The others enthusiastically agreed, and set off down the pavement towards the little tea rooms they seen when they arrived. They passed several, but Jesse spotted one that reminded him of his past. From the window, he could see the old fashioned decorations. He loved the white table cloths and the candles on top. It also appeared to be emptier than the others.

"How about here?"

The other three stopped and turned to look inside. Nodding they headed in. It didn't take long for the quartet to order and be eating freshly made sandwiches. As Jesse ate, he realised that, although he was the outsider for now, he could see himself fitting in with this group. They seemed friendly, except maybe Gwen, but he guessed that she would warm up soon. He may not have Winnie anymore, but he had her grandson and he knew if they made friends he may be able to finally heal.

Xxx

Walking around, hand in hand, Jack and Ianto didn't have a care in the world. They were together, they were in love, and that was all that mattered. Yes, they knew that their relationship had changed, mainly because of the ring on Ianto's finger and the small vial sitting in Jesse's pocket, but they couldn't be happier about that fact. If he was honest, Ianto was glad that Jack had separated them from the others. He liked their time alone, something they had had a lot of these last few days in Treegap. He must admit, he did love the town. He then had an idea. Maybe…

"Jack, can we have the wedding here? We could use the garden at the house."

"I'd like that."

The two beamed at each other before Jack dragged Ianto passed the stalls lining the street. They were full of trinkets, memorable items to commemorate the day. Some tables held hats, others were more decorative pieces. Either way, Jack didn't care for any of it, he had what he wanted by his side, Ianto Jones, and he wouldn't change things for the world.