8
"Yeah, it was." Jack moved to take up some of his weight and then pulled out softly, removing the condom and discarding it before rolling onto his side and gathering Ianto back into his arms.
"So do you want to do it again?" he asked.
"God yes, but next time I…" Ianto paused, realizing he was about to ask for something Jack may not be prepared to give. Jack may have said he liked him and that he wanted to see him outside these four walls, but that didn't mean he was thinking of anything more.
"Next time… what? Because whatever it is, I'll give it to you." Jack sounded so sincere, it was impossible not to believe him, but Jack had no idea what Ianto was thinking.
Taking a chance, and hoping he wasn't going to make a fool of himself, Ianto opened up to what was in his heart. "When you said you wanted to date me, did you really mean it?"
"Of course I did, but I meant more than that." Jack palmed the side of Ianto's jaw and then used his thumb to skim along Ianto's bottom lip. He hesitated a moment and then briefly pressed his lips to Ianto's. "You know when you meet someone for the first time, and you just know he's the one? Well that happened to me. If I'd met you in the middle of a crowded bar or sitting alone on a beach, I would have known you were meant for me. Being here hasn't changed that. In fact I think I would have told you sooner if we hadn't been under so much pressure."
Awed by Jack's admission, Ianto seriously had to give himself a couple of seconds to get his brain working. "But you don't even know what I look like. Not really."
"Doesn't matter. I know who you are inside, and that's what matters most."
In the cocoon Jack created, it was hard to think beyond anything that might happen outside it, but Ianto's romantic soul refused to turn down a proposal like that. He nodded and then broke out into a smile. "I've got brown hair and greyish blue eyes. Just in case you're interested."
Jack's light laugh held a note of relief in it, but the strength of his arms as he pulled Ianto in tight spoke of confidence. "My eyes are blue too, and same hair too but mine is quite dark. Nothing special, but I don't think that matters to you either, does it?"
"Nope. I like what's in here." Ianto placed his hand over Jack's heart and felt the strong, steady beat beneath his palm. He'd never felt so comfortable with anyone before, so at ease, but he honestly couldn't wait until they were free of this room, free to get to know each other properly. He leaned in for a small kiss and then settled within the circle of Jack's embrace.
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Tosh's feet dangled above the ground. The creatures in front of her sailed backward through the air, arms and legs flailing, screech intensity at maximum. The door to the tunnel flashed closed. We're inside. She tried to slow her breathing, waiting for the adrenaline to wear off. She peered down to find a massive arm around her waist.
A matching arm surrounded Owen, who was squeezed in next to her. He looked as surprised as she felt.
The arm appeared human, and they were still breathing. Good sign.
The grip loosened, and they slid to the floor. Tosh took a tentative step forward and turned around.
She remembered him from the bar.
Tall dark and swarthy. He stood at least as tall as Owen, but was built like a house. Where Owen was small and lean, this one was wide and buff.
Dark hair fell over his brown eyes, and he grinned like a kid at Christmas.
Suzie straightened out her rumpled shirt form where she had fallen through the doorway, not that it made any difference. "Boy am I glad to see you. I was starting to get worried. Thought maybe you'd gone AWOL too. Just in time, thanks."
"You're welcome. Always glad to be of assistance. I see we have company." He turned to her. "Tosh, wasn't it?"
She untucked her cover-up and smoothed the flimsy material over her thighs.
"Yes, and your name again?"
He stuck his hand out. "Sean. Sean McAdams, at your service."
His hands were enormous and nicely warm. "Nice to meet you."
Instead of letting go, he pulled and kissed her on each cheek.
Suzie laughed. "Easy, boy. Tosh got caught in the middle of our Gerf visit, so she's in the know. This is Jack's new project."
"That's great," Sean said, still clutching her hand. "Let me assume the responsibilities for our absent host and welcome you to the Shit Box."
He kissed the back of her hand, twice, before letting go.
Serious overkill, but when they looked like this, who cared? Tosh gave him her best smile.
"Thank you, it's nice to meet you too. Really nice, given the whole life saving thing." She jumped a little as a muffled sound came from the direction of the door. "Should we be worried about that?"
"Nah, that thing is impregnable," Sean said, digging around in his pocket. He pulled out a phone like Owen's, and keyed in a code. The screen showed the other side of the door.
The aliens stood about ten feet back, both looking at a device the larger one
gripped in its three-fingered hand. The alien pressed something and after a short pause another boom echoed through the hall. Sean knitted his brows. "Looks like they got a new toy."
"How did you manage to grab us and send them flying at the same time?" Tosh asked, not even trying to hide her admiration.
"It's a little thing called infiltration, darlin'. I've been here since they snatched the eye-candy" Sean continued to peer at the phone. "I can show you the embrace part again if you'd like."
Sean took a step forward, a come hither grin on his face.
Tosh stepped back. "That's okay, I—"
"What the hell are they doing out there?" They all jumped at Owen's voice. The vibrations coursed through her like thunder off canyon walls. He walked toward them.
Suzie covered the distance between them in a few strides. "Sean, report."
"Yes, ma'am. Received a call from Jack approximately thirty five hours ago. Bar under attack and you were MIA. Sorry, boss, that's verbatim." Sean stretched his neck and scratched behind his ear while inspecting the walls nearby.
"We were off site as per Jack's orders. Continue," Owen said, with no further explanation.
"Right. Well I found you about to be Gerf food, backed up against the entry. Owen seemed to be having trouble opening the door."
"No kidding," Tosh said. All the pent up fear and anxiety exploded inside of her.
"Have you guys ever heard of 'X marks the spot'? Seriously, it's a brilliant little thing. Lets you know where the spot is that opens the door. We I almost died. Twice. No X. You came through before us … ever heard of marking your bloody path?"
Tosh pointed at Owen. "I say it might just save our butts."
Shit, there I go again. She covered her mouth with her hand.
Suzie exploded into an ear-splitting sneeze and busied herself with a tissue.
Sean now seemed intensely interested in the ceiling.
"Sorry," Tosh said. "Didn't mean to go off like that."
She peered down at her skirt and wished for trousers. And flat shoes. She shuffled her bare feet.
Owen wore a barely suppressed grin.
Like the plucked string of a guitar, her body vibrated from the connection, hummed with such intensity she thought she might lose her vertical position in the world. Okay, take a deep breath and chill.
She concentrated on Owen who appeared simultaneously nervous and amused. She poked him in the ribs with her elbow. "What? I said I was sorry."
"The security of this exercise," Suzie said, crossing her arms, "is none of your business. Sean is on loan from Unit and that's all you need to know!"
"My life is my business, thank you very much." She crossed her arms and returned the stare. She thinks this is funny. She bit back a number of further retorts she thought would be funny and decided to let it go.
Sean took a step closer to Tosh. "She's going to have to stay here till we find out what's got the Gerfs all fired up."
Owen sighed and ran a hand through that short hair of his.
"My apologies," she said. "I realize I'm here without an invitation, or clothes, but I didn't exactly ask to come."
He laughed then, which surprised them all. "I know. Sorry for my poor manners, I—"
A massive boom echoed through the hall, coming from the tunnel.
"You absolutely sure we don't have to worry about that?" she asked Sean.
Before anyone answered, the sound of splintering wood came from the left. Moving as one, Owen and Sean bolted for a small room off the hall.
Tosh and Jared followed them. The back wall of the small space was covered in monitors displaying multiple views. There was the wreck of a storeroom back at Jared's Place, the empty bar, and numerous angles of the ship they were in now.
Sean tapped a display with the Gerfs in the tunnel. "They have a new toy, Suzie. I was just checking it out when you arrived."
He pointed to another screen, displaying a large wooden door. Flowers in pots adorned either side, and vines hung from around the area she assumed was the front entrance.
Seven Gerfs lurked ten feet from the entrance as one of them pointed a small device at the door. Another ear splintering crash reverberated from farther inside the villa.
Suzie turned to Owen. "Whatever that weapon is, there's a delay before they can fire again."
Owen leaned closer to the monitor. "We need to get our hands on one of those."
"I'm on it," Sean said. "Jack is going to decimate them for this."
"They're inside the shield range," Sean said, studying his phone. "Should we activate the perimeter shields to keep more from getting in?"
Owen shook his head. "We do that, they can't leave."
Ah, so the Earth Protector they were talking about was Jack.
Right?
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"I guess when we wake up we'll be out of here, right?"
"Yeah. That's what happened to the other guys. None of them remembered anything between the time they fulfilled the abductors' demands and regaining consciousness in the park. Obviously they weren't happy about what had happened, however apart from that they all woke up safe and sound."
"Then let's hope we do too." Ianto said, secretly hoping it wasn't going to be true about the memory loss.
He really wanted to remember this man.
